The Master Corps: Whiteout
By Thomas A. Hawk
Edited by: dashboardgecko
Monster Hunter is owned by Capcom. Any characters that appear in this story belong to me, myself, and I, unless otherwise stated.
SPOILER WARNING!: This is a canonical side story taking place after the events of The Master Corps. If you have not read my previous work, I would advise you turn back and do so now, as Whiteout will reference characters, revelations and plot twists without ceremony. Otherwise, read at your own discretion.
Chapter 1: Brethren
Falling.
Burning.
Pain.
Frost was aware of those three things above anything, even as he dimly felt himself crash through thick wooden platforms and tumble off of the long stone walls of Tanzia's Lighthouse. He wasn't even sure how long he had been falling now, how far he fell—it could have been an eternity for all he knew. His basic instincts recognized that an eventual stop would follow soon, though, and beyond that… Nothing.
His mind only further continued to blank out from there, his vision blurring terribly, swaying as though he were standing on the deck of a ship in the midst of a storm. Something darted past his vision, though—a black and orange blur. He heard a shout, then felt something collide with him, grab hold of him. He felt himself pulled away from the lighthouse, from the numerous scaffolds he had fallen through, towards a vast-yet-dark sea. His descent hardly slowed, though, even as a powerful gust of wind began to buffet him, forcing him further and further away from Tanzia's Lighthouse.
The one who had caught hold of him let out another shout, the words unintelligible to his bleary conscious, though his eyes dragged forwards enough to recognize the sea rapidly nearing them. Before they collided with the surface, a mass ripple shot across the surface, bringing with it a brighter hue to the dark waters. They slammed into the glowing waves a moment later, and that shock brought with it complete darkness to the Hybrid.
Inky blackness swirled around him for what seemed like ages. Was this death? Chilling silence, utter stillness… Nothing but an endless, all-consuming void.
He supposed if this was death, he wasn't surprised. He never expected much anyways. Loath as he was to admit it, Balestra had been a foe beyond him. To meet his end at the edge of a powerful opponent's blade was… gratifying, he supposed. To die fighting was something he could accept.
But what he couldn't accept was failing Snow. She had fallen before him. He had fought to end Balestra, and get her to safety… only to fall in the end. Had she perished too? Had she perhaps been saved through some miracle?
He regretted not being able to know for himself.
Yet, even as that thought crossed his mind, he became aware of a piercing spot of light ahead of him, shining straight into his eyes, nearly blinding him. He couldn't move, nor speak, nor even shield his eyes—he could only watch as the light intensified and grew, drawing nearer and nearer to him as though sucking him into its core. The orb of brightness collided with him, and all at once reality seemed to form around the Hybrid.
Frost inhaled sharply, his eyes splitting open and darting around rapidly, confusedly. A grey cavern surrounded him, illuminated solely by a vein of glowstone in the ceiling overhead. The only other things he could make out were two figures standing over him. Their features were vague to him and his hazy, unsteady vision, but he was aware that one of them seemed impossibly huge.
An explosive agony spread across his chest as he awakened, causing him to groan deeply. It hurt worse than any wound he'd suffered before. Searing, burning, visceral pain across his entire torso. Yet, there was something else too. Cool, soothing liquid pressed against the whole of his upper body, keeping the pain at bay, even if only slightly. Attempting to push himself up, he found that same watery pressure was holding him down on a hard slab of stone. Fighting against it proved futile, though—he was just too badly wounded to resist much. What strength that remained in him was menial at best… Shameful. He let out a strained cough as his head dropped back to the slab beneath him. His lungs felt like they were barely even holding air.
"He breathes," he heard a woman's voice say. Her tone was cool and calm, focused… though distant, detached even. "Your power never ceases to amaze, Lord Neptune. I was certain he was done for."
"Had we taken any longer, he would have been," the other voice sighed, seemingly out of both relief and spent effort. The tone of this voice seemed elderly, wise and kind, but commanding and respectable. Insurmountable. "But you know well enough by now that I'm an old fossil well set in his ways. He is not due for death just yet. Not while we can do something about it."
The echo of their voices sounded as though they were in a cave of some kind… deep and complex, beyond just a single room. The scents and sounds were numerous, impossible to count, and far too much for his blunted senses. It was equally impossible to discern any in particular, save the ones nearby, albeit even those were completely unfamiliar to him.
"Y… ou…" Frost croaked towards the massive figure standing over him, grimacing as his chest screamed in resistance at the effort. "Who… w-wh… ere…?"
"Save your strength, white one. Rest, recover, and we will discuss later. Believe me, we are just as curious about you."
Still half-delirious from the pain of his wounds, the Hybrid attempted something akin a nod as his vision began to swim and darken once more…
He wasn't sure how much later it was when he awoke again. Days, weeks… months? Frost had no idea how to tell. The cavern was lit just as it had been before, only this time it was empty save for himself.
He blinked his eyes awake and groaned as he pushed himself up. His chest continued to hurt something awful, but not nearly as terribly as before. That strange watery pressure had also vanished—a glance downwards revealed a massive cross-shaped burn scar stretching across the whole of his upper body, around his sides and over his shoulders even. A scar to end all scars…
The Hybrid shook his head and shifted his legs off of the stone slab, grimacing at the cramped resistance the limbs had towards his efforts, the shaky stance they offered. Lack of use was the likely cause. Even still, Frost forced himself to stand after easing the tension out of his legs. Though fairly unstable, he felt he could at least walk. His only remaining clothing consisted of the tattered, charred remains of his black pants, though he saw some other remnants of his armor after a short glance to the side. It was still heavily damaged, to the point where only the faulds that hung over his legs from the thick belt he wore was all he could salvage to wear, save for his plated white boots. As he partially garbed himself, he noted that the room wasn't exactly natural—several odd angles cut into the walls and ceiling suggested it had been carved out through other means. The ceiling was also far higher than he thought at first, easily reaching over fifteen feet up from the ground. The entrance to the room likewise stretched from floor to ceiling.
Using his arm to steady himself against the wall, Frost slowly began to make his way out of the room, finding himself in a long hallway cut through the stone cavern in a similar manner to the cavern, reaching just as high as his 'room'. The ceiling was lit at inconsistent intervals by more veins of glowing ore. He sniffed the air and strained his ears for any noises to follow, though the cave made it hard to pinpoint any clear sources of scent or sound.
Where was this place? The air was quite salty, and there was far too much moisture for the cave to be anywhere far from the sea. Could this still be Tanzia, perhaps? No, that didn't seem right. There wasn't any sense of danger here—not of the magnitude of Dire Miralis, at least—and there were almost no scents similar to those of the port. Wandering down the halls and inspecting other rooms and passages, he recalled that the cave system in the peninsula wasn't supposed to be this complex, nor manmade. As far as he knew, at least. Perhaps it was some island nearby, or at least the system had to be connected to the ocean somehow.
Wherever he was now was not his primary concern, however. What had happened in Tanzia? What had happened to Snow? Balestra had terribly wounded Wes, then Snow had fallen, and then… he didn't quite recall everything after that. Pain. Fury. Blood and thunder. Continued agony eventually consumed by flames, and then he fell… but something had caught him, and he fell into the ocean, somehow surviving the drop. But… how?
Straining to recall further details, he recalled briefly coming to at one point. Two voices… those figures, the man and the woman. They had to have the answers. Frost had to find them.
Struggling on through the caves, Frost became more and more aware of various other scents in the air, not just the burn of salt and the scents of the two he had heard. How many… five, six total? Perhaps more, but it was hard to tell. All unfamiliar, unrecognizable. There was one thing he could tell about them all, though—
Not a single being in this complex was human.
He narrowed his eyes at the thought. He couldn't quite say any meetings he or Snow had with other Hybrids had been cordial. The two he had 'met' had something to do with his survival, that much he knew, but why did they save him? What was their goal? And even if those two could be trusted, what of the others he sensed?
He grimaced as he rounded another corner and continued on towards a large room at the end of the corridor. He wasn't used to this. Wounded, unarmed, and uncertain of what came next… He'd have to learn as it came. Above all, though, he had to find out what happened to the others, to his sister. What happened to Snow.
Dimly aware of the scent of cooked meat and the sound of voices ahead, Frost continued on towards the large chamber at the end of the hall, stepping into what appeared to be a large banquet hall of sorts, carved from stone like the rest of the cave system. A long table jutted from the floor in the center of the long oval-shaped room, surrounded by a number of tall blocky chairs, overshadowed by a single positively massive one at the head of the table. Numerous other openings led into the chamber from various points around the edge of the room, branching off into other halls and passages like the one he had just stumbled through.
Seated around the table were four other Hybrids, some standing while others lounged on the chairs. The first he saw had a pair of beady, yellow eyes, and short slicked-forwards hair of an odd mixture of blue and orange. His skin was pale beneath the form-fitting scale suit he wore, defining his musculature and his tall stature. Interestingly enough his hands seemed to be webbed, and on the back of both arms were a pair of wing-like fins, colored much the same as his scale suit. His vacant expression did not shift from the large fish he was currently devouring. He stood beside one of the chairs, kneeling low to be level with the table.
The next Hybrid was seated ordinarily, and was the only one to do so. She was large and powerful, garbed in a regal olive green-scale armor of sorts that closed in the front, but remained open in the back. The purpose for that was the pair of large green wings that rose over her shoulders, folded up close so as not to take up too much space. The membranes were a tan color dotted with fiery-brown marks. The Hybrid wore a proud, lofty expression, appearing like a queen seated on a throne. Her long jade green hair parted in the middle of her forehead, framing her face perfectly and calling attention to her fierce orange eyes. The precise manner in which she picked apart the slab of cooked meat before her with somewhat-worn silverware was likewise fitting for her image.
The third Hybrid almost completely contrasted the previous, having a wild and unkempt appearance while he lounged on his chair with both legs kicked up onto the table. He had cream-blonde hair that jutted out every which way, mostly forwards, in a strange array of blade-like tufts that partially hung in front of his electric-blue eyes. Unlike the other three Hybrids, his garb left his upper body almost completely exposed, almost as though he was displaying his sturdy, muscular build and the numerous scars across his chest for all to see. His arms and legs were covered by thick bone gauntlets and greaves, each possessing a peculiar protrusion or two that appeared like a claw or blade, while his legs were covered by a furry teal sash and leggings. He was currently devouring a hunk of meat without a care for his own increasingly-messy appearance, holding it by the bone that jutted out the side.
The last Hybrid was… unnerving. This one sat at the top of the chair's back, garbed in dark, fleshy robes that hid most of its body from view. The hood was pulled down however, revealing a head of long, blood-red hair and incredibly pale skin, beneath which one could even see veins. Over its eyes was a thick wrapping of bandages. Physically, the Hybrid was completely androgynous, not truly thin and curvy, but not bulky or lithe, features equally smooth and rough. While the other three continued to eat, this one had looked up the second Frost entered the chamber, staring directly at him from beneath the bandages over its eyes. A smile crept to its lips as it lowered its own meal from its face—something about this one just made Frost want to tear it to pieces.
"Ah, our new brother awakens at last," the pale Hybrid chuckled. Its voice was such an eerily perfect mix of pitches and tones that describing it as masculine or feminine just didn't capture the whole picture. At its words the other Hybrids all glanced up and stared towards him with expressions of varying interest.
"Well well, that old codger actually managed to put you back together!" the wolfish Hybrid grinned, showing off dangerously sharp-looking teeth in the process. His tone was rough and aggressive, gravelly even. "Coulda sworn you were a goner. Guess you're tougher than I thought… or maybe ol' Neptune just really knows what he's doing! Bah, who gives a damn. Welcome to the family."
"He hardly seems worth a mention," the draconic woman noted, setting her utensils down and pushing up from the table to get a clearer view of him. Once more contrasting the other, her tone was formal and commanding. "Perhaps it's the wounds, or the poor state of body. At least he isn't as detestably mangy as you are, Tyrell."
"Oof, now that's a low blow, Reggie."
"It's Regina, you cur."
"Good job, you know your own name." Regina let out a frustrated huff and brought a hand to her forehead in irritation while Tyrell let out a hearty, rough laugh. The aquatic Hybrid merely spared a quick glance towards Frost, shrugged, then turned back towards its half-eaten meal, appearing largely indifferent to the situation. Tyrell patted the arm of the chair to his side invitingly, though. "C'mon, join us! We don't bite. Much."
Frost eyed the Hybrid suspiciously, simply grunting in reply as he staggered his way towards another chair and lowered himself onto it. His eyes darted from face to face as he did so—none of them were trustworthy, as far as he cared. He wouldn't get cordial.
"Care for a share of the hunt?" the robed Hybrid questioned, slouching farther forward, far enough that it seemed likely to fall at any second—curiously, though, it remained 'stuck' to the top of the chair. It gestured towards the massive hunk of Aptonoth meat and fish in the middle of the table surrounded by various fruits and vegetables. "Ripley brought back a truly wonderful haul this time."
"Sadly frogs aren't common in the ocean," the finned Hybrid stated simply before tossing the skeleton of the fish he'd been eating back onto the table, then approached the pile. Frost assumed he was just getting more, but to his surprise Ripley stacked a few hunks of the meat, some fish, and a couple hearty-looking vegetables onto a 'plate' (really just a round stone slab), stuck a worn-down knife and fork into it, and slid it down the table at him. Frost brought his arm up and halted the plate, briefly looked over the food, then nodded towards the Hybrid.
"If you're worried about how well it's cooked, there's no need," Regina stated with a hint of pride. "My flames are perfect for roasting anything from fools to slabs of meat. Of course, I always aim for perfection, unlike Tyrell."
"Hey, thunder magic is just as good for cooking as fire!"
"Certainly. Is that why you enjoy gnawing on charred husks, you degenerate? I'm certain the white one here has adopted a finer taste than yours, given his time spent among humans. Am I correct?"
Frost remained quiet even as she directly addressed him, only replying to her question with a flat, distrusting glare while he pulled a grilled fish from his plate, leading her to frown disappointedly at him and let out a huff with a shake of her head. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starving. It was almost like he hadn't eaten in months… The fish and half the plate were gone fast enough that even Viper would have been impressed, were he here… which only raised another question. What had happened to him and Wes? He'd have to start hunting for answers.
"Who are you all?" he asked at last, narrowing his eyes irately at how dry and weak his voice felt.
"Hah! He can speak! Figured he was one of them silent types. Call me Tyrell—toughest one of the bunch around this place," the electric-eyed Hybrid grinned, jutting a thumb towards himself. "I'm a Zinogre Hybrid, if ya couldn't tell."
"Truly? You believe yourself to be the 'toughest'? I believe lord Neptune must prove you wrong again," the jade-haired Hybrid retorted before turning towards Frost. "You may address me as Regina. Once Rathian, now Hybrid. The pleasure is all mine, of course."
"Ripley," the aquatic Hybrid said simply, returning to his place at the table and crouching low—he stood even taller than Frost did at full height. "Plesioth."
"I am Mephitis—Gigginox Hybrid," the final one stated with a lurching bow. Frost immediately felt his nose cringe in dissatisfaction. He loathed Gigginox. Always had, likely always would. He had the feeling this Hybrid felt just the same—their kind were natural enemies, after all. Mephitis' grin crept back as it leaned back up to a more proper sitting position on the chair. "And what pray tell is your name, white one?"
"Frost," he replied after a brief moment. His identity wasn't exactly in need of protection anymore. "I'm a Barioth Hybrid."
"That's one of those muddy things, right?" the Zinogre Hybrid asked with a raised eyebrow. "No offense, but you look way too pretty to be rolling around in that shit."
"You are thinking of Barroth, you fool. Barioth are Pseudo-Wyverns that live in cold regions," Regina corrected. "How you could make that blunder with Gale around here is simply asinine." Tyrell let out a dismissive grunt and shrugged while the Rathian Hybrid turned her gaze to Frost, then to Mephitis. "How interesting… you two share a common home in the Tundra. The same cannot be said for many of us."
"Oh believe me, this meeting is truly delightful," Mephitis smiled venomously. Frost returned its 'look' with an icy glare. If any were suspect, this Gigginox Hybrid was easily at the top of the list.
"How did I come to be here?" Frost asked, looking away towards the other three Hybrids. "Where is this place?"
"Southern coast of the Venatorian mainland," Ripley answered. "Fifty miles west of Port Tanzia."
"Perhaps more accurately, what's left of Port Tanzia," Regina added. "Lord Neptune and Gale brought you here some three months ago. Mephitis had not yet joined us then, and Ripley had been otherwise occupied at the time—"
"Catching food for all of you to eat, like usual."
"You are excused for the interruption."
"Oh, sure, so fish boy gets a pass," Tyrell scoffed.
"Because he is endearing, not aggravating, unlike a certain mangy wolf. Anyways… your wounds were nothing short of disastrous."
"And coming from miss 'Queen of Flames' herself, that's saying something!"
"Then Tanzia was lost…" Frost muttered, clenching his fist. "But three whole months… What of Dire Miralis? The dark dragon? And the man controlling it, Balestra? What has happened in the world since then?"
"Nothing of particular interest to myself. I do not know anything of those names, though I happened to survey the ruins some weeks ago while taking a chance to stretch my wings. A rather large body lies on the beachfront—'dark dragon' is a very good way to describe it. Unfortunately the air there was… quite uncomfortable, so I refrained from getting too close. Ripley, you mentioned seeing a ship heading away from Tanzia the day Lord Neptune brought Frost to us, did you not? Do you recall anything about it?"
"Large. Lots of guns. Packed full of people. Smelled of dead and dying. Forever Breeze painted on the side all fresh and sloppy like." The Plesioth Hybrid paused for a moment and cocked his head to the side. "No frogs."
If a ship left Tanzia, and Miralis' body was lying on the Tainted Sea… then that meant they had succeeded in the end, didn't it? Balestra had been stopped, Miralis killed? But how could that have happened? Viper had been the only one remaining after his fall… had that gluttonous, flirtatious archer actually managed to fell Balestra himself? No, that wasn't possible. Even knowing the kind of magical power he wielded, Viper was the weakest of team Storm. He lacked the same physical aptitude of a Hybrid, and at least Wes could reach similar levels to himself and Snow with his Demon and 'Spirit' Modes. He was certainly formidable, but it was unlikely Viper would have lasted long, if at all. So… what had occurred?
And more importantly, had Snow survived?
"Ripley." The Plesioth Hybrid jerked his head towards him upon being addressed. "The scents from that ship. Do you recall any others?"
"Mmm…" The Hybrid closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths through his nose, and after a few moments his eyes flicked open. "I wasn't on it. Only remember a few stood out. There was an old one, a sorta burnt-out one, a leafy one… mmm. An angry, spicy one, one that was all bubbly… and one kinda like you. Cool, minty. Little lighter than you, actually. Nicer. Not sure who was alive though. Lots of death in the air."
"Then she at least made it away from Tanzia…" Frost muttered. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to know, but if Snow had been aboard the Forever Breeze, there was a chance she had managed to return to Loc Lac and receive treatment, wasn't there? He hoped that was the case, at least… He remained quiet for the rest of the meal as he mulled over what he had learned. A lot could happen in three months, and if the others had survived, chances were they believed he was dead or missing. He needed to return to Loc Lac, to Snow. He couldn't allow her to face the Guild on her own. They had promised to do so together, and he wouldn't go back on that. He wouldn't condemn her to that fate.
As the meal began to wind down, though, a thunderous pair of footsteps echoed into the chamber from one of the halls. At once Ripley shifted to the side and into his chair, Mephitis slid down from its perch, and even Tyrell pulled his feet from the table—at just the sound, all three were sitting almost as attentively as Regina. Frost merely furrowed his brow and focused on the tunnel the echoing stomps were coming from. Several seconds passed as the sound drew nearer and nearer. He sensed incredible power, greater than any he had known before save Balestra and Dire Miralis. After almost half a minute, a massive figure strode into the chamber.
Massive. This Hybrid, was massive. Whereas Ripley was maybe a foot taller than Frost, this man must have stood almost five feet over the Plesioth Hybrid at least. His height was matched by a bulky and powerful build, visible under the thick ivory-hue armor plates he wore on his chest, forearms, and legs. His visible flesh was scarred in numerous places, telling tales of battles from many years. A dark scale mail tunic hung low to just over his knees, patterned by intricate blue-green markings and writing unfamiliar to Frost's eyes. Hanging low from his chin and over much of his chest was a thick, full white beard that practically seemed to glow when the light from the ceiling met it. He had only a single eye—a peculiar pale gold orb, with a dark ring surrounding his diamond shaped pupil, stared ahead from the left side of his face. The right side wasn't cut out or missing from a battle, though. It appeared as though skin had just 'grown over' the socket. Two large rings were visible on his head, one significantly larger than the other: the one on the right remained above his brow and on his scalp, while the other seemed to stretch over the missing eye and most of the side of his head.
Frost's eyes widened at the man's appearance. He'd heard tell of Wyverians that could grow large, but he'd seen very few that could match or exceed him height-wise… and this man was easily twice as tall as he. He had heard tell that Wyverians could reach such heights as well, but those were rumors he had always dismissed as falsehoods. This, though, he could not just wave off as fiction. The very air around this Hybrid just seemed to demand respect, to confer authority. At once, Frost knew—this entire place had been created by him. This was his domain. Here, he was king.
At this massive Hybrid's side was a black-haired woman, only truly discernable as a Hybrid by her diamond-shaped pupils. She had incredibly long waist-length black hair streaked with tannish-brown strands. Her bangs hung low over the right side of her face, partially obscuring her eye from view. Her features were sharp and her expression focused, her face betraying no thoughts or emotions to him. She walked with an attentive gait, her glowing green eyes seeming to capture every movement in the room—she remained silent even when their eyes briefly met. She wasn't particularly armed or armored, though: her garb consisted of black robes hemmed with orange and possessing a furry peach-colored collar, matched by the wide belt around her hips and her sleeve cuffs. The robes hung down to her ankles but remained open on the sides, showing deep red leggings and boots that matched her robes. From her belt hung a short, thick bladed sword of an indigo color.
Despite her significantly smaller stature she managed to keep pace with him, and even conferred a manner of authority herself. Still, Frost thought there was almost something… familiar about her. Side by side they strode into the chamber and approached the table, with the larger Hybrid seating himself in the equally-massive chair at its head, while the woman chose to take a seat to his right.
"'twas just another rumor this time, I am afraid," the bearded Hybrid sighed. "Fortunately our kin hidden in the forest are still well. Reclusive as usual, but well." His voice seemed… ancient. Not weary, but knowledgeable. And of course, commanding, though not in the same manner as Regina. His was… absolute, by comparison. His eye flicked upwards towards Frost, and the Barioth Hybrid shifted back in his seat slightly at a mere glance. Was that… fear? He took a moment to shake the idea from his mind as a long, low breath escaped the old Hybrid's lips. "But, it seems the white one has awoken at last. That is worth far more than the disappointment of another false lead. How fare you?"
"…Well." Frost blinked. What was this feeling? It was like he was compelled to answer in spite of himself.
"It gladdens my heart to hear. I know better than most how resilient our kind are, but some wounds are impossible to come back from. It seems even the one you suffered was not quite enough to put you down, though. Your strength is most impressive."
"T-thank you." Just what was this man?
"I do hope the others have been accommodating," the ancient Hybrid continued, his gaze sweeping around to the others at the table. As he watched, even the others seemed to shudder under this elder Hybrid's gaze. Theirs were not looks of discomfort, though. It was… difficult for him to understand.
"But of course," Regina replied after a few moments. "We simply enjoyed a meal with our new brother. Frost is not much for conversation, but he is… agreeable, I suppose."
"Ah, Frost, is it?" The Hybrid's eye once more shifted back to him, and Frost was compelled to look back attentively. "A fitting name. I am Neptune, Hybrid of the great elder dragon of the ocean, Ceadeus. I welcome you to my home here, fellow child of beasts."
"An elder dragon…? I never considered the possibility," Frost muttered, earning a deep chuckle from the bearded Hybrid.
"Yes, just as I never considered the likelihood of Hybrids being able to live within the walls of Venatoria's capital city!" Neptune laughed. "Truly, that was a rumor to pursue. 'twas a good thing we did—had Gale and I not arrived in Tanzia when we did, the chance of you surviving that fall from the lighthouse were…"
"Nonexistent," the dark-haired woman said with cool indifference as Neptune's eye trailed towards her. "Even with our help slowing your fall and cushioning the impact with the sea, your survival was not guaranteed. That wound you had suffered was by all rights fatal. Lord Neptune had to expend much effort to secure your life, you know."
Frost narrowed his eyes at her as the words left her lips. Her tone seemed calm and controlled, but there was a sort of condescending, critical, almost insulting underlayer there too. She simply returned his glare with her focused, unshifting green-eyed stare. A sort of exchange happened between them—like a wordless, unspoken connection. From it he was able to recall some of what had occurred before he had fallen unconscious. A black and orange blur, colliding with him and dragging him away from the lighthouse before he could collide with the ground. That blur must have been this woman… and the glowing waters he landed in must have been Neptune's doing.
"…You have my thanks for that, then," Frost said after a few moments of silence between them. "I must know, though… what occurred at Tanzia? How was Dire Miralis stopped?"
"A fair question. Miralis was a plague on Tanzia in the long-forgotten past as well… that peninsula had quite the history. That the dragon was felled at all is… miraculous. I must apologize, though. In truth, I know very little of the recent events surrounding the Battle of Tanzia, save for what I gathered from my own brief involvement there," Neptune admitted, shaking his head slowly. "We did not linger long after stabilizing you. The presence of that dragon was undeniable. Why, Gale here nearly turned tail before we even arrived!"
"T-that is not…" The woman, Gale, paused and shut her eyes tightly with an ashamed look while the elder Hybrid let out another hearty chuckle. Even the others allowed themselves a short laugh or smile. "That… is hardly what Frost is asking about."
"Yes yes… As it were, I was rather occupied with stabilizing you at the time. Most of the port had already been lit ablaze, the skies darkened as though the end times were upon us… truly a mortifying sight. But amidst it all, there was a brilliant golden flash atop the lighthouse. A presence equal… perhaps even greater than the dragon's appeared as if from nowhere. I witnessed little of the battle that occurred—I didn't truly need to. I felt it. Two colossal forces clashed within the lighthouse, and the structure soon collapsed from it all. The mighty Tanzian Lighthouse, standing proud for millennia… reduced to naught but rubble in minutes."
"I saw two figures emerge from the ruins, both terrifyingly powerful," the dark-haired Hybrid continued, shuddering at the recollection. "One garbed in dark armor, the other in brilliant gold. Just before they clashed again, the presence at the Tainted Sea seemed to vanish, only to merge with the one in dark armor. The battle was… otherworldly. It was impossible to remain there for long. I can infer that the one in golden armor succeeded, however, as not long after Lord Neptune and I departed for our haven here to continue treating you in a less dangerous location, the skies cleared, and the dark presence vanished almost entirely."
A figure in golden armor…? None in Frost's group wore anything like that. No one in the force that traveled to Tanzia did, for that matter. And this… otherworldly power? What did it all mean? None of it made any sense!
"That is about as much as we know about what happened that day, however," Neptune said, drawing Frost out of his thoughts. "As we have told you that piece of information, though, I would like to ask something similar of you, Frost. Please, tell us—how did a Hybrid come to be in Loc Lac, the very center of hunter society within this country, in this day and age? What is your tale?"
Though a large part of him wished to say nothing, the authoritative power, the commanding presence of this elder Hybrid was impossible to stave off. He began from the start—the origin of himself and his twin sister, their early lives in Kalvata Village, and the subsequent destruction of the town, followed by their efforts to blend into the world of hunters in an effort to both escape the past and, at least in the case of Snow, to right the wrongs they had committed. He spoke of being contacted by Balestra, the head of the Master Corps, and how his sister was convinced that the best way for beings as powerful as they were to escape notice was to hide amongst the strongest hunters in the country. He spoke of the years spent there, the bonds forged between the Hybrids and their hunter allies, their eventual discovery, the revelation of Balestra's plot, and finally how he journeyed to Tanzia in an effort to defeat Dire Miralis and Balestra himself… only to be struck off the top of the tower after seeing Snow fall in battle. All the while, the others all listened with fascinated expressions—perhaps it was their origin, how he and Snow had become Hybrids when they were but cubs, unlike the 'norm'. It could very well have been the world of hunters they lived in, or even the people he met and came to respect within the desert city. Whatever the reason, he held their attention for hours, it seemed, until at last he fell silent, his tale complete.
"My… yours is certainly an interesting life!" Regina smiled, pressing her hands together in delight. "Truly, truly fascinating. Oh, I do hope that sister of yours survived that whole endeavor. She seems positively delightful from how you describe her."
"And how she kicked that other fool Hybrid's ass?! Hah! I almost want a go at her myself!" Tyrell laughed eagerly, earning a vicious glare from Frost. The Zinogre Hybrid didn't seem to notice, though. "And you say the two of you are about even, right? That settles it! Once you get back into fighting shape, we're going at it! I've gotta taste that power for myself!"
"Are my kind truly that infuriating to humans?" Ripley muttered, his expression remaining somewhat forlorn ever since the Barioth Hybrid's mention of a particular hunt for a Plesioth his team had completed. "I'm not quite sure how to take that."
"I'm quite certain dear Frost means no hard feelings towards you," Mephitis assured with its disconcerting grin. Its 'gaze' shifted from the Plesioth Hybrid to Gale then. "Darling Gale, you seemed troubled. Did something from dear Frost's tale unnerve you? Perhaps the bit about another Sand Barioth Hybrid like yourself, hmm?"
The green-eyed Hybrid shot a deathly glare towards Mephitis, her pupils narrowing into dangerously thin slits while her hand on the table clenched hard against the stone, scratching lines through the stone. A moment later she pushed herself up, turned, and began to walk towards one of the exits.
"I've heard enough."
Gale disappeared into one of the passages then, and the others glanced between each other with confused expressions… all save for Neptune, who simply let out a heavy sigh. His expression was knowing, unsurprised, yet sympathetic.
"Enlightening as this has been, the hour grows late," the elder Hybrid stated. "Frost, do focus on recovering your strength."
"I don't have that luxury," he grimaced, pushing himself up from the table and shaking his head clear. What was he doing? This was a waste of his time! While he was sitting around chatting with these other Hybrids, his sister was… he had no clue. Suffering under the Guild, believing him to be dead, perhaps even at death's door herself? None of it was anything he would allow to stand. "I have to return to Loc Lac. I must rejoin my sister."
"Even were it in my interest to allow that, you are not in a condition to travel all that way yourself. Hybrid though you may be, you are weakened now—I doubt you'd be a match for a single one of us in your state, let alone the beasts outside of this haven."
At those words, every Hybrid turned towards Frost. A short zap of thunder sparked across Tyrell's chest as he grinned widely, while Regina flicked a small ball of flames around her fingers with a bemused smile. Mephitis licked its lips as if in anticipation, mouth glistening purple with poison, and Ripley didn't do much of anything—at least, Frost didn't realize he had until he felt a pool of water form under his feet. He furrowed his brow at the whole lot of them—his prideful side refused to accept his words as anything but a threat, but if he had learned any lessons from Snow, it was to evaluate the reality of the situation. The reality here was that he was outmatched. And… truth be told, the events of the day had left his already-weakened body feeling even more exhausted.
Reluctantly, Frost turned from the table with a frustrated growl and made his way towards the tunnel his 'room' was in. He wouldn't let them keep him from returning to Snow's side. Even if he had to fight his way out, he would. Until then, he'd rest, he would recover, and he would ready himself.
Author Notes: Please review! Surprise surprise, I lied to you all once again! Turns out Frost was alive all along! You didn't really think I'd kill off a character like him so unceremoniously, did you?
So this is the one and only real DLC story I'm writing for The Master Corps. I had plenty others in mind, but I decided they weren't exactly vital to the characters nor did I want to put off my next big work for much longer. Whiteout, on the other hand, is quite important for the development of both Frost and Hybrids in general. I realized that I had very few instances to include many Hybrids beyond Frost and Snow in the main story… and the ones I did include were all antagonists of some kind. So, this story exists to give Hybrids a lot more context to the world of TMC and explain how they fit into everything. As for Frost, this story offers a greater look into his character, as of the four main protagonists of The Master Corps, he was the one who received the least amount of development and focus in the story. I'd argue that characters like Ruby and Sabrina even got more development than he did.
But that is subject to change, my faithful readers!
I have been toying around with how to portray this DLC story for a while though. My original idea was for it to take place years after the Battle of Tanzia, where the Guild had actually recovered Frost's body (who had still been rescued by Gale and Neptune, but not taken back to the haven), albeit faking his death and giving him a new name to go along with his job. That concept offered a greater view into the changes of the world years after TMC's conclusion and Frost was supposed to be suffering something of an identity crisis that threatened to drive him feral, only for the Hybrids who had saved him years before to make contact with him again, offering wisdom in exchange for a few favors. I decided that the world changes could be saved for the next story though, and the plot I had been writing was really just a big excuse to have Frost fight other antagonist Hybrids… overall it just felt unsatisfying, so I scrapped it and started anew with what you've just begun reading.
So I'm sure you noticed a few Hybrids have some interesting features compared to Frost! Variants are an important focus of this chapter, as so far mostly only Pseudo wyvern Hybrids have appeared in TMC canon—the only exceptions being Aodhan and Hades, the latter of whom received a fair bit more attention than the former. So, to address that, I decided to take the Hybrid 'bosses' planned from the original version, as well as create a couple new ones, to cover more of the bases and better capture the diversity of the various Hybrid types. Tyrell and Mephitis (who is named after the minor Roman goddess of poisonous gases, NOT the genus of skunks) were the original 'bosses' Frost would fight, though they had different names. Regina is based off of a character I had been conceptualizing a fight for but never got it to work. Neptune and Gale are still in the roles they had originally. Ripley is the only wholly new character I made that doesn't have any affiliation with the original version… and honestly, I like him a lot.
Lastly, I'd like to give a special shout out to both dashboardgecko for again being an amazing editor, and also to the artist Ming for designing the cover image of Frost!
Anyways, that's enough of me prattling on. I hope you enjoyed, faithful readers! Thanks so much for your support! Look forward to the next chapter of Whiteout soon!