“I’ll give you filthy fucking mutants credit where it is due: you beat us, there’s no way out. But if you think I will let you WRETCHED FUCKING ABBERATIONS BE THE LEGACY OF OUR PROUD NATION-” -Last recorded words of President Hadley before a hidden nuclear bomb wiped out the island colony of Port Hope alongside the last known pure humans circa 103AA.
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Alexander couldn’t stay forever unfortunately, and soon after the final welcoming ceremony it was time for the man to return to his duties beyond the Sect. There was so much John didn’t realize he wanted to say to his three armed mentor until there was no longer enough time, it was just sinking in that the man who had been a daily presence in his life was going to at most rarely visit for a brief window of time for, well… Forever. He thought he was ready for this but as he stood behind the large portcullis of the gates a wave of unfamiliar emotions crashed into him, made worse by the fact any words he wanted to say were frustratingly stuck in his throat. Alexander didn’t need his third eye to see what was happening to his former charge, and gave a small reassuring smile as he extended his third arm to unnatural length to pat him on his head.
“I’m sorry… i’ll pull myself together…” John murmured mostly to himself.
“No need, I understand.” Alexander spoke gently, somehow projecting his voice so that despite being several feet away it felt like he was right by his side. “Between you and me, I didn’t want to go either, but I have a duty to the rest of the Rats and I have long since come to know that my place isn’t here.”
Before he himself knew what he was thinking, John rushed forward and wrapped the gangly older man in a wide hug. A slight jolt of static traveling through his conductive sweat briefly made him flinch mid embrace and gave him just enough pause to realize his own embarrassment and try to pull away, only to feel a reciprocating hug pull him closer. There was a part of him that wanted nothing more than for time to stop entirely at that moment.
“Are you going to say anything, father, or are you just going to stand there?” Alexander spoke first upon leaving the embrace.
From seemingly nowhere a gigantic mass of tendrils and eyes popped into view. “I… I didn’t want to interrupt the moment… and I have to work on reports from the east so I thought I might as well just leave…”
“Remember what we talked about, you promised you would at least try!” Alexander chastised his father.
“I did yes…” Elder Aurelium replied, a certain weakness in his voice that was completely out of place in his body.
“That’s what I want to hear.” Alexander said with a nod. “But I have dallied enough already, goodbye John, Father.”
“Safe travels, son.” Elder Aurelium said quietly.
“Bye, dad.” John followed up before he realized what he said.
With a smile wider than ever, even as John’s face blazed Alexander walked out the gates into the waiting Rust Wagon.
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Cobalt crept through the shadows, her pale form shimmering as her newest mutation manifested itself. Like a Mauler tracking its prey across a mountain she clung to every possible surface that would give her an advantage in stealth to track her target until…
“I know you are there, Cobalt dearie, come out now.” Aunt Cinnabar said with an affectionate faux exasperated sigh.
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Leaping forward she wrapped her arms around the older woman with a giggle, only avoiding the more pokey bits of Cinnabar’s carapace through great practice, and greeted her with a warm embrace.
“I don’t need to read your mind to tell something is bothering you. Be honest, Cobalt, your auntie is here to listen.” Cinnabar softly reassured her, running taloned hands through the short hair on Cobalt’s head like one would pet a small animal.
“I heard the others talk about something happening in the east.” She admitted. “And I also heard that you will be going there soon so I wanted to spend some time with you before you go.”
“Yes it is true, talk of metal men in the Eastern Corpse-Cities is not unheard of but unfortunately this is something that warrants more… direct investigation. However I do not think this is the only thing that troubles you, is it girl?” The older woman prodded.
“They don’t let me go with you and it’s not fair!” She pouted, dropping all pretense of a strong, confident young mistress. “Father always says I need to be strong but he doesn’t even trust me to go out with you, it’s not fair is it! He insists I stay here where it is safe or join him as he bullies the people of the south, and you know I don’t want to do that!”
“So you don’t know what to do then I take it?” asked Cinnabar.
Cobalt mutely nodded and rubbed her face deeper into the robes of the woman who probably did more to raise her than her sectmaster father and absent mother.
“Your father… he means well…” Cinnabar said slowly, picking her words carefully. “But he has trouble expressing his care for you with his whole well, you know how he is. I don’t think even he realizes his own contradiction, nor do I think I could sway his mind unfortunately. Still he has a point, this new enemy we know nothing about, and I hardly want to put you into the line of fire against an unknown foe more than he does!”
“What would you have me do then? Spend my time with boring uncle Aurelium?” Cobalt cried dramatically, though Cinnabar did not miss the very real emotions flickering in her eyes.
“Come on Rusty isn’t that bad now… well I lie but you can certainly get used to it!” She laughed before more seriously looking her niece in the eyes. “No matter what the sun will still rise tomorrow, you will be alright, have a bit more faith in yourself.”
“Alright…” Cobalt acquiesced quietly, sinking her face closer into Cinnabar’s robes.
“Let’s get you something to cheer you up now, I think I still have some candy in my office, would you like that?” Cinnabar offered.
Cobalt nodded slowly, at the very least it would get her mind off the hunger growing inside of her.
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What started as whispers and insubstantial rumors had over a few months morphed into something more. War was coming, from an enemy with origins nobody could agree on except for the fact that they came from across the sea and were more inhuman than any beast. It was the stuff of legends, fitting for songs of demons and heroes that were sung from village squares during the peak of harvest festivals!
And here John was, as far away from the action as possible, at most acting like glorified pest control. Large numbers of cultivators were drafted to join the front lines to the east and with the lower manpower leaving the south vulnerable several divisions were sent to watch the blurry border where imperial control faded into the disputed territory of dozens of wanton warlords, leaving of course a skeleton crew of individuals at the actual Sect itself. A skeleton crew that included untested initiates like well… himself. With no jobs to do at the moment he was stuck in the archives idly banging his head against a doubtless priceless wooden desk over a set of scrolls that he had long since given up even pretending to attempt to comprehend.
“What did I say about wallowing in self pity again? If you have to do it, at least have the decency to do it where it won’t interrupt my studies.” Magni said, two eyes turning to stare at John while the others were focused on a children's book as he spent his idle time learning to read.
“Bomb you to bits Magni, I swear to Spirits Great or otherwise!” John scoffed, “As if you aren’t bored sitting here reading dusty old books instead of going out and doing something… well anything at all!”
“I never will understand your need to find more trouble than you already have, and don’t pretend like you were not fighting for your life against the great monster Grammar!” Magni snorted.
Unable to come up with a sufficient counterargument, John sent out an irritated spark of electricity that Magni dodged with practiced grace. Too late did both of them realize this would result in the spark flying straight towards a shelf of dusty, old and highly flammable books. John felt ARTOS inject a cocktail of chemicals normally reserved for the depths of life and death battle into his bloodstream, time slowed to a crawl, his pupils both on his head and on his arms dilated as he made a futile attempt to stop what he started. Less than a second passed, a small ember blossomed on a doubtless priceless book sending a shiver of despair down his spine.
And a young woman stepped from behind the bookshelf and casually smothered the ember between two clawed fingers before it could do much damage.
“Foolishness! What do you two think you are doing in the grand archives! It’s a wonder why you were allowed in here in the first place if this gross display of negligence is what you have been doing the whole time!” The girl scolded, immediately her appearance clicked in John’s mind, unfortunately overshadowing what she just said.
“Co- Lady Phagos? He asked in shock.
Cobalt blinked and stared at him with her blood red eyes, tilting her head like an inquisitive bird of prey. “Do I… know you?”