Arctaius’ childhood was an unusual one, to say the least… Bereft of both parents, siblings, and the rest of his family at a young age. The root cause, the North American Federation declaring war on the Second Russian Empire, and by extension- the Kaiserreich Penzenheim, a state occupying the eastern half of the former holy roman empire. Triggering the Third World War. After the years-long expansion of their influence into other states, after the rise of the first tsar of a Russian state in over 50 years, Sokol Naumov… From the Desert Sands of the Sahara, to the plains of Zhuhong, and even the far reaches of the solar system, humanity found itself consumed by yet another conflict of it’s own creation.
The North American Federation was no different. The Penzen population within the Federation rose in rebellion, the combined anger of their suppression that they faced from the rest of the federation. and the support of what they saw to be the enemy of all penzen people...They began killing off who they saw as enemies… The Amerikanisches Reich had risen, And at its head- was self-proclaimed Fuhrer, Nolan Frost… Many North American citizens were among those considered enemies, the Group was indiscriminate… Arctaius’ family were among the casualties… As Arctaius was left by himself in hostile territory- the boy was left scared, terrified at first. Until his abilities were triggered, and he began his transition into a proto-human, much like many others before him. He began to become less apprehensive to the idea of defeating his enemies- by any means necessary.
The City of Sacramento, as of 2009. Filled to the brim with tall spires of steel and glass, though not nearly as large as Tokyo, it was a metropolis in its own right. One that was well known in the region as a transportation hub. Which was the reason for a child wearing a cloak stood on the roof of one of the many skyscrapers. Here to observe somebody who was apparently going to pass through. In his hand, there was a picture. That depicted an older man with a thick black beard, covering his squared jaw. The same color as the shoulder-length head of hair. His free hand clenched into a fist as he continued to look at the image.
“Nolan Frost… Even after we took back Roanoke and got rid of your armies, you still manage to avoid capture… Rest assured- you’ll pay this time.”
Soon, he released his grip on the picture, letting it fly off with the warm winds. It was then that his hand went to his hood, as he pulled it off, his trademark afro was revealed to the world. Flowing as the strong winds blew it back and forth. His face was in a scowl. Arctaius Corde was on the scene. On the road below the skyscraper, five black cars drove on an elevated roadway. They all looked to be the same model, but, most notable, was that four surrounded one in the center. Though some on the sidewalk, and in the surrounding vehicles took notice, they paid it no mind. After all, It wasn’t uncommon to see a VIP passing through.
Unbeknownst to them, however, the VIP was an infamous criminal, a failed dictator with quite the high bounty on his head. Within the central car, sat three fully armored soldiers. In the back, behind the driver's seat, however, sat a man with robes bearing resemblance to a naval officer. Almost identical to the one in the picture, save for a scar going from the right side of his forehead, down to his left cheek. At first, it was silent, as he saw it, things were going smoothly. Their escape plans were created well in advance of the fall of their capital, after all. That was until the soldier sitting beside him began to speak.
“Fuhrer... Footage from our quicksilver drone has shown us that we are being tailed… By that same boy from before.”
This caught frost’s attention. His gaze moved to the tablet in the man’s hands. Which showed just that, a boy standing on top of the many skyscrapers. His gaze moved forward once again.
“Is that so, Persistent- is he not. To think that he followed us across the country.”
The soldier in the car’s passenger seat looked over his shoulder at his leader.
“What shall we do?”
Frost went silent as he thought about his next plans… If there was anything he knew about this boy, the Agium, was that he was dangerous... Any mistakes could easily spell their end.
“Vahn, Contact the other vehicles- tell them that we’re taking a detour into the remote areas… We’ll reach the airfield from there…”
Soon, as the drivers of the other vehicles received this order, the direction of the vehicles began to change. Soon, making their way into the leftmost lanes. Something that did not go unnoticed by their pursuer. Who continued to track the movement of the vehicles with his eyes.
“An alternate route..? Hm, although even if they go that way, they’ll still be going northbound… They must have some point of escape there. I can’t let that happen- I’ll have to hijack one of their vehicles and take a look at the navigation plans”
Arctaius soon reached to his side, withdrawing a black blade, which resembled a longsword. The standard for the Amerikanisches, made of Zycrium alloy, the same as their armor. His gaze fell upon one of the vehicles as he bent his knees. Tightening his grip on the blade as he leaped off of the building’s roof, beginning a rapid descent onto the car. Soon, crashing into the leftmost one, and destroying the rear windshield, sending fragments of glass cascading inward, landing between two of the soldiers. jumps down towards the vehicle. As he lands inside- he breaks the back windshield, which, of course, drew all of their gazes.
“Shit!”
“Get Him- “
However, with the swipe of his blade, blood soon went to stain the seats as well as the windows, with the two cut in half. The driver soon went to tap the holographic display that lies between him, and the passenger seat.
“Fuhrer, He’s in our Vehic-”
However, it was a moment too late, as Arctiaus soon took a swipe, beheading the man, and jumping into the front. He decided upon something simple, he opened the door, and simply threw the man’s remains out, and took his place. He soon began to tap through the display screen, attempting to find the navigational Data… However, he grew more frustrated as he found that none of the info was of any use to him.
“Dammit- Nothing!!Time to go…”
Arctaius soon hopped out of the vehicle, leaving it to spin out of control on the road, and crash into another. Unluckily for any of those inside, an explosion soon rang out, one that destroyed them both. This much was more than enough to disrupt traffic and the flow of pedestrians on the side. That section of the city seemed to freeze, as they began to look at the scene in front of them. Not only the explosion but, the boy covered with blood...Despite having no injuries himself.
“Who is that boy?”
“More importantly, Who’s blood is that?”
Though Arctaius heard their words, he decided to ignore them, instead opting to dash after the vehicles. Even so, they attempted to continue their escape, but, even then, found that he simply kept pace with them. Vahn looked over his shoulder at the oncoming enemy, clicking his tongue.
“He’s destroyed two of our vehicles, And it looks like we won't be able to outrun him.”
Frost went silent as he debated his next plan of action... If outrunning him outright wouldn’t work, and they couldn’t destroy him so easily...
“This is the limit- Switch into battle mode and end this foolishness!!”
“That boy… He is not to be underestimated, this scar of mine is proof of that.”
As he thought, he began to recall the day he first came into contact with the boy. It was only a small bit after Federation forces made their way into their de facto capital, he heard that the Agium had been kept away from them by use of the Kyuem, and the Federation’s high-tiers were far removed from the battle, taking care of other targets… Though that was before sigma particles reached combat density within the city, and communications shut off, aside from flares, at the least… Unbeknownst to frost, the Agium defeated the Kyuem, and, as he came to the large manor he had begun to use as his HQ, he saw the building in ruins, and a mountain of corpses. On top of this mountain, there he was. His face and clothes were stained red. It was clear to him and those he arrived with, he was the cause. After all that, he had but one thing to say.
“What the hell?!”
Frost soon snapped out of his stupor as the vehicles came to a screeching stop. As the soldiers from the vehicles began to arm themselves, pulling rifles out of the compartments, unslinging them from their shoulders. Before jumping out, aiming their guns at the boy. Something that caused a panic with those around them, confused chatters, and people scrambling to clear the area followed afterward. Though he remained unphased, his gaze moving between the squads and the vehicles behind them.
“Come out- Nolan Frost!! I know you’re here!!”
“As if we’d let you get close to the Fuhrer… Don’t take one more step- otherwise, it’ll be over for you in a second!!”
Arctaius glanced at the soldier, as he tightened his grip on the blade.
“Oh, it'll be over in a second… For you that is.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
However, they stayed silent, not budging, even with his threat.
“so be it.”
Part B
Arctaius began a dash at his opponents. Prompting the soldiers to begin firing at him. Even so, their assault remained a pointless endeavor, as he weaved through the volley of bullets, getting closer to one of the squads. It was then that a feeling of dread washed over them, more so as Arctaius took a swipe, cutting through one of their comrades as if their armor was like butter. He soon grasped another one, yanking him close to use as a human shield, the bullets soon began to rip apart the man’s armor, as well as his body. This continued for quite some moments, until he fell limp, his torso leaning forward. Some moments after, the boy released his grip, leaping toward another soldier, and cutting right through his neck with his blade. Within Frost’s vehicle, Vahn watched this display with widened eyes.
“Fuhrer, Altenburg’s squad has been Wiped Out!! He’s going towards Daenzer's!!”
“Daenzer is skilled Enough to handle this himself, Even if he doesn't have that much protomis… We all know where he got that name from.”
Absorbed in the battle, those fighting paid no mind to those around them. The ones who remained, at the least. At first, they worried for the boy but having watched his actions unfold all this time, had clearly flipped their perception.
“What kind of kid is this?! He just killed them with no hesitation!!”
“I don’t know- But I’m getting out of here!!”
More troops jumped out of their vehicles, pointing their weapons at Arctaius once again, almost, readily, throwing themselves into the meat grinder. At the least, until their saving grace jumped in front of them. Standing at about 6’5, he was much taller than his subordinates. His long face was covered in long, straight, blonde hair which featured sideburns. The same color as his unkempt beard. His clothes resembled more of that of a knight’s armor than any military uniform. A choice he made. That distinguished him from all the rest, the man known as Daenzer, he glanced over his shoulder at the troops behind him.
“Men- Get back, I’ll handle this.”
They quickly followed his directive, stepping back to allow him to do his work. He soon returned his gaze to Arctaius, who tightened his grip on his blade.
“I’ve heard all about you, Agium. Not half bad for someone your age, I’ll give you that… However, I can’t let an enemy like you live, so it ends here.”
Daenzer opened his hand, and, appearing within it was a broadsword. He shifted his left foot forward, grasping the blade with both of his hands. A few moments after, he dashed at Arctaius, kicking up winds behind him with his speed alone. However, Arctaius was prepared, as the man got within range, he soon began swinging. But the boy found that his attacks cut nothing, but air. Daenzer weaved around his strikes as if he already knew the path before a swipe was even launched. Arctaius frowned as he continued his attempts at an attack. At the least, until he took note of a twitch in the man’s muscles, and narrowly avoided the swipe that came, aimed right at his neck.
“This one… He’s no joke…”
A battle of blades ensued, The two took swipes at one another, attempting to dodge the other’s attacks… However, the difference in skill was clear. Arctaius, as much as he tried, could not land a single hit on him, and only narrowly avoided Daenzer’s attacks. It was only a matter of time until his luck ran out, more time for his target to escape… Something that he wouldn’t allow.
“This isn’t working, I’ll need to fight like I normally do… Time for Hand to Hand.”
Arctaius stepped out of Daenzer’s range as he attempted to cut him once again. It was after this that he threw the blade to the side. Daenzer raised an eyebrow at the decision, but opted to ignore it, readying himself for another assault… At the least, until Arctaius dashed forward, and his fist smashed into Daenzer’s stomach. The man’s eyes widened as his mouth was forced open. Before he was sent barreling back. At the least, until he skidded to a stop. But, his opponent was not finished just yet, as he rushed into his range, ready for another assault. Though Daenzer took notice and attempted to jump out of the way, it was much too late. Soon, the boy began a relentless assault, a volley of punches smashed into Daenzer’s body. All the while, he could do nothing about it, as the force of the punches sent waves of air cascading outward, throwing the soldiers, and anyone else who was still in the area off of their feet. Arctaius’ assault eventually did stop, though, it was only for him to reel his fist back, twisting his body back, before it shot forward into Daenzer’s stomach, with a crack sounding soon afterward, and blood pouring from the man’s mouth. Soon, the force sent him flying back… As he cascaded through the air, his blurring vision focused on the one responsible.
“Well… That definitely could’ve gone better. I’ll have to give you that one, Boy.”
The blonde’s eyes shut, as consciousness slipped away from him.
“That man… He was the most skilled here. It’s a good thing I got rid of him quickly… Now then”
Corde’s gaze moved to the convoy. In the main vehicle within, Vahn continued to watch the footage from the drone. For a moment, he went silent… No matter how he looked at it, this simply did not look like it’d end well. Daenzer was their last chance. He felt the urge to leave them all. But he remembered just who they were protecting. If anyone could get them out of this, it was the Fuhrer.
“Daenzer and his squad are down!!”
Frost perked up as he heard this.
“Well then… Change to battle mode.”
With this command, the already large vehicle began to change from the inside out. Bulky armored plates formerly hidden within were soon revealed, black, like the original outer layer. From the top, came a Linear gun, made to fire EM rounds. Arctaius stopped as he focused his gaze on the vehicle.
“So that’s it, I knew that display was too elaborate for a civilian vehicle... It’s as I thought, a covert assault machine. But those are in their prototype stages, last time I checked… How did they manage to get their hands on that?”
Unbeknownst to him, above them, a few blocks away, was an older man with a cigarette in his mouth, a black leather jacket covering his body. The man Known as Taiki Watanabe, standing beside him was a man of a similar age, with short black hair that just touched his ears. His clothes were formal, a black two-piece suit, the center open. Though, what was most notable, was the revolver holstered on his thigh. His fashion and choice of weapon would identify him if they knew his name beforehand. Koeda Tsumotsu. Watanabe took a drag of his cigarette, before moving it away from his mouth.
“That kid… He’s fighting hard, isn't he…”
Tsumotsu nodded.
“That he is…. We should likely stop this. That kid can handle himself, the Civilians? Not so much.”
“I suppose so… But I have to say… I am interested in how this ends.”
Soon the driver changed the vehicle’s direction, facing the front of the truck, and its turret, at Arctaius, the linear gun took aim at the boy, as arcs of electricity flowed through the rails within. As the targeting system marked him, a control panel soon came up in front of Vahn.
“Firing!”
With an ear-piercing boom, out came a shell, moving much faster than most of those there could see, as it shattered the sound barrier. Even so, Arctaius jumped out of the way,
“Tch.. as I expected- a railgun…”
However… The attack did not end there, as he took notice of something in the corner of his eye, a metal object. And the sound of the air that flowed around it. It was then that he looked over his shoulder, and saw that the shell followed him!
“A tracking Shell… useless in battle, but since there are no sigma particles to interfere, they can use weapons like that against me... If this is the case- I'll need a different approach… I’ll make a dash for their vehicle, and lob it back at them…”
He quickly began to put his plan into action, flying toward the vehicle, the shell moving to follow him all the while… However, Frost simply sat calm and collected. A smirk had even begun to creep onto his face.
“Hm… No matter how a Tactician you may be, you’re still a child. Listen up, Once it gets close, We’ll eject!! Send a message to the other vehicles, we’ll begin escape plan Beta.”
“YES- FUHRER!!”
As their response echoed through the comms, the remaining squads rushed back into their vehicles. Though it was something Arctaius took notice of, he ignored it, he could always get rid of the stragglers later. As he continued his charge, he was soon surprised, as he got within 20 feet, out came the vehicle's seats. His Gaze shot up in surprise, as he moved out of the shell's path. And, though the vehicle exploded in a ball of fire, his target was safe. Frost looked down upon him, his smirk remained.
“What?! How did I make such a blunder?”
Frost glanced at his subordinates.
“Vahn, Damage Report…”
“Our only losses are Danzer and Altenburg’s Squads… The rest are unharmed”
“Good- and with that… there is our transport.”
As Frost looked over his shoulder, shooting across the sky with the hum of plasma jet engines, was a small airship, armed with two machine gun’s on its side. Just like that, his escape was assured, at the least, if the boy did not take action again. Soon, the bottom hatch of the ship opened, as those within prepared to take in their leader… At the least, until a beam of blue light smashed into the side of the ship, shaking it and throwing those within around, as if they were ragdolls. Frost’s eyes widened.
“Shit!”
Soon, as another beam smashed into the vehicle, its armored plating was ripped apart, and, so were those inside, vaporized within seconds. Soon after, the ship exploded in a burst of fire, sending shrapnel, and whatever remained of those within cascading outward. Frost’s gaze began to move around.
“Who-”
His gaze went to his left, and, there he saw a few figures standing on top of a building. In the front was Tsumotsu, his revolver in his right hand, aimed right at where the ship used to be. He did not stop there, however, leaping off of the side, he aimed at the remaining ground vehicles, rapidly firing the bursts of blue light, and destroying them one by one. Leaving the guard with no hope of escape. But, that was the least of Frost’s concerns. Because, yet another came toward him, directly, in fact, his left hand behind the rest of his body.
“It’s over... Sub- Zero Blades!”
As he thrust his hand forward, spines of ice soon flew out, toward Frost, and his guard...And just like that, their final swan song was sung. The Fuhrer frowned as he began to look back on the situations that led to this.
“Is this how the reign of Nolan Frost ends… Chased across the country by a child- and killed like this, how pathetic…”
The spines soon pierced Frost’s chest, and his guard all the same. Soon, the ejected seats hit the road, and a smile began to creep onto Arctaius’ face. He began to stroll over to the crash site, parting his lips to speak.
“I don’t know what’s happened to your support… However, this just makes my job easier… This is where it… Wait, He’s already dead?!”
A grimace grew on his face as he took note of the ice shards going through their chests... That wasn’t the work of the ejection system or the fall. That could only mean one thing. Soon, landing beside him, was the man known as Watanabe.
“Hm, what's a kid like you doing fighting armed guards… shouldn't you be in school or something? Anyway- you're lucky I got here in time.”
Arctaius clenched his fists as he jumped at the man, ready to throw punches at him.
“Lucky?! Like hell I am! Who told you to interrupt my Vengeance!!”
However, Watanabe was unfazed by the display. Easily keeping the boy at bay, gripping the back of his neck.
“Aggressive- Aren’t you…”
“Put me down you fool!!”
Watanabe went silent for a moment, as he thought about how to approach the situation. As he saw it, there’s no way the kid would take that lying down, not if his reaction was anything to go by... He ignored the yelling child as he closed his eyes and thought. Until a response finally came to his head.
“Alright kid, Listen up. If you’re that mad about getting your revenge attempt taken from you here… Then doesn't it make sense to go after the ones who supported their rebellion in the first place? I'm sure you know who I'm talking about…”
Arctaius stopped yelling as he heard this.
“Sokol Naumov…”
It was then that he went silent, debating with himself…
“I can’t trust him...That much I’m aware of. However, if that means I get another crack at avenging my family, and all those friends I’ve lost... I’ll tolerate him for now.”
“Fine then, I’ll come with you.”
Watanabe released his grip on the back of his neck, and the boy landed on his feet.
“The rest of my squad's up there... They’ll take you to our ship.”
He pointed behind him with his thumb, and Arctaius followed with his eyes, before, he wordlessly flew off to join them. As Watanabe watched him leave, his longtime ally strolled up to him, putting his pistol back into its holster.
“Are you sure that it’s wise to bring him with us?”
Watanabe looked at him as he spoke.
“It’s better than him being left to his own devices- we’ll take him back to Yamato…”
As Watanabe finished his explanation, he took another drag of his smoke.
“Now then does that answer your question? I knew that it was a bad idea to leave him alone…. It was either let him possibly die, or become something even more dangerous.”
The four teens went silent at what they just heard, the bomb of information, overwhelmed them... Asami moved her gaze to the ground as she began to process the information.
“That... That’s what’s happened to him?”
“I suppose… it makes sense why he wouldn’t want to talk about his past with anyone.”
As Yudei spoke, Shinto Nodded.
“Indeed… His secretive nature makes much more sense now. We knew he lived alone, but I wasn't expecting a dead family…”
Akashi stepped forward.
“Anyway… With that, we’ll tell you where he is. He’s left the country with 3 others following a group called the kaemerge… He thinks that they supported the Amerikanisches and that they must be-”
Watanabe nodded.
“Responsible for the death of his family… He’s gotten mixed up with them of all people. You all- I’ll be putting you under the protection of my team, this fiasco has proved that you aren’t safe.”
Watanabe soon reached into his jacket’s pocket, pulling out his communicator. A holographic display projected, as he tapped the side, and, as he tapped through, Tsumotsu came onto the display, though, his attention was on a book in his hand.
“Tsumotsu… I know about Corde's whereabouts… He exited the country, with a group of three others. He’s chasing after the Kaemerge.”
This much caught Tsumotsu’s attention, he swiftly closed the book and turned his gaze toward the screen.
“Them?! We haven’t managed to pin that group down…”
“ Yeah… a group of Corde’s friends were attacked by Kaemerge members- to my knowledge- they called themselves the ‘Jade Fang Triad’ Given what I saw, I'm putting them under our protection.”
“Fine then… We’ll meet in front of Aikawa Financial Building…3 Hours.”
Watanabe tapped the side of the device, turning the display off. Watanabe looked back at the group.
“I’m guessing you all heard that… I’ll be escorting you in case any more of them come.”
To Be Continued