Forces of Nature Part II

Content Warnings

-strong language

Humans and similar social species are unique in that they're able to learn and potentially choose what kind of beasts they wish to be. What level they embrace their nature and what level they resist it? Do they wish to be cold or empathetic? Do they wish to lash out or be thoughtful?

They could explore themselves and gain a greater understanding of their nature and themselves. They could remain ignorant and keep their comfortable, often sheepish lives. Or they could reject themselves and attempt to satiate their darkest desires. They listen to their white, their grey, or become deaf.

What kind of beast do you wish to be, Tempestas Glacies?

Chapter XIV

Forces of Nature Part II

["We need to focus our investments on projects of worth and your….less,"

"How do you expect to advance if you haven't learnt the basics?"

"You only know how to lash out, how unproductive,"

There was an explosion of white, red, and blue flames within the darkness. The water became a swirling vortex with schools of corrupted white fragments escaping through into the open waters and towards the lights above. 

...….

Tempestas felt the course, polluted sand beneath its hands. It was less like sand and more like mud. It reeked of blood and mold. 

It looked up to find itself washed upon the shores of a small island beneath the grey sky. It was small, barely the size of two city blocks with barely enough room for the shores. The water didn't even have much space, as there were multiple islands football fields away and even more football fields away from those ones.

Upon Tempestas's island were many buildings made of thrown together junk and plates, held together by ropes. There were no roads, no pens, homes appeared more communal, and the place was lit by torches. The entire place reeked of thousand year old shit.

Yet it felt warm to our frozen disaster.

"What do you want?" a vendor asked.

Before it stood an old, Daqunese man with a long mustache. He wore rags, many covering spots of black on his body. He pulled a cart filled with weapons.

Tempestas struggled to its feet, "I am Tempestas Glacies, I am here to-,"

"I am here to rebuild the north and conquer the Aeternum!" Hundreds of voices called out.

From the waves, hundreds of other Tempestas Glacies walked ashore. Before the original Tempestas could react, they walked over it and upon the island.

Tempestas struggled to its feet, "NO! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL DO IT!"

It rushed after them. In a blink, it found itself in the white, faceless city with the three walls and the grand tower{Chapter VIII}.

It looked left and right in confusion. It accepted where it was, giving a nod.

"Tempestas Glacies," a familiar voice called out.

It was the Metallic humanoid that fired it{chapter X}. It sat on a building above it on one of the buildings, drinking a bottle of liquor.

"If you want to receive your promotion and be sent into the field, you must reach Level 2. We can't send out product in its training phase. Understand?" it asked.

"I KNOW WHAT I WANT HOLLOW IMAGE! GIVE ME THE POWER I NEED!" Tempestas ordered, raising its hammer.

"Do you really know?" the image asked in response. "Then why wait? Head towards the wall and take your desire,"

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO TELL ME THAT!" Tempestas exclaimed, storming off towards one of the inner walls.

The image vanished in a flash of grey.

The environment around Tempestas changed. It found itself at the opening to a wooden hut. Within, many echoes resided, listening to stories from the other Tempestas Glacies. There was a bar upfront, where the original sat.

"Your a Disaster beast," a familiar voice exclaimed.

It was Dan Xiao{chapter IV}, "Are you one of the new arrivals from the Corrupted Realm?"

"Indeed it is," the bartender commented.

Standing behind the bar, was a masked woman in a grey vest and white suit. She was polishing broken glass with a dirty rag.

"What was it like down there?" He asked excitedly.

"It's….nothing crazy," it responded nervously.

"Nothing crazy?! Every Disaster Beast I've spoken to has described it as eternal suffering?" he questioned.

"Especially those Under Umbrella types. Did you not meet them perhaps?" she questioned, putting a mercury coloured drink on the table.

A white shadow loomed over Tempestas. It took a drink and swallowed hard.

"Yeah I met them, they were terrifying at first, but once you get to know them, they're just like everybody else, looking for somewhere to belong and someone to support. That wasn't for me though," it lied, pushing the drink off to get a refill.

"You rejected the offer to join them?!" He exclaimed, grabbing the attention of everyone else in the bar. "You must be a Beast of legendary renown!?"

It noticed someone else standing at the door, watching them carefully. Despite being of ice, Tempestas felt a sharp sting of cold in its shoulders.

"Of course I turned them down. When I left RNM, I wanted to be my own Disaster Beast, not join their rigid rule," it laughed.

"Oh how impressive," She responded, refilling the glass. "There's actually a member of Under Umbrella on this very island. I'll bet if you were *that* impressive to them, you could get their support,"

It looked back at the door. Standing there was a white plague doctor with a red jeweled cane, red eyes, and the symbol of Under Umbrella on the back of its glove.

She glided away. Tempestas chased after her.

She vanished into white stardust.

It found itself lost in the faceless city again. It looked left and right.

"The walls aren't getting closer, my child," the bartender mocked, becoming the silhouette of Taipan.

Tempestas smashed its hammer down on her. She hopped out of the way.

"Hammers aren't particularly hard to dodge, my child," the Echo of Taipan mocked.

"YOU WERE THE BARTENDER?!"

"Or your parrotnoid, my child," she questioned, encircling it and snapping her fingers. "Why would I, a Signa Mortis that danced with Faber Deorum and the Council of Dominus, take interest in someone who's worth…well…less,"

It swung again, "YOU WANTED TO USE ME TO GET TO URSA YOU CUNT!"

"That does sound like me?" she questioned, resting her chin in her hand. "But I feel like there would be better investments than an insecure piece of ice, don't you think?"

"SHUT UP!" it screamed, smashing her with its hammer.

"What's next boss?" Dan Xiao asked.

Tempestas sat on a throne of melting ice. Before it was a small army of warriors. They filled every inch of the island even standing upon the buildings. They included men, women, children, and other Disaster Beasts.

"We need to build a fleet!" Tempestas exclaimed, raising its hammer high.

"How will we do that, Boss?" He asked, raising his weapons with the rest.

"With brute force, we can achieve everything! Keep pushing!" it insisted, pointing its hammer into the distance.

They spent a while building ships. They fished chunks of ships out from the waters, raided other islands and enemy ships, and tore down their own buildings. When warriors fell into the waters, Tempestas jumped in after them, and took them out by hand.

Tempestas held onto a corrupted young warrior, "You did good, you did good,"

"Boss, please put me out…before the black hurts the others,"

"I understand," it sighed, standing up and raising its hammer.

It smashed the hammer down.

There was a horrible storm brewing outside. The waters roared, crashing upon the islands. They could see flashes of grey lighting in the distance.

"Do we have shelters to protect from the storm?" Tempestas asked Xiao.

They were all held up within the tavern. There were men, women, children, other disaster beasts, so many stacked upon each other. There was dripping in the background, getting louder and louder.

"We've survived many storms boss, don't worry,"

"Our forces won't survive if we don't have protection," it exclaimed storming out of the tavern.

Tempestas switched to the Colour Realm. The island was like an asteroid in a field. It walked to the edges and began rapidly freezing barricades outside of the island in an attempt to protect them from the splashing of waves. This was a great risk, as Corrupted Beasts attempted to attack.

Tempestas fought them off however. It wouldn't let them get an inch of the island. The other warriors charged out, looks of surprise filling their faces.

They came to its aid.

They went on and on throughout the night, its body getting thinner as it kept building and rebuilding the barricades. It kept going until the light of day, when it was practically just bones.

The warriors and villagers smiled, helping take their leader back to safety. Hidden from the rest, it smiled a bit too.

A few days latte, Dan Xiao approached Tempestas, "There are refugees coming our way,"

"Are they dangerous?" it asked, taking a drink of white Liquor.

"The lightning strike from the other night was a surprise attack from the Mondgreif. Many escaped with whatever they could,"

"They have supplies then?" it questioned, eyes widened.

"Why yes, they-,"

"Let them in. There's always more room in the army of Tempestas Glacies," it laughed.

"We don't have the resources," the bartender commented cynically.

"We'll take the resources," it stated, getting to its feet.

It walked down the road of the faceless city. The walls were getting closer.

"You've amassed quite the army for yourself," a voice like a feline maestro commented.

It was the Plague Doctor.

"That army is gone," it growled.

"I'm sure you didn't take everyone with you," she critiqued, encircling it. "After all, you would've had to leave an army to protect the island. You could easily rebuild from there, could you not?"

"What do you want?"

"Reverse that question," she responded, pointing her cane at it. "Are you afraid you'll have to face reality if you return? That you were never anything more than a mediocre man,"

"Shut up!" it snapped.

"Do you feel guilty for lying to these people?"

"The world is made up of liars! The Mondgreif, Taipan, Ursa!" 

"Did Ursa lie to you? She's many things, that liability, but a liar is not one of them," she responded, tipping her hat and shaking her head. "Serpens meanwhile, hid the truth, but is not a liar. The only liar you mentioned was an Aeternum. Are you an Aeternum?"

"I did what I had to, for my revenge," it growled, pointing its hammer at her.

"And Aeternum will do anything to achieve power. I repeat, are you an Aeternum?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Enough of this charade Magister noctem," Taipan called out, appearing from a nearby alley. "This one isn't worth your time. It's worth-,"

"LESS, I KNOW! ENOUGH WITH THAT!" It exclaimed, wildly swinging its hammer.

"Are you a Monster or man? A Hero or a Human? An Aeternum or an Awakened?" Magister asked, tapping her cane.

"Aeternum certainly," Taipan answered for it, encircling it as well.

"You don't get to answer for me!" It exclaimed.

"Then it's time for you to answer. What do you want?" they both called out in unison.

"You lied to us!"

"Perhaps you were a fraud, but you were our fraud,"

"Another failure, bring us a different beast,"

"Traitor,"

"I will follow you anywhere boss,"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Tempestas yelled! Releasing a wave of ice and electricity that hit them both. They vanished in lights of grey and white.

"Are you okay?" Ursa asked, grey claw on its shoulder.

The two wandered the dark halls of the Corrupted Gate. It was different though. The walls were grey with white streaks. It was almost blinding.

"Why do you care, Ursa?" it asked, holding a hand up to block the light.

"It doesn't matter," she answered.

"Yes it does, I MATTER," it growled.

"Is that really so important?" She asked, tilting her head.

"I am not worthless," it growled, squeezing its hammer.

"worth isn't worth much. I was once told how a diamond is only worth so much because we gave it worth. Not that I know what a diamond is of course," Ursa chuckled.

"Taipan….," Tempestas growled, a headache roaring in its head.

"Is everything okay?" Ursa repeated, looking over Tempestas like a mother looking over her sick child.

"Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!" Tempestas roared.

The sound of the ocean interrupted its rage.

They reached an opening in the tunnels. Before them was a great grey ocean. In the distance was a white island. Tempestas's Island.

Ursa pointed to it, gave Tempestas an assuring smile, and reached out her claw. Tempestas stared at her baffled. It looked at their reflections in the water. 

Ursa was the dividing line. One one side, it stood next to her, a scarf around its neck and many more scarves beside them. On the other side, Tempestas sat alone on a throne of glass, those that wronged it kneeling before it].

---

Taipan's die hit the table.

---

[Tempestas hit her with its hammer. She fell to the ground, limp.

Its reflection was purely that of the throne. the others shatterer, disappearing into the water. 

It hit her again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

The ocean cracked like ice. The island sank beneath it as it shattered.

Behind Tempestas stood a grey, crystular figure. In front of it stood a woman made of white stardust.

All white faded from the environment, turning to only grey. Buildings fell apart, cracks broke in the wall as Tempestas repeatedly hit it with its hammer.

The woman vanished.

Its body became engulfed in dust as the wall began crashing down. Ice shed from its body, filling the city mist.

Its hammer shattered.

It kept going, smashing at the wall with its fists over and over. It clawed at the wall, yelling, howling with rage].

The Mould the encased Tempestas began to crack, yellow overflowing through it. A hole opened.

From it, a glowing, bestial eye peered out.

To Be Continued...…

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