Prequel Note/Warning:

~I wrote a Prequel One Shot that I'd recommend reading first since this story is actually a direct continuation of it:

Remnants: a Fantasy AU Prequel {can be found as the eighth chapter in my Pillow Talk story collection under my author's name!}

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.

Chapter One:

As far as Richard "Dick" Simmons was concerned, the temple was a marvel.

Who cared that the entryway had been left in disrepair so that it was swallowed by the forest around it? Or that the inner sanctum was slowly starting to be encroached by the roots of ancient trees that were perhaps even older than the temple itself? Who was concerned with things like the cracks that had started to breach through parts of the structure, or that the temple's paintings and carvings had faded to near undiscernible levels?

After all, history was still humming through here. The redhead could only picture the kinds of things this place had seen, the events that it had born witness to. It was like a child trying to avoid bullies by traversing a museum while being given total and complete free reign.

Who wouldn't be excited by such a prospect? Even more so with the dark blue crystal at the heart of this "exhibit" that was currently pulsing with a soft, muted light that indicated the piece was still very much active.

Simmons lingered next to the artifact, which was twice the size of his hand, fingers outstretched to the point where he was nearly touching it yet hesitant enough to not quite reach out entirely. His scarred ears were soaking up the soft hum the crystal was emitting, just as surely as his fingertips graced the slight warmth still emanating from it.

He swallowed nervously, heart beating fast in his chest. All he had to do was reach out and grab the piece, as he had done previously on other occasions. Yet, he was always a bit anxious when it came to pulling artifacts like this one from their floating pedestals.

The Magic User was honestly shocked someone hadn't claimed this particular artifact already given how closely located it was to a town. But, he supposed the rampant sightings of Plague Monsters would deter most travelers from attempting to disturb history, even if the prize was highly sought after.

"You know," a bored voice stated directly behind him, "It's not going to just jump into your hands no matter how much you want it to. I tried that with food once. Believe me, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment."

"I—I know that!" Simmons managed to squeak out with only a slightly high-pitched tone to his voice.

He felt his face growing warm both from having been caught hesitating as well as due to Dexter Grif's voice practically in his ear. Why did the Orc always have to stand so close?

The chubbier man's words were certainly fitting for his current mindset though. It figured that Grif wouldn't be as reverential towards the history of this place. Knowing the other man's history with the Guild, he'd probably already been inside countless temples and historical sites just like this one.

Before Grif could comment more, and trying to ignore the Guild member's breath tickling the back of his neck (seriously, why so close?), Simmons grabbed the crystal and pulled it down in a desperate bid to save some face.

The blue crystal's inner glow faded to a dull hue the second it had been pulled from the pedestal, and Simmons couldn't keep his shoulders from slumping in disappointment at the sight.

Grif whistled slightly, "Another dud, huh?" He asked, his tone surprisingly sympathetic.

Then again, this was the fifth area that they had scoured for Remnants and he knew how hopeful Simmons had been to find a true one. It made sense that the tan-skinned man would be a tad sympathetic given that.

Simmons clutched the crystal close to his chest, "Yeah. It's another Relic, not a Remnant."

Relics and Remnants were both artifacts left over from the time of the Elves. They were practically identical in their appearances, though Relics only contained a small essence of magical energy and were often at their most powerful at their source of origin. Remnants contained about fifty times more magic in them, often serving as a record of what had occurred at the time of their creation.

If the Orc legend of what really happened to the Elves was true, then Simmons' best chance to prove it was to find a Remnant with a record of that era on it.

It was very much a shot in the dark. However, Simmons was determined to try and do so, if only because the ramifications could potentially alter not only history as it was currently known to be, but also how Magic Users such as himself and Grif were treated in general.

Such an outcome was worth as many shots in the dark as it took. Still though, it was just a bit discouraging to have not yet even found one Remnant after the few months he had already spent in the Outer Regions.

Grif punched the redhead's shoulder lightly in a bid to get him to cheer up, "Well, it's not like Relics don't have their uses either."

That was true. Relics provided society with a great many comforts and uses it would be hard to imagine life without: vehicle transportation, lighting, communication over long distances, even…

His thoughts trailed off just then as there was a loud, inhuman sounding growl coming from outside the temple. The structure around them quaked as if struck by something huge, bits of crumbling stone falling from overhead.

Simmons tried to quell the panic he was feeling just then as he raised a red eyebrow at Grif, "You mean like serving as a natural barrier against Plague Monsters when activated?"

Grif nodded, bo staff already out in front of him, "Yep, that would be one of them."

The Plague Monster that attacked the temple ruins was the largest of the Wolf Kin variety that Grif had ever seen. Normally, Wolf Kin were only slightly larger than the animals they so closely resembled in body shape. Sometimes they could maybe be the size of a horse.

This one, however, looked to be around the size of a small building. The Wolf Kin's eyes were a piercing red as acidic blue drool seeped from its open, immensely threatening fangs. Its body was hairless, showing off the massive musculature that had made it possible for the creature to shake the entire temple when it had slammed into it moments earlier.

The Orc's grip on his bo staff tightened marginally. Behind him, Simmons had dropped the Relic into the pouch they had brought with them to draw out his needle gun.

The Wolf Kin's head moved in their direction, fangs still dripping as it snarled. It raised a massive paw as if to swipe at them both as if they were nothing but paper in its way…

Suddenly, Tucker was there, the Beast Folk's energy blade flashing through the air and blocking the assault.

The creature howled in mild annoyance, lowering its paw as it squared off against Tucker once more. Their friend had clearly been fighting it for a while if his panting and dirt-covered clothes were any indication.

"If you two could save the pillow talk for later, that would be great!" Tucker shouted over an angry roar from the Wolf Kin.

The creature slashed at him, causing Tucker to jump back as his hands opened up for balance. Unfortunately, his energy blade completely disappeared with the motion. The Beast Kin growled himself before swiping out with his hands, acting more feline than ever in the heat of battle.

Tucker preferred holding his blade in a fight more, but the energy cuttings he could also create worked when in an offensive pinch. As they were weaker variants of his sword they unfortunately didn't break the monster's strong hide, but it was enough to push the creature back.

It also provided enough of a distraction for Grif to race forward, his own magic ability flaring out past his tanned, orange-lined arms and hands. The runes on his staff glowed as they transferred his explosive touch through his weapon and onto the intended target: the shoulder blade of the Wolf Kin.

A resounding boom knocked the creature back further and it yowled in pain, smoke and fire billowing from the impact site. He'd put a lot of force behind that blow, so there was no way it didn't hurt.

Simmons fired his needle gun at the site as well, but the projectiles bounced uselessly off the already beginning to heal burn marks there.

"Dude, aim for its underbelly before it gets up!" Tucker advised, motioning towards the temporarily exposed weak point.

"O—on it!" Simmons fired again, the needles this time hitting their mark and sticking.

A bit of the Wolf Kin's acidic drool fell onto the pale man's shoulder due to how the creature's teeth were thrashing and Grif felt the injury as if it were his own. As the Plague Monster reeled up in pain, swiping down at the redhead and baring its teeth at him all the same, Grif pulled Simmons back just as Tucker leapt forward with his blade again.

He ran it through the beast's underside and all the way up to its throat. There was a gurgle and a spray of crimson as the Plague Monster finally fell to the ground, dead. As soon as the monster went down, its body began disintegrating in a red mist, leaving behind a red-colored Relic.

Grif supposed someone nerdy like Simmons might find it interesting that the Plague Monsters turned into Relics themselves, but he always figured it had to do with how the Plague had been left behind by the Elves after their genocide. The same as how the Relics and Remnants were.

…Or, for that matter, even the magic users themselves since they all had strange abilities due to the Elven blood racing through their veins.

Tucker grinned, playfully wiping at the specks of blood on his face before grabbing the left behind crystal and shoving it into his own pouch. The dark-skinned man seemed pretty pleased. As he should be, given how his Guild assignment in the area had been monster hunting.

"Not a bad haul." Tucker proudly touched the pouch he carried before turning to the two of them, "What about you…?" He trailed off when he saw their dejected faces, particularly Simmons', and whistled, "Still no luck, huh?"

Simmons shook his head, revealing the blue Relic they had pilfered from the temple ruins earlier.

Tucker patted his shoulder sympathetically, the wince Simmons made not lost to Grif, "I mean, yeah, it sucks! But, try to look on the bright side." The Beast Kin told the redhead encouragingly, "The Relics you guys have collected can be put to good use as barrier protection or some shit. Not to mention they're worth a fuck ton of money."

"Th—that's true." Simmons tried acting less bummed than he was and failed miserably, "It's better than finding nothing, right?"

"Fuck yeah! That's the spirit!" Tucker grinned at his recently made human friend.

Grif yawned just then, "Right now? All I'm looking forward to doing is going home and eating. Maybe taking a nap or two. Or six." He remarked, knowing the reaction that would receive.

He loved it when Simmons became anally passionate about dumb things. Plus, the dark-haired man got an extra special kick out of it when he himself was the one who riled up the kiss-ass.

"That's what you always want to do, Grif!" Simmons chastised him.

The Orc shrugged, smirking, "What can I say, Simmons? I'm a man of simple needs."

"That's—!" The redhead spluttered, before sighing and shaking his head, "I give up."

"As you should when I'm right." Grif grinned triumphantly.

Simmons muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "lazy asshole", but it had no heat or bite to it. Grif's smile widened. Nearby, Tucker watched the exchange with his tail flicking in obvious amusement.

They started heading back in the direction of home then, though Simmons stopped to stare at the pouch he carried with obvious disappointment still lingering on his features.

"What's wrong?" Grif asked, despite already knowing exactly what was going through the nerd's mind.

Simmons shook his head and smiled weakly at the other man, "Nothing," he tried reassuring him as he tugged at the pouch at his side, "I just want to head back now too for some reason."

The town of Blood Gulch was unique in that it lay extremely close to the territory of the Orcs. In fact, it was so close to it that forty percent of its population were descendants of Orcs in some way or another. Since Orcs tended to prefer staying in their own territory a lot of the time, that percentage often decreased the farther away one went from their territory due to their more limited involvement in the Outer Regions' coalition.

Blood Gulch was a moderately sized town, and one that was peaceable enough for Grif's mother to decide to transplant her children there following the death of Grif's stepfather years before. Simmons greatly preferred it to the bustling, overly crowded, and often times hostile environment of the city of Valhalla where he had grown up in the Unsc Empire.

As soon as they were back in town, Tucker bid them goodbye for the rest of the day. The Beast Folk's monster hunting stint for the Guild in the area was nearly complete thanks to this latest kill, so he wanted to head back to the inn he was currently staying at in order to pack up everything he had brought with him.

Tucker was apparently especially eager to do so since he would be reuniting soon with his son, who he hadn't seen at all in the two weeks since this assignment had started. Even though they communicated every night over Artifact Communication, Simmons knew that wasn't the same as talking face-to-face with someone.

Tucker's departure had left Grif true to his word on what he had planned to do as soon as they got back as well, with the Orc dragging Simmons over to the nearest outdoor eatery to grab some food.

Or several plates of food, it was more like. Simmons had to look away to avoid making a face as Grif started shoveling the food into his mouth, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist comments over healthy eating habits if he didn't.

He only absentmindedly poked at the food that Grif had insisted on getting especially for him. The redhead was way too skinny, and that couldn't be healthy either the tan-skinned man always noted when Simmons tried to protest him giving him food.

Still, Simmons' mind was focused currently on recent events, and once more on his mysterious appearance here in the Outer Regions. Technically speaking, he should have been dead upon breaching the barrier that kept Magic Users from the city from leaving Valhalla. But, here he was, and he still couldn't figure out how or why.

Grif had told him not to worry about it and to just be grateful he wasn't stuck in a horrible place anymore, but how could he not? Worrying was ingrained into Simmons' very nature!

Not to mention that, for the five months since he had been here, he had been living off of the hospitality of the Grif siblings and he had nothing to show for it. They'd even set him up in his own small room in their tiny house, one that was bigger than the cell he'd had at the Magic Division and much cozier. All the while both brother and sister were telling him to make himself at home and not to worry, but Simmons always felt like a burden to them all the same.

Grif had even cut back on his paid Guild work to help Simmons with his search for Remnants, and the redhead hadn't yet been able to repay him for that beyond giving him the Relics they kept finding instead to sell. Truth be told, it was more than just a little upsetting and depressing.

"You aren't eating." Grif noted, sounding slightly disapproving as he glanced at Simmons' still nearly full plate while his own were already all spotlessly cleaned of food.

Simmons blinked, the Orc's voice bringing him back to reality. He half-heartedly took a huge chunk of bread from the plate to pick at before pushing the rest to Grif, who seemed oddly conflicted over the promise of more food just then.

"Sorry." Simmons told him, "I'm…not really hungry right now."

"Uh-huh." Grif shot him a knowing look, "What are you thinking about?"

The pale man supposed it was pretty obvious that his mind had been somewhere else.

"I was…just thinking about how things have been since I came here." He admitted at length, "At how little progress I've made and—!"

"Simmons," Grif cut him off quickly, reaching over and taking a way too large portion of cheese for himself from the plate between them while Simmons had to use all of his willpower not to comment on the action, "You need to—"

"There you are!" A loud, familiar voice suddenly shouted from close by, causing both men to wince at the proximity.

A girl with tan skin and shiny black hair was looking at them, hands on her hips. She had the line marking on her skin that signified her Orc heritage, a pale yellow compared to Grif's bright orange, along with rather delicate-looking (but, truthfully, very strong) yellow butterfly-like wings that revealed her Beast Folk lineage as well.

Kaikaina Grif fixed her brother with a pointed stare, "I figured if I looked around the restaurants long enough I'd find you stuffing your face!" She remarked triumphantly.

Grif groaned, "What do you want, Kai? If it's more money, you'll have to wait."

"Nah, I'm good there." She told him, "Though I could use a new halter top because the last one I got fell off at the worst time. It's only good when that happens when you want it to, you know?"

Simmons' face turned bright red, and he was glad he hadn't yet eaten anything to choke on just then.

"Yeah, yeah…" her words sunk into his mind a second later and Grif frowned, "Wait, what?! God damn it, Kai!"

The younger woman stuck out her tongue in playful challenge.

Grif sighed and shook his head, "So why were you looking for me then?"

Having had her fun at her older brother's expense, Kai remembered why she was there in the first place.

"Oh, yeah! Some Guild guy called when you were out." The dark-haired girl informed him, "He talked a lot and I wrote it down, but it was pretty boring so I already forgot what he was said."

Grif made a face before clearing the rest of the food from Simmons' plate in four seconds flat, "Guess it's a good thing I already ate." He muttered before heading in the direction of their house to see just what the message was about.

Kai took up his spot at the table, nodding to Simmons with her usual friendly greeting for him of "What's up, nerd?"

"Hey, Kai."

They fell into a companionable silence following that, though Simmons noticed that despite her attempts to appear her usual carefree self, there was an uneasy edge about Kai. More than once, she glanced over her shoulder cautiously at their surroundings.

"Is something wrong?" He finally decided to ask after about the twelfth time she eyed the area.

Kai made a face and shook her head, "Just some assholes who were making fun of my wings again."

Beast Folk, particularly those with more unusual characteristics, were often the target of bullies simply because of their more "animal-like" appearances. Doubly so if, such as in Kai's case, said appearance also factored into an obvious Magic User ability.

Even though it didn't seem possible given how her wings looked, Kai could fly and perform feats of acrobatics in the air that would make even the most seasoned circus performer or athlete drop their mouths in awe.

She caught the worried look on his face and waved a hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it! It's not like I can't take care of myself."

Simmons didn't doubt that, but seeing a friend being harassed didn't sit well with him given his own painful experiences with such treatment—no matter how tough said friend was.

"Have you told Grif?" The redhead asked, knowing how protective the Orc was over his little sister.

Kai shook her head, "Nah. I don't want to worry him over nothing."

Simmons knew based on past experiences just how traumatic and hurtful bullying could be. However, before he could argue that harassment was hardly nothing, the younger Grif gave him a sly look.

"Have the two of you finally worked out all of that sexual tension?" She asked, grinning and winking.

Simmons turned completely red at the question, his stuttering following completely nonsensible.

Kai laughed in response, "You guys just totally need to go for it already."

Simmons' brain was still trying to formulate some kind of response when, thankfully or not so thankfully, Grif returned with an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

"W—what's going on?" Simmons squeaked out, grateful for the opportunity to change the subject.

"I'm being summoned to Guild headquarters." Grif stated with a long-suffering sigh before sitting next to Simmons on the bench.

He raised an eyebrow slightly when Simmons, still thinking about what Kai had said, fidgeted nervously at the proximity but said nothing.

"But that's good, right?" Kai asked, not getting what the big deal was, "You can turn in all of the Relics you guys have collected."

"I'm not so sure about that." Grif said, frowning, "They want to talk about what happened in Valhalla." The Orc noticed the sudden nervousness on Simmons' face just then, "It's nothing. Really." He assured him.

"Yeah." Kai fixed her brother with a pointed look, "Knowing this dumbass, he probably just didn't bother reporting in or something."

"Shut up, Kai." The sudden redness on Grif's cheeks seemed to indicate that his sister was on to something there.

He turned to Simmons to explain further, "So I may have glossed over some details about what happened, but it's not a big deal." He shrugged dismissively, "I'll just go and explain things. That will be it since there's always refugees coming here from the Unsc."

Simmons relaxed a bit, though he couldn't help but get in one reprimanding remark: "I'm assuming it still would have been better to have told them everything from the start."

Grif shrugged again and Simmons rolled his eyes. But, still…

"Going to the Guild is probably a good thing, all the same." Simmons informed the siblings, nodding to himself, "I can get their help in maybe trying to locate my cousins or a former teacher of mine."

Ever since Freelancer had disbanded, Simmons had had a hunch that his cousins Church and Carolina were somewhere in the Outer Regions. He just needed some assistance in figuring out where exactly. Plus, Sarge was a Guild member, so using their directory to find his old mentor could be pretty helpful.

Not to mention, he might even be able to find out where Sheila was too with the Guild's assistance. Maybe he could at least send a letter through her to her sister so that Filss wouldn't wonder what had happened to him. After all, the two siblings had been the closest things he'd had to friends during his time in the Magic Division.

"…Yeah." Grif only reluctantly seemed to agree at the prospect, though in his excitement Simmons didn't pick up on it.

Kai, however, did…though she chose not to say anything about it in front of Simmons. The younger sibling still made a face when her older brother talked again, addressing the redhead but wanting the meaning to not get lost on the tan-skinned girl.

"Before the two of us travel," Grif was looking pointedly at Kai to let her know that she had to stay at home, "You'll need to get your arm looked over."

Simmons blinked in surprise at the comment, glancing down at his shoulder where he had received the slight acid burn from the fight with the Wolf Kin. He was rather shocked that Grif had noticed the injury since he had tried to keep it hidden by acting as if it had only burned his clothes. The wound was a relatively minor one that he didn't think would be a cause for worry even if he didn't treat it right away.

"You're just too easy to read." Grif stated in way of explanation, much to Simmons' embarrassment.

"I—I am not!" A red-faced Simmons tried arguing.

"Uh-huh." Grif smirked, "Whatever you say, Simmons."

As Simmons and Kai went off to see what they could do about the burn, Grif absentmindedly rubbed at the same spot on his own shoulder where he felt the injury from Simmons as if it were his own.

The Orc sighed, "I really hope this fucking trip goes well."

Author's Notes: This is the first chapter of Remnants, the Fantasy AU that I was contemplating writing. Since people really seemed to enjoy the prequel one shot I did for this story verse in Pillow Talk, I figured I would go ahead and expand it into a longer story.

This was a fun first chapter to write, and it picks up just a few months after the events of the prequel. We'll be learning more about the Outer Regions as Simmons, Grif, and the others get seemingly swept up in one adventure after the next! Of course, there will be plenty of relationship developments along the way too. Naturally. XD

I will probably be updating this story and When We Were Soldiers on a chapter to chapter basis. Once I have posted a chapter for one story, I will post a chapter for the other. Maybe, so long as I don't end up doing a massive cliffhanger or something for one of them because I don't want to be too mean! XD

I hope this first chapter was an enjoyable introduction to the plot. Hopefully, those who liked the prequel will find this longer story just as enjoyable! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this! :D

Just In Case You Missed It:

Remnants: a Fantasy AU Prequel {can be found as the eighth chapter in my Pillow Talk story collection under my author's name!}