I apologize for the late publishing of this chapter, but other things have been taking up more of my free time.
Please enjoy the story.
Cecilia Alcott was one unhappy girl. Why was this? It should be rather obvious. The class nominated that...that stupid male as their representative! Why was she not chosen?! It made no sense whatsoever. She was raised by nobility, she had class, grace unmatched by any other.
And a really fucking big self serving ego. Mainly the reason why she was not chosen in the first place.
What was so special about that man anyway? So what if he had a new IS? He obviously wasn't able to completely use it since he had no way to combat a fully mobile IS. The IS was the greatest weapon ever made, and only women were able to use it to it's fullest potential. So no, she didn't believe that Ichika Orimura could live up to the expectations of being class representative.
Lady Luck has decided to be cruel however, and Cecilia would find out relatively quickly that she was the object of her ire.
"Um...Cecilia?"
The blonde Brit snapped her head toward who spoke and glared. "What?"
"You...You were staring at the floor so we just...wanted to know if you were alright." A rather timid Japanese girl said to her.
"Well clearly I'm in good condition. You have no need to worry over someone of high status as I." And there was her haughty attitude once more.
Yeah, Lady Luck definitely wasn't having it today.
...
Ichika was fully mobile now. He was staring at his reflection on the metal of the walls of the lab. A faceless human-like being stood in the reflection, copying his ragged movements. He clenched his alloy hands into fists, rage beginning to take over.
That...bastard! What had he done to him?! Were the other children like this as well?!
His raging thoughts were put on hold as the woman in charge of overseeing the care of the warframes came in.
Harumi Kiyama.
"Hello again Ichika." She spoke softly. "Or Excalibur Prime, as Ballas has fondly named you."
Not a bad name for a weapon he supposed. After all, that was the whole reason why the man was doing this. To make a weapon that could trump the IS. Still, it was a little too flashy for his own tastes.
"Are you ready to meet your trainer?" She asked.
Ichika nodded, not like he could speak anymore.
Harumi smiled. "Please follow me then, you'll all be training together."
...
Ichika shook his head at the memory. It seemed the past still liked to haunt him. Well, no matter. It had already happened and nothing could change that outcome.
"Are you okay Orimura?" Maya's mother-like voice came from over his shoulder.
The warframe nodded his head and slowly stood up. Today was the day of the tournament. He didn't have time to be dwelling in the past. It was ridiculous he had to keeep reminding himself of that.
Checking himself over, he noted everything was in peak condition, and motioned for Maya to exit through the door and followed closely behind her.
"So do you have a plan to beat Ms. Alcott?" The green haired teacher asked.
Ichika nodded. He had a few suprises in store for this event, and he was honestly excited at the prospect of getting to use his...other gifts once more. He hadn't used them since he and the other warframes broke out of Ballas' facility and fled out into the open world.
So yes, Ichika was certain that he would defeat Cecila Alcott, and humiliate her.
/
They say mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, but Chifuyu found it rather distasteful to be given credit for work that wasn't her's. The Brunhilde was currently training herself, a habit she had dropped over the years, just like she dropped her title of the champion of the Mondo Grosso.
Today was the day Ichika would be fighting that snobby Alcott girl. Obviously she had no doubts that he would win. The only thing she was genuinely concerned about was how far he would go to win. She'd seen him fight, fought alongside him even. She was aware of just how much damage he could cause if he really wanted to.
Chifuyu exhaled as she relaxed her stance, sheathing the katana she had been practicing with. She set the weapon down on the floor with a soft clink and sat down, adopting the kneeling positon she had come to pick up from her brother. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a few seconds before releasing.
She felt more calm, if only slightly.
"Brats..." She sighed.
Why did children have to be so difficult? Honestly, why couldn't they be- Actually, she shouldn't finish that thought. It was wrong of her to say they should be like Ichika, when he didn't get a chance to finish his childhood.
Chifuyu smiled. No one saw her smile ever, except for Ichika, and one time Maya had as well.
"I think he'll like seeing the town. I'll make some plans for some free time." With that in mind, the Brunhilde got up from her kneeling position, and moved towards where the girls locker room was. She would take a quick shower first, then oversee her brother's match against the British pilot. Then when that was said and done, her and Ichika would take some time to go see the town, just like when they were younger.
It would be the next step to make up for the time lost between them.
"Right." With that, Chifuyu stripped and deposited her dirty clothes in a locker.
Being taken into government custody for eight years wasn't what she would call pleasant, but she had dealt with worse. Imagine her surprise when Tabane Shinonono of all people approached her.
Well, she actually fell from the sky in a large carrot, but the point still stood.
"You're Harumi Kiyama." The purple haired scientist spoke. It was not a question.
The brunette woman blinked slowly, before opening the door to her home, provided by the government of course. She'd been released from custody a year ago, but they still kept an eye on her. Tabane stepped inside, finding the brunette's kitchen.
"You drink coffee?" Harumi asked, moving toward the counter.
"Cream and two sugars." Tabane replied, her eyes practically glued to the woman. Understandable, she supposed. She was the head researcher of the warframe project after all, no regards to Ballas of course. He'd only created the Helminth, which in turn created the warframes.
Harumi handed the purple haired woman a full mug, the liquid inside a light shade of brown. Taking a sip, Tabane found the drink to her taste.
"Why?" She asked.
Harumi sighed, sitting down across from her. She knew what she was asking. She took a large gulp of her own black coffee, before answering.
"There isn't much to say why. I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime, and I took it." Rather bland, but Tabane was no fool. One would think so, given her demeanor was usually very childish. She knew how to read between the lines. So with that in mind, Tabane was able to decipher the actual message in the statement.
"You didn't have a choice, so you took the highest spot in the project." She stated.
Harumi nodded in reply, taking a sip from her mug.
"As you know, when you created the IS many were quick to realize that it was a valuable asset to have, not only as the most advanced system in the world, but also a weapon."
Harumi paused to take a sip from her mug.
"Doctor Ballas was quite infuriated with you since he lost his spot as one of the world's greatest researchers, after the reconstruction of society of course." She explained.
"So imagine my surprise when he shows up at my door, offering me a chance to create something great. Something divine, he said. And so, he had me help him create his...weapons. The warframes. Bio-mechanical weapons capable of feats only man could dream of." Harumi paused again to make sure Tabane had been following along.
"Why children?" Tabane asked. "I may be a little excessive, but I have standards, believe it or not."
Harumi chuckled beefore taking another sip of her coffee.
"Doctor Ballas had been doing a lot of research before hand. Before we even took the children, his...Helminth serum was tested on adults. Nothing special about them, just your average male or female adult."
Harumi's eyes darkened.
"Their bodies completely rejected the strand. The results were...less than pleasant. Their mentality had been broken beyond any sort of medical repair, making them behave like any wild animal would. So we had no choice but to put them down. Of course, despite this, Doctor Ballas and I discovered that the serum needed a certain type of host."
Tabane frowned as she picked up for her.
"So you chose to use children. They don't have fully developed bodies, but they're much more adaptive, more welcoming. But in the logs I found, Ballas said he only took the most promising." She said.
Harumi nodded.
"Upon doing more research, I found that the Helminth can be placed into anyone, but it couldn't be just anyone who could actually survive the process of turning. We picked certain individuals that met the genetic criteria required to actually have a chance of adapting to the Helminth." She explained.
Tabane processed the information before nodding.
"So that's what he meant by the most promising. He must have done quite a lot of worldwide searching to find suitable hosts." The genius said, getting a nod from the brunette.
The two sat in slience. It felt like hours before Tabane looked Harumi in the eyes and said, "I know the world is crazy, but I want to know. What purpose do these warframes really serve? Why did Ballas create them in the first place?"
Harumi sighed.
"As you already know, you're the reason Doctor Ballas made the warframes. So not only was it out of anger that he did so, but it was also to spite you. He knew about every child."
Tabane felt her hands slowly clench the hem of her dress.
"So he knew about how close he was to Chi-chan and I. How close he was to the strongest woman in the world." She said.
Harumi was silent, which confirmed her statement.
"As for the purpose of the warframes, Ballas had designed them to battle your IS, to best it even. However, after his...untimely demise, the warframes fled. Scattering to the wind. I think they serve a much better purpose however."
The brunette's statment made Tabane look at her, curiosity ever evident in her gaze.
Harumi smiled. "They have the power to create balance, and they will uphold it."
Ichika had been in the maintenance bay for the majority of his free time. For his upcoming duel of the Cecilia Alcott, he'd been working on his equipment. Mainly his one true means of actually fighting on even ground with an IS. Or perhaps it should be phrased, his only means off fighting the in equal airspace.
As most know, the IS was originally supposed to be used for space exploration. However, for whatever reason those plans had been stopped, and instead research focused more on making the IS more suitable for being used in tournament styled sports, as well as being used as military assets.
It was important to remember that the warframes were made to combat the IS is every aspect possible. That meant being capable of flight as well.
"Orimura, are you ready?" Maya's voice sounded behind him. He didn't turn to look at her, but he did nod his head to let her know he'd heard her.
"Is...that what you're using?" Maya could just barely make out sort kind of long shape behind his body, but had no idea what it truly was.
Ichika nodded. Maya smiled and wished him luck before walking off to head up to the monitoring area. Chifuyu would be watching this match, no doubt about it. And while she had seen him in combat once already, she hadn't everything he was capable of.
She should see what a squad of warframes coud do together...
He shook off his amusement in the thought and turned his head toward the large bay door that began to open. He could hear the students of ISA cheering loudly outside. Well...he supposed he could give them a show.
In his vision, a small digital message was displayed.
[Archwing link established]
Ichika inwardly smiled. The construct of white and gold wings sprang to life, chasing down his figure before attaching itself to his back. A notification of a successful attachment was all the encouragement he needed before he levitated from the ground, and took off a burst of speed.
His white and gold form was seen by the ISA populace, all of them gazing in shock and awe as he gracefulllly flew into their view.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Orimura can fly!"
"Look at his wings! They're so pretty!"
"He looks just like an angel!"
An angel that was capable of killing an entire city if he so desired.
Up in the monitoring area, Maya and Chifuyu were just as surpised as the students. However, Chifuyu smiled as Ichika yet again managed to exceed her expectations. This day just a whole lot more interesting.
"I...wow. So that was what that was." Maya commented first.
"He's just full of surprises." Chifuyu added her two cents.
Outside, Cecilia wasn't happy. The sight of the flying warframe angered her, along with the cheering of the students. Why were they cheering for him?! Why was he so special?!
"I see you have your own set of wings. Well don't think that you will best me! I'll show you not to make a fool of Cecilia Alcott!" The British blonde yelled.
Ichika wasn't fazed. He was inwardly giving her a deadpan stare. Gods, this girl was so childish. How was she an IS pilot? She was really embarrassing her country by acting this way in a tournament.
He reached out, Latron Prime materializing from the void into his hand. He held the rifle firmly as the timer counted down from 5. Cecilia had her own rifle in hand. A Starlight Mk. III laser rifle.
When the timer buzzed off, the two sprang into action.
Ichika was a blur of white and gold as he rolled around the shots of Cecilia's rifle. When he had time to retaliate, he would level Latron Prime towards her. The marksman rifle growled with each shot, slowly eating away bit of her shields.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Cecilia stopped moving as the wings of her IS detached and separated into four bits. The bits were automatic drones that each fired lasers at him relentlessly. The warframe was forced to dodge the countless shots being sent at him. It was also during this time that Ichika noticed the British representative wasn't moving.
How interesting.
'So while her drones are engaged, she can't move. I'm assuming that in order to do that, she needs to have solid concentration. Well then...'
Ichika surged forward, Latron Prime barking with each shot. The bits now cirlced around Cecilia's IS, trying to prevent the shots from meeting their mark.
'Just as I suspected. It requires too much focus for her to move and operate her drones at the same time.'
With her tactic figured out, Ichika knew what he had to do. The wings on his back began to shift slightly, multiple small holes on the underside of his wings opened up. A salvo of rockets began to fly forward, their targets were the drones.
Cecilia panicked when she saw what he had intended. Without her drones to defend her, he would be able to get close to her easily.
"No!"
Ichika rolled to the side as the blonde raised her laser rifle at him and began to return fire.
"I cannot be beaten!"
Ichika ignored her and continued to accelerate towards her. Latron Prime clicked and he let go of the rifle. Now empty handed, Ichika had another idea in mind. If he were to guess right, he knew that he'd landed plenty of shots of the blue IS. So all he needed to do was land one good hit.
Dodging another series of shots from the laser rifle, Ichika closed the distance between them. Ichika clapped his hands together, beofre pulling them apart, and his Exalted Blade was now grip in hand. The blue energy of the void waved around the blade like the northern lights waved around the stars.
"This ends here!" Cecilia fired off another shot, the laser bolt grazing his body, but the warframe twirled his body again, the Exalted Blade gleaming excitedly as it was swung down over her head.
Her shields were depleting fast upon contact with the deadly blade. Her shields flared as they drained, the warframe using his overwhelming strength the push down on her. The two were falling to the ground fast. During this lock Cecilia tried to level her rifle right at his chest, but her Is had chosen this moment to lock down. The Absolute Defense system doesn't lie. Which meant if she had actually tried to keep up her inevitable struggle against the warframe, she could have been killed.
The sound of the horns blaring through the sound system let everyone know who the winner of the match was.
Before impacting the ground, Ichika grabbed Cecilia. He wanted to teach her a lesson, not kill her. His archwing adjusted so that the wings slanted upward slightly and brought him to a slower hovering speed, allowing him to safely drop the British pilot on the ground.
"Orimura is the winner of this match!"
There were cheers for the white and gold figure. His faceless gaze scanning the crowd before settling on one person in particular. Houki was once again displaying the expression of a fish out of water. He inwardly felt amusement.
He then turned his head towards the large rectangular box where the monitors were watching. He could just feel the smile his older sister was giving him from the tinted window.
The tournament taking place at ISA had been broadcasting. There were a lot of mixed reactions from the general populace, the main one being shock. Shock that a male was able to use an IS and had even defeated a well known pilot with it.
Well known to England anyway.
Nekros had been watching the spectacle. If he still had a face, he'd have smirked. Excalibur always had been one for being the spearhead of their not-so-little family. It was why they all followed him as their defacto leader.
The harbinger of death looked to the horizon. A monorail train was getting ready to stop by, he would use it to reach the place that was sheltering his friend. For too long, he'd been stalking prey from the shadows, so it would be nice to actually greet a familiar face. The shaman stood up to his feet before approaching the edge of the building he was standing on. The wind gently passed him by, his wings moving ever slightly to it's inaudible tune.
The warframe jumped.
Now was the time, this world has been plagued long enough. Balance would be restored, and it would start with IS Academy.
I'm finally back with the next installment! I deeply apologize to everyone who has been waiting for this one. But wrenches often get thrown at me for whatever reason.
So a few things to point out. First off is Tabane and Harumi's conversation. Some of the information they talk is actually a reference to Halo: The Fall of Reach. Second, a line during Chifuyu's thoughts is another reference, won't say what this time. :) And you read the last part correctly. With the show starting to get a little more fire under the pot, we're going to see a little more of that Tenno action we all know and love.
One last thing I want to address is this. I looked back and I saw a ccomment of Ichika essentially being Umbra. True, with information being leaked to certain individuals, and Ichika reliving his memories with his sister, he is very much like Umbra in those cases. However, keep in mind Umbra was also created after the warframes were. I need you all to keep in mind there's still a lot that can be experimented with when it comes to these two worlds clashing together.
Now then, I believe that is all for this update. Thanks for being patient with me, I know it was a troublesome wait. With plot bunnies floating around, and having a whacky schedule, things are a little hectic. Regardless, I plan to keep updating.
Have a nice day everyone. See you next time.