Long time ago, long before the kingdoms...there was a man named Zashchitny, King of Volvangar
Long before even the Commonwealth existed, Volvangar, Juno, Dongnan and Suidwes were all in a permanent war for control over the basic resource that were spread all over Genus: Jorgensblod. A liquified form of Dust that was extremely rare...and extremely valuable
With time, Volvangar discovered how to use Jorgensblod for many things...including war. With augmented, unrivaled military power, they crushed their rivals and established the first kingdom: The Kingdom of Genus.
Zash eventually formed his own clan of warriors he trusted like family. They fought with ruthless strength and ferocity, decimating armies without effort. As years passed, this ruling clan would be named the Jernhand clan, the clan of the Iron Fist
And then...the outside world came to them
It wasn't just Genus waging war against itself. All of Remnant was now waging war, and Zashchitny knew how to ensure a gain from all of this. Mantle, Vacuo, Mistral...all kingdoms came to them for weapons they had never fathomed. As the war passed...and the battle grew in scale, and the bloodshed became all the more intense, the kingdoms needed more advanced, more lethal weaponry
Until the King of Vale came...
"Lord Zaschintny..."
"Lord Oswald...I take it you're here because of the conflict"
"I am...It isn't looking like it will end anytime soon"
"And what is it that we can do for Sanus and their people if our weaponry hasn't done that?"
"Use...that other weaponry..."
Zashchitny looked with hesitation
"What...other weaponry"
"That other weaponry"
"I'm afraid only the great warrior is supposed to use those"
Lord Oswald would then seemingly change their semblance
"Who do you think is coming for them?"
Zash and the Jernhand clan guided him to the center of Genus, at a cove full with carvings and ruins and items from ages lost to the passage of time. In the center of it all...A pyre holding 4 items
"Lord Oswald...This can't be...how?"
"Maybe time hasn't treated me kindly, but I sure still remember my fellow battle comrades"
The King of Vale walked up to the pyre
"So...this will be the end of everything?"
"Yes...and hopefully after this, we all can build a better tomorrow for everyone..."
Oswald would turn at Zash, placing his hand on his shoulder
"Together"
The battle of the red desert was fought the week after. All over Remnant, the tale of the warrior king reached every ear, Zash seeing a brighter future for his people just at the reach of his hand
Until the time of the peace agreement came
As the discussion started, the truth was slowly unveiled. Maelstrom had sold weapons and Dust to all of the 4 kingdoms in hopes of securing alliances after the war. But now, shunned by all the 4 kings, Zash, and Maelstrom by extension, were given an special punishment by none other than the King of Vale
"The weight of your crimes against all the people of Remnant is not only going to be paid by you, Lord Zaschitny...but by all of your kingdom and all those who inhabit it after today. From this day on...Maelstrom is no longer in the face of Remnant...and with time, any trace of it will cease to be"
Oculus finished reading the passage and kept the book back. He resumed patroling the wall with Traianus
"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" says Traianus
"What? You mean Argus?" replied Oculus
"Yeah. You can clearly see both...the snow ridden plains...and the sea. You don't see that very often at Volvangar"
"You should see how Juno is in summer"
The Faunus brought the rest of the artillery from the trenches as they talked
The battle that ensued while breaking the siege had resulted victorious. While few of the "Cape Bearers" had been killed, their sacrifice allowed the Faunus to win without casualties, allowing for said manpower to be put to good use
With the siege broken, The Faunus armies in Mistral now held control over Argus, once a port where Faunus slaves were shipped to Solitas. Not only was it a symbolic victory, it was also strategic. Without Argus, Mantle would surely be deprived of most resources it imported from Mistral, which would leave it vulnerable
What was left of Mantle's army was still present in the city, however. Only the south side had been taken, with the downtown and the coastal parts still full of hostiles. This had left the city as a warzone, riddled with soldiers from both sides and civilians trapped in between
Commander Fang would slowly walk towards them
"Cape Bearers"
Oculus and Traianus saluted
"Commander. How can we assist?"
"There is a squadron of Mantle soldiers holding some prisoners in this part of the city. They're mostly our sympathizers"
"You want us to rescue them"
"Correct"
"What about the snowflakes?" asks Traianus
"Do with them as you see fit. But we have to get those people out of there"
"Understood"
Oculus checked his carbine, while Traianus went back at it again with sword and shield
"Are you still serious about that sword and shield thing?"
"Hey. Don't tell that to me when you're running low on stripper clips"
"Ah. Let me restock and we're going"
Oculus went for some additional ammunition then followed Traianus
They quickly traversed some of the districts which the Faunus had control over, passing over the recovering soldiers and the few prisoners that had been taken. Then, they arrived at a contested area. One of the many parks in the city, full of sandbags, checkpoints and fighting. Inside a 2-story building, they saw the prisoners held by the soldiers of Mantle
Gambit was resting inside of Atlas Academy, having a day-off, sitting on the bed, after clearing some more civilian settlements
"So. Still not wanting to use my power?" said a girl standing next to them. Or at least that is what they see
"Yes. I didn't take it for war. I only took it as a means to get what I needed"
"So I was just a tool?"
"Correct"
The girl sighs then walks around the room
"Are you like this with your friends?"
"No. I don't have friends. They're all dead"
"You're lying. and I know that"
"Do you really?"
"Yes. One of them died in front of me. Remember?"
Gambit sighs
"Why are you fighting? What keeps you going?"
"A...search"
"Search for what?"
"Semblance"
Gambit twitches a bit then continues
"Purpose"
"Hmm. Alright"
The girl then disappears, as Chancellor Delauren comes in
Gambit stands up and salutes
"At ease...You've done more than enough for this month"
Gambit remains stood while the Chancellor gets a seat
"You can sit too, you know?"
Gambit takes a seat
"So...You're telling me that the Atlesians didn't have the Staff"
"Indeed. And I personally suspect that the people we had been tasked to pursuit for them stole it and were holding the city as ransom"
"Well, then whoever that is truly was a clever person"
"Not just one...14 of them"
"Oh...And who were those bold renegades you were chasing?"
"That Huntress from before. She gathered her friends. Apparently they already know about the woman of the Derrelict"
"Do they know about the Relics?"
"We assume they do"
"And the Nexus?"
"Not yet. If I were to assume...They all must be on their way to Vacuo, considering the journey they had according to this place's late headmaster"
"Hmm. Can you tell me about that journey of theirs?"
"They went from Vale to Mistral, traversing all of Anima on foot. Then proceeded to steal an Airship in Mistral and flew here. We assume they then stole the Staff of Creation and somehow...traverse all the planet and headed for Vacuo in just enough time to avoid detection"
"Fascinating"
"Yeah...but something doesn't fit"
"No. Believe me. Everything in your story fits. From what we found in the relic you grabbed from Vacuo, apparently all Relics have a spirit stored within them"
"Huh?"
"Yeah. The Lamp holds a spirit named Jinn. The Crown holds Delfos. The Sword holds Perses and the Staff holds Ambrosius. Each hold a part of the spell necessary to summon the gods back in the Nexus, which they have to give to the spirit trapped in the Nexus, named Jupiter"
Gambit grabs their chin
"Why would...Relics contain spirts?"
"For all cases except the sword...it is a fairly simple answer"
The Chancellor pulls out a paper
"Think of the world as this paper. If I wanted to make a paper crane out of it, I first need the knowledge of how to do it. I need to put brains on it"
The Chancellor then slowly begins folding the paper
"As I go through I have to carefully plan out each following step and decide what to do next. I also need to be mindful of that"
Then, another fold. The paper truly begins resembling the real thing
"Both actions before...lead to creation"
The Chancellor then hands the crane to Gambit
"Now...Since you have the Maiden powers, it shouldn't be much of a burden for you to burn it"
Gambit breathes in and out and focuses one the palm in which they have the paper crane. They summon a small flame which quickly consumes the origami
"But both actions are also necessary to destroy said creations"
"Now...Remember I said except the sword right?"
"Yes"
"Well. That's because destruction in and on itself doesn't really need you to think that much. Brute force...is often times what is necessary to rid the world of paper cranes. What makes it need thought is the will to enact such force and face the consequences of removing that paper crane"
Gambit turns to look at the Chancellor
"And for the Nexus...It is only the parent of all the other 4. The source from which all 4 come and to which they all will return in the end. Just as man breeds destruction, said destruction inevitably returns to man later on"
The Chancellor continues, as both Gambit and the Chancellor look out of the window, as many personnel carries fly past the city
"One day, your life is created. Another, it is you creating a new life. One day, you decide. The other, you're the one being decided on. One day you know, the other you don't. One day, you destroy someone's life. Another, it is your life being destroyed"
Gambit would hear to that closely, while the girl from before sat on the bed Gambit was first sitting on, only able to be seen by them. Then, they continued
"Well. It surely is a deeply thought concept"
"Yes. Oh yeah, your new assignment"
"What about it?"
"You and your team are to lead the invasion of Mistral. From what we have gotten here, apparently they have no Hunstmen. Everything is chaos"
"Oh. So its an easy target"
"Indeed"
"But...what about those renegades?"
"Worry about them later. As of right now, things are fairly squared up. There's 4 factions...each with a Relic"
"4 factions?"
"Yeah. Evernight still holds the Lamp. The renegades hold the staff. The remains of Remnant hold the Crown. And we hold the Sword"
"Hmm. Looking at it that way...It's almost like we are back to square one"
"Not quite. Atlas still had Evernight surrounded, remember? And we still have Subject 85 to lean on"
"So...what do you suggest, Chancellor?"
"Open the Number Station and wake up the sleeper cells"