-Vale City-
Mata was just a janitor; some might even call him lucky to have a stable job as a Faunus in a subsidiary of a corporation. But he never saw it that way. It was all a necessary sacrifice to support his family overseas. Work and work and work—never-ending work and underpaid—but that was expected. Everyone accepted those conditions when migrating to the city.
His name was barely legible on the breast pocket of his uniform, which was surprisingly well-kept as the company wanted to look good, some sort of PR move. But that didn't matter. He had to keep cleaning the corridors with his mop and bucket, battling the grime that never ceased in the busy building.
Tonight was no different. He moved methodically, the rhythmic swish of his mop a weird tune to his fatigued mind. He paused his work and moved out of the way as a small vacuum robot crossed the corridor he was cleaning.
Mata was glad there were no cleaner robots beyond the basic ones like the one that crossed, or he would have been out of a job. He chuckled, doubting a robot could ever clean a toilet or under a sink properly.
He let out a weary yawn and resumed his work, trying to finish the corridor quickly so he could move to the next area and clock in his shift. Only then could he enjoy his limited free time to finally contact his family.
A gnawing dread followed him, knowing his family was in grave danger back in Menagerie every hour, every day. The news of Ghira's successor's death had been impossible to ignore. He knew he had to get them out of there before the island turned into a war-zone, either by civil war or an invasion.
This was why he saved every lien, even skipping meals to save enough money to buy a ticket for his wife and son. Smugglers smelled blood in the water and hiked up their travel fees, preying on their desperation. But it was the only relatively safe method to cross the sea. Others would try their luck through Mistral, but Mata had heard the horror stories of neighbors from the Faunus block who never saw their family members again after attempting that route.
Every extra hour, every ounce of sweat, every skipped meal was a brick in the bridge he was building to reunite his family. Yes, they would be living in a cramped apartment inside the Mega block, sharing a single small bed, but it was better than being in a war-zone.
"Floor 4 done. Over," he announced on his comm strapped to his chest.
"Go to the exhaust vents on the roof. We got complaints that it's clogged. Over."
Mata sighed, picked up his mop and bucket, and headed to the stairs. He wasn't allowed to use the elevators to move between floors, so to reach the roof, he had to climb at least five more floors. If it was any consolation, it was company policy that all cleaning staff use the stairs. Although, he has seen some of his coworkers use the lift anyways.
He walked, leaving his mop and bucket in the janitor's room along the way, and headed up to the roof. He had to stop after the third floor, exhausted. One would think he'd be accustomed to it, but that was far from the truth. Climbing stairs was tiring, especially for his deteriorated and overextended body.
He finally reached the roof, panting and tired. He used the last bit of his strength to sit down on the floor, leaning against the wall. He quickly took off his blue cap, finally letting his long ears out.
However, his scroll buzzed to life, almost startling him. He fumbled to answer it, as it was rare to get a call, and he usually was the one calling. He gulped as a knot formed in his stomach; making intercontinental calls was extremely expensive. Hence, he could only call once every two weeks. But if his family was calling him…
The screen flickered to life, revealing his beautiful wife's face.
"Mata, my love," she greeted, her voice crackling through the static. "I've missed you so much."
"Liana," Mata replied, his voice choking with emotion at hearing her after so long. "I've missed you too. How is Kai? Are you safe? Did something happen?"
"We're fine," Liana reassured him. "But, Mata, there's something important I need to tell you."
Mata's heart pounded in his chest, the dread of bad news gripping him. "What is it? Are you in danger? Is Atlas attacking?!"
"No, no," Liana hurried to explain. "It's quite the opposite. Menagerie... it's doing better. They've even built a port, and things have been improving very fast. They are even building new houses. We will have a new home, Mata."
Mata's mind reeled, struggling to process the unexpected turn of events. He had left the life of a fisherman behind when the seas became barren and the economy collapsed. Vale, with all its harshness and grime, had been his escape, his lifeline to support everyone. But now, the very reason he had left was calling him back.
"I... I don't know what to say," he stammered. "I've been working so hard to bring you and Kai here. My apartment, it's small, but I thought... I thought it would be safer here."
"I know, and you've been so strong for us. But the city, it's not the place for Kai to grow up or expose him to the many dangers. Here, he can have a childhood, by the sea, like we did. And you, you can return to what you love doing again."
Mata felt a lump in his throat. The city had indeed taken its toll on him. The endless grind, the soulless routine, the loneliness that gnawed at his spirit—all of it had worn him down. He glanced around the sterile, fluorescent-lit buildings, the darkening skies not by clouds but by an endless stream of vehicles.
"Are you sure things are better there?" he asked, a glimmer of hope igniting within him.
-Adam Taurus, Kuo Kuana-
Things have been going great, or at least within expectations. No problems are cropping up, or maybe they're being handled locally which is fine for now. The White Fang's in charge of policing the island, but I've got plans brewing to create a proper policing force separate from the military. It'll ease the responsibilities on the White Fang and, not so coincidentally, further weaken the factions' power.
But that's a plan for the future, a seed I'm planting and waiting for the results to eventually sprout.
Right now, I'm basking in the satisfaction of the port's completion, way ahead of schedule. I'd been bracing myself for a month-long wait, but with some credits in my balance and that greedy green summoning orb was burning a hole in the back of my mind. The temptation was too strong, and before I knew it, I found myself back at the Company's Bazaar, hunting for anything to accelerate constructions or streamline the island management.
That's when I stumbled upon the contracts for generic characters - an interesting method of bolstering your retinue without affecting your credit overall value.
The catch?
These contracted generic characters wouldn't get any company benefits like a named character would if he or she was added to your retinue properly. But I'm perfectly okay with that trade-off.
I ended up purchasing the villagers' contract, however; they aren't just any villagers, but those industrious little workers from Age of Empires. If my memory serves me right, they're practically walking jack of all trades, experts if not masters of everything except swinging a sword to defend themselves. That puts them squarely in the T3 category. I thought they would be a tier higher, but their skills are capped at the Renaissance era, so that explains their tier to an extent.
Their contract is six villagers for 5 credits. In my eyes, it was too good an offer to pass up for what they offer, especially that despite their skills being capped doesn't mean that they cannot learn.
The faceless manager, ever the salesman, mentioned more additions or DLCs to the contract, but I wasn't interested. Not at the moment, anyway, as those additions cost a lot. And the other, more advanced workers' contracts caught my eye as well, but I had to control myself from buying without thinking. I simply don't have the capacity or resources to utilize them at their full potential.
Yet.
Like yes, I could have gone for the SCVs contract, they were supposed to be capable of automation and had access to even space faring technology and much more but they worked only with specific crystals clusters and something called vespene gas, resources that didn't even exist in Remnant.
So I find myself the new boss of four male and two female villagers.
Obviously, everyone's swapped their race to faunus to fit in and don't cause problems.
It was thanks to these new additions that the port and harbor construction finished way faster than it should have. Like in my memories about that game, a single villager just hammered the ground and in a matter of minutes he built a world marvel. In reality, these workers were actually carrying everything by themselves and putting it together with mind-boggling ease. I watched as one of them easily cut down a single tree, then carried that trunk and turned it into planks all by himself within the hour. Another effortlessly carried slabs of stone with a rope, quickly transforming them into usable bricks.
It was incredible to watch them work, to see the buildings take shape so fast. They weren't alone in their job either; they proved to be naturally skilled in leadership and guidance, becoming foremen overnight. Those five credits had been one of the best investments I'd made, rivaling even my administration talent.
With them around, I started ambitious projects like standard housing units. What would have taken months now took mere days. Pod's help proved invaluable too, allowing me to trace a city construction plan for Kuo Kuana that would make urban planners weep with joy. His large database proved to me that my decision to get Nines was the best course of action.
The timing of the port and harbor's completion couldn't have been better. The Albain brothers had sent a message requesting to dock all the boats they'd been capturing since the mission was issued. Apparently, having so many vessels along the coast of their Mistral base was like painting a giant "attack me" sign for our many enemies.
So now, ships are trickling in, filling out the docks like pieces slotting into a puzzle. We've essentially created a fishing fleet for Menagerie, solving our food production issue in one fell swoop. Of course, I'm not putting all our eggs in one basket - or all our fish in one net, as it were. Pod's warned me about the dangers of overexploiting a single resource, but that's in the long term, in the short term it won't be that problematic since Menagerie's population is a fraction of the kingdoms.
Anyway, we've got a fishing fleet now. But that brings the problem that we're short on people to crew our new fleet. There are some experienced fishermen around, but not nearly enough. Still, they could teach others, pass down their knowledge to a new generation, but that'd take months. Even if our food reserves would last that long, it's a tight schedule - a dangerous game I'm not keen on playing.
But Kali was quick to come up with a solution, to subsidize intercontinental communication for families, especially those who used to be fishermen and had to migrate for better opportunities, because those calls were ridiculously expensive, as I soon discovered. Kali's plan was simple: with the given chance to call, they would speak to their relatives about how things were improving in Menagerie and ask them to come back and resume their original lifestyle. Obviously, any call would be done under strict supervision to prevent anyone from saying too much, especially my miraculous return by accident.
It turns out, people would rather be with their loved ones than die and suffer alone in a foreign land. They only put themselves through that pain to support their families. But if things improve and new opportunities arise... Well, the choice becomes simple.
A better standard of living.
We can't ignore the trickle of people coming from the few settlements to join us, either.
But thinking about all this brings me back to Beacon and Nines' first report. She found Blake on her very first day in Vale, it was within my expectations for the scanner model to find Blake fast but not that quickly.
She tried to go with her original plan and enroll in the academy disguised as a human. It went about as well as one would expect where there is a lot of technology available to detect fake ID and I knew that she, unlike Ilia, had little to no knowledge of that branch. Except, it was Weiss Schnee who found her and exposed her to the public by a mere glance, and Nines couldn't detect any augmentation on the Schnee.
A big scene formed, and Weiss was really going to get physical while Blake just froze and almost suffered the consequences. If it weren't for Nora Valkyrie and her partner's timely intervention and rescuing her from what could've been a messy affair.
Nines pointed out Nora's partner's strong resemblance to Lie Ren. And If that's true, it means Lie Ren's a girl in this world.
I don't know if that would be her actual name in this reality. Universal Calibration at play, obviously. I can't help but wonder how others were affected by that.
And reading about Blake's suffering due to her actions gave me a flash of vindication, but it was short-lived. It quickly curdled in anger and made me very upset. Sure, I wanted her to face the consequences of her stupidity, to get slapped by the reality of this grim world, that she gets to see firsthand that her ideal world never existed, that she always lived in a bubble of her own making. But when I read about what everyone was doing, Weiss' direct action, how everyone was encouraging it so openly it made my blood boil.
I know I should inform Kali about Nines' findings, but… telling her would only upset her, maybe even break her heart. Waiting one week before delivering the breaking of the news to her should be reasonable, as maybe, just maybe, Nines delivers another report, a good one, to somehow cushion the blow of the first one.
And pushing those thoughts aside, Nines also told that Weiss quickly glued herself to her because the situation developed exactly as Sienna predicted. Weiss Schnee believes Nines is a distant relative, product of an affair thanks to her white hair and blue eyes.
I can't help but smirk. For now, this misconception is irrelevant, but it keeps the Schnee princess close. Close enough to use her when the opportunity arises, and more accessible to stamp her in the future.
More important was to have Nines get into the Academy and every key location inside the city, so she could start setting up portals, granting me swift access to both the prestigious academy and the sprawling city below.
I certainly wasn't going to spend all my time managing Menagerie. Just needed to be prepared when it was time to make a move.
Although that brings up an interesting divergence, as Nines hasn't taken her initiation exam, and it's been a week since she should have. It turns out that Beacon changed it a little; the initiation is now taken in groups and on different dates due to the sheer number of candidates. So she's simply waiting in an apartment complex inside the academy and trying to investigate more with some of the liberties she was given, like access to the library.
Which quickly gave her results as she gained more insight about the situation of the faunus 'students.'
Sienna's words were spot-on.
The truth of Beacon's integration program is a bitter pill to swallow as this is what came out from Ghira's efforts.
Faunus students?
No, glorified servants are more accurate. They're relegated to menial tasks that don't involve combat or hunter training in general. The new team structure is a joke: four humans and one faunus–if the humans deign to accept one at all.
And what I expected to happen thanks to that stupid modifier ended up happening. Faunus quarters are entirely separate from the humans'. They don't share meals, don't sleep under the same roof and certainly do not study in the same class or have the same level of education. It's segregation, plain and simple. The only time these"teams" truly come together is for missions or training exercises.
I laugh bitterly at the notion of bringing the fucking apartheid to Remmant. Vale always has been a sham. At least Vacuo, with its brutal honesty, doesn't pretend. There, only strength determines your worth. Vale, the "most progressive" kingdom in Remnant, just put a different coat of paint over their problems.
I should have stayed with its parody of societal problems.
Still, Ozpin is the headmaster of Beacon and a council member. So how did that idiot let everything get this fucked up? Did he spearhead all these new changes and societal structures as some misguided attempt to unite humanity?
Unite the world through hate?
Or maybe he isn't as influential as before. Perhaps the world advanced so rapidly that the old wizard couldn't keep up and started lagging behind and slowly becoming obsolete.
Or maybe Ozma simply doesn't care about the details and lets everyone act as they want, as long as it doesn't affect or actively hinder his grand plan against Salem.
I shake my head, feeling a headache coming on. One day, I'll get my answers directly from the body snatcher himself. And hopefully, he'll give me a very good one, or I'll send him straight into the hands of the Company. Just another immortal soul to their infinite collection.
With a sigh, I lean back against my chair and rub my chin in thought, my eyes darting to the pile of paperwork in the corner. Paperwork that I've already finished some time ago.
The Administration Talent is already making leaps of progress and showing good results. My speed in doing paperwork has increased exponentially, turning hours of work into minutes, just as advertised. My first augmentation helps in many aspects, too. I'm becoming a bureaucratic machine, and here I was once thinking about wasting a template slot for that.
So my free time and breaks are increasing, which is the reason I could escape to the Bazaar and discover those NPC contracts. A blessing and a curse, really. More time to plan, but also more time to reflect on all the fucked-up things in this world.
Suddenly, a message pops up in my vision.
And it's from Sienna.
'We need more weapons for the recruits.'
Direct, as always. I appreciate that.
I minimize the window pop up and get up from my chair before moving towards the window, getting a good view of the White Fang Headquarters, now full of life and buzzing with activity, although mostly from the barracks where I can observe the training of the news recruits.
With my return and the many improvements, White Fang recruit numbers have skyrocketed, filling our ranks and even allowing for the creation of reserve divisions. Meaning, we were in need of more weapons and supplies for the increased upkeep of our forces. And that is why I have purchased the armory. I just need to organize and prepare another shipment and send it to her.
Sienna didn't question where the weapons were coming from. Nobody questioned it because they were just glad there were decent weapons. THAT was all that mattered to them.
Either way, it is a good thing to have more manpower as it has given me the opportunity to finally start with the plan of the road construction. This project will connect Kuo Kuana with other settlements across the island, a very important step for future expansion.
The next phase involves unlocking the aura of select promising recruits, transforming them into an effective patrol force to safeguard these new roads. With secure roads, the local economy will inevitably boom, as it will promote more trading, paving the way for more growth and more growth means better standard of living that transforms to increased revenue, and with more revenue our kingdom budget will grow which in turn can be used for more projects that will help the economy and so repeat the cycle.
Oh yeah, it's all coming together.
'I will send more later'
I reply to Sienna, however just as I'm about to close my chat another message arrives.
'Will you come for dinner?'
And it is from Kali.
'Of course.'
'Would you like your favorite dish?'
'Surprise me.'
'Sure, Adam.'
I close the chat, a small smile tugging at my 's certainly a nice gesture on her part. I make a mental note to bring some ingredients and spices from my house's kitchen. It'll be my own surprise gift for her, and I'm certain she'll create something extraordinary with them.
Of course, I can buy 'Fairy Fest' and make ambrosia with any ingredient no matter the quality, but it's different to have a home cooked meal made by your mother.
My pleasant musings are abruptly cut short by an incoming call. I feel a flash of annoyance at the interruption, but it quickly dissipates when I see it's Ilia who is calling me.
"Ilia."
"Adam, there has been a sighting of a behemoth."
My brow furrows. "Where?"
"The quarry."
"Casualties? Evacuation status?" I fire off, already moving towards the door.
"Everyone's been evacuated and is en route to the city. No injuries reported. Everyone is calm."
"Well done. Stay with them. I'm going there to assess the situation."
"Adam, wait!" Ilia's voice stops me from hanging up. "Don't do anything reckless!"
"I'll observe from a safe distance," I assure her, my tone brooking no argument to this decision. "Trust me, Ilia. I won't do anything dangerous."
There's a pause before she responds, "Okay. Take care, Adam."
Ending the call, I swiftly close the communication window and stride out of my office. Outside, I quickly summon my solar surfer and in one fluid movement, I leap onto it, my foot finding the accelerator. My vehicle roars to life, and I'm airborne, flying towards the quarry at breakneck speed.
As I fly, my mind starts to think. I'd always known the behemoths on the island would eventually become an issue. The quarry's location, nestled within one's territory, was a calculated risk. But Ilia's confirmation of everyone's safety is a relief. Now, the worst-case scenario is damaged infrastructure or broken equipment - a trade-off I'm willing to accept. After all, machines can be repaired, buildings rebuilt.
A small part of me dares to hope that perhaps, by some miracle, no damage has occurred at all. But I've learned not to rely on such optimism.
Moments later, I reach the quarry, which is empty.
From above, I survey the scene, finding the abandoned equipment scattered across the quarry. Carts filled with stones, some only partially loaded, stand out in the open along with the tools. My eyes scan in every direction, searching for the reported behemoth, but my field of view remains frustratingly empty.
And for a moment, I worry about the same type of behemoth that I encountered in the sea.
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, causing a nearby cart to topple over, scattering its contents. Rocks bounce and rattle, the tremors growing more intense with each passing second. If I was on the ground then I might have fallen over. My attention snaps to the north, where I catch sight of something massive approaching at a speed that defies logic for a creature of its size. I'm not talking about speeds comparable to my surfer, but a speed that isn't proportional.
Zooming in, I get a better look. The giant grimm isn't running, but rolling like a stray wheel. A very big spiky wheel.
"That must be the rock eating behemoth." I mutter to myself.
As it reaches the quarry, the behemoth uncurls into its full form. The sight is grotesque - a carcass of deformed bones jutting out all over its giant body and tail. Its round chin is armored with bones that look unnatural, as if the grimm fashioned them into a protective shield for its jaw.
The monster loudly snorts, the sound echoing across the empty quarry. It lumbers towards the rock-filled carts, crushing equipment and toppling a wooden structure in its path.
It was certainly within my expectations for that to happen, so I didn't put much thought into it.
Reaching the carts, the behemoth rams them with its big round head, spilling rocks everywhere. Then, to my astonishment, it begins to eat the extracted rocks. I can't help but frown at the bizarre scene unfolding before me.
A grimm eating rocks?
I can clearly see it swallowing and chewing, grinding the stones to paste inside its maw. It's a sight that challenges everything I thought I knew about grimm biology. Because it is common knowledge that they don't need to eat, or have any sort of natural needs. Yet here's this monster, happily proving that belief wrong.
Suddenly, the behemoth snaps its spiky head upward, its glowing red eyes locking onto me. A menacing growl rumbles from its throat, flashing some of its teeth in a clear warning. But as quickly as it noticed me, it lost interest and returned to its meal.
I continue observing, taking pictures for later analysis. The behemoth devours every last stone from the pile. Only when it's finished does it turn and start walking in the opposite direction. It picks up speed, curling back into its wheel form, and rolls away into the distance.
An idea pops in my head and I pull out my anti-material rifle from the pocket space. With a single hand, I level the massive weapon at the retreating Grimm, its silhouette growing smaller in the distance.
I'm way up in the air and the monster isn't capable of flying and even if it tries to hurl things at me, I can just fly higher and be perfectly safe. A smirk tugs at my lips as I line up my sights, the world narrowing to the crosshairs and my target.
The rifle bucks against my shoulder as I squeeze the trigger. My shot connects with a satisfying crack, shattering a single bone from the giant grimm body. The bone plummets, impaling itself into the ground. Yet, the beast keeps rolling at the same speed, seemingly unfazed by the loss. And this confirms my initial suspicion. Those protruding bones aren't part of its body, like it would be the case for an Ursa or Boarbatusk.
With a thought, I return my rifle to the pocket space, its weight vanishing as quickly as it appeared. I angle my flight path, gliding closer to the fallen part. The behemoth has already vanished from sight, swallowed by the horizon or whatever hellish crevice it crawled out of.
As I approach, something catches my eye. The bone is still there, fully intact, its white color standing out from the earth's natural color. It hasn't started the normal process of dissipating into that ephemeral black mist, the telltale sign of a grimm's demise.
I carefully land my surfer, the antigravity fields humming as they disengage. I hop off, my hand hovering near my weapon, ready to draw to fight off any ambush. My senses are on high alert, making sure that there are no nasty surprises. You don't survive long in this world by letting your guard down, and just that short flight across the ruins of Mountain Glenn was enough proof of that.
Cautiously, I approach the solitary bone jutting from the earth like an obelisk, still showing no signs of fading away and standing close to it I can see that it reaches my shoulder. My fingers brush against its surface, feeling the texture. It's smooth, almost polished.
With a grunt, I wrench it from the ground. It comes free with surprising ease, lighter than it should be for its size. Yet when I test its strength, it holds firm. Resilient even.
To the untrained eye, it might pass for a normal bone. But I know better. No creature on this island – hell, maybe on this planet – should have bones this massive. So grimm that became behemoths are actually more real? Even go as far to consider them alive after watching the new behavior?
This definitely warrants further investigation. Pod might be able to shed some light on the bone's composition and properties. Or maybe, just maybe, on my journey home, the grimm bone will finally follow the natural order and dissipate as it should have done from the beginning.
And since Pod is still at my home, well... It's the perfect excuse to end my work early. Besides, I've finished all the paperwork for today, so I am not procrastinating on anything.
I store the bone in my pocket space and walk back to my solar surfer, but instead of hitting the accelerator as soon as I step on it, I make a call
"Adam? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything is fine. The behemoth is gone after devouring all the extracted minerals and leaving the place in ruins," I reply, glancing back at the quarry.
"That's unfortunate, but we can always rebuild."
"Where are you now?"
"At the city wall checkpoint. We made it back safely a while ago. The others are here too."
"Wait for me. I won't be long."
"Okay."
As the call ends, I pull up the mini-map on my vision and I trace the quickest route back to the city checkpoint. With a curt nod, I hit the accelerator. The surfer engine roars to life beneath me and I depart, leaving the quarry behind.
The barren landscape blurs past. In mere minutes, the walls of Kuo Kuana loom before me. The checkpoint comes into view, a small crowd gathered near its gates. As I fly closer, the stationed guards snap to attention before they all give me a formal salute.
"Adam!"
My childhood friend's voice rings out above the low murmur of the crowd. She steps forward, waving her hand. I extend a hand, which she takes without hesitation. With a smooth motion, she hoists herself onto the surfer behind me, her arms wrapping securely around my waist.
"Hey," I start with a small smile. "Time to head home. Kali's making dinner for us."
Ilia's grip tightens slightly. "Sounds perfect."
-Sienna Khan-
Sienna stood before the ornate large mirror in her room, her amber eyes narrowed in concentration as an unfamiliar sensation washed over her. It was a peculiar feeling—strange, yet undeniably pleasant—that had been lingering for days, if not weeks, inside her body.
She knew herself very well, especially the toll that stress and overwork had taken on her body over the years. While she wasn't old by any means, the weight of her responsibilities and all the effort put into trying to salvage Menagerie's precarious situation had aged her both physically and mentally. She felt as if she had aged at least a decade in just a few short years since she assumed the mantle.
Although much of that pressure had recently been lifted from her shoulders, because she no longer was leading the White Fang and Menagerie, Sienna knew that healing and recovery would take time. However, she didn't expect to return to her prime quickly, even with her aura aiding the process.
Which was why she was studying every inch of her reflection with wide-eyed amazement. And finding not a single imperfection on her body.
Sienna was very aware of her natural beauty and her enviable curves. But she also knew that age was creeping in, and her position as a leader didn't help in the matter, only exacerbating the problem and slowly draining away her youth and features she once took pride in.
Or so she had thought.
She studied her reflection closely, her hands tracing the smooth and flawless skin on her face. Years of stress and hard work had taken their toll on her body, leaving wrinkles and lines that she had come to accept as a part of aging and part of the job. But as she looked at her reflection again, she couldn't believe what she saw. Her skin was radiant, without a single imperfection or wrinkle in sight.
The subtle sag that had begun to affect her breasts had vanished, replaced by a firmness that defied gravity. And to be sure, she had to touch and squeeze her breasts to feel that firmness. Even her buttocks, which she often dismissed as average, appeared toned and rounder than ever before.
Even more surprising were her muscles, new muscles. She flexed her arms and admiringly ran a hand over her stomach and felt the faint abs that seemed to have appeared overnight. It was as if she had been training rigorously for years when, in reality, she hadn't even changed her workout routine, and sometimes she has been missing days due to overworking herself.
She had a body that models would kill for; not even the most skilled Atlesian surgeons with their cutting-edge technology and years of experience could replicate it.
But Sienna wasn't naïve enough to believe that this sudden change was normal. To grow younger and reach peak physical condition instead of aging?
As a woman who had dedicated her life to fighting for her people's rights, Sienna was no stranger to the extraordinary. She knew that semblance had unique manifestations; there had been recorded cases of extreme semblances that bordered on impossible. But this... this was something else entirely.
-Bonus scene, Ilia Amitola-
Ilia considered it a good day. Despite the behemoth class' sudden appearance and destruction of part of the quarry, ending the day with dinner at the Belladonna household felt like a nice conclusion. Kali had always been a fantastic cook, able to create delicious meals even with limited ingredients.
Ilia was confident that they would get more supplies soon, especially with Adam leading the White Fang. His leadership had brought a lot of progress within a month, despite numerous setbacks and that... She shook her head, pushing aside the thoughts that threatened to sour her mood. It was not worth it to even think about it or her.
As a gesture of gratitude for the dinner, Ilia volunteered to clean the dishes, giving Kali a moment to rest and enjoy some tea with Adam. It was the least she could do after the warmth and hospitality she had received. Kali's laughter echoed softly from the other room, mingling with Adam's deeper voice, creating a comforting background hum.
Glancing over her shoulder, Ilia saw Pod flying in, carrying the remaining items from the table and carefully depositing them next to the sink. The small, floating robot moved around so natural and silent, its mechanical arms handling the delicate dishes with ease.
"Thank you, Pod," she said, smiling at the bot.
As the strange bot returned to the dining room, Ilia couldn't help but find it odd to see such cutting-edge technology performing mundane tasks. Regardless, Pod was undeniably helpful, either providing new insights or actively assisting with any activity. Nines had been a very lucky girl to have found Pod when she left Mistral.
Calmly, Ilia gathered the remaining dishes and placed them in the sink before turning the knob to let the water run. The sound of flowing water filled the kitchen, a soothing backdrop to her thoughts. She picked up a sponge and began cleaning the first utensil, scrubbing it thoroughly until no food remained, then rinsing it under the stream of water, watching the suds swirl down the drain.
Soon, she had a clean knife in her hands. And she paused for a moment, admiring its shiny surface and her own reflection in it. The knife was a simple tool to help cut food, but also could be used as a weapon that could be driven deep on an enemy and twist it.
Slowly, her grip tightened on the knife, her spotted skin shifting to a deep crimson hue as her eyes glowed red in the reflection.
That traitor needs... no, she must pay for what she had done. Even if Sienna forbade it.
"Ilia? Is something wrong?" Kali's voice broke through her thoughts as she entered the kitchen, her tone laced with concern. The red color drained from Ilia's skin, returning to a normal dark tone.
She loosened her grip on the knife, the red glow fading from her eyes. "Nothing, I was just... lost in thought." She hoped Kali wouldn't pry further.
Kali gave her a concerned look, her brows furrowing slightly before she showed a gentle smile. "Well, thank you for helping with the dishes. Let me finish up now, dear."
Ilia nodded and handed over the sponge. As Kali took over, Ilia stepped back, the cool tile under her feet grounding her. She glanced out the window, moving closer to appreciate the darkening skies, hoping to clear her mind.
"Ilia," Kali said softly, pulling her back from her thoughts. "You know you can talk to me, right? Whatever it is, you don't have to hide it from me."
Kali was sincere, and Ilia knew she could trust her with her problems or anything, but this was personal.
"It's nothing, Kali. But thank you."
AN: Oh man I'm tired. And I'm late again, sighs. But finally got most chapters ready. Anyways first things first, yes. That's a Radobaan from MHW and yes I know that they don't eat rocks but this one in particular was altered to fit into the grimm lore like the Squig. And yes, plenty of Behemoths are in fact from MH, I thought some would notice it when I put the aquatic grimm spy on Adam's ship, if you didn't then it is a mutated Sommancath.
Now some of you know but I've set up a , properly this time. You will have access to TWO chapters ahead of everyone else. So just got to Cholo
With that in mind, I the next story will My World, My Justice. I HOPE I can get everything done within a week.