Any of you play Little Nightmares 2? I preordered it, and I'm so glad I did. It was so good and absolutely worth the price.

"We'd been travelling for a few months when this happened. I'd already known about her being pregnant and everything, and we were just trying to figure out what to do. Then, as I was returning to camp from patrolling, I found a little handwritten note describing the Chimera and telling us to join up with them." He paused for a moment, but Mercy urged him to continue.

"I didn't tell her about the note, I just waited until after we'd visited a village, then pretended I'd heard it from someone there." It was there Mercy interrupted him.

"Do you have any idea who wrote the note? Any way to identify them?" Sam shook his head.

"I didn't recognize the handwriting. I'd show it to you in case you did, but I lost it when we were ambushed by some fire loving crazies on the road." Mercy paused before writing something down in her notebook.

"Now, I'll understand if this question makes you uncomfortable, but you need to answer truthfully. Are you the reason Raven became pregnant?" Sam paused for a moment, then bursted out laughing, startling Mercy. After a minute of trying to calm down, he'd stopped enough to talk again.

"No, no, I definitely wasn't the reason. I do know who impregnated her, but it's not my place to tell."

"Don't worry, she's too weak to hurt you, you can name him without issue." Mercy said, chuckling slightly, but stopped when she noticed Sam looking at her with his hands at his sides.

"You don't understand, I'm not afraid of her." He said, his tone more assertive. "She's done nothing to me thus far, so I'll honor her wishes by not naming names or circumstances. And if you try and push some more, I'll start pushing back." He finished, making it clear she wasn't going to be getting anything else out of this line of questioning.

"Well, why did you decide to obey the author of the note and seek us out?"

"To get revenge on Cainen for kidnapping someone very close to me, and killing someone who didn't deserve to die in the process." He spat with vitriol. Even though the memories were old, the pain was still fresh.

"And who was it that was captured?" Sam stopped to think about how he was going to say this. He wasn't going to tell her Astrea was a Maiden, and he'd have to tell a few half-truths.

"Her name's Astrea, and she was the girlfriend to a very good friend of mine and creator of my suit, Mason. Cainen sent thugs after us when we used to live in Vale, and after we fled to a town called Vita. We weren't there for long before they found us again. He sent the Bloodhound after us, and successfully kidnapped her while killing an innocent girl that just happened to be there at the same time.

"After that, me and Mason wandered until he was…" He stopped to think for a moment. "Killed in a Huntsman ambush." Mercy looked at him with confusion.

"Huntsmen? Why were they after you?"

"A previous disagreement over methods. They didn't like us killing criminals." He said with yet more hatred. Mercy was beginning to get a read on Sam, mainly that he was fueled by anger and his searing hatred toward those that had wronged him. It was a blazing fire, and a fire the Chimera could use against the Warborn. Mercy stopped the device recording and closed her book.

"Well, thanks for answering the questions. You and Branwen can stay until the third member of the Council arrives, then after me and Stone discuss what you've said with him, he'll decide whether or not you can stay." Sam nodded before leaving the room just in time for a soldier to pass by.

"Shit, that's some serious firepower." He mumbled before moving on. Not really knowing what to do, he figured he might as well see if anybody needed help. And what better what to do so than by asking Stone. Get on his good side and help out the Chimera at the same time. Then he stopped, and sighed when he realized he didn't know where his office was.

X

Sam peaked his head into the infirmary room where Raven slept in the hospital bed, her child in the crib next to here, swaddled in blankets. It was a girl, and apparently Raven had named her Robin. Fitting, what with the whole bird thing. Sam snuck into the room after ensuring it really was only the three of them in there. He went over to Robin's crib and looked at her as she slept peacefully. As he looked at her, he felt something swell within him.

It was an overwhelming urge to protect, to love and nurture this innocent child that had been so haphazardly thrown into this world of chaos. He wanted to be there for her, and watch as she grew. He felt eyes on him and turned his head to see Raven looking at him, her eyes heavy with sleep.

"Sam." She croaked out, still very weak from the birth. He moved over to her bed and listened to what she had to say. "I think you know what I'm gonna ask." She said, looking over at the crib with a look he couldn't quite place. It wasn't hatred or disgust but it certainly wasn't love. She looked almost eager, but about what, he didn't know.

"You want me to care for her? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly equipped to take care of an infant." He said, causing her to laugh weakly.

"No, I want her to know I'm her mother. And I want her to know who her father is." She spat that last part with pure hatred. "I want to raise her to hate him, I want to turn her against him, I want her to be the one to kill that son of a bitch." She looked back to him, determination in her eyes. "And I want you to help me do it." He thought for a moment before nodding.

"I'm guessing her childhood won't be a soft one?" She laughed again, though this time she coughed a little.

"Hardly. She needs to be tough if she wants to survive against Cainen and the rest of the Warborn." Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling, and her eyelids began to flutter.

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out." She said, and that was his cue to leave. He quietly left the room and entered the hall, and the first thing he heard was shouting from the command center. He sighed as he recognized the voices as those belonging to Mercy and Stone. He walked to the room and listened in briefly, but he still couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He opened the door, and that's when it came flooding out.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! He could've just led an unknown group to our doorstep, and you're just ok with that!" Stone yelled, undoubtedly due to the circumstances of Sam's discovery of this place.

"The damage has already been done, Stone! It's clear Sam is here to help us, and I won't turn down an asset, and a powerful one at that, just because of some potential risks!" They were so caught up in their arguing they hadn't noticed when he closed the door and leaned against the wall to listen.

"This is the security of the whole base at stake, not just the minor threat you keep making it out to be!" So caught up they were, they didn't notice when the door opened again. Didn't notice when a new arrival entered and closed it. Didn't notice when he raised his engraved revolver to the concrete ceiling. Only noticed when their ears were met with a loud BANG as the man let loose a round into the roof, garnering their attention. Their hands instinctively went to their weapons, but they eased off upon realizing who it was.

Six.

"You mind explaining to me why you two are screaming your lungs out at each other? More than half the base is asleep, and I'd rather not explain to them their commanders are to blame for them waking up." He said, his gas mask giving his voice a slight radio effect. Clad in his Elite Riot Gear and wielding his Ranger Sequoia, the Courier cut an imposing figure among them, the glowing red eyes of his helmet making even Sam a bit nervous. Sheathed on his left hip was his knife, Blood-Nap, while an Anti-Material Rifle was slung over his back. Six opened up the chamber of his gun and swapped out the spent shell for a new one, placing the fired one in one of his pouches.

He and Sam looked at each other, and they both knew immediately neither were from Remnant, but neither said anything. He looked back at the two commanders, holstering his revolver.

"Well? I ain't gonna ask again."

X

Over the past year or so, Cainen had become obsessed with the Relic of Destruction. He began to see it in his dreams, but only the handle, the rest of the blade embedded in a large stone, black as night. And next to it was Exitium, the spirit of the Relic, beckoning him forward with a clawed hand. Then he'd wake up after hearing Nora's voice. He wasn't able to make out what she was saying, but with each dream it became slightly clearer. He could make out her saying "stop" at one point, but that was it.

He'd been researching ways to infiltrate the damned school, and after all this time, he finally had a lead. Cross had informed him of a shipment of materials meant for the students to maintain their weapons, and if he pulled the right strings, he'd be able to get Cainen smuggled into the building alongside the shipment.

What was even better was there was supposed to be a big break for the students at the time of the shipment arriving, meaning the vast majority of the student body would be off campus, allowing him to walk around the school with a bit more freedom, so long as he avoided any staff still there.

Cainen was impressed with the Ghoul's work, and he was glad he'd hired him to become his spy, as he was proving to be a worthy investment. The shipment would be ready to depart in a week, giving him time to prepare and plan out how he'd go about this. He'd already been studying the blueprints to the school, but as was expected, they gave no hints as to the entrance to the vault where the Relic was kept. So, he looked for inconsistencies.

He didn't know much about architecture, but he'd learned a little as a hobby after he was discharged from the military and settled down with Nora. He noticed there was some key information missing, such as the lack of foundation details for the main hall, despite the info being present for all other ground floor rooms. He figured since the Relic of Knowledge had been kept beneath Haven, he was confident it would be the same situation here.

He also figured the Headmaster, Theodore, would have the key on him. After studying his appearance and his apparel, he noticed his belt and the strange design on it. After remembering Leo's pocket watch, he figured this seemingly inconspicuous item would be the key. And that was where the suppressed pistol next to him came into play.

It wasn't anything fancy, just a 10mm Commonwealth pistol with a suppressor attached to the muzzle. But he didn't need fancy, as the Anti-Aura bullets would be enough to bring down any unsuspecting Huntsmen that got in his way during his infiltration. Cainen wasn't the sneaky type, not by a long shot, but that was why he was bringing a few Stealth Boys with him. As long as he could stay quiet by leaving his armor behind and only bringing his beloved gauntlets, the little devices would handle the rest.

He continued working through the plan as he leaned over the table with the blueprints over it, double checking it for any more inconsistencies. It was always better to be safe than sorry. But as he looked over the blueprints some more, he felt his Scroll buzz. He checked it and saw it was a message from Lupus, the man he'd trust the most to run Oblivion should anything happen to Cainen. The man was resourceful, and knew how to lead an army effectively if the Iron Wolves were anything to go by. He read the message, and raised an eyebrow.

I have new information on Raven. She left Vale some time ago and both her and Sam from Astrea's group have joined up the Chimera Resistance. Cainen sighed in annoyance. Of course the bitch would come back for round 3, and now she had the walking tin can for backup. Well, it's not like the Chimera were much. They've intercepted a few supply runs, but nothing too damaging.

Is that it? I'm busy. He messaged back.

I have other news. It seems you impregnated her during one of your little sessions with her. That caused his eyes to widen slightly, and he clutched the Scroll hard enough to make the metal groan slightly. He let up and sent back another message.

You better have proof of this.

One of my informants took a picture of the child, Robin. Unfortunately he can't say where, as doing so would expose him in the process.

Attached to the message was a picture taken of the girl. She looked so much like Raven he almost dismissed her as being his all together. Then he looked into her eyes, the eyes on that smiling face. He recognized those eyes. They were her father's eyes, his eyes. As he looked, he felt something in his soul he hadn't felt in a long time.

Longing. A deep longing for his life to return to normal, for him to start again with a normal life. To start a family, away from the horrors of war and the vileness of men. But he shook off those thoughts. Those dreams died along with America the day the bombs dropped so many years ago. There was no hope for him now. He closed his Scroll after telling Lupus to keep him updated, and went to his room.

He needed a strong drink.

Holy shit lads, it's the main man himself! I've been wanting to introduce the Courier ever since I started playing New Vegas properly on my new laptop, and I figured this'd be a great way to introduce him. Now there are two wasteland legends on Remnant, one fighting for good, the other for evil. The classic light vs. dark setup.

VGBlackwing: Aye, I'm glad you picked up on it. I love For Honor, so I figured I'd put in a little reference to the game.

MemeMasterAssBlaster: What can I say, I love the game.

ER-47: That remains to be seen.

Guest #1: She does have a plan, but I'm not going to hint at what it is or whether it'll succeed. I already know what I want to do there, and it'll be a surprise for all of you, I'm sure.

SilentKnight: Like she said earlier, she wants to raise Robin to kill Cainen for what he did to her and her clan. And the Chimera don't do outright warfare, they do guerrilla tactics to weaken the Warborn. Though how well that'll turn out remains to be seen.

djpj7652: I'm excited to see what your new ideas bring.

Guest #2: It's absolutely Cainen's, that's just canon to the story. And yes, that mental image is pretty funny.

The1TrueZero: I decided to use your name suggestion because it fits so well. That and I couldn't come up with anything better, so Robin it is. We forget Cainen used to be a (mostly) regular guy, but he finally went truly mad when the world burned him, figuratively and literally.

Guest #3: Welp, he found out. And his response was to get a drink.

Muna andlát, muna ӕvi.

-Bile