Oliver Kent didn't have the fondest memories of his family, yet he looked upon them in the only family photo he had.
The faded photo framed a family who seemed happy. A mother grinning as her husband wrapped his arms around her waist; an older and younger sister duo sticking their tongues out at the camera; a baby boy sitting on a stool in the middle of the group.
Oliver's mind jumped to the years after the photo. He saw his father holding a broken beer bottle while a bloodied mother cried in a corner of their home. He saw his two older sisters towering above him and smiling while a pair of scissors jutted out of his left arm. He saw flames and smoke as he tried to drag himself out the front door.
Oliver's breathing quickened, and the photo began to crumple under pressure where he held it between his thumbs and fingers.
Sitting next to him, others were also in their own thoughts about their families and friends. There was a silence between the group until their commander's voice broke them from their thoughts.
"Time to go live," the commander said, her voice low. She stood up, grabbing the military-grade helmet she was sitting upon. Her eyes shifted back and forth through the scenery, a decayed and unbuilt city.
Although night had already set upon the team and surroundings, the commander's Faunus eyes could hone in on several black, bestial figures making their way toward the group.
"I see roughly ten beowolves and about three ursae," she said as she covered her panda-like head with her helmet.
The others had already stood up and re-equipped their weaponry, readying themselves for the incoming Grimm swarm. Oliver dispelled his remaining thoughts about his family and began stretching. He grabbed the rifle on his back and took aim toward the direction the commander gazed.
"Commander Xyan, thirteen Grimm is a bit smaller than the previous groups, yeah?" Oliver asked, his voiced muffled through his helmet.
"That means we're cleaning this area quite nicely," Xyan responded. "Think about this like an easy chore before we head back to camp."
Xyan looked behind her at a dark-skinned woman and a moose-like Faunus man. With her right hand, Xyan motioned for the two to take point. She then looked at Oliver and the red-headed man.
"The two of you will cover the rear this time. Get some practice in to protect our asses," Xyan said.
Oliver and his teammate nodded at each other and positioned themselves. Their boots crushed gravel and pebbles as they moved, and the only other noises were the growls coming from the Grimm as they drew closer.
"They're about thirty meters away, commander," the dark-skinned woman said, her rifle trained on the distant black masses.
"Alright. That's close enough for me," Xyan said. "Go hot."
The woman in front fired her rifle, the sound of gunshots shaking the air around the team. The Faunus man gave supporting fire, taking care to only shoot sparingly. They managed to eliminate four beowolves in the initial bursts, and the remaining Grimm rushed forward atop the city's rubble.
"RELOADING," the woman shouted, grabbing ammunition from her side pouches.
"COVERING," the Faunus man yelled in response, unloading his rifle and picking off a few more of the Grimm.
As the beowolves and ursae serpentined their way to the squadron, Oliver and his teammate in the rear kept close watch on the empty buildings and streets. They gave supporting fire every so often, but their eyes and ears were making sure nothing could surprise the team, despite the sounds of gunfire and roaring Grimm.
One beowolf was smaller than the others and managed to evade the whizzing bullets. It drew closer with each second and eventually positioned itself to lunge toward the two at point. It jumped, but with a large boom, flew backward with its head gone from its body.
Xyan pulled the reloading mechanism on her sniper rifle while smoke hazed upward from the gun's barrel.
"Maria. Cobalt. The two of you are seasoned enough to not be this sloppy," Xyan disapproved.
She fired another sniper round, this time at the ursae. Two were close enough to each other that Xyan killed both with a shot. The third ursa turned tail after it saw its fellow Grimm dissipate into nothingness. It ran a few meters away until another sniper shot pierced the length of its body. The bullet shattered the ursa's white mask it passed through.
Maria and Cobalt eliminated the remaining beowolves, but kept their rifles aimed forward. Silence returned.
"OK. Cooldown," Xyan ordered, standing up from her sniping pose.
The team members balanced their breathing and loosened their muscles. After a few glances at their surroundings, they stood in a circle and looked at each other.
"Overall, good job," Xyan said. "Though I bet it was a bit uneventful for those in the rear."
Oliver pulled off his helmet, revealing his pink hair, and laughed.
"I don't think Silver and I mind having a lighter workload," Oliver said, nudging his right arm at Silver.
"Yeah, no doubt. I think I even got a good two or three shots that almost made contact with some of the Grimm," Silver chuckled, sparking light laughter from the rest of his teammates.
"Alright, alright. Settle down," Xyan grinned. "Let's make our way back to camp, Gloom Squadron."