The snow was falling lightly over the hilltop overlooking a small abandoned communications outpost. Gelu was crouched low her armor unreflective in the darkness of the nighttime. To her left was her current endeavor, Crimson. A fox faunus from the slums of Atlas. They met up after taking up the same contract to handle an arms dealer supply cache. Something Gelu wish had not happened, but to her pleasure she was enjoyable to be around. Yet, she knew enough about Crimson to not trust her or get close as much as she wanted to.
"Yeah. This is the place, not quite a bad way to do things eh?", she said transferring her plan to Gelu's scroll.
Gelu looked at her scroll carefully memorizing the plan nodding as she found it suitable. "Was wondering why you commendered these explosives. Let's get to it."
Crimson slid down the slope her smg clicking into place as she made her way slowly across the barren terrain to the first building.
Gelu shook her head making her way slowly after her careful as she was wearing her standard full set of armor. Once she caught up with her, Crimson was disposing of body beneath a pile of snow. Gelu took her temporary weapon from her back a silenced carbine with an emphasis on piercing armor. Taking a quick look around their small hideaway she peeked over the side of a barrel to see the other two guards at the entrance to the warehouse. As she lined up a shot, her mind wavered drawing up questions as to how it came to this.
Fall in the Mistrial woods has always brought the fascinating hazel leaves and cooler weather. Both of which Gelu enjoyed as she hailed from the barren tundra of Atlas. The leaves were rustling with the swaying of the trees in the gentle breeze. Her poofy tail was bound by a few dark blue bows keeping it small and easily moveable. If she were ever honest with herself, she would get armor that hides the tail. It was quite the weakness to have a long tail with no defences aside from her aura. Yet, on she treads as a freelancer Huntress clearing Grim wherever she can. Alone.
The dying light of day cast it's red hue across her light blue plate armor. Shotgun shells, dust vials, and dust crystals were all tucked inside reinforced casings within numerous bandoliers covered her armor heavily. Angled on her back ready to be drawn at a moments notice was her weapon, Talon's Might in shotgun form. Being a switch weapon, it swapped between halberd and shotgun with a push of a button. Hearing a twig snap she instinctively drew the weapon one hand on the trigger the other on the grip between the blade and barrel. Her normal soft, ice blue eyes becoming fierce in the light of a threat. Seeing a rabbit come from the direction of the sound she relaxed putting her weapon back.
"Gotta stop being so twitchy.", Gelu's voice echoed with a slight northern accent lost to the wilderness around her.
As night began to fall she reached her destination. A ruined town infamous for the group of Beowolfs to retreat to after attacking caravans. Walking past a collapsed building she felt an uneasiness wave over her as growls reached her ears. Drawing Tolan's Might she came face to face with the crimson, glowing eyes that gave her and many others a reason to fight. Yet, as she stood in the moonlight in the ruins fear came to her as more and more grim came from the shadows. Far more than she could handle.
Sensing the fear the grim charged her intent on clawing the life from Gelu even as she effortlessly dismembered one and sent another to the dark ether. Fighting for her life Gelu kept on the defensive using her reinforced right gauntlet as a kind of buckler. As she stepped back she felt the claws bounce off her back plate sending right into the claws she was dodging. Feeling the searing pain of the claws scratching across her cheek and neck she retaliated violently with her weapon turning into its halberd form. The blade became enhanced by ice dust as she hit the ground tripping the ones near her immediately. Her aura regenerated her wounds as she took a burn crystal out throwing it into the snarling mouth of slightly distant Beowolf. The resulting blast sent Gelu sparling on the ground with the death of more of the Grim.
Disoriented she rose slowly her hand pushing her up seeing a small dark blue light flash across the gauntlet quickly fading away. The shattering of her aura sent her mind into fear as she couldn't find her weapon and the few remaining grim charged at her. Shakily rising her hands fumbled to get the fragile glass out of it's protective bandolier. Taking a quick moment she threw the burn dust vial at the foremost grim. As soon as the vial left her hand she looked to her right to see Talon's Might laying on the ground. Dashing to it as the explosion sounded, she slide to it putting her hand on the button turning it into the shotgun form as she turned to fight the claws raked across her chest plate leaving a soft tear in them knocking her head against the tree.
Gelu was stunned, her vision was not right. Everything was a blurry mess as she struggled to even think. Raising a hand to defend herself against the beowolf but claws raked her bandoliers off. A jaw snapped around her neck as teeth sunk deep into her flesh, blood pooling around the fangs the tongue licking hungrily. She tried to scream out in pain but found she couldn't each breath a struggle through the crushing strength. The pain coursed through her mind as it lifted her up to deal the final blow as she felt her strength fail her once more. I failed her.
Gelu hefted one of the many boxes in the warehouse as she finished her tale of her past. They were in the clear now, as no one was left alive in the place both the two of them. All that was left was to confirm if this place was where the weapons that were to be demolished then set the bombs. Setting the box down in the center of the place she nodded at Crimson, before ripping the top off. Inside was stacks of low grade guns, with some inscription detailed into the metal.
"From there I was saved by quite the merry group of Hunters and Hunterses. Spent nearly half a year in the hospital another three months to get my muscles back into shape for travel.", Gelu said taking a rifle out of its case holding it out to her teammate for inspection.
"Well… that's quite the past. Why do you still solo most of the time then?", the women's animal ears twitched in curiosity. Taking the rifle she was carefully looking over it. "Yup this is the shipment. Let's get to work."
Gelu took the case from her back. A large amount of explosives wrapped in bandoliers of burn dust. In short a jury rigged large explosive meant to destroy everything in the warehouse. "Well. I haven't exactly found a team in need of me for an extended period of time.", she said setting the case own carefully in one of the weapon crates. Arming it in a few seconds. Giving the fox faunus the thumbs up she turned to see the very women arming her own bomb.
"Aye. Understandable, it could be worse. I mean you could be those poor guards back there." Crimson gestured with the point of her thumb idly behind her, to the pools of blood trailing to the former guards.
Gelu chuckled amused by her blunt display of care for the two humans. "You are quite right. We should be heading out soon. Almost time for check in."
"Right.", the fox faunus took a few more seconds and armed her bomb holding the detonator for Gelu to take. "For what it is worth. It has been quite nice to do this with someone."
Gelu smiled in agreement wishing she could see her face behind that mask of hers. It would make things a lot easier, but she took the detonator and held onto her hand for a moment. It was all Gelu needed to draw Crimson in for the punch. Gelu's gauntlet sent her sprawling to the floor hitting the crate behind her knocking her out cold. Gelu sighed shaking her head moving to the unconscious mercenary. Lightly poking about Crimson's pockets she found what she was looking for. The amulet rested in her hand the square cut emerald set on the outside of a locket. Putting the amulet in her pouch she made her way out into the snow covered landscape. She was miles from any signs of civilization and yet her poofy tail waved softly in discomfort as she looked at the detonator still in her hand.
"Some things are better left buried.", Gelu said mostly to herself knowing who it belonged to.
As much as she liked Crimson, the faunus was a cruel mercenary like any other. The amulet just proved it. The fate of those hunters, she knew it now but at least they did not die senselessly. This whole mission… was just wrong but the cause for doing it is justified. Sighing she knew the answer as to what she must do. Pressing the button she stood looking at the explosion knowing it would kill Crimson and destroy the entire weapon warehouse.
Shaking her head she watched the smoke rise and fire blaze she put her hood on to help block the wind as she began her journey away from the death. Yet the cold didn't bother her, it never would. In this world devoid of grim… why is that we are still at war.