Current Energy: 13
Current Training: Right Hand of Destruction 9/10 - Complete!
Saturday, March 5th, 2011
Outer Mistral, Remnant
"I- I was going to ask if you're bandits but you don't seem super… murdery. The boy currently nervously sandwiched between your Master and Mem speaks up shyly drawing his arms in towards himself in what you would guess is an attempt to appear smaller.
"We are not, no." Mem agrees easily, confirming the boy's point for him.
"Unless evil clones count." Taylor notes absently as she wistfully steps back from the Oscar, obviously grasping that he is uncomfortable, and unlike when you were merely imitating him, that he is effectively a complete stranger to her.
Even if he was a stranger she presently favoured greatly.
"Huh?" Oscar blurts in confusion. You don't think he has processed enough of what your Master has said to really understand that she just implied she was a murderer. You suspect the sheer absurdity of the statement has simply blindsided him.
"Hey don't worry about that. She says crazy shit like that all the time. I'm Trainwreck, that's… Coldcock, she's Nexus and these are the brat pack. Sorry about the home invasion." Trainwreck winningly steps in, somehow managing to have more social acumen than your Master.
"Hey! Why don't we get our own introductions!" Aisha immediately chooses to complain instead of allowing Oscar to get a word in edgewise.
"He couldn't think of an insulting but not too insulting way to describe us." Dinah opines in a matter of fact tone that has Aisha, Mem, and Mun nodding along with the simple explanation.
"You know calling me out on it doesn't make me feel bad right?" Trainwreck says blandly before gesturing at a still somewhat confused and panicked Oscar with his eyebrows in a way that isn't visible to the boy in question.
"Right. Home Invasion. So…" Aisha trails off, eyeing your Master and obviously expecting her to get back on with things - or possibly explain what the goal in being here in the first place is.
Taylor, for her part, has taken to staring at Oscar pensively, as though she is not quite sure what to say now that her tender reunion is over.
'I don't know what to say.' Your Master explains to you with a touch of panic in her mental tone. You… consider that for a moment. You were going to say 'the truth' without thinking about it much, but even setting aside the difficulty of explaining the concept of a multiverse to what amounts to a peasant child, there is obviously something else that is much more unbelievable than that in your explanation.
Namely the fact that you obviously emulated a version of the boy from the future. Or… more accurately, a version of this reality that was further along than the one you are presently in - making it distinctly likely that this Oscar isn't even the one you scanned to emulate.
This is obviously something your Master has realized already, because she clearly doesn't want to explain… well any of that.
'...what are our goals here?' You reason out, while simultaneously motioning with your hands for everyone to give you a second when the sudden silence in the barn stretches into the uncomfortable. Given that you are one half of the duo that makes up 'Nexus', and therefore one of the most powerful people in the world makes deferring to you easy for most people, even if they don't know you personally. Oscar, however, lacks this context, and so mostly just makes feeble gestures of confusion while asking whispered questions of Mem when everyone else pauses to watch you and Taylor silently converse.
'Stopping Salem.' Taylor responds to you instantly. All else aside, it is clear to you that she hasn't for a single moment forgotten exactly what she hopes to achieve here, if not today, then eventually.
'But we don't need Oscar for that. In fact, if you succeed, Oscar might not ever have to get involved.' You point out, not because you actively don't want to help Oscar, but simply because it needs to be said.
'I'm not going to just abandon him! He thought we were Bandits when he saw us like that's a real possibility for him!' Taylor counters instantly.
'I know, I was just saying. So if the main goal is to stop this Salem - then helping Oscar where possible is merely a secondary objective. Let's try and figure out what to do next before we try to explain too much to him.' You continue, providing a decent reason for putting off that awkward conversation. Your Master purses her lips but nods slightly when you are done, then speaks aloud.
"We're Hunters. We- we just got lost and ended up here by mistake." Taylor offers by way of explanation, handily demonstrating the fact that she is more than passingly familiar with local culture as a result of Ozma being permanently attached to her, and more specifically, as a result of months spent subjectively pretending to be Ozpin himself during your simulations.
"How-" Oscar pauses to glance at Mem, who unlike Taylor hasn't demonstrated an interest in his physical comfort whatsoever and is therefore still hugging him, before continuing. "How did you get lost and end up in a barn?" he finally spits out.
"I have a… semblance? Do you know what that is?" Taylor explains carefully, waiting for Oscar to nod in acknowledgement before continuing. "I have a semblance that lets me teleport to places."
It is perhaps a measure of how strange the combatants in this world are that this not only makes sense to Oscar somehow - it also causes him to visibly relax, completely dropping his guard. All it took was the knowledge that you were 'Huntsmen' - the local equivalent of monster hunters - and an explanation for why you were there for him to calm down.
On the one hand, it's good that he's managed to relax. On the other hand, you fear for his future given how gullible he appears to be.
"Okay. Um. So why…?" He continues on, shooting pleading looks at Mem who pouts at his implication and speaks up for herself before anyone else can.
"We are destined to be together eventually. I simply know you very well already." Mem explains in a guileless manner that causes Oscar to turn bright red, Taylor to pinch the bridge of her nose, and everyone else to snicker like children - including Danny and Trainwreck.
"Ahah… Mem why don't you come over here for a bit kiddo. Fun times over." Danny snickers out, gesturing to his pseudo granddaughter. Mem shoots a reluctant look at Oscar instead of immediately complying so Mun chimes in.
"Hey, this is your emotional support minion speaking. Stop being so fucking creepy!" She teases, waving her arms in the air and laughing.
Counter to your expectations, this does get Mem moving, albeit sullenly, and you can hear her mumble 'I was… creepy?' to Mun in question as she returns to Dannys side.
"So!" Taylor jumps in before Oscar can fully process any of that and start asking awkward questions.
"We're lost. Where are we?" She asks loudly to draw Oscars attention back to her.
"Um- I- That is-" Oscar blurts out, clearly distracted in a way that only a teenage boy can really manage. Taylor just waits patiently for him to get himself together before he finally manages an answer.
"We're just a bit north of Mistral. Close enough that guards and merchants on the way to Wind Path keep the area clear of most Grimm. Are you headed to Mistral?" Oscar asks, eyes alight with sudden curiosity now that he isn't afraid of imminent death.
"The... continent or the city?" Taylor asks slowly, obviously trying her best to remember the geography of this place and failing at it. Which makes sense. It wasn't exactly a focus of your simulation.
"The… city? You're already on Mistral the continent. How far can you teleport?" Oscar blurts out in amazement.
"Back home the answer most people will give you is 'as far as she wants'" Aisha notes sarcastically. Dinah along with the rest of the kids besides Mem snicker at this.
"Cooool…" Oscar mumbles, earning himself a smile from Taylor before she refocuses herself on the task at hand.
"Right well. We were actually trying to get to Vale. I think I can probably manage it this time but if you have a spare map or scroll we could borrow?" Taylor says kindly. Oscar winces at the request.
"We don't really have one. We have a scroll but my Aunt uses it when she sells our crops. I have a map of Mistral though…?" He offers instead.
"Just Mistral?" Taylor queries, working hard to restrain her disappointment.
"Y-yeah. My aunt made me memorize it in case I ever got lost. I don't know why though - it's not like a dozen other things won't kill me before I can get home." Oscar grumbles.
"Don't say that. Of course you'll lose if you give up - that's why you have to keep trying, no matter how bad it gets." Taylor says firmly and with such utmost certainty that Oscar freezes up and blushes again.
Aisha makes a retching noise somewhere behind you.
"Is she always like this? All wholesome and shit?" She whispers to Mun who appears to be the only person present who shares her feelings on the topic.
"Oh yeah she's the fucking worst. Once, I swear she actually quoted the new Alexandria movie, but when I asked her about it she said she'd never seen it." Mun whispers back.
"I can hear you, you know." Taylor says dryly to the pair.
"Well the building is still here so obviously you chose not to do anything with that, did you Demolition Debby." Aisha snaps back.
"I- first off, I don't do that much collateral damage, and second 'Demolition Debby'?" Taylor snaps back, temporarily forgetting Oscar who is now watching the conversation with a worried interest.
"Yeah you hang out with Collateral Damage Barbie all the time and you have the same 'Apply Brute Force' thing going on so-"
"Hey, here's a fucking thought. Lets go before the kids aunt or whatever shows up and calls the cops." Trainwreck jumps in.
Oscar quickly blanches at this.
"I'm sure if we explain-" Taylor tries to counter only to be cut off by Oscar himself.
"No, she'll totally do it. Um, I'll go get you that map?" He offers just before sprinting out the door of the barn.
"Sure." Taylor answers, then before he can finish turning to leave she blurts out; "Oscar, do you want to come with us? I could teach you how to fight?"
"Taylor." Danny immediately says with a severe tone in his voice.
"He'd be totally safe! And- I mean it would just save me the trouble of coming back to find out what the deal with the bandits is and-"
"Taylor." Danny repeats again, somewhat more softly. "You can't just take him from his home like that."
"Do… I get a choice?" Oscar asks pensively.
"Ofcourse!" Taylor splutters, whirling around on him with a smile on her face that runs perfectly counter to the frown on her fathers.
"Can I… think about it? Will you come back?" He asks worriedly.
"Sure, anything you want." Taylor agrees easily.
"Then um, I'll stay here for now? My Aunt really needs the help around the farm and all so…" He trails off with a wince when Danny and Taylor exchange expressions.
"Go ahead Oscar. We'll be here." Danny says, waving him away before the conversation can drag on any longer. When he finally leaves, the elder Hebert turns a disapproving look on his daughter.
"Taylor, you can't just kidnap people you like." He says blandly.
"I feel like you're using exaggerated language in order to enhance the severity of-" She responds.
"Your Mom used to do that too - I figured out how to ignore it by the time you were three. Kidnapping is kidnapping." Danny says firmly.
"I'd like to lodge a complaint? I had to like, pick a fight with you to get training. I'm feeling discriminated against!" Aisha cries out in annoyance.
"I-" Taylor opens her mouth to say something to that, then pauses to glance skyward - a sure sign she is presently listening to Ozma. Then she sighs.
"Fine. I'll come back later once I've settled everything else." She grumbles, ignoring Aisha and meandering over to a wall of the barn to start scratching runes into a wooden board with her fingernail.
"And that is?" Danny asks quizzically.
"Buncha magic." Taylor responds cryptically.
"Taylor." Danny repeats again, more sternly. You can feel her roll her eyes from here as she turns back to answer him.
"I'm gonna make it so the next person who comes here with ill intent gets struck by lightning." She grumbles.
"Just the next person?" Danny asks suspiciously.
"And the next one after that provided a thirty minute recharging period has passed, up to roughly a hundred victims before I have to come back and refill the rune." She admits without an ounce of shame in her voice.
"I… see." Is Danny's only response.
It is only shortly after that when Oscar returns, pushing the barn door open and sliding into the room with you while carefully glancing behind him to make sure he hasn't been spotted coming back.
"Here - you should go now cus I'm pretty sure my Aunt is getting suspicious about how long I've been in here." He blurts out, shoving a rolled up piece of paper into Danny's hands and stepping back.
Taylor stares at him for a second from where she is just finishing her bit of adhoc runework on his barn, then sighs and draws her sword.
"I'll come back to check on you okay?" She states, ignoring his flinch at her drawing her weapon and cleaving a Gap into the space between all of you.
"Kay." He nods quickly, stepping slightly away from her but staring at the hole in reality with a keen interest.
"Come on guys, time to go." Taylor grumbles, waving all the children through the Gap, stopping Mem and Mun before they can pass through it.
"Sent the brat pack home?" Trainwreck asks, though it is more a statement of fact than anything else.
"Of course. This place is dangerous - Aisha doesn't even have powers." Taylor states as though offended that she would ever choose any other course of action.
People like to view your Master as someone who is categorically out of touch with common sense. That is - mostly - true. But that doesn't mean she is incapable of reasoning. Just that she is a bit beyond what other people consider 'common sense' in the first place.
So it is patently obvious to you that she would never willingly bring unarmed, untrained children to, in her own words, 'kill the devil'.
"So where are we going now?" Trainwreck asks as you heed your Masters subtle queue for you to head into the Gap first.
"Emmy's going to scout the other side first, but I'm pretty sure I can take us to Vale. Mostly." Your Master explains as you plunge through the Gap and quickly out the other side in your intangible form. The last thing you hear from anyone before you leave is Trainwreck screeching 'Mostly?!' - and then you are through and standing in the middle of a quaint if anachronistic township.
The city you are in clearly stretches for some distance, and has many of the hallmarks of a major city - but it lacks the skyscrapers or any other form of major vertical construction. It would seem that any time more space is required the citizens just build outward - which you suppose makes sense for this world. Remnant, in so far as you can remember it, is almost entirely barren of civilization save for the four relatively small 'kingdoms' that barely even qualify for the name. There is an abundance of undeveloped land to make use of - provided one is willing to brave the monsters of Grimm that roam that vast majority of the planet.
Speaking of said creatures - you find yourself surrounded by them on arrival. And not just you - several people, most of them young girls in brightly coloured clothing that stands out starkly against the drab grey of the brickwork surrounding you are also surrounded by the monochromatic monsters.
You - dimly - recognize some of them from memories you once held as Oscar. Not well enough to put names to many of them, but just enough that you hold a sensation of familiarity to almost all of them. All around you, citizens of the city cower and flee from the tide of monsters filling it, while those girls fly about destroying them almost as fast as they can appear. Robotic soldiers of some kind roam the streets in ordered formations, many of them being torn apart in the process of ridding the city streets of even just a single one of the Grimm. Overhead, flying machines of some kind riddle the sky, dropping more robotic soldiers and firing judiciously into the horde surrounding you.
In a word, it is absolute chaos here. Wherever 'here' is.
"I believe this is the right place. However, there are a number of Grimm within the city." You send back to Taylor as you approach a blonde girl who has been struck to the ground by what you can only describe as a demonic bear, twice the size of a normal animal and entirely black save for it's white bonelike mask and burning crimson eyes.
"What? I thought that since Oscar was still on the farm that- I'm coming." Taylor blurts out at you, sending a spike of anxiety and anger down her connection to you. Before the bear Grimm can follow up on it's attack to lunge at it's blonde victim, a sword blade appears in the air above the blond as Taylor uses your vision to triangulate the position of her next gap. The blond - clearly still conscious and just about to lurch to her feet to keep fighting - freezes to stare at the hovering weapon as it rips a new Gap open.
"Mo-" She begins to yell in joy, only to pause when instead of whoever she was expecting - your Master flies out of the hole, swinging her leg downward from overhead so hard that the bear has largely disintegrated before it can even hit the ground below to make a crater.
"Where's the breach?" She asks icily, turning to the blond girl while Trainwreck, Danny, Mem and Mun come through the Gap behind her.
"Uh… that way?" The blond asks quizzically, squinting at your Master as though unsure what to make of her.
"Thank you. Trainwreck, kill everything that looks like that. Emmy, watch Dad. Dad, don't die." She orders, crouching down for a moment before springing upward with such force that she almost immediately vanishes into the sky overhead.
"The fuck even are these things?" Trainwreck asks curiously, while also casually backhanding a wolflike creature so hard that it rockets through several of its compatriots, causing almost all of them to explode into their component parts before dissipating into the black fog that makes up their forms.
"You don't know what Grimm are?" The blond blurts out, turning her back to your group so that she can fire several rounds of ammunition from her… armored gauntlets…
You can tell you aren't going to like this world already.
"Trainwreck, you are embarrassing me." Mem hisses in perhaps the greatest show of emotion you've seen from her to day, her pale face pickening slightly as she steps around the metal giant with Mun on her shoulder in her bird form.
"My own daughter just told me to stand here and do nothing. You get used to it." Danny muses dryly, hefting his hammer over one shoulder.
"Hey, new people, less talking - more fighting!" the blond yells before screaming and charging into another pack of the monsters alone.
"There is no need." You state blandly, appearing behind the blond and jerking her backwards to help her avoid an attack that would have otherwise probably injured her greatly.
Or reduce her Aura significantly. Honestly it's hard for you to tell in this chaotic mess whether she's glowing or not when she takes damage.
"Buddy, I don't know if you've noticed, but there are Grimm all over Vale. There is a need." She growls at you, swatting your hand away.
"Wait for it." You note dryly, pointing upwards. You aren't the only person completely unphased by the scenario either. It isn't as though your group couldn't murder a bloody swathe through the majority of this horde of monsters.
There just isn't any point in doing so.
Because Taylor is here.
Not more than a single second after you give your judgement on the situation, there is a brilliant flash of blue in the sky overhead - followed rapidly by an explosion of tiny light particles so numerous and fine that most observers could be forgiven for assuming it was merely an exceptionally ill timed and spectacular firework.
Until each of those individual motes of light turned downward, to begin raining down on the city like a barrage of clusterbombs made of magic.
You barely blink as one of the beams of light strikes a Grimm that was about to pounce on you. Nor do you react with any great surprise when the same thing happens simultaneously to every monster in your line of sight.
The blond however, does react, jerking bodily away from each explosion of light like a child afraid of its own shadow.
"As you can see, my Master has the issue handled. My name is Emmy. What is yours?" You asked lightly, amused to find that a majority of the aircraft over head have oriented themselves towards where your Master was even as she opens another gap to appear next to you.
"Uh." Is all the blond seems capable of respond with, first looking up, then at the suddenly calm area around herself, and then at your Master with a dazed expression.
"That was easier than I expected." Taylor says as she approaches you, lifting her glasses to rub her eyes.
"I mean these things are as annoying to use as ever, but as far as targeting solutions go-" She muses aloud.
"What the hell was that!?" The blond finally blurts out, pointing a finger at your Master that has you immediately tensing up. The womans gauntlets have guns in them after all.
"Long story. Tell you another time. Where's your team?" Taylor asks, brushing the question to the side and peering around herself.
"We got separated in the fighting but- hey! Don't change the subject! Tell me what you just did!" The blond cries out.
"Yaaaaaaang!" A new voice joins in, as a small girl wearing a puffy black and red dress flings herself into the arms of the blond who you guess is named Yang.
"Ruby! Are you okay?!" Yang immediately asks, changing targets almost too fast to be believed.
"Yeah but did you see the big laser thing!? Do you think they'd let me see the weapon that did it if I asked nicely?! Do you think it has a name already or-" The girl - Ruby - begins to call out at a rapid speed, quickly becoming nearly impossible to understand.
"I call it 'Kill everything in that general direction'." Taylor says blandly, resettling her glasses on her face and causing both girls to turn back to her in surprise.
""But that's boring!"" both girls say at once.
"Hey, that's a classic! 'Kill everything in that general direction' has never failed me before!" Taylor jokingly yells back at them before settling into a more relaxed stance.
"And speaking of the classics," She notes aloud; "Take me to your leader."
You can hear Victoria groaning at the reference from here.
Current Omake Points: 31
Citino would like to activate Age of Heroes II for 10 Omake Points.
Age of Heros II engages a minor form of the Counter Force - an amoral force of nature bent on ensuring humans remain the dominant species on the planet and don't somehow cause themselves to go extinct. This often manifests in 'random happenstance' managing to stop a scientist from engineering a plague that could kill all humans, or random hurricanes, earthquakes, or meteor strikes destroying the city said scientist happens to be in. Individual human lives hold no value to this force - only humanity as a whole. In addition, people across the United States will begin to randomly (and painfully, sometimes lethally) 'trigger' with Magic Circuits, allowing them to practice Nasuverse Magecraft.
This purchase will also activate [Root Access, a bud from Emmy that can go to any non-Shikigami, non-Parahuman of the threads choosing, even replacing powers they are supposed to have as long as they haven't triggered yet (Like Aisha, or Theo)