"There you are." Velvet mumbled under her breath, as she caught sight of the Grimm that she'd read about in books during her time during the long, often dull lectures of Professor Port at Beacon. When they had gone over the exotic wildlife of Sanus, Velvet was oddly intrigued by just peculiar they were when she compared them to the ones that she was more than familiar with in Vale.
It was a relatively small Grimm, remindeing Velvet of the dimensions of the Creep creature that was native to the borders of Vale. It had a long snout, large teeth protruding from it. Its dorsal area was ribbed, a thin line of spines going down the center of its back from the base of its neck to the long tail that flicked small amounts of sand up in the air as it hunted, likely searching for the very prey that had sought it out first. As she spoke, the creature, whom she recalled as being dubbed as a Okinaba snapped its head in Velvet's direction, forcing her to dive behind a nearby boulder. While she knew this would not keep the beast away for long, it's reliance on its visual would keep it curious just long enough for her to figure out how to take it down.
She knew that, just like its Vale counterpart, there was a soft underside, as well as an inpenetrable plate of armor along its back and face. Due to its aligity and small size, Velvet knew that she would first need to find a way to place it on its back, where she could attack quickly and efficiently upon its stomach.
As the clicking growls of the Okinaba continued to grow closer, Velvet closed her eyes, making a mental image of what it was that she had to do. When it was clear, Velvet leapt out from behind the safety of the rock, lunging for the small beast. Faster than she had anticipated, the Glader slipped out from behind her.
Velvet pressed her arms behind her, strectching. Knowing her track record, Velvet was sure that the beast would only come back to haunt her later if she did not finish there and then. She lowered herself in a defensive stance once more as the beast dove down from above, two thin, limp appendages dangling from underneath, slinking out from its underside, just over where a normal beast's neck would be. Velvet pondered what they could be, but did not have long before, when the creature got close enough, it shot its two new appendages towards her. She dove out of the way as they slammed into the ground, sending a cloud of red dust into the air.
Ok. Something to avoid. That's good to know.
She rose to her feet once more, analyzing how much of a chance she stood against this new creature. Despite her reassurances to herself that she would fare well enough, a small voice in her head told her that she was going to die. Velvet pushed these thoughts away, however, knowing the stakes at hand.
If you're going to die, then you're going to make sure that this...thing goes down with you.
"Wow, Velvet. Pretty jerk move of not inviting us to the party, especially when this is our damn turf." She turned to see both Ceril and Dew dive behind boulders, assessing the creature in the air.
"Never seen one of those before. I was always sure that I'd die when I did."
"I don't think we're that lucky, C." Dew said in a joking tone. "Now if you're done, cracking wise, see if you can't light that ugly up."
"Consider him blazed." He popped out of his perch, unslinging his machine-gun. He fired several bursts before swearing under his breath. "Ok, never mind about that."
"Of course not." Dew breathed, swinging her spear in a wide arc to project a large gust of wind towards the Grimm. The creature was thrown off-balance by the change under its wings, sending it flying to the ground. As the three advanced to finish the beast off, the creature rose once more, flapping its wings furiously. As Velvet and the others struggled to keep the sand and dirt out of their eyes, the creature wildly swung its tentacles about, slamming with brute force into the trio. Velvet was sent backwards, slamming into a rock. Her Aura flickered, and she could feel that she did not have much left.
She quickly got to her feet, looking to see how the rest of the group had fared. Ceril was knocked unconcious, and Dew was on her feet as well, clutching at her right shoulder. It was a clear indicator to Velvet that she was not well, but she asked anyway, knowing full-well what the answer was going to be.
"I'm fine. What we need to worry about it is how to take that thing down."
"Why not use your time-distortion?" Velvet asked impulsivley, elciting another annoyed sigh from Dew.
"Because, like any kind of Semblance, using it too much will exert too much on my body. The only way I'm doing it now is if we're all about to die, or if I'm the last one left."
"Noted." Velvet said simply, looking on as the creature swung its tentacles around while a short distance from them in midair. Velvet and Dew took evasive action, diving to the ground. She eyed her companion once more, who gave a glance that beckoned the question, 'Now what?'
Dew slashed at the air in front of her two more times, sending two successive wind gusts towards the Grimm. Adapting to their methods, however, the creature barrel-rolled in the air to stay on course. One of the tentacles underneath the beast lashed out once more, looking primed to hit Dew square in the chest. Velvet, seeing what was about to happen, screamed out Dew's name, summoning her Semblance. She summoned a Hard-Light Copy of a Hatchet, using her thumb to eyeball the trajectory. In a matter of milliseconds, she threw the copy at the attacking appendage. To her own surprise, the ax hit its mark from a distance of 3 meters, slicing clean through the black flesh of the Grimm. It cried out, retracting what was left of its arm-like body part. It slithered back into its body, as did the other tentacle.
Without missing a beat, Velvet expelled the hatchet and called upon the Hard-Light copy of Icarina's bow and arrow once more. She aimed at one of the bulbous eyes of the Grimm, drawing three arrows from the Hard-Light quiver. She took aim, pulled her arm back, and fired the three arrows before the creature had an opportunity to turn away from the hunted who had become the hunters. She released, watching as the three arrows sailed through the air. They all connected over the eye, sending out another ear-splitting screech from the Grimm in response. Velvet had learned to block out such a noise, not so much as wincing at the sensation. Dew winced a small amount, but did not take her eyes off of their enemy. She nodded to Velvet in appreciation, priming her spear and throwing it with so much force that it was able to connect against the other eye of the Grimm. Losing its ability to see, it began to fall low to the ground, where Velvet dashed forward. She concentrated a large amount of Aura in her fists, as Kandase had taught her, with Ozpin, Dorian, and Qrow building later. She felt the warm sensation of the Aura as it flowed to her hands, which she closed. She summoned the wings of the adversary that she had wounded on the battlefield many years ago, and flew up to meet the Grimm head-on. Velvet closed her eyes and soared towards the creature. Aside from the sound of the wind passing by her body, she made not a sound, so as to not be tracked by the creature.
It wildly flailed its remaining tentacle, trying depserately to hit anything. She avoided touching them, not knowing if they were covered with poison or another form of toxin. She dispelled her wings when she was close enough to the face of the Grimm, rearing her arms back and clasping her hands together as she was carried only by velocity. When the time was right, she slammed her fists into the forehead area of the creature's bulbous head. The force sent the creature down into the ground, hard. Dew ran forward as soon as the beast was down, tearing her recovered spear through the translucent wings of the beast to prevent it from rising again.
Velvet performed a front-flip in the air as she began to fall. She found an area that was void of any boulders too large. Velvet manuevered her body there, rolling onto her back once the opportunity presented itself. She laid dormant for a second, barely realizing that she was out of breath. She looked up at the calm night sky as she heard Dew cursing, condemning the beast for 'thinking that it had the goods to kill them'. Velvet couldn't help but laugh slightly, making her burning sides hurt as a direct result.
She moved onto her hands and knees, turning to face her compatriots. The Grimm was dissolving, and Dew had begun her resuscitation of Ceril in the form of tapping him in the ribs, asking, "Hey, are you dead?"
Velvet was beginning to walk over to rejoin them, when she felt a large hand clasp her shoulder. Defensively, she leapt away, turning to face the person behind her. Instead of an enemy, however, Velvet's eyes were met with a familiar face. Velvet's face brightened up, the feelings of fatigue leaving her almost immediately
Her hair had been dyed to a deep auburn color. It was tied up into a ponytail, the base of which being near the back end of her scalp. The hair tie was black and puffy. She had obtained a light tan since the last time Velvet had seen her, her pale skin now a half-shade darker than before.
Around around her throat lay a thin leather necklace that slunk down to the base of her neck, just underneath them a pair of reflective-lens sunglasses dangling from the neckline of her shirt. Just under this pair of sunglasses was an arrow attached to the leather band that Velvet could read, even in the darkness. It had one word inscribed on its smooth, grey surface: Redemption.
She had on a black, leather jacket to protect herself from the cold elements that had come over the land. Underneath, she donned a form-fitting gray undershirt that had 2 symmetrical tears over each of her ribs. Over this was a pair of white suspenders that were equipped with small, black pouches that Velvet could only assume were to hold her primary weapon of choice. They wrapped around her shoulder-blades and over to her back.
They were attached to a pair of burgundy shorts that had a line of brass buttons running down the center. Without any leggings present, Velvet was able to see an array of faded scars along the exposed section of her upper thighs, which would give way to a pair of thigh-high, black-and-white skater sneakers.
Velvet eyed the hands that she placed on her hips, cocking them in the fashion that Velvet herself found doing herself at times. In the same, flashy fashion as the rest of her attire, the upper-part of her hands and as well as her forearms were covered with brass guards, held in place by leather straps that wrapped around her wrists underneath.
Over each finger, save for her thumbs, there were engraved rings that were attached to her fingers. What the swirly engravings meant, Velvet hadn't the slightest idea. It appeared, though, that the brass guard's doubled as brass knuckles as well.
As if she'd have it any other way. Velvet thought with a smirk.
From behind her, Dew came running up, brandishing her spear towards Velvet's old friend. "Hey. Who are you?" She questioned bluntly.
"Wow. I'm shocked, Velvet. You haven't even gotten around to telling your little friends about me? Or teaching your little friend here some manners?"
"Who the he-"
"I suggest you shush yourself before I do it for you."
"Excuse me?" Dew said, scowling, leaning forward as if to attack.
Velvet stepped between them, facing Dew first. "Dew. I suppose some introductions are in order."
"You got that right." Velvet heard with a chuckle behind her.
"This is one of my closest friends. This is Kandase Bellerini."
Kandase bowed. "Grade-A butt-kicker, at your service. Velvet, I need to speak with you."
Velvet looked back, exchanged a look with Dew once more. "Make sure that Ceril is alright." She said, before Kandase pulled her away.
She pulled Velvet to a secluded area about a meter away, pulling her behind a boulder. Kandase turned on her heels, kicking up a small amount of dust under her feet, and laid her back against the nearest boulder. She pointed an accusatory finger to Velvet, pulling her head back to look up at the stars. "You, Velvet Scarlatina, are an extremely hard woman to find. I mean, sure, when I pestered Qrow enough before he left himself a couple months back, he let it slip that he'd sent you on your first solo mission to Vacuo. After I tried beaning him for putting you on such a dangerous mission alone, I told him that I was going after you, and there was nothing that he could say to stop me. 'Well, if that's the case,' (Kandase made her voice low and hoarse in her best impression of Qrow Branwen) 'Then you can make yourself more useful there. With someone of your skill set, you're not much use when it comes to rebuilding the schools.' So," Kandase said, clutching onto the boulder and kicking her legs up into the air. "I decided to come along for the ride." She rolled off of the boulder, hopping onto her feet to stand before Velvet again.
"I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't glad to see you."
"Oh, I know." She observed with a snorting laugh. "The big question that I've been meaning to ask you ever since I decided to tail you here on my second journey to this..." She curled her lip, looking around at the landscape. "lovely kingdom is: what have you found out during your time running about Sanus? From what I've heard from my old friends in low places, you've caused more trouble than the God of Darkness Himself. You've got people thinking that you're some sort of Maiden, that you're invulnerable, and I've also heard that you've caught the eye of some of the most hardcore street gangs in this place, and not in the fun way."
Velvet sighed at the mentioning of the misconception of her being a Maiden. "That's all true, I suppose. As much as I despise that bit about me being a Maiden. But I've uncovered something during my time here."
"Aside from a group of bickering...I'm gonna guess lovers?" Kandase asked in an inquisitive tone, pointing a curled finger to Ceril and Dew, whom Velvet had barely noticed were arguing behind them about the ease of which Ceril was incapacitated during the battle. Velvet sighed, putting a hand to her face once more, but otherwise avoiding the subject.
"No. They're just some...hired help of mine?" Velvet couldn't help but feel a bit of attachment to the two of them, but she knew that they were both still with her for other reasons. Kandase hummed inflectively, nodding slowly.
"I see. Well, aside from such...colorful characters, what did you uncover? What's going down here in Vacuo?"
Velvet looked to the ground, shrugging as she told Kandase the hard truth. "I'm not sure that I know, exactly."
"Hmm. Interesting. Explain?" She moved her hand in a circular motion, urging Velvet on.
"Well, I met with the person that all of my leads led me to, a gang-leader named Honey Ratel. She claimed that she'd found an alternative solution to end our fight with the said something about combining the two beings. That the only way that we could all live in harmony is if we are one and the same. Said she wanted to bring about a new world, using the students at Shade as test subjects so the world couldn't look away." Velvet said, looking up to face Kandase's mortified expression. She shook her head and crossed her arms.
"By the gods. She's not talking about-" Kandase stopped herself, unable to bring herself to finish the statement. Velvet nodded, knowing what it was that she had realized.
"Assimilation. She thinks that the way to peace is making Grimm and human one and the same."
Kandase uttered a swear into her palm as she brought it to her mouth. After a moment of stunned sillence, she looked to Velvet once more. "Do they know?"
"I don't think so. All that the girl-Dew is her name- knows is that Ratel is targeting the kids at Shade. Neither of them know the particulars of what's going on."
Kandase nodded. "Alright. That's good. For the time being, we should keep it that way."
Velvet, initially, nodded in agreement, not fully comprehending what it was that Kandase had just said. When she did, she turned to look at the pair behind them who had ceased bickering and looked back at them. "Would you mind explaining that?"
"Which part? The part where I told you to lie to your friends so they don't compromise this operation? Or the part where I put myself on your team?"
Velvet turned back to Kandase once more. "I think the first one would be suitable for now."
She walked closer to Velvet, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Velvet. Do you remember what Ozpin taught you? About anger and hate? Well, it's like a wild animal that you take into battle. Sure, you look all cool, and it'll help take out whatever enemies stand in your way, but, eventually, it turns on its handler. This would be like giving them a Creep on a leash. It would motivate them to get the job done, but at the cost of their own lives.
Isn't that what I've already doomed them to by involving them? Velvet thought, quickly repressing those thoughts. "I'll admit that such a thought crossed my mind as well. I don't want to involve them any more than I have to."
"I know you don't. You're one of the last truly noble people on this world. It's apparent that you've managed to round such capable team members up and lead them into battle."
"Wait, how do you-"
"I may or may not have found you yesterday and have been trailing you as much as I can. I've seen everything aside from you and that Dew chick going up to the mansion on the hill. I must say, you were pretty inspiring, running into burning buildings, fighting a bunch of goons. But, aside from all of that, they're not a liability, so long as they're on a need-to-know basis. I know that kind of thing kills you, Velvet, but that's the only way that they can truly be protected."
Velvet shook her head. "The lying. Where does it end, Kandase?"
"I can't say, for sure, Velvet. It hasn't ended for me, and I've been doing this for a lot longer. Oddly enough, the lies are the safeguard that truly protects the weak-minded from the truth that they pretend to want, but are in no way ready to face."
Velvet sighed, suddenly feeling the urge to switch the subject. "So, you're going to tag along with us, then?"
Kandase took the hint, and chuckled. She bared her teeth in a pearly smile, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, have you given any thought to what your team name is?"
Velvet had given it no previous thought, but gave off the first thing that came to mind, the only thing she could really say."We...I hadn't given it much thought." She said with a bit of chagrin.
Kandase chuckled to herself. "Well, we don't have to have a name. I can't quite think of anything that starts with a 'V' that's a color and includes all of our names, anyhow. Doesn't matter. We've got to leave such childish things behind." At that moment, Kandase opened one of her pouches along her suspenders and withdrew a bright-red sucker. She stuck it in her mouth, then met the sight of Velvet stifling her laughter. "Hey, we don't have leave all of our childish tendencies behind. I'd be out of a job, then."
Velvet shook her head, chuckling. "Alright. What do you suppose we do, now?"
Kandase cackled, wrapping her arm around Velvet's shoulders. "Hey, now. This is your operation. That's your call to make. But, I may be able to give you a nudge in the right direction. While I was...let's say reminiscing with some of my old associates here on Sanus, I came across an unusual story that even has the people here spooked. They're under the impression that some boogeyman is coming in the night and stealing away their children. The police don't know what to do about it, and the citizens are scared out of their wits. With that little bit of info that you gave me, I would wager that our dillemmas are crossed at some point in the road."
"I would wager that you're right. I think that we have the opportunity to help even more people than before. How many kids do you know of that have been taken?"
"Well, there are about 14, apparently. Most of them are younger kids who just got into combat school, with a small handful of them being people your age."
Velvet nodded, fully embracing the gravity of the situation that had laid itself at their feet. "I don't suppose that anyone gave you an address?" She said, trying to lighten the tone with a joke. Kandase politely laughed, then answered in the negative.
"Of course not, Velvet. If it were that easy, everyone would be a Huntsman, and we wouldn't find work." She stretched her hands behind her head and rocked on her heels. "We get the fun job of finding these people and hunting them down."
"Well, we need to stop and rest. The other people in my party are exhausted, and they can't go on for much longer if they don't rest, I'm sure. The boy with the glasses lost his home today."
"I saw." Kandase interjected. "I supoose that's reasonable. The only thing a tired Huntsman can bring about is an early retirement. So, what do you think, we go at it in the morning?"
"I suppose that's the best way to do it. Do you suppose that they know anything?" Velvet asked, subtly pointing to the two behind her.
"There's only one way to find out. But, let's wait until morning. Even the bad guys get their beauty sleep."
Velvet nodded, and turned to walk back to Ceril and Dew. She reflected on what Kandase said as they walked ever so slowly.
How much time is too much time? I hope that we don't have to find out.
"Velvet. It's going to be alright." Kandase assured, seeing the worry written over her friend's face.
"For all of our sakes, I hope that you're right."