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that-fanperson-meg · 9 months

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ITS CHAPTER THREE TIME!!!

That’s right! Chapter three of @stardustshimmer’s Meta Pirate Au is finally done!!! (I’m sorry it took this long lol)

I hope you enjoy!

Ao3 Version

Writing under cut BUT BE WARNED!! This chapter is about 2 times longer than the other chapters!

Explaining why there was a treasure chest on the deck proved to be a more difficult task than the captain had originally thought. Though eventually Meta had been able to convince Sword that he had been counting the treasure and ran out of matches for his lantern and so he’d moved it onto the deck so he could continue, using the light of the moon for a substitute.

However that explanation had resulted in the crew suggesting that they set sail towards the nearest port so they could restock on supplies.

“Nonsense.” the captain said, “we have enough rations to last us weeks at the least, we do not need to make any unnecessary trips anytime soon.”

In unison, Axe and Mace let out a disappointed sigh and walked off towards their posts.

At the sight of this, Vul covertly pulled Meta aside. “Cap’n, if I can speak my mind for a moment; the crew’s been cooped up for three days now, I’m sure it’d lift morale plenty if ya’ let ‘em go to port -and maybe then they’ll finally stop lollygagging.”

Meta thought over Vul’s suggestion for a few seconds, wondering if the trip would cut into the time that he had to spend with Dedede. Though from what he remembered, Ripple Port was about a half day’s trip away from the Popstar Islands.

Sighing to himself, Meta called out to the crew. “Attention, crew! There’s been a change in plans, and we shall sail to Ripple Port post haste!”

Cheers erupted from the crew and a second later Vul began yelling out orders to raise the anchor and unfurl the sails, commands which they enthusiastically carried out.

-~~~~~~***~~~~~~-

The waters around the island of Ripple Star were as calm as the isle itself. Cerulean waves capped with white foam broke upon the sandy shores that bordered the bustling town that rested on the island.

Though that all seemed to fade for a moment as the people of Ripple Star saw the Halberd come to a halt on the docks. For the most part, the island was neutral to pirate crews so long as they didn’t cause a fight or any other disturbance.

However that didn’t save Meta and his crew from odd looks from the fairies that inhabited the island.

Immediately upon arriving at the port, Axe and Mace both ran off together as did Sword and Blade. Leaving Trident, Javelin, Vul, and Meta to go off on their own ways to explore the town.

Making his way through the busy streets, Meta absently took notice of the shops that lined the road, however none of them had anything that the captain was remotely interested in.

Though from the corner of the captain’s vision, he saw something that made Meta stop in his tracks. From inside a tavern that looked saltier than the sea itself, a figure cloaked in a rich red cape and matching top hat sat at the counter.

Immediately upon seeing the coat and hat, Meta knew exactly who had been sitting at the counter.

Normally, he would’ve simply kept walking. Though the idea of getting a laugh out of teasing the captain of the Squeaks proved to be too tempting to deny, and thus Meta strode into the tavern and promptly took a seat one away from the mouse-like man.

“Ah, Captain Meta.” Daroach acknowledged, “to what do I owe the displeasure of the visit?”

Meta kept his gaze forward, “I simply wanted to see how my least favorite rival is faring after your recent defeat by my own blade.”

The coat wearing captain chuckled to himself, “if you are looking to rub salt in the wound, then you are far too late to do so. I’ve found that raiding Haltmann ships is exceedingly profitable, and my crew has made up the full amount that broach would’ve given us.”

“Haltmann? Don’t they work primarily in metalworking?” Meta asked, now meeting Daroach’s eyes.

The mouse-like captain hummed, “aye, they used to. Though after the president’s lass, Susanna, went missin’ a couple years back, they bought a large fleet of merchant vessels, and began selling both their inventions and raw goods harvested from all islands they could get their hands on.”

Daroach’s last remark sent a shiver down Meta’s back. There were only so many islands in the Gamble Ocean, and when all other islands were exhausted of resources would the Haltmanns go after the Popstar Islands next?

Every sailor that’d ever been inside a tavern knew that the islands were cursed, but the Haltmanns were never known for rubbing elbows with the common pirate.

“Now that you’re officially caught up on the newest gossip on the seas,” Daroach began, “how much did the blasted thing sell for?”

Meta looked at Daroach confused for a second, “pardon?”

The captain groaned, “the broach! The one you stole from me, the one that we fought over, that broach!”

“Ah, that broach.” The mask wearing pirate realized.

Daroach rolled his eyes, and waited for Meta to answer.

The shorter of the two captains, stared at nothing in particular as he wondered whether or not he should tell Daroach about what happened.

“I never took the broach.” Captain Meta replied, his golden eyes sharp as his own blade.

The mouse-like captain was silent for a moment as he thought over the second captain’s words.

A minute later, Daroach met Meta’s gaze with an amused smile across his face.

“Cap’n Meta, -Swordsman of the Sea, apprentice of the legendary Cap’n Galacta himself- you ar’ either the bravest sailor I’ve had the displeasure of meeting, or the most foolhardy scallywag to have ever set foot on a ship.”

A minute later a laugh escaped Meta, and after a minute he thanked the taller pirate for what he chose to interpret as a compliment.

It was then that Daroach decided it was time for him to leave, but not before giving the shorter captain one last piece of information.

“I know that ya’ve never been one for superstition, but the word goin’ ’round all the ships is that the seas ar’ gettin’ darker by the day- somethin’s brewin’ under the waves.”

And with that, the mouse-like captain left the tavern.

Meta continued to sit at the counter of the tavern as he thought over Daroach’s last remarks. He never did think of superstitions as anything more than ramblings from old sea dogs, but that was before he had met an actual siren so maybe there was some merit in those tall tales.

“Speaking of Dedede,” Meta thought to himself, “I should get him a gift or something while here at port. With all of the shops along the boardwalk one is bound to have something that he would like.”

However upon stepping out onto the street, the captain realized that it was almost midday which meant that he and the crew had to leave Ripple Port if he was ever to make it back to the Popstar Islands on time.

But fortunately, from just across the way Meta had spotted something that he figured would make a good enough gift for the king of the ocean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelp swayed with the current of the water, small fish darted into and out of anemones, and another laidback day for Dedede went by. Bandana Dee and Kirby had gone out to play with a school of Waddle Dees not too long ago, which left the siren alone until they came back.

After some brief thinking, Dedede decided that it was the perfect day to go to his favorite sunbathing rock.

-~~~~~~***~~~~~~-

Swimming around the coastline of Dreamland Cove, the siren smiled at all of the small crabs that called the waters near the shore their home. In the distance Dedede could make out the silhouette of a small pink fish swimming circles around the slightly larger fish next to them.

The siren waved to the two, unsure of whether or not they saw him.

As Dedede approached the sight of where his favorite rock was, he noticed that the sight of the Halberd -and by extension, Meta- was gone from the horizon.

In the back of his head, the siren wondered where the Halberd could’ve gone. Though Dedede knew that Meta would be back later, he had to be.

He wouldn’t just take the treasure and leave- no that isn’t who he is.

With that reassurance placed firmly in his mind, the siren continued swimming a little ways ahead and finally arrived at his sunbathing rock.

Hoisting himself from out of the water and shaking the droplets that clung to his feathers and tail, Dedede watched how the sun reflected across the water illuminating the crests of the waves as the sea moved.

“I suppose this’s what Meta sees from the ‘alberd.” Dedede thought to himself, unsure of why the captain came to his mind first.

From there the siren’s thoughts began to wander, as he began wondering to himself what it would be like to see a sunrise or sunset from an island. From there, Dedede began thinking of how wonderful it would be to leave the waters he’s known and go upon the land.

Though reality decided to step into the siren’s fantasies, as he realized that there was no way that could ever happen.

He was a siren and that was final.

Thoroughly disappointed with reality, Dedede did what anyone else in his situation would do; take a nap. And within a few minutes of stillness, the siren could feel himself slipping from the clutches of consciousness and with that, he was asleep.

-~~~~~~***~~~~~~-

Dedede’s dreams were often nothing more than jumbled up memories stitched together haphazardly, a kaleidoscope of events that didn’t make any rational sense.

It was with that pretense that when muddied colors swirled together and began to form something clearer, the last of the siren’s rational thinking felt as though he knew what to expect.

The warm light of the sun shone through the sea, painting everything below the waves in warm hues of aquamarine that was highlighted by the schools of fish in every color imaginable.

A golden palace glistened below the waves, standing as a testament to the skill and talent that all those dwelling below the waves held. A young siren, with a tail that shone in all colors of a sunset, swam through a hallway lined with mother-of-pearl columns accented by intricate gold detailing.

Though just outside the hallway the figure of something moving through the waves caught the young siren’s eye.

“Is that a whale?” He asked himself, a second later realizing the direction which the whale was moving towards. “Wait ’e’s heading straight for shore! He’s gonna beach ’imself! I gotta tell ‘im!” He exclaimed as he began swimming towards the whale’s massive figure.

The siren swam as fast as his fins could take him, knowing that with every second the whale moved forward he grew closer to the small island that jutted out of the water, and with it a fate which no siren could save him from.

Finally arriving at the side of the whale he began looking for the whale’s flipper so that he could guide the gentle giant back into deeper waters. However as the siren looked, he realized that the whale didn’t have any flippers nor a tail for that matter.

Thoroughly confused, the young siren swam towards the front of whatever the creature was hoping maybe he could get a better look at it if he saw it from that angle. Though that proved to only further his confusion, as he found that the creature had no discernible features at its front either.

Then strangest of all, from above him the siren could hear someone talking.

Above the waves, there was nothing.

There was no water up there, nothing could survive.

But then again, something had to be up there. Whatever he was seeing right now wasn’t an animal, and so it had to be made by someone else, someone

that could breathe and live outside of the water.

It was then that the siren slowly peered his eyes above the water, thinking that maybe the answers he was looking for lied above the waves.

For a minute, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

There were people above the waves.

People without fins.

Both of those conclusions sounded absurd, and yet, there they were; walking on the odd structure that floated atop the briney blues.

Throwing caution to the currents in the name of curiosity, the young siren lifted the rest of his head out of the water to hopefully get a better look at the people without fins.

“I swear ta’ ya’ cap’n! There’s somethin’ in the waters, I just saw it!” Yelled someone from the wooden structure, they then proceeded to look back to the waters searching for whatever they’d seen.

A second later, the young siren and the fin-less person’s eyes met.

It felt as though time had paused for a moment and the siren saw that from a glance, they didn’t look any different than he did. However that moment had faded as quickly as it had begun and fear took hold.

The person yelled and stumbled back away from the side of the vessel, dropping something that sank deeper into the waters with each passing second.

The siren dipped back below the waves, exhilaration and confusion racing through his mind. Despite everything going on inside his mind, the siren’s only thoughts were about the item that the fin-less person had dropped.

Diving further into the waters, he kept his eyes trained on the object that glistened vaguely similarly to the siren’s own home. However no matter how fast he swam, it felt as though it was always just out of his grasp.

Transfixed on reaching the dropped item, the siren failed to notice as the once sandy seafloor had been replaced with rocky cavernous walls that blocked out the sun’s warm light.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of chasing after the object, it came to a final resting place at the bottom of the underwater chasm. The siren examined it for a minute, captivated by how it was so intricately detailed and had two of the most clear and thin shards of sea glass that he’d ever seen.

In the corner of his eye, the siren saw something that made his already cold blood run even colder.

Something had moved in the shadows.

Panic took over his mind, and he tightly clutched the item in his flipper and swam up faster than he thought he could.

Against his better judgment the siren looked behind him, but immediately upon doing so he wished he hadn’t.

Because swimming behind him at the same speed, was a dark cloud that had only one defining feature; multiple crimson eyes staring him down with an expressionless look in all of them.

Fueled by fear, the siren kept swimming as fast as he could, and soon enough he could see the entrance to the cavern.

Just as he thought he’d make it out alright, that everything was going to be fine, that’s when it latched onto him.

An obsidian hued tentacle -one not unlike an octopus- had grabbed onto his tail and began to drag him down.

The young siren fought to shake off the tentacle, and the entrance to the chasm was right there!

He was going to make it! It was all going to be alrig- more latched on.

And a second later he had been dragged into the dark cloud of eyes.

However, the creature -or maybe there were multiple creatures- didn’t start to attack him like it was hungry. Instead one of the creatures wrapped around his arm and stayed there.

Though a moment later the siren realized what the creature was doing. Dark energy began coursing through his veins, reaching his heart and mind making it nearly impossible to fight it off when his own body wouldn’t obey his commands.

The siren hoped with the last of his strength that being controlled by the creature was the last step of whatever it was doing.

But fate had other plans.

In the blink of an eye the young siren had begun growing to a colossal size, the upper half of his body rising up out of the water because otherwise there wouldn’t be anywhere else for his tail to go.

From his new height, the siren saw how the vessel that he’d been so curious about, looked like a minnow compared to him. Despite this, the siren could still hear the words being shouted from aboard it.

“CAP’N! IT’S A LEVIATHAN! WHAT DO WE DO?!” A fin-less person cried.

Not even a second later a calm and calculated voice fired back, “stand your ground! Fire the cannons!”

“WHAT!?” Exclaimed another voice in disbelief, “YOU WANT US TO FIRE ON A LEVIATHAN?!”

The person who the siren figured was the source of the calm voice then pointed a golden sword towards him, “if you know what’s good for you, you will obey and fire the cannons!”

A few seconds later, the cannons fired hitting the siren in his chest.

Even though he didn’t have control over his body, he still felt the pain and wanted to double over in pain. However the octopus-like creature only grew more enraged, and above him a violent storm had begun to form.

In retaliation, the creature puppeteering the siren’s body made his flipper crash into the hull of the vessel, and upon impact all of the fin-less people began tumbling into the sea.

All except for the one with the calm voice and the golden sword. Instead of falling into the sea, he soared above it, flying on two ivory wings gliding towards the siren.

As they grew closer, he could see the anger in their fiery pink eyes and it was then that the siren grew fearful himself.

Upon reaching him, the person with the fiery pink eyes sliced their golden sword across the young siren’s skin.

The creature controlling him then cried out in anger, -or perhaps pain and maybe fear- and tried to retaliate, but they were too fast and dodged every hit the siren tried to land.

This went on until the storm raging above the two picked up and the loud cracks of thunder screeched over the turbulent sea below.

However upon noticing this, the sword wielding person froze. Leaving the perfect opportunity for the controlled siren to swipe his flipper in front of him, hitting his attacker and sending them crashing towards the beach of the island.

Though now that the winged person had been dealt with, now came the question as to what the octopus tightly holding onto his flipper would do.

It had to have an end goal, right?

Unfortunately, the siren would get his answer.

Slowly his puppeteered body moved closer to the glistening underwater palace he called home.

“No…don’t..please…please..stop!” The siren begged himself, like it’d make his body stop doing what he knew was coming.

The young siren watched on in silent horror as the place he grew up in, his home, the place he would someday go onto rule, was being destroyed by his own hands.

Pearlescent columns collapsed, detailing that took months to complete was disregarded as if it was nothing, and debris of a kingdom sank deeper into the waters.

He wanted to shut his eyes, deny everything that was happening, but the world wasn’t that kind.

After a while, the siren lost track of time. It felt like he’d been under the strange octopus’ control forever. The hope that he once had that somehow someone would save him had all but vanished, and in the back of the siren’s mind, he had resigned himself to accepting his new fate.

However, carried by the waves that glowed a vibrant yet otherworldly light, a broach with a sapphire gem -that he could’ve mistaken as plankton with his giant size- drifted closer to the siren.

By some miracle, the octopus’ control on him wavered and in the split second it did, the siren reached towards the broach.

The second he touched the broach, he found that his senses returned to him and the siren watched as the octopus reverted to its original size and released its grip on him and fell back into the stormy sea.

Much like the octopus, the siren’s body too shifted back to his original size causing him to fall into the turbulent waters below with no time to get his bearings or even tell where exactly he’d landed.

Instead in his disoriented state, the young siren could feel himself being swept away by the current, taking him further away from his home, or at least what remained of it.

-~~~~~~***~~~~~~-

Dedede woke from his dream with a jolt, causing him to nearly fall into the water. His breaths came short and fast as his brain tried to recall the details of his dream.

Though that was a fleeting endeavor, as after only a minute the siren could recall but one thing from that day: the golden sword that the winged pirate wielded.

“It kinda looked like somethin’ Meta’d have.” Dedede thought to himself.

A second later, the siren thought over what his thoughts had said nonchalantly. While he had only caught glimpses of it, Meta had a golden sword.

But then again, what were the chances that it was the exact same sword? The siren was sure there were hundreds if not thousands of golden swords across the seven seas.

Fortunately that was all the reassurance that Dedede’s conscience needed, and in perfect time to as from over the horizon the siren could make out the silhouette of the Halberd sailing towards the Popstar Islands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the pirate watched the sun dip down beneath the waves bit by bit, Meta’s gaze fell on the flowers the same orange as a smoldering fire in his hand.

The crew had gone down into the galley of the ship not too long back, and through the deck Meta could hear bits and pieces of their conversations. However most of it was drowned out by the sound of waves hitting the sides of the Halberd.

“Ah, I was sure I’d find you out here, Cap’n.” Vul said as he walked across the deck.

Meta turned towards the bird-like man who now stood at his side, “greetings Vul, what brings you up here? Did the crew finally make you want to walk the plank?”

Vul gave a small laugh, “nay, not yet at least. W-wait a moment,” the quartermaster said, “are those..daylilies? Cap’n do ya’ have an admirer?!”

The captain was quick to hush Vul’s outburst, lest the crew hear what he’d exclaimed.

An awkward silence then fell between the two, which left Meta staring at the petals of the flower with what only could be described as pining.

“So,” Vul began, “is ’e from Ripple Port or..?”

Meta sighed, “no, he just…travels around the seas quite often.” The captain said in a half-truth.

The bird-like man nodded, “ah, ’e’s a pirate then I take it?”

“No, he’s much too good hearted for this line of work.” The pirate said, shaking his head.

Vul then proceeded to chuckle and look down into the sea, giving Meta the slightest bit of uneasiness.

“Is something funny, Vul?” The captain asked.

After a beat of silence the quartermaster responded, “nah, it’s just…I’ve never seen ya’ get like this over some guy, Cap’n.”

Meta scoffed, “he is not just ‘some guy’! He is kind, thoughtful, and charming! And he has the most genuine smile and the loveliest sapphire eyes that sparkle far prettier than any jewel I’ve ever laid eyes on!”

When Meta finished his rant, the captain noticed the smug look on Vul’s face. Though before he could question the quartermaster on it, he turned away from the ocean and made his way back below deck.

“If ’e’s as great as ya’ say ’e is; I hope ya’ see ’im again. But in the meantime I’ll leave ya’ here to contemplate ya’ fleetin’ summer romance.”

With that Vul went back below deck, leaving Meta to wonder, were his feelings really fleeting? The captain’s grip on the flowers in hand grew tight, and a single auburn petal fell into the sea.

#stardustshimmer’s meta pirate #meta knight #meta knights #captain vul #king dedede #cross posted on ao3

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elflock-magician · 11 months

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"The Aftermath" (Reupload)

Summary - The aftermath of Meta Knights revenge.

Kirby had done it. He stood on the hill as he watched the Battleship Halberd touch down into the water, and sink beneath the freezing waves of Orange Ocean. Kirby had tried to save Meta Knight and his crew, he had tried to convince them to turn back, but they refused. They were so dead-set on taking over Dreamland. It was a quick turnaround for Kirby. About a week ago, Meta Knight was feeding him candy, and then he was trying to conquer Dreamland! Kirby didn't know why. This was due to Meta Knight constantly being vague with everything he said.

Meta Knight, despite the retorts from the crew, was able to get them off the ship before it would crash into the freezing sea. This left Kirby and Meta Knight to their wits and a one on one sword-fight. Though cut short by the crash of the ship. However, said sword fight went on long enough to reveal Meta Knight's face. Kirby found that he and Meta Knight were the same species. Species of what, Kirby didn't know. But Meta Knight was with him, and he was hoping to at least get some answers. Both of them were soaked in water after just barely escaping the crash. Kirby slowly turned around. Meta Knights mask had been sliced in half, so he was holding it together with his hands, and pressing it against his face, even though Kirby now knew he was supposedly the same species as him. Kirby stared out as the Halberd finally dipped underneath the waves, leaving their sight for good.

"Mr.Meta Knight, why did you try and take over Dreamland?" They began and turned to the Knight. "Can you give me a straight answer, for once?" They added. Meta Knight stared forward. He got to his feet. His now wet cape dragging behind him. Kirby was becoming fed up with this behavior. But suddenly, Meta Knight replied.

"A darkness is coming for Dreamland, Kirby." He said. "But why? Why go through all this?" Kirby questioned back. "Dreamland must be prepared to fight back." Meta Knight responded, being vague as usual. "And...if we don't?" Kirby asked. "Dreamland and its residents will disappear the same way your species did." Meta Knight explained. Kirby paused. "You mean...our species, right?" Kirby muttered. Meta Knight did not respond. "What happened to the rest of us? I...I feel like I deserve to know!" Kirby shouted. Meta Knight, at first stood still, until he slowly turned to look at Kirby in the eyes. He opened his mouth to say something. But he was cut off as a mallet, King Dedede's hammer, collided with his skull. It had been thrown at him, and the pure force of it sent Meta Knight practically flying. His form smacked against the ground as he yelped out in pain as he collided onto the ground.

To say Dedede was mad would be a lie. He was furious. Words could not and will continue to not be able to describe the emotions he was feeling. He was betrayed by the Knight he 100% trusted with his life. "You lyin'...cheatin'...traitor..." King Dedede growled. "Damn it, I trusted you!" He shouted. Kirby cowered. He had never seen King Dedede so angry.

Meta Knight pulled himself off the ground, still attempting to keep his mask tight on his face. Meta Knight thought himself capable of keeping his secret for good and forever, though it was theoretically impossible. Meta Knight stayed silent, and instead looked at his once trusted ally.

"What? Got nothin' to say?" Dedede questioned. Meta Knight silently looked up. "I will say nothing Dedede. I stand by what I did. Perhaps you should think as to why." Meta Knight replied. Dedede growled and his grip on his weapon tightened. Kirby was clearly becoming concerned with the growing tension. "What's the deal, wise guy? What reason could be so important that it was worth throwing everything you and I had away?!" Dedede questioned with a venom in his voice. "It was for your own safety." Meta Knight replied. "Quit with that junk and just tell me what was worth so much to you!" Dedede shouted. "They are coming for your home the same way he came for Kirby's. You needed to prepare the Dreamlanders by teaching them self defense! But you...you are too..." Meta Knight's voice trailed off. His words clearly did not soothe Dedede, but he awaited the Knight to finish his sentence.

"What? Was I not good enough? Ya could have just talked to me about this before trying to take over my kingdom!" Dedede said. "You are too earnest, and your heart is too open to ever try and shun out the enemy the way you would need too to succeed in the cold game of war." Meta Knight tried to explain. "You did not deserve to go through the downfalls of war in any case." He added in a quiet whisper. There was a silence. The atmosphere felt so thick that one could cut it with a knife. "You're such an idiot!" Dedede declared. Meta Knight struggled to his feet. "Ya should have just trusted me!" He said. "..." Meta Knight looked like he was going to say something. "But now it's to late for that." Dedede mumbled. He stood over Meta Knight. Meta Knight kept his body from trembling. He had to stay level-headed. He stood as still as stone as Dedede approached him. He had no fight or flight instincts apparently as Dedede towered over him. Kirby rushed over, grabbing Dedede's hand, trying to stop him. Meta Knight hung his head, not looking up at the man over him. Kirby bit their lip with fear as their grip on Dedede's hand tightened. Dedede sighed. "You're not worth it." Dedede said before turning away and leaving. This left Meta Knight alone on the ground. That hurt more than any kind of violence Dedede, or anyone could inflict onto him. "Dedede- wait!" Meta Knight called and struggled to his feet. "Gah-" he groaned and hit the ground, the injuries he sustained denying him the ability to walk. "Meta Knight!" Kirby called out and held Meta Knights arm to try and help him. "Dedede!" Meta Knight called after the man once more. Dedede wanted to look back. But he didn't. He couldn't be weak for his Kingdom. He took what Meta Knight had said into consideration. And he kept walking.

It had been few weeks. Only a few. Dedede had begun preparing for whatever attack Meta Knight was warning of. He had taken to hiring more guards in the case of emergencies to protect Dreamland. He was sitting at his desk doing paperwork. Until there was a knock on his window. His...window? He looked over to the narrow window. Had another bird flew into it? It probably needed help if it did! It happened more times than Dedede would like to admit. He walked over the window and pushed it open. Dedede recoiled back.

"Uhm...G-Greetings...?" Meta Knight waved. He was clearly nervous. "Meta...this is the 3rd story." Dedede was first to comment. "I am aware. I did not wish to alarm any of your Dees." This went better in Meta Knight's head. Dedede sighed and crossed his arms. "What do you want anyhow? You've got some nerve to try and overthrow me then show up not even a month later!" Dedede called. Meta Knight sighed and evaded his eyes. He took a moment before making eye contact with Dedede. He stepped into the room from the window. Meta Knight remembered when they were not too much younger when it would be a casual thing for Meta to just drop in through the window. Dedede remembered it too, though he was starting to resent his past choices of trust towards the Knight.

"I’m sorry. I admit that I was wrong." Meta Knight stated suddenly. Dedede's glare softened with mild shock from the sudden statement. "I should have tried to communicate with you about the issue before skipping to violence and treachery." He explained. "You're...putting aside your pride ta' admit your mistake?" Dedede repeated and raised his eyebrow. In the time he had known Meta Knight, he knew he had a slight problem with pride. Though he seemed humbled by his defeat. "Precisely. Because..." His voice trailed off. "You, your emotions and...friendship mean more to me than any pride I may have." He said.

There was a long silence in the air.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Dedede said with a sigh of relief. Meta Knight's head perked up. "Pardon?" He mumbled. "I really like ya MK," Dedede said and put his arm around the Knight, to Metas shock. "And I can't say I really forgive ya right now. But if you're willing to change then I'm willing to give you a second chance." Dedede said with a smile.

Meta Knight pulled him into an embrace.

"Thank you." He said. Dedede was a little startled by the sudden affectionate gesture, but accepted it in return. "Of course."

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nyaagolor · 3 years

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may we please get the mirror world headcanons?

heck yes u may

Most of it will be under the cut bc I talk a lot

I like to think the Mirror World is a reflection of the regular world (I call it Prime World for convenience's sake), and by reflection I mean opposite. It's not opposite in a "good v evil" way, just in the sense that a mirror world counterpart is the inverse of their prime world self, for better or for worse. For example, Noddies in Prime World sleep for most of their lives, while Mirror Noddies barely ever sleep and are constantly alert. Instead of a Sleep Ability, they give Panic, aka the Kirby equivalent of slurping down 15 espresso shots in a row. The mirror world counterparts are no better or worse than the prime world, just different!

Headcanons for all the mirror world counterparts of the Star Allies (or at least the ones I've thought abt) are under the cut :3c

Shadow Kirby (Skirby): Where Prime Kirby is reckless, bold, and overconfident, Skirby is reserved, cautious, and kinda pessimistic. They're no weaker or meaner than Prime Kirby, but seem a bit shy and non-confrontational because they always want to scope out the scene before they launch into anything. Some might call it cowardly, but Skirby thinks it's pragmatic. Much like prime Kirby, though, he's the hero of Popstar and is usually the planet's last defense against whatever eldritch horror comes their way. He deserves a break, though, since unlike Prime Kirby he's not surrounded by friends to help him out

Shadow Dedede (SDDD): He started off as a good king, always being diligent, professional, and responsible in contrast to Prime DDD's self-serving, goofy ways. He wanted what was best for the mirror world, but life didn’t make it easy. The mirror dees, rather than the loyal helpers we know from the prime world, were backstabbing jerks who were loyal to no one but themselves. SDDD tried so hard to be a good king, but had no one to help, no one to pull him out of a slump, so he just slipped through the cracks and got worse. Bitterness and anger consumed him until he started looking out for himself and himself only. He became a tyrant, turning into an iron-fisted, merciless ruler whose laws were enforced through violence. DDD got better with the help of his friends, but SDDD got much, MUCH worse as a result of his isolation and loneliness. Also he has a battle axe instead of a hammer bc I think it's cool

Dark Meta Knight (DMK): He's basically the antithesis of a knight: he's willing to work for anyone no matter how rotten they are; he always plans on backstabbing them later, cares about no one but himself, never plays fair, and is a lazy, rude jerk. He likes spicy foods instead of sweets, challenges children to duels WITHOUT offering them a sword first, and is deathly afraid of heights, despite having wings. He was in the process of creating a land-razing tank called the Halberd, but his crew betrayed him and cut up his wings and mask so now he isolates himself out of anger and fear. After being with the Star Allies, he's made some friends and realized the value of teamwork-- also he likes teaching Adeleine swears. With Dark Mind gone and the Mirror World still a bit of a dump, DMK would much rather hang out in the prime world and get on Meta Knight's nerves. He tries his best to protect the two (2) people in the mirror world he does tolerate, though (it's skirby and sddd).

Mirror Bandee: Hates SDDD with a passion. In fact, he's attempted to assassinate the king at least 26 times, but fails both because SDDD is way smarter than him and also Mirror Bandee is a sniveling coward who runs at the first sign of danger. His repeated failures have made him more of a scaredy cat, so no one takes him seriously anymore. He has a knife and ties his bandana around his "mouth" like a scarf, but it doesn't help to make him more intimidating. His repeated attempts to kill the king (and more recently Skirby and DMK, who hang out with SDDD) have become a constant in their lives and weirdly enough they don't mind his company.

Mirror Marx: I always assumed that Prime Marx was a noddy with Mirror instead of sleep. Well Mirror Marx is the opposite-- instead of having Panic like the regular hyperactive Mirror Noddies, he has sleep. He didn't show up for the events of Amazing Mirror bc he was snoozin. Because of this, he never got the Nova's powers, never tricked skirby, and never did anything evil. In fact, unlike Prime Marx, Mirror Marx cares too much about everyone's feelings, is always kind, and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's the glue holding the mirror world together bc not even the worst of villains want to hurt him. He's just so darn CUTE

Mirror Animal Friends: Imagine the animal friends. Give them angry expressions and sunglasses. Now make them part of a gang. Yeah that's it. The Animals are no friend of skirby's and would sooner maul the poor kid than ever lend him a paw (or flipper or wing). The forest bows to their whims and they rule it like your typical mafia boss. They're jerks.

Mirror Daroach: See these posts.

Dark Taranza: Hoo BOY he's bad. He's real bad. He rules over Mirror Floralia (Sporalia?) which is underground and filled with nasty creepy crawlies. He hates getting his hands dirty and will do anything it takes to get more power and luxury so long as he doesn't have to put himself in danger. He only cares about one thing, and that's himself. What about Queen Sectonia, you ask? She was the original queen of Mirror Floralia, but Dark Taranza mind-controlled her into his puppet to do his bidding. When the people finally snapped and declared war on the tyrannical queen, it was her they shattered, being none the wiser that Dark Taranza was the one pulling the strings. He still has a box of her shards in his castle, just in case he needs a new puppet to play with. He loves jewels and machines, all things inorganic. The imperfections of flowers? Not his style.

Mirror Magolor: Quick tangent here: Mirror Lor Starcutter, rather than being a ship to BRING people to paradise, is a sort of pocket paradise, a little virtual reality magic... thing. It can also be easily modified to only open from the outside. That's important for later. Anyway, Mirror Magolor is brutally honest, but also rude, unfriendly, impulsive, and incredibly violent. He hates machines and will start punching a lamppost if he accidentally walks into it. Scrappy little dude. He would actually rather claw his ears off than be friends with another living being. He just likes brawling and destroying ancient artifacts and that's it. Well one day he tells the mirror crew he wants to go get this thing called the Master Crown so he can destroy it. SDDD, Skirby, Mirror Bandee and DMK realize hey, that'd be nice for us to have, let's join him and then betray him at the last minute. As soon as they get there, though, the crown ends up choosing Mirror Mags as a host before anyone can do anything. Oops! The others manage to shatter him... but then the crown pulls his shards back together and attacks them again. Realizing he's both totally lost it and also immortal, the others lock Mirror Mags inside the Lor as the crown erodes the last of his humanity. Consumed by blind rage and the crown's power, Mirror Magolor just lashes out at anything that moves, biting and clawing at whatever he can reach like a feral cat. There's like a 80% chance he has rabies.

Sorry to Susie, Gooey, Adeleine, and all the non-Star Allies crew, I haven't thought abt them yet

#THANK U FOR THE ASK #i love sharing headcanons #kirby #dark meta knight #shadow dedede #shadow kirby #dark taranza #mirror world #amazing mirror #mirror marx #mirror magolor #mirror daroach #mirror animal friends #Headcanon #mod vex

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friendship-ended-with-pokespe · 3 years

Text

Kirby: Meta Knight and the Strongest Warrior in the Galaxy Chapter 2

Ten days have passed since Moa became a trainee crew for the Halberd. Every day, Moa would never fail to sweep the lobby and the passage. He also wipes the console panels and the screens sparkling clean. He would run about energetically and take care of even the most trivial errand without delay.

One afternoon, as he sat in a chair in the lobby and drank tea, Meta Knight talked to Captain Vul beside him. “How’s it going with that boy trainee?” Moa seemed to be cleaning the ship, and was nowhere to be seen in the lobby. Captain Vul said with sighs mixed in. “His attitude is serious, but......” “What is it?” “He has no talent as a warrior. The Meta Knights would give him lessons by turns every day, but not one bit does he improve.” Surrounding the large table in the lobby, the Meta Knights too testified all at once. “Moa’s just way too timid. He’d hold his head and shiver from even the slightest attack.” “He does have the willingness, but is just too cowardly......” “-I see.” “At this rate, it won’t be of any benefit to the person in question. I feel sorry for him, but we really ought to order him to leave the ship.” “Let’s do that.” Meta Knight nodded. It was at that moment. A buzzer informing the emergency call rang. Axe Knight, who was the operator, rushed at the communication device in a hurry. An unfamiliar face was displayed on a large screen in the lobby. It is a man with a fiendish expression and a flashy pirate hat on. The man said in a husky voice. “Yo, Meta Knight or whatever. I’ve got something to share with ya. How ‘bout ya lend me that ear of yers?” “What did you just say? How insolent. Give your name first!” Yelled Axe Knight, where the man with a pirate hat snickered and said. “I’m Gray the Great Pirate. A ruffian who rampages across the galaxy.” “What does the likes of pirates want with Halberd?” “I don’t like that cocky attitude of you punks. Y'all would leave me aside and show off here and there, so in short......” Gray the pirate tucked his chin and his eyes gleamed. “I’m saying that the gang of pirates led by me will crush y'all. Once I bring down the crew of Meta Knight and hijack the Halberd, my name will resound all over the galaxy! That’s what I’m after!” These sorts of attacks are apt to happen to the Halberd. Those with ambitions would often pick a fight to win against the famed Meta Knight and make themselves well-known. Of course, not a single one had their ambitions come true. Axe Knight talked back leisurely. “Ha, what an idiot. There’s no way a pirate would stand any chance against our lord. Just us is enough, let alone our lord.” “Keke, I’ll have ya regret those words!” Simultaneous as Gray laughs, a roar resounds and the Halberd shakes greatly. Captain Vul placed his teacup and stood up. “To attack us out of the blue, what a mannerless bunch. I’d prefer not to deal with these small fries, but we should protect ourselves just in case.” Captain Vul shouts firmly. “We intercept them at once. All members, to your positions!” “Yes, sir!” “My lord, it’s alright for you to keep drinking tea. You can leave it to us to take care of these lots......hold on whoaaaaa!” The ship shook a second time and Captain Vul tumbled. The enemy’s shelling packs quite a hit. “Good grief, not like that’s the case anyways. I’ll be participating as well.” Said Meta Knight in a bothered manner, and left his seat. Axe Knight who was checking the monitor shouts. “The enemy ship approaches rapidly. Enemy soldiers are boarding the deck!” “No matter. Mow them down all at once.” “Please wait, my lord.” Having stood up, Captain Vul’s countenance suddenly changed. “Moa should be on the deck!” “What?” “That kid would always clean the deck around this hour. Oh no......!” Hearing that, Axe Knight switched the ship’s camera. “Moa is there, sir! He’s on the deck!” What was projected on the screen was the footage of the deck. Pirates wearing filthy clothes board one by one with swords and axes in their hands. Frozen before the pirates was Moa with a cleaning mop in his hands. “Moa!” Yells Captain Vul and the Meta Knights all at once. “Run, Moa!” “You hear us, pirates? That child is merely in charge of cleaning. He has no involvement in this!” His voice should have passed through the speaker and reached them, but- Far from fleeing, Moa readied his mop like a sword with a strained expression. He seems to intend to stand against the pirates. Captain Vul stomped his feet and hollered. “Don’t be stupid, Moa! This is an order from the captain! Put your hands up and surrender!” At that moment, a figure jumping out swiftly was displayed on the screen. It’s Meta Knight. He left the lobby while his men were glued to the screen and rushed over to the deck before others.

Meta Knight raised his Galaxia and slashed at the group of pirates. Standing before him was the leader of the pirates, Gray. “We’ll head over to the deck as well!” Together with Captain Vul, the crew hastened to the deck at full speed.

The battle ended in the twinkling of an eye. In the beginning, the pirates were vigorous with their attacks, but were unable to keep up with it. In an instant, the enemies all collapse once the Meta Knights rush out to the deck. With a parting threat “I-I’ll remember this~!,” their leader Gray took to the heels first and his lackeys too retreated in a disorderly manner. They were easily able to repel the enemies, but:

“Where are you, Moa!? Moa!” The Meta Knights rushed around every nook and cranny of the deck and looked for Moa. Moa ended up missing in the midst of the confusion of the battle. Javelin Knight came running to Captain Vul and reported. “No good, sir. He can’t be found anywhere!” Captain Vul commanded with a distress-filled look. “He might’ve been thrown out into space. We’ll send out a small boat and search every inch of the surroundings. Make haste!” “Yes, sir.” A small boat for searching takes off from the hangar of the Halberd. Seeing it with his eyes, Captain Vul left the deck and went back to the lobby.

The lobby was shrouded by a gloomy atmosphere. Sword Knight murmured in an uncharacteristically feeble voice. “Maybe he was abducted by the pirates? Those violent punks......” “......I’m the one to blame.” Captain Vul dropped his shoulder and groaned. “All because I let him board the Halberd......!” The Meta Knights said in unison. “Captain, that’s......” “It’s the same for us. We gave in to his eagerness......” “We approved him as an apprentice. We should’ve refused him flatly back then.” “I told him harshly to take courage and don’t run from an enemy. It’s because of those words that the kid went against the pirates......” The Meta Knights wept. Blade Knight said in a harsh tone. “That’s enough, everyone. No use crying over spilt milk.” “But......” Blade Knight dropped his voice and continued. “Our lord is the one at most pain.” Everyone suddenly became aware. Meta Knight was nowhere to be seen in the lobby. “He has no connection to our lord. I was the one that was entrusted with recruiting rookies.” Said Captain Vul in a harsh tone, but Blade Knight shook his head. “Think of how our lord is. No one cares for his men that much.” “......Ugh......” “He may be just an apprentice, but a subordinate went missing nonetheless. Not to mention how unreliable the kid was with his sword skills.” “......Uuu......ughh......” Every person that gathered in the lobby hung their head.

Meta Knight remained alone on the deck and was standing still. The scars from the battle are freshly remaining. Holes are all over the floor and barrels that were piled up neatly are all knocked away.

Like a statue, Meta Knight was standing stock still on the disorderly deck. Without a word as he stared at the nihil universe.

“Huh? What did you say just now?” Kirby was wide-eyed. Coming uninvited to Kirby’s house one morning were the Meta Knights. Captain Vul, Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and the Meta Knights...... Captain Vul pulls a face and yells. “Lord Meta Knight has gone missing! He disappeared without informing his destination to anyone!” “Hmm......” Kirby is carefree in contrast to Captain Vul at his wit’s end. “He must’ve left to have some snacks. He’ll come back after he’s full.” “Gah! This is not like you! You think our lord would have snacks!?” “Huh!? Meta Knight doesn’t eat snacks!?” Kirby stumbled from his shock. “Why!? Is he on a diet!?” “You think our lord would be on a diet!? A diet through skipping snacks doesn’t last long in the first place. I tried it before too, but couldn’t even last two days......” “Captain, you’re straying from the topic.” Warned Axe Knight in a low voice, and Captain Vul quickly became aware. “At any rate, our lord has gone missing. Concerning that, Kirby......no, Mr. Kirby. Sir Kirby. Master Kirby......” “It doesn’t matter what you call him!” “Will you lend us your strength!?” “Sure thing!” Kirby answered readily and did a somersault. “It’d be boring without Meta Knight. Let’s go and look for him together!” Kirby darted out of his house no sooner than he said. Captain Vul grabbed him in a hurry. “Hold on. Where are you trying to go when we haven’t even explained anything?” “Huh? The cake store, of course.” “Gah! Our lord didn’t leave to have snacks!!!” “Huh? That’s not it?” “Listen when I’m talking!!!” Roared Captain Vul like a thunder. Sword Knight said in an astounded manner. “There’s no point in running about when we don’t even have a lead. Why don’t we discuss this with King Dedede?” “King Dedede? He’s not reliable.” Said Kirby in displeasure, but Sword Knight shook his head. “He is the ruler of Dream Land in spite of his looks.” “He just claims to be one.” “......Oh well. That’s true, but plenty of inhabitants come in and out of Castle Dedede, so gathering information should be easy as well. Who knows what lead we might find.” “You’re right. It’ll be reassuring to have Kirby and Dedede lend us their strengths.” The subordinates nodded at the same time. “Now that that’s been decided, to Castle Dedede we go!” “Hmmm, I think the cake shop would be better than castle Dedede......” “Quit nitpicking and come!” Kirby was taken away by force, his both hands seized by Sword Knight and Blade Knight.

“......What? Meta Knight has gone missing?” King Dedede was in an ill mood from being woken up early in the morning. “Just leave him be. I’m going back to sleep. Kick them out, Waddle Dee.” “But, Your Highness......” Waddle Dee looked up worriedly at King Dedede. “I think it would be better to listen to what they have to say. I’m worried that Lord Meta Knight would suddenly go missing.” “What’re you so worried about. It’s usual for a guy that's self-centered like him to suddenly disappear. It’s never gonna end if you keep worrying about him every time.” “What!? Our lord is not self-centered!” Fumed Captain Vul. “I have followed my lord for a very long time, but only twice did he disappear without informing me of his destination......wait, five time, six times......h-huh? Were there more? Ten times......twenty times, that’s the only time he did!” “It happens often, huh.” Said Waddle Dee, his worries gone to waste. “You’re wrong!! This time, it’s serious!!” Sword Knight explained, pushing Captain Vul worked up and thrashing out of the way. “Hear what we have to say. Our Lord does do as he wishes, so there have been times when he left suddenly without informing us of his destination. But it’s different this time. We’re afraid that our lord might be brooding over it.” “Brooding over it......?” “Aye. You see, there has been an attack on the Halberd......” Sword Knight told about Moa the apprentice of a boy. Blade Knight and the Meta Knights also interjected and explained the story in detail. Even while hearing the story, King Dedede seemed drowsy, but Kirby and Waddle Dee were listening in seriousness. “The trainee went missing......so Lord Meta Knight has......” “Aye. He probably left in search of Moa. We mustn’t let only our lord be burdened as such. With our lord, we too will......” “Huhuhu!” Letting out a voice that was indiscernible from a yawn and a sneer was King Dedede. Turning his back on Captain Vul and the others in indignation, Dedede spread his hands widely. “Are you all idiots? Why would Meta Knight look for his missing flunky?” “What did you just say!?” They showed anger to his rude attitude. “Lord Meta Knight cares for his men more than anyone!” “Even a trainee is a precious man to him!” “Of course he’d be worried if he happens to go missing!” “But you chumps probably didn’t gain any lead even after searching everywhere.” King Dedede put his hands in his hips and turned around. “It’s not like Meta Knight searching for him alone would pay off. I’m well-aware of that.” “S......Still......!” “He wouldn’t do something so futile. There’s only one thing as for what he would think of.”

“......What is it?” “Eating snacks without moping about it!” “Shut it, Kirby. What would our lord think of?” “He would re-discipline himself to not repeat the same mistake.” Meta Knight’s men were dumbfounded from such an unexpected words. King Dedede continued as he stifled a yawn. “He lost his precious man because he lacked strength.” “You’re wrong! Lord Meta Knight didn’t do anything wrong!” “Whatever the truth is, he would think like that.” “......I see.” Nodded Captain Vul with a slight frustration in his expression. “How could I of all people not realize that? It’s true now that you say it. Our lord is hard on himself after all......” “He’s hard on me too!” “Shut it, Kirby. So he’d be training somewhere by now? Would it be better to not disturb him......” “No, I feel we should go and look for him.” Said Blade Knight. “Knowing it’s our lord, he might collapse from too much training.” “You’re right. Besides, I feel terrible to have only our lord train. We’re the ones lacking in strength. We all ought to train ourselves.” “Yeah, let’s do that! Waddle Dee, we’re gonna go training, so prepare some boxed lunch!” Trident Knight said to Kirby in high spirits. “This isn’t a picnic. Where would our lord be training?” “Wouldn’t it be places like a swordsmanship dojo or an arena?” “No, why would our lord polish his skills in somewhere so commonplace like an arena? No warrior would serve as a good opponent for him.” At that moment, Captain Vul exclaimed as though something ran through his mind. “I see......how could I!? I totally forgot!” “What is it, Captain Vul?” “For our lord, there’s just one warrior who’s a suitable opponent for training!” “Who is it, sir? There’s a warrior that goes well with our lord?” “There is. Just one.” “And that would be......?” “Feared as the strongest in the galaxy, the ancient warrior who was sealed. Galacta Knight!” The Meta Knights, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight were all in a daze. Mace Knight began laughing. “This isn’t time to make jokes, sir. Galacta Knight is someone from ages ago!” “Right. Him being unsealed is only a story in the movie......” “Wahaha, you lads didn’t know it, eh?” Captain Vul folded his hands from behind and threw out his chest. “I told you before, didn’t I; that only one person has unsealed Galacta Knight before!” “Is it Meta Knight?” Said King Dedede, as Captain Vul paused to put on airs. Captain Vul hollered at Dedede with a look of chagrin. “GAH! Don’t steal my highlight! I wanted to say that!” “Is that true? Did our lord unseal Galacta Knight before?” Asked Javelin Knight, and the rest of the men were in uproar “I had no idea......that’s our lord for you!” “Please tell us the details, captain!” Requested by the subordinates, Captain Vul was in a good mood again. “Now when was that? At the end of a certain adventure, my lord was given a chance for one of his wishes to come true. At that time, what my lord wished was to become stronger.” “Wha, what a bummer. It’d been way better if he wished for something more fun.” Said Kirby, but Captain Vul shook his head. “That’s what’s admirable about Lord Meta Knight. In order to become strong, my lord wished to battle the strongest warrior in the galaxy. The wish was granted, and Galacta Knight, having been unsealed, traversed through time and was summoned.” “I see......Meta Knight unsealed him in order to train. Just as I thought.” Said King Dedede to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear. Kirby retorted at once. “You said it was to get a signature from him!” “It doesn't matter. So who won that fight?” Captain Vul shook his head slowly. “The match wasn’t decided. You could say that it was all but-a draw. My lord succeeded in sealing him a second time, but he himself was injured severely as well. It was a grand battle befitting the two great heroes of the galaxy.” “Amazing......my heart pounds just from imagining it!” “It should be made into a movie! It’ll bring the whole galaxy to tears!” The men quivered with emotion. Waddle Dee said worriedly. “So Lord Meta Knight is planning to fight Galacta Knight again, is he? If he gets injured severely again......” “Aye. Now that Galacta Knight is the opponent, this can no longer be called a training. We can’t just sit here like this. Let’s go!” Captain Vul began to stride. “Where’re you trying to go? You have an idea of where he might be?” Asked King Dedede. “I do. I’ll be explaining the details in the Halberd. Make haste, everyone!” Captain Vull jauntily rushed out of the room.

The Halberd plunges through jet-black universe. Everyone was gathered at the lobby within the ship. “Just where is this ship heading to?” Said King Dedede while gulping tea from an extra-large teacup. “The black market.” Answered Captain Vul, reclining in his chair. “The black market? What’s what?” “I’ll explain in order. Before that, I’ll first tell you about how to remove the seal on Galacta Knight.” “Yeah, we were wondering about that.” Sword Knight says. “It was just once that he had an opportunity for his wish to be granted, right? Then isn’t it impossible to summon him yet again?” “No, that isn’t true. It became clear to me in the previous battle.” Captain Vul raised the visor of his captain’s hat. “You must not disclose what I share with you from this point on. This secret is so great that if it is to be misused, it’ll disrupt the order of the whole universe.” Everyone nodded, seeing Captain Vul’s unwontedly serious expression. “The truth is, it needs to be via an extradimensional road to release Galacta Knight from his seal and call him into this world. ” “An extradimensional......road? What’s that?” “An extradimensional road is, so to speak, something like a passage that leads to a different world than the one we live in. By traveling through this road, Galacta Knight seems to be able to remove his seal and make his way into this world.” Everyone is staying silent, unable to understand the captain’s words. Sword Knight and Blade Knight were the first to respond. The pair exchanged looks and exclaimed at the same time. “So our lord plans to use this extradimensional road. We should also aim for that!” “It’s not that simple. An extradimensional road is in a different dimension from our world, and cannot even be found through normal means.” “What? Then how should we......” “The real issue begins here.” Captain Vul continued in a remarkably fierce tone. “Have you heard of a name called Sphere Doomer?” “Yup, I know what that is!” Answered Kirby. “I’ve met it before. That knucklehead wouldn’t listen to anything I say!” “......I wouldn’t want to hear it from you.” Gibbed Captain Vul and cleared his throat. “I’ll explain it for those who don’t know. Sphere Doomers are mysterious organisms that live in Another Dimension, and their ecology is just about unknown to us. Just two things are known about them.” Captain Vul raised his one finger. “One. That they have the power to connect the extradimensional road and this world.” He raises his other finger and continues. “And one more thing. That a substance called Energy Sphere is their favorite sustenance.” “Energy Sphere......?” “I know what that is!” Kirby bent himself forward on the table.

“I gathered plenty of it before to repair Magolor’s ship, Lor. Lor Starcutter can’t move without Energy Spheres.” “Yes, correct. Energy Spheres is a substance with a wonderful power concealed in it: it’s the source of an ultimate energy. Its existence however is immensely rare, and cannot just simply be obtained. Sphere Doomers are very fond of these Energy Spheres. They would sniff out areas with the precious Energy Spheres, and arrive at this world through an extradimensional road.” “In other words-” Said Sword Knight who is quick to understand. “We can capture a Sphere Doomer by luring them with this Energy Sphere thingy as bait. By borrowing its power, we then could open an extradimensional road......is that what you’re saying?” “Yes, exactly. I believe my lord will use that method to summon Galacta Knight a second time and try to discipline himself.” “I see. So that means our lord would be somewhere with an Energy Sphere.” “Right you are. But as I said right now, Energy Sphere is an immensely rare substance. It’s not something that would be anywhere. What do you think we should do to obtain an Energy Sphere?” Captain Vul looked around at all present. King Dedede raised his hand and said. “It’s simple. Let’s wreck Magolor’s ship a second time.” “No way Jose! Lor is a ship with a mind of its own. I’d feel awful about destroying it!” Kirby opposed strongly. Blade Knight said. “But we don’t have any lead on that Energy Spheres thingy. Wouldn’t our only choice be to examine that ship......?” “No, there’s no need for that.” Captain Vul struck the table lightly with both his hands. “Energy Spheres can seldom be found. This is because it’s a substance made by an ancient civilization that is now in ruins.” “An ancient civilization......?” “Aye. They once existed far away from our galaxy on a planet called Halcandra. This civilization developed at such a high degree unimaginable to us, but they all vanished at one point.” “Why?” “I do not know why. Anyways, all that’s left now are meager traces. I assume that Energy Spheres and the Lor Starcutter were all made by that civilization.” “Then our only choice is to examine that ship called the Lor, isn’t it?” “No, the Lor is acknowledged as invaluable even among the products of the ancient civilization. Even if it isn’t to that extent, other various items can be discovered once in a while. Those items could be put on sale at a black market.” “A black market......so this ship is bound for there, huh. What kind of place is it?” Asked King Dedede, where Captain Vul smiled boldly and answered. “Black market. It’s a shadowy market that isn’t seen on the surface and deals with shady goods.” “Oh......?” “It exists at a certain corner in a certain star. Although I can’t be clear about it as it is forbidden to divulge its secrets. At any rate, it’s a heinous market known only to a small fraction of the people.” “How do you know about such a heinous market, captain?” Asked Axe Knight. Captain Vul hid his expression with his captain’s hat and answered. “I’m a man of many mysteries. I have an aloof past that I don’t share with even you fellas. Setting that aside, the black market has a lot of sham articles, but you also could come across a hidden gem at times. There’s a chance that we could find a treasure made in Halcandra.” “So basically......” Said Sword Knight. “We’ll be able to get our hands on an Energy Sphere once we find an ancient priceless item there. You’ll then be able to lure a Sphere Doomer and summon Galacta Knight, right?” “Exactly. Lord Meta Knight must be on his way to the black market. We too are heading to a planet of black market.” “Sounds pretty bothersome......” Even as Dedede grumbled, the Halberd steadily gained speed and was approaching the planet of black market.

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#kirby novels #kirby of the stars #light novel #translation #kirby #meta knight #king dedede #waddle dee #captain vul #meta knights #sword knight #blade knight

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nanoland · 3 years

Text

new chapter (lucifer fic)

(earlier parts are here; whole thing is here)

Ponder on the Narrow House, part 3

Mazikeen + Eve + Michael, gen fic (for now), warning for gun violence

Along the California coastline, the cruise ship Illustrious Voyager bore four thousand three hundred and ten passengers, one thousand two hundred and ninety-six crewmembers, and two guide dogs.

Five thousand six hundred and eight souls, in total.

At around 4pm, without anyone noticing, that number became five thousand six hundred and nine.

Hands clasped behind her back, Eve strolled down the promenade, admiring the vessel’s size and beauty. This fresh new millennium’s wealth astonished her. Sickened, sometimes. Entranced, sometimes. But always astonished.

Back in the garden, they’d slept on and under rocks. When it rained, they got wet. When large animals came by, they hid. No weapons. No shelter. No blankets. The only resource they’d had in abundance was food. Good grief – so much food. God had been so proud of all the different fruits and nuts and mushrooms he’d made available to them, and Adam had been so grateful. Eve supposed she had been, too.

It hadn’t stopped her from one day approaching her husband and the plump rabbits resting in his lap – two of several dozen pets – and asking if he didn’t think the cold nights would be much more endurable if they each had a warm pair of fur slippers.

Then she’d met Lucifer. Fallen in love. Bitten the apple. Learned how powerful he and his Father truly were. That was when the real questions, the sticky, prickly questions, had come bubbling up.

If Lucifer has such a vast family, with so many siblings, why can’t I have even one? she’d asked the sky. Why is Adam all I get?

And later: If You can simply bring people into existence, why must I scream and bleed and shit myself in order to have children? Am I doing it wrong? Is there another way? If there isn’t, why not?

And later: Why is nothing fair?

And, most recently, after meeting Mazikeen: Why isn’t everything at least equally unfair? Why do humans get a world of options while Maze and her family are expected to serve angels from birth to death? Why isn’t Maze allowed into Heaven, even after an eternity of loyalty and hard work?

“Sorry,” she said, flashing white teeth at a passing crewmember. “I’m trying to find a friend of mine. Can you tell me how to get to Room 835?”

Half an hour later, there was a splash and the ship’s population dropped to five thousand six hundred and seven.

Before binding his arms and legs, Eve had secured Andrew Bismarck’s lifejacket and gagged him. Furious and helpless, he bobbed alongside her as the ship moved on and Mazikeen rowed up in her inflatable raft, wearing a sunset-orange swimsuit.

“Should I be worried about those, babe?” she asked as she gripped Bismarck’s lifejacket and hauled him out of the water.

Eve smiled at the dolphin pod swimming in playful loops around her, and patted the nearest one’s nose. “No. They’re my friends.”

The inflatable wasn’t big enough for three people, so Eve held on to a friend’s dorsal fin and let him drag her back to The Choronzon.

Michael stood on the deck, looking bored. As they climbed aboard, their prisoner slung over Mazikeen’s shoulder, he drawled, “Seriously? This sad specimen’s worth two million dollars?”

“Actually, his net worth is eight hundred million,” said Mazikeen, dumping him down. “Two million is just what his ex-wife is willing and able to pay.”

Wringing out her hair, Eve added, “She took half his money in the divorce but she gave almost all of it to a chimpanzee shelter. I really like her!”

His lip curled. “How delightfully sordid. Isn’t this all a little beneath you, Ms Mazikeen? I mean, you’re a big deal in Hell. High Commander of Lucifer’s legions, head advisor to the king himself. Aren’t you worried taking jobs like this diminishes you?”

Busy handcuffing Bismarck to the railing, Mazikeen said, “Eve, honey? Do me a favour?”

“Boop!” Eve chirped, having already snuck up behind Michael, and pushed him overboard.

“I know it’s your whole gimmick,” Mazikeen called down as he splashed and spluttered, his face red with princely indignation. “And I know you don’t have a lot else going for you. But the next time you try that on me, I will stop being nice. Kapish?”

“Kapish,” he muttered.

The Choronzon had barely travelled a mile before Eve spotted Bismarck’s henchmen coming after them.

“Someone gimme details!” shouted Mazikeen, busy putting a bulletproof vest on over her bikini and opening up the box she’d told Dan contained a fishing rod, not a halberd.

Eve peered through her binoculars. “Two speedboats. Twelve guys on jet skis. Guns everywhere.”

“Heh. Awesome. Mickey – move that tight ass to the front and make like a nice juicy target.”

“Wait, what about-…” Michael began, trailing off as Mazikeen dove gracefully into the sea.

Bouncing from foot to foot, Eve shot him a grin. “Don’t look so glum, sourpuss. This is the fun part.”

She’d never spoken to Michael in Heaven, despite the millennia they’d both resided only two miles apart, her in a lakeside cottage on the outskirts of the Silver City, him in the crystal palace in its centre.

Granted, she’d not exactly had a warm and fuzzy relationship with any of Lucifer’s siblings. They all knew what had happened in the garden. Some had been nice – Amenadiel had visited often, even though he’d never had much to say and they’d spent their time together skipping stones across the lake’s surface. But the others had kept her at a distance. She was a bad influence.

Michael, however, was the only angel she’d not ever said one word to.

She’d seen him, now and then, in the early days, when she was the only human in Heaven and, as such, grudgingly invited to divine family get-togethers. On those occasions, she’d spent too much time feeling awkward and out-of-place to pay attention to the sullen figure lurking in whatever shadows were available. The one time she’d glanced his way, it had been to marvel at the stories of people getting the twins mixed up; beyond the raw basics of bone structure, Michael couldn’t have looked less like her old lover.

Bullets sprayed across the hull. Humming, Eve stepped daintily into Michael’s shadow, seconds before they started bouncing off his shoulders and chest.

“It is beneath her,” he muttered.

She made an ambiguous noise. “How d’you figure?”

There came a shout and a splash from the nearest jet ski. The bullets stopped.

“C’mon. She’s Mazikeen. Everyone in the Silver City knows about Mazikeen. Ordinarily, we couldn’t give two dry shits about Lucifer’s minions, but her? She’s a minor celebrity. The power behind Hell’s throne. Christ, it’s no secret my beloved twin couldn’t govern his way out of a paper bag.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling fondly. “He’s kind of bad at everything. Except music. He’s a great musician.”

More shouting. More shooting. More bullets bouncing off Michael’s torso. Mazikeen rode by, one hand gripping her newly-acquired jet ski’s throttle lever, the other clutching her bloodstained halberd. Watching her circle the enemy, Eve was reminded of a sheep dog.

Michael went on: “And then there’s the fact that for a while, everyone thought Lucifer was going to marry her. It was all anyone could talk about. Jophiel was taking bets on when the proposal would happen. She’d have been High Commander and the Queen of Hell. Instead? All of a sudden, Lucifer takes an indefinite vacay to the mortal realm, drags her with him, and next thing anyone knows, she’s working behind a bar.”

The remaining jet skis and their terrified, wounded riders had been neatly rounded up, which meant it was time for Eve to open her purse.

“Um – how long have those been in there?” asked Michael, watching her take out three grenades.

“You want one?” she offered. “Don’t forget to take the pin out before you throw it. I did that my first time.”

One thing to be said for millions of dull, dull years spent sitting next to God’s Greatest Warrior, skipping stones across a lake; your aim got good.

The first blast was a warning, not close enough to actually kill any of Bismarck’s men, though the resultant waves did knock several into the water. They tried to retreat, turning their vehicles around, only to remember Mazikeen, corralling them single-handed and now armed with machine guns she’d confiscated from those already bested.

When they saw the second and third grenade incoming, they gave up and abandoned the jet skis, jumping into the sea and swimming for their lives.

“Fuck!” Michael yelped, blocking his ears at the concomitant explosions.

Gazing past the debris and smoke, Eve saw Mazikeen head for the nearest of the two speedboats. Its occupants, preoccupied with aiming a rocket launcher at The Choronzon, saw her coming far too late.

“I get your point,” said Eve, as her girlfriend and her halberd made short work of the crew. “But that’s a really… how can I put this? It’s a really angelic way of looking at things. Maze doesn’t consider anything ‘beneath her’.”

“Wow. Sick burn. You’re basically admitting she has no pride.”

“Oh, she’s got pride. Tons of pride. Her pride’s just dependant on how well she does a job, not on the type of job she has. She wasn’t happy working at Lux, but that wasn’t because she thought bartending was ‘beneath her’; it was because she prefers doing things she’s good at. Customer service isn’t really one of her strengths.”

The second speedboat was abandoned by its crew mere seconds before Mazikeen rammed the first speedboat into it, cackling victoriously.

“Actually,” Eve said, moving from Michael’s shadow to where Mazikeen had earlier set a crate of peach soda – her favourite – out on the deck, “now that you mention it, I guess I’m the one with no pride. Haven’t really ever had anything to be proud of. Your Dad never gave me the chance. I was never meant to do things. I was just meant to be.”

Michael snorted. “Lucky you. Trust me; he may have softened in his later years, but back in the day he never, ever stopped riding our asses. You think Lucy really rebelled because he had better plans for how the universe should be run? Because he was an innovator? Nope. Lazy dick just hated being told to do his chores.”

By the time Mazikeen swam back to them, saltwater had washed off the blood and her ponytail had come loose.

“Oh, hey,” said Eve, gripping her hand and pulling her up. “A mermaid.”

After pressing a rough kiss to her cheek and taking a swig of peach soda, Mazikeen asked, “You okay? He did his job?”

Eve patted the angel’s shoulder – the one that wouldn’t hurt. “He was terrific! Awesome addition to the team.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Michael mumbled.

Ignoring him, Mazikeen snatched up a towel to dry her hair. “Glad to hear it. Alright! Let’s get Bismarck back to shore, get paid, and find a place to have dinner so we can toast Team Hellrazor’s first successful mission.”

“R-A-Z-O-R,” Eve informed Michael. “To make it cooler.”

#lucifer #mazikeen #eve #michael demiurgos #demons #lucifer morningstar #amenadiel #michael #fanfic #my fic

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wookieewrites · 3 years

Text

Lootkeeper

The adventurers were bloodied and beaten when they staggered into my chambers. They generally were, the ones who made it this far. I could never help myself wondering which of them would make it, who was going to go down hard, who would end up sacrificing themselves for the others.

You do this long enough, and the wondering just creeps in.

The very tone of the broken fortress changes when adventurers enter. Nightmares stir from their sleep, traps stretch their necks and the watchers peer out into the gloom. There are things out there with eyes that see clearly through the rain – and there’s always rain.

So I take my traditional place, don the armour I wore on my own journey through these ruins, and wait for them. I rest my hands on the pommel of my sword, embedded in the cracked flagstones where I buried it long ago.

The five of them wearily ready their weapons, stringing themselves into a loose formation. There’s a pair of magic wielders, of wildly different disciplines to judge my their clothing. They hover towards the middle, their fingers aglow with untold powers waiting to come at their beckon. Their rearguard hefts a hammer at me, and I strongly suspect that she’s going to hurl it at the slightest provocation.

The three frontliners bear the brunt of the damage this crew has sustained so far, as per usual. My eyes flick from the tip of a halberd to a gash on the man’s face, watching as it slowly knits itself together.

On the right, a lightly armoured woman with a determined set to her shoulders gives me a more appraising look than most. She’s probably not the planner of the group, but at a guess she might be the face. The bruises suggest that talking hasn’t done her all that much good in here, which I could have told her much earlier.

“If you just let us pass, we don’t have to fight,” she says, barely trying to disguise the bone weariness that suffuses her voice.

“Why do you insist on trying that every time Mariella?” her partner groans, hefting his scimitar.

“Let you pass? That would kind of defeat the point of me, don’t you think?” I ask. You might think they were too exhausted to appreciate my humour, and you would be right. But I get bored sometimes. Everyone does.

“You talk?” one of the magic wielders asks. I pin her as a necromancer. Oh, probably masquerading as a cleric of some nature or life god, but a necromancer nevertheless. The illusions are gone by this point.

“Last I checked. Though chances are I’m not the first being that can talk you’ve encountered on your way here. Not everything that can speak is friendly – or intelligent.”

“It has a point,” the other magic wielder says. “Remember that tree thing?”

“The treeyaeya is not particularly companionable,” I agree.

“You can say that again-“ he cuts off as Mariella smacks the flat of her rapier against his arm.

“Why would it tell us that?” she challenges.

“They, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh,” the hammer-thrower says, lowering her hammer. “I’ve never met something that cared about pronouns that wouldn’t monologue before attacking me.”

“I’ve never felt more insulted and more seen at the same time,” I reply.

“Are you going to attack us,” Mariella asks, looking more curious than weary.

“That really depends on if you’re going to attack me. But I wasn’t planning on it, no.”

The magic fades from the mages’ fingertips, and all but one of them sheath their weapons.

“Come on, Vanagan. If they were going to start a fight, they’d have done it by now. I mean, look at the size of that sword.”

“Much too big to be practical,” I agree, taking my hands from the pommel and resting them by my sides. “Totally stuck in the flagstones, too. It’s mostly just for show.”

Vanagan, the halberdier, finally relaxes. He pulls his dented helm from his head and rests it on a hidden hook on his shoulder. I guess his hair is usually coiffed, but right now it looks as dishevelled as the rest of him. Not bad looking, all things considered.

“What are you doing here, then, if you’re not going to fight us?” the necromancer asks.

“You’re almost at the top now,” I explain, “and quite frankly you’ve been through a lot to get this far. I’m here to give you a little rest and some kind words of encouragement.”

Most of them seem happy with that, and a couple sit down on the flagstones. They look about ready to sleep. A frown creases Mariella’s face, as if she doesn’t quite believe me. I shed my helmet, crusty old thing that it is, and reveal my lined face to them all. I grin.

“Oh, and to arm you all for the fight ahead, that is.”

They leave their exhaustion in my antechamber, as I lead them into the armoury. The forge and the workshop are tertiary to their concerns, and there are secrets in there that aren’t mine to share. Not that they have much time to use them at the moment.

The second greatest joy that I have these days, after messing with adventurers who come to face me, is the looks on their faces as they spin on their heels, staring up at the towering racks of tools, weapons, armour and trinkets that fill my armoury.

“What’s the catch?” the hammer thrower, Hylie, asks. I already like her to-the-point attitude.

“Take a piece, leave a piece,” I say.

“Equal value?” Mariella’s partner, Bykar, interjects. “Alright, I might be able to swap everything I have for this gold spoon then.”

“That spoon can turn any liquid into pure magical energy. Charges mages up like a lightning strike.”

Bykar puts the spoon back hurriedly, as if he worried it would break on him.

“No, not equal value. For any piece of gear you leave behind, you can take a piece of gear from here. A whole suit of armour for a single knife, if you wish. But you must leave behind one more item than you take.”

“Are they all enchanted? Any why one more?” Trudy the necromancer asks, looking more excited by the minute.

“Every one. And you have to leave more than you take, so the armoury can grow.”

“I could have told you that,” Vanagan scoffs, “it’s a typical deal with these kinds of types. Let me guess – you somehow use our attachment to the items to fuel the magic that makes them worth so much more in the end?”

His companions stare at Vanagan in unconcealed disbelief.

“He’s quite right. Though, it’s less about fuel and more that the technique involves evoking an enchantment from the item’s history. Chances are you’re the most significant part of that history though, given that you brought them here. There’s a lot of nuance to this kind of enchantment, but I doubt you have much time to discuss it. Your Quest and all.”

Vanagan looks smug at being right, and the rest of the group seem keen to move on from anything that might cause their friend to start crowing about his intelligence.

“Where do you want the things we’re trading?” Hylie asks. I motion towards a series of broad, flat silver trays.

The group splits up to hunt through the vast stock of treasures available to them.

This part of the process is another one that fascinates me – the way that different people choose to approach it. I watch as Byker slowly strips himself of every piece of equipment that he has with him. The battered armour, his sword, shield and a handful of minor magical trinkets that he’d clearly accumulated of the course of their venture into the fortress. He lays each out, and counts them, trying to make sure that he has a fair number. When he seems satisfied with the count, he looks up at me and I nod, accepting the total that he has calculated.

Then he disappears into the stacks, combing through as much of the armoury as he can make it through. I spot him pick out a glittering suit of armour that can blind his enemies in a fight and a solid wooden round shield whose crest is almost imperceptible beneath the blood that has stained it. The latter is infused with the fury of a dragon, and I’m not even sure what the full effects of the shield would be when bonded.

On the other hand, Mariella doesn’t leave a single thing on the trays. Instead, she prowls the pathways between the stacks, her eyes running over every item she sees but not staying for longer than a moment on any until she spies a rapier, much like her own, with a dark emerald embedded in its pommel. She draws the weapon, and feels some part of its power brush up against her mind, whispering of the things that she could do with it if she leaves here with it.

Mariella walks back over to me, takes off her necklace and unsheathes her well-worn rapier, placing them on the tray in front of her. Without looking at me, she buckles the enchanted sword to her side, and returns to scanning the stacks. Each time she returns, she has another item in hand, and leaves something of hers in exchange.

The lot of them waste little time in assessing the tastiest morsels of the armoury, and in almost no time at all I can tell that they’re mentally preparing themselves for the slog ahead. It’s usually not far, from my chamber to the throne room, but those last few encounters can really test a party’s mettle.

I won’t be bored, when they’re gone. They’ve left the better part of the loot that they entered with, so I have a few solid days of enchanting work ahead of me, as well as some extra, lengthier steps with some of the gnarlier enchantments.

It will be quieter, though.

“Is that everything?” I ask.

“Not quite,” Mariella replies. “Do you have any tips? For what lies ahead?”

This is a smart question, and one that far too many groups don’t think to ask.

“You’ve a big group. I can tell you learned the painful way not to keep too close together, to avoid blasts or anything that might chain. The throne room will force you to unlearn that lesson, if it doesn’t take you out first. Make two self-sufficient subgroups, and be ready to split apart and regroup at a moment’s notice. Dividing attention between the two groups will keep both alive. When your foe starts to gloat, throw your opening volley and hit hard – but make sure you keep a solid reserve. You’ll want to be able to match your opener with another coordinated volley about halfway through. The tricks that will be pitted against you differ each time, but you’ll be able to tell when they’ve all been burned through because the gloating will turn to desperate, brutal fighting. That’s when you throw everything you have out, and whittle whatever’s left away.

If you win, and I hope you do – don’t rest. Other things will come crawling out to try and take your prize from you. They’re not much of a threat, but if you’ve let your guard down they could overwhelm you.

That’s all I remember. Best of luck.”

They absorbed my advice solemnly, and I hoped that enough of it would help them in the long run. I tried never to speak to anything I could not know, and the exact nature of the challenges ahead were unreliable at best. Besides, very little made its way back down the fortress this way, so I rarely learned anything more.

“When we win, we’ll come back through here. Free you from this.”

I shook my head.

“No. I chose to stay here, to work in these chambers for the empowerment of folks like yourself. It will be a difficult enough fight for you, even with the tools I have provided. Without me, it might be years before the fortress is bested.

It is a lonely lot, here, but I could not ask for more fulfilling work.”

At that, they left, bravely facing the chambers ahead. Their spirits had been close to breaking, but now they were renewed.

A figure stirred in the shadows.

IT IS DONE THEN?

“They will fight you at the peak of their strength, lord of this tower. If you best them-“

WHEN

“When you best them, they will nourish your broken soul, and feed the very roots of your power. The fortress may stand for many years on their strength alone.”

GOOD. IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I HAD A TRUE CHALLENGE. IT IS A SHAME THAT MORE OF THEM DO NOT OFFER THEIR SOULS TO SAVE THEIR COMPATRIOTS, AS YOU ONCE DID.

I grind my teeth, but say nothing.

WORK WELL, ETERNAL ARMOURER. YOU MAY YET EARN YOUR FREEDOM.

“You may yet a match for your wretched power.”

It fades from my awareness, returning to its physical form to prepare for the challenge. And I am left to wonder, again, whether I am a thorn in that monster’s side, or a chef preparing its every meal to perfection.

#fantasy #roguelike #original fiction #slay the spire

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inked-in-art · 5 years

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I decided to finally give Orange Sodalite more of a backstory and a crew!

Learn more about them under the cut (theres a lot there)

Orange Sodalites in the first batch he was from tended to have trouble with their electric powers due to their experimental nature and kept poofing gems around them, so many were given quickly made spinels to help keep them from stressing or freaking out. Orange Sodalites that were shown to have much potential were given pearls to educate and help them.

When Orange Sodalite defected from homeworld his pearl (bubble pearl) and his Blue Spinel left with him. They took a small ship and went off to explore the stars. Orange Sodalite due to unknown reason cannot stay on planets for more than about a decade before having to go back to space or he will become stir crazy and become grouchy and angry out of his control. They do tend to make small bases on empty planets they find so that off colors and other gems they help can go to those planets and live in small groups safely.

Orange Sodalite went on a solo supply run during one of these base building jobs and his ship was hit by space junk, causing him to crash land on earth about 35 years ago. He’s been exploring abandoned gem ruins he’s found to try and find some sort of parts he can use to fix his ship to no luck when he accidentally warps into Steven’s house and gets poofed for awhile (His electricity pops the bubble after awhile, this also takes place sometime during the peridot redemption arc when she still lived in the bathroom)

Bubble Pearl is uptight and very protective of her crew (her weapon is a Halberd). She’s much more cautious of helping off colors and other gems they meet because she puts her crew’s, especially Orange Soda’s, safety above all others. She’s sort of the mom of the group and the only one with any real common sense.

Spinel is very laid back and excitable (unknown weapon as she hasnt been able to summor it yet). She’s a little childish and often doesnt understand the danger or harshness of the situations the crew is in. She is helpful for keeping Pearl and the other crew members in good spirits and from falling apart.

Pale blue pearl (aka blind pearl) is well,,, blind. She was intended to be a blue pearl but was implanted to close to a white pearl (who would turn out to be a dud and never grow very much) and they got stuck together. Due to the other gem being stuck it caused problems when she forms, specifically she is completely unable to see. Her weapon is a staff which she uses like a cane and she can use mild echolocation to get the general idea of where things and other gems are. Also due to this dud part of her gem she cannot fuse for more than 5 minutes (7 being her current record)

Zoisite is intended to be a peridot style of gem but Zoisite was placed in the ground wrong, causing her to absorb way to many nutrients (causing the gems placed next to her to come out to small) and she came out much bigger than she should have been. She’s a little slow but she’s very smart and sweet. She doesn’t quite know her own strength either (She loves to give hugs but will sometimes poof more fragile gems when doing so). She watches out for Blind pearl and they work together to stay safe.

Grey pearl was created in a bad spot too, causing her gem to be deformed and her not being able to fully form (missing her leg). Her weapon acts as a prosthetic but she was quickly discarded after she was created.

Iolite was created under similar circumstances a few centuries later, though missing her arm (her weapons also served as a prosthesis). Her fellow Iolites from her batch realized she would be shattered hid her and gave her a headstart to run away. She found a small group of off colors that she joined, which had Grey pearl in it. Iolites cheerful and rambunctious attitude helped bring Grey pearl out of her depression and they ended up falling in love.

Benitoite is the fusion of Iolite and Grey pearl, they are a semi-perma fusion though they do tend to fall apart a lot due to grey pearls anxiety spirals. They love being fused though because they feel whole when they’re fused. Benitoite does have a hole in their leg and only 3 arms due to their components missing pieces.They decided to stay with Orange Sodalite rather than the off colors they were originally with because they wanted to help other gems like them

Ruby was part of a large group or rubies meant to guard a few sapphires. At an event they were at Ruby met Aquamarine and they quickly fell in love. When they could they would often sneak off to spend time together and at one point accidentally fused into Rubellite

Rubellite is a very energetic gem, and as soon as ruby and aquamarine had fused they never wanted to unfuse which of course got them caught causing them to run off which they ran into Orange Sodalite, bubble pearl and spinel while they were stealing some equipment. Orange sodalite helped them hide and escape and rubellite just kinda stuck around.

#steven universe #su #gemsona #ruby #aquamarine #rubellite #grey pearl #iolite #benitoite #pale blue pearl #zoisite #bubble pearl #blue spinel #oc #ocs #my ocs #art #my art #~Q talks #~Q draws

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madlymiho · 5 years

Text

Helloooo @9k8jt ! Thank you so much, you're so kind!!!

I went for a scenario here! Hope it will suit you, my dear! ~

Words : 1439

Crocodile scenario : meeting his future girlfriend who was a member of the Roger’s crew (read after the cut)

Crocodile looks at his drink, focus on the waves made by the brown liquid, lazily licking the transparent wall, while his mind is trapped somewhere else. Times flies cruelly, he thinks, his boring stare wandering a moment on his only and damaged hand. Cruel enough to slowly poison your body, taking your time without you even notice. What an odd and impetuous world. But then, Crocodile looks up, directly at the lady who’s drinking at the bar. She’s not so young as well, despite her gorgeous features and her silken hair, her body and shape body dressed with a refined scarlet dress. There are a few signs of time, as well, gently spreaded here and there on her face, creating soft and inviting wrinkles whenever she smiles at the bartender. Crocodile feels like he has already seen her before ; yet, he has met so many people since then that he can’t actually put a name on this face. He sighs and takes a swallow from his drink, cursing within his failing memory, while he’s ready to leave the bar ; business isn’t waiting, and he needs to get ready for a next meeting. Back on his feet, dominating almost everyone in the bar, Crocodile makes his way to the exist, walking near the bar and this mysterious woman he’s sure to know. She turns her head, furrowing her eyebrows, before she slams her glass on the wooden bar and crosses her arms around her chest.

“I thought you are called a Sir today, Crocodile,” she calls him, with a powerful and deep voice. “So rude coming from the gentleman you are.”

Crocodile, picks in his curiosity, immediately turns around to face this unknown woman. She now tilts her head, her stare playfully watching his unamused face.

“You grow saltier than I would expect.” She continues, taping the stool next to her to invite him.

Crocodile only offers one of his favorite insulting smirk, not even looking at her hand which is still patting the chair to invite him to join her.

“I don’t have time for you, madam.”

Always polite, yet harsh and severe, Crocodile knows how it could hurt a lady to be called “madam” when she desperately tries her best to still look young and fresh. He notices a spark of anger in the back of her eyes, and for moment, they just stare at each other without adding a word. But then, she offers him a bestial grin, enlightening her features with a sort of animal wrath. She turns her head, grabbing her drink with a firm grip, not even interested by him anymore.

“Still the same brat you were when he took this hand from you.” She simply says, drinking on her whisky.

Crocodile freezes, this time, truly mad at her, not entirely content to hear someone mentioning his past without any consequences. He takes a step forwards and pulls on the stool to make his way, sitting directly next to her while he puts his hook on the bar, somehow reminding her that this is not a subject she should joke about. Her smile grows even bigger as she clicks her fingers to call the bartender.

“Give him some bourbon, young man,” she says, ignoring Crocodile’s deadly stare on her features.

“I’m not drinking with you.” Crocodile answers severely, his voice so loud and patronizing that everyone in the room went silent for a second.

She snorts and nods at the bartender while the young man is still holding the bottle of bourbon in the air, not entirely sure that he wants to pour that drink.

“Quit your aggressive attitudes already, Croco-boy. It’s a reunion party.” She states, almost nostalgic, pushing Crocodile’s fresh drink in front of him.

“Cut the crap and just tell me who you are, so I can once again deny your invitation and handle my business without you annoying me.”

“I’m almost hurt that you don’t recognize me, Croc.”

Now that he’s closer, he feels that he’s entirely sure to know her, yet, his memory is failing him and he still can’t picture where, and most importantly, when he has already meet her. For a moment, he decides to analyze her features, lingering on her face until he notices a long scar crossing her eyelid, tracing a white line down, to the edge of her mouth. He knows her. He’s sure about it now. This scar, he has already seen it before.

Crocodile eventually grabs his drink, pointing at her face with one of his thick finger.

“I remember that.” He simply says with a husky voice, taking a swallow from his bourbon.

She gently skims her scar, her eyes focus on the numerous bottles hung behind the bar, before she turns her head and faces him.

“Of course you do, I got it from the same person who took your hand, back then,” she says while she smiles at him, almost with an intimate one. “Still, I was less stupid than you were.”

Crocodile raises a surprised eyebrow, more focus on her statement than her last insult. But then, as he still looks at her face, he suddenly remembers someone younger he used to know. A beautiful apprentice on the most famous pirate ship ever, with a well-known Pirate King at its head. Crocodile pinches his lips together, his gaze slightly darker than before. Roger wasn’t someone he used to appreciate, yet, he can’t say that he doesn’t respect his crew and their achievement in the New World, even today.

“Name LastName.” Crocodile eventually declares, an almost invisible grin blooming on his features. “What an unpleasant surprise indeed. I thought that Whitebeard has killed you, a long time ago.”

“Almost,” she smiles, her scar reflecting the softened lights of the room. “I must say that he was pretty good to handle his halberd, especially twenty years ago, when my captain and him were always fighting. He pelted me down in the sea, but I managed to survive.”

Crocodile remains silent for a second. Indeed, he was not so far when Roger’s crew and Whitebeard’s one were still at war. In those blurry years of their youth, no one was able to tell who was the strongest between those two enemies. The pirates war has been cruel and quite long, and many of them have been forever marked by their confrontation. Name was only 18 years old back then, and she was sailing with Roger, along with Red-Haired Shanks and Buggy, becoming one the three apprentices of the Pirate King. Crocodile was already on his own back then, but he has always be known for having a grudge against Whitebeard for some obscure reasons, even if rumors has always said that it was because of his long scar across his face and his missing hand.

“You’ve aged well, despite your wounds.” She eventually says, her voice soft and tender, to the point that Crocodile feels caught off guard for once.

“You’re not too bad as well, for a pirate granny.”

She laughs and shakes her head, amused by Crocodile’s aggressivity and his lack of manners when it comes to bound with anyone.

“The pirate granny got a 700 000 000 berries bounty on her head, boy. And she hasn’t been defeated by some angry teenage rubber child.” She snaps back, gazing at Crocodile with a playful stare.

He sighs loudly, picked in his ego, but strangely amused by her behaviors. He remembers now, how she looks when she was just a 18 years old girl, playing the little pirate on Roger’s ship. Back then she was already a fierce girl, and a beautiful one. Yet, Crocodile must admit, time has been gentle with her, enough to transform this sweet young woman into a gorgeous mature lady.

“Do you care for another drink?” Crocodile eventually offers, far from his usual habits.

She raises an eyebrow, frankly surprised, but smiles softly and nods her head.

“I’m sure we have thousand stories to talk about, Croc,” she says before she finishes her drink and slams the glass on the bar. “Your treat, this time.”

#one piece headcanons #one piece scenario #sir crocodile #crocodile one piece #sir crocodile scenario #one piece imagine #one piece headers #one piece hcs #one piece hc

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regionalcoins · 5 years

Note

❝ hey — ❞ eyes downcast upon the weapons displays for the halberd, geno somberly says, ❝ just in case we... don't make it out of this, uh... ❞ fists clench. now that he's had some downtime to prepare, all of the weight of the situation is collapsing in on him. ❝ just wanted to say... thanks. thanks for... i don't know how to say it, but... i guess for making me feel like i belong. ❞ he laughs wetly. ❝ i'm... so happy that i came back to see you. ❞

It was an odd, almost numbing sensation. As the crew flew to find Tatanga and the now mindless doll that was Rosalina, Mario hardly felt the usual rush of adrenaline that came with nearing the climax of an adventure – instead, he felt… blank. Sad, almost. Most adventures, he took head-on with burning confidence because he almost always knew he would come out on top. But knowing he would have to face off against a dear, dear friend under the control of an old enemy he hadn’t seen in decades, he felt somber. In the near future, he would be forced to take on a person beloved to him, a person that held enough power in just her pinkie finger to obliterate him completely.

For the first time, he had to admit… he was afraid. He held in his heart hope that everything would go well, but with the speed at which things were progressing, his heart was filled with just as much worry. Mario was surrounded by friends, folks he considered family, and that was all he needed to take on the world… but he worried that they would fall at Tatanga’s hand. His friends were, above all, the most important thing in the world to him. To lose them, would be to lose everything he spent his life fighting for.

Mario stares down upon the weapons display, silently, until a voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He blinks and looks up, meeting the eyes of his blue-caped friend. It would become apparent that although Mario hadn’t spoken a word of how he felt about the current situation, Geno shared his sentiment. It was comforting, but heartbreaking.

“…Yeah,” he says softly, forcing a bittersweet smile. Always the kind to put on a brave and nonchalant facade, he lifts his face and gives the best grin he can. “I could say-a the same, buddy… hehe…”

He reaches up and tips the bill of his hat down a tad, as if to hide his uncertain face.

“I know we can-a do it, but… if-a we don’t make it… I’m-a just wanna say… thanks-a for everything, Geno. You’ve always been a great-a friend and I’m-a honored to fight-a with you again.”

A feeling of warmth wells up in his chest. Just knowing Geno would be with him on this long and dangerous journey quelled his anxiety, if even just a little. They’d taken on the world together once and emerged victorious, so surely being side-by-side once again would see the day being rescued, just as it had been before. They were powerful separately, but together…

…they were unstoppable.

#it's me! (ic)#it's time to smash! (smash)#catastrophe in the cosmos (event)#mario mail (asks)#CRIES REALLY LOUDLY #sternenteile #mailbox

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hoshinokaabiivevo-blog · 6 years

Text

A META KNIGHT’S TALE/META KNIGHT AND THE MYSTERIOUS ECLIPSE

No cover art this time! Might update this later with it.

It was pretty difficult trying to make this game work as a stand-alone, but still have the Kirby charm. That applies to both the storyline and the gameplay, for the record. Any and all criticism is encouraged! Just like with Kirby’s Inferno, this is not meant to be speculation on a future Kirby game, this is solely made for fun! If there ever is a Meta Knight spinoff, you didn’t hear it from me.

STORY

It’s an average peaceful day in Dreamland, and Captain Vul is overseeing the Meta-Knights’ training. They’re all doing pretty well, except for Sailor Dee, who just can’t seem to get a hang of his bow and arrow. Vul is most proud of Meta Knight himself, however, and lauds him when he shuttle-loops a training dummy into stuffing. This exercise is interrupted when a strange meteor crashes down about a mile away, and Sword, Blade, and Meta Knight go off to scope it out.

Upon further inspection, they see that it appears to be a small escape pod of some sort, and there’s a person covered in stars inside of it. Without warning, he bursts from it and lunges at Meta Knight, thrusting a nodachi at his face. They clash for quite some time until Sword and Blade take over, and the other Meta-Knights sans Sailor dogpile on as well. As Meta Knight catches his breath, a small fairy then exits the pod, dazed and weak. She shakes it off, and gasps at the sight before her.

The man manages to break through the barrage of attacks and tries again to strike Meta Knight, but their blades clash and they struggle to maintain their own ground. The fairy girl then yanks the guy away by his ponytail and shows him a picture of a certain spherical hero. It’s actually Kirby, but due to the picture having no color (or any other identification, WTF, Tara?), he believes it to be Meta Knight.

They apologize for attacking and explain themselves. Orion comes from the planet of Aurora Cosmos, which is currently under attack by a mysterious moon-like structure known as the Eclipse Castle. Being the gentlemen that they are (and a little sheepish for attacking an innocent guy), they agree to help him and lead him to the Halberd. Sailor Dee finally hits the target dead on, and Tara cheers him as Axe and Mace guide him into the ship.

Upon reaching Orion’s planet, they can safely affirm that the massive crescent moon-shaped object above the shimmering green planet probably isn’t supposed to be there. I mean, usually, it’s a bad thing when half of the planet’s coated in a gross blackish tar. Landing on the planet proves difficult as well, being that they’re attacked by shapeshifting beasts (which Tara refers to as Morphix) and nearly crash.

Unfettered, the band of knights marches on through the land, slaying these freakish creatures and saving the natives from a gooey torment. But, something seems to be off about Orion. Even for the Meta-Knights, he seems a bit too aloof and unattached, only focusing on the mission at hand and refusing to take a load off.

This reaches a head when after defeating a massive Morphix that begins ripping the place to shreds, Orion does something obscenely reckless. He nonchalantly leaps off of a cliff, and Meta Knight dives after him, catching him and flying him to safety. When they land, the poor guy is in a state of utter bewilderment at what just happened. Apparently, Orion should be able to fly, and is pretty shocked at his sudden inability.

Later, when the crew is roasting marshmallows around a fire, he stands alone and ponders what could be happening. Much to his horror, the answer is made clear when he sees that the stars on his arms are disappearing. He quickly yanks his arm guards over the now-blank spots to hide them as Meta Knight approaches.

Meta Knight can tell something’s wrong but doesn’t pry; instead silently reassuring him that he’ll be fine if they stick together. They hear a scream of terror and turn to see that Tara’s marshmallow has caught fire, and she’s flying around in a tizzy trying to put it out. Sailor Dee helps her out by chucking it into a pond, which gets everyone to laugh and finally unwind.

Once all the countries of the planet are nice and monsterless, the knights turn their attention to the Eclipse Castle. Something goes horribly wrong when they bring the Halberd to the surface. Not only are they immediately grounded by black spires and crash land, Orion suddenly yells out and collapses, the stars from his body rapidly dissolving. The crew rushes over to him and a tearful Tara reveals that they haven’t been exactly honest with them.

Many years ago, Orion’s people were cursed by a vengeful and chaotic mage named Pitch Shadow, who threatened to destroy their planet if they did not submit to his will and give him their magical power. Orion knew that going after him alone would mean certain demise, but he didn’t care as long as his planet was safe. It was only with Tara’s urging that he changed his mind and decided to seek out allies.

Orion is true and fully dead. Furious, Meta Knight leaps through the portal to destroy him, the hesitant crew following suit. Inside the Midnight Castle, they find a massive crystal ball chained to the ground with thick glowing chains. Upon breaking it open, they realize their horrible mistake, as it turns out that the chains were what was giving it it’s energy.

Now fully freed, Pitch begins to siphon all the life out of the planet. They’ve got to turn around to the Halberd and use its cannons to shatter the chains before pummeling him into a pulp once more. With the mage blasted into oblivion, the Eclipse Castle itself starts falling to pieces, and they bolt out of there as fast as they can.

The Halberd continues its journey back down to Aurora Cosmos, while both Meta Knight and Tara sadly gaze upon Orion’s body in the sick bay. Meta Knight turns to leave, but something catches his eye outside the window; a vast collection of golden stars has appeared where the Eclipse Castle used to be, and they’re heading right towards the ship.

As they fill the interior, the markings on Orion’s body reappear, and he awakens. Tara is overjoyed, fluttering around him, and cheering as Meta Knight stares in shock. Overcome by emotion, Meta Knight rushes over to him and embraces him, Orion taking it in stride as he pats Meta’s head.

Triumphant, the knights and Orion land to a cheering crowd. Orion’s wings reappear, to which he responds to by challenging Meta Knight to a race. But as the two take off and dart around the city, it becomes less of a competition and more of the two simply having fun!

GAMEPLAY

Each member has their own personal move set and stats, which can be paired up with another knight to create exclusive moves (and to help with puzzles)

However, they all share one move; they plant their weapon in the ground and clutch onto it, preventing them from being blown away or sucked up by enemies. (ha-ha, wow, that’s dark)

By defeating enemies with combos, you fill up a meter called “boost points”. This gives you the ability to call on Tara so that she can give you extra help with a quick nuzzle or a beam of light from her horn.

These powers include temporary invincibility, stronger attacks, more health, or heightened speed.

Pieces of armor can also show up in hidden crates across various levels, all randomized.

You can mix and match different caps, armor, and weapons, but there are exclusive sets that can permanently boost your stats if completed.

There’s a daily roulette wheel (à la Miitopia) that can give you brand new armor, more boost points, or Maxim Tomatoes.

The game’s map operates the same way that Amazing Mirror’s does, with an open world you can freely move around to which level you’d like and replay them at your leisure. They’re connected all by a central hub in the Halberd, which has a training room and an armory that you can enter at any time.

There’s a boss at the end of every level, not just the worlds! Admittedly, they’re still about the same difficulty as midbosses.

LEVELS

Sable Shores

Tornado Terrace

Energy Expo

Lachrymose Loch

Lit Landing

Ablaze Alcove

Roaring Reaches

Eclipse Castle

Tara’s Dialogue (hub)

(answers to "Greetings.")

You're so cool, Meta Knight! I know you can save us! I-I-I mean, help us.

(post-game) I knew you could do it! Thank you so much for all your aid.

(answers to "Let me see the armory.")

Want to see what armors you've got?

(50% or higher completion) It's getting pretty packed in there! Watch your head!

(100% completion) Brings back memories, doesn't it?

(answer to "I want to try the roulette.")

It's time to play some roulette!

(answers to "What do you think of the crew?")

Captain Vul is astounding! But he's so tall, it scares me a little bit.

Sword Knight is great! His helmet looks like a yummy loaf of bread!

Blade Knight is so brave! He looks up to you a lot, you know.

Mace Knight is so funny! That guy always knows how to cheer me up!

Javelin Knight is very smart! I've never met a robot before!

Axe Knight is so loyal! You two remind me of Orion and me!

Trident Knight is pretty mysterious! But he's good fun!

Sailor Waddle Dee is so cute! ...um, that's all I have to say.

Orion is awe-inspiring! He's my best friend in the whole world!

(answers to "Do you have any advice?")

Have you tried out the training room? It never hurts to brush up on your skills!

Some knights mesh better than others. Try out a bunch of teams and see which works for you!

You should smile more! ...oh, that's not what you meant, is it?

(answers to "Thank you. Goodbye.")

Bye-bye!

It's been a long journey so far. Why not take a rest?

#kirby (nintendo)#kirby (series)#kirby oc #meta knight #a meta knight's tale #hnk art #skylastories #there's less story meat here aheh...#I WAS SCARED OF MAKING IT TOO EDGY #i mean okay sure kirby has dealt with apocalypses before but uh... suicide missions??? yeah...

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her-name-is-no-one · 6 years

Text

egtkid chapter 1

An RVB fanfiction that takes place a few months after the events on Chorus. The Chairman escaped. The Reds and Blues are missing and Agent Washington gets a rag-tag team of criminals to search for them. This was written before season 15, so any events following are not included. Backstories in this are, of course, not canon and totally headcanons. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do!

Prison sucked.

That was the conclusion Zeus had come to a year ago when some way, somehow authorities found her. She’d been totally off the grid! Where had she gone wrong? She’d lived as an inmate for an entire year and decided it was definitely not a place where she’d like to spend the rest of her days. She was even considered a “highly dangerous war criminal.” They captured her while she was literally talking to plants, how dangerous did they think she was?

Well, she had joined a “terrorist” group and then … blew the group up. So she was the one who brought them down because she realised they were evil! And she also kind of stole like … a few trillion dollars worth of materials from them, but like, at least she wasn’t using it for evil? And she wasn’t using her advanced engineering skills for anything except figuring out how to take care of her plants. Sure, she did still have the

armour

she’d designed and created with those stolen materials, but she didn’t have it in prison! But she did have it now. So that was awesome! She didn’t have her plants, though. Maybe after all this was done, she could go back to her quiet life with her garden.

Now, however, it was time for her to put on her armour and slip back into her old codename, Atlas. That was in one of her personal demands, not that she got many. People would probably think her real name was fake, but she still wanted a shred of anonymity. From what the people gathering this group together said, she was the only one the guy in charge didn’t know already. She hoped that meant whoever else was there also did not know her. After all, she was a fairly under the radar person to begin with. Never got particularly infamous or well-known. She didn’t want her name on the weapons she designed, or the items she stole. She also did as little killing as she could get away with, so hopefully there weren’t many people chasing after her wanting revenge for a loved one, or something. Sure, she dropped a building on a few people, but everyone involved was dead now.

She hadn’t really had time to meet her new team, yet, but she’d only been there two days. They put her in a ship, told her some rules, and said that she’d hear from Agent … W… something? (It sounded like an Earth place. She grew up in one of the colonies, so Earth things just weren’t that memorable.) Would ‘summon her’ when it was “time.” They told her to stay in her cabin and the cafeteria until training. Any illegal use of weapons would get her sent right back. Blah, blah, blah. Don’t be an idiot, basically. She hadn’t seen many people out and about, either. A few times she ran into a massive guy, she assumed he was a guy, in green and black, but he didn’t say much. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but she imagined him quietly fuming behind his helmet. He could be plotting something, she wasn’t exactly sure. But he definitely wasn’t scheming, that just… looked different. He just sat there sometimes staring out a window into space. Whenever she saw him in the cafeteria, he wasn’t even eating.

Maybe today would be the day! Today, Agent W. would call them all together and they’d accomplish something! She’d get to meet the Green Boulder … Okay, she needed to scrap that nickname immediately. But he was massive and stoic, like a rock. No, no, she shouldn’t get used to calling him that.Besides, weren’t they all prisoners like her? Someone like him looked like he could kill a man while staring right into his eyes, right after the man told him that he had kids back home. But that was a lot of assumptions based on looking at someone whose face you’ve never even seen. Maybe he was just a broody person. Maybe he wrote angsty poetry about being wrongfully imprisoned! Unfortunately, the people put together were there for their skills, right? She was a good combat fighter and engineer. Someone here had to be a lot more dangerous than her, so maybe looking forward to meeting people wasn’t the right plan just yet.

A voice erupted into her helmet, “Atlas, you are to meet in Brig 2 in 15 minutes. Brig 2 in 15 minutes.” Was this it? First time she was called to an actual place people might meet. So, yeah, this might be it. Immediately, she went across the ship and to the brig. The massive green guy was there, so… Well. Maybe they were going to start things today!

This wasn’t what he’d been hoping for. Washington’s brow furrowed behind his visor as he flipped through the prisoner’s profiles on the data pad in his hand one more time. By now, he’d learned not to expect much from the UNSC higher ups, but he had been expecting something a little more than…this. An old freighter, a skeleton crew to run it, and three of the UNSC’s highest ranking criminals put under his command (two of which, he’d only recently assisted in putting behind bars himself).

A ragged breath escaped him as he set the data pad down on the desk next to him and turned his head to look at his reflection in the port window. Maybe he should have listened to Carolina after all. She was right, the two of them could have probably tracked down Hargrove on their own if they worked fast enough.

But it was that " probably " that’d caught him.

He and Carolina hadn’t reached the Reds and Blues in time just a few months ago, after all, when they’d vanished into deep space aboard Hargrove’s fleeing cruiser. He couldn’t risk failing them again, assuming he still had anyone left to fail at all…

Washington’s eyes fell away from his reflection as a familiar leaden weight settled on his shoulders at the thought. Statistically, there was little hope that the Reds and Blues survived their encounter with Hargrove’s army in the trophy room. There was even less chance that they would have survived being held prisoner this long--not when the Chairman so little left to lose. The more time that passed, the more likely that this was just becoming a recovery mission, not a rescue. He knew that. Hell, by now he should even be used to that, but…he wasn’t.

“Sir?” A female voice crackled over his earpiece, forcing its way through his melancholy, “Your team is ready for you. Brig 2.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Washington answered mechanically, trying to sound a little less haggard than he felt. He reached up and switched his radio off before giving the woman time to confirm if she bought his act or not, then forced himself to take a deep breath and stand straight as he faced his reflection in the window again. The situation might not have been perfect--or nowhere damn near it--but he was here now. He had to make this work.

“Just hold it together a little longer, guys.” The ex-freelancer muttered under his breath before he turned and marched out of his quarters and into the hall. “We’re coming.”

It didn’t take him long to reach Brig 2. Washington paused just outside the doors, taking a moment to collect himself and square his shoulders underneath his armor before he reached up and pressed his palm against the door’s control panel and summoned the doors to open. The heavy metal doors parted with a hiss as the hydraulic locks loosened and announced his arrival.

Washington marched inside, taking quick stock of the brig as he did. It was a fairly spacious room, stoically empty aside from a few chairs and a holographic war table in the center of the room that would serve as their command center for the duration of this mission. Aaand, of course…there was also already a glaring problem with that aforementioned mission. It seemed only two of his three men bothered to show up for debriefing. Great.

Suppressing a sigh, Washington came to stop at the far end of the war table. “Alright, I‘ll keep this brief…” He spoke with practiced military command and concision, but opted to keep this conversation frank--remembering how desperately he’d just wanted to get to the point back when he was the war criminal doing odd jobs to clear his name. Maybe if he at least gave them that, they’d be a little more compliant. Not that he was holding his breath.

“I’m Agent Washington. Until further notice, I’ll be your commanding officer.” He glanced at the woman when he said this, doubting he’d be lucky enough for Locus to have miraculously forgotten him within just a couple short months. They knew each other well enough by now, but Atlas--she was the wild card in this operation. Washington has read her profile at least a dozen times over by now, but as was usual for UNSC war criminals, there was a lot of black ink in those profiles…so his knowledge was somewhat limited when it came to her personality. All he had on her was a name, codename, her service records, her skills, and a list of charges. Still, at least she didn’t seem completely furious to be here. Yet.

“I’m also the guy who gets to write back to the UNSC to determine if your service here is enough to expunge your records,” Washington continued, his attention returning to the both of them now, not just Atlas. “So all the rules you got before? Take orders, no weapons, no fighting outside the designated sparring ring, check into your quarters when expected? I suggest--and expect--you to follow them.”

Without giving them time to respond (because the rules and his command weren’t up for debate or speculation anyway), Washington leaned forward and tapped a few keys on the war table in front of him to start their mission debriefing. The war table’s processors whirred to life under his fingertips as it projected a holographic image of a starship above the table‘s surface. “This is the Staff of Charon. It’s an Halberd-class Destroyer and the base operations for the former Oversight Subcommittee chairman, Malcom Hargrove. He’s been charged with treason, espionage, the illegal manufacturing and collection of weapons, and war profiteering via a civil war dispute he engaged and prolonged on the planet of Chorus. Two months ago, he launched a final attack on Chorus. Myself and others were able to put an end to his war and throw a wrench in his plans, but…he escaped before he could be prosecuted. During his escape he also abducted eight of the men responsible for his exposure.” Washington tapped a few more keys on the War table’s controls and summoned an image of the Reds and Blues to put faces to their names. At least for Atlas. “Our mission is to track down Hargrove and his forces, bring them in, and bring all eight of the Reds and Blues here back home. Alive.”

The ex-freelancer drew his hand away from the control keys and glanced through the holograms at the two prisoners in his command. It was impossible to get a read on either of them, with their expressions hidden beneath their helmets, but hopefully he’d kept this concise enough to keep their interest.

“If you need more information on our objective or our target, you can check the data pads in your quarters…or for those of you who knew him personally,” Washington cut a glance in Locus’ direction, “Well, I’m sure you can add to our intel.” Washington tried his best to sound diplomatic about the massive mercenary’s presence. Locus had worked with the chairman far more recently than he had, so of course, he’d have better insight on Hargrove’s movements and contacts. That‘s one reason he‘d been put on this team, but…frankly Washington couldn’t help but feel like Locus was getting handed his get-out-of-jail free card just a little too soon for all he’d done. “Any questions?”

“Yeah, I got one.” A new voiced joined the conversation from the doorway--one Wash recognized right away. “How about: are you fucking kidding me?” Felix sauntered inside, arms thrown out to his side in dramatic exasperation. As he moved, his footsteps fell loudly enough to suggest that he carried more metal than flesh in at least one of his legs. He was dressed head to toe in brand new armor, decorated by harsh angles and a black and orange paint job--but even hidden beneath the weight of a helmet and full body armor, the man remained animated as he threw an accusing finger in Locus’ direction. “There’s no way I’m working with this asshole again.”

Felix shook his head slowly back and forth as he stalked towards the war table, slamming his palms down violently on its surface as he came to a stop on the side opposite the rest of them. He glared through his visor at his old partner, only vaguely aware of the female stranger among them as he growled through grit teeth, “Oh-hoho, you bastard, if I’d known you were here, a cell would have been the least of your worries…”

”If you run, we’ll find you…” He had been so confident then. ”No… You won’t.” These words haunted him every day since he’d been captured. It wasn’t necessarily sitting in a cell that worried him, but the fact that he couldn’t set things straight there. Maybe he did, no, he certainly deserved some kind of punishment, but he had too much to set straight first. Perhaps that was why he accepted to be part of this arrangement. Rescuing the Reds and Blues was just one step towards redemption. Though… Redemption was an impossible goal. He could step closer and closer inch by inch, but it would always be beyond his grasp. Still, he was going to do everything in his power to do what was right. He didn’t need forgiveness, he didn’t need to be accepted… He just needed to die knowing that everything he did, everything he did after all those years of being a monster, that it was right.

Perhaps it was fate that he was here. Here working under Agent Washington. Washington had been like him once. Once long, long ago. Locus had spent so much time contemplating how alike they were, before concluding that Washington was … wrong. That he lost something, and was weak. But Washington had … made things … better. His past wasn’t his present anymore. He was … good. Locus wanted to find his own path, do things his way without relying on other people to guide him, to order him around. He had to do this by himself, but… Perhaps he needed to learn a little more from Agent Washington first. He couldn’t imagine that the Agent was particularly happy to be working with him, but Locus could handle that. And this meant his own freedom. One step to clearing his name. One step closer to getting out there and … trying to make the world a better place.

He listened patiently to Agent Washington’s briefing. Was the other person in the room the only other person in this group? She was pretty small and her amour looked strange. She couldn’t have worked for the UNSC? Well, he didn’t need to know too much about her, anyway. He wasn’t here to make friends. He was here to save the soldi-... Okay, he still couldn’t bring himself to call the Reds and Blues soldiers. But, at the very least he had underestimated their competence. So, what did he bring to the table here? Washington was a decent leader, this girl must have something useful about her, and Locus? Well, he was a good shot. He knew a bit about Hardgrove, being the one to communicate with him when Felix was off with the Rebels playing games…

Felix… His old partner. Locus realised that without the other man around, he felt… relieved. All those years that Felix had exploited his uncertainty, his weakness. Locus had lost who he was, hiding under the mask of a soldier, and Felix pushed it. Felix was there to remind him what a “true soldier” was, reminding him not to feel, not to be human anymore. And for what? His own glory? Money? Felix had become a monster, too. But how long ago had that happened? He knew that things were very clearly different after their last mission with Siris, but… Had he lost his humanity before that? Fortunately, Locus could relax knowing that Felix wasn’t around anymore. He was dead, and he wouldn’t be there to manipulate him anymore.

Washington confirmed Locus’s supsicion that he was there to help provide intel on Hardgrove just before. . .

No. No this, this couldn’t be. He froze. He didn’t want to look, he couldn’t bring himself to. This could not be happening. That voice… Felix was dead! Locus had the sword, that meant Felix had to have died! Slowly, he turned his head. This was his nightmare. How had he survived?! A body could be pronounced dead, and then be revived, but… But Felix had to have died. There was no way this was him. His breathing grew shallow, his heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears as the room began to spin. What was this?

If he had known Felix would be there… Would he still have agreed to this?

The small girl next to Locus looked over at Felix, placing her hands on her hips. ”Okay, first off, it’s kind of rude to point. Second, I’m pretty sure I’ve never done anything to you, so like… Maybe, like, chill… A little?”

Locus stared at her for a moment. Obviously, Felix wasn’t talking to her. Locus might be standing next to her, but it was clear Felix was referring to him. Although, her response did distract Locus for a moment; he was still panicking, but not as much.

Felix stood his ground, palms still planted firmly against the edge of the war table as he waited--no as he dared--Locus to say something. Anything. His focus was so completely centered on the larger man that he was slightly taken aback when it was the woman who broke the silence first. Felix’s brows knit together behind his visor as he looked over at her. “Who’s even talking to y--?” He started to snap back, but Locus stepped in front of her, ignoring a quiet, ”Rude,” before he could even get the words out of his mouth.

Locus knew he had to take charge of the situation.”Felix… Our choices are to work together… Or rot in jail. We can settle our differences when this is over. His rich voice was deep and level, his nerves undetectable. For this moment, it felt like everyone, everything else was gone and they were all that was left. Of course Felix was alive, how could he have ever thought otherwise? It was always them, always Locus and Felix together. At least… until it was just them. It had to be just them, and they’d settle things alone. After the mission was over, this was it. Locus and Felix against each other with no interference. This would be the biggest step in making things right. … Right?

And it only took the sound of Locus’ voice to set him off again. That annoying-know-it-all-holier-than-thou voice was all it took. Felix felt his blood starting to boil in his veins as he listened to Locus lay out their choices as casually as if he was reading from a newspaper. Opting to postpone their vendetta as if it was little more than a poorly timed Sunday brunch date.

“Deal with it later? Oh, yeah! Of course! Why didn‘t I think of that?” Felix pushed himself away from the war table, throwing his hands up in front himself in a mock gesture of revelation. “I mean…you only abandoned me on top of an alien skyscraper and left me to die. Sure, we can deal with that later. No big deal…and, of course, I’d be completely willing to trust you again so we can take care of a few loose ends--”

“Enough!” Washington rose his voice from the far end of the table. This mission had officially been off the ground for a total of three minutes and the ex-freelancer was already starting to find the edge of his patience. At least he had two out of three willing to try and defuse this situation…but Washington knew that Felix was just infuriating enough to drag the rest of them down to his level if he let the man talk for too long.

“Listen, Locus is right. You only have two choices here, Felix. You can either work with us, or you can keep this up and go back to whatever cell they had you in.” The black and yellow soldier kept his tone level, but firm--privately finding himself drawing inspiration from the way Carolina used to get South back in line. “Honestly, you’d be making this easier on me by leaving. So don’t give me a reason.”

“Oh, screw you, Washington.” Felix rolled his head to the side to shoot a glare over at their-washed-up “leader”, his hands balling to fists at his side as he glared down the other man. “You wouldn’t have agreed to this either if you weren’t as desperate as the rest of us…so cut the act. You need me.”

But that was the kicker wasn’t it? They were all desperate. Even him…especially him. Felix clenched his jaw as the thought churned in his mind. He turned his head back towards Locus slowly, still glowering at him as his finger tips continued to dig into his palms. He weighed his options carefully. He’d pushed himself to be here… to have this chance. He sure as hell wouldn’t get another opportunity like it any time soon….Locus and Washington were right about that. Even if he hated to admit it.

Felix stood in silence a few seconds longer, relentlessly staring down his old partner before he finally sighed, hissing a string of curses under his breath as he let his shoulders relax and unfurled his fingers. “…Okay! Fine.” He relented, turning his head away and tossing a dismissive hand into the air over the war table. “Fine...! But Locus?” He lifted his eyes back to level on the other man’s visor for just a moment, refusing to let him win AND have the last word, “You’d better pray that something on this mission kills you before I get the chance to…”

The words came out his mouth with a razor sharp edge, much to Felix’s satisfaction. He let the threat hang in the air for an extra second or two before he turned away and strode a few steps across the room to fetch one of the metal chairs that lined the back wall of the brig. He grabbed the back of one of the chairs and dragged it back towards the war table to rejoin his new group, paying no mind to the screech of metal on metal as the chair’s legs scrapped across the brig’s floor. Once he reached the table again, he unfolded the chair and plopped himself down in it as casually and confidently as he could.

He sold the act pretty well, he felt. Especially considering the fact that in a one on one, Felix knew that he’d probably lose to Locus. Maybe that had always been true--but Locus’ victory was more of a guarantee now. After all, two months was an incredibly short time to recover from…well, practically being dead. It was taking everything Felix had left in him to pretend to be a completely healed and functioning soldier now. Hell, he’d never been more grateful for a chair in his life--even just wearing armor again was something of a task on his broken body; but there was absolutely no way in hell he was just going to lay there and rot in some cell. And there was no way he’d let anyone--especially Locus--know that he was anything less than he’d ever been. He’d still kill the prick one day. That much he promised himself…it might just not be the equal one on one Locus had in mind, but he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.

For now, he just had to pretend he gave a damn about the Reds and Blues. Who, for the record, were also on his shit list. And he didn’t need all his strength to make sure those idiots never made it home again. He just had to start playing along, acting like all he wanted out of this was a completed mission and clean record. Everything else would just have to fall into place later.

Fists and jaw clenched, Locus took a long, deep breath. Felix could be angry all he liked, but he’d betrayed Locus long, long ago. Locus didn’t expect Felix to trust him. He expected maybe a little fear, anger, and caution. He wanted Felix to know that Locus wouldn’t just leave him to die, he’d get rid of him altogether. No. No more killing. But,... Felix. If Felix could manage to cooperate well enough to get through the mission and be cleared by Agent Washington, there was no putting him in a cell to rot. Locus was certain Felix wasn’t here to make things right. Sure, he was desperate, they all were. But just to save his own skin. That’s all he cared about, that’s all he wanted. No, Felix wanted more than just to save himself… Felix liked the thrill of killing, of destroying. At one point, perhaps Felix really had good intentions, but Locus couldn’t imagine him ever dreaming of being a good person. It wasn’t the war that changed him. As far as Locus was concerned, Felix had come into this world wrong. And he just wanted to take as many people down with him as he could.

But who, who had bothered to save him?! What could he do that Locus couldn’t? Another deep breath. Ever since Chorus, Locus had been plagued with emotion. For so long, he’d put his humanity aside that he couldn’t figure out how to handle all of the things he felt. He found that he could just shut them off, but that put him in a place he didn’t think was right. Back into that “soldier” attitude. And the person he was discovering himself to be went so far away, like he was just watching through the eyes of a suit of armour. But those feelings he was experiencing brought him so much strife. He felt rage, guilt, empathy, sorrow and it was all just so much. If Felix saw any of these, he would find some way to wind his fingers back into Locus’s head, pulling strings to make him his puppet again. Or he’d do everything in his power to unravel him completely. Oh, did he feel abandoned by Locus? Was that all? Well, maybe it was better that Felix couldn’t stop to imagine how Locus felt. Felix’s sociopathic tendencies might actually keep him from understanding how to get into Locus’s head. He took another deep breath and relaxed his body.

He decided not to respond to Felix. Let him stew in his anger. Let him think nothing he said could effect Locus, and that he was the same stolid and emotionless man Felix knew. Maybe in those final moments before Felix had fallen to what was supposed to be his death, he saw that he couldn’t control Locus anymore, so it was possible Felix wouldn’t try again. The dog he had trained was off the leash now, and Felix couldn’t pull him in any longer. He’d come a long way in discovering that he could stand up and say no, go against orders or even just follow his own orders. But… Felix was Felix. The ultimate manipulator… What if he managed to destroy everything Locus had built?

“Alright, so, what’s first?” Felix asked candidly as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair--nothing about his voice or body language betraying any of his personal thoughts or the true nature of his physical condition. Suddenly remembering the fourth party in the room, Felix glanced back at the woman from earlier, arching a brow at her unusual choice of armor. “…And who the hell are you?”

Washington wasn’t sure if he could call this whole exchange a success or not…but for the time being, no one was attempt to kill anyone else, so he decided to call it at least a small victory. He might as well take advantage of the peace while it was there. “First, we’re going to be hitting a warehouse in the local cluster here.” The ex-freelancer answered only Felix’s first question--certain that Atlas could make her own introductions, assuming she had any interest in doing so.

Washington tapped a few more keys on the war table’s haptic interface to bring up a star chart and point out the location of the warehouse he was talking about, “We don’t know a lot about it, other than it was the closest non-mobile base Hargrove had to Chorus and that it went dark shortly after the chairman was exposed. Since we don’t have any leads on Hargrove’s location, we’re going here to see if we can find anything that might tell us where he’d go to ground, or if there’s any people he’d reach out to.” The ex-freelancer looked up from the star chart again, glancing between Locus and Felix. “If either of you have any insight on this place, now’s the time to speak up. Atlas? I want you ready to take apart and analyze anything we find there. If you‘ve never worked with Charon technology before, there‘s schematics in the database for you to study until we get there. ETA is two days.”

Relieved that Washington was speaking again, Locus could take this time to listen and push away the train of thought that itself alone could unravel him. He had to be careful here, too. Agent Washington was in charge, a man Locus respected, but Locus couldn’t just listen to his every word and follow him blindly. Right now, everything he was saying made sense. These were orders he could follow. He almost thought he could trust that Washington really was taking them on a noble mission, but Locus wasn’t at a stage where it was safe to trust anyone right now. He would do what he needed to get through this, but whatever happened, he would not compromise himself again.

What insight could Locus offer? He had spoken to Hargrove the most that was true, but… He hadn’t even known the man’s identity until their time on Chorus was close to its end. But this warehouse… When Felix and Locus had taken over the prison ship, they’d gone to the warehouse to get some supplies. They hadn’t gotten to see much of it, but from what he remembered, "Light security at the outside entrance of the secondary storeroom, mostly empty last time I was there. Each section of the building seems to have fairly advanced lock systems... There weren’t many guards.” He didn’t have much else to share, or any further explanation. He could have added that they didn’t bother to have many guards because of how far out into forgotten space the place was, or that he didn’t think that Hargrove had ever been there; to say these things was just wasted breath, after all. He might be a changing person, but he still kept his speech concise and to the point.

Washington listened intently as Locus began listing off details about the abandoned warehouse’s security. Few guards. Automated locks. Multiple entrances that strained an already thin defense. It all sounded surprisingly…easy.

Which meant Wash didn’t trust it at all.

Admittedly, the agent wasn’t sure if it was the warehouse’s alleged poor security or the intel’s source that had him the most concerned. Felix was more the manipulator in the group, but…Washington wasn’t stupid enough to discount Locus’ intellect. If the man wanted to set an ambush and try to make a break for freedom while Washington was the sole individual enforcing his detainment; he could and he would--especially if the warehouse they were headed for just so happened to have ships that Locus forget to mention. The plan would have been quick and efficient. It would have been very Locus.

The ex-freelancer said nothing as he glanced down to the star map projecting from the table, then closed his eyes as he tried to compose his thoughts (ever grateful for the privacy that his helmet gave him as he did so). He couldn’t keep thinking like this the whole mission--hanging onto every word as a lie, waiting for the inevitable knife in his back. For one thing, it’d slow him down considerably to have to analyze everything like this, and the Reds and Blues didn’t have time for that. For another? Well, putting himself back into this mindset was dredging up more memories than he’d have liked to admit…

These were the facts: Being practical and cautious was healthy. Being full blown paranoid was not. Felix he would probably--no, he would definitely--have to watch. The woman too, since he had nothing on her, but Locus seemed genuinely different now than he had before. Plus, according to the last report he’d heard from Tucker, Locus was a big part of the reason that the Reds and Blues had survived their last encounter with Felix. Locus hadn’t lifted a finger to stop them, he’d activated the comms tower for them, and then walked away. If the man had really wanted to continue down his path of destruction, it would have been incredibly easy for him to do so…but he hadn’t. Why change that now? Wash opened his eyes again as he forced himself to ease. He’d asked for intel and he’d gotten it. He had to give this--give them--a chance. Just like the Blues had given him a chance a few years ago when they brought him into their fold despite his crimes.

Aaand now he realized that he’d just told himself to be more like the Blues. In a room where he was alone. With three convicted felons. Who he’d eventually have to give weapons and gear to…

Deciding to work on the analogy later, Wash angled his visor back in the black and green soldier’s direction before nodding. “Alright. I’ll add it to the intel.” The ex-freelancer hazarded a glance in Felix’s direction, but to his relief, it didn’t seem like the smaller of the two mercenaries had anything to add.

Not bothering with introductions, figuring that they could chat on their own time, Atlas chimed in with a question of her own, "Are we going to do any… uh… training before we get there? I wouldn’t mind a refresher course. As for Charon’s weapons, I know some. Oh, and they also … recovered, we’ll say, a few of my own designs.”

The girl hadn’t said much yet, and Locus… definitely would say his feelings about her were negative. The self-inserting sarcasm before, taking attention that clearly had nothing to do with her, and this… almost smug response about her abilities… That and that shade of orange… Oh no. This girl… was like Felix.

The new feminine voice drew Washington’s focus back to Atlas. “Yes,” he found himself droning automatically as soon as the question of training came up, reflex and his mouth running far ahead of his mind, “You do actually have to--wait, you‘re asking to…?” It’d been so long since he’d heard of someone actually wanting to train, not just forced to (sometimes at gunpoint), that he found himself somewhat blindsided by the request. It had just become a knee-jerk reaction to insist that training occurred.

“Christ.” Felix scoffed from across the table, throwing his head back to indicate that he was rolling his eyes behind his helmet as he leaned further back in his chair. “One woman speaks to you and you go full idiot on us.”

Ignoring Felix‘s attempts to take a jab at him, Washington straightened his spine to stand more at attention at the far end of the war table as he corrected himself--all the while trying to ignore how alike Atlas’s prideful sarcasm was to Felix’s. He hoped it was just coincidence, but some part of him already knew he wasn‘t that lucky. “There’s a training room on the third deck of the ship. You’re welcome to use it any time you’re not scheduled to be here, the mess hall, or your quarters. I’d prefer if you didn’t spar with any members of the ship's crew, though. They barely gave us enough people to run this thing. We can’t risk any of them being injured.” Plus, Washington was doubtful that any of the poor men and women stationed on this ship had the same amount of training as the rest of them, and he wasn’t about to offer up innocent UNSC grunts to be living punching bags to those among them that’d take advantage of that.

The black and yellow soldier turned his head to addressed Atlas in particular. “If you’d like, I can run some drills with you later…and maybe you can take that opportunity to elaborate what you already know about Charon and their technology.” He’d seen glimpses of her inventions and schematics on her personnel file, but most of that information was hidden behind red tape. If Charon really had taken some notes from her, then he was starting to see why that was--but Washington wanted to know as much as he could. Both about Charon and about Atlas herself. Just so he knew what he was getting into with this mission.

“In fact…” The ex-freelancer swept a glance over all of them, a little hesitant to suggest his next idea, but the pros outweighed the cons in his mind, “It might not be a bad idea to set up some sparring matches between the four of us as training exercises. You’ve all been behind bars for a while, and we’re going to go against some pretty heavy odds. We’ll need some idea of how we’re going to work as a team.”

That and Washington was fairly certain that if he didn’t give them somewhere to blow off some steam, they would just end up killing each other anyway. At least this way he could keep the fights regulated.

Everything else was irrelevant after Washington said they could spar. Sure, she’d become a fairly peaceful person, but fighting was her roots. It wasn’t just about hurting other people, it was about skill, about dedication and diligence! It was like dancing, only with a winner! She smiled dreamily and after a few excited hops, put her hands together as though in a prayer position and touched them to her helmet over her mouth.

Maybe she was a little too excited to be here. The more she thought about it, she didn’t mind it too much. Doing a mission, one that was actually for good. Her biggest problem was that she was being treated like she was extremely dangerous (even though she was extremely dangerous if she wanted to be), despite her peaceful existence, and that she was found in the first place. When people thought she was dead, it was a lot easier to live without being bothered. Though, she’d had to live in hiding. She didn’t interact with many people, and she didn’t have anyone close to her. But… Was that because she was trying to hide her identity, or because she couldn’t let anyone get close to her?

She was fine here! She wasn’t going to get close to these people! They didn’t seem very friendly, anyway, so she couldn’t see them actively trying to befriend her. It was going to be fine! And rescue missions went pretty quickly, anyway. They had to, otherwise they’d just be recovery missions. So they’d be working at top speed and going home in no time!

She turned her attention back to the men in the room. She figured if they were all going to train at the same time, it would be best to fight either the loud-mouthed angular guy, or the quiet green guy because if they fought each other, based off of their brief conversation, they might actually try to kill each other. And teammates killing each other before the mission even started would look very bad. That, and the fact that she figured they were all here for a reason, losing one of them before they did whatever they were brought here to do would be a real shame. “Soooo…. We’re doing that now?” Once everyone was in agreement and they were wrapped up, they headed over.

#rvb #rvb fanfiction #fanfiction #fic #redvsblue fanfic #redvsblue fic #rvb fic #felix #locus #wash #zeus #egtkid #atlas #team citrus #citrus

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