Chapter 12: Tree in Bloom
"You know," Nero jabbered on, "I'll bet we're the farthest ahead of all of the recruits. Everyone's probably still running in circles looking for partners."
'And what I wouldn't give to be back there.' Auron thought as his eyes rolled back into his head.
"It's a shame," Nero continued, "Odds are we'll just end up taking our objective and wandering out of here before anything interesting happens."
Auron couldn't resist responding, "I thought you wanted to get there as quickly as possible to avoid trouble."
"Hey, I said I wanted to make it easier, not that I wanted to wimp out. I want a little excitement while I'm here, I just don't want to be seen drowning in Grimm by the time we get to the ruins."
Auron gave this a thought, "So, what you're trying to say is you want a chance to show off?"
"There you have it!" Nero chuckled. He's a sharp one, this guy, "If a bunch of Grimm show up, and we fight tooth-and-nail to survive, we're the 'try-hards'. If we sneak through without a single encounter, we're the chumps who wimped out. But! If a few show up and we breeze past all of them without effort-," Nero snapped his fingers, "We're the pros."
Auron rubbed his temple, "Honestly, I don't know what I did to deserve this... I knew I should have gone with caffeinated today..."
Rouge's eyes snapped open. A demonic roar had ripped her from her unconsciousness. A blurred flash of brown flew across her vision as a beastly howl of pain echoed in her ears. Dark, fuzzy shapes struggled in her vision, before tumbling away out of sight.
'What?... Where?... Clay?'
She regained her senses, but she was alone. Her midsection cramped with pain. A hard, pulsing throb echoed in her head as well.
'I was talking with Clay, then... What hit me?'
Rouge took a look around. The ground was torn up, and massive paw prints stabbed at the ground around her. 'We were attacked? By what? Where's Clay?'
Rouge finally sat up. She stood at the top of a steep, cliff-like hill. A jagged rut carved its way from the edge of the drop-off and down into the dark ravine below. Bleached-white, bone-like chunks were scattered all around the ditch, and wisps of black smoke rose in patches from the ravine. She strained to see past the smoke, but to no avail.
Suddenly, Rouge noticed a noise coming from behind her. She wheeled around to look.
"Clay? Is that you?"
There was no answer.
Rouge stood on the balls of her feet, steadily preparing herself to fight back or run. Her hand reached to activate Scarlet Queen. Its bladed arms snapped to attention, and the magnetic beam spread across the two tips. A red tipped bolt protruded from the end pointed delicately at the tree-line.
Nothing moved. The forest was eerily quiet. 'Maybe it was noth-'
CRAKK!
The ground in front of Rouge erupted in a flurry of dirt. Instinctively, she dashed away from the impact. The attack was so fast, she couldn't even see what had done it. If she had been two feet forward, she would have been flattened.
When the dust settled, Rouge saw her foe. The diamond-shaped head of a giant Taijitu Cobra was thrashing through the air, hissing and sputtering. Its terrifying hood stretched out, revealing the intimidating rib cage pattern engraved on the inside. Every time its mouth flared open, bone-white fangs folded forward as if they were longing to sink into living flesh. The cobra's head was crumpled at the nose, and one of its eyes was slashed shut. It wailed and screamed in pain as it recoiled from its attack on the dirt, preparing to strike again.
Rouge knew her chances were slim. Even experienced hunters cowered at the sight of this type of Grimm. Her arrows would have a hard time piercing through the Taijitu's scaly armour. There was no way she would be able to take any hit from the snake and survive, and its strikes were lightning fast.
'But... It missed.'
It was a valid point. These reptilian nightmares rarely miss their mark. Why did it miss this time?
The massive cobra was ready to take another strike. Rouge bent her knees in anticipation and flicked Scarlet Queen into scythe-mode. 'When it extends, it will be wide open for a shot in the eye. If I can avoid this attack, I can at least cause him some trouble. If I can't, well...' She shook her head to throw off her doubts. She could do it. She had to.
But, it seemed her thoughts were too hopeful. The whip-like thrash was so fast, if she had wanted to blink before the attack ended, she might not have been able to. Before she knew it, the Taijitu's deadly jaws had snapped forward, seeking a fatal blow.
But…
None came. The Taijitu's head stopped inches before her own. Rouge reflexively made a sidelong slash against the monster's nose and jumped back. The blade of Scarlet Queen glanced harmlessly off of its tempered scales.
'There's no way. I can't hurt it. I only have one arrow prepared, and I don't know if that will even pierce its skin. I'm done for.'
But something gave her hope.
'But... Why does it keep missing? I can't even see it move, and yet I still haven't been hit. It's like it doesn't know how far away I...' Her eyes fixed on the gaping eye socket of the increasingly frustrated serpent.
'It's eye... It has no... depth perception!'
Rouge smiled brightly. This small advantage was all she needed to fill herself with confidence. She took a deep breath. 'I might have a chance here.'
"All right," She taunted aloud, "I can't hurt you, but let's see if you can't hurt yourself."
She dashed around the monster in an attempt to reach the tree line.
Another livid hiss screeched from the frenzied monster as it struck forward again. Rouge felt the massive impact of the snake's attack land just beside her. She yelped in surprise. It's aim was improving. There was only one way to make it. If she kept moving, the Taijitu would have a hard time hitting it's mark.
Rouge looked up. Its head reared back, preparing for yet another deadly bite. Rouge desperately rolled to the side. A massive pair of jaws clamped shut where she had been standing not a half-second before.
Rouge dove into the brush and hid behind one of the ancient trees to catch her breath.
CRASH!
Her tree was reduced to splinters as the Cobra lashed out, frantically trying to find its prey. The serpent whirled around and locked onto the small Faunus.
She was cornered now; there was no where to run. As if it was a crack from a colossal whip, the Taijitu's head snapped down once more.
Rouge barely escaped the attack by dashing into the crux of the former tree's roots, allowing the snake's head to collide painfully with the edge of the jagged tree stump. A deafening screech ripped through the air as the Taijitu recoiled in pain.
Rouge dashed behind the former tree, savoring these few moments of safety. She charged the magnetic string on Scarlet Queen to its full potential. This was her one shot she had prepared, so it had to be a good one. She wasn't going to wait for the snake to corner her again.
The Taijitu continued thrashing around, screeching and hissing in a tantrum of pain. But then-
"Hey!" Rouge voice suddenly called out, "Yeah, you! You overgrown worm!"
The snake bared its fangs in another terrifying hiss. There she was, standing tauntingly in front of it. Now that the cobra could see its prey, there was no stopping it. It reared its head back with its bleached-white fangs reflecting in the sunlight.
Rouge stood steady in front of the shattered tree stump, rooted to the ground in a confident stance. Her eyes glazed over in a zen-like state. Scarlet Queen pointed its projectile threateningly at the snake.
The Taijitu Cobra whipped forward, screaming in its deafening hiss. Its mouth gaped open as it darted toward the small squirrel Faunus. Rouge released the tension on Scarlet Queen's magnetic thread, sending the red arrow sailing towards the cobra's open maw. Her legs then sprung upward, sending her high into the air. The scaly form of the Taijitu Cobra flew beneath her acrobatic leap.
Rouge felt the same feeling as she did back at the circus when she performed with no net. She was twisting through the air, looking downward at the certain death below, with nothing keeping her alive but her grace and poise. The terrifying hiss of the serpent was eerily similar to the cheer of an invisible crowd as she attempted this daring somersault.
Rouge landed on the pads of her feet, just as the cobra collided with the jagged stump with a sickening noise. A blast of heat and sound from behind her let her know that Scarlet Queen's arrow had also hit its mark. She turned to admire her handiwork.
The Taijitu Cobra lay still, it's mouth still agape. A large, pointed splinter of the ancient redwood stump stuck through the back of the head of the formerly terrifying monster. Streams of smoke puffed from the creatures mouth and nose, as well as from the hole in its head. More smoke started to rise as the monster started to disintegrate.
With a satisfied sigh, Rouge brushed the hair out of her young Squirrel Faunus spread her palms out to the side, spun around so that her foe was at her back, and took a low bow before her imaginary audience.