Hello again everyone! Last time we saw Marta, she, Tenebrae and Emerald barley managed to escape from Richter's intense pursuit and Nova revealed that he and May found out about Marta's late night excursions, prompting her to reveal the whole truth, with Nova still accepting her and Marta, bringing an end to the secrets that brought Marta so much guilt.
However, Tenebrae is now with Emerald to see the rest of the Special Unit. Who are the other six maidens of this Unit?
We'll find out as soon as we see everyone in the present!
Grass Field Outskirts [Present Day]
Needless to say that Marta recalling that tense moment left EVERYONE on the edge of their seat. All of them felt anxiety and excitement at the same time, especially when they had to deceive Richter and Aqua toward the end. Even Sheena was impressed by Emerald's clever thinking with the use of her kunai and talismins, deciding to take mental notes about trying to make her own variation sometime in the future.
"Wow! That must been one hell of a chase!" Lloyd said while hanging on the edge of his seat. He had been chased around before, but nothing like what Marta went through.
"Yeah, to be honest, I never had to run that much before, not even back during the Blood Purge." Marta admitted, still recalling how exhilarating the experience was.
"It's a good thing Emerald was there to help you get away from Richter, Marta." Emil chimed in, expressing relief that his beloved escaped. Even now, Emil is happy that Marta is alive and well, because while he viewed Richter as a mentor and brother, he had to admit that deep down, he would have never forgiven him if he had killed Marta. That's what made it tough for him to see the two people who were kind to him locked into a hard situation. He even appreciated that Marta wanted to gove Richter the benefit of the doubt in spite of her own unease with the Half-Elf man for Emil's sake, especially when she withheld him being in the Vanguard sense Emil trusted Richter as much as he did Marta.
But still, Emil knew that he could've have been like Richter is he had actually succeeded in killing Marta. Blinded by sadness, rage and hatred. That alone is what allowed him to empathize with his former mentor in regards to Aster and gave him the Courage to face it head on.
"Yeah, I don't know what I would've done if she weren't there to help me." Marta replied, still thankful to the young kunoichi for helping her back then.
"I still can't believe you and Emerald surfed across the water on ice floats! That was amazing!" Genis exclaimed in excitement that only someone his age would do. Even mature kids will still be kids.
"Yeah! Wasn't that scary though?" Emil followed up, still impressed that Marta took the jump and rode across the lake like that. Even though he came far himself, he couldn't imagine doing what the girls did.
"It was, but I had to admit that it was exciting and thrilling!" Marta answered as she did laugh after performing a life defying stunt. Not that she'd make a habit out of it though.
"Still, did Richter frighten you when he said that after you got away?" Raine followed up as Tenebrae closed his eyes in remorse. Even Emil felt saddened for Marta that Richter wasn't willing to listen to her.
"Y-yeah, but I still chose to trust in Tenebrae as I believed that Ratatosk wouldn't destory the world." Marta replied as she looked at Emil, knowing that that trust held true in spite of Ratatosk's flaws as he too was Emil.
"Even after learning the truth?" Raine said as she looked at Tenebrae, not in anger, but in disappointment for not telling her and Emil the full truth. Granted, she already knew based on their brief travel and letting Regal know through their "love" letter and figured that Tenebrae had his reasons, but...
"Even after the truth came out. Besides, I don't think Tenebrae wants to see the world destroyed either." Marta replied, defending Tenebrae. Yes, she was sad about him hiding the truth, but she figured that even if he would follow Ratatosk out of loyalty, she knew that he would rather not participate in genocide deep down.
"Lady Marta..." Tenebrae said as he was touched by Marta's kindness. It's true that he would follow Ratatosk, but she is right though. While he would help Ratatosk destroy mankind, he would rather not do it and he even came to enjoy Marta's company and everyone else too. He even hoped that his lord would have a change of heart after losing his memories, but wherever that holds up will be shown when they confront Richter. Marta only replied by petting his head, placing her faith in Tenebrae.
"However, I didn't expect Nova's daughter to catch you and Tenebrae training though." Regal said, recalling that Nova found out about her and Tenebrae's night training.
"To be honest, I didn't expect May to find out either, though I suppose it was only a matter of time..." Tenebrae said slightly embarrassed as they were found out by the youngest child in the family.
"Yeah, but it felt good not having to hide things anymore and... I was happy that Nova and his family didn't reject us like I feared." Marta followed up, while also ashamed that she did the same thing with Emil in regards to her relationship with Burte. The fact that Emil held no ill will toward Marta showed that he and their friends are accepting of her and that allowed her to stop hiding secrets, which was shown when Emil revealed to Marta that he had accompanied Richter now and then. In fact, this allowed the two to be more open with each other and helped them strengthen their bond and trust with one another.
"It helps to find people who can not only trust you, but accept you without rejection as well." Presea said with a soft smile, knowing full well in knowing that there's truth in what she said.
"Oh right! Regarding Emerald, you told us you calmed down her panic attack with a song right? I didn't know you could sing." Sheena recalled a specific point from earlier, yet they were all interested in Emerald herself and focusing on Richter that it slipped their mind.
"Oh... um yes... I sung in my free time... now and then..." Marta replied nervously. Granted, she didn't sing all that much ever since her mom passed away, but slowly started singing again, especially when Emerald has a panic attack as her singing voice always soothed her. Even the rest of the Special Unit liked her singing along with Decus and Brute, although to be fair, her father is very supportive to begin with in regards to her hobbies.
"Um Marta? If it's okay... would it be okay... if you... can sing a song for us after you finish your story?" Emil asked Marta nervously, as the thought of her singing made him wonder how she sounded. This caused the young girl to blush, as not only was he asking her to sing for him, but all of their friends too. What if he and the others didn't like it? As she was trying to find the words to reply, Tenebrae stepped in, most likely to repay the kindness she showed him.
"Lady Marta, I'm sure Lord Emil and everyone will enjoy your singing. Remember, I was there when you helped Emerald." Tenebrae reassured his friend, washing away her nervousness.
"S-sure. I can sing a song once the story's done." Marta accepted Emil's request, although the blush on her face didn't leave. Although, this can be a good way to leave a part of herself with Emil when he stays behind to protect the Ginnungagap Door.
"By the way Tenebie, you followed Emerald right?" Colette added on trying to get the story back on track, knowing that Tenebrae wanted to see the rest of Marta's Unit. Needless to say, everyone was interested in knowing about the Special Unit. Although, Raine and Genis were mainly intrigued for some reason...
"Yes, that's right. Lady Marta, mind if I take over for this next part?" Tenebrae asked Marta, who stopped blushing by now, as he knew that only he can explain this next part.
"Sure. Besides, I can verify what the others look like too." Marta replied with a wink as Tenebrae nodded and cleared his throat.
"So after I left with Emerald, I assisted her in collecting food for her group and it was around night time when i would see the rest of Lady Marta's Unit..." Tenebrae explained as he recalled the night where he saw the rest of the Vanguard Special Unit.
Ossa Trail [Night Time]
It was around night time as Tenebrae and Emerald were heading toward the spot that the Special Unit would regroup at to share what they did today as what the temporary captain, Scarlet, suggested. As they're walking along, they eventually saw a light, indicating a campfire.
"Okay... *inhale* *exhale* ...we're here." Emerald said as she took a deep breathe to calm her nerves, knowing that she's about to talk about so,e serious stuff with the rest of her Unit in regards to their old captain. Not helping matters is that this might be the last time she'll speak with them as Richter will likely get Brute on her tail somehow.
"Do not worry. If something goes awry, please know that I'll be close by as I'll conceal myself." Tenebrae reassured Emerald, having a plan to at least get her out of trouble if the other members of her unit got... unsavory.
"Oh, you can turn invisible?" Emerald replied in surprise, as again, she doesn't know much about the Centurions, but for them to do something so naturally is incredible as ninjas needed a trick or gimmick to camouflage themselves.
"I'll show you. Remember that I'll be close by, so once I conceal myself, go on ahead." Tenebrae told Emerald and as soon as he said his piece, he turned invisible and waited for Emerald to get moving.
"Wow..." Emerald muttered as she jumped into the foliage. Tenebrae then recalled that Emerald tries to sneak on her teammates to practice her Stealth maneuvers. He then floated around to where the campfire was and heard some voices.
"Ugh... where's Emerald? She should've been back by now..." Said a rough boyish sounding voice.
"I must concur. She might be a nervous wreck, but she always arrives, even if she's running late." Said an intelligent sounding voice, reassuring the other one.
'Hmmm... they sound... interesting..." Tenebrae thought as he managed to get above what he saw as the Vanguard Special Unit and true to what Marta said, they are all indeed women.
"I know, I know. I just worry about her, you know?" Said the woman who was the owner of the boyish voice. She had rough boyish blonde hair and gold colored eyes, wore gold colored gauntlets and leg grieves, beige baggy pants and black boots. She also wore a white sleeveless crop top, showing off her toned arms and muscular abs.
'She must be the physical fighter of the group.' Tenebrae thought to himself while also taken aback by how the woman looked like a boy and is physically developed in a way a man would look.
"I understand your concerns. She is the youngest among us and is the most easily frightened. Still, we must place faith in her." Said a woman covered from head to toe in armor. Her armor is a vibrant orange with black accents and wore a knight helmet over her head, causing a slight vibration in her voice. Next to her are a long sword and a shield. The only thing that stuck out was white colored hair slightly extended out of the back of her helmet.
'She's... mysterious...' Tenebrae thought as he didn't know what to make of someone who hides their face.
"Besides, you forget that she was a candidate for the Espionage Unit and it shows. I'm sure she'll find... who we're looking for." Said the intelligent voice, who supposedly changed her words at the last moment for some reason. She had long blue hair tied into a single braid along with cyan eyes. She wore glasses, a dark blue long sleeve blouse, dark blue pants, black gloves and brown shoes. Her weapon appeared to be technologically advance as it appeared to look like a cannon, but smaller and can be held in one hand.
'She looks to be the brains of the ground and I think that's a new weapon... I think Lady Marta called those... "guns"...' Tenebrae thought as he looked at the next one that's about to speak.
"I agree with the others, I'm sure Emerald is doing fine. Don't forget, she's also on dinner duty tonight, so she might be getting some food for us too." Said a vibrant voice who is in agreement with the others. She has long purple hair that reached her back with indigo colored eyes. She's wearing a dark purple crop top that bears her midriff and a dark purple skirt with black shorts underneath it. She has lavender color rings on her wrists and her ankles, wears white shoes and has a yellow star hairclip on the right side of her head. Her 'weapon' stood out as unique as she apparently has what appears to a ball with her. It was a pink colored ball with a green stripe and a yellow star on it.
'What a peculiar girl..." Tenebrae thought as he then spotted a strikingly familiar face.
'L-lady Marta!? No wait, that's not her...' Tenebrae thought in shock as he saw a young girl with black hair, which is styled into twin tails like Marta's except they were thinner and instead of Cerulean eyes, she had pure black eyes. She wore a white shirt revealing her belly button and her back with a short black shawl that has a checker pattern on it toed by a pink scarf. She also had a matching skirt that is tied with a pink cloth with a black colored mascot face on it similar to the mascot on Marta's pouch. Lastly, she wore black stockings and shoes with pink accents. Her weapon is a black riding crop, kind of similar to Alice. She appeared to look uninterested in the conversation.
"She might be here sooner then we think..." Said a girl with red hair and red eyes. Her hair is tied into a spiky ponytail and she wears a sleeveless white shirt with a red jacket over her shoulders, black slacks, red fingerless gloves and red boots. Her weapon is a specialized red colored katana blade with a gold sword hilt. She also had the face of a strong willed women.
'Lady Marta mentioned a person named Scarlet before... that must be her.' Tenebrae thought more to himself as he put two and two together in regards to the red colored Vanguard member. He then saw a leaf behind the blonde woman and the orange armored one. The girl assumed to be Scarlet smirked.
"It's just that she's normally-!" That blonde haired woman was the interrupted by a kunai pointed at her neck and the armored woman slighly tensed at a giant Shiruken near her back. The red haired woman's smirk faded and her eyes widened in shock.
"Didn't see that coming..." Said the red haired woman.
"Phew! Actually got you guys this time!" Emerald said as she put her weapons away and pulled her mask off. The blonde haired woman let out a laugh before ruffling her hands on Emerald's head.
"I'll say! You never usually sneak up on us so well!" Said the blonde haired woman as she smiled at the kunoichi.
"Indeed. You usually slip up or you make a sound. You've improved." Replied the woman in orange armor. This earned a pouty face from Emerald.
"You don't need to rub it in..." Emerald fussed slightly as Tenebrae sighed from a safe distance. Seems Emerald's still childish after that fierce chase today. He did notice the red hair woman smile slightly and looked to be proud of Emerald. It sounds like she usually fails to successfully sneak up on them, hence why the girls are surprised this time.
"Well, now that we're all here... time for our roll call! Sound off go!" Yelled the red haired girl, wanting the others to address themselves.
"Emerald, reporting for duty!" Emerald saluted with a bright smile.
"Topaz, reporting for duty!" The blonde haired woman said placing a fist over her chest with a wide grin.
"Vermillion, at your service." The armored woman said slightly, kneeling before their leader like a knight to their king.
"Azure, present and accounted for." Said the blue haired women as she pushes up her glasses.
"Lavender, ready for do my part!" Said the purple haired girl with a wink, spinning her ball around her fingertip all the while.
"Selene, reporting for duty..." Said the black haired girl who resembled Marta. She appeared to sound sad and drained.
"Scarlet, here to lead you all to victory!" Yelled the red haired women, confirming to Tenebrae that she is indeed the girl Marta mentioned.
"All for one, and one for all!" The seven girls shouted in unison, each raising their weapons above their heads with pride. Tenebrae could only smile to himself as they're a well tied group, but he also dreaded the inevitable bomb shell that Emerald is going to reveal.
Ossa Trail [Campfire]
The girls ate the vegetables and fish that Emerald retrieved for their dinner while conversing, laughing and having a good time all the while. As soon as they all finished, the girls sat around to report on their current mission, with Tenebrae calmly observing the area around them to find a way to bust Emerald out of the worst case scenario.
"So Vermillion, have you and Topaz found the Commander's daughter..." Scarlet asked Vermillion bitterly as she eyed the others, hoping they at least found Marta. Emerald gulped slightly as she watched.
"Topaz and myself surveyed Meltokio in Tethe'alla. No sign of her there, Scarlet." Vermillion reported as Topaz rubbed the back of her head. Scarlet sighed as she turned to Lavender and Selene.
"Selene, did you and Lavender locate any ore of those gems the Commander wanted?" Scarlet asked the other two for progress on their end.
"Sorry, nothing... so far we just found only empty wastelands and grassfields." Selene reported in disappointment as Lavender was holding her ball, squeezing it tightly as a stress reliever. Scarlet pinched the binge of her nose.
"Ugh, the commander won't like this..." Scarlet moaned to herself, clearly not thrilled that their search efforts turned up scarce. She then turned to Emerald, hoping things will be positive.
"Emerald, have you located any Tethe'allan nobles causing trouble for the Sylvaranti?" Scarlet asked Emerald, surprising Tenebrae that she would send the clumsy ninja for something like that.
"I... I did... it was the same three nobles that occasionally come around. They were harassing a woman trying to kidnap her. I used a smokebomb and rescued her." Emerald nervously reported, revealing what she did earlier today. This brought some relief to Scarlet for a change.
"Ah, some good news at least. You should've roughed up those Tethe'allans, but it's good you rescued that woman from an awful fate first and foremost." Scarlet said, at least happy one of them did their part.
"I'm glad to hear that... because I... think I... won't be here much longer..." Emerald said as her eyes lowered down in sadness, earning a bunch of worried and concerned looks from everyone, including Scarlet and even Selene, who looked up for once. Tenebrae braced himself for what's about to happen next.
"What are you saying Emerald? You sound like you're leaving us..." Topaz asked the young kunoichi as she gathered her courage to say the important part.
"After I rescued the woman and parted ways with her, I went into the forest to gather food and... and... I saw Marta in the forest today!" Emerald shouted as she got what she needed to say out in the open. Needless to say, everyone's eyes widened, aside Vermillion as her eyes couldn't be seen, in disbelief as they processed what Emerald had just said. Tenebrae can easily tell from their faces that they're thinking, 'Did she say that she found Lady Marta!? The Commander's daughter, our captain?', and needless to say, things are about to get... rough. Scarlet's shocked eventually furrowed into an angry scowl as she began to speak.
"You... you found the commander's daughter?" Scarlet asked in a low voice, cleary trying to hold her anger back. Needless to say, Emerald was getting scared, but she knew there was no turning back.
"Y-yes. I saw her in the forest earlier today..." Emerald nervously replied as she braced herself for some yelling and true enough...
"Then why didn't you capture her!? We were supposed to bring her back to the commander!" Scarlet yelled as she stood up and began to walk over to Emerald. Although the kunoichi kept a brave face, she was clearly terrified out of her wits. Tenebrae kept himself steady as he noticed Vermillion stand up and got in front of Scarlet.
"What are you doing Vermillion?" Scarlet bitterly asked the orange knight as she barred her way to Emerald.
"You're letting your anger get a hold of you again. Can't you see that she is trying to speak with us? Surely she must have her reasons as to why she hasn't brought Lady Marta with her. Or do you truly think fear is the best way to accomplish things?" Vermillion calmly told Scarlet, questioning her anger and apparently to Tenebrae, this wasn't the first time this happened. Eventually, the red haired woman eventually stood down, walked back to her spot and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. As soon as she did, she looked at the ground, supposedly in shame at her behavior.
"I apologize for losing my temper Emerald. Please, explain to us about your encounter with the Commander's daughter." Scarlet said in remorse before allowing Emerald to report on Marta.
"W-well, this is going to be a long explanation and I want questions saved until I'm done. Okay?" Emerald replied, looking around to see if everyone understands.
"No objections. Go ahead Emerald." Topaz said with the reassuring tone of a big sister to her younger sibling.
With that, Emerald began to explain everything in detail. Her encounter with Marta and what she revealed about her reasons for leaving the Vanguard with Ratatosk's Core, her newfound strength, how she calmed down the kunoichi's anxiety attack and how both Alice and Decus are after Marta's life instead of bringing her back to the Vanguard. Needless to say, all of this came as a shock to everyone. Of there was one thing the Special Unit can agree on, is that they ALL HATE Alice, as the Combat Captain belittled all seven of them in some shape or form in regards to their flaws that made them "weak" in her eyes on top of being associated with Marta. However, the fact that Decus, one of the nicest guys in the Vanguard would go out of his way to kill Marta because Alice asked him completely threw all of them off guard. They knew Decus loved Alice, but they believed he was too good for her and the fact that he would do this to please her made them lose all sense of respect for him.
What threw them for a loop is Richter. Not only was he considering about killing Marta to get Ratatosk's Core off her forehead, the fact of the latter which were everyone out, but Emerald actually attacked him and kept Marta away from him. This explained why Emerald said she won't be with them much longer, Richter will most likely reveal what she did and knowing Brute's behavior, he'll most likely take Richter's word over Emerald's. The only part Emerald left out is Tenebrae following her to the campfire. Once she finished, everyone took the time to process what she said. Eventually, one of them spoke up.
"So... basically what you're trying to say is that Alice, Decus and Richter are the REAL bad guys here?" Lavender asked as she timidly clutched her ball, knowing full well that murder is not a good thing.
"I'm afraid so. I don't claim to understand what the deal with Ratatosk's Core is outside of powering the Mana Cannon, but the fact they're willing to murder Lady Marta instead of bringing her back mean that they have ulterior motives that go against what Commander Brute wants." Emerald said with a calm shaky tone as everyone appeared to listen to her.
"I... I don't want to leave, but if I stay, Chief Richter will lump you guys in with me, so I have no choice. However, I can say one thing, if all of you guys reveal what I saw, you can get all three of them arrested or kicked out of the Vanguard. You can even say someone else witnessed it." Emerald revealed what her plan is in regards to the three high ranking members and although she knew lying is bad, it was the only way to keep Marta's head attached to her shoulders. After taking some time to think, they began to speak up.
"Hmmm... I never did like those three. Alice is a sadistic little creep, Deucs is a complete suck-up and Richter is always secretive, thinking we'll just be in his way." Azure said as she took off her glasses and used her cleaning cloth to wipe down her glasses, revealing her disdain for her commanding officers.
"Yeah, Alice is ALWAYS mocking and insulting not just us, but treats everyone like dirt! You don't need power to be nice to other people! But still, to think that Decus would do that and Richter... he didn't seem like a bad guy, but I guess I was wrong..." Topaz said gave her own insight on what she thought about her superiors as she clenched her fist in disappointment.
"I concur about Alice's uncouth behavior, for it reveals the ugliness in her heart. However, it's hard to believe that Decus would do this... and Richter... how could he?" Vermillion said, once again revealing her disdain for Alice and disbelief about Decus, yet she sounded to be at a loss in regards to Richter. Tenebrae found this unusual and decided to bring this up with Marta later once they summon Emerald.
"Emerald's not wrong. Alice is always a huge bully, I mean she even beat up the previous combat captain and left a scar on him! But oh man, to think that hot men like Decus and Richter would do that! That's just wrong! So very wrong!" Lavender replied in the most emotional outburst possible as she pressed her hands into her ball.
"I agree. Alice is despicable and Decus is just a lap dog, but to think that Richter would go behind Commander Brute's back. He... will not be happy to hear this." Selene replied, slightly bending her crop in displeasure.
"I never knew Alice, Decus and Richter would plot behind the Commander's back. We were told to bring the Commander's daughter back, not execute her. Either they're really brave... or completely brain-dead stupid..." Scarlet added her own thoughts to the matter, at least agreeing on the matter. Tenebrae then noticed that Scarlet never once addressed Marta by name, showing that what Decus said at Triet is ture. Scarlet took her captain's departure very hard.
"So... will you at least do this for Marta? I do agree with her that the Mana Cannon shouldn't be fired and she doesn't deserve to die for it. Yes, Tethe'alla treated us horribly, but mass genocide is wrong!" Emerald spoke up, hoping for at least four hands to speak up. Eventually...
"Well... since you put it that way, it do us some good to route them out." Azure said as she place her glasses back on her face with a small smile.
"You bet the commander needs to know about this! Marta's a good kid and she doesn't need assassins on her tail!" Topaz spoke up, punching her right fist into her open left hand with a big grin.
"It's very troubling behavior from three of our top superiors would try to murder Lady Marta. You were very wise and brave to bring this forth Emerald. I will notify the Commander on the matter." Vermillion replied with an affirmative nod, praising Emerald for her growth in the process.
"I'll... I'll at least consider it." Selene followed up, nearly giving a smile before hiding it with a slight blush. Four out of six members was what Emerald hoped for and this brought a hopeful smile to her face and yet, there were two who did speak up. Lavender seemed nervous and withdrawn about this and yet Scarlet... she seemed less then pleased.
"Okay, okay... I'll give you that Alice, Decus and Richter are indeed out of line. Do they need to be punished for disobeying the Commander, yes. But answer me this Emerald... you would question Commander Brute on what's best for Sylvarant?" Scarlet said standing up, crossing her arms and Emerald's smile faded. She agreed on the situation with Marta, but was she actually okay with the Mana Cannon!?
"You do realize the Commander's daughter ruined our only chance of making the Tethe'allan's pay for their mistreatment of Sylvarant!? Do you!?" Scarlet yelled as stare daggers into Emerald, causing the other members to look concerned.
'Oh dear... and to think that things were looking good for once! What is making Scarlet think the Mana Cannon is a good idea all of a sudden!?' Tenebrae thought as she needed to come up with a plan to get Marta's ninja friend out of this mess, because if one goes berserk... things will get ugly... fast...
To Be Continued...
And we're up to our third Multi-Part chapter in the story! Tenebrae has now come to see what the other members of the Vanguard Special Unit are and they're certainly a unique bunch of misfits.
Scarlet, the hot blooded samurai like warrior.
Topaz, the big sister iron slugger.
Vermillion, the mysterious knight with a calm temperament.
Azure, the smart and tactical strategist.
Lavender, the cute and charming idol like figure.
And most notably, Selene, a dark and brooding girl. She stands out because she was actually an old concept for Marta's character. Originally, Marta was to be a darker character in design and personality until we got the more lively and assertive girl we got in the final game. Plus, it works to have a character with a black color scheme as Marta has a brown and White color scheme. Overall, while Scarlet, Topaz, Vermillion, Azure and Lavender are Original Characters like Emerald, Selene is a pre-existing character design that's been repurposed for the story. I hope you'll like Selene and the new OC's in the story.
But man, is Scarlet looking mad and eager to start something. Will Tenebrae and Emerald get out of this pot that's about to boil? Tune in to the next part to find out!
