Jeane's eyes were locked onto the giant black bird, which was currently under attack by the half-armored boy named Laus as well as her friend, Fran. The moment she saw the massive Grimm open its claws, she had tried to rush to her Faunus friend's aid. But, seeing that she was in the middle of flying, her options for movement were limited.
She scanned the surrounding airspace for ideas. Fran had already gone ahead using her bow, leaving Jeane to wonder just how powerful her weapon was to be able to shoot arrows capable of opposing the strong air resistance. Her gaze then moved to the dark-skinned boy flying ahead of her. Since the incident the day before, she had tried to avoid him. His words were painful, saying her resolve was weak. It annoyed Jeane that someone actually dared saying her love for her brother was a weak reason. He didn't know anything about her. He doesn't have a right to say anything about her resolution to join Beacon. But as her two friends were in danger, she understood that she couldn't be picky about her options.
She studied the boy. Aureus was currently flying parallel to Jeane. He had his arms held open by his sides and his feet together. All four limbs were discharging a steady stream of Aura, propelling him forward. As she watched him, the golden-haired boy began to slowly extend his right arm, pointing the direction of his flight towards the Nevermore.
'Is he trying to help too?' thought the blonde knight.
Quickly scanning the boy's form one more time, Jeane tried to mimic his actions. Her skirt-like waist guard clanged with the wind as she got her legs into position. Putting her arms to her side, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate her Aura flow. Over the course of five months training her father gave her, Aura was the only lesson she had to teach herself as her father had no experience in teaching it at all. She knew the defensive capabilities well. She practised it while mimicking her father's stances and strikes. But she had heard about there being other uses for Aura.
Focusing on her arms and legs, she felt a tiny surge of energy at her fingertips and toes. The next thing she knew, she felt the wind resistance increase. She opened her eyes and saw that she was burning with a bluish white flame. Noting her success, she concentrated more Aura to gush through her limbs. She flew incredibly fast that she shot past Aureus in the blink of an eye. The surprised boy could only move out of her way.
'I'll show you just how strong my resolve is.' Wearing a haughty expression, Jeane became a white hot comet that flew towards the giant bird of prey.
She pulled out her weapon and switched it to sword form. Raising the blade and ready to strike, the young knight aimed to chop off its legs.
'If I cut deep enough, Fran may be able to get Shei out of there,' she thought.
However, the blonde knight never managed to reach her target. While timing her slash, she swung out only to hit air. Doubting her senses, she looked around only to spot her target crashing down into the lake. She spotted a human-shaped figure splash into the lake bellow. Sighing in relief that they got away, she suddenly realized her own situation.
'Nononono.' She thought to herself.
Her propulsion strayed off course. She had realized that in the moment that she moved her arms to pull out her weapon, her balance was ruined, sending her off course. Realizing her mistake, she was now spinning out of control above the lake. She tried to rebalance herself but while trying to stream an Aura burst from her arms, she ended up letting go of her sword. As it dropped down to earth, she began spinning in midair a little too fast. It became difficult to discern the lake from the forest until she was left with only a few hundred meters between her and the tree line.
She had no landing plan. She was going to die. She had lost her weapon and already used up most of her Aura. There wasn't enough to shield her from the force of impact. Even if she had some Aura reserves, there would be nothing to heal if she died of shock from landing at that speed.
Only a few seconds left between her and the forest floor. She braced herself for the crash. Balling up and closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the impact, feeling a cloud of soul-crushing regret blanket her heart.
"I'm sorry–"
She muttered a silent apology. A trembling hand went to the black ribbon on her head.
"...Jaune–"
Silence came. The winds howled no more. The exploding sound of her collision to earth was absent. The sound of death seemed to be mocking her as she began to hear a hum. It wasn't loud or painful to the ears. In fact, it was soothing. As if death, itself, was inviting her.
Opening her eyes, all she saw was white. Light seemed to flow from every direction. Confused, she tried to move her arms and legs. She couldn't move them. She tried to swing her arms and stretch her legs to no avail. She felt similar to being paralyzed.
'Is this what they call 'death's embrace'?'
The thought crept up on her, causing a chill to go down her spine. She was scared. She tried again and again to move, but her limbs wouldn't budge no matter how many times she tried. Desperate, she tried channelling her Aura. Concentrating hard on escaping the white void, she imagined her Aura flaring up around her in the form of a protective shield, similar to what she was taught to do during combat. After a few minutes of trying, going so far as to push her limits, she gave up.
She began to cry again. Fearing she may never see her friends and family, she felt imaginary tears streaming down her cheeks. Her thoughts went to how she first met everyone at Beacon, how she saw her brother's face again for the first time in a long year.
'And I had just met them too.' She thought.
She remembered his smile, his laugh, everything, and cried about how she would never be able to see it all again. At one point, she started laughing about not being able to give him something to remember her for like his ribbon to her.
"Ahh, dammit," she said. "I wish this was just a dream."
'Then wake up already.'
The sudden reply by a male voice made her jolt in surprise.
"Who's there?" she asked.
No reply came. She tried calling again yet no one replied. Collecting her thoughts, she patiently waited for a reply, but none came. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyelids in disappointment.
Just then, she felt a cold feeling on her cheek. Opening her eyes, Jeane was stunned. She could see a blinding sky. Only this time, it wasn't just white. Gray streaks of clouds were flying above her. Snow fell with the breeze.
Surprised, she tried to stand up. The entire place around her was covered in snow. Turning behind her, she was greeted by a vast view of ice and snow fields. Icicles jutted up from the frozen earth, covering the ground with beautiful glass crowns. Several cracks ran through the frozen fields, forming dark blue veins that stretched out until the horizon. Some were shallow crevices that led deep into ravines between the ice glaciers. A few were as dark as the depths of the ocean.
While thinking of how the scenery seemed familiar to her, she tried blinking again. The sound of the cold winds quickly disappeared the moment she closed her eyes. It was deathly silent. She could only feel the cold on her skin. Her hair swayed with the breeze.
Opening her eyes once more, the view around her had followed suit and changed as well. The ice fields were gone, replaced by tall frozen cliffs on either side of her. The light of the sky could barely get through some of the thin gaps maybe by the cliff edges up above. She tried to move around, her eyes adapting to the dim cavern. Before her, a dark tunnel stretched out. The dark valley that the light couldn't reach made Jeane feel an eerie chill. Behind her, the cavern's entrance shone with small rays of light. Hearing the echo of footsteps, she faced the cave entrance.
A figure walked in through the icy opening. Tall and masculine, the figure removed the hood of his caribou-skin parka as he walked toward Jeane. A dark-skinned head topped with spiky gold hair appeared from under the white-colored pelt. The fur on his sleeves was tinted gray. The spikes built into his ice boots punched small holes in the ice beneath him as the boy walked on the frozen floor. He stopped directly in front of the girl's position and breathed a sigh. His breath turned into a cloud of steam as it left his mouth.
'Isn't he the boy from yesterday?' she thought. 'No. Wait.'
The young man standing in front of her was definitely the spitting image of Aureus Rex, the boy who rejected her reason for entering Beacon. But there were differences compared to the last time she saw him up close. Aside from his attire, his eyes weren't brownish red like they were yesterday. Instead, they were of a brilliant shade of scarlet. He was also exactly her height, on the same eye level as her. He stood before Jeane and looked straight in the girl's direction.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He didn't answer. In the place of a response, he started looking around the giant frozen hallway, his gaze seemingly ignoring the Arc's presence. Before she could call out again, he spoke.
"Her tracks led to this ravine. Dammit. Where could she be?" He looked down on the frozen earth with a weary expression.
"Who are you looking for?" Still being ignored, she followed up. She walked up to the boy and addressed him again.
"Hey! Answer me!"
Pissed at getting no reaction, she picked up some snow, balled it up and threw it at his face. The white ball of frozen water was aimed directly at his face. But to the blonde girl's shock, it passed right through him. Shocked, Jeane took several steps back. Aureus, however, stood there seemingly unaffected. Sweeping the area with his gaze once more, he walked around and investigated the area. His ice boots clanged with a resounding click. Jeane stared at the boy who was currently crouching low on the ground, tracing the ice with his bare fingertips. Calming herself down, she tried nudging the boy on the shoulder.
'Don't bother.'
A female voice called behind her. Turning, Jeane faced a beautiful, young girl. Dressed in a similar parka as Aureus, although blue trimmed with white fur, she stood up to the Arc girl's shoulder at her full height. A sheath and sword, adorned with blue and white markings, hung on the back of her waist. The hilt was wrapped in blue while the pommel was decorated with a red crystal. Her hair shone silver. Several short locks fell over her face while the rest was tied into two tails by two loose, black ribbons, leaving the tails to flow down behind her shoulders. Contrasting her blue and white attire, a long crimson scarf covered her neck and chin. She looked back at Jeane with round, piercing, electric-blue eyes.
'You can't touch him,' said the young girl with a voice similar to Jeane's.
"What do you mean I can't touch him?" Jeane asked with her tone full of confusion.
'This place isn't real. What you see here isn't a part of reality, at least, not anymore.' She spoke without opening her thin lips. 'What you're seeing is a memory. A fragment, to be specific.'
"What are you saying?" her eyes darted back and forth between the girl and the boy behind her. "Who are you?"
'Hmm...' The little girl thought for a moment before answering with a smile. 'I guess my name is (Jeane), seeing as I am a manifestation unique only to your soul.'
"What?"
'Maybe it's better to call me your Semblance.'
"You're not making any sense. How can my Semblance be a person?"
'I am not what you can call a living human, but I suppose it is confusing. Seeing as most people don't get the complexity of how Aura and Semblance work in the first place,' the girl happily skipped around the snow-covered floor. 'You'll find out, eventually, but now, there are more important things.'
"What do you mean? How is this is just a memory?" Jeane stammered.
'Fragment.' (Jeane) corrected. 'This is only part of a memory. What you see, hear and feel right now is a copy of a memory that belongs to someone you used your Semblance on. What you see before you is just a small piece from the whole thing.'
"My Semblance lets me copy a person's memory?"
'Yes and no.' (Jeane) tried to explain. 'Your Semblance is the power of mimicry. However, there's a catch.'
Raising a hand, (She) continued while pointing an index finger at Jeane. A devilish smile crawled on her face.
'You are incapable of creating a perfect imitation, no matter how hard you try. This is a fact. The efforts given by another for the purpose of achieving something cannot be replicated by a little girl for her own selfish reasons.'
"Who are you calling 'selfish'?" Jeane asked.
'Sorry, but that is the only word I can use to explain it. Moving on–'
"Don't ignore me."
'You may not be able to copy them perfectly. However, you are able to peek into their reasons.'
Although she was ignored, (her) words stopped Jeane from getting angry.
"What do you mean 'their reasons'?" she asked.
'Well, simply put, you will be able to see what forced them into achieving what you're trying to copy.'
"What is that supposed to accomplish?"
'I could explain it if I can. It's just that even 'I' am limited to what 'you' understand. But since you are still curious, I'll answer any other question to the best of my, ahem, your, capabilities.'
"Then, what are you supposed to be? Are you a part of this guy's memory and emotions?"
'Oh no,' (Jeane) answered. 'I am a part of you. But I believe my appearance is, in a way, partially influenced by the fragment.'
"I see." She said. "And how do I get out of here?"
'You don't. You are stuck here until the fragment completes its recollection.'
"How long would that be?"
'You're almost there. I can feel it.'
(Jeane) replied with a smile while Jeane tried to take it all in. Young Aureus, however, completed his investigation. Heaving a disappointed sigh, he stood up from the icy floor, muttering under his breath.
"Tch, tracks lead to a dead end. Where could she have gone?"
CRACK
Both Jeane and the younger Reus flinched at the sound of breaking ice. The ravine echoed with the howl of the wind in their silence. Suddenly, the shadowy depths of the frozen hallway moved.
"Who's there?"
The dark-skinned boy called out. His had readied his posture for combat. Although he carried a threatening tone, his voice was rough and worn-out.
"What's happening?" Jeane asked.
'I said I am limited to what you know. From what I can see is that this boy has company.'
"Can we do anything?"
'You? Want to help?' (She) asked apprehensively.
"So?" Jeane evaded the query. "Can we?"
'No. We can't' answered the little girl. 'This is his memory, there's nothing we can do about it.'
"WHO'S THERE?" he repeated yelling out to the shadows, taking deep breaths as he did so. The air from his breathing froze as it left his lips.
'He sounds drained,' (Jeane) spoke up. 'He seems to have been searching for quite a while.'
"What do you mean?"
'You mean you haven't noticed.' (She) stared back, an expression of disbelief on her face. 'Ever since you first saw him here, you didn't note his tired expression?'
RRRRUUUUGGGRRRRR
A low growl silenced the observers. One pair of shining red eyes glowed in the dark abyss. The bony plate mask signature only to Grimm reflected the light from the entrance. The growling reply that came after revealed it to be a large Beowolf.
RAAAAGGGGRRRRR
Spines sprouted along the arms and down its back as the giant creature clawed its way towards the small boy. Saliva dripped from its mouth full of razor sharp teeth as a black tongue licked its chops, ready for a meal.
"Alpha," Reus relaxed as he saw his opponent. "I don't have time for stupid Grimm. Get out of my way!"
RRRAAAAAGGGRRR
Pouncing at his provocation, the Beowolf lunged at empty space as Reus rolled to the side. This caused the Grimm to slide along the icy ground before turning back and lunging again. Recovering from his roll, Reus rolled again at the last minute. This time, he switched to a crouch position after the roll and jumped high into the air, leaving the Beo to attack the opposite wall. Using the spikes on the soles of his boots, he kicks off the frozen ice wall to somersault in midair. He plants his landing on top of the oblivious Grimm, stabbing his boot spikes into the Alpha's hide.
RAAAGGGGRRRRR
Howling in pain, the Beo tries to fling the boy off. But Aureus grabs on tight, using the long spines on its back as a grip.
"Is this really the best you can do?" he says as he snaps a spike off of the Grimm's back. Howling yet again, the Alpha tries to slam its back into the wall to rid itself of the boy. Taking another spike with him, Reus' jumps off at the last minute as the Alpha impales itself on the cliff face. It tried to use a claw to swipe at his spiked golden head. However, Reus faced the beast with an unchanging expression, holding the long spikes, one in each hand.
RRRAAAAAAGGG––
Desperate, the Alpha tried to swing a claw at the boy, but it never got close. With its spines stuck in ice, the Alpha had managed to wedge itself into the wall with its slam. Wearing an uninterested expression, Reus spoke up.
"Are you seriously an Alpha class Beowolf?"
Reus tossed the spines in front of their stationary owner, leaving the damaged bones to dissipate on the ice. He started investigating the depths of the darkness where the Alpha came from. The spikes on his boots clicked away, leaving one Grimm and two girls near the only visible exit. The Grimm continued to struggle while the girls watched in awe as Reus nonchalantly left the battle he fought, unscathed and unarmed. As the clicking faded, (Jeane) spoke her thoughts.
'Impressive.' (Jeane) said with a smile.
"What is?" Jeane asked.
'His fight. Notice how he didn't even draw his weapon?'
"I could've done it just as smoothly." She said with an arrogant tone.
'I highly doubt it,' replied (Jeane) 'What makes you so sure that you could do something similar?'
"Oh stop it. You can't be completely sure."
'I am a part of you. I have complete confidence that you won't be able to replicate his fight without using your Semblance.'
"Hmph. Fine. Be that way."
'... Are you, by any chance, jealous?'
"Of what?"
'Of him.'
"Wha–? No, I'm not!"
'(Giggle)'
"Why are you laughing?!"
'No particular reason,' (she) smiled. 'Still, for a student from Atlas to not finish off a Grimm during battle, how peculiar.'
"Atlas?"
'The ice isn't familiar to you?' (Jeane) asked. 'We're currently inside one of the many ravines scattered all over Mantle.'
Before the girls could continue their conversation, a small flash of light emanated from the dark abyss. It appeared only for a moment before plunging into darkness once more. Curious, Jeane asked.
"What was that?"
'I don't know,' answered (Jeane).
"Should we go check it out?"
'Yes. Let's–'
RRRAAAAGGGRRR
The Alpha Beowolf, still stuck on the wall, roared loudly as its drool scattered all over the ground. It tried to wriggle itself free but was unable to dislodge itself from the icy trap. Finding that random movement was ineffective, it slammed its only free part on the surface of the wall, its head.
BAM
RAAGRR
BAM
RRAAAAGRRR
BAM
CRACK
Fractures began to appear on the wall. Spreading at a rapid pace with each slam, the icy prison began to weaken. Soon, the cracks made were loose enough for the Alpha to pull itself out. Now free from its shackles, the Alpha howled once before chasing after the boy. The two girls immediately followed after. The beast was bounding at an alarming speed. Jeane and (Jeane) were keeping up, if barely.
Reus came into view within the darkness. Crouched low on the ground just ahead, he seemed oblivious to the attacking Grimm. Jeane called out, forgetting the fact that he wouldn't hear her anyways. Just as the Alpha was about to sink its teeth into the boy's back, a long, yet thin, glowing barrel lit the dark hall. Imprinting an arc of light into the Arc girl's eyes, the barrel made its way into the face plate of the large Beowolf. The impact shattered the mask and sent the owner flying into the wall. Still alive, the Alpha got on all fours and growled in anger. However, instead of facing his opponent, Reus posed a question to the hostile creature while looking up to the distant sky between the cliff gaps.
"Hey, have you seen a little girl come by here?"
The beast, incapable of human language, growled with feral aggression. Receiving his answer, he lowered his head and heaved a sigh.
"No? Then," Aureus turned, revealing his dark expression to the two girls. His face was painted in silent rage as he raised his baton above his head. Aura channelled to the weapon, illuminating the dark cavern with a bright gold. A wall of light appeared behind him, rippling with energy. In a swift arc, the weapon was swung down, in the direction of the Alpha.
"I have no use for you."
As he uttered these words, two beams of lights formed spearheads and shot out of the wall behind him. One of them shot towards the head while the other aimed for its chest. Flying quickly towards his target, the light blades impaled their targets and set the Grimm ablaze. The Alpha howled in pain, writhing on the floor as it turned to ash before their very eyes. After a while, it stopped moving. The golden flames continued to consume the corpse as it started to fade away. Jeane had just stood there, gaping in awe at the phenomenon that just occurred before her very eyes. While the Alpha's remains vanished in the wind, Reus had turned and started walking. His face wore an ominous look.
Looking down at where he was crouched a while ago, Jeane found out why he was in a rush. The snow was stained in black. Dried blood had tainted the once white ice. She immediately followed after the boy. He had walked a few meters further into the cavern until he spotted the first sign of a battle. The floor was shattered. The walls had scratches and claw marks all over. With a foreboding chill running down both teens' spine, Reus began his investigation while Jeane stayed back with (Jeane).
"I thought you said it's nearly over?" she asked the little girl. "Why am I still here?"
'My guess is that you still haven't realized the reason behind his strength.'
"What does that have to do with following him down memory lane?"
'You'll probably see soon enough.'
The sounds of something hitting ice broke the silence. Moving towards the origin of the noise, Jeane found Reus. He was kneeling on one knee with a fist planted into the ice. His expression was pained. Walking towards him, Jeane found out why.
Before the two teens, a parka coat similar to the one Reus wore lay on the floor of the dark, frozen rift. Torn pelt littered the ground. Shredded open around the chest area, the black-colored hide lay there as if a part of the ground.
"Who's is this?" Jeane pondered out loud. "Another one of Atlas' students?"
'No,' answered (Jeane). 'Something that is worth even more to him.'
'Huh?' Jeane contemplated on the meaning of the little girl's words. Looking closer, she noticed that it wasn't a shade of black that colored the fur. Quickly realizing this, Jeane jolted back several steps. She had finally noticed. There was a stench of death emanating from the coat. The once blue, trimmed with white fur, garment had been stained with blood.
"It can't be her. No. I'm mistaken. The blood is dry. This must've happened sometime before. But why was there no distress signal? Could they have lost their scroll? No. I should be looking for her. She should be alive. She has to be."
Getting up, Reus rambled to himself. His eyes were turning red. He was trembling as he spoke. It was clear as day how anxious he was getting. But as he continued to search the dark cavern, what he found next only seemed to torment him even more.
Further down, they came upon a weapon. Impaled on the ground was a long spear with a flat blade. The handle was blue and the silver blade seemed to be chipped off and dented in a few areas but otherwise looked combat worthy. The blunt end of the spear glinted with a dark red.
What caught Reus' eye, however, was the long trail of black that stemmed from the base of the impaled weapon. Tracing it towards a small crevice in the wall, the blondes spot something that made Reus collapse on his knees.
A long scarf lay on the frozen floor. Its color was dyed in mixed shades of black and crimson. The small hand that held it close was pale and covered in snow. The peaceful expression on the girl's face and the way her small body leaned on the ice wall made it seem like she was quietly asleep. Her hair tied in two tails by black ribbons was as white as the snowflakes that fell on her head through the gaps above. The black trail had stemmed from the dried pool under the large wound on her abdomen.
The blondes stayed silent. Jeane, in particular, had her palms covering her mouth as she suppressed a scream. (Jeane), on the other hand, examined the girl.
'I see,' (she) said. 'So this is why I took her form.'
"What do you mean?" Jeane asked quietly.
'What I'm saying is–'
"It's a lie, right?"
The boy's voice silenced the two girls.
"I'm dreaming, aren't I? It's a dream. Just a very... very bad... dream."
He started laughing. The sight became too painful to watch that Jeane had to turn away from the two on the floor. Still covering her mouth, all she could do was listen to his cries. After a while, even his laughing gave way to despair as he brought himself to wrap the cold little girl in his arms. He mourned while at the same time, denying her death. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he hugged the peaceful corpse.
"You can't be dead! Please! Please, don't do this to me! It's my fault. Its big brother's fault, isn't it?! If only I'd never left, you wouldn't have gone after me! This is all my fault!"
As she listened to the one-sided exchange, Jeane heard a voice.
'HEY, WAKE UP!'
The male voice sent a nauseating pain through her skull. It echoed inside Jeane's head. The moment she heard it, her vision started to waver.
"AGGHHH! What's going on?!" she asked.
Her sense of touch grew numb.
'The memory's collapsing,' (Jeane) answered. 'You're about to wake up.'
Noise had consumed her hearing.
"Wake up? You mean all of this was just a dream?!"
'In a way? Yes.'
"Then I won't be able to remember any of this."
'Not immediately,' (she) replied. 'But in time, you will.'
The scene around her began to grow hazy. Reus was now quietly whispering to his sleeping sister.
"Don't worry. I won't leave you again."
"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
Before her last visions of the place began to fade, she heard two male voices blended together inside her aching head.
'HEY, WAKE UP'
"So please..."
'GET UP! ARC!'
"Forgive me..."
'JEANE!'
"Gen..."
A blonde boy was holding another blonde in his arms. After minutes of trying, the girl's eyes had finally showed signs of life. Aureus had already stopped shaking the blonde girl in his arms as the Arc girl started looking around, getting a bearing on her surroundings. Looking up at her savior, Jeane's eyes were at first a bit sleepy. After a few seconds of silence, they slowly opened wide. Separated by only five inches of breathable air, the girl shuddered for a moment before going completely still. Reus was about to sigh in relief as she looked fine.
"KYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH"
That is until, both teens started screaming.
SMACK
"Ow! What the hell was that–?!"
And Jeane started punching him.
SMACK
"OW! Stop it–!"
SMACK
"AAHH! Stop doing that–!"
SMACK
"STOP!"
Panting out of exhaustion, Aureus felt Jeane's left fist hovering dangerously close to his face.
"Are you done?" the boy asked.
The girl glared back as he spoke but slowly answered with a nod.
"(Sigh) how are you?"
"..."
"Any side effects?"
"..."
"Nothin'? Ok."
"..."
"Are you just going to continue ignoring me?"
"...ease...me... wn..." the girl stuttered while lowering her gaze.
"I'm sorry. What?"
"Could you please... put me down... now?" Jeane slowly asked, hiding the redness of her face.
"Oh, sorry."
Complying with the shorter blonde's request, Reus released the female knight from his bridal carry. Jeane timidly backed away, first one step, then two, until she was a full meter away from him. All this time, she kept her expression hidden behind her hair.
"You dropped this, by the way."
Glancing back at the boy, she noticed a familiar object on his extended left hand. Nervously reaching out, Jeane gripped her sword by its hilt, gently brushing her fingers on his palm. This turned her a little red with embarrassment as she snatched the weapon away. Aureus lowered his hand without saying another word.
'Jeez, not even a thank you? Is this chick for real?'
Jeane heard a familiar voice. Suddenly glancing back at her only company, she balled a fist. Flinching as she prepared to give him another hit aimed at his head, Reus took a quick step back with both arms raised, ready to intercept.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" he kept his arms raised, signalling no harm. "I already put you down and gave you back your sword. So, before you start hitting me, could you please tell me why?"
"... Thank you..." Lowering her arm, Jeane expressed her gratitude.
Aureus slowly put down his arms, sighing as he did so. Then,
'Gratitude shown through threatening me. She may be weird, but at least she's polite... in a way.'
The voice resounded again. However, this time, Reus didn't move his lips. Jeane couldn't believe that the voice didn't come from him and began looking around her once more, making sure they were the only two in the area.
Currently, they were in the center of a glade within the forest. It was a freshly made clearing as a massive crater seemed to have destroyed all of the trees within the vicinity. Scanning the area, Jeane felt no presences hidden behind the trees.
"Are you alright?" Reus asked.
Noticing Jeane's constant urgency to check the surrounding area, the dark-skinned boy got curious.
"What happened to this place?" Jeane asked back.
"Wait. You don't remember anything? The crash? Nothing?"
The Arc shook her head. Aureus sighed. Scratching his head, he explained how he rescued her. He told her about how he judged that Shei already had enough help and decided to follow after Jeane. The force of their landing had resulted in an Ursa-sized crater centered where they were standing. Finishing his explanation with an awkward smile, he waited for the other blonde's response.
"So... you saved me then?" she slowly asked.
"Yeah, kinda."
"But... why did it feel like... I was out for a while?"
"Well... when I caught you, you were already out. You wouldn't wake up so I sorta had to use my Aura on you."
"What do you mean?" Jeane asked.
"I kinda... passed some... uuhh... how do I say this..." the boy was trying to explain.
"What did you do to me?" Jeane asked a little more forcefully this time.
"Uhm..." Reus pondered on how to explain. "You were low on Aura when you crashed. To help heal your injuries, I used mine and passed some of my Aura to you. At first, I thought you died on impact but it seems you woke up just fine."
Ending his explanation, Reus showed a relieved smile. Jeane began examining herself starting with her hands. She remained silent for a while before asking.
"If I received some of yours, how are you not affected by the loss of your Aura?" Her eyes were aimed at the boy before her.
"It's part of my expertise," Reus answered with a straight face. "I can't get hurt just by sharing."
"That was dangerous! What if one of us died?!"
"Look here, girly. I did what I had to at the time." Aureus stated with a heavy tone. "There's nothing to do about it now."
'Seriously, how can you NOT be grateful?' She tried to ignore the voice in her head.
"Fine, but what about those scorch marks?"
"You were out cold by the time I caught you. As soon as we landed, you suddenly started releasing huge amounts of Aura and ended up burning everything around you."
"...Did you... you know... get burned too?" Jeane asked.
"Who? Me? Nah, I'm fine." The boy replied with a stupid grin.
'Just a scratch on the elbow but it's fine.' The voice replied.
"Let me see your arms."
Jeane's demand wiped the smirk off his face.
'How does she know?'
"Let me see your arms, right now." Her tone became a bit more forceful.
Raising his right arm, Reus revealed a sizeable burn mark under his elbow. The skin appeared dry and red, shaping a large mark on his dark skin.
'No point in hiding it now, but what is this? Can she can read minds?'
"Why is there a voice inside my head?" Jeane's serious expression was aimed directly at the blonde in front of her.
Reus seemed confused.
"Wait. Isn't that your Semblance?"
"What is?"
"The mind reading?"
Now Jeane was confused.
Reus became silent for a moment. He remained rooted on the spot, giving Jeane an intense gaze. Uncomfortable about it, she spoke up.
"What are you doing?"
"SHH. I'm trying to see if you can really read minds."
"What do you mean?"
"Just be quiet for a sec."
'She doesn't seem to be hurt, at least.'
Jeane remained silent as Reus continued his rude observation. For a moment she considered if the boy had lost his marbles or was just toying with her. After a minute, she started thinking whether he was actually a pervert and considered using her sword. But even that thought flew by after a while, thinking that such a person wouldn't show the slightest bit of concern like he did. His observation continued for another minute before Jeane realized a crucial fact.
'He's going to be my partner for the next four years. Ahh. Dammit! Why wasn't it someone I knew besides him? Calm down, Jeane. There must be a way to recover from this. NO! There is no way! You heard Ozpin! There would be no turning back after you make eye contact. Ahh, curse that headmaster. But he may not be so bad. He looks like he could manage on his own in a fight. Plus, he already knows Shei and Fran so being a friend may be a bit easier– No, no, no! He looks like the type to force his beliefs on others. Those are one of the hardest to deal with. I mean, he did yell at me on that day. Then again, his eyes are pretty, like garnets. No, Jeane. Don't be fooled by the pretty gems.'
"Alright," seemingly finished with his observation, Reus broke his silence."I think I get the gist of your Semblance."
"...What?"
"It isn't 'mind reading'. It's 'telepathy'." He held his chin while explaining. "Basically, strong emotions and relevant information is what gets passed on through thought. For example, all this time I had been observing you. At the start, you were getting mad about something, right?"
"... How did you?"
"First, at me. Second, at the headmaster." Reus enumerated. "After that, it seemed like you became...a little... confused."
"...Con...Confused? ... Over what?" Jeane was stuttering nervously.
"Something about fights and beliefs. I didn't get most of it."
She heaved a relieved sigh.
"Oh! Something about a gem? What was that about?" He added while scratching the back of his head.
"...You read ALL my thoughts?!" Turning red, she readied a fist.
Aureus stopped what he was doing and held both arms in front of him.
"Easy. Easy. Before you resort to violence, at least let me try to explain the extent of your Semblance."
Jeane lowered her fist again, a little slower this time. An angry, red-faced look was plastered all over her face.
"I can only receive the messages and thoughts that appear strong or could be important to you. I think the same goes for me to you. But maybe there are exceptions."
"How so?" Jeane was a bit flustered and angry at the same time.
"I didn't get all your thoughts. Just what they were about."
"You're saying?" Jeane asked impatiently.
"Simply put, the deepest and most emotional thoughts you have will be sensed by the other, in this case, me, even if you aren't aware. But I don't think all detailed thoughts are transmitted."
The boy took her silence as a confused answer. A thought flew towards Jeane.
'Does she not know I sensed her obsessive brother-complex but still not get what she was thinking about thirty seconds ago?'
Aureus had to jump several steps back as Jeane sliced the area where he stood in a flash.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" His voice, filled with fear, seemed to be ignored as she raised her weapon once more.
"OK! OK! I'm sorry. I won't speak of it again. Even think. Just put the sword down." The boy pleaded out loud as he stood a good three meters from Jeane, both arms raised in surrender.
After a while, the girl was finally able to calm down. After a few more minutes of silence for reconciliation, Reus was finally forgiven before the girl had exacted whatever inhumane punishment that swirled in her thoughts. The two then began sharing their thoughts, albeit a bit literally.
"We should get going. We already wasted too much time here. We have to go and find the temple and get our relic."
'No. I want to search for Shei. You said they crashed somewhere around the lake, right? It wouldn't take long for us to go back and see if they need help.'
'...' he gave the girl a sceptical look while thinking in silence.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just trying to get a read on you."
'And just how do you find me?' sarcastically throwing the thought.
"I don't know." The boy gave a sceptical look. "You're pretty thoughtful of others."
'Thank you–'
'But you're also poorly incompetent.'
"... And just... how am I... incompetent?" Her tone was filled with a little hostility and irritation.
"For one, you want to go back and check on them. That's a good thing." Reus spoke aloud. "But instead of searching for them, why don't we just go ahead and meet them at the temple instead?"
"But we don't know where the temple–"
"Exactly my point. We're farther north compared to the three. We should be able to scout the area and clear any Grimm along the way. It could make it easier for them if they have any wounded. And besides, don't you trust them?"
"It's not a matter of trust. What if they were disoriented from the crash like me?"
"Oh please," Reus was laughing. "Laus wouldn't even get a little dizzy with a dive like that. He wasn't called Atlas' Human Fortress for nothing."
"Either way, I can't take your word for it."
Jeane's expression darkened and she began stomping in the direction of the forest. She had almost reached the trees when,
'GET BACK! NOW!'
The sudden shout in her head, made her jump backwards on reflex.
'What now?' Jeane thought, throwing a glare in Reus' direction.
'IDIOT!' His thoughts creamed before he shouted out loud. "Don't look away in the middle of a fight!"
Snapping her attention forward, three Ursai made their appearance from the shadows of the trees. The big lumbering Grimm had been hiding behind the trees before Jeane nearly walked into the center one. Realizing her inattentiveness, the golden-haired boy threw a thought faster than sound.
"I'll take the left and center. You take the right." Jeane told her partner.
"Are you crazy?! You don't have much Aura left!"
'Just leave me be.'
Giving the boy her orders, Jeane pulled out her sword and charged at the two. Cutting the left one down with a single strike, she moved to end the other. However, the Grimm intercepted her attack and used a plate on its arm to block her attack.
Jeane retreated back a few feet before charging again. Changing her target to the unarmored knee on the Ursa's left flank, she slid on the forest floor to avoid its paw strike and slashed away. The Ursa then fell on the slashed leg, having lost its balance. Using its remaining leg, it turned to face Jeane as she slashed its neck with her sword. She watched the two defeated Grimm evaporate as she heard the other Ursa cry out in pain.
Facing her partner, currently in battle, he had chopped off the Grimm's right leg and left paw using the long sword-like weapon in his right hand. His weapon glowed golden under the midday sun, a long baton with a black and gold finger guards. The weapon seemed to radiate heat as segments of the body began rotating, each segment rotated at a different direction compared to the ones adjacent to it.
Walking over to the downed Ursa, Aureus swung his cylindrical club down on its head with an indifferent expression, causing the Grimm's mask to melt as the weapon slashed through it in a quick motion. Finished with his prey, Aureus walked toward Jeane's position. However, he stopped.
Jeane heard the growl. Looking behind her, a giant, black beast towered over her small figure. Its black fur was thick and covered in numerous white bony plates. Some of the plates at the back had spines as long as spears poking out. Its face plate had crimson marks like blood trails all over, gleaming golden eyes peeked out from behind. An Ursa Major has entered the field.
Dodging its first strike, Jeane rolled to the side. She switched the sword into its spear mode and drew a stance, the tip of her weapon pointed low, at the giant Grimm's belly. Just as the beast began swinging its giant paws at her, gunshots sounded from behind her and a few beams of light burned into the Ursa's leg, tripping the beast.
Aureus had switched his burning baton into what appeared to be a pistol-shaped weapon. The cylindrical tube had been bent forward, forming a long barrel, while the finger guard for the index finger unlatched itself and became the trigger. The only thing missing was the hammer for triggering the bullets. Regardless of this, the pistol shot more beams of light that seemed to burn the atmosphere. The Ursa, unamused by the ranged assault, got on all fours and charged the boy. He switched back to baton mode, ready to counter. Just as he was about to get crushed, he dive-rolled out of the way, slashing at the beast's left leg as he moved.
It made a deep cut but not enough for dismembering the limb. The Ursa, however, had ignored the pain. Stopping its charge, it faced him once more and charged again. Aiming for the other leg this time, he tried to repeat his roll. However, he hesitated while diving, as the sight of Jeane raising her spear to stab the beast entered his gaze. Time seemed to slow as she stood firmly where he was just a second ago, right at the Ursa's path. Before he could slash the leg, he sent her a thought.
'Get out of the way! You'll get crushed!'
'Leave this to me.' she thought back with a smile. "HYYYAAAAAA!"
With a battle cry, Jeane stabbed the oncoming beast as the center of its mass. Her attack didn't end there. Sending a stream of Aura up the shaft of the spear to its blade tip, she thrust her weapon with such a force that it blew a gap at the center of the Ursa's body. The transfer of the energy and Aura forced the Grimm's corporeal form to explode. Chunks of its mass flew all around. The spines scattered like fragments from a grenade, impaling into the ground and nearby trees.
Standing at the origin of the explosion, Jeane held her head up high. She had a proud grin on her face that said 'I killed this mighty beast'. Picking himself up and observing the aftermath of the explosion, Aureus was not amused. Covered in the Ursa's evaporating remains, the proud girl made an arrogant while facing him. Reus walked up to the girl, but instead of congratulating her, he began his scolding, to her surprise.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"What? I killed it–"
"Before that! Why did you jump in front of it? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"What is your problem? We killed them all. It's done."
The boy let out a sigh before Jeane began walking into the forest again. Aureus chased after her. The twigs snapped underfoot as the two teens continued their trek while bickering and throwing around mental rants.
'Why do you have to be so selfless when it comes to fighting? Do you enjoy playing 'the knight'?'
"I'm not playing. I just want to end it quickly."
'Even so, that's not an excuse to pointlessly risk your life.'
"Why are you so worried? You're not my mother."
"I am your partner now." He said. "I have a duty to watch your back during a fight."
'Why'd you gotta be so stubborn?'
'I'm not,' she thought back. 'You're just persistent.'
'I'm only thinking of my partner's wellbeing, even if she is a complete self-sacrificing idiot.'
"Leave me alone. You're annoying."
'Says the girl who won't even listen to me when I'm talking to her.'
"Stop it with the telepathy already. You're annoying me."
'I won't stop it because I don't want to attract Grimm while scolding you.'
"Why do you have to choose the annoying way of doing things?"
'Do you have any other insults besides 'annoying'?'
"Shut up!"
'I wonder how your brother had to put up with a brat like you.'
"Leave my brother out of this."
'You are so not cute.'
"I never asked for your opinion."
"..."
"..."
'Where are you going?'
"To find the others."
"We need to scout the temple first."
"I don't care about some godforsaken temple."
'Do you even know where you're going?'
"Yes. I am going south."
"That's east."
"..."
'You're lost, aren't you?'
"Shut up. I know what I'm doing."
Needless to say, the newly formed pair of blondes in the forest wasn't what one would call a decent partnership. The two continued their walk, one-sidedly scolding and one-sidedly giving the other a headache. Yet, for some reason, Jeane felt like she was forgetting something. And this brought her even more frustration.
The two continued their argument up until they found a clearing. The forest canopy had opened up above them, revealing a clear blue sky. Remnant's sun shone brightly amidst a few clouds as the wind blew a cool breeze through the branches of the Grimm-infested forest.
"We should rest." Reus spoke up. "Catch our breath for a sec."
"No." Jeane disagreed. "We keep moving."
"Could you at least relax for a minute?" Reus sat down on a nearby boulder as he rested his legs. "You haven't recovered your Aura reserves yet."
"I need to find them before any Grimm does." Jeane started investigating their surroundings.
"You still worried about the others? You don't have to. Laus is with them. If you ask me, they're pretty much better off compared to us."
"Speak for yourself. You may be able to trust your friend's strength, but I don't want to take any chances."
"Wait." Reus got up from his seat.
"If you're going to stop me–"
'SSSHHH!' he shushed her via telepathy.
"What now?" she asked.
With a hand gesturing absolute silence, Reus slowly moved closer to Jeane's position. He drew the compact handle of his baton and snapped it once to whip out the thick cylindrical club. Just as he reached her spot at the center of the clearing, they heard them.
Twigs snapped underfoot. Bushes were being pushed aside. The growling and barks that followed soon after identified their ambushers. A huge pack of Beowolves emerged from behind the shadows of the forest. Mouths drooling with hunger, the beasts had them surrounded.
Scanning their predicament, Reus tried to relay his plan to Jeane.
'I'll make an opening. Run as fast as you can after I give the signal. Are you ready–? No! Wait!' "STOP!"
He ended up yelling as the blonde girl ignored him and charged the enemy before her. She snapped Caerula Vitae into its sword form and began hacking her way through, sending heads and torsos flying.
Decimating the closest Grimm after dispatching the other, she killed eleven within the first thirty seconds of the encounter. She sent her Aura through the blade, sharpening the bluish steel blade to perfection. Her consecutive thrusts and slashes, powered by Aura as well, flowed with a graceful fashion befitting a performer on the dance floor.
Taking her limited reach in consideration, three of the monsters leapt at her, aiming to end her as quickly as she was ending their brethren. Two, appearing to be smarter than the others, circled behind her. Countering the sudden offensive from above and behind, she quickly snapped her weapon to spear form, impaling the first to leap at her. She then twisted her upper body. Sweeping the tip of the spear to the side with one Grimm still attached, she cleared all of her aerial attackers. She turned to face the ones behind her. Thrusting the blade tip, she skewered the torso of one and the head of the other, killing the second by charging through the first. By the time she had killed twenty, Aureus had already cleared an escape route and was fighting to keep it open.
'Let's go! Now!' transmitted the boy.
"Fine! Quit your whining!" yelled the girl.
Turning to his direction, she closed the distance between them by using several Grimm as stepping stones. Landing by Reus' side, she darted into the brushes, followed by her partner. Running as fast as they could through the thick mesh of branches and twisted trunks, the two had almost evaded the remaining Beowolves. However,
"OW!"
Snagging her hair on one of the low-lying branches, Jeane slowed her pace. With a hand to her hair, she checked and stopped dead in her tracks.
'It's gone! It's gone? Where is it?!' Reus felt the sudden alarm of emotions.
Turning in the direction of his partner, he found Jeane running back from where they came.
"You have got to be kidding me!" The thought was directed at himself, the boy charged after her.
'Where? The branch pulled on it. The ground?'
Looking down, a black ribbon had fallen on the grass. Reaching to pick it up, she failed to notice the claw aimed at her head. Realizing too late, what happened next turned her white as a sheet.
Golden locks pulled back by a single red headband centered her vision. Using his left hand to push the claw away from her face, the boy's left shoulder met the drool-covered maw full of razor sharp teeth.
Gritting his teeth in agony, Aureus spun his baton with a golden light and beheaded the beast on his shoulder, releasing the Grimm's tight grip. Blood sprayed on the forest floor as he winced in pain. But it was far from over. The other beasts began to charge. He switched to range mode and shot at the heads of the nearest Beowolves. He aimed to reduce the number of chasers while temporarily blocking their path with their slow evaporating corpses.
After killing about a third of them, Reus took the fallen black ribbon from the ground. It was covered in dark crimson like the earth around it. He turned to run, pulling up a motionless Jeane from her knees as he went.
"Let's go!" he cried.
Hearing his voice, Jeane started to follow, albeit a bit shaken up.
After a few minutes of running, the temple came into view at the next clearing. Stone pillars and a rune-covered foundation stood tall in the center of the field. Weapons littered the mossy pedestals. Exhausted, Reus approached the temple. Pacing behind him, Jeane was panting heavily.
"These...Haah ... must be the relics." He said, breathing heavily. "We should hurry... Haaah...and choose one."
Approaching the nearest pedestal, Jeane analyzed the mounted blade. It was a one-handed, long sword. Rust covered the tip. The guard and blade appeared to be dented in several areas. The grip was dusty and needed a polishing. Despite its appearance, she took the weapon with her free hand and gave it a swing. It was of perfect length. Thinking she could use it as a spare, she held it with her left hand.
"How... How's your shoulder?" she heaved a breath.
"It's fine for now." He tried to raise his left arm to prove his point. "The bleeding's slowed– AAHH!"
"What's wrong?!"
"Heheh. It got me good." He squirmed as he kneeled on the stone floor. "My shoulder's dislocated. Good thing it's not my main arm."
He made a wry smile while Jeane leaned closer and examined the bleeding bite wound.
"We need to get you to the hospital!" she tried looking around for help but quite suddenly remembered that they were in the middle of Initiation.
"There's no way I'm pulling out of this now!" He said adamantly. "Even I have my reasons for coming this far."
"But you can't fight like this! You've lost a lot of blood."
"It doesn't matter. You heard the headmaster." Reus continued. "No matter what happens, the instructors will be watching us, but they won't get involved."
'Damn that Ozpin.' The thought flew through Jeane's head.
'You're lucky only I can read your mind.' Reus threw a mischievous smile.
Jeane made him lean his back on a pedestal as she examined the bitten area. The leather must have absorbed most of the force as there was now a ripped mess on his shoulder. The bite wound had almost shredded his skin through the vest. The scarlet trimmings around the armhole had turned bloody crimson with some of the blood drying on his skin. Reus' forehead was dripping with sweat as he slumped on the ground in pain.
Another howl echoed through the woods.
"Tch. More of them." She scowled.
Jeane's gaze started darting around. She was looking for a place where they could hole up to avoid getting surrounded again. Her sights arrived just north of their position. A mountain peeked above the tree line. She remembered something from one of the letters Jaune had sent them. Giving the blonde an idea, she nodded in momentary satisfaction.
"Come on." She pulled him to his feet. "Let's get to that mountain."
"What? AAHH!" Reus winced while grinning. "You want to get to higher ground now? Don't tell me you don't know which way the cliffs are."
Even in pain, he manages to make Jeane's blood boil out of sarcasm. She promised herself to get back at the boy after they got out of this alive, earning Reus a strange shiver to crawl down his spine.
The two started to make their way to the foot of the mountain. Winding past trees and jumping over tangled roots, the blonde pair swiftly darted through the woods. The cave mouth became visible after they got past a fallen tree. The area was littered with smashed trunks and crushed boulders. It was as if something tore their way through the place in a rush. The markings on the stone wall caught Jeane's eye first.
"Brother was right." She traced the stone art with her fingers. "Let's go through here. We should be safe from the Beowolves at least."
"Whoa! Hold up." Reus became skeptical. "How can you sure there's no Grimm in there."
'My brother wrote to me about how he passed Initiation.' The sudden transmitted thought caught the boy by surprise.
'Then why the telepathy?'
'He had to leave out major details in case of Ozpin was screening letters, but he told me through a code only we know. Jeane made a proud smile.
'You siblings sure do stick together.'
Ignoring the comment, Jeane continued.
'My brother and his friends were able to get rid of the Grimm that hid itself here.' She referred to the scorpion-like drawing. 'This place should be safe for the time being.'
"Fine. I'll trust you on this one."
A howl and several growls sounded from the trees, signalling that their pursuers had caught up. Jeane readied her sword and the relic, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. She planned on dual-wielding both swords if needed.
A pack of Beowolves emerged. There were over forty and more continued to pop out of the bushes and trees on all sides. One of the beasts, a big one, revealed itself. An Alpha Beowolf with a cracked mask towered over the others as if they were pups. The mask revealed only one glowing eye on the left side. The claws it used to paw the ground were covered with bladed spikes. Howling once more, it called forth more of its pack.
"Let's pull back into the cave for now." Jeane was slowly moving towards the cave's entrance. "If we narrow down their assault to one path, we could get an advantage–."
"RAAAAAAAHHHHHRRR"
The Alpha leapt at the pair, claws aimed for their jugulars. Its pack followed the charge. The two readying their weapons, prepared to fight. However, the following stopped all activity, human and Grimm alike.
"HHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
BAAAM
Quicker than the eye could see a figure dropped from the sky and pummelled the Alpha from above. On one fell swoop, the leader of the pack was crushed into a pile of black and red mush. The other members of the pack all stopped and growled at the gatecrasher. The falling meteor lifted a giant club-like weapon out of the Grimm's remains and mounted it on her shoulder like a bat. The strange weapon had a long gray shaft with multiple black cylindrical pipes at the end. Each pipe had a small rock attached to the connecting point to the shaft. Each rock was glowing with a different color, not one was similar. The shaft itself had a few hand grip-shaped levers that were attached nearest to the piped end. Its total length was over the height of its wielder by two heads.
The teenage girl who carried the seemingly heavy hardware calmly approached the two motionless blondes with a steady pace, as if the weight of her weapon didn't matter. She took off the pair of metal mesh goggles and placed it around her neck. Its dark orange band matched her long, sleeveless trench coat that was buttoned-up at her chest down to the waist with her hood hanging down her back. Wearing white gloves that reached up to the elbows, her bottom consisted of black short shorts and knee-length black combat boots.
Noticing only after the girl left the smoke of her crash, the blondes grasped that she was a Faunus. The approaching girl's dark orange hair was partially tied to the back of her head while the rest of her locks flowed freely behind her to end in white at the tips. Tall pointed ears stood proudly at the top of her head while her large fox tail swung under her trench coat. Like her hair, her Faunus characteristics started with dark orange fur and ended in white. Hanging off of her shoulder with a chain strap, a thick worn-out, hard-cover book hung by her side.
"Whew. You two doin okay?" The fox girl wiped the sweat of her brow.
Snapping out of their daze, Jeane replies with a "Yes, just a scratch." while mentally sending 'Who in the world is she?' to Reus.
The boy simply replied with an 'I have no idea.' before the fox girl turned and called in the direction of the smoke.
"They say they're fine, Seika!"
Looking back at the crash site, several of the Grimm had begun bursting into crimson flames. Another tall girl with long black hair tied over her shoulder nimbly pounced from Beowolf to Beowolf. Leaving the fray of smouldering Grimm, the tall girl moved toward the group in their surrounded spot before the mouth of the cavern. The yellow shoe laces of her black running shoes became gray by running through the burning carcasses of Grimm. Her black running pants were covered in soot and ash. Donning a yellow robe-like garment, her long crimson sleeves flowed like water as she leapt past the last Beowolf between them. On her wrists, a pair of silver gauntlets with long protruding claws reflected the firelight. The claws were linked together by a long red sash that she wore over her shoulders. The sash ran through the wrist joint of the gauntlets and seemed to emanate a fiery glow. Dusting herself as she landed beside her partner, she acknowledged the two blondes with a bow.
"Nice to see that you two are all right." She gave the two a smile. "Kahel, there's too many of them. Your break-in attracted several packs nearby as well."
"Eeeehhh?! I was trying to be delicate about it too." She whined.
"A large explosion from a single attack doesn't contain any delicacy, Kahel." The girl named Seika said with a wry smile.
"Dammit. So, what's the plan?"
"We can't fight them all and waiting for help isn't an option."
"So we run, huh."
The blondes remained silent at two's exchange until three Beowolves launched a surprise attack. Reacting in a fluid motion, Jeane and the fox named Kahel repelled the Grimm. Kahel's pipe-tipped club smashed two of them away. Jeane tore the third limb from limb, using hers and the relic sword like massive shears. However, one of the spiny limbs she tore off flew past their defence. It flew towards Aureus, who reflexively raised his left hand to block. Shouting out in pain, the spine ripped open his forearm. The wound gushed out fresh blood as he fell on one knee.
"Gaahh!"
"Reus!" Kneeling beside him, she gripped his arm as gently as she could, trying to stop the bleeding from overflowing. "We should go! Now!"
"Agreed." Seika faced her partner. "Kahel?"
"Cover fire?"
"Please do."
Jeane helped him up while requesting for help from the other two. Seika lifted him on one shoulder while Jeane took the other. Defending their back, Kahel gripped her club with both hands, ready to swing at any oncoming foes. The surrounding Grimm now numbered over sixty and more were still gathering from the trees. She had already put on her goggles, taking a few steps back to match the trio's retreat. Reaching the mouth of the cave, Kahel pulled back one of the lever hand grips attached to the green stone's pipe with her right hand.
"It's shredding time, you little freaks." Muttering a statement to herself, she held her weapon like one would grip a minigun, with the barrel aimed at the Grimm. With a single squeeze on the flat trigger attached to the shaft, a large blast of air blew out of the pipe. The wind turned into a gale as she continued to repeatedly squeeze the trigger. The storm sent trees and stones flying in the direction of the large pack at high velocity. Some of the Beowolves were impaled by tree shrapnel. Others were perforated by Mach speed pebbles. A few were killed by being stabbed with their own brethrens claws and spikes.
"KAHEL! WE'RE CLEAR!"
She heard Seika's cry over the sound of the wind. Letting go of the trigger, she rushed into the cavern after them. But the surviving Beo's took this as their cue and rushed after the teenagers. Just she was about to fire another wind blast, a beam of light shot from inside and burned through the stones above Kahel's head. She immediately understood and pulled back further. With the roof of the entrance crumbling, she launched a shot at the Grimm that got past the cave in, sending the beast flying into the newly formed wall.
There was silence. And then there was rumbling. The tunnel they were in started cracking from above. Rocks and stalactites started dropping. Panicking, the teens started to run further inside while letting out complaints.
"I thought you said closing the entrance was a good idea?!" Reus yelled to his partner.
"Oh shut up!" Jeane yelled back. "It's not like I planned for this to happen!"
"You DIDN'T think this far ahead?!"
"So what?! You didn't either!"
"Are you two really partners?" the fox joined in.
"Kahel," scolded Seika with a smile. "It's not right to interrupt a lover's spat."
""WHO AR YOU CALLING LOVERS""
Their shouts echoed as they ran down the collapsing hall.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: First and foremost, SORRY FOR THE DELAYED UPDATE
Ahhh, when school starts back up, time kinda just passes by and you can't do anything about it. The bad part about having classes for six days straight is that any future updates are sure to be delayed. That is why I would like to apologize in advance for any and every delay starting today.
As compensation, I made this chapter approximately 30% longer than my longest chapter: Chapter 4. Writing over 10,000 words is nothing compared to the hellish guilt I built up over not uploading this sooner. I promised myself that I would rather eat a thousand flaming needles than quit writing this story.
On another note, the next chapter would be the last for Initiation. Then we could move on to daily life, autumn festivals, a couple of missions and maybe the Vytal festival. Once again, I would like to apologize to the readers who have visited the story the past week, expecting updates. I would quit school to focus on writing but if I did . . . . . . . . . . Let's just say I don't want my family issues to get more . . . complicated.
Last note. If you find any inconsistencies or errors, you can PM me and I'll get right on it. If you have any suggestions, send it to me so that I may put it into consideration. Thank you all once again for reading and I hope to see you all again next time.
