A/N
Hey everyone!
So good news! The first ten chapters of Part Three are complete and I plan to start working on Chapter eleven very soon, quite possibly tonight. It will still be some time before the first chapter is released, mainly due to issues of quality control. While I have read over the ten chapters extensively, I need to make sure that the characters are acting consistently and representing the ideas I want them to represent. For example: I actually had to re-write a large swathe of Chapter nine because I wrote Asher improperly... I shouldn't say too much though.
Another issue is developing the overall plotline. I had to scrap the old one because it just wasn't coming together properly. I want to know what I'm writing about well before I sit down to write it.
Anyways, Part Three is coming soon, but I can't say exactly when as of right now.
My final part of the Origins of VHLT will be coming out next week, I'll try to have an upload schedule or plan by then.
The Origins of VHLT - Part 3…
The "V" and the "L"...
Vermillion smirked as she drove the long blade of Wyvern deep into the head of a beowulf. She twisted her wrist and yanked the blade out of the side of the beast's ribcage, splattering the ground with blood and leaving a massive laceration.
It wasn't the only beowulf, however. The rest of the creature's pack was surrounding Vermillion but keeping a safe distance. Grimm were neither rational nor smart, but they did possess just enough basic instinct to not throw themselves recklessly into battle.
The tall redhead leapt away from the dying beast and swung her sword in a circular arc - driving back any of the other beowulves around her who had felt brave enough to advance.
"Bad doggies!" Vermillion taunted. She flicked the blade of her bastard sword to clean off some of the blood. "Who's next!?"
Out of the small pack surrounding her… one of them finally took the initiative.
One beowulf charged from the circle; it's gaping maw of twisted teeth was on full display...
Whatever bravado the monster was feeling was squashed when Vermillion held her ground. The redhead thrust her blade outwards as if it was a rapier, slamming the sharp metal straight down the beast's throat.
With a sinister cackle Vermillion activated her semblance. A red-hot plume of fire curled around her right hand and reacted with the sticky oils coating Wyvern's blade. The weapon immediately caught fire - torching the inside of the unfortunate beowulf.
The creature roared in agony and ripped itself out of Vermillion's grasp. It's fellow packmates - perhaps spurred on by rage towards Vermillion's treatment of their brethren - broke the loose formation and descended on the redhead in a faceless horde.
Vermillion dispatched the creatures with practiced ease. Two of them were sliced to ribbons by Vermillion's flaming blade, another three were burnt to a fine crisp by Vermillion's semblance.
The last surviving beowulf did not survive long. Vermillion spun low to the ground and swiped Wyvern against the creature's knees; now incapacitated, the beowulf fell forwards onto its stomach and desperately began scraping away at the ground.
"I'd say this is nothing personal… but it isn't," Vermillion sneered. She hopped on top of the creature's neck and placed the tip of Wyvern near its brainstem. "From humanity, with love…"
Vermillion drove the blade down… the beowulf stopped struggling…
Vermillion wiped her forehead with her arm and hopped off of the now disintegrating beast. She was still in pretty good shape, all things considered; her aura hadn't taken even a single scratch.
The redhead peered around the local area for a bit, trying to get her bearings. She had never been too good at figuring out her cardinal directions. Somewhere out in the woods were the "relics" she was supposed to find…
Vermillion needed to find a partner too… She spared a brief moment of thought towards the blonde girl she had spoken with on the launch pads; Vermillion hadn't even caught the girl's name…
Any unnecessary thoughts came to an end when Vermillion heard the bushes rustle behind her…
It wasn't her future partner…
Towering over Vermillion - standing at an impressive ten feet in height - was an Alpha beowulf. It's curved bone claws were like long sickles and it's bared fangs like pickaxes. The armored beast sniffed the air and turned its head low to observe Vermillion with hateful eyes.
"I uh… don't suppose you knew those guys?" Vermillion arched a red eyebrow. She stuck her thumb out to point at the slowly disintegrating corpses of the other beowulves.
Vermillion was answered with a deep, rumbling snarl.
"I don't speak your language…"
But the beowulf was more than happy to speak the universal language to Vermillion. Thankfully, the redhead was bilingual and knew violence rather well…
Vermillion thrust her body to the side to avoid the Alpha's opening strike. It's impressive claws raked through the soil where she had been standing moments, leaving three long gouges in the landscape.
The redhead enacted a hasty retreat and looked for openings. Unlike its subordinates, the Alpha was heavily armored and considerably faster. It moved with a speed and ferocity that was unlike anything Vermillion had ever experienced.
Her first injury was sustained when the Alpha's claw swiped against Vermillion's arm. Her aura flared up to stop the blow; if she had had no aura… it would have meant an instant amputation…
Vermillion slammed her heel into the ground to create a stable point for herself. She wrapped both hands around Wyvern's hilt and swung it in an overhead slash. The flaming blade caught the side of the Alpha's arm and shaved off a long scrap of flesh.
The beast roared in pain and frustration and swung it's claws wildly, once again forcing Vermillion to retreat. A small tree next to her was ripped in half by a wild swing and it's length smashed into the ground. The impact kicked up dust, temporarily blinding Vermillion and forcing her to slow down.
Vermillion coughed and her vision eventually began to clear. Through the dust she could hear the Alpha… roaring?
There was another voice as well! It sounded like another girl, but all Vermillion could hear was the occasional grunt of exertion!
Vermillion watched in amazement as a shining purple wire glowed through the dissipating dust. The wire wrapped itself around the mighty legs of the Alpha; it bit into the monster's flesh, forcing it to pull its legs together to avoid further damage.
This was clearly what the wielder wanted to happen…
A tiny girl in a lacy grey ballet dress was running circles around the trapped Alpha. She was moving at incredibly high speeds, practically dancing around the monster's wild swipes. She suddenly disappeared in a flash of purple and re-appeared directly in front of the monster.
Vermillion watched as the tiny girl pulled off a complicated looking spin kick against the Alpha's thin torso. The bound creature stumbled backwards and tripped over the wire that had wrapped up it's legs. It fell onto it's back with a mighty crash, once again kicking up soil and dust.
The dancer once again reacted with blinding speed. In less than a few seconds she was near the creature's head and wrapping her wire around its neck. With a quick tug and a sickening squelch the Alpha was decapitated…
Vermillion watched it's head roll for a moment before it began to disintegrate.
"Could you please help me?" The dancer asked in a light, airy tone. There was no passive-aggression in her voice, it sounded like a genuine request.
"Of course!" Vermillion dusted herself off and approached the disintegrating corpse of the Alpha. "What is it you need?"
"Just the end of my wire," the dancer pointed a delicate finger towards the legs of the beowulf. "Could you pull the loop off? I swear… trying to gather it all back up is a real pain…"
Vermillion did as the girl requested. She placed a still-smoldering Wyvern on the ground to cool and reached her hands towards the purple wire. It was razor-sharp to the touch, and Vermillion's aura flared as she removed the loop from the Alpha's legs.
"Thanks!" The dancer accepted the wire and gave Vermillion a brilliant smile. She had extremely delicate features, as if she was a porcelain doll.
Vermillion watched as the dancer began wrapping the wire around its spool.
"So," the dancer muttered as she continued to wrap the wire. "It looks like we're partners!"
"We are?" Vermillion asked incredulously. She released her mistake only moments after uttering it. "Sorry… that came out wrong. What do you mean that we're partners?"
The dancer viewed Vermillion with quizzical purple eyes. "Didn't you hear the teachers? The first person you make eye contact with is your partner! So… were partners!"
"Huh," Vermillion blinked. "Can't believe I missed that…"
"Are you… upset?"
"No!" Vermillion stuttered. "It's fine! You were actually really impressive!"
"Thanks!" The dancer beamed.
The tiny purple haired girl stood up and held out her tiny hand. "My name is Lavender!"
Vermillion held out her considerably larger hand for a shake. "Vermillion."
Vermillion reached towards the ground and picked Wyvern up. The flames had consumed the last of the flammable oils Vermillion had rubbed onto it; the oils needed to be reapplied, but Vermillion always carried extra.
"Say…" Vermillion reached her hand into her coat pocket and extracted it's contents. "Would you like a cough drop?"
"Uhm…" Lavender's eyelids fluttered in confusion. "No thank you…"
The "H" and the "T"...
Teal was feeling nervous…
She had touched down a little while ago but had yet to encounter any grimm. Off in the distance, however, Teal could hear echoing roars and the staccato of automatic gunfire.
Teal's own firearm was still clenched tightly in her hands. Her left hand was occupied with the large pump; her right was sweatily grasping the shotgun's textured grip. Teal's trigger finger was extended and lightly tapping against the gun's receiver. Even when in hostile territory, keeping one's finger on the trigger could lead to misfires and accidents.
The blue haired girl removed her hand from the pump to clear some brush from her eyes. She crept underneath several hanging branches and kept herself low to the ground.
Upon landing, Teal had been quick to inspect the nearby trees. It was a long debunked myth the moss only grew on the North sides of trees; still, moss was more likely to grow on the Northern side, which gave Teal a rough indication of her cardinal directions.
The blue haired girl wasn't sure where these "relics" were supposed to be… she could have (and did) curse herself for not looking around before landing. Nothing short of climbing a tree would help her get a proper view of the surrounding area.
Suddenly, Teal heard some foliage rustling…
The blue haired girl tightened her grip on her shotgun and slowly turned the barrel in the direction of the noise. She continued to hear a rustling noise… and it was coming from a nearby patch of bushes…
Slowly, like a female lion stalking its prey, Teal approached the rustling bushes. Her shotgun was primed and ready to fire, but Teal kept her finger off the trigger. If it was a grimm in the bush it would take her less than a second to blast off the loaded shell.
"Three, two…" Teal paused for a moment, gripping her weapon tight. "One!"
The blue haired girl sprang forwards and jammed her shotgun barrel into the bushes.
She was answered by a strangled yelp… a very human sounding yelp…
Hidden in the bushes was a girl with dark blonde hair. She was crouched down in the brush, using one hand to hold down her armored skirt and holding the other up in a "stop" gesture.
There was a mortified look on the blonde's face… her skin was beet red and contrasted with her big green eyes.
"Oh…" Teal mumbled to herself and cleared her throat. She pulled her shotgun away and tilted the barrel towards the sky. "I'm sorry…"
The blonde said nothing. She hadn't moved from her spot in the bush; one hand was still placed firmly against the hem of her skirt.
"So… you're my partner for the next four years?" Teal arched an eyebrow and released a long sigh. "Why are you hiding? Aren't you a huntress in training?"
The blonde's face turned more red, if that was even possible…
"What's with the silent treatment?" Teal cocked her head in confusion. "Are you like… mute, or something?"
Teal narrowed her gaze to study the other girl. She had a golden sword hanging off her hip and a small pouch on her belt, but Teal had no clue what its contents were.
"Look…" Teal trailed off. "Can we get going? We need to find those relic things… and if you aren't coming then I'll just go find myself a new partner…"
The blonde still said nothing. She now looked absolutely horrified.
"I-" Teal spoke with a developing sneer, but she was stopped in her tracks. There was another rustling noise, like the sound of water pouring down leaves.
"What's that noise?" Teal blinked in confusion. She turned her head back down to look at the blonde girl. "Are you…?"
The blonde nodded frantically.
"Oh…" Teal's mouth hung agape. "Right…"
The blue haired girl kicked at the soil beneath her shoes.
"I'll uh… be waiting for you over there," Teal cleared her throat. She jerked her head in the direction of a particularly large oak tree. "Find me when you're done…"
Teal left the bushes - and her new partner. She held her shotgun loosely in one hand and grabbed a spot against the trunk of the oak tree.
After what seemed like a few minutes, Teal's new partner emerged from the bushes. The blonde adjusted her skirt for a moment before awkwardly rubbing her hands together.
"Are you… uhm, ready?" Teal muttered. The blonde nodded solemnly, her big green eyes seemingly glued to her feet.
"Good," Teal nodded back. "My name is Teal…"
The blonde girl nervously reached out her hand; the limb was quivering, an indication of the blonde's anxiety. She looked surprised and hurt when Teal made no motion to shake her hand.
"Don't take it the wrong way…" Teal crossed her arms. "We'll shake hands after you properly wash yours…"
The "V", the "H", the "L", the "T"...
If Teal's clothes needed to be washed before… they were in desperate need of a deep scrub now…
The blue haired girl snarled in disgust and revulsion when a spray of black grimm blood rained down on her in thick droplets. The ursa responsible for this disgusting act was dead before it hit the ground; it's head had been disintegrated by a well placed shell from Teal's shotgun.
Not allowing herself a moment of respite, Teal simultaneously spun low while racking the pump of her shotgun. She propped the now primed weapon onto her shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The spray of buckshot slammed into the gaping maw of a beowulf that was sneaking up on her.
Teal concentrated her semblance and willed the shrapnel to vibrate at higher intensities. The buzzing shards of lead tore massive holes in the beowulf's body, quite literally grinding the creature to a pulp.
Teal and her new partner had been beset upon by grimm only twenty minutes after meeting up. Not too far off in the distance was an ancient looking stone plaza - ringed by large stone columns. If there was a place where "relics" were to be found, Teal assumed it would be there.
On the topic of partners… Teal had to begrudgingly admit that she nabbed a competent one…
The blonde girl still hadn't said a single word, reinforcing Teal's assumption that the girl was mute. But if Teal was being honest with herself… having a mute partner would be a massive plus!
The worst Teal could have gotten was a socially awkward, perpetually nervous, second-guessing, worry-wart…
Yeah… those people were the worst.
Teal watched in great interest how the blonde haired girl tucked and rolled underneath an ursa's swinging paw. She quickly retaliated with an upwards slash from her gladius that batted the creatures arm away. The blonde girl drew a small throwing knife from her sheath and clenched it tightly in her right hand; she darted around the ursa while it was still stunned and scaled its back, using her knife as an anchor point.
Once she was atop the creature's head, the blonde girl moved to finish it off. In a flash of gold her gladius shifted and elongated to form a rather simple looking metal rifle. The blonde girl shoved it into the back of the ursa's head and fired - liquefying its brain.
The mute leapt off the ursa's back and landed in a rather neat crouch, paying the monster no mind as it crumpled to the ground with a crash.
The rustle of leaves and the scrape of claws caught Teal's attention. She looked West, where a fresh wave of grimm was darting out from the treeline.
"We've got some more!" Teal yelled out in warning.
The blue haired girl racked her shotgun and sprinted straight at the encroaching enemy force. She ducked into a slide underneath a leaping beowulf and let off a shell right into the creature's gut. The intensely vibrating rounds chewed the beowulf in half, splattering more flecks of black blood on the soil.
Teal scrambled to her feet and pulled off a neat backflip to avoid a swiping claw. She clenched her shotgun close to her stomach and racked the pump before her feet touched the ground.
Holding the weapon loosely in her right hand and perpendicular to her chest; Teal blasted off a shot of buckshot right into the face of the beowulf who had just tried to swipe at her. The recoil of the weapon and Teal's loose grip ensured that the butt would fly back and smash the face of another beowulf that was creeping up on her.
Teal racked the pump one last time before executing the last beowulf…
Not too far from her, Teal's new partner was tearing apart her own horde.
The blonde girl swept her blade across the throat of a beowulf before whirling around to jam a throwing knife deep into the eye socket of another. She ripped out the throwing knife with a flourish and chucked the weapon with remarkable speed - planting it into the throat of the last beowulf that was harassing her.
There was a growl in the distance and a creep came charging from the woods. It was a two legged creature with a heavily armored carapace - which was ideal for charging. The creep whipped it's barbed tail around for a moment before making a beeline straight towards Teal's partner.
To Teal's shock and horror… the blonde didn't try to get out of the way.
"Hey!" Teal roared. "Move-"
Teal's plan to tackle the blonde out of the way was cancelled when the girl made her move.
In an aura-infused jump, the blonde girl blasted off the ground and sailed harmlessly over the head of the charging creep. She drew multiple throwing knives from her pouch and chucked them with lightning speed - studding the creatures soft back and incapacitating it.
The heavily injured creep turned to face down the blonde again… but it never got the chance to charge. A shell from Teal's shotgun, charged with her semblance, rendered the unfortunate grimm into bloody chunks.
Teal blew a loose strand of hair from her eye and straightened her back. She fumbled several shells off her belt and began slipping them into the weapon's loading bay.
"Nice work!" Teal complimented.
The blonde girl said nothing and weakly shrugged her shoulders. She wordlessly bent down and began recovering her knives from the disintegrating corpses.
She was humble too? Teal had caught the fabled golden goose of partners!
"How about we continue on to our destination?" Teal jerked her head in the direction of the distant stone plaza.
The blonde girl nodded and slipped her gladius back into its sheath. Her face was still beet red… Teal wondered if it was normal for her…?
The two partners began a brisk walk towards their destination. It was a trip that was devoid of any talking, mostly because Teal knew that the blonde girl had nothing to say to her. The blue haired girl wondered if her partner communicated through sign language. Teal didn't know any… but if they would be partners for the next four years then she would have to try and learn it…
Finally, the two partners crested the hill on which the stone plaza was situated. It was a large cobblestone floor that was ringed by well over two dozen stone columns - which were in varying conditions.
In the center of the stone plaza was a large slab, where several small pedestals had been drilled into the rock. Atop these pedals sat individual chess pieces, which were dark red in colour.
But most importantly… Teal and her new partner weren't alone…
Standing at these pedestals were two strangers. One of which Teal had been hoping to avoid…
It was the doll girl! The one who had flesh flowers tucked into her hair!
She was standing at the pedestals and was turning over a small chess piece in her delicate hands. Her back was turned to Teal, obscuring both her face and the specific piece that she was holding.
Teal had never seen the other person up until that point. They were a freakishly tall redhead with a large sword strapped onto their back.
The redhead turned to spot Teal and her partner… and then she drew her weapon!
Teal's heart leapt into her throat and she whipped her shotgun upwards to point the barrel at the perceived threat.
Even the flower girl was moving now! She pulled a large spool of wire from her dress and held the end of the wire in her hand; she used her other hand to begin whipping the spool around like a bola!
Teal knew full well what would happen if that wire got tangled around her throat… it would be a death sentence…
Teal was about to squeeze off a shell when a whoosh of air got her attention. She was suddenly tackled to the side and her gun was knocked from her grasp.
The blue haired girl spat some blonde hair from her mouth. She looked up to find the beet red face of her partner, who was weighing her down.
"What are you-" Teal was cut off when her partner grabbed her chin and tilted her head sideways.
The doll-girl had clearly flung her spool of wire like a whip. It had wrapped itself around an old column that Teal and her partner were standing right next too. That column was now on it's side… and it had crushed a rather large beowulf that had been creeping up on them…
Teal released a long breath that she didn't know she was holding. Her blonde haired partner got off her and the Teal quickly scrambled back to her feet.
"Are you two alright!?" Called an airy voice.
Teal turned her vision and locked eyes with two lavender orbs. She felt her tongue dry up and shrivel in her mouth.
"U- I- Uhm…" Teal finally struggled out.
"You uh… weren't planning to shoot us... were you?" The redhead suddenly interjected. Her blue eyes were piercing and her pupils like needles. "Because that's what it looked like from where I was standing!"
The redhead suddenly whirled around to lock eyes on Teal's partner. "Oh! It's you! How are you!?"
Teal's partner said nothing. The blonde girl opened and closed her mouth several times but no sounds came out.
"Still nervous?" The redhead cracked a surprisingly easygoing smile. "You'll get there…"
Teal cleared her throat and focused her attention on the redhead. "Do you two… know each other?"
"Nah, we met on the launch pads…" The redhead shook her head. She turned her blue eyes back down to stare at Teal's partner. "I… never caught your name…"
The blonde girl opened and closed her mouth several more times. She had a mortified look stretched out on her face.
"Right," The redhead drawled. "Well… my name is Vermillion."
The redhead stuck out her large hand for a shake. Teal watched in barely suppressed disgust as her partner reached out to grasp it before pulling away.
The forest did not have soap and running water. There was no way that the blonde girl's hand was anywhere close to germ-free.
"And you are?" The redhead turned to face Teal and stuck out her hand.
Despite knowing it was social suicide, Teal stuck her hands in her pockets.
"Teal," the blue haired girl responded. "Sorry… I'm not big on shaking hands…"
"Fine," the redhead now known as Vermillion withdrew her hand. She looked a little miffed, but if Teal told her the truth about the hand she had just shook… well…
Teal wasn't cruel enough to embarrass her new partner like that.
"My name is Lavender!" The doll-girl beamed, turning one-hundred and ten percent of her attention on Teal.
"Uh…" Teal's mouth was dry again. "I- Uh- My- My…."
Vermillion coughed into her hand, stopping Teal before she could embarrass herself any further.
"Well!" Vermillion loudly clapped her hands together. "It looks like the parties all together now! What say you two grab your 'relics' and we make our way back to the school?"
Thankful for the new plan… Teal hurried off towards the pedestals...