(Quick Note from Jurabi: Please reread Chapter 1 before starting this chapter. I added some new story to it thanks to the criticisms from Quake Shatterfist and put a lot more oomph into the buildup of the reveal. Thanks and enjoy the chapter.)
Therion Arc Chp. 2: The Elder Grimm
~~Therion Residence~~
"Wake up!" Screamed a female voice, "Wake up!"
A full second later, Nathan was forced awake by a sudden force hitting his body feeling like someone was pouncing on top of him.
"Ow!" Nathan screamed, forcing his eyes open to see a girl with white hair, like Eric's, tied into twin, braided pony tails icy blue eyes like his mother. The boy frowned at the sight of this girl and let out a groan, "Ugh…Elise!" He shouted, still feeling half asleep, "You know I hate it when you wake me up like this!"
"That just makes me want to do it even more, Nathan," Elise said with a playful smirk, "Now get up. You were supposed to wake up 20 minutes ago."
"Okay…I'm up," Nathan groaned as he forced his body up into a sitting position.
"This is what happens when you stay up so late," Elise said, jumping off of the bed to move to the door, "Mom cooked breakfast for us, so hurry up."
"Alright," Nathan said as he watched Elise leave his room.
Elise Therion is Nathan's older sister by three years who always made a habit at poking fun at Nathan's infatuation with technology and weapons. Even though these two kids always get into fights whenever one makes fun of the other, Elise has always been the older sister Nathan needed in his life.
After getting dressed in his casual clothing, Nathan walked downstairs into the kitchen to see his breakfast waiting on the table.
His mother, Eli Therion, was at the sink washing the pans she used to cook the breakfast. She was also wearing her casual clothes instead of her huntress outfit which consisted of green, shoulder less shirt that allowed the straps of her black bra exposed. On the shirt were three triangles: one big white triangle and two small black triangles. She wore black cargo pants that end below her knees shoes which were green tennis shoes. On her left arm were red bandanas and on her right wrist was a silver watch.
The woman turned to her son and let out a smirk, "So you're finally up, Mr. Therion," Eli said.
"No thanks to Elise," Nathan said with a huff.
"It's still funny that I always need your sister to roughhouse you in order to wake you up," Eli said.
"Well can you get her to stop, Mommy?!" Nathan shouted in frustration after he sat down at the table.
"I can if only you learn to wake up at the time you are told to," Eli said, "It won't do you good if you develop a habit of sleeping late."
"Yeah, it's about time you started having an adult mentality, Little Bullet~!" Elise said, letting out a snarky giggle.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Nathan shouted at her angrily, "You're no different from me, Miss Grimm Fangirl!"
"I am not a Grimm Fangirl!" Elise shouted back at her younger brother, "Just because their body structure and behavioral instincts interests me doesn't mean I like them!"
"You do like them!" Nathan shouted.
"Do not!"
"Do to!"
"Little Snot!"
"Big Airhead!"
"Both of you stop this instant!" Eli shouted, getting her children's attention real quick. She shot a glare at both of her children, "I thought I told you both that there would be NO FIGHTING in this house!"
"She started it!" Nathan shouted, pointing at his sister.
"And who here is gonna finish it, huh?" Eli asked, "Because you definitely don't want it to be me!" She saw her children flinch when she said that with such a chilling tone and continued, "Now apologize to each other and let that be the last fight I see you two do."
Nathan and Elise remained quiet for a few seconds before they looked at each other in the eyes.
Elise then let out a sigh of defeat, "I'm sorry, Nathan. I shouldn't have called you that name."
"…I'm sorry too, Elise," Nathan said, "I won't call you an airhead or a fangirl again."
"Good," Eli said, her glare turning into a happy, sweet smile that still gave off a chilly vibe, "Now, let's finish up our breakfast, shall we?"
As the Therions ate their breakfast, Nathan and Elise occasionally shot quick glares at one another. Although the Therion family was stable, it sometimes has its chaotic moments just like the recent skirmish that usually ends with Eli being angry at the kids, forcing them to stop fighting less they incur their mother's wrath. Nitorin was the only "normal" one in this family since he's never one to lose his temper quickly and is always too engrossed in his weapon craft to pay attention, causing either Nathan or Elise to drag him out of his own world. But with a description like that, Nitorin might not be as normal as he seems.
After finishing their breakfast, the Nathan and Eli left their home and headed to Emblem Academy. Elise stayed because she had plans to meet with her school friends at Fu Hua Park. Nathan and Eli both went through the streets of Fu Hua City by car.
Fu Hua City, the capital of Astea and home to Emblem Academy, the hunter academy that trains the best and only the best to combat the Grimm threat. Fu Hua City is widely known for Therion Industries, the manufacturer of the weapons that hunters and huntresses use to fight and kill Grimm all other kinds of machinery like aircraft and tanks. The other noteworthy area in Fu Hua is a café named Boe's, a peaceful, popular café where hunters and civilians of Fu Hua can sit down for a nice, reasonably priced meal.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Emblem Academy~~
"And here we are," Eli said as she and Nathan exited the car to get a view of a tall building that appeared to be a school of sorts, "Emblem Academy."
'This is an academy?" Nathan asked, "Aren't you an adult though, Mommy?"
"Don't let the "Academy" title fool you, Nathan," Eli said as they began walking through the academy courtyard that led to the school entrance, "This place is unlike your average school. Here, we train Hunters and Huntresses, people who pledge their lives to keep humanity and faunus safe from the Grimm threat."
"This is where you learned to be as strong as you are?" Nathan asked, his eyes beaming up in excitement.
"Yes, and I am also a professor here," Eli said, "It's my job to teach students everything about strategy and tactics, which is one of the three main courses to take here."
"But I thought you guys just learn to fight," Nathan said.
"There is more to fighting Grimm than just swinging your weapon at them," Eli explained, "You remember Elise saying she wanted to study them more and find out their behavioral patterns, right?" She asked as Nathan nodded in response, "Well, Grimm study is also one of the courses hunters need to take along with combat classes."
"So it is kinda like a school," Nathan said as they entered Emblem Academy.
Even though it is December and the students of Emblem Academy had gone home for the holidays, there were still handful of hunters and huntresses getting ready for their missions. Seeing the sight of the weapons in some of the hunters' hands made Nathan's face bright up in awe.
"Look at all those weapons!" Nathan shouted in excitement, "They all look so cool!"
"Ah yes, your father is the one who made those weapons for us," Eli explained.
"Wait, Daddy makes those things?!" Nathan asked, "I thought he was just passing time by building random stuff."
"Everything your father builds is important," Eli said, "It's his job to build weapons and other machines that could help out hunters on the battlefield. All life would have been lost if it weren't for your father's genius work."
"Do you think I can make weapons as amazing as those?" Nathan asked.
"I'm sure you can, Nathan," Eli said, "You already did an amazing job at your school's science fair. I have no doubt that you can make the best hunter weapon that no one has ever seen before."
"With an expectation like that, I'll have to do my best," Nathan said, letting out an embarrassed but happy grin.
"So, how about we go meet my boss?" Eli said as she led Nathan to an open elevator. She pushed the button to the top floor and the elevator began to move. The elevator later arrived at the top floor and they arrived at a spacious office that only had a desk sitting near the wide window.
Sitting at the desk was a man who had long, raven-black hair that reached to the middle of his back wearing a white suit over a blue dress shirt fitted with a light blue tie and black dress pants with black dress shoes.
"Good morning, Director Niamota," Eli called out to the man, standing at attention.
"Hm?" The man named Niamota looked up and was surprised to see Eli in front of him, "Professor Therion? Aren't you supposed to be on holiday vacation? What are you doing here?"
"My apologies for not notifying you about my visit, Director," Eli said, "I have nothing major going on today so I decided to bring my son on a tour here."
"Hello," Nathan said, waving to Niamota.
"Oh, I see," Niamota said before he stood up from his office chair, "In that case, I do not mind."
"Nathan, this is Elcrest Niamota, Director of Emblem Academy," Eli said.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Niamota," Nathan said.
Elcrest let out a chuckle before returning Nathan's greeting with a wave of his own, "Hello there, young one. Nathan, was it?"
"Yes," Nathan said.
"What a nice name you have," Elcrest said, "I'm sorry if I don't have any snacks for you. I wasn't aware that your mother was going to bring you to my academy."
"It's alright," Nathan said, "So are you a hunter like my mom?"
"…Hm…" Elcrest silently stared at Nathan which caused the conversation to grind to a bizarre and sudden halt.
"Is there something wrong, Mr. Niamota?" Eli asked in concern, but she also had an idea of what Elcrest was doing.
"Oh, sorry," Elcrest said, "I tend to do that when I'm introduced to strangers. To answer your question, Nathan, I am a hunter, in a sense. But I usually do more strategy meetings and teaching than any hunting."
"Ooh, so there is more to hunting than just fighting," Nathan said.
"That's right," Elcrest said, "On top of managing the academy, I also attend council meetings with people from all over Vastel at the Hunter Tower."
"The Hunter Tower?" Nathan asked.
"It's where the council of Vastel meet to discuss about issues that affect all of Vastel," Elcrest explained, "I can only tell you that much, I'm afraid."
"Oh okay," Nathan said.
"I forgot to mention this, but welcome to Emblem Academy," Elcrest said, "Here, we house and train only the best hunters and huntresses to fight against the threat of the Grimm. Just look at your mother, if you want an example. No one could have pulled off what she did at the Astea Conflict."
"Come now, Director," Eli said, rubbing the back of her head, modestly smiling, "I was only doing my job."
Elcrest shook his head in disagreement before saying, "I wouldn't call killing a thousand Grimm to save millions a simple job."
"Wow!" Nathan shouted, "You really did that, Mom?! No lie?!"
"It's no lie," Elcrest said, "You mother is a one-of-a-kind huntress. Emblem Academy…no…all of Vastel is lucky to have her."
"Oh stop," Eli said, blushing bashfully, "You're making me blush, Director."
"So Nathan, are you interested in becoming a hunter like your mother?" Elcrest brought up to the boy.
"I would like to, but Mommy and Daddy doesn't seem to want me to become a hunter," Nathan said, feeling sad remembering when his parents told him to not think about becoming a hunter.
"Hm, that's understandable," Elcrest said, "Being a hunter isn't all fun and games. For the duration of time you are on a mission outside of city walls, you are constantly at risk of a Grimm attack."
"Yeah, but I don't mind getting hurt a little," Nathan said, "What's so bad about fighting Grimm?"
Elcrest and Eli remained silent at that question. Eli winced a little as a memory she didn't want to remember flashed through her eyes.
"You're not old enough for your question to be answered seriously, Nathan," Elcrest said seriously before he gave him a smile.
"But—"
"We should be going now," Eli said, "I'm sorry for taking your time, Director Niamota."
"It's no trouble at all," Elcrest said before turning to Nathan, "And I hope you visit this academy again someday, Nathan. I can see true potential in you, young one."
"Okay…" Nathan said, still bothered that his question wasn't answered. But regardless, he left the office with his mother through the elevator they came in.
After they left, Elcrest let out a sigh before he looked at a pocket watch that was painted white on one side and black on the other. The arrow on the watch pointed towards the black side, "Nathan Therion…you're in for a rough life."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Emblem Academy: 5th Floor~~
Nathan and his mother continued to tour around Emblem Academy, seeing all kinds of amazing rooms and even a big view of Fu Hua City with the bright sun sitting high in the sky. In the distance, they could see a mountain that stretched even higher than Fu Hua City sat at.
"Wow…it's so pretty," Nathan said, in complete awe at the beauty of his home with the clear blue skies.
"It is," Eli said, leaning against the hand rail, "I used to come here all the time when I was but a teenager attending this academy. Whenever classes were over, my team and I would have lunch at this very spot to watch this view."
"You had a team of hunters?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, I was the leader of my own team, actually," Eli said, "There were four of us. Together, we soon became the unstoppable team that never suffered a single casualty or failure on our missions. Not a single Grimm stood a chance against us…"
"Wow, that's so cool!" Nathan shouted, feeling the adrenaline of excitement from hearing his mother's story.
"…well…all except one," The woman finished.
"Huh?" Nathan asked in confusion, "A Grimm managed to beat you and your team? Was it really strong?"
"Strong doesn't even begin to describe it," Eli said as she took Nathan's hand, "Come on, I'll show you at the library."
The Emblem Academy library is a place where hunters can go to research information on the Grimm they face or the history of the four Vastel kingdoms.
Nathan took a seat at one of the tables while Eli searched through a book isle that contained information on the Grimm. One of them, a thick, green book, immediately caught her attention. She grabbed it and returned to the table Nathan sat at and turned to a certain page that had drawn picture of four Grimm monsters on it.
Eli pointed at a Grimm that had the appearance of a thin, black dragon with white horns on the back of its head, red wings, and a thin, spiky tail. Around the dragon were what looked to be black flames that came from its mouth.
"Whoa…" Nathan was in awe of the picture he was looking at. Even though it was only a drawing, it was able to send a clear message of power because of the way the artist colored the Grimm and the area around it with a blood red and grim black shade.
"This is the Grimm that my team and I lost against," Eli said, "We call it The Shadow Dragon "Ragnarok"."
"Ragnarok?" Nathan asked.
"Yes," Eli said as she lied back a little on the chair she sat on and stared up at the ceiling in remorse, "Back when I was merely a student, I was so reckless. When I first heard of the existence of that Grimm, I was foolishly excited. I wanted to defeat and kill it so badly…but that monster…no…monster doesn't even describe this Grimm. My team and I didn't even last a few minutes against it and we were the most experienced in Emblem Academy at the time."
"It's that strong?" Nathan asked, shocked to hear that his mother, the woman who can beat a thousand Grimm without help, lost against this one Grimm with help."
"Not a single hunter in Astea or all of Vastel has ever been able to kill Ragnarok," Eli said.
"No one?" Nathan asked.
Eli shook her head, "And it doesn't stop there. Throughout the four kingdoms of Vastel, there are four special Grimm that house extraordinary powers—one in each kingdom. Take a look in the book."
Nathan did just that and looked at the page that had the Grimm Dragon "Ragnarok" on it. The page to the left of the information page had an introduction called "Elder Grimm."
~~Elder Grimm~~
"Elder Grimm" is a name given to rare Grimm proven to have been around since the beginning of Vastel. These Grimm have never been killed by a single hunter or huntress, due to their destructive power and ability to disable aura barriers and semblances through unknown means. Elder Grimm is far different from regular Grimm due to their abnormal ability to adapt and formulate a strategy based on the opponent they fight.
HUNTERS AND HUNTRESSES ARE ADVISED TO NOT ENGAGE THE ELDER GRIMM IF SEEN ON THE FIELD!
~~The Water Serpent in the Deep: Lavetia~~
A giant, white, snake-like Grimm that lurks in the dark ocean canyons and ruins deep below Ganvie. This Grimm possesses two, thick horns with a large fur coat symbolizing it's old age. No hunter has ever been able launch an assault on this Grimm due to its habitat being out of reach, but it is theorized that Lavetia may be the cause of the pressure changes that plague Ganvie to this day.
~~The Hellhound: Cerberus~~
"The Ruler of the Desert" Cerberus. One of the four Elder Grimms of Vastel that prowls the deserts of the Kingdom of Morilia and has made it's home on the volcanic mountain, Mt. Ulysses. This Elder Grimm has the body of a dog with three dog heads, each with sharp teeth that can puncture through hunters and prey. Travels to the Molach Desert and Mt. Ulysses have been forbidden due to the very presence of this Elder Grimm and the very ruthless nature of it. Unlike its fellow Elder Grim, Cerberus does not hesitate to launch an attack on the first human or faunus it sees and does not relent until its victim is dead. Only one man, Elcrest Niamota, has survived an encounter with this Grimm and reported it capable breathing out molten lava and change the very landscape around it. Hunters are advised to not travel into Morilia Desert less you incur the wrath of the Devil.
~~The Bright Star Phoenix: Solaris~~
A bird-like Grimm that holds the appearance of the mythical Phoenix. It is unknown whether this Grimm has the power of immortality as the legends of phoenix suggest, but it is theorized that this Grimm is associated with the rising of the sun. Out of the four Elder Grimm, Solaris is the most rarely seen or attacked by hunters due to its elusive nature. Hunters are to exercise extreme caution when encountering this Grimm on the field. Is theorized to be the very source of the Elder Grimm's existence and power because of the fall of the Guardian of Light during the 700th Vastel Year and also because of it being closely related to the Shadow Dragon, "Ragnarok".
~~The Shadow Dragon: Ragnarok~~
"The Shadow Dragon" Ragnarok. One of the four Elder Grimms in Vastel that possess destructive power. Ragnarok is a fell dragon Grimm that dates back to the 700th Vastel Wars. No hunter ,other than Professor Eli Therion, who has sought to challenge this Grimm had returned to tell the tale. Ragnarok has been said to never be in one habitat for too long, although it has never once left the kingdom of Astea. This dragon Grimm is theorized to be related to The Bright Star Phoenix, Solaris, and the Guardian of Darkness. Beware this Grimm's black flames for they have been reported to never die out and burn corpses until Ragnarok is out of range of the corpse.
"Whoa…" Nathan said in awe as he looked at the pictures of each Elder Grimm, "They all look so cool!"
Eli was surprised at Nathan's reaction before realizing that he is a child and said, "Y-yeah, they sure do."
"Too bad I don't understand a most of the hard words this book is saying," Nathan said.
"You'll understand when you're older, Nathan," Eli said as she put the book back onto the shelf she found it.
"Is your job hard, Mommy?" Nathan asked.
"I say it depends on the person," Eli said, "Why do you ask?"
"Well…sometimes you come home sad after work and Daddy always has to cheer you up," Nathan said worriedly, "Is someone hurting your feelings or bullying you?"
Eli let out a smile. For a second, she looked as though she was wiping her eyes before she let out a giggle, "Thank you for your concern for me, dear, but Mommy's alright. Let's just say bad things tend to happen as a hunter and…"
"…And?" Nathan asked.
"Why don't we go home now?" Eli asked, suddenly shifting the conversation to something else, "I am a bit hungry, aren't you?"
Nathan found it weird that his mother dodged his question like that, but he didn't quite understand why, being a little kid and all. The boy went along with it and said he would like to go home as well.
As he and his mother left Emblem Academy, Nathan couldn't help but be excited at the idea of going there and becoming a huntress. He's learned so many interesting things from Director Niamota to the Elder Grimm that roam the four kingdoms. The boy couldn't stop smiling at the idea of meeting one of the Elder Grimm—especially Ragnarok.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Therion Industries Testing Lab~~
Nathan's father, Nitorin, sat in a testing lab with his crew of engineers and scientists examining two weapons that were on display in a different testing room. There was only one scientist in the room examining the weapons and holding them in his hands, which had protective gear on them. Both weapons had short claws attached to the hilt making the weapon appear to be twin daggers. Inside the weapons revolvers full of dust.
"Alright, let's give this another go," Nitorin ordered, "Begin the test again on weapon number 8192—this time increase energy output to 100 percent."
"Yes sir," Said one of the scientists as they began the testing process once more.
The twin daggers began to glow red as the revolvers spun rapidly before the blades of the daggers started turning into black flames.
Everyone looked closely in anticipation, having high hopes of success this time; however, the flames died down again just like they did in the previous tests.
"Another test failure, Mr. Therion."
"Damnit!" Nitorin shouted in frustration, "And we set it at the highest energy output we have! What more do those things want?!"
"I don't think it's the power that's the problem, sir," Said a scientist, "It might be that the user just isn't compatible to use the weapon."
"That may be the case," Nitorin said, "But I was hoping to fully complete testing before we asked my wife to hold this weapon."
"Pardon me sir," Said a scientist, "I know we've come this far, but are we sure this weapon won't have any negative side effects?"
"We are aware of the risks involved with this project," Nitorin said, "I wouldn't be expending this much time and resources if I didn't believe we can use the Elder Dragon's Claws to their full potential."
"Hard at work again, Nitorin?" Asked a male voice.
Nathan's father, Nitorin, turned around to see a middle aged man with blue hair that was slicked back wearing a black business suit.
"1 hour lunch break, everyone," Nitorin said to his team, hearing a silent yes from one of the tired workers. Nitorin then walked over to the man with a half-assed smile, "Maybe you can take a guess, Gerald."
"Heheh, well from where I was standing, you seem to be in a pickle with your new project, as usual," The man named Gerald said.
"More like frustrated," Nitorin said, "I need some fresh air right now."
"Then let's head on to the usual spot for lunch, then," Gerald said as he and Nitorin left the Therion Industries Testing Laboratory.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Bao's~~
The two went to Bao's café for their lunch break. The café owner, Bao Ludgen, was a young man with lightly tanned skin, sky blue eyes, and chocolate brown hair. His hair is shaved on the sides of his head, and spiked up in the front. His eyes an almond shape with deep blue eyes. He's built rather well, standing around 6'3, his body being rather lean and without much muscle. As the café owner, he wears a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up a little. He'll have on a black vest on top with golden buttons and an orange tie down the middle. His pants will be black suit pants and a black apron will be around his neck and covering his front.
"Ah, Mr. Therion and Mr. Achilles. Welcome back," Bao said to the two, referring Gerald by his last name Achilles, as they entered his café, "The usual?"
"Yes, please," Nitorin said as he and Gerald sat down at the café booth that had a nice window view of the Fu Hua streets.
"So tell me what the issue is this time, Nitorin," Gerald said, concerned about the progress on Nitorin's new project.
Nitorin let out an exhausted sigh, "It seems that the Grimm weapons require more power than even we have. We put everything we had into it and we still couldn't recreate the Ragnarok's black flames."
"Sounds like we'll need a new power source then," Gerald said.
"But we've tried everything we could: Aura, Semblances, and just about every stable element in the periodic table," Nitorin said, "Unstable elements are much too risky because they could trigger the worst case scenario of the user turning into a Grimm."
"Yeah…" Gerald said.
"One of my scientists advised we get my wife to help since her semblance can allow her to touch the weapon without any risks involve…at least in theory," Nitorin said, hesitant to allow his wife anywhere near those dangerous weapons.
"That might be our only chance, Nitorin," Gerald said, "The fact that we got those claws at all is a sign from the Goddess of Luck herself."
"More like from the Devil himself, given that two hunters were found impaled by them," Nitorin grunted in frustration.
"You really hate that Grimm, don't you?" Gerald asked.
"I hate Grimm in general," Nitorin said, "The idea mankind being powerless against those monsters…it sickens me to my stomach. Plus, I have a family to take care of; especially my son."
"You mean that little kid that was running around the lab last month?" Gerald asked, chuckling a little at the memory.
"Here you go," Boa said as he arrived at their booth with their lunch.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Ludgen," Gerald said.
"It's no trouble at all," Bao said with a smile, "I couldn't help but overhear as I walked over, but you say something about a son, Mr. Therion?"
"Yep, his name's Nathan," Nitorin said, "I tell you, the kid gets excited at the sight of anything—even Grimm gets him in an ecstatic mood."
Both Bao and Gerald let out a laugh at the thought of a kid acting like that.
"Well looking at you, I'd say that excitement runs in the family," Bao said, "I remember when you first tasted my coffee."
"Come on, I wasn't like I told everyone in Vastel about this place," Nitorin said.
"That's exactly what you did, Nitorin," Gerald pointed out.
"Oh," Nitorin said, realizing that he actually did run around telling people about Bao's delicious coffee.
"Well it helped my business out a lot, Mr. Therion, so thanks for doing that for me," Bao said before he heard the bell ring indicating that another customer had entered his café, "Well, I'll be seeing you both around," The man said before he went back to his counter to take the next customer's order.
"So getting back on topic," Gerald began, "The High Council's deadline is coming up soon."
"Damnit…those assholes expected us to get results in ten years…" Nitorin silently muttered, "My company could only do so much with the technology we have. We're so close too, but we simply need a viable power source with enough firepower to kill an Elder Grimm. But to think the High Council would be stupid enough to throw an opportunity like this away…Damnit!"
"I feel your pain, Nitorin," Gerald said, "A lot of money was spent on this weapon your building. The council is full of cowards, if you ask me. They're not willing to take risks for the sake of humanity's well-being."
"Yeah," Nitorin said as he finished up his lunch, "If I can just finish this weapon and give it to my wife…it'll be incredible for everyone. She's already done enough at the Astea Conflict, but if she takes down all four Elder Grimm and somehow rid the world of Grimm entirely…."
"She'll be a legend—one forever told even in the far future as Humanity's Savior," Gerald said.
"…That too, but more importantly, my son won't have to grow up a hunter," Nitorin said, "After what happened to Eli's team four years back…I just can't let Nathan go through that same thing."
"Nitorin, people who can make hardest choices possess the strongest wills," Gerald said, "Every hunter understands that—your wife especially."
"But leaving a comrade, a family member, to die…" Nitorin began.
"To save thousands?" Gerald finished with his rhetorical question.
"…You're right," Nitorin said, "I shouldn't doubt my own wife's decisions. She might end up turning me into Grimm goo if she hears me saying this mopey stuff."
"Good, cause it'd be bad if Therion Industries' owner showed back up to work with a frown," Gerald said before finishing up his food.
"Ah, lunch break's almost over," Nitorin said as both of then stood up and paid for their food before saying their goodbye's to Boa and returned to Therion Lab for more testing.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Therion Residence~~
The Therion family had just finished their dinner, despite one person absent. As Nathan placed his empty plate in the sink, he let out a sigh as he looked at his mother, who was covering up the dinner plate with a long napkin.
"Is Dad going to be late again?" Elise asked.
"I'm afraid so," Eli said.
"Ah, this is the fourth time this month," Elise said, "What in the world could he be making this late at night."
"I'm afraid we can't tell you that just yet, Elise," Eli said, "Now go on to bed now. It's getting late."
"…Alright," Elise said. Before she went off to her room she glanced at Nathan, who was silently sitting at the table with a sad face starting to form. She pitied her little brother. Her parents always had the free time to read her bedtime stories when she was little, but now their father had become so engross in his work that he can't even spent time with Nathan.
As Elise went up the stairs to her room, Nathan sat still at the table, holding back this gloomy feeling after understanding that there would be no story time tonight, "No story time, I guess…"
Eli gave the boy a reassuring smile before she picked him up with ease and gave him a warm hug, "Don't be so down, Nathan," She said as she walked upstairs to his room, "Your father is a busy man who has a lot of people counting on him."
"But…I'm want him to be here with us," Nathan said as they entered his room and his mother placed him on his bed, "I want us to finish this bedtime story together."
"And we will, dear," Eli said, laying the bed covers over her son, "But Mommy and Daddy have to first make sure the big, bad Grimm don't interrupt our story time. So give us a little more time, alright?"
"…Okay," Nathan said, as he lied down, "You promise?"
"Promise," Eli said before she gave her son a kiss on his forehead before heading to the door, "Sweet dreams, my little angel."
"Good night, Mommy," Nathan said as Eli closed the door behind her.
Eli walked back downstairs and was about to clean the dishes from dinner, but heard the sound of the front door opening.
"I'm home," Nitorin called out as he entered the house exhausted and hungry.
"You're late again," Eli said, "Your food's on the table."
"Thanks," Nitorin said as he put down his black laptop and suitcase on the couch table before heading to the kitchen table to begin eating his dinner, "You're cooking's fantastic, as usual, Eli."
"Comes with being a mother of two little feisty children and a workaholic husband," Eli said as she sat down at the table across from Nitorin.
Nitorin's face had guilt painted on it. He froze for a good second realizing that he had caused them to skip out on Nathan's bedtime story, "…I know…I messed up again," Nitorin said.
"Nitorin—"
"Eli, you need to understand that this project is bigger than this family," Nitorin explained, "The future of Vastel is hanging on whether or not I can finish the new weapon. If I don't—"
"Let me stop you there, Nitorin," Eli said, interrupting her husband, "I understand the weight of the situation that we are both in and the possible…benefits from this project of yours, but if you keep this up, you and Nathan might drift apart."
"I know," Nitorin said, "But if I don't get any new results or even get close to a complete, working weapon, the High Council will shut down the project. Not only will my company's reputation be in shambles, but worse, you…they'll send you to prison. You haven't forgotten what I had to do to protect you from the council on that day we first met, did you?"
"No…I remember it all too well," Eli said, looking at her wrists that were once held in place by handcuffs.
"We are so close to having the means to fight back against the Grimm more effectively, but they just want to throw it away if it shows even the slightest hindrance," Nitorin said.
"To be fair, Nitorin, you are dealing with power that none of us understands," Eli said, "No one has ever wielded a weapon that has qualities of a regular Grimm, let alone an Elder Grimm. What if it turns it's wielder into a Grimm, or even worse, bring the Elder Grimm, Ragnarok, to Fu Hua City? The High Council knows the risks that are involved with this project, but why can't you?"
"The risks are dangerous but I believe it is worth it," Nitorin said, "Imagine a world where we don't have risk our lives fighting Grimm—where we don't have to worry about when they'll attack us or when they'll claim another defenseless life. That's the kind of world I want Nathan and Elise to grow up in—not this…this hellhole!"
Eli stayed silent, listening to Nitorin rant on about his issue with the current state of the world. She couldn't blame him for feeling this way; especially with what he's gone through.
"I'm sorry, Eli…I…" Nitorin looked down at the scar on his left hand, reliving the days when he was young.
Nitorin lived in the southern area of Astea Kingdom called the Loyal Hills. The Loyal Hills had peaceful villages and farms. Despite his family being farmers, Nitorin was more fascinated by the technology found in Fu Hua City. Whenever he had the free time after helping with farm work, he would always be trying to build a model plain or a model car. Even thought his parents did not like the idea of their son being into technology, but they were supportive of him nonetheless and made plans to transfer him to Fu Hua City for a job. However, one day the Loyal Hills became overrun with Grimm. Nitorin's parents were brutally murdered by a Grimm attack while Nitorin himself managed to escape via the river that connects from the Loyal Hills to Fu Hua City, but not without receiving a wound on his hand from one of the Ursa Grimm that attacked him before he fell down the river.
When Nitorin regained consciousness, he found himself in the Fu Hua City hospital. It was later revealed that he was found washed up the lake by the former owner of Therion Inc, Noctuvo Therion. When Noctuvo discovered Nitorin's natural gift in crafting and understanding of technology, he decided to take him under his wing and teach the boy everything he knew about technology. As Nitorin grew older and wiser, so did Noctuvo's unfortunate illness. The former owner passed away, but not before naming Nitorin as his predecessor who will lead Therion Industries and all of Astea Kingdom into a brighter future with new technology.
Eli got up from her seat to sit next to her husband, hugging him to give him as much comfort as he needed, "It's okay, Nitorin. I made a promise to my brother and my team to rid the world of those monsters even after we all fell apart…"
Eli was born into a rich family of Astea Kingdom named the Alisen's. For most of her childhood, she's lived a privileged life, until she saw a hunter's academy tournament broadcasted on television. Seeing the raw strength of those hunters sparked a flame inside the girl as she demanded that she was allowed permission to become a hunter.
Her rich parents refused due to the fact that their heir, Morgan Alisen, ran off to become a hunter. They did not want Eli to end up a "brute" like her brother, but Eli wouldn't stand for it; especially when her family lives so far in Vastel where the Grimm are out of reach. She hated the fact that they were thriving off hunters risking their lives for the peace without being given so much as a "Thank You" from her family.
And so, Eli ran away from home and ended up in Fu Hua City and signed up to enroll in Emblem Academy. The training was much harder and more brutal than she had imagined at first, but eventually, things started to become more natural to her. Killing Ursa eventually started feeling like a chore to her and the team she led to countless battles against the Grimm.
Eli's team was made up of Eli as the leader with her older brother, Morgan Alisen, her best friend, Aoife Chandani, and Saratos Bion, a faunus transfer from the Kingdom of Narcia.
But one day, Eli became overconfident in her abilities and put too much faith in the strength of her team. She recklessly led her team to track down the Elder Grimm of Astea, Ragnarok "The Shadow Dragon". She had thought things would go well given that they were the top team of Emblem Academy, but oh was she wrong. Ragnarok was able to quickly render Eli's team powerless due to it being able to render Aura protection and semblances completely useless. By the end of that nightmarish day, Morgan had no choice but to hold the powerful Grimm back as much as he possibly could while he allowed Eli and the rest of the team to escape. A few days after when Morgan did not return, a search team of hunters returned with only his weapon, but not Morgan himself.
Eli was stricken with grief when she saw her brother's weapon return without its owner. After Morgan was announced as Killed in Action (KIA), Eli was court marshaled and sent into solitary confinement for leading her team into a suicide mission without authorization. Her team was then disbanded as a result with Saratos going back to his home in Narcia Kingdom while Aoife was left alone without a team to rely on. Eli was sent to Voskat, a base in Astea where hunters who have committed felonies were sent to conduct missions where they are to act as bait for Grimm to draw their attention. On one of these missions, the number of Grimm was a lot more than they had anticipated—a horde of a thousand Ursas, Beowolfs, and Beringels.
Eli was given orders to fall back, but the woman realized that there was a city just north of the battle area. Fearing that the horde might turn on the city, the brave woman disobeyed orders and stood her ground. The battle lasted three hours, but Eli miraculously was able to fend off the horde of Grimm despite the clear disadvantage. This event was named "The Astea Conflict". While the people who heard the news of Eli's victory praised her bravery, the council of Hunter Tower didn't. The majority of them wanted Eli completely stripped of her Huntress Title and send her to prison for disobeying orders.
And that was about to happen, until Nitorin intervened. At this point in time, the claws from Ragnarok were discovered and plans were being made to turn them into a functional hunter's weapon. All they needed once they complete the weapon was an experienced hunter, and Nitorin believed Eli was perfect due to her efforts in the Astea Conflict.
After three days of debating with the High Council allowed Eli to keep her Huntress position and temporarily suspended her charges; however, there was one condition: If Nitorin's weapon is not ready in ten years or if it becomes a failure, the charges to Eli will be reinstated and she will be sent to prison, and the reputation of Therion Industries not be able to survive the public backlash.
Nitorin accepted the challenge and happily allowed Eli to live in his home. For the next two years, the two became close to each other as friends, until one day they both fell in love with each other. The next thing the love birds knew, they were both married and had two kids to form a happy family—a family that both of them were willing to sacrifice anything for.
"I want to kill Ragnarok along with every other Grimm in the world more than anything…" Eli said, clenching her fists in anger, remembering her failure that cost the life of her older brother and the bond she shared with her team. She knew it was all her fault. That's why she wants to atone for her mistakes, "But…I don't want to lose you or Nathan or Elise. You're all my family…the only family I have left to look back on with a smile."
Nitorin gave his wife a similar, warm smile before he connected his forehead with hers, "You, Nathan, and Elise are all I have too. If I fail…the kids will end up living without a mother. I know too well what kind of life that is."
"I know," Eli said, closing her eyes while feeling concerned, "I'm just…a bit worried about this, that's all."
"What worries you?" Nitorin asked, "Is it the fact that the weapon has Grimm qualities."
"That's part of it, yes," Eli said.
"Eli, I wouldn't have defended you against the Hunter Council if I didn't believe that you would be the one to be able wield this weapon," Nitorin said, "Have faith in me, okay?"
"Having faith is what got my brother killed…" Eli said, her face full of regret as she remembered the day that her brother was announced dead.
"That won't happen to me," Nitorin said, giving his wife a warm hug, "I promise."
The hug succeeded in cheering Eli up. The woman returned the hug after letting out a smile. Everything rested on the completion of this weapon. Even though the risks are both high and uncertain, both Nitorin and Eli are willing to go through with it if it means creating a world without Grimm.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Location: Unknown~~
In a dark room that was lit only by the light coming from a television screen, there was a man sitting at his chair with three dust crystals in his hand—one red, one green, and one blue. He watched the news, which was being broadcasted on the television, report about the recent dust robbery in Fu Hua with delight.
"It sure feels good to have your work acknowledged by the public," The man said as he placed the dust crystals down.
"Boss Fuchou," Called a man wearing the mask that bore the face of a dragon.
The man, who was named Fuchou, let out an annoyed sigh before saying with a deep voice, "Didn't I tell you not to call for me during my break?"
"Sorry, sir, but there's an important call for you," The masked man said, "It's from the Silver Dragons."
Fuchou stood up from his chair and turned around so the light from the opened door could shine on him.
Fuchou wasn't a man; he was a Komodo Dragon faunus with scaly skin, slit irises in his eyes, and a gray dragon tail. His face's cheek bones were high from the neck and his teeth looked sharp enough to tear a door off its hinges. The man's hair was black and his muscles appeared extremely tough.
He wore a long, purple, sleeveless, open coat with black combat pants and metal knee guards. The pants are tucked into a pair of black steel-toed boots. He also had a pair of black gloves with a plane, metal mask sitting on his face with black, bulletproof glass covering the area where his eyes were.
"The Silver Dragons, huh?" Fuchou asked, "They better not be asking us to attack on the humans, cause a frontal assault just isn't our style."
"It's not actually an attack," The man with the dragon mask said, "It's a high paying reward."
"Very well, then," Fuchou said as he picked up the remote and turned off the television, "This had better be important."
He later went into a communication room to pick up the call that was pinging on the computer. Once he did, he heard a voice that was using a voice changing system to hide the identity of the caller.
"Greetings, Drago Fuchou," The caller said.
"I heard you had a job for me, Leader of the Silver Dragons?" Fuchou, whose first name was Drago, asked, "Or shall I call you by your codename: Deathwatch?"
"Straight to the point as ever, I see," Deathwatch said, "The Silver Dragons have need of your "expertise" in thievery."
"Kind of you to add the compliment there, Deathwatch," Drago said, "But my skills don't come cheap, you know. And depending on the target, I might end up adding a large sub-tax fee in there too."
"There is no need for money, Fuchou," Deathwatch said, "We've recently acquired some intriguing information about the Council of Hunter Tower—information that perhaps may be what you are looking for."
"…" Drago froze for a full second before he leaned forward in interest, "Information on the council? If you're not lying, then screw the money."
"I knew you would come around," Deathwatch said, "Your job is simple: You are to steal a secret weapon that is under development at Therion Industries and bring it to the specified location."
"Whoa…Therion Industries?" Drago asked, "A secret weapon? This is the first time I've heard of something like that."
"Oh believe me, this weapon is very real," Deathwatch said, "We have an insider feeding us all the information that is being provided. According to this insider, the weapon is still in testing phase, but once it is complete there will be a field test to display its capabilities. That is when you will strike and steal the weapon."
"If this special op. is going to run smoothly, we'll need a way to get Mr. Therion's huntress girl away from the field," Drago said, "None of my men are a match for that woman, and I bet Therion's guards won't be pushovers either."
"Eli Therion will not pose a threat in this plan, nor will any hunter or guard stationed to protect Therion either," Deathwatch said.
"Oh? Enlighten me," Drago said, "How is it that you think a huntress who can kill a thousand Grimm by herself won't be a problem?"
…
…
…
…
"Because…" Deathwatch said.
Drago could tell that Deathwatch had a confident yet evil smirk forming on their face.
…
…
…
…
"I know of a Grimm that she can't kill."
Therion Arc Ending Song: Konna Sekai, Shiritakunakatta (I Wish I'd Never Known A World Like This) [Akame ga Kill]
Jurabi: Heeeeellooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion greeting you who has finished this second chapter of The World of Vastel!
Good lord, guys! One thing you need to learn about me is that you never leave me alone with an empty world because I'll be like God and put all kinds of crazy shit in it! The Elder Grimm. Let me tell you, I am not joking about how ferocious and powerful these guys are. I just randomly thought "You know what the Grimm need? These big powerful, elderly Grimm that have been around since the beginning of time who have these colossal power to just annihilate anyone who looks at them funny and are able to make aura and semblances useless.
Okay, I'm sure most of you are wonder "Jurabi, if Grimm this powerful around, how in the world is Vastel still standing?"
There is an answer to that; I just can't explain it to you all at this moment. What I can explain is that these Grimm are in Vastel for a reason—Ragnarok especially. And these Grimm are also the reason why I didn't harp on how overpowered people's OC's were because these Elder Grimm are gonna be a big challenge to beat. And I'll show you just how dangerous they are a lot sooner than you think…if you know what I mean.
Anyways, I have a few things I need to talk about. First, I'd like to thank all of you for submitting your OC's once again and bearing with the starting issues with the character arc issue and world building. Those were honest mistakes on my part and I apologize for them.
One thing I need to comment on is the stats on this story because oh my god I was not expecting this story to get the numbers it currently has. 814 views, 11 favorites, 18 followers, and 15 reviews in the span of two weeks. Wow, I was not expecting this story to get that much with just one complete prologue chapter and an update. It might be just my imagination, but man. Stuff like that really helps out my drive and my passion to write this story, so thank you all for sticking with this.
Another thing is about the MC OC's. You guys have done a fantastic job working on your OC's and I've gotten a lot. A little more than I can handle, so I'm sorry to say this but I'm gonna have to close up MC OC submissions and begin choosing the 7 to be a main part of the story. If you worried about your OC not being picked, don't worry because they'll still be in but they'll be moved to side characters.
One last thing is to mention the owner of two OC's that were introduced in this chapter.
Bao Ludgen and Drago Fuchou (reven228)
Aoife Chandani (The Gaming Geek Gina)
Speaking of which, professors, side characters, and villain OC's are still accepted, so feel free to submit as much as you like.
Anyways, guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Man things are going to get interesting real quick. I'm so stoked right now and I'm honestly glad I randomly decided to start this. If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading. See you next chapter~!