The day was exceedingly sunny, perfect for a compassionate young man, so full of hope and optimism as Artus genuinely enjoyed patrolling his new home's streets and helping the squeaky clean locals, subjects, denizens of the first rebirthed city he's in the service of proudly.
In Artus' mind, every life matters, because "what's earth without them?", that's a quote one of the mentors at his old military training school said to him after failing an important test when he was ten years old, a test for hitting targets surrounded by innocent civilians. It struck something emotionally healing in him but the mentor had a knack for that there.
"Ohp, please lemme help you with these, sir!" Artus yelled as he almost walked right past a man struggling to load up a truck of his belongings, starting with a simple heavy box that Artus didn't struggle with at all, "Thanks, erm...?" The middle aged citizen hesitated to say anything else as he realized he had no idea what to call him, "Oh right, you can just call me Roscoe-flow." Artus replied after picking up on his hesitancy to call him something he's unsure of...
"Well, Roscoe-flow, you're my favorite out of everyone, it's an honor to meet you, my name's Orson!" He replied with excitement, the Gen-oath are pretty famous by this point.
"Denada, it's our job to help out around in this town, even with small deeds like this!" Said Artus as he dropped the box off inside Orson's moving truck, Orson took a seat on the passenger's side, "Oh no, that wasn't no small deed to me, I have severe back issues, thank you for that, and I appreciate it a ton." Orson informed him as he held his lower back and tried not to cry from the pain.
Artus didn't hesitate to offer to finish loading up his truck for him, meaning the boxes inside his house as well, Orson declined but after Artus' insistence, Orson broke. It didn't take very long for Artus to move all the rest of the older man's belongings either.
When the two made it back outside to the truck, something came to Orson's mind.
"I'm an old man, but I'm an old christian man, while doing some searches online I saw somebody say "Everybody asks why God but nobody asks How is God!" Right?" Orson started with, "Yeah, right?" Artus replied as he was all ears and he wondered where this was going, "What I'm trying to say is that can go for all humans as well, even super ones like you and your folks, so, if you don't mind my curiosity, um, why do you do this job and how've you been?" Orson finished with one of the most sincere tones Artus has heard.
"I'm sorry, you're probably busy, I just thought-" before he stopped and noticed something.
A smile slowly creeped on his face until it became a beaming grin while he thought about his response.
"I'm doing even better since you've asked me that, that actually works, and I can't speak for Anyone else when I say I feel like something beyond us pushed me into this job, but I can't help but be grateful since I used to get the feeling my siblings and I would've been forced apart if it didn't so, I was raised and taught to serve a country filled with good folks, only now I'm serving a greater city instead and I couldn't enjoy it more, a weapon meant for war, or a dude hiding away behind the scenes solving crimes isn't who I am, hopefully other members in the other 2 cities are helping the public like I am but this isn't our job so I can't judge them for not helping still..." Artus responded with as honest a tone he could answer him in and sort of fast speaking.
The old man was sitting back on his truck as Artus then left off to continue his work or more likely slack off somewhere else, "Huh, the city needs to appreciate you, Roscoe-Flow, at least I do!" He ended off in his head as he saw him cross the street.
-
Elsewhere, outside a local small time coffee shop Artus enjoyed daily...
"Oh my god, can we take a photo together?!" Said a random beholder of Artus' who weren't expecting to meet him at all, "You know we can!" Artus answered with his usual Ardent attitude.
"I do have a quick question if you don't mind me asking though?" The fan asked after they took the selfie, "I love answering questions." Artus replied, "Okay, How can you stay the most earnest, hard working and diligent member of this Gen-oath squadron all the time it seems like?" He asked in a genuinely curious tone.
"Ehhh, no, I would say we're all pretty equal in those qualities but then again the others stick to protocol and procedures a little closer than I do so, you'd barely be able to see we're all the same on this team but trust me they care about this place as much as I do, if only you knew them personally." Artus answered as best he could... "Annnd, also, I selfishly don't wanna dig through dead bodies and conspiracies like some of the others do so staying away from that might help some." He finished answering in a dappier tone.
"But you're especially an inspiration to the community and to basically all of the communities here, including mine, the GPD!" The fan replied while he pulled out his phone showing him the great compliment and love he has in the city.
Artus had an awestruck face under his helmet as he read compliments about him he'd never heard of before or forgot existed...
"I just learned what the word "Career" meant, do you think I can make one out of this?" Artus asked as he smiled and nodded trying to hold in his joy, "I think this city would approve and want you to, so, oh yeah!" The fan answered him.
Artus seen a police station nearby, down the street and got curious as it was one he had never been in before... He's been in most of the police stations.
He said his goodbyes and waved to the fan as he took off to see what's up inside.
"Wait... What...?" The fan said under his breath as he was shocked and confused.
-
Artus entered the station and looked around, it was a prepossessing sight. It had the exterior of a basic police building but the interior was as if it was an ideal and elegant lady. Bright green flowers and fresher air even inside than any police station he's been to yet.
"Heeey, Mr. Flow, I was actually about to call up you or one your kind!" Said the chief of police, Jamin voland to Artus with an excited smile.
"Sorry, but kind?" Artus replied, "We need you to check out this guy that we just nabbed a day ago, he assaulted an officer and waited for more to come, so then I questioned him because that sounds like a cry for attention, he took down 2 officers before we took him down and cuffed him, we brought him here and he told us that there's a monster loose in the city. Monsters are sorta your department so it's all yours now." The chief of police informed him as best he could...
"Alright, well show me the way and I'll see what wingin' it can get done." Artus replied before the officer showed him to the station's interrogation room.
Jamin pulled out his communicator as Artus made his way to the back interrogation room. He made his way inside the room and saw a man sitting alone with his head down but he looked around and had very, watery eyes and a bright red face.
"He's been crying for longer than a couple days." Artus noted in his head.
"Can somebody please come and talk to me?" The man yelled with an upset tone from the top of his lungs, "There is a monster out there that is my daughter, she won't get to hurt anyone else if you help me out now!" He finished even angrier.
That caught Artus' attention when he heard that and thought for a brief moment before going to rush inside.
The man stared at Artus the entire time he came in and sat down, but with a distraught look on his face and tears still running down.
"I'm the one you want to answer to, any questions I ask, you answer and we can get things flowing, ya know?" Artus declared and asked with confidence and authority trying to do his best Lyle impression with his own flavor, "Yeah... Yeah, just finally!" The man answered him as he sat up straight and wiped his tears away but his face was still bright red.
"What's your name and tell me what's this about?" Artus kept the same tone.
"My name's Waylen zale, I'm from Ohio and my wife and I... We... Since you're in charge here, can this stay between us, please?" Waylen answered and asked him with a sincere tone.
Artus nodded his head in an approving fashion, "My wife was born with a defective gene, something defective that turns her into something, she only just told me this when it all started a few months ago. She was in and out of the government's care, they experimented on her a lot as a child and made her do things, when my daughter overheard her tell me what they did to her, she became terrified it'll all happen to her... She's only ten years old so I guess she got terrified then it all happened!" He told Artus, "Oh, what, what happened?!" Artus asked interrupting him.
"She changed into something inhuman and murdered her, she murdered her mom, I ran like some coward and ran worrying so much about where my babygirl was that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I... had cornered myself in the attic. I escaped but I had to escape out our attic window and fell breaking, well, everything. When I awoke in a hospital, strange men kept visiting me, asking me questions I still didn't know anything about, no matter how much they persisted while I mourned my wife's death and worried about my babygirl!" Waylen finished informing him as tears as genuine as Artus' slid down his face which was as red as a tomato, Waylen then rested his face in between his arms.
Artus pulled himself together quickly, and thought to himself for a moment, his mask stopped Waylen from knowing what he could be thinking.
"Alright, so, what exactly are you doing here?" Artus asked as that question almost slipped his mind, "Oh... right, that was just the beginning of it all, to be genuinely honest, That all happened 9 months ago, 5 months ago, an agent came to me and made sure I knew exactly how top secret I had to keep this. To keep my Lips sealed tighter than as if I had none but I'm telling you all of this because, well you know. Thing is, when I came to the city though, the blue heelers over there took everything I had including this counter-transformation syringe the agents gave me in case she would show back up at my farm but she went across an entire continent where they've only recently tracked her somehow, here in this city but they won't do anything." Waylen answered his question honestly.
"So, you've come here yourself to track her down and bring her back home?" Artus finished for him while his emotions began to stir up, further halting him and making him stutter, "Yes, exactly." Waylen answered him in a serious tone.
"I really respect that, and fortunately for you and your daughter, I have a bit of a say around here so let's go and save your little girl, I guess that it's up to us but it was stupid of you to get attention like you did and please don't on your next visit do that again." Artus tried to cheer him up by saying it with excitement until he started to censure him.
Waylen wanted to ask why he would let him accompany him but then he saw a decently sized man clad in very similar armor to Artus' walk in the room and begin speaking with Artus.
Waylen's mouth was agape with a feeling of awe-struck by the man's incredibly long, thick and jet black hair and scars on the bits of his face that looked like he had been in many, many battles to the death with wild lions.
"Who's, um, this guy?" Asked Waylen nervously after fighting with himself about if he should walk up to Artus and his friend while they seem to be discussing business.
"This is a friend of mine who's also a member of the Gen-oath here so you can trust him, we'll help you get your daughter back, he's the best tracker we have, also we have you and you can help us out even better, right?" Artus informed and reasoned.
"I tracked and fought an elusive monstrosity that had the voice of a little girl but the disfigured and imposing 7'9 body of a creature children would have nightmares of... but the speed and agility it had was incredible, contrary to what you would think when you first see it. It was able to escape but I tracked it here, and his rules are appreciate team work when the chance arrives. So, what do I need to know?" Said Kacey Sarpong, telling them why he"s even there.
"It's a long story, and a pretty sad one but I think you'll wanna hear it." Artus replied, "I don't really care for his sob story or why he's here. Just let me know if he told you there's a way of subduing this creature with a gadget of some kind because we're not going to be able to shoot or physically harm this thing and it's too fast to keep up with in a fight anyway." Kacey informed the Duo feeling the threat this creature poses demands him to be upfront, "We need to just track it down, subdue it, then paquet this monstrosity." Kacey demanded.
Waylen's eyes slightly widened but he remained silent and calm, phlegm and determination always stuck with him.
"Waaait, are you afraid of her??" Artus asked, shocked to his core, "Yes, I wrestled with this thing in hand to hand, it has tremendous power and speed with enough ferocity that a normal man would be dead before he could soil himself from how hideous it is alone. If not for my armor, I'd be dead, dead, which is why I'm welcoming the help because we'll need all of it!" Kacey explained with a tone Artus thought he'd never hear from a guy like Kacey and Lyle.
"Heeey, that "thing" is some of me and I'm sitting right here!" Waylen angrily replied but was ignored.
"Whoa?! Well, sorry, you just reminded me of this guy who kinda acted like you so I sorta assumed you'd never admit..." Artus replied before being interrupted, "Stop being childish and let's just go put an end to this beast before it can hurt anyone else." Kacey came out with before walking away from the two...
-
40 minutes later after taking a police cruiser to a crime scene reported by a regular civilian and called in by a regular cop to be investigated.
"When I had realized the thing left Seyort and came to one of the cities, I took a gamble that it would come here to Generil, I looked over files of ongoing "Homicide" and murder cases of the last couple of weeks and of recently and seen 1 that looked like it could fit with the one that lead me to it originally in Seyort and it started here."
"Huh, lemme guess, was it the separated torso and legs of the victim reported in?" Artus asked as he was genuinely curious, "No, those cases were deadends so I left them to the local cops on the cases, so I checked out files about the reports that came into claims and found a conclusion, this thing is trying NOT to attack or harm anyone unless provoked like in my case, I attacked first with it standing as still as a statue. I checked more and more cases leading more recently and this was it's last known location so we analyze the scene." Kacey answered and replied back as the three started investigating.
"Smarrrt, dude, so we check this place out real quick and then we go and nicely subdue her with the syringe he's been carrying just for her." Artus responded in a glad tone.
Kacey was searching only for him to pause and stare in one spot putting some things together, "You truly held off on sharing this with me earlier, knowing I'n afraid?" Kacey asked, staring with unapproving disappointment.
"Distractions and my attention span are one of my biggest weaknesses I've been told, I think this moment just proved it?" Artus replied as he seen something out the side of his eye, "Wait, does this belong to her and could you use that elephant trump of yours to get a good trail on her??" Artus asked as he made his way over and picked up what looked like a piece of a little girl's dress.
Waylen stopped investigating and took a hard look at what Artus had just found, "Yes, yes, that is a piece of her dress, my mother bought it for her a year before all this happened and she loved it to death. Also, your nose is really that good?"
"Yes, but How did you know my nose is the equivalent to an elephant's sense of smell?" Kacey asked as he was genuinely confused, "Um, um, well, ya see-" it looked like Kacey stopped caring as he started sniffing then walked off in a random direction, where his nose led him so he stopped trying to find an answer.
-
Some time later...
The three was led to a peculiar pawn shop near some docks of a lake, it was night time and the area was empty, maybe someone living in the pawn shop but the three didn't go in just yet, instead Artus and Waylen were speaking as Kacey were analyzing the area for anything out of the norm. His sense of danger was getting on his nerves but it never tells him what specific danger lies ahead.
Artus volunteered to enter the pawn shop in search of the little girl they came for and inside he found her, however, Kacey's sixth sense screamed at him to stay ready and prepared for anything and he translated that as "Keep an eye on Waylen!" and stayed back to do so...
Kacey literally kept his eyes on him and all Waylen could do was awkwardly smile while going through extreme inner-havoc and fear.
Waylen's heart began to rush and almost bursted when Kacey started rushing at him full speed ahead and leapt on his shoulders almost feeling weightless, Waylen was shook and frozen but was hearing what he recognized as bodies thudding into the ground behind him.
Waylen finally got the nerve to turn around and when he did, he'd seen Kacey squatting and feeling over the chests of what looked like two malnourished men with Beige pigmentation, ominous, minatory markings, no hair and wings even Waylen could easily guess was built for high speed and aerial maneuvers.
"Wh-Wh-What the heck was that?!" Waylen asked in a very panicky and freaked out tone, Kacey gave him a small smile that Waylen saw Kacey's enjoyment out of his confusion and awe in, "Snivlac for their plural term or Gunjog Snivlac for their species, delusional but pretty peaceful creatures who believe they're all one hive mind so if you mess with one, you mess with all of them. I, unfortunately, had the pleasure to meet that inevitable exception of the species who was murdering people with this group of terrorists in Seyort and now even the peaceful ones'll hunt me down for the rest of my life, ah yep, wonderfully corrupting Seyort." Kacey answered as he was still checking out the bodies for whatever reason, Waylen couldn't figure it out and didn't want to ask.
Artus came back out but neither Kacey nor Waylen saw him with the girl, "She wasn't in there?!" Waylen asked in a distraught tone and his eyes beginning to tear up, "No, but I might have a longshot clue of where she'd gone, we have to get to her fast since there's signs she's shifting in and out, let's go!" Artus answered as he started to sprint in a random direction similar to Kacey earlier with his new information guiding him.
Kacey paused before he could take a step and squinted as his senses honed in, he quickly barrel rolled and dodged getting swooped up by a Nivlac, then he, Artus and Waylen looked up to a terrifying sight of more Snivlac swarming them like Hawks seeing their prey except the only prey was Kacey in this case.
"He told me they avenge in packs and teeny armies, why can't something too good to be true be... True, for once?!" Kacey said aloud as he sat in place, also thinking.
There was enough that the night sky had almost been blot out by the swarm of many bloodthirsty Snivlac coming after Kacey.
Artus summoned up two Tommy guns and aimed them upwards in opposite directions, "Heh, Heh, Heh!" he excitedly yelled but before he could fire them off and begin spraying them down like a lawnmower and tall grass, Kacey halted him.
"These pests are extremely petty and like I explained to this guy earlier, they will come after you until you die if you kill one of their own so switch to a non-Lethal combative friendly firearm and use some of the close-quarters combat they taught you at your junior military school." Kacey informed him aftersuccessfully stopping him from making one of the worst mistakes of his life, Kacey was struggling and fighting a few Snivlac in the air after allowing himself to be grabbed up.
Waylen ran for cover inside the pawnshop like Artus suggested he should definitely do, then Artus turned the guns backwards like he's preparing to ridiculously throw them at the Snivlac but hesitated, "Ew that word, 'melee', no way!" Artus replied as he too, prepared himself, "Whatever I guess, suit yourself, you get no fun!" Kacey finished before he leapt in the air after timing well enough for him to leap on another and fought 7 off with inhuman speed and skill, before Artus and Waylen who was peaking out the blinds in the pawnshop nearby, knew it. 7 of the strange creatures hit the ground dead.
Artus with precision aim and focus, took 4 out of the sky with guns thrown at their heads, but the majority were focused on Kacey since their beef is primarily with him but a few wanted Artus dead because of association.
Waylen dropped feet in the air to the ground and realized he's got a possible girl to save and the possible victims of said "girl" to prevent deaths of, so, he stopped fighting despite him having a blast and walked up to Artus.
"Your mask also have an air-filter built in, right?" Kacey asked him while looking around and recounting how many Snivlac were swarming, "Always Standard issued and built-in, right?" Artus replied as he smiled while he answered it, "Right, well, we've been having fun together for a few weeks now and sometimes they'd get in my way while I'm trying to help others, so, I asked Nathaniel for some help and he gave me these to deal with them quick, switch to filter and enjoy." Kacey replied before he reached into his little pouch and grabbed a remote.
He pressed a few buttons and entered their coordinates and like magic out of mowhere came his own swarm of high-tech drones dispersed Gas with anesthetic effect and after 5 minutes of the drones spraying, Artus was on the ground when he got too distracted watching the small army of Snivlac become victims of gravity themselves while Kacey got to show off some of inhuman dodging abilities.
"Advanced Cloaking small deploy drones and non-lethal Interonay Gas? Waylen asked rhetorically and kept note of in his head as he watched through the window, many Snivlac dropping on Artus through the pawnshop window.
Artus got off the ground and was trapped in a state of fear and wonderstruck at the same time as he repeatedly looked at the score where this swarm used to be and down where it was now, "So, it's definitely not shameful to ask for some help." Artus said aloud as he was feeling better about himself.
"Alright, lets head out to your longshot now, world class Detective." Kacey suggested as he began heading the same way Artus was before the swarm came and interrupted, without Waylen and Artus.
"Way, dude, thwy're gone and we're continuing, Bro!" Artus shouted as loud as he could his voice filter off so he could understand him better, Waylen came out the pawnshop hesitantly then confidently when he seen the swarm on the ground and as Artus made sure he kept an eye on him.
-
about another 30 minutes have passed and the three finally arrive where Artus had been leading them.
She was asleep and behind an old museum in Generil exactly like how Artus had confidence she'd be, but also minor disappointment in how right he was as well.
"She's really like Devlin." Artus said under his breath and with a tone of fear as he looked over her while she was asleep in a dumpster with an unhappy look in his eyes, "Who's Devlin...?" Waylen asked as he walked up to Artus and placed his hand on his shoulder as he seen his pain, "One heck of a bro of mine, had I known she was like him, I'd have asked for more help." Artus replied in his same tone, Artus begins reminiscing back to his first few years he'd get bullied by Devlin, he'd get tossed through walls and slammed on the ground but Devlin was always a good sport. It was just practice for them.
Kacey's senses honed in on something, time felt slower and his eyes started closing half way as he was feeling danger, he was told him to spring as far to his right as he could and without a second thought, he did and avoided a monstrous 8'5 she-beast with toned abs and pale skin with teeth as sharp as knives with scaley skin around her eyes, bright red eyes as the whites glowed a curious silver.
Kacey gave an extended whistle as he checked this mysterious she-beast out and admired her.
Before Philomena attempted to use a lethal surprisal attack on Kacey as he was studying her, instead of verbally replying to Artus' last response, Waylen swiftly put shades on and replied with a teeny concealed marbel that exploded in Artus' face and was meant to permanently blind him but instead Artus was dazzled and sent flying a few feet away from him and landed on his back, holding the helmet where his eyes should be...
As Artus held his eyes that were in intense pain and suffering from the shocking marbel flashbang, he could still hear and heard an irish accent approaching him while on the ground.
Artus swung and swung as the footsteps sounded closer then farther then close again and he couldn't focus long enough to summon any kind of gun. He kept stumbling after he got up and swinging as best coordinated and timed as he could while everything was blurry.
"Oh, yeh, that would completely burn the eyes of a regular man without specialized shades like mine, and I knew I recognized that voice." He heard from the Irish man whom he assumed to be Waylen based on what little he can see of him.
"Recognized me??" Artus questioned angrily, "Oh, right, no, we'll get back to that in a little bit but for now... just feel pride to know you're friend is keepin' up in his fight with Philomena, not many, including myself could do that, nice." Waylen replied as he squat and spectated their fight.
Kacey is dodging Philomena's superior and lethal buffet of Jabs, hooks, Body blows and every sort of punch in the book and delivering his own strikes with the talent of a black belt in each martial art he's using against her.
"This guy's the best acrobat, martial artist and all-round' super guard I've ever seen but he's clearly only honed in on Mena, the perfect weakness fir..." Waylen pointed out and noted in his head before he reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a bigger marbel and tossed it at him.
Kacey honed in on the tossed Marble flashbang and dodged it but Philomena wasn't a slouch in combat and was as trained as him, if not even better trained.
Philomena shoulder tackled Kacey and shoved him away from Waylen, after he siderolled to his right, he backflipped back up on his two feet.
"If only you'd join us an' we all take the girl back together, you would make an amazing addition as an oide instead of a guardian, like I was once." Waylen told Kacey as he got back into a comfortable stance to go some more, 1 on 2, "Isn't it a little contradictory to be an 'Oide' and a Dunderhead at the same time...?" Kacey asked in response, Waylen grabbed the collars of his coat and squinted while looking at him with no retort in mind.
Behind Waylen, Artus finally recovered from his blindness enough to summon a sniper rifle and see him from the distance they were apart and took his shot.
Philomena took the bullet for him, the shot wouldn't have killed Waylen but it would have put him out of commission for a while.
Waylen started touching his left ear and noised "Uh, huh, aye, uh huh." as if he was speaking with someone over the phone.
"Keep the gal cuz we have something better in mind, we'll be back next week to finish this like a first year fight before we all get expelled because the school is full of amadán and-" he was cut off by what Artus and Kacey assumed was teleportation as his get away alongside Philomena at the same time.
Artus started shouting, "And don't come back, Sheamus the ignoramus!" Angrily and tiredly.
-
A few hours later, Kacey and Artus returned from Josue's procedure after an event like they've had and talked before they part ways, Kacey back in Alyi and Artus back with Lyle and Ember.
"Wait a moment, how exactly did you know she was in some random trash can behind some random museum?" Kacey ask him genuinely curious, Artus gave a smile, "It's never shameful to ask for a little bit of help." but Kacey didn't get it at all, "This was fun, but get prepared because that won't be their last time here, let's make sure next time will be though." without asking another question or saying goodbye, Kacey walked off and didn't look back.
(TO BE CONTINUED!)