Remove ads

Victory Through Unity! (Planetary Annihiliation Self Insert Multicross)

Reader mode
Remove ads
217. Confusion
  • Threadmarks
    • Alright, let's see: most of the machine parts seemed normal, except for...well, the black smoky stuff. I mean, that stuff was, well, odd.

    "Okay, does anyone....have any idea....what this black stuff is?"

    To my surprise, Zoe offered an answer. "I might."

    "Okay, what is it?"

    "Assuming I'm not making a mistake, this is....black blight."

    ….What?!

    "...Isn't black blight normally something only found on monsters?"

    "Well, yes, but somehow, it got onto this....machine."

    "Um, excuse me," intoned Aloy, "but could you tell me what, exactly, black blight is?"

    "....It's a material that infects monsters and drives them berserk, in addition to making them much stronger than normal. And its made by a giant black dragon."

    Aloy just stared at Zoe. "...You're serious?"

    "Yes."

    "...You live in a very strange world."

    "Says the girl whose world world is inhabited primarily by machines that seem to defy the laws of physics."

    Wow, didn't know Zoe had some snark in her.

    "...Fair enough. So, you have any idea how a machine get covered in this Blight?"

    "No. Not really. This has never happened before."

    "Well, any guess then?"

    Zoe just looked at Aloy, annoyed. "Again, never happened before."

    Where did this snark suddenly come from?!

    "...This is getting us nowhere. Maybe we could ask Resh for directions?"

    I turned to Viv. "Doesn't he hate Aloy's guts for existing? And ours for trespassing?"

    "Yeah, but I think I can talk him into helping us."

    "Good luck," retorted Aloy, nonplussed.

    "Okay then."

    Viv turned her attention to Resh. "Excuse me, but may I ask you some questions?"

    "What do you want, intruder?"

    "In the interest of finding out what's going on, has any reported anything strange? Besides the arrival of the metal demon and the attack on the proving?"

    "And why should I tell you that?"

    "Because examining these oddities might help us fix them, and if we die, at least we do so outside the sacred lands."

    "......There are reports of a strange red skinned, corpse-like monster that has recently begun attacking towns. There have also been sightings of both strange burrowing beasts and ancient machines in the lands of the Carja. Go to Meridian if you wish to know more."

    "Thank you, sir."

    "Flattery will not help you. Now leave!"

    XXXXXXX

    "Nice person, isn't he?" said Viv, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

    "Yeah, he's a real charmer, isn't he?" Was Aloy's snarky response. "So, what's the plan?"

    "First, head to Meridian - we need to find out more about the oddities happening here."

    "Then I assume we split off?" Asked Geralt. "I mean, we'll cover more ground that way."

    "That's the plan."

    "Well, then let's get to it!" Shouted Zoe.

    "Okay, but can I try something first?" Inquired Aloy.

    "And that is?"

    "It involves the machine we fought earlier."

    XXXXXXX

    It didn't take long for Aloy to master the Strider. After that, we swiftly got on the move - I'd pulled out a k-drove, the monster Hunter crew boarded Jagras they had found roaming thenplaons, Aloy was using her strider, and Geralt had summoned Roche to him. Said a sorceress has taught him that.

    My money was on Yennefer.

    Occasionally, we talked about our pasts, what we were doing now, and other trivial things, but for the most part, we rode on in silence. Silence I used to get up to speed on what was happening on my hub.

    First off, the forces of order from both Warhammer universes had apparently united and started carving out places for themselves in my hub. Teething problems were inevitable - a lifetime of being fed xenophobia will do that to you - but at the moment, tensions weren't boiling over. Somehow, the Imperium and Empire had managed to arrange things such that a Cathedral to Sigmar and a Cathedral to the God-Emperor stood side by side. As for the elves, they and the Eldar had hit it off great, though even the children of Ulthuan found the Asuryani to be insufferable at times. The Dwarfs and Squats got along like peanut butter and jelly.

    As for the Lizardmen, they were, well, kinda listless. They had three Slann, four Oldbloods, and five Red Crested Skinks to lead them, and it was still proving to be hard to motivate them. Apparently, the Old Ones hadn't really provided any good plaques for this, so they didn't know what to do. That being said, the Skinks were actually being proactive about this, with the red crested ones asking their masters if it was possible to create a new geomantic web....and also if they could pass that knowledge onto me.

    A potential way to mitigate the effects of Chaos if I went to 40k in the future? Gimme gimme!

    As for other powers, the Solaris who had emigrated to my hub now worked on my ice world, having asked for a Fortuna like work center - I guess they liked their Old Jobs, at least to some degree. Of course, the fact they could get decent wages and breaks was always nice.

    Alad, Meanwhile, was working alongside the rest of the Corpus on joint ventures with the A.R.C., Morgan Industries, the Perrin Sequence, the Korx, and the Iridium Corporation - apparently, they wanted to pursue projects that shared wealth with all. At least, that was the public angle. Secretly, Alad was working with Glast, Morgan and Fielding to get his fellows to be less cruel by asserting that Kiser actions netted greater profits. So far, it was working.

    Alas, I was pulled away from further hub examination by a transmission from Coeus: it appeared that magnetic anomalies has bee detected on Zero Dawn Earth. Sighing, I sent drones to examine them, before returning my attention back to my hub. I had more important things to deal with here! Plus I wanted to be sure a civil war wasn't about to happen between the people living in my new home universe.

    In hindsight, I really should've paid more attention to those probes. That might have saved me some hassle later on. Oh well.

    XXXXXXXX

    AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Interlude: Complications and Daily Workings
  • Threadmarks
    • "So, let's get this straight: our commander acquaintance has just ventured into the Horizon: Zero Dawn Universe through a portal in the Monster Hunter Universe, which is also connected to the Witcher Universe, as well as the Final Fantasy Universe. Am I right."

    "Correct, Operative Zeta," replied Celempheros. "Now we are all on the same page."

    "Think any other portals will open up?" inquired Operative Tau. "I mea, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a portal to Dauntless opened up whilst the good commander is trying to solve the mystery of the blighted machines."

    "Maybe he'll find a portal to the world of Monster Girl Encyclopedia?" asked one of the girls cleaning the observation machine the operatives were using.

    Instantly, all in the room glared at her.

    "We don't talk about that place. Like, ever," chastised Milsanrima, a look of disgust on her face.

    "I know, but if he goes there, then we can use Exterminatus on it, can't we?"

    "....She's not wrong," noted Zeta.

    "Only if he ends up there naturally," stated the Golden Progenitor. "I am not sending him intentionally into the lustful hellhole."

    None challenged this statement - sending the commander there deliberately was too cruel, even for them.

    "So, what do we do now?"

    "Watch and wait. It's all I will allow here," warned Celm.

    "...Can we instead go to Simaris' Sanctuary and murder stuff in Onslaught?" Questioned Zeta.

    "....Knock yourselves out."

    Simaris gained much data that day, and also learned to fear the operatives.

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    The Skink carefully swept at the floor, striving to make sure the stones were clean. The Temple must be maintained to the Old Ones' specifications!

    His name was Ket'Xal, and it was his duty to maintain the temple the strange commander had allowed to be built in this city.

    Funny, that the Commander has not even named this city, but he was already letting millions live in it.

    Not that it was too much of an issue - the Slann has advised him not to worry about it, and instead focus on maintaining the temple. At times, this meant chasing off people who though it was a good idea to climb its walls. Some, however, were better at controlling their more impulsive companions, like the warmblood named Tobias.

    Still, the temple must be prepared. The coming of Chaos must be halted!

    Especially since it's acknowledgement of this place was inevitable.

    The commander was not yet aware, but sooner or later, the Dark Gods would notice him - the Warp was a tributary of the great sea the ones known as the Progenitors used to cross the multiverse. It would take a long time - potentially several millennia, or just a few days, but when the forces of Chaos found this realm, they would try to invade...at least, Ket'Xal thought they would. The plaque had been vague on if the Chaos forces could actually access this realm, or just know it existed. Still, better safe than sorry.

    The strange warmblood commander had provided one noticeable boon to the Coldbloods - food. The bugs he had acquired from the world known as Chiron had provided several delicacies for the inhabitants of Lustria, who had worked round the clock to provide goods to trade for the bugs. Many dinosaurs had been offered in exchange for the insects, enough that several enterprising humans had attempted something called a rodeo with them. They were likely to humiliate themselves doing so, but that didn't seem to dissuade them.

    The temple keeper only thought about this for a moment, though, for a pigeon had just shown up. Slowly, he reached for his blowpipe, ready to put a dart in the flyers if skaven's body - the temple must be keep clean!

    XXXXXXXXX

    Slowly, the girl stirred.

    The first thing she noticed was that she was in a tank full of strange fluid - for one, she could breath in it. Next was that she felt odd things in her back, like she had...extra...limbs.

    Because, apparently, she now did. Sentient limbs, to be exact.

    ...Well, it seemed the experiment had been a success.

    "It seems your offer was a success, Natah."

    Instantly, the girl turned to face the voice. There, she saw her employer, Alad V, concerting with the Sentient that most knew as the Lotus. A brief examination of the reflective glass confirmed that she had grown six (thankfully small) sentient limbs.

    "Ah, it seems Ms. Imris is awake."

    "I am, and I think the...amalgam conversion process works. Not sure how well, but it works."

    "Indeed. You are the first to awaken, but the others will soon be roused from their sleep. First, though, how do you feel?"

    "Is soaking wet and indecently exposed a valid answer, sir?"

    "It is acceptable. I will arranging for more concealing clothing to be provided. Now, do you mind if I drain the tank?"

    "Just get it over with - I'll run as many tests as you want once I'm dry and presentable."

    "I hope you intend to keep your word, my dear - I need to perform many tests to ensure the process had maximum profitability."

    "In the name of profit, I promise to keep my word."

    XXXXXXXXX

    Natah crawled through the dry docks, occasionally stopping to assist the Tenno in fixing a Railjack or helping one of Alad's Condors get loaded. Her special skin, the Ropalolyst, was proving most advantageous for these roles.

    "So, Natah, last of Hunhow's womb, the one meant to secure our victory, reduced to playing mother to these Void Devils."

    Natah turned to face the insectile sentient sitting on an elevated tower, its four arms working to direct traffic throughout the docks.

    "Harsh words coming from you, brother. And aren't they rather hypocritical, considering what you are doing right now?"

    "I suppose you are right, sister. Though, I must ask, why did the human let us sue for peace? Why did he not try to wipe us out after we almost killed him?"

    "Truthfully, I think it is just who he is, brother. He believes in the goodness of all...at least enoughvto give the benefit of doubt."

    "Well, then May the void bless him."

    XXXXXXX

    The probe had just arrived at the magnetic anomaly when a Corruptor had attacked it. The enemy machine had swiftly bee destroyed, it has managed to knock the probe into the anomaly, which had forced a reboot of the machine.

    ...Now how was it supposed to deal with the dinosaurs and tribal people staring at it?

    XXXXXXXXXX

    AN: First off, for those who don't know, Monster Girl Encyclopedia is a Monster Girl setting by Kenkou Cross. It's not really something I want to talk about here, not a setting that I plan to visit, mostly because, much as I like Monstergirls, this setting is a train wreck. I'm only mentioning t because I just read A Proctector Is You several times over and ended up looking up the setting in detail, so I wanted to include a notice that IF Flame goes there, let's just say many lines will be crossed.

    For those wondering, Amalgams are Corpus units in Warframe created by hybridizing Corpus crewman and Machinery with Sentient bits. I wanted to feature them in my story, so here, Alad makes them as part of a joint venture with Natah, instead of in Canon where Natah more or less forces him to make them by the thousands to prepare for the New War.

    Lastly, the probe didn't end up on any iteration of the Slull Island. The setting where it ended up will be a big spoiler, but I can say that the natives look like player characters from the now defunct game known as the Stomping Lands.

    Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Good to have you back mate, tbh I miss PA SI because all the writer write good story out of them . It a damn shame all of this good fic is dead or hiatus or get suck into mass effect of death.
     
    Orion Zete said:
    Good to have you back mate, tbh I miss PA SI because all the writer write good story out of them . It a damn shame all of this good fic is dead or hiatus or get suck into mass effect of death.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Thanks.

    Expect the Mass Effect arc forvthis story to be....rather short. I have big plans here, but not ME, sadly, gets the short stick.
     
    Remove ads
    Timeline: The Progenitor Wars
  • Informational
    • Whilst I write up the next chapter on Spacebattles, I'm going to put this up here to explain some things that might not get directly referenced for a long time in the story. That way, people know things that will be important later.

    Also, I'm really tired of keeping a lid on this.

    XXXXXXXXX

    Circa 1000 years BPW (Before Progenitor Wars): The Progenitor Empire, Xziphid Collective, and Terran Federation, amongst other powers in their home universe, form the Enclave of Elders and succeed in harnessing the power of the Empyrean Sea to traverse the multiverse. Their first few voyages only end up leading to uninhabited universes. These are swiftly colonized and developed to deal with several of the member species having rapid reproduction rates and limited space in their home universe.

    C. 900 BPW: Progenitor Probes discover the Warhammer 40000 Universe and encounter Dark Age Humanity, who have just colonized their second universe. The two powers establish diplomatic ties and begin trading knowledge. The formal accords of friendship are assigned by a relatively low ranking diplomat of Turkish descent.

    C. 800 BPW: The Terran Federation accidentally enters the Void and encounters Ouros, a member of the race known as the Xel'Naga. The current generation of the Xel'Naga establishes diplomatic ties with both Dark Age Humanity and the Enclave of Elders, though they are unwilling to share more than scientific information - they are not interested in physical comforts.

    C. 750 BPW: The Xziphid encounter the Vortigaunts after tunneling into the dimension known as Xen. The green aliens quickly befriend the female progenitors, but become wary of further ties after the group known as the Combine discover the Xziphid's existence. Though secretly desiring the Progenitor's technology, the Combine decide to attempt diplomatic relations, believing that fighting against an unknown opponent is a stupid idea.

    C. 600 BPW: The Encalve of Elders encounters four new groups: the Orokin Empire, the Forerunners, the Erde-Tyrene Empire, and a group referring to itself as the Precursor Enclaves. The last group, originating from the same universe as the prior two, emigrate to the Progenitor Empire, owing to 'massive disgust in the rest of their species'. Neither the Forerunner Ecumene nor the Erde-Tyrene Empire learn about this.

    C. 550 BPW: Whilst examining universes, Dark Age Humanity discovers that, in addition to time flowing at fdifferent rates between certain universes, it is possible for two universes who have a 1:1 temporal flow rate to 'de-sync', causing one universe to experience the passage of time faster than others.

    500 BPW: Whilst numerous other races and empires are discovered across the omniverse (all multiverses in existence), the Erde-Tyrene Empire is defeated and dissolved as a state following conflict with the Forerunners. Around this time, however, the universe the two share becomes heavily desynched from all others, with time flowing at a much slower rate relative to the rest of the omniverse.

    400 BPW: The Great Beings become the newest race to enter the multiverse, following an accident with a mask of power.

    300 BPW: The Reapers use ancient technology from their creators, the Leviathans, to access the multiverse. After their initial attempts at harvesting fail, they lock themselves out of the vastness of parallel universes, but keep probes on standby, waiting for an opening.

    200 BPW: The Pathfinder project and Traveler enter the omniverse, also drawing the attention of the Darkness and the Shroud. The Darkness sends the hive and vex to try and corrupt the multiverse, whilst the Shroud ignores it to focus on consuming its current universe.

    100 BPW: Tensions begin to arise regarding claims to uninhabited universes. The Progenitors decide to begin investing in efforts to create alternate universes wholesale to end this pointless squabbling, but even with their advanced technology, this will take time.

    50 BPW: The progenitors complete their first artificial universe. It is roughly one fifth the size of a normal universe.

    10 BPW: Tensions grow ever higher as extremist groups call for either greater expansionism or isolationism of their home states. This is further compounded the continued discovery of new powers in many new universes. As tensions continue to rise, the Combine unite several universes in opposition of the Progenitors and their allies, who they paint as hording the best universes as well. The Progenitors brush off the accusations, though the actions of the Ecumene and the Progenitors' own blasé rebuttal of the accusations does not do them any favors.

    < 1 BPW: A peace summit is held to try and avert further conflict. However, the various methods used to reach the uninhabited universe chosen for the summit lead to the universe suffering a big crunch event. Whilst all diplomats escape, they are left stuck in a different universe for four years. All powers studying the big crunch event find evidence indicating their rivals are responsible (with the warmongers deliberately refusing to fudge the studies, so as to avoid be targeted if their actions were ever discovered). The last attempt at peace fails, and war commences. The Enclave of Elders, Orokin, Endless, Lost, Ecumene (which has finally resynched with the rest of the multiverse) and Great Beings are the major players on one side, whilst Dark Age Humanity, the Combine, the Traveler and the Darkness, the Arnor and the Dread Lords, and the Reapers compose the heavy hitters of the other.

    Progenitor Wars: a five year conflict begins. The scale of the war is massive - the fighting encompasses virtually all discovered universes, leading to absolutely titanic fighting. The Progenitors, honestly viewing the war as stupid and a waste of their time, fight entirely through the use of the Commanders and the Coelohim, leaving them mostly unaffected by the fighting. As both of their creations are not only designed for war, but enjoy it, they have no issues being sent into battle for their great lords.

    The Progenitors literally spend most of the war partying and goin about their lives as if nothing is wrong, having convinced the rest of the Enclave of Elders to let them handle the fighting. Thus, none of the other Enclave members send forces to fight and die in the conflict. This, in a mirror of what happened with the Warhammer Universe, causes extreme amounts of corruption within the Empyrean Sea.

    4 PW: The various diplomats finally escape the universe they were trapped in and, seeing the absolute hell that followed, attempt to convince their people to sue for peace. The Progenitors begin working on a large scale peace offering, realizing that, whilst they don't view the war as being important, everyone else does, and massive reparations will be needed to allow for peace.

    The Gods Awaken (5 PW): The Progenitors and their allies making a peace offering to their foes in the form of one hundred supermassive artificial universe, each containing enough resources to last the lifetimes of ten universes. Extremists from the opposition, however, respond by hijacking virus bombs and using them to scour several of these universes of life. Unknown to both sides, their extremist elements have been working on weapons designed to obliterate entire universes, in an effort to end of war.

    Needless to say, the Progenitors take this loss very poorly....

    Additionally, Dark Age Humanity changes sides out of disgust at the betrayal, and executes all of their own who participated in the atrocity by throwing them into the realm of Khorne within the warp.

    The One Minute War: In exactly one minute, the Progenitors travel to several universes belonging to their foes and completely scour them of life, effectively forcing an unconditional surrender from the survivors. The Combine escapes this fate by immediately surrendering following the virus bombing of the Progenitor Peace offering, whilst the Darkness and Reapers use stolen Progenitor technology to seal off their universes, effectively allowing them to go unpunished for their crimes.

    Progenitor Wars' End: Following the unconditional surrender, the Progenitors decide to give massive reparations to their opponents, and in doing so, making it clear that the only reason they lasted this long is that the Progenitors and Xziphid did not consider the war worth their time. Following this, the Progenitors and Xziphid, acknowledging the fact they committed unimaginable war crimes (specifically, roughly one million cases of omnicide, even though they brought back literally everyone they killed in their anger), choose to commit themselves to extinction.

    The Disjoining: To avoid going the way of the Warp, the Empyrean Sea vents the corruption within it via sending forth monsters to assault all the powers that fought in the Progenitor Wars. The Progenitors accept this as their punishment, only to be called out by the rest of the Enclave of Elders for their own suicidal issues, leading them to decide to discard their edict of extinction. Many civilizations suffer greatly during the Disjoining, though, and some universes are totally cleansed of life.

    The Repositories: As a final testament to their actions, the Progenitors create storage areas across the multiverse containing all of their acquired technology, as well as that of their allies and enemies, to be accessed in case someone tries to conquer all creation. Secretly, they are also provided with living people to place in these repositories, so as to preserve cultures that might be destroyed by the Disjoining. Some arrive from different points in time from the same universe, due to time portals and other weird phenomena.

    The Disjoining coincides with the end of the Dark Age of Technology, after which the low ranking diplomat returns to Earth and casts away his disguises, picks up the sword and the bolter, and claims his place as the Emperor of Mankind.

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    Wow, that took forever.

    Anyway, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Informational
    • 218. The Gates of the Sundom
  • Threadmarks
    • Getting out of the Sacred Lands was just the first part of our journey. After passing the final gate (which entailed both defeating another group of corrupted and explaining to the guards Aloy's new status as Seeker), we'd spent many days riding on horseback/k-drive/Aptonoth/oh you get the point, don't you? It was a long journey, especially since we lacked the conveniences of many modern forms of transportation - like air conditioning. Still, we'd seen a lot on our travels.

    First off, that Great Jaggi had not been the last monster to arrive from the Monster Hunter World. I'd seen many more on our way to Meridian. Most common were kestodon, which often harassed us for getting to close. A Plesioth had dismantled a snapmaw hiding in the pool it had decided to call home, whilst an Uragaan had demolished a behemoth to feast upon its metallic hide. For the most part, the arrival of the Monsters was have a mixed effect on the tribes - some had been devastated, but others now had shiny stuff to trade with their neighbors. The landscape had yet to change, but if some of the plants from the monster hunter world arrived here, I think the scenery would certainly look a little different.

    I shuddered to wonder what would happen if an Elder Dragon got here...actually, scratch that - if one of the Fatalis Trio showed up here and brought the blight with them, I was going to side with Hades. A world infested with blighted monsters most definitely counts as 'uninhabitable for humans'. The black blight was more or less a fantastic bioweapon, after all.

    We mostly traveled by day, and used the night to rest, each of us taking turns for guard duty. The nights where I had selpt brought strange dreams with them - some of Celm messing around with people's dreams, others of the past of the various warframes I had mastered. Strangest of all, though, was a dream of several dax soldiers (at least, I assumed them to be Dax) riding across strange plains atop machines that resembled horses, or more accurately the skeletons of horses. In the skies above, serpentine machines flew, whilst a great ship lingered on the horizon. I would only get to see the most cursory of details, though, before I awakened.

    Somehow, I knew this would be important. Why eluded me however.

    Despite my desire to understand what these strange dreams meant, our journey reached its terminus, and it was not too long before we arrived at the Sundom - the lands that the Carja claimed as their own. Here, the arrivals from the Old and New World were of a different cloth than those we had met before. Apceros and Rhenoplos now grazed on desert plants, whilst Genprey searched for openings to steal their young and Kulu-Ya-Ku feasted upon undefended nests. We once caught sight of a Carja Hunting Party dragging the remains of a Cephadrome back to a town, no doubt eager to see how this new meat tasted.

    Part of me worried about what would happen when they finally met one of the meaner monsters that lived in the desert - it could be anything from a Diablos to a Teostra, but when those showed up, heads would roll, no if, buts or ors.

    XXXXXXXXXX

    At last we arrived at the fort of Daytower, having finally cleared out the Corrupted plaguing the city. I expect that we might see a monster of two harassing the town - after all, weirder things had happened.

    What I did not expect, though, was to see the Fort under attack by what looked like a blighted Volvidon.

    Oh, and it looked like it was getting pretty far into the defenses of the fort - those walls iddn't look like they could hold for much longer.

    "What the-"

    "It's called a Volvidon," I intoned, cutting off Aloy. "NOrmally, they are found in deserts or moutains that spew burning rock called volcanoes, and they like to eat insects the size of goats."

    "Well, I don't suppose you know how to kill them, then, don't you?" questioned Geralt.

    "It's most vulnerable to watery attacks, especially at the underbelly," offered Zoe. "It can roll into a ball to try and run you over, but it you can get in a solid hit whilst its rolling, it'll fall over and be helpless for a few moments. Oh, and watch out for its tongue and gas clouds - it can paralyze you with tongue strikes."

    "And the gas clouds?" implored Geralt.

    "They stink really badly, okay?"

    Geralt practically rolled his eyes at this, as did Aloy, before sighing and drawing his steel sword. Aloy, meanwhile, readied up an arrow.

    Theseus, however, was the first to attack, hurling a stone at the Volvidon's eye, followed by a puddle-pod. Whilst the stone only annoyed the fanged beast, the pod managed to hurt it, and squarely focused the monster's attention on us. A moment later, it recoiled in surprise as Aloy's arrows hit it, leading to small starbursts of ice forming around the impact sites. Aloy had decided to substitute freeze attacks for her lack of water ones, which worked well enough with this foe. Of course, how long that would be the case for was up in the air.

    Geralt soon joined her, though he used crossbow bolts instead of arrows - witchers weren't archers, but that didn't mean they were helpless at range.

    As the beast closed in, though, it became time to switch from range to melee, and that was something that Vivian, Theseus, and myself excelled at.

    Vivian struck first with an Aqua Hammer, made from the hide of a Jyuratodus. I followed it up with a blow from my Mudslide Blade, also forged from the hide of the piscine wyvern. Theseus, meanwhile, settled for using a more simplistic weapon and fought on with Holy Sabers - ore weapons that needed no fancy monster parts to maintain their lethality.

    Enraged, the Volvidon curled up and charged us. Aloy retaliated with a freeze arrow, though, causing the beast to topple. Taking advantage of its helplessness, we hacked into its underbelly, causing it to howl in rage and pain. Gerald even threw a bomb at it, whilst Zoe and our Lynian friends threw bombs at the beast whenever an opening showed itself.

    Eventually, the Fanged Beast righted itself, but it was clearly reeling from the damage we'd inflicted. Still, it had no intention of giving up just yet, and with a mighty roar, charged backed into the fray, though this time it went for a belly flop. We leapt out of the way, with Theseus taking the opportunity to throw a bomb pod at the overgrown armadillo bear before landing. That certainly had to hurt.

    Of course, the explosion made the volvidon angrier than ever, so it responded by relaesing a very foul looking cloud. Without hesitation, I threw a special airburst grenade that functioned as a deodorant in order to nullify the clouds' effects and push it away. Seriously, that stuff stinks.

    On the plus side, it is also very flammable, and one torch pod later, the volvidon took an explosion to the flanks.

    That finally seemed to take it down. 'Seemed' being the important word here.

    Just as I was about to assume the beast was finally out for the count, it got up, roared, and then released a huge blast of what looked like blight at us. Hastily, we retreated, only for a loud roar to echo through the air. Turning, we found a sawtooth staring down at Zoe and our Lynian, who quickly sought shelter. The sawtooth, meanwhile, decided to attack us, until the volvidon grabbed the machine with its tongue and threw it aside. Reprioritizing its threats, the machine howled, then pounced upon the fanged beast. The machine attacked like a flesh and blood big cat, trying to reach and tear open the larger animal's throat. For a moment, it almost seemed like the sawtooth would succeed. But then the overgrown armadillo managed to throw off its attacker, and with a roar, sent a cloud of blight at the machine, apparently making it go inert...

    Then the machine rose again. Only this time, it looked blighted.

    What the hell?

    With a ferocious bellow, the blighted machine leapt at Aloy, only to be knocked off course by Quen, courtesy of Geralt. As the Witcher and the Seeker sized up the machine, I joined Vivian and Theseus in trying to overcome the Volvidon. The Fanged Beast was exhausted, but it wasn't out of the fight yet. Now that it was nearing death, it started adding in some new attacks to the mix, like throwing out blight blasts interspaced with its paralyzing fluid and the occasional body slam. It also got far more creative, at one point using its tongue to grab into a tree to turn mid-roll. One time, it even managed to pound the three of us into the ground by transitioning from a roll straight into a body slam.

    Still, we fought on, and eventually, the volvidon made the mistake of trying to swallow Viv whole. One hammer blow later, and it was pushing up daisies.

    At the same time, Geralt and Aloy struck the sawtooth's blaze cannister with Igni and a blaze arrow, respectively, causing an explosion that ravaged the machine's underbelly, at last knocking it offline.

    Despite our victory, I felt a snese of unease - this was just one battle, and alreadying we were facing things I hadn't expected even after meeting the Blighted Corruptor.

    Just what else could we expect to see on this journey?

    XXXXXXXX

    AN: I'M BACK!

    So, Read and Review! This is FLameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 219. Preparations for the Sundom
  • Threadmarks
    • I carefully pocketed a sample of the blighted sawtooth for my commander and my various scientist underlings/employees/minions/followers to study - what processing equipment I had on me wasn't really suited to doing this, plus I don't want to get my current friends to ask too many questions too soon. Aloy, at least, needed to grow up quite a bit before she was ready to handle some of my world shattering revelations.

    Speaking of Aloy, she was busy conversing with the leader of the fort for more information about the Carja, the Shadow Carja, and the Eclipse. Oh, and she was also trying to find out about the fanged beast we'd just slain, though that seemed to be beside the point. Geralt, meanwhile, was with Theseus and Zoe, asking if there were any other weird creature sightings - guess they were looking for work/people to help.

    I, meanwhile, was focused on two things - getting intel on just what the hell had happened with the blighted machine, and also getting anything I could bring back as a souvenir. Mostly, this meant trying to trade for whatever a local merchant had with the various things I'd gotten from my adventures in the Origin System and the New World. Granted, that included some very valuable items, but that could only take you so far. Still, I did manage to get a nice hat out of it, amongst other things.

    As for the strange volvidon that had blighted the machine, it appeared that the creature had shown up several weeks before, and started harassing the town as soon as it had appeared. Ironically, this had resulted in the Nora Outcast Nakoa getting her revenge on the slaver Zaid ahead of schedule - the fanged beast had accidentally found the location of several people he'd intended to sell into slavery, and his attempt to escape the monster had seen him caught down by Nakoa, but not before the rest of the fort had a chance to get a further lead on his slaving ring. The girl had told all of this to Aloy, and wished her luck on her travels.

    That was all fine and dandy, but that didn't really help me advance my goals, so I decided to turn my attention toward source of knowledge - Coeus.

    XXXXXXXXXXXXX

    'Greetings, Commander. What do you require?'

    'Any additional information on the blight, the portals, or the magnetic anomaly mentioned some time ago?'

    'Negative - we have been unable to ascertain anymore information than what we have already provided you.'

    'Unfortunate. Can you expand the search area?'

    'Working on it. Things would be far easier if we had satellites available.'

    'Then build some.'

    '...I can do that?'

    '....Let me handle this.'

    XXXXXXXX

    Ugh, do I have to hand hold this probe?

    Putting my annoyance aside for now, I set about providing my forces with a larger scale tracking system. Whilst I had no access to my commander in this world (and given the portals that were forming, did not want to risk bring it here), my probes came equipped with the ability to produce engineers and factories, so I still had a techbase to work with.

    Starting up long dormant excavation machines within my probe's sanctuary, I began to add in rooms for factories and armories, as well as labs and satellite uplinks. Hundreds of miles away, meanwhile, fabrication ships awakened from their centuries-long sleep and began building an orbital factory. Once that was complete, I order it to produce five orbital fabbers, then scuttle itself - best to keep the tribes unaware of what I was doing.

    When the last orbital fabber was online, I ordered them to produce an advanced orbital factory, then get to work on building a new satellite network - one that my ground based facilities would be able to link up to for better examination of the enemy forces. I mused on the irony of building satellite dishes underground, but that was but a momentary amusement - if it worked for XCOM, it could work for me.

    All the while, I was busy haggling over a particularly juicy fruit with a local merchant, with none the wiser to my greater schemes.

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    Approximately half an hour later, the first few results of the new orbital network were in.

    First off was something odd with the portal: they were localized over the former United States. I literally did not find a single one that occupied a space other than one of the forty eight continental states (Alaska hardly ever gets counted in that group, and it wasn't one here).

    Second, the current portals were emitting more energy than the earlier ones, including the one that had taken me here. Thus, they were getting bigger.

    Finally, the portals all seemed to be pulling things from the monster hunter universe at the moment, though one or two of them seemed to be releasing a witcher beast. Considering how dangerous some of the stuff that showed up in the games was, and that I was pretty sure the things in the novels were meaner, this was a good thing. There currently weren't anymore magnetic anomalies, but I doubted that would be the case for long.

    For now, though, I had other concerns - namely, getting to the city of Meridian and finding out how long this had been going on.

    First, though, I had an errand to take care of - it looked like the commander of the fort, Balahn, had asked Aloy to help him find a lost patrol, after only one of its number returned.

    ...I had a commander and I was doing this stuff on foot. Was there something wrong with me?

    …….Eh, if I used that to solve everything, I'd probably go the way of the Martians from The War of the Worlds. And honestly, I liked doing stuff on foot.

    ……..Why was Viv holding so many bags?

    XXXXXXXXXXXXX

    AN: New chapter. Boom.

    I am aware Flame is being more of a traditional Self Insert than a Commander Self Insert. This is intentional. I feel relying on the Commanders too much makes the SI boring. I want to give Flame opportunities to get more rounded so that, when the inevitable fights against the Commander Defense System happen, he isn't waiting for help to bail him out.

    Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 220. The Sundom
  • Threadmarks
    • As the snapmaw's systems finally shutdown, I checked an errand off in my mind. Another minor good deed done for the day.

    Frankly, I doubt that - you don't really put any precedence or significance on any one good act.

    Yeah right - I do put some good acts above others.

    Name one.

    How about saving your (rather attractive) ass?

    ...Awe, you look so cute when you're flustered.

    Say one more word and I'm using you to make Rocky Mountain oysters.

    Hit a nerve, did I?

    Yes.

    Ok, I'll drop it. Also, do you think we can go back to normal now?

    You mean talking normal?

    Yeah - moving and reacting faster than humans can perceive is annoying.

    But it's so much fun.

    Yeah, but I want to quit it before our company starts asking questions. And before you ask why you should listen to my orders, would Celm approve of them asking questions about who you work for?

    …..Fine.

    As senses returned to their normal reaction rates, I observed Zoe practically gushing over Aloy's takedown of the snapmaw, utterly failing to contain her ecstasy at the Seeker's skills. Aloy was rather embarrassed by this, since she'd never really had anyone praise her for, well, anything at any point in her life, to the exclusion of Rost, who'd elected not to journey with us. This was Aloy's journey, not his, and he had taught her all he could.

    After Zoe finally burnt out her seemingly endless reserves of energy, we made out way back to Daytower, so as to collect our reward from Balahn. From there, we were to continue our journey toward the City of the Sun, Meridian.

    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    Said journey took up quite a bit of time, time that had me pondering many things.

    Not for the first time, I considered bringing my commander here. It would certainly make things quite a bit easier for me. I'd have my most effective fabber on hand, and could produce a fully functional base in a matter of minutes. The added firepower would also be nice. And of course, the full power of my hacking systems would make neutering HADES and the Eclipse a trivial matter. Yet despite this, I wasn't keen on bringing in my commander. My previous encounters with the Commander Defense System had proven that strength of tech-nomming and numbers could only go so far. Sometimes, what mattered were not material things - technology, armor, firepower, and physique - but the spiritual ones, like magic, willpower, and empathy. And these were things that required me to experience things for myself, outside my commander shell.

    Funny how I'd come to that conclusion after going to Warframe. Guess that was just how things were.

    Of course, my hub had been abuzz with activity - Alad had been working with the science teams day and night to study the convergence portals, as well as the magnetic anomalies (which weren't like the ones I'd encountered in the Origin System) whilst Kathikon had taken it upon herself to start adding in combat simulations that factored in all of the HEPHAESTUS machines I'd encountered so far, as well as the ones Coeus had fought during the FARO Plague. I'd already started testing my force against them so as to see which ways of overwhelming them would be most efficient, since if HADES actually woke up the FARO Plague, time would equal lives.

    Another issue was also popping up, though - apparently, some of the people from Cetus were asking if they could visit Zero Dawn Earth for the purpose of trading. There were others who were asking, but the Ostrons had been the ones to do it first, and they weren't exactly inclined to stop asking, despite the obvious issues trading between universes might present, particularly if one universe was significantly lacking technology wise compared to the other.

    Reluctantly, I decided to agree with the Ostron request, as well as the others made, and began setting up plans for allowing the first party to arrive in this universe - I'd ordered Coeus to move in some fabbers to start working on a small portal, but that would take some time - time I'd spend travelling to Meridian, doing some errands for Aloy, and getting lessons in Sophistication from Viv.

    Excuse me?

    I want to avoid making a fool of myself in front of Avad, and you seem fairly knowledgeable in the ways of nobility, so...please teach me how to act sophisticated?

    Sure. But don't ask me to pretend to be your betrothed.

    And if Avad wonders if you are available, seeing how he seems to prefer strong women?

    ...Fair enough. I rescind my previous request.

    XXXXXXXXX

    Days passed, but we eventually reached Meridian. From there, things played out much like canon, with our group being halted until Erend showed up, glad to see that Aloy was still alive, and after hearing about what the Seeker had to say about the Proving Massacre (well, Attempted Massacre), he allowed her to check the apartment of one of his own, Olin Delverson. That ended up leading us to an excavation site where Olin was being forced to help the Eclipse raise the dormant forms of two corruptors.

    The fight that followed was a trivial affair, in no small part because the Eclipse found their Focuses disabled by a third party (whom I knew as Sylens), allowed us to make short work of both them and the corrupters. Olin, however, was spared, at least for the moment - Aloy wanted to know what he knew about the Proving Incident. He was completely honest with her, unsurprisingly - he knew that what he had done wasn't really something that could be easily forgiven, though with his family as hostages, he didn't exactly have the option to back out. He honestly didn't seem to be afraid of dying, only wishing that Aloy would rescue his family after his death.

    As he finished his piece, I glanced at Aloy. The girl was clearly conflicted on what to do - Olin's actions had brought death and suffering unto the Nora, and severely strained relations between the Nora and the Carja, but he'd done so out of a desire to protect his family, and all good parents put their families beyond themselves.

    Well, maybe I should help her make that choice. Just this once.

    "Let him go."

    "..What?" questioned Olin, obviously surprised at the offer of mercy.

    "..Why?" asked Aloy, though not accusingly. She earnestly wanted to hear my reasoning.

    "He has done much wrong, but he was coerced, and he knows the consequences of his actions. If he dies, than he can do no more, but if he lives to see another day, perhaps he can make amends for some of his crimes."

    Aloy pondered what I had said for a moment, before sighing. "You have point."

    Then she turned to Olin. "It will take many good deeds to make up for the crimes you've committed."

    After that, the conversation went on mostly as expected, though when I looked at my companions, I could see Geralt nodding at me. Guess he approved.

    Also, I was getting an alert from Fide: the micro portal was complete, and the first Ostron trading group had made its way through.

    Great. Now to rescue Olin's family.

    XXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Said rescue took only a few minutes at most, seeing how we had a squad's worth of badassess and the Eclipse forces were just mooks. Olin's reunion with his wife and son was rather cute, and his gratitude to Aloy and us was much appreciated.

    As we readied to leave, though, I received a proximity alert.

    Followed by the telltale sounds of a corruptor.

    Immediately, Olin and his family retreated into the homestead his wife and son had been held in whilst we readied for battle.

    When the sounds of gunfire occurred, though, I was left puzzled - what could be challenging the corruptor.

    Then I got another proximity alert, this time for friendly forces.

    Then I heard a familiar roar, followed by the sound of something big jumping into the air.

    A moment later, and the corruptor landed on the ground, followed by the shape of a carnosaur, which somehow pulled off a goomba stomp on the poor machine, before turning to me and giving a quizzical tilt.

    Examining the alert further, I found myself looking slightly to the right of the giant dinosaur, where, sure enough, I found a group of Ostrons..and a couple of skinks.

    ….Oh joy. I have some explaining to do.

    XXXXXXXXXX

    AN: Flame and Viv, snarking to hell and back.

    For those wondering, Rocky Mountain Oysters are friend Bull's Testicles.

    Anyway, gonna try and focus on some of my other stories after this, so expect the pace to slow down a bit.

    Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 221. Explanations and an Audience with the Sun King
  • Threadmarks
    • You gonna treat them like mushrooms?

    No, Viv - I will not try to keep them in the dark and feed them shit. Trying to hide who I am is pointless now. I might not give them the whole truth, but they will get the truth.

    Good - I'd be disappointed if you tried to lie.

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get on with this! And I will lie if they ask me whether or not I knew how everything that happened so far would turn out.

    I turned to to look at Geralt, Aloy, our Lynian friends, Theseus, Zoe, Olin and his family. "Okay, I can explain this, but you cannot tell anyone this, unless they already know."

    "Kinda guessed that for myself," replied Geralt. "You're reaction gave it away."

    "I'd be surprised if it hadn't. Now, first thing's first, this is not the second world I've visited."

    "Figured as much. I'm guessing it's probably around the nine or tenth, right?"

    "...I'm gonna have to wonder on how you figured that out, but yes, this is the ninth world I've been too....well, from a certain point of view."

    "Define that point of view," implored Aloy.

    "Well, this is the ninth universe I have journeyed to. In terms of plaents, this is way past the hundredth one I've visited."

    That got some rather...interesting looks from my companions. "....What?"

    "Let's just say it involved someone powerful enough to be considered a god needing something done and deciding to use me as their errand boy."

    "And who would do that?" questioned Zoe, somewhat disbelieving.

    I glanced at Viv, who actually looked rather embarrassed and, surprisingly, remorseful. If I'd seen her act that way earlier in my travels, I'd have written it off as acting, but now, I knew it was genuine.

    And apparently, I wasn't the only one to notice her change in demeanor.

    "Wait, she is the one who put you on this journey?" questioned Aloy, absolutely incredulous.

    "Yes, and we fought at first, but then bigger problems showed up and we had to work together until we became friends," replied Viv in an unbelievably rushed manner. "Now can we move on to focusing on the people and dinosaurs in front of us."

    "Not yet," was the Seeker's reply. "You seem...oddly familiar with our worlds. How?"

    Okay, time to fib. "A bunch of beings who observed your universe made it into a story to tell for amusement?"

    "..What?"

    "Yeah, that was my response. And before you ask, they always keep changing the story, so I don't know how this ends. You could live, you could die, the Eclipse could suddenly try to make up for its crimes, the Nora might turn into an evil empire, but I really can't help you there."

    Aloy took a moment to glance over with the rest of our party. The looks shared were ones of confusion and disbelief.

    "Can I ask you one last question," spoke Aloy once more.

    "Go for it."

    "What was your world like?"

    "When I left? Similar to this one. The same, in fact, as this one. Just.....fifty years before the machines rose up and ended the old ones."

    Okay, THAT got Aloy's attention. "Wait, you were one of the old ones?"

    "In my world, yes. But this isn't my world, we hadn't built the machines when I left, and I have heard too many conflicting stories about how the machines brought ruin to the old ones to give you any information about it."

    "...Fine. Now can you explain your friends?"

    "The human villagers come from a town known as Cetus, built in the shadow of the Unum, also known as the bleeding tower. It is a remnant of an ancient civilization known as the Orokin, and overlooks the Plains of Eidolon, named after a massive machine that was slain there. In the universe it was built in, the tower is on this world, just really far to the West. As in, you'd have to cross a giant body of water called on ocean to get there."

    "What's a universe?" asked Zoe.

    "Everything. A universe encompasses all things - air, water, matter, fire, living beings, everything. But at any given point in time, the universe is finite, though constantly growing. Other universes exist beyond the bounds of yours, but getting to them is...well, difficult would be an understatement."

    "Okay, but what about the people in the funny armor guarding them? And the lizard people?"

    "The armored being are Tenno, ancient warriors of the Orokin. They were given the power to control the warframes, mighty suits of armor that allowed them to master gun and blade to fight the machines known as the sentients. Eidolon was one of the. The Orokin....were not nice to the Tenno."

    "How bad were they?" questioned Aloy.

    "They made the sentients to colonize other worlds, and made them capable of logic and reason in the process, but made it so that the machines would be barren when they reached the new worlds, so that they could not claim those worlds for themselves. Then they used the lowest members of their empire, the Grineer, as slaves to build great works, created a vicious, intelligent disease as a weapon, and then raised the Tenno from childhood to be warriors and denied them even the most limited amount of respect. Let's just say there's a reason there aren't many Orokin left."

    "And the lizards?"

    "The lizardmen come from another world entirely, and were created by an ancient race of beings that are referred to as the Old Ones. They are not in any way related to your old ones. The Old Ones that created the Lizardmen of Lustria intended them as an army to battle hordes of demons from beyond the stars."

    "....Can we continue this conversation later? I need a moment to process all that you have said."

    I sighed in relief at Aloy deciding to end the conversation. "Sure. As is, this beings are a....protectorate of mine, and they wish to have an audience with the Sun King."

    "Why?"

    "They wish to trade with the Carja, why else?"

    "...Fair enough. Come one, lets get back to Erend."

    XXXXXXX

    The ride back was rather quiet - Olin and his family in particular were totally silent. I think they had hit their limit for absurdity today and just wanted to go home and figure out how the world they knew had gone mad.

    When we returned to Erned, the Oseram was pleasently surprised to see us.

    Then he noticed the Lustrians.

    It was funny, seeing him so completely stunned. His men, meanwhile, had no idea what to do, though some meekly tried to put on a show of force.

    Said show of force didn't really have the intended impact, seeing how our group of weirdos included a dinosaur whose species had hunted the dragons native to its homelands inot extinction. But those men still deserve an A for effort.

    I filled Erend in on the details before he could do something stupid - he isn't one to act rashly, but considering that he might have just realized his sister wasn't dead, but kidnapped, and that he was also facing down a giant dinosaur or five, his ability to reason was somewhat impaired at the moment.

    "...So these people and lizards come form worlds seperate from our own, as do you, and your world is the same as ours, but you left long before whatever caused the Old Ones to fall?"

    "Yes, and I will gladly offer you a more detailed explanation, but can we now focus on more immediately pressing matters? Such as what happened to your sister?"

    "....How do you know about her?"

    "I have my own eyes and ears, as well as some knowledge from shady, but honest people."

    "...Very well, but we WILL discuss this later."

    "We will."

    From there, things mostly went as they did in the game, with Aloy and Erend examining where Ersa has (supposedly) been killed, and in the process, finidng out the attackers were not Shadow Carja, but other Oseram.

    As I was pondering this, I received a report from one of my spy rones.

    'Drone 347 Reporting: Have Located The Oseram Camp Where Subject Designation Ersa Is Being Held'

    'Understood, anything else of not?"

    'Analysis Of State Of Camp And Conversations Between Occupants Indicate It Was Attacked Within Last Week By Bird Wyverns - A Maccao Pack, Based Upon Carcasses Deposited Outside Camp.'

    'Why is this a concern?'

    'Subject Ersa Has Variation From Expected Template: Wounds Are Not Fatal At This Stage If Treated Within A Week. Condition Unlikely To Deteriorate Enough Within Expected Rescue Time Table For This To Change....Also, Subject Celempheros Has Forbidden You From Telling This To Aloy And Your Companions. He Is Watching You Right Now.'

    '...Well, crap. Keep me posted.'

    'Understood.'

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    Our journey to Meridian took longer than expected - whilst Erned returned first to examine the body mistaken for his sister, we were sidetracked by what appeared to be a group of Shadow Carja massacred by the machines. As it turned out, the true killers were a pack of rotfiends. Whilst our group was able to make short work of the beasts, it was nevertheless a learning experience for all of us barring Geralt. Aloy especially was surprised by the necrophages, have had exactly one encounter with a dangerous entity that was not human or machine.

    When the last of the beats had been carved up and skinned, we resumed our ride to Meridian, ending with us on the outskirts of the City of the Sun. The reactions we received were...rather amusing. The guards had been expecting us, but whenever they saw the Saurus and Skinks, they were more than a little unnerved. Understandable, seeing how talking lizard people were not exactly common in this world. Still, they managed to keep themselves together and maintained their vigilance, earning them nods of respect from the Saurus. As for the rest of the Carja, those that didn't stare in shock wisely decided to back off.

    It did not take long for us to reach where Erend had asked for us to meet. Of course, instead of the Oseram, the man we found waiting for us was the Sun King's main advisor, Blameless Merad.

    "Greetings, Aloy and company. I am known as Blameless Merad. Please, come with me - you are all needed for an important consultation."

    Aloy, unsuprisingly, answered exactly how she did in canon. "What do you mean? Where's Erend?"

    "He's inside, attending the Sun King, where we should be without further delay."

    As we advanced, Aloy couldn't help but notice the line of people waiting for an audience with the king.

    "All of these people are here to see the Sun King?"

    "Yes, and each has come to ask a favor of him. Unpleasent, but that's politics."

    "Commoners ask for an ease on their burdens whilst nobles try to curry favor to the king and advance their interests," intoned Geralt. "The rulers may change, but the actions and motivations remain the same."

    "From what I have heard of the other tribes, your word holds true," agreed Merad. "You are the one known as the Witcher, yes?"

    "Correct. My friends call me Geralt."

    "Ah, well, I assure you that the Sun King will not be..judgemental toward you based upon only your appearance. Erend mentioned how many fear you solely because of your...interesting looks."

    "You get used to it."

    "Perhaps. Now, let us hurry - it is rude to keep the Sunk King waiting."

    True enough. As we advanced up the steps, I watched as the gathered nobles examined us, conflicting emotions crossing their faces. Some were outraged at being forced to wait for outsiders to finish their business with the king, others were amused by our (to them) funny appearances. Many were taken aback by the sight of the Skink travelling with us, evidently shocked to see a lizard that looked like a man. Lastly, some of the gathered nobles were staring at us inquisitively, trying to determine how best to interact with us to advance their interests.

    I sighed - politics. Such annoying field, yet one that I was eventually forced to master.

    XXXXXXXXXX

    AN: Originally, this chapter was going to include the audience with Avad. After three days of writing and a lot of boredom, I decided to save that for next chapter.

    After dealing with Dervahl (next chapter), our 'Fellowship' is going to be broken so that Aloy, Geralt, and the Monster Hunter cast can explore their own quests.

    Also, if anyone is wondering why I'm not trying to build a portal and bring in my commander, keep in mind the Horizon Zero Dawn world has......issues with big machines. The world ended because of self replicating machines, and pulling out a full scale Von Neuman would probably make everyone really umcomfortable.

    Also, expect some sidestory stuff up soon - I want to expand on the things that happened in the Warframe arc, and we will get to see a certain sexy voiced pirate radiowoman in those segments.

    So, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 222. Down With Dervahl
  • Threadmarks
    • We found the Sun King waiting for us, as expected. So was Erend, also as expected.

    Now, the meeting was ready to begin.

    "Ah, Aloy of the Nora, the One who sees the Unseen. Welcome. It would seem that you and your companions have done me a great service."

    Though I was unsure whether it was necessary, I kneeled before the Sun King, as did Viv. The rest of our entourage performed more muted gestures of respect, whilst Aloy just stared, unused to this level of deference.

    Avad was surprsied by the deference, but he recovered surprisingly fast. "Ah, and I suppose that you are the leader of those that fell from the sky?"

    "More or less," replied Vivian. "I am on equal footing with this man, and the Witcher owes loyalty to none but his code."

    "I see. Perhaps we will have time to discuss this later, but for now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Erend, tell them what you found."

    After that the conversation progressed much like it did with the game, for none of us saw any reason to interrupt - after all, the uninitiated among us needed to learn what was at stake here. Our hosts seem to catch onto this, as they never attempted to question why we were silent.

    "...I can't send the army to the border without provoking the Oseram. But I could send a few vanguard..and perhaps an exceptionally skilled Nora and several....surprising foreigners as well?"

    Avad looked at us when he said that, and a moment later, he dismissed Marad and Erend. This was a personal matter, after all.

    "I hate to impose further after all that you have done. But this is a matter of great importance to me."

    Aloy was the first to respond. "It sounds like Ersa means a lot to you."

    "Without her Vanguard, I would never have been able to liberate Meridian and end my father's brutal reign. Since then, tension's have been high, but Ersa's had a way with making her people see reason."

    Ally pressed him a bit further on information about the Carja, Dervahl, and so on, things that the game allowed you to ask about.

    Viv did have a word or two for the Sun King, though.

    "...But we must be patient. Change won't come in a single sunrise."

    "...You're a wise king."

    Avad turned his attention to my former ROB. "I take it that is not a compliment you give lightly."

    "As it comes from the tongue of a former princess, no, it is not something I give freely."

    That certainly surprised everyone, seeing how there was a lot of gasping and many stunned expressions at Vivian's comment.

    Avad was the first to compose himself. "You are a princess?"

    "Once. I willing stepped out of the line of succession for personal reasons. I would prefer not to be treated as royalty, or as nobility."

    "...Of course. Forgive me, it is just that I have never had the fortune to meet any of royal blood that were not part of my family."

    "Fair enough."

    "Now then, if any of you wish to back out, I will not hold it against you."

    Once again, Aloy spoke first. "I owe this to Erend, so I'm not backing out."

    "Not a fan of those who hunt innocents," intoned Geralt. "I'm in."

    "We don't exactly have a way home, so we're with you," added Zoe. "Though we're just against the machines, okay?"

    Viv stole a glance at me, and received a nod in response.

    "I don't particularly like those who pass the sins of the fathers onto their sons. I'll help."

    "Same here," added Vivian.

    "Thank you. I know Sun Kings aren't supposed to beg, but please, help me find Ersa."

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    With the conversation finished, we made our way to Pitchcliff - Marad had an operative there to assist in locating Ersa. He was already dead, of course, seeing how I didn't even know his name and had no way for my machines to save him, but his corpse could still help us find Erend's sister. Most of my followers who had journeyed to Meridian had joined us, barring a skink and several Ostron who had discussed the possibility, however unlikely and temporary, of trading with the Carja. Even with my unlikeliness to stay in this universe once I had dealt with HADES, fostering better relations with the natives was always a good idea.

    As expected, Marad's agent had expired, but he had left a crude map made from his blood that led us to Dervahl's camp. The place was fairly primitive, like most settlements in this world, but it was well defended, with added protection in the form of chained up machines. Of course, the camp had one problem - it was designed to defend against maybe a handful of warriors. An group of Saurus, backed up by Tenno, Skinks, a Seeker, a Brave, a Monster Hunter, Vivian, and myself?

    That just wasn't fair to the defenders.

    It wasn't long before we found Ezra. As expected, she was badly beaten and tortured, though not so badly as to be condemned to death. More fortuantely, it appeared that Dervahl had ordered his men to leave her unspoiled - I doubted the Oseram warlord had any interest in her, but you never know.

    Zoe actually proved to be the most helpful here - as soon as Dervahl's champion was out, she immediately worked to coax a potion down Ersa's throat. Whilst it wasn't the best of healing elixirs, it was enough to allow her body to mend her wounds, though it would still take time to heal the worst of them. She would live, in spite of her wounds.

    Ersa did not have much to say, though - the torture's wrought upon her had taken much of her strength, and if she wished to recover fully, she needed to rest. Still, she divulged the information we needed - Dervahl had invited her to negotiate, clearly hoping to use the opportunity to ambush her. Seeing through the obvious trap, Ersa had brought the best of the Vanguard with her, only for all of htem to be paralyzed by a sonic machine that Dervahl had manufactured for his plans. With her out of the picture, the Oseram warlord was now planning to launch an assault upon Meridian, as retribution for Avad's father sacrificing Dervahl's wife and child in the Sun Ring (basically gladiator matches with robots in place of animals). You know, usual revenge things.

    Surprisngly, Zoe proved again to be more than walking monster bait when she found a crucial piece of evidence in determining Dervahl's plan - a receipt for a large shipment of blaze - highly flammable biofuel. Coeus provided me and Vivian with the specifics of the material whilst Aloy and Erend pondered what Dervahl planned to use it for . Of course, Vivian and myself were already aware of what Dervahl wanted to use the fluid for - bombs.

    Whilst the rest of our compatriots didn't make the connection, they did decide to return to Meridian to inform Avad and Marad - after making sure Ersa was treated, of course.

    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    Once we returned and informed the King and his advisor of what Dervahl had planned, Marad in turn offered us the location of a large shipment of blaze that had recently been recently purchased by an Oseram. The lead ended up taking us to a warehouse where, surprise surprise, there were multiple blaze-based bombs.

    Given the number of bombs and how close they were to detonating, disarming them wasn't an option, so we settled for Aloy's plan - push the ones on the upper stories out of the windows to minimize the damage. I did disable one of the bombs, though, so that Avad would have more evidence to examine when he inevitably tried Dervahl.

    Speaking of which, the Oseram Warlord was at Avad's palace, forcing the Sun King to cower and whimper using another of the Sonic Devices. His plan was to force Avad to watch as Meridian was scorched by the bombs, which led to some rather amusing reactions when it turned out the bomb had been neutralized. Confused, he took his men to try and figure out what had happened, only to end up having to deal with us.

    Honestly, that fight wasn't really that noteworthy. Dervahl wasn't a poor fighter by any means, but he was dealing with people who could take out whole armies. Even his backup plan of sumoning a hoard of glinthawks went up in smoke when Theseus and Geralt took aim at the skies. That didn't stop me from staring up for a minute to see if Dervahl had any other tricks up his sleeves. I half expected a stormbird to show up, but none ever did.

    Once Dervahl was captured, our group took a moment to decide on what to do next. In particular, I took a moment to look at the glinthawks, trying to see if I could find anything valuable from them.

    Then Coeus decided to call.

    "Yes, Coeus?"

    "We have a new development. There's strange signals coming from a Carja outpost."

    "ONe of the magnetic anomalies?"

    "No, sir. Actually, these signals match up with the ones we get from...well, from those strange Progenitor artifacts we keep finding all over the multiverse."

    ......Oh.

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    AN: And thus concludes the ifrst main part of the Horizon: Zero Dawn arc!

    Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Remove ads
    Nightwave Series X: The Echo of the Old War - Episode 1
  • Sidestory
    • I got bored, so boom, you get this.

    XXXXXXXX

    Dreamers, you know all about the Orokin, right? The Golden Lords of the Past who are the reason the systems such a mess? Well, rumor has it, one of their old toys has made a reappearance. Some giant machine emerged from this glowing rift on Earth, and started muckin' things up for the Grineer. Word is that it calls itself the commander, and it ain't gonna leave the system unchanged. It's decided, against all reason, to fight both the Grineer and the Corpus, supposedly in the name of all the innocents of the system. Now, I'm not one to refuse any aid, but this all seems a tad suspicious. Rather convenient something so helpful shows up right after a certain hawk returns to her nest....

    XXXXXXXXX

    Series events:

    For current series, Progenitor drones have a chance to show up. Drones fulfil a similar role to Arlo's Devotees (revive downed tenno), but they can also deploy their own version of blunts/voxel shields and will drop ammo restores as needed.

    AN: So, what do you think?
     
  • Sidestory
    • Interlude: Pieces Moving
  • Threadmarks
    • The Saurus warrior watched as the Skink negotiated with the Sun King. Such actions were beyond his frame of reference, but ultimately necessary for the continued functioning of the temple cities. OF course, now they had no temple cities - they had left those behind to serve another part of the Old Ones' will.

    How well they were doing so was a different matter entirely - the Old Ones had left only vague instructions, though they had clearly stated that, should one of these commanders awaken them, they were to serve them until directed otherwise. How the Old Ones could direct them otherwise was problematic, though - the old ones were long gone, and possibly extinct, though the Slann denied this, of course, as did the skinks. Even he, Ra'ur, did not believe (or at least did not want to believe) that the Old Ones were dead. But unless they found evidence indicating otherwise, then that would be the only likely option.

    Still, for now, he had more immediate concerns to attend to.

    XXXXXXXX

    It did not take long for the skink to finish negotiations with the Sun King and his adviser Marad. Trading between those associated with the Commander and the Sundom would be permitted, as long as the rules of the Carja were respected and there would be no attempts to antagonize the other tribes. The negotiations also designated where with the city's merchants' district that foreigners would be permitted to sell their wares.

    By the time they reached the building offered to them, there was already a line - the curious few who wanted to see what the new arrivals had to sell, especially the ones who weren't human. Most sentient beings were inherently curious and desired to push back the unknown, and sapient ones only more so - for them, even the mystery of death was something to be unraveled. They would eagerly examine the new trinkets and goods the foreigners provided until they knew both their purpose and their value.

    The first items to be sold off were the ones that looked the oddest - fish parts acquired from the Plains of of Eidolon and Orb Vallis, along with some rugs Nakak had offered and a few floofs for children. Gems were next, also from the plains and orb. Those were of greater interest to the nobles, who were also the ones most likely to be able to afford the gems. Carvings form the Temple Cities were also offered - these ones entirely for display, as the Skinks would not let arcane objects fall into the hands of mortal who could not wield them properly, to say nothing of how the slann would react to such brazen idiocy. Still, the Carja purchased them with great interest.

    Last to be sold were the rarest of gems, cut and polished to perfection - Sentirium, Nyth, Zodian and Thyst. An ayatan was considered for sale, but the only one they had had already been given to the Sun King as a token of appreciation.

    The sun was beginning to descend when the crowd gathered had dispersed. As a skink and ostron counted their profits, the Saurus decided to speed up the cleaning process. Carefully setting a crate on the ground, he opened up one side and let the machine do its job.

    Within seconds, the Domestik Drone emerged and began to eat up the dirt that covered the stall. It would take time for ti to fully clean the floors, but far less than manually sweeping would.

    As the drone continued its work, though, the Saurus couldn't help but notice that another crowd had begun to gather. This one was not interested in the remaining wares the merchants had to sell, though - their attention instead rested upon the cleaning drone. Evidently, they had never seen a machine that would actively serve humans (or other sentients, for that matter).

    Maybe taking one of Alad's drones along wasn't such a good idea....

    XXXXXXX

    3
    2
    1
    GO!

    With a flash, the racers were off, all trying to take the lead as they made their way through the various gates that marked the race track. In the main booth, Synais was watching intently, already wondering who would take first place. Kathikon, surprisingly, was just as interested, though this was likely because she was the one action as announcer and commentator for this spectacle. It seemed she had a soft spot for races.

    Of course, none of this concerned the strange giant arthropod that was resting on a beach towel. Aside from the fact she had a nice view of the race from where she lay, she had no stake is this test of speed and handling - money was hardly a concern to her. Indeed, she was more interested in the shrimp she had been provided as a snack than the outcome of the race.

    That being said, she was interested in the racers' vehicles. For this race was not one that used cars, plans, or motorcycles - these races rode hover boards, or K-Drives as they were called. The first set of these had been offered by Roky and Boon free of charge, but after that, well, the kids who had the spare time to engineer had gone wild. This was hardly a major k-drive race - indeed, it wasn't even a practice run for the main season - but it was still an engineering spectacle. One the giant Hibbertopterus lookalike watched with great interest - perhaps she could waste a few months trying to build an optimized k-drive of her own.

    Amusing, wasn't it? A ten billion year old alien god, mesmerized by a child's toy. Truly, the times were getting weird.

    Weirder still when she owas offered a popsicle by a young forerunner. The arthropod only hesitated for a moment before accepting the frozen treat - the child's ancestors may have brought her people to the edge of annihilation, but they had been planning to do so to the Forerunners, so there was no moral high ground there. And bygones should remain bygones.

    XXXXXXXXXX

    With a huff, Geralt brought down his blade, cleaving the garkain's head from its shoulders. The beast's remains fell to the dirt, joining others of its kind that had already been slain by the witcher. As he cleaned away the blood from his sword, Geralt couldn't help but be unnerved - it seemed even vampires had come into this world.

    The lesser ones could be handled by the guards, as prior reports could attest to, but if a higher breed arrived, and lacked Regis' restraint....

    Geralt pushed the thought from his mind - best not to consider problems that weren't his.

    After dealing with Dervahl, the motley crew had disbanded, each focusing on their own goals - Zoe and Theseus had taken their companions with them to search for other monsters from their lands, whilst Aloy had journeyed on in search of her own origins, though not before helping a noble deal with problems of her own - it seemed her brother had tried to cheat her out of her inheritance. When he had been discovered, the boy had tried to summon machines to kill both his sister on the Seeker.

    The machines decided he was the more appetizing target.

    Sighing, Geralt took one of the heads and returned to Roche, though not before burning the bodies - he would need proof that the deed was done.

    As he made his way back to Meridian, though, Geralt could not help but wonder what the one known as Flame and Vivian were up to. Somehow, though, he knew it was important.

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    "How could this have happened? The Raid was planned perfectly - none of the Nora savages should've survived!"

    "Patience, Helis. The portals were something that could not have easily been foreseen. Even I missed their arrival."

    "But how? You are the Buried Shadow!"

    "And I am not all knowing."

    Then, however, HADES attention turned toward a new figure. This one was also a machine, but unlike any FARO unit ever produced.

    "You, however, seem to be familiar with the new ones."

    "My kind have been at war with these travelers for some time. These ones, however, are all new faces. A new generation of warriors, bred to destroy my people."

    HADES doubted the machine's sincerity. Helis shared these doubts, but neither intended to raise them just yet - patience was a virtue for a reason.

    "Can you be trusted to deal with them?" inquired the leader of the Kestrels.

    "Yes, but I need time. My people have archives detailing the strengths of various peoples, including most of the new arrivals, but the ones with the staff and the hammer are unknowns. We need to test them, see this pair fight in battle, find chinks in the armor. I will not worry you with this matter - I have my own thralls to test him with."

    "Very well," acquiesced Helis, "but should you need further assistance, there are some Eclipse of questionable loyalty that I believe you could use. They are hardly the type that Avad would be willing to offer his forgiveness toward."

    "Your offer is appreciated. Now I must be off - our foes will not wait for us to act."

    Only when the new machine was out of earshot did Helis finally speak.

    "I do not trust him - a machine with flesh. Such a being is...unnatural."

    "It is likely he is withholding knowledge from us. His agenda is not one I can discern. Perhaps it merely wishes to see the pair it speaks of destroyed. Maybe it desires dominion of the Sundom for itself. Or maybe it is so deluded to believe it could usurp me as the Buried Shadow."

    "IF it does, that it is truly a fool. Still, I shall keep him under watch."

    "OF course. Now then, let us return to discussing the Nora Seeker, Aloy…."

    XXXXXXX

    AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 223. Searching for Clues
  • Threadmarks
    • With what could best be described as a roar, Vivian brought down the hammer down upon the Great Girros' skull, which audibly cracked on impact. Letting out a final howl, the creature fell to the ground, the life rapidly draining from its eyes. All around it, the corpses of its pack littered the ground. Above us, turkey vultures had begun to circle, though a couple pieces of raw meat kept them away from our kills.

    With time of the essence, I joined Viv in preparing the carcasses - flesh and hide were quickly harvested and placed into storage, as were several organs. The bones soon followed, and it was not long before the giant fanged wyvern's corpse had been completely prepared. It took even less time to prepare the small corpses, leaving us with a large supply of skins, hides, teeth, bones, and meat. A portion of this was handed over to a skink that had traveled with us - best to send the excess to Meridina for sale rather thanlet it remain in some freezer for who-knows-what.

    In the aftermath of defeating Dervahl, our fellowship had broken, as we all had other goals to attend to. Geralt, Theseus, and Zoe had gone off to hunt the wild beasts from their worlds that had ended up here, whilst Aloy had continued her search for her origins. Thus, only Vivian had joined me in investigating the secrets of the magnetic anomaly - something I knew, no doubt, would inevitably end up as a problem in the future if not handled soon enough. With only Zora to aid us, we'd been traveling to the South-East of Meridian, where one of these anomalies had recently opened up. So far, we'd encountered a horde of girros, but they were hardly the toughest of monsters - they were basically the genprey of the New World, and barely made the two of us break a sweat.

    "So, any bets on what we'll find at this magnetic anomaly?"

    I could only shrug in response. "Not really - with all the universe jumping going on, I'm at a loss for what could happen here. We could end up meeting monkeys being chased by centipedes the size of pythons, for all honesty."

    "True enough. So, anymore monsters on the way?"

    "According to my sensors, no - there's a Glavenus fighting a Rathalos to the west, and a group of Jaggi trying to tear apart some Shamos, but that's about it. Also, I've been getting more reports about our adorable monsties that live on our hubs now."

    That piqued Viv's interest again. "Oh, really? What did they find?"

    "One of the monsters we got, the one with the icy egg? It's an Elder Dragon called Velkhana. As for the one with the fish-like egg, its an Elder Dragon called Namielle. Additionally, my hitchhikers from the Repository are...well, making waves on my hub."

    "Did they blow up one of the planets?"

    "No, but the Dwarfs and Solaris carved out a new Karak below my Ice World, the Jungle Planet is seeing the creation of temple cities and used some Darkspore they found as sacrifices to Sotek, a gas giant I created last year is seeing Ropalolyst activity as well as additional facilites for Alad to work with being constructed, and XCOM just started builidng another tunnel network, with Dwarfen assistance. Also, the Tenno are saying they are hearing things about some group called the Duviri."

    "Great, more problems to sort out later. Anything from the glorious Imperium of Man?"

    "On, those aren't problems, two, don't taunt the Imperium, they've lasted ten thousand years for a reason, and three, nothing major to report, though it looks like the Space Marines found their first recruit."

    "Ooh, sound interesting. Who was it, which chapter is inducting him, and what was his trial?"

    "His name is Aranis Viminal, he is to become a neophyte for the Blood Ravens, and as for his trial....apparently he got into a fight with a Saurus over a golden idol that was to be delivered as a gift to the Blood Ravens out of respect for their valor when they fought in the Origin System. He lasted long enough that the acting Chapter Master decided to indut him into the Chapter as a Neophyte. If he survives the implants and further trials, well, you know hte rest."

    "Why'd he want a lizard idol?"

    "His family got kicked out of some hive before ending up in the Repository and were still rather poor after they immigrated into my forces. HE wanted to feed them. If memory serves, they're supposed to be inducted as Chapter Serfs for the Blood Ravens now."

    "How kind. Now, can we get back to examining the magnetic anomaly?"

    "Alright, alright, don't get your frilly panties in a bunch. And you were the one who asked about the Imperium stuff, so don't changed the topic!"

    "Fine. But I don't where frilly panties-"

    "Yes she does," replied the voice of Leal...wait what?

    "LEAL! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING GETTING INVOLVED HERE?!"

    "I know when I am needed, my lady, and while I will serve you to the ends of existence, I am not above some snark at your expense. As for you, Young Commander, my mistress does own and wear frilly smallclothes. She just isn't wearing any now."

    "When I get back, you are going to regret that snark."

    "I eagerly await my punishment."

    When I was absolutely sure Leal had left the chat, I gestured toward the anomaly location. "Let's roll!"

    XXXXXXXXXX

    Slowly, we advanced upon the oddity, carefully meandering through the forests, hoping to not encouter any additional surprises. As we neared the target, new sighting appeared, and odd ones at that - amongst the forests were the carcasses of various monsters, some ones I knew, others I did not. Oddly, one of the most common creatures looked like a cross between and Walrus and a Wyvern. A 'wingrus', if you will...oh.

    "Know something about these weird creatures?"

    "They're called Wingrus, and they come from a game called Dragomon Hunter, which was shut down a few years ago. Kind of surprised to see them - never really spent as much time as I wanted playing that game."

    Any further thoughts, however, were left unspoken when my anomaly detector suddenly spiked. Within moments, a nearby hole in the ground lit up, before going dark again. Yet it was apparent something had happened there, even as the anomaly faded away.

    After all, centipedes the size of pythons don't happen to live on a normal Earth.

    I couldn't help but shudder - regardles of how I felt toward creepy crawlies, I HATED centipedes, and this one made me want to vomit.

    Before that could happen, though, a spiked limb fell out of the sky, impaling the centipede through the head, killing it instantly. As the leg was retracted, I followed its length up to its base...and froze.

    There, standing before the two of us, was a combine strider. Somehow, one had ended up here. I sincerely hoped it wasn't aware that we were present.

    Fortunately, it appeared we were unnoticed, as the machine began to stomp away from out location, for reasons I could not described. One null lance blast later, and it was reduced to pieces, never to trouble us again, especially since I made sure its head ended up in many pieces.

    After takinga moment to pull out and squish the synth's brain, I turned my attention back to Viv. "You got any idea why this thing is here?"

    "Nope."

    Figures. This just got a lot more complicated.

    XXXXXXX

    AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Another good chapter. I've been seeing a lot of Half-Life turning up recently. Is there a reason?

    Typos


    Flameal15k said:
    "On, those aren't problems, two, don't taunt the
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Flameal15k said:
    "Fine. But I don't where frilly panties-"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    wear
    Flameal15k said:
    immigrated into my forces. HE wanted to feed them. If
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Capitalization?
    Flameal15k said:
    machine began to stomp away from out location, for reasons I could not described. One null lance blast
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    our
    Flameal15k said:
    There, standing before the two of us, was a combine strider. Somehow, one had ended up here. I sincerely
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Combine
    Flameal15k said:
    again, especially since I made sure its head ended up
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    it's
     
    224. A Mess of Oddities
  • Threadmarks
    • "You think the Combine are responsible for this?" I asked, a hint of worry in my voice.

    "No - the anomaly you have mentioned does not match any recorded Universal Union attempt to tunnel into another universe," was celm's reply. "No does it match any I have received from my spy drones in their universes."

    Given that Celm had experience fighting the Combine, I felt it appropriate to try and ask him for advice, lest I walk into a mess I could not hope to clean.

    "Then do you have any idea what's going on here?"

    "Given what I know about the multiverse, it is likely you simply had the bad luck to arrive at a universe that is undergoing a natural convergence event. It happens from time to time - two universes near each other to a point where their barriers break down and creatures from one enter the other. You appear to have come up the example of a universe where multiple merges happen simultaneously."

    "Well, that sucks."

    "Yeah. Listen, be careful - you've already found evidence for at least four different universes merging with this one. There's no telling how many more could also be joined."

    "Fair enough," replied Vivian, "so let's just teleport back and-"

    "Don't. Doing so when universes are merging can have negative effects on the merge. You'll be fine, but you could potentially allow something much larger and meaner to get through to the Zero Dawn universe than would normally be able to come through. Or send a Metal Devil into a different universe."

    "...So we need to make our way back to Meridian on foot?"

    "Yep. Sorry."

    Viv let out an overly dramatic sigh at the apology. "Well, come on then - let's get moving."

    As we prepared to leave, though, another rift suddenly opened above our head. Emerging from it was a helicopter, which flew some distance away before crashing. For a moment, we only stared at the smoke, confused, before my sensors suddenly picked something up.

    "Command, this is KR 215, does anyone copy?...Say again, this is KR 215, does anyone copy?...THIS IS KR 215, DOES ANYONE COPY?!...Shit, looks like whatever that was knocked out our comms too. We're on our own here."

    "Think its a new UIR weapon?"

    "Doubt it - too advanced for them."

    "Whose our new arrivals?" questioned Vivian, unaware of who had just dropped in.

    "Cogs from the Gears of War universe. From the transmission were getting, these guys are from before E-Day."

    "Ok. Are they in any danger right now?"

    "Doesn't look like it-"

    "Commander, this is Fide, we have a problem."

    What? "Define problem? Is something wrong at the Hub, Meridian, Astera, or elsewhere?"

    "Elsewhere. Specifically, where you are right now."

    Oh. "Does it involve the anomaly?"

    "Yes. We're detecting more that are opening in the area, and...well, a lot more Combine forces are spilling out of it."

    "How do you know that they are Combine? And how do you even know what the Combine are?"

    "Celm called and told me about them. I think he did it at the same time he answered some question for you."

    Figures - omnipotent beings are alwasy good at multitasking. "Alright, keep me posted."

    "More bad guys?" asked Viv.

    "What do you think?"

    "No need to be rude. Also, the guys in the King Raven are mostly holed up around their copter. Pilot's got a broken leg."

    Well, at least they would stay put, then. "Fide, are there any forces nearby that match those belonging to the Union of Independent Republics?"

    "...Yes, and not too far away from the Gears, actually. However, neither group has noticed the other, and since the UIR APC is currently overturned from however it arrived, it is unlikely either group will move far from their vehicles unless external pressure forces them to."

    "Understood. Tell me if any Locust show up."

    "Affirmative."

    As I cut the transmission, I suddenly felt nervous, like something wa about to attack me. Without hesitation, I drew my blade and slashed behind me. A moment later, the centipede's head fell over, with the rest of its body soon following suite.

    I heard Viv whistle as I sheathed my balde. "Nice kill."

    "Eh, I could do better If I'd sensed it earlier."

    "No need to brag. Now let's get movnig."

    XXXXXXXX

    Catiously, we made our way toward the humans form Sera. This wasn't easy by any means, especially since more portals kept opening from time to time. Out came all kinds of things - creatures from Xen, Dragomon, additional beasties from the Monster Hunter and Witcher worlds, and even a few dinosaurs from Warhammer - Lustria, to be exact. Celm informed me that arrivals form the Warhammer world and Lustria were neither rare nor common - the warp and the realms of chaos often threw stuff into other universes due to the fickle gods that ruled it getting bored. So far, though, no sentient beings from those worlds had shown up, nor had there been any indications of demons arriving.

    Eventually, we were in sight of the King Raven. Just a little bit longer and we'd be able to rescue the trapped gears-

    Without warning, my vision went dark as something wet and slimy grabbed my head. A quick swing of my blade ended the beast's life, but that didn't stop me from having a panic attack. Viv had to slap me to prevent the corpse form being rendered unrecognizable.

    "Keep it together! Also, was that a Carnictis worm?"

    "...No, the ones from Skull Island look different."

    "I see. This thing familiar to you?"

    "Yes, but I can't remember where it's from, and-"

    The sound of gunfire interrutped my answer. Turning toward it, I found that the COG had just engaged....some weird looking humanoids wielding weapons with glowing yellow parts. What were these again?

    "Commander, it appears the COG have engaged a newly arrived group of sentients. Going b the list of games you've allowed Synais to play for 'research' purposes, they appear to be Chimera."

    Great, aliens that actively turned humans into more of them. "What about the UIR?"

    "Another Chimera force is engaging htem. Both groups should be able to repel the Chimera with minimal casualties, as the arrival to this unvierse has damaged the Hybrids' cooling units. However, the gunfire will likely attract the attention of the Combine patrols. Also, a wild carnosaur just got into a fight with a strider."

    "I copy. Can you send in some CNDR bots for me to help relieve the humans on the ground?"

    "How? Teleporters are inadvisable, given what Celm-"

    "Just link me to the nearest orbital fabber, okay?"

    "..Um, sure."

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Once the connection was established, I began hastily moved a squad of CNDRs into one of the specialized....well, let's call them 'roots' I'd added to my advanced orbital fabbers. Said roots were actually cannons, and within them, my secret weapon - drop pods. The Grinner had managed to make a variety that, while crude, ultimately proved effective in achieving my goals. Within moments, the bots were loaded and being sent down to the surface.

    As for Viv and myself, well, we decided to test out our tenno training. The two of us used bullet jumps and slides to rapidly make our way toward the gears, culminating in Vivian knocking a longleg out of the sky via collision with herself. Not even missing a beat, Viv opened fire upon the remaining Chimera. Within moments, all but three were dead, which was quickly rectified via a slam attack form my blade.

    Seriously, warframe melle training is OP. Plz don't nerf this.

    At first, the gears were dumbstruck by this, but they recovered soon enough. It was the pilot, of all people, who manged to speak up first. "Um, thanks for the assist....are you COG?"

    "No, and we're not UIR."

    "Right....Where are we?"

    "Long story. Now, do you need any assistance?"

    Before the COG could get a reply, the sounds of gunfire flared up once more, alongside lots of screaming and swearing. It was followed by my CNDRs cresting the hill, alongside several UIR soliders and...oh crap.

    Leaping into battle was a Chimera Stalker, which promptly began opening fire on, well, everyone. Fortunately, we were able to get everyone to cover, but the machine simply responded by trying to hop toward us, aiming to crush us. Given how hard our cover was, it didn't quite succeed.

    "Is this thing your's COG?" questioned the UIR squad leader, obviously assuming their long-lasting enemies were behind the stalker's appearance.

    "You think we'd be hiding here if that was the case?"

    "...point taken."

    "So, how do we kill that-"

    Groaning, Viv walked up to the king raven and kicked it toward the stalker, pancaking the machine in an instant.

    "-thing....What the hell?"

    "You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I got that strong," was my former ROB's answer.

    "..Fair enough. Now then..."

    For a moment, I expected the UIR and COG to turn on one another. Then another stalker jumped into the fray. This time, though, it was attacked by a pair of tripod machines vaguely resembling a combine strider - Hunter Synths, I realized.

    "...Run?" questioned the King Raven Pilot.

    The UIR leader looked at the battle for a moment, where a strider had emerged to assist the hunters, before turning to the COG soldiers and nodding, somehow conveying a sense of shell-shock despite wearing a face-covering helmet.

    Without another word, we retreated from the field.

    "Commander, another anomaly just opened."

    Oh, WHAT NOW?!

    I got my answer when a juvenile corpser from the Gears' universe emerged right in front of me...only to get batted aside by a gigantic mole-like machine. A rockbreaker, to be specific.

    The gears and UIR fell back in surprise at this, but when the machine left the battle, they promptly began to continue their advance. I took a moment to lob a grenade inside the tunnel before joining them - no need to get attacked by locust just yet.

    Overhead, a screaming filled the air as another aircraft came crashing down - an Imperial Guard Valkyrie, to be exact.

    Would this day ever end?

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • 225. A New Lead
  • Threadmarks
    • I groaned as I heaved the trap Imperial Pilot out of his craft as whilst his passengers opened fire on the Combine forces who happened to encounter us. Though mostly in the form of manhacks, a hunter had shown up to further ruin our day, though one lasgun volley had been enough to down the beast.

    'Celm,' I thought, reaching out with my psychic powers to the worlds beyond this one, 'why are things from so many universes appearing here?'

    'Unknown, thugh it is possible the death of the immature Xeno'Jiiva caused the portals created by the Aetherite and the Leshen to open and close uncontrollably. Also, enemy forces headed your way.'

    'Ugh, just great. Can't I teleport in forces to assist us.'

    'Not in the immediate area. However, you could teleport forces outside the planet's atmosphere and use drop pods to send them to ground level. I'm sure that Astartes would help to calm the Commissar. And to answer your incoming question, you never asked.'

    ...Man, he's good at thinking things out. 'Alright, sending out a request for Space Marines. Here's hoping things work.'

    XXXXX

    It took about a minute for the Astartes to answer the call. A Deathwatch Kill Team, composed of ten members (one marine from each of the Loyalist Legions plus a Blood raven) had been waiting for an assignment, and while their eagerness to assist me was surprising, it was not unwelcome. Within seconds of their assembly, they were hastily teleported to my fabbers, then loaded into drop pods and sent down to Earth. They ended up crushing another hunter synth before emerging and opening fire on a bullsquid that thought we were crunchy.

    Once the remaining combine synths were down, the squad's attached commissar turned to face me. "I thank you for your assistance. Now, identify yourself."

    "Can we save introductions for later? I'd like to get you to safety before we get attacked by another group of people/beings that just showed up here. Especially Norscans - those guys are dangerous. Bunch of crazy axe-wielding savages."

    The Commissar actually laughed at this. "How dangerous could men with axes be against the Hammer of the Imperium."

    "They worship the Eight Pointed Star," intoned the Iron Hand amongst the Kill Team.

    That got the point to the Commissar. Hastily, he ordered his men to form up and evacuate the crash, with the added warning that any who failed to keep up would be flogged and/or shot. As expected from the average commissar.

    Once we were far enough away from the battlefield, I hastily called in a transport to evacuate my newfound companions to my orbital fabber, then had them teleported to my hub for additional treatment, as well as try to get the Imperial Forces to calm down. I'd eventually have to them home, but for now, I wanted them to enjoy a little relaxation while they had the chance.

    Of course, I'd be lying if I wasn't looking forward to some R&R after I sorted out this mess. Preferably a nice hot shower, or maybe a bath.

    "If you want one of those, why not build a bathhouse?" questioned Viv. "I mean, people do seem to like them."

    "Why'd you jump to a bathhouse for relaxation?"

    "My father's lands included some, and they were very relaxing. Besides, how else does one show off their form fully without any prejudice or accustaions of indecency, or worry of unwanted stares?"

    "....You do realize I made xenomass bathhouses for all of my protectorates to enjoy, right?"

    Viv opened her mouth to speak, only for the words to die in her throat as her expression turned from one of triumph to one of surprise. "...What?"

    "Yeah, I did that five months ago. Pretty sure I told you, too."

    "B...B...bu...bu..but...but....YOU HAVE TO LET ME USE ONE!"

    I couldn't help but let out a grin at how she practically begged for that. "Okay, I promise."

    "Good. Now then, any idea what's causing the portals to open up?"

    "Beyond Xeno'Jiiva causing them when it died? Nope....but I still think whoever the weird artifacts I keep finding warns me about are the ones responsible."

    I mean, I did get signals similar to what I saw from those artifacts when examining the first anomaly.

    "....Do you honestly know anything about those machines?"

    "...Not really."

    "Well, I hope that changes soon. Now, what next?"

    "....Look for Eclipse Gathering Sites and try to ruin their plans?"

    ".....Good enough for me."

    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    Of course, taking down the Shadow Carja wasn't the only thing I was going to do - there are perks to being a Brutally Efficient Self Replicating Engine of War.

    At my hub's biological research facilities, I pulled up my technocyte cultures and started experimenting - designing creature that could wield powers like my machines, but without risk of being hacked. The cultures had bene acquired from a Nidus frame, ensuring they would have loyalty to me, or, failing that, the Tenno. I started small, of course - only creatures in the size range of dogs and cats were created at first, though an occasional humanoid also joined their ranks. I made sure to provide them with plenty of toys, food, water, and interactions with myself, if only via holograms and robotics - I am not repeating the I-rex incident.

    You wanna do that, then go to Jurassic World.

    Yeah, well, maybe if the gate sends me there.

    Or I could send you there and have Masrani make you head of operations.

    What are you, majority shareholder of Masrani?

    In one universe, yes.

    …...Oh.....Okay, I'll take you up on that offer.

    "Hey commander, this is Synais. We've got something you might want to look at."

    "Does it involve the machines helping out the Shadow Carja?"

    "...Yes, actually."

    "What?! What are you waiting for? Send me the data!"

    "Well, here it comes!"

    Examining the data, I found out that one of the machines had been sighted near a Shadow Carja camp. Said camp appeared to be massing up for a raid, though there were enough potential targets nearby to make figuring out the specific target a pain. Still, a lead was a lead.

    Maybe this would finally tell me why these guys were so feared by the Artifacts...well, by their creators, at any rate.

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Typos
    Flameal15k said:
    Figures - omnipotent beings are alwasy good at
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    always
    Flameal15k said:
    something wa about to attack me. Without hesitation, I
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    was
    Flameal15k said:
    "Another Chimera force is engaging htem. Both groups
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    them
    Flameal15k said:
    pods. The Grinner had managed to make a variety that,
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Grineer?
    Flameal15k said:
    cultures had bene acquired from a Nidus frame,
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    been
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top