Sorry. Half-Life is the only setting I have any familiarity with that you're doing recently. And their plot is a bit thin. It's a good story and I'm enjoying it but I can't say anything useful about the Monster Hunter, Witcher, Horizon Zero Dawn or much of anything for accuracy. On the other hand, I dug out my Half-Life stuff and I'm playing it through again.
Sorry. Half-Life is the only setting I have any familiarity with that you're doing recently. And their plot is a bit thin. It's a good story and I'm enjoying it but I can't say anything useful about the Monster Hunter, Witcher, Horizon Zero Dawn or much of anything for accuracy. On the other hand, I dug out my Half-Life stuff and I'm playing it through again.
I just barely get feedback from anyone who reads this story beyond you and a guy on SpaceBattles. And while I admit that I know it's kinda selfish to ask readers for their reactions, a. I prefer feedback to likes, though both are appreciated, and b. I need input from others to know how to improve this story.
The drone watched the gestation pod. The gigantic, egg-shaped mass of organic tissue was to be the birthing place of the Commander's newest creation, one that would lessen his dependency on machines like itself. The drone held no issue with this - machines could be hacked, whilst organic creatures could not....well, mind control brought that idea into question, but generally, mind control was more difficult than hacking.
Of course, there were a number of issues with creating organic warriors, especially ones cut from the cloth of the technocyte virus - the Orokin had learned that the hard way. Such a disease had given rise to all sorts of problems, amongst them the cult of the Emissary of Eris, but at the moment, the Commander was willing to overlook those flaws. Thus, he had crafted this creature, the first amongst many that would emerge from this Infested womb. The creature was larger than the rest of the first batch, meant to be the basis for a leader strain. This one would command the lesser beasts and act as an intermediary for the larger thinking strains, in a manner similar to the Cerebrate and Brood Mothers from StarCraft. They would direct the living weapons to battle across worlds as needed, in order to conquer foes that steel and circuits alone could not fell.
Without warning, the pod began to shudder - it appeared the new creature was ready to be born. Slowly, the drone backed away, even as the body began to convulse and tremble more violently, whilst cracks emerged across its surface. Soon, fluid began to leak out before, at last, the pod split open, freeing its occupant. Said occupant spilled out onto the ground, body very still. For a moment, it appeared the creature had been stillborn - the exertions from trying to free itself having sapped away its life before it could truly begin. The fear was dashed, however, when the creature's legs began to move. With difficulty, the infested humanoid forced itself to stand, allowing it to look directly at the drone.
"Subject Incubation Status: Successful."
The creature tilted its head at the drone in confusion. "What...are...you?"
"I am a drone created to serve CMDR Flameal15k. I trust you are aware of what he is?"
The creature stared for a moment, unsure why the drone would assume such a thing. Slowly, however, it mind cleared, and it began to sense a....link, of sorts. A connection with a creature on a far away world. The creature was mostly human, but had other pieces of DNA within it - fragments of genetic engineering done in ages past.
Somehow, the technocyte entity knew this human was the Commander the drone spoke of....and that said creature was the entity's creator.
"...Yes. I am."
"Splendid. Now, would you follow me?"
"...Why?"
"I will lead you to food."
"Very well. Lead...the way."
XXXXXXXX
The humanoid followed the drone, passing through other rooms that housed different breeds of infested. Some housed chargers, lepers and crawlers, fighting each other for scraps. Others housed ancients, slumbering until they were needed once more. Later rooms were more interesting - the deceased husks of various technocyte creatures floated in tanks, where drones and uninfected humanoids examined them, occasionally using funny things to make strange scratches on flat things - writing, the creature's genetic memory told it.
Eventually, the drone led it to another room, where they had to wait for a door to open. As the wait dragged on, though, a furry four-legged thing with buck teeth sprinted out of a hole nearby and started trying to nibble at the wall. The humanoid watched this for a moment, before grabbing the furry thing, snapping its neck, and swallowing it whole.
"....It appears we need to invest in better security for rodent infestations," spoke the drone, utterly unfazed by the savagery the infested organism displayed.
When the door finally opened, the two boarded the elevator, which began to carry them upward. Whilst this was happening, the drone turned toward its companion. "Please refrain from consuming any other vermin you encounter - it would be preferrable that you do not spoil your appetite so soon."
The creature grumbled in annoyance, but ultimately acquiesced.
When the elevator finally reached its destination, only a short walk separated the technocyte creature from further sustenance. The source of said sustenance was a surprise, however - instead of some random creature or human locked in sealed off room (as had happened many times with other infested whose memories the humanoid had observed), what awaited it was a.... cafeteria, with the food provided upon a platter. Said food consisted of a maprico fruit, a karkina, and something its genetic memory did not recognize - it was forced to examine its creator's memory to determine what this plant was: corn.
The creature briefly stared at the drone, its posture wordlessly betraying a question.
"Your creator is not like those before him. You may be created for war, but that does not prohibit you from receiving comforts such as these."
The creature stared at the drone for a moment longer, before turning its attention back toward the food. Ignoring the occasional odd looks those in the cafeteria gave it, the technocyte humanoid began to messily devour its meal.
When the last piece of the Karkina was swallowed, the beast placed its tray in the cleaning area, then followed the drone toward another room. Within lay a trio of feral kavats.
A moment later, the drone left, with the door closing behind it, thus leaving the creature alone with the felines.
What happened next was hardly unexpected.
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The Executor watched as the creature butchered the last of the kavats' carcasses, eagerly taking notes on how it had slaughtered its opponents. Nearby, her Archimedian companion did the same, though with a look of disgust occasionally occupying hid face.
"Impressive, isn't it?" fawned the noble, only minorly nauseated by the beast's savagery. Weapons should be savage, after all, lest people grow too fond of them. "While I admit our new lord's tactics for raising such a weapon are...odd, its combat prowess are undeniable."
"Indeed," commented the Archimedian, who was still focused on the monster's ravaging of the dead kavat. "A beast of battle, perfected for war, yet given several small mercies to...ensure its loyalty."
"Perhaos - the Council never got anything done with mercy."
"Did the Council ever offer mercy?"
".....Fair point. Do you think this creature can lead the other beasts that have spawned?"
"I hope so, for our sake."
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AN: I wanted to takea break from the main story to show off a scene with one of Flame's organic creations. I'll do more of this based on feedback, and likes do not count in that regard- I actually want ot know what you thought of this chapter beyond whether or not you 'liked' it. This story feels like an echo-chamber, and I don't want that - I don't even know if I'm doing anything wrong because I only have two people who regularly comment here. I AM WELL AWARE THAT I SOUND DESPERATE, BUT I AM!
So, with that out of the way, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
Sneaking up on the Eclipse Camp wasn't too difficult - Viv had decided to introduce me to the Solid Snake approved stealth container (that is to say, the cardboard box - though this one had been manufactured by Diamond Dogs). The one we were utilizing incorporated some modifications for the setting, of course - specialized anti-scanner coating, ostensibly for protecting medical supplies. Metal Gear Rising was what I had to thank for that.
The fact that cardboard boxes were an unknown also helped.
Examining the perimeter of the camp revealed that there were five sentries - two in watch towers, the remainder stationed at all entrances. Two additional guards patrolled the inside of the camp, occasionally stopping to check in with the sentries. In theory, a well done defensive plan.
Of course, you can't prepare for something that (to you at least) doesn't exist.
Careful usage of a tranq pistol was enough to take out all of the guards - first those in the towers, then the ones at the entrances, and finally the ones on patrol. Once they were down, Viv took point on entering the campsite.
"Any other intel that you can feed me, Synais?"
"They're have been strange cries coming from the camp, but our attempts to match it with creature from the Witcher, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy universes have so far been a failure-"
A sudden screeching from the largest building in the camp caused Viv to freeze and made me flinch. "That the one?" I probed Synais.
"Yep. Sound familiar?"
"Sounds like a noios-"
"I believe that I may be able to assist with the classification of our unknown beast," interrupted....Master Teasonai? "My apologies for intruding - the guild at Astera wished to contact myself and the Business for information on the native life of the Origin System. They exchanged this information with facts about the native beasts of their world."
"I see. Can you tell me what I am hearing?"
"That is the call of a Monoblos."
"...Wait, you mean the endangered relative of the Diablos?"
"Yes. I suggest you locate it and mark it for pickup. Such a creature should not be allowed to die."
"Understood, I'm on it."
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Once inside the camp, it only took us a matter of moments to pilfer it for all things of value - currency, fuel, crafting components, the like. The Eclipse warriors within were effortlessly defeated and swiftly sent to base for interrogating - the Warframe Capture Teleporter made issues with intercepting prisoner transfers all but impossible.
With all other tasks completed, we made our way into the central structure of the camp.
There, under observation by three Shadow Carja warriors and a restrained bellowback (one carrying fluids designed for cooling) was a Monoblos - one covered in heavy scars.
Needing no direction, Vivian swiftly incapacitated the warriors while I hacked the machine and turned it to our side. Once that was handled, we began checking the flying wyvern for additional injuries. When we were certain it had none, we called in a drone to rescue the creature - the structure a large opening in its roof, allowing us to safely exfiltrate it upwards without having to cut out pieces of the roof.
When the creature was safely out of site, we exited the building.
Well, that had been a bust - sure, we'd rescued the wyvern, but no were no closer to finding the -
"Well done."
Both of us came to a halt. Standing before us was a machine similar to the ones we had seen at the Proving...but this one was quite a bit smaller than before. As in, man sized.
...How the hell had it snuck-up on us?!
"I presume you're wondering how I managed to approach you unseen? You can figure out a lot about someone's thoughts by examining their expression. As for your question, well, it's easy to hide from sensors if they are looking in the wrong plane of existence. Would you expect to find someone hiding in the rift plane if you weren't looking there?"
So, they knew about Warframe. "..No, I wouldn't."
"Ah, a smart one. It's been so long since I fought an intelligent progenitor commander...or at least, one who was inserted into one."
"...What?"
"Oh, don't look so surprised. I'm well aware of what you are. Using a metal gear solid box for stealth? Understanding the nature of the Tenno without asking? There is only one way a being like you could know those facts."
"...I see. So, do you wnat to continue talking, or shall we fight?"
"I'd prefer to fight right now," intoned Viv, who was already cracking her knuckles.
"Well, then you shall have your request granted-"
Before he could finish, I summoned Marcosias and fired off one of my heavenly blasts in the machine's face. Whilst it was dazed, Viv leaped forward and punched it in the gut, knocking it back, though the machine righted itself before it could fly too far. I fired off another attack at it, but to my shock, it had no effect on the machine.
Then, wihtout warning, the machine fired off some projectile at us. It exploded into light, but I was neither stunned, blinded nor hurt by the detonation. When I tried to use my warframe powers, though, nothing worked.
"Sucks to lose your powers, doesn't it?" spoke our foe, now walking toward us. Viv tried to punch it again, only for the machine to deflect each blow and force her back.
"It does. So, what are you gonna do now?"
"Now? I'm going to kill you."
Then, without warning, the machine curled in on itself and started glowing red. Acting on instinct, I grabbed Viv and Bullet Jumped out of the camp. A moment later, a massive explosion obliterated the Shadow Carja camp, though thankfully there were no fatalities.
Once I was certain there would be no further explosions, I checked to see if anyone had shown up to track us. Sure enough, several drones were converging on our location. Sighing, I opened up a portal to my hub and charged through, with Viv following suite.
Looks like we had a new enemy to fight.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
The skink watched as the beasts filed into the stables, some without issue, others hissing and screeching at the skinks that were herding them. Most calmed when they saw the food awaiting them in the pens, though some still expressed disapproval of the cold bloods that were their handlers.
The strange warmblood had landed in another universe, this one filled with beasts unlike any in the Old or New Wold. In particular, saurian creatures had been surprisingly common in this land, and that had given the skinks ideas. Ideas that the Saurus had been willing to back, and surprisingly, the Slaan had allowed these plans to be enacted.
Whilst the Old Ones had ensured that there would be enough creatures from their world to supply all the myriad races that had entered the reservoir with mounts, draft animals, and livestock to sustain both their current forces and allow for growth should they be unable to return to their homelands (which was pretty much guaranteed given their involvement with a progenitor commander), they would inevitably need to develop new ways to do all tasks - farming, building, and, as always, waging war.
The dwarfs would've likely found this difficult, if not impossible, given their aversion to change, but the Old Ones had, fortunately, planned for that. They had arranged an agreement with a minor Dwarf Hold such that, as repayment for assistance in defeating a Greenskin incursion (which would be taken as fulfillment of a debt), the Dawi would send the forces of the hold to the Repository after many millennia had passed, allowing the Dwarfs to have forces from a more modern time with them, and ensure they weren't too out of date in the coming battle.
That aside, adaptation was still a necessity. Advances in weaponry and engineering would be needed to weather the coming storm. The humans had already been working their forges and smiths, such that new firearms and blades would be at their disposal. The elves, though still arrogant as ever, were willing to swallow heir pride and begin studying the other races' advancements to improve themselves, though using black-powder weapons and smoke belching industries were things they still refused to do. Even the Servants of the Old Ones were forced to adopt new methods and devices to ensure they saw their mission through.
Unknown to the Warmblood Commander, the Old Ones had provided their servants with a great many remnants of their technology - arcane machinery that would make even the Ruininous Powers tremble in fear. Officially, they were supposed to offer tokens of it to the Commander if he asked for it.
That did not mean they had to tell him they had it to begin with.
Technology notwithstanding, the Lizardmen also needed to adapt to the myraid environments they were now entering. This meant acquiring new beasts to ride into battle. Already, the creatures known as Fanged and Bird Wyverns had been herded up, so that those blessed by Itzl and Conalxa would have the opportunity to tame them under more favorable circumstances. Brute Wyverns had also been herded, and already, a Saurus had managed to break one that enjoyed rolling in mud.
Wingdrakes, meanwhile, had proven easier to tame. Already, skinks were complementing their Terradon and Ripperdactyl riders with the fliers, taking advantag of the many breeds to develop different cohorts for different environments. Finding a usage for the ones that lived in the colder lands, however, would be problematic.
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The Huntsman General looked on as his men hoisted their quarry in triumph.
It had been a hard hunt, but the reward was well worth it - the basilisk was slain, and now the spoils could be used to aid the Empire.
The Empire was no stranger to giant beasts - spiders, wolves, manticores, griffons, all dwelled in the old world. That their had been new beasts to hunt had hardly been a surprise, though the fact that many of these new beasts were named after creatures familiar to the inhabitants of the Empire was puzzling. Still, no matter how mighty, horrifying, or downright weird a monster proved to be, it could felled with faith, steel, and gunpowder.
Now came the most difficult part of the hunt - dividing up the spoils. Alchemists were already clamoring for a sample of the basilisk's toxin, as were healers - one group desired it for medicine, the other for poison. Fortunately, there was enough venom to go around, and those who had asked for samples would all receive what they needed.
More valuable still was the beast's hide - to made for a fine leather, one that reportedly was used for making fine shoes and the bags and purses of ladies. The general had claimed that for himself - he had been born a tanner's son, and he always saw new hides as a challenge. Once the skin had been turned to leather, it would be sold off to tailors and cobblers - his field of expertise was turning the hide into leather, not the leather into finery.
XXXXXXXX
Mechadendrites moved with unsurpassed efficiency as the Tech Adept dismantled the specimen. Limbs were removed from the main body with pinpoint precision, whilst the metallic jaws were held up to a set of lenses, already under careful examination by a servo-skull.
Adept Promethea Coppernicus had barely been initiated into the Legio Cybernetic when she had been tasked with entering the Repository. Now, awakened at last from thousands of years of suspended animation, she was eager to advance the Quest for Knowledge. Joining with a human who had forcibly been inserted into a holy machine was a surprise for her, but the benefits had been tremendous. Already, so much knowledge had been acquired, and there was so much more to find!
And with it, came new allies to further advance the quest.
"Have you acquired all the information you can from this specimen?"
The Adept turned to face her companion. "Yes, but more would always be appreciated."
"Indeed," replied the glowing orange figure. "There will always be more room in the sanctuary for creatures to be rescued."
Adept Copperniucs had only known Cephalon Simaris for roughly a year, but in that time, she and her fellow tech adepts had been utterly astounded by him. He was, quite simply, the Holy Grail of Mechanicus research - an Apotheosis of Human and Machine. Such a feat had been deemed impossible by some Archmagos....and yet here was proof. And Simaris was not the only example of his kind. So many more Cephalons existed, and one had even united others to form a group dedicated to the preservation of knowledge. This one, Suda, had gladly shared her databanks with the Adepts in exchange for their knowledge.
Now, once again, the Tech Adept had found herself in an interesting situation. In the universe this machine had come from, mankind had been destroyed by a Silica Animus...yet it had also been saved by one. Mankind had created an Abominable Intelligence dedicated to preserving his species...and it had worked. Against all expectations, the thinking machine had done exactly what was tasked of it. In fact, if the knowledge available in this universe was correct, even the cause of the current evils plaguing this world was not due to a thinking machine turning against mankind, but because someone else had activated one when it was not needed.
Yet that was beyond her concern at the moment. For now, she had robots to disassemble.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
The machine watched as its drones observed the blast zone. So far, they had yet to find any remains of the Commander....and that was rather worrisome. With these ones, you had to be sure that you found the body, burnt out their computers, and obliterated their soul, lest they rise again from beyond the grave. IF his body was not here, then he had not suffered any meaningful loss.
Perhaps using a drone meant as a suicide weapon had not been the best way to attempt to kill him. A sniper bot would have accomplished the same feat, with less margin for error.
More worrisome, however, was the Commander's companion. Her power was unlike any the machine had encountered yet....and it did not know what she was.
....He needed to track the Commander down quickly. Best to eliminate the threat now before it had time to take root.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
Okay, so it looks like I'd finally met one of the things the artifacts had warned me about.
And it had promptly launched a suicide attack on me. Yeah.
I guess they really wanted me dead.
"No shit, Captain Obvious."
Funny, Viv. So, what next?
"Well, normally I'd leave that up to you, but since you're asking, I'm going to look for the machines that just attacked us."
...Do you have a death wish?!
"No, but if they're trying to kill me the minute they see me, chances are, they have important reasons for that. And I want to know those reasons."
Don't bite off more than you can chew, my friend. It never ends well.
"I know, but there's a reason the artifacts fear these beings. And if they fear them enough to warn me against their influence, their reasons are probably very good."
Viv just sighed after that. "Fine, but first, it looks like your forces are asking for some advice."
The specifics about this was that Synais was getting reports from my various protectorate forces groundside that wanted to know what they were supposed to do if they found beings from other universes on the Zero Dawn one. He'd actually gone ahead and made a list of possible beings to meet, and what I wanted done with them.
It took me about .35 microseconds to figure out what I wanted done for each group, which I promptly sent back to Synais to distribute.
Though he did have a few words to be said about my choices.
"...What's this one for Daleks?"
"Shove target and peanut butter into their eye stalks and send them back home whining like babies."
"Okay....what's this thing about slimes?"
"If they eat chickens and plants, try and start ranching them."
"Okay....why'd you put monster girls in one of these categories?"
"Because someone would inevitably ask about them, though I am surprised you did not."
"Eh, couldn't find any I particularly liked. So, we just send them home?"
"Most of them - I don't have any particular dislike for the vast majority of cute monster girls. The exception is under the last category."
"Okay.....Wait, what's this last one called? Hostis….vita...veeta...veta..-"
"Hostis Vitae Generis taken from the term Hostis Humani Generis. Basically, so long as you don't rape or enslave anyone in that group, you are free to do whatever you want to them. They deserve it."
"I see....I can get why you'd put skaven, tyranids, protoss-xerg hybrids, anyone who worships Molag Bal, Heretic Astartes, Goblin Slayer goblins and the Gremlins from the movie of the same name on this list, but why'd you add Mamono to this list?"
"Because they turned their homeworld into a Tainted Rape Planet that is doomed to see the extinction of almost all life unless they are purged from existence. Maybe they can be made to not cause genocide by virtue of existence, but even then, I wouldn't be happy if even a single member of the demon lord's royal family and/or any of her ideological followers was around. Some evils just need to be purged."
"What'd you do if you found some here?" asked Synais. "Shove them in a giant meat grinder and use the results to feed the lizardmen?"
"....How much meat would I need to feed the lizardmen at the moment?"
Synais just stared at me through the screen. "...You're savage, you know that right?"
"I try to be a better person, but sometimes, there is no room to show quarter to the enemy."
"True enough," noted Viv.
"...Okay, bye!"
Synais promptly cut the transmission. The minute he did, I turned to look at Viv. "I thought you'd have reservations against my plans regarding the mamono."
My ROB shrugged. "I learned to reserve my kindness for those who deserve it. Besides, my father was a king - I was taught to wipe out my enemies root and stem. Putting people to the sword, even if they are relatively innocent, comes part and parcel with that. Whilst my time under Celempheros and my own better nature has tempered that fury, it never truly faded away. And if I am being honest about that setting? You could put it all to the sword and nothing of value would be lost."
Guess we could agree on some of the vilest of things. Hooray.
Fide decided that it was a good time to contact me at that moment and informed me that she had located another of the machines the artifacts kept warning me about. Apparently, it had been spotted by another eclipse camp, where it had been building up a large stockpile of blaze and....some kind of purple fluid. I assumed it was some kind of fuel, since that was what blaze was used for.
After building and tuning a small scale multiversal gate to facilitate better travel to the Carja lands, we made our way into the Eclipse Lands. The Shadow Carja we met heckled us whenever they saw us, with some even trying to start fights, but nothing really came of it. The Shadow Carja weren't really a group I had feelings of aggression toward - they were just the unlucky followers of Helis whom he used as cannon fodder for his plans. These people lived in poverty whilst the Eclipse indulged in the spoils of the Red Raids. Sad, really - these people had been deluded into following a madman, and now they suffered for it.
Eventually, though, we reached the Eclipse camp. That's when things got interesting.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When we arrived, a caravan of Eclipse Warriors was in the middle of leaving, though none noticed our presence. What remained, though was a corrupted longleg, overlooking a very large metallic crate - one as large as the big crates I'd busted when playing Half Life 2. Carefully, we snuck up on the machine, occasionally using empty munitions magazines to distract the robot, before swiftly crushing its processor. Afterwards, whilst I explored the rest of the camp for additional loot, Viv opened up the crate, revealing the blaze and the purple fluid.
Now, what was this stuff?
"Maybe the robot could tell us? All you need to do is open up its processor...which you just destroyed..."
Dammit.
"...Not a problem. Just pull up your bone-daddy and let him do a séance."
Bone-daddy....Oh.
Smirking, I concentrated on my arsenal of warframes, made my selection, and let the transference link do the rest. A moment later, my body was replaced with that of Nekros Prime, and one usage of Shadows of the Dead later, I had a fully functional Longleg by my side. From there, accessing its memory core was rather easy.
XXXXXXX
Once again, I saw the Eclipse soldiers from the caravan, now busy loading up some of the blaze. There was no purple fuel being packed away, though, and I wasn't the only a me who found this suspicious.
"Why aren't we loading the purple fluid?" Asked one of the warriors. "I do not believe Helis would go to such lengths to protect it only to leave it open to thieves."
"The Champion of Jiran wishes for this to be a distraction," replied another of the warriors - a Kestrel, by the looks of it. "If we allow our enemies to find small but obvious caches of this fuel, then they may overlook larger stockpiles that are more concealed, and fail to notice smaller ones that are hidden in plain sight."
"I see, forgive me for asking the question."
"You need not worry - your question had merit."
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Erchius? As in, the starship fuel from Starbound? What the hell were they using that for? And what was the machine going to do with it?
"Commander, this is Kathikon, something just popped up."
"What's up?"
"The purple fuel you're looking at, we're getting some weird readings from it. Like, off the charts on some for of energy measurement. And before you ask, it started up just after you utilized Nekros' powers."
...In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to use necromancy nearby what is possibly the liquified fragments of a planet kill Eldritch Abomination. "Okay, so, what now?"
"Now, my dear commander," intoned a familiar voice, "you die."
Before either of us could process what had just been said, another of the artifacts' enemies jumped toward us and bat Viv aside, though not before wrenching the Erchius fuel from her grasp and throwing it at me......
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AN: I actually needed a while to figure out an example of humans who could be considered Hostis Vitae Generis. Then I realized Chaos Space Marines AKA Heretic Astartes are still technically human. For the most part.
For this wondering, Hostis Vitae Generis is a term I made up for this story, based on the real term Hostis Humani Generis. The term literally means 'Enemies of All Mankind', and is applied traditionally to pirates, but nowadays it's also used for slavers. If you are considered Hostis Humani Generis, you're literally outside the protection of the law, and any other force in existence is given permission to destroy you, using whatever it takes. 'Hostis Vitae Generis', which, if I remember my Latin prefixes right, literally translates into 'Enemies of All Living Things', is this, but modified to be more inclusive of non-human entities.
Also, it's a lot more severe - I basically made the term up as something I could use to describe enemies for whom plan A is 'hit with weapons that violate every law and custom of war in existence because they are that bad', which basically means those who possess this designation are walking war crimes.
For example:
Gremlins: Insane little goblin thongs who just enjoy causing mayhem for the he'll of it, and really like watching other people suffer
skaven: Irredeemable monsters in a land where such monsters are the norm. Somehow, the rats manage to be more despicable than the other bad guys.
Chaos Space Marines: This should be obvious
Goblin-Slayer Goblins: Unrepentant rapists who enjoy torturing people to death.
Mamono: Are causing the slow but inevitable genocide of humanity by virtue of existence.
Also, I really hate the entire Monster Girl Encyclopedia setting where Mamono come from on principle, and if I ever go to that setting in this story (and I REALLY want to), I'm gonna use nukes I n the villains there. And chemical weapons. And maybe superplagues. Seriously, there's no way to quantify how much I hate the setting, except that if I was a Sith and used that rage for power, I'd be able to pull the moon out of orbit and use it as a weapon against the Earth.
So, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
The canister shattered on impact, but due to my armor, I didn't end up with anything worse then a little pain from the collision. Without hesitation, I transferred into Valkyr and readied up my Venka Claws - best to deal with this thing as soon as possible.
"Interesting - you choose the frame of war most associated with rage and aggression to oppose me. How....destructive."
"You struck first."
"True. Still, I doubt you will be able to-"
I used a ripline to pull the machine toward me, then impaled it upon my other hand. Whilst ti tried to strike back, I rammed the second set of blades into its gut, lifted it up, then brought it down onto my knee. A satisfying crunch followed.
Then the machine flailed one of its arms at me, forcing me to retreat.
"Argh, such an inconvenience. This drones are not costly, but I do hate to replace them."
"Well, then you should make them tougher."
"Perhaps."
Then, suddenly, the machine's beak-like face opened up, with the inside starting to glow. I barely managed to move my claws into a position to block before a massive beam of energy slammed into me. Whilst my claws helped to mitigate the damage, the heat of the beam was so intense that my frame was starting to cook. Without hesitation, I activated Hysteria and charged. The machine could only shout in surprise as I tore into it, cutting into its mechanical components with wild abandon. A moment later, I threw it aside. The machine tried to get back up, only for Viv to grab it with a....tentacle and start pulling. A moment later, and the creature was severed in two, its torso landing in front of me. Grinning like a mad-man, I extended my claws and started pummeling it.
Yes, yes, YES! SUFFER YOU MISERABLE MACHINE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!
Viv promptly slapped me with one of her tentacles, causing me to fall over. A moment later, and Hysteria faded, allowing me to look at my handiwork...which was now liquefying. Crap, it had a self-destruct function. Worse still, I soon discovered that the machine was beyond my ability to reconstruct with Shadows of the Dead, leaving me with no way to determine why it was attacking me.
"No luck recreating it?"
"No, Viv...Also, you have tentacles?"
"Um, yes. Why are you surprised?"
"....Sorry, I just remember them being octopus ones, and not...well, jellyfish ones."
"Tecnically, they're man o'war tentacles, but that's not important at the moment."
"Do they have stingers and venom?"
"Yes."
"....You can control whether or not they sting, right?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I wont sting you to death if I use a tentacle to give you a high five."
"Well, that's a relief. Now to figure out what they wanted this Erchius fuel for."
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"Alright, Kathikon, what's showing up on the scanner?"
"A lot of nothing, surprisingly. It looks like the sample you were doused with was the only erchius fuel that robot had brought with it."
"Surprised it only brought such a small amount - I'm certain it would've brought more."
"Well, it looks like they aren't trying to summon any eldritch monsters with the fuel. Additionally, I have detected no anomalies coming from you, so it appears that dousing you in the fuel is not something that turns people into monsters. At least, not at the moment."
"Roger, keep me posted there. Hey, you got any idea what our friends are up to?"
"Geralt is busy hunting a griffon, Aloy is doing some errands for a few natives of Meridian, whilst Theseus and Zoe are taking Zora out to go and track down a longleg. That being said, Aloy is well on her way to figuring out Project Zero Dawn's true nature. In the meantime, Coeus is working on trying to move the Old Ones he has in stasis back into the world, and is also trying to get his tribe to start spreading the knowledge they got from copying APOLLO to the others."
"...Coeus copied over APOLLO?! When?!"
"Before Faro deleted all other copies and murdered the Alphas. Also, I think he copied over GAIA. However, attempting to reupload her at the moment is a questionable idea, mostly because I believe removing the enemies of the artifacts to be a priority - we have no knowledge of their plans, but if they are assisting eclipse, then we are bound to have trouble with them."
"True. Any other new arrivals showing up through the portals that have been randomly opening?"
"Nope. Actually, it seems that the portals have begun to subside, for reasons currently beyond me."
"..Really?"
"Yes. I am not sure why, but I will try to find out."
"Thnak you. Any updates on the home front?"
"Not much. There are still teethng problems with having some rather xenophobic beings living in proximity with alien races, but the barriers are collapsing. The Imperium, in particular, seems to be getting along well with Wakhaf's forces, and the remaining flesh and blood Nehekharans are helping their mummified kin adjust very well, though Wraith wishes they would warn him if they intend to raise additional warriors."
How the Progenitors had managed to sneak in a group of Tomb Kings into the Repository was beyond me, but I'd learned to roll with the punches by this point. "I see. Now, how are Alad's tests with the nullifiers, leshen parts, Beheomth horns, and Progenitor magics going?"
"Okay, I think. So far, the nullifier devices are only achieving minor disruptions with the magic, but they have been improving."
That was a relief. Many of the universes I was likely to venture to had magic in them, and developing a means to repel it was a necessity until I could learn the sorcery for myself. With the power of magic and technology at my fingertips, I wouldn't be invicible, but I would certainly be taking a few steps in the right direction.
"Keep me posted."
"Right. Oh, and heads up, but I have located the Eclipse Outpost where the Caravan you saw earlier was headed."
...Welp, time to ruin the Eclipse's day.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
Reaching the Shadow Carja base wasn't too hard - having an orbital satellite network made locating their camp trivial. We soon found ourselves atop a bluff, staring down on the Eclipse. Glinthawks occasionally flitted about, whilst a corruptor worked to turn over a group of scrappers to the Eclipse's cause. In the center of the camp, Shadow Carja warriors were sorting through supplies, placing blaze, chillwater, sparkers, metal vessels, echo shells, and metalburn into different containers. Watchers patrolled the area, looking for any possible infiltrators that wanted to raid the camp. Not that they were any help against me - I'd already hacked into them remotely and programmed them to stop taking orders from the Corrupted. A few tranquilizer shots later and Shadow Carja were fast asleep. As it only took me a few moments to subvert the glinthawks and scrappers, only the corruptor remained.
That proved to be the biggest challenge - somehow, I couldn't hack into it. I blamed whatever machines were working with the Eclipse.
Oh well, time to get things done the hard way.
In hindsight, that was a bad idea.
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I used Transferrence to summon up Zephyr, then fluttered through the air until I was right above the corruptor. Then, I brought my blade down, and started falling.
The impact shattered the group around us, and managed to essentially crush the corruptor - I could hear its systems give way.
Somehow, though, that didn't stop the machine from grabbing me with its tail and throwing me away. A moment later, it stood up, its body now faintly glowing purple. Bit by bit, the damaged parts forced themselves back into working order, leaving me to face a somewhat pissed off spider robot.
Without warning, the machine leaped at me, only barely missing as I rolled to the side. I retaliated by swinging at one of its legs, causing it to slip and bring its head into striking range. Further attempts to hit it, though, were deflected via the bot's tail, until it could force itself back up. From there, it attempted to fire at me, though I deftly avoided all of its attacks. The machine eventually caught onto this, and fired an explosive blast at me, sending me reeling. Seizing it's chance, it readied to swing its tail at me, only for something to strike the limb, causing the tail to retreat. A moment later, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the air - Viv had decided to camp on the bluff and try out some heavier forms of ranged firepower, specifically a vulkar wraith I'd procured during my time in the Origin System. A trio of additional shots followed, forcing the machine to take a few steps back, allowing me to recover and return to fighting the monster. I decided to ease things for myself, and summoned up an Ignis to exploit the corruptor's weakness to fire. Moments later, the machine was ablaze, much to its discomfort.
Now utterly incensed, the machine let out a mighty howl, which was accompanied by a signal of some sort. A distress signal, as I soon found out. Moments later, I received a notification that a group of corrupted glinthawks were headed toward Viv - one's that I could not hack into. Ugh, what did this machine possess to nullify my hacking powers. Seriously, WHAT?!
With Viv now occupied fighting the robo-birds (and unable to use powers that would easily solve the issue, per Celm's request), I found myself facing the corruptor alone. Dismissing my warframe, I void dashed into the robot, then summoned up a Giant Jaw Blade, swept its legs, and slammed down upon its head. Battered but not yet dead, the Scarab responded by grabbing me with its tail and hurling me to the side, leaving me to impact hard against a nearby wall, shattering it in the process. Groaning, I forced myself back up and threw a Spira dagger at the machine's grenade launcher, blowing the component off. Thank you, concealed explosives.
Now stewing in rage (somehow), the corruptor grabbed and threw a boulder at me, which I effortlessly shattered. I followed that up with a swing from my blade, only for the spider robot to simply grab it and throw the sword aside. Then, it grabbed a nearby Eclipse Blade and chucked that at me. I parried the blow, and then shattered the boulder that followed, after which I leaped toward the machine, which was aiming its spike launcher...oh fuck that's baAADDARHG!
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Synais practically fell over when the screen in front of him lit up. Hastily recovering, Synais focused his attention on the screen - something had happened that had caused the commander's vital signs to jump. Also, he was emitting way more energy than normal.
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The pain had gone down to manageable levels by the time I collapsed. The machine moved in to finish me, only for Vivian to suddenly teleport in and start tearing into it. Blades cut sheets of armor off the machine, with a well placed sheev blow even igniting the machine's core. Despite this, it fought on, and eventually, managed to catch Vivian with its tail.
Then it started beating her into the ground. The tail slammed her back and forth, leaving the ground covered in impact marks...and blood. Lots of blood.
..Back..Off....
Slowly, I forced myself upwards and began hobbling over to the machine. My body was literally smoking from the corruption spike, but I didn't care. It was only when I had crawled right up to the machine that it finally noticed me. What followed was a punch so powerful it shattered the machine's remaining armor. From there, I started tearing into it. Piece by piece, I tore it apart, ripping circuitry and metal out with reckless abandon. By the time I finally sunk my parazon into the machine's brain and tore the processor out, it seemed to be whimpering in pain.
At last satisfied, I made my way over to Viv, who'd managed to force herself up. Now was the time to treat her wounds.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
The Worm groaned as she tried, futilely, to cross the floor. Her stomach, however, was not interested in assisting with her movements.
"Still used to crawling on your tail, sister?" Asked the Witch.
"Yes. Getting used to a normal body again is....problematic."
"Indeed it is. I will admit, though, whilst I do not enjoy our imprisonment, having my original skin back is very enjoyable."
"Indeed it is. That was surprisingly nice of our captor."
"Hmph. You may be correct, but I still yearn for the day when we will be free once more."
"....Perhaps we could decrease the time we must serve by giving him on offering?"
".....Do you actually think he will see a bribe for anything other than what it is?" Questioned the Witch.
"No, but I believe a token of gratitude is needed for his generosity."
"I see. What do you have in mind? And what could this commander possibly need? He is, essentially, immortal."
"True, but his subordinates are not. Additionally, most of his forces could use benefit from additional powers."
"...Are you saying-"
"Yes, sister," spiked the Worm, pulling out a red pepper shaped vial from a nearby cabinet. "I believe we should offer him the Old Blood."
"....Then who would he use it on?"
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The creature tore into the carcass, rapidly stuffing organs into its maw. The girros has been slaughter with ease, for it had only taken the monster a few seconds to snap the fanged wyvern's neck. As the corpse was torn apart, the predator could not help but notice drones flying around it, eagerly recording its actions for future examination. Further tests would examine its ability to command lesser infested.
The sound of something rolling turned the creature's attention away from the carcass. There, not far from the corpse, was a ball. A moment later, a kubrow emerged from a nearby aperture, though upon noticing the infested beast it came to a halt.
The Infested stared at the intruder for only a moment before picking up the ball and throwing it, causing the canid to chase after it. Once the ball was retrieved, the canine monotreme retreated into the Aperture that it had arrived from, leaving the infested alone.
As it attempted to continue butchering the carcass, though, one of the drones began to flash lights at it, causing the creature to look at the flying machine. Said machine promptly displayed at set of words to the beast: 'The Commander Is Coming. We Want You To Meat Him.'
The beast grumbled in annoyance. Why couldn't it just go back to its room and eat in peace?
'Please meet with the commander. You deserve to meet him.'
The creature grumbled again, but ultimately chose to comply. A moment later, and a portal opened before it. Without hesitation, the creature walked through the light.
XXXXXX
Carefully I layered the bandages over Viv's wounds. By now, they were starting to pile up, but that was something I'd have to accept - removing the bandages would likely just worse then bleeding. The scarab had managed to harm my former ROB greatly using metalburn, and whilst she could have probably survived without treatment, I was not going to just leave her to try and recover on her own. Friends help friends out.
"Commander, you have a guest," intoned Fide. Turning around, I found a humanoid Infested staring at me - presumably the command strain I'd asked for. Said beat was staring at me curiously, though its attention briefly turned to Vivian.
"Greetings," I said, trying to keep the beast's attention on me. IT responded by waving, though it still stared at Vivian. As I pondered on what to say, patches of the beast's skin started to glow green. Before I could say anything, the pulse of green energy shot out from around the Infested and rolled over both me and Vivian. Immediately, I felt rejuvenated, and my various injuries no longer hurt. A cursory examination of Viv revealed that some of her injuries had healed, as had mine.
Huh, didn't know it had the Ancient's power.
'...Thank you,' I thought to the creature.
'....You...Are....Welcome...'
What? I thought that it couldn't talk. Also, that legion-sounding thought voice was scary.
'Can Talk....Just Had....No Reason...To.'
'Interesting. Do you have a name?'
'...No.'
'...Do you want one?'
'....Yes.'
'...Then I will Leave The Coice To You. Do You Know How To Read And Write?'
'Yes...Old Flesh...Retains Knowledge of Those Skills...Can Also Access...Computers...Through Nanites.'
That was rather worrisome. 'Understood. When you have the name you want, tell me.'
'Okay...........................................I Have It.'
'Then tell me what it shall be.'
To my surprise, the creature actually spoke that answer - in a singular, female, demure voice.
"...Call me...Coraz Xhil."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The stems flowed in the wind, slowly adjusting themselves to get the most sunlight. Leaves unfurled to increase the surface area, allowing the greenery to maximize its photosynthesizing potential. Only once each leaf was in optimatl position did they stop moving.
Head in the shade of a large rock, Xiril left out a sigh of relief, then began to tear into a tuber. This world that the creator had made was hot, but it was home. Already, strange creatures ran about, some resembling creatures he knew, others that were not so familiar. Most interesting at the moment, though, were the short, bearded beings doing business with the skeletons.
The Dawi were not ones normally found in deserts, but this cactus covered desert was a cold one, as the small drifts of snow proved, and was to the dwarfs' liking. The Tomb Kings, meanwhile, preferred the more open, sandy plains further away, but were not so arrogant as to refuse building outposts in other environments - especially not when there was the possiblity of trade. Though many dawi and tob king forces ha been destroyed in a war between the two (all over a dwarfen hammer with a single Nehekharan gold coin in it), when these beings were allies, they could be surprisingly reasonable. Many values were shared between these people, after all. Especially their views on honor.
Hours passed, with agreements being made and goods being exchanged, until eventually the two groups parted ways. Clouds soon appeared, much to Xiril's annoyance. Letting out a sigh, Xiril decided that he had overstayed his welcome - his sunbathing was now a distant dream. Thus, with some annoyance, he shook off the tiredness out of him and started moving his legs.
All one hundred plus of them.
As Xiril's segmented body began to move, the numerous stems went limp, causing them to curl around his exoskeleton. By the time the stem-carrying segments hit the ground, the green parts had neatly folded themselves against Xiril's flanks, ensuring that they would be easier to fit into tunnels. And indeed, into tunnels they were going.
It didn't take long for Xiril to reach his home's entrance. From there, it was down, down, down he went.
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Xiril's kind, the Greenflanks (Ix'Kril in their own tongue), were an interesting species - annelids who could both consume food and synthesize their own from sunlight. Ix'Kril, if they had evolved on Earth, would have been considered a type of bristle worm, whose limbs were adapted for both swimming and burrowing. In another time, giant bristle worms like Xiril would have arisen after man had left the world, being amongst the largest creature to inhabit the majority of the planet's surface. The spot for largest terrestrial animal at that particular time, though, would go to a terrestrial variety of squid.
None of that mattered to Xiril - he just wanted to get back home.
As he made his way into the deeper tunnels, Xiril made sure to avoid the Dawi who bred moutains goats, though he did stop by a brewery first - Dawi alcohol was legendary, and he wasn't above snatching samples for himself.
The hold that these dwarfs called home was known as Karak Aksuul, and had been the first one established in a desert territory - dwarfs preferred mountains, wastelands, and savannahs to scorching deserts, but they were a hardy people, and cold deserts weren't exactly something they couldn't adapt to. Though the longbeards would inevitably complain, when these circumstances came about, adaptation had to occur.
Xiril didn't normally interact much with the Dwarfs - not because he didn't like them, but his kind preferred to live in great underground lakes where they could swim. Dwarfs did occasionally come to those lakes, often to battle the beasts that dwelled their (including something the creator referred to as 'looking like the watcher in the water', which the worms occasionally aided them in. The dwarfs were also appreciated for raising goats, which the bristle worms had found to be incredibly appetizing. In turn, the worms would often share choice fish and other swimmers from the lakes, something the Dawi were happy to enjoy.
Finally reaching his home, Xiril made his way into his room. His sister was napping, whilst his mother and father had retreated to their room, and from the sounds of it, were making the beast with two backs - some concepts carried across languages. Idly, Xiril wondered if his mother would be laying another clutch or if father would be the one to gestate the next generation - worms were hermaphrodites after all, so who would be sire and mother came down to each partner's choice. Xiril himself wasn't sure yet whether his would be mother or father for his first clutch.
*Crunch*
Though given that his girlfriend, Karsis, was a huge NEET, lived in his tunnels, and spent most of the day eating potato chips, he wasn't actually sure he'd have any shot at getting children for a long time.
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The Drone watched over the Commander's forces, trying to discern what to do next. Attempts to exploit this convergence event had so far failed, leaving the human to only grow stronger, instead of off himself through overextending his forces.
This could not be allowed - the masters' could not afford to have any disruptions to their plans.
Thus, the commander would have to go.
Cautiously, the drone pulled a piece of metal out of storage. This metal was hardly of use as a weapon, though it might serve to weaken this fool of a commander. After all, he would never abandon an innocent....
And the world from which this magnetite came was too pathetic to defend itself.
AN: Hmm, I wonder what the Old Blood will be used for.....
For those wondering about it, the green pulse was the healing ability the Ancient Healer from Warframe has.
As for Xiril, he and his kind are based upon the garden worm from the Future Is Wild:
The garden worm is an autotrophic, semi-terrestrial bristle worm from the Central Desert of 200 million AD. It is in the family Phyllobranchidae. At daybreak, garden worms come slithering out of the fissures in the rock and spread themselves out to catch the rays of the rising sun. They hump up...
speculativeevolution.fandom.com
Anyway, I'm putting the main story on Ice while I update some of my other stories. I might still do sidestory and info bits, and I will answer any questions you might want to ask on Discord. So, without further adieu,
"Almost," replied the drone. "Are you sure that it is wise to keep this hidden from your father?"
"For now, at least. Once it is finished, inform him."
"Understood."
With that, Rory left, for his siblings were about to host a game of tag, and he wanted to join in - it was important to enjoy childhood while it lasted!
Now alone, the drone went over the schematics it had been provided with.
The structure was located on a world the commander had created, with a large portion of it hollowed out to allow for the device's creation. Power supplies, life support, and other systems had been added in, and only once they were in place were the pods added - always save the most important parts for last.
To some, this machine would resemble a stasis room. The scale, however, was unprecedented - only those used on starships such as the Unity and the Seeding Vessels would even come close to this titanic stasis array's grandeur.
The reason for its construction had been quite simple - it had been commissioned following the Commanders encounter with the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Union of Independent Republics.
ROry might not have had all of his father's knowledge or wisdom, but sometimes he saw things that his father did not. Namely, that it might not be possible to return all of those who came through the portals to their homelands. Some may be stuck indefinitely. Others may not want to return home. And some...well, some would probably need to be kept safe until they could return home. Thus, the array had been created. This system was meant to store those who wanted to go home but had no means to until if/when it was possible to send them back home. Additionally, it could also be used to preserve those who came through a portal whilst carrying some kind of sickness....hopefully, anyway - Cassidy was still working on something to suppress magic so that the array could preserve those who were afflicted with magic sicknesses. Did that include Demonic Energy? Rory had only heard his dad talk about that in passing, but he seemed to at times switch between viewing it as a disease, a form of radiation, or the end of all things in substance form.
...How WAS Cassidy doing in busting out the machine's kinks?
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"And test number 215 is a go!"
Flipping a switch, Cassidy activated the Nullifier. Then, a moment later, a humanoid figure began to draw up a triangular glyph, with pronounced circles at each vertex. Said glyph soon began to flash, and after ten seconds, collapsed.
"...Okay, that worked," noted Cassidy, hastily scribbling down some notes onto her tablet. "So that means we've gotten it to work against..Begium? Balkan?"
"Ancient Belkan," was the humanoid's somewhat annoyed respose.
"Thanks. So, that makes five systems this thing works o dispelling so far. How many more can we test?"
"We have over a hundred more that can be tested, but I believe that taking a rest would be advisable."
"Alright. Lunch break?"
"Yes. Please tell me you have mushroom soup."
"Only the best!"
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AN: Just some stff I wanted to add in before I get to work updating my other stories. For those wonder, yes, the Belka mentioned is the same one from Lyrical Nanoha. They were part of those found within the repository.
"Well, now, what have we here?" questioned the Box-Headed Solaris.
The flying nudibranch stared him for a moment, before swiftly turning away. Nearby, what resembled a horseshoe crab scuttled across the ground, occasionally getting into a fight with some spiders over meat that Biz had laid out for them to eat. And then there was the angler fish that was hiding behind his feet right now....how did it breath on land?
"It seems our mutual friend has made quite a few acquaintances that share our views on life," noted Master Teasonai, a Revulture resting on his shoulder. Said carrion bird was currently in a staring match with Teasonai's condroc, though so far, the longer necked bird appeared to be winning.
"Indeed he has. I will admit, it is rather nice to have assistance beyond the occasional outworlder. Having entire worlds to build preserves for them on is also enjoyable. Though I believe we might be getting...a little in over our heads."
A loud crash compounded Biz's statement - a strange, antlered biped has just rammed into the walls of its holding pen - a temporary home until Biz could find it a proper home. Supposedly, it was called Banbaro.
"A shame that so many people see these beasts only as monsters to be slain," noted the Solaris.
"Nature must be balanced, my friend. Sometimes, that entails not only conservation, but culling."
"I understand that, Teasonai. That doesn't mean I am happy with it."
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Leal looked at the room. Then he look at his Fide. Then back at the room.
Said room was now covered in fur balls. Moving furballs. And they were multiplying.
"...How did the tribbles get out?" wondered the serpentine creature.
"According to Syanis, someone dropped five of them off outside the tower, alongside a ton of food. Synais tried to have them sent to the incinerator, but by then they'd multiplied enough to cause the container they were in to explode. So now we have an infestation."
"I thought you had a bunch of bird wyverns, fnaged wyverns, kubrow, kubrodon, kavat, vermink, condroc, and saw gaw to eat them"
"We do. But they are all full."
A screen soon appeared before him. There, he saw dozens of predators lying on the floor, bellies full and faces filled with content.
"....So what do we do now?"
"Maybe we can give them to Biz and Teasonai to use as food for their carnivorous charges?"
"As long as we don't cause an apocalypse."
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AN: Something to tide you over while I work on my other stories. The one who left the tribbles there was one of Celm's subordinates who felt like being a jackass.
Okay, so, let's recap: I got attacked by an upgraded corruptor, Synais says I'm emitting some kind of weird energy signal, there are still a ton of magnetic anomalies opening up around what used to be the Southwestern United States (and thankfully nowhere else), and my son and Cassidy's daughter built a gigantic vault to hold anyone who gets displaced by further anomaly activity until I can send them home. We up to speed? Good.
Now, where's the nearest anomaly?
"Commander, that would be in this sector - what used to be Arizona, specifically the Grand Canyon."
Thank you, Fide. Also, how is Vivian doing?
"Splendid, sir. Her recovery is going smoothly."
"I see. Alert me if anything changes...oh, and make sure she has a view screen - I want her to see what is happening when we deal with this next anomaly."
"Understood."
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The Condor Dropship deposited me two kilometers South of my target, where a group of genprey were fighting a sawtooth for dominance. Theseus and Zoe had been recalled following new developments in the New World, and were now being deployed to a frozen island know as the Hoarfrost Ridge. Geralt had elected to stay a while longer, though I wasn't exactly sure where he was right now - he could be in the heart of Eclipse territory, really, given how his adventures tended to go. Aloy was still on her adventures, though it seemed that she was pretty close to finding the secrets she needed to know about the old world.
All of that was put aside, though, for I had to focus on figuring out what was causing these anomalies - and how to stop them.
Carefully, I made my way across the desert, taking pains to avoid the larger machines and monsters in the region. Briefly, I saw a Deviljho fighting against a Thunderjaw, with the machine actually managing to fell the World Eater. As I got closer to the anomaly site, though, things began to get more odd in appearance - the ground, for instance, started to look like it was the haven of burrowing mammals, for the more or less flat landscape had been replaced by a set of tunnel entrances and exits - all far larger than would necessary for most burrowing mammals. Just what hte hell had come through these anomalies?
"Hell if I know, commander."
"You're input was unnecesary, but appreciated."
"Thank you sir-"
Without warning, a genprey pair tumbled into me, sening the three of us hurtling toward the ground. Rolling out of the way, I watched as the two creatures battled it out, only after a moment realizing that one of the creatures was not a genprey - rather, it looked a...regular old raptor. Specifically, the Hollywood Velociraptor: human sized, scaly skin, terrifying appearance, and so on. Oddly, though, this one had a sort of feathery fuzz on its head, neck, back and tail, which resembled hair more than feathers, but that was semantics at this point.
Oddly, though, I felt like I knew what work this raptor came from. What that exact work was, though, lay beyond me.
The raptor swiftly defeated its opponent, tearing out the bird wyvern's throat in a matter of moments. One traq dart later, though, and it was curled up in a bundle, sleeping like a baby.
Then, to my surprise, three more raptors joined it. I tranquilized them too, and then called in four conservation drones to pick up my catches.
"These raptors look like anthing from the archives, Fide?"
"Haven;t found a match yet, but I will keep looking-"
Any other words my second in command wanted to say were lost as the ground started to shake. Then, without warning, a huge form forced itself out of the ground mere meters away from me.
The form was decidedly insectoid, what with six limbs, hard caapace, and antennae. Also, good god, those mouth parts were hideous! Seriously, why had evolution granted insects such horrifying chompers? WHY?!
"I do not know, my former pawn, but I suggest you defeat that thing quickly - there's more heading your way."
"So you're up. Good. Also, how many?"
"Looks like at least five, possibly more - given their size, I think they made the tunnel entrances you saw earlier."
"Eh, figures. This place needs to get fumigated ."
"Elling just asked me if we could throw some super pesticides into the tunnels, then use mortars to ignite the pesticides to make sure they stay dead."
".....That's certainly overkill, though I won;t complain."
"Like you have a right to do that. Anyway, try to kill that thing quickly and bring back samples - be they my forces or yours, they can get stuff done faster if they have good samples to work with."
"True."
The bug charged at me, ready to make me into a meal. Without missing a beat, I pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and shoved it down the beast's throat. I swiftly rolled to the side, and a moment later, a veritable flood of bug juice flew out of the critter's mouth, at which point it keeled over, dead.
Hoisting the carcass over me, I started runing. Not even a moment passed before a bug emerged next to me, followed by another, and another. Soon five were following me, all trying to turn me into lunch. I easily mange to outmaneuver them, however, and it wasn't long before I was at the pickup point. There, the condor dropship was ready to pick me up, while a pack of Hyenas opened fire upon the bugs, giving me an opening to escape.
Defeated, the bugs tried running back into the tunnels. I, however, was not going to give them a chance to become an invasive species. Using a fabricator I'd added to this model of condor, I hastily constructed a....specialized version of the lanka, took aim at one of the bugs, and fired.
Ten minutes later, and the first bug chunks finally hit the ground.
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AN: Yeah, back to updating this. Expect more chapters and another Christmas episode soon.
Even before I'd returned home, I'd begun comparing the bugs to any fiction I'd ever seen - stuff with lost worlds, time travel, alien planets, everything. Hopefully this would lend some insight into what I was dealing with.
That insight did eventually come, but not from what I had been expecting. But that is for later.
As for my current situation, most of my erstwhile allies had returned home - Geralt was still here, for sure, but Zoe and Theseus had asked one of my followers to send them home while I was messing around with the bugs. Apparently, they had a cold weather assignment to handle, at least according to Synais, of all people. With the Witcher focusing on dealing with the monsters from his world and Aloy trying to find out who she was, my forces were the only ones trying to deal with the portals, not that we'd really had any help.
And yes, I'm not forgetting about you.
I did decide to follow your lead.
True. So, what now?
"Well, Leal just informed me that another portal has opened up recently, and that it is....actually rather far away from any major settlements, none of which I am familiar with - it's on the California coast. Also, this portal is very different from the others - its energy signature is unlike those of the other portals we've encountered. I'm not exactly sure what is the cause of this."
Then let's head over and figure out what is causing the oddities.
"Sure. Just be careful - we already have enough trouble with the normal portals."
Do you want to come along, then?
"...Eh, why not?"
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Five minutes later, we had landed on the coastline. The waves crashed against the sand while gulls and other creatures paced about further up the beach, hoping to catch morsels that the ocean threw onto the land. Bobcats were also among the waiting scavengers, some particularly eager to score a meal.
Our target, however, had long since faded away, though there were still traces of its presence. Footprints of unfamiliar creatures littered the dry sand, and odd shapes darted about, just out of sight.
"Think the portal will open again any time soon?"
"No," was Viv's reply, "but I am picking up residual energy signatures from the portal at a location one hundred meters away. I suggest we examine it before you go off and get into trouble."
"Assuming trouble doesn't find us."
"No need to be smart with me."
"But I want to."
"Then save it for after we get the portals to stop causing so much havoc."
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The destination Viv mentioned turned out to be a nearby hill, where we found a strange, yet familiar looking machine.
"...You think the machine that is aiding the Eclipse made this?"
"Give the man a gold star!"
"I'm not the only one who needs to limit the smartness, it seems."
"...Killjoy. Think you can pull some info out of this bucket of bolts?"
"Alaready on it."
Said bucket of bolts was actually very well encrypted, to the point that it started deleting its data once I began to hack in. Despite this, I was able to pull out some useable audio-files before it bricked itself.
"So, what does it say?"
"Let me hit play."
One flick of the button later, and the recording was live.
"PORTAL GENERATOR ONLINE. SYSTEM NOW LOCATING TARGET DESTINATION."
"WARNING: TARGET DESTINATION EXPERIENCE INTERFERENCE FROM NATIVE SIDE. PORTAL STABILITY WILL FLUCTUATE. CONTINUE?"
"CONTINUING."
The audio file promptly fizzled out after this, but that ultimately proved to be no setback - I had gotten what I had needed.
Somehow, the Coelohim was influencing the portals.
"Yeah, somehow. Though I doubt it created all of them."
"Why do you assume that, Viv?"
"Just ran a scan based on what we were able to get from this machine, and so far, only five of these generators have popped up - way too few to generate the number of portals we've dealt with. I think this creature is just taking advantage of an existing crisis - and making it worse - to achieve whatever its real goals are."
"Well, isn't that worrisome. Want to head back now?"
"Not quite - I've got a trail I want to follow."
It didn't take me long to find that trail, though I was puzzled by its appearance - based on the shape of the footprints, it appeared that whatever had made the trail had been a biped. Additionally, the number of footprints indicated that there were two of the creatures - which worried me a little bit, since that could indicate a breeding pair.
"You want to make a cast of the footprints?' asked my former ROB.
"Not now. Why do you ask? Do yu happen to have the stuff needed to make a cast of them on hand?"
"Yeah, I do. I also have some pokeballs, bug jars, fish bait, logs, and lots of snacks. Really, for someone who likes to be prepared, I'm surprised you don't have those on hand."
"I'm a commander - being prepared for physical combat isn't exactly my forte, even if I'm trying to get better there."
"I see. Well, let's go - "
Before we could move, a shape suddenly darted in front of us, followed by the form of a raptor of some sort - a maccao, I realized after a moment. The creatures were travelling perpendicular to the trail, which presented us a dilemma - follow the trail and lose the shape, or follow the shape and let the creatures making the trail get away without a fuss.
"...split up?"
"I think so."
Viv just smiled. "Want me to get the raptor?"
"Sure. I'll get the trail."
Our paths decided, we made haste to find our destinations.
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Following the footprints lead me further inland, until I reached a nest of sorts by a small pond. There, a set of branches and leaves had been arranged together, forming a surprisingly well built mound of earth, adorned with leaves, branches and straw.
And nestled at the center of the mound was clutch of eggs - five, to be exact.
Oh dear. It seemed whatever had come here had reproduced.
Cautiously, I approached the nest, always on the lookout for the parents, hoping and praying that they would not return. Fighting them now was not something I wanted to do, especially with the eggs so close.
I had almost reached the nest when a loud crack filled the air. For a moment, I thought one of the eggs had begun to hatch. Yet when another crack followed, none of the eggs moved with it.
It was only when I saw the dodo-like shape of the Kulu-ya-ku that I realized the sound had not come from the eggs, but from an egg thief. Normally, the scratching bird preferred larger fare, but these eggs, all alone and exposed, would certainly be enough to wet its appetite.
Well, not if I had anything to say about it.
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Darkness filled the shelled oval that the little one knew as the world. This place had kept the little one warm and safe for as long as it could remember. Yet it knew the world as it was would soon be at its end - the shell was beginning to weaken, and soon, it would break.
Even with the shell still intact, though, the little one knew that something weir was happening just outside. It could sense two creatures that were not its parents facing off against one another. One was small and stood like its parents, while the other was larger and more confusing.
The two clashed with fury that could barely be described in words. The forest around them was soon torn apart, with trees and bushes thrown around like rag dolls, yet the carnage never reached the nest, for the smaller creature would always let out a cry before frocing the larger one away from the mound.
Eventually, however ,the fight grew quiet. As the little one began to wonder what had happened, a pair of three figured hands gripped its egg. Sensing danger, the little one began to try and crack the shell, but before it could make any progress, the hands released it, at which point a smaller pair of limbs gripped it for dear life.
...What had just saved it?
And what was the weird roar?
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I just had time to duck before the fanged wyvern collided with the bird wyvern. I stared on in silence as Vivian tumbled to the ground in front of me, just barely avoiding being crushed by pair of wyverns. She barely spared me a glance before rushing off after the strange shape from earlier, though not before throwing a bunch of supplies at me, and then telekinetically sending me a ton more after she slipped and dropped several out of her pocket. Funny.
Now all I had to do was - why was the egg shaking?
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The little one was really confused by all of the noise - confused enough that it wanted to see what was happening. True, that would bring it out of the safety of its egg, but such was life - and sometimes, caution needed to be ignored.
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Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air, and this time, it was accompanied by a fissure on the shell of the egg in my hands. A second crack heralded the fissure growing larger, until a third and final crack filled the air, at which point the egg shattered, revealing...a puppy sized blue chameleon?
Said chameleon stared at me for a moment, somehow looking adorable beyond belief.
"...Um, hi little guy-"
A sudden squawk caused me to turn my attention toward where the wyverns had collided. The raptor bird wyvern had vanished, but the dodo bird wyvern had righted itself, and once again, its attention was on the nest. It promptly let out an even louder squawk, which reduced the lizard to tears...how was it crying?!
Well, now I had another reason to beat up the bird wyvern - it made the baby cry.
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The little one managed to fight down the tears just in time to witness the small creature engage the larger one in battle. Wielding a sword and shield that could be combined into an even larger blade, the small creature forced the feathered one to stay away from the nest. Each swing of the greater weapon released water on impact with the bird creature, which only seemed to heighten its pain. Then, however, the bird thing pulled out a rock and used it to block the oncoming blow. Without missing a beat, it then slammed the stone into the smaller beast, before whacking it a few more times for good measure.
The little chameleon creature watched as its savior desperately tried to stand up, pulling out a strange object as it did so. As it readied for a final stand, though, the bird lifted the stone into the air one more time, intending to finish the fight.
....Well, that wouldn't do. Not at all.
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A braced for the impact of the rock when, much to my surprise, the little chameleon rammed into the wyvern, knocking aside the rock, before promptly spitting a surge of water at the larger creature. The bird looked ready to attack after this, only for two jets of water to appear from behind me, washing the larger creature away. Confused, I looked behind me, and found a pair of what could best be described as humanoid lizards - ones that looked a lot like the baby lizard.
Within moments, the baby one had run up to the adults and was being cherished by what I realized were its parents. After this went on for about a minute, I decided to try and back off for the moment, mentally settling on leaving them alone for now and putting off trying to relocate them until later. That only lasted about ten seconds before the baby lizard noticed me and promptly catapulted itself toward me and....giving me a hug?
Awkwardly, I returned the gesture, whilst also giving its parents a wave. Then, carefully, I removed the little one from me and tried to give it back its parents...only for it to jump at me again. And again.
I was about to be more forceful with it when one of its parents, seemingly realizing something, walked over to the supplies Viv had thrown me and promptly threw something round at me. Without hesitation I parried the ball...which the baby jumped toward. A flash followed, and the ball was on the ground shaking, with the baby lizard nowhere in sight.
Then a familiar ping filled the air.
Dumbfounded, I walked up to the ball.
Said ball was, as it turned out, a pokeball.
....Did I just catch a pokemon?
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AN: Been planning to add pokemon to this story for a while, but I decided to bump things up after I got Pokémon Sword for Christmas today. YAY!
For those wondering, the lizard is the water starter from Generation VIII, Sobble. Read, Review, and have a Merry Christmas/Whatever Holiday You Celebrate! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
