Prologue: The Girl Among Grimm.
I sat in the cargo hold of an airship, opening the containers looking for food. If what the pilot said was true, it was going to be a long ride. Rummaging through a particularly hard to open crate, I find it full of fish. The smell makes me gag, and I quickly reseal the crate.
"There's no use," I finally said, giving up. The area we took off from was on the coast of a mountainous region, there would likely not be any fruit or vegetables. I walk over to the corner I had initially hid in, and began to think back to the island. It didn't feel long since I left and I still remember everything so vividly; the salty smell by the coast, and the soft soil under my bare feet. Even if there wasn't always a lot to eat, I never felt this hungry.
"I'll go back someday," I swear to myself. "Once I've completed my mission."
The last days were just like any others, but everything happened so fast. I unclip my sword from my hip, and look at it. The blade was nothing special; it was a basic broadsword with a simple cross guard. Even the scabbard was a plain earthy color. This weapon wasn't the problem though, no, it was my lack of precaution. I thought that defending myself would be simple, but that delusion cost me dearly. If those bastards hadn't been so soft, I wouldn't be a stowaway heading to the mainland of Sanus today.
"I'll make them wish they'd had killed me," I mutter darkly. I close my eyes and began to recite their names, picturing their faces as I recalled my final days with my family. The family those wretched villains had taken from me. I guess the lack of distractions is what sparked my recollection of those last days.
Several Months Ago
It was beginning to get dark, as the few trees that were scattered around the island began to cast larger and longer shadows. Soon enough, the only light that will guide me will be the shattered moon above. Not that it matters; I know this island like the back of my hand. I wander to the rocky area, the place I have come to call home for the last forever and a half. It wasn't much, but it was the only territory that the wild Grimm didn't get defensive about. I sigh, seeing that the fire I had started near the mouth of my cave had been blown out by the wind.
"Well, shit," I curse under my breath. I drop the rope I fashioned out of vines from further north of the island, and got to work. While building fires wasn't hard, having to do things twice was something that I found annoying. Before long, I began to mutter to myself again. "Ugh, Astrid, you didn't even bring back enough food to fill you up. You really need to learn to like fish… those berry bushes and fruit trees aren't going to last forever…"
Snap.
I look over to the sound of the twig snapping, mildly intrigued. If it was a wild boar or even rabbit, I could try to catch that and eat it. To my disappointment, it was just a small Deathstalker. It clicked as it scurried towards me, and I begin to grin. The Grimm uses its tail to propel itself at me, its claws wide open. I brace myself for the impact, and let out a grunt as it hit me in the stomach.
"The heck was that for?" I asked coughing a little. "It's only been a few hours, you can't be that excited to see me." The Deathstalker wrapped its tail around my legs, before it let go and looked at me with its five pairs of eyes. "Come on Sandy, don't give me those eyes… Don't give in Astrid, don't give in…"
Sandy's ten eyes began to glow and dim at me, and I gave in. The spoiled bastard knew how to turn the charm on, and I couldn't help but give in to his adorable stare. Putting down the two rocks I had been trying to spark a fire with, I begin to scratch his back. Sandy let a sound akin to a purr and I roll my eyes.
"I know you can reach that spot with your stinger, you brat." The scorpion ignored my comment, and I let out a sigh. "Well, you know when Keres, Randal and Poe are getting here?" Before the scorpion can answer me, I feel something hard hit me on the head. Looking up, I see the small Nevermore circling above me. As I look at what he dropped, I see it wasn't a rock like I thought, but an apple, likely from a neighboring island.
I raise my arm, and the black Grimm swoops down and latches on. I wince a little, as his sharp talons dig into my forearm, but I know he didn't mean any harm by it. He's about the size of an hawk, although he likes to act like he's much bigger.
"Thanks," I say to Poe, before I narrow my eyes at him, "but I told you to stop going to other islands. It's dangerous, you know?"
He let out a short screech, and flaps his wings at me.
"I know, I know," I say, rolling my eyes. "You can handle yourself. You can't be mad that I worry about you guys though. You're all I have."
I hear some snarling behind me, and turn to the large Beowolf with what seems to be a massive branch in its jaws.
"Randal," I begin sternly. "Where is Keres? I told you to take care of her." Suddenly, the branch shakes, and the Geist flies straight toward me. Randal's red eyes glared at me. "Alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you," I admit, as the Geist possesses my shirt. Keres' mask appears on my chest and I feel her squeezing my torso as she attempts to hug me.
"Getting hard to breathe!" I joke. Keres returns to her Geist form, and circles around me a few times, before possessing my sword. Once again, her mask appears, this time on the cross guard, and she remains still. "Alright, the family's all here," I sigh. I begin eating the apple Poe retrieved for me, and let out a yawn. Absentmindedly I begin to stroke Randal's snout, gently brushing away any dirt on him. I notice the sky once more. It was already dark, and I felt fatigue wash over me.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," I yawn again. "Let's get some rest." The four Grimm take their respective positions; Poe sits on my shoulder, Keres remains at my side in my sword, Sandy sits on top of me like a weighted blanket, as Randal, who is by far the largest, sits behind me, curling around my form to keep me warm.
"You guys are the best," I yawn, getting various clicks, growls and screeches from my companions. "Good night to you too," I reply, as I allow myself to rest my eyes. Despite my comfort, that night was a restless one.
My eyes crack open as I let out a chuckle.
"Heh heh, had another nightmare," I giggle to myself. I find that Sandy had already left the cave. "Hmm…" I hum to myself. Randal stirs behind me, and he lets out a low growl.
"You sense something?" I ask. His response was to stand on his hind legs and begin sniffing the air. I figured he must have, as he was getting a bit finicky. "Go on ahead," I allow. "We'll be right behind you." Without hesitation, the Beowolf sprinted out of the cave, leaving me alone with Poe and Keres. Poe opened his wings, stretching them out, before giving a few test flaps. I rest my hand on my sword, and Keres vibrates at my touch. "Seems you two are awake too…" I notice. I let out a tired sigh, and looked over to Poe. "Hey, I'm going to find Sandy, can you scout from above? If you see him, just give me the signal."
He let out a caw, and took off. I smile at the Grimm, and draw my sword.
"Looks like it's just us two for today," I say to Keres. Her lone eye dims at me, and I get the message. "Alright, let's find Sandy… that curious little brat."
A few minutes later, near the shore of the island there is a mob of Grimm roaring as they attacked four girls. At first, I shake my head in disappointment. Didn't these girls know that the Grimm were extremely territorial? It's basic Grimm safety! Judging by their clothing, they weren't from around here, and in fact, were likely from the mainland. I look down to my ragged clothes, that has been mostly replaced by skins from woodland creatures that inhabit the island. Dismissing my slight envy, I continued to watch as Poe descended and landed on my shoulder.
"You think those girl's clothes fit me?" I asked, to which the Nevermore lowered his head, before letting out a low caw. "Damn. What do you think is the deal with these girls though?" I watch closer and realize that the girls were not panicking like I had first thought, but were fighting with surprising amounts of teamwork. "They've done this before," I realize, as I felt my amusement vanish. These girls were killers, trained to take out Grimm. The girl in white eliminates several with strange white wisps that explode into ice, and I begin to feel an unfamiliar sensation. The blonde girl punches the head off an Ursa with a move so rehearsed; I felt a pit in my stomach starting to form. The girl wearing a bow used some strange ribbon to swing towards a bunch of Creeps and began to cut them down with frightening efficiency. Before I know it, my hand is tightly gripping my sword in excitement. I can get in a good fight with them. That's when I see Sandy. The Deathstalker was caught in the middle of the crossfire, trying to find an escape. I feel relief as it scurries off towards Randal, who appeared at the edge of the brush. The relief I felt was short-lived, as in a burst of red petals, everything seemed to slow down. A massive curved blade descended on Sandy, easily piercing his still hardening armor.
"Sandy Claws…" I whisper, my hands beginning to tremble. I feel my shirt beginning to squeeze me, and I notice that Keres' face was on my chest again. "She… killed him." I said in a monotone. Keres reverted into her Geist form, and floated behind me. I only vaguely noticed the black smoke that Sandy dispersed into begin to trail off towards me.
"Nice one, Ruby!" called out the blonde one. I look over to the grinning blonde, who had the audacity to give the hooded girl a thumbs up. Was murder glorified on the mainland? The girl in red, now named Ruby, turned back and gave her teammate a smile… A smile so cheerful I couldn't believe that it came from the girl that killed one of my companions. The shock of the situation was beginning to fade, and I felt something else building up inside me, something I hadn't felt since I left Merlot's laboratory.
I felt angry. I gripped my sword even tighter, and I whispered to Keres.
"I need to you and Poe to get back to the cave. Randal and I will take care of them." I could hear the emptiness in my own voice, and Keres immediately flies off. Poe was a bit more stubborn, but eventually, he too followed. I drop down from the tree I was watching from, my gaze never leaving the girl in red… the girl who so gleefully butchered one of my oldest friends. Her gaze turns my direction for a second, and she lifts her gun at me. Without hesitation, she shoots, but I easily blocked the bullet with my blade. Merlot didn't raise no bitch.
"What was that?" she asked in shock. It occurs to me that she must have not seen me, as Randal had moved behind me, likely sensing my silent fury. The massive Beowolf must have caught her eye, not me. I lift my sword and cut the flora that separated us.
"Who is that?" I heard the girl in white ask. Ruby looked at me with a confused expression. I couldn't help myself and smirked at her, yet I felt no joy. I saw red, and it wasn't from her hood.
"Look out behind you!" Ruby shouted, transforming her weapon as she charged towards me. Having seen her burst into petals before, I quickly scanned her trajectory, and moved to block her attack. I feel a surprising amount of force behind her scythe swing, probably from the weight of it, rather than her physical strength.
"What are you doing?!" the blonde one shouted, as she finished off the last of the wild Grimm. She ran towards Randal, who I heard snarling behind me. It is now that I notice that she wasn't wielding a conventional weapon like the others, and instead wore two heavy-looking gauntlets. My eyes dart back and forth, trying to take in what the four girls were up to. Ruby had jumped back toward her two teammates with a puzzled look on her face, while the blonde one was almost within striking distance of Randal.
"BACK OFF!" I roared at the charging girl. She ignored me, and threw a punch at the Beowolf. To my surprise, a small explosion erupted from her gauntlet and it sent Randal reeling back. I run after the blonde, both my hands tightly gripping my broadsword. When she was within range, I went for a horizontal cut, but found it blocked by one of her gauntlets.
"What is wrong with you!?" she shouted at me. "We're on your side!" She had a surprising amount of strength, as she grabbed my sword by the blade with her other hand and tore it from my grip. She then threw it off to the side, where it stuck into a tree. It seems that she was the muscle.
"She killed him!" I accused, feeling the anger control me. I wasn't used to this feeling, and the words that poured out were only fragments of what I wanted to say to her. "Sandy has never hurt anybody… that heartless bitch killed him!"
I felt a sharp sting on my face.
"Yang!" the girl in the bow shouted.
"Don't call my sister a bitch! She saved your life!" Yang shouted back. I turned toward her, as I touched my cheek. Did she slap me? Then the words she was spouting registered.
"Saved me?" I laugh humorlessly. As I turned to the now red-eyed Yang, I see her being held back by the bow-wearing girl. Behind them, I see Ruby and the girl in white poising their weapons, anticipating Randal's attack. "Bring me my sword." As I ordered the Beowolf, I saw the confusion and horror etch into the girls' faces. Randal snarled at them, but quickly snatched the sword from the tree and returned to my side. I felt a small amount of satisfaction seeing their reaction.
"She can control Grimm?" the girl in white asked. My cold gaze never broke from the blonde, and I pointed my sword at her.
"If you insist on standing in my way… I'll slaughter you and your sister." To my surprise, it was the girl in the bow that took a step forward. I notice my threat had shaken Ruby and the girl in white, and further angered Yang, but this girl seemed to have seen death before.
"Blake, what are you doing?!" Ruby shouted, as she ran to her side.
"Ruby, she's not kidding," Blake seemed to warn her. She must recognize the conviction in my eyes, as I could see her struggle to keep her voice from wavering. Perhaps it was because I must have been the first victim of theirs to stand up to them. I couldn't imagine what it must look like from their perspective… I couldn't place myself in the shoes of ruthless villains.
"We just escaped an exploding island, and we've fought bad guys before," she argued. For some reason, the way she phrased her argument bugged me. If she was a Huntress, which was the picture I was beginning to form in my head, she shouldn't be referring to criminals as "bad guys", but as what they actually are, criminals. Perhaps what I learned from Merlot wasn't completely accurate or maybe outdated. Still, one thing Merlot was right about was that Huntsmen were nothing but false heroes.
"She's not so tough," Yang scoffed, as she flipped her hair in what seemed to be annoyance. "Let me take her."
"You oaf, this isn't a competition!" shouted the girl with the scar.
"Weiss is right!" Blake agreed anxiously, looking over to her. Having had enough of their stalling, I rush forward swinging at the distracted girl.
"Watch out!" Yang shouted, as she propelled herself forward using her gauntlets. I wasn't prepared for her burst of speed, and found myself reeling from a powerful punch that sent me flying back towards a tree. Pain erupted from my back, spreading over my entire body in an instant. Biting my tongue, I steady myself as I face the four down. Randal already raced to my side, and stood in front of me protectively. He roared loudly, no doubt attempting to get reinforcements from his Beowolf kin. I walked next to him and begin to stroke his thick coarse fur.
"You four have some nerve," I say through my teeth.
"What did we do?!" Ruby shouted at me, seemingly conflicted about fighting me.
"She's crazy, nothing she says makes sense," Yang assured her. Her dismissive attitude towards me only further infuriated me. Was my anger not justified?
"I'm not crazy!" I shouted. "How about I kill one of you, and you'll all see how I feel!" Not waiting for their response, I rush toward them, Randal running right beside me. "Combo three!" I shout. The two of us close in on Yang, who was the closest to us, and we unleashed a barrage of attacks. As I swung low, Randal swiped high, forcing the blonde back. We gave no room for a counterattack, and we nearly cornered her, but I felt ice blossom around my ankle, anchoring me in place. Randal continued the assault, but without me covering his openings, Yang easily began to bob and weave between his attacks and got more than a few punches in.
"Ladybug!" shouted Ruby. I found myself confused, only to realize that it was the name of one of her combination attacks. She and the black haired girl began an assault on Randal that he was barely managing to weather. He swung wildly, landing a devastating swipe against Blake by pure luck. Ruby noticed immediately, and fell back.
"Strawberry Sunrise!" she called out again. She and her sister then began another assault, this one entirely different. Where Ruby and Blake complimented each other by slashing together, Yang and her sister had a much stranger approach. Ruby took point, using her scythe to force Randal back with a wicked upward swing that caught his jaw. The force managed to knock him on his back. Then Yang crouched on Ruby's scythe, and like a hammer, the red clad girl swung overhead and downwards. Yang used the momentum and smashed Randal's skull into the ground with enough force to completely shatter his head. Black ooze splattered against my face.
"Randal!" I cried, as I tried to break free from my frozen ankle. I pulled harder and harder, until I felt a searing pain and I found myself free. Forgetting my weapon, I kneel over Randal's dissipating body, the telltale signs that he was dead. I gently touch his bony mask, before it fades into nothing. His black mist surrounded me, as if he tried to embrace me once more from beyond the grave. A second emotion I was unfamiliar with began to surface. Where I only felt rage when Sandy was killed, the moment Randal was no more, I felt nothing but sorrow. My will to fight was gone, and I began to weep.
"Um… guys?" Ruby began awkwardly. "What do we do?"
"She attacked us," Weiss whispered, but I manage to catch it. "Do we take her back to Beacon?"
"I'll kill you all," I manage to choke out. I look over to the four girls, who were clearly much better suited at combat than I, but the overwhelming emotions were too much. I wipe the tears from my face, and bite back my sobs. "I don't care how long it takes… One day, I'll find you all, and I'll kill you."
"Good luck," Yang scoffs, walking up to me. I take a step forward, meeting her gaze. I can see that the other three girls are tense; obviously not agreeing with this blonde's actions.
"I don't need luck," I spat. I could already feel them coming, and from the looks of it, the girls didn't. Yang was strong, but I knew that when the four were scattered, the advantage was mine.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
I couldn't help but grin as I felt the cavalry arrive. Yang jumped back as several razor sharp feathers, the size of small knives embedded themselves into the ground she occupied a second before.
"What is going on?" asked Ruby, as she fell into her combat stance. Weiss followed suit, as Blake rushed to Yang's side. It seemed they had established partners already.
"What is that!?" cried out Weiss, her eyes widening beyond belief. I jump as high as I can, and a large stony hand catches me. I raise my arm, and Poe lands.
"Just a few friends," I answer them. Keres, who had taken the form a rock golem, ripped a tree out of the ground and threw it at Yang. The blonde, to her credit, was smart enough to evade it, rather than attempt to block it. As the impact picks up a cloud of dust, I see a gun flying at me attached to a ribbon. It latches onto Keres' shoulder, and I see Blake slingshot herself up. Without hesitation, I clash swords with her, defending Keres' face. Poe takes off, and I'm unsure where he went. Blake takes out a second weapon in attempt to overwhelm me, but I am no stranger to being outnumbered. I find an opening in her swings, and I kick her in the chest, sending her tumbling off Keres.
"This girl is insane," I hear Weiss comment, as she jumped over another swing from Keres.
"I'm not insane!" I shout at her. She looks up at me, scowling. At that moment, I see Poe rain down another barrage of feathers at the girl. Seeing that two girls were temporarily dispatched of, I scan the area for the other two. I hear a battle cry from above, and see Yang coming down with her fist cocked. At this rate, she'll kill Keres too. Disregarding my search for Ruby, I jump up to take the attack.
"Take this!" Yang shouts.
I have had my fair share of opponents land a strong attack on me. One that stands out is a sparring match I had with Keres in her current form. Yang's punch, to my unpleasant surprise, rivaled that in impact. Her fist collided with my forearms, which I had crossed over my face, but I felt the bones in my arms crack from the strain. What's more, I flew straight down into the earth, most likely creating a small crater upon landing. With the wind knocked out of me, I couldn't even manage to shout in pain. I do my best to ignore the agonizing feeling of standing up, but I feel unsteady. Looking back to Keres, I see her arm get shattered by a combined effort of Ruby and Weiss.
"Get out of here!" I attempt to shout, although it comes out weakly. "I can't lose you too!"
Keres' form turns to me for a moment. This is when I curse myself, as I see Yang charging from behind her. I had unintentionally given her the opening she needed. She shouted once again as she cocked her fist back, only to stop dead in her tracks when more than two dozen feathers forced her back. I see Yang's Aura break, and begin to wonder if we should go for the kill, but ultimately decide against it. If I killed her, it would be a three on three. If I left her as she was, somebody on her team will likely be trying to protect her rendering both inefficient, making it three on two and a half. I finally steady myself, and draw my sword once again.
"I'm coming for you," I warn Ruby. I begin to rush towards her, but heavy gunfire makes me halt in my tracks. If my own Aura hadn't broken, I would have gone ahead and attacked.
"A bullhead!" Weiss shouted. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Keres' golem form turns to pebbles, but she manages to escape from dying by zig-zagging away from the airship. Poe squawks from the cover of a tree, letting me know he was alright. The girls all rushed towards the airship, leaving me behind.
"COME BACK YOU COWARDS!" I shout at them. "I'LL KILL THE FOUR OF YOU! JUST YOU WAIT!" As the ship left, I fall to my knees, as I feel exhaustion take over me. With the adrenaline gone, I feel the hunger from the night before, as well as the fatigue from this fight. I lean on my sword to stay upright, but eventually collapse right there.
When I awaken, I find myself with Keres and Poe nearby. Poe caws lowly, as Keres simply floats, unsure what to do. I extend my arm, and Poe flies over to me. Keres once again possesses my shirt, although her embrace is much gentler this time.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to them, feeling the sorrow returning slowly. "I… I wasn't strong enough…" My shirt tightens again. "Keres… I'm sorry, I almost got you killed." Poe locks his eyes with mine. I could feel mine widen, and him stare into my soul. There was no use trying to argue with the Grimm.
"You're right," I concede, shaking my head. I look down to the grass I was lying on, and see what is likely my blood staining it. It seemed to be coming from my foot, where my skin was torn off when I ripped my ankle free from that Weiss' girl ice attack. The red triggers something in my mind, and I can only think of that damn girl Ruby. That's when I remember what Weiss had whispered to her team. They went to Beacon, a Huntsman Academy. Although it's been a while, I remember going over that with Merlot's assistant many years ago. Beacon was in Vale, which was on the mainland of Sanus. If those girls were here, the mainland couldn't be that far off.
Present
"Ruby… Weiss… Blake… Yang…" I whisper in a mantra. "Ruby…Weiss…Blake…Yang…
I'll kill you all for what you did." I hear flapping and Poe lands on my shoulder once more. The side he lands on sinks under his weight, as he's gotten much bigger. If he were to stand next to me, he'd be a bit higher than my waist. If I had to guess, he'd be a little taller than an albatross, although much heavier. Keres was currently wandering around the cargo hold, likely still looking for food for me. What a nice Grimm…
"We're almost there," I told the two. "Sanus is the mainland, so we're going to be closer to our goal no matter what city we land in."
Stories I heard about Vale from Dr. Merlot usually started with him describing how lush and thick the forests were, and how it was the greenest place in the world. His island and any that surrounded it, paled in comparison to Vale. The island I grew up after we went our separate ways was a pretty big step up, and Vale was supposedly even better.
Yet when I snuck off the airship almost a two days later, I found myself in dry, hot air. My bare feet burned against the sand that made up the ground, which was as annoying as it was painful. What's more, there wasn't a river or pond for water anywhere in sight. The trip I took was much longer than I expected, and my throat was beyond dry. I could feel myself looking like a fool, stumbling in the stupid sand like some drunk woman looking for something to drink. The heat was unbearable, and with not having had any water in forty hours, I began to get lightheaded.
"Hey Miss, are you alright?" I heard a man ask. I turned to him, pushing my hair out of my face. I'm not sure if the heat is causing me to hallucinate, but the guy seemed to have pink eyes. He seemed normal enough, I suppose. I guess I must have appeared red from the heat, because the teen just chuckled to himself. "First time in Vacuo?"
"Heah," I tried to say 'yeah', but my mouth felt like I had been eating dust. Instead, I resorted to nodding. Again, the man laughed to himself. 'So glad I could amuse you… asshole.' I thought bitterly. He reached to his side and handed me a strange bag. I gave him a quizzical look.
"It's a water skin," he explained, as if I knew what that was. I raised it to eye level, and began to inspect it. If there was water in there, how do I get it out? Figuring these must be pretty common in this backwards town, I tear into it with my teeth. To my delight, cool water began to pour, and I greedily began to drink it. "Wh-what are you doing!?" he shouted.
"Drinking?" I replied, a bit put off at his confusion. "You're the one who offered it to me."
He snatched it back, although I couldn't care less as I had finished it already. He pointed to the circular part, and began to twist it.
"You're supposed to open it like this!" he deadpanned. I shrugged.
"What's done is done," I reply. To my surprise the guy begins to laugh to himself.
"Were you raised in a barn?" he asked, likely trying to insult me. "You have absolutely no manners."
"I grew up mostly on a deserted island," I admit. Merlot only had a lab and some spare rooms I tended to sleep in. "No barns or manners there." He gave me a look as if I had said something strange.
"I'm not stupid," he told me. Although I didn't say it aloud, I kind of figured he was. His shoulder drooped, as if he expected me to say something to his statement. "If you grew up on an island, how do you know how to talk? Who taught you?"
"If you didn't grow up on an island, how don't you know how to listen?" I retort annoyed. "I said mostly. The first half of my life I grew up normal." This guy was getting on my nerves, although I guess I owed him some sort of explanation after tearing his water skin apart. "Look, I haven't really talked to other people in years, sorry if I'm a bit out of practice." I don't consider those four crayon-looking bitches to be people. No, they were colorful monsters.
"You aren't kidding are you?" he asked, his face softening from the skepticism he wore before. This is when I notice his eyes were in fact, pink.
"Why would I make that up?" I ask. I feel the sand burning my feet again, as my thirst no longer distracted me. "Is there somewhere that isn't so hot? I swear it's like I'm walking on coals here."
"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" he asked, looking down at my feet.
"Dude, answer my question first!" I hissed at him. I start alternating which foot I stand on so the burning feeling isn't so constant. The guy just seems to be amused at my antics.
"Yeah, follow me," he smirks. "I'm Nolan by the way."
"Astrid," I reply, quickly following after him. As I follow him, I see a blur of black fly through the sky. I don't have to look twice to know it's Poe keeping an eye on me from a safe distance. "Where are we going?"
"Shade," he replied simply.
"There's plenty of shade here," I point out. Most stalls had a blanket of sorts that cast a shadow over their goods.
"What? No, Shade Academy," he elaborated. The name suddenly clicks as I recall what Merlot's assistant taught me. There were four kingdoms, and each had a Huntsman Academy. Atlas was in Mantle, Haven was in Mistral, Beacon, which is where I need to be, was in Vale… meaning that Shade…
"FUCK!" I shout. Vacuo was in the opposite direction! While it was still technically the same continent, I ended up on the complete other side of it! Nolan had jumped at my sudden exclamation, and looked at me confuse.
"You have something against Vacuo?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Where did that airship come from?" I asked pointing to the ship I had stowed away on. Nolan looked at the ship, and what they were unloading.
"It looks like it came from one of the northern islands near Vytal, I guess." He turned back to me, appearing a bit suspicious. "Do you not know where you came from?" I closed my eyes, and tried to remember the geography.
"Damn… I can't remember," I mumble to myself. "Is there a map or something I can see?" The teen hesitantly pulls out a scroll, one much newer than the one I remember Merlot using. With a few taps, he pulls up a holographic map of Remnant. He points to where we were, and where he guesses the airship had come from. "Where's Beacon?"
"In Vale," he replied, marking it on the map. To my annoyance, it was simply south of my initial starting point. I allow the frustration to pass, before my stomach growls at me.
"I got to go," I sigh to him. "Look, thanks for everything, but I'm better off on my own."
"Right," he replied unconvinced. "Well, if you need anything, just ask for Team BRNZ over by Shade. We're pretty well-known." As he walks away, I can faintly hear him mumble. "Weird girl… cute though. May might like her."
I wander into an area where there aren't too many people, and take my sword out.
"Hey Keres, I need a favor," I say. The Geist pops out, and floats in front of me. "I'm dying here, and I have no idea where to get any food. Be a pal, and find me some, yeah? If you see Poe, let him know I'm here." She left in a whoosh, and I sit in the slightly cooler sand under the shade provided by a building. I continue to feel angry with myself, as I had literally doubled if not tripled the distance I need to travel to get to my destination, and now, I had no clue how I would traverse a fucking desert by myself. My plan was simple, which made it easy to remember, but also left a lot to be desired in this situation.
Step 1. Find a way off the Island.
Step 2. Find my targets.
Step 3. Eliminate them and get home.
I still don't see anything wrong with the plan, but it doesn't give any sense of how to do anything. Maybe I should have reached out to Merlot…
Nah, that guy went crazy.
Regardless, I really needed to figure out how to get out of here. I look over to the passersby and wonder how they could live so closely together. It felt… claustrophobic being here, although it only made me mildly uncomfortable. It doesn't take long for me to hear the flapping nearing me. Instinctively, I put my arm up to receive the Grimm, and Poe lands on it.
"You've gotten really heavy…" I say to him, as I feel myself tip over. "Soon, you'll be carrying me around."
He cawed at me, which brought a smile to my face.
"You always know what to say," I tell him. "You should be careful though, if this place has people like those girls, they'll probably attack you on sight. As confidant I am in my skills now, I doubt I'd be able to hold off an academy full of Huntsman in training…
"Actually… I think it might be a good way to test where I'm at now. No, no, that would be too risky. I wonder how that Nolan guy fights though. From the looks of it, he doesn't seem very strong…" My thoughts escape me, and my mind begins to wander on several tangents. Before I thought about anything for too long, I could feel Poe getting fed up with me.
"You don't have to look at me like that," I whine playfully. I use a single finger to scratch him under his beak, to which he begins to lean into. I grin, seeing the normally so serious Grimm melt at my little affectionate scratch. I feel a pang in my heart, as I remember calling Sandy a brat the night before he was taken from me.
"Don't go there Astrid… You'll just end up getting mad all over again," I mumble. I turn to Poe, and sigh. "Hey, when you were in Merlot's lab, did you ever look at the other subjects? I sort of remember two other humans, but for whatever reason, Merlot let them go really early. He do that for any Grimm?"
The bird shook his body and stretched out his wings.
"Yeah, it's weird huh? I guess he wasn't all bad though. Without him, we wouldn't be here. But his assistant though! Damn, if I was ten years older at the time… Damn it Astrid, stop getting distracted!"
Poe continued to stare at me, and I roll my eyes.
"Not everybody is as smart as you, alright? But you're right, I need to focus. Ok... how to get to Vale from the other side of the world…? Well, there's buying a ticket… but Merlot didn't exactly give me any Lien before I left. I can get a job or something, but damn… all my talents revolve around living off the island. That Nolan guy goes to Shade, but I doubt they'd let some nobody from nowhere like me join. Even if they did, I wouldn't want to be associated with those bastard Huntsmen. Ugh, why is this so hard?!"
I hear something heavy fall in the sand. Looking over, I see Keres had found a wooden crate of potatoes and garlic. On top sat a basket of bread from who knows where. I feel my mouth water, and I rush over to the food. While the bread wasn't fresh, it was still good as I tore into it like the savage I am. Keres falls back into my sword, and Poe caws at me to get my attention. I look over to where he was facing and see a little movement. Instinctively, I draw my sword, and rush around the corner. The tip of my sword points down at the perpetrator. Wide green eyes full of fear looked up at me. It was a kid, not even a teenager. The pathetic look on his face almost made me feel bad for him.
"I'm sorry!" he cried. I sheathed my sword, and rolled my eyes.
"Get out of here kid," I tell him. The boy looks behind me, and I realize he must have seen my Grimm companions. "Don't utter a word about them to anyone, you hear? If you do, I'll find you."
"No, ma'am!" he squeaked. He backed away from me, and then ran off.
"Damn brat," I mumble to myself. I walk back over to the crates, and looked at it all. I fix the bread basket with a bit of everything, and call Poe over. "Here, take this to that kid."
Poe caws at me, and turns his head at me.
"I don't expect you to understand," I sigh. "You guys don't need to eat… Hunger is one of the worst feelings I've felt, and even if the kid is a stranger, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Be discreet about it, though. We don't need the attention."
With a caw, the Nevermore grabs the basket and flies off. Keres glides over to my side, and floats close to me. I already know what she wants, and I simply raise both my arms out. She possess my shirt and lets out a content sound I rarely hear from her.
"Yeah, yeah," I say, trying to hide the goofy grin I feel coming on. "I love you too, Keres."