Artus sat himself on the edge of a roof of his favorite café as he laid on his back and edited a playlist of his favorite songs. "I wonder if that movie was right about childhood?" Artus asked himself with an uncertain tone before deciding on a song and laying on his back. "I see myself leading squads as one of the season ranks, Art." He recalled being told from someone with a missing tooth yet a beaming smile.
A group of young women rushed after recognizing his dangling armored legs and began squealing with excitement. "Oh my gosh— oh. my. Gosh, damn it, you're the hot tall super cop, aren't you?!" One of the many fans shouted ecstatically.
Artus unleashed a high pitched scream before he conjured a gun above him accidentally that plummeted onto his helmet. "Appreciate the compliment but he's stationed in another city." He replied as he hopped eight feet to the ground. Another fan came around who shoved the girls that were fawning over Artus out of his way, he was the most enthusiastic and happiest to meet him, moments passed he had a acrowd surrounding him asking questions. Artus' eyes lit up as he held a beaming grin under his helmet while grabbing a pen from another fan offering it to him. "Okay guys, one at a time please!" He had to yell as loud as he could because there were many. "Sir, this is officer McConnaway, we have a fella at the station requesting the attention of a thickset gen-oath officer." He heard the call from his helmet's headset.
The gen-oath's sanguine marksman eventually felt overwhelmed after thirty minutes of perpetual attention. "A shout out to my brother for teaching me this neat trick, fans!" He kept to himself before dropping a smoke canister. After five minutes, the smoke cleared away as Artus watched the crowd grow saddened and disappointed far from their sight while lowering his brows. "Apologies for taking 'bout an hour to respond. Tell the fella I'm on my way— though address him as the chilly churro for me, sir." Artus responded after having him on hold. The officer on the call sighed. "No, sir. I'm not doing that." Artus heard before the call was hung up. "You know my question, Art?" He heard from a familiar voice through his gauntlet's built-in communicator. Artus glanced to his left before drifting to the direction of the police station. "Overwhelming, Matt. Fame's not all it's cracked up to be— like I cracked it to be." He answered with a calmness to his voice.
-
The gen-oath's sanguine marksman panted as he snagged attention after entering. "Where's the man that was causing noise and spraying water at?" asked Artus to a young man that worked in custodial clothes when he arrived at the police department that the citizen had been causing trouble in.
A nearby officer that listened to the question pointed. "The civilian request room is to the right of the corridor, Oath." The officer that contacted him enlightened. He arrives where he was guided and realized he was reunited with his best friend, sitting and waiting in a chair with his hands out and a large puddle of water in the shape of a zebra was between them. Artus recognized the awe that he felt. "Your growth always was phenomenal and applause worthy, dude." He commented as he wrapped his arm around the citizen that was shaping water. The tourist felt the squeeze he was given while he walked with the oath's sanguine marksman. "Okay. I guess we're leaving now." He replied as he stepped with Artus out of the station. The oath's sanguine marksman turned off his voice modulator, when Artus inched close enough behind him. Artus had firmly grabbed his shoulder and leaned towards the citizen. "Someone told me you sprayed them with water. I came just in time because that station looked like they were going to lock you up." He whispered as they were near the station's exit. The tourist, who had requested his aid, nodded before giving a thumbs up. "Gotcha, thickset." He replied in jest with a beaming smirk. The tourist noticed the station's receptionist was admiring him from afar. Artus noticed that the strangers wouldn't take their eyes away from each other. "Yeah, I've asked a favor of someone on the force to drive that Lamborghini you let me borrow to go save that family from those vicious goblins, bro." He shouted with an ecstatic tone. The tourist lightly tapped Artus' rib before the two erupted with laughter while they exited the police station. "Still the wingman that every fella needs on this heliocentric ball of dirt, Art. That charisma helped me get Didessa's attention." He struggled to finish while holding onto his hips. Artus accepted the tourist's offer to dap and hug. "I need a moment without this stuffy helmet, bro, want to see where we're staying these days?" He commented and asked with an enthusiasm present in his tone.
Artus led Zander to the alternative entrance of the Trio's headquarters. "I just found out that this actually existed, dude." He said with a grin on his face. Zander hugged himself as he surveyed the area of the alternative entrance. "Where's Ly and Embs?" He questioned. Artus glanced downwards and noticed his buddy's shoes as he thought about what was asked to him. "Prowling the city, accepting commissions in other stations like the way that you called me— we're basically the city's official superheroes." Artus answered. Zander's eyes flew open as he leaned in with a low gasp. "Really, dude?" He asked, "That's kinda badass!" He finished amazement in his tone.
Artus led the academy's sloth down the alternative entrance's underground road. "Yep, though, of course Lyle and Ember fit in so well because they're also wet blankets like most of the force." He replied. Zander exploded with laughter. "Yeah, like remember that one night when Ember laughed and tore us a new one for being caught sneaking out of our dorms to take some junk food?" The wandering whiteout reminded him with a tone filled with sentimentality. Artus' response was slowed as he gazed towards the ceiling. "Yeah man. Mentor Duraenou was never happy with us." The oath's sanguine marksman replied as he continued leading, "Enjoying life just fine by the way, Zand?" He asked with a sudden seriousness in his question.
Zander turned his eyes away. "Yeah, in my opinion– you know that I don't need the greatest this world has to offer to enjoy the moment though, Art." He told him. Artus rubbed his hands as he steadied his eyes into his pal's while they continued forward. "Just spend the night with us for the sake of our childhood, tundra hermit?" He offered. Zander rubbed his ear while keeping his eyes away. "Totally– definitely would but our smokey strategist and fleet-footed swordswoman, ya know?" He replied with subtle nervousness. Artus shrugged with a slight grin as he turned his head. "They adore you– and how you've never started an argument with them or the academy, dude." He verbally opposed, "Spend more time with them, you'll notice that Lyle's just as harsh with me and Ember's have a tendency to–" He finished.
Zander wrapped his arm around his pal as he offered a fist bump. "The perfect example of supercilious gal?" He interrupted to opine. Artus' eyes widened. "I'm not comfortable agreeing or disagreeing." He answered. Silence grew as steps and appeared in the dim tunnel they found themselves in. Zander whistled to break the silence. Artus opened a formidably heavy door leading the duo to begin a journey up many flights of stairs. "Oh yeah, you know where Iona went after the– tragedy?" He questioned with noticeable concern as he asked.
Zander rubbed his ear while his gaze shot towards the sight of more stairs above them. "I thought I had heard her say before we got separated that she had thoughts about traveling to specifically JinJunyë or Louisiana for something important to her." He answered. Artus had to take in that info for a moment. "As long as she's living well." He responded with a nostalgic tone. Zander began scratching his chin before a brief revelation and it showed on his face. Artus noticed his pal felt more powerful. "The day you were inspired by Mentor Duraenou— have you kept it?" He asked before tapping his shoulder with his fist.
The tundra hermit held his hand out, palm open, and above it quickly formed from seemingly nowhere an oval of water sitting in a lemon chiffon vase on his palm. "After this visit for old time's sake is finished— I'm going to visit Aomori city but I've just been traveling through Europe. Admiring ." Zander answered. Artus listened to the sudden appearance of a familiar voice sounding through his communicator. "Artus, we need your help, there's another bank robbery near you!" His elder sister had informed him. Zander leaned his head to the right. "I— this'll be the perfect time to see my training in actual action, Art!" The tundra hermit shouted ecstatically as Artus felt the area grow slightly sticky. Artus sighed as he briefly stared at his feet. "Sorry, dude, the city's wet blankets would remind me how stupid they think I am if I allowed you to come. Just continue heading up these flights of stairs, take a right and make yourself." He replied before leaping over the banister. Zander leaned over the banister and watched his pal plummet before switching his gaze upwards with a dejected expression.
-
The Trio returned from their shift on patrol and finished their commissions. "Zander, prepare for a family reunion, fella!" Artus shouted with an emphasis on his pal's name. "Yo!" They heard in the direction of a bathroom.
The oath's blue-stocking blade sounded a low frustrated growl. "Zander's here?!" Ember questioned, filled with shock, "I'm too tired to deal with his bull— I'm going to bed." She finished before a lengthy yawn. Artus noticed his brother leaning against a wall staring towards him. "Gonna come hang with Zand and I?" He asked his brother. Lyle thought about his answer for a brief moment.
The oath's sanguine marksman woke up and noticed his muscles feeling looser than ever as he stretched. "The next sunrise arrived, it shone its light upon the three cities and it shined its light, it did." He kept in his thoughts. Artus made his way to where he made sure his buddy, Zander, was in the fourth room and walked in to see that his friend had vanished and instead a piece of paper was left. Ember's search for her brother came to a conclusion and noticed the heart break on his face. "Okay, Art allowed that thieving bastard in so we're going to go on a treasure hunt to find out what he took." Warned Ember with a legitimate tone. The oath's sanguine marksman slowly turned his head in her direction. "This is why I couldn't have your back yesterday, sis." Artus replied with a calmness heard in his tone. Ember crossed her arms as she stared daggers at her brother. "Care to elaborate on that, Art?" She had questioned.
Artus stood up straight. "We were reflecting after Ly left last night. You make yourself unlikeable sometimes. I don't enjoy being dishonest." He replied.
Ember looked somewhat hurt, but she stuffed her taco meat back in it's shell, or at first tried to. "Alright, Artus, I'm going to be candid. I can't respect someone who'd call somebody their brother but put their own comfort and life over their sibling's lives." She confessed free-spokenly. Artus kept his eyes trained to the right of him. "I forgave and let that go. He lied and snitched to Rylan. We were young." He argued in return. Ember deeply sighed while repeatedly snapped her fingers. "I'll simplify, he's a a lazy support unit that only feeds words to the team while feeding off their success at the same time." She further explained with a much softer tone. Artus turned his back away from his kin. "He's changed since the days when the head of the academy was going to force him to become our custodian. The day of our graduation, he was going to reveal the results of his training. I got a glimpse last night." He replied with humorless eyes.
Lyle's eyes widened as he leapt from the wall that his back was against. "You hadn't shown him our armory, right?" Asked Lyle who's been quiet that whole time. The oath's sanguine marksman switched his attention over to his brother while his mouth was gaping. "Yeah, Bro, why?" Artus answered and questioned in return. The oath's sangfroid paragon eased into a thoughtful stance. "He's gone. He enjoys taking what's not his own. The understandable fascination when we partied and we let him grab the value." Lyle verbally tossed forth and answered. Artus' brows flew low as he took a frustrated breath before he attempted to prove them wrong and instantaneously move his battle gear onto him yet nothing took place. "Umm—?" He reacted with a low confused voice.
The oath's blue-stocking blade chuckled with a smug grin before sprinting to their armory and checking if her little brother was correct with the sanguine and sangfroid duo following only half of their hall behind her.
Artus and his siblings opened bursted into the armory. "Wow— okay!" Artus replied as he tossed his arms into the air. Lyle took swift notice of a note that he couldn't recall being in its spot hours prior. "Forgot the horrors of his hand writing. Seems he's heading for an organization. Likely going to sell it to one." Lyle informed his siblings. Artus deeply gasped with an expression that had shown his shock. "He couldn't have become one of those?!" He asked himself in his thoughts. Ember patted her younger brother on his back. "He's a ton of things but I can't believe he would until I see him as one with my own eyes." she shared the pensive thought.
The oath's sanguine marksman stared in the corner of their armory where his gear should be sitting with a stony-faced. "I'll go confront him and find out. And he'll give me the answers." Artus declared with a broody expression.
The oath's sangfroid paragon moved his eyes after they were locked in place since his last sentence. "Lemon chiffon essence and impeccable technology, Art. Utilize the tracking unit." Lyle answered his brother. The oath's sanguine marksman rested a hand on his right hip and the other for rubbing his chin. "And the tracking source was, again— for me real quick?" Artus asked in a curious tone.
The sangfroid paragon pointed towards his brother's device in his pocket. "Our Gen-Oath communicators. Researcher Jikolsen thought of it." Lyle answered in a calm tone. The sanguine marksman swiftly went to retrieve it. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I'm off now, don't wait up!" Artus blurted. Ember sped to the door before him and slammed it shut before her brother left the headquarters' armory. "You don't want us to come with you?" She asked in a curious tone.
Artus looked to the ground with a thoughtful expression. "No. I have him myself. The city still needs you guys on duty too." He told his siblings. Hearing all of what Artus said, Lyle poofed away for a moment. The oath's blue-stocking blade pointed towards Lyle. "I understand, but don't hesitate to beep the Gen-oath unit in whatever city if any trouble is too overwhelming like—?!" Ember demanded with a genuine tone, Lyle vanished from her hip so she didn't know where to point to, "Damn bastard, always leaving." Ember complained, before she sighed.
Artus chuckled hard then rushed out of the armory and headquarters. Lyle poofed back right beside his elder sister. "He's going back to Seyort. We can focus on our duty here, he has great backup." He commented as he squinted. Ember's head swiftly twisted towards him. "Back to Seyort?" Ember asked while turning his way, "I'm surprised he hadn't noticed the tracking on the gear yet. Seyort is the least surveilled city. Zander's not a fool, if he was a traveler and passed through, he'd have figured it out." Lyle opined and thought to himself. Ember released a low growl. "Stop ignoring me! You're going to have to enlighten me about when you nimrods went to Seyort the first time." Ember demanded, "Seyort's must be a beautiful place with a name like that!" Ember thought to herself.
-
The oath's sanguine marksman heard his communicator's ring yet he found himself fascinated by the caller picking up the call on his own. "Slow your roll, Art. Pajamas, determined officer." He heard from the mysterious caller who claims to be a fellow gen-oath member through his communicator. Artus had to return after rushing away to change first he didn't want anyone to see his pajamas. "Appreciate the save, Matty. Tapped your right eye into the communicators' camera systems?" He replied as he fixed his collar. After he dressed himself to fit in with the citizenry of Seyort, he took the alternative exit to stay hidden from his own citizenry spotting him leave the headquarters as a civilian. The sanguine marksman called for a cab that'll take him to the city. The cab only dropped him off at the city, not at the location that he wanted, it takes some hours to travel from one city to another. "Welcome back to the city of the middle children and the cold tea enjoyers." Artus heard from the familiar voice through his communicator. The sanguine marksman waved the cab driver off as he pulled his communicator out of his bag. "Damn. The gear's signal vanished. He caught on." He complained with a dejected tone. "Thankfully I'm here. There might be very few cameras but this criminal can't escape from my sight on my orbiting playground." The familiar voice declared through Artus' communicator. The sanguine marksman heard sirens blaring from different directions. "Again, what are you, Mattie?" He asked him in a reluctant jesting tone after watching the cruisers speed down the street. "I am but a redemptive victim and perpetrator of unhealthy dogma." He was answered by the mysterious division mate on the other end of his communicator. Artus held a thoughtful expression in the following brief silence. "Mattie— what should I do when I'm face to face with this criminal? A man I thought of as an older brother." He asked with a lowered base. "If you just need someone to talk to— I'm with you in spirit, Arty." He was answered by his fellow defender as he couldn't remove his eyes from the device. Artus began ambling in the direction that he remembered the signal of the gear's tracker leading before dying. "Appreciate it. What are you, Mattie?" He questioned once again with an even greater curiosity in his tone. "Cut the chatter, I've located the rat's hole. Found the answer to that question earlier, give him the hell that he deserves." He heard from the mysterious person on the other end of the call with an ecstatic tone towards the end.
No more than half an hour of traveling through the city. The sanguine marksman found himself witnessing fourteen strange humanoids with scarlet scales and reptilian eyes rioting and causing a panic. "You think these things are reasonable and rational, Mattie?" He whispered after climbing to a vantage point. "Lizard men of the sweet apple clan. Only their leader seems to be capable of intelligent conversation. He's not here. Speak and move carefully." He heard answered to him.
The sanguine marksman nodded while lifting himself over the edge and leapt to the ground below. "Something I can do for you gentle—lizard men?" He asked as he covered his nose. The scarlet reptilian resembling creatures snapped their sword in his direction almost simultaneously. "Bentus boontus!" In a low tone as they angrily stampeded his way. Artus dodged away from the first sword coming his way before dipping the next few. "You're swift for your size. Ignore that babble, these things are very fluent in French." The mysterious gen-oath member tipped. The sanguine marksman, in a fraction of a second, conjured an SMG and began spraying the creatures with a hail of bullets in the air, successfully scaring away a bulk of the reptilian thugs. "I feel something interesting. An energy that feels familiar yet— it's definitely something else. Mattie, got any idea why something is telling me not to eliminate these guys?" Artus asked aloud as he kept distance away from the attacking remaining few. "Damn it. A disembodied voice can hope you'd get rid of these pests. Turn up the volume." Artus yelled aloud pumped up. Artus granted him his trust after a brief pause for consideration. "Retour au bourg!!" He heard from a strained voice through his communicator. Artus found himself witnessing the remaining reptilian featured men hurried away fearfully before twisting his gaze at the communicator he held in his hands. "Feel like filling me in on what I'm missing about that, dude?" He asked the disembodied voice who often contacts him. "I don't want to drag you into a headache the size of three cities." He answered the marksman's question. Artus let out a low sigh.
-
The sanguine traveler continued and briefly brought up his communicator as he heard it ringing. "The train station. The original tracking led to a shelter that he stopped presumably to rest but he's almost left the three cities, he's at a train station that takes citizens into the next city. Uploading the dets right now." Artus heard from his mysterious comrade before determinedly nodding.
He reacted with a shocked expression as he unexpectedly read that he was thirty minutes away from the tundra enjoying sloth before it became a fearful expression as a mysterious dimensional swirling gate opened and out came bulky, vulture resembling creatures mixed with crow sounds. He halted from moving forward and could not move his gaze away from them. One of them came swooping down at him so swiftly that he couldn't roll away and it hooked him with its talons. "This lemon chiffon gathering technique is my only defense against Zander, damn it, I need to save thirty minutes, at least. I've got to escape these things." He noted in his head.
The bird flew high and unlocked its sharp, strong talons but weirdly further away from his friend, sending him plummeting to the ground below. Artus recovered and noticed that each bird flew at him with different speeds but the fastest halted his evasion once again. The birds grew seemingly more elegant and swifter the more attacks that were successful.
One of the large, queer birds grabbed him off the ground again and flew around with him. Artus shot the bird, got off a few clean shots but their body seemed bullet resistant, as his frustration took over his next actions, he fired a grenade from a conjured launcher at one of the birds, destroying one of its wings and sending it plummeting. He and the otherworldly vulture creature crashed and created a crater on the thick roof. Artus fixed his gaze towards the angry noises he was hearing as he laid on the corpse and swiftly had a revelation of the noise's origins. "Just one last of the handsome wise man's inventions. Save me!" He kept to himself before tossing the smoke bomb on the ground.
-
As the sun dropped, the former childhood mates glanced in each other's direction though they had walls and material between them, the shrunken signatures of their shared gift allowed the former Tundra and gun enjoying duo to feel each other's nearing presence. Artus arrived at the entrance of the station yet was away from any spying eyes. "Mattie— like seriously, our researcher is a true scholar of lemon chiffon techniques using his knowledge to invent lemon chiffon stretching for this back up emergency helmet." He thought aloud over the call. "Guessing you'd rather never have had to use it?" The faceless voice over the call curiously asked in reply. Artus held the shrunken helmet in the palm of his hand before he placed the palm of his empty hand and after it grew to fit himself, he wore it. "Before I make my judgement, I'll ask him a few questions, Mattie." He replied with his humorless augmented voice. Artus calmly breathed in and out before biting his lips while moving deeper into the transit station, eventually feet away from the friend that stole valuable gear from him. The presence of a gen-oath member caught the trepidation, curiosity and awe of the bulk of the citizenry spectating. Zander continually tapped his thigh as he kept moving his eyes anywhere except on the friend that he stole valuable gear from earlier in the morning. "Yeah, okay— give us a moment to be alone!" He shouted out towards the onlookers before the room grew chilling enough to force the citizenry to evacuate. Artus shared a portion of his lemon chiffon with everyone which protected them from the cold as they made their way away from true confrontation. Zander's brows were lowered as he heard the panicked screams he engendered as he kept his eyes to the left of him.
Zander noticeably shook as he backed away. "I-i- know, uhmm, I—?!" He stuttered relentlessly as he struggled to form his thoughts into sound from his mouth. The oath's sanguine marksman clasped his hands in front of him as he inched closer.
The thieving tourist sighed as he ceased nervously backing away. "Friendship is too scarce in this world to lose it. Come with me and I'll explain every— every single question on our way back to the states but here I can't even tell you through a whisper." Said Zander with what his friend recognized as his honest tone of voice.
Artus conjured a sniper rifle and trained it towards Zander. "That gear's property of the United Megalopolis Trio. Return it and surrender under the authority of Josue Detayvern." He ordered with an authoritative tone. Zander worsened the snow storm he began as he vanished from his former friend's sight. "Then I guess— we both chose our duty over our friendship?" Artus heard as the winds conjured by his best friend crashed him into one of the walls of the transit station. Artus shook off the blizzard and tried to see through its intense snow falling, however, before he became aware of the thief preparing an attack from behind him, he realized afterwards Zander had lifted him off the ground and his limbs pulled every other way as he was airborne in the storm. "Must… strengthen… my… or… my… hydration is gone!" He thought to himself as he felt himself losing consciousness and himself physically weakening by the moment, "Someone would find this entertaining?" He shouted as loud as he could manage before he returned his hydration, broke the hold of the thief and his lemon chiffon energy grew bright enough to leave him in a panic as he blinded him. The blizzard in the transit station had calmed as he broke the thief's focus.
The oath's sanguine marksman fell and crashed his knees in the snow yet recuperated swiftly. "You're done!" Artus furiously shouted while conjuring a shotgun and trained it towards Zander's knee. The oath's sanguine marksman soon expectedly found that he blasted an icey replica that he replaced himself with instead. "Please, Zand, simply surrender so neither of us have to do something we'll regret!" Artus loudly pleaded after cocking the shotgun. He recollected his composure as he vigilantly stepped through the remaining unnatural snow that filled the transit station.
The oath's sanguine marksman focused his lemon chiffon essence to wrap around him like a warm blanket but he grew frustrated as the weather made his eyes less reliable. "Remember when we used to stay up all night talking?" Artus heard as the blizzard worsened once again yet he kept his guard and shotgun prepared, "Eating snacks. You, Lyle, Aaron and I were simply enjoying our summer survival camp. Good times." He heard from Zander's echoey voice. Artus heard the vivid sound of a footstep behind him and took his shot. "Sentimentality? I'm not going to fall for this, Zand, last chance to surrender over to the authority of Josue Detayvern." He warned before he conjured a grenade launcher. Artus noticed that the thieving tourist suddenly held control over his body once again. "H-h-how did y-you cultivate t-this level of raw energy for this?!" He struggled to question. The academy's tundra enjoying sloth turned his eyes away as he entrapped him inside of a solid block of ice. "I couldn't bring myself to do it." He replied as he hopped onto the block of ice, "You could have found out if you chose me— Artie." He finished while staring into his eyes before he took steps towards the transit station's exit.
Artus woke up hearing the voices of his siblings and found himself on the mattress of the Gen-Oath's official hospital room with a headache. "His raw energy— is terrifying, something else is going on with him." He informed them as he held his forehead.
The blue-stocking blade hugged herself as she glanced down while scratching her chin with her thumb. "Yeah. It took us much longer than expected to thaw you out of his pissy ice. I underestimated the ginger ninnyhammer." She replied. Lyle lightly held his hand on his brother's shoulder on his bedside. "Jikolsen and I are working on a new spare suit for you. We'll prepare as he's plotting." He informed his brother. Artus punched his thigh. "I actually couldn't recognize him in Seyort. It was like he was someone different. He said that we both chose our duty over our friendship?" He recollected as he held back water works.
Lyle briefly sighed as he leaned over his brother's hospital bed. "The exceptional interest detachment. They have exceptional measures and trackers find potential exceptional soldiers like they decided we were as children that've been abandoned by their families. Training them as the nation's weapons, tools and turns them into fools for the country but you're a special case, Art. I didn't want to believe mentor Dain when he told me that once. I know without you, I wouldn't be any different than Zander." Lyle voiced while keeping a composed and calm tone as always. Artus and Ember gasped when their brother finished. Ember went to comfort him as much as she could too, but she couldn't think of anything to say to him that would comfort him. Lyle said the right words, in a surprising turn of events, that cheered his brother up, but Ember's hug did enough for him too.