"Colonel? Is this about that favor you asked for?" Aside from a ticking grandfather clock and distant birds chirping from outside, silence filled the office room. The mid-morning sun shined through the windows and onto a desk filled with files and papers, all detailing a variety of information. Standing on an expensive carpet rug in the center of the room were two very peculiar men. "What is this?" Asked one to the other, "A device of some sorts?"
"I've made an incredible discovery:" the latter replied, "The existence of other worlds, ones beyond the Boundary. With this device, I can bring us precisely to any of these worlds as I please."
The first gentleman seemed perplexed by this. "And...you're suggesting we test if this device actually works?"
"Well of course." The other scoffed, "Do you think me an imbecile?"
"No, not really... I'm sure you know what you're doing. Is the Imperator aware of this?"
"I intend on telling her after we bring suitable results of these worlds." Buttons on said device began beeping at each press. "And now, off we go."
"Wh-Whoa, wait a min-!" The two were gone after a flash of light engulfed the room they once stood in, leaving it vacant.
Stories. It all starts with a small idea. These ideas can create many things, including worlds. One whole world may in fact be a collective of stories, each filled with their own colorful characters and lore.
This is the tale where two worlds collide. Though born from differing origins, they shall clash together and bring about the meeting of friends and foes. It is time that we see these events unfold and witness the trials of both aspiring and unlikely heroes.
The Wheel of Fate is Turning...
Like the crackling sparks to a lightning rod in a thunderstorm, white bolts of electricity danced around a ball of blinding light that hovered in the air.
The white ball grew in size slowly, then split into two separate beings. Flaring almost as bright as the sun, the strange orb let out one last flash as two figures emerged from the light and landed on the ground beneath them. One, donning a golden mask, stood on his feet while the other, clad in a black suit and tie, fell to his hands and knees.
"Dammit, Colonel..." the latter panted, slowly rising to his feet whilst dusting off his suit. "You could've at least let me prepare..."
The masked stranger looked about their new surroundings, taking in as much information as he saw fit. The land around them was like that of an aircraft hangar, littered with shipping crates, large metal containers and a central metal building with a rounded roof.
"Not the most preferable of destinations, but it will do..." the masked figure deduced. "Aside from that, the test was a success."
"Wait, you didn't even TEST the damned thing yet?" the man in the suit said, shooting up to his feet. "The hell, Relius?! You could've-" The man in the suit stopped himself, taking a moment to look around. "Oh, that's peculiar..." he said to no one in particular. "...I sense seithr."
"Seithr?" the man dubbed Relius clarified. "I thought this place felt strange..."
"Yes. It's concentrated, coming from somewhere..." the suited man replied. "You sure this is a different world? How would there be seithr in an alternate dimension?"
"I wouldn't know...but it would make for excellent data," Relius said. "You should be able to single out where it is better than I can. Go make yourself useful, Hazama."
The man dubbed Hazama sighed, wandering off towards the large, central hangar. "Fine then," he muttered. "Making me do dirty work..."
The two strange figures meandered into the metal hangar, shadows overcoming them as they left the daylight and steeped themselves in dim lighting. Hazama began to step further into the compound when he felt his collar being tugged forcefully. He found himself crouching behind a wooden crate within seconds.
"The hell?" he barked, looking over at Relius crouching next to him.
"Quiet, Captain," the Colonel said in a hushed tone. "We aren't alone."
Hazama peered out from behind the crate, seeing men in black and white outfits with white masks shielding their faces patrol the area. Sorting more of the wooden crates that were lying about, they had nary a clue of the intruders of their compound.
"Oh..." Hazama said, turning back to sit behind the crates. "Jobbers."
"Certainly. But let's be smart about this," Relius remarked. "One masked fool at a time will most definitely be an easier task than all of them at once."
"I'm sorry, do you not have confidence in my awesomeness?" Hazama questioned.
"No. We simply don't know if these people are capable of controlling the seithr in this area," Relius replied.
"I suppose you're right," Hazama muttered. "But if we take this place for ourselves...this outlet of seithr will be at our disposal."
"My thoughts precisely," Relius stated. "Flank left. I'll head right."
Hazama smirked, peering out from behind the crate once more. The patrolling masked man was facing away from him, so the green-haired gent swiftly dashed out from the first crate and moved on to a second. With no one else in sight, Hazama shot a dark green, ethereal chain from his hand. The snake head at the tip grasped the patrolling guard's collar and forcefully dragged him towards Hazama, who planted his heel into the incoming guard's spine. A blade shot out from Hazama's shoe and pierced the guard's back, and Hazama muffled the man's grunt of pain with his gloved hand. He tossed the limp body aside to the shadows and moved onwards.
As Hazama moved to the left, Relius crept slowly to the right. With a snap of his fingers, a strange figure appeared by his side. Like a porcelain doll, she had shiny white skin and wore a magenta dress with a strange hat, the colors of both matching that of Relius' overcoat. On her long arms, hook-shaped blades mimicked fingers that spread out with open palms. Relius pointed two fingers to a darker corner of the room, and the metal figure floated daintily over to stand in the shadows. A masked guard saw the female figure and wandered towards it in confusion. He aimed his firearm in its general direction, lowering it as he came closer and closer. The female figure did nothing, having no orders from its master, letting the masked goon come within arm's reach. As the guard examined the doll, Relius placed his palm on the ground beneath him.
"Geara Lugia," he said softly.
A purple, ethereal circle appeared on the ground beneath the masked goon. Before he could react a metal contraption shot out of the ground and pierced the masked goon through the chest and back with crab claw-like blades. Too startled to scream, the masked goon fell limp to the floor when the contraption dislodged itself. Relius snapped his fingers once again, dismissing his puppet as he continued on.
Hazama and Relius slowly but surely made their way around the hangar, silently eliminating any patrolling guards as they found their way near a group of three standouts, illuminated by a single light shining down on them. Clearly looking different from the others they dealt with before, Hazama and Relius shot each other looks signaling to wait.
An orange haired thief in a white trench coat and black bowler hat, standing in the center of the light, looked on at the other two figures standing in front of him. One was a dark skinned girl with green hair, and the other was a silver-haired man with a pale complexion. The orange haired man pointed a stylized black and red cane at the silver-haired man's chest, gritting his teeth.
"Listen, you little punk..." he started. "If it were up to me, then I would take you and your little street rat friend here and-"
"Do what, Roman?" He was interrupted by a young, dark-haired woman in a red dress who stood on a high platform that soon lowered to the three.
Roman Torchwick nervously laughed. "I'd, uh...not kill them?"
Cinder Fall approached them, her glass heels tapping against the concrete ground as she gave a half-glare at Roman. "I thought I made it clear that you would eliminate the would-be runaway."
"I was going to-"
Sensing something was off, Roman cut himself off turned and found himself blocking a volley of silver knives with his cane. The other figures, startled by this turn of events, put up their guard.
"Oh dear, I suppose that one's on me..." a sly voice muttered. "Apologies, Colonel. I got jumpy."
A green-haired man in a suit stood up from behind a crate to the central figures' right. A blonde man with swept-back hair and a magenta outfit let out a groan of disdain as he revealed himself, standing to their left.
"Every time, Captain..." the blonde man sighed. "I remind you that you should have some tact and save your little bursts, but you never listen..."
Roman, confused to the core, looked at both intruders with wide eyes. "...what the hell?!" he said, planting his cane on the ground. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I'm not sure if you waltz into secret hideouts like it's some sort of hobby, but I don't think you two should be digging your noses into our business."
"Oh?" the green-haired man in the suit turned his attention towards the ginger thief. "Is there a problem?"
"Why, yes, there is. You're in White Fang territory, you hipster."
"Oh dear. Oh, I'm so, very sorry my good man." With eyelids shut, the man in black made an offended expression. "I didn't mean to interrupt your little circle jerk, Mr. Clockwork Orange!"
The thief snapped and tapped the tip of his cane against the stranger's chest. "That's Roman Torchwick to you, buddy!"
"Torchwick? More like Torched-dick, amirite?" He grinned, removing his hat to dust it off. "But if it's a name you're wanting, then you may call me Hazama, if you're not exactly in the mood for getting your eyes fed to you through a straw."
Already fuming, Roman gritted his teeth whilst clenching his cane. "I'll show you what happens to shit-talkers like you. Get 'em!" He pointed towards Hazama, expecting several men in Grimm masks to surround the target. But no one came.
"Oh, that's embarrassing..." Hazama jibed. "Are you talking to the masked men in the room? Because the only one left is my friend Colonel Relius Clover over there, and I highly doubt he'd listen to you."
Roman looked around the hangar, seeing that indeed they were the only six inhabitants. He stomped his foot. "Fine then!" he growled. "Emerald, Mercury! Prove that you aren't completely worthless!"
The dark-skinned girl brandished two hooked blades, and the silver-haired man took a Tae-Kwon-Do stance.
"You're gonna regret waltzing in here, you punks!" the girl dubbed Emerald taunted.
Relius stroked his stubbled chin, peering at the two armed combatants before him. He hardly seemed perturbed. "Soul analysis completed. I believe they pose no threat to us, Captain Hazama," he said calmly.
Emerald and Mercury raised a collective eyebrow. "Soul analysis? The hell you shitting about, old man?" the latter remarked.
[Song cue: Gluttony Fang II (Hazama's theme)]
"Oh really? A shame," Hazama muttered. "Thought I'd really be able to stretch my legs. But I suppose not."
Having enough of their banter, Emerald dashed forward with weapons in hand as Mercury did a leaping axe kick above her. Hazama grinned and dashed backwards with a hand on his hat, leaving Mercury's foot to land on the ground. The dark-suited man whistled with a small fix of his tie before lashing out his own forward kick which made a trail of strange dark energy in the image of a black serpent. Mercury dodged and held his left foot up, kicking the air in front of him which fired bullets at Hazama. The gent swayed left and right from each shot then retaliated with a hard toss of five silver knives. The young killer kicked four out of the air but stumbled as one impaled through his black pants at the left shin.
What took Hazama by surprise was the fact he heard a "tink" instead of the blade hitting flesh, though he played it off as the knife impaling part of his weapon. Mercury then leaped into the air, dive-kicking to the man below. His foot was stopped by a barrier made up of multiple chains, then Hazama countered with a high kick. Another green snake trailed behind his foot, hiding the knife in his shoe that cut part of Mercury's right boot. Mercury back-flipped and landed on his feet, swearing under his breath as he kicked at the ground with his damaged weapon.
Firing shot after shot from her dual pistols, Emerald glared as Relius surrounded himself with a magenta aura. Each of her bullets simply passed through his body, leaving him untouched. She grimaced, her eyes darting around the vicinity as she sought out an opportunity to take. Flipping her weapons a bit, she lunged her left arm out, the blade of her revolver detaching with a chain connecting the two parts together. The chained-sickle hurled towards Relius, who held out his hand with a silver animatronic arm resembling that of a marionette came from behind his cape and struck the blade away from hitting him. The crimson-eyed thief glared as she brought her blade back to her weapon then narrowed her eyes.
With Hazama distracted with Mercury, she took the initiative to fool the masked man. To him, he saw her beginning to reload her pistols, but in reality, she took cautious steps and maneuvered around until she stood about a meter behind him. Though most would've been tricked by such a mirage, Relius managed to see through the trick.
"Oh, how crafty." He taunted, which seemed to catch her off guard. Silently grimacing, she still made the attempt to strike his back with her sickle. With a snap of his fingers, bladed fingers came out and clenched around her weapon.
"W-What?!" Her eyes widened as the blue-eyed doll glared, causing her to try and shoot the automaton. The right hand of the doll then changed into a round saw blade, slashing the revolver out of her hand then lacerating Emerald's right wrist to fully disarm her. She winced and backed away, clenching her nearly wounded arm. Using her semblance to distract the caped male nearly kept her from protecting herself. "How did you...?" She trailed off, glaring as she shook her arm a bit.
"Illusions can mislead many in a predicament such as this." Relius adjusted his mask, "However," turning to face the young thief, "it's useless if you think you can deceive me." He then snapped his fingers again, ordering to the doll, "Ignis, go!"
Though she managed to block with her arms, Emerald was unable to counter as both hands of the pink doll struck her body in a flurry of punches, pushing her up into the air. With the woosh of his cape, Relius lept into the air and made a double hand motion, palms out towards Emerald.
"Id Lauger!" He chanted, a purple glyph opening up in front of his palms as an over-sized fist on a retracting mechanism launched out like magic.
It struck the green-haired girl in the back, causing her to yelp suddenly. The doll named Ignis then vanished into thin air as Emerald was sent straight into the ground. The impact of her body formed a small crater as a result and she groaned in pain, feeling little of her aura left behind.
With the glyph and mechanical weapon gone in the blink of an eye, Relius felt his feet land on the ground. "You were gravely mistaken if victory was the expected outcome." He declared while dusting off his sleeves.
Roman struck the ground with his cane, disgusted at the sight of the so called street-rat losing so quickly. Despite this, Cinder still maintained her calm demeanor, first eying the masked man, then at the suited gent.
Mercury caught the glimpse of Emerald's defeat then turned his gaze to back-flip away as another green serpent lashed out at him. He gritted his teeth towards Hazama, trying to act as if the knife in his shin was hurting him yet still maintaining his bravado. "C'mon, ya loser! Got anything else?"
Smiling at the smack-talk, Hazama started to chuckle. "Why don't I knock out a few gears loose in those tin kickers?"
The silver-haired adolescent was taken back by this, then audibly growled. "How 'bout you shut the Hell up!?" He snapped, recklessly charging at the man in black and sent his right leg out into an axe kick.
Hazama ducked under the strike, only feeling his hat flying off from the boy's attack. Glancing up with his bright green hair now spiked back, he gave a wide grin as Mercury was stunned at the sight of yellow eyes with thin slits like that of a snake's. "Unyielding..." His hands flashed up and chains wrapped around Mercury's legs, yanking him to the ground. With a wide smile, he brought his foot up and sent it right onto the head of gray hair.
"Viper!" Exclaimed a now sinister sounding Hazama as he unleashed multiple stomps on Mercury's head, making the latter grunt and yell each time his face was forced into the ground. The suited gent continued lacerating the young man, even going as far as to bloody his nose as soon as his aura diminished to zero.
Feeling his nose soon to crack, Mercury reached up and grabbed Hazama by the ankle, now screaming. "Stop, stop, STOP!" He begged at the crack of his voice then felt the stomping end.
[Song end]
"What? You think you'll get it easy, brat?!" As if he was a completely different man, Hazama began grinding the heel of his shoe on the boy's head while he kept mocking. "If you think you're hot shit, then you've got another thing comin'!" He then yanked his leg away, stepping back from the wounded fighter.
Torchwick was now ready to take on the intruders himself, seeing how the two had failed He brought up Melodic Cudgel and took aim in the sights. "Why you motherfu-!"
"I think that's enough." Cinder cut him off, pushing his cane down as she stepped towards the two. Emerald and Mercury managed to recover but hastily staggered away, the former hunched with a wince and the later covering his bloody nose. Both glared at the intruders and stood behind their raven-haired mentor.
"Hmph. Tough crowd." Hazama sneered whilst picking his hat back up. Relius watched Cinder approach them and moved his hands under his cape. Something told him it was better to wait and see her potential another time.
"You've certainly flaunted your power." The female commented, hands on her hips. "But I see better use in your strength than torturing my apprentices. Though, I'm certain they needed to be whipped in shape," She glanced back at said teens, eyes narrowed, "especially since they didn't keep their hands clean when arriving here in Vale."
Emerald caught on to what she said and soon rubbed the back of her head out of guilt. Mercury just looked away while shaking his head.
"Well, I'm sure they've learned their lesson by now." Hazama patted off his hat, smirking at the female. "Kids are kids, yeah?"
Relius stroked his chin with a slow nod. "Now that hostilities are hopefully aside," He started, "perhaps we may begin with formalities, presuming we already know each other's names."
"Very well. I am Cinder Fall. I'm the one in charge here, and you best remember that. Wherever you two hail from matters very little to me. All I ask of you is to not think." She lit a flame in her hand with a burning glare towards them, "Obey."
Both acknowledged the magical energy coming off of her body and seemed unfazed by it. Relius nodded accordingly, while Hazama snickered. "I suppose you'll have our cooperation..." "For now..." He mumbled in his mind, his hair flattening into a bowl cut with eyes now shut.
Knowing they'll work with her, Cinder nodded and turned around, walking past Emerald and Mercury. "Be sure to have your things ready." She ordered while strutting off, "The next phase is approaching..."