Author's Note

I must apologize for all viewers, be warned, there are many, MANY electric jokes, if you wish to avoid bad, painful, or suicidal inducing puns, pleased tread lightly. Other than that, enjoy!

P.S. I do not condone the use of puns in any environments not quarantined.

Chapter 3: Winds of Destruction

[Cafeteria]

The rumbling force of thunder echoed around me, my eyes staring aimlessly out the window that was drowned in rain, the black clouds overhead making it feel more like dusk than mid-day, with the occasional crack of lightning across the the canvas of the sky, bright magenta plasma stretching like web in the wake of the powerful monsoon.

Its been a week. Seven days, two hours, forty-seven minutes, and over ten seconds. I was not hearing the end of what happened over that amount of time. Turns out the whole media outlet in general is going crazy about this 'Tenno' stuff, with many trying to understand who they are, what they are, rinse and repeat. I liked it, but even I was beginning to grow tired of the same thing 'I DID'.

My face hit the table before me, trying to wash away the conversations, with most being about me, my sister, and our newly added member, Gara, or by her name, Ceres. She was shy, but kind in all regards, not that getting glass fired faster than a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, travelling at several times the speed of sound, at my face was any indication of such.

Her outside appearance was blonde hair, reaching her lower back, with green eyes under her bangs, along with a few freckles on her cheeks. Meanwhile, the hyperactive nutcase I call my sister was busy making friends with the others from my class, ironically that being a literal thing. Then, she laughed. A lot.

"Hahahaha-C-Cal's the-hahahaha-hehehe, that is tooooo rich, I t-think Jack's words finally got to you~!" She was clutching her stomach, a few bandages around her arms from the recovery she was going through, even if she said she was fine, Ordis said they would help with the wounds still left on her body, though she didn't seem to mind. "I can't b-breathe!"

"If you want me to leave you locked in a locker, keep talking, soulless." I muttered, seeing her pout at me coyly, her shoulder-length, dandelion hair falling between her bright red eyes

"Aww, is big ol' Cal upset?" She was taunting me, so I kicked her under the table, making her yelp. "Hey, still injured you know!?"

"Really, because from here that smug look was the most painful thing written on your face." I grinned, seeing her eye twitch, before she crossed her arms, averting her gaze

"Jerk."

"Dumbass."

"Nerd."

"Lap-dog."

"'Lap-dog'?" Sunset finally broke off our name-calling, before I smiled devilishly, seeing Valkyr's eyes widen, as she shook her hands frantically, but I ignored her

"Oh, well that's easy, Sunset, you see my sister has a-"

"NOOOOOO! DISTRACTION~!" I was silenced by the tray knocking me flying off my stool, my head hitting the floor as she panted, the tray now bent with the imprint of my face, when I looked up, I saw Skyler looking down at me, her expression on of confusion, before she held a hand out to me

"Seems your girl troubles have began, congratulations." She mused, lifting me off the ground

"Yeah, well my sister has the tenancy to, HIT before thinking!" I snapped, her red face sheepishly laughing

"Valkyr: 1, Cal: 0." Dash grinned, whist me, and Skyler sat back down, before Ceres spoke up

"Umm, Cal?" At her call, my head turned to her. "I just wanted to know, what did happen to Valkyr, if you don't mind me asking?"

I paused for a moment, seeing the look of guilt on my sister's face, whist Sunset, Dash, Pinkie, and Skyler looked at me with curious expressions. I was silent though, it wasn't pleasant, that day.....it was haunting.

"She....Valkyr was injured during a disaster in another country, an earthquake, it.....I can't say more on it, sorry." I lied, but it was a disaster, since not many injuries showed up, most were deaths....bloody, mangled corpses on the ground

"I-i'm sorry for bringing it up, I was just worried about her being here, after recovering for so long." Ceres was a nice girl, she only really wanted to help, media wasn't helping her case of 'Gara', since they saw her as a threat, and some saw me, and my sister as such, but only a few

"Its fine! Geez, Cal, stop worrying so much!" I felt the hand lightly tap my head, seeing Valkyr bent over the table to smile at me. "If I didn't feel ok, I wouldn't be here, honest! Its like what Nekril told me once, 'An idiot fights, but doesn't know when to stop, but a warrior fights, but knows when to rest." Huh, never thought of it that way

Then I smugly grinned, my head against hers with a dark chuckle.

"So, you do listen to his advice, hmm? Aww, how cute." I got her, her face instantly retracted, a blush burned onto her face, whist Skyler seemed to catch on as I sat back down

"I think I got the idea now, it is cute, adorable even." I finally broke into a fit of laughter, seeing Skyler smiling too, whist the others joined in on my taunting, much to my sister's despair, her head sinking into her arms, and I swore I saw steam rise from her head

"Hey-Hey-Hey! Its another one!" We all turned to Pinkie, who was looking down at Dash's phone, where a live coverage had appeared. It was a complete rainstorm outside, it hadn't stopped since ten, but from where the reporter was standing, he was just below a construction site, where the storm clouds seemed to converge, almost like a hurricane, heck, even with the volume up, it was still difficult to hear

"-The weather as been ceaseless since this morning, with heavy rainfall, and large winds, I urge everyone to stay indoors until it passes, which may be far more difficult than meteorologists first figured." The camera then zoomed to the sky, near the tallest spire on the half, constructed building supports

It was dark, but the lightning, struck enough on his body to see his face. Dark blue armour, with purple, and yellow accents, and lines, with a thin horn on its helmet, its arms crossed as it balanced on the metal lighting rod. It was Volt. Much to my sister, and Ceres' surprised looks.

"Again?" Skyler added to our thoughts, whist some onlookers stared over their backs, attracting a crowd. That gave me a split-second to act, my fingers pointing to the door, so my sister quickly leapt up, leaving causally, whist I nodded to Ceres, her eyes glimmering with understanding as I left

"This isn't going to end well...." I warily gulped, throwing the doors open

Me and Valkyr now stood at the foot of a building, overlooking the massive metal spire that looked like buckets of water were being thrown over the sides, with lightning electrifying the lake of rainfall below, so all officers on-scene could only watch as the Volt danced across each lightning rod, the bolts of plasma striking his body, which only added to the near completed super-storm above his head.

"-I'm singing in the rain~!" Even from here, I was cringing at the horrid sound of the now labeled 'Idiot's' singing, whist he pointed his Amphis towards the officers below, lightning beginning to coil around the tesla bobbles on the end of the staff, before I massive bolt of lightning struck the ground inches from the officers, knocking a handful of them back from the impact. "Shocking, they didn't die...."

"Is everything this guy says a terrible pun?" Valkyr questioned, before I drew my Dread, pulling the string back, a thin wire attached to the end of the arrow, piercing the scaffolding with ease. "Umm, wait....isn't that-"

"Now then, if he's done making puns, I suggest we take this opportunity...." I began, but I didn't pay much mind to my sister's waving arms, seeing her point to the metal wire

"Excalibur, wait! Its a lightning-"

*SPLATT-Thud*

"-Storm...."

Ow. Ow. Ow. Owwwww. Lightning....plus metal wire, equals....ow.

"That odda light up your world!" I heard the distant laughter of Volt, as my body quickly ignored the electrification, slamming a fist into the roof with a groan at the cringe reaching every fiber of my being within a few seconds, his body now alight with red flames

"Im'ma kill him, I'll make it look like a bloody accident." I grumbled, grabbing the wire, before I janked it out from the support beam, before I swung it in the open air. My irritation only made my arm swing it faster, to the point that it stopped raining around me, and Valkyr. "So....you wanna tell jokes, then I got a real catch for you!"

"Please stop....?" My sister groaned at my own joke, before I threw the wire directly at Volt, before I felt the arrow connect to something hard, as my body was pulled forward slightly by the sudden pull of gravity. "Nice shot."

"Grab on, quickly." I held my hand out, feeling my weight begin to topple, so she did as I said, before we were flung across the gap between streets, as we flew into the level beneath Volt's feet, as the wire fell to the ground below, leaving us in the dry cover for a moment. "Now then, where's the stairs?"

I felt Valkyr poke me, making my head turn towards the concrete stairs ahead of us, so I pulled up my trusty Lex, pointing the barrel at the stairs, before I pulled the trigger, allowing the high-caliber round to ricochet off the wall of the stairs, the bullet flying up the flight, before I heard something fall back.

"OW!" Volt met my joke alright. "Dammit, take a joke sometime!"

"Bite me, asshole!" I snapped, before I felt the ceiling above me shake. But Valkyr had already moved ahead, throwing herself on top of me, as we watched the Amphis strike through the ceiling, crushing the concrete with a burst of lighting, followed by a stray bolt striking the ground near us, causing me to roll Valkyr beneath me as the bolt struck the ground

"Are you done making him mad?" Valkyr asked me, butting her helmet against mine. "'Cause I'm allergic to dying, in the face."

"Why the face?" I questioned, before I moved off of her, facing the now retracting Amphis, so I pulled my Dread out again, firing a weak shot into the wires around the staff's grip, jamming the bo staff in-place. "You ready to take this outside?"

"Sure!" At her call, she drew her Cernos from her back, holding an arrow to the string

When we made it onto the roof, the rain poured down on us, whist Volt managed to pull his Amphis through the ground, pointing an end at us menacingly. Then he chuckled like a hyena.

"How's this for a show? I thought the open air could allow us to really make a connection!" Volt exclaimed, making the two of us groan in pain, whist the whirling sound of helicopter blades sung around us, obviously the new reporters getting another story to speak of, if we succeeded. "'Course, that's if this shocking encounter doesn't become your last!"

"Does everything that goes through your head sound normal to you?" Valkyr cried in pure emotional pain, whist I gave up on listening to him croak like a toad, leaving him to drop his staff's guard, humming to himself

"Well you're a buzz kill." He bluntly stated, before he leapt onto the spire behind him, allowing a few stray bolts to strike him, energizing his body with pure, concentrated plasma, which would only add to his power. "Lets see you grit your teeth!"

Now that he was getting seriously, my eyes noticed the gold poking out from behind his neck, the same device as Ceres', whoever was control them, they knew someone stopped their plan from a week ago, what that plan was is beyond me, or why they chose this planet so far from any known system. However, I needed to focus on the important task ahead. Shutting the clown down.

"You ready, Berserker?" I called Valkyr by her alias, as she nodded, pulling her Cernos back, whist Volt switched to his Soma, electricity bouncing off the barrel as he loaded a clip

"Ready!"

"Horizon Zero!" I called out to her, as I ran to my right, hearing the electrical shot strike the ground behind me, as I leapt behind a wall, seeing the bullets fly through the wall as I peaked out to see his Soma pointed at my sister

Her Cernos first released an arrow at Volt's feet, only to see the electricity catch it, dropping it by his foot like a magnet. Which made it clear that he was doing just that, using the lightning storm he made to create a natural Energy Shell so he could overcharge his Soma rounds.

Valkyr then slid on the flooded ground, firing multiple arrows towards the supports of the spire, striking them with ease as the tower buckled under Volt, but he quickly used his left hand to throw a bolt of lightning at Valkyr, striking her in a flash of purple, knocking her flying into building supplies. Then he raised his Soma, before unleashing a bombardment of rounds, causing Valkyr to roll herself behind the supplies, as cement, bricks, and other debris rained atop her back.

"Aww, is the little Tenno all out of power?" Volt taunted, whist I continued my stealthy maneuver around his location, using every object in my range as cover, whist keeping an eye on Valkyr, and Volt, who now pointed his hand out to Valkyr's defence. "Here, this odda be a SHOCK!"

At the next pun, he fired another highly-charged bolt of purple lightning, as it webbed its way towards my sister, only for a stray arrow to redirect the bolt far to her left, before we watched the arrow burn in the air from the contact of electricity. Now, Volt looked particularly frozen at his own conductive power used against him.

"Aww, is the little Tenno all out of tricks?" Valkyr retorted with a cute voice, as I visible saw Volt shake, before he continued his assault of Soma rounds without question. Taking my opportunity, I fired my arrow into a support beam to my left, its wire attached to another arrow as I turned to my right

"What, all out of jokes? No more words to fail? Is the big boy all grumpy now~?" Valkyr continued to taunt him with every ounce of humor she could muster, so much so, that I lost my sight at the stray bolt ripping through the ground in front of me, taking large chunk of the floor with it. "Really, more lightning? Can you get anymore bland?"

"Shut up. Shut Up. SHUT UP!" He lost it, turns out my deduction was right, those devices evoked negative emotions more to cloud their sense of control, but that was also its great flaw. Much like Ceres, Volt was prone to destructive fits of anger, all because of the Orokin Arcane

I even looked at the sky, seeing the helicopter fly lower to avoid being stuck by a stray bolt. With my target completely focused on my sister, I fired the final bolt into the support beam, creating a strong, horizontal wire across the back of the building.

"Hey, buzz kill, ever seen an electric chair? If not, I'll give you a real stunning show stopper!" Volt screamed, the electricity building around his body again, as I leapt into the wire, the cord bending back at my increased body weight, before I extended my feet, seeing the chopper fly into view of Volt leaping from the spire, a trail of purple behind him

At his descent, my sister screamed into his falling body, paralyzing him on the spot, before she screamed again, an orange aura now coating my body at the touch of sound, and fury, before I released my feet, my feet pointed down as I shot like a bullet towards Volt. Only for me to watch as Valkyr pointed behind him, much to my laughing.

"Drop this, 'Buzz Kill'!" I snapped, my feet connecting with his face at such a velocity that I heard glass shatter in the background, followed by parts of his helmet, whist my body flew past my sister, and off the top floor of the skyscraper

Using my momentum from Valkyr's roar, I spun my legs round, grabbing the handle of my Nikana, before I felt the helicopter buckle from my added pounds, my feet connecting with the side, leaving indents in the metal cockpit, then I thrusted my legs out, leaping through the air towards Volt, who now raised his Amphis to his left, swinging it, and a wave of electricity my way.

I took my risk, and flew into the wave of overcharged plasma, pulling my blade out at the split-second impact, striking Volt diagonally right upwards, followed by a front-flip swinging the blade through his left shoulder, knocking his guard down from the spray of blood. When I landed, my body shaking with electricity pumping into my armour. I turned on my heel, before I slashed the device horizontally, slicing the arcane in two, another round of void energy releasing at the contact my blade made, striking my chest again with a painful jab of energy.

In that moment, I fell to my knees, planting my blade in the concrete to stabilize myself, my left hand resting on the hilt for support. Meanwhile, Volt dropped to his knees, his body soon flopping down in a heap at Valkyr's feet, whist she sighed in relief, dropping down to her butt.

"Thank....God!" She cheered, falling back as she sighed, dropping her Cernos. "I'll take glass to the face any-day, just....no more lightning or puns, please?"

"Aye, sir." I nodded, before I heard the helicopter overhead, whist the sound of the rain ceased, along with the faint sound of birds chirping in the background. "Heh, would you look at that, the sun's back?"

At my call, we looked around us to see the sun break through the storm clouds, the once chaotic monsoon now dissipating along with Volt's power. The light of day finally broke the once darkened day, allowing me to feel the warmth of the afternoon strike my helmet, the rain dripping from my armour in pure bliss.

"I like this...." I then turned to look at my sister, who now sat cross-legged on the ground. "Being able to take a more relaxed break."

"You call this 'relaxing'? I was electrocuted twice, and you more-so than me?" I bluntly pointed the obvious, but she giggled lightly, looking off towards the helicopter, waving happily at the cameraman

"You think the others will find us? Nekril? Jack?" Valkyr asked me softly, but her voice sounded distant, and I couldn't blame her, even if it was only a week, how much longer than that be? A month? A year? More? The thought still lingered in my mind, ever since the railgun incident back on Saturn. "What if they-"

"We'll find them again, we always had a gift for finding each other." I refused to let her say it, not after we just got a moment to breathe, then I pointed to my chest, where a Heart symbol slowly resonated under my armour, shimmering blue as I touched it. "After all, we are Relic Hunters."

". . . . Hehehe, yep, but now we have Volt, and Gara!" Valkyr finally chirped up, as the birds flew past us, and the unconscious Volt

"Yeah, we still have a team. No matter what come our way next."

--~Mission Complete~--

To Be Continued....

Cal: One more pun, I swear to God!

Jarvis: I get it, even I can kill the switch sometimes.

Ceres: Umm, Jarvis? Y-You did it again, sorry.

Jarvis: Hehehe, Cal, why do you have a Galatine?

Valkyr: Hey guys, I have an awesome idea!?

Cal: Does it involve feeding Jarvis to Honeybadgers?

Valkyr: Nope-Well maybe- Its time to make a new headquarters!

Ceres: I'd like that.

Cal: *Sigh* Fine....