I present to you, chapter 7 of Tale of Two Legends! This has been sitting on my laptop for longer than I would have liked and is shorter than I'd intended, but considering the time frame between this update and the last I thought it'd be a necessary sacrifice. Related to that, I unfortunately did not have this read by ODST110 beforehand like I'd hope so I apologize for any errors or awkward sentence structure. If anyone notices anything and comments on it, I will edit it ASAP. Anyway, hope you all enjoy and thank you to those who have favorited and followed this story since last update! I greatly appreciate it!
Chapter 7
To say that Six was utterly confused at the circumstances he currently found himself in would be the understatement of the century. The last thing he'd expected when he'd woken up this morning was be stuck on somewhere that sure as hell wasn't Earth (if the fact there were actual trees in more than just a few clumps meant anything for one, let alone that they were red of all things), end up saving a group of kids that honestly didn't seem like they needed saving in hindsight, with the results being said kids currently taking him back to the headmaster of their school. According to the white-haired ice queen Weiss (apparently that nickname was WAY more common than he'd thought), it was some sort of combat school called Beacon Academy that trained these kids and others like them to fight creatures called Grimm, which were those things he'd apparently run into when he'd woken up.
Speaking of the kids, he'd actually managed to learn the rest of their names during their little trek back to civilization. The busty blonde's name was Yang Xiao Long while the shorter, hyperactive one with the love for the colour red was Ruby Rose; both were apparently sisters, despite not looking alike. Six just assumed they were stepsisters or something. The other blonde, a tall and scraggly-looking kid with a simple sword and shield, was named Jaune Arc; kid looked like a stiff breeze could kick his ass. Then there was the redhead named Pyrrha Nikos, who was apparently some sort of bigshot from a place named Mistral (God, his ears were still ringing from the berating Weiss had given him over not knowing who she was; he'd just given her the partial, not to mention bullshit, truth that he didn't get out too much; better to play his cards close to his chest for the time being). There was the unique duo that was Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, the latter of which wouldn't shut up about…well, he'd lost track of what she'd been rambling about, though he had caught mention of himself once or twice, somehow. Six was amazed that Ren hadn't lost his shit by this point, though judging by the smile on his face he'd probably had a history of hearing that stuff and likely found it somehow strangely endearing. Weiss, of course, needed no introduction. She'd made damn sure he knew who she was for the last hour, although thankfully he'd somehow managed to tune her out within the first twenty minutes or so; listening to the same songs on repeat for weeks and months on end tends to teach you that skill. The one who happened to be most interesting to him, however, was Blake Belladonna.
Unlike all the others, she'd barely said a word aside from her name and had stuck to the rear of the group, sticking even farther to the rear then he was. The others might have not noticed, but Six sure as hell had: she seemed constantly on guard, always on edge. Her amber eyes darted back and forth, like she was keeping an eye out for something or, possibly more accurate, someone. Either that, or she was way more nervous about those Grimm creatures then she let on to her friends, something Six highly doubted. Her hand subconsciously stayed in a position where she could draw her katana and engage with ease. Most curiously and intriguingly of all, though, was that look in her eyes. Hell, he had the same look himself, he knew that. The eyes of a killer. Now, he'd seen what the wasteland did to kids. He knew what it cost them. But here? In a beautiful and potentially awesome place like this? No one should have that look to them, at least not yet, not any time soon. Especially not at this age. Her twitching bow also drew his attention. As far as he knew, bows weren't supposed to twitch. Clearly, it was both too soon for him to ask and it was frankly none of his business. Of course, he hadn't been as successful as he'd been without a bit of curiosity guiding his step. So, Six would just have to wait for whatever opportunity, if any, presented itself to learn why the hell Blake's damn bow was twitching.
"So, mind telling me where we're going? I like to at least have a clue of what I'm walking into. Gives me a better chance of survival that way" Six asked, adjusting his grip on the YCS. He didn't have to, but he didn't want these kids and whoever was watching on those airborne cameras to know all his tricks (though, if the latter had caught him when he first arrived or when he was in the underbrush, they could have seen his little 'magic trick'). Not surprisingly, the ice princess answered first.
"We're going back to Beacon Academy, you dolt. Its Remnant's greatest academy, training future huntsmen and huntresses to defend humanity's future and take back our world from the Grimm" she told him. Well, that answers two things at least: what this place is called and where we're heading, Six thought, though he couldn't help but role his eyes at Weiss's answer.
"Thanks for that wonderfully pre-written speech, kid. Also, watch the tone. Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?" he told her, a small frown on his face. He'd dealt with snot-nosed kids in the past, but he could always excuse their behaviour given the circumstances of the surroundings. This girl, however, reminded him more of that Brahmin baron's son he'd rescued back at the Ultra-Luxe. Spoiled, rich, and thinking that she could get whatever the hell she wanted with nothing more than a simple demand. If he was truly stuck here, he doubted the two of them would get along. Weiss just sent a glare Six's way and turned her back on him, not that he minded that much; last thing he wanted to deal with was a brat.
"So, what kind of name is Six, anyway? That can't be your birth name, otherwise your parents REALLY hated you" Yang said, trying to lighten the mood or at least diffuse some of the simmering tension between him and Weiss. The eight teens had all sent him varying looks of confusion and/or disbelief when he'd told them his 'name'; he had to admit, he couldn't blame them all that much. Then again, what the hell kind of name was Yang Xiao Long?
"It isn't, you're right. It's a nickname, but I've gone by it for so long that it might as well be," the Courier answered, shifting the Gauss Rifle slung over his shoulder. "Also, before you ask, yes I have an actual name but I'd prefer to keep my secrets to myself, if that's alright" he added, maybe a little bit more forcefully than he should have, if the blonde's subtle wince was anything to go by. At the same time, however, he had to reinforce the fact that his secrets were his to reveal when and if he chose too. Kids could get mighty curious when faced with the prospect of discovering something hidden and likely wouldn't rest until they found out exactly what was so necessary to keep hidden.
The group was largely silent as they continued on towards this Beacon Academy Weiss had mentioned, save for the occasional inquiry from one of the kids about Six (which he almost always skirted, unless he could answer in a way that revealed little) and Ruby's constant pestering about the YCS. He'd seen some shit, but how such a small, adorable, and innocent girl could obsess so heavily over weapons honestly freaked him out just a bit. Although, the girl's massive scythe should have been one hell of a red flag. Grimm had also occasionally popped up, which had predictably ended with the poor bastards being basically nuked from orbit; Six had barely put any effort in, as in his eyes the kids were basically weapons of mass destruction on their own.
If the bombs were replaced by a ton of kids like this during the Great War, humanity would probably be extinct, mused the Courier as they arrived at a sheer cliff wall. A massive lift enclosed by a glass canopy and surrounded by what seemed like an energy shield, with a set of what Six assumed was emergency stairs snaking up the cliff face close by; this was also enclosed by an energy shield.
"Uh, shouldn't we, you know, deactivate the force field or something?" the Courier asked as the kids continued walking towards it without a care in the world. In Six's experience, that was generally a very bad idea that resulted in (admittedly glorious) messy explosions. Weiss simply tossed him a glare over her shoulder and scoffed.
"It's tuned to our Auras, you idiot. The Grimm don't have any, therefore they can't get through" Upon learning said information, Six now faced two problems. One, he didn't know what the hell Aura was (somehow, it'd never came up during their trek back), which in and of itself wasn't that big of a deal. However, the second provided a much more pressing issue. He didn't have whatever Aura was. This, of course, potentially equalled a possibly messy and most certainly painful death before he'd even gotten his feet planted in this new world, something he honestly wanted to avoid by any means necessary.
The heiress must of sensed the gears turning in the Courier's head (or seen his horrified expression) because she pinched the bridge of her nose and audibly sighed.
"You don't have your Aura unlocked, do you?" she asked, the irritation in her voice clear; Six simply shook his head. He was desperately trying to come up with some sort of excuse (and also trying to think what the girl meant by 'unlocked') and decided to use the best one he could come up with.
"I…uh…I've lived in the boonies all my life. Never saw a need" he said, hoping that his excuse made enough sense. Maybe whoever was controlling those flying cameras had control of the energy field as well and could shut it off just for him? Weiss's eye twitched and Six could swear he saw steam starting to emerge from her ears; the prospect of angering the young upstart brat made Six feel just a bit better about his current predicament.
"GAH, I'M SURRONDED BY IDIOTS!" she shouted, throwing up her hands and stomping back over to the other teens, leaving Six to stand awkwardly in front of them. Before anyone suggested anything else (although that didn't mean the other teens weren't currently racking their brains for a solution, by the looks of it), a quiet voice emerged from the group.
"I can unlock your aura for you" Blake stepped forward, not the cautious mess she was in the forest (although Six could still see an element of tension in her figure) but striding forward confidently. No one stopped her, although Weiss seemed to have grumbled something due to the fact that Yang and Ruby shot her a look, and the girl stopped just inches from Six's armored form, which dwarfed her by a few inches if not an entire foot. He didn't move a muscle as she placed one hand over his heart and another on the back of his head, gently moving it so their foreheads touched. Granted, Six was weirded right the hell out by what was going on, but considering these teens were his only real access to answers (and civilization) he'd accepted the fact that he had to play ball, as strange as said ball currently was.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all," Six couldn't help but scoff internally. He wasn't anywhere close to being either a paragon or virtuous, no matter what the legends of the Mojave said. "Indefinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee" the raven-haired girl finished, letting out a quiet sigh. Her eyes slowly opened, having closed as she began the chant, and looked at Six curiously. He stared back, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and his burnt orange eyes full of mirth. Before either could say anything, the sound of electronics and subtle hissing sounded out behind Blake. Six looked up to see the field had powered itself down and the elevator platform had lowered itself into position; the other seven teens had already taken their places, with Weiss sending the pair an impatient and annoyed glare.
"Well, shall we?" asked Six, sweeping an arm toward the platform. Blake studied his features for a second, as if searching for an answer to questions that were undoubtedly running through her mind, before turning to join her friends, Six following close behind. Just before he took his own place on the elevator, he tossed a glance at the aerial cameras still hovering above them. A small smirk spread across his face as he threw to small devices a quick two-fingered salute.
Thanks, whoever you are. See you real soon.
