Chapter 2
8 years later….
The morning was serene if one were told to describe it, quiet too. A slight drizzle of rain from last night was present and its scent of renewed earth felt intoxicatingly calm. The smell of spring ending and transitioning to summer was simply breathtaking, the mundanity of people strolling about and chatting to each other, ignorant to the world around them. Like their own little bubble, where people could forget the world's problems. Like nothing in the world could ruin this moment of calm-
"DaaaaaaaAAAAAD!"
Okay, maybe something - or in this case someone - could ruin this moment.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!"
The voice that came from the cottage from the west belongs to none other than the cheery and green themed friend-for-all, Anastasia Chrys Lyum.
Early risers of the morning, who passed by the familiar house, only raised their eyebrows. Not at all feeling surprised by the aura of pure unadulterated joy and energy that the girl gives off.
Because everybody in this timid town from the west of Vale-no, everybody in the world knows what day it is today.
And what a special day it is.
"Dad, come on wake up wake up!"
Alfred Lyum groaned in his bed, clutching his pillow closer to his face to become one with it.
His daughter just kept bouncing up and down with barely controlled excitement, and shaking him by the shoulders.
In response, as futile as it was, he groaned more. Trying to get some extra shut eye after the night before, he, and a few others, was unfortunately - though he would never admit that to her face - dragged to what his daughter liked to call it, the pre-pre-party. Preparing and participating in the party was harder than it looks.
He wanted sleep, but his daughter….
Sleep, daughter.
Sleep….
Daughter….
Sleep is for the weak anyway.
With more effort than it needs to, he sat up and toss aside his blanket. Already missing its warmth.
Chrys flinched back with an 'eep' and took up a defensive pose. Her father just yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked over to his left and noticed the clock was telling him it was five o'clock.
He looked to his right and saw that Chrys was still in that pose.
Feeling a little more excited himself, he decided to tease her. "Daughter, do tell what made you this riled up this early in the morning?"
"What?! How could you forget!" She made sure to give him an incredulous look.
He chuckled, "I know I know, just making sure you're prepared." He reassured her, though he couldn't quite hide his grin.
"Hmph! Like I could forget, it's the day I leave and head to Sanctuary Academy, the second most prestigious combat school in the whole of Remnant!"
He smiled at her, noting that she was already in her combat attire she used while in her junior Hunter academy, though with some minor changes. She was still wearing her green naughty ninos frock and knee length skirt that exposes the middle thighs. The only thing that changed was the prosthetics she used, this model was bigger to accommodate her growing size, taking on a knight-esque look with its polished shine.
She stood proud with her fake hands on her hips and her signature smile that could rival the sun.
"I am more than prepared to take the world head on!" She raised her fist and took a confident pose for good measure. "Don't you worry! I'll make mom and dad proud!" She pointed at him.
He sighed, "Alright, go downstairs, I'll make us breakfast. But I'm gonna take a shower first." He made a move to stand, but Chrys interrupted before he could.
"Oh, don't worry I already have that handled." She 'reassured' him.
His stomach churned and he had a visible grimace on his face.
Chrys noticed and winced, "Is my cooking really that bad?" She asked.
"Chrys, do you remember the last time you served food to people?" He questioned.
She looked away and pouted, muttering something along the lines of 'It wasn't so bad' under her breath.
"A quarter of the school's population was diagnosed with food poisoning." He said with a deadpan voice.
"A quarter! See?"
"yeah, but it's still 25 students, that's a lot!" He was really considering to skip breakfast just to escape whatever wrath was on Chrys's disposal.
"No dad, I didn't make it myself. Uncle Grizz came by and helped me." She sighed.
"Yo."
The two pairs of eyes turned to the new presence. A man of adequate build wearing a white T-shirt and a beige colored overall with one strap broke. To top it all off, he had a thick beard adorning his chiseled face.
"Didn't I tell you to wait in the living room?" She asked.
"Yea, but you were taking too long, and I did help myself." He produced a bottle from who knows where, the bottle seemed to be a whiskey brand with amber liquid churning as he shook the bottle.
Chrys zeroed in on her father, he in return whistled innocently.
"Okay, me and uncle are going downstairs, dad, go take a shower." She and her uncle then went off the door and shut it with a 'click'.
It only took less than five minutes to finish showering, the sudden coldness of the water that drizzled his face was enough to wake him up to full awareness. He dried himself with a towel after he's done and switch to his clothes for the day, plain blue T-shirt and black slacks.
Just before he joined the others downstairs, he went to his nightstand and gingerly picked up a photo in a picture frame.
He sat down on his bed and ran a thumb on the photo, a couple both smiling at the camera with a healthy four year old girl in the woman's arm.
He sighed.
"our baby girl's gonna make us proud, I just know it." And with that, he put them back in place. And carried himself to the door.
With one final look back, he opened the door.
It was half past nine in the morning, with the rain having dissipated a while ago. Now the road was dry enough to walk on and not slip or get your foot wear wet.
People wandering about, starting the day with farm work, opening flower shops, bakery, and the like. But Chrys had other things on her mind.
Master said he would be at the nearest bar waiting for me. But I never went to a bar before….
She'd been walking for who knows how long, if she still had her legs she would probably be cramping right now.
Though she still felt exhausted and she really needed to sit down right about now.
She spotted a brown painted bench next to a tree so she decided to take a little break. Also, why would he want to meet at a bar of all places, she expected they'd meet at someplace more formal. As she sat-
"You might not wanna sit on that…"
She jumped,turned,and promptly landed on her as-rear.
As she sat on the ground and massaged her butt, her silver eyes looked over the bench to find a head peeking from behind the tree.
Red eyes met slivers.
"Master Qrow! I thought you were at a bar!?" She went from beyond yelling.
The man - named Qrow - stepped into view, revealing his laid back grey attire and tattered red cape.
"Got into a fight with some locals." He shrugged, "Decided it would be best for me to keep a look out for you. See if you passed by, and here we are." He brought out his flask and took a long swig.
"Then what was all that about me sitting is a bad idea?" She asked.
He paused in his gulps, then grimaced and turned his body slightly revealing-
"Pft!... pfffffffttt-Hahahha-!"
She tried, she really did try to smother her laugh but just couldn't.
"Yeah… real childish aren't-cha?" He scowled at the now laughing girl, rolling side to side. Thank goodness there's no one around to see this little display.
After six months away and this is what I get from my personal student when I finally see her?
After I told my nieces that I'm not going to visit and she thinks she can get away with it?
Yeah… not happening.
"Hey, while I'm here, might as well tell me about your homework while I was gone." He started slowly.
Chrys, now recovered from her laughing spree, sat up and regarded the question.
"Ye-ah, I can do that, the homework was about reflexes, right?" She said in which Qrow nodded, "Um, so I practiced ball throwing just like you asked and also my reaction speed seems to be going well."
She continued, "Everything's going smooth so far I guess and-oh my gods are you telling me you want to test out my abilities?" Her skin paled to white as realization hit her like a bullhead.
And judging by Qrow's face, she really was going to be hit by a bullhead.
Maybe she shouldn't have laughed.
The student and teacher tread through the forest of greenery and flowers of many kinds with the noon sunlight bathing them through thick canopies.
Some birds sang songs of great heroes, overcoming obstacles. Others an opera portraying a romance of two lovers, finding solace with one another.
But, today….
They sang a requiem
Chrys's stomach was like a ship in a storm, her breath came out in ragged tempo, her heartbeat practically vibrated, and her feet dragged the earth beneath her.
Qrow meanwhile, lazily looked around - still wearing that horrifying look on his face that screamed murder - , hands interlocked behind his head, taking wide arcs with every step forward painfully slow. Forcing her to follow behind him that much of an arduous task.
She felt like a death-row inmate awaiting execution. And it seems that that was his intention.
As she trudged on further, Chrys began imagining herself in a prison hallway, cuffs on hand and legs trapped in cold metal.
Inmates in their cells chanting dirges for her, and those who didn't glanced with pitying looks.
And at the end of the hallway was none other than Qrow himself, gripping his trusted greatsword looking ready to kill.
"Hey kiddo, why don't ya loosen up a li'l. You look like your being sent to your death." He teased.
Taking a moment to get out of her fantastically horrifying imagination, she looked around, noticing that they have arrived in their 'private' training ground. Qrow stood in the middle of it, tapping a foot rhythmically, and a raised eyebrow. Sword at the ready with a dangerous gleam.
She gulped.
"Maybe it's for the better you give up now," He said, "After all, you look like you might die of a heart attack just by looking at me. I think you should stay home."
Something snapped in her, hearing those words. Fear became anger. She took out her twin gun- kamas and took a determined stance.
She shook at the bluntness of Qrow's words, "No! I won't give up! If you don't want me to be afraid, then I won't be. I can prove it!" She said.
But Qrow just scoffed, "Then prove it."
Their bodies tensed, as the world around them skid to a halt, sound became muted, colors dulled. The birds stopped singing and the grass stopped swaying, as if they're watching with anticipation. The two combatants stared at each other.
Then Both charged in.
Qrow smirked to himself before the sounds of steel against steel ruptured the air and the world moving again.
Red and silver eyes stared at one another, both locked in their weapons.
Chrys was the first to break apart. She pulled the trigger on one of her kamas, making him stumble to regain his balance. She took this chance to kick him in the stomach and slash him in a diagonal strike.
Unfortunately, Qrow was fast enough to block it with his greatsword, pushing him a few feet from her. With his face still smirking.
Chrys promptly frowned, she twirled and held her kamas in a reverse grip.
"Is that all you've got?" He asked.
She kicked off the ground and shoot behind her to gain acceleration, when she was in his guard she pulled an upward strike then a horizontal one before she brings it back again for another slash.
Qrow deflected them all with relative ease and returned it tenfold causing her to go defensive. She then managed to get out of his grip when she backflipped under a sweeping strike.
When she returned her gaze, she was now looking at the barrel of his shotgun in which he fired, prompting Chrys to roll out of the way, back now against a tree.
She slammed hard, earning a yelp of surprise from the girl. When she looked up, she saw Qrow charging at her greatsword pointed to her head. The attack failed due to his weapon being deflected by Chrys's own, causing it to seep into the thick bark in which created cracks.
She smiled, before suddenly a broken branch hit her in the face and threw her off her feet and to another tree.
Chrys grunted in pain.
Qrow grinned in satisfaction.
Now with his weapon free from the bark and she on her feet, they charged again.
She slashed repeatedly and deflected strikes from him as best she could before forcing to duck under a strike and taking a knee to the face, then an uppercut.
Her aura was probably in the yellow right now and taking her chances would probably result in the red a lot faster.
She was backed between him and a tree.
An idea came up.
Qrow was standing there, greatsword at his side looking ready to charge in again. She stood her ground and put her kamas in front of her in a defensive manner.
He smirked and charged at her.
A smirk reflected on her face similar to his own as she aimed both her gun-kamas at his feet before firing. He stumbled and Chrys launched backwards at the tree, planting her foot first then pushing herself off of it. Qrow's eyebrows furrowed together before he looked up and widened as never before.
She stuck one of her kamas on a tree branch and swung herself around, facing him from upwards. A smile plastered on her face as she saw his expression.
She held both gun-kamas in a reverse grip just like before and fired, launching at him from above. Qrow tried to deflect but couldn't as his weapon was held in by the tree.
She slashed at him, which he was thrown a few feet and into the bushes.
Qrow's weapon was still stuck in the tree, awaiting its master.
She stood there, awe and disbelief on her face, reliving the moment. She collapsed onto her knees and let her weapons down at her side. She was exhausted, out of breath, and also dirty.
Not a second later, she heard soft clapping. Qrow stood there with the toothiest grin she had ever seen him wear.
"Not bad kid, you took me by surprise there." He strolled over and took his weapon out.
Chrys looked at him slack-jawed, he didn't look the slightest bit hurt or even exhausted for that matter.
"You… you weren't at your full strength…." She muttered.
"Hm? Yea, I wasn't."
"What am I supposed to learn from all of this? If anything I do doesn't matter then I might as well be dead right now." She said.
"Kid, fighting isn't just about overpowering one another. It's about outsmarting them, leading the fight, baiting them just like what you and me did."
He continued, "If you get left behind in a fight, expect for the worst. Waste a move, miss an opportunity, or worse, die."
"Fighting isn't like those games that have health bars on them. You can't just mash buttons and do combos all day long. You have to preserve, adapt, and improvise on the spot. Better yet, use the environment against your opponent and to your advantage."
"A strong enemy who has shit for brains is child's play compared to a scrawny one who has vast knowledge on his surroundings and uses them against others effectively." He paused, "You get what I'm saying?"
She nodded silently, reminded to always listen to Master Qrow's advice.
"Alright, let's get the hell outta here and take showers, especially you, cause you look and smell like shit."
Chrys grimaced.
11.07.2019
