Masked Riders: Remnant

by Kaizer Daozang

It's been so long I forgot how to write a summary, so here goes. Mad Scientist goes crazy and experiments on his assistant, turning him into a Neonoid and then goes on to make a variety of monsters for Salem which start to torment Remnant. Mad Scientist then makes a "Cyborg", who escapes and starts hunting down his monsters. ZO/J/Shin Riders in Remnant, with J to come WAY later.

Chapter 1

A/N – Holy shit a new story. Who'd a thunk it? Don't expect new chapters for a long time. Just made this cause I felt like it, so more chapters will probably take me having an urge to write for this and not something else, and the urge I had for this is already waning. Also changed my name a while back cause why the hell not. Anyways, this is a Kamen Rider and RWBY story. Why RWBY? Cause it's my default crossover go to despite how bad RoosterTeeth have gotten. There are probably errors in here as I don't do Beta Readers cause I take forever to write, and I just did a quick skim when I finished writing this.

Anyways, I'll be taking elements from the 90s rider trilogy, as well as probably Amazonz and Amazon Beastmen to pad things out with extra kaijin, along with the Roids from ZX. Just those for now, cause I have an idea for Gorgom in a different story, and it lets me throw in the newer and older looking kaijin as different, yet similar beings.

Another thing, I saw Kamen Rider Black Sun, and it is great. Tempted to make a short idea for that one as well, as the Kaijin in that show alongside the origin of the Faunus just seem to mesh nicely. A whole, God of Animals turns humans into Faunus, or animals into human shapes thing works nicely with the Creation King turning people into Animalistic Kaijin. Especially once you consider one myth has them in "Magical Waters which change them", and Kaijin are made from Heaven, an almost Magical blue liquid, while the other speaks of a conflict between animals and humans where the God interferes.

Eh nobody reads these things anyways and I mostly just keep them around because it lets me rant in a chapter, also because I stole this format from other authors when I was in high school cause I was in my "Edgy Phase", as seen with my first story. Man I cringe at my old stuff on here. Anyways y'all probably just want to read the chapter so why the hell are you still reading the boring authors notes. Get down there already!

"Hello everyone"
"Telepathy/Thinking"
"Yelling/Speakers"

Disclaimer: This is a useless disclaimer and you are reading a Fanfiction. Of course I don't own shit other than my characters and my imagination. I don't even think I need the disclaimer cause this is . Of course it's Fanfiction.

ZO Chapter 1 – Awaken! ZO of Atlas

Story start.

Lightning crackled down from black clouds in midst of Mistral. Screams of painful sorrow echoed from within a large forested region, almost overwhelmed by the rushing shower of noise from the rain. Deep within the forest lied an overgrown building, lightning striking a large rod sticking out of the rooftop and into various lightning dust generators as another scream of pain billowed out. Electrical energy surged through the building into a large laboratory, flowing over machinery and large fluid filled tubes containing men and women of various races and species, shifting between their humanity, and a monstrous form.

Yet, amongst them all was one shape more distinct than the rest. A large well like structure sat connected with various wires and tubes of differing shapes and colors, injecting and powering the structure. Within sat a glowing pool of green and black fluid, bubbling and brewing with millions of shapes forming and disintegrating inside its fluids. Another groan of pain echoed through the building, coming from a large vine like tree structure of both organic and technological origin.

Wailing in agony and sorrow from within was a middle aged man in a dirty white coat, his skin a poisonous purple, kneeling down ensnared in the electronic vines and roots which were hooked up to the well of glowing fluid. His hair was white from stress, hanging down his face messily. A purple energy flickered over his body with large corroded patches where the metal roots connected to him, shattering moments later after forming as another jolt of electricity surged through his body and into the pool.

"Don't worry Papa," a childish voice echoed from the well, its vocals a mix between a young boy and girl, "I'll make sure you can live forever, so that you, me, and Mama can all live as the ultimate lifeforms to rule this world". Rising up from the well came forth a large disk of green fluid trapped inside a metal ring. Stretching out of it came the shape of a young girl with the appearance of long hair flowing into the pool, a twisted smile on its face as its eyes glowed with an all-consuming crimson. "Just like you wanted."

"You're nothing but a failure," the man said as he sat in pain, "My ultimate lifeform, created with the essence of the most powerful Faunus, Human, and Animal DNA I could acquire to make a powerful body and soul, yet corrupted mentally and genetically by the evils of the Grimm Waters I imbued into your creation! I will never let you loose upon this world to destroy all life!"

"That's mean Papa," the being said pouting as it hovered over its pool, "It wasn't the waters of darkness that made me like this, you wanted a perfect being without emotion. You made me this way while your soul pushed your morals aside. I can feel the emotions around me, and this world is filled with negativity. My emotions came from sensing and learning from what I felt around me. As the perfect lifeform, I must cleanse this world of the fear and hatred I sense everywhere, then I will start a new one with those who survive".

"Exactly dear, which is why you need to drain every last bit of knowledge from his head" a female voice spoke as the sound of steps came down from the nearby entrance. From the darkness of the corridor floated forth a large crimson crystal ball shaped grimm with long, sharp tentacles. Within the crimson orb was the image of a pale white woman. Black veins spread through her skin and she had long white hair put up in several buns, her eyes just as black as the Neo Lifeform but with crimson pupils.

"Mama Salem!" The Green Lifeform called out as it turned toward her. "Papa was misbehaving and wouldn't fix my body, so I decided to keep him in timeout so I can figure out how to fix myself. But while I cannot leave, I can make a toy to control remotely and help you conquer the world. Then once I fix and create my ultimate body, I can become a deity like you Mama!"

The woman chuckled at the creature's enthusiasm. Little did it know that she could manipulate and shift its emotions and thoughts at a whim due to the Grimm essence within, and this was perfect for her plans. Behind her, a large bear like creature covered in bone armor with pitch black fur walked in, dragging along a chain connected to a metal color. Stumbling behind with the collar on his neck was a blood covered man with dead eyes.

"So I see," she said motioning the grimm fourth. "I brought here another "Volunteer" for Victor to mutate for our cause and to find that escaped pest, but I see that you have taken over his duty. Feel free to have the Ursa for a snack" she said almost lovingly as various wires and cords shot toward the two. The sound of animalistic growling and crunching bones echoed within the chamber as the Neo Lifeform dragged the Ursa into its pool, dissolving its essence into itself. The collared man stood silent, as though his mind were not there as he watched the grimm being dissolved into liquid darkness.

"You are a Foul, Wicked Creature!" Spoke Victor before he found himself gagged by the tentacles of the Grimm.

"You would do good to watch your tongue Doctor Gele, lest I forget to be nice?" The tentacle tightened, choking the man. "Remember that You choose to come to me to after your exile". She then released her hold on him as the sound of excitement filled the air.

"A human! And one with good potential for mutation! This means it's a free slate for what to change!" The Neo Lifeform spoke almost excitedly as it dragged the man forth and into the air. "Hmm, what animal should I make you?" The Neo Lifeform thought to itself with a sinister grin. "I know! Let's make an Owl this time! Let's see if Auntie Hopper can defeat this kind of Beastman!"

The man felt searing pain as several needle tipped wires connected to the well shot into his head and body, his very essence changing and shifting as it was modified. Soon enough, he began to scream as his body began to bulge and morph. Brown feathers sprouted out of his chest and skull, with the skin on his arms and legs turning ragged and scaly. His hands and feet turned a reddish brown, cracking and shifting as talons pierced through the tips of his fingers and toes as they joined together or twisted out the back. The screams of pain grew distorted as the mouth elongated outward, turning a pale brown as his nose and mouth fused into a large beak, his eyes sinking inward and changing shape into large crimson circles, long hairlike feathers streaming off his head messily. Flaps of skin, bone, and feathers split out from his sides connecting to his arms in an odd array of wings.

The wires then dropped the newly changed man onto the ground where he slumped over breathing heavily. Salem watched on for a bit longer, until finally the Owl Beastman got to his knees and kneeled before her.

"I live to serve, my goddess" the beastman said bowing his bird head to the ground. At this, the immortal witch seemed impressed at the work done.

"A Middle Rank Beastman? You improved upon your father's work with genetic mutation I see, or perhaps he's just been holding out on making my army this whole time by converting the "Failures" into those weaker Combat Roids. I expect you to keep up this success" Salem said as the seer injected something into the owl's head, his eyes briefly turning black before flying out of the lab. "How long until another Beast Roid is complete?" She spoke, turning to the large glass tubes with shifting Beastmen.

"Taka is almost done with his augmenting and Tokage will take another week. Although Tiger hasn't reported back yet about his hunt"

"Hmm. So long as you provide results, that's all I ask of you" she said, feeling the creature's twisted love towards her. "Oh, and don't be afraid to hurt your "Papa" to get what you want". The darkness then consumed her appearance as the seer left to patrol once more.

"See? Mama Salem is so nice to me that she even gave me a present to hunt down Auntie, but you've only been mean since my creation Papa Victor" the Neo Lifeform spoke as its eyes glowed with anger.

"You are a cruel monster," Victor gasped out, feeling more and more of his knowledge being assimilated into the vines. "You will never achieve Genetic Stability, and I will not help you or that witch you call a mother any longer".

The Neo Lifeform let loose a screech of anger as it began to thrash its fists about its liquid body in a tantrum.

"Since you won't fix my body, I'll just have to punish you by getting rid of the rest of your family, so that I will be the only family you have left! That way you will have to find a way to fix me!"

"Don't you dare touch them! Please!" he begged as the Neo Lifeform returned to its pool with haunting, childlike laughter.

From the pool rose the disk and some fluid, fusing into a large baseball sized metal sphere which shot off out a window into the dark skies. The ensnared doctor limped over in his prison as he felt the roots draining his knowledge and memories into his creation. He was helpless, having joined the devil in a time of madness, creating his perfect life form to subvert her control only for it to backfire on him. He had created a monster who rebelled against him, all because his soul showed him his immorality in the face of science.

His only hope would be that "She" could hear his pleas. The one who escaped Salem's clutches through a powerful will. Roid Soldier Level 3, Hopper, otherwise known to the rest of Remnant as the Masked Rider. Certain Grasshopper genes implanted into his body during an experiment could connect him to her through a telepathic bond if he focused his will hard enough.

"Rider… Please protect them…" he thought in his mind, his aura flickering around his body as he focused his soul's shield into his mind. He would use his immoral soul to protect one last bastion of hope against his creation, in an attempt to contact his wayward experiment. Unbeknownst to the Doctor, his aura tapped into something else in his mind. A shard of green energy, faintly nestled deep in his mind, responding to the pleas given through the cells that created it. "Keep the Schnee Family safe…".

~ZO~

(Beneath Mantle)

"Rider…"

Light flickered down from various cracks into an abandoned room through layers of ice. Roots and weeds grew across fractured tiles with moss flourishing along fallen columns and large vats of frozen green fluids while broken wires hung down from above. Strewn about on various tables and the floor were mechanical equipment and various beakers, buried in the frost and snow. In the midst of all this lay a single glass capsule, covered in crystals of ice and snow with a single naked man frozen within. A glowing red crystal shimmered with life in his abdomen as two long grasshopper antennae twitched on his head beneath the snow and ice.

"Rider…"

"Who's there? Who is speaking to me?" the man thought as his body began to awaken, hearing a distorted voice echo in his mind. His entire body felt cold, and stiff, though it was warming quickly as a green aura flickered over him. "Where am I?" he thought as the ice began to shudder, cracks forming in the glass and frost around him.

"I beg of you, protect the Schnee family…" the voice said as the ice cracked further. "Protect them from the Neo Lifeform…"

"Schnee…" he spoke, letting out a single icy breath from his mouth. The ice and glass shattered outward with a bright light, the nude man slowly sitting up from his resting place. The red core on his abdomen glowed brightly as the roots and moss nearby seemed to imbue energy into him. Light coated his body as he stood, beginning to morph and change into something new.

Green chitinous armor formed around his body with golden ascents segmenting them. His face changed as well, his antennae straightening upward with glowing red tips as his eyes became large red domes, a whitish silver segmented metal flowing through the center of his head all the way to the back like the head of a grasshopper. Two golden metal streaks curved around his helmet diagonally, all curving to point just before his eyes with two smaller, wider streaks curving up from the bottom. Metal fangs like that of a grasshopper slotted out from the silver segments where his mouth would be, as gas hissed out from holes in the back of his head. His red eyes flashed with light as he looked into an icy reflection of himself.

"I remember now," he said as he took in his surroundings, looking down at his green hands. His vision seemed to brighten in the dark lighting, as a mechanical interface began cataloging everything he could see. He was not one of the many Faunus with Night Vision, yet now he could see even in this dim environment. He could hear the dripping of water from air vents and sense the vibrations of their motion through his antennae, smelling the dirt of the moss and the chill of the ice. Though he felt the chill of ice on his body, it did little to truly bother him as his body seemed to be unaffected by the cold.

The mossy, frozen ruins of a lab sat around him as memories returned to him. He remembered being in pain, his body shifting violently as a man he once thought his mentor experimented on him, mutating his body into one more grasshopper than man. Memories of being unable to control his bodies changing forms as cybernetic enhancements replaced bone, fusing with his mutated flesh. All the while, the doctor's haunting mad cackles echoed in his mind as he pleaded for him to stop. And right before darkness claimed his vision, a powerful charge of lightning forced into his body.

"Doctor Gelè did this to me," he said clenching his fists, feeling his bodies new power. He felt strength unlike anything he had ever felt before in his life and powerful energy surging through his body from the gem in his abdomen. "I should be dead. The procedure that mutated my body and the immediate surgery to install the ZO Protobody would have killed anyone without prior augmentations".

With a thought, his body flickered with light, returning back to his human appearance at will. The act gave him some peace of mind, as he now had control over his previously uncontrollable transformations, now they he had more control over his emotions. He could see the golden ascents of his other face showing on his skin like scars in his anger, only disappearing once he calmed a bit. He knew this appearance was no longer how he truly looked, but just an outer skin over his body to make him feel more human. He knew he would need to restrain his new strength like huntsman do, or he would risk breaking a civilian in half with his new strength.

He understood the process of how to shift between his new Neonoid body and his Faunus appearance, as well as how his new body worked, because he had helped Doctor Victor Gele to create the initial ideas that made up the Neo Lifeform Project, a combination of two prior projects he had previously submitted to the Council for the Atlesian Military. Those had been Project Beast, a way to augment soldiers organically with the powers and appearance of animals further than any Faunus, and Project Roid, a way to augment the body with cybernetic enhancements.

Both of those projects had been shut down by the council for being too Inhumane, leading to him combining them together into in a fit of insanity, seeking to create the perfect organism to spite the Council. He was used as the prototype for this process, as the first Neonoid, the precursor of a Neo Lifeform.

As he held a hand to his abdomen, feeling the crimson gem he had created through a mixture of technology, dust, and genetic engineering, he suddenly had a realization of something he did not know. He no idea how long he had been down here, nor how much energy the core had absorbed from his body and the surroundings since then.

He could feel immense power surging from the core throughout his body and back into itself in a loop of energy. He could feel it's power revitalizing his icy muscles from his frozen slumber with no damage to his body. Perhaps this meant he could subsist off its power for his entire lifetime given how he felt very little in the way of hunger currently, despite however long it had been since his last meal.

He had made the core to absorb and generate energy as a new form of power system, using various plant and animal DNA which could generate their own energy in its creation. It was possible that due to having biological matter in its crystalline make up, the core could have mutated his new body further as it bonded to his cybernetics and organics, providing the energy needed for both to work in tandem. This was the reason for his survival. The Red Core had stabilized his body, and kept him alive as he adjusted to his new form.

Looking around, he found a dirty blue shirt, a pair of old jeans, fingerless gloves, a dirty lab coat, and a black and white motorcycle jacket hanging inside an ice covered metal locker, his locker. Beside the locker sat a large motorcycle, covered with a dusty, moss covered cloth. A gift from the Doctor to him as his assistant. As he dressed, he noticed one last item sitting on the shelf. A white masquerade mask with an old worn ticket beneath it.

Picking up the mask, he began to remember his promise that fateful day. He didn't know how long it had been, but he had an apology to make.

Leaving the mask in the locker, he took a better look around him. He remembered this place. This was the underground lab hidden within Mantle's sewers beneath Doctor Gelé's surface laboratory, where his secret projects were held. Rarely would he work down here with the doctor, mostly helping him research the biology of various animals and the potential to augment the human body of soldiers to help them better combat the Grimm in the surface lab. What was once a room filled with chemical vials and machinery now laid abandoned with moss and ice. He could see cracks in the rooftop covered over in ice, with icicles dripping down water from them. Flicking a light switch on the wall did little with the moss covered lights, dead with no power.

"The voice in my mind, it wanted me to protect the Schnee family from the Neo Lifeform. Does this mean that Doctor Victor finally succeeded in creating the ultimate Neonoid?" The man spoke as he pushed his bike over to a metal door. Pushing against it, he was surprised when the solid metal door suddenly snapped off its hinges onto the ground below with a loud clang. "It seems I'm much stronger than I thought".

Walking passed the fallen door, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, lighting up the way for him. At the end of the dark corridor sat the exit, a large staircase ending with a dead end and a lever. Hitting a lever, he flinched as the sound of grinding stone vibrated across his antennae. The wall before him slid downward slowly, revealing light above as snow fell into the corridor. As he moved both himself and his bike onto the now ground level platform, he flipped the lever once more, sending the grinding stone to rise upward.

He breathed in deeply as he rose into a dusty old lab. Looking around he was left speechless at what he saw. Where there was once wood and stone, were now singed with burns with the wreckage of several equipment. He could see layers of ice and snow covering the flooring from a hole in the wall, or at least what remained of it.

"How long was I in there?"

He felt around with his antennae, cringing in pain as he began to hear a thousand conversations entering as radio waves transmitted through them. He could sense the cold wind with his antennae, along with the slight scent of smoke coming from a distant trashcan fire. He could even smell the scent of the humans and faunus huddling by the fire, and even the meal they were eating. It seemed being in the sealed off lab had lessened the exposure his augmented antennae had to the outside world. Taking a couple calming breaths, he focused his mind and slowly began to filter out the barrage of information from his upgraded body to more manageable levels, the noise dispersing from his mind.

As he did so, brief sensation shot through his mind, his aura glowing over his antennae with a faint green. Almost immediately after, he turned his head upward. In the night sky above floated a massive landmass, tethered to the ground below with a massive crater beneath it. The city of Atlas. It was as though he could sense something, or someone, was in that direction, something dangerous approaching. This sensation was similar to the one he felt during the professor's experiment, quite possibly his semblance unlocked.

This unnerved him slightly, the thought of being able to detect danger to himself, yet he could also feel a something else in the back of his mind, an almost phantom like voice urging him on.

Getting atop his bike, he took off along the icy roads. The voice had asked him to protect the Schnee Family, so he would try his best to do so.

~ZO~

(Mantle Slums)

"I tell ya sister, that Schnee asshole is probably laughin' his ass off from up on his warm throne in the sky while we sit down here, minin' our lives away in the cold" an old man with fox ears said as he sat inside an abandoned broken train beside a fire. Across from him sat a younger, middle aged woman wearing a scarf on her face, stirring a metal pot that sat over the open flame filled with vegetables, scraps of meat, and water.

"I hear ya Frank," she replied as she tasted the stew, revealing pale blue scales along her face. "That Jacques bastard really screwed us Faunus over when he took control of the Schnee company. Wish Old Nicholas was still in charge, even if the company never expanded the way it did". The two sat around their fire, waiting for their meal to cook when the fox man's ears twitched as he heard a whistling noise getting closer.

A loud crashing noise assaulted their ears as a cloud of dust and snow knocked them over, dousing their fire and spilling their soup. Frank stood up first, glancing over a cracked window as his companion rubbed her head.

"The hell was that?"

A silver orb hovered over a junk and scrap of this part of the slums. Scanning the area, it found large amounts of ruined machinery and junk lying around its location. Perfect for making itself a body.

"Doras, it's time to play!"

Frank and his companion watches as panels opened up in the front of the sphere, releasing a bright light. Chunks of metal and organic material were sucked into the light, slowly morphing and shifting within the orb before sprouting outward. Steel scraps formed together into a body before being covered over by metallic muscle and sinew. Two legs and two arms formed outward from the growing mass, while a large insect like head began to take shape. A large bladed tail shot out behind it as the creature landed on the ground below. Blood red eyes took in the environment around him as two large antennae shot upward from his head. Its gaze turned upward, to the floating landmass above it.

"We gotta get outta here Jess" whispered Frank as the duo watched the abomination staring up at Atlas. "I ain't getting murked by one o' dem freaky Beastmen".

Jess nodded quickly as Frank moved to crawl toward the exit. A loud hissing roar filled the air as Jess felt an intense pain hit her in the chest, her aura shattering instantly. The Faunus woman quickly found herself pinned to the steel wall of their abode, part of an arm sticking out of her chest as Frank stared on in horror. Looking up, she could see the insectoid abomination floating toward them, a trio of lasers aiming at her from its shoulder as scrap shot into the gap of its severed limb, instantly forming a new arm.

"Prey" the creature spoke with a gravelly voice as the laser sights moved downward.

"Help me" she pleaded as blood flowed out of her mouth. Frank did no such thing as he saw the arm piercing his companion, instead getting up to run only to hear a monstrous scream from the beast. Red light filled his vision before darkness took his mind. The train exploded in a bright red burst of energy as Doras watched on, almost as though it took pleasure in its kill. The sound of coughing caught his attention as he turned to face the old Faunus, covered in burns and bleeding out from shards of metal.

"W…Why?" He sputtered out as the vessel came closer. Lifting up it's arm, the hand shifted into a large blade as Doras stepped onto the man's chest. With a simple thrust, he jammed the bladed fingers into the man's head, ending his life. The blades glowed red, surging organic materials into the creature's body as information filled his newly formed mind. Knowledge of this city and the people in it. The locations of various Schnee mines and the shady, just about illegal practices going on within their caverns and buildings. Most important however, was the information about Jacques Schnee, the current CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, and his bigotry against the Faunus, and anything else resembling them.

The Neonoid growled with malice as an image appeared in his cybernetic mind. A picture showcasing a family of five, all bearing white hair and unhappy expressions all about. His Targets for Termination by the orders of his Creator.

"Schneeeeeeeee" Doras growled out. Immediately, he turned his attentions to the surroundings and began to unleash his laser, igniting the area and bursting various wreckages into smoldering ruins. Now satisfied at this destruction, Dora's began to revel in the flaming wreckage around him. It wasn't until he could sense the approach of an aircraft and the sounds of sirens that he began reverting back into his metallic sphere, taking to the air in search of his true prey.

~ZO~

(Downtown Mantle)

"Another day of mining done, another night of cleaning to go" spoke a tired teen, as he and another companion slowly made their way through the dimly lit, snowy streets of Mantle. "Come on Eliza, we gotta get back to the orphanage before the asshole locks us out again".

Tired red eyes blinked from his companion's face as she let out a frosty breath through her scarf.

"I know Tristan" she replied as they trudged their way past a large pile of snow.

A long white car slowly drove behind the duo as they continued on their way, slowly gaining on them. Though the two of them noticed the car, they had no concern about the owner's intentions, instead stopping so that the car could catch up to them.

"If you're going to follow us around Mantle to try to convince us, could you at least give us a ride back home?" Tristan spoke with a tired voice as a tinted window rolled down, revealing a young boy with snow white hair wearing white and blue formal dress wear.

"Just get in you two" the boy said slightly annoyed as the door opened up. The two teens entered the car, wiping the snow off their clothing as they stepped into the limo. "I don't get why you two still refuse to work for me as my assistants in studying dust. I managed to figure out how to modify lightning dust but work would be more fun with you two there. I can convince Father to let you two work with me and you'll get better pay than working in those mines".

"Whitley", Eliza spoke out, interrupting him. "Your father doesn't want anything to do with the orphans at The Orphanage ever since Adam joined the White Fang. Plus, I am a faunus".

"You know I don't care about that".

"But he does" Tristan cut in, "and the Great Jacques Schnee cannot possibly have Faunus working for his children or people related to an infamous White Fang member anywhere near him".

Silence filled the car as the trio sat solemnly. Whitley sighed as he and the others stared out the windows into the white landscape.

"How have you been Whitley?" Eliza spoke, ending the silence.

"Same old problems" he said with a distant stare, "Weiss avoiding me and Mother as she tries to follow Winter's path. Winter still keeping everyone distant after what happened with uncle. Mother's still drinking her sorrows away after Father broke her heart, and Father's still busy running the company and declaring to everyone who will listen that "Uncle Victor was a sociopathic madman who should have been locked away" to deal with the bad PR of his brother's Beastmen and Roids showing up all around Remnant". Turning to face the duo, Whitley fidgeted in his seat.

"You're right that I won't be able to convince him to let you two work for me. I can't even get rid of that asshole my father put in charge of the orphanage other than show up and scare him into behaving while I visit" he spoke quietly as the car slowed to a stop in front of a long building with a snowflake on top of it, a sign on a large metal fence reading Nicholas Schnee Mantle Orphanage. "You two want me to go in with you to make sure he lets you in?"

"You know what? I could use some cheering up in this cold by seeing him grovel at your feet" Tristan said with a slight chuckle.

The trio left the car and started walking toward the building. Halfway to the building, the trio began to hear a whining noise in the air, stopping them in their tracks as they looked around warily.

"You guys hear that noise?" Eliza asked as she searched around the sky.

"I hear it Eliza" Whitley spoke as he held an arm out in front of her. From the sky, a metal ball shot down before them, causing them to leap back in surprise as it stopped right before striking them. "What the hell is that thing?"

As he spoke, a trio of red light shone upon them, seemingly scanning them before focusing on Whitley.

"Shit, Whitley! I think it's targeting you!" Tristan shouted as he stepped in front of his friend. The sphere seemed to melt and meld together, forming a brownish silver humanoid, buglike body with glowing red eyes.

"Schneeeeee" it growled out as its feet landed on the ground.

"Some kind of Roid or Beastman?" Whitley asked as they backed away from the newly form being. "Is it targeting the Schnee Family?"

Reaching out an arm, it walked towards the trio, only for a bullet to hit it in the shoulder, doing little but briefly distract the beast.

"Sir! Get in the car and get out of here!" one of the drivers spoke, aiming a gun at the beast. He fired again at the creature, his bullets simply flattening against the monster's skin. Doras turned to face the body guard, the trio of sensors on his shoulder turning with lasers aiming at the man. A blast of energy fired out from them, blasting through the man and exploding the car, sending the trio of teens flying into the snowy yard of the orphanage.

Whitley briefly heard his bodyguard's screams of pain before the explosion, shocked at how casually they were taken out as he watched the burning debris slamming into the buildings on the other side of the road. He turned back to the creature as it slowly walked towards him.

"Run Whitley!" Tristan shouted as he rushed the creature, grabbing it around the waist. The monster went to swing its hand at the boy's back, only for webbing to snare its hand to its chest. Eliza's scarf was down now, showing black veins crawling up her skin to her mouth. She spat once more, the veins pulsing as she spat out a glob of webbing at the monster. The creature ducked out of the way as Tristan tried his hardest to push it back. "Go!"

Whitley stared as the duo tried to hold back the monster, still in shock at what he had just seen. The beast ripped the webbing off of its arm before glaring at the two. Part of its chest began to glow as flashes of light began to spark off him. Tristan was blasted off in a burst of energy while Eliza was knocked down, both losing their auras as they slammed into the ground. Whitley acted fast, erecting shields of glyphs in front of the three of them as the land around them seemingly exploded around them. The front of the orphanage exploded inward while the gates shot out into the streets. The screams of men and children filled the air as people left their homes to escape the fires and destruction. Whitley formed more glyphs between himself and the monster as he watched his friends struggling to move with their injuries.

"SCHNEEEEEEE!" Doras shouted as it flew towards Whitley, crashing through every glyph he put in its way as they disintegrated into light. Reaching down, he lifted the boy up with a single arm, the other pulled back as it shifted into a mess of blades metal. Whitley screamed as he watched the metal hand coming toward him.

The roar of a motorcycle pierced the air as it slammed into the creature, knocking Whitley out of its arm and onto the snowy ground once more. He turned in surprise watching as a green bugman on a bug themed bike braked with a hard turn, flinging the monster into the wall of another house.

"The Masked Rider?" Whitley spoke as he watched the bugman get off his bike, "The thing Winter was talking about to her superiors wasn't just rumor?"

The green bug armored man walked towards Whitley, only to stop as a glyph formed in front of him. He looked through the glowing snowflake at the white haired teen with glowing eyes. Whitley glared as he held the barrier, watching as the children and the orphanage caretaker rushed out of the building behind him. Tristan and Eliza limped up behind him, holding pipes as weapons as their aura flickered over them.

"You've all gotten so big" he spoke, almost fondly at the trio. An explosion rocketed behind him, causing the Rider to turn, watching as the Neonoid hovered in the flames staring right at him. He began to scan the being, noting it was both organic and cybernetic in nature, similar to himself.

"What is this?" The Neo Lifeform thought as he scanned the being before him. "I don't remember Papa making this one?"

With that, he scoured the memories of Victor Gele, causing the scientist some agony as the Neo Lifeform spread through his mind. It eventually found one memory which matched the appearance of this being, a memory which led to the Doctor's path to Salem. The sounds of screaming and pleas for him to stop appeared in the memory as he scanned the creature. Schematics of a cybernetic body and various organic bio enhancements sped through his mind as he heard the voice of the professor in the memory play out.

"Those idiots in the council were fools to deny my projects, but this will prove them wrong! You will be the first in my path to creating the perfect organism Nagoda! You shall become the First Neonoid with the potential to evolve into an ultimate being. Neo Lifeform ZO!" With that, the memory ended as Doras slowly floated down to the ground, both the Neo Lifeform and the Doctor now aware of what he had encountered.

"This must be the Neo Lifeform" the rider spoke as he stood protectively in front of the trio.

"An Older Brother! And he's a Neonoid like me!" the Neo Lifeform exclaimed happily in its mind as it scanned his fellow Neonoid. "Doras, go play with Brother ZO".

With that command, Doras' eyes shone bright as it shot towards the green bugman. Sensing the danger, the Rider twisted his body, letting loose a wide swing with his fist at the creature. Both struck at the same moment, the fist striking the brown and silver Neonoid in the chest while simultaneously the creature kicked the locust based Neonoid in the face. Both were sent reeling back from each other's blows, flying across from each other.

"Let's go while the beastmen fight" Tristan spoke as he grabbed Whitley and Eliza, dragging them in the direction of the other escaping civilians.

Almost as if the beast heard him, Doras turned toward the trio and got up to charge at them. He took only a few steps before the green rider leapt in between them once more, kicking the creature in the chest and pushing it back. Crouching down, the Neonoid flickered with light, sending a blast of energy from its shoulder sensors, blasting into the insectoid cyborg and knocking him back with a blistering wound. Aura flickered over the injury, slowly repairing it as the Rider got back to his feet warily.

The Rider's antennae flickered with light, urging him to dodge as Doras fell from the air above him. Rolling to the side, he avoided the bladed arm slashing down from the Neonoid and got back to his feet. The monstrous being then twisted about, slashing the rider across the chest and sending sparks flying from the blow, leaving a trio of bloody gashes across the green armor. Grabbing the rider by the neck, he lifted him up and threw him in the direction of his prey.

Whitley was forced to stop in his path as the Green Neonoid crashed in front of them, bearing several slowly healing slashes and burns on his body.

"Are you okay?" He asked lifting the armored being up.

"Leave me, it is after the Schnee Family so go" the bug man said as Tristan and Eliza helped him up. His antennae flickered again causing him to push the trio behind him and cover them with his body, just in time for several energy blasts to strike around and on him. Explosions burst around them as the Rider cried out in pain. Burned chitin was sent flying as sparks flew off the rider's back, taking the blasts meant to kill the three beneath him. Dropping to his knee, he released his hold on them. "You two, take Whitley to Winter, and warn her that the Schnee Family is being hunted by the Neo Lifeform".

Doras roared out as it lifted its bladed arm, leaping toward his targets with malice in its eyes. The Rider swung around, warned of the danger but remaining to stand in the path between his enemy and its targets. Swinging his hand forth, he stabbed the rider in the chest with his claws, growling out as the rider wrapped his arm around the metal appendage to hold him tight. He tried to pull his arm back, but was surprised to find the Rider's strength was enough to hold him. As such, he instead pushed forth his arm, trying to push the rider along the path to the Schnee child.

The Masked Rider dug his feet into the ground as hard as he could, slowly sliding towards the escaping children as he held tight to the bladed arm inside his body. With a desperate shout, he lifted up one arm, and chopped down with his hand, slicing through the steel and flesh of the arm stuck in his chest. Doras cried out in pain as green ichor bled from its missing limb. The Green Neonoid pulled out the arm with a cry of pain, blood dripping from his injuries as they slowly began to close up. The two glared at one another as their injuries began to heal. The fallen arm disassembled and reformed into a more metallic, thicker appendage onto Doras, while the large holes in the Rider's gut began to close up, the green armored skin slowly growing over the wounds covering his body.

Whitley watched as the two monsterous beings glared at one another, knowing that the green one was at a disadvantage and about to lose. He knew he had to go, and escape the grasp of this creature. Yet, he felt he owed it to the mysterious Masked Rider for trying to keep him safe.

"Tristan", Whitley whispered, "I need you and Eliza to brace my body".

"What are you doing?" he responded, watching as a glyph formed in front of the youngest Schnee child. Eliza simply grabbed ahold of Whitley's shoulder and used the pipe she held to brace herself.

"I needed to test this thing anyways, so why not help the rumored Masked Rider who is trying to save me?" responded Whitley, pulling a small case out of his pocket. Opening it up, he pulled out a small yellow crystal about an inch in length, pulsing violently with energy. As Tristan gripped his shoulder, he shoved the crystal into the glyph, turning it yellow as arcs of lightning surged out from the construct. The two Neonoids had already clashed once more, the brown one having slashed its bladed arm into the shoulder of the green one, knocking him to his knees.

"Hey Rider!" Whitley shouted out, catching both their attention, "Move!".

With that, Whitley shot forth the unstable lightning dust crystal, a blast of electrical recoil sparking against the trio as the crystal shot forth at lightning speeds. The Neo Lifeform made to fly out of the path, only for the Rider to grab onto his legs and pull him into the path of the dust crystal. The moment it struck, a massive bolt of electricity slammed into the two of them, causing them to scream out.

"No!" Whitley yelled as he watched the two beings being surrounded in a sphere of electricity. Lightning drew forth from the nearby electrical and light poles into the sphere surrounding the two, surging the power of electricity into the duo.

Doras roared, feeling the lightning shorting out his body, his arm already falling apart as the bonds reforming it dissipate in the electric sphere. Yet while the lightning was doing much harm to the Neo Lifeform, it was doing the opposite to the Rider. His wounds were healing rapidly as the lightning surged into his red core, converting into fuel for his body and accelerating his regenerative abilities. As the electrical energy ceased, the Rider stood up with new energy, while the Neonoid seemed to be struggling to move.

Lifting up his fist, the Rider appeared to charge it up with energy before slamming it into the Neonoid's chest, sending the creature flying backward into a fallen light pole, spearing it through the chest. Doras reached out with its remaining arm, grasping toward Whitley, only to fall limp on the metal, green blood dripping from its chest. The Rider gasped heavily as he caught his breath, the lightning still surging through his body. As he turned to the trio of teens, several spotlights shone from the sky above as several bullheads flew above.

"Unidentified Beastmen! Surrender yourself to the Atlas Military Immediately!"

Several Atlesian Knights fell from the aircrafts and started moving towards him slowly, weapons aimed at him.

"There might be more coming for you, so be careful!" the Rider spoke as he leapt high into the air. The Atlesian Knights began firing at the rider, missing him as he rushed over to his bike. With a touch, residual energy surged from his hands and the red gem on his gut into the bike, shifting its form into a more insectoid shape as he got on. He quickly began to ride off under the hail of gunfire, the bullheads giving chase as the Masked Rider sped off down the streets of Mantle with the military might of Atlas chasing behind.

~ZO~

Nearly an hour had passed as the Atlas Military cordoned off the combat zone. Several soldiers and atlesian knights were working to pull the body off the light pole and into a van, while others were going around taking statements. Some were photographing the scene, including the now scorched circle in the middle of the street.

"Whitley!" a female voice spoke, catching the attention of the young Schnee as he sat with his friends. Striding across the road was a tall woman in white and grey atlesian military garb, and hair as white as snow tied up in a bun.

"Winter!" Whitley spoke as he stood up in surprise, his sister walking over to him, two atlesian knights behind her.

"Explain why you are down in Mantle and how you ended up caught in between a fight between two beastmen" she ordered, staring down at him. Tristan and Eliza went to stand with him only for Whitley to put a hand out for them to remain sitting.

"I came down to visit Grandfather's orphanage and ensure the caretaker is doing his duty correctly, and that the orphans are being taken care of" he spoke in an orderly fashion. "As for how I ended up being caught up in the fight, that beastman over there had tracked me down and was growling out the Schnee name. He killed the bodyguards serving as my drivers before coming after me. I believe this may have been an attempt to hunt us down. The other being rode in on a motorcycle and saved me from that one over there before fleeing once the military came in".

"I see," she spoke calmly, looking at the brown and silver creature being hauled away before turning back to him. "Come", she said waving him over, "Let's get you home to safety".

"Yes, sister" Whitley responded, waving to the others before following behind his older sister. They continued walking until they reached a bullhead with the Schnee Emblem, both entering as the Atlesian Knights walked in behind them, closing the doors. There was silence for a moment as the aerial vehicle took off.

"Are you ok, Whitley?" Winter asked, showing some concern for her family. She nearly cringed as she caught the hint of surprise on his face, wondering when the last time she had truly spoken to him was.

"It was terrifying seeing that thing come after me like that" he responded, his eyes staring into the floor of the vehicle, "It almost killed me". He then turned to look his sister in the eyes, slight panic overtaking the calm façade he had put on for his friends. "But then, the Masked Rider showed up and started fighting him, trying to save me. He told me to warn you that something called the Neo Lifeform was targeting the Schnee family, and he seemed to speak to me almost as if he knew me".

"I see," she said, leaning in. "I won't ask where you heard about the Masked Rider, as that is a top secret military target, but if this Masked Rider truly believes this creature, and possibly more, are now targeting the Schnee family then this means I need to be more careful and warn Father and the military about a potential threat. I should also tell him that you used experimental dust in public, but I won't this time".

Whitley returned his gaze to the floor, this time with some shame about using one of his untested experiments. While he stewed in his mind, Winter had other thoughts spiraling in her mind with the information she was given, and the knowledge on the supposed Neo Lifeform he was warned of.

"It appears Uncle Victor might be trying to get revenge on Father for his exile, and in his semblance induced madness has targeted us in an attempt to hurt him" she thought to herself. She did not want Whitley to know what she was thinking, as he had been closest to their uncle, and his crazy assistant. While her uncle had been on her mind a lot lately with all his Beastmen wrecking havoc around Remnant, it had been several years since she last thought of Him.

Her uncle's lab assistant had helped her study for her classes at Atlas Academy, and made devices to help her train in her path to becoming a specialist in the army. They were close friends at the time, even watching him and her brother experiment with dust, with often explosive results. The first she had heard of the Neo Lifeform was a message from him, telling her that her uncle was having a breakthrough in his studies and needed his help, apologizing for missing Weiss's Singing Debut alongside another friend of theirs. It was only when he disappeared soon after, and her uncle became lost to his semblance trying to create the Neo Lifeform, that she realized something had gone wrong.

Atlas exiled her uncle as a danger to their society, and their family began to break further. In her grief, she had lost many years of relations with her family, as she pushed herself to achieving the status of Specialist in an attempt to find and stop her uncle in honor of her dear friend. But now? She would have to focus on protecting her family, whom she had kept at arms length for years.

Whitley sat in silence, as the events of the day went through his mind. Despite everything, he almost felt as though the Rider was familiar to him. His voice almost familiar yet without a name in the back of his mind. He wanted to meet him again, and apologize for getting him caught up in that experimental dust explosion. But for now, he had to confront his father about his visit to the orphanage, and the potential dangers that now targeted their family alongside all the other threats.

~ZO~

(Atlas Military Cargo Bullhead)

Four Soldiers and several knights sat within in a large bullhead, watching over the covered remains of the creature as they flew back to an Atlas research facility. The soldiers were chatting as the robots waited in standby mode. A bump of turbulence rocked the ship briefly, shaking them all. Yet unbeknownst to the humans, the body under the sheet began to twitch.

Systems began to reboot within the Neonoid's body, causing it to rise up from the floor of the vehicle. Soldiers panicked as they watched the cyborg corpse rising upward, quickly aiming their weapons at the beast as another struggled to activate the Knights.

Doras scanned his surroundings carefully, noting the soldiers demanding he stand down. His energy reserves were low after being electrocuted by that dust crystal, leaving him unable to chase down and defeat his 'Brother'. However, he had enough energy to take on these soldiers easily.

Gunshots fired within the vehicle as Doras rushed forth, spearing one soldier in the gut, the bullets flattening or ricocheting off his body. The other soldier finally managed to activate the Atlesian Knights, causing them to draw their blades and charge the Neonoid. The Knights slashed at him, only to be absorbed into his body the moment their bladed hands pierced his body. One soldier began to call for backup as the rest continued to shoot at him. Doras tired of their attempt at fighting him and let loose a blast of his shoulder laser, blowing a hole in the bullhead's side and sending them all flying out into the city below.

Blinking his large crimson eyes, he scanned the city of Mantle as the sun began to set. He had a mission to do, but first he had two new targets to modify under orders of his creator. After all, who better to help hunt down the Schnee child than his dear friends? They would be thankful to him for evolving them into superior beings with time. The Neo Lifeform turned to a camera in the corner of the bullhead's bay, almost mockingly as it unleashed a blast of energy from its body, destroying the vehicle completely as it shifted into its sphere form, flying off into the kingdom of ice below.

A/N – I don't remember why I decided to do two authors notes per chapter. Probably as a way to find the start and end of a chapter I guess. Also I have a problem with writing small chapters, and end up making at least 4,000+ word chapters no matter what it is I am writing. It's just an urge I have which annoys me to continue writing onward, and yet I still feel like I am rushing parts of the story even with this length. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter, cause I don't know when I'll start or finish the next one. Anyways, I'm tired so this is Keizer Daozang, (Yes it's a dumb name change), signing out.