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(Warframe Concept) Kankritos the Insect Plague + Quest

Crimsonblack

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Crimsonblack

Crimsonblack

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It came everywhere. A cloud of blacks, greens, and blues. Nowhere was I safe, but space called to me. It would help me, so I had to flee. The rocks whispered my position in scratching words. The ground carried my weight across the living world spreading apart with every step. The winds took my breaths and thoughts to them. I would be remiss to recount how flesh of Corpus and metal of moa were counted as the same material those...things. Shards of metal, cloth, and bone scattered upon the floors like some young babe had been left to feed itself, and in the cloud was a figure: A terrifying yet intriguing one. Just before our escape pods took us to the cold, dark shields of the vacuum above, a tall creature slowly walked towards our door with its arms outstretched and palms pointing upwards. I thought it was one of ours, but to see its body riddled with holes like a moon and from whence the swarm came. We thought it was technology. Why would the tenno seal away one of their own!?

~A Corpus scientist recounting the slaughter that occurred after unsealing an Orokin Sealed Sphere

 

Concept: A warframe useful in harassing and infecting enemies with its biologically modified insect swarms, Kankritos comes from a shard of Orokin history where a small group of Tenno attempted to integrate various different types of wildlife into them and use them as weapons as well as defenders from any potential, technologically advanced threat that may have appeared in the future. Kankritos is one of two currently known successes (upon the hundreds attempted) of that shard.

Kankritos can fill himself with one specific type of insect to help uniquely identify his abilities and the boons and banes he can bestow.

These are:

Pantir: General purpose insects found everywhere on Earth and Mars with the appearance of black, iridescent beetles with three mandible instead of two. Capable of chewing through shields, health, and flesh, but not very effective compared to the others. They do however, emit a low-frequency sound with their abdomens that nearly nullifies all sound made by the tenno they accompany, but it is an exhausting talent.

Grushwaz: 'Borrowed' from Corpus facilities experimenting on insects and their practical applications with moa and Corpus suits. These large termite-esque creatures chomp through shields with relative ease thanks to their strange, glowing proboscis. They can also secrete a goo from the tips of their feet which have been found to improve and regenerate shields? Unfortunately, they haven't been found to have much effect on armor or even flesh, as the proboscis only causes a mild heat sensation upon contact with skin. They can also absorb laser fire, but their passiveness and the speed of the beams often sees them either ignoring the threat completely or missing.

Kutko: Taken from yet another Grineer facility to weaponize nature, the Kutko is a large arthropod whose females possess wings and males possess enormous jaw with equally impressive jaw strength. As such, they chew through metal with little difficulty. Some Grineer tests have even shown them to, on occasion, catch a bullet in their jaws, but this is a rare happening. Their carapace is also very dense, allowing them to take a few hits from any attack aside explosives and still remain intact.

Unds Ko: Raised and cultivated by the Myconians, these durable moth-like creatures, while harmless and elegant in their designs, actually have mouths filled to the brim with razer sharp teeth which are accentuated by the gastric juices they cough up during a meal. Terrifying against flesh, they have shown to be a great threat to infested and human alike. Unfortunately, they are brittle and can't take a hit, but with proper genetic manipulation, the gastric juices can have a healing effect on tenno frames.

Appearance: Made not to have the appearance of an insect, but that of a hive, the head of this warframe is very much like a thin, vertically placed box with the smallest sides pointing to the front and back. The largest sides hold many thick, mobile antenna made to direct the insect swarm when using their powers. The main body appears to be the proper shape of a human torso, but due to the insects needing more and more living room, they have gathered various metals from around, digested them, then expulsed the substance from their mouths, creating several uneven layers of different shaded metal around the shoulders and arms, creating a very uneven appearance. Each previous layer can be seen around the collar and neck of Kankritos, as the insects refuse to move there, although previous generations have made at least two layers there for most of these warframes.

The arms are a good example of what the armor looks like before insect integration: Very thin, even by regular human standards. The elbows have been wrapped around by a hive, although the inner portion of the arm is still flexible and the metal used here seems to bend more like paper. The right hand is also engulfed in the paper hives, although the substances don't go past the first segment of the fingers and wrap around the limb to prevent any discomfort to the host. The left hand is devoid of any hives and is, in fact, completely covered with antennae flattened along the surface and aiming towards the arm. They vibrate whenever insects are in use.

The legs are covered in a very thick, large amount of 'puffy' metal, increasing the defense to the tenno's legs to prevent any disabling by the infected or ranged creatures. The feet end in a rounded shape, as most footwear, but are elevated slightly by uneven, thin extensions of metallic fibers provided by the insects create an 'ice-boot' elevation. The longer and sharper points of 'wall' protruding from the boots give the tenno better friction and control of movement on surfaces like stations and rocky mines, but provide no real advantages elsewhere.

Idol animation: Kankritos' insects climb out of their hives to crawl around its body, then the tenno seems to sneeze (with just a 'pfff' sound) to which the 'antenna' on its head and left hand jitter briefly, and the insects return to their respective hives.

Base Stats:

Health: 125 (400 at max rank)

Shields: 160 (455 at max rank)

Armor: 475 (Due to insects)

Energy: 100 (200 at max rank)

Speed: -10% base frame speeds

Abilities:

Passive:

     Hive Thrall: Dependant on the insect selected to inhabit Kankritos' body, there is a 10% chance that an uncontrollable will come out to protect their 'home' and attack the enemy that triggered their release. If the enemy dies, then they randomly choose the next in the room and attack it. Lasts for about thirty seconds. Can only be triggered three times and cannot be triggered again until the third swarm returns. Can only attack one enemy at a time.

Triggered

    1. (30 energy)Hatchlings: Kankritos raises his right arm and slowly points towards a designated target. If an enemy, 5/7/8 enemies will be attacked at once by the insects chosen. If an ally, they are protected and buffed based on the insects' preferences.

   Enemy:

  • Pantir: The targets get attacked for 40/50/65 (Diminished based on armor and/or shields. Limits any unaffected enemies from noticing the tenno around them) points of health for ten seconds. If the enemy dies during this time, the swarm moves on to the next target until the ability ends. The targets flail around trying to get the bugs off of them.
  • Grushwaz: Targets attacked for 30/40/45 (Double values if against shields) points for ten seconds. Mechanic identical to Pantir.
  • Kutko: Targets attacked for 60/70/75 (+10 if against armor. Diminished based on shields) for ten seconds. Identical to Pantir.
  • Unds Ko: Targets attacked for 35/40/45 (Double against flesh) for ten seconds. Identical to Pantir.

   Ally:

  • Pantir: Ally gets the 'Silent' trait for ten/twelve/thirteen seconds, allowing them to sneak about, even during a firefight, as the sounds of battle will distract the enemy too much.
  • Grushwaz: Ally gets the 'Slogged' trait for ten seconds. Shields are replenished by 20/30/40 points every two seconds for ten seconds. Insects have a fifteen percent chance to 'catch' a laser, healing the Tenno's shields for four percent the damage the laser would have done. Has a 2% chance to replenish 100 points of energy per laser 'caught'.
  • Kutko: Ally gets 'Armored' trait. Their armor is boosted by 100/150/200 points for ten seconds. Has a ten percent chance to catch a bullet, adding five percent of the bullet's potential damage to the tenno's armor.
  • Unds Ko: Ally gets 'Dusted' trait. The Unds Ko will flutter off of the tenno body to attack any surrounding enemies for 5/10/15 points of damage for two seconds and return to heal them for that amount for ten seconds. Those that stay increase regeneration by two points every .5 seconds.

   2. (55)Unwanted guests: Kankritos grows a large, destructable hive on his left shoulder then plants it on a wall or enemy, creating a large area of denial for both mobile and fixed missions. Enemies who have this planted on them become 'enthralled' and enticed to approach any enemy so that they can be attacked. Affects 10/15/20 enemies in a range of 10/20/25 meters with the same benefits of damage and control as the first ability. If there are more than the defined max value of enemies in that range, the hive will secrete a gluey substance that spreads around it, slowing down any non-flying enemy for 50% their base speed.

   3. Mind's Whispers(40 energy): Kankritos tilts its head to the right and drops several insects from its 'ear'. They will identify 10/15/25 enemies in range and will weaken them significantly(-40% shield, armor, or flesh, depending on their primary stat type) as they infest their bodies and start devouring their insides. Only a few enemies (Based on a roll of 25% chance once affected) will go insane and start shooting everything and everyone around. After about 3 seconds, if the enemies aren't killed in that time, swarms emerge from Kankritos with these effects:

  • Pantir: Will create a loud noise on the 'crazed' enemies, attracting any nearby enemies to them as trickery. Good for fleeing when there are too many. Will distract even those you're fighting. They will return if you hit them when they get distracted.
  • Grushwaz: Will infect the enemy and enthrall them, using their nerves to emit periodic waves of shield healing goodness. The enemy will still move and shoot at any enemies they see.
  • Kutko:: An infected enemy will see their damage increased by ten percent. They will prioritize your own enemies but will still shoot if given the chance, so be careful. If they die while still affected, they will explode, giving any nearby tenno a one hundred point armor bonus for five seconds. This stacks.
  • Unds Ko: Makes the enemies throw all items on them in all directions and flail around wildly. Will occasionally run around as they do so, stunning any enemies they hit briefly.

    4. 10^6-to-one: Kankritos stands up straight and raises his arms perpendicularly to his body, opening both hands whilst leaving his fingers slightly bent and pointing outwards. Lasts 30 seconds. Not only do his chosen insects fly out of him, but all insects in the area emerge and attack every enemy they can. They will converge towards you into a 20/25/35 meter raidius. For balance purpose; only 20/25/30 enemies can be stunned at one time. They will also provide benefits to the allies around. Do be aware that, unlike the first and second abilities, these swarms WILL stack on the enemies and allies, so damage can be tremendous to just one model. Good for those late game missions where massive swarms of enemies are too difficult to deal with

       However, these general effects occur 93% of the time.

  •  5%: Chance that ALL insect types are summoned. No traits are given based on the insect type, however, but their benefits are still distributed.
  • 2%: The 'ultimate' cultivations of Kankritos emerge from the ground in a pair. While first having the appearance of giant larva or caterpillars, they rise up to twice the size of a tenno and equipped with four scythe-like arms and two thin-but-tough legs. They give nearby tenno a 20% attack boost and taunt any enemies into attacking them instead. Their bodies give them a 30% damage resistance boost to any elemental and status effects. They are extremely durable and will be affected by any health mods applied to a tenno's warframe, but only for 30 or 40 percent its total effect. They are very slow despite their tremendous strength, however, so they can't follow you efficiently.

 

 

Quest:

Introduction:

The player receives a message from Konzu requesting their help.

"Hey, Killer. I thought it prudent to tell you that grineer have unearthed something possibly interesting." He grunts. "Possibly not, but they were making a lot of noise earlier. Maybe it's just some leftover infested from a boil or another one of the monsters of the night. Come see me and I'll tell you more."

The player receives the quest from the mail.

First Part:

The player meets with Konzu at Cetus.

"You came. Good. I don't know what they're doing, but the Grineer have made even louder noise." He waves his arms in the air in a gesture of disgust. "Always with their destruction. Go check them out to make sure it's nothing we should worry about." He nods and smiles. "Heard there was some shiny stuff in their new hole. I know you like shiny things. Go get them, killer."

The warframe rushes to the plains, following the coordinates that Konzu provided. There was nothing to worry about...much, especially with how the grineer worked. And yet...they HAVE uncovered strange things thanks to their incomparable greed. Still. If there was something of value in it, perhaps Konzu's sarcasm and teasing had merit.

The Lotus warns you on your arrival to the site. "Tenno, be careful. I am detecting no life signs at the dig site, nor am I detecting signs of infestation. Whatever came here left no trace at the site. You will have to go deeper in."

Arriving at the site, however, you notice a large amount of destroyed Grineer drills with their pieces tossed about like trash. Several dried husks of the former cloned troops around, but those are the rare bits. Most of what was left from the excavation team are nothing left but bits of armor that Ordis takes an interest in.

"Operator, do you see the armor? It looks like they were -TORN TO SHR-R-R- nibbled on by small teeth or mandibles, but what can eat Grineer armor?" He makes a whine, worried about what is to come. "Please be careful. It could be another sentient giant, or a piece of the sentient that Gara destroyed."

The warframe travels through the tenno, weapon at the ready and senses sharp, but all they find are dead grineer and bullet holes in the stone walls. Some white growths start appearing the deeper the tenno goes in, eventually discovering a massive hole in the wall revealed by a collapsing, thin layer of rock. There is still nothing but the sound of wind flowing through the caverns, until buzzing comes into earshot. The tunnels are buzzing with black clouds of swarming insects that dissipate and disappear when the tenno gets too close, prompting the Lotus' interest.

"Tenno, what was that? Insects?" She gives pause and ponders. "Those hives you passed...did anything come from them?"

"No, Lotus," Ordis chimes in. "By my scans and calculations, the hives are calcified and several centuries old. They have been here long before the Grineer."

"I see," Lotus responds. "Keep searching for what happened, Tenno."

Eventually, the Tenno slides down a steep angle and comes across buried Orokin architecture, but being within the Earth's shifting form has damaged them beyond repair. Barely a murmur of their former glory, the path leads to a giant golden orb surrounded by white bands torn from a large crack upon the object's surface.

"What is that?" The Lotus wonders. "I don't remember anything of this design by the Orokin. And that opening...What was stored within...Tenno! Get out of there. Something is coming your way."

"Something huge!" Ordis panics.

An invasive buzzing sound, almost entering the Operator's head, reveals its source to be an immense swarm of insects coming in from the crevices in the walls and the inside of the orb. The warframe tried to flee, but the voracious insects start devouring the tunnel walls, causing them to collapse before the frame can escape, forcing them to circumvent the barricades and shoot through thin walls detected by Ordis and Lotus and escaped to a tunnel underneath a Grineer base. Preparing for a fight, you come to the surface, blade and gun in hand, but no one is here apart from dead troops and destroyed turrets.

"Operator, the same thing h-h-happened here too." Ordis glitches out again before being able to speak.

The Cephalon's transmission becomes choppy, making his voice fade before being completely cut off. In its place is a new transmission from an unknown source. One that growls in a very low tone and with an echo. Another swarm of insects appears in front of the Tenno from the camp, swirls around them, then leaves, leaving behind something interesting. It's a blueprint for neuroptics for a new warframe. The voice comes in again, wheezing like it had not had water in centuries.

The Lotus is quick to recover the transmission. "Tenno. What is that? Who was talking to you?" She pauses and observes what you acquired. "Return to your ship. I want Ordis to analyze and tell me if there's anything he can find. I will do a search on my side as well in the mean time." She exhales loudly. "I do not recognize this warframe."

Second part:

Lotus contacts the operator, her tone mildly tired from the stress induced by the chase.

"Tenno," she starts. "I have found potential information regarding this warframe you discovered in that tunnel and the broken container."

"What was within, Lotu-u-u-s?" Ordis chimes in.

"A warframe was held within, although why its records were stripped from Orokin archives is still a mystery." She begins speaking to Ordis. "Ordis, what have you found on your end?"

"Well," he starts meekly. "I have also come up short, but there is a lot of new traffic popping up on grineer channels."

Lotus hums in interest. "Related to the insect swarms?"

"Yes, and something -OUT FOR BL-BL-BL- humanoid passing through the grineer bases with a disturbing tranquility."

The Lotus ponders the information for a moment and speaks to the operator again. "Tenno, I want you to go to the base that has been most recently affected by this strange plague and investigate it. We might more information there."

"I have marked the most recent zone of transmissions the display," Ordis explains.

The operator readies to drop in the thick jungles of the Earth with weapons ready and focus straightened, but something is off, and Ordis is the first to remark it.

"Operator, the base is in ruins, and there are several ignited fuel leaks everywhere." He whines in worry. "Please be careful around here."

The tenno crawls through the metallic hallways infesting the jungle's innards, ever careful to not be seen by the grineer, although finding the culprit amongst the debris is hard. There's not much to go by other than damaged equipment and destroyed infrastructure. Then the first trail appeared; One bloodied by combat. Several kavat corpses and the body of a kavat trainer lay strewn about the large corridor. They were quickly accompanied several grineer corpses all pointing to a door torn from its hinges and spitting sparks from its broken gears.

"Hm. It looks like the grineer spent all their ammo," Lotus noted. There is a pause in her voice. "Several broken, organic chunks around here as well. Looks like they were aiming at the insects."

"Lotus, if I may," Ordis interjected. "There appears to be some sort of shape etched i-i-i-into their armorszzzz."

"You're right. Tenno, get closer," Lotus orders. After a few seconds, the woman speaks to the tenno with a stunned tone. "Tenno, this is...Whoever has been doing this has left clues related to whatever is...e sphe..."

Her voice starts to break and become inaudible, and while Ordis tries to reestablish the link, he too loses connection with the operator, leaving them in the dark, both figuratively and literally, within the grineer base. The operator continues through the base, observing the surrounding and questioning the lack of grineer around, but a comlink forcibly opens up, reminiscent of what happened within the tunnels. Just like the occurrence on the Plains of Cetus, an invisible figure grumbles in the same echoing tone as before. Its voice gradually fades to insect buzzing before getting cut off by the Lotus.

"This is the second time this interference has occurred. Did you see who it was, Tenno?" she asks sternly.

The conversation is cut short by one of the grineer corpses shooting its gun at the warframe. It is gradually accompanied by many other grineer bodies rising whilst insect swarms buzz around them, restoring their bodies to full functionality. The operator feels somehow disturbed by the sight but also comfortable thanks to the familiarity.

"Operator, I have found an exit for you at these coordinates," Ordis explains. "Please hu-hu-hurry and get out of there and away from those...things," he curses. "WHO KNOWS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN?!"

Using their abilities and skills, the tenno shoots and cuts their way through the hordes of insect-infested grineer bodies shooting at them, but when they're about to reach the door leading to the exit, the facility goes into lockdown, prompting the Lotus' intervention once again.

"These events can no longer be considered coincidences. Whoever is causing these actions is after you, Tenno." Her anger and frustration are displayed in her voice, and she would grumble under her breath were it in her nature. "The access codes have been directed to this area. Get to it, hack the terminal, then get out. I will maintain the security once you have entered it to prevent this happening once more."

The facility is crawling with more bug-infested, but as the tenno nears their new destination, the roaring scream of tusk firebolgs' engines loom overhead through the openings running through what should have been a ceiling. The pipes and thin frame do nothing to hide the transport ships of the grineer bringing in more trouble. The room the tenno enters has a terminal, but it is blocked by a large wall of insects. Standing in front of it is the outline of a strangely deformed humanoid composed of insects that does not hesitate to attack. Throughout the fight, the shadowy figure intermittently contacts the operator to impart its grumbling and chittering to no comprehensive level. The bugs comprising the enemy make it hard to fight, and the creature has its own bizarre apparel of shotguns gnawing away at the structure of the warframe, but victory is eventually achieved, and the wall of insects dissipates, dropping a distorted blue orb upon the floor. Vigilant as always, the Lotus does not let this opportunity pass.

"Tenno, I'm in the system. Your path is clear, but that orb is possibly a key to what we seek. Grab, then leave. Ordis waits."

The moment the Tenno leaves, they intercept a transmission by the condor Vay Hek angrily squawking through the grineer commlinks.

"I don't care about the losses. Recover my base and kill whatever DARES to lurk within MY property!"

With the sudden battle between the forces of the infected and the regular grineer, the operator sees an opportunity to sneak by unseen, but the numbers are too great for the chance at full stealth.

"THE TENNO?" Vay Hek screeches. "RAAAAAAGH! ALWAYS the tenno! Kill it! Now! Kill the tenno maggots and the traitors! For MY glory!" he commands loudly.

With some wit and flexibility, the operator manages to return to their shuttle and escape relatively unharmed, leaving Ordis to enthusiastically scan the orb and display its contents.

"Operator. This...this is three-dimensional, holographic art...but I do not understand. I hoped to find an art piece within, but...The diorama is...-COMPLETELY STUP-P-P- illogical."

"This is no mere diorama. It is a story. A format used long ago by the Orokin...but it is one that was used for..." The Lotus trails off for a moment but recovers quickly. "If you can find the others, then maybe we can piece together whatever this thing is."

Ordis performs another scan and gasps in surprise. "I have found plans within the diorama regarding blueprints for a chassis. Another piece to the puzzle as well, it seems."

The diorama itself, although fractured in the form of varying sized, hexagonal pillars, displays infested trying to chase away the insects from themselves and their corpses and sentients attempting to kill the insects while destroying infected as collateral damage. The whole diorama leans towards the center, where a section of the orb lay and a thin hand with two antenna-like structures upon its back lay, seemingly resting on the metallic, white-and-gold surface of the orb. The center piece was emphasized by a bright white pillar of light engulfing it, although the full form of it could not be discerned. On closer inspection, interspersed between the infested and sentients were distorted, damaged forms. Vaguely humanoid, but the shapes looked...wrong. A bizarre 'art piece' indeed.

Third part:

The rogue transmission appears again, but its voice is not a meandering slough of static and chittering.

"You come. You follow. We hunt. We kill. It is not the mind but it is the host. We wait no more. One more turn. Return to the source. A burden unperturbed."

The transmission cuts, and Lotus speaks up. "They...spoke this time?"

"But there was still a loud buzzing in the background," Ordis noted. "What does it mean?"

The Lotus remains silent a moment. "This person," she says with doubt, "is, perhaps, searching for insects to weaponize. The ones within the sealed tomb were very active." She hums pensively. "I had Ordis analyze the insects and the pieces found on your warframe after your exit, but this kind of technology...it shouldn't have..." She stops abruptly, and her tone changes immediately. "I've intercepted transmissions by the Corpus. One of their stations on Pluto is being assaulted by 'black clouds'."

"No doubt the -DISGUSTIIIIII- creepy little beasts," Ordis deduced. "I will prepare for sortie."

Before the tenno can move, the Lotus speaks one last time. "Tenno. Be careful. This foe is...they do not-SHOULD not, exist. There is something wrong here. A secret hidden this exceptionally for so long cannot work as intended."

Reaching the base, the tenno and Ordis see plasma balls and laser rounds flying everywhere, splashing against the glass panes on the inside in bright flashes while the clouds buzz around the complex.

"Operator, scans show something of Orokin origin moving about the complex," Ordis says. "It is...it is looking for something." His voice notes a hint of fear.

The tenno proceeds and...finds little resistance as the Corpus are too busy fighting off the clouds and their own kind. During one trek through the hall, the windows of the outside burst inwards and the shards slice up moa and Corpus alike. Clouds of the insects fly in and dissipate throughout the complex, leaving the tenno to fight more of the 'controlled' enemies. Ordis chimes in when he notices the shields of the enemies vanishing near instantly when they're engulfed by the buzzing clouds.

"Operator, these insects are devouring the energy of the shields. They feed then kill the victim when the shields -EXPLODE- go down. What a curious development," he notes with intrigue and a bit of excitement.

A room further away shows the entirety of its being having been scraped and shredded by the insect swarms, leaving not even a flickering like or short-circuiting moa. Bodies are strewn about, but they are numerous, and strangely...placed.

"Tenno," the Lotus starts. "There is something odd about the placement of those bodies. Examine them. Perhaps our 'friend' wants us to find something."

After a moment of observing the corpses at several angles, the Tenno discovers a symbol gnawed and burnt into the surface of the victims. A strange assortment of long lines and two sets of small ones extending out from near the tip of the shapes. Each large line is shaped into an assortment of bends interwoven with each other.

The Lotus comes in once the Tenno has scanned the symbols. "These forms...they remind me of ancient Orokin symbols." There is a pause. "Return to your ship. I should have deciphered part of it by then."

The moment the tenno attempts to leave the room, the door slams shut on them, and a transmission reaches their warframe.

"You try to leave without reading? Is it simply running from the truth? A demonstration, perhaps, for unlearned."

A painful prick is felt in the back of the Warframe's neck, and it wreathes in pain and agony while the Operator feels it within them as well. Flashes of gold and white race before their eyes, but gradually, it starts to dim. To decay. Leaving the clean chambers and colors for a disquieting assortment of rooms and the smell of mold and humidity. All the while, a male voice speaks out.

"It is not what I would have hoped for. A creature that creates violent ones. A need to research. To develop. To capture..." The voice sounds regretful. "One of many -perhaps successful- projects in this line." The voice chuckles. "Aren't they amazing?" it asks cheerfully. "These creatures. Kill one and thousands more will take its place, each generation as dangerous as the last."

The operator aboard Ordis is out of their transference pod and, shaking their head between pants from exhaustion caused by the excruciating pain.

"Operator, are you okay? Your life signs spi-i-iked," Ordis worries. "I was -EXCITED TO- worried that something terrible was happening."

"It's...it's alright, Ordis. I'm okay," the Tenno replies through exhausted gasps.

They readjust back into their seat and reestablish connection with the warframe. After they've returned, the Lotus speaks again.

"Tenno, I have deciphered part of the symbols. They are a crude reproduction of ancient Orokin glyphs...but...They weren't made by hand or machine."

"By a weapon, then?" Ordis asks. "A laser?"

"No. There would have been scorch marks around the forms." Lotus gives pause and hesitates to speak again. "I have transferred the partially decrypted text to your codex. Read it. It should give us a clue as to who or what is running around the system. I also found plans concerning a warframe's systems."

The decoded text reads: Many secrets live and die upon Lua, but those secrets are brought back within the void. Dead, monstrous eldritch beasts of rot and decay. A place even the infestation likes not to tread. Come to us. Not of the mind but host to the body. We will teach you.

Part 4

This time, no transmission is sent, but Ordis finds a location on Lua where an erratic signal is located, beckoning the tenno.

"Operator, are you CERTAIN we must go there? I don't trust these...these messages," Ordis worries. "It almost sounds like insects buzzing around." There's a slight pause. "A bit contrived, I find."

"I must know what's calling me to Lua." The tenno nods to themself. "If those swarms go through the system untethered...I don't want to think about what could happen."

Upon arrival in the special area, the tenno can hear the sounds of battle resonating through the fissured walls of the Orokin temples. Running through the halls shows several grineer corpses strewn about, along with sentient bodies and black clumps that crunch when stepped upon.

"Tenno," Lotus starts. "These clumps are masses of insects, but their pattern is...odd. See if you can find more."

Several rooms and fights against grineer later, the tenno comes face-to-face with the insects imitating corpus, grineer, and infested bodies to attack the 'invaders'. While their fights against the grineer have proven fruitful, the sentients are less 'forthcoming' with their deaths. After seeing a few sentients fall to the swarms, Ordis makes a comment.

"I guess even the sentients can't withstand -BUGS IN THEIR SYSSSSSSS- the weird insects either."

Lotus pops up afterwards. "Tenno, the source of these swarms is deeper in the Lua temple. I've marked it on your map."

Some sentients converge on the warframe while the rest go in the direction Lotus indicates, prompting the voice of one sentient to come through the encrypted channel of the warframe.

"What is an outside warframe doing here? It has no business messing with my hunting," it speaks semi-calmly.

Ordis gasps despite his lack of lungs. "What is Junpow doing here? I thought it was attacking tenno in the field? Operator, this must be a -GREAT TREAT- dangerous element on Lua if even the sentient is hunting it."

After passing a large room overrun by the insects and fighting the simulacrums. the tenno notices that less and less of the simulacrums attack them on sight until they cease fighting altogether and only watch them pass. Even when 'killed', they refuse to move until another group of sentients leaves their group to attack the tenno, at which point the simulacrums becoming active and swarm them.

"Aaaaah, it protects you, warframe," Junpow notes. "Or is it doing this to kill you itself?" Junpow exhales slowly and loudly. "Perhaps I'll just watch from the side. Even I don't know what to make of this."

The tenno eventually comes upon a room where sentients are fighting the simulacrums. This area is completely drowned in the black swarms buzzing in the air and infecting the walls. Contemplating this atrocious view, a voice comes to the tenno with the same buzzing, hissing voice as before, ripping them out of their thoughts.

So it has come. Is it to give us purpose or to try and use us? We didn't let them hold our leashes.

A figure bursts out of the wall of bugs and crushes two sentient forms, gradually rising from the rubble while the surviving sentients flee into the crevices of the stone walls and a voice laughs in the tenno's ear. It almost sound giddy like a child seeing 'magic' for the first time.

"Play, warframe. Play! Show me what this lost marvel can do!"

Junpow's laughs are cut short by violent buzzing drowning out the reception, much against his protests and wallowing.

"It is preparing to attack," Lotus remarks. "Get ready to strike it down if you must, tenno. I will do what I can to keep its insects from infesting your warframe."

"Be careful, Operator. I don't trust those -DISGUSTING, WRETCHED LITLTLTLT- bugs traipsing about. I don't want them infesting the ship-p-p--"

A single word reaches all three watching the figure approach: Kankritos

After a heated battle, Kankritos grabs its head and 'screams', releasing a swarm of bugs from its body. Not one to give up, as attested by all of its actions up until now, Kankritos lurches forward. It grabs the tenno by their shoulders and tries to crush them while the swarm within it eats through the infested armor of the warframe and infests the soft tissue beneath. Ordis cries are drowned out as the swarm fights against the infested flesh and Lotus' countermeasures. Soon there is only a black void of pain.

The operator is quickly overwhelmed by a sense of dread and fear. Of claustrophobia and despair. They continue fighting against the swarm, but a thought goes through their mind; and they relax themselves, confusing the swarm.

"You talked about holding your leash." The operator hums, pretending to think hard. "Why not hold our hands together, as comrades, rather than as master and slave?" They stick their hand out, prompting a clicking response, and the whole void of darkness gives way to light as it converges into the operator's hand.

The tennor awakens in Lua, outside of their warframe, and seeing what's left of the swarm disappearing through the cracks in the ceiling. They notice a heavy weight in their hand and see that the swarm had left the blueprint for Kankritos behind with them.

"M-maybe they trust you with it, operator?" Ordis wonders. "What did you do to them?"

Other concepts:

Junpow: Sentient character

Infested Overworld + Syndicate

Sectolyst: Failed sentient anticounter

Edited by Crimsonblack
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Sc10n0fD4rksp0r3

Sc10n0fD4rksp0r3

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1 hour ago, Crimsonblack said:

*picks teeth* Normally, I'd finish something, but considering nothing Warframe I create gets any attention...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The only thing that needs work is this Part 4 you “promised”. Nothing ruins a good story than not having an ending. Everything else is just fine.

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Crimsonblack

Crimsonblack

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On 2019-03-16 at 7:49 PM, Sc10n0fD4rksp0r3 said:

The only thing that needs work is this Part 4 you “promised”. Nothing ruins a good story than not having an ending. Everything else is just fine.

I never make promises. Considering you keep reading my stuff, I might as well finish this for my only reader.

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Crimsonblack

Crimsonblack

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On 2019-03-16 at 7:49 PM, Sc10n0fD4rksp0r3 said:

The only thing that needs work is this Part 4 you “promised”. Nothing ruins a good story than not having an ending. Everything else is just fine.

There you go. It's not amazing but it's there. If there's anything bad, or plot holes and the like, tell me and I'll fix them.

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