Reviews:
LukeSky001: Hope you like the journey!
Guest: Thanks for saying how much you like the story! But I wont spoil too much about what Nekros will do in the future, that's for me to write and for u to speculate. :)
Mundatorem: get my man some wings asap.
HelpingHand: Very true, also thx for saying how much u love the fic!
Greer123: Thank you! And the same to you.
Scurra71900: Thanks 4 reading as always.
Walpurgisnacht: Thxxxxxxxxx
Viperx679: thx for the input on last chapters question.
RokenDarkly: thanks 4 reading and for your input, very true in that there's no need to repeat myself.
Ztassassin555: "Magic route" is a bit of a stretch, he'll be able to use dust now but there's no mistake with how much he's beefed up his STR stats that he'll still mainly use his physical prowess in battles. I see your point though.
Arclight001: Thanks for the input
merendinoemiliano: Have to wait and see. Also thanks for reviewing since the start.
Jesus. Might need to put these at the bottom or something, there's a lot to get through.
Off we go!
On the ground floor of Istrus's militia hall were the largest forges within the entire settlement. Rooms of stone set alight from the dancing embers emitting from the forges own devices, left mostly abandoned with the lack of new recruits necessitating the obvious lack of demand for newly made weaponry. A workbench laid itself on one side of the room, a grindstone on the other and a surprisingly vast amount of concentrated dust crystals were orderly arranged so that anyone willing to try their hand at weaving and or utilising dust in their equipment could do so, at their own risk of course.
Sheets of paper littered all across the stone laded floor of the room, plans and intricate designs of weapons and other pieces of gear all but left abandoned, presumably with their own lacking skill with dust smithing or even the patience to even attempt such a process.
A table made of metal on the left side had a mountain of said paper on top of it, along with a helmet on the side. Spears, swords and all manner of simple kinds of weaponry leaned against the wall. Sitting next to the flickering lights of the forge, adorned in overalls and a much greater lack of sleep, was none other than Saturn Marcella.
"Urrgg..." She groaned for the umpteenth time as she stretched, a sharp crack of her back being emitted across the whole room. "There's so many things to forge... I don't want to do it anymore."
Indeed, the role of being a Captain was a job laced and bound heavy with responsibility. As much as Saturn wished that it was just slaying the Grimm and inspiring her subordinates to be just like her in every way possible, that just wasn't the case. As you descended or ascended the floors of the building, the true evil of the world laid locked away, only permitting the chosen few to come into its chambers to battle head on.
Paperwork. And even more tiring than that, forging a whole new set of weapons for the frankly staggering amount of recruits that came around this time of year. Never-mind that she had to sharpen them, hammer out all the inconsistencies, chuck the useless ones away, file them away... It literally doesn't end for a Captain of the militia.
It also doesn't help that the room was absolutely sweltering from the forge, the lack of any sort of useful ventilation was very useful in keeping her completely drenched from the physical activity she was doing. Having to go leave the room constantly just to make sure she got a legitimate breather of all things in this place, before eventually having to go back and do the same bullshit all over again. Shouldn't being a captain have not led to conditions like this? If she ever found the architect or whoever that decided a room with a forge, surrounded by multiple types of concentrated, very dangerous dust crystals should have not even a window of all things, She'll gladly stick their empty head in the forge herself.
The dark blonde Captain was already physically and mentally drained. What's worse is that it was only the evening. She still had the entire damn night to go! All she wanted was to go out, train the green recruits, check on the commander's injuries and maybe even see what her mother was cooking up these days. It's been a long time since she's made time for her family since signing up...
Her half-open hazel eyes merely stared down at the gleaming orange fires of the forge, her presence in the mostly darkened room illuminated by the ever clear abundance of light she had. Looking towards the walls on either side, she took note of the weapons she had already made on hand.
They weren't anything impressive, she wasn't as talented or as quick with making a decent blade than with anything an actual forge-master could do given enough time, but it's not like they were bad by any means. She was the only one on hand that had a fraction of the experience the forge-masters had, and that apparently meant she was signed up for forge duty! If the recruits come complaining after all this, then by Oum himself they can take the lien out of their own damn wallets and order a "personalised" set themselves. Seriously, if any other runts start whining about "My weapon is too dull!" or "My weapon just broke!" or literally any other bespoken variation of mindless drawl, she was likely to strangle them herself.
There was a knock on the door. Her hunched composure immediately straightened up in her seat. "Come in." She said with authority in her tone.
A resounding click came from the door as the Head-Captain stepped in, sauntering towards her with a mug in hand. The crisp aroma of coffee rejuvenated her senses. Ah, now she knew why she tolerated her so much over the years. Authority has its limits, and she was pretty sure that Violet was the physical embodiment of said limit before you went off the deep end entirely.
"I figured my favourite Captain might be needing something to help her with the late evening rush." Violet seemed to be more focused on the wall next to her though, inspecting the weapons she'd already made beforehand as she placed the mug on the workbench next to her. Saturn immediately reached for the coffee mug.
Saturn smiled before taking a sip of the divine liquid. Coffee was rare in a frontier town like Istrus, and it was times like these in where she was alone or with a friend where she could savour the heavenly elixir to its fullest. The soft smile blossoming on her face as she drank more."You're an honest to Oum life-saver, Violet."
She turned back and smiled before going back to her inspection. "It was nothing. Don't start talking about this with anyone though. Seriously, I don't think I'm prepared to deal with all the accusations of favouritism being shot my way."
"Didn't you literally just say that I am your favourite?"
Violet stopped what she was doing and thought about it for a second. "Well... Yeah?" Giggling to herself all the while. "The other captains don't need to know about that though. I've already got enough trouble without them crawling up to my office." Highlighting the bruises across her face and arms.
Saturn bit the inside of her cheek as her smile died down a little. After the whole ordeal of her returning from her impromptu hunt, she had made it pretty well known throughout the militia's halls of what she would do if she found out Violet had left her bed. And thinking on it now...
She looked to the back of Violet, seeing her lifting, swinging and inspecting some of the other swords and spears that came out relatively well. All with those darkened bruises still attached to her face. Why did she ever think she'd be able to control this hyper-active child? It was like trying to talk sense to a brick wall.
She sighed. "Should you really be walking around and doing this? I thought you were going to be resting up in your bed for the whole day."
She could almost feel Violet's eyes roll at the end of that statement. "A single Grimm can't keep me down!"
"No disrespect but... I think this one is the exception. Am I gonna have to escort you back to where you should be or are you going to keep standing there, looking at shitty weapons?"
She stuck her tongue out at her in defiance. "I'd like to see you try~. Even if I'm in bed, my duties for the militia don't just vanish into thin air you know. Inspecting and making sure that all this stuff is here and or ready for action is my job!"
"... I still feel like the exception to doing stuff like this counts when your face looks like its had a run in with the back end of a brick."
She smiled weakly. "Nice to know that I still got my looks going for me."
Saturn snorted. "Not wrong there Violet. Think half the damn militia knew anyway when you came storming into the halls covered in rain and dirt."
"Didn't realise I was so captivating." She responded.
"I'm not sure it was captivating in the way you're thinking of..." She sighed.
She waved her off. "Nonsense. I saw the way you and Karl were looking at me as I was walking in. I must've been the pinnacle of high society!" Exclaiming proudly. A beaming smile returning to her face.
"Oum save us all..."
A clanging of metal against stone had ended the conversation. With Violet seemingly satisfied with the results of her work and laying it all back to where it last was, a loud sigh erupted from her as she looked towards Saturn and motioned towards her to join her on the outside, the heat was already becoming a little too unbearable for the Head-Captain. If she had wanted to be placed in a sauna for the rest of her days, she'd move to Vacuo, not inside of a stuffy, near enough unbreathable room.
Saturn tilted her head slightly. "I still have more stuff to do Violet. I can't just up and leave what I'm working on."
Violet rolled her eyes in mock protest. "What if I gave the order that you HAVE to join me in escaping this hellfire?"
"B-But... I still need to pack all the Dust crystals away and my tools and I need to organise the- "
"Saturn Marcella." Violets tone ending whatever she was about to say. "I am ordering you to step away from that Oum-forsaken forge and to join your best friend outside. Are you willing to ignore an order from your superior when she's right in front of you?" She motioned.
Saturn could already feel a migraine coming along, it'd probably get even worse if she were to deny Violet's request. It probably was a bad idea to ignore an order from their superior, it'd probably be even worse if she wanted to strangle them. Much to Saturn's dismay about the whole thing, she couldn't resist the idea of actually leaving this sweltering room.
This girl was piece of work.
"...Fine. But don't expect me to like it."
Violet squealed in delight as she rocketed up from her position and launched herself at an unsuspecting Saturn, latching onto her before eventually managing to capitulate her once stone-faced demeanor entirely. Breaking out into an almost Cheshire-like grin before the both of them toppled over each other, Violet dragging Saturn down all the while as her grip never let up from their downfall. Her coffee mug coming down along with them.
The heavy sounds of people and metal hitting the ground simultaneously echoed throughout the relatively empty halls of the ground floor. All combined with Saturn coughing and sputtering as room temperature coffee poured all over her whilst Violet laid on-top, laughing uncontrollably, tears threatening to tip over as she struggled to contain herself against what she'd done. Her arms holding against her stomach in mock restraint against herself as she rolled around on the cobblestone floor.
Only when Saturn had finally gotten her breath back could she offer one lasting statement. Hazel eyes met lavender as Violet seemed to have stemmed the tidal wave of uncontrollable laughter for the night, lukewarm coffee dripping down from her hair all the while.
"...I fucking hate you."
Violet could only break down even harder.
The door to one of Istrus's most well known bars, or well... The only decent bar that it really has, The Grey Fire, swung outward, and a gentle gust from the night air whooshed in as Karl, drenched in rain and the like, entered into the establishment.
The stairway leading downward into the main drinking and dining hall was all but only lit by the mounted sets of blazing torches that aligned themselves equally on the walls beside each other. It wasn't much of a concern whether or not the lights were alight or not however, the regulars to this place already memorised the layouts of these places like the back of their hand, like Karl did.
It was always such a strange feeling to come strolling down into one of these places, down into the metaphorical abyss...
Or something deep like that.
A small trek downward and Karl's form was bathed in a gentle, orange light light that emanated all around him from the placed light fixtures on the walls. Light and shadow being left in perfect equilibrium as night fell, creating an eerie but weirdly comfy venture throughout the main room.
Taking a deep breath and sighing out blissfully, Karl took in his "kingdom" from all angles and respects. Even before being made the quote-unquote "Head-Administrator" of the Militia, (not like there were other administrators in the first place), he had always likened a drink to pass the time whilst he wasn't doing the forever horrifying and mundane task of correcting paperwork and signing off documents. Others had suggested a more active and less expensive way of passing the time but he had already shot them all down, this was the place for all. Where friendships were made and broken, where people yelled, brawled and scrapped with each other. It was basically free entertainment with some blessed drinks on hand!
He let his pale blue eyes roam over the scene. To him, all was as it should have been in his memory: massive, long bar on the far right, tables of variable sizes in the center and booths on the far left for those who would prefer a little bit more of an intimate setting. Someone just like him. All but a few seats were filled to capacity. The air was crisp and dry, yet heavy, a bleak reminder of the pouring weather outside as people continuously made their way further inside.
This was no time to be reminded of what was once was, he wanted peace and quiet from the dealings of the Militia's incompetence. A place like this was just what was needed as he sauntered forwards.
His once brisk walk slowed to a gentle stroll, one hand in front of the other as he passed between crowded tables full of drink and vigor, even a few people that he could personally name were among them... He'll deal with them later. A bunch of rowdy recruits and guardsmen weren't going to be enough to stop him from his "relaxation time".
He would set his hands stealthily on others' chairs as he navigated the sea of people, of patrons not caring in the slightest of their surroundings, all seeking to just be lost in the moment. A haze of constant negative loops and bottled up anguish. A favourite of which he was sure that they were accompanied with. All seeking to be at the bottom of that glass mug they were all accustomed to by now. It was all the same to him though. He fixed his hair and fitted and felt around his fur coat, contrary to what others may have thought, he didn't care much of what others care about his appearance.
He was merely looking out for the others! Looking like he came out of a damn tornado wasn't exactly the look he was hoping for when he entered the place.
A deep sigh releasing itself from him, he then looked around for a few seconds from the corner of the building, looking out amongst the sea of individuals for an empty table, seat, literally anything that didn't have a drunken moron already sprawled out all over it.
And he found it, one booth was still relatively clear, a massive rarity in nights like these, a blessing that Karl was not about to leave to get grabbed by someone unsuspecting.
Going along his way, he sat down on the surprisingly comfy seats of the booth, took out his scroll and began mindlessly meandering through the Dust-net, or whatever he could find with the piss-poor connection that was so common out here on the frontier.
He could only pinch the bridge of his nose in silent anguish. It'd have to do for now...
A waitress very quickly came by, someone familiar yet not memorable enough for him to remember her name with a first glance. Desperately hoping for someone else in this packed room to help him out.
She greeted him with an award winning smile, placing a small glass filled with a deep amber like liquid aside on the table, next to his scroll. Huh, Whiskey. The expensive kind too. They actually remembered what his regular drink was after all this time. Now he really felt bad for not remembering her name.
"Thanks for remembering love, didn't know that you guys still remembered what I liked." He replied, giving her a small smile of his own as well.
What was her name? What was her name?! Why can't I remember a single name?!
She rolled her eyes at his response, unaware of the circus circulating in Karl's head at that time, still managing to keep a small grin on her face. "It's not like anyone else walks in looking as extravagant as you. Seriously, it's hard to forget when you dress up like... That. No offense."
"None taken. Just keep the whiskey flowing and we'll have no issue." He stated.
She seemed to brighten up with his response. "No problem officer. Just don't get as rowdy as these lot and we won't have to dump you and your expensive clothes out in a ditch, especially with the weather tonight."
And seemingly on cue, a crashing noise of glass and wood made the both of them turn heads instantly, two men with rage in their eyes rocketed up from their seats and made for each other, their friends quickly coming in to hold them back from causing any more damage, and if they were lucky, from not being barred entirely from returning.
The waitress could only make out a sigh at the scene. "Excuse me for a minute officer." Stating as she made her way to the unfolding scene in front of her, other staff coming in to make sure no-one else was hurt.
Karl could only offer a slight smirk at the scene, looking around, everyone's attention was similarly on what was happening in front of them. He slowly pulled out a device from his pocket, it was made of metal and was black and slim in its size, its display being but a few inches in size as he swiped across the screen and looked down at the feed emanating from it.
Downpouring rain in front of a cave. A hulking Beringel at its mouth as it looked outwards in an almost methodical fashion, occasionally jerking its head away from its path to look at a specific animal coming along its way. Thunder occasionally cracking in the distance.
A scowl formed on his face. He could only offer one thought as he made his way to the glass on his table.
"He's not working fast enough."
Well. That took a rather long time, didn't it?
Sorry for just up and leaving the fic for so long, I didn't really plan for it to ever get so out of hand. I just kinda got lazy and the writer's block that I got with this chapter only made it worse, with it just ending up with me leaving this chapter unfinished for the longest time whilst I tried to figure out how to make it flow well. Eventually ending up with me just having some kind of mini-break of sorts away from writing in general. What is this like, 6 or 7 weeks now since the last update?
This isn't gonna happen again hopefully. Least not with the plan I have laid out, which'll help with me developing this fic along in a more consistent way for the future ahead. I usually try and upload a chapter AT LEAST once every 2 weeks, I plan to keep to that now that I'm back from a "break".
However, whilst I was away doing fuck all, we managed to breach 500+ fucking followers on this fic. You are all insane and I love you. Your support continues to help immensely with not just my writing, but the whole fic itself. Thank u all :3
There's likely to be other milestones I missed during the timeframe as well. I'll celebrate them some other time.
There's also likely to be a numerous amount of mistakes in this chapter after leaving for so long. Point 'em out to me and i'll get to it.
Thank you all, seriously.
And as always, reviews and critiques are always accepted.