In the Ashlands, one of the most important aspect to any port is the distribution of tradable goods across an otherwise peril endeavor. With the Aragami roaming the surface and the constant ash storms brewing throughout the land, the major ports of humanity found themselves with a massive problem. Their answer: The Ash Crawler.
*C-C-RUNCH!*
*Tank treads whirling*
A land based vehicle roughly the size of a cargo ship that can transport an absurd amount of cargo from port to port via specific routes dictated by Gleipnir. If a port is the heart of humanity, then the Ash Crawlers associated with them are the lungs keeping it alive, thus they are constantly on the move. These treaded mobile fortresses are equipped with state of the line Anti-Aragami armor plating and Ashblight PPE monitors to ensure that the inhabitants within the ash crawler, be it human or AGE, are free of Ashblight infection. That said, despite the state of the art technology, breaches to the hull are often and, in most cases, dire so they are often guard by the port's AGEs respectively, more often than not, without pay.
With this in mind, we continue our story in port Chrysanthemum's Ash Crawler, an ash crawler of the same name. The Pennywort boys had returned home from a long day's work of exploration. Parking the armored van and putting away their God Arcs. the boys entered the lobby, or the cab, of the ash crawler and were met with a warm welcome by its inhabitants, their other teammates. The first of their teammates, the Hound's head operator, welcomed them back via the crawler's intercoms with a cheery tone.
Amy: Welcome back, boys!
____________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Amy Chrysanthemum]
[Age: 17 years]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 0]
[Primary Role: Head Operator of Port Chrysanthemum]
___________________________________
Hugo: Hello, Amy.
Amy: The others are waiting for you in Hilda's office. I'll be there shortly, so please don't eat up all the food.... Dante.
Dante: Wait, what?
From the lobby of the ash crawler, an elevator sat against the northern wall, alongside the doorway to one of the smaller cargo bays. At said elevator, the doors opened up as they approached it. As it did, a little girl of a light caramel skin and bright blood red eyes lept up towards Dante from the elevator, causing him to take a foot back.
Phym: Daddy!
____________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Phym]
[Age: ???]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 3]
[Heavy Moon // Assault Rifle // Buckler Shield]
[Humanoid Aragami // Head Assistant of Port Chrysanthemum]
[Special Note: Due to her unique nature, many details about her are left unknown. // Though she learns at a unusually rapid pace and is capable of large scale Aragami assault with other AGEs, it is believed that she has the mindset and manner of a nine year old child. // Due to a close bond that developed between the two, Dante Pennywort is to serve as her primary caretaker.]
____________________________________
Dante: Oh, geez!
Catching her with his left arm, Dante played the role of a father figure to the humanoid Aragami.
Dante: H-Hey, Phym! How was school?
Phym: It was fun!
Entering the elevator together, Dante placed her down gently back onto her own two feet as she explained her day at the Port's homeschool.
Phym: The teachers taught us "add-i-ton".
Hugo: It's "addition", Phym.
Phym: Yeah, that.
Keith: How high can you count to, Phym?
Phym: Well.... Umm... one, two, three, four, five...
Zeke: Can you count to twenty thousand?
Dante: Oh, shut it, Zeke.
Phym: ???
Zeke: Keith won a lot of money, today, Phym.
Phym: Good job, Keith!
Dante: (-_-)
Zeke: And daddy lost some money in return.
As Zeke added to the fire, Dante slouched his shoulders down in response, his expression one of disappointment. Though it didn't really help when Phym, not understanding the concept of gambling, patted Dante's lower back to try to cheer him up.
Phym: Aww... It's okay. You'll find your money someday.
Dante: Zeke, I'm going to filet you, like a fish.
Phym: Claire losses money all the time.
Dante: Yeah, cause she doesn't know the game and puts in small bets. Speaking of Claire...
*Ding!*
As the doors opened up, the group arrived at the halls of the second floor. There, the halls lead to the men and women's living facilities respectively, with the port owner's head office at the end. On this floor, the group were met with a few more teammates: An AGE and a 3rd gen God Eater from Gleipnir. As they stepped out, the AGE approached Phym and lectured her with a stern, unusually calm tone of voice they exited the elevator doors.
____________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Lulu Baran]
[Age: 19 years]
[ID#: BN-03972]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 3]
[Biting Edge // Sniper // Shield]
[Hound of Port Chrysanthemum // Stealth and Tactical Commander of the Hounds // Former AGE of Port Baran]
____________________________________
Lulu: Phym, we told you to wait till they came up here.
Placing her arms behind her back and looking down at the ground, Phym apologized with sincerity.
Phym: I'm sorry, Lulu... I just wanted to see Daddy.
Looking down at the adorable little girl, Lulu clenched her fist and closed her mouth as she tried her hardest to resist Phym's natural cuteness.
Lulu: Must. Resist. Phym's... Cute.... SO CUTE!
Dante: Lulu.
Easing up, Lulu looked back at Dante all the while patting Phym's hair.
Lulu: Hmm?
Dante: Where's Claire
Lulu pointed her free thumb behind her.
Lulu: She's in Hilda's office, prepping the meal.
As she said that, the wooden door to the owner's office opened up as a young woman of a military background approached them with a calm tone and a small smile on her face.
__________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Claire Victorious]
[Age: 18 years]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 2]
[Spear // Assault Rifle // Buckler Shield]
[Chief Medical Officer of Port Chrysanthemum // Medic of the Hounds // Former God Eater of Gleipnir's 6th Engineering Battalion, Special Transport Unit]
____________________________________
Claire: Hilda and I have just finished preparations. Come on in and eat, guys.
Dante: Before that Claire, I'd actually like for you to administer a quick check up...
Claire: !?
Dante: ...if you don't mind.
Claire's rose colored eyes widened as normally the boys were hesitant on being given medical checkups. Her cheeks became a light shade of pink, as she thought of it as an opportunity for the two to bond a little bit more, without the interference of the others. Seeing her cheeks turning pink, Phym questioned her as she stood beside her with an expression of curiosity.
Phym: Claire?
Claire: !?
Phym: Are you okay? Your cheek is changing color.
Feeling an elbow bump his arm, Dante looked back at the source as it responded.
Zeke: Oh? Is that so?
Dante: What?
Zeke: I wonder why Dante suddenly needs a checkup without any supervision?
Hearing that, Claire covered her face as she became even more flustered and Dante responded by slapping the back of Zeke's head.
*Smack!*
Zeke: Hey!
Dante: You're an idiot, you know that?
Zeke: Oh, come on. I was just teasing ya.
Hilda: And I would appreciate it if you didn't tease either of them on the subject.
Everyone: ?
Approaching the group from the same wooden door, the owner of the ash crawler, and their boss, lectured the young AGE with a stern, motherly tone as she inspected them.
_________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Hilda Henriquez]
[Age: 28 years]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 0]
[Owner of Port Chrysanthemum // Primary Caretaker of the Hounds of the Chrysanthemum]
___________________________________
Hilda: What those two do alone is none of our concern.
Dante: (-_-) You're not helping, Hilda.
Hilda: Oh?
Keith: You're wanting a checkup because of the air we breathed in, arent you?
Dante: Exactly that, Keith.
Phym, Lulu, Claire, Hilda: ???
Noticing their confusion, Hugo assured them.
Hugo: We'll explain what happened when we're eating.
Claire: Oh! Right...
Passing by Dante, Claire quickly tapped his shoulder blade as she entered the elevator.
Claire: Come. I'll perform a few tests on your respiratory system before eating.
Stepping back to join her, Dante thanked her.
Dante: Thanks.
As the the doors were closing, Hugo waved them off.
Hugo: We'll save you some leftovers.
Dante: Thanks for th- wait, what!? It shouldn't take that-!
*Ding!*
Hugo smirked in response as he looked back at Hilda.
Hugo: Well then, what's for dinner guys?
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
A Few Minutes Later...
Medical Bay...
Claire: Everything seems to be in order...
In the basement floor of the Ash Crawler Chrysanthemum lied its medical bay, alongside a God Arc repair center and an abandoned cargo bay that was once held Phym inside. In the medical bay, Dante sat upward on a large bed as Claire was finishing up with his results. Placing a small tube filled with his blood into a small machine, Claire inspected the computer beside it for the results.
Claire: Blood pressure, heart rate... Blood count seems normal. Even your oracle cells don't show much activity.
Looking back at Dante as he stared at the little cat bandaid that was placed on his right arm, Claire asked.
Claire: Keith mentioned something earlier about breathing air, and its not like any of you to ask for a checkup, so what happened while you were out?
Dante: Well... We didn't find the AGEs Ein asked us, but we may have stumbled upon sacred ground.
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Meanwhile...
Ein: What do you mean you, "stumbled upon sacred ground"?
In the bright, white room that was Hilda's office, the others had gathered around a large wooden table, feasting on a whole variety of rare meats and uncommon veggies, all of which were provided by the oldest of the bunch: The owner of Port Dusty Miller, Ein. As they ate, Hugo and Keith explained what they had stumbled upon to a skeptical Ein.
__________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[REDACTED "Ein" REDACTED]
[Age: 34 years]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 3]
[Buster Blade // Tower Shield]
[Owner of Port Dusty Miller // First Gen God Eater]
____________________________________
H
ugo: Did you ever notice the large cavern that stood beside the area?
Ein: Yeah. That cavern was once an iron mine several decades ago.
Hugo, Keith, and Zeke: ?
Ein: If most of the wooden structures and equipment remained intact, I was planning on selling the ore to Gleipnir for supplies for my voyage to the Far East.
Zeke: Wooden structures?
Keith: I... don't know what you're talking about, Ein.
Ein: Huh?
Keith: But there weren't anything in the cavern aside from rocks and dirt.
Zeke: There might be multiple caverns then.
Hugo: The cavern itself isn't the main topic.
Pulling the small bit of green grass he had out from his pockets, he presented them to Ein, only for him to take and inspect them with a new sense of curiosity.
Ein: The hell?
Hugo: The land on the other side that had that growing is.
Ein: It looks completely natural, though I can't say for sure...
Ein: Some testing will have to be done, but if it's the real deal...
Hugo: The surrounding land is nothing more than rubble, no different than here, but the grass growing in the soil, alongside a few other things have piqued our interest: The air, for example. It was... much lighter than usual.
Noticing a few looks of confusion from the others, Keith explained.
Keith: The air made us and our God Arcs feel lighter. At least that's what it felt like.
Lulu: That didn't help at all.
Hugo: The rubble itself had no visible signs of devourment... at least not in the traditional way. Then there's the castle.
That caught everyone's attention.
Phym: The castle?
Hugo: Dante noticed a castle in the far distance of the land, resting on a large mountain of sorts. He claimed to have also seen some moving objects, but what they were remains to be unknown.
Ricardo: A castle in the distance upon a large hill... Sounds a bit cliche, dont you think, Hugo?
On the other side of the table, sitting beside Phym and handing her Aragami infused candy was an older man with long black hair and several scars across his right arm. A God Eater veteran that served as Hilda's right hand man.
___________________________________
NORM DATABASE
[Ricardo Sforza]
[Age: 27 years]
[ID#: N/A]
[Authorized Ash Density Level: 2]
[Variant Scythe // Ray Gun // Tower Shield]
[Intelligence Officer of Port Chrysanthemum // Port owner's right hand man]
______________________________________
Ricardo: Not to knock you down, but... it all sounds absurd.
Hugo: I'm very aware of the absurdity of it, but... maybe the structure isn't a castle at all.
Zeke: Sure as hell shaped like one.
Ein: I'll run some tests on the samples you've provided, if that's alright with you guys?
Hugo: That's fine with us. And speaking of samples comes a proposition.
Looking back up at Hugo, Ein stared at him for a seconds before closing his only good eye, releasing a small smile as he realized their plan.
Ein: You want to explore the place further, but the cavern that goes into the place lies on my land. As business partners, I'm fine with the Hounds claiming the cavern on one condition: I want first hand knowledge of everything going on within the region, alongside half the goods you find.
Hugo: Thirty percent.
Ein: Hmm?
Hugo: We can grant the first part of the agreement easily, but the fact that you may not have even known of its existence would, in a way, make us the primary owners of the land. Thirty percent.
Ein: Well then, aren't you a shrewd negotiator...
Hugo: You have to be to survive these parts.
Ein: That's true, but I have friends back home who are just as shrewd of negotiators as you, maybe more. That said, let's go with this: Fifty percent till I head out towards the Far East. Once I've left, then thirty three to the next owner.
Keith: Don't have a right hand man yet, Ein?
Ein: I have a few candidates, but I'm just waiting for the right time to choose.
Zeke: Is Neil a candidate?
Ein: No. His combat skills are on par with Dante's, but he lacks the motivation to go beyond a soldier.
Zeke: Yeah, figured.
Keith: That's Neil for ya.
Ein: And I don't exactly think it would be wise to invest Dusty Miller as another branch of Chrysanthemum.
Hilda: The amount of AGEs we'd be taking in immediately would be staggering.
Ein: A good 350 of them.
Hilda: Even with what you've given us, it wouldn't be enough to sustain everyone, given our new reputation.
Hugo,: I suppose we can settle with your offer.
Ein responded with sarcasm.
Ein: You suppose?
Hugo: We will...
Ein: Good.
Standing from the table, Ein added to it as Dante and Claire had both entered the room.
Ein: At the very least, I wish to see the cavern you've mentioned. If it's all accurate, what you do with it is on you.
Hugo: Of course.
Dante asked vaguely as he and Claire sat beside one another in the large wooden table, with Phym on the other side of him.
Dante: I take it we can explore the place some more?
Hugo: With a few conditions, yes. Is Claire in the green on everything?
Claire: A different air quality from here, natural plantlife, Oracle-free rubble, and a castle in the distance was what I was informed.
Zeke: Sounds about it. We free to do it tomorrow?
Dante: Sounds like a plan if Hilda's up for it.
Hilda: As far as I'm aware, Gleipnir hasn't made any new routes for you to clear out. I'd say you have a week to yourselves if you wish to explore.
Dante: Outstanding. So who's all coming along with the four of us?
Keith: Wait, I'm going back?
Zeke: Of course you are, you shut in.
Keith: Oh can it, ding dong.
Ricardo: You kids can explore the place without me. Besides, Hilda isn't able to go outside the ash crawler for more than twn minutes, and I've got a few chores to do tomorrow.
Hilda: Not only that, there's the matter of security. We can't have the entire unit leave without someone else guarding the place, aside from Ricardo.
Ein: As I said, I only wish to see the cavern. After that, I'll be here on the Chrysanthemum prepping myself for a long journey. I'll have Neil come down here from Dusty Miller to keep guard with Ricardo and I tomorrow.
Hugo: Then it's settled. After our feast, everyone who'll be coming will prepare for a long day tomorrow.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
The Next Morning...
When the bleak star that shined upon the earth rose across the abandoned horizon, the Hounds of the Chrysanthemum left their den towards what would call their manifest destiny.
*.....vvvvvvvvVVVVRRRRRrrrrr....!*
*.....vvvvvvvvVVVVRRRRRrrrrr....!*
In the barren land of Ash, two vehicles raced across the remains of what was one a thriving society in line. The armored van taking lead would be the Hounds as the other, a blue and brown version of a similar model, was Ein. With Hugo driving and Zeke taking shotgun, they proceeded onward with the others in the back, with Lulu and Claire in the seats behind them and Keith, Dante, and Phym sharing the last row of seats.
Keith: Remind me how the girls took our seats?
Dante: They woke up earlier than we did.
Phym: Daddy... What's the "sacred ground" like?
Dante: No idea, Phym. That's why we're all here.
Phym: Oh...
Keith: That's also why we brought all that stuff behind us. So we can survey and take pictures.
Phym: Ok. Daddy?
Dante: Yes, Phym?
Phym: Can i have some candy? I'm hungry.
Dante: That question is a Lulu question, since she has all the candy.
Lulu: Hmm?
Dante: Phym wants a few pieces of candy. You got a few?
Pulling out a few starburst-style candies from a large brown backpack that sat beside her, she handed them to Phym, much to her delight.
Lulu: Here.
Phym: Thank you, Lulu!
Giving her a warm smile, Lulu watched as Phym began shoving the pieces of candy into her mouth all at once, stuffing her cheeks as she slowly devoured them.
Lulu: You're welcome, Phym.
As Phym was eating her candy, Dante and Keith both soon fell asleep for the rest of the drive. As the two vehicles approached the entrance to the large cavern, parking side by side, Hugo and Ein both got out to talk to one another as the others soon joined them.
Claire: Dante.
Dante: zzz...
Clare: Dante.
Dante: zzzz....
Phym: Daddy!
Dante: zzz-huh? Wha-? Phym? Claire?
Claire: We've arrived at the site.
Dante: Oh.... umm.... S-Sorry...
Phym: Keith!
Keith: zzz-Heh? Oh...
Phym: Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bakey!
Keith: I could go for some eggs right now.... but nah...
As the two stretched themselves and exited the armored van, they grabbed their God Arcs as Ein and Hugo discussed the cave in the background.
Ein: This can't be the place. The satellite base is about five miles south of here.
Hugo: Wait, this wasn't the place?
Hugo: It's the area that was circled on the map you gave us.
Ein: You still have that map?
Hugo: It's on the dashboard, but yeah.
Fetching an outdated map of the Ashlands, Hugo handed it to Ein, only for him to discover its invalidation by the year it was made on the bottom right corner.
Ein: I see...
Hugo: Was this really the wrong place to go?
Ein: It is, but since this was a mistake of my volition, I'll at least give you half the reward while I investigate the actual site myself. Since I'm here, I might as well.
Hugo: Ah. But still, it's... hard to accept even half the reward.
As Hugo contemplated in his mind, Ein began to head back towards his vehicle.
Ein: It's fine. Besides, you guys still have another errand to run inside that cave. One that might save more lives than the ones who went missing.
In hearing this, Hugo turned his head back as Ein had entered his car and started it, bringing the mountainous 8 cylinder diesel engine to life with a thunderous roar before taking off south of their location. As he stood there in silence, Keith was insuring that they had all the necessary equipment for exploration.
Keith: Dante, you have the camping gear, right?
Showing off the large black backpack behind him, he acknowledged.
Dante: The tent, the spit, the firewood, the whole nine yards.
Keith: Claire?
Showing off the same style of backpack behind her, and the small pouches she wore on her clothing, she too knowledged Keith.
Claire: I've brought a few variations of healing bullets, alongside some antidotes and first aid kits.
Keith: You bring bias factor?
Claire: Both the P73 and P53-c.
Keith: There we go. Lulu?
Lulu: Some poison bullets, binding, holding bullets, and some ingredients for ready to eat meals. And Phym's candies, of couse
Keith: Please don't mix the two up...
Lulu: You don't want to eat Aragami extract?
Keith: Preferably not.
Lulu chuckled a bit in response as Keith moved on.
Keith: Zeke, I assume you have the camara and the deck of cards?
Zeke: Among a few other things.
Keith: Hugo has the God Arc repair tools, and I have the beacons and air quality monitor. We're all good to go!
Dante: Alright! Ladies and gentlemen, let's move out!
Zeke: How original.
Dante: Oh, shut up!
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Ten Minutes Later...
Mountain Glenn...
The Hounds of the Chrysanthemum had descended into the dark abyss that was the cavern, marching straight ahead with only a few flares to light the way as darkness surrounded them. But in the end, the familiar vanilla colored light led the way towards the abandoned subway station. Then the deserted architecture beside it led them to the other side; To a beautiful, yet rampaged land considered sacred to the inhabitants of the Ashlands. The bright, playful blue sky above a ravaged land set the tone for the group as they themselves remained in awe of its ironic beauty.
Hugo: We've arrived.
Zeke: Finally! I'm gonna get some shots for Hilda and the others.
Lulu: It's... oddly familiar, yet....peaceful. There hasn't been a trace of Aragami the entire day.
Claire: It's a majestic skyline... the pretty hues of blue... the fluffy white clouds.
Phym: Ooohhh....
Looking up at the clouds beside Claire, Phym acknowledged them in simple terms.
Phym: Pretty!
As the others marveled in their setting, Keith had already scanned the area with the air quality monitor as he expressed his disbelief with the results.
Keith: Ashblight density at 0.000 ppm.
Hugo: Really?
Keith: That... can't be right.
Dante: I mean... the air does feel lighter, and I'm perfectly fine.
Keith: Yes, but that doesn't mean an area is completely free of ash. Since the formation of the Ashlands, that's never happened.
Fiddling with the air quality monitor some more, Keith muttered.
Keith: I'm gonna try this again.
Hugo: In the meanwhile, we'll explore the surrounding area before-.
Phym: BLEH!
Everyone: !?
Looking back, the group found Phym spitting out a small handful of grass admist the rubble of an old concrete building.
Phym: That don't taste good.
Claire: Well you're weren't supposed to eat that, silly.
Phym: Hehehe... I know now.
Hugo: As I was saying, we'll explore the surrounding area before proceeding to the castle over there.
Raising his right arm, Hugo pointed towards the castle in the distance that was set upon a large mountain. In seeing this, the others stared in awe as Phym expressed her confusion.
Phym: Castle? I don't... see any castle.
Dante: You dont see that large building in the distance?
Phym: What building?
Zeke: Huh. You'd think she'd see it better than we can, but guess not.
Patting Phym's head, Dante assured her.
Dante: Let's find out together.
Phym: Okay!
Hugo: Alright, then onward we go.
Keith: Wait, let me put down one of these beacons.
After a few minutes of walking around, the group encountered a large wall of concrete blocking their path forward. What piqued their interest in the wall was the writing on it, along with the graffiti that was written over it.
Hugo: Hmm?
Dante: The hell is this?
Claire: "Keep out, Mountain Glenn".
Lulu: Someone must not want us going past the wall.
With a dead jump, Dante jumped up to the top of the wall, only to yell out the exact same line as he noticed the plethora of trees and green grass among a crumbled asphalt road before him.
Dante: The hell is this!?
Everyone else: !?
Zeke: What?
Zeke, being the first to follow, jumped up in the same manner as Dante as he too took in what they considered an unusual sight.
Zeke: Woah! Okay! Guys! Get a load of this!
The others soon joined them, jumping atop the concrete wall and staring in further wonder at the sight before them.
Hugo: Well then, no wonder they wanted people out.
Phym: Pretty!
Lulu: This is an even more stunning sight than before, but I'm a bit concerned about the fact that someone sprayed over the wall.
Zeke: What about it? It's not our fault.
Lulu: Unless you're plotting an elaborate prank, it seems off that someone would do such a thing. Why would someone do such a thing unless they were warning us.
Hugo: I see...
Claire: Lulu's right. We should be cautious as possible from here on.
Dante: Were we not?
She admitted.
Claire: With you around, we're often not as cautious as we should be.
Dante: Uhh....?
Keith: I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not?
Hugo: Yeah, me neither, but I can understand what she's saying... maybe. But yeah, we'll take our time exploring outside the wall.
Keith: Yeah, let me just put down another beacon and we'll get to it.
As he began to place down a beacon, the others dropped down and waited for him. As he finished, he too dropped down and joined them as they began their trek into the unknown.... a land that would be known to them as Vale.
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