So, in two weeks I'm going down to a part-time schedule at my job. That'll give me more time to write and take care of other things. Would prefer to get another job entirely, but Vegas sucks hard when it comes to jobs. So, this is the last chapter of what I call the Awakening Arc. We get a look at how some characters are doing. And a surprise or two.
Also, after having seen the Godzilla vs Kong trailer, I have a theory about the film. I think they're going the 1973 route and the Godzilla attacking Earth is actually MechaGodzilla under a fleshy exterior.
Chapter 8: I Can Be Your Hero
Kakuko, Southeastern Sanus, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 12:14 PM
Gabara put his clawed hands together in a hammer-fist and brought them down on top of an office building, tearing through the concrete and steel like paper. The screams of those within still trying to evacuate were drowned out by the sound of the structure collapsing in on itself. Three buildings had so far been destroyed by the kaiju, with nearly forty people either killed or severely injured. Numerous vehicles had also been crushed by the monster's large feet along the way, some empty and some with people still inside. The entire scene was a nightmare on a scale worse than any Grimm attack. Grimm could be fought off by a Huntsman.
Only one so far had been able to combat a Kaiju.
Gabara ignored the rubble he'd just caused and shoved his hands into the concrete below him. With the smallest bit of effort, he pulled out a section of the ground nearly as big as his head. Turning around, he threw the mass into a group of smaller, slightly run-down buildings. The streets connecting said buildings were lined with numerous mom-and-pop businesses and food stalls. Red lanterns were strung from one side of the street to the other, tied to the buildings at various intervals. It was a beautiful place, full of life and friendliness. It was commonly referred to as 'Mistraltown' by most of the city, a tight community of immigrants from Anima.
It was destroyed with little care from the green kaiju.
Gabara was about to slam his fist through another building but was interrupted when several things struck the back of his neck and exploded. It did nothing to harm him due to the protection his thick hide provided. The kaiju turned around and was met with more explosions going off in his face. When the smoke cleared he could see the culprit: a squad of six humans in protective gear wielding rocket launchers. They fired again as he raised an electrified hand, failing to stop him from slamming it into and through them. They were dead before their brains even had time to realize the fact.
The building the humans had stood on collapsed with ease when Gabara sent his clawed foot through the first three floors. Thankfully no one was inside the building, since it was closed for business on Saturdays. Regardless, there were plenty of terrified humans and faunus running through the streets attempting to reach a shelter, and more firing weapons at him from rooftops. Several flying machines had also taken to the skies, firing an endless hail of bullets and missiles.
He would have his fill of death before the day's end.
xxxx
"RDF chatter reports three Section 7 housing complexes, four office buildings, and a bank destroyed by the kaiju so far, the number of people killed or injured is currently unknown, and most shelters are only at 65% capacity for their areas," Glynda reported over the headset to Salem.
"Any success from their ground forces?" Salem questioned, checking her gauntlets and glider for any problems.
"None, I'm afraid," her partner and second-in-command responded.
"Aerial units?" she asked.
"They've made no progress either," a hint of anger colored Glynda's voice. "Their Manta's Dust rounds and Diamondback missiles aren't doing any noticeable damage to it. Its skin appears tougher than the last one that attacked."
"I'll just have to hit it harder, then," Salem said confidently. Her gauntlets were both loaded with Wind Dust and the trio of curved blades that released outward sprung free without resistance. She just needed to finish checking over her glider now.
"They're saying it can generate electricity from its hands, as well. The amperage is high enough that it made a crowd of people burst." Glynda gripped the yoke of their transport tighter, her voice angrier still due to the deaths caused by the kaiju.
"Something to keep an eye out for. I'll survive if it hits me, but my glider won't. That could make the fight more difficult," Salem commented. The Queen paused in her inspection to look towards the cockpit. "We'll make it pay Glynda, I swear."
Glynda breathed in deeply, holding the air for several moments before letting it out. "Sorry. I'm trying to keep my temper under control. But every time they attack, so many people are killed. I just get so…" the blonde cut off her own sentence with a scowl.
"I know, Glynda. I feel the same as you do. Every life lost to one of these monsters is one too many," Salem assured her. She was finished with the glider now, so she placed one end on the floor and the other against her shoulder. "How much further till we're in range?"
"ETA is two minutes. Same plan as usual?" she responded, checking two of her screens.
"Yes. We dive in, I go after the beast, and you assist people on the ground. Nothing fancy or out of the ordinary," Salem confirmed. "I'll do my best to keep it contained to a single area while you and the RDF continue with the evacuations."
"Understood."
The next two minutes passed in tense silence, the gentle hum of the MK 3's engines doing little to ease the mood. Salem did one last visual check on her glider, before standing up and moving towards the side door. She could faintly hear the sirens sounding off through the walls. The Queen turned her head and saw the damage done to Kakuko, as well as the rampaging kaiju itself, through the cockpit windows. Smoke trailed into the sky like willow branches swaying in the wind.
"Ugly bastard, isn't it?" She asked Glynda.
"Most of them are," her partner agreed.
Glynda set their Manta to autopilot and joined Salem next to the side door. The light-skinned professor had her pale blonde hair pulled into a tight bun much like Salems, with a strand coming down just enough to touch her left eyebrow. A pair of thin glasses accented her green eyes and made her cheekbones stand out more. She wore a pair of studded earrings shaped like a witch's hat, given to her by Salem as a gift when she became Deputy Headmistress.
She, too, was dressed in a more combat-orientated outfit than the one she normally wore. Salem had insisted they wear something that could be marketed to the masses in a way that would inspire hope in the face of the kaiju threat, while also being functional for their fieldwork. Her white top was made of a kevlar-like material that went down her arms, feeding into a pair of sturdy black gloves currently holding a high-tech visor. The top was tucked into a pair of black pants held up by a white, studded belt, with the buckle in the shape of a tiara. A white line ran down the sides of each leg, giving the pants a more customized look. White, shin-length heeled boots protected her feet and gave her a place to attach her riding crop, The Disciplinarian. Topping off the ensemble was a floor-length cape attached to her shoulders. The outside of the cape was black, while the inner layer was white.
Stood next to each other, the duo looked like a pair of superheroes straight out of AC Comics. Exactly how Salem wanted her and her people to appear. Especially since Salem looked like a Grimm-Human hybrid.
Glynda pulled her glasses off, setting them in a special holster next to the door, and slipped the visor over her eyes. The white earpads of the visor were similar to the ones on her headset, except they were connected by a teal screen that went in front of her eyes. The visor would give her any technical data she needed during the battle, as well as access to multiple types of vision settings. A must-have when they dealt with a kaiju attack in numerous different environments.
Salem pressed the pad on the other side of the door, the mechanism opening with a soft hiss. The incoming wind rustled their hair, but also bringing with it the smell of smoke. Their Manta was currently seventy meters above the ground, giving them plenty of room to avoid the kaiju's reach.
"Stay safe out there Glyn. I'll do my best to make short work of it," Salem promised.
She pulled her mask up and let it snap in place. The green mouthguard and black lenses would keep her face protected, while the lenses themselves provided the same data and settings as Glynda's visor. Then she pressed a button on her gauntlet which activated three basketball-sized drones that were programmed to follow her and film her fights against kaiju.
Salem and Glynda both jumped out of the Manta, letting the wind caress them as they fell. The sounds of missiles exploding and Gabara's angry cries drowned out everything else. At fifty meters Salem pulled her glider under her feet, the magnets lining her boots locking her to it. Glynda continued towards the ground while she flew towards Gabara.
At thirty meters Glynda activated her semblance and focused it on herself. Her body's momentum slowed considerably, until at ten meters she was gracefully gliding towards the ground like a leaf in the wind. The moment her boots hit the ground she ran towards one of the many collapsed buildings. She would check them first, then head to the nearest group of civilians to provide assistance.
Salem saw that, while they were successfully keeping it distracted, the RDF hadn't caused any real damage to the toad-like kaiju. None of their weapons could pierce its hide. Past experience told her that soon enough the kaiju would ignore the RDF's attacks and go back to destroying buildings. Flying closer, she raised her hands above her head and channeled her magic, forming a fireball that quickly expanded to the size of a car. A second later she threw it at the kaiju's left arm.
The attack struck Gabara's rough skin, imploding on itself with a small explosion and spreading across the kaiju's forearm. It jerked the arm close to its chest, roaring in pain. Its cries sounded like a basset hound alerting hunters to prey.
"You'll regret coming to this city, monster!" Salem called out, pointing her finger at the beast. The fireball hadn't been one of her stronger attacks, but it did its job of getting the monster's attention. He swung his other hand towards her small form, intending to swipe her out of the sky.
Salem expertly maneuvered out of the way, going underneath the arm. She charged up another fireball, stronger than before, and hit his right shoulder. With both arms out of the way, Salem had an open shot at Gabara's chest. Her gloved hands crackled with electricity, thrusting forward and shooting a beam of lightning towards his muscled chest. It did nothing but lightly singe the scaled skin. And it made the kaiju angrier.
However, with the kaiju now turning its attention towards Salem, the RDF withdrew their ground forces and Mantas so they could assist with the evacuations. Even if her attacks weren't doing much, Salem was satisfied that she could keep the monster occupied and away from any people.
This cycle went on for several minutes. Gabara would try hitting Salem out of the sky, but Salem would dodge and retaliate with another fireball. Gabara would suffer a minor burn to wherever the attack landed, and Salem would move to try a different angle. Rinse and repeat, with no real progress towards taking the kaiju down.
Finally, Gabara had enough of fruitlessly trying to attack Salem. She'd distracted him from his path of destruction for almost ten minutes, allowing more of the hairless apes to run away. Instead of wasting any more of his time and energy on her, he focused his hateful gaze on a group of buses being loaded up with people about fifty meters away. Gabara smiled cruelly when he saw it. He had already destroyed a dozen buildings since entering the city. He didn't really need to keep doing it now that the apes were scattering like ants. But, if he could locate where all the apes were going he might be able to wipe out the population of the entire city.
Gabara surged forward, ignoring the flying ape. People started screaming in terror as he got closer, many abandoning the lines and running, while others cradled their loved ones in acceptance of what was about to happen. Cars were crushed under his stamping feet, buildings shorter than his knees became rubble, and some unlucky stragglers became smears on the asphalt. Gabara grew more excited as the seconds passed.
His path was intercepted once more by Salem. By turning her glider forwards and cutting down on wind resistance, she easily overtook the kaiju and spun to face him. He'd yet to stop or slow, however, so Salem acted quickly to keep the civilians safe. She spun her hands in a tight circle before her, creating a green-colored ball of magic that sparkled like a gem. Without pause she threw it at Gabara's chest, the attack striking his chest with a sound similar to a shotgun being fired.
Gabara was not only stopped in his tracks, but the force of the ball exploding actually sent him back a step. Salem threw another green ball at his left leg, the concussive force resulting in him dropping to said knee. Salem couldn't afford to pass up the opportunity given to her then. Running her left hand over her right forearm, she formed a sleeve of water that covered her from the elbow down. When she pulled her arm back to point behind her the water expanded into a tendril forty feet long and two feet in diameter.
Flinging her arm forward and left, the tendril followed her movement. Gabara was smacked in the face with the water whip, a few of his scales splitting. A second twist of her arm, and the whip struck the kaiju's other cheek. Salem moved closer and, with a roaring challenge, swung the whip into Gabara's chin. This time she got a better result, as the blow had just enough force to knock the kaiju onto his back. He landed with a crash, flattening cars and tossing up broken asphalt.
Seeing an opportunity open up, Salem quickly positioned herself above Gabara's face. Hovering in place, she pulled three of her personalized Fire Dust grenades. They were green in color and about the size of a mango. Salem armed each of them, which caused them to light up in a reddish-green glow, before tossing them down. Each grenade found purchase, landing in the grooves of Gabara's scales.
Four seconds later, just as Gabara was starting to sit up, they exploded. Salem put some distance between them and waited to see what damage she was able to cause. When the smoke cleared away, she saw that Gabara's snout was burnt and missing scales around his nostrils. Other than that, however, it hadn't done much more than when she'd used her fireballs.
Gabara rose to sit on one knee, glaring death at her. He roared in pure anger, his hound-like call deeper and gruffer.
"Damn," Salem tightened her fist, frustrated at the lack of any real damage. "You're tougher than I thought you'd be. What does it take to hurt you?"
Gabara looked down at the cluster of abandoned vehicles on the street below him. He grabbed a pickup truck and charged it with electricity. A moment later the truck was flying through the air, aimed straight for Salem's small form. If she dodged the truck it would crash into the street behind her, crushing anyone unlucky enough to be caught in its path.
Thrusting her left hand forward, Salem a fiery, red beam of magic into the truck. It exploded spectacularly, losing all momentum and falling straight to the ground. Before Salem could move forward to attack him, Gabara grabbed more vehicles and channeled electricity through them. Over and over Salem blasted cars, trucks, vans, and more out of the sky. Those on the ground were picking up the pace, many people abandoning the idea of getting onto one of the buses in favor of running on foot away from the fight.
"Salem, I've cleared three buildings and managed to rescue about thirty civilians. The RDF just ordered all aerial units to converge on your position to speed up the evacuation. They're forgoing the buses in favor of moving the civilians to the shelters near the city's edge." Glynda's update in her ear was nearly drowned out by the sound of exploding vehicles. "Sonar towers are also reporting a large flock of Nevermore approaching the city. The evacuation is going to be slowed down considerably while they fight off the Grimm."
No, Salem growled in her mind. I don't have time to deal with them right now.
With but a thought, Salem commanded the approaching Grimm on the edge of her senses to Go Away. She could feel each of the fifty avian monsters shudder as they heard their Alpha demand obedience. Like the mindless slaves they were, the flock obeyed, turning around and heading back to wherever they'd been nesting. With that situation averted, Salem moved in after destroying a semi-truck thrown at her.
She formed another fireball, this one the size of a commercial fishing boat. It was sent into Gabara's face before he could toss any more cars at her. The attack burned more of his scales and exposed flesh, the worst being Gabara's eyelids, which were now trying to stay shut from the burn. Gabara brought his hands over his face, howling in pain and rage. Seeing a chance to strike once more, Salem focused her magic and thrust her hands forward. Another beam of lightning was unleashed, hitting Gabara's chest in the same spot as before. This time, her efforts were rewarded with a burst of skin and blood, breaking through for the first time in the fight.
"Yes! Looks like we're finally getting somewhere!" Salem cheered. However, since she'd moved very close to Gabara, it meant that when the kaiju blindly swung one of his arms in her direction, she reacted instinctively to avoid being turned into paste.
The twisting backflip was made with such velocity that her feet left her glider, the magnets locking her onto it failing due to the force. Salem cried out in surprise as she went one way and her glider went another. Thinking quickly, she pointed her hands towards the ground and sent out two streams of air to keep her in the air. It prevented her from becoming a pile of goo on the ground, allowing her to angle her hands so she flew to the nearest rooftop. Once her feet hit the roof she was running. She could hear Gabara howling behind her, instincts telling her he was about to attack.
"Come here!" she called out. Her mask's comm system sent the command to her glider, activating its homing function.
A shadow grew around Salem as Gabara's hand came down. With little effort she jumped to the next rooftop, narrowly avoiding being smashed by the kaiju. She landed with a small grunt, running forward as Gabara's hands were coming down on this building as well. But, to her horror, curled up next to a pigeon loft, were two faunus children holding each other tightly.
The boy had a set of large front teeth sticking out, likely a mouse or beaver faunus. The girl, perhaps his sister, was covered head-to-toe in tan spikes. A thorny devil faunus, perhaps? Regardless, she altered course to intercept them.
"I've got you! Hold on!" Salem grabbed onto them, yelling in order to be heard over the sound of Gabara destroying the roof behind them. She reached the roof's edge, her glider waiting for her. She jumped onto it with practiced ease, her feet locking to it once more. The building collapsed, but she paid it no heed. Pushing her glider to its limit, she flew towards the crowd of people still trying to board the buses.
"Take care of them." Hovering a foot off the ground, Salem handed the children off to a couple police officers directing people. The officers nodded, one moving to grab some blankets to keep the siblings warm.
Turning to face the Kaiju again, Salem raced back to hover close, trying to decide her next move. Gabara, covered in burns and with an open chest wound, stared her down. He hadn't expected this kind of resistance from the apes. He was big. Strong. He was powerful. Yet this worm was hurting him. His hands started to shake as his already massive rage started to cloud his mind. The Kaiju raised his hands into the air in a hammer-fist, wishing to obliterate this painful nuisance.
Salem saw her chance to strike again. She formed and threw another concussive ball at Gabara's chest. With the open wound, this time when it hit the result was magnified. Gabara felt the wind knocked out of him, forced back a step as he desperately gasped for air. Blood splashed out from his chest, coating the ground like a smashed tomato. He leaned forward, clutching his bleeding chest and groaning in pain.
With the kaiju injured further, Salem focused her Aura into the Dust crystal in her right gauntlet. Holding her arm out, the curved blades that sprung out were covered in a light blue shimmer. Urging her glider forward, Salem pulled her arm back. The blue shimmer suddenly grew into one giant blade of Dust twenty feet long. She came in from Gabara's left side, going straight for his head. With a loud war cry, Salem dragged the blade through Gabara's eyes. Blood and eye juice burst as she tore through the orange orbs.
"RARARARAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Gabara's agonizing scream was near deafening.
He flailed his arms around wildly, electricity arcing off his hands uncontrollably. The kaiju surged forward, heedless of whatever was in his way. He ran through a twelve-story tall law office, taking out the parking garage next to it due to his pained spasms. At this point, Gabara wasn't even trying to intentionally destroy anything. He'd just reacted. Fight or flight.
"This is my chance," Salem said to herself, then louder she proclaimed, "You've caused enough destruction today monster! I will protect this city!"
She hunched down slightly, pulling her hands down next to her right hip in a cupping position. Magic was focused and compressed, coalescing into a glowing red ball. The more magic she poured into it, the brighter the ball shone. Gabara's flailing had lessened to desperate swings of his arms in the hopes of hitting her. All the anger he'd previously displayed was now a pitiful attempt to protect himself. And Salem would take advantage.
The magic in her hands began to make a whining sound. She'd gathered up a decent amount for what she was planning. It needed to be powerful, but it also needed to be a spectacle. Audiences always loved a spectacle. Gabara seemed to finally run out of energy, his arms dropping to his sides as he gasped for breath. This was it!
Raising her voice as loud as she could, Salem cried out, "This end, now!"
Then she thrust her hands forward.
Salem screamed in righteous fury as the red energy gathered became a spectacular beam. Compared to the lightning she had used before, this attack was brighter, bigger, and sounded like a laser being fired. The pulsating beam pierced the open wound in Gabara's chest and exploded out the kaiju's back, obliterating his heart along the way. She held the attack for several seconds, before stopping the flow of magic through her hands.
Gabara stood motionless, unable to move. Unable to breathe. The gaping hole in his chest made that impossible. Blood leaked out of his mouth, trailing down his scaled maw. Finally, after several moments that felt almost like whole minutes, the kaiju fell back. The earth shook when he hit the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Salem looked upon her work with pride, taking a breath to bring her pulse under control. One of her drones flew close, turning its camera from the fallen kaiju to her.
Salem stood tall, appearing proud and determined at having slain another kaiju that threatened so many lives. She only needed a few moments of posing to sell the image. Take too long and she risked looking arrogant. The persona of a protective Queen had to be maintained.
"Glynda, I've defeated the kaiju. I'll rendezvous on your position and assist with the civilians within two minutes," she spoke into her comm.
"Understood. The RDF is helping to rescue people trapped in the rubble, but some of the buildings are too unstable to pick at by themselves. They want me to use my semblance to reduce the risk of losing anyone else if the structures collapse further," Glynda replied. "Local Huntsmen are lending a hand as well, but it will still take quite some time to finish."
"Acknowledged. I'm on my way." With the conversation over, Salem shifted her glider towards Glynda's coordinates shown on the HUD of her lenses. She always stuck around to help in some capacity with the aftermath of a kaiju attack. The damage done was usually so bad that, when she stepped up to help, people would nearly be in tears. They saw their Queen as a warrior and a healer. And they loved her for it.
Just like she wanted.
With his last few strained breaths, Gabara couldn't help but feel utter despair. When he had returned to his nest after a morning of driving off a Kamacuras looking to take his territory, he was devastated to find the hairless apes destroying his three eggs. The sight of them breaking the eggs open and pulling his unborn children out- who were too small and underdeveloped to survive outside the egg, sent him into a red-tinted rampage. The apes and their machines were destroyed with contemptuous ease, but even that couldn't comfort him as he watched his children struggling to breathe as they died.
The apes had taken his children, so he responded in kind.
As his consciousness faded to nothing, all he could think of was his three children. Killed before they had a chance to live by these vile monsters. And now, so too would he perish. The dying groan of pain was the last sound he ever made.
Patch Island, Sanus, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 12:52 PM
"She did it! Queen Salem saved the city!" A young girl with dark red hair cheered in front of the TV, throwing her stuffed Salem doll into the air happily.
The excited 13-year-old was on the shorter side for her age. Shining silver eyes gleamed with joy as a replay of the killing blow was shown. She wore a red t-shirt that had a picture of a smirking Salem holding her fingers sideways in a V shape over her eyes, with the word Wicked printed in black above her. She had on a pair of black cargo shorts that stopped just before her knees, with the rest of her legs covered in red leggings. While she normally wore a pair of black boots that went halfway up her shins, they were currently next to the front door. Nobody liked to drag dirt and mud in the house and dirty up the carpet.
"Mom! Dad! Queen Salem beat the kaiju!" Ruby called to her parents, catching her doll and squeezing it tightly. Her parents, Taiyang and Summer, emerged from the kitchen where they'd been preparing lunch.
Taiyang Xiao-Long was a stocky man in his mid-30s with short, light-blonde hair. He had lightly tanned skin and baby blue eyes full of warmth. A bit of unshaven stubble lined his jaw, with a soul patch just under his lip. He was wearing more casual clothing of a sleeveless tan shirt and brown sleeping shorts since he had taken a personal day off from teaching at Signal. The shirt showed off his tattoo that was designed to resemble his emblem of a heart made of lines. Instead of the red shoes he normally wore, his feet were covered in a pair of fuzzy slippers shaped like cartoonish Beowolves.
Summer Rose looked like a carbon copy of her daughter, or rather, her daughter looked almost exactly like her, with only minor differences accounted for by age. She had the same deep red, almost black, hair, cut into the same bob as Ruby. Her skin was also on the paler side, matching her own silver eyes as well. She wore a black blouse covered by a black corset, with a black skirt and gray leggings. She also wore a pair of knee-length black boots with the laces undone.
Both parents smiled at their daughter's excitement. It was always such a treat when she would get worked up like this, whether it was about training, cookies, or whatever the latest popular song from the Achieve Men was popular. They glanced at the TV, which showed an image of the dead kaiju next to footage of rescue workers digging into rubble. Among them, helping to search for survivors, was Queen Salem. The woman's image had Summer stiffen momentarily, only for Ruby to run up to them waving her doll around.
"You guys should've seen it! Queen Salem was all fwoosh and zoom and hiyah! And there were fireballs, and lightning, and her awesome grenades, and some big booms, and that amazing blade made out of Dust! And then she killed it with a big, powerful beam through the chest!" Ruby was a whirlwind of waving hands, mimicking Salem's actions and practically vibrating with unchecked energy. Her grin was so big it made her cheeks hurt a little, but she wasn't bothered in the slightest.
"Well, we've seen a lot of her battles Ruby," Summer replied with a smile, playfully ruffling her daughter's hair. "We had to study her a lot when we were in school to become Huntsmen ourselves, so her fighting another kaiju isn't the big deal for us that it used to be."
Ruby pouted just a bit, although she would deny it if you told her. "I know, it's just… she's so amazing. When those monsters attack, she's there to defend people. Everyone calls her a hero, and she is, but she's so much more."
"She doesn't see herself that way, though. The Queen thinks she's doing what any other Huntsmen or Huntress would do, just on a larger scale," Tai countered Ruby's statement, sitting on the couch after popping his back.
Ruby smiled down at her doll, "That's what makes her so great. She doesn't brag or gloat about what she does. It's one of the things I love most about her. I can't wait for the day I get to go to Beacon and learn from Queen Salem, maybe even go on a Grimm hunt with her."
Summer was thankful Ruby wasn't looking at her right then. She might have asked why Summer was chewing the inside of her cheek. Every time Ruby would gush over Salem, Summer felt like her heart had been impaled by a piece of ice. Ruby didn't know the things Summer and Tai knew about the Queen, mainly the truth of who she was and why she looked the way she did. Especially the things they'd learned through personal experience. All of which they'd been ordered to not tell her. But even if they could say something, at this point Summer wondered if Ruby would believe a word of it. Would she listen to the truth or would she lash out and call her parents liars? Her daughter adored Salem, and she couldn't stop her from doing so without good reason, otherwise, her daughter would definitely rebel against them.
Summer cleared her throat to try and clear the sudden lump she felt, catching Ruby's attention in the process. "Lunch should be ready in about thirty minutes. Maybe forty. Why don't you go outside and have a little fun while we wait?"
Ruby's face lit up like a Vytal Candle. She ran to her boots, shoving her feet into them, "Ok! I promise I won't get too dirty."
In a flurry of red petals, Ruby was outside with her doll, heading for one of the trees in their yard. The room was uncomfortably silent after that, with Tai and Summer unsure what to say. The stalemate was broken by Summer taking a slow, deep breath. She looked at Tai in concern, the two of them having spoken on this situation far too many times to count.
"I'm not exactly happy about it either honey, but it's not like we can force her to stop liking what she likes," Tai said quietly, looking towards the front yard with a small frown.
"We could try," Summer replied, matching her husband's frown.
"And push her away? Make her resent us? You know we'd end up regretting it." Tai shook his head, hating his own words despite agreeing with his wife on a certain level.
Summer sat down next to him, balling her fists in anger. "I worry about what's going to happen. She's absolutely determined she's going to become a Huntress and enroll in Beacon. I've tried to dissuade her from going, to maybe think about enrolling in Shade Academy or possibly Haven. They're both good institutions to learn from."
"She wants to learn from her idol. The loving Queen that kills kaiju to protect the world," Tai sighed, leaning back to stare at the ceiling.
"You know what we were told, Tai," Summer said with conviction. "She's a false queen. A charlatan. None of what she says is real."
"Killing a rampaging kaiju is pretty real. The people still alive because of her are real." Tai's voice became just a bit firm, a sign of the dragon within.
"It… I know she's saved a lot of people's lives. I'm not asking for her to just let a kaiju run roughshod through a city. She's the only one strong enough to destroy them and I am thankful for that," Summer whispered back, her own confliction coming out. "But one good deed is not enough to redeem a person of a lifetime of wickedness."
Tai, knowing how stubborn his wife could be, decided to change the subject. "When I was in the teacher's lounge yesterday Panga was telling me about his plan to take his boyfriend Perdito to Crimson Ebirah on Saturday to celebrate their anniversary."
Summer accepted the change in conversation, nodding to show she was listening. "They've been together for three years now, right?"
"Yeah. He told me he's going to ask Perdito to marry him," Tai replied, grinning at his now smiling wife.
"That's great! Is he nervous?" Summer was honestly excited to hear that the young man wanted to take the next step.
"Like a mouse covered in cat-nip." Although Tai couldn't really make fun of the younger teacher, considering Tai practically chewed a hole in his lip when he asked Summer to marry him.
"Crimson Ebirah is always packed on the weekend, though. Does he have a reservation?"
"He made it last week, and so did Perdito." Tai started laughing, remembering how red Panga had turned when he explained the situation to him. Seeing his wife's brow raise, he continued his story. "Perdito apparently had the same idea to celebrate by eating at Crimson Ebirah, so he made his own reservation a day before Panga."
Summer chuckled herself, "Great minds think alike. Is he going to get his money back?"
"We'll, he said they offered him a full refund or a new date for his reservation. But, he wanted to do something nice for somebody since the school was so welcoming to him after he was hired," Tai explained, smiling as he pulled an envelope out of the couch's armrest. He loved how Summer's beautiful eyes lit up when he handed it to her. "He asked if I wanted to go, no strings attached. You up for a romantic dinner this Saturday? It's my treat."
Her heart sped up as she stared at the envelope, loud and proud as it beat into her chest. Slowly, a coy, sensual smile appeared on her lips. She leaned forward and gently touched them to Tais. Pulling away she whispered, "After lunch, I think we should do some training in the woods. We could really use the exercise."
"I'm up for some calorie burning."
They kissed once again, hands going into each other's hair. Tai slipped his tongue into Summer's mouth, running it over her teeth. Feeling bold, he moved his other hand to-
"Ew! Can you guys do that somewhere else?"
Kakuko, Southeastern Sanus, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 2:04 PM
Police officers, firemen, Huntsmen, Huntresses, and even regular citizens worked tirelessly to search through the rubble left behind by Gabara's attack. Those with Aura grouped up to remove larger chunks of cement and steel, taking extra care on the chance someone was trapped beneath them. Glynda put her Semblance to good use moving sections that couldn't safely be lifted by hand. A task she was used to more than she liked to think about.
Dozens of streets were filled with emergency vehicles and relief tents. Cots of survivors huddled with their loved ones, if any had made it, drinking bottled water and trying to force down M.R.E.s even if they weren't thirsty or hungry. Digital boards had been hastily set up in each tent, letting people enter their information or search for someone they were looking for. So far it had served to give many men and women hope when they learned someone they cared for was listed as living.
Others did not receive such good news.
Doctors, nurses, and EMTs dressed wounds, set broken bones, and hooked IV lines up to the more critically injured. Multiple areas had been staged to allow volunteers to donate blood. Already, over three-hundred people had given, with another two-fifty waiting for an open bed. Until enough blood could be collected, bags of saline were used to stabilize anyone in need of fluids. The process was slow, but it was coming along steadily.
And standing firm before a crowd of reporters was Queen Salem. She had taken a break from searching for people in order to speak to the city, and the world, about the day's events.
"Each and every time one of our fair cities is attacked by a kaiju, they exact a terrible toll on our people. Buildings can be rebuilt. Businesses can recover. They are important, but they are nowhere near as important as those that have lost their lives or suffered through the trauma of these events," Salem spoke calmly, keeping herself composed and projecting strength. "The human and faunus people are the ones affected the most. Innocent men, women, and children caught in the destructive path of these monstrous beings. We see the long-term damage done to families and friends. To some, that wound may never truly heal.
"But we have also seen time and time again that no matter the tragedy, no matter the hardship, our people have overcome and prevailed. Regardless of our differences, we come together in these moments and lend our neighbors a hand. It doesn't matter how many monsters knock on our doors, we will stand tall and come out stronger than before! The Grimm have not beaten us. Power-hungry tyrants and dictators have not beaten us. The kaiju will not beat us either!
"United hand-in-hand, the people of Remnant stand proud! Our dead will not be forgotten. We will remember them always, and we shall use their memories as a source of strength. One day the threat of the kaiju will end! I will not rest until this world is at peace! This, I swore when I revealed myself to the world. To everyone, I say this: never forget those lost to these monsters. Do not let despair take hold in your hearts, lest the Creatures of Grimm gain strength."
Speech finished, several reporters, and a small crowd who had approached to hear Salem speak, gave a round of applause. Being the humble Queen that she was, Salem accepted this praise with a small bow of her head. Once the crowd had quieted, Salem allowed for the reporters to ask her questions.
"Do we know where this kaiju came from?" a woman with gills in her neck asked, her microphone covered in the Vale News Network logo.
"It approached the city from the north-west, around 101 miles from here. The Wildlands were torn through and many Grimm were destroyed along the way."
The next question came from a human man with a The Sanus Times badge. "Have any offspring been found? Any chance a mate is out there?"
"The RDF has located and destroyed three eggs at the creature's nesting area. The reports I've received stated there is no evidence that a second adult exists. Only the three eggs."
Next was a sharply dressed woman, whose jacket was covered in the snowflake of Schnee TV. She gave Salem a photogenic smile. "It's been nearly a full year since the last kaiju attack. Many concerned citizens across the world are asking if this means kaiju are nearing extinction? Do you believe you may soon kill the last?"
"I do not wish to speculate on such a possibility. I do not wish to make any false promises that could lead to malcontent with the people. All I can say is that the kaiju are still considered a serious threat by myself and the Remnant Defense Force. Regardless of the possibility you present, I shall continue to carry out my duty to protect the world."
Salem was about to point at another reporter, this one from Mistral Milestone, when a young voice managed to be heard over the crowd, "What about the flock of Nevermore that were approaching the city?"
Everyone, Salem included, looked to a young woman wearing sunglasses and a beret. She wasn't wearing a suit or a fancy blouse. Instead, she wore a red turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans. Covering her feet were a pair of low-heeled boots. In one hand she held a low-grade microphone, bedazzled with fake emeralds. Her other hand grasped a beautiful black handbag, held up with an ammo belt for a shoulder strap. Behind her stood a nervous rabbit faunus with a camera around her neck shrinking in on herself, but despite her embarrassment kept aiming a scroll at the other girl.
Were they filming? Perhaps streaming?
"Chatter on the band radio said a sizable flock of Nevermore was spotted by Manta pilots, heading from the same direction as the kaiju. Yet, inexplicably, they turned around and returned to the Wildlands," the girl in the beret held up a low-grade microphone, bedazzled with fake emeralds. "Can you possibly explain this? You are the world's foremost source of knowledge when it comes to kaiju and Grimm, after all."
Salem took the question in stride, but before she answered, she had questions of her own. "What is your name, young lady? What publication are you with?"
"The name's Coco Adel, Huntress-in-training and Junior Moderator on TheLavenderLogs. Check that out by the way. Lisa's covered some great stories," Coco gave a light bow to the Queen, then pointed to her camera girl. "This is my partner, Velvet Scarlatina, also a Huntress-in-training. We don't have a publication. We talk about various subjects on the blog, and the forums are used to give everyone a chance to talk in a judgment-free zone. So, what happened with the Grimm?"
Salem's smile was one level away from patronizing, "Well, good question Miss Adel. I did catch the information being distributed about a Nevermore flock. In my experience, no matter how appetizing a large group of people filled with grief or fear, there is always a chance that the Grimm could choose to preserve themselves instead of needlessly attacking the superior kaiju."
"If that's the case, what will be done about them?" Coco pushed the issue, wanting to know what the more experienced Huntress had planned.
"I will personally assign a team of Hunters to track the flock down and eliminate it. Unfortunately, my place is here assisting with the recovery effort," Salem said regretfully.
Coco still looked concerned, but she nodded her thanks for being allowed to ask multiple questions. Lisa had told her and Velvet several times that you had to be careful to not come off as tooaggressive when it came time for the hard questions. The model was to be professional and to know which times you needed to retreat or needed to attack.
"You can't be afraid to confront someone on a tough issue. Whether the situation upsets them or upsets people allied with them, keep to your guns. Don't give up when you're looking for answers," Lisa explained, waving her hand in front of her face. Coco and Velvet were on the other end of the conversation, chilling in an average-looking dorm room.
The two young Huntresseslistened with apt attention. "What if they try to blow you off?" Velvet asked, her ears drooping slightly.
"When people show their ass like that it has consequences. Even if you didn't get the response you wanted, their reaction will sometimes stir the court of public opinion," Lisa smirked at them, taking a hit from her cannabis blunt. "Besides, you're both training to be Huntresses. If you can kill Grimm like they're flies, I know you can get some good stories. Getting the inside scope from the Hunters out on the frontline? I love it."
Coco took that to heart and made sure that, while she was professional, she still asked the hard questions. Who cares if it got heat with some people? In between classes and Grimm hunts, Coco enjoyed blogging on Lisa's site. It helped connect her to so many people. She was by no means a wall-flower, but her influence and desire to be a strong shoulder for others saw her trusted with that Mod position and kinship with people she'd never met. Plus, people loved seeing videos of her and Velvet kicking ass during hunts or during training. Win-win.
As much as Lisa tried to not take credit, she'd helped a lot of people make friends with complete strangers.
Freezeezy Peak, Eastern Solitas, Remnant
78 AGW, May 3rd, 6:16 PM
This valley appeared to stretch rather far from what Monster X could see. Trees that never lost their green dotted the land, mixing with the endless white of the snow. A storm had passed over the night before, leaving a fresh blanket of frost to hide any small animals from their predators.
X hadn't yet touched down. So far he was content to fly over the land, examining it to see what kind of life existed. It seemed that the areas beyond the cities were only inhabited by mundane animals, kaiju, and more of the Little Ones. X had seen old, destroyed settlements that were clearly abandoned. They were usually taken over by the Little Ones.
Right now, he just tried to enjoy the tranquility of the snow-covered valley. There was a beauty to it. Untouched and serene. The tops of the valley had less vegetation. Perfect for enemies hiding within the mountains. The masters had chased them back, obliterating their meager military. Now he was tasked with digging them out, alongside the beetle with drills for hands.
The masters had collected enough food. They wanted the rest gone. Explosions rocked his senses. The beetle was spitting up spheres covered in a gooey substance that exploded after a few seconds of exposure. The ground was being chipped away, revealing natural-looking shelters below. The blue people were trying to avoid them. Either heading deeper into the tunnels or trying to make it to a starship. Monster X vaporized them all with a blast of his graviton beams.
The masters commanded. The weapon obeyed.
X dropped to the valley floor, down on one knee and breathing rapidly. He wasn't there anymore. He… where was he? A new place. A safe place. The masters didn't have him. No more harvests. No more kil-
An armored insectoid rose from the snow, mandibles clicking angrily in X's direction. It was another of those creatures. Like the Little Ones, but they were much bigger. The giant Centinel was sixty-five meters long and twelve meters wide. Around its head and mouth, the protective bone was shaped like a circular saw blade. The rest of its body was covered in seven-meter long sections of bone, protecting the weaker body underneath. It screeched at X, doing its best to feed off the massive negativity radiating from the alien.
"Go away," X growled hoarsely, body shaking from his vision of the past. "Don't want to hurt-"
The Centinel lunged forward, digging its teeth into X's inner forearm. Its teeth drew dark blood from the alien, getting a growl in return. With a solid hold on X's arm, the Centinel swung the rest of its body around X's neck. The armored segments tore into the soft flesh of X's neck and jaw, places that had little armor so that his head wasn't immobile. X grabbed the Grimm just below the neck, yanking it free of his arm with ease. Gripped in his hand, the millipede-like Grimm could do nothing by struggle and squeal in anger. Large as his hands were, X would only need to shift his thumb to break the Centinel's neck.
Trying to slow his pulse down, Monster X forced himself not to kill the creature in his grip. Holding it away from his face and removing it from around his neck, X took a deep breath to calm himself. Then a noise to his left caught X's attention.
The top of one of the valley's peaks was shifting. The snow fell away to reveal a giant, bipedal Grimm with wings. It was shaped like a carnivorous dinosaur with a set of feathers growing from each arm. A cloud of snow was blown into the air by its spike-covered wings, revealing a form thirty-five meters tall with a wingspan of fifty meters. The Teryx flaunted its status as an Alpha with a battle cry. Having been in Solitas for over a hundred years, it would finally have a chance to test its strength.
The Alpha Teryx took to the air, claws outstretched towards the half-skull on X's left shoulder. It landed with a thump, hands and feet finding purchase in the grooves of the armor covering the head. Luckily the Grimm hadn't torn into any soft flesh. However, the impact did manage to force X over. Being down on one knee, his center of gravity was slightly off, so when the Teryx collided with him X had to use his right hand to keep from falling over completely.
The Teryx didn't give X a moment to think. Perhaps recognizing the fact Monster X was so much larger, it leaped onto his head, clawing and biting fiercely. While it had little hope of breaking through X's armor, it still tore into X's neck with the claws on its feet. With the difference in size, the Teryx was only able to inflict surface cuts. They were more of an irritant to X than a true injury. He let go of the Centinel to grab the Teryx with both hands. The Centinel took full advantage of this, striking X's unprotected stomach and sinking its teeth and claws in.
Monster X pulled the Teryx off his head and slammed it into the ground hard enough that its legs broke. He then grabbed the Centinel and pulled it away again. He snapped it like a whip, using it to strike the Teryx in the face. Then he did it again. And again. And again. And he brought his fist into the beetle's face for the eighth time. Green blood coated his right hand, having broken the other kaiju's skin on the fifth punch.
The beetle was laying on its back with its arms spread wide, one of which was missing the drill the masters had grafted on. Monster X had mounted the beetle, assuming a commanding position from which he could beat the kaiju and face minimal resistance. The masters had demanded a test. They wanted to see how their two weapons were coming along. An experiment, for all intents and purposes.
A ninth punch. A tenth. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen.
X was vaguely aware of what could almost be called pained screams. The Teryx tried to crawl away but was dragged back to X. He grabbed its throat to keep its head from moving, thenacrunch rang in X's ears. The beetle had tried to bite him as a desperate means of defending itself. X answered it by ripping off the creature's jaw. An alarm was blaring within the cargo hold, but X didn't hear it. The beetle had ceased moving now, only its chest showing it was still alive.
But the battle wasn't over. The masters never let him rest until all enemies were dead. It was what he was trained to do. It was all he knew since the day he first opened his eyes. The battle must be finished.
So X raised both hands above his head. He balled them into tight fists, ready to strike the final blow. The weapon didn't even realize he was being restrained by the yellow Compressors. It didn't matter to him. X slammed his fists into the beetle's head, the feeling of its skull being crushed vibrating up his arms.
The fight was over. X had defeated the enemy. He wondered if the masters sat back in the snow, his senses clearing up more by the second. X looked around tiredly, confused as to where he was. His head felt like it was full of water. What had he been doing here? Wait, something was in his hand. He looked down and saw that he was holding the severed head of the Alpha Teryx. Its jaw was gone, and most of the armor had been cracked or was completely gone. Numbly, X let it slip from his fingers and crash to the valley floor.
The Centinel was also fading away. The insect had been torn to pieces like a string of spaghetti and tossed around the area. How did that happen? And what was under his other hand? Still kneeling, X saw four ebony legs kicking the air in panic. His hand was smothering another of these armored creatures into the snow, almost like X was trying to suffocate it. What kind was it this time?
Tilting his hand up slightly, Monster X could see the Little One resembled some kind of elephant. The main difference being that its head and back were covered in thick armor. The people of Remnant called this Grimm a Megoliath. A cousin to the Goliaths of Sanus. This particular specimen was maybe 8 meters tall, and most of its armor was blunt and plain looking. Given the estimated size Megoliaths could reach, this one was pretty small. It wasn't quite a newborn, but it had a long way to go before it could call itself an Alpha. X also noticed a herd of twenty-four other Megoliaths standing nearby.
All of the individuals from the group stood between 3 meters up to 7 meters. They all stamped their feet and growled at X, seeking to cow or perhaps scare the kaiju. Young Grimm were very similar to young animals and people that way. Instead of running away from danger, they sought to fight their way out of the situation.
X… didn't want to fight. He didn't feel well, mentally or emotionally. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to kill. He just wanted to enjoy the planet around himself. Taking a deep breath X pushed away his nightmares, instead focusing on quieting his racing thoughts. He needed to stay calm. Stay in control. If he lost it…
"I'll take care of you."
Monster X ignored the whisper in his ear. Leaning his head closer to the Megoliath, focusing his senses to see if he could detect any Keizer Energy within its body. The odd creature had none of what gave X his power. It felt completely different from the Little Ones. If X could put into words what the creature felt like, he would equate it to space. Cold and empty. A void.
"Fill the void."
Eyes narrowing, X suspiciously reached out to the thing in his head, "How? I don't know how the others at my nest were affected."
"Let me show you. First, imagine our Energy flowing like water..."