Note: I don't own any of the characters mentioned, just my own OC. Credit for the GrimmFall Universe goes to Lord Maximus. :3 Enjoy! :)


(A scene of chaos is shown at the famous Navy Pier in Chicago as creatures bearing black skin and white bone plates attack the civilians, but then a youth decides to intervene in the fight, only to get injured severely.)

Start Period - Fullmetal Alchemist OST

(The boy is shown in a hospital, lying on a bed as the camera pans in on the flashing light before it fades to blackness.)

Title: GrimmFall: Dragon's Rising

At last we're here at the half way point (A pair of violet optics flash online as the screen pans out to show a dark blue colored mecha with a pair of draconic wings on the back as he stands atop a building in a city surrounded by mountains.)

In the heart of our endless journey (The mecha flares his wings and takes flight as he draws out a sword from his shield, charging at an imposing black Grimm with large wings and scars across its body.)

At last, while everything still is calm (As the two collide a flash of light is shown to reveal a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes looking at the camera, a rapier in her left hand as she holds a Dust canister in her right.)

Take a deep breath (She swings her sword, only for it to extend into a whip as it swirls with wind around it, curtesy of the wind Dust in the chamber.)

We both have just began to grasp it (The wind engulfs the screen only to vanish as fire surrounds a sword, the camera panning out to show a redheaded woman with a fiery sword in her grasp.)

But it's slipped out of our hands (The woman slashes with her sword as the camera follows the shockwave before it hits a wasp-like Grimm, incinerating it before the camera is engulfed in flames.)

And we will learn from those fragile mistakes (The flames vanish as the camera moves up and out of them, showing a city under siege.)

'til nothing stands in our way (The city defenses struggle to keep the Grimm Horde at bay, only to be aided by two more figures, one of them leaping into the air and firing a Dust-laced rocket from a rocket launcher at the closest Grimm.)

An unbreakable bond will forever link our hearts (The two figures land, one of them being a man wearing a trench coat and behind him appears a buxom woman in shadow as beside him stands a woman with a hammer in one hand, her gaze locked onto the sky above them.)

There's no spell, no hell, that will undo us (The camera pivots to show the two from the side and then from the front, only this time they stand beside the mecha and other two women as they stand in front of a large metallic structure.)

We have made it here at last (The fortress is shown in all its glory, cybernetic organisms lurking around it and several of them aim at the camera as two sinister green optics appear behind the scene, flaring brightly.)

In this never ending dance (The light envelops the camera only for it to vanish as the scene shows a woman with blonde hair and a man with a slightly darker shade of blonde hair standing in front of the mountain city, the others landing beside them.)

And we'll live through us the period of time (The group lunges at the screen, weapons drawn as more Grimm attack.)

GRIMMFALL: DRAGON'S RISING


Opening Files: General Reginald Skarr

General Reginald Skarr is perhaps the most notorious of the Fallen that exist. As is typical of all Fallen, he was taken from his family at birth and raised among the Grimm. But in an interesting twist of Fate, he was also given a chance to work among the normal humans to further Sammael's cause by recruIting potential Fallen.

After Dracon's well-known attempt to save a Fallen child from being taken by Grimm, it was decided to try and recruit those kinds of children through more subtle methods rather than outright stealing the babies. Such actions were sure to attract more Hunters to the scene, whereas subtle methods would be less obvious, and therefore less likely to draw attention from Hunters the world over.

Skarr was sent to a military school where he showed himself to be the top of his class. He graduated with high marks and was assigned to the US Army's First Division for a few years before he was found out. He was summarily discharged and forced to wander the country, trying to beg and steal to live. As a Fallen, his powers are great, but his most devastating is his Semblance. He has been the most successful in recruiting Fallen to Sammael's side.

One ability that makes him a threat is his skill in sensing others through their souls, as Dracon reported Skarr being able to sniff him out despite not possessing an Aura or Semblance. Theories abound as to how it's possible and as to whether other Fallen possess the same kind of ability. But so far no data has come forth to support this theory.

Close File


"Spies are any nation's attempt to gather intelligence on enemies. But sometimes they can be used to recruit new members to the cause of their enemies. These people often have connections that make them valuable assets. Such as in the military. Those who know a lot about military equipment or operations are the gravest threat in such a business," TOM remarked as he closed the Skarr file. "So ask yourself as to whom you can trust. Because sometimes people may try to manipulate you into doing or believing something they want."


The next day was even more dreary than the last.

Dark clouds covered the entire sky, and there was practically no sunlight poking through. It seemed like the whole world was cast in an eternal twilight. The mere thought made me shudder and my armor rattled against my frame.

Thankfully there was no rain, but that only seemed to add to the eerie mood of the scenery.

The fact that a slight mist was creeping in only made things seem creepier.

I left Staffordshire that morning - after discovering that my armor once again covered that glowing frame - and after I paid for my stay at the inn, wandering down the paths that snaked their way through the woods. I had to admit, this reminded me of the Darkland Sectors of America, and I was making sure to stay away from those areas. Especially as I had no real experience aside from my training and whatnot.

The path I was walking down was actually rather deserted, and no other sign of life could be detected for several hundred meters. At least from what I could sense via radar. Otherwise my vision was unable to really penetrate the thick fog. Well, maybe my infrared could, but I wasn't willing to risk mistaking a human being for a Grimm, and as it stood, there was no way to even tell if someone was a Fallen or not. I didn't even know if I could detect one!

I drew my cloak closer to my frame and I shuddered.

"Man... this just gets creepier and creepier..." I muttered to myself.

Truth be told, not even the sound of my own voice was enough to calm me down. I was downright terrified, actually.

Nonetheless, I continued on, intent on getting to the next town for a bit of a break. Already I was starting to get stressed from the job. I glanced down at one of my hands and noticed it was shaking a bit. I could feel my reactor humming louder in my chest and my wings twitched beneath my cloak. Yeah. I was scared.

The only issue was that the next town was a good three days on foot. And there was no way in hell I was risking exposing myself by flying. So I was stuck walking down the deserted path, keeping an eye out for any possible Grimm that may have been lurking in the mist. I clenched my hand around my beam magnum's grip and held it across my chest, but the reassuring presence of the weapon only calmed me down somewhat. I looked left and right, trying to see if there was anything hidden inside the mists surrounding me. And it was then I heard it.

Or I thought I did.

I paused, standing absolutely still.

I slowly took another step.

And there it was again. The faint sound of a footstep on the ground, just a mere half second after mine.

Someone was following me.

I looked back, but no one was behind me. I glanced left and right, but again, no one was there. At least from what I could see. All I saw were the shadows of the trees in the mist. And my radar didn't show anything, either. I gulped nervously and continued walking.

Only to see something run through the shadowy trees.

That did it. I whipped my frame around and aimed my weapon, firing a shot not even a second later. The report of the gun echoed through the misty woods, and I stood there, still holding my smoking magnum. "Who's there?" I called.

Nothing responded. I took a step in the direction I had fired, keeping my weapon aimed in front of me. "Whoever's there, show yourself!" I called again.

Only the soft rustling of the trees responded in my hearing. Cautiously, I inched my way into the woods, my very frame poised for whatever was lurking in the vegetation. It could've been a Grimm for all I knew. They were very common, after all.

Except what I had seen was humanoid. Which meant only one of a few things: either a person was lost and needed help, or there was a Huntsman or Huntress about, and they were mistaking me for a Grimm. Then again, with my cloak, I did look rather imposing. That also left one other possibility.

There was a Fallen about.

That got me on edge. If there was a Fallen lurking here, I had to get out and fast. I had no idea what kind of abilities Fallen had, and it made me worried for my own survival. My dad's words rang through my processor and I started to back up, intent on getting on the path and then beating it back to Staffordshire for a while until the mist faded.

But by then it was too late.

The next thing I knew, my left foot was caught in an ice patch, and I shot a glance down to see that not just my foot, but my whole left leg from the knee down was encased in ice. I glanced up, and I swore my reactor ceased humming altogether as a shadowy shape - the same one I had seen - came out of the mist, holding a rifle across its chest, the shimmering of an ice Dust magazine barely visible. The shape drew closer, aiming the gun again, this time at my chest. The mist began to part from around the figure as it finally stopped, just meters away from me.

Now I could see what it was, and I got a sinking sensation right where my stomach would've been had I remained human.

It was a man. But not any man. His veins were black and purple, and the marks were clear. I had only heard of them briefly, but it was enough to send a shudder racing down my back struts. The man's single eye flashed red, and his other eye was just blank with a scar on it. In his hands he held a Dust rifle, its ice Dust magazine shimmering. His uniform was kind of old school, but it was still a military uniform.

This man was a Fallen.

"So... you dare to step into the domain of General Reginald Skarr?" he asked, keeping his rifle trained on me.

I remained silent, instead trying to figure a way out of this. My mind raced as I tried to think of something. 'Dammit! There was no mention of a Fallen here!' I thought. 'I'm not even supposed to fight them!'

The man merely narrowed his gaze as he kept his rifle aimed at where my reactor was. "You are going to answer me!" he barked, sending a shiver down my back struts. A sense of foreboding seemed to ooze from him, and I tried to brace myself against it, but the downside to being in this frame was that I lacked an Aura and Semblance, which could've come in handy. All I really had was just my training and arsenal, along with that strange glowing... frame... or whatever it was... beneath my armor plating.

I felt Skarr's presence dominating the battlefield, and his will started to impose itself on me, and I found myself having to struggle to keep myself from kneeling to his dominion. I shuddered as I collapsed to one knee, trying to at least keep myself from bowing. I raised both hands to my head, although they were shaking, and grasped it, trying to force his will from my mind.

"Yes... bow to me... and tell me why you dare to trespass in my domain," Skarr purred.

I could feel his presence intruding on my thoughts, trying to direct them into submission. But if there was one thing in my favor, it was that I was far too stubborn to yield to someone like him. During my training at Laplace Community College, one of the instructors had been a harsh trainer, electing to use her Aura to impose her will on her students and make them write a paper if they failed her courses. It almost never happened, because most people were too exhausted to even protest by the time they were finished. I had been one of the exceptions, having accidentally mouthed off to her and she tried to do the exact same thing that Skarr was doing to me now. And that was the last straw for me.

See, I'm an idealist. I believe in right from wrong, and what she was doing to me was wrong. I believe in free will, and therefore her attempts to break it were what drove me to attack, and she was surprised I had broken free from her commands. To be honest, she was actually impressed by my efforts and I earned a passing grade for her course, along with the statement saying that the only way to truly make a mark was to show how strong one's resolve was. And my resolve had been the strongest of any student.

I was the only trainee to get an "A+" in her course.

I grunted as he finally forced me to kneel all the way, but I refused to lower my head or hands. I felt something shifting and sliding, but it was all too fleeting as I was focused more on the mental battle at hand.

"Trying to resist will only make things worse..." Skarr sneered. "So give it up. You know you want to..."

And, as sad as it seemed, he was right. I knew I wanted to, but there was no way I was going to.

Not ever.

Not as long as I lived.

And certainly not to a Fallen like this one.

"Now... tell me why you came here!" Skarr barked, his voice carrying a tone of authority that implied total control.

"I...am...not...going...to!" I managed to rasp out. "You... You think... you're so..."

My words were cut off as he stepped closer, his eye flashing red in his anger. "You will tell me... right now!" he snarled.

I managed to raise my head, and in return, I flared my optics brightly. "No... way... bitch!" I sneered.

Skarr pressed his gun into my chest. "You will-"

My hand lashed out in a punch and nailed him in the stomach, his purple Aura flaring into existence. I felt his presence retreat as his Semblance deactivated, and I got up, finally noticing that my armor was open again, exposing the glowing greenish-white frame again. I glanced down at one of my hands, flexing it. 'What...? How did I do that?' I wondered briefly.

My awe was cut short as my radar blared inside my head and I reacted by bringing my shield in front of my chest as the Fallen fired an explosive Dust round right for me. My I-Field kicked in and I was blown back, the shockwave shattering the ice trapping me and sending me flying. I landed on my back, my wings spreading out to either side as I impacted the ground. I grunted as I sat up, noticing that Skarr was now on the move.

"Dammit...!" I muttered. "I just had to get roped into fighting a Fallen!"

I scrambled to my feet, my optics glowing in the dim light of the mist that surrounded us. I hefted my beam magnum, and I kept my wings spread in case I needed to get airborne. I looked left and right, and my gaze landed on him as he moved to flank me from the right. I reacted by aiming my gun and firing a single shot right for him. Skarr's Aura flared again, taking the shot and I rolled to the right as he fired a round right for me. I got into a kneeling position and fired a second shot, this time forcing him to take shelter behind a downed tree. I sprawled out on the ground, using my cloak to conceal my glowing psychoframe - I had nothing else to call it at the moment - from his keen vision, if he had any, that is.

The Fallen started to circle around again, searching for me. "You think you can hide from me?" he asked. "I can sense your presence..."

I snorted to myself. There was no way he could sense me... could he? There was so much people didn't know about the Fallen...

A sudden blast of ice Dust near me prompted me to scramble to my feet and run for it, Skarr giving chase. My mind was now reeling as I realized he had somehow picked me out. Was it because of my psychoframe? Or was it because he could, as he said, sense my presence? If so, then I needed to find a way to mask my signature. But if I lacked an Aura or Semblance, how had he picked me out because of my presence?

These questions whirled through my processor, and none of them had valid or reasonable answers. But if anything, I knew I needed to somehow get the jump on him. His Aura was strong, and his Semblance was even worse. I needed to find a way to take him down. But as it stood... how could I? I was still new to this whole thing, and I had never even encountered a Fallen until now.

My thoughts were brought back to reality as the man suddenly appeared in front of me, and I skidded to a stop, bringing up my shield in the nick of time as he fired another explosive Dust round right for me. The round struck my shield, but thankfully I had the thought to actually brace myself this time. I only skidded back a few meters as a result. Skarr's face morphed into a scowl. I slowly lowered my shield, only enough for me to peek over the top of it. His eye flashed red in his anger as he started to walk towards me again.

I stood my ground as he raised a hand, and his Aura flared. I ducked behind my shield again as that sense of imposing will snaked out and over me. Much to my surprise, I found that it wasn't as potent as it had been before. Was it because I wasn't looking at him, or was it because of my psychoframe? (I later learned on that it was because of both aspects. I just didn't know it at the time.) I decided to ignore it and focus on the fight. I shot a glance at my radar, and noticed he had stopped in front of me. But I was now at a disadvantage. I couldn't lower my shield, because then if I made eye - err, optic - contact with him, I was sure he'd try to impose his will on me again.

So I had to rely on another means of attack.

And I had only one option.

Well, two, really, but I wasn't sure if I could even control them properly.

Still, I had to do something, or else he would just attack me and force me to his will.

Slowly, I spread my wings and focused my will on the fin funnels attached to them. I remembered that Dr. Vist told me they were connected to my processor via wireless receivers, and each one had small engines and a miniature generator built into it for maneuvering and power. And since they were connected to my frame, the generators could be recharged from my reactor core. And these things were capable of firing beams and generating what could only be described as a beam shield. I dimmed my optics as I bowed my head a bit. The only thing was that to launch them, I needed to focus quite a bit.

I felt one of them detach, followed by another, then another. All eight slowly removed themselves from my wings and started to hover close to me. I looked up and glanced left and right. They were hovering close to me behind my shield. I smirked to myself in my thoughts as I sent them out, having them hover around through the trees to avoid Skarr seeing them. A few times they wavered and one went off course, but I managed to get them back in formation. I directed them to take up positions in the trees as Skarr sneered.

"Think you can withstand my Semblance much longer?" he asked.

I responded by firing a beam shot at point blank range from my magnum.

Skarr hissed as his Semblance retreated, and he lunged for me, his rifle shifting into what could only be described as a bastard broadsword. I blocked his slash with my shield as I lowered it enough to peek over the top. "I'm not hoping to!" I hissed. "I just need to buy some time!" I swung my magnum around, the beam bayonet lancing out and pushing against his sword, pressing it back. I saw him slide back as I brought my full strength to bear against his Aura. I slashed a second time, and then I shut down the bayonet as I switched to the rotary grenade launcher beneath it.

Skarr's eye widened as he saw me aiming the launcher. "Let's see how you can stand up to this!" I shouted, firing a grenade at him.

He dodged to the side as the charge struck the ground and exploded, sending dirt and tree leaves everywhere. I spun around as he ran, intent on trying to get behind me. But I wasn't allowing it. I sent a mental signal to one of my fin funnels, and it fired, sending a pinkish beam lancing out in his direction. The beam struck close to his foot, and he skidded to a stop as I directed my other funnels to lock onto his position. I made sure to keep a firm gaze on him, because right now I needed to actually keep a lock on the target with my vision.

Skarr ducked a few beams and rolled to dodge one more, but two hit him in the back and one grazed his face. The last one hit his arm and he looked back at me, his Aura now slightly weaker. "That's actually rather clever of you... using remote weapons like that," he growled. "But not clever enough!"

My optics flashed in shock as he swung his sword, unleashing a gust of wind with it right for me. On instinct - and out of desperation, really - I flared my thruster pack and boosted into the air, flying to the left to avoid getting nailed by the gust of wind, which actually resembled more of a shockwave than an actual breeze. I landed not too far from where I had been, my reactor racing in my chest as I panted a bit in shock. "Dammit... That was way too close..." I muttered.

I looked back, only to see Skarr was gone.

I felt a sense of dread welling up in my chest and I gulped nervously. I cast my gaze around, holding my gun at the ready. I called my funnels back to me, and they reattached to my wings. What I did not expect next was to see Skarr lunge out of the trees, his broadsword flashing as he tried to cut my head off. I panicked and ducked the blow, my fist lashing out and connecting with the blade, knocking his aim off and I spun around, kicking out in a roundhouse to knock him off balance even more. I folded my wings close to my back and landed a ways away as Skarr regained his balance and looked at me, his eye flashing red.

"Consider yourself lucky for now, I have more important business to attend to," he said, sheathing his weapon. "But next time we fight... it won't end in your victory..."

I perked up at that. "Wait! Where do you think you're going!?" I cried, attempting to stop him.

But he just turned and vanished into the mist, his footsteps retreating and I ran after, intent on trying to get answers.

Yet when I burst into the clearing just ahead of me, he was gone. I expanded my radar to its full range and even tuned my sensors to their highest sensitivity, including my audios. I stood absolutely still, taking in the data fed back to me. But all of it said one thing.

He was gone.

There was no trace of him anywhere.

I felt a huge surge of relief rush through my frame at that point. I actually wound up collapsing onto the ground, on my hands and knees, staring at the dirt beneath me. I was panting heavily, and the sheer, profound relief at having survived overcame me. My head felt light, and I swore I was dizzy. My reactor was humming loudly in my audios and I could feel my chest armor vibrating from its humming. I slowly looked at my hands and raised one of them, studying it before clenching it and burying my face in it. A laugh escaped my vocalizer and I actually broke down, not out of grief or terror, but out of relief for having survived against a Fallen, even if it was a fluke.

I slumped back on my knees, grasping my arms and rubbing them, just savoring the fact that I was even alive. Most Fallen never left any humans alive, least of all Huntsmen and Huntresses.

I was lucky, I figured. My first encounter with a Fallen, and I had lived.

I finally got to my feet and continued on, making my way back to the path, only to stop as I realized that none of the trees looked familiar to me. I looked at them, trying to figure out where I was. As I gazed at my surroundings, it began to dawn on me that I wasn't anywhere near the path. I was too far from it, so I had no idea where it was. In fact...

I was lost.

Grumbling to myself, I made my way back to the battle site, knowing that until the mist cleared I was stuck there. So I decided to set up camp there for the evening. I proceeded to gather some firewood from several tree branches that were knocked down during the scuffle. Once I had enough, I set it down and carved a small pit in the dirt. After gathering up a few leaves, I grabbed a slab of bark and, using a segment of my skirt armor, carved a small groove in the surface. I stuck a stick in the middle and set the leaves around it. Then I began to spin it, generating enough heat to create a fire. Now, even though I was a Gundam and had weapons that could start a fire on my person, I didn't want to risk misfiring them and setting the whole forest ablaze. (That would not look good on my record as a Huntsman.)

Once I had a small flame burning, I knelt and began to blow on it, expelling air from the dual slats on my faceplate to gently urge it on burning. The flame began to eat away at the leaves and wood, so I hurriedly assembled a makeshift teepee for the flames and very soon, in less than five minutes, I had a fire burning. Normally I would've decided to cook some food, but I didn't need to eat anymore, so I just sat there, letting the warmth of the fire seep into my frame as I inched a bit closer. The cloak did help somewhat with keeping the cold, misty air off me, but the fire made things a whole lot better.

I lay down on the dirt, my cloak acting like a makeshift blanket as I lay on my chest, gazing into the flames.

My mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts as I lay there. Most of them concerned the Grimm, but one really niggled at my processor. And it wasn't leaving me alone.

What was a Fallen doing near Staffordshire, Michigan?

It didn't make any sense. The whole time I had been there - and that wasn't very long, mind you - I had never even heard a whisper of a Fallen being in the area. Oh sure there were plenty of Grimm about, but a Fallen? That was what really made me worried. From what little I had known, and what I had experienced recently, the Fallen were much more powerful than mere humans, Faunus, or Mobians. Hell, he was even more powerful than me! And I was a friggin' Gundam!

Was there something in the town that warranted the presence of a Fallen? Or was it just because he happened to be in the area?

There were so many unanswered questions it started to make my processor ache. I finally got myself into a sitting position, with my knees drawn close to my chest and my arms resting on my metal kneecaps. I placed my chin on my arms and just sat there, gazing into the fire. I watched as the flames danced around, my mind trying to piece together the recent events. But, so far, nothing.

I shivered under my cloak.

'Maybe it's best I get some sleep,' I thought. 'I can try and get some answers in the morning. It's getting late, anyway.'

I flopped back onto the ground and rolled over so I was on my side, my wings folded flat against my back and my cloak covering me like a blanket. I shut off my optics and I finally fell into recharge.


The next day, I woke to rain pounding against my cloak. My optics flickered as my vision came online, and at once I could see it was raining.

Again.

"Dammit... This is not looking like good weather," I grumbled as I got to my feet. The rain had snuffed out the fire, so I didn't have to worry about that. I adjusted my cloak and began to walk in any random direction.

Truth be told, some part of me wanted to fly and at least get somewhat closer to the next town. But the more rational side of me - my logic circuits - said no, that it was a bad idea to even try.

And I was right.

Lightning flashed and a loud thunderclap made me jump. After that electrocution I suffered during my time training at Laplace, I wasn't so willing to risk flying in a thunderstorm like this one. Especially as lightning was about. I continued to walk, trying to bring up an image of the area around me using my radar. That was about the only useful tool I had at the moment.

I wandered through the woods, my radar scanning ahead of me. Some parts of the woods were starting to look rather familiar the more I walked, and the closer I got to wherever I was heading. I finally pushed some brush aside and my optics flashed a bit in surprise as I stared at a rather beaten path. The same one I had gotten lost trying to find. I could see my footprints in the dirt and leaves, and I followed them up until the point I left the path. But instead of heading off the path, I continued on.

Now that I was going in the right direction, I increased my pace.

I could feel the mud squishing beneath my heavy metal feet and I mentally grimaced at the squelching sound it made. (Even though I had been out in such conditions during my training, it was still pretty gross.) I forced myself to ignore it though and just continued on down the path. The journey was actually rather uneventful, barring an attack from a few bear-like Grimm, but I fought them off with little to no damage. I was grateful for my frame at this point, because any other Huntsmen or Huntress would have gotten very sick in this weather. My sensors detected a drop in the temperature and I shivered on instinct; it was getting colder. I drew my cloak closer to my frame, right up to where it was covering me entirely.

By the time I stopped for the evening, I had been on the move for a full eight hours. Even though I still could continue on, I chose not to, preferring to regain some of my strength. And yet, that was put on hold as I perked up, hearing the cries of a woman. I turned in that direction, and at once my radar blared an alert in my head. I expanded its range, and I felt my reactor stop in horror.

There were Grimm attacking.

Ursa Grimm.

And not just one or two. There were fifty.

I ignored all protests from my logic circuits as I ignited my thruster pack and spread my wings, my psychoframe becoming visible as I threw my cloak aside and took to the air. If anything, this was not going to be an easy fight, I knew from prior experience in my Huntsman Academy days. I flew as fast as I could through the thick rain, my optics straining to penetrate the darkness.

'C'mon... where is she?!' I thought desperately.

My radar finally displayed the location of the woman in question, only for me to see that she was not as helpless as she seemed. She was actually a Huntress, if the rapier she wielded was any indication. She thrust it towards one of the Ursa Minor, hitting it in the head and causing it to fall dead, the body already vanishing in wisps of black smoke. She whirled around, her dark brown hair flying out as she punched another one before cutting it in two. Had they been able to, my optics would've widened in mild surprise.

What prompted me to act though was the sudden reappearance of Skarr.

Or rather his shadowy shape on the sidelines. I spotted his rifle as he took aim at the woman, and I dove down, my shield arm coming up as I got in front and took the shot. The explosive round struck the I-Field, and the sound prompted her to look over, her blue eyes wide. I didn't even waste a second as I swung my shield to the side, my Beam Burst gun swinging into position and firing. I let the burst go right for where Skarr was lurking, and in a moment he was on the move, getting out of the way and disappearing into the rainy evening.

The woman suddenly thrust her rapier at me, and I yelped as I dodged it, only to see her impale an Ursa Major in the chest. She pulled her sword out and spun the Dust chamber as the weapon suddenly extended into a whip crackling with lightning Dust. "You gotta be careful!" she said. "These Grimm aren't as easy as the others!"

"Duh! I know that!" I shot back as I prepped my magnum and stored my Beam Burst gun back against my arm. I aimed at one of the Ursa and fired. "Think this is my first time facing them?"

"The way you didn't see that one coming from behind says so," she retorted.

I snorted a bit, but ignored the retort as I fired a few more shots, her using her whip to cut into a few more of the Grimm.

"By the way, I could've handled myself!" the woman said abruptly.

I shot a glance back at her as I fired a shot right at an Ursa Major, striking it in the leg before I jabbed my beam bayonet into its torso. "You think I'm here to rescue you?!" I blurted, only to pull back as an Ursa Minor nearly backhanded me with its paw. I yanked my magnum's beam bayonet out and with a jab, I struck it in the shoulder and cut. "I'm here to help, not rescue!"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Yeah? I can still handle myself, thank you very much!"

I mentally gritted my teeth and lunged, suddenly tackling her to the ground as an Ursa Major tried to bite her in the leg. She and I both went rolling, only to come to a stop mere feet from where Skarr had stood. I was on my feet in a flash, my reactor whirring loudly in my audios as I aimed my beam magnum at the remaining Ursa Grimm and fired the last shots in the energy clip before I ejected it and slammed a new one home. The woman scrambled to her own feet, swinging her rapier/whip around to cut a Grimm in half.

The two of us kept up the fight until the last of the Grimm vanished into smoke.

I finally stood up straight and sheathed my Hyper Beam Sword, which I had switched to in order to save the energy cells for my gun. The woman turned to look at me and snorted. "Well, I guess I can thank you for your help," she admitted. "At least we cleared the Grimm out faster."

I nodded. "I will admit to that," I said.

She turned and prepared to leave, but my hand lashed out before I even realized what I was doing. As soon as my hand was on her shoulder, she whirled around. "Now what?!" she cried.

I pulled my hand back and raised both hands. "Whoa! Just settle down!" I blurted. "I'm sorry!"

She growled and sighed. She muttered under her breath as she rubbed her face with a hand. "I can't believe this... Getting stuck with some newbie Huntsman in some ridiculous getup of armor!"

My wings flared on instinct, something that happened quite often when my anger got the better of me. "Hey! I may be new to this, but I am not stupid!" I snapped, glaring at her. "You try stopping a bunch of Grimm with nothing but your bare fists and a whole lot of debris from destroyed rides and shops at Navy Pier!"

Now that threw her for a loop. "Wait... You were there?" she asked, her eyes wide.

I nodded. "I was. And there were no Huntsmen or Huntresses in the area. At least until fifteen minutes later," I replied. "I was the only one who dared to take a stand, and that was without any basic training. Least of all an Aura or Semblance."

"I'm surprised anyone survived that," the Huntress admitted. "So... what's with the armor?"

I paused, hesitant to reveal the project or what I truly was, so I decided to compromise for a half-truth. "Actually, this armor is kind of like a life support system for me. I was badly injured, but didn't want to be bedridden for the rest of my life. So they hooked me up to a portable life support system and installed it in this armor. The bad news is that I can never take it off since this is all that's keeping me from dropping dead," I explained, trying to offer a realistic scenario. And actually, a lot of people did get new limbs or whatnot to assist in the fight against the Grimm, so it kind of did make sense, even if it was a bit farfetched at the time.

The woman pursed her lips as she looked me up and down, finally folding her arms. "I see. Well, that makes sense then. But this is the first time I've heard of a full suit of armor being used like that," she remarked.

"It's a new prototype, so..." I rubbed the back of my helmet sheepishly, and she nodded.

"All right. So that explains it then." She turned and looked back at me. "So, you going my way?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm heading towards the next town. You?"

She smirked. "Where else? C'mon. There's bound to be more Grimm showing up if we linger too long."

I gulped at that and ran after as she began running down the path.

As we walked, she and I chatted a little to pass the time. I learned her name was Tina Hendricks and that she was from the same area where I had grown up. She apparently had become a Huntress to avenge her brother who had died at the hands of a Fallen, and she was intent on killing that Fallen before going back home to spend time with her family and surviving siblings. In return, I told her my own name and about my family and best friends, as well as my own reasons for becoming a Huntsman, which was to see what exactly made Fallen possible.

We finally reached the town, which was a small community named Hardon, actually just a bit smaller than Staffordshire, and we checked into the local motel, which wasn't too well kept, but it kind of had that rustic feel to it. (The only issues I had with the place were the cockroaches and the spiders.)

That evening was a nice quiet one. I stayed back at the room to check over my weapons while Tina went to get some food for herself; I had also told her that my "armor" kept me nourished through implanted tubes. In reality, I felt kind of bad about lying to her, but then again, there wasn't anyone I could really trust, aside from my best friends and family, with the truth about my actual condition. And in fact, the team I had been assigned to at Laplace Community College - Team DNJR - had found out due to sheer accident, but I still trusted them as well with this information.

She returned about fifteen minutes later with a piece of pizza in her hands and a small salad. She made her way over to the rickety table and sat down.

I had to admit I missed eating. But then again, there wasn't any way for me to even be able to in this frame. So I had to just deal with it. As she ate, she glanced back at me and I averted my gaze. I had other things to worry about anyway.

I started to fiddle with my gun, checking the energy cell magazines. I grasped one of the empty mags and placed it on the bed beside me. At least these could be recharged somehow. The trouble was it required a special kind of Dust, and that Dust wasn't really sold to the public. I guess it was because it was only available to the military. The Dust in question was a cyan blue color, and as such it didn't have any elemental properties, but it did provide a lot of power. The energy mags it turned out needed this kind of Dust in order to generate the beams for my gun, although I didn't even really need to worry about my fin funnels or Dracon fangs, since those drew on the power from my reactor in order to function, or had their own generators.

"Joseph?"

I looked up from my work and locked my optics with her eyes. "Yeah?"

"How long do you plan on being on the move for?" she asked in between bites of her salad.

I shrugged. "For as long as needed. I'm not one to really stick in one place for too long."

"Why? Trying to avoid someone?" Tina joked. She grinned as she said this and I felt my reactor skip in my chest a bit. I didn't know why, but something about her just seemed to... I don't know... make me want to smile a bit.

I chuckled a little, trying to hide my nervousness. Maybe it was because I just met her and she was friendly towards me, I didn't know. "Well... not really, but since you put it that way, I guess so," I remarked.

"Such as Major Glory?" Tina giggled.

Major Glory I knew was a good hero and a tough man, especially as it's been said he's slain hundreds of Grimm with just his bare hands and his powers. But he often let his ego get the better of him. And to be honest, I didn't like the guy. He was often too thickheaded, and sometimes never thought out his plans. Plus who wouldn't dislike that big chin of his? I felt a chuckle escape me, my frame vibrating a bit with my laughter. "I guess you could say that," I admitted. "Truth is, I don't really like the guy." I proceeded to start examining my shield next. "He may be a good hero, but his skills as a person leave something to be desired."

Tina shifted a bit. "Yeah. I will admit that." She took a bite of pizza. "I mean, c'mon! I may like heroes, but he's not exactly my kind of guy."

Major Glory also had a thing for... hot women. And most ladies actually liked him. But to hear that Tina didn't like him in the same sense as the other ladies was in a way a relief, because that meant she wasn't exactly drawn to him.

Had I been able to, I would've been smirking at this. "Why? His arrogance put you off?"

Tina's eyes widened a bit. "How'd you know?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Just a guess. That's what most people tend to overlook. Glory's arrogance always gets the better of him, I think."

My companion turned and grasped the remote before flicking on the battered TV set on top of the dresser. "I mean, GrimmFall is a nice place, but the heroes have got to go. Or at least tone down the theatrics," she said as the news came on.

The headlining news story, it turned out, had to do with another Grimm attack being thwarted by the defenders and residents of GrimmFall, and I snorted. "Can you change it? I don't like hearing about GrimmFall's reputation all the time."

"I'm surprised," Tina remarked dryly as she flipped through the channels. "Especially since you're from Empire City."

I rolled my violet optics at the comment. "Yeah, but I like to just ignore that when not on duty," I retorted.

She finally settled on a historical documentary that, while old, was actually very informative about the Grimm and their origins, as well as the different cycles of their rising and decline. I knew all about that already from the classes I took while at Laplace, and she did apparently as well, but we watched it anyway. Then after that was a small show on the different Huntsmen throughout history, and I found myself getting a bit sleepy. I turned to ask Tina to turn off the TV, and much to my surprise, I found her resting against my chest, her head laying on my cloaked shoulder guard.

I felt my reactor skip in its humming and I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. A strange tingling feeling raced through my psychoframe and I shuddered against my will.

I found that I didn't want to even move from that spot.

But I forced myself to move anyway. I slowly slipped a hand under her and pulled her close to my chest in a bridal style carry before I stood up.

I made my way over to the old bed and gently set her down, covering her up before I shut off the TV myself. I paused a bit before I shut the light off beside her bed. Then I made my way over to the other side of the room and slipped under the covers as well, my wings folded against my back and my cloak kind of draped over my frame. I paused a bit before I got up and removed it. I didn't want it to get torn in my sleep, after all.

Once that was done, I set aside my shield and beam magnum before I slithered back under the covers and fell into recharge.

Strangely, the last thought I had before I fell into recharge was of Tina's smiling face.

Then I fell asleep, unaware of just how much things would change in the coming future.


Name: General Reginald Skarr

Aura: Bright purple

Semblance: Domineer

Description: Able to subdue and dominate the will of his opponents. Only those with stronger wills - or in Dracon's case, his psychoframe - can resist. Also has to maintain eye contact for it to work

Species: Human/Fallen

Weapon: an assault rifle that can turn into a bastard broadsword