#best to put them in parties that have a Houndmaster or Man-at-Arms

[angrybatart]

Something I'm working on. First time drawing Antiquarian fanart. Technically second as there was another drawing before this, but it's not as good as this panel. 💜 Tried to refrain from posting until the comic is finished, but she just looks so good!!!

Stay tuned for the final product.

[meetthetank]

Peccatum chapter 5: Army of White

goddamnit I keep forgetting to post updates here I apologize

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454675/chapters/38075438

a NieR Automata: Fantasy AU

For 2B, traveling with a platoon of strangers is a stressful endeavor. The wary stares of armed and armored soldiers put her on edge, even as she stays close to 9S. She writes it off as making sure he’s managing his injuries well, which isn’t a complete lie. There are times where his pace slows and 2B can hear him struggle to breathe, but those are few and far between. For the entirety of the last leg of the journey, 9S stays information behind the lieutenant, Jackass, with 2B beside him. The other soldiers file in line after them, their eyes rarely leaving the strange newcomer attached at the hip to the young scout.

9S tries to make conversation with her, but he doesn’t press her for much of anything this time. His hand curls around his pendant occasionally and he refuses to meet her gaze at all really. Each time one of their brief conversations ends, he casts his eyes down to the earth almost shamefully and hides his pendant beneath his thin coat. Why he feels the need to hide from her, 2B doesn’t quite understand. She had given him the charm back, that should have told him enough about her opinion of him. Humans, or hybrids in this case, sure were strange creatures.

Though 2B is curious as to what exactly the other side of 9S’ bloodline is, it strikes her as exceedingly rude to ask, especially when he seems so ashamed of it. With her limited knowledge of the vast variety of demons, it makes it difficult for her to take a guess. He definitely wasn’t any of the ones comprised of bone and tar, or the shadow hounds or the strange rider and horse. 2B has no idea which species have the capability to breed with humans as well. Perhaps some of the stronger varieties, the ones that lead the legions and give orders? She feels as if she has the right to know but now is not the time. There are too many strangers watching her every move.

Jackass, the lieutenant, occasionally tosses some short questions back at 9S, mainly to ask if he’s holding up. There’s an electric glint in the eyes of the androgynous lieutenant that sets her on edge a bit. It’s a similar feeling to how she first felt around 9S, but different. More potent in a way. The piercing blue eyes linger on 2B just a little too long for comfort, not to mention the fact that she can’t read her expression at all. It’s almost analytical, scrutinizing and dissecting every part of 2B. Between her, Jackass, and 9S, the air of distrust is almost palpable.

The smells of metal, mud, and humans hit 2B the moment a small complex of tents comes into view. Nestled among rolling hills and surrounded by thick woods is a sprawling camp populated with countless soldiers bustling about. Some brandishing a once pristine white armor with deep blue accents, others in common attire move back and forth between tents carrying crates of supplies. 2B tenses up at the thought of being surrounded by even more strangers. Maybe coming to the aid of 9S was a bad idea…

“Alright, you lot are dismissed. Go clean up and get something to eat.” Jackass says with a dismissive wave of her hand, “9S, you and your new friend come with me for debrief.”

“Yessir,” 9S responds dutifully, yet quietly. His posture turns a bit more upright.

The soil beneath them turns to well-worn grass and patches of mud, the smell of fresh rain dampening the scents of human activity. Jackass’ squadron disperses in various directions as the three pass by certain tents. Hushed whispers and pointed stares follow 2B, who simply ignores all but 9S and Jackass. If she tries to place all of the sounds and smells, she’ll be overwhelmed in an instant. For someone with senses heightened beyond what a typical human is capable of, a busy military camp is a nightmare.

Despite her focus, something familiar breaks through 2B’s concentration. A light breeze carries the delicate scent of exotic flowers and a feminine voice.

“2B?”

Her head whips around at the sound of her name, immediately set on edge. At least until she sees exactly who called her.

“2B is that you?!”

The soft padding of bare feet on mud rushes towards her. A mass of green cloth and blonde hair launches herself at 2B, who just barely manages to catch her in time. Thin arms wrap around 2B’s shoulders, and while she’s too stunned to reciprocate at first, she returns the excited embrace of her old friend. The various trinkets and charms that adorn 6O clink and jingle as she bounces on the balls of her feet.

“6O? What are you doing here?”

She giggles a bit, “I joined up a while ago, I never thought I’d see you here!! How are you? What are you doing out this far from your village? Or from the Weald for that matter?”

“Uh…” 9S approaches the two women and clears his throat, “6O, you know her?”

"9S! You're back safe!" She reaches out with the long, gnarled staff she holds and pulls him into her other arm, squeezing the both of them tightly. 9S winces in pain but pushes it down before she notices. "I was starting to worry. But you're ok! And you know 2B too? She's an old friend of mine, we met aaaages ago. It's kind of a long story."

She lets go of the two of them, luckily for 9S. He brushes some dust and dirt from his clothes as a way to mask his slightly labored breathing. If 6O noticed that he was still nursing an injury she’d never leave him alone.

“Well...I helped her, then she got me out of a jam and then we started traveling together.” He casts a quick look at 2B, who nods in confirmation, “I thought that we might help her get a lead on her lost sibling.”

6O’s smile falls slightly, “You’re looking for A2? But doesn’t that mean-”

“9S!” Jackass shouts from a yard or so away, “Not the time for chatter, the Commander’s waiting!”

“Coming!” he answers, then cuts himself off mid-stride, “Um...2B I don’t think you-...”

“Don’t worry,” 6O pipes up grabbing onto 2B’s hand with a wide smile, “2B and I have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll show her around camp.”

9S nods, “Okay, I’ll meet you two in mess tent when I’m done.”

With one last goodbye and a concerned glance at a very bewildered 2B, 9S trots over to Jackass’ side.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to leave her unsupervised,” he mutters to his superior.

“Eh, good idea. Don’t want a confused Coatyl wandering around a military camp.”

9S responds with a quiet hum and spares another quick look back at 6O chatting excitedly at 2B. He takes great pride in his job, of course. He’s one of the best scouts in this small army and as such he gets to report directly to the Commander, but there’s an immense pressure on him to present his findings perfectly because from his findings the Commander devises the next move of the entire army.

They approach one of the larger tents at the center of camp. Two soldiers in the army’s signature white and deep navy blue armor snap to attention as Jackass and 9S push past the flaps without announcing themselves.

“Joanna-...Lieutenant.” the commander rises to her full height, towering over 9S and Jackass both. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight bun, accenting the piercing steely grey eyes that bore into 9S with an intensity that would make a lesser man cower, “9S. Glad to see you both returned safely.”

“White.” Jackass greets with a sly upward tick of her lips which grows in response to the Commander’s scowl. She straightens up slightly as she claps 9S on the shoulder, “Go on with your reports.”

9S clears his throat, meeting the stern gaze of the commander, “I patrolled along the northern coastline, visiting small villages and scouring the surrounding woods for signs of demonic activity. There were wandering bands of Medullum, which the common folk have taken to calling ‘bonemen’, hiding out in a cave system deep in the forests. More troubling than that, however, are the Hounds and Houndmaster Jackass and I encountered we believe to be raiding parties.”

Commander White nods as 9S points to the locations of the razed villages and demon camps on a map that sprawls across the table. There are a lot more towns and villages marked with a red X than he recalls. In fact, the whole area to the north is crossed off…

“...What about the other scouting parties? Did they find anything?”

The Commander sighs, “Nothing beyond burnt farmlands and corpses.”

“Oh…And the missing scouts?”

“Still no word from any of the parties sent to the northwest of the coast. You’re the only one sent there to return.” Her head lowers a bit, “We...have to assume the worst at this point.”

9S bites back the small lump forming in his throat. He considered the other scouts his friends, and now a handful of faces are gone. He knows he should be used to people dying by now, but the toll has gotten so much worse as the war has dragged on.

“...In regards to what I’ve observed…” he says after taking a deep breath to steady himself, “And from what I can gather from the map, it looks like the demons are forcing the population to the coasts. I came across people fleeing the razed villages in droves,” 9S brings out a small leatherbound pad of parchment, “Many of them said they were heading to Vigo.”

“We think they might be trying to hop a trade ship.” Jackass interjects, “But if there’s a heavy demon presence in the surrounding area, sea traffic is going to stop and they’re going to be stuck.”

“Which is exactly what the demons would want, I think.” 9S states, running his finger along his notes, “They could wipe out the population in one ambush. They’d have nowhere to run.”

“I see…” White mutters as she scribbles something on her own sheet of parchment,

“There’s also, um…” 9S falters for a moment, “There’s one other thing I need to mention.”

White raises an eyebrow, “What is it.”

“I...Well, I met someone, a Coatyl.”

“A Coatyl?”

“Yes. Her name is 2B.”

“And she was alone?”

"Yes?"

"And she's here?"

“Y-yes?”

The Commander levels her steely gaze at 9S, “Do you realize how dangerous that is?”

“I...I did not.” he stammers and swallows hard, “Sorry, I’m not too familiar with Coatyls.”

White looks to Jackass, “Well?”

“From what I’ve seen, she has no love of demons, that's for sure. She hasn’t done anything to warrant concern on my end. She’s mentioned looking for her lost sibling as well. Doesn’t dissuade the other concerns I have about a lone Coatyl in a military camp.”

“She’s saved my life and I’ve saved hers in turn.” 9S adds, “I don’t think she’ll be a problem, and I don’t think she’ll be around for very long. She’s just looking for a direction to go in.”

The Commander looks back and forth between her Lieutenant and 9S, “...If this Coatyl is to stay in my camp, you’re going to be responsible for her behavior. Am I clear, 9S.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Pardon me,” a young soldier says before entering the tent, “Sorry to interrupt, but 21O is looking for 9S.”

“Go ahead,” Commander White says with a wave of her hand, “Dismissed.”

As 9S exits the tent, the Commander calls for Jackass to stay behind. Normally he’d linger around the tent to try and get some juicy information, but today was already too hectic to pull that kind of stunt again. Besides, he had gotten busted last time and did not want to end up on latrine duty for the fourth week in a row. Still, the temptation of hearing what the Commander herself has to say to the chief information officer is strong enough for him to slow his pace just a tad. Unfortunately for him, their voices are kept so low that they’re muffled by the thick fabric of the tent.

It’s a short walk through the camp to the aviary since most of the activity in camp seems to be winding down for the evening. Everyone who isn’t busy is probably in the mess tent for dinner or washing up after the day. A scout taking a couple horses out to graze waves idly to 9S as he passes by, which he returns with a small smile.

The agitated croaking of ravens echoes from one of the larger tents on the outskirts of camp as 9S approaches it. Worried that 21O might need some help with whatever is bothering the birds, he shoves his way through the flaps of the tent.

“Mom? What's wrong with the-”

Immediately he’s greeted by the sight of 2B in the middle of the aviary surrounded by a flock of ravens hissing and croaking at the perceived threat. She stands stiff, her eyes darting around the room, hissing in a low tone when one bird hops a little too close for her comfort. She’s so distracted she doesn’t notice 9S enter the tent.

“9S who is this.”

21O storms over to 9S, her feather patterned cloak fluttering behind her. He jumps at her sudden appearance and interrogation.

“Uh, her name-”

“6O left her here while she went to take care of something. She’s upsetting my birds.”

“Her name is 2B. She and I-”

“9S,” 2B jogs over to his side, causing the ravens to all scatter and scream.

“Mom wait let me-”

“She’s your mother?”

“Yes, but-”

9S rushes over to help 21O calm the flock of startled birds with a small device that he clicks and follows up with a treat.

“Here, 2B.” he takes her hand and places a small chunk of meat in her palm, then holds it out to one of the birds, “They’re still nervous around you. This’ll help them calm down.”

21O watches with cautious eyes as her raven snatches the meat from this strange woman’s hand. With 9S’ assistance, she repeats the process until the flock is calmed down enough for them continue with their conversation.

“Okay…” 9S begins. He recounts past events, retelling how he found 2B struggling to swim in the ocean, how she rescued him from the Medullum in the caves, their travels together ultimately meeting up with Jackass and her personal squadron. He’s taken aback in the middle of his story of how much has happened between the two of them in the short time they’ve known each other.

“...So you brought a female Coatyl you found alone into the middle of a military camp. Am I understanding this correctly.”

“Well, when you put it like that-”

“What on the god’s green earth were you thinking?” she accuses, “Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!”

“I’m looking for my sibling.” 2B interjects, just barely hiding an indignant glare, “They left our home months ago to hunt demons. If what 9S told me about this army is true, then I might be able to find them here. I will move on once I have some sort of lead on their whereabouts.”

21O signs and pinches the bridge of her nose, “...And your commanding officer approved this?” she asks 9S.

“Yes, the Commander said that I’m held accountable for her.”

She stares at the two of them, this oddity of a pair. 9S seems genuine about helping her, which isn’t out of the ordinary for him at all. Yet there’s a lingering fear that makes the raven master hesitate. Of course, she trusts her boy’s judgment, but at the same time, there’s that little voice in the back of her mind that warns her to be cautious around this strange new woman. Especially one that seems so close to her son already.

But that’s a conversation for her and 9S alone.

“She’s not dangerous.” 9S says a bit definitely, “She’s not going to hurt you, or me, or your birds, or anyone.”

9S’ pale blue eyes bore into 21O. She can’t remember the last time he was so adamant about anything. Maybe when he would try to get an extra sweet for dessert when he was little, but this has more repercussions than a stomach ache if something were to go wrong.

“...I suppose the decision has been made already, then.” she sighs.

An awkward silence passes between 9S and 21O, neither one having to say much more to the other in the presence of the newcomer.

“Come on, 2B.,” he says, pulling her by the hand to leave the aviary, “Let’s go back to 6O.”