Leaving the settlement was the natural way of things. He came and did work, checked up to make sure everything was alright, then he left shortly after. This was how things were supposed to be, and they would continue to be the same. He spent nearly all his lien on supplies and stuffed his bag to the brim before heading out into the wildlands. Out here, there were no rules. Anything went, which is why the more violent side of humanity and faunus shined. Out here was his hunting grounds, and people in the frontier of Vale knew it. Mistral knew it too but never experienced it as much as Vale did. His status varied in different places, sometimes good and sometimes bad. It didn't matter to him.
The faint signal had caught his attention again. Every time he sent a signal to the UNSC, there was a response back from something else. It interested him greatly and he decided it would be beneficial towards himself if he were to investigate it. While he did do the bounties when he stopped in settlements, he started to stay out of them more often to investigate the signal. Vacuo was the furthest away from it as was Mistral, but Vale and Atlas had the strongest points, it was difficult to pinpoint where it was on the two continents. He didn't send too many signals often to avoid someone from Remnant picking up on it, but he did send more than he had in the past. This was interesting and he would dare to admit that it he had thoroughly enjoyed it, even if it was a minuscule amount of the feeling. The areas that usually had the strongest signal were barren of any settlements or military bases. There was also the fact that Grimm populations in that certain area were lower than others.
He felt as if he were coming close to something though. That was part of the satisfaction of investigating this. For the first time in years, he had felt intrigued by something that wasn't bounties nor traveling but something that would truly impress him.
Another problem he was facing, the amount of power he had for his suit was becoming a concerning topic. It was estimated that he had approximately three years left but that was a rough estimate on his part. He needed to get off the planet sooner than later if his armor were to become a burden. Push comes to shove... he destroys the only thing that ties him to the UNSC to keep Remnant from obtaining it. He'd rather destroy it than let them get their hands on it, it belonged to the UNSC as did he and nothing would change that fact. He had two options as of now, find Raven Branwen and have her cough up the slipspace technology or investigate the source of the signal and hope it will assist him in getting off the planet. Both were paths he would take, just in case one were to fail and the other succeed.
Right now though, he still had time. While it was passing by at a moderate rate, he still had time to prepare himself should the need arise. At the moment, he was currently completing his bounty... which was struggling against the binds he had subdued them in. He was in a bar in one of the more vile settlements in Atlas when he found his target being harassed by three cutthroats. The three men attacked him but he quickly eliminated them non-lethally before taking his bounty target. Naturally, the man tried to pay him double the amount of what the bounty was and kept trying to coax him to let him go but Six didn't care. He didn't care what the man had to offer because there wasn't anything that interest him. He didn't care if the man was trying to coax him with lien but what he did care about was that the man was currently drawing Grimm to the area due to his negative emotions. This presented several problems to which Six had to deal with.
It happened once and didn't happen a second time because his target was unconscious the rest of the journey before he stopped at a settlement. Everyone had seen him just carrying the unconscious bounty over his shoulders before stopping off at the guild there, the receptionist just looked at him then at the bounty before nodding and placing something on the desk. It was a stack of lien cards neatly put together. He inspected it before nodding then leaving the building and going to the jail.
"That the sniveling coward?" The jailer asked.
"..." Six just nodded in silence.
"Well alright, put him in the third cell to the right. Man's a dead man anyways, so might as well leave him to the council to decide his fate. By the way, here's the added bonus I mentioned if you brought him in alive." The man said as he reached into his desk and produced a stack of lien. Six nodded then went to the back to the cell, where he threw the bounty on the bed roughly then shut the door on the way out. He went up to the desk and grabbed the lien card stack before placing it in his bag along with the other one then slung the bag over his shoulders again. He was out the door soon after then went to the store to pick up supplies for the next several minutes before he left the settlement shortly after. His business was done here so there was no reason to stay.
Weeks passed by slowly as he walked the region while gathering clues on the mysterious signal before he decided to leave. As he avoided a military patrol when walking near one of the outer settlements, he had picked up that they knew he was in the continent and sent out a search party for him. Killing them seemed to always happen whenever he was in the region but it wasn't like he sought them out, it was more along the lines of defending himself. He didn't actively seek platoons out and the fact that they had the nerve to call him a reckless killer spoke volumes of them. When it was all said and done; when he was the one to be the last one standing, he felt nothing as they lie dead on the ground. Whoever kept issuing these attacks on him was doing nothing but wasting time, resources, and men to even capture him much less kill him.
He left Atlas and headed back to Vale where the second signal was located and began to wander around for the source. He stayed out of the settlements for the most part, only going in when he needed supplies and work to do but for the most part he tried to pinpoint exactly where the signal was located. It was getting closer and closer with each passing day and the anticipation was starting to pay off. He ruled out that it was near the city since it appeared to be its weakest but it was in its strongest out of reach of any sense of civilization. It was in the middle of nowhere for the most part and he felt satisfaction when he discovered it in that regard. The nearest settlement was around three days on land vehicle and about a week and a half on foot so to say that it was far out of any sense of civilization would be an understatement.
Months of searching for this signal that kept contacting him, and him only, was finally within his grasps and the anticipation was practically beckoning him to claim his prize. It was turning into night of his long search before he found something that put him on guard. It was a cave, but something was different about it. Usually there would be Grimm roaming the area and attacking him with reckless abandon but he didn't encounter any for the last several days. The cave was different, it seemed sterile in some places which also sent up a flag for him. While keeping his weapon at the ready, he entered it.
As he traveled in it for the next several minutes, he began to notice that the deeper he went, it seemed to slope downwards and it seemed more metallic. The downward slope of the cave seemed to turn into pure metal after several minutes of walking and it became obvious that it wasn't a normal cave. It didn't take a genius to figure that out, no natural cave was constructed like this and had to be natural. Something had created this. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, even the slope was constructed carefully with precise measure. The deeper and lower he got, the more he noticed that it had patterns running across the wall and floor, even the ceiling. He must have been walking for half an hour before he even came across something that resembled a door, there was no telling how deep he was from the surface.
When he came across the giant door and observed it for the next few minutes, he looked to his right and saw what looked like a panel. As he walked over to the panel, he brushed his hand against the door and stepped back in alarm when it lit up dimly with a soft blue light. It seemed almost calming in a sense but he knew better, looks can be deceiving and one wrong move meant certain death. He stared at the lights with his weapon ready in case of an attack before he cautiously went over to the panel that had also lit up and observed it. There was a somewhat holographic screen that popped up and he observed it for a minute. After observing it, he took his fingers and took the biggest button of light and started to move it in an upside down U motion to the right.
He let go and stepped back the panel seemed to shut off suddenly and he quickly got his weapon ready. When he looked to his left, he saw the door start to open with a hum and he saw it open. Weapon still at the ready, he proceeded to step inside the door and into the dark room carefully. When he was a good distance inside the interior, the door suddenly shut and threw him into darkness. It was silent for a few seconds before the lights of the interior of the construct suddenly began to glow dimly. This proceeded for the next few minutes as he just aimed his weapon at the slightest movement. A few minutes went by and the whole complex was illuminated. He recognized this type of architecture, it was Forerunner.
While he may not have had an extensive knowledge of Forerunners and their structures, he did know about them. Part of his enjoyment in his downtime was learning about topics like these, even if he wasn't meant to know, he always found a way to learn more about them. Nobody knew that he knew a little bit about them because he never said anything nor was he caught. Although, that still didn't explain how he was able to interact with the technology, he knew about the structures and some of the history through the scientists in the UNSC but it didn't explain how he was able to interact with it. This was the end of his investigation though, and to say that the satisfaction was justified was slightly an understatement. This proved to be extremely beneficial in his eyes. Maybe there could be a way he could boost his signal to reach the UNSC and come retrieve him.
This raised several questions with him that he sought answers to. How was Forerunner technology here? Would this be the reason as to why there weren't any Grimm nor traces of civilization in this area? How long had it been here? Why hasn't anyone discovered this yet? These questions started to rack his mind and it made him shake his head at the sudden trail of questions that started to pile up. Now was not the time since exploring the Forerunner structure was. With any luck, he could find something that resembled a communication device. If he did, then sending a message to the UNSC would complete his goal. He could finally leave this planet and get back into the fight. If the UNSC would be willing enough, something could be established with the government of this planet. Though... he doubted that anything peaceful would occur. While the outer settlements might take a liking to the UNSC, he doubted that the cities would, especially Atlas. They were too prideful for his taste, all it took was one situation to see how fragile they really were.
Remnant for all it's "glory" was rather far back on everything. They haven't even managed to send a satellite into orbit. Earth had managed to complete that within the mid twentieth century. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if Remnant had decided to try and pick a fight with the UNSC. While it was something he never would want to happen, he did wonder what the outcome would be. The UNSC, despite all of its questionable deeds, truly did wish for the survival of humanity; so he doubted they would go to war with a planet that hasn't even broke orbit.
Shaking his head at these thoughts, he proceeded to explore deeper into the facility. Soon, he came across what looked like a large opening in the ground. He looked down and saw that there was nothing but a dim blue light covered by fog. It looked rather deep and one fall could kill any person. Stepping back and observing his surroundings, he saw a panel seemingly construct as he walked along the edge. It was the same design at the door and he interacted with it. Soon after he did that, it deconstructed into the floor and a blue hard light bridge appeared.
"..." He stared at it for a few seconds before taking a couple of cautious steps on it before walking across it. His eyes never stopped darting around at anything that moved. This whole situation seemed rather... odd in a sense. Something called him here and he intended to find out what it was. While he already deduced that it was forerunner, that didn't mean something else couldn't have sent the signal from within the complex. The more he explored, the more he noticed that things started to open up to him without him having to do anything. Something wanted him to find this location out. He just didn't know what. That frustrated him slightly. He was so close to something yet it was so far.
He'd find out what sent the signal and get off planet.
Six kept his eyes on the swivel as he sat down and ate in silence. He was in unknown territory but he needed to eat, it had been almost a day since he's eaten and he'd rather have energy in case he needed to fight. Despite him being smart, he didn't know too much about this complex. He had been here for hours and barely found anything that led him to clues. There wasn't any biological organisms here, it was like the place had been sterilized. In some parts that he explored, there were containment chambers but they were barren. Some areas he couldn't access since they were sealed off and no matter how much he tried to interact with it, it wouldn't budge. The place screamed the unknown and that would've bothered most, but to him it was comforting. He accepted the unknown sometimes. That wasn't to say that he trusted it, nor would put his guard down.
He sighed as he finished his food then stood up while putting his helmet on. The familiar sight of his systems booting up was like a welcome home for him. He felt as if eyes were on him and he quickly equipped his DMR and turned around. There wasn't anything around him but he still felt like he was being watched. It was unnerving. Keeping his weapon out, he packed up his things and roamed around the complex some more before deciding it was time to leave. He estimated that he had been here for the last twenty hours in total. Most of that time he explored, the complex. An hour was spent sitting down and resting before continuing his search.
As he went to the center of the complex, there was a large ramp that led to an arch. While leaving and gathering more supplies seemed beneficial, exploring something that somewhat resembled a communications device seemed more beneficial in his eyes. He would come here again, that much was guaranteed but it wouldn't hurt to investigate this object. It wasn't there when he entered the center so it meant that whatever was contacting him was making its appearance. As he climbed to the top of the ramp and walked along the pathway, he saw two small constructs appear. They were shoulder length apart and two glowing orbs seemed to materialize as he drew closer. He walked along the small, metallic pathway until he reached the small pillar-like constructs.
Observing it for a minute, he cautiously placed his hands onto them. Nothing happened for a minute and all was silent, with the exception of the dull humming of the strange complex, before a sensation met his body. He ripped his hands off the constructs when a jolt of pain flooded his system, taking down his shields and knocking him back. The force threw him away and made him skid against the pathway, reaching the edge of the large ramp before stopping. As quick as the pain entered, it left and he quickly stood up. He looked down at his hands and curled his fists a few times, doing this process until the numb feeling in his hands left. The audible flexing of his hands met his ears and he breathed in relief when the pain was gone. His TACPAD was suddenly sent a signal and he responded back. A noise ahead of him made him look to see something slowly start to rise up from the abyss below.
His weapon was aimed at the spherical, floating object that seemed to stare at him. A cold, steely gaze adorned his face as he stared at the purple light of the construct. The air went tense and he was prepared for its first attack when it spoke.
"Oh my." It said. The voice was clearly female and it had a slightly chippy undertone to it. It started to hover around him, ignoring as he kept it in his eyesight and equipped his shotgun. It scanned him harmlessly but he still tensed. Perhaps it was training, or instinct.
"Who are you?" He asked, keeping his weapon aimed.
Greetings! I am 046 Auspicious Spark. Monitor of the the Remnant instillation!" She greeted cheerfully.
"... A monitor?" He tilted his head.
"Yes. I am the monitor of this current instillation, tasked with overseeing its progress throughout time and researching the current wildlife." She answered. Questions racked his mind as he stared at the female construct. He lowered his weapon slightly as he stared it-no her. He was confused, and that irritated him. His irritation made him sigh in annoyance before he pushed away the feeling and continued to stare at the monitor. While he wasn't well versed like some of the other Spartans or scientists that were exposed more to this topic, he did understand a little bit. From what he gathered, this was pretty much the overseer of the planet, meaning that she might have what he needed. If that was the case then it meant he could finally get off the planet. While he wouldn't say he enjoyed being stuck on this planet for twelve years, he also wouldn't say that it wasn't a awful experience.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the monitor float uncomfortably in the air. She had been staring him for several minutes while he did the same.
"Ahem." She cleared her metaphorical throat. He snapped up to her as soon as she made the noise and asked her a question before she could even say something.
"A communications panel. Do you have one?" He asked.
"What for?" She asked back.
"... I need to send a signal." He answered curtly. While he didn't want to tell the artificial intelligence in front of him, he had no choice. She was his closest chance to sending a signal strong enough to any UNSC vessel out there. If there was a chance that she would let him use it, then there was a chance that he could finally get off this rock.
"It seems you have been the one who has been responding to the signal I have been sending. Oh, this is most wonderful!" She bounced around quickly.
"Why?" He asked.
"Well, I have been waiting for a Reclaimer for so long! None of the inhabitants of this planet seemingly fit the genetic coding. Each one that has managed to stumble across this facility, none of them have actually managed to access this location." She answered. Why did she call him a Reclaimer? He wasn't one. Those questions could wait later when he stopped by.
"Why haven't they?" He asked. He wanted to know more.
"As I have stated before, none of them have the correct genetic coding of the Forerunners. Only the Forerunners themselves and Reclaimers are able to access to this facility." She answered. This just brought up more questions to be honest, but he did understand that no one on Remnant could access this place. To most, this area was considered a dead zone.
"You stated that you're here to observe and research the wildlife, yet you do not go out. How are you documenting this information?" He asked.
"I have several ways to gather information of this instillation. Although, I am restricted in what I am able to do. My protocols state that I am allowed to do nothing but observe and research with this instillation. I may not interfere with the inhabitants nor dictate their actions, but I am able to observe them by any means necessary." She stated. He thought about this for a while. She stated that it was against protocol to interfere with Remnant's inhabitants, yet it was okay for her to observe them by any means necessary. Did this mean she was able to kidnap people and use them for research? Although, that would contradict what she stated earlier, she stated wildlife. That meant anything within the animal kingdom and possibly the Grimm.
"Grimm, you are here to study Grimm?" He asked.
"For the most part, yes. They were created to act as cannon fodder against the Flood parasite. Though, the ones that made these organisms seem to forget that the parasite uses biological material, assimilating it into a greater mind." She said.
"Flood?" He asked. He's never heard of that term.
"Yes. The Flood is a parasitic life form that reproduces quickly and consumes any organic material. One Flood spore is enough to wipe out an entire species. They infect other sentient species and hijack their bodies and nervous systems to create more. It is a rather horrifying process, assimilating all the intelligence and biomass into one being. The Flood are virtually unstoppable in some cases." She explained. He went quiet for a while. That... truly was a problematic situation. An organism capable of merging thousands of species together to create a supreme intelligence. That begged the question, was there any here?
"This is a research facility, correct?" He asked.
"As I have stated before, yes." She bobbed herself up and down.
"Then are there any samples here? Any semblance of Flood that can infect this instillation?" He asked. If there was then Remnant was at risk if a containment breach were to occur.
"There is not. The one who created the Grimm and the other left shortly after a containment breach happened. I was forced to cleanse this instillation thoroughly when I had begun to realize that the infection was spreading fast. Luckily, I managed to contain it within the first few days. I had managed to collect all the data I could regarding these creatures and their exposure to the Flood." She said. He did manage to catch the slight malice in her undertone when she spoke of the one who created the Grimm.
"The one who created the Grimm and the other. Who were they?" He asked.
"A hundred and two thousand years ago, this instillation was created. It's original purpose was to research the Flood and in hopes of creating an immunity to the infection. A thousand years later, two beings claimed to be gods took residence here. The Forerunners observed these beings to see if they were of Precursor lineage." She started to explain.
"Were they?" He asked. He was curious about this but it would also serve well for the USNC to know. In truth, he was gathering information for them to use in the future.
"Not necessarily. They were of some lower form of Precursor. Not on the scale of creating a universe but they were capable of creating life. We respected them and worshiped them greatly, they had managed to create life on this planet. Over time, we realized that they were nothing but children fighting over the rights to a planet they had no control over. They started to disregard the rules and protocols that were set in place here. Claiming that this world was theirs and they had every right to do whatever they pleased. Soon after, a conflict broke out between the Forerunners and these brother "Gods" had started to destroy the instillation they saw as their playground. A century of conflict between the two had come to an end. The Forerunners had decided that they would leave the world to these two, on the agreement that they had to remain here for the rest of their life cycle. Should they leave, then they were to be destroyed with the device placed in their cores. Although they were nearly invincible, there were ways to counter them." She explained. There were several tones of malice in her voice but he ignored it.
"They left." He assumed calmly. It was expected since he rarely saw any religion that correlated to these two. Although he was completely skeptical about the whole story, it wasn't completely out of proportion. Still, he refused to believe this so easily.
"They did. They went back on the agreement between the two sides and left they planet they decided to inhabit. The Forerunners had explicitly stated that should they leave the instillation, their cores would be destroyed. I was tasked with monitoring these two and denying them access to the facility due to past events. Once I had detected that they were breaking their end of the agreement and leaving the planet, I was given full authority to eliminate them. There is also the fact that they had caused a containment breach." She said.
"There is something else." He said. She gave a pleasant beep when he realized this. Although he may have not known what that other thing was, he did assume there was one.
"They had managed to wipe out all life with the exception of one. I observed this individual for some time and came to the conclusion that they had granted her prolonged life. While she is able to be eliminated, she keeps coming back. There is also the fact that before I was able to eliminate them, they had managed to bring someone else back. I assume it was to counter this woman." She said.
"..." He stayed silent and that prompted her to continue.
"While she is extremely difficult to eliminate, it isn't impossible to kill her. The one that keeps bouncing his life energy around, he is the one who is supposed to counter her. I have observed his actions for some time. Although he has good intentions, he is dragging this conflict out too long." She said.
"... This woman, do you have a location or a name?" He asked.
"I have a vague location but no name. Much of my privileges were tampered with due to the two imbeciles and the Forerunners. I may have control over this instillation, but some areas I am unable to access due to these restrictions. It is stated that only a Reclaimer is able to get these systems in my control again. From then on, I am able to have complete control over the entire instillation as I had before." She stated.
"That seems counterproductive. Not to mention illogical in the highest regard." He commented.
"It is. In many regards it is counterproductive but I cannot do anything about it." She agreed. It was quiet for a while and he just sighed under his breath. This was a lot to take in, but he managed to soak as much in as he could. He would come back here in the future, but he needed to send the signal and get back out there. If he could get this instillation under the monitor's control, then it would prove to be more beneficial in his eyes. There was also the topic of the woman, the monitor stated that there was a woman that was hard to kill, but she never said what kind of threat she was.
"What kind of threat is this woman?" He asked.
"It is theorized that she wants to eliminate all life on this instillation. After that, presumably take complete control over the instillation." The monitor answered.
"Have you tried to stop her in the past?" He asked. If the monitor of this instillation hasn't tried to stop her in the past, then that would be counterproductive.
"No, that would go against my protocols. The Forerunners had placed safety measures on me. If I disobey too many protocols then I would be destroyed. This in line, kept me in check. I have disobeyed one already, and I will only disobey that one. To make matters worse, it did not bring me any satisfaction in doing so. I am only here to observe and research." She said. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she wasn't one to break protocols. That one time was the only exception but other than that, she didn't.
"..." He didn't say anything, didn't need to. While it didn't make much sense, he didn't really understand how Forerunners were when it came to protocols. The UNSC and them were different, hundreds of thousands of years different. He brushed those thoughts aside. They could be answered later, but now he had to see if he could get his signal out.
"You have asked about sending a signal, yes?" She asked while getting closer. He backed up, his hands tensing on his weapon some more. It seemed she saw this and backed away, seeing him relax slightly when she was far enough away. Her knowledge of this instillation was practically limitless but beyond that wasn't. There were several things she didn't know about this instillation due to restrictions.
"Yes. Do you have something that is able to boost my signal beyond the atmosphere?" He asked. Hope seemed to bleed into his voice a bit, threatening to break his normal calm tone.
"There is. Although it may be weak, it is capable of breaking the atmosphere." She nodded her spherical body.
"Show me." He practically ordered. If anyone else would've heard him say that, they would've heard a cold tone. Those that knew him just heard his calm one that he always had. He watched as the monitor nod a bit before floating past him, turning around every so often to make sure he was still following. They walked around for several minutes and he was eventually at a door that was locked earlier. A beam came from her and he watched as the door opened up. The two of them traveled through a long hallway for some time before he eventually came across something.
In the center of the room was a large spiral of energy. Three beams in a triangular fashion pointed towards the spiral and would rotate every so often. To anyone else, it would've fixated them for hours, but to him it was interesting. Discovering unknown objects and complexes were always a pleasurable thing to him. That could wait for later though, he had something that needed to be done. He came across another gap and waited for her to create a light bridge before walking across it. There was another panel that required him to place both his hands on. Like before, he observed it then placed his hands on the panel.
After steeling himself for a bit, he sent his first mildly strong signal. One that was encrypted, only meant for the UNSC to receive. He didn't know why, but it felt satisfying beyond all recognition to finally be able to send something like this.
He might actually be able to go home.
After talking more with the Monitor, he realized that there was an easier way to access the main facility. He didn't have to walk across the entire continent on foot to reach the facility. There were several smaller ones that he could activate. Each one he went to, it would give her more power over the instillation and boost his signal. While it sounded good, he had to constantly question her. If she were to have complete control over the instillation, what would happen to its inhabitants. Each and every time, she had to reassure him that she would do nothing to them. The most she was allowed to do was eliminate any trespassers that tried to access the facilities, and observe the progress of the instillation. She was not allowed to interfere with the natural order of things.
He didn't trust her, but he had no choice. The Forerunner facilities were the best chance he had to getting off the instillation and reporting to the UNSC. There was also the fact that he had to deal with this woman that was threatening humanity. This kept him occupied. He had three goals; get each facility up and running, deal with this woman, and get off the instillation. There were things he could accomplish in the meantime but those were his missions, ones that he would complete. It was guaranteed. The walk back to the settlements would be a long journey but he'd manage. It's been several months since he's actually had a conversation with anyone. So his first stop would be at the guild to see the status of it, doing work, then continuing towards the facility that was closest to it.
Getting to the facilities was a journey on its own; but once he got them all up and running, he could just go to each one if he was currently at one. He estimated that on foot, a walk to a facility would be around three weeks to a month. That was okay, part of the enjoyment was walking there if he was alone. Another thing he asked her, if he could assist him in creating a new core for his suit. She stated that she could, but wanted him to at least get a facility up and running first. He does a task for her, she rewards him for his efforts. As much as he didn't want to do it and force her to make him a new one, he couldn't. She was his best chance at getting off and blowing this opportunity would be foolish. He pushed the irritation down like always and sighed as he continued to walk.
The facilities ranged in several fields. Research, communications, etc. The more he accomplished, the more he resources that were at his disposal. That meant he didn't need to live bounty to bounty for his supplies. Ultimately, he would remain outside the facilities to keep them a secret, only going there when a signal was responding from the sky. He liked to travel, but it also meant he could continue doing what he did, ensure humanity's survival here. To him, this was an unsteady alliance because he had no idea of the Monitor's intentions once she reached full power, but it was something he would deal with in time. While he doubted that she would suddenly turn against the inhabitants of this instillation, it was always better safe then sorry.
The days slipped by like always. The air began to get cooler, leaves started to fall off the trees, rain started to turn into freezing rain then snow, and resources were harder to find. When the snow finally fell onto him, he always had to dig deep down into it to find an herb he was looking for, or had to travel to another continent. Some areas were warmer than others and had the necessary herbs but he mostly stayed in the colder parts. It was harder to find him there, mostly since everyone had clothing on themselves to protect them from the frigid air. Snow crunched under him as he continued to walk on, ignoring the wildlife that went about their business. For the most part, they left him alone, as did he. There was no reason to mess with the natural order of things.
More days and nights went by before he was near the settlement he always enjoyed. He estimated he was around a ten miles away from it before he came across something. There was a tiny figure digging into the snow, her little hands red with irritation and were freezing from the cold air. He looked ahead and saw a wagon that had snow covering it. He guessed that snow had covered it and the people in it. As he stepped closer, he started to see a rather familiar set of blue hair. He didn't need to see her face to know it was Myne. She shouldn't be out here. Why was she out here?
She suddenly perked up when she heard someone behind her and tensed up, falling on her rear when he was suddenly behind her. A frightened yelp erupted from her mouth and she curled into herself suddenly. He saw what she was doing, digging in the snow to get the people out from underneath it. There were multiple hands sticking out and he said nothing for a few seconds. During those seconds, she peeked from her arms and saw a familiar cloak. That silent air that always seemed to unnerve people was like a saving grace to her.
"Six!" She cried out. There were streaks from the corners of her eyes, presumably from tears. She clutched his cloak tightly and looked up at him, barely seeing his black visor from underneath the hood. He didn't say anything as she started to sob into him. All he did was reach down and grab the closest hand, lifting the person out of the snow effortlessly with one hand. She watched as he grabbed her mother then walked near the wagon, kicking it roughly to knock any snow off, then set her down gently. She rushed to her mother's side while he did the same with her father and sister. He brought out some fire Dust then began to sprinkle minuscule amounts near them, raising their body temperatures. After that was done, he took off his cloak and covered the family, shielding them from the cold. His bag was set down next to them.
He went to the front of the wagon and grabbed the handles, pulling it after making sure Myne was on there. Once she was under the cloak, he began to pull.
"What are you all doing out here?" He asked calmly.
"We were collecting fruit. There's a fruit out here that grows only in the winter." She answered, shivering slightly. He turned his head a bit and watched as his cloak seemed to provide the necessary amount of warmth, soon after she stopped shivering.
"... What is special about this fruit?" He asked. He wanted to know why the family would risk their lives for something as trivial as a fruit.
"It's usually used to help one's sickness. Some people call it a wonder fruit. Mama and papa usually go out and get me some. They said I was finally strong enough to go out with them. They showed me how to pick it and extract the materials." She answered. When she started to slowly creep out of the cloak, he ordered her to remain there.
"..." He didn't say anything and just continued forward. She started to talk to him, just talking about how much stronger she's gotten. While it was common for her to get sick sometimes, she wasn't as frail as she was before. He noticed that she talked about how everyone missed him, that he was like people's sunshine. There were moments where he would stop when she said something, only to continue shortly after. She then talked about how her dad went on to become a guild member and had earned a little bit more income. He was always at the gate, but he was also working at the guild. In a way, he was imitating Six at times.
"Myne, have you been taking your medicine?" He asked after some time.
"Hmm? Yeah, mama said that I am to drink tea at least once or twice a day. She said that she learned some recipes that could help me." She answered.
"Are you ill now?" He asked.
"No. I just got done being sick last Wednesday." She said.
"... Once we get back to the settlement, I will tend to your parents and sister." He said.
"... Thank you..." She whispered.
"..." He didn't say anything after that. All he did was drag the wagon across the snowy ground. She talked some more. There were times where he had to scold her into staying underneath his cloak, but it wasn't cold. His voice never changed from its normal calm one. Half an hour passed by and he eventually came across the gate. He was stopped, this was to be expected since no one had seen him without his cloak before, with the exception of the family. All it took was for him to speak for them to realize who he was. Needless to say, they were shocked. They really didn't expect Six to look like a machine made for war. Which ironically, he was.
His first time being in the settlement drew countless eyes. This was to be expected and he ignored this, he'd deal with the whispers later but right now he needed to get the family situated. He stopped by the clinic but saw they were closed, which he expected somewhat. All he did was walk to the poorer side of town and he eventually came across their house. Myne hopped off the wagon and scampered up to the door, bringing out a key from a floorboard then unlocking the door. He wrapped the three other family members tightly into his cloak then carried them inside after unlocking the door.
Myne showed him the parents' room and opened the door while he just carried them inside, twisting body so they didn't hit their heads on the side of the door. He placed them on their bed and changed them out of their wet clothes. It took several minutes but he did it and set medicine near the table, writing a note for when they wake up. After getting them situated, he went to the fire place and placed a few logs in, starting a fire shortly after. He noticed Myne peek from around the corner and sighed, gesturing for her to come closer. She shuffled closer to him and thanked him by hugging his armored leg. Like always, he tensed up tightly. He still wasn't used to affection and he would never be. The most he did was awkwardly rub her head, kneeling down to her level.
"I will retrieve the fruit and bring them inside. You will stay here and increase your body temperature." He said. She nodded and sat in front of the fire, rubbing her arms a bit then placing her hands out. In other words, he was telling her to stay put and get warm. Once he made sure she wouldn't move, he went outside and walked to the wagon. He gathered the fruit and brought them inside, putting them in the bowl on the table and going to the parents' room. They were still unconscious so he checked on their vitals before taking his cloak and slinging it over his body. He walked out of the house soon after, letting his thoughts run.
There were eyes on him, but he didn't care. He was too drawn into his thoughts. This woman that presented a threat was a problem, if destroying all life on the planet was her goal, then she was a threat to humanity. If he wasted too many resources killing her over and over again, then it would present several problems. The monitor did state that this was a research instillation. So that meant there were cells which he could seal her off until they found out a way to eliminate her. He would come up with a better solution as time passed. Right now though, he needed to do some bounties then head to his next destination. Underneath Mount Glenn was a facility that was shut down. While he would claim that it was preposterous, only he could activate it and turn it back on.
"How troublesome..." He muttered under his breath. People seemed to revert back to their usual viewpoint on him, seeing him as someone valuable. It must have just been a rather odd sight to see a 6'9 armored man walk around town at first glance. He continued to be caught up in his thoughts for a while, until he reached the guild. He noticed that his friend wasn't there today, which struck with an odd feeling. The assistant seemed to notice this when he began to look around.
"She's sick today. Basically had to force her to go home." She said.
"..." He nodded. While it was unfortunate, it was also understandable. She was ill and was required to rest in order to be at her full functionality. She talked with him, but noticed that he seemed rather... distant. It was like he wasn't all there. She understood why though, he wasn't as close to her and it seemed like he was with that for everyone. In some ways, she felt that he was just like that. It was like this mentality was branded into his mind, but that never bothered her. From what she observed of him, he was quiet and was always on the move. Whenever she went on vacation to the other settlements, she always heard how he would drop in at times and does what he's doing now, just completing bounties.
He picked up three bounties, as trivial as they were, he still did them. It took a few minutes but she managed to get him cleared for them, watching as he put them in his bag then left. The other members of the guild nodded as he walked out. When he stepped out of the building and started to walk down the road, he saw something in his motion tracker. It was quick but careful at the same time.
"S-Six? Is that you?" A voice asked carefully. He didn't say anything, all he did was turn his body around. There was a familiar set of orange hair, along with a set of black one with a single pink streak. He ignored the two other individuals around them. Only focusing on the two that he had to leave twelve years ago. They were older, much older but it seemed they had grown so much since he's left them. The two stared at him while he did the same as the wind blew behind him. His cloak danced around in the wind and flowed gently.
How could a wolf ever forget the pups he's taught to survive?
So, yes. Another chapter. I am back to give you all another chapter. Before I get into reviews, yes I look at all of them and answer them, it's part of the job as an author in my opinion. I deeply apologize if this chapter seems like an information dump or contradicts some things. At the very least, I tried to give some history to Remnant in general and between the Forerunners and brother gods. Before you all scream, "This is horseshit, how the hell can the brother gods be eliminated?" and this doesn't make sense. I'm not very familiar with Precursors and the Forerunner lore. It's never been my strong suit but it's something I'd like to experiment with. So if I make any mistakes, then I'm sorry, never said I was an absolute expert. I, once again, deeply apologize if this chapter is not as good as the others. For the most part, I wanted to go a route that I was comfortable with writing. I'll say it once and I'll say it again, I'm not the best author. Anyways, onto reviews.
Victor John Foxfire: That's what a lot of people are saying. It was completely unintentional but it just sort of drifted towards that approach. Not saying it's a bad thing, but that's just the direction it shifted to.
Malgrath: It has some potential. Thanks for reviewing.
Sm0keyPanda: I try to keep his character in line. Still the same B312 that we all know and love.
matthew116: The first option. I was going to originally go all three but that would've just been too many factors for me to handle decently. I'm not saying I couldn't do it, but it'd be a mess for me and I was afraid I'd fuck it up.
spartan-140: Right now, it's before the Search and Destroy chapter. As for the question regarding Yang and Ruby, I'll figure it out when I start writing.
Josephi: He would've if she said the wrong thing.
KnowingEzmend: You're fine, I usually confuse people sometimes. As for the company or reference, I'll think about it.
VGBlackwing: An interesting concept that is.
Janne Rolfe Jalandoni: It's like the latter but different.
Guest: Hoorah indeed.
daggercloak000: Indeed she is.
omega risen: I hope to keep your attention.
KneegarFakeget: He's still under the illusion that Six's like some people. Thanks for reviewing.
darkromdemon: Yeah, Rooster Teeth has slowly started to lose my interest over the years. I mean, I used to be enthralled by RWBY when it first came out, but now... it's more indifference than anything. The show just became so bland to me over the years. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either. The only reason I decided to do these stories is because it's a personal enjoyment of mine and I enjoy reading what people come up with.
UndeadLord22: He is. Six is practically his own faction and only answers to the UNSC. It's just how he is. Also yes, Summer is alive.
Dead344156: Thank you.
Lord Demolitions: Indeed, they'll be in the story so don't worry.
Guest: It's kind of a mixed baggage with him. I don't particularly get into that topic because last time I got into that, I was basically ostracized by like thirty people. All I did was state my opinion as civil as possible, then people basically starting to harass me for having a different opinion than them.
Czechus: I didn't realize it but that's what people enjoy. For the most part, I just wanted to diverge from the regular story, give Six his own as opposed to him being around people constantly. Also, I'm starting to get into future arcs now and want to expand upon them. Thanks for reviewing.
M3KHAN3: I'll try to keep it a breath of fresh air for you, cheers mate.
Gundam-Knight-Chris: Yeah, I personally don't mind if people review multiple times. I just don't like it when they decided to review several times back to back to back. Like, just save it for a later time.
R1VN: Thank you, here's some more decent reading.
SortaCats: I tried to give him a little backstory.
Double2cat: Force of habit in all honesty. I have a bad habit where I constantly beat myself up whenever I post a new chapter. Don't know why, but when I first post it, several negative thoughts constantly cloud my mind for a few hours before they fade away. Don't know, stuff like this is always weird but don't worry about me. My job is to give you all something decent to read. Don't worry about the long review, sometimes they're welcome.
PhoenixGuy: Thank you, I'll try to keep up the current quality.
DignifiedDarling: Yeah, I by the time RWBY ends, I probably won't even care about it anymore. In my honest opinion, it's starting to lose my interest over time. Last volume I watched as soon as the chapter was released publicly but this chapter I haven't even seen one episode.
InfernoKnightmare: Those are interesting names, I'll take them into consideration.
DannyPhantom619: Thank you.
singpu: Hope this chapter was at least somewhat satisfactory for you.
scottusa1: Thanks for the review, laters.
Ozilla: I might in the future, I don't know how I'll do it but I think I could.
alertpoet91: Here you go.
The3rdOverlord: Here's another chapter.
sacke110: I mean, if her role didn't increase in the story then I'd keep her as Guild Girl but I do want to flesh out her character, which is why I'm naming her. About the reviews, I don't mind when people review, it's just when they review like seven in a row in the span of like five minutes. I don't really care if they review multiple times. I hope that clears things up.
Quququq22: Thanks. He does understand aura and semblance, it's one of the factors he always takes into consideration when dealing with people. He just doesn't care about if he has one or not. Six doesn't like people touching him, it's shown when he always tenses up. He isn't used to people other than other Spartans showing him affectionate physical contact, and even then he's uncomfortable.
Sciny: As the story progressed, I figured that he'd remain as he is. I didn't want him joining Beacon like every other story. He may run into the cast from time to time but Six ultimately remains alone and is strictly loyal to the UNSC.
Name In Progress: Holy shit, I enjoyed that little section about Six being the wolf and Summer being the mother bear. Don't know why but that was really satisfying to read. As far as meeting them in Forever Fall Forest, I don't think so. Also, I do like those two names so I'll take them into consideration.
JEKYLL HIDE: That was satisfying to read, to be honest.
Hyjaxx: Affirmative.
Marco Geddes: Here's another decent one.
Destoyer78901: Here it is.
Reader: It didn't bother me, so don't worry about it. I mean, there are some spelling errors but I'm trying to make sure that there aren't any. Some people pointed that out and I appreciate that they did.
Guest: He won't.
Guest: I... I actually never thought of that. I'll take it into consideration like the other names.
Blaze1992: I can too.
Minxiboo: I'm glad you enjoy it, trying not to add too much to where it's cringe but just enough to where it's vanilla. As for posting, I usually post whenever to be honest. Whenever I create a new story, it's usually at the end of a term so I don't neglect my studies. Updating is just whenever I get the chance.
Guest: If this chapter doesn't satisfy you then you're welcome to leave. I'm taking the story at my own pace, and I'm not gonna rush it. Rushing stories leaves a bad taste in my mouth so I apologize if it's too slow for you. I'm not here to impress everyone.
That's all for reviews. To be honest, I was hesitant about uploading this chapter. It feels like I fucked some things up and contradicted a lot of things. I mean, if it means that I have to improve upon it in later chapters, then I'll do it but I really feel like I fucked my story over. I don't know, basically what I'm trying to say is I feel like the quality is going downhill. Shit's starting to head downhill for me now, but here I am, posting chapters. Anyways, that basically sums up this chapter, I'll catch you guys in the next one. Thanks for sticking with me.