The sounds of bombs and heavy machinery falling shook the bunker hallway, bits of rubble sliding down from the walls, piling up onto the floor. The hall was dark, barely lit up by a line of orange emergency lights. "Get away from me!" A man clad in thick, padded armor shot out into one of the rooms, hands shaking in a panic. "You devil! Get away!" A Sathikar, a corrupted Emoren, lunged forward, piercing the man's armor with a Black Steel Trident.
Their long, membranous wings were outstretched into the air, the devil grinning as it removed its weapon from the man's throat with a fleshy, wet pop. Another Sathikar rounded the corner, face covered by an AC-plated mask, walking down a crawling man before firing into their skull, popping their head open with a single shot.
The Trident-wielding Sathikar looked down the hall, eyes locking onto the elevator as its rusted gate was slowly pried open by the cogs that operated it. "Elevator operari non debet." The gun-wielding Sathikar commented, pointing with their weapon down the hall.
"Ab extra unum iter compulit?"
SCREECH! The shrill sound of the gate echoed throughout the bunker as it was forcefully pulled open by whatever was inside. With extreme force, the gate was torn entirely open, bent in the middle, and crushed on both sides, fully jamming it to remain open. A Hunter-Killer, looming in the elevator, the red eyes of its mask shining amidst the darkness. A Sangilo Hunter-Killer.
"Eum occide!" Both Sathikar panicked, wings rolling back to fly down one of the bunker's halls. Still, before they could react, with the sound of a violent crack, the Hunter-Killer rocketed down the hall, slamming their fist into the sides of one of their heads, killing the Sathikar immediately, body slapping against the nearby wall like a swatted fly.
Two shots were fired at the monstrous Sangilo Warrior, a visible force field flickering against the shots as they were halted in place.
The Hunter-Killer grabbed onto their firing arm, holding it up into the air before whipping it back down onto the ground, nearly severing their arm before stomping their head in, crushing it beneath their boot. Blood pooled beneath their foot, the foot lifting as brain matter peeled off from the bottom of their sole.
A line of gunfire ricocheted off the Hunter-Killer's forcefield, the soldier turning toward the direction of the shots, staring down the hall, and spotting two more Sathikar, smiling ear to ear.
The Sangilo, in response, rushed down the hall, becoming a blur for a moment, fist slamming into the upper body of one of these Sathikar, almost removing the entire upper-half of their torso, viscera spraying across the walls. With the momentum of their last strike, they cracked their hand against the other Sathikar's jaw, practically spinning their head right off their shoulders.
This footage was displayed on a projector screen to a group of students in a class explicitly focused on warfare. The teacher switched to a depiction of a Sangilo soldier without their armor, portraying a bulkier silhouette that was almost two to three meters tall.
"Sangilo... Enhanced humanoids under the command of the Numen Imperator. The perfect killing machines whose explicit purposes are to guard the Numen Imperator, or go on extraneous missions that are considered to be high risk, or have a high mortality rate. They have various genetic enhancements, along with a Spinal Pauldron Augment attached to the spine, featuring a built-in Apog Spinal Implant. They are incredibly resistant to gunfire and heavy implements, explosions, et cetera-- all of this paired with their absurdly powerful armor, which can be compared to that of a mech's hull."
Students took notes, listening closely to their teacher's lecture, as the presentation switched to a diagram of the armor in question, specifically the Hunter-Killer armor.
"The inner layers of the suit are made up of a thick, durable, flexible full suit of graphene, a support exoskeleton built into the leather inner-section of the suit, before a chassis is suited onto the graphene inner-layer of the armor, before a thin layer of an ultra-durable, putty-like substance is molded onto the chassis itself. This putty is used to absorb external energy that may impact the outer shell of the armor itself, inflating and constraining the user inside, which can then be further expended by transferring the energy through the graphene leather and gauntlets of the same make. If too much energy is stored inside this 'putty', the user can become suffocated by their own armor. Still, in some way, they will always inevitably expend the energy; then, the outermost layer is added to the armor itself, which is lined with AC plating and sealed tightly onto the chassis. There is more, but this is what we're talking about today-- the effectiveness of the Hunter-Killers."
***
"W-Wait, how many calories do you need a day?" Beatrice sighed, multitasking as she created the meal for them both.
Artemis nodded. "Yes, I require double the natural caloric intake for the average person each day. I can survive without it, but for a healthy diet, I need to consume approximately 5,000 to 8,000 calories every day."
"Well..." Beatrice sighed. "You're lucky I eat a lot then-- ya fuckin' glutton." She shook her head, sifting some soup in a pot with one of her mechanical arms, holding the edge of the ladle. "What implants do the Sangilo typically have? I know you guys use Speed Implements, but is that it?"
"Aside from genetic implants, yes... I have the Apog Speed Implement, and I also have an Advanced Shield implant."
"Is that it?"
"I do believe that is all. Most of my implants are genetic-- implanted into me at a young age."
"Young age?"
"I was five years old when the Haracon Imperium first took me in."
"Fi-Five!?" Beatrice almost knocked over the soup, having a spit-take, spinning around to look at Artemis, who sat on one of the couches across from her, a long piece of cloth wrapped around her body to cover her exposed skin. "You were five!?"
"I..." Artemis sat in deep contemplation for a moment. "I believe I lived in the Undercity before I was taken in. I've always been a native to Luma Sanctus, I believe."
"T-That's... abysmally young."
Artemis couldn't say anything back, just sharing a hesitant look with Beatrice before looking over to the curtains that were pushed by the outside wind in periodic bursts. "Lumanbell is really nice, isn't it?"
"Compared to where you've been, yeah, probably." Beatrice chuckled, setting up a bowl for Artemis, grabbing the largest one she could before filling it to the brim with rice and the soup she had just finished making, and then heating some leftover barbecue."Hope that's enough to satiate your gluttony."
Artemis turned around to look at Beatrice, blinking. "What?"
"Food's ready."
Beatrice and Artemis sat across from one another-- Beatrice herself having a sizeably smaller bowl compared to Artemis, who had an entire family's platter worth of food set out in front of her. Artemis dug in, grabbing one of the chicken legs out of the soup, which was scalding hot; the meat practically sloughed off the bone due to its tenderness. Artemis wrapped her forked tongue around the bone itself, pushing it into her mouth with her hand. She pulled the bone back out, swallowing the gristle and tendon and general meat before moving it to her back molars and biting down, splitting it open with her teeth alone.
Beatrice flinched at the sound, eyes widening as she looked at Artemis in awe, as she ate the entire thing, making sure that not even the bone itself was left in her wake. "W-What the fuck!?"
Artemis's eyes widen. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah! You can't just eat bone like that!"
Artemis relaxes in response to Beatrice's comment. "Sangilo bodies are designed to consume various objects that would typically be inedible for the average person, allowing us to at least provide ourselves with nutrients in less-than-ideal scenarios where food is scarce. Along with being able to snap through bone with our teeth, our saliva has acidic properties that can soften materials placed in our mouths. I wouldn't be able to do any permanent harm, though, to anyone unless I well... bit them, though. So, if any saliva gets on you, you don't have to worry about it, but your skin would probably feel a bit softer, similar to if you were to apply lotion to yourself for about an hour or so."
"What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Like I said. Sangilo's saliva ca--"
"No, I got it, I just wasn't expecting the lecture." Beatrice sighed. "So like... bone doesn't tear up your throat, or stomach, or anything?"
"It cannot, even if we didn't have this specific genetic enhancement. Our spit, however, is especially useful when blinding a foe since the acidic properties would be enough to act similarly to something like... throwing sand, or getting blood into your eye. It burns, it won't do permanent damage, as I've said, but it'll hurt while it's there."
"Okay... didn't ask for all of that, once again, but thanks for the information, I guess?"
"I apologize if I am overexplaining myself..." Artemis paused for a moment to think. "If asked, we're required to go into detail about our biological differences, or details about our armors, et cetera."
"Okay... why, though?"
"I believe it is to quiz us on our intelligence? How much do we know about ourselves?" Artemis took a beef rib from a side plate, biting into the meat and sliding it straight off the bone, snapping off the end of the rib as well.
"What did Jackal tell you about me? I know that my father hired you to be my guard, but what did your boss say specifically?"
Artemis's ears fluttered, swallowing what food remained in her mouth. "That's... Quite the topic change." She blinked. "He didn't tell me anything necessarily. I was just given an image of what you were going to look like, any allies or people you may be close with-- information on them, and..." Artemis nodded. "That is all."
"Nothing about me in specific?"
"No, I do not believe that Jackal thought it to be necessary."
"Why does my father suddenly think I need a guard, now?"
"Your weak constitution and..."
"And? Is my family in danger?"
"We have reason to believe that the Benejestria was involved in the murder of your older brother, Kalleck Holden, and the Duke himself believes that the Benejestria has begun moving again."
Beatrice leaned back into her seat, her brow knit tight as old, deep-seated emotions that had long since passed resurfaced with that information alone. "This..." Beatrice tightened her jaw, "They found my brother's killers?"
"They found evidence of who was involved-- not who did it." Artemis continued to eat as she spoke. "I... My expertise was first utilized when we were initially investigating the area--" Artemis swallowed. "in which your brother was murdered. I discovered that the reason revival was somehow not possible in his case was due in part to the fact that the weapon used was an artifact explicitly created to rend the soul out of a person's body. To ensure that they can never return. They are very thorough-- Kalleck had been an ally of Jackal's for a while, so when he found me--"
"Wait... what do you mean?"
"Kalleck was working for the Planetary Commission's Reformation Protocol, headed by Jackal. In other words, your brother went against not just the Benejestria, but the entirety of the Haracon Imperium."
Beatrice whispered under her breath, "He was a fuckin' rebel...?" She clicked her tongue. "That's what got him killed?"
"His aid in Batthia was seen as a hindrance in Ambrosia production."
"Stop." Artemis perked up, eyes wide, looking at Beatrice expectantly. "Why... why are you telling me all of this shit?"
"I... I believed that it was only right that you heard the truth."
"Aren't you a Sangilo?"
Artemis nodded slowly. "I-I am... not officially any longer but..."
"So... aren't you just supposed to follow orders, simple as? You're makin' decisions on your fuckin' own, tellin' me all of this bullshit!" Beatrice stood up from her seat. "I was tolerating it for a bit, but I really just fuckin' hate the energy you got, y'know? I have already found it hard enough keeping it together with some run-of-the-mill guard. Still, now I have some fucking Imperator bootlicker genetic abomination lecturing me about shit that isn't their fuckin' business! And to what end!? What do you get from telling me about what happened to my brother!?"
Artemis sank into her seat, showing the most emotion she had ever shown in her life until this point, as her ears sank low, tail wrapping around her own seat from anxiety. "I... I'm... sorry..." She kept her professional tone, but the unexpected reaction had visibly shaken the massive woman.
"What is this? Aren't you supposed to be some emotionless soldier that only follows orders and that's that!? What are you doing, lookin' all worried! Having opinions, doing 'what's right'! What do you even expect me to do upon hearing all of that shit anyway!? Want me to go out there, put my life on the line like a good soldier would!? A good rebel!? Run out there and die like my brother did!?"
Artemis set her gaze to the floor, hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"How many innocent people have you killed in the Undercity!? I know that your funny fuckin' group really loves running around in killsquads massacring anyone who even gives a single waft of 'rebel', right!?"
"Beatrice--"
"I don't need a fuckin' guard! Much less a murderer!" Artemis visibly flinched. "How many, huh!? What even got you here? Got a little too bloodthirsty for your kin!? Cause some shit storm with the Imperator, cause you squashed too many skulls!? Maybe it's cause of those emotions you aren't supposed to have!?" Beatrice scoffed.
"I..." The room went quiet, Artemis attempting to think of what to do here but failing to find the words. "I disobeyed orders... It's how I got into the rehabilitation program. I disobeyed orders, almost died, somehow survived, was thrown into prison, and was picked up by Jackal."
"Wow... what you did must have been real shitty then, huh? What did you do?" Beatrice was smug, arms crossed over the other.
"I rebelled. I... I have killed innocents but... I realized how much I hated myself for it—a year ago, it had been a year since it had happened. I've killed thousands... those that were innocent, however... Only seventeen. I was in the Blood War after all, so the number I could've racked up was minimal. The only times I wasn't in the Blood War were when I was a scout and just before I was arrested for rebelling against the Imperator."
"You trying to rationalize it?" Beatrice chuckled.
"No... Yes... Rationalize why I did what I did. Maidakan, the Rebel, had rampaged through another one of the Undercities with her forces. At first, the ALTAQIA insurgency had the advantage but was quickly overtaken due to their inexperience against crowds, crowds of those with enhancements, trained veterans, and more. The Planetary Commission oftentimes collaborates with the Imperium, and more often than not, a rebellion starts due to the inaction of the Imperator themselves. We were sent to clear them out, rebel or not. My team tore apart as many people as they could. I don't know what changed it... what made me no longer want to participate in that behavior... but it didn't change the fact that a mother was clutching her child close, and they were at the end of my rope. If I were to defy my perogative and spare their lives... let them run... they would've been killed by someone else. I weighed my options, and I didn't want them to die. There was no reason a mother and her child should've died there, but the only way out for them was through. They, and I, found two Hunter-Killers of a similar make and build to mine... I killed them. In the end, I couldn't not kill, but at least a mother and their child remained. Worth much more than I am, and worth much more than the rest of my Corps. To make it a long story short... I almost died and was arrested. Jackal then saved me."
"Congrats, I guess, for doing the bare minimum." Beatrice rolled her eyes, leaving for her room after her snide remark
Artemis is left to finish her meal in silence.
***
A 12-meter Perses Mech, all red, shot across a battlefield coated in a fiery orange, moving nearly 900 meters in only 6 seconds, stopping their momentum with a sharp boost on the front-end of the mech, appearing right in front of a Dragon, their head swiveling to meet the Perses's gaze.
The gullet of the beast expanded violently outward before a plume of fire belched from its throat, spreading across the machine's shining carapace, its shields flickering violently against the heat. Still, just before the cloud of flaming smoke could bring itself alight, a shot rang out, a gaping hole within the side of the Dragon where its shoulder blade used to be.
Two more shots were fired, a river of blood violently exiting the beast's body as it collapsed into the molten earth below, the flames of their breath narrowing out into a laser that, whistling through the air, rocketed into the sky, creating a hole in the collected pollution above.
On the ground, soldiers rushed onto the battlefield, Sangilo Scouts and Assassins flooding past beasts, monsters, Sathikar Soldiers, Devils, and the like. They tore into each other, some resorting to melee weapons or brute-forcing their way through a confrontation with firepower alone.
Quadcopters flew from above, some being shot down through magic and cannon fire as Hunter-Killers dropped from the sky.
Leading the pack, a Warden, a higher-level Sangilo, dropped down, the golden effigy of the sun situated on the back of their armor, encircling their helmet, acting as a halo. An Emoren Warden, a similar muted blue skin to Artemis, tail flicking wildly as they shout, "For the Imperator!" Apollo-- Artemis only knew of him from his accomplishments from afar.
Apollo was her brother by blood; it wasn't hard to figure it out, but as far as they were both concerned, or at least, as far as Apollo himself was concerned, he had no sister, not one that he would care for at least.
Artemis could only watch from afar as a radiant light spread across the battlefield, coming straight from her estranged sibling, eliminating any Sathikar along the way, her combat knife cleaving through the armor like a hot knife against butter. She sighed, breathing heavily, and looked up at the bright lights that filled the sky, the glow reflecting against the lens of her mask.
Soon enough, a massive explosion followed, the shockwave spanning miles. The Sangilo infantry locked themselves onto the ground, unmoving against the force of the wave. A concentrated hydrogen bomb eliminated the Devil, commanding the Sathikar forces, as a bright yellow glow spread across the field momentarily before fading into a dim orange light, then to nothing.
It was only after an hour that the ground team had finally settled, with only thin plumes of smoke remaining and the remains and viscera of the Imperium's enemies. And then... rain followed.
For Artemis, the war had only lasted four years.
For many a soldier who remained, though, it was nearly 100 years, lasting through the use of Ambrosia and various drugs and genetic implementations alone.
Artemis stepped away from the raging winds of what remained of the Hydrogen Bomb's aftermath, crossing over to the corpse of an Infernal Dragon, sitting upon its tail with a sigh. The other soldiers wandered or stayed standing in place. She was an outlier, a powerful and useful one, but an outlier nonetheless.
The battle was over, but her time as a soldier wouldn't end here.
Not by a long shot.