Lots of good things happening right now. Made it 20 months without a drink, my new medication is helping me feel better than I have in years, another three months and I should be moved to Washington state. Things are turning around from how they've been. Writing should be a little smoother from now on, and hopefully come out a bit faster.
As always, a big thanks to JessesanMan for editing and brainstorming with me. Major props, dude.
Chapter 7: Baby Steps
Wilderness, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 9:45 AM
Adam sat silently before the smoldering remains of the fire used to cook breakfast, carefully running a whetstone down Wilt's edge. His belly was content from the rabbit and bread served after the group had awoken, and with nothing else to do, he'd chosen to sharpen and clean his weapon.
The bull faunus scowled as he adjusted his shoulder and chin, pinching the pommel of his sword tighter to keep it from moving. The tip of the blade was pressing into the tough leather of his boot, carefully dug in and letting him adjust the angle of his blade as needed. He'd been at this for nearly twenty minutes, only partially focused on actually maintaining his weapon. One might think it foolish to work on your weapon while distracted like that, but this wasn't Adam's first rodeo. He knew how to handle his sword like any other experienced warrior, even if he was only a teenaged one.
What was keeping most of his attention was the other four members of their group, three of whom stood ramrod straight in front of Plesskin, arms glued to their sides. Plesskin himself was looking at each of them with an unimpressed brow raised.
"What the hell are you three doing?" The older man asked dryly.
"You said we would start our training today, so we're ready whenever you are sir!" Trifa exclaimed, or rather shouted, chin held high in respect.
"We'll do whatever y-you ask of us, n-no complaints sir!" Yuma couldn't help but stumble nervously, using his 'indoor voice' instead of shouting like Trifa.
"That's right! No complaints for at least fifteen minutes, sir!" Amber's brutal honesty actually managed to get Adam to snort, before he masked it as a cough.
"We're ready to learn!" The three teens said together, snapping off a sharp salute to Plesskin. Trifa and Yuma brought up their right hand, held tightly to their chests. Amber, however, saluted with her left hand, doing her best to jut out her chin and puff her chest. Yuma and Trifa both looked at Amber, frowning at her mistake. She slowly turned to them, seeing that they had both used their other hand. She closed her eyes and grinned sheepishly, correcting her posture to match the other two.
Now that all three were on the same page, they faced Plesskin once more, "We're ready to learn!" they repeated with the same enthusiasm as before.
Idiots. All three of them were complete idiots, Adam decided. The very awkward silence made the sound of him dragging the whetstone over his sword that much louder. The foursome ignored him for now, which was completely fine with Adam. He wanted nothing to do with them if they planned to act stupid.
Plesskin evidently agreed with him to some extent, bopping each of them on the head with his fist. They cried out in alarm, rubbing their heads to soothe the slight pain felt. Trifa looked ready to yell at Plesskin, but the man held up a finger, silencing any outbursts.
"One: don't call me 'sir'. I work for a living. Two: don't salute me. I don't care for it. And three: You have my permission to complain all day long if you want." Amber and Yuma smiled at the news. "But the only thing that'll earn you is more work."
Adam snorted at that, somewhat enjoying the way their smiles died, leaving quivering lips in their place. He ran a cloth down Wilt to wipe off the shavings and rubbed in some oil with a second cloth afterward.
Plesskin crossed his arms, "We'll be working on the basics first, get a feel for where everyone is so I know how to help each of you. Yuma, you're up first."
"Ok, what do you want me to do?" Yuma asked softly.
"Come at me and try to hit me at least three times. I'll be testing your offense and defense. No weapons for now, just hands and feet." Plesskin stepped about ten feet away from Yuma, motioning to the two girls to move in Adam's direction.
"So, uh, how do you want me to do this?" Yuma glanced from his hands to Plesskin and back again, still not quite sure what move to make.
"That's what she said," Amber giggled, trying and failing to quiet down when Trifa elbowed her in the ribs.
Plesskin sighed, waving his hand lazily. "Just attack me. Punches, kicks, elbows, whatever you want to use."
"O-okay then." Yuma brought his hands up in a boxer's stance, taking a moment to clench and unclench his fists. Then he attacked with possibly the worst right cross Adam had ever seen. It was blatantly telegraphed, pulled too far back before he'd sloppily swung, the blow going for Plesskin's ribs instead of his jaw.
Plesskin easily blocked the strike with the outside of his forearm, then blocked the left cross that followed. Yuma tried a hideous uppercut-jab thing, going for Plesskin's chin this time. The older faunus dodged instead of blocking, also dodging the follow-up kick aimed at his shins. Adam couldn't stop his head from shaking at that. Shin kicks? Really?
This pathetic display went on for another few minutes, Yuma failing to land a single blow on Plesskin, who hadn't said anything about the horrible showing so far. Adam scoffed at Yuma's complete lack of martial skill, going back to sharpening Wilt with more force than before.
"Now try to defend," Plesskin suddenly ordered, stopping Yuma's left jab in his hand and responding with one of his own.
The light punch made Yuma see stars, stumbling back in an attempt to put distance between them. When Plesskin reared back with his left hand, Yuma covered his face with both arms, eyes tightly shut in fear. Instead of being hit in the face, however, Plesskin's fist planted itself in Yuma's gut, making the teen double over and cry out in pain. A raising knee to his face snapped his body back up, stumbling and turning away from Plesskin. The snake faunus kicked the back of Yuma's knee, bringing him to a kneeling position.
"And then you die," Plesskin said as he put Yuma in a chokehold, putting his hand atop the teen's head and slightly twisting. Yuma's head only moved an inch, but the message was clear. Had this been a real scenario Yuma's neck would have been snapped in two like beef jerky.
"Pathetic," Adam grumbled to himself. He couldn't believe someone so clearly unskilled had been sent out into the field, or even accepted into the White Fang to begin with.
The human frowned at him, but he couldn't find it in him to care. Her opinion didn't matter.
The others ignored his comment, focusing on Plesskin after he helped Yuma to his feet. He patted Yuma on the shoulder, getting the humiliated boy to look up at him. "You've nothing to be ashamed of Yuma. If you've never been taught how to fight, then the only solution is to learn. We'll get you ready, you just have to keep your head up."
The words had their intended effect, getting the teen to smile a little and nod. He moved towards the girls so that one of them could have a turn, and was surprised when Amber clapped him on the back.
"Next time you'll knock his head right off, Ah know it," the brunette encouraged him, face turning red as her accent pushed through.
Yuma stared at her for a moment, a small smile on his lips. "Thanks. I-I'm not really used to all this. And, uh, I just w-wanted to say sorry again. I'm really sorry about what I said to you before."
Amber's eyebrow rose slightly, "I accepted your apology then, you don't need to apologize for it twice."
Adam felt that Yuma shouldn't have apologized to the human once, let alone twice. The cloth he'd been using to wipe down his weapon was tossed into his cleaning kit, replaced by a fresh one that he put a couple drops of cleaner onto. Trifa moved forward to take her turn against Plesskin, actually doing a couple basic stretches to warm up her muscles. At least she seemed to know something about proper fighting.
"I do need to apologize, though," Yuma insisted, looking away for a moment while rubbing the back of his neck. "When I made fun of your accent… I was being an idiot. You helped us out and then stayed to help while Adam was out cold. When I heard your accent I went out of my way to tease you, and I should've shut up when you asked me to. That was a douche move."
Amber playfully punched him in the arm. "Well, now we're good. So let's move forward and not worry about it anymore."
Yuma nodded in agreement with the idea, making Adam shake his head in disgust. While Adam himself didn't find amusement from Amber's drawl, he hated the fact that a human continued to hang around them. Being outvoted by his fellow faunus in favor of letting Amber stay also burned at him fiercely. Such rebellion would have been crushed under his boot, had he not lost his right arm to the Grimm.
He stopped scraping his sword to watch how Trifa did. Plesskin waved his hand in that lazy way again, giving Trifa the go-ahead to start. She was aggressive right out the gate; crosses, jabs, gut punches, even a kick or two that nearly managed to hit his sides. Her fists were clenched, but not too much like Yumas had been. Her stance was also loose, her feet constantly shifting to keep her center of gravity stable.
Trifa tried two quick punches to Plesskin's chest, both deflected, and then she tried again to land a kick to his side. Instead of blocking, Plesskin wrapped his arm around her leg, countering with a tight strike to the inside of her thigh. She yelped when he shoved her back, losing her footing and falling on her ass. Plesskin gave her a moment to scramble to her feet, then he went on the attack.
Instead of trying to block Plesskin's punches, Trifa was trying to avoid then, weaving left, right, and down. She managed to avoid some of them, but most still struck her, each one forcing her a step back. In the end, Trifa was able to grab Plesskin's arm and attempted to punch him in the nose. The older faunus knocked the punch away, retaliating with a headbutt to Trifa's face. She went cross-eyed and was tossed to the ground with a twist of her arm. His hand glowed red, and a knife suddenly appeared in his grasp, blade pressed to Trifa's throat.
"I give, I give," she said quickly. "I'm done."
Plesskin pulled the knife away, which faded into a red light in his hand that disappeared a moment later. He helped Trifa up, rubbing the dirt off her back. Adam was… slightly impressed with Trifa's performance. She'd kept pressing the advantage until they'd switched positions. Even managed to nearly get a few hits in on Plesskin. Compared to the sickening disappointment that was Yuma's fight, Trifa looked like she'd had some experience with rough fighting. She had no real technique to speak of, but the enthusiasm was a welcome trade.
Plesskin didn't completely agree. "Keeping on your opponent can work if you know how to take command of the fight. However, you were too aggressive, just swinging any way you could, trying to land a hit." He held up her arms and moved them into a certain position, then adjusted her stance. "Be ready to strike at a moment's notice, but fight smart. Keep your form as much as you can."
Adam scoffed at Plesskin's advice to not go one hundred percent at all times. Why should you worry about getting just the right attack? It wouldn't matter if your enemy could block if you cut their limbs off with sheer power. He looked at the stump of his arm hidden by his coat, an automatic reaction to the very thought he'd just had. The wound had finally stopped bleeding yesterday morning, and the remaining tissue stung any time it was touched. The healing process had a long way to go.
"You want to make sure that you keep your guard up, even when you attack. A strike made in anger could leave you open to your enemy if you don't keep control of yourself." He had her strike his palms a few times, giving advice on when to focus more on punches versus grabs. "Down the line, you can worry about what kind of weapon you want to build, and we'll be able to find a fighting style that goes with that weapon. But it never hurts to have something to keep control of the fight during close-quarters combat."
Adam… supposed that grappling to put an opponent on the ground, or even just remove a weapon from their hands, wasn't horrible advice to give an amateur. He always preferred fighting with Wilt at the ready, but if someone got close enough he couldn't swing her properly, he would have no issue smashing their elbow out of socket.
Trifa nodded, grateful for the lesson given freely. She moved back to the line, surprised to see Amber throwing up some weird hand-sign. Trifa hesitated a moment, before copying the gesture and bumping their fingers together. Adam frowned at the display, the small respect he had for Trifa dying a little, being choked with piano wire.
Why was everyone acting like this was normal? He looked to the edge of their camp, eyeing Chomper as it chewed on a raccoon breakfast. The beast had not lashed out, so far, but he refused to believe it wasn't going to tear their throats to shreds. Much like the humans that took advantage of the faunus, kaiju behaved in only one way; attack any- and everything around them, including each other. And whenever a city was attacked, those that couldn't afford the housing close to the center of the city, mainly faunus, were the ones that lost lives to a rampaging kaiju.
As Amber did a few light stretches, her attempt to copy Trifa painfully obvious, Adam turned his gaze away from the infant dinosaur. While he held some anger towards kaiju because of the destruction they caused, the fact that so many faunus suffered from these tragedies was due to their inability to afford the safer housing in the inner city. Kept down in the workplace, always shot down when affordable housing was being discussed, roughed up whenever they asked for equal treatment.
Kaiju weren't the problem in his opinion, merely a symptom of the greater sickness. An oppressive system meant to keep anyone born of a 'lesser race' from being treated as equals. The simple act of living life was made as difficult, and sometimes as miserable, as possible. These fools that he was currently stuck with hadn't experienced the pain of this world like he had. Adam knew what life was like, how it felt to be powerless, and he would never again allow himself to be put in that position.
Plesskin signaled for Amber to start, which she did by immediately trying to kick the man in the balls. It actually took the snake faunus by surprise, not enough for him to take the kick, but her choice to go below the belt was certainly not expected. Adam paused in his work, staring at how Amber tried to jam her thumbs into Plesskin's eyes next. When Plesskin blocked that as well, Amber decided to bite him, but she was kicked in the stomach and forced back.
Well, Adam couldn't say that Amber's technique wasn't to the point. The human went for the balls, then she tried to claw Plesskin's eyes out. Now she-what the hell was that dinosaur doing?
It was approaching the duo from behind, eyes locked on Plesskin's back. He knew it! That damn monster couldn't be trusted not to attack! Adam tried to stand, grabbing the hilt of his weapon to support his weight out of habit. Of course, in his lack of attention from watching the spars, he'd forgotten the very important fact that Wilt's tip was pressed into his boot.
"Agghh!" Adam's growl drew Plesskin's attention away from his trainee, giving her the chance to grab his top and push him back. The sudden extra weight had forced Plesskin back a step, where he tripped over Chomper's tail. Adam also fell back, neck bulging in pain as he hit the ground, Wilt smacking him in the groin on its way down.
Plesskin tried to sit up, only to have Amber shove her arm into his throat and press him into the dirt. "And that's why you always keep an eye on the fatal half-inch. You never know when the reptoids will strike." Amber grinned like a dweeb, then stood up and hugged the purple and yellow Gorosaurus. She turned her attention towards Adam, jaw dropping as she realized that he was in distress.
Plesskin slowly blinked, getting back to his feet to glance in Adam's direction. He was trying to remove Wilt from his foot, but he couldn't muster the fortitude to actually rip it from his flesh. Yuma and Trifa had run to their packs to get their first-aid kits, while Amber ran straight to Adam, hands grabbing her head.
"What the hell happened?" Amber asked him, moving to grab Wilt, then choosing to instead hold his leg down.
"You're damn dinosaur just tried to attack Plesskin!" He growled at her.
Amber frowned in irritation. "No, he didn't. He wandered over cause he saw us roughhousing. A cat or a dog would do the same, in case you've never had a pet."
"You really think it isn't looking at us and picturing a full-course meal?" His argument sounded a bit weak, but he wasn't going to back down from this human.
"Maybe, but I don't believe that. I just have a feeling about him," Amber lowered her voice slightly, trying once more to be nice to him.
He didn't want it.
"Whatever, just go away! I'll take care of it myself!" He screamed at her, reaching for Wilt's hilt to pull her from his boot.
"Stop it," Plesskin admonished him, grabbing his wrist. "Calm. Down. You're going to injure yourself further."
Adam yanked his hand away, scowling at Plesskin with pure hatred. He was sick of this other faunus bossing him around and making him look like a fool.
Yuma and Trifa stood to one side, two decently-sized first-aid kits in hand. Amber got out of the way, with the duo moving closer to start their treatment. Before they could begin, Plesskin threw his hand up, signaling them to stop. Adam was about to yell at him, but the older man turned to Amber with a curious look.
"Do you know how to administer first-aid? Yuma mentioned that you stood guard while he and Trifa patched up Adam's arm."
"Uh, no, not really," Amber admitted, her voice a little softer than normal. She didn't sound upset, so… maybe… bah! Adam didn't care what she was feeling.
"Ok, let's rectify that," Plesskin turned his gaze towards the others. "Alright, you two know what to do right?"
"Uh, no. I always just slap a bandage on till the bleeding stops," Trifa replied.
"I just remember reading online once that you always use a tourniquet for spurting blood," Yuma added his own experience. "I learned that from Mustard Clinic."
Plesskin was actually taken aback by their candid admission of not knowing how to patch someone up properly. "But… you both saved Adam's life. Did you just… wing it?"
"Pretty much," the duo answered. Plesskin stared at them for several moments, before putting his head in his palm. Adam would've done the same, were he not impaled with his own weapon.
"I swear… ok, so this will be a lesson for all of you." Plesskin kneeled down, beckoning the others to move close. "So, Adam's foot has been stabbed with a blade. What's our first step?"
Adam wanted to rip Wilt out of his foot, but with only one hand, tending to the wound would not be easy. He watched the other three look at his foot, then to Plesskin.
"We... need to pull the sword out, right?" Trifa's answer prompted a shake of Plesskin's head.
"First, someone needs to hold Wilt up. Try to keep it steady so that it won't cut up more of Adam's foot." Trifa did as Plesskin instructed, holding Wilt at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Now, normally you don't remove an impaled object, because it's potentially keeping any bleeding blocked off." Plesskin pointed to a small ring of blood around the spot where the sword had pierced his boot. "You can see how some blood is seeping from his foot anyway, but that's ok. Obviously, no arteries go through the foot, so Adam bleeding out isn't a concern. Do any of you know what our biggest concern is?"
"Adam losing mobility in his foot?" Amber asked, face scrunched in thought.
"No," Plesskin denied. "Depending on the severity of the injury, that is something to consider. But even then, infection setting in is what we should worry about the most."
"So we need to make sure it's as clean as we can get it, then put a bandage over whatever is bleeding?" Yuma asked, pulling out a gauze pack.
Plesskin nodded, a small twitch of his lips signaling his approval. "That's right. So, once Wilt is removed you'll want to rinse off the blood, apply the bandage, then wrap it nice and tight." Trifa needed no prompting to pull a roll of wrap from her kit, along with the canteen of water attached to her hip. She was careful not to jostle Wilt while grabbing the items, letting it sit on her thigh. "Now, getting to the wound requires us to remove Adam's boot. So, Amber, I want you to untie his laces. After that, I'll show you all what to do."
Amber did as instructed, untying the laces of his boot. Plesskin grabbed the canteen and unscrewed the cap, peering inside to see how much water was left. Trifa kept the wrap in her hands, unrolling two inches of it so she'd have a piece ready. Plesskin looked to all four of them, asking if they were ready. Everyone nodded, Adam reluctantly, and Yuma was visibly nervous.
"Ok. Trifa, on three you'll pull the sword out, then Amber will pull off Adam's boot and sock. I'll wash the blood off and then bandage the wound. Got it?" Plesskin explained quickly, getting another round of nods. "One… two… three."
Wilt was pulled from Adam's foot with a wet pop. He ground his teeth to keep from crying out like a wimp. Amber removed his boot and sock an instant later. Plesskin tipped Trifa's canteen over his foot, the clean water pouring over the cut. Adam let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, the cool liquid soothing the burning feeling caused by his wound. True, Wilt had only pierced half-an-inch into his foot, but the blade caused more damage from flopping around after he'd fallen back.
Once all the blood was gone, Plesskin held out his hand towards Yuma. The gauze pack was passed over, but he didn't immediately open it. Instead, he motioned to the two-inch cut atop his foot, "After you've cleaned the wound as best you can, you put the bandage over it, applying pressure if the bleeding is still going." He tore open the pack, carefully placing the gauze onto Adam's foot. "You want to make sure that you don't get anything on the gauze, or in the wound. In the field, you most likely won't have a sterile environment, but you still need to do your best to keep everything as clean as possible. If infection sets in, the chances of losing a limb or the person losing their life go up significantly."
Adam himself had seen a few cases like that happen. Someone taking a bullet to the arm or leg that unfortunately weren't treated correctly, and later suffering from septic shock. It never failed to bring morale down for a while. Plesskin signaled for Trifa to hand him the brown medical wrap, one of his hands reaching to take it. "Your next step is to take the wrap, or whatever clean dressing you have, and wrap it around the area. Start it on top of the bandage, then go around the area over and over, until the bandage is secured to the wound." He did as he explained, running the wrap around his foot five times. It was tight, but not enough to cause Adam discomfort.
"Ideally, you want to check the dressing every few hours. Sooner if you suspect the wound is bleeding through the bandage. If the bandage is soaked with blood, or if the dressing is at least 24 hours old, change it as soon as you can. And always try to keep everything as sterile as possible." Plesskin handed the medical wrap back to Trifa, looked over his work, then leaned back to rest on his heel. Trifa, Yuma, and Amber eyed the dressing for several moments, then looked up to Plesskin. "Any questions?"
Yuma slowly raised his hand. "What do we do about Adam having to walk?" A good question, Adam had to admit.
"Normally you'd want to have the person stay off their foot as much as possible. It helps to mitigate the pain, but it also helps to keep sweat down a little," Plesskin explained. "With us being out in the woods we don't have a choice. We have to keep moving towards Shion. This wasn't a severe injury, but it's still a good idea for us not to push it. Adding an extra day or two to the trip won't be a big deal."
The three stooges nodded in acceptance. Adam couldn't help but grind his teeth, however. The longer they stayed out here, the longer it was that Blake could be in life-threatening danger. Despite the fact that he knew it wasn't guaranteed she was heading to Shion as well, a false sense of hope was better than admitting that she might have run off somewhere else. What if she ran into something she couldn't fight or escape from? Did none of them care?!
"Well, since we need to keep the bandage clean, and his sock is bloody, I've got something for ya," Amber walked over to her pack and rummaged around for a moment. She found what she was looking for and returned to his side. "Here ya go!"
She held out a pair of socks for him to grab. He couldn't help but stare at them. They were a nice sky blue, which he didn't mind, but on the front were two halves of a fluffy white cat. Held together they made a complete image of a smiling cat hanging onto a rope with its front paws. The awkward silence couldn't have conveyed his disbelief any better if he'd tried.
"See, it's a cat that's hanging on the rope, doing it's best to hang in there," Amber explained with a smile. "You get it? Hang in there, it's hanging, eh, you know… " Her smile faded away, cheeks turning redder by the second.
Adam took the socks without a word, contemplating if he could choke the goddamn human to death with them.
Turkana Mine, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 11:05 AM
Armored men and women, accompanied by multiple compliments of AK-130 robots, set about completing the Forward Operating Base they'd been building all morning. The heavy machinery, trailers, and vehicles Mr. Slate's Dust and Mineral Company had brought to the site were gone, forcibly ejected from the area by the Atlas military and a few huntsman teams the day before. After getting an aerial view of inside the mountain, the place where the giant Grimm was reported to have been sleeping, reinforcements were called in and Command was sending a few high ranking officials to investigate.
The FOB so far consisted of a compact command center, a couple of large tents that would serve as temporary barracks, a plain-looking building that was going to house anything that could be extracted from the… whatever was inside the mountain, and a 'chow hall' that was basically a converted semi-trailer. The whole scene was a bizarre mix of military professionalism and half-assed DIY craftsmanship.
A landing pad had been marked at the edge of the rocky clearing using spray paint and knee-high orange cones. It wasn't pretty, but it was all that the pilot of the descending Atlesian MK2 Manta needed. The large machine touched down softly, turbines spreading dust outwards. It took nearly a minute for the turbines to finally come to a halt, quieting down with a soft whine. The side door facing the FOB opened with a hiss, allowing the man and woman within to step off.
The skinny, mustached man looked to be in his late-30s to early-40s. His short black hair had a small bit of gray at the temples, contrasting well with his mocha skin and emerald eyes. He was dressed quite sharply, much like a distinguished gentleman. He wore blue-gray pants and an overcoat, with the coat lined in yellow. Underneath he wore a yellow button-up and black tie, covered by a black vest adorned with yellow buttons, and black, fingerless gloves protected his hands. He looked around the area with interest, focusing his eyes on the entrance to the mine that had been dug back open.
The white-haired woman next to him locked her icy blue eyes on the peak of the mountain, blown apart like someone had set off a powerful bomb. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, with a large bang hanging over her right cheek. She wore a long-sleeved white coat that reached her ankles, held together at her waist with a blue buckle, with a white blouse and a blue coat beneath that. Covering her hands were a pair of black elbow-length gloves with gray cuffs. White pants, complemented with blue garters, were tucked into thigh-high gray boots.
Attached to her side was a single-edge sword, with a crescent-shaped guard protecting the hilt. The hilt itself had a trigger halfway down, used to release the guard. It was a simple, but effective, weapon for the Specialist to wield. Having looked at the mountaintop for several moments, she tore her gaze away to look towards her companion. Her 'partner' for this investigation, and technically her superior. Arthur Watts: Chief Engineer of the Remnant Defense Force, and second-in-command of the Department of Grimm Affairs.
"It appears the distress calls weren't exaggerating the damage caused," The woman observed softly. "Though, I suppose that we are lucky only fifteen people were killed and twenty injured."
Watts waved his hand dismissively. "We have more important things to worry about than miners Miss Schnee. If the reports we were given are true, something very strange lies within these rocks. I intend to find what it is."
Winter frowned at his callous words, but held her tongue from calling him out. That would only serve to get her in trouble with their superiors. As a Specialist in the Remnant Defense Force, and right-hand woman of General Ironwood, Winter Schnee had been a career military woman ever since she graduated from Atlas Academy. Instead of becoming a Huntress, she believed her skills were better spent working with the people whose main purpose was finding and destroying kaiju. Though, she never declined when asked to lead squads of soldiers and huntsmen on Grimm hunts. Kaiju may have been the bigger threat due to their size and individual destructive potential, but waves of Grimm were not to be underestimated.
Thus, she decided to remain professional, even if she felt he didn't deserve it. "The last update we were given by the ground unit said they'd cleared out the debris from the main tunnel. We shouldn't have any problems getting to the chamber the Grimm was sleeping in."
"Yes, and they also mentioned what look to be man-made structures making up the inside said chamber. Exciting, isn't it?" Watts asked, lips imitating what could be called a grin. Winter didn't dignify him with a response. "Come, let's see what awaits us within."
Winter frowned once more. "Protocol is for us to check in with the ranking Lieutenant in charge of the FOB."
"Progress waits for no man." He looked at her like she'd just stepped on his shoes. "You may go talk to them if you wish, but I am here to investigate whatever is inside."
He walked away without another word, hands in his pockets and whistling a jaunty little tune. Winter thought quickly on what action to take, before huffing to herself and following after him. The Specialist didn't trust Watts for a second, despite his position in the government. He'd never done anything illegal or worthy of dismissal from his office, but he made it no secret that he valued gaining knowledge over anything else. The blatant way he always ignored military protocols, and even the rules established by his own department, rubbed Winter the wrong way. Not because of the rule-breaking itself, though that irked her, but because men with such drive usually ended up doing reprehensible things in that pursuit of knowledge. She quickly sent a message to Lieutenant Rojas, letting her know that she and Watts had arrived, but were going to enter the mine before checking with her.
General Ironwood and Councilor Schnee had ordered this operation, however. Therefore, she would fulfill her duty as asked of her. Of course, Winter would still be keeping an eye on the man. It never hurt to be diligent.
She glanced at the main building that was to be their command center once it was finished. It was coming along nicely for such a hasty set-up. "Is there anything, in particular, you believe we'll find?"
"No. But whatever it is will surely be worthwhile," Watts responded. They entered the tunnel that led to the center of the mountain, men and women setting up lights in the ceiling to avoid any mishaps. The journey to reach where the monster was reportedly sleeping only took two minutes, neither saying anything as they walked. The large rocks had been cleared away, leaving only turtle-sized pieces that had been moved to the tunnel wall.
They stood at the large hole that led into the exposed chasm, taking in the view for all it was worth. The room was large, so large that they could easily see four or five Leviathans fitting inside, with space to spare. Sunlight from above revealed the walls of the chamber were indeed artificial. Instead of layers of rock, metal covered everything in sight. LED lights lined the chamber wall, a row going around the perimeter every fifty feet. Every thirty feet or so was a rectangular vent that looked to be five foot-by-three-foot, wisps of steam seeping through the grate. Interestingly, there were walkways and doors at certain places, the walkways connecting to others above and below themselves. The west side even looked like two massive doors were trying to separate and open to the outside. Impossible, of course, due to the surrounding mountain.
And in the center of the chamber: some kind of damaged four-pieced structure, with claw-like extensions running up their length, aimed towards the empty space between them. Four towers, positioned equally apart like the corners of a square, reached from the floor to what had been the ceiling. Three of them had fallen into the walls, or were shoved, while the remaining tower attempting to do… something. The three-armed pieces seemed to have some power running to them, with yellow light flashing from the point the arms met. What purpose they served, the duo could only guess.
"What- What the hell is all this?" Winter's jaw slowly dropped, gaping like a fish. Her eyes moved across everything they could, taking in the unnatural sight. "How long has this been here?"
"With the amount of rock we had to go through, I'd estimate that this has been here for several thousand years, minimum. Once we get some geologists here they can give a more accurate answer." Watts scratched at his chin in thought, eyeing the technology before them with a hungry look. "A Grimm hidden underground is not a new concept, but we've never found something like this before. What is all this technology for? What is it doing here?"
Winter agreed with him, it was an extremely odd scenario that didn't make any sense, but she was less concerned with the machinery and more concerned with the Grimm reported to have left the area. "We'll need the proper equipment to start our work, so I suggest we inform General Ironwood we've arrived, and afterward we can gather a survey team. But we need to locate the Grimm that was here as soon as possible. There's no telling where it is or how much damage it'll do."
"Yes yes, we'll speak with the good General," Watts sarcastically agreed. "But the moment we're done, we'll choose our team and get started. As for the Grimm, I have faith that the Atlas military will handle it. And if our P.E.N.N.Y. unit isn't able to kill it, then the Queen will do so."
Winter was sure that the Queen would, indeed, be able to destroy the creature that had escaped. But the longer it roamed the world unchecked, the greater the chance of civilian casualties.
Turkana Mine, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 11:49 AM
"The wall is made of a highly durable steel-like material. The chamber was first penetrated when miners used a carbide drill bit, after having burned through a high-speed steel and a cobalt bit. Electrical wiring runs through the paneling to various spots, most notably into larger conduits that I believe may feed power to the four towers in the center," Watts spoke into his scroll. So far he'd been recording for fifteen minutes, most of which were observational notes. He continued his slow pace along one of the sturdy walkways. "The purpose of these towers is currently unknown. They could be generators. They could be some kind of weapon. Perhaps they could be a containment system, a prison of some sort. Visuals alone tell me very little."
Winter was not speaking into her scroll, but instead recording a video and taking a few pictures as she walked throughout the area. All around her various scientists and techs worked to do the same, with some cutting sections of the metal walls out for later study. So far she and Watts had stayed within the chamber, traversing the walkways and making recordings. But now, with the amount of help that was entering the chamber, the duo could move to one of the entryways that seemed to lead to other sections.
Watts eyed one of the cables built into the wall that curved around the corner of the doorway he was walking towards. The cable glowed much the same as the lights around them, although it was much brighter. "We're entering one of the side chambers now, which appear to have power running to them as well." Winter continued alongside him, keeping her attention on their surroundings. The metal door before them slid into the wall with a groan, stopping three-quarters of the way. It seemed that the door hadn't moved for a long time.
The room they found themselves in was lit up by ceiling lights and a handful of lights on the wall. It was about the size of a living room, with another door to their left that looked like someone had tried to kick it in. Directly in front of them was a thirty-inch monitor, mounted in the wall above a metal table. Three seats were bolted to the floor, each with ruined cushions and a horrendous amount of dust. The table itself had three clear keyboards built into it, with what looked like a fist-sized projector in front of them. They glowed with the same white light as everything else, though it was visibly dimmer than the walls.
Winter walked towards the damaged door, looking for a panel or handle of some kind that would open it. Seeing that there wasn't one, she gave the edge of the door an experimental tug. Like the other door, it groaned as it started to slide into the wall. Unfortunately, due to the dent in it, the door stopped after opening only a quarter of the way. She peaked through the opening and saw that the other side was a hallway leading away and curving right.
"The passage goes deeper into the structure, but we'll need to remove this door if we want to keep going," she called over her shoulder.
"Later. Right now I'm interested in this." Watts blew the dust away from the keyboards. Able to see the keys better, his eyebrow raised when he saw the unknown symbols on each key. He spoke into his scroll once more, "The… lettering on the keyboards does not match up with any known language I have ever seen. And I can't tell what is a letter, what is a number, and what is punctuation."
Winter joined him, taking pictures of the table and monitor. "If this place has possibly been here for thousands of years… who built this? Remnant didn't have this kind of technology until the time of the Great War and after. And if this place was built recently, someone would have noticed its construction."
Watts ran his fingers over the center keyboard gently. "Indeed. I must admit, I find myself… excited about this."
"And how did the Grimm get inside here? This whole structure seems like a… like a base of some kind." Winter frowned as she looked around the room. "What the hell is all this?"
Watts didn't deign her with an answer, focused as he was on the technology before him. He pressed a couple of keys at random, getting no response from the monitor. The man looked to the chairs for a moment, then sat at the middle one. It creaked from his weight but luckily didn't break from its first use in who knows how long. He started to type at the keys, hoping that a random sequence of keystrokes would give him some sort of result. They stayed silent for several minutes, which Watts preferred while he was working. Winter kept her scroll on him, knowing that if he managed to access the computer it was in their best interest to have it on film.
She was about to suggest they assign someone to this task while they continued to look through the structure when the keyboard made some kind of chirping noise. The monitor, which had been powered down, suddenly turned on and showed what looked like a recording of some kind. The view was of the four towers in the center of the main chamber. It was obviously from some time in the past, as the towers were all standing and had no visible damage. And resting in the center was the very Grimm they'd been told of. It was held in the air with a series of yellow energy restraints, face tucked into its crossed arms and legs brought up to its chest. Its tailed floated around it, moving like it was wading in water.
Then a voice began to play from the speakers around the screen.
"Log Number 28: The creature has developed at an exceptional rate. Whereas a month ago it was only thirty meters tall, it has now grown to forty-five meters. Interestingly, the creature has begun to grow what can only be described as armor all over its body. A natural defensive trait perhaps? The Keizer Energy seems to be keeping stable, though I am cautious to admit success with Monster X since it has yet to awaken. We'll be injecting cellular material from King Ghidorah next week, should the creature survive. None of the previous subjects reached that stage, which will present another unknown. But this one… " The voice paused for a moment as unknown symbols and a chart they couldn't make sense of were displayed. Then a tall, hooded figure walked into the shot, speaking into some kind of device. "Command is getting anxious with us. This is the tenth attempt at creating a weapon capable of matching King Ghidorah's power. Yuda has become rather impatient with our lack of progress, constantly reminding us that he'll be on the chopping block if we fail. I have no shame in saying I worry for my safety if this one does not make it. And he has been… talking about things that could have us all executed for treason. Usurping the Controller and leading our people."
"How peculiar…" Watts whispered to himself, intently watching the screen.
"I've never heard this language before. What are they saying?" Winter knew her question would likely not be answered, but she couldn't help but ask.
"They could be talking about anything. The Grimm, this place, or what they want to have for dinner. My expertise is in robotics and engineering, not linguistics," Watts responded, his eyes still locked on the monitor. "We didn't bring any with us, unfortunately. Send for some to get here, why don't you."
She again frowned at his unprofessional attitude, but she couldn't fault his suggestion. The figure on the screen started to talk again, so she waited to say anything more.
"In my foolishness, I told Yuda I would go to the Controller about his plans. I felt if he were hit with a dose of reality, that he'd stop these crazy ideas and just fulfill his duty as Vice-Controller. But I underestimated his desires. He laughed, laughed, at the idea of me going to our leader to oust him." They couldn't see the being's face, or understand the words, but its posture and tone told them it was upset about something. "Yuda informed me that if I were to reveal anything he's said, that he will hurt my wife and children. 'They'll squeal like a targ in a slaughterhouse', was his exact threat. I can't afford to test whether that is an empty threat. He's crazy enough to go through with it, though he hides his psychopathy well when the Controller is around.
I have been leaving these logs, not just to report on the progress of our various kaiju, but as a testament. In case… In case I or my family are killed, these logs can be used to expose Yuda to the Controller, and the rest of the High Command. If that happens, then please, whoever finds this, don't let him get away with it." The hooded figure paused again, letting the recording device fall drop to its side. It held the other hand to its face, which was still out of view of the camera, looking like the weight of the world was on its shoulders.
'Guuuuuaaaaahhh'
The noise startled Watts and Winter, but not as much as it started the person in the video. They could see the Grimm in the background begin to move its head, fingers twitching slightly.
"Is it…" The hooded person sounded nervous, holding the recording device tightly. A moment later, the Grimm slowly opened its eyes, blinking as it became more aware. "Log Number 29: Monster X is awake at last. The project is, miraculously, a success."
The video finally ended, becoming dim as more illegible symbols appeared. Watts and Winter stood quiet, trying to gather their thoughts. When Winter had been given this assignment, she hadn't truly believed the briefing given to her. The word of civilians couldn't always be counted on for accuracy, after all. So to be told that the interior of the mountain was filled with machinery of unknown origin, in all honesty, she had dismissed the claims. She had been, and still was, more concerned about the giant Grimm some of the miners had filmed breaking out. However, now that she had seen the structure within, and watched a video showing the Grimm captive inside a containment field of some kind, the situation became infinitely more problematic.
What would General Ironwood decide to do next? The Atlas Council? How would the RDF handle this? They would send a fleet and the P.E.N.N.Y. unit to destroy the Grimm, but what was to be done with everything around her?
Her thoughts were interrupted by their scrolls suddenly blaring a loud, droning alert. It was a sound everyone that had a scroll was familiar with. She opened her scroll to see the message sent by the RDF, her jaw tightening as she read it.
Kaiju Alert! Kaiju Alert! A Class-C kaiju is attacking the city of Kakuko. All residents are to make their way to the designated shelters in an orderly fashion.
Kakuko, Southeastern Sanus, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 11:57 AM
Men and women ran down the streets, or frantically drove vehicles, heading towards whatever shelter entrance was close. The sounds of their screams were drowned out by the cries of the 58-meter tall monster slamming its arm through an apartment complex. It raised its other arm and drove it into the building as well, the damage done too much for the structure, causing it to collapse. Dust expanded outward, covering the streets in a milky fog that choked everyone's lungs.
The monster was… ugly. It had bumpy, green skin like that of a toad, with tan abdominal muscles. A single line of orange horns ran from the top of its head to the bottom of its neck, sharp and curved forward. Burning orange eyes were set in a cat-like face. Disgusting brown teeth filled a sneering mouth, saliva dripping to the ground. The monster's hands and feet had a set of orange claws that looked ready to rend and tear flesh.
'Heeeheeeheeeheee,' the monster, Gabara, howled in pleasure as he brought a foot down on a small group of humans. Blood pooled underneath his foot, but Gabara didn't pause for a second as he tore into another building, some unlucky souls still inside when it imploded. Seeing another group of humans trying to run away, Gabara channeled electricity into his hands. The kaiju bent down and touched both hands to the ground, sending the electricity outward and into the tiny humans. Their bodies bursting into bloody mist was a sight he enjoyed immensely.
The bipedal apes would pay for what they'd done, no matter how much they tried to run.
Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 12:04 PM
An Mk3 Manta began to power-up as the pilot activated all its systems. The machine was parked on the landing pad atop Beacon Tower, the personal vehicle of the Headmistress for situations just like this. Instead of the gray coloring of the Atlas models, this one was black, with green flames running along the bottom half. Also, unlike the Atlas version, the Mk3 had no onboard weaponry. The interior was almost spartan in how little it had aside from seating and a place on the back wall to hold equipment. It was designed for maximum speed. One needed it for the line of work its owner did.
The roof access door opened with force as a woman power-walked towards her transport. The wind generated from the Manta tussled the woman's white hair lightly. It was pulled into a tight ponytail to keep it from obstructing her vision, reaching the middle of her shoulders. Her skin was pale, like paper had been given human form. Around her black and red eyes were black veins that ran down her face and neck, disappearing behind her black leather, long-sleeved top. Sturdy gauntlets with three bulging ridges along the forearm covered her arms and hands. Black leather pants covered her legs, two large pouches were strapped to each leg, filled with various dust crystals and compact bombs. Her feet were protected by thick black boots, which had soles an inch thick to reduce the risk of something piercing her feet.
Attached to the back of her top was what looked like a silver-black high-tech snowboard. Close to the middle were two miniature turbines that had green blades. Between them was a powerful thruster shaped like a pentagon, attached to the underside of the board on a thick pivot. It was a very advanced piece of technology, made by her very own hands. And in said hands was a green mask with reflective lenses that would cover her mouth and nose when worn.
The woman stepped into the Manta and set her board into the clamps on the back wall. Secured, she sat in one of the seats and strapped in. As the Manta left the ground, she placed a set of headphones over her ears, the static cutting out when she spoke into the microphone, "Estimated time to arrive at Kakuko, Glynda?"
Glynda Goodwitch, her Deputy Headmistress and the only one she trusted to pilot, responded in an instant, "Twenty-five minutes at most. No troubling weather patterns have been reported, so it will be an easy trip."
"Good. The monster has already had fifteen minutes to run rampant. I'll rest easy when it's dead and the people are safe. Inform the RDF that I am on my way," the pale woman instructed.
"Of course. I'll coordinate with forces in the area to get an update on the evacuation as well," Glynda offered.
The woman nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. "I know you can handle it, but be careful once you're on the ground. I can't have my number two ditch me this close to the end of the semester."
"I wouldn't dream of it Salem. Besides," Glynda allowed herself to smirk a little, "no one would ever have a coherent class schedule if I let you put them together. One time was enough."
Salem, Queen of Vale, Headmistress of Beacon, and consultant to the Remnant Defense Force, chuckled. "Well, I can't disagree with you there. You are invaluable."