Fandom Grimm Hunter Part 2: Twin Tendency

[CapRock]

Aslan

"Uncle Cliff is right." Cherry tells me. I can see that she's been crying out a lot lately, but right now, she's smiling. "At least you're alright!"
Cherry never fails to make me see the good side of things; after all, at the very least we all made it back in one piece. I hold onto Koni back and I add:
"Sorry for worrying you all. I shouldn't have been so reckless." Truth is, I just want to be stronger so I can actually do what I did and succeed at it, but they don't need to know that.
"Well, now you know just how dangerous it can be out there." Mom tells us. "Being a huntsman is no joke, often times our help just isn't enough. And yet, we try. Because the times when it is enough, even if it is to save a single person..." She glances at Koni before finishing: "...Then it's worth it."
Before long, I catch myself looking at Koni too. She's on her own now, that's true, but if we weren't there, then she might have been dead as well. This also means that the only ones left for her are those in this room, especially me. It's quite the burden to bear. But after all that she's done for me... I will absolutely do my best!

- 1 week later -

Sini

It hadn't been long since the tradgedy happened but, somehow, Sini had already fallen back into her daily life alongside the others. Koni ended up adjusting rather well to the group. At that very moment, Sini had taken team SANT towards the training hall. She was talking up to another team about a sparring match:
"Sini, please! We can't really train against you." The huntsman in training told Sini. "Why don't you go fight an Elder dragon or something?"
"Chill out, you shitheads!" Sini replied. "'Cause today I ain't moving a finger to fight you guys. All you gotta do..." Sini turned to the side and showed Koni with her hands. "Is fight this cute little chick."
"...And on that day, proper english had its final breath." Midori complained.
"Are you sure about this?" Aslan asked Koni. "I know you're strong but... Isn't 4 against one a little excessive?"

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"I fought men bigger than them, these people will be easy like skinning bear!" Keezheekoni said in a confident tone, scaring the poor people standing before her. "Let's go! I cannot wait to fight, and learn your ways of combat!" "This is how we die....." One of the victims *ahem* students said as they went to the sparring arena. Glynda was already there, and smiled at Keezheekoni and her opponents. "Hello, Mrs. Sterling, are you ready to test yourself against 4 opponents?" "Yes, I am. But are you ready, my opponents?" 3 of the four gulped, and took a deep breath. "Let's do this, she is against the four of us! We can do this!" The leader shouted as the match started.

2 of 4 members charged Koni, while the remainder followed suit. Koni shook her head, and got her Warclubs out, and began to guard against the first duo's assault, before quickly knocking them down with swipes to the legs. After dodging a few slashes aimed at the neck, she headbutts the 3rd opponent, and slammed the left side of his chest, then his right, before landing a firm kick to the breastbone, sending him flying back 10 feet. The leader then charged with his mace, but only missed every swing. As Koni dodged, she combined her clubs into Judgement, her bow. She then fired electric arrows at the Leader's feet, making him dance, once came in close, she slaps him away with her bow. She watched as the group gets up. "You are predictable, you fight like an ill wolf." She was smug, and confident that they will not last much longer. A girl, with electric gauntlets, charged koni, and started swinging, and recieved a shock from Koni's arrow, and then was slammed by her bow, reducing her aura to zero.
the other 2 tried to come after her, with a long sword, and a shotgun that changed into a bat. They closed in, and swung at the same, with Koni dodging. The two hit each other, reducing their auras to zero. The leader looked at Koni in anger, as she smiled and waved. She charged Koni, and swung her daggers around in a savage fury. Koni then sweeps her legs, and then bats the girl away, winning the match. "That's enough. Keezheekoni wins the match! What an excellent display of prowess and cunning, Mrs. Sterling." Glynda said with a blank expression, but enthusiasm in her voice. "Thank you! It was an honor." though Keezheekoni did not look like a student at Beacon, she had been learning more than just fighting. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

"That's my girl!"
Koni really is something else; in the short time since she's been here, she's shown to be one of the best between our student huntsmen, and she's been helping me to try and keep up with the others. Getting over what happened hasn't been easy, but I like to believe that I'm doing my part the absolute best I can. I couldn't forgive myself if I did any less. I come in to steal a kiss of my warrior girl. It's also a little "thank you" for saving me from embarassing myself by trying to fight one of the members of the team but that's just a little secret of mine.
"Now that you are all here and ready to listen, I have an important announcement for you." Glynda says as we round up around her. "Since your first shadow mission yielded... Mixed results, to put it lightly, we have decided to try a new method of special training for both of your teams. You'll now both be sent to Atlas."

Verde

"A-atlas?"
Never in her life Verde would have expected such a claim. Atlas was in a completely different part of the world, farther than mom and dad had ever taken her an Midori to. It was a bit scary, sure, but also so exciting she was almost turning into Cherry for a moment there.
"Well, yes." Glynda continued. "I understand this sounds a bit unexpected, but we've discussed it thoroughly and..."
"You heard her, team!" Verde was already telling team CVSM. "Pack your bags, we're going to a whole new kingdom! Oh sis, I can't even imagine what kind of amazing new tech they're coming up with! If I can only handle the cold, that is..."
"Yay, field trip!" Cherry exlaimed as she jumped. "I'll get my stuff packed right away."
"Could you at least listen to Glynda?" Aslan tried to suggest.
"We can do it later!" Sini said, already heading out. "Come on As, you take way too long to pack and you know it!"
Before long, Glynda was alone again. She only then managed to finish her sentence:
"And I think it is about time you know about the Warframe project." Glynda looked at the running students and let a tiny smile sneak into her face. Their youth reminded her of a certain band of troublemakers from a generation ago. "Well, they can always find out about it on the go, I suppose."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"So we are going to the kingdom of eggheads? Great." Sonora Jr. Said with a snarkiness to her tone. She did not really like travelling far from home, but with cherry by her side, it somewhat put her at ease. She knew that Cherry was the most excited, and in all honesty, she wished she could be as happy go-lucky as her.

"Ah. Atlas. I remember when mom used to go there a lot, having to capture and relocate monsters with their help. That was also when dad was home for the summer." Tristan said with a smile on his face, Noctis, however, couldn't resist holding his girl's hand, with a dumb grin on his face, not even listening to Tristan.

"What is atlas, and why are we going there?" Keezheekoni asked Aslan as they walked to their dorms. She had not learned of the technological capital of remnant in her history class yet, so maybe this will be a headstart for her. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

"Atlas is a kingdom way up north." I explain to Koni. "They're known for mixing up their huntsman academy alongside their military for a very strict training schedule. If there's anyone who can give you a challenge, they're probably waiting for you there."
I've never been to Atlas, but even I know that it's going to be quite the experience; I have to pack my thickest coats, maybe even buy some more. I also realize that Koni herself only has her tribal clothes and that's definitely a problem.
"Oh, and also... It's very, very cold there." I tell Koni. "I know you won't like to hear this, but we'll have to buy you some new clothes. We'll head out with sis and..." As I look arond, though, I realize that Sini and Noctis are nowhere to be seen. "Tristan, you know where your brother went?"

Midori

Despite remaining as quiet as one could, Midori was every bit as ecstatic as her sister; she followed team CVSM closely and, as soon as they reached their dorms, she opened up her closet. It had a couple sets of identical clothes and several layers of scrapbooks, neatly separated between the empty and the completed ones. She took one from the completed pile labeled 'best projects' and 12 of the empty ones and laid them on top of bed.
"Are you sure with that many?" Verde asked. Midori stared at her sister in confusion before adding:
"You're right. There's not enough of them for all the tech we'll find there!" She rushed at her closet and added another dozen scrapbooks on her pile. Verde laughed it off and said:
"This is going to be great. Just don't forget to bring your clothes as well, alright?"
"If there's any room left in my luggage, I will."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"New..... Clothes...? Well, as long as it's to keep me warm, then I will accept it...." Koni said reluctantly as she took her husband's hand, and pulled him closer to her. She was excited to visit a new place, mainly because the others were. Though Atlas seems far away, adventure is right around the corner for her.

"No. As soon as I turned around, Noctis was gone. You know as well as I do that he is the quietest when sneaking away, in contrast to his loud an spontaneous attitude." Tristan said as he scratched his head. He never knows where noctis runs off to, until he comes back, and tells Tristan what happened. "He'll probably rat himself out once he gets back."

Sonora Jr. Packed her luggage with warm clothes, her music player, and a camera for pictures to send to mom, dad, and grandpa Magnus. "This is gonna be fun! Right Sis?" She asked with a smile, seeing her sister blushing like crazy. "Looks like Tristan has you on the ropes. You thinking about him a lot lately?" She asked teasingly with a smile as she zipped up her bags. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

"I, uh..." Cherry blushed even harder after being questioned by her sister. They hadn't had the chance to pick back up the subject they had on just before tradgedy stuck and thinking about it brought about bad memories which Cherry didn't want to have resurfaced. "I still have to confess to him. Maybe during this trip I'll get the chance... No, I'll definitely do it!" She said confidently. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it! Just you watch it, sis! By the way..." Cherry pciked up two pieces of swimsuits from her closet, completely forgetting the type of environment they were heading to. "Which one do you think I should bring?"
"Will you break it to her, or should I?" Verde asked Sonora jokingly.

- 1 day later -

Aslan

As we lower down into Atlas, I can see that every bit I heard of the kingdom was true; it is ruthlessly cold, and I'm not only talking about the weather. The buildings, the peopl,e the endless guards parading around... It's like the whole town's under Marshal Law and it gives me the creeps. But the rest of the team seems to be doing fine; Verde and Midori absolutely love the place are asking and observing just about everything about them. My sister doesn't let go of Noctis anymore and she has the dumbest smile in her face; I'm still trying to get used to her being the way she is now but if she's happy with it then so am I.
"Guys, guys!" Verde tells us, bouncing up and down and barely managing the attention span to tell us the news. "Ironwood is revealing a brand new superweapon at the end of the week! How cool is that!" Cherry quickly found herself hopping alongside Verde, yelling:
"Yay! I don't know what that means!"
I can't help but laugh at the whole scene. Hopefully Koni won''t mind that I'm not as excited as the others about everything. I pull her in for a kiss and say:
"Phew! That was quite a trip. At least the snow is really pretty, don't you think?"

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Keezheekoni was to engrossed with the falling snow to listen to Aslan. She looked at the ground, and touched the white ground. A cold feeling shot up her hand, but picked up a chunk of it. "I have never seen this before..... This is what you call "Snow"? It feels cold, and wet." She said with a time of curiosity as she looked at aslan, like a lost child.

Noctis smiled as Sini held onto him. He then planted a kiss on her forehead? "Y'know, I have never been here. Maybe there are some romantic spots around here for us to enjoy." He said as tristan shook his head. "I do not think they believe in romance, But I know I do." Tristan looked at Cherry, and grabbed her hand. "Isn't this beautiful? A cherry blossom in a sea of white snow, blooming with happiness." His heart was thumping, but his face shows no expression whatsoever.

Sonora Jr. smiled at her sister, and at the Russets as they got excited over this new weapon being unveiled at the end of the week. "I wonder what the eggheads cooked up now? Probably another set of Paladins or something." She said in a snarky tone. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

"Yes, it is! Do you like it?" I ask Koni. Seeing her discover new things is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the day. "Be sure to stay indoors whenever you can, this cold can get pretty harsh, especially at night."
After landing, we are received and taken to our rooms. They're much larger and emptier than those back at Beacon, as set up for 2 to 3 people each; I got one just for me and Koni, which is definitely nice. We bring our bags to the rooms and reunite again at the hallways to talk.
"Well, it's still sunday here." Sini tells all of us "So I guess we can just F*#@ around and see what's Atlas all about until tonight. I mean, at least you can go ahead and do it." She pulls in Noctis closer and presses him close against her body, making a satisfied face after a moment. "I'm going to stay here with my handsome heating blanket until I don't hate snow anymore."
"Well, you heard the girl!" Verde agreed. "Be sure to not stray too far or get lost, ok?"
"Understood!" Cherry said.

Cherry

Huh.... Guess I'm lost!
15 minutes after the group went their own ways Cherry had already managed to get herself deep within the forest. It was cold a bit dark, but she was sure everything would work out in the end, so she kept happily skipping her way. Who knows what kind of fun things she'd find there?

Verde

"Are you sure she went this way?" Verde asked as she made her way through the ankle-deep snow of the woods. She had been forced to wear the thick clothes she hated to much and it was still unbearably cold. Midori walked just behind her, seeming comfortable with the cold but not with their activity.
"Yes I am. She just ran off here like nobody's business. I wonder if her hyperactive metabolism protects her from hypothermia."
"Let's just find her already so we can talk to those Atlesian scientists." Verde replied. She then put her hands around her mouth and shouted: "Cherry! Where are you Cherry? Get back here!"

Kin

Amongst the cold pines of the Atlesian forest there was a lone figure pacing along, quiet as a shadow, elusive as a dream. He was quietly following a couple of targets of interest from enough distance to not be noticed by either, and it seemd though as if they were about to cross paths. He sprinkled some earth Dust in his boots and closed his eyes, causing him to lazily float up to a a tree branch, which he sat on. That would certainly be a curious interaction to witness, so he decided to let it play out before taking any actions.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"I like it a lot. It feels like water, but cold and hard." and after hearing Aslan's explanation to stay indoors whenever she can, she nodded. She then took his hand, and spoke, "let's look at our room! I want to see every bit of it!" She exclaimed as she dragged Aslan into their room, and shut the door.

"You ain't gonna be hating snow, not for a while." Noctis said as his hand combusted, and he raised it between them, the heat radiating off her face. "How's that feel, Dollface? Feeling any warmer?" he asked with a dumb smile on his face, meanwhile, Sonora Jr. And Noctis were walking around, looking for Cherry in the city.

In an abandoned military base, within the kingdom of Atlas, rests a tortured soul who had undergone a transformation of technological proportions. The man’s name was Egon Amarillo, a very respected Mantle soldier 80 years ago, now a Warframe, known as Excalibur Umbra, an improved version of the Excalibur model of Warframe, with its own special features unique to him. Egon lay in Cryostasis, waiting to be awakened.


That moment came, when a malfunction finally happened, causing the systems of his Cryostasis pod to fail, forcing the thawing process. After thawing out, Egon exits his pod, very disoriented and confused. “Warning! Cryostasis pod failure, unauthorized Warframe activation detected! Evacuate immediately” An AI exclaimed over the PA, to nobody around. Once he gained his bearings, Egon made it a mission to escape, but not without armaments. He forced open the door, and walked corridor upon corridor, until he came upon the “Animal Testing Lab” inside, he found a lonely creature, almost nothing like he has seen before. The creature took notice, and barked loudly, and wagging her tail as she came up and scratched the glass windows, wanting out. “What the hell are you!? And what did they do to you?!” Egon thought as he forced open the door, feeling as if he should help it, only to be tackled down, and forcibly loved by this strange creature, who was rubbing her head on him. Egon pushed the creature off, and went up to a working computer, where a log was shown.


“The genetic crossing of Grimm and Canine was a success. Metus shows signs of resilience, and immunity to extreme conditions. However, she seems to be attracted to Positive emotions, unlike Actual Grimm, who react to negativity. I do not know if she still has her Canine mindset, or she still thinks she is a dog, but this is an anomaly for sure. The Grimm strand of the Helminth Charger project is indeed a success, with some tweaks needed.”


“A man-made grimm? What were they planning on doing with her? And I think Metus is her name” Egon made a gesture to follow, before seeing a mutant canine, with a more organic look laying dead on the floor. “Disgusting…. How cruel can Mantle be?!”


He exits the labs, and goes on to find the Armory. Once at the Armory, Egon forced the door open, and looked around. He found a locker with his old picture on it, with his family. He remembered it all. Pulling the trigger, remorseless and stone faced. “Those bastards did this to me! And I am gonna make them regret it with every life I take!” Egon ripped open the locker, and took out a Braton Prime, A set of Twin Grakatas, and his signature blade, Skiajati. “Feels good to have these weapons again… it feels strange…. But empowering.” his vision saw words come up, “Engaging Combat Systems…..” Whatever that meant, it meant he can keep track of things while in combat. He saw his energy meter show up, as well as an Aura and Vital meters at the top right if his vision. “Weird…. But convenient.” Egon then made a journey to the hangar bay of the base, where it will be open, or so he thought.



Outside the base, Winter Schnee and her platoon come upon the Abandoned base, and she then smiled. “Here it is… An old Mantle military base. Open it up.” the group nodded as they opened the hangar revealing old and rusted aircraft and anti personnel vehicles. “Interesting…. This all just sitting here for a long time… What secrets will this place hold?” Winter said to herself as she sighed.



Metus picked up a smell, and started to bark as she chased it, with Egon following her. Winter had heard the deep barking, and was confused, then assumed it was just a stray dog. “Ignore tha…. Someone’s here…. Weapons drawn.” Winter ordered as her men pointed their guns at the doorway with footsteps getting louder and louder.


Once at the Doorway to the hangar, Egon was met with rifles pointed at him and Metus. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Winter asked as she stepped up a couple paces. “Answer me. Now.” Egon’s heart began to race as he experienced a flashback, where a woman who looked like Winter told him to pull the trigger. “She…. She will pay with her life…. For my suffering….!” Egon opened fire on two men, killing them both with headshots, the rest of the men returned fire, as Metus began to tear and shred until there was nothing left, screaming and yelling echoed out of the hangar, with Winter looking on in Awe. Egon looked at Winter, putting his rifle away, and grabbing the hilt of his sword, and telling Metus to stay put with gestures. Winter looked on in horror as her men were dispatched with relative ease and grace. She drew her blade, and regained her composure. “This is Winter to HQ, I am in need of immediate backup, someone is already at the point of interest, and they are a massive threat. Send them now!” Winter began her fight with Egon, who was equally matched in swordplay. Hit after hit, and block after block, Winter seemed to be winning, until She received a headbutt, sending her backwards. “You’re good, but you missed a few times.” She said as Egon pointed his blade at her, as if to say “Do not hold back, give me all that you have.” A very intense fight ensued, with some blows exchanged. After 2 minutes, the cavalry arrived, with a Paladin in tow. Egon kicked Winter out of the way, and looked at the large group of men and Knights before him. Words came up in his sight, with a symbol of a man dashing going to the bottom right of his vision. “Blade Dash Activated” Egon Dashed towards a Knight, and slashed him in two, and consecutively put down 2 others before being surrounded. “Radial Howl and Radial Javelin Activated” Came upon his vision as a symbol of a blast went to the bottom right, next to the Blade dash, as well as a symbol for blades going in all directions. His aura danced around his head like electricity, and a burst of light occurred as he screamed, blinding the group, and then he summons a circle of javelins, impaling the surrounding group of men, before disappearing. After exchanging shots with the remaining forces, the Paladin activates, and Winter’s voice was heard. “SURRENDER NOW! OR BECOME AN UNRECOGNIZABLE CRATER IN THE GROUND!” “Exalted Blade Activated” Egon’s instinct took over, and put his Nikana away in its scabbard, and put his fists together, his Aura dancing around his hands. He separates his fists, creating a blade made of his own aura, with the appearance of a regular sword. “Very well then, you have made your choice. Prepare to be purged from this land!” Winter opened fire of the guns, with Egon running circles around her, sending Blades of energy out of his blade with every swing, taking out the guns one by one.


Winter launched a volley of rockets, and two of them hit Egon, sending him flying, while depleting his aura and breaking off a piece if his helmet, revealing a human eye surrounded by heavily mutilated flesh. Winter stepped forward in the Paladin a few paces, and watched as Egon got up, and turned around, an angry glare staring right at her. “What the….. It’s….. Human!?!” Winter was shocked as egon walked slowly, swinging his blade four times, removing each limb of the mech, until it was a torso. The angry Umbra puts his fists together, making his blade disappear as he unsheathed his Skiajati, and cut open the cockpit. He grabbed Winter, and threw her onto the ground. He then gets ready for the finishing blow, he looked at winter for a good amount of time, before realizing she is not a Mantle soldier. His eye showing the sincerity in his action, he sheathed his blade, and helped winter up. He then walked away, which caught Winter by surprise. She did not know whether to kill him, or let him go.


Egon clapped his hands loudly, causing Metus to get up, and follow her new master, into the woods.


Cherry was walking in those very woods, when she saw Metus, she could not help but want to pet it. “Where did you come from little guy? Are you lost?” Metus barks loudly, and wagged her small tail. When Cherry looked up, She immediately drew her, putting her guard up. Egon grabbed her throat, and threw her to a tree, seeing her as a hostile entity. Before she could get up, he pinned her by the neck with on of his arm decorations, slowly suffocating the poor girl. Once he saw Cherry’s face, a flashback occurred. “DADDY! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!! FIGHT BACK!!!” was all he heard before pulling the trigger. Snapping back to reality, he removes his arm from her neck, and looked at her with a pained and fearful expression. His helmet repaired itself, thanks to his Aura, which had just replenished itself. He then fled the scene, with Metus following him while barking. Cherry regained her breath after almost suffocating to death, she looked in the direction of the fleeing Warframe, and began to wonder what was going through his head during that whole ordeal. After getting a good enough distance, while sprinting past Verde and Midori, he stopped, and the painful memory played in his head again, and he gripped his head out of pain, and howled at the sun, yellow energy dancing on his body. Metus tried to comfort her poor master, but it was no use. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

"W-what on earth...?"
After spending the last few minutes searching for Cherry alongside her sister, Midori was greeted with the most unorthodox of sights. It seemed like a man, but also nothing like one, and the howling and energy it emitted made its presence daunting, but also profound, it a way. It's armor reminded her of the Atlesian military somehow, but with a certain difference... When she realized what it truly was, she couldn't help but gasp and say:
"Are you seeing this, sis? This armor... It's mantle technology!"
"No way." Verde carefully walked in closer to the screaming man, being careful to not get in the range of the energy spurts.
"Do you think this could be some sort of cryogenic tech?" Midori insisted.
"Could be, but I'm not sure..." Verde then turned to the man and said: "Hey, mister! Can we help you? Is there something hurting you?"

Cherry

As Cherry was recovering from her encounter, she noticed a figure making their way up to her through the snow. She waved and skipped at them, expecting to be a friend; but it was a young man with a bandana and an eyepatch that she had never seen before. Once they came within reach, he said:
"Fancy meeting someone here... Do you happen to be lost, my young lady!"
"Yes I am!" She happily admitted. "Nice to meet you, I'm Cherry! And you are?"
"...Delighted to meet you, of course." He finished. "I happened to see some people screaming that very name not long ago. Are they your friends?"
"Yes they are!" Cherry said. "Do you know where they went?"
"I don't, but I know someone who does." He added. "Scout, to me!" A rustling started on the trees for a spllit second as a slender figure pierced the treetops and braked to a stop. It was a peregrine falcon which landed on the man's arm. "Scout, lead us to the loud people. No hunting!" The bird of pray screeched before taking flight again, this time remaining low so Cherry and her new friend could follow him.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon looked at the russets, still clutching his head. He immediately gets up, and backs away, grabbing the hilt of his blade, but not drawing it. Metus whined as she sat next to th russet twin, and barked at them, demanding for them to pet her. "I do not know why.... But I think she trusts them.... Maybe I should try to cool down a bit, to not give a bad impression." He let go of his blade, and activated a projector in his left hand, with text appearing on it. "Yes... In fact there is. One painful, burning memory." the text said as he curled one of his fists, and then uncurled it. "Do you know where we are? More importantly, do you know when we are?" He had hoped he can get an answer from these cute girls. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Verde

Verde and her sister hesitated for a moment when the mysterious man seemed ready to attack, but huddled in closer when he seemed to calm down they gasped when they saw the hologram appear. While Midori crouched to pet the strange dog, her gaze still fixed at the new comer, Verde glanced at Midori, then back at the man in overflowing excitement as soon as she read the last sentence.
"You were right, sis!" Verde told Midori. That man was indeed from Mantle, not Atlas, an entirely different age in the past. Just the thought that a person who was born there, perhaps even during the great was, was now staring her in the face. Even Verde had to take a breather and calm herself after that. For now, she decided to ignore the bit about the painful memory and head straight to business: "Well sir, it is 2130 right now and Mantle doesn't exist anymore. This is now Atlas, and I'm Mi- I mean, I'm Verde! Nice to meet you."
"Please forgive my little klutz of a sister." Midori added. "I am Midori, actually, and it's nice to meet you too. You have an..." She stopped a moment to look at Methus, then pet it behind the years before completing: "...Interesting pet."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"I'm in Atlas....? Mantle no longer exists... Strange. No wonder why! I have been in that pod for 80 years!" Egon looked at Midori, and nodded. "Metus is a cross between a Grimm and a dog, with an experimental virus in her that is harmless to humans.... And man-made monsters like myself." The text from his hand projector read as he looked at metus, who was clearly enjoying herself.

"I was once a man, Before I became this Man-made monster you see before you." He felt guilt over the poor men and women he had just slaughtered, leaving that one woman alone. He looked at the twins, and more text came up from his hand. "My name is... Or was, Egon Amarillo. But I am a Warframe known as Excalibur Umbra. An.... Improvement over the original Excalibur." He shook his head, and looked at them. These girls do not know of the horrors he went through, the suffering, the anguish. But it was better off that way. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

Midori looked at the dog named Metus, then at the man as he explained his origins and his name. Neither of them should be alive by the current technological standards, and yet... There they were. A living piece of history, so to speak, and from one of darkest yet most interesting moments of Remnant's past. By the way the man referred to himself, he clealry had experienced a lot of that first-hand and lost a lot in the process. What Egon hadn't noticed, however, is that it only served to entice Midori's fascination over him even more. She took out her scrapbook and began sketching Egon and Methus on it.
"I don't see any monsters here." Verde told Egon. "Do you, sis?"
"None in sight." She agreed.
"All I see is a man who's been through a lot." Verde continued. "I have, about a million questions to ask you, but first, we need to find our. She's about this tall, red hair, and tends to yell a lot-"
"VERDE! MIDORI!"

Kin

The moment Cherry stopped chatting with him, he knew she must have found her friends. He saw her sprint at Verde and leap at her with the speed of a cheetah, tackling her into the ground with a hug. She didn't even seem to mind the fact that a man who had nearly killed her was just a few feet away.
"You came to rescue me! Thank you so much!" Cherry said. "And you've met mr. armor too! He has a... Strong grip." She said, laughing nervously and massaging the red sore spots on her neck.
"Wait, what happened?" Verde asked. She then looked at Kin and added: "And who's this man with you?"
"Oh, me?" Kin asked. "I'm just a wanderer. I ran into ms. Cherry and she needed like she could use a hand finding her friends. Isn't that right, Scout?" Scout screetched in response. Truth was, Kin was there to have a closer look at the man named Egon. Deep down, he wept for him and the cruel fate Mantle most likely forced him to go through. Kin should know how he feels - after all he went through some of those steps himself.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon looked at cherry, and shook his head. "Apologies about earlier.... I was... Not in my right mind." The text from his hand read as he looked at the twins, then a new set of text popped up. "You may not see any monsters, but for me. They are everywhere. Everywhere I look, they just stare at me, and scowl at the atrocities I unwillingly committed..... For that, I am a monster of Mantle's creation...." Upon finishing this, he got a sharp pain in his head that quickly disappeared, as he heard screaming and crying.

Kyla Azura
Winter contacted Ironwood, and spoke, "general, I am going to need more men. I had just engaged a man wearing skin tight armor, with a strange creature with him. It appears he was in the Mantle army." she stated as she sighed. "Do you plan on investigating, winter?" "Yes sir, we need to find out what that.... Thing... Is, and see if there is anything else. Over, and out."
After 20 minutes, a dropship releases a platoon of soldiers at Winter's command. "Alright, Men! We are going into this abandoned base that Mantle used during the war, and seeing what is in there, understood?" The men and women saluted, and said in unison, "YES MA'AM!" Winter led the way into the base, until she came across the labs. "I need you all to search each wing of these labs, extract any data you can." The platoon broke off into pairs, while Winter went off deeper into the labs.

She came across a lab labeled "TENNO CRYO PODS", Curious, she walked in, and examined each pod. "Strange.... Everyone of these- wait. There is one still in here." Winter said as she looked inside the last pod, and saw a girl with blue hair, with streaks of white. "There a girl in here.... How strange." She then backed away as the pod opened up, with the AI saying "Warning, Cryopod malfunction detected. Opening Cryopod 143-233." The girl took a breath of life as she collapsed on all fours, gasping for air. She felt weak and woozy.
"What is your name?" Winter asked as Kyla recovered from her frozen slumber. "Kyla..... Kyla Azura. W... Who are you?" winter smirked, "Winter Schnee, a member of the Atlesian army. Now, let's talk." CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

"Don't worry!" Cherry replied. "I know you're not a bad person. You're just a bit lost, like I was!" She didn't even seem to be noticing Egon's increasingly worrysome statements. She had learned all she needed about him when they locked eyes back then, after all.
"Oh my," Verde said. "Seems like Mantle was every bit as bad as they said it was. But the good news is, Mantle is no more! We'll take you to Atlas. The scientists there will help you out with that."
"Handing off a tortured man turned deadly weapon to the military... Are you sure about that?" The mysterious man that guided Cherry to her friends said. As everyone turned their gazes at him, he added: "At any rate, it looks like I'm overstaying my welcome. You know your way home from here, right?"
"Shouldn't be a problem." Midori replied before returning her attention back at the scrapbook.
"Then I should probably return to my stroll." He completed. "We'll meet again, I'm sure."
"Wait!" Cherry asked. "What's your name? Why were you out here?" But instead of a straight answer, all she got was:
"Wouldn't you like to know that?" And then the man left their sight.
"Well, that was... Something." Midori commented.
"He does have a point though." Verde replied. "What if Atlas isn't nice to Egon? Maybe it's better to leave him to our hands. We sneak him into our dorms with your portals, call in everyone and work from there. What do you say, Egon?"

Kin

A few minutes later, Kin crept his way up to the forgotten base. Scout had told him there were six guards at the entrance, not really enough to bother him, so he decided to go with a very straightforward approach. He showed up in the soldier's line of sight by sitting in a tree branch near the base's entrance. His stance was relaxed, but there were small spirals of gray Dust floating around him. One of the soldiers noticed him and fired at him without hesitation; one of the Dust spirals formed a spheric steel shield before Kin and stopped the bullets dead in its tracks, then it dissipated back into Dust.
"Hello to you too, mindless grunts." Kin's voice was much more harsh when talking to the soldiers. He watched all the corpses scattered through the entrance of the base. How could they be so merciless to sacrifice human lives like that just to torture one that was supposed to be their own? It made him sick. "I'm not here to kill you. I just want to talk to your officer... But if you keep firing, I'll have to knock you out."
The man lowered their guns and Kin smirked. Any day an Atlesian soldier chose peace over violence was a good day in his book.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Anything else is better at this point. But I do not think Atlas would be nice to anything that came from Mantle." Egon said kn text as Metus barked, and wagging her tail in excitement at Cherry.

After about 30 minutes of talking, Winter finally convinced Kyla to join the Atlesian army, for she was a prime candidate for their Warframe project, revived from the the Great War. However, instead of war, she will be tasked with operating warframes to protect the kingdoms. "Welcome to the army. Alpha, squad, I found another remnant of mantle, I am coming up, over and out." Winter said as Kyla followed the woman. Once on the surface, Winter scowled ar Kin. "Who are you? And what are you doing interfering with Atlesian affairs? You are to leave at once, before you are arrested for spying." Winter said sternly and Kyla looked at the boy. "K... Kin....? Is that you?" "You know this rascal?" Winter asked with a hint of surprise. "He is like me. A vessel of the powers of the void. A Tenno.... But.... How long have you been gone?" She asked him. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Alsan

It's been almost an hour since we arrived at the dorms. After spending some time, uh... "checking the room" with Koni, I'm laying at my bed and trying to get some rest for the day. I could feel my conscience slipping way already... But at the last possible moment, I heard a knock on the door. Every fiber of my being wants to ignore it, but the knock persists and I just can't ignore it, so I got up, put up my underwear and head to the door, still mostly asleep. I didn't know what or who to expect when I opened that door, really; but I can promise you that a giant man in body armor was not one of them.
"W-what?"
"Sshhh, don't shout!"
Verde and Midori popped up behind the armored man and pushed him into my room, closing the room behind them right away. Knowing their dad, I expect the Russets to start the occasional mess, especially at Atlas... But this feels like they've really upped the ante. As I put on pants and a shirt, I simply stare them wtih an expression that demands an answer from them.
"I know you have a lot of questions right now, but guess what? So do we." Verde says. "But first, we need you and Koni to help Cherry get the others."
"Ok." I reply. "But then, we get answers, right?"
"I hope so." Midori agrees.

Kin

"Kyla..." Kin softened for a moment upon seeing a childhood friend, but his voice quickly got harsher again. "I've been out for some months already. But that's a matter for another day. If you must know, ms. Officer, your troops caused such a huge rattle that watching the battle couldn't qualify as spying. No, we already know that you've dug it up here and awakened none other than Kayla's warframe, Umbra Prime. What I am here for is to tell you that we have it, and we'll never let you abuse his poor existence any more, so don't even bother tracking him."
Kin's lie was more than a simple taunt against the atlesian army; whoever those people he met were, he felt as if they were the best company for Excalibur Umbra. Diverting the army's attention from the Warframe was all he could do to help them... For now.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Keezheekoni was sound asleep, until aslan got out of bed to answer the door. When the commotion started, she was fully awake now, and covered herself, despite her wearing her long sleeve shirt and underwear underneath. "W... What's going on? Who is that big man?" She was concerned and curious at this point, studying Egon's appearance.

"Whatever questions you may have, I will do my best to answer. So long as it is not painful to talk about." The text from Egon's hand said as Koni looked at him in wonder, growing even more curious.

"You have him, eh?" Winter chuckled, "We have found many more like him. And the one to control them all, is standing next to me. To protect out kingdom, we must make strides, even if it means reviving old projects. Now, we aren't wasting any more time with you." Winter said harshly as kyla reluctantly stepped in. "How....? How did you get out? And why are you against these people? They are doing what they can to protect their own people from monsters. Monsters that have been around as long as they have....." She tried her best to stay calm, but with everything going on at once, she was a nervous wreck. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

Cherry ran across the town the fastest she could in search of her friends. When she met Sonora and Tristan, she was already completely out of her breath. She got up to Tristan and, after taking up breath a couple times, she said:
"Guys... You won't believe what happened!" Cherry said. The adrenaline of running plus looking at Tristan in the eye ended up causing her to say much more than she expected: "A man in armor from Mantle! He showed up from nowhere and now he's home! He was so lost at first, when he met me, he attacked me... And I was so scared! For a second, I thought I was going to die without ever telling you." As soon as she realized whas she had just said, Cherry's face went red and she put her hand over her mouth, yelping: "Eeep!" But it was too late. She probably had some explaining to do.

Kin

"Oh, come on Kyla." Kin said. "We've had this conversation before. Even a cause as noble as protecting people must watch its actions, or else we're no better than the monsters that prey on us. Or you're going to tell me you forgot how we got your warframe in the first place? I guess Egon's life wasn't really that important, was it? As long as there are more people safe than suffering, it's fine, is that what you mean?" He stopped and took a deep breath after realizing he was going too far. "But... Back at the topic at hand. I woke up the same as you, lost, confused and alone. But I found others like me. Other Tenno who won't stand to the Warframe project and what it represents. We're a family now, and we call ourselves the Stray Hounds."
As he did that, Kin opened up two of his pockets. From the first one came a black Dust, that swiled around him and ignited in a black burst; after that, he began slowly floating upwards, no longer bound by gravity. Red Dust formed in front of him as he finished his speech:
"You'll be hearing more of us in the future. We'll bring the Warframe project down... One saved life at a time. It's not a threat, it's a promise! And Kyla..." He smirked before he finished: "...Stay safe, will you?"
The red Dust exploded and Kin was launched out of sight.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Kin......" Kyla stopped as his words hit her hard. She nodded before he disappeared, and then went with Winter to headquarters. "I will stay safe...." Winter rolled her eyes at the sentiment, but Kin's words did get her thinking.

"He did what?!!? When I get there, he is gonna regret the day he was born!!" Sonora Jr. Exclaimed as she walked back to the hotel, her ears dropped out of anger, and walking at a brisk pace. "Sonora... I am sure there was a reason behind it. Afterall, Cherry did say he was lost, so maybe he attacked her in a fit of confusion." Tristan tried to rationalize with her, but she wasn't having it. "Oh, so he decided to go after the most diabetes girl of all of us?! I don't think so, bucko!" "Sonora, let's be reasonable, here-" "No! How about no! How are you so calm all the time?! Are you a robot like sini used to be!?!" "No.... I am not. I am calm all the time because I have to be a role model for Noctis. Show him what professionalism is." "How's that working out for you?!" She then stormed off, back to their room. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

After picking up Sini and Noctis, I take them back into my room and find that the whole gang's there, just waiting for us. Sini almost falls back when she sees the armored man, but she decides to just sit and roll her eyes in frustration. I'm sitting too; this time it's only the Russets and Cherry who are taking the lead. They start out by explaining what's happening; Sonora doesn't seem one bit happy about what Egon did to Cherry, and I'm more scared for all of us than anything else, but Cherry herself seems to be fine about it. It looks like this man has been through a lot at the hands of Mantle. It makes me wonder if there's anything a bunch of brats like us can even do to help him.
"So..." I ask. "What now?"

Verde

"Now we ask questions until we understand the problem, of course!" Verde replied without hesitation. She was adamant on unveiling the mystery behind Egon, and eager to release some of the pain he clearly held in himself. "So, Egon, the problem is that we have never heard of anything like you ever happening in Mantle. Whatever it was, it must have been really secret... Can you tell us a bit more about what Mantle wanted from you? Were there others involved, possibly frozen?"
"Skip through anything that's too personal to talk about." Midori added. "Sis almost forgot that this isn't supposed to make you feel bad."
Verde and Midori exchanged irritated looks for a moment. Verde hadn't seen her sister using underhanded attacks to her like that in quite a while. Could it be...? No, that's not very Midori at all. She'd have to talk to her about it later, but right now, the priority was helping out Egon.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"I was the best the Mantle army ever had. They chose me to be apart of their Warframe Project, I refused, because I did just fine the way I was before I was forced into it.... I do not know of any others, though. All I know is that I am a broken man with nothing to lose at this point." The text on his hand said as he looked at the group. "I was forced to pull the trigger on my own wife and kids..... One of them used their semblance to convince me that they needed to die, and the moment I pulled that trigger, was the moment I became a broken man. A man who lost it all, and gave up." Despite the pain flowing through him, he felt somewhat relieved. "When I saw you, Red head, I saw my youngest child. Not at first..... But you resembled her." Egon looked at cherry. He could not show it, but he regrets even harming this sweet human being.
"Alright, wierdo. Get to the point." Sonora said in a snarky tone as Egon nodded.
"I need your help in getting around this strange world I find myself in. Seeing as how you all know it better than me." This was a big request, however, Tristan steps up to the plate. "We will be glad to help you. Besides, the russet twins have taken quite an interest in you." Tristan said. "Damn, dude. Sorry for your loss. Things will get better, especially with Verde and Midori around you! They are the best geeks we know!" Noctis chimed in as egon crossed his arms. "Thank you.... You all have eased my pain. Somewhat. And Again, red head. Apologies about earlier." CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

"The Warframe project." Midori repeated, scribbling the name in her scrapbook, already the third page dedicated just for Egon, with a fourth one for Metus. She let that name sink in for a bit since it was quite ominous. Mantle was known for not being the best kingdom out there, but this was just ridiculous. She took one glance at Verde and they knew it at once that the mysterious man from before was right in his suspicion. Midori heard Tristan's comment and said back without thinking:
"What do you mean, interested? Get that dirt out of your mind."
"Midori..." Sini said, laughing. "Nobody said it in a dirty way. You're the one thinking that." Midori puted and returned her attention back to the scrapbook, but her attention was still on Egon and his situation. She could already imagine how she'd show him all about the new world, showing him her technology, taking him out for some ice cream... No, wait! What? She shook her head to get those preposterous idea out of her head. it was bad enough that they suspected her already, she better lay low until they forgot about it.

Verde

"Yeah, they're right!" Verde agreed, a confident smile on her face. "You're not alone anymore, Egon, and I fear that it may be true in more ways than one." Midori suddenly looked up from her scrapbook and said:
"The Atlesian military superweapon!"
"Exactly." Verde added. "This can't be a coincidence! Whatever it is, we should keep an eye out for it when it happens. For now, we have a bigger problem." Verde looked at Egon again and said: "We need to find a way to let you go out in public without raising suspicion."
"Oooh, a disguise!" Cherry said, getting up excitedly from her chair. "Let's get to work then!"
- Some time later -
The entire team stared at the brand new "disguised" Egon, which wore a brown overcoat and a panama hat of the same color. Verde tried badly to fake a smile, but Midori was just letting all her pain show through her face.
"It's awful!" Sini said. "He looks like a giant muscled turd."
"Well, it's just for a bit." Aslan replied. "Then we'll buy some better clothes and work from there, right?"
"Right." Sini, the Russets and Cherry agreed.