Chapter Text
Remielle Dan ,
Remielle Dan
The commanding voice spun like a broken record player. A distant chant, a distant memory , a memory of a life lived. A life that could never be returned to. A life of regrets…
The voice grew, becoming less muted.
“Remielle!”
“Lieutenant Colonel Dan!!”
She awoke with a slow blink the world slowly regaining its colour, becoming clearer and yet the waking world always felt more distant, more blurred at the lines. The faint clockwork hum brought her down to earth. Her pink eyes stared forwards finding the source of the voice.
Shrouded in a black cape and tactical gear, purple hair tied up. She stood poised, commanding yet strangely beautiful and tender. Such a stance and presence deserving of the title Leader of the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe. Remielle held her gaze, a silent recognition, a silent confirmation of trust and duty. The moment seemed to stretch for an eternity.
“We're at the hollow Dan, you shouldn't be dozing off. I shouldn't have to tell you to rest before a mission” The captain sighed, her voice stern and unwavering there was no emotion in her voice , emotion that Remielle could have sworn she used to express so freely.
“Ah~ Mei how many times must I remind you that I'm perfectly fine, you know I can handle myself regardless of my sleep schedule.” Remielle's voice was soft, melodic , rehearsed. She always knew how to press the right cracks of a person's armour. She always knew how to get what she wanted. Remielle stood from the seat she'd been perched on , stretching out her wings. “It would have been faster if I flew , that's why I have wings after all.”
“Yes, a luxury neither me nor Vike have.”
“Vike could have walked. I mean he could easily get to the hollow in hmmm~ let's see… 10 steps!” she giggled softly to herself.
Colonel Vike stood at the mouth of the aircraft. He slowly glanced at the pink angel, it neither confirmed or denied her guess.
“That's not the issue or point. It would have drawn public attention. Attention that generates fear or unease.”
Remielle smiled “Mei public attention is practically intertwined with the title of Voidhunter, the eyes of Eridu will always be on us.”
“We aren't celebrities, Lieutenant Colonel Dan, you should do your best to remember that fact.” she huffed.
Before Remielle could reply with her own witty remark the aircraft came to a halt. A soldier emerged from the cabin of the cargo plane. His eyes darted from member to member, taking in the grandeur of the 3 voidhunters. His voice came out with a squeak before settling
“You're…you're clear to descend into the hollow Voidhunters”, he gave them a bow and salute before ushering back into the cabin.
And suddenly the three of them, the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe, were lined up against the mouth of the aircraft. Silence filled the room. As the door opened slowly with a barrage of mechanical whirring, the hollow below began to seep into view.
“You're all aware of the mission at hand” Captain Mei said, staring ahead not sparing the other two any softness. Vike stood tall, towering and imposing he lifted his head staring at the Hollow
“Locate and eradicate”
Once the door opened fully and the ferocity of the wind met their faces, Remielle took a step forward gaging the drop below. She knew this mission shouldn't take long. It was simple especially for VoidHunters, especially for The Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe. She turned to look at Mei, a smile creeping across her face.
“Mei want me to carry you down? It is a pretty long descent after all~”
Mei scrunched her nose tight and shot a cold glare towards Remielle
“There's a time for such nonsense. Now is not one of those times. I'm heading down with Vike” and with, that she jumped onto Vike’s unsheathed greatsword with an elegant grace. And with a swift command they plunged into the darkness of the hollow.
Remielle looked at the figures slowly shrinking into the distance engulfed by the hollow. Reimelle felt something shift in her stomach, a feeling of pervading sense of trouble. She shook her head and outstretched her wings before jumping down. This is a run of the mill mission locate and eradicate she kept repeating to herself as she flew into the hollow
Locate and eradicate…
Locate and eradicate.
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Death. It reeked of death. Despair dripped from the hollow and clung onto Remielle's coat. Death was synonymous with the Hollows. There's still so much undiscovered about their nature about their true threat. And yet it was Remielle's duty to reclaim the land engulfed by the hollow’s gluttony. It was her reason, her responsibility. As she looked around there were no signs of life anywhere in her radius. She was alone in this wasteland, a twisted, wrapped maze. I don't envy Joyous and his obsession with mapping the Hollows Remielle thought to herself. There was only silence stretching across the derelict city district, a place that most likely used to be filled with laughter, life and love was not completely devoid of anything and everything. It was hell. A living hell. And no God could save their souls.
And yet Remielle didn't want to lament on the melancholic feeling stirring in her chest. She brushed it off and continued to wander through the district. The shattered shards of grass and debris polluted the ground, abandoned cars and rusted mopeds littered the roads. And yet Remielle still continued onwards. Onwards. Onwards. Onwards.
And then Remielle found herself on a narrow street she turned around to leave before hearing-
Clunk…clunk
Without warning an ethereal emerged from the dark alley and lunged towards Remielle. Without a second thought , a quick precise movement and the ethereal slumped down eradicated. Remielle walked forward through the alley dealing with the other ethereals that stood in her way. When the dust finally settled
Remielle ran into a dead end. But she came face to face with a brutality that made her face drop. A young girl mauled by the Hati's, her face unrecognisable, the blood was dry crusted. She'd been here for a while. She was their meal. A meal after a hunt. Her life had ended far too quickly, a life left unlived. Remielle has seen many cases like this, it still stings but a life of constant death and gruesomeness has a way of decaying any true grief. A way of decaying and blurring feelings all together. However something else did catch Remielle's attention
A strange creature.
“What are you?” Remielle whispered as she looked at the small rabbit looking thing sprawled on the ground. It was short and stout with a screen for a face. It was some form of construct as Remielle gazed at some of the cogs sprawled out like guts from its side. Reimelle slowly reached out and slowly tapped the creature on its face-screen thing.
“Perhaps it's a new hollow fighting drone…could that even work in a hollow? No probably not… ah~ It's kind of cute looki-”
Remielle's questioning whispers were interrupted by a deafening screeching sound emanating from the small creature.
On instinct Remielle grabbed her weapon and impaled the creature, shutting it up. The silence that followed was immediate and quick.
For the first time in a while Remielle's breath hitched and she could feel her heart rate climb and decrease slowly. Before Remielle could even process what to do next a purple lighting bolt painted the sky a lilac hue. Followed by a spiral of fire.
“They've finished the mission then…” Remielle sighed as she looked down at the strange noise making creature and picked it up. “It would be bad to leave unidentified possible dangerous technology in the Hollows. Plus at least I don't come back empty handed” Remielle shook her wings free and launched into the sky, upwards and outwards.
Freeing herself from hell.
______๑♡๑______
“What is that?” Mei inquired, pointing demandingly at the creature strapped to the table.
“It looks like a mechanical rabbit” Vike added , it was a strange contrast seeing something so large next to something so small
“I thought the same Vike-ie~ it looks kind of cute doesn't it.. well until it starts screaming at you..” Remielle chirped her soft smile plastered to her face, a mask fused to her.
Vike let out a grunt at the nickname. Mei slowly reached out and lightly tapped the creature's face. Her head crooked to the side.
“Well it's obviously dead whatever it is. Dan if this is official developmental military equipment I don't want to pay the fine for you killing it” Mei groaned.
When all of a sudden a small chip popped from the creature's stomach. Well a mechanical stomach- of sorts. Mei reached out to grab it
“Looks like a sort of name tag.. oh god I hope this isn't a small citizen. Let's see… Developmental tech if found please return to…” and for a rare moment Mei, the leader of the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe's voice faltered.
“If found please return to Lady Sunbringer.”
The name rang a slight bell but Remielle brushed it off before catching the glimpse on Mei’s face “The sudden look on your face tells me this is someone I definitely should know, right MeiMei~?” Remielle said , trying to fill the silence,
Mei let out a cough that quickly transformed into a scowling glare
“You-Do you not read any reports I give you?”
“Ive been held up in the dark wall for months Mei, reconnaissance and observation i only returned from decontamination two days ago.” Remielle corrected with a smile drawn that didn't quite reach her eyes. “Im afraid I haven't had any time to read any documentation” she concluded.
An exasperated sigh left both Vike and Mei’s chests in unison.
“She’s a voidhunter who eradicated the "Hive Lord" Hollow in the sky, and was granted the title of Void Hunter. She was there at our awarding ceremony last year, at the back of the hall out of view of the reporters” Vike huffed , if Remielle could see his face she’d be certain that he was rolling his eyes.
“Honestly Dan she’s even more famous then us, how can you NOT know her” Mei complained , MeiMei must look up to her if she’s getting this defensive Remielle thought to herself.
She rolled her head backwards , folding her arms before muttering “she couldn't have been that impressive if I can't remember her face.”
Without warning the creature on the table was flung towards Remielle. Mei rushed towards her pointing her finger in Remielle's face. “You go and give this creature back to her. You've obviously been cooped up in isolation for far too long. Sometimes I wonder that you Remielle Dan wouldn't know greatness if it slapped you in the face. And there it was a small glint in Mei’s eye that caught Remielle's attention, it was a glint that was once a constant in the bright eyed leader. That was until the deaths began to desecrate the hope within. It was a glint that Mei once reserved for Remielle.
Remielle stepped forward into Mei’s pointed finger, crossing into Mei’s space
“ She must be something if she’s caught your attention Mei~ How close are the both of you for you to defend her so thoroughly” Remielle purred as she raised her hand to flick Mei’s bangs from her face. She watched as blush crept up Mei’s neck, swallowing her ears. Mei pushed back and turned away.
“I don’t know her, I mean we've talked .. a couple sentences at the occasional mandatory meetings. But she’s a busy woman so she isn't always present or available to see.” Mei blurted out trying to smoothen her voice. “Just go Dan, go and see for yourself ill send you her location where she is currently based now” she added before walking off to see Vike who had been gazing out towards the hollow on the distant horizon.
A smug grin began to flick across Remielle's face, she glanced down at the rabbit mechanical contraption creature thing. “Sunbringer hm~ what an interesting name” she hummed before stretching out her wings and soaring up into the sky.