"Sensei, You wanted to see me?"
"Osiris, come in. Take a seat."
A masked man entered the red pentagon tent and sat cross legged across from an elderly masked woman as the winds howled outside from the approaching storm. The young man wore a black jacket and long pants with gloves and combat boots. The jacket fore arms and pant lower legs were marked with a series of grey vector arrows pointing at his hands and feet. The back of his jacket had five larger different colored vector arrows pointing up, red, light and dark blue, green and purple. His helmet was a Grimm mask, with more vector arrows pointing down the top of its round head. The eyes were fierce, pointed diamonds. Unlike a Grimm mask, it was marked with blue lines across the eyes and blue writing runes down the cheeks. His eyes were not visible underneath.
The one he called Sensei was similar to him, in the fact she wore a mask. He knew the elder was in her fifties, with light green hair with light grey roots in a pixie cut and dark tan arms exposed from a creamy tan buttoned up vest and short black pants with flat shoes. The outline of a crystal like emblem was embolden on her vest's back. Her mask was different, it only covered her face, four slits for eyes and also blue lines in a triangle on her forehead and lines across her cheeks. She sat on top of her folded legs with her white glove covered hands on her knees.
Sensei took a stick from an incense lamp and used the burning end to light another candle that had gone out. There was no electricity in the camp unfortunately.
"Osiris, what do you think of Myrtle Stone?" She asked.
Osiris thought for a second before replying "The Automaton."
Sensei laughed. "Yes the artificially created humanoid, what do you think of him?"
"Angry." He answered. "Angry at his loneliness and angry at his creator. Baron Frank Stone was incompetent at creating artificial life, unlike his predecessor. I don't recall his name or the one he created. But it is clear that Myrtle knows and hates this. He has spent seven years running and fighting his creator. He knows he is not the girl who came before."
His Sensei sighed. "Poledina. Dr. and Penny Poledina. I had a hand in her destruction. Maybe I make it up with Myrtle. Not to destroy another Autonomous Humanoid, especially one meant to destroy us."
"You have paid your redemption here, many times over, by siding with the prior Sensei and against her." Osiris claimed back. He knew the Sensei carried a lot of weight on her shoulders, leading a rebellion of no more than twenty very powerful warriors.
"I helped start this war, and I wish nothing greater than to reverse my mistakes, but I will not make new ones, especially now. Salem is winning and our little rebellion is growing smaller and smaller everyday. I fear that one day we will be wiped out and Salem and her Grimm children would have won." Sensei replied.
It was true. Situated in a small valley of a mountain range just outside of Mistral, a tiny camp housed twenty freedom fighters against Salem and her Dark Maidens. The Mother of Grimm had revealed herself twenty years ago, and invaded the remaining Kingdoms with massive Grimm armies and help of the former terrorist group, the White Fang, now turned personal army for the witch queen. She rounded up humanity, put them in broken city of Magmell on the Island of Menagerie, former island the Faunas were trapped on over a hundred years ago, a sick joke really. Some Faunus, lived free, well more freely than those imprisoned at Magmell, but it was only a short leash. Humanity was cattle for the Grimm, only allowed to live to create despair, which lead to negative emotions, which feed the Grimm. Twenty years their group, the Eyes, fought her, wearing their blue Grimm mask as major "Fuck you" to Salem and their names, ominous with ancient deities and heroes long forgotten so no matter what past they had, this was their new life, with a new name. But Salem was growing in power with every day, and there was no way they could hope take her down with as few numbers they had now.
The winds continued to howl and rage against the tent. Sensei reached behind her pulled out a mask. A new one, this one had two blue circles surrounded the eyes of a smooth owl faced mask without the beck. "For Myrtle. And his new name is Prometheus."
Osiris took the mask. "There is more, you wouldn't have just called me in here for my opinion of... Prometheus."
Sensei chuckled. "Osiris, you always had a third eye that saw right through me. Horus and Cernunnos are coming back from with mission in the ruins of Shade Academy. The Winter Maiden and more importantly, a very special cane."
The Cane was a mystery to him but news of the Winter maiden peeked his interest. The last maiden still free of Salem's control. Summer and Spring had been captured and their powers stolen by Salem's Dark Maiden, her apprentices and a major threat. Winter was the only one unaccounted for and hadn't been seen since the Battle of Beacon. Rumors were she was hiding in the northern poles of Mantle, not in fiery plains of Vacuo.
"This is surely good news. The Winter Maiden can help us turn the tide of the war against Salem. Maybe free the people of Menagerie, even." Osiris exclaimed.
"Our main goal is to protect her at all cost for now. Sending her out will only endanger her. Having here and helping furthering our powers, like my predecessor did." Sensei replied.
The prior Sensei, the Summer Maiden, the one who started the Eyes, the Reverse Grimm masks torn from the White Fang and the Grimm, and renaming her students. She saved Sensei from the clutches of Salem, then renamed Ishtar. Using her Maiden powers, she unlocked greater parts of her students semblances. When Osiris first joined the Eyes, he thought his Semblance was control over air, but now he had control over all Dust elements. Ishtar was able to make her Illusions a reality, others with gifts greater than they can imagine. Sensei had fallen at that Second Battle of Atlas, ambushed by Ari Storm, one of Salem's Dark Maidens, her powers taken. Osiris had been there, he witnessed the siren take her powers personally, unable to reach her through rubble and lines of Grimm. He still viewed the lost of their prior Sensei his biggest failure.
"You may wear a mask, Osiris, but I still know when you are criticizing yourself for Wiccan's loss." The Prior Sensei's rename "She would have wanted you to live, to continue fighting for her and the people of Remnant."
"What about this cane?" Osiris switched topics.
"Shade Academy was the last Academy to fall to Cinder Fall. Headmaster Qrow Branwen fought valiantly there, and he had a cane with him. The Cane of Ozpin." Sensei replied. Ozpin, the mysterious headmaster of Beacon Academy, who was rumored to be almost as powerful as Salem, but he had disappeared at the Battle of Beacon, the first battle in this war. But Osiris didn't see how a cane was more important than the Winter maiden.
Just then a wolf's howl sounded through the camp. A signal, of people approaching the safe haven. Osiris rose to his feet. "Go." Sensei told him. "See if Cernunnos and Horus have returned."
"Yes, ma'am." Osiris picked up the mask, bowed and left the tent. The raging wind hit him immediately, nearly blowing him over. The over head sky was dark grey with angry storm clouds.
Osiris made his way through over a dozen or so large tents, some were lighted, others dark as people slept. One tent flap opened as he reached the edge of the camp.
"Iris, Morrigan." Osiris greeted. The two female warriors greeted him back. Iris, a white haired bear Faunus, her icy hair slung over her right shoulder in a ponytail. Two white round bear ears poked out from her hair. She wore dark blue armored vest over a simple whiteish blue long sleeve shirt and a layered combat skirt ending in white leggings and snowy combat boots. A snow flake emblem hung off of a loose hanging belt off her waist, along with twin Dust Projection Hilts. Her Grimm mask was simple, triangular face mask with a blue scar like line running down the right side of her face and fierce eyes. Iris only nodded.
Iris was the quiet, stern type, Osiris rarely heard her speak. Iris was born into the Eyes, her mother, Europa, and her father, Ursan, were some of the first seven students of the Summer Maiden. Iris was a born fighter, cold as the winter wind and struck with sudden force of a blizzard. Her mask was her mother's, adopted when Europa died nine years ago. Iris was only twelve, Ursan had died in the early days of the Eyes. Iris had been fighting ever since that day, and already known as the Winter Killer by the public. She was the second top dust fighter of the Eyes, behind Osiris. Her weapons, which had no name, could project solid dust weapons of any kind, swords, hammers daggers, also had a fire arm mode for pistols, and the two could combine to form larger weapons, rifles, cannons, spears and halberds, mainly ice dust, sometimes fire or lightning. Iris scared most people just by staring at them, and was doing that now to Osiris, but Osiris had known her too long to be scared by her.
Morrigan smiled, more social than her teammate. She wore a light black cloak and hood over a orange combat vest and dark green pants with tennis shoes and gloves. Pinkish black hair swept down each shoulders in ponytails and slightly over her Sunglasses like Grimm mask, the eyes twin triangular fangs that went down to her cheeks, exposing her mouth. Blue lines curled down her mask like waves. A recurve bow hung off her back with a duel quivers, held together by a belt with a twin arrows in a X pattern.
Morrigan, a former outlaw hunting down the White Fang in the woods of the Emerald Forest, had only been here a few years, and until recently, the newest member of the Eyes, She was well liked here at camp and a folk hero to the enslaved people of Remnant, who called her the Spring Archer. She had grown up under the oppression of Salem, who had killed her father, a famous hero called Jaune Arc. She joined the Eyes when the Spring Dark Maiden burned the Emerald Forest trying to flush her out. Osiris had taken her under his wing, training her, and helping her unlock the rest of her glyph Semblance, using Sensei's training to guide him. Morrigan was brash and often cocky in her abilities. Hopefully Osiris help her control that.
"Osiris, is Horus and Cernunnos back?" Morrigan asked.
Osiris replied. "Hopefully. Sensei said that they are bringing back the Winter Maiden and a cane that belonged to Ozpin."
Osiris heard a gasp from Iris, and Morrigan's mouth widened in shock. "The Winter Maiden? we found her?!"
"So it seems."
Iris spoke, quick, fierce and to the point. "Will she join us?"
Osiris started walking to valley entrance, Morrigan and Iris trailing beside him. "Hopefully. Sensei doesn't want her in the field for fear of her life. perhaps to help with training and furthering our powers. Also this is the safest place for her."
Morrigan held her hood in place against the raging wind. Iris didn't not care about it. Morrigan said. "For now, till the Grimm find us." She growled at the wind. "Hey, Dustbender, can't you get rid of this storm?"
Osiris shook his head. "No, this is a summer storm, and the Dark Ones would notice it moving under someone else's control. Letting it past is our best chance of going unnoticed."
Morrigan scowled as they reached the out post, a twelve foot tall tower disguised as a tree. Serving sentry was the grey cladded Odin, wearing a grey trench coat, pants and black boots. Strapped to his back was a black round shield and short sword. His Grimm mask, like Osiris's, covered his entire head, but had only a single large round blue eye with a rectangular fanged mouth vertical from the nose to the chin. Beside him was a white Direwolf that rose to Odin's chest heeled, named Watcher.
Watcher noticed them immediately and barked, catching Odin's attention. "Osiris, Iris, Morrigan. Cernunnos and Horus are just a few minutes out!"
"Was anyone with them?!" Osiris yelled over the winds.
"A woman!" Odin yelled back. Thank Oum.
It took a minute, but eventually the bushes rolled back, opening up the pass to their camp, and three people stepped through. The first was a bull Faunus around Osiris's age, a war scythe in his hands, wearing knee long white shorts, dirty scuffed up converses, and white and black speckled fur triangular pelt hanging off his right side, some poor rabbit probably. His white fur sleeveless shirt was opened up to reveal a series of cave painting like tattoos decorating his chest, showing fighting Grimm, joining the Eyes, different animals and Yin Yang like emblem centered on his chest of a cat fighting a bull. He also wore a coral shell torc. His Grimm mask covered only his eyes blue curves like wings sprouting from the bridge of his nose.
The second was an Eye as well, wearing a dark silver long sleeve shirt, the sleeves ordained with silver metal feather-like blades along the frills, along with dark brown pants and boots. The Grimm Mask looked like one of the old Atlasian military helmets, only it looked more like a falcon head with flat tusks running down the cheekbones.
The final one was a young woman, late twenties, earlier thirties. She tried to hold a stern face, but looked cautiously around her surroundings with dark purple eyes, weary of everything. She saw everything, even Odin and Watcher up in the stands. She had brown hair divided into four braids, each green and red intertwining. Her body length white shaw covered the rest of her. Her freckled face was windburned from the howling winds.
So this was the Winter Maiden. She looked scared more than anything, running her entire life would have done that. Hopefully she was tougher than she looked.
"Maiden of Winter." Osiris greeted. "Welcome to the Eyes."
The Maiden nodded. "Holly. My name is Holly King."
"Osiris." He responded. He gestured to his companions. "This is Iris and Morrigan. They will escort to the Sensei."
Holly nodded and followed the two girls into the camp. Osiris stayed behind to talk to her Companions.
"Cernunnos, Horus!" Osiris one arm hugged them both. "How was the fires of Shade?"
"Still a smoldering ruin." Horus, the falcon masked one, replied. "Grimm were hunting down people living in the sewers of Vacuo. We helped them across the straights into the Aodh Deserts. There was some Mountain caverns that run well below the surface. It will take ages for the Grimm to find them if there is still hope among them."
Horus was literally a genius. Horus helped invent weapons and devices that gave them as much as an edge as their advanced Semblance did. He served as the Eyes engineer, Mechanic and blacksmith all rolled into one. He had joined the Eyes a few years ago after they saved his village from Grimm.
"How did you find Holly?" Osiris asked walking back to camp.
Cernunnos answered as his scythe folded in thirds and placed into his holster on his back. "She was hiding among the people, pretending be the camp doctor. I wouldn't have thought twice about her if it wasn't that cane. My mother showed me a picture of Ozpin growing up. I recognized that cane immediately. When we confronted her on how she got it, She told us she was the Winter Maiden, just like that!"
Cernunnos, like Iris, was also born into the Eyes. Their mothers even went to school together. His mother was Persephone, also one of the first students of the Summer Maiden. Cernunnos was a jokester, and naturally at home in the woods. When it came to nature, Cernunnos was a god in his field. Cernunnos liked practical jokes the best, often Osiris had to watch for traps in his one tent that the two shared. Cernunnos was the one who found Osiris when he was a young boy freezing in the cold north of Mantle. The two had been friends since they were twelve.
"Did you make sure she was not lying?" Osiris asked as they reached the camp.
"Yes, Dad." Cernunnos complained. "We made sure she was the real deal, and not one of Salem's hot Cronies."
Horus waved to them as they reached his tent. "Goodnight, you horrible people, I hope I don't see you in the morning."
"Love you, Horus!" Cernunnos tried to hug him but Horus pushed him away before entering his tent. Cernunnos chuckled to himself. Osiris just shook his head and smiled under his mask.
Cernunnos noticed the mask in Osiris's hand. "Nice mask. New guy I guess?"
"Leviathan and I found him on Vytal. He is an Automaton." Osiris explained. "Sensei already has named him Prometheus."
"That's a long word. Automaton huh? Like that Penny chick whose death tore down Atlas? Oh boy, people never trusted synths, what they do when the find out the Eyes have one?" Cernunnos argued.
"Just wait. You need to see this one first." Osiris explained. "Has more daddy issues than you do."
"Woah buddy." Cernunnos smirked. "That is stretching it. My daddy issues are pretty big."
The two forged against the storm winds till they reached a new created tent on the edge of the camp. The lights were still on, and the two entered.
Inside was pretty basic, like Sensei's tent, only two cots with worn blankets, a duffle bag propped against one's foot. Its single occupant sat on the edge, twirling a knife in its hand. He was cloaked in a dark murky green hood.
"About time. Was thinking you guys abandoned me to the Grimm." A gruff voice spoke.
"Had to do some stuff around camp." Osiris explained. He moved for Cernunnos. "Cernunnos, this is Prometheus."
Cernunnos extending his hand to greet the newcomer. "Ey, Cernunnos, hero of the Eyes and responsible for keeping all of us not dead-Woah!"
Prometheus, formerly Myrtle Stone, rose to his feet. The cloak fell away to reveal was not quite a man or machine, rather a horrid combination of both. His dead pale face was heavily scarred, and his skin seemed mismatched. His right eyelids and surrounding skin was missing entirely, revealing a mechanical eye blazing with green lights. His lower lip was missing as well, revealing copper and silver teeth. His storm grey hair was marked by lightning bolt streaks of green. The left arm was pure machine, a series of rusting gears and mismatched bronze pieces. Several dials rested on the fore arm. Prometheus wore a tattered wool short sleeve shirt and dark jeans ending with black hiking boots.
"Scary, ain't it." He growled. Prometheus leaned in for effect. "Boo!"
Cernunnos and Osiris, veterans of many battles and faced far more greater threats, were not impressed.
Osiris handed him the mask. Prometheus took that mask and examined it. "Prometheus huh. I guess I am supposed to wear this at all times like you guys."
"That is the point. Welcome to the Eyes, buddy." Cernunnos replied.
"So this is the Eyes huh." Prometheus turned the mask over and put it on, covering the disfigured face. "When I first heard of the Eyes, I though you were an army, hiding in a massive underground facility, just waiting to strike back at Salem." His voice deepened in anger at the mention of Salem. "Not hiding in a campground on some cliff side."
"Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor." Osiris replied. "Remember Myrtle Stone is dead. You are Prometheus. Whoever you were before you joined us doesn't matter."
Osiris could tell Prometheus was sneering. "Myrtle Stone. Do you know who Myrtle Stone is or was." He seethed in anger. "Myrtle Stone was created as a test. A test to see if someone Semblance can be stolen artificially, to see if you could create a horrific monster to hunt down you, the Eyes. That is who Myrtle Stone was, a monster. And built to play the part. Ole Daddy, Baron Stone was a fool, drunk on his hubris to think he could outwork Dr. Poledina. Turns out he was bumbling idiot. He even had a change of heart when he saw what he was doing. Not for others of course, he didn't give a damn about humanity, he just saw an abomination, a mar on his record, a failure. He had succeeded in some ways, I can copy a Semblance or steal a power, but as for my appearance, that was that mattered to him, appearance. All I wanted was to be loved not feared. I guess I have both now, the Eyes are loved and feared by the people. So Baron Stone and I spent the next seven years chasing each other, trying to kill each other, out of hate for one's appearance and the other soul. That's who Myrtle Stone was. A mistake meant to be a tool of destruction against humanity, a creature not quite right, who people ran at that sight from. Myrtle Stone can be wiped from the history books for I care, as long as Stone doesn't get his credit."
Osiris sighed and spoke. "None of that matters. It doesn't matter what you were built for, as long as you know fight for humanity." Cernunnos coughed. "Humanity includes the Faunus, Cernunnos. Now, I suggest you see Sensei in the morning, but she might be busy. The Winter Maiden has come. If you have any problems come to me or Cernunnos. Odin should be back shortly, he lives his too. Also he will be helping train you, to work with us as a unit."
Prometheus nodded and sat back on the bed. Osiris and Cernunnos left, tired and ready to sleep.
As they exited, Cernunnos spoke up. "You were right."
"Oh?"
"His daddy issues are far bigger than mine."
TRIVIA.
I do follow the Colour Naming Rule, as it is near requirement sent from Monty himself. Now if you are confused this Trivia through out the chapters should help you out, but slowly. I am not going to explain every character right away, just ones mentioned. Also each character, with a few exception is based off a fairy tale or fictional character.
The Eyes. Their names kinda follow CNR, (Osiris was described with blue skin, Iris was goddess of the rainbow, Europa is a Jovian moon known for it's ice.) but seeing this isn't there real names, just code names, they don't have to. Their real names do, but I am not revealing them yet, except Myrtle Stone.
Speaking of which Myrtle Stone is based off of Frankenstein's monster. Myrtle is a green type of plant as well as an official colour, Myrtle Green. Stone, which are normally grey, is based from Frankenstein, which translates to "Frank in the Stone." Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein is also called The Modern Prometheus.
Baron Frank Stone was based off of Victor Frankenstein. While in the book he had no title, in 1931 films, which stereotyped Frankenstein, he is given the title Baron. The Franks were a barbarian tribe who settled Gaul, now France, which national colours is blue, white and red.
The Holly King is described as an archetype in Neopagan religions, who begins to gain power at the Autumn Equinox and is at his height at the Winter solstice. Also Holly, which are used in Christmas wreaths, has green leaves with red berries.
P.S. I do not have any names for weapon's except for Odin's (Odin is an old character) and Leviathan's. If you have a good idea tell me.
Also if you can guess who is who, like who is who descendant, congrats, they are not major spoilers.