Just a bit in time for Volume 8, I finally got a commission (by suzakudarknight) of an action pose involving Wunna using all the dust within his bladeâs compartment.
Whatâs he going to use it for? Thatâs a secret.
âIâve never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before.â
âThey might even take me back to my father.â
âMany describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of _ will remain strong. And it will remain safe. That is my promise.â
âThis isnât right. None of this is right.â
âThereâs obviously something very wrong.â
âJeez, lady, take a hint.â
âA home in the clouds is about as bright as it gets.â
âThereâs plenty of space out in the tundra.â
âNo more heavy lifting, you hear?â
âI age like a fine wine.â
âDown here I get to help the locals, and have a little fun.â
âI couldnât tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him.â
âMade us look like traitors to some, and buffoons to everyone else.â
âWhoever managed to do that is either a genius, or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both.â
âI feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner.â
âWe didnât come this far to fail now.â
âDarling, why donât you say hello to your friends?â
âSal-U-TATIONS!â
âDied? I guess in a manner of speaking she did.â
âIâm as good as new! Better, even.â
âWeâre not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?â
âThis is⌠strangely wholesome.â
âI canât tell if I completely understand whatâs going on, or have like, a million questions!â
âI have absolutely no idea who that child was.â
âI was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher.â
âJust helped save everyone?â
âIf we could just talk this outâŚâ
âThis is much closer to what I was expecting.â
Wunna still obviously feels phantom pain within his prosthetic limb. It doesnât help that itâs more a repeated stabbing feeling, causing him to need to grab the arm when it washes over him. When he does feel the pain, the prosthetic goes a bit haywire and has the joints lock up and unlock in different areas, not uniform in the slightest. Itâs a real weird moment for him, but he tries keep it a little hidden so people donât recognise the pain he goes through on a semi-regular basis.
âAh- Children. Really are rowdier than I thought theyâd be.â He really should read the fullness of a job before he takes it. Acting as a temp daycare teacher in Mistralâs City was Not what he thought would be something people would put up for the services of a huntsmen. Admittedly, it did pay well, maybe because people avoided dealing with children.
None the less, he sat down on one of the blocks of the playground. âAlright kids. Want a story?â He could see all their eyes light up, and immediately stop what they were doing to sit in front of the tall birdman. Many questions were asked âwhat kindâ âis it coolâ âdo we know itâ as to be expected from children and their inquisitive nature.
âAlright, alright, settle down. Iâll begin in a moment. Okay?â With an immediate nod, they all repeated âokayâ to him in unison. Good kids at least. It gave him a moment to recollect the tale his mother told him when he was these kidsâ age. The tale of Fionn Airgetlam saving Sezakan. Not one most knew outside of his motherâs homeland, and only only passed down through oral tradition within it. in fact, he reasoned he was the only one who hear of it outside of the isolated land of Sezakan.
"Three hundred years ago, back when Vacuo was verdant and beautiful, there was a land hidden on all sides by large dunes, monsters that werenât just grimm and a mountain to itâs north. Very difficult to reach normally. But if you found it, you would find a land with lush green grass, beautiful trees, refreshing air, and tasty water.â
âThis was Sezakan. Home to many clans of Bird Faunuses. Primarily those with Eagle or Hawk traits. Like me.â With that he held up his hand, to show them the rough skin and talons at the end of his fingers. âThey lived in peace from the outside world, in a large village that sustained hundreds to a thousand members, isolated but willing to go out and help their neighbours where they saw fit. Many having wings that made it easier for them to travel long distances.âÂ
âBut war was a problem ever present in Vacuo in those days. From internal strife, and external invasions of other kingdoms. This constant warring was why, the King of Vacuo at the time, deigned it his right to claim Sezakan as sovereign territory of his land. Going to war against the mighty warriors of the hidden valley.âÂ
âMany people of Sezakan died to protect it, fighting against wave after wave of Vacuan soldiers. One member of the warriors said âenoughâ, he wouldnât lose any more, he was known as Fionn Airgetlam. Fionn was the strongest of their warriors and the most compassionate. He would protect Sezakan, no matter the cost, even if it meant his life.âÂ
âFionn was mighty, his silver arm could block any weapon, his spear was undefeated in battle, his mastery of wind dust was unparalleled, and legend goes that he had eyes of silver that could freeze a grimm dead in itâs tracks. He was the perfect warrior, and the perfect hero. He defeated the mighty Amalgam Grimm, the dangerous sand dragon, and the horrifying Titan Fen-Dweller, but those are tales for another time.âÂ
âTo stop the War, he tried to find a way to keep Vacuo away from the land of Sezakan. Hardlight dust did not work, Fighting them did not work, using the wildlife against them did not work. So he resorted to praying to their God at his Shrine in the Mountain to the North, a right that was only reserved to the Druids, the Priests had for they held the traditions of the people. He broke this tradition for the people.âÂ
âIn this shrine, he found a magic object, an orb, that he placed his hand on and it began to glow. He could see all of Sezakan from this orb, as well as the natural dormant deposit of Gravity Dust beneath it. As he held onto the orb, he began to fuel more and more of his aura into it until that gravity dust awoke. Lifting the land high into the sky away from the Vacuans.âÂ
âFionn saved the people that day, dying in the process, but keeping the land isolated and peaceful once more, even grimm have difficulty reaeching the hidden land of Sezakan. To keep it even more safe, the druids use Wind dust to form a barrier of clouds around the underside, edges of the floating isle. A Secret land untouched by war, and high in riches, who knows what one might find looking up at the clouds. Rumor has it the people still live there, or at least so my mother tells me.âÂ
After his tale, he looked over all the children, a lot of them having fallen asleep by now as younglings were wont to do when being told a story. Although one was still paying attention, silver eyes excited and wanting to hear more. A massive smile on his face as if the kid clearly loved what he heard from the current temp.
âDo you want to hear more about Fionn Airgetlam, young one?â while silent, they nodded eagerly in understanding of the Faunus. âWell letâs start with Fionn fighting the terrifying Burning One, shall we?âÂ