"Status report!"
"An estimated amount of 10,000 Grimm have gathered at the far eastern side of the Emerald Forest!"
"Where did they come from?!"
"Move, people! Move, move, move! A Squad, B Squad, J Squad, up on the airship docks, now!"
The Vale Military was in crisis mode for the first time since the Color Wars. Everyone was on high alert, rushing to and fro their bunkers and battle stations.
"Everyone, we just got a call from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy! All hands on deck, every available huntsman is to report to the guild for a briefing! This is a Calamity level threat! I repeat, this is a Calamity level threat!"
And so was the Vale Huntsman Guild.
Policemen were in riot gear, guarding the high walls of Vale in anticipation of any stray Grimm that may come close. They all watched with mixed feelings at the sight of the full force of the kingdom's military might moving into the Emerald Forest. For one thing, it was an amazing sight and it did bring a semblance of comfort when the army was being mobilized like so. For another, it was a clear sign of the gravity of their current situation.
It made people wonder... if the current situation warranted the combined efforts of both the military and every huntsman in the kingdom, just how much danger were they in?
"General Strongarm."
"Lieutenant General Ford, report."
They exchanged salutes and as the General observed the Captain's grim expression, he couldn't help but furrow his brow in anxious anticipation of his Lieutenant's report.
"The Wyvern has awakened."
Glynda "The Good Witch of the South" Goodwitch.
Professor of Combat and pillar of morals and discipline at the ever so prestigious Beacon Academy. Naturally gifted with an abundance of Aura, a prodigy of Aura control at the tender age of 8, she became a master of Aura at the age of 21 and is the wielder of one of, if not the most powerful semblance in all of Remnant — Telekinesis — and it is only limited by knowledge of the laws that control the world around her and her imagination.
She is one of the most celebrated huntresses to ever live. She'd been awarded titles, medals of honor, trophies, among many other accolades in her short decade of being a full-time huntress before being recruited by Headmaster Ozpin to become a professor and prepare the next generation for the world.
If one was to ask Beacon students why they made Beacon as their first choice in a survey, it was safe to assume that the most popular reason was because of Glynda Goodwitch. The second most popular reason would be the unorthodox way of teaching implemented by Headmaster Ozpin which appeals to a lot of the young and aspiring trainees who wish to learn more.
Her feats were heard far and wide and not a single huntsman or huntress — trainee or otherwise — have never heard of at least a single thing she's done in her life even if they've never heard of her.
She's best known for her feat of creating storms to eradicate hordes of Grimm, and because of this, some argue that she is the most powerful huntress in Remnant's long history, Ozpin included.
A human hurricane — and to a lot of people, a true living legend.
So when a great evil blotted out the sun in the sky as molten rocks flowed and swallowed the forest in a sea of flames, the pressure of the expectations of everyone around her was immense.
She spoke in a calm and collected voice through the intercoms.
"Do not panic."
But it was nothing new to her.
"Believe in your professors."
Her voice was steady and the gaze she sent out as she took in the scene was hard. She looked to her right, in the direction of Lilly's airship, then down to the ground where the Grimm were dense and took note of how just like back in Beacon, the Grimm were going nowhere near them nor were they making any attempts to come closer.
"Help is on the way."
The students that were beginning to panic listened to her voice as if it was the light at the end of the tunnel. She had to choose her words carefully. It didn't matter whether she had a suspicion about Lilly being the reason for the Grimm's inaction against them, it wouldn't make sense to her students even if it were true. She would simply cause needless confusion — and possible panic and anger — in their situation should she have done so.
"The Vale Huntsman Guild will be sending every available huntsman to the forest and the Vale Military will be there to assist as well."
She breathed steadily as she kneaded her Aura in preparation for a grand-scale use of her Semblance.
"Do not panic — panic is the enemy. Let your professors take care of this while you do your roles."
She opened the hatch, letting the strong breeze in as she stood by the door with a hand on the frame.
"Remember your training."
She let her gaze fall upon the team under her, resting a fleeting moment longer on Leon Springfield.
"I'll be back."
She stepped out of the airship and let herself freefall for a few seconds before grabbing a small piece of the earth below her as a platform for her to stand on while she levitated in the air. Her students watched with bated breath but their attention was taken when Professor Peach spoke up through the intercoms.
[Professor Goodwitch? What exactly are you doing?]
Glynda inhaled deeply, holding her breath for 3 seconds before letting it all out for just as long only to repeat the process again and again while she gathered and concentrated her Aura at the tip of her riding crop. She shut her eyes and felt her body glow. And for every breath she took, her Aura ebbed and flowed in and out — magnifying for each passing breath.
"Wow..." Ruby spoke in wonder, face illuminated by the power of her professor's soul, "that's a lot of Aura..."
Glynda flung her arms out and wide and her Aura expanded outward. Her face strained as she reached her Aura out as far as she possibly could. Sweat formed and dripped down the side of her head while her grip on her riding crop nearly had her nails biting into her skin.
The forest grounds cracked like glass and the crack itself snaked around the volcano and Grimm. The ground below them shook as she waved her riding crop up, the motion imitated by the earth below. The ground spiked up and formed a thick wall. She continued the motion as she surfed from above and away as she left gigantic walls of earth that trailed behind her.
Her muscles shook as she strained to hold her riding crop. While it's true that the nature of her Semblance allowed her to manipulate objects with the power of her Aura and her mind, it was also true that the heavier an object is, the harder it would be to move it — much less the way she was manipulating the earth. She was essentially terraforming the forest to form an enclosure to keep both the Grimm and the lava in.
[E-Excuse me for not answering immediately, Professor Peach...] Glynda spoke through the intercoms and Peach could hear labored breathing. [As you can imagine..! Hn!] She watched as Glynda literally tore the earth and pulled it up to form both crevasses and walls while circling around the volcano. [...I-I may take a while to return. So, f-for now... hnngg!]
"Professor...?" Peach and the others watched in awe and worry as they followed Glynda go around and behind the volcano as the earth spiked and trailed behind her.
[I-I'm fine..! For now, please make sure that no Grimm steps out of the enclosure until I return! Until then, the three of you are to work together! Hnngg! Haaaa...! When Lilly's finish with whatever it is she's doing, report everything to her and let her take over!]
"Wha-? Excuse me, but Professor, isn't she younger than our graduates? How do you expe—"
[She is Ozpin's partner when it comes to leading missions like this! Trust me and trust her!]
The statement that such a young girl held the same authority as Ozpin out in the field shocked everyone in disbelief. Everyone that wasn't at the Grand Clocktower that day, at least.
"Are you sure we can trust her?" Coco asked softly in incredulity while doubtfully eyeing the meditating girl. She shook her head with a sigh. "No, nevermind. I can't trust her — not yet, at least — but Professor Goodwitch seems to put a great deal of it into her." She looked to Velvet as she continued. "And I trust Professor Goodwitch with my life. There's no use dilly-dallying."
"Right." Velvet nodded.
"Everyone, prepare for combat." Coco declared. "Ruby, Nora, Weiss," She called, earning a nod from each as they all stepped forward. "With me and Velvet, prepare to shoot down as much Grimm as you can from here. Velvet, just to be sure, how many long-ranged weapons do you have stocked up?"
"I have around 30 or so rifles from when we last visited Vale."
Each member of Team RWBY and JNPR was surprised as they listened, wondering how she could possibly carry such a huge number of weapons.
"Anything explosive?"
Velvet paused for a second to think with a finger to her cheek. "4 rocket launchers, 5 grenade launchers, 3 grenade belts — 10 grenades each, and a bow with 60 grenade arrows."
The looks on each first year's face were telling of how incredulous they felt as Velvet listed off her arsenal — particularly Ruby and Nora. Especially Nora.
"Grenade arrows?"
Velvet smiled shyly. "I-I thought they looked cool and I wanted to try them."
Coco laughed. "You really are an army of your own, Velvs. All you'll need now is a nuke and you'll be ready to take on all of that on your own."
"Y-You know that I'm only as good as I'm well prepared before a match."
"I know, that's why you're one of this ship's trump cards, Velvs." Coco grinned at her, then shot her grin towards the wide-eyed first years. "It's time to remind the school of your lesser-known nickname."
"I-I don't think they need to he—" Velvet waved her hands in front of her demurely.
"Oh, come now, Velvs. No need to be shy! You should be proud of it, even!" Coco grinned wider as she patted Velvet on the shoulder. "I'm sure you've all heard of her nickname Battle Bunny Velvet," To which she received a few nods. "but have you heard of the time she was called THE One Woman Army?"
The wyvern flew hundreds of meters up in the sky. It looked down on the forest and its first instinct was to search for the one who called it forth. Its six yellow eyes searched the grounds, trying to pinpoint what it could only feel as the source of all anomalies. It did not have to search long for the thing it was looking for was giving off such an immense presence that it was quite impossible to ignore.
A human-sized figure that stood proudly among the Grimm. It found that all its fellow creatures of darkness were submitting themselves to the anomaly. It made its way to the ground, diving at great speeds — leaving great hurricanes as byproducts of the beat of its wings. Just as it was reaching the forest's floor, the anomaly swung its claw out, cleaving the land in front of it in half and killing thousands in one fell swoop.
It instinctively stopped mid-dive, flabbergasted that the evil anomaly who it thought was one of kin was actually an enemy. It stayed in the air as it judged the anomaly's movements, waiting for what it was to do afterward. However, as it was transfixed by the entity, it was left in a daze not a moment later when it felt a powerful blunt force struck it square on the side of its head. The force was so strong that it had reared its body to the side as it struggled to keep itself afloat in the air for a moment.
"GODZILLA, YOU GOD DAMNED SONUVABITCH, WHERE THE FUCK'S TIELLA!?"
The thing that hit it, which it understood as a human, grabbed onto its fang and pulled it down while roaring loudly. It was surprised by the strength the mere human possessed so much that it hadn't realized that it was already spiraling down into the ground despite its attempts to beat its wings as much as it could to stay in the air.
From one of the airships on standby, a faunus student quickly recognized the human due to his superior eyesight. "It's the Raging Bull!"
Eventually, with powerful forces pulling on opposite sides, the fang broke, the human fell, and it spun the opposite way as it flew up.
"Shit—"
Said Bardel as he crashed to the ground and created another crater and killing all the Grimm who were unfortunate enough to be in his crash site. He jumped up in a heartbeat, landing on his feet with a kip-up as he trained his eyes on the giant flying beast in the air.
"It's a fucking dragon! Never woulda thought I'd get the chance to fight one!"
Bardel's body was crackling with barely contained energy as he wore a wicked grin. He jumped high, leaving an even deeper hole in the ground as a trail of dust clouds was left in his quick flight towards the dragon Grimm. The Grimm, anticipating the human, spun in the air and slapped him away with its mighty tail, sending him crashing to the side of the mountain. And because it was angry with the human that broke one of its fangs, it sped towards him while charging up a massive flame in its mouth.
Down on the forest grounds, Tiella — or rather, the transformed Tiella — was killing everything in her path.
She leapt high into the air only to land on the mob of Goliaths that caused her to slip and trip. Her kick tore through the largest Goliath as if it was paper, causing another crater to form as fissures that swallowed the slow and unlucky Grimm down into its fiery depths ran far and deep. She cleaved everything in front of her apart, practically balding the forest as hundreds more Grimm simply turned to smoke before they could so much as move.
But she didn't stop there.
Grimm, trees, animals — if it so much as breathes in any way, shape, or form...
"Monster..."
One of the students from Peach's airship muttered in utter fear as he watched the form of the girl who they were supposed to save tear through thousands of Grimm like it was nothing, all the while looking the most monstrous in a sea of terrors.
Peach looked back at the student, unable to say or react other than stare at him and click her tongue before watching Tiella again. Seeing the person they were supposed to rescue the way she was made her hesitant.
Did they even need to be there? Were they even necessary? What is happening to Tiella? Is that really her? Why did she transform? Is this her Semblance awakened? Is it her Essentia? Are we in danger? What about the Wyvern? What about Mr. Armas? When the military and the huntsman come, how would they react to this?
So many questions and none of them were answered.
Peach bit her lower lip as she kept an eye over everything. "Lilly, if Ozpin and Glynda's trust in you really isn't misplaced, we could really use your help right now."
She watched as another large Goliath stomped its way towards the one who she suspected as Tiella and it was successful in trampling over her for a bit until it suddenly stopped in its motions, fell to the side, and vanished into thick black smoke while the girl herself was dusting herself off.
"She didn't even budge from that? I have such a bad feeling over this but I can't distract Glynda now."
"Is this thing on?"
The girl, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found.
She was not in the lobby of the airship. She was not standing next to the pilot. She was not in the comfort room of the airship. She wasn't even on the roof of the airship.
One way or another, while everyone was distracted by the Wyvern, Bardel, and Tiella, she'd slipped out of the airship.
She was fiddling with a camera she found lying around in the forest. It was broken and battered. To every person in the world, they would all unanimously agree that the camera was busted beyond repair. Luckily for the camera, the girl was unlike every person nor was she from this world.
The camera lit up after a few seconds. "Of course it is, I'm the one who fixed it! Alright, time to get started!"
She looked behind her and found the crash site of a helicopter. And off to the side on a fallen log rested three people — an eagle faunus female and two human males. All of them were unconscious but the sound of roaring fire, screeching dragon, hovering airships, and the Lilly talking roused the eagle faunus up.
"Perfect, you're up!" Lilly said as she walked to the woman.
Disconcerted and slightly distraught, she warily looked around and kept a wary eye on the approaching girl as she backed away — only to fall to the other side of the log she was just lying down on. She shut her eyes and braced herself for her fall but suddenly felt an arm catch her. She meekly opened her eyes and she was immediately assaulted by a sight for sore eyes. An angel with glossy black hair, perfect white teeth peeking between the most beautiful smile, and the softest pair of bright purple eyes that one could mistake them for gemstones.
She was straight. She definitely was. For as long as she could remember, she'd always been attracted to boys.
"Are you okay?"
But this girl...
She felt a little something inside her tighten up as blood rushed to color her cheeks like roses.
It made her question things about herself.
"Am I actually gay? I'm not really in a relationship right now and this girl is making me question things. Oh my gosh, my heart is beating so fast. Am I gay? No, am I bi?"
She felt a gentle hand on her cheek.
"Do you remember your name, ma'am?"
And it just made her feel even hotter.
"I-..." She stuttered. "I-I'm..."
"I'M GAY."
"Oh dear, you're heating up. A fever?" She smiled worriedly. "Would you like to rest? I'm sorry but there are only logs here and we're surrounded by Grimm on all sides."
"What!?" She immediately scrambled to sit upright and take in her surroundings.
True to her word, they were surrounded by Grimm on all sides and the sight of it caused her to start panicking. Though, before she could get worse...
"It's okay, I'll protect you. I'm a huntress."
...she was pulled into a warm and protective embrace.
She felt her heart calm almost immediately as the soothing presence of the girl did its magic. She instinctively held on to the girl, slowly wrapping her arms around her as she lost herself in her pristine presence — like falling asleep in a sanctuary. She felt the girl pull away from the hug, though her hands were still holding her shoulders.
"Can you tell me your name?" She smiled.
"I-It's..." Stunned, she took a moment to remember. "It's Iris. Iris Aguila."
"Iris," She repeated as her eyes glowed dimly. "What a beautiful name."
"T-Thank you." Her eyes fluttered as she looked elsewhere to avoid the huntress's mesmerizing eyes. "What about you?"
Lilly smiled. "It's Aliciel Lillianne Le Fiora de La Vernillion but you may simply call me Lilly."
"Lilly," repeated by the mesmerized girl, committing the name to memory.
Lilly smiled graciously as she pulled themselves up to stand. "Now, I know you're still a little distraught, Iris,"
"She remembered my name!"
"But I need you to do a little something for me."
"O-Okay."
"Great!" Lilly beamed. "I need someone to work the camera while I kill the Grimm. Make sure it captures me and everything around me. I need you to broadcast it all over the kingdom."
Iris took a direct hit to her heart from Lilly's beaming smile and it was super effective. It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts again and register everything Lilly said to her.
"W-Wait, what? You want me to broadcast you live to the kingdom?"
"Yes." She nodded with a grin. She leaned her head forward and held a finger up as if to prove a point while giving Iris a wink and a smile. "It'll be Super Idol Huntress Lilly's debut to the world! And what better stage to sing and dance at than a forest infested by thousands of Grimm?"
Iris paused in wonder at the girl's sanity. Though, before she could make a decision, Lilly already handed her the camera and was fixing her hair.
"I just need you to follow me." She pointed at the girl. And as if she just remembered something, she pulled out her smartphone (which was an unknown device to Iris) and handed it over to her. "By the way, I need you to do this and this and this on my signal, okay?"
After being told to remember instructions that she was told in quick succession, she had the smartphone close to the camera's microphone as she aimed it at Lilly.
"Ready?"
"Y-Yes!"
Lilly snapped her fingers at her, pointing finger guns and smiled wide.
[Welcome one, welcome all!]
"What is that?" Coco checked her scroll due to a sudden pop-up notification and Lilly's voice in the intercoms.
[Today you are watching the largest gathering of Grimm since the Great War 80 years ago! Truly, this is a historical moment and truly, there can be no better stage!]
"Lilly?" Velvet muttered as she checked her scroll as well, watching the live feed while simultaneously listening to Lilly speak in her earpiece.
"Wait, when did she disappear?" Yang asked as she looked around and the first thing she noticed was the dismantled lock of the airship's door.
"Did she go out? And did she really have to dismantle the lock?"
The others checked on their scrolls again to see what caught their attention.
[Before I begin, I want the people above to listen carefully! Please keep your eyes in the sky and the ground, watch over Kevin,] She winked at the camera. [follow your leaders' instructions, and no matter what happens, do NOT get in the way of Bardel! Let me handle helping him, okay? Okay!]
"Mr. Armas is here? What is going on? What is Lilly trying to achieve?" Glynda thought as she flew around the volcano while pulling up the ground to complete the cage she was building.
"Who the hell is this girl?" was the question on everyone's minds.
While it's true that to the people she came to the forest with, it was easy to understand what she meant as her orders for them but to the rest of the world that was watching the live broadcast, she was simply adding even more confusion to her presence and intentions then and there.
Also; stage? What stage? The forest infested with thousands upon thousands of Grimm was a stage to her?
Was she making light of the situation?
Was she another fool?
Who the hell was this girl and why was she appearing on national television via the news?
[Now then, let's begin!] She walked around with arms wide open in a welcoming manner.
It was a truly odd scene. An unknown girl suddenly appeared on national television in what could be considered the greatest crisis the kingdom has ever faced and she was acting like she was on a variety show or a concert. Despite the fact that you could see nothing but the black hides of Grimm among the trees, despite the unbelievable scene that the Grimm were doing absolutely nothing to her — and if one were to observe closely, one would see that the closest Grimm were acting as if they were pointedly trying to avoid her — and despite the fact that watching the charming girl felt so unbelievably surreal, no one could take their eyes off her.
They were all captivated.
[For my opening act,] She sent the camera a wink and a smile, positive that she just captured the hearts of thousands with her natural charm, charisma, and beauty, [a song just for you!]
The statement left the world flabbergasted.
A singing act in the middle of all those Grimm? Was she truly treating the entire situation as some debut concert?
[My apologies if the sound quality turns out poor, this was more of a last-minute decision.] She smiled wryly while scratching her cheek.
Preposterous.
A bluff, surely. An admirable attempt at trying to keep face in the face of an untold crisis.
But...
She coughed into her hand as if to dispell the awkward tension she set for herself. [The song is called,] She held a hand close to her heart while stretching another out as if to grasp the audience's hand. [Looking Up]
...there was something about the way she smiled about the entire situation.
Endearing? Definitely.
Charming? Unquestionably.
Confusing? ABSOLUTELY!
And there was something else. Something they couldn't rightly explain.
Lilly gracefully twirled in place and pointed at the camera. [Are you readyyyyy?!]
And suddenly, there was the sound of an electric guitar resounding that was quickly followed by an upbeat tempo of the drums and a second rhythm of an electric guitar.
Lilly held her sword in reverse grip — using the end of the hilt as her mic. 「Things are looking up, oh finally!」
She took a few steps to the side while waving her finger up and down as the beat went. 「I thought I'd never see the day,」 She paused in her steps and beamed at the camera, 「when you smile at me,」 she smiled and winked while shaking her head to wave her long hair with a flourish.
「We always pull through, oh when we try,」 She walked the other way, her steps in sync with the beat of the song. 「I'm always wrong but you're never right,」 She jumped and landed on bent knees, then suddenly sprung up with her feet apart and a finger pointed at the camera. 「Oh, you're never right!」
As the world watched and listened, confused but captivated, the Grimm grew impatient. The live feed showed that a few of the Beowolves were crawling towards her with a snarl as she clapped her hands and swayed to the melody that played.
"Lilly, watch out!" Velvet exclaimed as she watched.
「Honestly!」 Lilly ducked as she shook her shoulders to the beat of the upbeat song, dodging the lunging Beowolf with grace and ease. 「Can you believe?」 She swiftly swung her sword upwards, slicing the Beowolf in half like butter. 「We crossed the world,」 She straightened her back and spun in place, slicing the other two Beowolves that lunged after. 「while it's asleep!」
"Holy crap, that's so badass!" Yang said in awe as she couldn't help the smile on her face from spreading.
More Grimm soon followed, angered that their kin would so easily fall to the repulsive girl.
「I'd never trade it in,」 Lilly backward somersaulted over a rolling Boarbatusk only to land on top of it. She quickly balanced atop, hastily walking backward to match the speed of the Grimm's roll. 「'cause I've always wanted this!」She spun while keeping her balance over the speedily rolling Grimm, slashing at any Grimm brave enough to come near while slapping others away with her round shield. 「And it's not a dream anymore! No~!」
"What in the world...?" Weiss couldn't help but mutter. "How is she singing and dancing so captivatingly while... while killing Grimm!?"
Lilly jumped off the Boarbatusk with a twirl, dodging two Beowolves and kicking the Boarbatusk into a tree at the same time. She landed on the ground and flourished her long hair. 「It's not a dream anymore,」 She thrust her sword at the open maw of an Ursa and slashed it vertically. 「It's worth fighting for!」
She held her sword and shield at the ready as an Alpha Beowolf came charging for her. When it was only but a step and a claw away from mauling her, she spun on her heels — simultaneously slashing and smashing her sword and shield as she spun low to the ground to a knee. She quickly stood upright as the Alpha vanished to nothingness, waving her sword as if to get rid of whatever Grimm blood or ichor was on it before it disappeared as well.
She took a few alternating side-to-side steps as she clapped her hands and bounced her shoulders alternately. 「Could have given up so easily,」 She ducked under another lunging Beowolf and spun to slash it in the middle before it could pass over her. 「I was a few cheap shots away,」 She tap rocked her way backward, dodging another rolling Boarbatusk and a charging Ursa, which ended with them colliding into each other. 「from the end of me.」
A large Creeper charged with its head ready to ram into her but she simply blocked it with her shield. 「Taken for granted,」 She slid her shield a little lower, then, using the momentum of the Creeper, vaulted it over her head, 「almost everything,」 crashing into a bunch of assorted fodder Grimm behind her, 「that I would have died for,」 She spun on one leg and roundhouse kicked an Ursa Major, blowing its head off into blackened smithereens, 「just yesterday.」
She posed a proud stance with her sword and her shield held to her sides. 「Just yesterday~」
She held her shield up and back, winding up for a powerful throw. The muscles in her body sprung, appearing prominent even from afar. She threw her shield and it ricocheted from Grimm to Grimm — either decapitating it for a kill or incapacitating it due to the incredible power behind it. And as her shield bounced, she spun with her hands wide as she looked up at the sky.
「Honestly, can you believe? We crossed the world while it's asleep!」
Her shield ricocheted off the head of an Ursa and bounced back to her, so she hit it away with her sword, adding force into it so the shield could ricochet a little longer while she danced in the middle uninterrupted.
「I'd never trade it in, 'cause I've always wanted this. And~」
Rosetta — her shield — returned to her once again, so she swatted it away, decapitating a Creep and bounced away when it hit and cracked the claw of a Deathstalker.
「It's not a dream anymore! No~」
She spun and kicked, spun and kicked, and spun and kicked her shield, playing ping pong with her shield — keeping the Grimm at a distance as she ostentatiously and grandiosely danced her all.
「It's not a dream anymore!」
She jumped and drop kicked the edge of Rosetta hard, going through the hardened armor of the Deathstalker until it crashed and embedded itself into a tree after going through a few more.
「It's worth fighting for~!」
She dropped to the forest's floor on her back but she quickly stood back up with a kip-up. She tapped her foot as she "strummed" her "guitar (sword)" while most of the Grimm around her dissipated into nothingness.
Pyrrha watched stunned at the sheer level of skill and technique at handling a thrown shield. She performed the same thing with ease as well, though in her case, it was with the big help of her Polarity. And if she remembered correctly, Lilly had no such Semblance.
"Meaning, this is pure skill..."
「God knows the world doesn't need another band, woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh~!」
She banged her head as she "played" the "guitar" until another brave Beowolf lunged at her. She used the hilt of her sword, Marius, to knock its head up and put it in a daze. She quickly struck her palm at its midsection then grabbed its arm while placing her other hand on its waist. She then proceeded to waltz and sway around with the Beowolf.
「But what a waste it would've been, woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh~!」
The Beowolf struggled, but her grip was insane and it nearly broke its wrist. After struggling a bit more, she spun on her heels while holding onto both claws — hitting every other brave Grimm that came too close. After gaining enough momentum, she let go, letting the Beowolf crash and dissipate along with a few others unlucky enough to get hit.
「I can't believe we almost hung it up!」 She ended her spin by taking a knee with her arms spread aloft. 「Woah-oh-oh-oh,」 She bounced her shoulders to the beat a few more times while slowly pulling her arms closer to her chest.「Woah-oh-oh-oh~!」
「We're just getting started!」 She backflipped when she sensed a Creep attempting to ram her from behind, landing on its head and burying it into the ground as if it was some ostrich. 「Woah-oh-oh-oh~!」 A King Taijitu's white head tried to eat her, but she simply jumped over it and used its head as a platform. 「Woah-oh-oh-hoooh~!」 She playfully kicked her feet out as she danced and then violently kicked away the black head that tried to eat her after the white head failed.
She jumped and spun in the air with her sword drawn out and extended. Using the momentum of her spin, she aimed her slash at the middle of the giant Grimm snake's body and cleanly cut it in half.
「Honestly, can you believe? We crossed the world while it's asleep!」
She sang coolly as she walked through the black smoke of the vanishing Grimm as if it was mere fog.
「I'd never trade it in, 'cause I've always wanted this.」
Her body glowed purple as she stretched her arms wide open in a welcoming manner.
「And, it's not a dream anymore!」
She danced the steps on her way towards the camera while wearing the most energetic smile.
「No, it's not a dream anymore!」
And she was simply clapping her hands in sync with her song.
「No~! It's not a dream anymore!」
Like the brightest star within the encroaching darkness of the night.
「No, it's not a dream anymore!」
She strummed her "guitar" energetically.
「It's worth fighting for~」
She did one final clap that resounded powerfully as her eyes glowed brightly, and for a second, she disappeared, leaving nothing but the Grimm that surrounded Iris on all sides. She panicked, understandably, but suddenly, Lilly reappeared in the same place as if nothing happened.
「I can't believe we almost hung it up! Woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh~!」
She pointed a finger gun at the camera paired with a smile and a wink, then acted as if she'd just pulled the trigger. And right on cue, the surrounding blackness all but turned to smoke and nothingness.
「We're just getting started! Woah-oh-oh-oh!」
The world was stunned once more when they could not figure out how and why all the Grimm died and disappeared. But despite their incredulity, the girl carried on with her singing and dancing as she slowly approached the camera.
No one even noticed that she'd already retrieved her shield.
「I can't believe we almost hung it up! Woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh~!」
She used the end of her hilt as her "mic" again as she held Marius in reverse grip while she banged her head rhythmically — her hair whipping along her motions as she followed the beat.
「We're just getting started! We're just getting started~!」
She breathed deeply as she calmed her energetic heart and nerves, though the smile on her face never disappeared — a true indication of how she'd just had the time of her life.
"Thank you, Vale! This was Super Idol Huntress Lilly's debut!" She waved with both hands before bowing. She tilted her head and put a finger on her cheek in thought. "Or would Super Rockstar Huntress Lillianne be better? What do you think?" She asked the camera with a bright smile. "Let me know your thoughts next time you see me, okay? You can even give me tell me if you have a better name in mind!" She gave the camera a wink, smile, and a flying kiss. "See you!"
She placed a finger on her earpiece and spoke in that ever-present smile of hers. "Yang? Blake? Can I ask you two to come and fetch Iris and her companions? I know I don't have a scroll yet but I'm sure you can easily find my location."
True enough, she was quite easy to find.
From the airship the Beacon students were on, she was quite easy to spot due to the distinct absence of Grimm at a certain part of the forest below. Yang and Blake looked out the door (that was carefully, easily, and quietly dismantled by Lilly).
"Lilly!" Yang immediately answered. "Why did you have to sneak out like that?"
[I thought it'd be funny!]
"F-.."
"FUNNY!?"
"You thought that was funny!?" Coco yelled through the intercoms, uncaring that she was heard by everyone involved with the mission. "You think this situation is a joke!? What in the world are you thinking?! Why would you even do that!? Who thinks slipping out like that only to sing and dance in the middle of a godforsaken Grimm infested forest is okay when you're supposed to be leading a group on a mission!?"
"I can't even..." Blake tiredly rubbed her face while sighing the words out. "Why did I even worry? She's Tiella's teammate."
Weiss, too, reacted much the same. "So this is what Tiella meant when she said she was worse than Yang and her combined..."
"Why didn't you invite me!? We could've danced down there together! We would've been awesome!"
Everyone looked at Nora as if she just grew two heads. The girl in question, meanwhile, only shrugged her shoulders in response.
"What?"
[Pfft... ahahaha!]
"What's so funny!?" Coco fumed in indignation.
[Oh, don't worry Coco!]
"You might be the leader placed in charge of my group but you don't get to tell me-"
[So, how are you feeling?]
"H-How am I feeling!? I feel like strangling you!"
[Good, good, and the rest?]
"The rest..?" Coco pinched the bridge of her nose and looked around the airship.
[Has everyone relaxed and calmed down?]
"What?"
Coco, baffled, looked around the airship a second time and found the surprised expressions on each person's face. She couldn't help but let out a voiceless chuckle at the sight.
"Are you trying to say that you did all that just to get rid of our jitters?"
[I have also been wanting to sing and dance for a while, but yes. What better way, right? Three birds, one stone!]
"Three?"
[Hehe.]
Coco raised a brow at Lilly's giggle and before she could ask about it, Velvet interjected.
"Do you mean the people of Vale?"
[Velvet, yes?]
"That's right."
[It's nice to talk with you, Velvet.]
"I-It's nice to be talking with you too," Velvet replied — her bunny ears gingerly shook.
[And you're right!]
Lilly looked back at the camera then went past it and onto the woman holding it, Iris.
"Everyone in Vale is worried and anxious over this and that's only natural." Lilly looked up at the airship with that easy smile of hers. "But you see, if I can make it so that they won't have to, then I will. If I can make them feel at ease despite everything, then it's a performance I'm willing to do over and over."
The intercoms were silent for a moment as everyone digested Lilly's words. It was true, before the random song and dance number, each and every student — not just the citizens of Vale — felt varying levels of uneasiness and anxiety. Even some of the professors weren't 100% confident that they would all come out alive after the mission.
But after Lilly's singing and dancing — especially the climax when she practically erased every single Grimm in her vicinity — they felt most of the tension fade away from them. What Lilly did, did not only serve as a way to distract them from their anxieties, it was also the perfect opportunity that she wasn't just doing it to have merry and reckless fun in a dangerous situation.
She showed everyone in the world that she could help — and that the help she could give was invaluable to the crisis. It was a message to the world.
I'm here, I'm strong, and I will save you.
After a short while, Ruby spoke through the intercoms.
[Thanks, Lilly! You were really cool out there!]
"You're welcome, Ruby! Now get Yang and Blake here, I need them to pick three people up and deliver them to safety."
"She's a natural."
"Hmm? Who?"
"Lilly."
Yang and Blake were down the forest and making their way towards Lilly. Despite the gravity of the situation, they couldn't help but feel that their current objective to retrieve Iris and her companions were nothing more than a cakewalk. The atmosphere between them was leisurely at best
On their way, Yang couldn't help but talk about what Lilly just did for them — for all of them, for all of Vale.
"In one song, she managed to take everyone's anxieties away. That's pretty incredible."
"She is."
"She isn't even an actual huntress and she managed to do way better than every other huntsman I've seen work! Like, who does that? Who the hell looks at this entire situation, thinks for, like, 5 minutes or something, then decide, "Hey, killing all these Grimm will surely calm the people down but you know what'll be better? Entertain them while doing it!" like it's the most natural thing in the world!"
"Yang, when you put it that way..." Blake smiled wryly. "It's true, though. What she did was much more effective at calming the nerves and anxieties of everyone who watched her performance. Even I forgot about how dangerous the situation was. And, what's even more amazing is it made me think that we may not be in that bad a situation after all. Bad, still, yes, but perhaps it isn't the end of Vale."
"And what she did near the end when her eyes glowed and she disappeared for a second or something?"
"Only for the surrounding Grimm in her vicinity to turn to smoke and dust as soon as she reappears."
"Right!?" Yang threw her hands out in disbelief. "How!? That's way too badass!"
"There's such a thing as too badass for the Yang Xiao Long?" Blake teased.
"Uh, yeah?" She gave Blake a look and a raised brow. She raised one hand at chest level. "Celeste." Then raised her other hand above her head. "Lilly."
Blake looked at her blankly and Yang took it as a sign of confusion.
"This is how badass they are when compared." Yang shook each hand to emphasize her point. "See? Celeste is really badass but she's still in the normal range of badass. But Lilly's just over the top! She didn't just take away everyone's anxieties — she gave all of us confidence too!"
They reached the edge of a clearing and the first thing Blake noticed was Lilly singing once again. Her ears twitched under her bow and she was quickly soothed by the melody of her singing. She could practically feel the smile in Lilly's voice as she listened.
"Yang, I think we're close," Blake said in an easy smile.
Yang looked out in search of Lilly and what she found was a thrashed helicopter, two men sleeping on top of logs, and Lilly ballroom dancing and snapping her fingers with her other hand on her waist while singing in front of a woman.
"When marimba rhythms start to play~
Dance with me, make me sway~"
"Hey, Lilly, we're— whoah!" Yang greeted as she approached but she was immediately taken into the arms of Lilly, unable to do anything as she was pulled along to dance with as Lilly sang.
"Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore~
Hold me close, sway me more~"
Lilly made sure never to break eye contact with Yang as she swayed her along. Her attempt to sing in a low and sultry voice gave rise to heat on not just Yang's cheeks but also Blake's and Iris'. She winked at Yang as she licked and bit her lip. She knew full well the kind of effect her charm has on other people and she was not afraid to show or make use of it.
"Like a flower bending in the breeze~!
Be~nd with me~!"
She brought Yang along with her, ballroom dancing in the middle of a forest. To the people observing, it was quite surreal. The only music was her voice, yet it was enough for them to imagine high ceilings with grand chandeliers.
"Swa~y with ease~!"
"L-Lilly, wai-"
Yang tried to talk her way out of her current predicament but before she could finish, Lilly spun her around.
"When we dance you have a way with me~
Stay with me, sway me sway~"
Then, pulled her close.
"When marimbas start to pla~y!
Hold me close, make me swa~y~!
Like an ocean hugs the sho~re~!
Hold me close, sway me mo~re~!"
And it was her turn to spin for Yang and return with Yang's arms somehow wrapped around her as she was held from behind. Lilly swayed her hips, almost as if she was grinding against Yang and it just turned Yang's face redder than it already was.
"Like a flower bending in the breeze~
Lilly spun out of Yang's arms and held both of her arms as they swayed. She then pulled Yang close, spun her out, then pulled her into her arms.
"Be~nd with me, swa~y with ease~!"
Yang went another round with Lilly in the clearing, swaying to the rhythm Lilly took her with.
"When we dance you have a way with me~
Stay with me, sway with me~!"
She finished the dance with her leaning over Yang as they were nearly parallel to the ground — Yang blushing and gasping heavily, unable to form anything coherent to say. Yang didn't notice, but her other leg was raised as well. Such was the magic of Lilly's touch and voice — of her presence.
It wasn't until Blake coughed into her hand while hiding both a blush and a churning in her stomach did Lilly and Yang turn to look away from each other's eyes.
"Ahahaha..." Lilly laughed dryly as she scratched the back of her head. She noticed the look Blake was giving her, or rather, the emotion Blake was hiding underneath the passive look she was giving Lilly. "Sorry, Blake. You can have Yang back."
"I-I don't know what you're—"
"I'll teach you that dance too if you like. You can dance with Yang next time."
Blake looked away abashed. "I-I'm not particularly good or fond of dancing, so I'm fine."
"Well," Lilly smiled apologetically, "the offer still until you accept it any time."
"Bravo!"
The three girls looked towards Iris and she was simply applauding after the show Lilly charitably showed her. It certainly helped improve her mood.
"Alright, now please escort Iris and her companions," Lilly said before touching her earpiece and spoke while looking up. "Professors, proceed with the plan. Spread out evenly and stay at least 600 meters away from Tielle. Once you're in formation, don't wait, rain down on the Grimm as much as you can. Wipe them out before other Grimm could arrive. Don't worry about Tielle — I'll let you know if it's safe to go down or not."
She looked in the direction where black smoke rose. The screech of a mighty beast and blasts that echoed along with it was her next priority.
"The rising action is over." She gave Blake and Yang a look and a nod before running to where she believed Tiella was. "It's time we reach the climax so we can put this story to an end."
"General! The forest just lost an estimated 1000 Grimm in the duration of that girl's live broadcast! And we're still losing them by the hundreds! Grimm count is now at an estimated 5000!"
"Someone I.D. that girl right now! We need to know who she is! Where she's from, what her name is, come on, people!"
"At the rate this is going, it's possible the Grimm would be nearly wiped out by the time we get there but... who's wiping them out that quickly? The girl only showed up just now but the Grimm have been dropping off like flies left and right since the actual live broadcast got cut off some time ago. Should we be worried?"
Just as there are good things to come out of Lilly's live broadcast, there came the not so welcome parts as well. With her live, she practically announced her existence to the world and to any other person, that normally wouldn't be so bad. But she wasn't a normal person in every sense of the word. She was a super-genius, she was a charmer, her charisma was off the charts, she was the greatest thing to ever be born of humanity. And there came the problem.
She wasn't of their humanity.
She was from another's.
Questions arose.
Who is she? Where did she come from? How is she able to do that? How come no one even knew of this person before the live broadcast if she was so amazing? Surely there'd been news of her even through simple word of mouth.
The world was slowly getting to know of people that shouldn't have ever been known in the first place. Even more so than the fabled Maidens, as some would say.
And while unbeknownst to the world, there were others that were of the same caliber who existed amongst them, hidden in plain view — and it was only a matter of time until the world knew of Avatāra.
"FUCK OFF!"
Bardel punched closed the jaws of the Wyvern when it attempted to swallow him along with a small chunk of the land he was standing on. He'd been wrestling with it for a few minutes and it didn't look like either of them were ready to go down just yet.
"God damn it, this fucking thing keeps coming at it! I just wanna find that fucking bitch, goddamnit!"
"DON'T MAKE ME BLAST YOU INTO PIECES, ASSHOLE!"
And as if in response, the Wyvern roared back at him while staying afloat just a few meters in the air.
"FINE!"
Bardel ran to it with the intent to leap on like before, though before he could jump, he saw the skies raining down the most assorted bullets he'd seen in his life. There were all kinds of rounds, even grenades, and some elemental blasts too. It was as colorful as it was deadly and destructive. The cacophony was reminiscent of war and it was enough of a distraction for both him and the Wyvern.
They both looked at their surroundings, wondering where the heavy rain was coming from. Bardel then took the moment as an opportunity to run directly beneath the Wyvern and shot himself up into its stomach. It screeched in pain, feeling the tough scales and hide on its belly break. Some of its scales tore through its hide and made it bleed. He grabbed onto one of the protruding scales and kept bashing his fist but he was forced to back off and jump away when its blood got onto him.
He felt an intense burning sensation where the Wyvern's blood dripped on him and it made him clench his teeth and breathe deep in pain. He tried getting the blood off his arm and was successful for the most part but the damage left behind was akin to 3rd-degree burns.
"What the fuck...?" He muttered.
He looked back at the Wyvern and watched as the wound he gave it dripped pools of blood into the forest's floor. And from the puddle of blood came out the claws and maws of newborn Grimm.
"Fuckin' hell..." He clicked his tongue. "This fucker's blood summons more Grimm? How do I fucking kill it then?" He glared at the offending titanic beast and clicked his tongue. "Shit."
He gripped his forearm and clenched his fist as he watched more and more Grimm pulling themselves out of the pool of blood. He could think of nothing to stop it, much to his chagrin. Hitting the Wyvern until it died was obviously going to be a bad idea if it'll just end up bleeding and touching its blood was going to leave him with 3rd-degree burns. He was, after a long while, in another situation where he could not punch his way out of.
"Sure wish Lilly was here. She'd think of something."
"Sniper Squad One, keep firing! We're slowly dwindling down their numbers! Good work! They're too dumbfounded and scattered to react especially when we're this high up! Sniper Squad Two, focus on shooting down the flying Grimm! Vanguards, protect the snipers from the flying Grimm!"
Port barked his orders through the intercoms while he shot down the ones that managed to come too close for comfort alongside Oobleck. Peach assessed the situation and relayed information from all sides. She was no fighter but she knew how to manage information well.
"Airship Four, Nevermores and Gryphons to your right! Airship One, there are dozens of Grimm directly underneath your airship and are escaping your fire!"
"Got it!" Coco from Airship 1 nodded as she rushed out of the airship.
As jumped out, she swung to the other side of the airship and threw out another hook for Yatsuhashi to catch and secure to a wall on the inside of the airship. Her orientation led her to be suspended in mid-air, held and secured by two harnesses on either side and it let her stand on the belly of the airship upside down. From there, she rained down a hail of bullets courtesy of Gianduja, her minigun. It took her no longer than 10 seconds to decimate the Grimm beneath them so she took the chance to fire on all else that were trying to go below them as well.
"Fox, while I'm here, you're in charge of the vanguard."
"Copy that."
Before they rained down on the Grimm, they were being ignored. However, when the figure on the ground who they assumed to be Tiella started killing them again, the Grimm panicked and scattered and were attacking her once more. Afterward, they received Lilly's order and fired at the Grimm after getting into formation.
It was then that the Grimm finally took notice of their presence.
"Artillery Squads One, Two, and Three, focus on spots where there are higher concentration of Grimm! Artillery Squad Four, keep aiming for the massive flying Grimm! There are still hundreds of Giant Nevermores and Gryphons in the sky!"
"What about the Wyvern!?" Barked one of the senior years.
"Let Ms. Lillianne and Mr. Armas handle it! That is a calamity-level Grimm and we don't want it on our tails!" Peach responded in vigor, the tension of battle getting to her. "Thankfully, Mr. Armas can go toe-to-toe with such a Grimm."
"With all due respect, Professor Peach but how can you be so sure!?"
"We've seen him in action before. And..."
Peach looked out the window and saw that the titanic flying Grimm was still preoccupied.
"...isn't that proof enough?"
The student looked out as well and he looked just in time to see the flying Grimm have its jaws forcefully closed shut while it was sent flying back. It got angry, so it bellowed and roared.
"This Mr. Armas..."
"Yes?"
"Is he the Raging Bull that exploded the garden courtyard in front of the cafeteria?"
"The one and only."
For a moment, he was silent, simply nodding his head in his attempt to acknowledge the absurd. "Remind us never to piss him off, ma'am."
Peach smiled wryly. "You and me both."
Back at Airship One, Velvet stood atop its roof alongside Ruby, Nora, and Weiss.
Weiss acted as an enchanter, supporting both Ruby and Nora by adding either a bit more firepower to their guns or some form of utility like making Nora's grenades home in on the nearby Grimm. And when she's not enchanting her current teammates' arsenal, she was throwing out fireballs and icicles with Myrtenaster.
Velvet, on the other hand, needed no such thing. She was pulling out all sorts of guns left and right. One moment, she was shooting down Nevermores with an assault rifle, the next, she was blasting them out of the sky with rocket launchers.
"She truly IS a One Woman Army. I feel that she could take on more than just one team if she was in a no-holds-barred fight."
Weiss thought as she stole glances at the current ranked one second-year of Beacon.
"Her forms are perfect, her aim is true. I've never seen her miss — she even shot down the ones that were flying at blinding speeds. Even Ruby takes her time to aim at them! But in her case, it's as if shooting is as easy as breathing. She's so incredible that she's like a completely different person from the girl that needed saving in the cafeteria that day."
She eyed her bunny girl senior a bit more.
"I wonder where she's ranked in Beacon overall? It wouldn't be too hard to believe that she's in the top ten."
She shook her head and refocused her sights on the battle in front of her. She noticed that a few small Nevermores — five newborns, she guessed — got past her teammates' assault. So she took it upon herself to wipe them out.
She rose Myrtenaster and swung in an arc from below, summoning her glyphs along the way. And the glyphs she summoned, fired icicles in an arc that trailed her sword. She was successful in killing most of them, however, one of them managed to dodge by a hair's breadth. It charged in, swooping towards her so she braced herself with a protective glyph in front of her but before it could come any closer, it was quickly killed by a dagger made of light that disappeared along with the Nevermore.
She blinked a few and looked between the slowly vanishing black smoke and Velvet. The girl was so focused on the battle that she wasn't even looking at her. She simply kept firing and firing for as long as there were Grimm.
Meanwhile, inside the airship, the Vanguards were simply on stand-by. Everyone had their weapons ready and they were all keeping a careful eye out on the situation. Blake, Yang, and Ren were looking out the open doors while Yatsuhashi and Jaune were looking out through the windows. Pyrrha, for her part, was keeping Iris company.
"You're Pyrrha Nikos."
"Y-Yes, I am."
Pyrrha saw the admiration in Iris' sharp eagle-like eyes and it was a good reminder of how and why she preferred the people of Beacon Academy were.
"I-" Iris coughed into her hand and straightened her sitting posture. She noticed the stiff expression on the champion, so she held back on acting a little excited. "Sorry, I'm a fan but don't worry, I'm sure you've had enough of the rabid ones already." She smiled.
"Well..." Pyrrha smiled, and it was a mixture of appreciation and wry. "It is their support that brought me much opportunities to explore more of the world for myself. I am by no means exaggerating when I say that I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and all of my supporters."
"I certainly would not have wanted to escape Mistral had my friends and family not raise me to such a pedestal."
"It's really humbling to know that the Invincible Girl is such a humble person. But, I guess you'd rather not talk about yourself?"
"It is fine," Pyrrha smiled graciously. "I'd be happy to answer your questions as much as I can."
Iris' eyes widened and sparkled a bit. She definitely looked eager to Pyrrha and so she braced herself for a few more questions of the... personal/private nature.
"Then, if you wouldn't mind." What she got instead, however... "Would you tell me more about the girl who saved me?"
Pyrrha tilted her head curiously. She mentally sighed in relief that their topic wouldn't be about her, and so she readily answered to the best of her abilities.
"I should be wary of my answers. She may be a reporter for the primetime news that focuses on Grimm attacks, but she could still report about Lilly and the rest. It would be bad if people started looking into them more."
"Do you mean Lilly?"
"Yes, Lilly! What can you tell me about her? Is she a student? Is she a professional huntress already? Where is she from? From what I heard below, it seems that she was the one in command?"
"Well..." She paused in thought, sending glances at her teammates before answering. "I suppose it would be good to start with those I can answer," She said, earning a nod from the woman. "No, she's not a student. She's a huntress but I don't believe she's part of any guild. And yes, she is the one in command of the mission. And if I remember correctly, she works freelance with two others — one huntress and one huntsman."
"I see! So she takes contracts?"
"Perhaps? I'm not quite sure, I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically.
"It's fine! Can you tell me more about her team?"
"Gladly. The huntress is Tiella, she is the huntress you were reporting about just before we arrived."
"You mean she's the brave heroine that faced that horde alone!?"
"Indeed."
"I see! And the other person?"
"A huntsman. His name is Bardel and he's currently keeping the Wyvern preoccupied."
"The Wy- the what!? Excuse me, the what!?"
"O-Oh!" Iris' surprise caught her a little off guard and it caught the attention of the others too. "Y-Yes, the Wyvern. I'm sorry, I thought you saw it already."
"No, our chopper crashed before we could see it. We don't even know what hit us." Iris furrowed her brows in deep contemplation as she tried to remember the events that lead to her crash landing. Unluckily for her, she couldn't.
Pyrrha, noticing her distress, took her attention back with a gracious smile. "It is true that it is an incredibly dangerous Grimm — as all calamity-level Grimm are — as such, we normally would not even be allowed to go near it, but with them around, I believe we can take care of them."
"T-They're that powerful?"
"I believe so."
"How come we've never heard of such a team? I'm sure that even as a freelance group, rumors and reports about them should at least come out here and there on the internet."
Pyrrha paused to consider her next words carefully. She worried that she would be feeding the woman more reasons to look into them if she answered truthfully but she also couldn't find a believable lie on the spot. After a moment, an idea clicked.
"Perhaps it's because a crisis of such a level had never appeared before for them to take care of? I remember Tiella mentioning that they primarily take contracts in the outskirts of the four kingdoms, taking Grimm contracts from outlier villages and the like."
"I see, so they work more in the area of the badlands?"
"They've mentioned taking up considerably more work in those areas than within the kingdoms' walls, yes." Pyrrha smiled gratefully, glad that Iris took her words with little to no suspicion. "It is why they can fight well even against the more powerful Grimm variants like the Goliaths, Alpha Gryphons, Geists, and Alpha Beringels."
"I see, I see." Iris nodded with a hand on her chin. "However, I do remember that the brave heroine from earlier — Tiella, was it?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I remember her slipping and..."
"She's alive."
Iris was caught off guard by the conviction in the champion's answer that it made her blink at her a few. Her eyes brimmed with a silent flame that almost seemed desperate. Even the rest of the people in the airship gave Pyrrha looks and appreciative smiles that Iris noticed.
"Tiella is one of the most skilled huntresses I've ever met. She's strong, not only physically, but also mentally, and emotionally. She will survive."
"I see." Iris nodded with a smile. She played with her fingers while in thought, looking at them as she stirred in her mind. "Would you mind telling me about her?"
"Gladly." Pyrrha smiled. It was her turn to look at her fingers as she intertwined them on her lap. "Her name is Celestiella V. Margory," Her smile grew wider and wider as she spoke every word, "and she's my self-proclaimed big sister," She said as her soft viridescent eyes met sharp auburn-like eyes.
Fodder.
Mites.
Ticks.
Fleas.
Nothing but pests.
And yet they nearly killed my Chosen.
She, or... he? It? Whatever this be-
Does it matter?
I-... what?
I am crushing the skull of one of your so-called creatures of Grimm with one hand and barely am I even using any strength, not to mention my severely weakened state while I am only possessing and gifting my daughter a tiny fraction of my power. Humans always were weak but to think that even in another world where they are given such powerful gifts to their advantage, they still cannot wipe them out. How laughable.
T-The being appears to be holding the skull of a-
Do you not feel that it is redundant to describe what I am doing when I've already done so? What I hold in my hand is a Grimm, its variant is irrelevant, all that you need to know is that it is weak. All Grimm are weak. And yet the humans are still held back by them.
...
You are wondering how I am speaking with you.
...
It matters not if I am speaking to you or to my daughter. Not even if I am speaking to your readers. Everything will die, along with everything else in my path for that is what I live for.
...
You'd do well to commit my words to memory, poet. I pledge to kill all who live under the same sky as the great me. None shall live, I will not permit it.
But worry not.
I shall spare you.
After all, you are my maker — and this is how you wrote me.
Now, go on. You have a story tell, haven't you?
Lillianne arrived at a clearing, or rather, a cleared-out field in a sea of trees and Grimm.
Stumps of wood were the only things left aside from fallen logs and gouged out earth. There were barely any Grimm left. The only things to see were a girl with blackened skin and ashen white hair and a Beringel trapped in her grip as it struggled.
The girl was looking up and simply basked in the sunlight.
It was serene.
The moment picturesque.
And yet it simply drove immense dread inside her as she looked on.
"Tielle?" She called out but quickly shook her head. "No, you're the one we met months ago, right? The one we couldn't shake off. How?"
The girl turned her head to give Lillianne a look.
She did not smile, she did not frown. She only had a blank look as she met eyes with her.
Lillianne sheathed her sword behind her and placed her shield there as well. She walked towards the girl with a steady gait.
"You won't answer then? That's fine, I only have one request anyway, and it doesn't need your verbal acknowledgment."
She stood face to face with the girl who was a head taller than her. She looked up with the smile that almost never disappeared, though one look at her eyes showed that she was anything but happy to see the person she was speaking with.
"Won't you return Tielle to me? I promise I'll take good care of her this time," She said as she reached out a hand for the other girl to shake.
The girl, in response, did nothing but look back at the girl. She idly crushed the head of the Grimm in her hold and there was nothing but the sound of war all around them for the next few moments as they stared each other dead in the eyes.
The girl slowly raised her hand to reach the one that was offered. However, when there was barely any distance left for them to touch, Lillianne struck her across the cheek. Her fist was smoking from the sheer speed and so did the girl's turned cheek. The force was enough to make her take a step back — a feat that not even the giant Goliaths could do against her.
"Your eyes are full of malice," Lilly said as she glared back at the girl. "Tielle may not be the kindest person but she would never look at someone with such evil intent!" Gone was the smile on her face and there in its place was a snarl that bared her fangs. "You've already marred her figure with this transformation and now you insult her by projecting your cold eyes onto her too!"
The girl, who'd kept nothing but a blank expression on her features finally had a smile on. She looked back at Lillianne glowering at her and said nothing.
"This is your last chance, return Tielle to me or face the consequences of your transgressions on my best friend!"
The girl struck her fist out for Lillianne's head, parting the earth and trees in its way. However, Lillianne simply tilted her head to the side and countered with an uppercut that she couldn't even react to.
"You may have saved Tielle from the Grimm but now she needs saving from you! You and I both know that possession takes more out of the owner's vessel than the possessor! So if you truly care about Tielle, then you'll leave her body now!"
Lillianne struck again, a palm strike to the girl's chest that pushed her back a few paces. Her feet dug into the ground and helped stop her in her tracks but the force behind the strike was enough to make her pause for a moment and gather her bearings.
"I won't say it again."
Lillianne marched towards her in great strides though, before she could strike again, she felt winded. Her eyes widened in the realization of the phenomenon she was experiencing.
"She knows how to use Tielle's Hollowing!?"
She clicked her tongue in frustration and her eyes and body turned brightly aglow. She gathered her Aura into her fists, condensing them thickly that it was enough to illuminate their vicinity. In a second, she was a meter away from the girl, the next, she'd dealt over a thousand strikes at her before she sent the girl flying dozens of meters up and away.
"I must finish this as soon as I can!"
She soon followed, running as fast as she could to catch up before her enemy could crash land. Calculating the trajectory of the girl in her mind, she stopped at a certain point and entered a stance as she waited for the girl to come to her. After a moment, there appeared the girl she sent flying, so she spun on her heel and high kicked her directly on her temple. She crashed to the side, gouging the land as she skipped and rolled away.
"Tielle! Wake up! I know you can hear me!"
Lillianne rushed her again even before the girl could stop in her crash landing.
"It's good that using The One Almighty always leaves me with a permanent boost in speed but against the one possessing Tielle, even with advanced Aura enhancement techniques, my fists deal nothing! It's like I'm punching pure steel! I need Bardy with me!"
"Tielle! I'm sorry I did you wrong but please, come back to your senses! This isn't you! You're not the type to let something like this stop you! Tielle!
Tielle!"
Glynda struggled to breathe.
Her body strained yet her mind felt worse.
It took a lot of effort just to keep herself afloat in the air on her platform as she returned to Airship Two, the airship she was leading. It was even worse when she brought the land up along with her to finish the wall.
"But it's just a little bit further... just a bit more and I should be able to keep most of the lava and the Grimm in."
It was quite grand, what she did.
Tall walls made of the land caged the magma and the Grimm from going over the other side. A truly magnificent sight.
She reshaped the land in a way that no other huntsman or huntress could. In the years to come, should the landscaping she did remain, it would be a sight to behold for the next generation.
"Professor Goodwitch is returning!" One of Leon's teammates called out.
Their pilot opened the door for Glynda, and the first thing she did was hold on to the door frame to prevent herself from collapsing onto the floor due to fatigue. As she gasped for air and steadied her breath, she eyed Leon with a look and spoke in a commanding tone that left no room for anything else.
"Sitrep." She said, practically gasping the word out.
Leon stood in front of her and delivered the events as clearly and concisely as he could. Meanwhile, Glynda caught her breath as she rested on a bench. As soon as Leon's report was over, she stood and looked out the window.
"It's good that Ms. Lillianne took over when I could not, but that performance..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Nevermind. I can't argue with the results."
She took in the situation a bit more and what she found was a mixture of comforting and troubling. It was good that less than half the Grimm were left, but that left the Wyvern and Tiella still unaccounted for. They're still unsure where Tiella truly is. Peach reported of an unknown figure fighting the Grimm below but some students believe that it was Tiella herself.
While the unknown figure didn't resemble a normal human, it did wear the signature loose twin braids that she was well-known for.
And knowing that fact made her feel as if her stomach sinking.
She bit her nail in frustration. She couldn't decide whether to step out again or lead from the airship like the other professors were doing. After a moment's deliberation, she clicked on her earpiece.
"Lilly, are you there?"
It was quiet for a bit with only the sound of battle as their background noise. It wasn't after a couple of seconds did Lilly answer.
[Sorry, Glynda, I'm a little preoccupied right now. I only have a short moment to speak with you.]
"That's what I'm worried about, can you tell me about your situation?"
[Well...]
Glynda stayed quiet, the pit in her stomach feeling worse as the seconds ticked by.
[I'm sorry... I can't do this on my own, I need your help.]
"That's a given, it's why we're all here." She answered in curiosity. "What do you need help with?"
[I can't say it clearly. Can you take Airship One and Bardy to me?]
Glynda contemplated Lilly's words. The gears in her mind worked to connect her words with their current situation, debating in her mind whether to follow the girl's request or not.
"I'll go."
[Thank you.]
"But until I'm sure of the situation, the first-year teams will stay behind."
[Very well. I must go now. I ask that you hurry, Bardy is fighting the Wyvern alone and I'm positive he needs help in dealing with it. I'm sure he can kill it but...]
"But the Wyvern is a special kind of Grimm, I know of its unique abilities."
[Then please hurry, after that, come to me. You should be able to find me easily.]
"Okay."
Glynda dropped the call and assessed the situation.
"She can't tell me what it is she's dealing with. It means something's happened to Tiella that the student body shouldn't know about. And she's proceeding with the plan to bring in familiar faces to help calm her down. What's going on? Did something out of our expectations happen? What is this report about a monstrous figure that resembles Tiella?
Why can't I get rid of this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach?"
"Mr. Springfield."
"Ma'am."
"I apologize but I must ask you to stand in for me for now. Again, report to Professor Peach should you need any help. I have to go down, Ms. Lillianne needs assistance."
Leon nodded silently and was already commanding his team. Glynda had the door opened once more so that she could step out. And as soon as she did, what she found below immediately reminded her of Lilly's words from earlier.
"[You should be able to find me easily] is quite the understatement," Glynda muttered as she summoned another platform for her to get to Airship One.
As an Aura master, Glynda is quite adept at sensing fluctuations in another's Aura. The moment she stepped out of the airship, she was assaulted — or rather, enveloped — by a pervasive warmth that both felt soothing and stifling.
"When you're letting such a massive amount of Aura like that, you're impossible to miss."
To her trained eyes, the forest below was engulfed in a purple glow that clashed with a deep blackness.
AN: Hello again!
Happy New Year!
I wanted to upload before the year ended so I squeezed my head as much as I could just so I could finish in time. How do you like this chapter? Was it worth the wait?
I hope so, but if not, I'd be happy to read your comments on this one!
By the by, Lilly is a Disney Princess confirmed.
Before I forget, a HUGE thank you to friend and fellow author here at FFN, ArthurSG for giving Lost Star a shout out in his fic "A Silent Connection".
It's a lovely story about Jaune and Neo that takes place in V7. It explores how each character copes with the loss of their loved ones and I feel that ArthurSG is doing it nicely.
Go ahead and give it a read!
From now on, I will be answering reviews here regardless of whether the reviewer is anonymous or not. I think that it would be a good way to keep our conversation going if we include the others into your queries, no?
Now then!
Zeowolf9: Thank you. I'm quite glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one just as much.
Darkmaster10000000: Cinder starts being active in V2 and because I'm such a slow writer, we've yet to reach even the start of it. But don't worry, even if the current story is still just around here, I already have some ideas of what to do in V2 and I just hope you'll like that too.
FireFlux: Thanks! I just love it when our beloved characters go through ups and downs together. It's the perfect way to strengthen their bonds so long as they make the right decisions towards staying together.
nukacolafission: I'm glad you liked the beginning of the story! I'm quite proud of the first two chapters. As for tequila coffee... well. I can't remember clearly but I think I tried something similar before and I felt like throwing my dinner out. Still, it was super effective in conking me out.
That's it for now! It's been an amazing year for me and I truly enjoyed my time writing these stories not only for me, but for all of you as well. Thank you so much! I wouldn't have improved so much if it weren't for all of you.
"That's...!"
On a far off continent, amongst the people living in the cold winds of Solitas. In a cozy flat settled at the top floor of one of the many skyscrapers in Atlas, a woman, wearing glasses and a lab coat, drank coffee as she watched the news. She adjusted her black round-rimmed glasses as her eyes widened. She took a deep puff of her cigarette before crushing it on an ashtray putting it out. She took out her scroll in a hurry and dialed as fast as she could.
As the other end simply rang, she impatiently bounced her leg while drinking her coffee. A short moment later, there was an answer.
[Ms. Maxwell?]
"Ironwood!"
[Sigh...] She heard from the other end. [I understand that you have no obligations to me but please do remember that I'm risking a lot to keep you around, so I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from calling with your personal sc—]
"Nevermind that! Have you seen the news!?"
There was a pause for a bit though it felt like hours to Maxwell until it was broken again. [Is it about Vale?]
"Yes!" She slammed her — thankfully — almost-finished cup of coffee on the table beside her where it spilled, but not so much, as she leaned back on her chair. "Did you see the girl that just sang and danced!?"
[Yes, the situation may have improved with her appearance but we still don't know the reason for this sudden attack. For all we know, this could simply be a byproduct of more nefarious—]
"WE NEED TO GET TO VALE NOW!"
[Excuse me?]
"RIGHT NOW," She yelled while holding her scroll between her shoulder and neck. "I'm already packing up! We need to go! If you can't go, then I'll go alone!"
There was another sigh that came out followed by another pause. [Ms. Maxwell, you know full well I can't let you go on your own. Specialist Schnee and I will come with you. I've been meaning to come to Vale for the Vytal F—]
"GOOD! I'LL BE COMING TO ATLAS ACADEMY AS SOON AS I'M DONE PACKING! IF I GET THERE AND I DON'T SEE AN AIRSHIP PREPARED, YOU'RE GETTING YOUR ASS KICKED AGAIN!"
And before the general could answer, she'd already ended the call and threw her phone over her shoulder, landing on her bed.
"I finally found her! After a fucking month! A WHOLE GODDAMNED MONTH! I finally found her! And if she's here, then surely the others are...!"