When Saint-14 sees the chameleon-Faunus departs, he sighs and looks to the floor. He had hoped that she would change her mind, but he understands why she didn't. He shakes his head and watches as the silhouette that is Ilia disappear behind a maze of rooftops.
His radar lights up. It's a small blip, but it leads back to the forest where he discovered the Vex Goblin. His artificial stomach churns at the possibilities of what the red outline could be. Another Goblin? A Minotaur? A Hydra? He doesn't know, and he needs to find out.
The Titan jumps off of the roof, softening his fall using his Lift, and lands with surprising grace. It's surprising for someone his size. People start to swamp him, but he brushes them off, repeating the words "not now" every time. The number of people that want to talk slow him down and it takes a certain care for him not to push past someone too hard.
Once broken through the crowds, he heads for the red mark on his HUD, going back into the jungle that he is now known for. There is a roughly made sign in front of the trail with the inscription "Saint-14's Head Trail."
He doesn't understand what it means, but he can deduce that it's concerning what happened last night. He steps into the jungle, passing through the familiar shrubbery that leads to the clearing where he found the Vex. The red silhouette grows bigger and takes a more defined shape that reveals itself to be a half-buried Hydra. Its single red eye is flickering on and off while it makes a high-pitched whine. It vibrates in a vain attempt to free itself, to no success. The shields that would float around it are gone, it's too weak to produce them. The machine is covered in foliage and…moon rocks? A few pebbles roll down its frame, the greyish-white contrasting with the grassy green.
Saint rips away a bit of the growth on top of its red eye, revealing a ring-like attachment on its head. His database on Vex collectives pulls out one he doesn't recognize.
Sol Divisive. He reads that this type of Vex only serves to protect the Black Garden. What they are defending remains unidentified, but reported as anomalous. It is also described that Sol Divisive worship the entity. Saint first thought that it was the Light, but from further thinking, that couldn't be possible.
This is perplexing for Saint since he never saw the Vex worship something before. However, he had seen flashes of The Guardian entering the Black Garden and destroying a violent black growth. At the same time, she would dismantle defenders that tower over her threefold.
Saint stares at the Hydra's dying eye and closes his hand. He brings his arm up.
A single impact on his knuckles, a crack of glass, and the Hydra dies without a struggle. He rips the eye out. Something connects to it by a few wires. It is circular, with a red inner circle that has the same pattern as a Vex teleporter. His Exo systems link to it in an instant, and a new waypoint adds itself into his very small map of the planet.
It's a dot that is far beyond his current map, but a few seconds later an update cycle initiates inside his firmware. His vision goes black and then returns to him after less than a second.
The map reopens itself, now showing the continents and kingdoms of the planet with well-defined borders. There are a few options to bring up information about the wildlife that live in any area.
The island of Menagerie is quite far from the mainland, the closest kingdom being up north, labeled "Mistral." The new waypoint is even farther up, sitting on a white-colored settlement called "Atlas." The tag "UNDYING" sits next to it, whatever that is supposed to mean.
"So I'm not on Earth…" he mutters, tapping his fingers on the dirt. "I wonder if Atlas is like the Cosmodrome."
Saint takes a moment to analyze his discoveries, before closing the map and turning back. He starts walking back to Kuo Kuana.
If the Vex is present on this world, then his fists have quite a bit of work to do on this planet. He turns to the dead Hydra one last time, and it serves as a reminder of what true Darkness is.
. . .
A message from Blake Belladonna comes through.
Meet me at the house, we're gonna discuss our next move. Saint sighs. Already? Her friend needs time to recover, doesn't he? Ilia had stabbed him hard. Besides, all there is to do is burn down the White Fang camp in the jungles, and they would scatter like the Fallen.
However, being Titan Vanguard, he does have a mind for politics and knows that the people wouldn't accept a massacre based on mere suspicions. There would definitely be a negative reaction against the Belladonnas. The cascading effect would be disastrous for everyone involved.
He shakes the possibility out of his head. He won't let that happen, no matter how hard Ilia wants it to. It's hard for him to think about killing the White Fang agent, as she's only protecting what she holds dear. The organization is her family it seems, and Saint isn't sure if she's forced to stay or she is willingly doing so. He hopes that it's the former and that he and the Belladonnas would be able to break her out in the future.
He curls his fingers into his palm, and a pulse of Light passes through it. His metal lips form a small smile.
That's what his powers are for: To defend the defenseless. It was obvious to him, but unfortunately not for the Warlords and other rogue Risen during the Dark Age. He vowed to stand taller, and he would hold true to his promise here, even if he isn't on the same planet or solar system.
In a way, the Fang isn't wrong in what they seek to achieve. It's clear, from Ilia's and Blake's explanations that they use fear to achieve their goals. They are not wrong in that it works, but at what cost? Lives? He won't allow it.
Saint-14 doesn't want to kill off the White Fang, as what they stand for is noble, reminding him of the struggles Exos had to endure. This whole situation is ironic to him, now he is suppressing the equal rights movement.
He shouldn't think that way, it's too…black-and-white, too simplistic. He's not a Warlock, he stands with people, not numbers. What about those that turned to the organization because they had nothing left? Because they were wronged and wanted vengeance? They aren't anymore criminal than a civilian. It will come down to their next actions in the coming days that will determine if they are in the realms of morality.
Saint hopes that Ilia was bluffing when she talked about the White Fang taking over Kuo Kuana. He doesn't want to hurt her, for fear of unintentionally killing.
His train of thought is broken as he bumps into the Belladonna household's front door. He blinks a few times and looks all around.
"That walk was…surprisingly short," he mumbles, before raising one arm and sending two hard knocks. He backs up one step. His hand pushes grime off of his knees and hands. A few seconds of silence, followed by thumping footsteps from inside. Ghira opens the door for him.
"Saint, my daughter wanted you to join us," he says. "Come in." He gestures inside the building with his hand.
"Of course," Saint says, taking a step inside the house, and taking the time to admire the entrance hall. His boots make the wood flex and leave prints on the carpet. "She has informed me about the problems arising inside the White Fang." He follows Ghira further in.
"The Scroll she procured has provided enormous amounts of information on the actions of Adam Taurus." Ghira slides open a door, leading to a balcony, giving a nice view of the fluffy palm trees. Saint wants to take a moment to admire, but his guide steps over a fallen sliding door that fell into a room. He follows to not be rude and wonders what could have happened for that to occur.
A pigeon lands on his shoulder. His hands gently grab onto it and he brings the bird against his chest, petting it on the head.
Inside the new room, he takes notice of the walls of bookshelves and the plants hanging from the ceiling. He walks past a malachite colored pillar, making eye contact with Blake. She is standing in front of a couch, her arms crossed. On the couch is a blonde man wearing a light jacket over his bare chest, staring at him with suspicion.
"You brought that psycho in here!?" The blonde says, looking dubiously to Blake.
"He's not with the White Fang," she says, giving him a small nod, one that he returns. "He's gonna help us."
"He was with that lizard girl last night!"
"Sun, he didn't want anyone to get hurt."
Saint clears his throat, and pets the pigeon one last time before setting it free outside. "I would have punched someone if I wanted them hurt. I didn't, though." He crosses his arms. "I understand the suspicion, blondie."
"I have a name, you know!" The shirtless man exclaims, standing up and grimacing. "Ow!" His hand presses against the stained bandage on his pectoral.
"Sun, sit down," Saint says as he closes the distance between him and Sun. "You're still hurt."
"I'm fine." Sun grimaces and groans through his teeth. He applies pressure on the bandage and winces. "I'm ready to fight, just give me the okay."
Blake looks to Saint with a grave expression. "We've brought you here so we can plan our next move on the White Fang."
"You want me to destroy it? I am capable of that." Saint suggests, crossing his arms. She shakes her head.
"Not exactly. Dad, tell him what we know." She nods to her father, who exhales with a hint of regret. Ghira points to the Scroll on the wooden coffee table.
"Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and lead a full-scale attack on Haven academy."
Saint's systems bring up the academy in question. It's a school that trains warriors in the kingdom of Mistral, led by a Professor Lionheart, who seems to be a lovely enough man judging from his pictures. A few images of the grounds appear and he takes a moment to admire its beautiful, open design. It reminds him of a few Golden Age universities that Osiris showed him through postcards quite a while back.
"Now that I think about it, the idea of destroying the Fang is enticing." Saint's thumb and forefinger rub the chin of his helmet.
"We're going to go one step further, actually," Blake smirks.
"Wipe them off the face of this planet?"
"We're taking it back."
"Ah, so eliminate every member and replace them with better ones? I like it."
"…Partially." She pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales.
"So we are dismantling leadership?"
"We'll get there when we get there!"
. . .
Marketplace...
Saint crouches down as he scans for his target. He overlooks the market, where various booths sell various items, ranging from food to deadly weapons. The person he's after is a Faunus male who's skin looks like it has rocks growing out of it, with his hair tied into a jagged ponytail. The photo he has of the man has him wearing an army-green cotton shirt.
Two green silhouettes walk within the crowds: Blake and Sun, they are looking on the ground. According to them, he is "too popular" and "too tall" to go undercover. He wanted to suggest that he could take off his armor, but revealing his true race this soon wouldn't have been the best idea, so he kept quiet.
His photoreceptors lock onto a person wearing the same colored-shirt as his target. He is playing around with a switchblade with a light-blue handle. The dealer behind the cart is a rabbit-Faunus, pretending to look interested so he can make a sale. Saint knows that face anywhere, having dealt with Häkke salesmen who were quite good at putting on a show to win Vanguard contracts.
"I have a visual on the target," Saint whispers as he leans in a tiny bit to get a closer view, his sensors zooming in. "Blake, do you have a match?"
Blake takes out her Scroll, checking it, then looks at Sun. "Gotcha," she says. They snake their way through the crowd, approaching the target. He is now making an exchange of currency for that blue switchblade he tried out earlier.
Saint changes position, running down the tops of a few houses. His gut is screaming at him that this is wrong and that he belonged down there with his fists colliding with that person's face.
"Watch out, he's armed," he says, Perfect Paradox materializing on his back.
Blake and Sun get closer, the former reaching for her blade. The target takes notice of them and draws a revolver, shooting as soon he can the barrel raises in her direction. Luckily, Blake deflects the bullet into the air with her sword. The target starts to sprint away.
He would shoot in a crowd like this!? Saint follows him from above, keeping a good bead on the target as he leverages his Lift to hop from building to building. The duo on the ground is chasing, gaining on him.
The target draws his brand-new blade and stops next to a car attached to a cart full of boxes. He jumps into the space between and severs the cord connecting the two.
"Damn it!" Saint mumbles to himself as he jumps down to ground level. He rushes to the now-free cart that is rolling down the elevated street, bound to hit someone. Blake and Sun stop as everyone surrounding starts gasping and screaming about the rogue and uncontrollable cart on wheels.
Saint lands in front of it and pushes it back shoulder-first. His boots grind against the road as the cart's weight surprises him, but he manages to get it to a near-stop. Two golden copies of Sun assist him, and the shirtless blond adds himself too.
"Come on, push!" Saint says as he summons his strength into his arms. Blake hitches her blade, now in a bent L-shape, into the boxes the cart is carrying, using it to swing herself forward. She disappears after turning a corner.
"I'm trying!" Sun replies, grunting afterward. "I can hold it still for a second, you hit it from the side!"
Saint nods. "Good thinking!" He exclaims, backing up and then going to the longer side of the cart, backing up a few steps. His shield materializes and he charges forward, bashing the contents of the cart. It tumbles sideways after the bash, blocking the entrance of a poor resident's home. The contents of the boxes spill out, clinking and thumping into the dirt.
Saint walks over the metal pieces and recognizes the head of a Vex Hobgoblin, horns and all. It's covered in moss and plant growth, like the other Vex he saw.
He steps back and stares at it in shock. A chill runs down his metal spine.
More Vex? He should have expected this, of course, there are more Vex!
"Saint? What are you doing!?" Sun runs up to him. "What are you looking at!? Our guy's getting away!"
"You go, I have questions that need answering," he replies, his voice a low rumble and distant. "Go!" He snaps at Sun.
The monkey-Faunus flinches and runs off.
Another person runs up to him.
"You knocked it over!?" They say, their tone indicating frustration. "They're never going to accept the parts like this!"
Saint is silent for a second, and he turns around, rising from his knee to a tall, straight stance. "Who are buying these parts?"
"I can't tell you tha-"
"Tell me, now." Saint steps closer to the merchant that seems to be selling Vex components. "I will not ask again." His voice is laced with rage.
"U-Uh, Atlas, it's Atlas…they've been paying for these…" the merchant looks to the floor and sounds nervous. "They're just parts."
Saint looks at the pile of Vex surrounding his feet. He lifts one foot and crushes a part, earning a satisfying metallic crunch.
"You will stop collecting such parts," he says, his voice firm and assertive.
"But-"
"Do I make myself clear, or will I have to destroy your equipment too?"
"Y-Yes, sir."
"These are parts of machines no one should be trying to understand," Saint mumbles to himself. "Take me to whoever picks these up."
"U-uh, sure." The man turns and starts heading to the road that should lead to the docks, and Saint follows.
Blake and Sun are walking in the opposite direction, looking dejected.
"Saint? Where are you going?" Blake asks, stopping him by tapping his shoulder. He lets the man get ahead while he turns to her. "Why are you following him?"
"Personal business, someone is buying Vex components, and I will not allow it," he says. "I have dealt with enough to know that trying to experiment with them will end badly."
Sun looks at Blake confused, who returns the same stare. "Vex? What are you talking about?"
"I will elaborate later, go back to the house, it's getting dark."
The duo head one direction, Saint heads the other. The man has already built a sizeable distance, but Saint closes the distance before he has the chance to turn a corner.
The civilian activity at the docks is currently dying down since the sun is setting. There is still one ship that has movement, in the form of robots carrying wooden boxes into it. A darker man with greenish-black hair in a white coat with red and blue accents is leaning against a wooden pole, tapping away at his Scroll. He looks up when Saint and the vendor approach them.
"Hey man, you got the last boxes?" The guard looks bored. "You don't. Where are they?" He pushes himself off the pole.
"I'm putting an end to this whole transaction, the parts are destroyed," Saint says, stepping forward. "Whoever, or whatever your leader is, they are dealing with technology way beyond their understanding."
The man snorts. "Marrow, by the way."
"Saint. Fourteen."
"You're not acting like one." Marrow smirks with smug confidence. "So, what brings you to think that interfering with Atlas shipments is a good idea?"
"These are Vex, they are not a simple toy to be tinkered with!" Saint glares at the man, who is a bit shorter than him. "You tell Atlas to stop, or else I take drastic measures."
Marrow takes a graver look and reaches for the rectangular weapon on his back. "Oh yeah, what are those measures?"
"I do not want to see a ship coming for Vex components at this dock ever again." If Saint could spit, he would have right now. "This is the last shipment."
The vendor has run away by now.
"Marrow, you starting fights or something? Why am I not included?" A woman with brown skin and platinum blonde and brown hair shaved at the sides approaches. She wears a sleeveless white vest, with a similar design to Marrow's. Her arms have an exoskeleton on them. "What does mohawk helmet want?"
The dog Faunus chuckles once. "Saint here destroyed our latest shipment of components."
The woman looks at him gravely. "Harriet Bree." She pauses for a second.
"Sir, is this true?" She asks, cordially and with a certain level of authority that doesn't bode well with Saint.
"Yes," he says, turning his head to her. "I have dealt with these machines personally."
"Really? You're the one who killed them hundreds of years ago?" A faint smile appears on her face. She exhales rapidly once.
"They can turn planets into computers, and their only goal is to wipe out everything but them. Please, dealing with these is not worth the trouble it will bring you."
The woman crosses her arms and laughs. A short, non-believing one. "You have to be kidding right now."
"I'm not," Saint is getting angry that she isn't taking him seriously. "You are getting yourself into deep shit, as my people would say it."
She scoffs, and rolls her eyes, then turns to her partner. "Come on, let's get out of here, no point in wasting our time with this fool." She stops for a moment and glances at Saint. "Look, you won! Now you're wanted for the destruction of Atlas property. Don't pop by anytime soon, oh wait, you can't, so consider yourself lucky."
"Oh, you only need to wait to arrest me and not waste the effort now," Saint snickers. "I will be coming to destroy the Undying Mind, very soon."
They both look at each other in the eyes and Marrow draws his weapon while Harriet charges her fists with yellow electricity.
"That's a top-secret Atlas program," she says, glaring at him. "The Kingdom of Atlas exercises its inter-kingdom rights and you are now hereby under arrest. Submit now or we will aggress."
Saint doesn't summon his shield yet, he's biding his time for the perfect moment. He suspects that the Harriet woman will attack first, as she looks primed to move.
"I'm not looking for a fight," he says. "However, if you so desire, then, by all means, take your chance." He brings his arms wide, taunting them.
"Oh, I will!" She charges at him with a speed he has never seen before, raising one arm as she charges her punch. Saint summons his Sentinel Shield and blocks the attack, before throwing a Suppression grenade to Marrow's feet.
"Stop!" Marrow yells out to him before the grenade detonates. Saint freezes for a second, leaving him wide open to another attack by Harriet. She takes the opportunity and uppercuts him straight in the chin, throwing him into the air. He quickly reorients himself and throws his shield down, forcing her to move.
"Harriet, my Semblance, it's…it's down!"
"What!?" Harriet snarls and rushes him once he's landed. "That's not possible!"
"Oh, but it is!" Saint throws another Suppression grenade at his feet. He absorbs her punch with his shield and hops back, so she can be in the blast radius of the detonation. It explodes, leaving her vulnerable as she realizes that Marrow wasn't lying. He sprints and bashes her with his shield, sending her flying to the edge of the dock.
"Leave, before I throw more grenades, and trust me, I love throwing grenades." He chuckles to himself. "I'm starting to sound like Shaxx."
Might as well tie Season of the Undying into this, and if you're wondering if you ever threw enough grenades, then you didn't. Throw them all.
Suppression grenades can go fuck themselves though.
Edit: went through this one