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[Archive] Of Ash And Fire - Original Thread

SirNerdsAlot5

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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And suddenly a cute little kitten that says: I'm going to kill everybody you love

 

I summon...

 

EARTHWORM JIM!!!!!

 

Evil the Cat has NO chance against the greatest hero who ever got a super suit dropped on him.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Earthworm Jim uses Snot Swing to escape...

 

 

 

 

Do you REALLY want to know?

 

 

*has just spent the last 20 mins finding two steps form hell on youtube, listening to it, and wondering why I haven't found it before now*

 

Welcome to the few, the proud, the TSFH ADDICTS! INVINCIBLE FTW!

 

Greatest instrumental music I have ever heard in games or movies.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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The Vauban warframe entered the Aequitas dojo with only a small amount of trepidation. The girl in robes at his side was staring around, eyes flitting from place to place, taking in the strangeness. But she kept her mouth shut as the Vauban started off.

 

“I say…” The Vauban muttered. “Where would we find a shrubbery here, do you think?”

 

“Probably with a shrubber?” The girl replied with a straight face.

 

“You are no fun, Cecelia.” The Vauban said with a sigh. “Go on, take all my fun!”

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The girl replied easily. “We must find the Lord and Master of this castle, to tell him of what has transpired with the Black Beast of Aaaaaaargh.” But her face was sad, not happy. The whole mess with Jasmina and the death of the Tenno named Dust was no laughing matter.

 

“Indeed.” The Vauban replied, his tone melancholy as well. “But to do that, we must speak to these people. I hope that…” He paused as a Nova in odd colors came around a corner. “I say, good lady. We are questers seeking the Lord and Master of this castle.” He said with a bow. “Might you know where we would find said being? We have traveled far and seek to refresh ourselves.”

 

The Nova stared at Ric, and then wandered away muttering something about ‘opening the looney bin.’

 

“Well…” Cecelia said, affronted. “That was rude.”

 

“Come now, Lady Cecelia.” Ric said with a bow. “Not everyone has been exposed to the Holy Maxims of Python as we have. We cannot expect everyone to know how to react to our erudition.”

 

“True enough, I suppose.” Cecelia said with a sigh. “Ah well, onwards?”

 

“Forward!” Ric agreed. “No time like the… um…” He paused. “What was I saying?” He joked.

 

“Don’t even kid that, Ric.” Cecelia said sharply, her face falling “It was bad enough when you couldn’t remember my name!” The Vauban paused and then nodded, his hand seeking hers to grab and hold it gently.

 

“I apologize, Cecelia.” Ric said gently. “I am… out of sorts here. So many changes, so suddenly. Too many…” He shook his head. “And now, Karl wants everyone appraised about what happened with Jasmina, but not over the com? Makes no sense to me. Tenno coms are secure.” He paused. “What ho? What is this? I say, good sir knight." Ric said in somewhat pompous air, but it was obviously meat to be silly. "I am on my way to Camelot and seek your lord and master to decry news of terrible import."

 

Staring at the odd couple, Ans was amazed at the Vauban. No one spoke like that, anymore that is. But the girl in robes cut in, with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Where can we find the master of the dojo?” The Vauban sighed, and gave her a scowl.  Ans couldn't help but smile, these two seemed close. 

 

“Ummm, well first im not a knight, whatever that may be, but i can show you the way to the memorial hall, one of the founders should be there. If not then i would not know where to look next, seeing as i am just a, very, regular visitor here.” Ans said while gesturing slightly down the hall.

 

“Do not make me punish you, Lady Cecelia.” Ric declared sternly. “I shall do so most serve-ly!”

 

“That is ‘severely’ and you know you want to anyway.” The girl just shook her head, but her eyes were twinkling. “Don’t mind him.” She told the other who was staring at them. “He has had a rough time. His brain seems to work only sporadically.”

 

“I shall make you test Bedivere’s scales, you looney!” Ric said with a snort, but it was obviously in jest. “Lead on, good sir… Um… What is your name, Sir Knight?”

 

Cecelia rolled her eyes again and spoke to the other Tenno. “This is the way he always is. Don’t mind him.” She repeated. “Lead on.”

 

“Again, im not a knight.” Ans said shaking his head, “And my name is Ans. But let us be on our way.” Turning Ans couldn't help but laugh a little, these two where an interesting pair. Leading the way through the network of hallways and rooms, they made it to the Memorial Hall without losing anyone. Pausing, Ans hesitated to enter, but enter after a few moments of hesitation. 

 

The statue was the first thing they saw, Ajkrumen, holding the stalkers helmet. Ans felt some tears trying to run escape his eyes, but he shook his head sending them away. 

Ric looked at the statue, then at the Tenno leading them. But when he spoke, it was kind, and wonder of wonders, not some movie quote or inanity.

 

"Whatever drives you, friend. Know that you are not alone in suffering. Others have. Others will. We may differ in creeds, shapes, or forms, but we are all kin. Do not surrender who and what you are to grief. The only one who can choose to give up... is you. And you are not a quitter."

 

Cecelia paused and stared at Ric who shrugged. She shook her head and remained silent. But then Ric shook himself.

 

"Look at me, all weepy like Sir Robin." The Vauban said sheepishly. "I feel a bit peckish, Lady Cecelia? Shall we find some minstrels?"

 

Cecelia shook her head. “No eating, people, Ric. You promised.” She smiled to show it was a joke.

 

Hearing the Vauban say such things, made Ans turn. 

 

“To be honest I never knew this man, I knew of him, but not personally. Just being here you can feel the happiness, sorrow, pain, joy, everything he brought to those around him everyday, till the day he died.” Letting his helmet retract, he let a tear fall, “I would have loved to meet him, but he is gone and these people here fight for him everyday.”

 

Ans was about to ask for their names, only to catch them as they spoke about getting food. A smile played on the Volts lips as he listened to their banter.

 

“Well since no one is here, would you like me to lead you to the cafeteria?” he offered.

“Duty first unfortunately." Ric said with a sigh. "Even if he DOESN'T wield Excalibur -which would make him the King of the Britons- I was sent on a quest to deliver my message by my Lord and Master. Perhaps later." He paused. "One thing... are there any bunnies about? He started to glance around as if in fear.

 

"Oh no..." Cecelia shook her head. "Not with the bunnies, Ric. Stop confusing the poor guy. We have work to do." Ric shook his head and started whistling. Cecelia just shook her head.

 

"Please don't mind him." The girl begged the Volt. "He is nuts, but mostly harmless to anyone who is not an enemy."

 

"Don't quote the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at me!" Ric declared. "Onward?"

 

Shaking his head Ans escorted them to the cafeteria. Still pondering how these two worked so well together, Ans was lost in thought as he instinctively led them to food. He knew this dojo incredibly well, as a non member. 

 

“I must take my leave, it was pleasure meeting you two, maybe we can meet again someday.” Ans said waving a little bit as he turned and walked away.

 

"Good day indeed, good sir, Ans." Ric said with a nod. "May you find your way to Camelot yourself. Take care of yourself." He said quietly.

 

"Careful, Ric." Cecelia said with a smile. "That almost sounded sane."

 

"Who me?" The Vauban declared. "Never. No never! Well...hardly ever."

 

"Ni." Cecelia replied. Both laughed and then went off to find the master of the dojo, a sad tale to relate, but hopefully better things would come.

 

                                                                                    

(( BIG thank you to Quinns-Wing for some help :) ))

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Jeahanne

Jeahanne

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ALRIGHT! IT'S DONE!

 

For clarification. The first spoiler is something most everyone has probably read by now, just cut down. If you've already read my last post you probably won't need to read this except to see the new cut-off point for this part. If you haven't read my last post then this is the more accurate version, and ignore the old one lol. The piece that I cut IS saved, and will be used later, but will be set in a different part of the timeline (again, I'm sorry tdsa, this just made the story flow better, sorry >.<;).

 

The second spoiler is the new piece and is the "introduction" of Aiden, so to speak. I left it off where it is because I know everyone else wants to work on this saving Sophia thing as well, and I didn't want to get too far ahead. This is completely different from my last post and is entirely new.

 

 

I hope this all makes sense and didn't mess up continuity too badly. I really am sorry for the mess up. I'll do my best that this is the only time I end up doing this kind of thing. Please tell me if the editing makes sense. Sorry, and I hope this is alright.

 

Also be warned. The second piece is rather long... it's 9 pages in word... it seems long posts are becoming my habit. Sorry again...

 

Cain was sitting as far away from Acantha as the small ship would allow. It was very quiet, with neither Tenno offering conversation and the two Sentinels “asleep” as they backed up their memories in the downtime they had during the trip to the Dojo. Acantha herself was busy working through data stored on the small vessel’s surprisingly powerful computer, recalling files she deemed necessary and copying them to a small hand-held data pad.

 

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she spoke, “If you so much as brush against my cot, I’ll change my verdict and actually kill you.”

 

Cain froze, then backed quickly away from the small bed he’d been about to recline on. Eventually he settled himself on the floor, feeling like it was probably the only thing he could touch without fearing for his life, and crossed his arms while he did his best not to touch anything. He was spending the ride feeling sorry for himself, and wondering how he was going to get back to where he should be (in particular somewhere where he was in charge) when he was going to be relegated to a clan filled with the insane and the hopeless, while probably serving his sentence as some kind of lowly janitor. He nursed his self-pity like a sore tooth, constantly picking at it as he stared into space. He couldn’t get over his sense of the unfairness of it all. He was a big shot, and here he was being treated like a nothing. Gradually, his self-pity morphed into a feeling of anger.

 

He shot a sidelong glance at Acantha, making sure she was engrossed in her work, before getting silently up and making his way to the bed again. He wasn’t just going to let her boss him around and make him sit on the floor like garbage. It was just a bed, and if he wanted to sit on it then he was damn well going to. He reached over to brace himself against the edge of the bed frame, trying make as little noise as possible as he lowered himself down to sit, when out of nowhere a kunai knife buried itself not an inch from his hand. He jumped backwards with a yelp, fell ungracefully against the edge of the mattress and promptly slid off. He grabbed out as he fell, dragging the blankets and an unlucky pillow down on top of him. He cursed as he struggled to extricate himself from the tangle of cloth. When he was finally free he saw Acantha looking down at him with a glare that could curdle fresh milk. He decided at that point that sitting on the floor like garbage was preferable to bodily injury or death, and put up no more resistance for the remainder of the flight.

 

His luck didn’t get much better when they finally arrived at the Dojo and he’d stiffly unfolded himself from the floor. They’d both stepped out of the snub and Cain had done his best to keep his jaw from hitting the ground as he caught his first glimpses of the enormous complex. He never got the chance to get his bearings, as Acantha had immediately shoved a data tablet at him with very little instruction before walking away and leaving him standing there alone.

 

“A general map, list of rules, your new room number and key code, and other information are in that.” She told him shortly, “I should probably give you a tour and escort you to your rooms, but I’m tired and I don’t feel like dealing with it. When you get to your rooms I’ve arranged for basics to be there for you, including a change of clothes. Just follow the map and you’ll find it. And stay the hell out of trouble.”

 

Without saying anything more she’d walked off, followed by the Sentinels. What she’d failed to tell him was that none of the data stored in the pad was at all organized. It took him forever to even call up the map, and when he did it had no marker that showed his current position, so it took him even longer to figure out where he was. Once he figured that out he thought he was going to be alright, but he still managed to get lost. The corners and hallways all looked the same and finding his room ended up taking him hours, as he felt asking for directions would make him look weak so he had just wandered around alone until he found it. To top it all off, when he finally found his assigned lodgings he was met by an individual by the name of Nova-Quinn. The moment he’d opened the door, exhausted and footsore, he’d been greeted by an insanely cheery Nova whose energy seemed boundless.

 

She had sprung out of the door immediately, bouncing up and down excitedly and sending sparkling particles of antimatter off in an alarming fashion while yelling at the top of her lungs. “HI! ARE YOU MY NEW ROOMMATE?! I’VE ALWAYS WANTED A ROOMMATE! THIS IS GOING TO BE SOOOOO FUN!”

 

At that point he’d been dragged bodily into the room by the insane Tenno and forced to play “games” with her. He found out quickly that Nova-Quinn’s idea of a game was more like torture than fun, although she seemed to enjoy herself immensely at his expense and seemed thoroughly oblivious to his various discomforts. ALL of her games seemed to involve explosions in one way or another, and he quickly realized why Acantha had told him he’d probably wish she’d killed him instead of leaving him alive. He was sore, beaten up, and thoroughly wishing he could sleep even if that meant he had to be sleeping in his grave by the time the first of the games was over.

 

To make matters worse, after enduring an uncountable amount of time suffering through NQ’s idea of fun, he met his “Probation Officer”. At first he thought the Frost was a Godsend because he managed to get Nova-Quinn out of the room and away from him. He quickly learned, however, how wrong he was. It turned out Heus was the only apprentice of Ajkrumen, a Tenno that Cain had insulted, and the Frost was far from happy about the slight. To call the encounter merely an introduction would have been an understatement akin to calling the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nothing more than the explosion of a firecracker.

 

Unfortunately, in Cain’s opinion, it didn’t leave him dead.

 

 

The Nova was nervous, the gun in her hand, familiar as it was from long months and years of practice, still felt too large to her and her warframe still felt unfamiliar, like a new pair of shoes that had yet to be broken in.

 

A voice she knew as well as her own spoke to her left, audible only to her over her communication’s system. It felt as close as her own thoughts, like he was whispering the words straight into her ear instead of speaking from several feet away. “Breathe, sister. They’ll be coming soon.”

 

She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak, and clutched the rifle closer. It was a simple weapon, but deadly. The long barrel, almost three quarters her own height, afforded it incredible accuracy, but made it unwieldy and heavy for the small person bearing it. She took a deep breath and set the end of its barrel on the ledge of an opening in a dividing wall, aiming the sights towards a closed doorway. Her targets would be coming through it at any second, and she had to provide covering sniper fire for her partner. Her hands shook as she checked that a round was loaded, and then relocked it into the chamber. The bolt-action of the rifle provided a satisfying clack as it sealed its deadly cargo away.

 

“Remember, take out the large targets, they’ll be the biggest threats, and make every shot count. One shot, one kill. These people didn’t choose to become the monsters they are. It’s our duty to end their suffering as humanely as possible.” The familiar voice emanated from an Excalibur, his colors smokey dark grays that made him one with any shadow he chose. His blades were held ready, a pair of Ether Swords specifically designed for the purpose of cleansing the plague-touched souls that were the Infested. Their glass-like blades, even though dyed a dark color to match their wielder, still shone gem-like in the almost-dark of the overrun ship.

 

“Incoming.” The voice that spoke this time was gruffer but still sounded as intimately close as the other had despite the one who had voiced it being nowhere in sight. It was the kind of voice that came from someone who never seemed happy, and if were to ever smile the world wouldn’t just end; it would implode into a black hole that would take out surrounding galaxies along with it. “Don’t screw up, girl.”

 

The Nova winced, knowing the weight that rested upon her shoulders. This mission was her first, and was her most important test. She’d only been granted the warframe she wore temporarily. Her performance on this mission would decide if she got to keep it, or if she would fail her master and perhaps never get another chance to prove herself again. She chewed at her lip nervously as she stared down the sight of the long Vectis rifle that she had been loaned. She was lucky in that she’d been instructed to take the test using her strongest skill set; sharp-shooting. However, that didn’t make her relax. She knew that the bar would be set even higher for her now because of her proficiency in the subject she was being assessed in. Her master would expect nothing less from her than perfection. One mistake and she would fail. One mistake and she would forever be a disappointment.

 

Her breathing was uneven and shaky as she tried to calm herself and force down her fear of failure. Distantly she heard the moans and screams of the damned as the Infested closed in on her and her partner’s position, the infected creatures being herded towards them en masse to act as her living field competency test. She saw the Excalibur grip his weapons more tightly and shift his stance in preparation for the stampede’s arrival. The nightmarish noises grew louder and louder, until they reached an almost unbearable pitch and a tide of malformed flesh careened through the doorway, pushing and jostling one another in a thoughtless seethe. The sounds changed when they caught sight of their quarry, morphing into a sound more like the baying of hounds on the hunt than their previous aimless screams.

 

The Nova’s rifle spat a tongue of fire and death, her scope zoomed in on the tentacled maw of one particularly large and dangerous looking abomination. She watched as the creature’s head snapped backwards, emitting a spray of blood-like gore that painted the walls and misshapen biomass behind it. The female Tenno didn’t watch as it crumpled to the floor to be trampled and consumed by its brethren. With the habit borne out of long practice, she reloaded the rifle, yanking the heavy bolt back to eject the still-hot casing of a sniper round and replacing it with another cartridge before slamming the bolt back home and realigning her sights. One by one her targets fell, each shot marking a kill as her partner danced through the more cannon-fodder-like small units, his blades flashing as he danced; all his partners falling dead, dismembered and bleeding as he passed through the room like a courtier at a ball.

 

Neither Tenno was sure how long the battle went on, but eventually their targets ran out and the room was silent aside from the sounds of gore dripping from blades and the delicate ring of metal as the last brass jacket was ejected from the sniper rifle and fell tinkling to the floor.

 

“You task is complete. Return to base. Results of the test will be released at a later time.” The voice was the gruff one, and his tone betrayed nothing.

 

_________________________________

 

A shrill noise was going off near Acantha’s head, incessant and annoyingly loud. That’s not right, she thought to herself, there weren’t any alarms in that mission. Then, with a groan, she pulled herself free of the dream and rolled over to blindly smack at the console near her bed, trying to make the noise stop. When it didn’t, she sat up with a mutter and squinted her eyes to try to focus on the bright display. It was an incoming audio transmission.

 

Groggily she answered it, muttering shortly at whoever was on the other end of the line, “Yes?”

 

“Tenno Acantha?” The voice was politely female, with a business-like tone.

 

“Speaking.” She stifled a yawn.

 

“A Tenno by the name of Cain has arrived in Medical Bay. We were instructed to alert you about his condition and request instructions on his level of treatment.”

 

She grumbled, “Heus is his Parole Officer, and was probably already awake. Why not ask him?”

 

The person on the other end of the line hesitated a moment, “Heus was the reason for the patient’s admittance. It seemed inadvisable to ask him about treatment.”

 

Ah, so that’s it. “I’ll be right down.”

 

__________________________________

 

Cain was laid out on a cot, completely unconscious and beaten to a pulp.

 

“Heus really did a number on him didn’t he?” Acantha commented, still half asleep despite her walk across the dojo.

 

“Yes. Do we have your permission to treat him?”

 

Acantha thought about it, then with a sigh said, “Yes. However, if he gives you any trouble at all once he wakes up, tell me. Being injured doesn’t absolve him of his punishment.”

 

The nurse nodded to her and then started giving out orders, beginning the treatment of the unfortunate, arrogant Tenno. She watched as they wheeled him away to some other area of the medical facility. Then the Nova, currently warframe-less, began to make her way out of the room, but before she could reach the door a small commotion behind her made her investigate.

 

“He’s awake. Bring me…” the rest of the nurse’s sentence was cut off as she hurried into a private room to one side of the large public one Acantha was currently standing in. Drawn by curiosity, she sidled up to the doorway and peeked in. Inside a Tenno was groggily sitting up, obviously confused by where he was. There were several medical personnel on hand, one armed as a precaution, who were talking with him in soothing voices and providing explanations.

 

“Where is my equipment?” She heard him ask as he waved off the attentions of concerned staff.

 

“It was sent off for repairs and cleaning while you were being treated. It will be returned to you soon, Tenno…?”

 

“Aiden.”

 

“Well Aiden, we will release you shortly. Notifications must be made about your recovery, and arrangements will be made for you. You will be offered quarters for the duration of your stay, which will become permanent if you choose to stay with us here in Aequitas.”

 

Qarin hovered behind Acantha’s head, peering around the doorway with her. “I could file the paperwork. It would take very little time.”

 

His voice startled the people immediately around him. “I beg your pardon?” one of the nurses asked.

 

The Djinn was getting more and more curious looks, many people still unfamiliar with the rather rare occurrence of his kind. “I could easily file the documents necessary. It would take me far less time to complete than it would others, and they could be finished in the time it would take for Tenno Aiden to retrieve his belongings. I have already concluded them, actually. The forms only require submission. Would you wish me to do this for you?”

 

The Sentinel was looking directly at the newly woken Tenno, seemingly waiting on his reply. It didn’t occur to the machine that he was asking the wrong individual for permission. In his mind, the one the paperwork referred to was the person who should be asked, not the people who actually had to submit it. Acantha made a mental note to explain his mistake at a more appropriate time.

 

“That would be kind of you.” The man looked a little confused at the being he was talking to, although was polite nonetheless.

 

“I apologize, healers. I realize we have no business here,” Acantha bowed slightly in apology, “However, if you would be so kind as to humor us, Qarin and I would be in remiss not to offer out services to this Tenno. He is a guest here, after all, and it would be the least we could do after intruding so rudely.”

 

One healer glanced down at a data pad she held in her hands and was scrolling through it, although Acantha couldn’t make out what she was looking at. “Well, the files all appear to be in order. If you are willing then I will release him into your care.”

 

“Thank you, healer.” Acantha bowed to the Tenno again, before turning her attention to the man sitting on the bed. “I’m sorry for our rudeness. I’m Acantha, and my friend here is Qarin.” She gestured to the Djinn. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. If you’re feeling well enough to go, I’ll walk you to where you can retrieve your warframe and weapons, or get replacements if you need them. Once that is done I can take you to wherever else you wish to go.”

 

“It is nice to meet you. Also, thank you.”

 

Acantha led Aiden down the halls of the dojo, heading for the Foundry. “Your warframe and weapons will be in the Foundry. Quinn, our Foundry Master, is currently out, so the place is running on an AI, but it’s more than sufficient for general maintenance and cleaning.”

 

“And if I need new weapons?”

 

She glanced at him, “Am I right in my assumption that you’re recently awake from cryo-sleep?” The Tenno nodded. “Then you have two options. You can borrow what you want until Quinn returns and he can smith specifically what you need. Or, if you only require something standard, you can take what suits you if it’s in stock.”

 

They walked into the Foundry, the lights and other systems activating automatically, and were greeted by a female AI. Her voice was cool and clipped, sounding synthetic mostly in its manner of speaking, although some other indefinable feature of the cadence of her speech hinted at the fact that she was artificial. “Welcome Tenno. What do you require?”

 

“Aiden has been released from Medical Bay and has been authorized to retrieve his personal effects.”

 

A long storage locker slid forward from a line of similar lockers along one wall and the door swung open, revealing a Rhino warframe and a massive Galatine great sword. Acantha stepped back to give Aiden his space while he slid into his warframe and inspected his sword. Once he was outfitted and appeared to be pleased with the state of his gear, she watched as he paced throughout the room, glancing at displayed weaponry and picking up what struck his fancy. In the end, she saw him choose and holster a Karak rifle as his primary weapon, and a Lex handgun as his secondary.

 

She had to admit, the Tenno looked imposing in full outfit. He wore a black Rhino with accents of orange, and his stance and physique left no doubt in her mind that he was an imposing fighter. Standing near him she felt short, and laughed softly to herself, feeling silly for being vain enough to worry about something as insignificant as her height.

 

“I still do not understand how Tenno can take off their skin at will, and then replace it whenever they wish to. It seems highly impractical.”

 

“I’ve explained before Qarin. A warframe is not literally our skin. It isn’t a physical part of most of us. For us, it’s like putting on armor or a piece of clothing.”

 

“Most of you, you say. It still seems impractical. Would it not be far more useful if it could not be removed? It could never be stolen that way. Or taken away while you are unconscious in Medical Bay, for example.”

 

Acantha sighed, “It’s more complicated than that. I’ll explain it later, alright? For now, it’s our duty to help Aiden settle in. He is a guest of Clan Aequitas, after all.” She looked at the Rhino who had made his way over to them after selecting the weapons he wanted, “So where would you like to go now? Rooms have been arranged for you if you would like to rest. Training rooms are also available, as are gardens and meditation rooms, a fully stocked bar, and various other places.”

 

“Mistress.”

 

She shot an annoyed glance at the Djinn, “I said we could argue about the warframes later Qarin. It’s impolite to keep interrupting.”

 

“Yes, but you’ve received a message. It is from a Tenno we met at the Station, Kris.”

 

Acantha was shocked, “Kris? That’s unusual. Would you be so kind as to read it?”

 

“It seems a Tenno by the name of Sophia has gone missing. He is requesting assistance in ascertaining her location and in her subsequent retrieval.”

 

“Sophia?” She stood there in shock for a moment. Why would Kris be worried about Sophia, she wants him dead. Doesn’t she?

 

In the end, the details didn’t matter. She had given her word that If Kris chose the hard path and turned himself around, she would help him. He needed help, so she was honor bound to go, even if that meant she had to go and save Sophia, Venefica’s more dominant half.

 

“My deepest apologies, Tenno Aiden. I’m going to have to cut my hospitality short. There is an emergency I must attend to.” She bowed to the Rhino, and then turned to Qarin, “If you would, Qarin, I need you to instruct Carrier to load the snub. I don’t know what we’re going to be heading into. Tell him to prepare it by loading in alternate weaponry appropriate to fighting any faction, he’ll know what I want. He needs to be done by the time I get back to my rooms and equip my usual gear.”

 

“Will you need assistance?” Aiden looked at her, although she couldn’t see his expression behind his helmet.

 

“It is not my place to ask you to join me. You’re newly recovered and not a clan mate. However, if you wish to come with me I wouldn’t turn down the assistance. If Kris is asking a member of Clan Aequitas for help, things must be bad.”

 

The intimidating Tenno nodded to her and she rushed as fast as her legs would take her to her quarters where her warframe waited for her, with Aiden on her heels.

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FatViking

FatViking

Posted
Posted

ALRIGHT! IT'S DONE!

 

For clarification. The first spoiler is something most everyone has probably read by now, just cut down. If you've already read my last post you probably won't need to read this except to see the new cut-off point for this part. If you haven't read my last post then this is the more accurate version, and ignore the old one lol. The piece that I cut IS saved, and will be used later, but will be set in a different part of the timeline (again, I'm sorry tdsa, this just made the story flow better, sorry >.<;).

 

The second spoiler is the new piece and is the "introduction" of Aiden, so to speak. I left it off where it is because I know everyone else wants to work on this saving Sophia thing as well, and I didn't want to get too far ahead. This is completely different from my last post and is entirely new.

 

 

I hope this all makes sense and didn't mess up continuity too badly. I really am sorry for the mess up. I'll do my best that this is the only time I end up doing this kind of thing. Please tell me if the editing makes sense. Sorry, and I hope this is alright.

 

Also be warned. The second piece is rather long... it's 9 pages in word... it seems long posts are becoming my habit. Sorry again...

 

Cain was sitting as far away from Acantha as the small ship would allow. It was very quiet, with neither Tenno offering conversation and the two Sentinels “asleep” as they backed up their memories in the downtime they had during the trip to the Dojo. Acantha herself was busy working through data stored on the small vessel’s surprisingly powerful computer, recalling files she deemed necessary and copying them to a small hand-held data pad.

 

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she spoke, “If you so much as brush against my cot, I’ll change my verdict and actually kill you.”

 

Cain froze, then backed quickly away from the small bed he’d been about to recline on. Eventually he settled himself on the floor, feeling like it was probably the only thing he could touch without fearing for his life, and crossed his arms while he did his best not to touch anything. He was spending the ride feeling sorry for himself, and wondering how he was going to get back to where he should be (in particular somewhere where he was in charge) when he was going to be relegated to a clan filled with the insane and the hopeless, while probably serving his sentence as some kind of lowly janitor. He nursed his self-pity like a sore tooth, constantly picking at it as he stared into space. He couldn’t get over his sense of the unfairness of it all. He was a big shot, and here he was being treated like a nothing. Gradually, his self-pity morphed into a feeling of anger.

 

He shot a sidelong glance at Acantha, making sure she was engrossed in her work, before getting silently up and making his way to the bed again. He wasn’t just going to let her boss him around and make him sit on the floor like garbage. It was just a bed, and if he wanted to sit on it then he was damn well going to. He reached over to brace himself against the edge of the bed frame, trying make as little noise as possible as he lowered himself down to sit, when out of nowhere a kunai knife buried itself not an inch from his hand. He jumped backwards with a yelp, fell ungracefully against the edge of the mattress and promptly slid off. He grabbed out as he fell, dragging the blankets and an unlucky pillow down on top of him. He cursed as he struggled to extricate himself from the tangle of cloth. When he was finally free he saw Acantha looking down at him with a glare that could curdle fresh milk. He decided at that point that sitting on the floor like garbage was preferable to bodily injury or death, and put up no more resistance for the remainder of the flight.

 

His luck didn’t get much better when they finally arrived at the Dojo and he’d stiffly unfolded himself from the floor. They’d both stepped out of the snub and Cain had done his best to keep his jaw from hitting the ground as he caught his first glimpses of the enormous complex. He never got the chance to get his bearings, as Acantha had immediately shoved a data tablet at him with very little instruction before walking away and leaving him standing there alone.

 

“A general map, list of rules, your new room number and key code, and other information are in that.” She told him shortly, “I should probably give you a tour and escort you to your rooms, but I’m tired and I don’t feel like dealing with it. When you get to your rooms I’ve arranged for basics to be there for you, including a change of clothes. Just follow the map and you’ll find it. And stay the hell out of trouble.”

 

Without saying anything more she’d walked off, followed by the Sentinels. What she’d failed to tell him was that none of the data stored in the pad was at all organized. It took him forever to even call up the map, and when he did it had no marker that showed his current position, so it took him even longer to figure out where he was. Once he figured that out he thought he was going to be alright, but he still managed to get lost. The corners and hallways all looked the same and finding his room ended up taking him hours, as he felt asking for directions would make him look weak so he had just wandered around alone until he found it. To top it all off, when he finally found his assigned lodgings he was met by an individual by the name of Nova-Quinn. The moment he’d opened the door, exhausted and footsore, he’d been greeted by an insanely cheery Nova whose energy seemed boundless.

 

She had sprung out of the door immediately, bouncing up and down excitedly and sending sparkling particles of antimatter off in an alarming fashion while yelling at the top of her lungs. “HI! ARE YOU MY NEW ROOMMATE?! I’VE ALWAYS WANTED A ROOMMATE! THIS IS GOING TO BE SOOOOO FUN!”

 

At that point he’d been dragged bodily into the room by the insane Tenno and forced to play “games” with her. He found out quickly that Nova-Quinn’s idea of a game was more like torture than fun, although she seemed to enjoy herself immensely at his expense and seemed thoroughly oblivious to his various discomforts. ALL of her games seemed to involve explosions in one way or another, and he quickly realized why Acantha had told him he’d probably wish she’d killed him instead of leaving him alive. He was sore, beaten up, and thoroughly wishing he could sleep even if that meant he had to be sleeping in his grave by the time the first of the games was over.

 

To make matters worse, after enduring an uncountable amount of time suffering through NQ’s idea of fun, he met his “Probation Officer”. At first he thought the Frost was a Godsend because he managed to get Nova-Quinn out of the room and away from him. He quickly learned, however, how wrong he was. It turned out Heus was the only apprentice of Ajkrumen, a Tenno that Cain had insulted, and the Frost was far from happy about the slight. To call the encounter merely an introduction would have been an understatement akin to calling the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nothing more than the explosion of a firecracker.

 

Unfortunately, in Cain’s opinion, it didn’t leave him dead.

 

 

The Nova was nervous, the gun in her hand, familiar as it was from long months and years of practice, still felt too large to her and her warframe still felt unfamiliar, like a new pair of shoes that had yet to be broken in.

 

A voice she knew as well as her own spoke to her left, audible only to her over her communication’s system. It felt as close as her own thoughts, like he was whispering the words straight into her ear instead of speaking from several feet away. “Breathe, sister. They’ll be coming soon.”

 

She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak, and clutched the rifle closer. It was a simple weapon, but deadly. The long barrel, almost three quarters her own height, afforded it incredible accuracy, but made it unwieldy and heavy for the small person bearing it. She took a deep breath and set the end of its barrel on the ledge of an opening in a dividing wall, aiming the sights towards a closed doorway. Her targets would be coming through it at any second, and she had to provide covering sniper fire for her partner. Her hands shook as she checked that a round was loaded, and then relocked it into the chamber. The bolt-action of the rifle provided a satisfying clack as it sealed its deadly cargo away.

 

“Remember, take out the large targets, they’ll be the biggest threats, and make every shot count. One shot, one kill. These people didn’t choose to become the monsters they are. It’s our duty to end their suffering as humanely as possible.” The familiar voice emanated from an Excalibur, his colors smokey dark grays that made him one with any shadow he chose. His blades were held ready, a pair of Ether Swords specifically designed for the purpose of cleansing the plague-touched souls that were the Infested. Their glass-like blades, even though dyed a dark color to match their wielder, still shone gem-like in the almost-dark of the overrun ship.

 

“Incoming.” The voice that spoke this time was gruffer but still sounded as intimately close as the other had despite the one who had voiced it being nowhere in sight. It was the kind of voice that came from someone who never seemed happy, and if were to ever smile the world wouldn’t just end; it would implode into a black hole that would take out surrounding galaxies along with it. “Don’t screw up, girl.”

 

The Nova winced, knowing the weight that rested upon her shoulders. This mission was her first, and was her most important test. She’d only been granted the warframe she wore temporarily. Her performance on this mission would decide if she got to keep it, or if she would fail her master and perhaps never get another chance to prove herself again. She chewed at her lip nervously as she stared down the sight of the long Vectis rifle that she had been loaned. She was lucky in that she’d been instructed to take the test using her strongest skill set; sharp-shooting. However, that didn’t make her relax. She knew that the bar would be set even higher for her now because of her proficiency in the subject she was being assessed in. Her master would expect nothing less from her than perfection. One mistake and she would fail. One mistake and she would forever be a disappointment.

 

Her breathing was uneven and shaky as she tried to calm herself and force down her fear of failure. Distantly she heard the moans and screams of the damned as the Infested closed in on her and her partner’s position, the infected creatures being herded towards them en masse to act as her living field competency test. She saw the Excalibur grip his weapons more tightly and shift his stance in preparation for the stampede’s arrival. The nightmarish noises grew louder and louder, until they reached an almost unbearable pitch and a tide of malformed flesh careened through the doorway, pushing and jostling one another in a thoughtless seethe. The sounds changed when they caught sight of their quarry, morphing into a sound more like the baying of hounds on the hunt than their previous aimless screams.

 

The Nova’s rifle spat a tongue of fire and death, her scope zoomed in on the tentacled maw of one particularly large and dangerous looking abomination. She watched as the creature’s head snapped backwards, emitting a spray of blood-like gore that painted the walls and misshapen biomass behind it. The female Tenno didn’t watch as it crumpled to the floor to be trampled and consumed by its brethren. With the habit borne out of long practice, she reloaded the rifle, yanking the heavy bolt back to eject the still-hot casing of a sniper round and replacing it with another cartridge before slamming the bolt back home and realigning her sights. One by one her targets fell, each shot marking a kill as her partner danced through the more cannon-fodder-like small units, his blades flashing as he danced; all his partners falling dead, dismembered and bleeding as he passed through the room like a courtier at a ball.

 

Neither Tenno was sure how long the battle went on, but eventually their targets ran out and the room was silent aside from the sounds of gore dripping from blades and the delicate ring of metal as the last brass jacket was ejected from the sniper rifle and fell tinkling to the floor.

 

“You task is complete. Return to base. Results of the test will be released at a later time.” The voice was the gruff one, and his tone betrayed nothing.

 

_________________________________

 

A shrill noise was going off near Acantha’s head, incessant and annoyingly loud. That’s not right, she thought to herself, there weren’t any alarms in that mission. Then, with a groan, she pulled herself free of the dream and rolled over to blindly smack at the console near her bed, trying to make the noise stop. When it didn’t, she sat up with a mutter and squinted her eyes to try to focus on the bright display. It was an incoming audio transmission.

 

Groggily she answered it, muttering shortly at whoever was on the other end of the line, “Yes?”

 

“Tenno Acantha?” The voice was politely female, with a business-like tone.

 

“Speaking.” She stifled a yawn.

 

“A Tenno by the name of Cain has arrived in Medical Bay. We were instructed to alert you about his condition and request instructions on his level of treatment.”

 

She grumbled, “Heus is his Parole Officer, and was probably already awake. Why not ask him?”

 

The person on the other end of the line hesitated a moment, “Heus was the reason for the patient’s admittance. It seemed inadvisable to ask him about treatment.”

 

Ah, so that’s it. “I’ll be right down.”

 

__________________________________

 

Cain was laid out on a cot, completely unconscious and beaten to a pulp.

 

“Heus really did a number on him didn’t he?” Acantha commented, still half asleep despite her walk across the dojo.

 

“Yes. Do we have your permission to treat him?”

 

Acantha thought about it, then with a sigh said, “Yes. However, if he gives you any trouble at all once he wakes up, tell me. Being injured doesn’t absolve him of his punishment.”

 

The nurse nodded to her and then started giving out orders, beginning the treatment of the unfortunate, arrogant Tenno. She watched as they wheeled him away to some other area of the medical facility. Then the Nova, currently warframe-less, began to make her way out of the room, but before she could reach the door a small commotion behind her made her investigate.

 

“He’s awake. Bring me…” the rest of the nurse’s sentence was cut off as she hurried into a private room to one side of the large public one Acantha was currently standing in. Drawn by curiosity, she sidled up to the doorway and peeked in. Inside a Tenno was groggily sitting up, obviously confused by where he was. There were several medical personnel on hand, one armed as a precaution, who were talking with him in soothing voices and providing explanations.

 

“Where is my equipment?” She heard him ask as he waved off the attentions of concerned staff.

 

“It was sent off for repairs and cleaning while you were being treated. It will be returned to you soon, Tenno…?”

 

“Aiden.”

 

“Well Aiden, we will release you shortly. Notifications must be made about your recovery, and arrangements will be made for you. You will be offered quarters for the duration of your stay, which will become permanent if you choose to stay with us here in Aequitas.”

 

Qarin hovered behind Acantha’s head, peering around the doorway with her. “I could file the paperwork. It would take very little time.”

 

His voice startled the people immediately around him. “I beg your pardon?” one of the nurses asked.

 

The Djinn was getting more and more curious looks, many people still unfamiliar with the rather rare occurrence of his kind. “I could easily file the documents necessary. It would take me far less time to complete than it would others, and they could be finished in the time it would take for Tenno Aiden to retrieve his belongings. I have already concluded them, actually. The forms only require submission. Would you wish me to do this for you?”

 

The Sentinel was looking directly at the newly woken Tenno, seemingly waiting on his reply. It didn’t occur to the machine that he was asking the wrong individual for permission. In his mind, the one the paperwork referred to was the person who should be asked, not the people who actually had to submit it. Acantha made a mental note to explain his mistake at a more appropriate time.

 

“That would be kind of you.” The man looked a little confused at the being he was talking to, although was polite nonetheless.

 

“I apologize, healers. I realize we have no business here,” Acantha bowed slightly in apology, “However, if you would be so kind as to humor us, Qarin and I would be in remiss not to offer out services to this Tenno. He is a guest here, after all, and it would be the least we could do after intruding so rudely.”

 

One healer glanced down at a data pad she held in her hands and was scrolling through it, although Acantha couldn’t make out what she was looking at. “Well, the files all appear to be in order. If you are willing then I will release him into your care.”

 

“Thank you, healer.” Acantha bowed to the Tenno again, before turning her attention to the man sitting on the bed. “I’m sorry for our rudeness. I’m Acantha, and my friend here is Qarin.” She gestured to the Djinn. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. If you’re feeling well enough to go, I’ll walk you to where you can retrieve your warframe and weapons, or get replacements if you need them. Once that is done I can take you to wherever else you wish to go.”

 

“It is nice to meet you. Also, thank you.”

 

Acantha led Aiden down the halls of the dojo, heading for the Foundry. “Your warframe and weapons will be in the Foundry. Quinn, our Foundry Master, is currently out, so the place is running on an AI, but it’s more than sufficient for general maintenance and cleaning.”

 

“And if I need new weapons?”

 

She glanced at him, “Am I right in my assumption that you’re recently awake from cryo-sleep?” The Tenno nodded. “Then you have two options. You can borrow what you want until Quinn returns and he can smith specifically what you need. Or, if you only require something standard, you can take what suits you if it’s in stock.”

 

They walked into the Foundry, the lights and other systems activating automatically, and were greeted by a female AI. Her voice was cool and clipped, sounding synthetic mostly in its manner of speaking, although some other indefinable feature of the cadence of her speech hinted at the fact that she was artificial. “Welcome Tenno. What do you require?”

 

“Aiden has been released from Medical Bay and has been authorized to retrieve his personal effects.”

 

A long storage locker slid forward from a line of similar lockers along one wall and the door swung open, revealing a Rhino warframe and a massive Galatine great sword. Acantha stepped back to give Aiden his space while he slid into his warframe and inspected his sword. Once he was outfitted and appeared to be pleased with the state of his gear, she watched as he paced throughout the room, glancing at displayed weaponry and picking up what struck his fancy. In the end, she saw him choose and holster a Karak rifle as his primary weapon, and a Lex handgun as his secondary.

 

She had to admit, the Tenno looked imposing in full outfit. He wore a black Rhino with accents of orange, and his stance and physique left no doubt in her mind that he was an imposing fighter. Standing near him she felt short, and laughed softly to herself, feeling silly for being vain enough to worry about something as insignificant as her height.

 

“I still do not understand how Tenno can take off their skin at will, and then replace it whenever they wish to. It seems highly impractical.”

 

“I’ve explained before Qarin. A warframe is not literally our skin. It isn’t a physical part of most of us. For us, it’s like putting on armor or a piece of clothing.”

 

“Most of you, you say. It still seems impractical. Would it not be far more useful if it could not be removed? It could never be stolen that way. Or taken away while you are unconscious in Medical Bay, for example.”

 

Acantha sighed, “It’s more complicated than that. I’ll explain it later, alright? For now, it’s our duty to help Aiden settle in. He is a guest of Clan Aequitas, after all.” She looked at the Rhino who had made his way over to them after selecting the weapons he wanted, “So where would you like to go now? Rooms have been arranged for you if you would like to rest. Training rooms are also available, as are gardens and meditation rooms, a fully stocked bar, and various other places.”

 

“Mistress.”

 

She shot an annoyed glance at the Djinn, “I said we could argue about the warframes later Qarin. It’s impolite to keep interrupting.”

 

“Yes, but you’ve received a message. It is from a Tenno we met at the Station, Kris.”

 

Acantha was shocked, “Kris? That’s unusual. Would you be so kind as to read it?”

 

“It seems a Tenno by the name of Sophia has gone missing. He is requesting assistance in ascertaining her location and in her subsequent retrieval.”

 

“Sophia?” She stood there in shock for a moment. Why would Kris be worried about Sophia, she wants him dead. Doesn’t she?

 

In the end, the details didn’t matter. She had given her word that If Kris chose the hard path and turned himself around, she would help him. He needed help, so she was honor bound to go, even if that meant she had to go and save Sophia, Venefica’s more dominant half.

 

“My deepest apologies, Tenno Aiden. I’m going to have to cut my hospitality short. There is an emergency I must attend to.” She bowed to the Rhino, and then turned to Qarin, “If you would, Qarin, I need you to instruct Carrier to load the snub. I don’t know what we’re going to be heading into. Tell him to prepare it by loading in alternate weaponry appropriate to fighting any faction, he’ll know what I want. He needs to be done by the time I get back to my rooms and equip my usual gear.”

 

“Will you need assistance?” Aiden looked at her, although she couldn’t see his expression behind his helmet.

 

“It is not my place to ask you to join me. You’re newly recovered and not a clan mate. However, if you wish to come with me I wouldn’t turn down the assistance. If Kris is asking a member of Clan Aequitas for help, things must be bad.”

 

The intimidating Tenno nodded to her and she rushed as fast as her legs would take her to her quarters where her warframe waited for her, with Aiden on her heels.

 

Stop saying Sorry xD It will end up becoming a habit for all of us. xD

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Jeahanne

Jeahanne

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*has just spent the last 20 mins finding two steps form hell on youtube, listening to it, and wondering why I haven't found it before now*

Listening to Nero currently, and I'm quite pleased. Nothing beats good music and a post like what Kalenath just put up.

 

I love those two. They're awesome!

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Listening to Nero currently, and I'm quite pleased. Nothing beats good music and a post like what Kalenath just put up.

 

I love those two. They're awesome!

 

And NOW they are wandering around your dojo looking for your clan leader... Oh the possibilities...

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KittyShark

KittyShark

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Ghost sat in her personal training room, observing Idhren's meditations. Ghost would show her the path to greater understanding of the mind would not be easy. It would show things you didn't want to see, it would try to trick you into false beliefs. The mind was, is and possibly will always be a strange and terrible thing. Ghost has suffused enough psychic emissions into the room itself that it would help ease any Nyx that meditated in it. It would help them concentrate. "Relax... deep breaths... focus yourself inward... before you can control others, you must control yourself. You will know when you are truly ready." She instructed, she would not give straight answers, nor would she give an easy way out. Idrhen needed to learn but She needed to learn from herself, only then would the lessons truly stick.

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