V1: E13 - Purpose and Progress part 3
Dawn, the cliff face near the Emerald Forest on Beacon's outskirts
Tahu and the other Toa stood on top of launch pads, which launched Ruby and company into the forest only a few months earlier and formed the teams they are today. Now it was the Toa's turn to test their skills in the wilds of the emerald forest.
Today is a test of teamwork, communication and trust. The only way you reach the other side of the forest is by working together, is that clear?" Ozpin asked the seven Toa, who all nodded in acknowledgement. Each of them was then launched into the air. One by One.
"This is gonna be interesting." Qrow said to the Headmaster as they watched their new, soon to be students soar through the air.
"Alright, gotta make that landing strategy count." Pohatu said to himself as he flew through the sky before activating his super speed, proceeding to curl up into a speeding brown ball to break the impact of his fall. He emerged from the crater his impact had created, brushed off the dust and was on the move again.
Kopaka called upon his powers of ice to cast a frozen ramp on the ground, which he rode down to re-join his sister who had used her water-powers to cushion her landing.
"Alright, let's get moving." Kopaka said to Gali. Unaware that an immense creature was spying on them from behind a patch of the trees.
"Using the heat generated from his lava surfboard, Tahu slowed his descent from above and descended to the ground at a more controlled pace. Eventually reaching a clearing in the trees and proceeding to hover down to it.
"Perfect landing." The Toa of Fire said to himself as he stepped off his board. Onua suddenly came down beside him using what Ruby would call a superhero landing.
"Shall we brother?" The Earth Toa said to Tahu, who nodded in agreement as they started trekking through the forest.
As the Toa began making their way through the forest, Grimm started making their way towards them from various directions.
From the Cliff, Ozpin and Qrow watched as the trees were being rustled and pushed out of place by something large on the ground. The two men could sense that something was off, only a Grimm larger than a Deathstalker could disturb the trees in that manner and that it was heading directly towards the Toa.
"Oz, we might have a problem here…a big problem." Qrow said to Ozpin, who looked to him with an expression of deep concerning.
In the forest, Toa were already locked in combat with Grimm such as Ursa and Beowolfs. Blood black as oil staining the Toa's weaponry and the ground.
"You guys having fun?" Tahu said to his comrades as they battled their way through the beasts.
"Thought you'd never ask brother." Pohatu said to the master of fire, while he slashed as Ursa's neck open with his claws.
"We're not here just to throw down Pohatu." The deep voice of Onua bellowed as he held a Beowolf over his head with ease in his left hand, before sawing it to pieces with one of his Quake Breakers.
"Remember, our mission is to reach the abandoned temple in the most efficient way possible." Gali interjected while blasting away an Ursa with her water-hooks.
While the other Toa were fighting with their weapons most Lewa meanwhile was fighting up close and personal with the Grimm. Embracing his Jaguar Faunus traits as he slashed and dashed against the Beowolfs. Finger claws cutting through their hides, they fell on by one until the Toa of Air now found himself standing before a towering Ursa Major which would take more than a few quick claw strikes to take down.
"I guess we can't think-talk this out, can we?" The Air Toa said to the Ursa towering over him, growling with hunger.
Before the Ursa could grab Lewa, the sound of a shotgun slug ricocheting into the Grimm's neck could be heard as it hit the ground with a thud.
"You guys need to get out of here, now!" The voice of Qrow Branwen came from behind Lewa.
"Qrow, what's going on?" The Leader of the Toa said as he turned to see Branwen standing atop a rock formation.
"Something's coming, and it's big." The concerned huntsmen said, knowing that as powerful as the Toa were, they were also his and Ozpin's responsibility to protect.
"What are you talking about? There ain't no Deathstalker as far as the eye can see." Pohatu said to the huntsman.
"Pohatu, look." Lewa said to him, pointing one of his katana's at the Beowolfs and Ursas who had started sniffing the air around them, heads turning to-and-fro as growls turned into whimpers and they began falling back, either from fear of the Toa's combined power…or because something bigger had entered the area.
"Something's wrong." Kopaka said, adjusting his monocle to see if there were a larger Grimm lurking beyond the group's field of view.
"I smell it too, trouble-bad this could be." Lewa said to his icy brother. Both of their suspicions were soon confirmed by the sound on an immense bellow echoes from all around them.
"What…is that?" Qrow said as he pointed at a giant shadow within the bushes, until it stepped into their field of view. It was a Grimm in the hulking form of bull the size of a truck, albeit a lot more intimidating than its animal counterpart. With serrated teeth and blood-red eyes.
"Kane-Ra!?" Pohatu shouted in disbelief, before the bull-like Grimm unleashed a blood-curdling growl from its revolting mouth which had scraps of flesh wedged between it's far from herbivorous incisors. The creature's gaze was enough to make anyone's spine chill. Suddenly it charged with a surprising rate of speed at the group, the seven Toa and Huntsman barely moving out of monster's path.
The warriors had found temporary cover as the Kane-Ra searched for them, the sound of its nose sniffing for their scent had Lewa on high alert.
"What do we do Tahu!" Gali said to her leader.
"It can't track all of us. Gali and Onua combine your powers, we gotta keep it from moving. Pohatu, use the trees to land a blow on the body of that beast. Lewa, Kopaka and Qrow provide a distraction."
The group split up to put the plan into play, Pohatu scampering at hyper-speed between the trees too fast for the Rahi to keep track of. A blast of ice then struck the beast from the side, it turned to face Kopaka, Qrow by his side.
Before it could attack the ice Toa and huntsmen, the Kane-Ra was met by a sand-twister provided by Lewa. While the beast was blinded, Gali blasted the ground with a current of water while Onua slammed his fists into the ground behind the Grimm, causing it to collapse into a muddy pit that absorbed the water from Gali's attack and creating a boggy mud pit. Unable to see where it was going due Lewa's earlier attack, the Kane-Ra fell backwards into the sticky dirt and became trapped by its weight as Gali and Onua had planned while Pohatu prepared to move in with a surprise attack from above. But none of them could have been prepared for what happened next.
Using minimal effort, the Kane-Ra pulled its hulking body out of the bog Onua and Gali attempted to trap it in. The creature's head then swung to the left and used it's massive horns to smack Pohatu against the trees before he could attack. Qrow rushed in quickly to try and intercept the creature, but as he swung his scythe the Rahi turned sharply and grabbed the huntsmen's weapon in its jaw before jerking to the side and taking Mr Branwen for a ride as he held on to his weapon, eventually letting go and sending the Huntsmen into the air.
With no more distractions, the beast's attention turned back to Pohatu and lined up to charge at him.
"Brother!" The fire Toa shouted, seeing his brother in instinctively he put himself between the Grimm and the Toa of Stone. The Beast unintimidated by the Toa standing his ground, red eyes glaring back at the master of flames.
"Slag it!" Tahu said to himself as he met the beast head-on and punched it with a powerful left hook, but the Grimm merely shrugged off and turned its head back to him.
"Bad idea." He gulped.
The angry Kane-Ra then roared, opening its jaws to munch the Toa of fire down in a single bite. But Tahu instinctively slammed his hands against the upper and lower jaw to prevent them clamping down. Even as his hands began to bleed against the serrations on the Rahi's teeth he kept his footing firm while trying to rip the Grimm's mouth in two, but he could sense that even his strength wouldn't be enough to pull it off.
"I could use a hand right about now!" Tahu shouted, knowing that he was not far away from becoming Rahi lunch any second now.
Qrow then burst from the trees behind the fire Toa with his harbinger switched from scythe to sword mode, leaping into the air he threw his weapon at the Grimm, Tahu saw the harbinger's blade coming directly at him and fast-swung his head to the side, barely avoiding the blade as it punctured the Kane-Ra's Jaw and ruptured its jugular. The immense Rahi staggered backwards and sway side to side, heavy breathing now erratic as it weakened while choking on its blood before collapsing. Slowly, the lungs of the creature failed, and it was no longer a threat to the heroes.
"Are you insane! Could've taken my head off!" The Master of Fire shouted at the huntsmen, not amused that their 'ally' almost killed him and the Kane-Ra at the same time.
"Your welcome." Qrow shouted back, wincing as he felt pain in his stomach region.
Qrow, are you alright?" Gali said to him
I'll be fine, thank you. Think I bumped a rib back there." He responded as the toa of water helped him up.
"What the hell were you thinking Qrow? Tahu said as he stormed over.
"With all due respect Mr Fearless Leader of the Toa, you might not be standing here if it weren't for me." Branwen responded to his comrade as he pulled his weapon out of the dead Grimm's jaws.
"Yes I'm very grateful for you almost killing me while simultaneously trying to save me ya alky bastard!"
The huntsmen and Toa gave each other daggers, itching to punch each other without second thought.
"You may have fancy powers, but you gotta remember that I've been fighting Grimm way longer than you've been. If you wanna survive out there you gotta play by the same rules I learned to follow."
"You watch your mouth Mr Drunkard, I could easily use that fancy stuff you like to drown your sorrows in to light you up like a bonfire!"
"That's enough!" Gali scowled in frustration at both of them, their bickering a mirror image of Tahu's beef with Kopaka in his earlier years. Quickly she stepped in to stop the chance of a fight ensuing.
"What kind of example do you two would be setting if Ruby saw you squabbling like Rahi Bats over fruit?" She said to both men, who took another look at each other knowing that Ruby and her sister likely wouldn't be happy to see an argument like angry muaka squabbling over the last scrap of meat.
"Now now sister, let's not blow this out of proportion. The last few days have been…eventful, our arrival in Vale, meeting so many new people and adapting to our new forms, added up could easily cause emotional overload." A bruised but not beaten Pohatu answered as Onua helped him walk back towards the others
"Keeping in mind that we're only being allowed to stay at Beacon because Ironwood allowed it, seeing one of us arguing with a huntsmen may cause distrust." Lewa said to his brother of Stone.
"Qrow and Tahu did let their feelings about each other get caught up in the moment, Even if the huntsmen's tactics were a little reckless…our leader may not be standing here now had he not intervened." Pohatu replied to the Toa of Air.
The group fell quiet for a second, before Tahu eventually sighed and spoke up.
"Your right Pohatu, and so is Gali. I allowed emotion to destroy our bond as a team once. I can't allow myself to be blindsided because of arrogance and piety grudges."
"Much as I hate to agree, Tahu is right. We'll still be stronger together than we are apart. But first we need to iron out any lingering personal problems if we're going to be here for the foreseeable future." Kopaka added to the conversation.
"We should also consider moving up the upgrades to our weapons, they took quite the beating from our run-in with that angry beast." Lewa said as he lifted one of his Katana's, which had scuffs and cracks all over its protodermis frame and was likely close to breakage.
"Maybe so. But first things first, your leader and I need to sort out our differences if we're gonna be working together for the…foreseeable future." Qrow said to the fire Toa.
"How, exact- "But before Tahu could finish, Qrow pulled Tahu's ear and started dragging him along.
"Come on fire-spitter, you and I are gonna settle things over drinks!"
"Hey, only Lewa gets to call me fire-spitter!" The Toa shouted as he was yanked off by the huntsmen and his yelling became more distant.
"Are you sure they can sort out their differences before we complete initiation? Pohatu said to the other Toa.
"Well if I've known Tahu as long as you guys have, I'm sure him and the drunk can sort things out…I think?" Takanuva answered him.
"I believe they can." Came the voice of Beacon's headmaster, which made the young Toa of Light jump slightly.
"Professor Ozpin, you totally didn't scare me there." Takanuva said to him, trying to hide that he had just allowed himself to get spooked
"Heh, no need to worry." He replied sipping his hot drink.
"Professor, I'm...sorry if we disappointed you, if we failed to show the unity you thought we held dear-
"Gali, there's no need to beat yourself down for what happened today. Every huntress or huntsmen in training always makes mistakes during their first time in the field. But that's how we outgrow those errors and makes ourselves into something better. I'm positive whatever little niggles your leader and my friend have can be ironed out over time, Qrow may appear a little rough around the edges but I trust him with my life and that of my students." Ozpin replied, his tone composed but confident.