Episode Derrick: Chapter 1: Connections

Chapter one of Derrick's adventure. His first official appearance in the Saga of Seasons.

Warriors Come

In Many Different Forms

The Heroes of Vytal

Are Known Throughout the World

But Do Not Overlook

Those From Other Corners

Of the World

 

 

 

Three Months Before the Atlesian Revolution

The Kingdom of Mistral

Haven Academy
Fall

 

 

 

            As the sun rose over the mountains of the Kingdom of Mistral, bells began to toll in the central tower of Haven Academy.  All making the same tone.  As the chimes began to diminish, students began to appear from dorm buildings and flood into the courtyard, each of them going various directions and entering classrooms and workshops and the like.  Professor Lionheart looked out from his office and let out a deep sigh.  He then started walking through the main halls towards the central chamber.  From there, he made his way down into the machine wing of the Academy, a wing built with the intention of constructing different weapons and materials that could benefit students or citizens of the Kingdoms.  If machines used in the town square to draw up water from the rivers below the mountains were malfunctioning, engineers would be sent from Beacon to go and help repair them.  If an airship needed repair, the same group once more would handle the problem.  Or if an invention appeared on the streets of Mistral that helped everyday life be easier, it came from this wing.  Lionheart eventually reached the end of the hallway and knocked on the door of one of the many rooms.  The door opened and a figure that was made of metal pieces shaped like a man opened the door.  It stood like a man to be sure, but there were clear gaps between some of the limbs as if invisible strings were holding pieces of it together.  It looked over Professor Lionheart and then banged its metal fingers together three times.  Then from deeper within the chamber, a voice called out and said,

            “Professor Lionheart.  To what do I owe the pleasure?”  Professor Lionheart stepped in past the metal puppet and saw a young man tinkering with a device that seemed to hum like a car engine.

            “What have you got there Derrick?” Professor Lionheart said looking over at the workbench.

            “A new type of prototype I’ve been working on as of late” Derrick said as he wiped his brow of sweat and adjusted his goggles.  “For millennia, Dust has been the fuel that has driven Remnant forward.  It powers our lights, our machines, our transportation, so many things.  But it is not everlasting, and we cannot use it to leave this planet.  So, I’ve been tinkering with other materials this world has to offer.  Gasses, stones, liquids, anything that could potentially be the key to unlocking the next step in progress for our world.”

            “Very interesting.  Glad to see you’re putting so much effort into this project.  But were you not commissioned for the weapons development project?”

            “Yeah, they’re sitting in a pile over there” Derrick said as he pointed towards a pile of guns and blades sitting on a transport cart that were being tended to by even more metal puppets.  “Just another batch that I’m sure Atlas will use as another excuse to reject my application.”

            “I know Atlas is your dream job, but look at the bright side.  It would be freezing up there, and they already have all of the world’s greatest scientists under their employ in that Kingdom.  You would just become a needle in an endless haystack.  At least here, you are making a noticeable difference.  Mistral is lucky to have a mind like yours.”

            “Mistral has had a mind like mine for all my life” Derrick said with a sigh.  “I spent one year when I was a child in a small town west of Vale when Mistral was too expensive, then we moved back here and I’ve been stuck ever since.  And most of this tech I feel like the rest of the world has probably already cracked.  Atlas would at least be a challenge.”

            “Perhaps someday.  I’ve given as many recommendations to General Ironwood as I can, but I suppose there are just other candidates he wants to bring into his army.”

            “Well, whatever.  That latest batch is ready to go out.  Along with my application letter.  You don’t have to deliver it every time Professor.”

            “I’m aware, but I feel it’s the least I can do.  You’ve done so much over the years; I feel it’s a duty of mine to deliver these weapons.”  Professor Lionheart then went over and took the transport cart and made his way out the door.  “I’ll be back in a few days” Lionheart yelled as the door slammed behind him and left Derrick alone in his workshop.  Derrick sighed and pulled out his own weapon and started tinkering with it.  He looked over the trident prongs and studied the sliders that caused the weapon to transform from trident form to assault rifle form.  Most students when designing their weapons built designs that prioritized melee with the gun as more of a secondary option.  There were exceptions of course, but very few had weapons that performed both tasks effectively.  Derrick preferred to have a weapon that maximized his weapons ability in both forms.  As for the trident itself, he had been experimenting with different options since day one.  Huntsmen like Neptune Vasilias had their weapon just simply turn from melee form into a gun without any other use for the parts nor any optionality for unique options to maximize both elements.  Derrick took his weapon one step beyond that.  One prong of the trident fell back and became his sight scope.  Another fell back and became his ammunition cartridge.  The third would fall back and become his trigger and grip.  While it looked simple it carried a bit of elegance that not many weaponsmiths had in the modern era.  Derrick finished making his tweaks and set things down.  He waved his hands and his metal puppets fell to the floor.  They weren’t a massive strain on his aura doing more passive tasks, but in combat while valuable they were not usable for long if Derrick wished to keep his aura intact.  And for the time being, he just wanted to take a break.  He opened a small drawer in his desk that contained all the rejection letters he had received from Atlas over the years.  From his initial request to enroll in the academy to his many rejection letters from the different research and development branches of Atlas.  He sighed and slammed it shut and started sketching out a new idea he had onto a piece of paper.  His desk was littered with ideas like the one he was tinkering with.  Mostly the projects he worked on for the Kingdom of Mistral were kept in a neat pile off to the side, but his wild ideas and inventions were more or less strewn about his workstation at random.  Ideas for weapons, engines, guns, bombs, a lot of bombs.  For as long as he could remember, Derrick had a fascination with weapons.  Not so much in how much destruction they caused, but how much respect they demanded.  He always desired to work in the Kingdom to the north, but Atlas Academy rejected him, and he went to Haven on a full scholarship and was offered a full-time position literally minutes after he graduated.  He never felt truly at home in Mistral.  Nor did he feel like his inventions were given their recognition.  Mistral was an old Kingdom, very much entangled in the old ways.  There were even a few establishments that refused services to Faunus out in the countryside despite the White Faun’s best efforts.  Vaccuo is also old in their ways but does so out of necessity due to the harsh environment and therefore their ways would not gel with Derrick’s goals.  Vale has made strides in technological progress but nowhere as fast or focused as Atlas.  At Sanctum Academy, Derrick would often look out at the sea wondering if he could possibly even catch a glimpse of the shoreline of the continent Atlas flew above.  But he shook his head when he saw that he had let his drawing kind of get out of hand while lost in thought.  It looked almost like what a child would design a bomb as, with a lot of extra bells and whistles that didn’t really have any function or purpose.  He sighed, crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash can.  Leaning back in his chair he saw Professor Lionheart’s airship take off into the sky.

            “Wonder what stupid thing he’s going to have me working on when he gets back?” he muttered to himself.

 

 

 

Three Weeks Later

The Training Courtyard

 

 

 

            Derrick pulled out his rifle form weapon and opened fire at a few of the holographic training dummies that had been set up in the courtyard.  One of the few pieces of modern technology that seemed to find its to Mistral replacing the old scarecrow targets they had a few years prior.  When Professor Lionheart did not return after his departure three weeks ago, the school tried to keep it quiet, but naturally the whole school knew about the absence mere minutes after the higher-ups learned about it.  Most people started to worry, but Ghira Belladonna stepped up to fill the role since Menagerie was not in any form of dire straight while their own CCTS Tower was under construction.  He felt it was important that he step up to help the kingdom in its time of need as it had done for Menagerie in the past.  Derrick didn’t really care; it was all just a bunch of political jargon in regards as to why certain people were in charge.  But admittedly, he felt kind of relieved to not have Lionheart breathing down his back at every moment.  Most of the students were off doing stuff in their dorms or out in town, so he decided to take this brief respite to keep himself active and at the ready.  It was strange however, he noticed a single solitary raven was sitting on one of the overhanging branches that was just off to the side of the training grounds.  Derrick didn’t pay it too much mind however, as he refocused on target practice.  He fired a few more rounds and destroyed a few more targets.  After the next round of three targets loaded in, the raven fluttered from its tree branch and perched itself atop the head of the target that sat directly between the other two.  Derrick initially waited for it to move, but decided that it could be a potentially interesting challenge.  So he took aim with his scope, got the raven in his crosshairs, and pulled the trigger.  But the moment he pulled the trigger, as the bullet flew towards its mark, the raven leapt off the head of the target, and in a single flash before the bullet hit it, a slicing noise could be heard and a sword cleaved through the bullet, splitting it in two and sending it directly into the other two targets.  And wielding the sword was a woman with long black hair wearing a giant Grimm mask.  Who was now heading straight for Derrick.  He tried to react in time, beginning the process of morphing his weapon into trident form, but he wasn’t fast enough.  His opponent already had the momentum, and landed a powerful blow on Derrick’s chest with her sword, sending him sliding across the courtyard. Derrick’s aura took most of the hit, but it still took a lot out of him.  As he slowly got back up, his assailant quickly rushed over to him and pointed her sword at his throat.

            “Where’s your boss kid?” the assailant said with a growl.

            “You’re asking me where Lionheart is?” Derrick said with an annoyed tone.  “You could’ve just read the news stories.  I know as much as every last idiot writing think pieces as to where they think Lionheart is.”

            “Don’t play dumb.  I know you’re in on his scheme.”

            “Lionheart has a scheme?  Lady, I work with the guy.  The only scheme he has is making sure nobody realizes he’s an absolute coward.  And even then he’s terrible at it.”

            “Shut up!” the assailant yelled kicking Derrick in the gut.  “I’ve seen you building those weapons, I know you handed them off to Lionheart before he left, so where are they?”

            “You want to steal my weapons?  Not sure how you’d be able to break into Atlas to get them.”

            “Ok, that’s enough.  I’ll get you to talk some other way” the assailant said reaching to grab and drag Derrick off somewhere.  But just as she was about to grab his collar, a pair of arms made of wood floating in mid-air grabbed the assailant and pulled her away, allowing for Derrick to get back up.  He looked and saw the assailant struggle to break free of the puppet he made out of the discarded branches and leaves just off to the side of the courtyard.  But he knew this was only temporary, and he prepared his weapon in trident form.   The assailant finally managed to cut through the branches of the arms of the puppet and faced down Derrick, preparing to strike.  She charged forwards bringing her sword down towards Derrick’s head, but he angled his trident to catch the sword between two of the prongs of the trident, and had to use all of his strength to keep the assailant from bringing the blade down even further.  But then, he pushed a button, and the prong that housed the dust cartridges folded down towards the assailant and fired a round of fire Dust in the face of the assailant, launching them backwards.  Derrick slid back a short distance as well simply due to his proximity to the explosion.  But his aura barely had to do anything despite the explosion near his face.  Meanwhile the assailant was clearly shaken, her aura started flickering signaling it was almost gone.  Derrick smiled and prepared for the next attack.  The assailant glared at Derrick, and prepared to attack again, but when she charged forward, a crow dived out of the air and landed right in front of the assailant, turned into a man wearing a gray coat with black pants and a red cape, wielding a large sword.  The man blocked the attack from the assailant and immediately screamed,

            “What part of wait for me did you not understand Raven?”

            “Back off brother” Raven yelled at the man.  “He’s working with Lionheart; I just know it.”

            “If you had waited for me, I could have told you I talked to some of the professors here and they told me how Lionheart got this kid’s weapons.”

            “Anybody care to tell me what the heck is going on here?”  Derrick said annoyed hitting the ground with the end of his trident in frustration.

            “Put your sword away Raven.  This kid can help us.”  Raven growled, but relinquished her attack and took off her mask.

            “If this comes back to bite us Qrow, I swear I am plucking every last feather from your bird form ten times over.  I don’t care how strong Oz’s magic is.”

            “Yeah, you said that the last time I stopped you from making a big mistake” Qrow said with a sigh.  Raven scoffed and turned to leave.

            “I’ll be with the tribe.  Deal with this kid then head back over.”  With that said, Raven took her sword, and sliced the air in front of her, creating a giant red portal.  She walked through it and it disappeared, leaving Derrick alone with this new stranger.  Qrow leaned his head back and groaned in annoyance, pulled out a flask, took a quick swig, then walked over to Derrick.

            “Sorry about my sister” Qrow said with a sigh.  “She’s trying to do better but her bandit side still is pretty much her default setting.”

            “I’m hearing a lot of random tidbits I do not know or care one bit about” Derrick said pinching his forehead.  “Why am I being visited by bird people who want to kill and or save me?  What the heck did I do?  What did Lionheart do?”

            “Ok kid, this might be a bit crazy to hear, but we think your boss is taking the weapons you make and selling them at auction for the black market.”  Derrick heard this information, processed it, then exhaled a huge sigh.

            “Of course he did…….”

Author's Note

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