Ghost of the Branwen
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY
Chapter 13: Survival of the Fittest
The 'match' between Crane and Marron had just begun. Crane's mechanical gloves or rather gauntlets unleashed a barrage of punches with no intention of stopping.
However, Marron seemed to have the same idea as he did the same thing.
Fist connected with fist and it was quite impressive to watch.
Madara had walked back over to the group as he sat on the group. Raven glanced at him and back over to Fen only to look back to him.
She would question him later, but no was not the time.
"Man…his armour can take a beating." Crane thought. "No matter how much faster I am his armour will just block most of the hits."
"Then there is the fact his weapons are claws, unlike Cuckoo's claws where they are basically long blades on her hands, these act like real claws like crayfish, lobsters and crabs have." He continued his result as he used the fact he didn't wear armour to his advantage to dodge a few hits. "But that means, it slows him down. He's a hard hitter, but a slow mover!"
Marron was bigger than Crane, but that didn't stop the hidden faunus from stopping in any sort of way.
The enemy faunus opened the claw somewhat and went for a slash. "I can't get caught by those blades." Crane thought. "Those blades would crush into me."
The two continued and it seemed the Marron had gotten the upper hand due to the lack of armour Crane had.
Crane then threw his right fist into the ground as it collided with the ground and with superb strength, the ground underneath the two cracked causing an off balance.
Crane took this opportunity to unleash a barrage of unrelenting fists at Marron, aiming for the head when he could.
On the dorsal side of his mechanical gauntlets in the middle, the colour of a circle changed to that of red from the grey colour it once had.
Now, this time when he punched the enemy faunus, the spectators could see flames.
Crane threw fist after fist as they were literally on fire. The hits connected with Marron's abdomen before a sudden uppercut to his face. Once the fist landed, Crane expected for Marron's head to fly off…however, Marron slowly tilted his head down to look down at Crane.
His head…had changed into black steel.
"This is my semblance, Steel Body." Marron made a swipe with his claw as Crane had jumped back. "It allows me to cover any part of my body in steel."
"…" Crane brought his fists up. "Then why use those claws when you can make your hands steel?"
Marron lunged forward as Crane kept his fists up and blocked the oncoming barrage from Marron.
Marron changed from punches to grabs when he could.
Crane's head reeled back from a swift jab before Marron's claw smashed into the ground.
Crane had gotten away just in time before he pointed both of the closed mechanical gauntlets at Marron. On the dorsal side where the dust colour was, it lifted slightly before it shot out a bunch of paper.
Marron put his arms up into his a cross as he prepared to block the barrage of paper. "Trying to give me a paper cut?"
Marron's eyes widened as the paper circled around him rather than attack him directly. Soon the when the papers stopped spinning…they took the form of paper cranes.
"One thousand and I can make a wish." Crane said as the paper cranes floated in the air.
"…Your semblance…is paper manipulation?"
Marron brought up his claw to block an attack just as Crane sucker punched him. However, it seemed he kept his steel body up.
The two got back into their boxing match, but this time, the paper cranes flew past his face.
"Damn paper birds!" Due to this Marron's distractions, Crane landed more hits than before.
"Damn it, because of his steel semblance, my attacks are weaker now…guess I have to use that and get some good hits it."
Crane's fists hit the abdomen of the faunus sending him back a bit before his paper cranes flew around faster than before.
Marron raised his fist before it stopped as one of the paper cranes unfolded and wrapped itself around his arm. The crayfish faunus looked at his body was the thousand paper cranes covered his body, restraining his movements.
"I…can't move?" the faunus looked at Crane. "How…?"
"Doesn't matter!" the other faunus said as the dorsal side of his gloves changed to lightning dust.
Sparks flew off the gauntlets before he sent another combo at the restricted Marron.
"I…I can feel it…" Marron thought as his steel body covered his face.
"Wrong move!" the attacker shouted. "Steel conducts electricity."
Marron's whole body was currently acting as a conductor for said electricity. "It doesn't matter if I don't have enough power to break through your semblance, but you can't keep it up can you?!"
Soon Marron moved his arm free of the paper and when he slammed it down, Crane was on his weapon.
The two fists slammed into the side of his head. One was fire dust and the other was lightning dust.
Once the fists removed themselves after the powerful strike, the steel body went down.
"…I couldn't keep it up…any longer…" he thought as he saw the fist of Crane approach his face. "I've…lost…"
Marron's head went back as he was slammed into the ground…dead.
Crane had won.
"…" Gris watched as Crane walked back while the body of Marron was moved from the battlefield. "…"
"…Hm?" Raven looked at her son, while he watched the fight he was more focused on the people on the sidelines.
Gris turned his head to the side. "Zongse…" that was all he said as the mask wearing walked towards the field.
"…Auk."
Auk carried her staff as she entered onto the field.
"Begin." Gris called out as Auk held her staff in a defensive stance as Zongse's hand trailed down the mask with a brief look towards Marron.
"You were close to him?"
Zongse turned to face his opponent and nodded. "He gave me this mask." He said softly that only Auk could hear. "I shall avenge him."
Then, from his back, she saw.
From his back were eight white arms with a golden glow.
Then the eight arms attacked. One after another in the form of a palm hit.
Auk brought up her staff as she went on the defensive as she tried to block the oncoming strikes from Zongse's semblance.
"You're a close range fighter, and they thought I was too." Zongse thought as he kept his guard up while sending palm after palm. "My semblance, Transcendence, will do the job."
While the arms that came out of his back were the same length as his own, they could definitely extend to reach a target and some can be used for defence!
Zongse kept the attack up as his transcendence eight fists hurled towards Auk.
Auk used her staff to try and block some of the attacks, most of them hit her.
"My 'Eight Crushing Palms' will end you before you do any damage!" he thought as he kept the attack up.
"Damn it. I can't get close to him!" Auk thought as she started rolling to the side as the fists chased her.
She got to her feet as she ran from the chasing fits as some of the fists tried to block her off ahead.
Slamming her staff into the ground, she pole vaulted over the oncoming fists.
While she was in the air, six palms came towards her while the two remaining arms stayed by Zongse for defensive purposes. Auk spun around while spinning her staff around.
Due to spinning at ferocious speeds, she looked like a small tornado. "She can control her movements while spinning like that?!" Zongse thought as he watched as Auk came closer towards him.
She could indeed control her movements like she was doing now.
Zongse jumped out of the way as Auk passed him leaving a trail of her own self made tornado. Zongse eyes widened behind his wooden mask as Auk easily tore through a thick tree.
Zongse went of the defence as he focused on getting away from Auk who moved like a flying snake.
Eight of his semblance arms touched the ground as he used them to jump over Auk before sending punches that were sadly deflected.
"…I see now! A head on attack is necessary!"
Zongse waited for Auk to approach him before sending four of his arms to block the oncoming attack and slowing her down as he used the other four to attack.
Auk had stopped spinning abruptly as she was held by her legs and arms by four of the arms as the other four continuously punched her.
Auk coughed up blood from the last punch as she was dropped to the ground. "You are not my target, but this is my only chance." Zongse said to himself.
Auk was on all fours as the eight arms attacked once more. She suddenly slammed some dust into the ground as a wall made of earth sprang up blocking the head on assault.
"Then I'll just go around." Four arms on the left and right, attacked from the left and right, a pincer attack.
However those arms where blocked by more earth walls made from earth dust.
Zongse redirect his attack to behind and above…only to encounter more earth walls or rather an earth roof and wall.
"…She trapped herself inside the earth cube…no matter…" Zongse's eight heavenly fists attacked the front wall. "I'll just break through it!"
The wall cracked and soon enough it broke…to reveal another wall. "You are just trapping yourself now." Zongse mumbled disappointedly as he broke through another wall.
They were starting to get harder to break through. But the end result was the same, broken to reveal another wall.
He pulled his eight arms back before sending them one last time at yet another earth wall.
The earth cube crumbled as the ground beneath him broke as a staff came from the ground hitting him in the chin and sending him to the sky.
Auk broke through the earth as he sent her staff into the stomach of her opponent and slammed him into the ground where then slammed her weapon once more into him.
Two of the arms easily got her off of him as he sat up.
He glanced in the direction of his opponent. He stood up as is eight arms covered him to block the attacks Auk sent at him with her staff.
"I'm getting annoyed." He thought as soon his eight arms changed from their golden glow to a red glow.
"His semblance still has more?" Auk wandered before the arms moved faster and packed more of a punch now.
Auk kept a grip on her weapon as soon she was overwhelmed by the attacks. She needed a way to defeat him quickly…or else…she would lose.
However she noticed something when she was knocked around…
She tried to dodge most of the now red glow white arms. However it seemed she couldn't dodge most of them.
That was when Zongse attacked with all eight closed fists instead of palms at her.
Auk held up her staff as she hit the back of a tree while the eight fists kept coming, they had some range, but it forced Zongse to get closer…he had a set range.
Auk smirked as she jumped back before holding up her staff.
"I'll finish this now." Zongse thought. "All eight at once!" all eight palms turned into fists as they lashed out as the user walked closer, getting into proper range.
Then suddenly…her staff extended.
Zongse was caught unaware by the extended weapon before he was sent into one of the ransacked buildings as the staff kept extending.
Zongse's grabbed the staff before he coughed up blood under the wooden mask Marron gave him. His eight arms assisted in pushing the staff back as he saw…a blade appear from the end of the staff.
"So this weapon…has hidden blades?" he asked before he coughed again as the eight arms from his semblance disappeared as the staff with its blade pierced him again as he smashed through the wall into another one.
Zongse's arms went limp as he mustered the rest of the strength to look over towards where Marron's body was.
"I-I'm sorry…old friend…" he muttered as his eyes grew weary. "It looks…like…I couldn't….ave…nge…yo-"
Zongse died there as a tear dropped from under the mask.
The staff retracted as the blade retracted as well. Auk walked off the field as she sent one last look to Zongse…
…Maybe…she shouldn't have killed him…
Madara took his mask off and placed it next to him. Everyone else would be focused on the fights so the enemy wouldn't be able to spend time to look at him.
"Now, there is only two left." Madara thought as pulled something out of his pocket. "…"
"…Sarcelle." Gris said with no emotion.
Sarcelle looked at her leader. "But-"
"It's just the two of us now." He said with his arms folded. "Go out there and fight."
"Yes sir."
Sarcelle began to walk to the field as she held her weapon in her hand.
"Plover, it seems your up." Raven said as she too had her arms crossed.
Plover only smiled in response. "Ah, this should be enjoyable."
Once the two were on the battlefield with their weapons, the fighting began. "BEGIN!" Raven called out.
She was actually excited for her fight. Usually, she didn't care about fighting too much compared to her son, who seemed to find 'some' interest in it, almost relishing in it…almost.
It seemed while her son has picked up on some of her habits, it seemed she had picked up some of his.
While Plover had her eight tomoe drums in the form of a circle behind her, her opponent Sarcelle's weapon was…a simply folding fan.
"A folding fan?" thought Plover. "Oh well."
Using her weapon, she shot a line of lightning towards her opponent…that then swung her fan towards her.
Lightning clashed against wind.
"Her weapon utilizes the wind?" she thought before shooting another bolt of lightning, and getting the exact same result.
This time she fired her lightning to move around and attack Sarcelle from the side.
However, it seemed that she had the same idea before both jumped back from their attacks.
Their clashes continued for a while as the tribe and Gris watched on.
"You reckon, Plover is going to be fine?" Auk asked as she was still recovering from her fight with Zongse.
"Yes." Madara replied. "We have won three of those 'victories' already…and Sarcelle is not skilled enough to defeat Plover."
"How do you know this?" Raven asked her child while keeping her eyes focused on the fight.
"My Sharingan can let me see aura, that also includes how big ones aura is too." He said before he used some eye drops on his eyes from what he got from his pocket. "I used too much of my aura into making that illusion…" he grumbled.
"Compared to Gris, her aura isn't that big of a threat. Compared to Plover, she has lower reserves of aura." He continued. "And while aura doesn't measure skill and combat talent, it does mean that her aura shield and minor wound regeneration, as well as use of semblance, will go down faster."
"It's just a matter of time for Plover…but, the only disadvantage she has…is that her lightning attacks…are negated by the wind attacks."
Plover started to fire more lightning bolts at once as Sarcelle jumped to the sides…as if she was carried by the wind while sending wind waves at the lightning user.
It was then, Sarcelle pulled out a second fan.
She started to send twice as many wind waves at Plover.
Plover gathered her aura before she used her semblance along with her weapon. Lightning circled around her before one bolt went into the sky and the larger bolt came around in the form of an eastern dragon.
Sarcelle stopped using her fans separately before using both of the fans to create an eastern dragon as well, the only difference was that this lacked 'whiskers' and was made of wind.
Plover moved her dragon around the dragon of wind as said dragon also started coiling around the dragon of lightning.
Soon the two heads glared at each other before a head on collision occurred, but the dragon of wind had wrapped around the head of the dragon of lightning.
The dragon of lightning managed to break free and head towards the holding fan user, before she swung her fans as the wind dragon moved the lightning dragon out of the way and destroying both of them.
Plover panted at the use of her semblance, lightning manipulation. "You have wind manipulation." She said as she looked at Sarcelle.
"And you have lightning manipulation." She allowed a smirk to appear. She made a cross with her arms before she made a power swing with both arms as two tornadoes appeared.
"It seems your semblance is too taxing." The wind user said as she kept her two tornadoes in check. "It ends her for you!" she then sent the two waves of tornadoes towards Plover over the distance of the battlefield.
Plover smirked as she watched the large tornadoes towards her. The tribe watched as the tornadoes got closer to Plover, they seemed unaffected…with Madara, Raven and Gris were simply or seemingly unaffected.
"Why is she smirking?" wondered the fan holder and conjurer of tornadoes. She sped up her tornadoes before Plover raised both hands.
"You thought this was your end, but this is truly your end!" the lighting user said before the bolt launched into the sky came down…much, much larger than before.
"My semblance was only taxing because I was fuelling the bolt I shot earlier." She thought before she saw Sarcelle look up as her arms fell to her sides.
That was one large bolt…in the shape of a dragon.
Sarcelle broke out of her shock as she used her semblance of manipulating wind to stop the large bolt of lightning.
Her wind would stop it!
The tornadoes cover Sarcelle as the large lightning dragon hit the top of the two tornadoes.
Sarcelle's eyes widened in horror as she watched as her twin tornadoes broke apart. "What?!" she thought as the large bolt of lightning struck her down.
"While lightning isn't good against wind, but at the same time, lightning can potentially surpass the penetrative force of wind by increasing the vibration frequency high enough." Plover thought as she dusted off her kimono.
After the lightning stopped shocking Sarcelle, the fan user fell to her knees and on to the ground face first.
Gris watched as his last warrior.
It was all down to him. The last one standing!
Gris flexed his hand, moving his fingers before forming a fist. "Yes…this will do…" he thought. "They all proved strong so far…their leader must be strong too. She has to be!"
Gris walked down towards the now empty field as Sarcelle's corpse was moved. His heart started to beat faster and faster.
He was full of excitement and thrill!
Before Raven walked to fight Gris, she looked towards her son. "Something on your mind?" she asked.
"Obviously." He held his mask in his arm as he stood up. "I tell you after the fight, but…just be careful."
Raven raised an eyebrow behind her mask. This was unusually for him.
"While you'll win, he's not a pushover." He told her. "Remember when I said his aura was big compared to Plover's opponent? Well, it's big enough to be a threat."
Madara gave his mother a serious look. "Don't underestimate him, nor let your guard down."
"It feels like I'm talking to myself." Raven said as she placed her hand on her odachi, ready to draw it from its sheath.
Gris stood opposite of Raven with his arms crossed.
"You're strong." He said before they fought. "Compared to others, I can sense your power…and your youngest member too. You're both strong!"
"You can sense our aura? Is that your semblance?"
"Somewhat." He replied. "The strong attract strong, and the strong have their pride."
Raven narrowed her eyes at what he was saying; it was like he was suddenly a different person, slightly. "The strong survive and the weak die, that is the way of this world, the death of my comrades just prove that theory. You also believe in the same ideology right?"
"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules." She said and yes, she did believe in the same ideals of Gris.
Gris grinned. "I knew it." He said softly before his body shook. "Perfect."
He looked from the ground and back to Raven, who waited for him to get into a fighting stance. "I shall tell you the name of my semblance. It's called Dragon Soul." He told her. "It also allowed me to sense you and Madara's strength. While that isn't the main application of the semblance, a dragon's pride and strength can also show me our potential fighters to test my strength against."
Gris then grinned.
"Come. Give stimulation to my existence!"
Then the hilt of Raven's odachi slammed into Gris' stomach sending him back a bit.
Bending his knees slightly he sprung forward fast, Raven followed suit as she sprung forward.
Through all these fights, Madara had his Sharingan activated, and with how they were moving now, it was perfect to use to watch the fight.
Raven kept pulling out her odachi from her sheath but not all the way resulting in a quick draw hilt attack that clashed against Gris' palm which seemed to be in a grapple or claw.
The two dashed around trying to get the upper hand on each other, however Raven refused to fully draw her sword out and only drew it partially out as the hilt connected with Gris' palms.
The same action happened multiple times as the connected as they moved around the arena. However, while the attacks remained the same, they started to get more powerful as small shockwaves were sent out once the two attacks collided.
Gris went from a single attack to two attacks with both fists. His fists collided with the hilt of Raven's sword as they continued their fight.
Raven tilted her body as she drew her sword once more as her hilt landed in Gris' stomach for a second time and sent him through one of the ransacked houses as Raven followed suit.
Gris landed on the wall with his feet as he pushed off the wall towards where Raven entered after him.
…Only to see no one in his line of sight.
Dropping from above and behind the leader of the previous four contestants, Raven appeared as she drew her sword fully as she slashed him in the back.
And due to his aura, it was the wound recovered, but it looked more like getting him by a baseball bat.
Gris flew into a wall of a different house before a foot kicked his back through the wall.
Raven entered the house as she used wind dust on her odachi and swung the sword as Gris recovered and dropped to the ground.
The use of the wind dust had cut the building horizontally in half causing the building to fall down upon itself.
Raven stood in front of the house as she sheathed her odachi briefly and was prepared to bring it out again.
Just then, Gris burst from the house wreckage and straight into the sky before he landed on the destroyed building.
Raven pulled out her odachi as it was covered in both fire and wind dust, strengthening the fire dust.
Gris landed on the ground in front of her as she had raised her sword up and swung it down, creating a large ball of fire that with incredible speed headed towards Gris.
Gris crossed his arms as he prepared for the attack from Raven and was soon engulfed, his aura working on keeping him safe during the attack.
He then saw a spark within the flames before it collided into him before the flames broke apart with lightning adding itself to the mix as he was shot out of the large and powerful attack.
Gris then found himself being sent backwards as he spun.
"Yes, this rush! The feeling of adrenaline!" he grinned as he flipped backwards and landed elegantly on the ground opposing Raven who seemed to be waiting for him. "This is what I was searching for!"
"Time to activate, Dragon Soul!" he grinned with a glint in his eyes.
Gris was then covered in a transparent purple aura that surrounded his whole body and the shape of a dragon's head appeared and covered both of his fists.
The two purple dragon heads of Gris' fists clashed one after another into Raven's odachi. Raven blocked each fist after fist before she slashed causing the grey haired man to jump away onto one of the building's roofs.
"This is the fight…I've been searching for!" he said before Raven had disappeared from his sight to behind him.
Gris ducked as the sword flew above him before his elbow went to hit Raven in the stomach, only to be blocked by a hand.
They took this opportunity to get some distance, wary of each other's abilities. Gris landed on the field as Raven landed on a nearby tree.
The user of Dragon Soul held up his fist before the dragon head was shot leaving the 'body' of the dragon connected to his fist.
Gris then shot the second arm as Raven dodged and cut the first to no effect. "So it can't be cut off." She mused before dodging the second one as both heads chased her.
Gris jumped towards her as his two dragon heads easily broke through tree branched to get to her. The two heads bit onto a branch as he swung him towards her before slamming both feet into the ground in front of her.
Two engaged once more in hand to hand combat or rather hand-to-sword combat.
Rven skilfully moved her sword as it connected with the blows Gris was dishing out. Gris' dragon fists connected with Raven who moved quite fast in order to keep up with Gris' dragon punches.
Gris grinned as he started to add kicks to the mix. It was getting harder for Raven to keep up with as before he basically surrounded her by himself and landed hit after hit before Raven spat out a dust crystal before it exploded.
In the explosion, the trees around them had blown apart due to the force of the dust's effects and even a nearby house was taken out too.
Raven had swung her red bladed odachi as Gris felt an immense amount of pain.
As the clearing disappeared, he saw raven holding her odachi and could feel her eyes looking at him and then he looked at his arm.
…there wasn't one…
"Are you done?" Raven asked as she cut off his left arm from just above the elbow.
Gris then slammed his feet into the ground as his purple aura from his semblance gathered around him. His aura flared and formed that of a dome as Raven could feel him grow stronger.
Now Gris' skin was the same colour of his Dragon Soul semblance, purple. He also had white markings on his torso and arms as he lunged forward with incredible speed.
"This is my trump card!" he shouted before his fist found its way into Raven's stomach before it sent her high into the sky as he jumped after her and kicked her back down.
As Raven fell to the ground, she pulled out a small crystal and broke it as it released a thick fog of steam.
Gris shot through the steam and landed where Raven was supposed to land.
Through the heavy steam behind him, he saw a silhouette and swung his remaining arm through the steam as the silhouette was torn in half from the attack.
As this happened as sword slashed his back.
"…You're teleporting!" Gris begun to spun with his newfound increased speed and strength and blew the smoke away.
"You're right." Raven confirmed. "But it isn't teleportation."
Gris panted as she raised her sword. "It also seems like your trump card has some side effects, straining your body?"
"Something like that!" he said as he lunged forward as Raven jumped back into a dark red portal than disappeared as soon as she jumped back into it.
Gris stopped as he swung his arm back as a portal closed behind him.
He stared with wide eyes as he watched multiple portals surround him as Raven jumped from portal to portal, opening and closing as she entered them.
"You make portals!" he eyes darted from portal to portal to catch up. He then got back into his powering up stance as he called upon his trump card for a second time. "This is the first time I'm using my trump card for a second time!"
"Draconic Burst!" he used his trump card again as he put more strain on his body. He was now fast enough to catch up and go through the multiple portals after Raven.
Now they clashed, in between her portals, all the while the portals closed behind them.
"Trying to trap me in here?" he asked as he sped up when she boosted herself with wind dust to the exit point of the dark red portal.
Raven had made in through the portal as it grew too small to fit through…until Gris shoved his hand in the portal and forced it open.
He landed on the ground before he froze for a split of a second before he panted. "If I continue using my trump card, Draconic Burst…I don't think I'll survive…it pushes me past my limits and the strain on my body is too great now that I used it for a second time…I reckon I only have enough time to use it for a third time before my body breaks down."
Gris lifted his fist as he the shape of a dragon head appeared, but the body coiled around his arm.
Raven who stood in front of him raised odachi, she could tell. He only had enough for a final attack with his semblance but could still fight on afterwards…but if he used his trump card for a third time…she'd be in trouble.
The dragon's head was much bigger then last time as he shot forward ready to kill his opponent. Even if that meant, throwing away his life.
Raven's odachi came to life as her aura surrounded the blade as the use of wind and lightning dust was added to her blade for increased cutting and piercing power.
She too shot forward with the intention of ending the fight before he could use Draconic Burst for a third time.
The two attacks collided as a giant shockwave blew the wreckages of the houses away and caused the trees to bend back.
Then…it all went white.
From close up, it was like an approaching wave and flashbang. From a distance, it looked like a growing dome of white light.
The powerful attacked ended as Gris panted heavily as he struggled to get off one knee. He stood on two feet as he saw the feet marks where Raven stood.
He froze as blood trickled from his mouth and onto the dirt below.
Gris saw as he was stabbed through the heart from behind as he fell to his knees after the owner of the odachi redrew her sword.
She had used her portal at the last minute and stabbed him from behind. He fought he had won, but it turned out, she was stronger.
The strong always won in the end.
As he fell to the ground with a smile, he flipped himself over to look at his fighter, the smile no longer there as he began to talk seriously to his killer.
"You won…you are stronger…" he said before looking over towards Madara. "But…I wonder…who is stronger?"
Raven raised an eyebrow at Gris' words and before she could follow him eyes, he spoke again. "At least I got to go out the way I wanted to go out…but…I can't help but feel…disappointed…"
"Disappointed?"
"Yes…you…while you're strong…throughout our fight…I could sense….someone…something…stronger." he got out. "I'm glad we fought…but I…wished I could…fight the other one…"
She saw how Gris' eyes now held a hint of regret and want. He wanted to fight someone stronger…
He knew Raven was stronger, this fight proved it. But, there was always someone stronger.
Always!
"But…I guess I'm free now…" he said weakly as he looked at his hand before it dropped onto his chest.
Gris, the leader of the warring tribe, died.
Raven had walked back from her victory against Gris, who now lied dead on the floor.
"So what did you want to tell me?" Raven asked.
"…It's about our opponents. They were weaker than what they should have been." Her son said.
"Explain."
"When I saw their aura, I saw a second aura mixed in." he told her. "Much bigger than those others we killed."
He then looked at as he walked away. "Get me a bucket of water."
Nightmares…were pretty terrible.
A nightmare about being stabbed by a monster that wasn't Grimm was just as bad.
Eyes sprang open as water collided with a face and then, they sprang up like they awoken from said nightmare.
Fen breathed deeply as she still remembered that 'thing' that stabbed her what seemed to be endlessly.
She looked around as she saw the person who 'killed' her but without his helmet or mask.
"Wha…?"
"I see your awake." He said as he brandished one of Caracara's kunai.
"I-I died."
"No, I just put too much into a…what you call a nightmare."
She tried to move her hands…she couldn't.
She looked down at her hands to see what has been done to them. They were wrapped up. She could feel her fingers but…
"That should stop your semblance." He said.
She turned to him with wide eyes as he continued. "You did a decent job at hiding your semblances true application." He said. "And I mean the use of decent loosely."
He then gave her a small smirk. "Your semblance isn't shooting energy spheres from your fingers or hands, but rather shooting Control Shots that when it hits your enemies, they are put under your control."
Fen's face paled as he still continued. "It was quite obvious actually." He told her as he sharpened the kunai. "First was with what you said. 'A waste of a semblance', I believe you said."
"That was the fist clue to your controlling semblance." He then stabbed the kunai into the ground making her flinch. "Then Marron said that they will find more for you to control."
"Yeah, it was obvious you had a controlling semblance." He grinned at her fear. "When you shot your control shots, I saw that they didn't leave any damage against the trees and if they did, they were miniscule."
"However, I have a way that allows me to see aura, and I saw your aura in the four you were with."
It was then Fen thought she was going to die.
"You weren't just on of Gris' followers in that group. You were the leader." She gulped as she could only listen. "However, your control over them wavered during the rest of the fights, which is why you thought you went first."
"You wanted to control me."
"But, because I knocked you out with that 'nightmare' the other four were still under your control and continued with your last command while still believing that had 'free will', but it seemed that as the fights continued, they begun to break free and assume their original personalities."
"Especially when Gris went from calm to a death seeker." He looked at her curiously. "You controlled Gris, Zongse, Sarcelle and Marron…why? And what's your semblance even called?"
"Control Shot." She said before she closed her mouth.
Madara seemed to snicker. "Don't worry, you'll tell me anything, even if I ask you something personal."
"How?" she asked with what she could muster out.
"Truth serum." The dull response echoed through her mind. "I don't think we needed it seeing how you are now, but it seemed some didn't want to take chances."
"But back to my question. Why did you control them?" he asked. "Was it for personal use? Was it to have a place to belong? Or perhaps feel strong?"
"P-Personal use…and to feel strong…"
Fen couldn't believe that she was telling him the truth. Damn serum.
"I also noticed that once you went down into the land of unconsciousness, and I assume death would be the same, that your control wavered and because of that, they got weaker."
"Weaker?" Fen thought.
Seeing the look on her face he nodded. "Yes, weaker." He said ignoring her look that thought he read her mind. "Because of your control, they kept their strength, but when you went down, your controlling aura was still there, but their aura was also trying to expel your aura once your control was let go."
"They were unconsciously fighting for their control back, and Gris almost did since he was the last one standing." He picked up the kunai. "Your aura and semblance inside them, made them weaker when you blacked out…you controlled them for your own gain and now, they are dead thanks to you."
"When I lost consciousness…they wrestled control from my semblance?" Fen thought as a chill ran up her spine. "I thought my semblance was perfect? My control wavered and made them weaker…and he…found out so easily…"
It was a lot to take in.
"I see." Raven said. "So you were right in the end."
Fen turned her head to see Raven leaning against one of the ruined buildings.
Her mouth hanged open before tuning to Madara.
And there was an energy sphere in it. The sphere grew slightly but as fast she conjured it up, her mouth slammed shut thanks to Madara closing her jaw.
"Ah, you can use your semblance not only from your hands but also from your mouth?" he asked. "I wasn't expecting that."
She tried to mumble out some words, but it wasn't working.
"You released your semblance right? I wonder what would happen if you were hit by your own semblance? Will you be immune or will you be effected as well?"
Before testing could ensue and Fen's growing fear, Raven spoke. "So what are you going to do with her now? Kill her or let her join the tribe?"
Raven knew the answer her son would choose. She just wanted to hear it from him.
"Kill her." The hope in Fen disappeared immediately. "Letting her join the tribe is too dangerous seeing as she could just control us like she did with the other four."
She started to mumble loudly as she struggled to move. It seemed her legs were tied up too.
Fen found herself turned around to see a dug out grave just waiting for her...and there were two on each side covered with dirt.
"This is your fate." The mother and son said.
"May you be haunted by these four in the life beyond this plane." The son said brandishing the kunai from before and slitting the throat of Fen.
He had turned her around and pushed her as her body into her grave.
Madara waved his hand as then dirt covered the woman.
"It seems that's over." Madara said as only his eyes glanced to his mother who now had her helmet off and was held in her hands. "You should have pride as you fought the real Gris in the end."
"Hmm, maybe, but he was still weaker thanks to her control."
"Oh? But even thought, he was still pretty strong regardless." Her son said with a sly smile. "Who knows, maybe you would have been defeated if he did the Draconic Burst a third time."
"…Who did you get your humour from?" she asked with a twitching eye.
"You, obviously." He told her truthfully. "But, he was very close to breaking free. She must have been skilled to control him."
"How skilled will you say?"
"Depends on how many she controlled at a given time." He waved his hand slightly in a non-important manner. "The day she learnt of her semblance is also a factor too."
He then pulled his scroll out as his normal red eyes glazed over the scroll. "I'll call the others over."
Madara sent a text to Passerine for a pick up before glancing back at his mother. "Something on your mind?" he asked.
"…it's nothing." She replied.
"I highly doubt that."
Raven allowed a small smirk to appear on her face. "Just thinking of another 'training' method for you." She told him as they waited for the pick up.
"Of course you are." He sighed. "You're always thinking of ways to get me stronger."
"But of course, it's a mother's job to make sure her child is growing up correctly." She told him as they approached the dark red bullhead that landed.
"…I guess your right." He said, but over than that, he said silent.
"I'm always right."
"Don't get to high and mighty…"
The trip of the bullhead was relatively peaceful.
"It's a shame those houses were destroyed." Plover said as Raven continued to look down at the ground below.
She kinda destroyed said houses in her fight.
"We'll just find another house to crash in!" Swan said with his usual grin.
"We do have some lien on us…" Heron brought up.
"But then we'll lose the bullhead." Swallow said from the pilot's seat. "Sure, normal civilians won't go after it, but crooks and those in the Atlesian military would."
"Don't forget the White Fang." The faunus Turaco said. "They would want a bullhead too."
"Especially since we, as in Madara, Auk and Grouse, basically high jacked the bullhead from them and painted it dark red."
"Madara and I didn't paint it." Auk said defensively. "Grouse was the one who painted it!"
"Hey!" Grouse said from the cockpit.
Meanwhile Madara was standing next to his mother as Garuda remained on his shoulder.
"So…what type of training did you plan?" he asked. "Also, when will it occur?"
She looked at her child and back to the scenery. "I got the training planned out for you…but you might not be ready yet."
He actually blinked at that one. "Not ready?" he asked.
She nodded. "If you do it now, then the effects of the training won't be as effective."
"Then what do I do in the meantime then?"
"Until I deem you worthy of taking this challenge, which will come as a surprise, you will continue with your usually routine and focus on teamwork with all members of the tribe."
"You can even train with one if you wish."
As Raven said that, Madara knew which one he wanted to train against.
Raven turned away from her child as she smirked. It seemed he had the perfect person in mind, and there was a few to choose from within the tribe.
But she knew exactly who he'd choose out of all of them.
It was quite obvious.
"He might be ready for the 'training' yet, but once he is…it will definitely be worth it!" She thought. "It depends on how fast he reaches that point though…maybe a month or maybe even a year from now, it all depends on him."
In the end, it would all be worth it.