Kantus Biographical information Homeland The Hollow Physical description and equipment Rank(s) Combat Support Field Commander [1] Religious Officials Species Locust Gender Male Height 7'0" ft. (Average) Eye color Gold Weapons Gorgon Submachine Gun Hammerburst Assault Rifle [2] Ink Grenade Chronological and political information Era(s) Lambent Pandemic Locust War Subclasses Armored Kantus Savage Kantus Notable Facts Ability to Manipulate Animals Ability to Reinvigorate Locust Affiliation Locust Horde Savage Locust Queen's Guard

"KANTUS!"

— Marcus Fenix, upon seeing a Kantus

The Kantus were one of the Locust's three primary species, making up the religious sect of the Horde. Known for their powerful screams, Kantus are presumed to be extinct along with the rest of the Locust Horde after the detonation of Adam Fenix's Imulsion Countermeasure in the year 17 A.E.^[3]

AnatomyEdit

While a Kantus may share a similar body structure with a drone, it doesn't take much to tell the two apart. Usually standing at seven feet tall, Kantus are taller, slimmer and far more bestial-looking than the average Locust grunt.

Kantus had multiple rows of teeth, snake-like forked tongues and feet that sported three toes each which were sprayed out for stability. Kantus also had chalky, leather-like skin, which displayed spiky protrusions located on the upper-arm which gave them the illusion of armor.

One of the Kantus' most notable traits was their powerful vocal cords and pheromones. A Kantus' scream could serve many uses, ranging from manipulating creatures to something as simple as stunning a Gear. But perhaps the most infamous of all their skills was the ability to reinvigorate injured or fallen Locust through chanting, getting them "fighting mad" again. Whether the Kantus uses a religious text or their natural pheromones to do this is unclear.

HistoryEdit

Locust WarEdit

Emergence DayEdit

Kantus may have partaken in Emergence Day like every other Locust, seeing how they were present during the attack on Halvo Bay thirty days after Emergence.^[4]

Destruction of Halvo BayEdit

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Several Kantus aided General Karn in taking over Halvo Bay. In the garden of the Museum of Military Glory Kantus led the Horde's forces outisde the building and killed all Onyx Guards defending the balcony, they defended their conquered area but despite their best efforts Kilo Squad was able to overrun the Kantus and recaptured the balcony.

Evacuation of IlimaEdit

A number of Kantus partook in the Evacuation of Ilima, as several were personally slain by Zeta Squad.

Operation: Hollow StormEdit

"Humans!"

— A Kantus spotting Delta Squad for the first time

As Delta Squad made progress inside the Hollow they begin to hear odd chants, screams and growls. When they reach what it looks like a temple, they find the source of the strange noises which is a Kantus Priest, as soon as he finds them he bagins to scream and orders his Locust allies to attack the gears, this Kantus fell at the hands of Delta, but as they killed him another one appeared from behind a closed door, along with a pack of Wretches, but also failed to stop the gears, being killed while the gears took cover behind a Rockworm, as Delta advances more into the Inner Hollows they encounter more Kantus, but manage to deal with them all. They appeared at the Ilima sinkhole giving support to the ground forces used to clear the city from any remaining humans, they defended the Locust processing center and tried to prevent Delta Squad from leaving Ilima but were killed. 

As they returned inside the Hollow, another Kantus prepared an ambush near some docks, aided by several gunboats and Drones. After deploying a beacon inside the Hollow and reaching the Palace with a gondola, they found another Kantus waiting for them with a small number of drones and grenadiers, after killing it they had to choose to go on a lift with a Troika or follow the stairs, after clearing an entire level of drones they find another level with several drones and a Kantus, they were dispatched by the Troika and the humans continued their way below, in the next level a Kantus, along with Cyclops and Grinders, was dealt with the Troika. Another Kantus along with a pair of Boomers and some Drones killed a group of Lambent Drones before they were discovered and killed by Delta. A Kantus ambushed them near another group of Lambent corpses along with a Flame Grenadier. Later on the gears took control of a lift with a pair of Palace Guards, two Maulers and a Kantus and they killed all of the Locust just as a Horde of Lambent ran at them.

Post-Operation: Hollow StormEdit

After the Flooding of the Hollows, the Kantus caste was scattered and divided. Two Kantus stragglers orchestrated an ambush for the COG who evacuated to Port Farrall after the Sinking of Jacinto. The Kantus lead a large force during said ambush, but were killed by Pvt. Augustus Cole and Sgt. Bernadette Mataki in the battle.

Eventually, the Kantus reorganized into two separate factions: those who were able to reunite with Queen Myrrah and those went savage. The Savage Kantus began acting as shamans to their savage brothers while the Queen-aligned Kantus introduced a new subclass to their ranks, increasing their lethality.

Lambent PandemicEdit

Numerous Queen-aligned Kantus, including Armored Kantus, partook in the Battle of Endeavor Naval Shipyard, trying to stop Delta Squad from finding a submarine that could take them to Azura. Their attempts, however, were futile and Delta managed to find a suitable submarine and slip away. Later, Delta encountered even more Kantus in their push to reach Adam Fenix but again, the Gears succeeded in their mission and reached Adam Fenix. It is presumed that every Kantus on Sera died with the detonation of Adam's Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon atop of Pinnacle Tower.

Notable KantusEdit

SkorgeEdit

Skorge was the High Priest of the Kantus. His personal equipment consists of Ink Grenades, a Gorgon Burst Pistol, and his personal staff with chainsaws on each end. Like his Kantus monks he uses his vocal chords to communicate with Rock Worms and even the Locust deity, the Rift Worm, which he leads to destroy the cities of Tollen, Montevado, and Ilima. He can also summon Tickers and can perform incredibly high jumps, displaying great agility. He also has a personal Hydra.

Scarred KantusEdit

This scarred Kantus led the Locust forces during the Second Battle of Jilane. This Kantus was able to set up an ambush that nearly killed Marcus Fenix, but during the battle, he was killed by Damon Baird and Alex Brand while trying to revive a downed Drone.^[5]

Behind the ScenesEdit

• Kantus will be included in the Gears of War 3 HeroClix Toys.
• Kantus comes from Latin cantus meaning 'to sing' and references its deafening, debilitating and functional battle cry.

Controlling a KantusEdit

• In Gears of War 2 multiplayer, the Kantus Monk is a playable character for the Locust Horde.
• The Kantus is unlocked for multiplayer in Gears of War 3 after getting the gold Medic medal.
• The Kantus is a second-tier creature in Gear of War 3 Beast Mode, available for $950. It is armed with a Gorgon pistol and an ink grenade, can regenerate the health of nearby allies and raise the fallen with a scream, but cannot take cover and cannot be healed. In addition, the Kantus cannot heal the following creatures: Wild Tickers, Tickers, Serapede, Savage Corpser, Berserker and Armored Kantus. Also, upon death, a Kantus unleashes an ink cloud.
• While playing as the regular Kantus in beast mode, there are no extended executions. Even if Y is held down, a curb stomp is still performed.
• While most Kantus explode in a cloud in ink upon death, Kantus do not release this cloud if their body is gibbed by weapons like a chainsaw bayonet or a Silverback minigun.
• The Kantus is first-tier playable character available in Gears of War: Judgment's OverRun mode. Fulfilling the role of medics and combat support, they're capable of strafing, chain-healing allies and resurrecting fallen Locust players.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Gears of War: Barren Issue Four
2. ↑ Gears of War: Judgment
3. ↑ Gears of War: The Slab
4. ↑ Gears of War: Judgment
5. ↑ Gears of War: Barren Issue Four