Author's note: Hi all, hope you're all doing well his weather. It feels great to be able to publish more chapters again. For any of you wondering what kept me from updating... well sadly life wasn't giving me as much time for it for a while. Now that I've a bit of time, I'm going to get back to writing. Though that doesn't mean it will be instantaneous. Still have a lot going at the moment, but I've a bit more breathing room at least.
Other bit of news is that I'm giving some of my other stories the 'Dark Trials' treatment and working on rewrites. Looked back over some of them and couldn't help but feel like I could've done better. As to which ones they are... well you'll find out soon hopefully. In the mean time, hope you enjoy this chapter.
Be sure to write a review on what you thought of it. Since it's been a while since I wrote, so any criticism and advice is welcome. As usual, avoid the flaming, as I don't want it encouraged.
That's me for now. Enjoy
"Nice try, BITCH!"
Summer ran forward, her heart beating quickly to keep up with the burning movement and pressure she was hitting herself with. As she moved, she sliced at any and all Grimm that got in her way with ease. No Beowolf, Ursa or Nevermore was able to protect themselves as Summer's blade cleanly cut through their flesh, ending them.
While her weapon was at work, Summer only kept her eyes on the target in front of her. As she got closer, she could feel her body tensing out of fear over what she was seeing. She tried her best to fight it off, knowing that this wasn't the time to hesitate or back down. As she continued to move forward, an Ursa Major ran in front of her, swinging wildly. Summer ducked and slid under the Ursa Major, morphing her weapon into its bow form. She took aim, three arrows ready, and fired them at the best. Trails of lightning, ice and glowing embers could be seen before the beast exploded, destroying all other Grimm near it.
Summer pushed herself back on her feet and sprinted to her target. She readied more arrows, firing off one after another. The target, covered in shadow, wasn't effected in the slightest. Arrows of ice, fire and explosive material showing no effect in having worked. Frustrated, Summer used the sword and thrusted the weapon at the being.
Like the Arrows, there was no sign off damage. The shadow raised an arm, charging up a sphere of black mist. Summer backed away, just missing as a portion of the mist shot at her head. Several more portions of this mist fired at her, barely leaving room to dodge.
Two of the shots struck. Her Aura held up, but she felt a strong sting go through her body. She lost focus for a moment, leaving her vulnerable to a tendril that wrapped around her waist. Pulled towards the shadow, Summer readied herself as she swung the blade at the enemy's head. Her strike was blocked by a similar black mist that covered the target's upper half.
"Congratulations." The person in the mist said. "Not many would be so bold to approach me in such a manner…"
A pillar of shadow appeared behind Summer. She looked back to see what it was, but got a limited view due to her restraints. The shadow faded, revealing the person hiding within. A tall woman with white hair styled in a peculiar fashion, white and lifeless skin with red veins cracking her face. Her eyes showed a calm but intimidating malice, black sclera's and red iris's that effortlessly unleashed fear.
"Yet… you prove to be as weak as the rest." She said, her tone reflecting disappointment. "Killing you will require… little effort."
Summer did not like what she said. Knowing what to do next, she allowed herself to relax. All the anger and adrenaline faded away as she brought to mind all the things in life that gave her meaning. Her friends, family and people she met on her travels. The faces that made her happy and gave her hope for the future.
With this in mind, her silver eyes glowed. The light expanded, rapidly covering the whole battlefield. All the remaining Grimm that were in the area were wipe away from existence, howling or roaring in pain as they did so. The woman restraining Summer stumbled back, hissing in pain as the light burned her as if lit on fire. Summer dropped to the ground, looking back to see that all the Grimm were gone.
"Alright…" she looked back and readied her sword. "Now it's you and me."
Summer charged towards the woman, yelling as she struck the her several times, each strike stronger than the last. Despite her effort, none of the attacks were having any effect on her. She stepped back and formed her bow, firing more arrows at the target. The woman raised a hand, stopping the arrows in the middle of the air. She twirled her fingers, spinning the arrows around and firing them back at Summer. The Huntress had no time to move before two of the ice arrows struck.
Summer felt severe pain and cold sink into her hip and shoulder. She held had to urge to scream in pain, but a few tears did escape. She looked down at her form, seeing that her Aura was fading away.
The woman let out a derogatory laugh at the Huntress. "Is that the best you can accomplish?"
Summer was going to move when another tendril shot out and wrap around her arm. It tightened its grip to the point that an unpleasant crack came out from Summer's arm. This made the Huntress scream, losing her grip on her weapon. She tried to move back, but the damage to her hip proved more serious as she buckled to the ground in further pain.
Summer looked up at the woman, seeing her approach her with that same derogatory look. Summer wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her in pain anymore, so did her best to keep her expression in check.
The woman lightly shook her head at the Huntress.
"How disappointing." She voiced.
Her face then morphed into a look of dark intrigue. She raised her hand and laid her fingertips on Summer's face, lightly tracing them from her cheek down to her chin before gently cupping it in her hands.
"Then again… I think you have potential to become strong." She brought her face in close to Summer's. "The strongest puppet I've ever had-"
"LET HER GO!"
The sound of air being slashed rang through, large wounds opening across the woman's neck, shoulders and arms. The woman stumbled back, screeching in pain with agonizing volume. Summer was freed, but had to cover her hears as the woman's screech starting piercing her eardrums. Her efforts to resist it failed as she slowly lost consciousness. She fell to the side, the fatigue from the fight and the pain from the screech taking their toll. As she was about to black out, she caught sight of something.
She also heard a familiar voice. She begged internally that it wasn't who she thought it was.
"I won't… let you hurt her!"
Summer woke, her eyes widened as she felt adrenaline go through her system. She stayed still as she eyed part of the room, seeing a very familiar ceiling. She them sat up and looked around, feeling slightly more relaxed as she saw that she was in her and Tai's room.
"It was just… a dream." She said to herself.
That was what she had told herself, but she knew full-well that it was more. The memory of when she faced a great evil. How she was so close to death and even worse. But there was more to it than that. After the fight, when she had woken up… what she saw was incomprehensible. For a long time, she wouldn't make sense of it… perhaps she never will.
She shook her head, deciding that there was no point on dwelling on the past like this. The main thing to come from it was that she was alive and safe.
She looked to the side, seeing Taiyang fast asleep with a grin on his face. Summer couldn't help but smile as well. After all, it was a very pleasant time. She gently caressed his head before leaning in for a peck on the forehead.
She got out of the bed and dressed herself, being careful not to wake up Tai. She thought his sleeping face was so cute and didn't want it to end too soon. When she was fully dressed, she went to check her scroll. She saw that no one had called her. She was a bit surprised by this. Usually, the girls would text her to let them know when they'd return. Then again, any time Vergil's around they become more focused on their training sessions.
"Mmm…"
Summer looked back, seeing Taiyang slowly waking up. The hand-to-hand master smiled when he saw Summer.
"Morning beautiful."
Summer gave him a slight grin. "Morning yourself, handsome. Have a nice rest?"
"Yeah… still pretty worn out." Taiyang said with a cheeky smile. Summer blushed slightly, but smiled in the same way. Taiyang reached down towards the ground and picked up his shirt. He sat up in the bed and put it on. "You awake long?
"No, just a few minutes. Had a weird dream-" Summer quickly bit her lip before she could say anymore, making sure she was facing away from Tai.
"What kind of dream?"
"Uh… Can't remember much…" Summer started. "Other than a bounce house and cookie-dough ice cream."
Summer didn't want to bring up what she had to relive in her nightmare. It was something she wanted to leave behind. She had been so close to death that night, or worse. Taiyang was also aware of how much that night scarred her mentally, which lead to her husband becoming greatly worried for her it it ever came back in her head.
Taiyang gave a small laugh at Summer's words. "Sounds a lot like Ruby's ninth birthday party."
"Yeah… yeah it does…"
At the mention of that, the worry that Summer was feeling suddenly washed away. As much of a shock that night was… the fact that she was able to live through it was a more powerful to her. She was able to see Ruby, Yang and Vergil grow. She helped them whenever they needed her. Whenever she was in trouble or was down, they helped her through all of the way.
Aside the hardships that came with being a Huntress, she finally led a truly happy life.
"Hm… it's pretty quiet. Are the kids back yet?"
Summer shook her head. "No, not yet. Guess their training session's going on longer than expected."
"Poor Yang and Ruby." Tai said sarcastically.
Summer shook her head lightly as she continued to smile, now sitting on the bed. Admittedly, Vergil was a much tougher trainer than most other Hunters. She remembered when one of the professors from Beacon asked Vergil to help out with a training camp for a week. Vergil was reluctant, but decided to help out in the end. Vergil said it was because he wanted to see what level the students were at.
By the time the camp ended, all who participated in the camp were more than glad it was over. Apparently, Vergil had pushed them much farther than anyone would have thought; even the other professors were shocked.
In contrast, Ruby and Yang were already at the fighting level of grade-A Hunters. Even still, they had been trying to keep up with Vergil for a long time. Ever since the silver-haired Youth showed them how well he could use the Yamato even as a child, Yang and Ruby wanted to be just as strong. They actually had to be taught restraint by the time they both went into Signal. Parents wouldn't stop complaining about their kids getting a hell of a beatdown.
Taiyang broke Summer out of her thoughts when he scooched over and pulled her into a hug.
"How about we head downstairs and start that thing you wanted to do." Taiyang suggested.
"Sounds great." Summer said with a grin. "But first, pants on mister."
Summer gently freed herself before Taiyang got to work on finding his pants. She looked out the bedroom window to see how things were outside. As she looked out, she was surprised to see a red blur dashing out of the woods. That same blur quickly faded away, replaced by Ruby and Yang sprawled across the ground.
"They kids are… ba…" Summer trailed off, sensing that something wasn't right.
Taiyang looked at her with worry. "Summer? What's wr-Summer!?"
Concerned, she quickly left the room. She ran downstairs and went outside to see Ruby struggling to get up, while Yang showed no signs of movement other than breathing.
"What's going on?" she said, her voice shaky as the scene filled her with dread.
Ruby slowly lifted her head, her eyes swollen and tears rolling down her face. Summer felt her heart stop for a moment when she saw Ruby like this. She rushed to them both, pulling Ruby into a hug with one arm while placing her free hand on Yang's forehead.
"What happened, Ruby?" Summer asked.
"We… I-I…" Ruby was struggling to get the words out. She wrapped her arms around her mother's form and continued to cry. She wanted to say what had happened, but was in too much shock to say anything.
"VERGIL!"
Summer quickly turned her head to Yang, who was pressing herself off of the ground and looking from side to side.
"Wha-where?" Yang said. Her eyes then caught sight of Ruby and Summer, her face showing hurt at how much Ruby had been shook. This hurt was instantly replaced with boiling anger, her arms shaking and tensing as she baller hand hands into fists.
"That son of a BITCH!"
The irises of Yang's eyes changed from lilac to scarlet. She slammed her fists into the ground and hopped onto her feet. As she did, she became light-headed, struggling to keep her balance. She would have fallen over had she not been caught by the arm.
"Whoa, you okay, kiddo?"
Yang looked over to see that her father was the one who caught her. She smiled briefly, but then remembered what had made her angry.
"No, no I'm not! Vergil's in trouble!"
Taiyang and Summer froze when they heard this.
Yang continued. "On our way back, we found a wounded guy in the woods. Vergil was trying to help him when he… he pushed him back through the woods like it was nothing. I tried fighting him but… I think I got knocked out."
"He… he said…"
Yang, Summer and Taiyang all looked to Ruby. She looked to have calmed down enough to talk.
"He said to come back here and get help… he's fighting this guy alone…"
Summer and Taiyang both kept strong expressions, not wanting to have Yang or Ruby to worry about. Internally, they were both surprised. It was rare that Vergil never needed assistance, both because it wasn't usually necessary and because of his pride. If he's actually calling for help, then it must be serious.
"I'll go ahead." Tai said, nothing but a sharp, dark tone in his voice.
"Same he-whoa…"
Yang was about to move when she suddenly found herself becoming light-headed again. She collapsed onto her knees, feeling more dizzy right after. Her stomach began to churn and she felt like she was about to vomit.
Taiyang placed a hand on her shoulders. "No way, young lady. Stay here and rest. You're Mom and I will handle it."
Summer stood up, help Ruby to do the same. The older Huntress gently caressed Ruby's head as she spoke to her.
"Look after your sister. We'll be back with Vergil soon."
"…" Reluctantly, Ruby nodded before hugging Summer once more.
Summer looked over at Taiyang. "I'll catch up with you."
"Got it."
Taiyang turned around and ran into the forest, taking off with such speed that he created a blast of wind. Summer didn't miss the serious expression on his face as he ran off. She could tell he knew how serious this situation was. Wasting no more time, Summer ran into the house looking for her own weapon. She went back to their room and look inside the bottom shelf of their closet. She picked up her weapon, swing its sword for a few times to ensure that she was ready.
She looked inside the closet, finding her trademark white cloak. She quickly put it on as she rushed out of the house, passing Ruby and Yang as she did. They yelled out something to her, but she didn't hear them. Instead, she was too focused on finding Vergil. Her eyes burned with anger as she ran, only one thought in her mind.
Take down anyone that dares threaten her family.
"…"
Vergil was standing in the middle of the battle-torn area, using the Yamato as a pommel. His eyes were closed, taking in slow, calming breaths. He continued to do so until he felt the anger and impulse to strike fade from his being.
Upon becoming fully calm once again, he opened his eyes to see the person who had struck him lying flat on the ground. Blood from the sword wounds circled around him, up the bleeding had ceased soon after Vergil's attack. Traces of the man's Aura began to return and stemmed the bleeding.
Vergil was not proud of how he himself struck the attacker. He lashed out in rage, angered that someone would hurt the people close to him. He didn't think or act with as much clarity as he normally would, instead only focused on causing him pain. Vergil wasn't one to shy away from telling people how he felt or how he saw things, even using his emotions to motivate him for a fight.
The problem came when the emotions took control of him. Becoming mindless like the Demons he swore to kill.
Deciding that he had mentally berated himself enough for one day, Vergil walked over to the unconscious Faunus. Deciding that he had rested enough, Vergil knelt down and tried shaking him awake. This had no effect. As such, he used one of the sure-fire methods he knew.
He slapped the man across the face.
"Ah!" the Faunus said in response to the slap.
He was going to move when a sharp pain suddenly struck him. He didn't cry out in pain this time, but the pained look in his face spoke volumes to Vergil. Vergil was genuinely surprised, recalling how much this person was crying out in pain earlier.
"Are you ready to talk?"
The downed Faunus looked up at Vergil. As soon as he did, he became greatly afraid. His body shook slightly, making him grunt as this only served to agitate his wounds.
Despite his condition, Vergil was far from willing to wait for answers. "Your Aura will heal the rest of your injuries. While we wait, you will tell me everything you know of this… 'Monster' that you claim caused your actions."
"…"
The man was reluctant to speak at first. It seemed that the lack of pain he was in made him less eager to speak. Vergil then decided to grab the handle of the Yamato and glared down at the man.
"You're pushing my patience. Answer my question. Right. Now."
There was more fear present in his eyes at this, his eyes darting back and forth as if deciding whether or not he would talk. After a small bit more debating with himself, he let out a frustrated grunt. The Dark Slayer could tell the man knew his only option.
"Before it happened, we were hiking in the woods. The further we went in, it got… quieter. We thought that it was a less livable part of the forest at first, but… I thought that there was something weirder going on. I could sense it."
Vergil slowly took his hand off the Yamato, but slowly nodded at him to continue.
"I wanted to say something, but also thought that I was just being paranoid. The forest was said to have been cleared of Grimm after all… but…" the man began to shake slightly. "It looked like I was right. Nick's scream… oh God."
The man started to curl into a ball, his expression tensed and wide-eyed as horror and realization came upon him. He looked like he was going to burst into tears. Before he could, Vergil knelt down and sat him up, looking at him sternly in the eye.
Vergil could see the look in his eyes; they were a stark contrast to when he was attacking widely. Now he was afraid and confused, wanting to escape the situation he was thrown into. It was something that the Dark Slayer has seen a few times. The culprit was someone that could inspire terror.
"Do you have a name? A description?" Vergil asked him.
"…" The man became silent. He didn't look too happy about talking about this person or… 'thing'. His silence only worked to further anger Vergil, his sword arm tensing.
"There are… few things in life that irk me in my life these days." Vergil started. "Even when you were afflicted, when you struck me… I felt no annoyance. It was a mistake on my part to let my guard down in a potentially dangerous situation."
Vergil tightened his grip on the Yamato, his eyes briefly glowing as he glared at the man.
"But then I recovered… and saw you attacking my siblings." Vergil slapped a hand onto his shoulder, making the man yelp in pain. "Afflicted or not, you brought harm to people I cared for. As such, I lashed out at you with no mercy. What had affected you could also happen to others, and that could put them in danger again. So… don't think I won't do whatever I see fit to get the information out of you."
Those words seemed to be the truth. It was then that the man's attention was focused on him. Vergil emphasized his point by partially unsheathing his sword. That was the final nail in the coffin before he finally decided to speak.
"… I… don't have his name." he started. "But he wore a black, sleeveless vest, gym pants and… boots. he looked like he was in some kind of military."
"His face." Vergil said.
The man nodded. "He… he had a hood up. But I saw his mouth… his lips looked really dried up."
Vergil gave him a slight nod, signaling for him to continue.
"I really don't know any… wait…" he said, looking stunned as he recalled something. "His eyes glowed under the hood… just for a second. They were ember when he… did what he did to us. His Aura was the same color. It… I think it's a Semblance."
Vergil nodded at him again. Hearing the last statement made him pause for the briefest of moments. There was no doubt that Semblances had… unique effects from time to time, even by this world's standards. That said, one that could make people into Berserkers… it was as surprising as it was worrisome.
It also didn't sound like it was who he thought it was… but he still couldn't say for sure either.
"Vergil!"
The Dark Slayer turned his head back to see who was calling him. Vergil couldn't say that he was surprised when he saw Summer and Tai rushing towards him, weapons drawn. Both came to a skidding halt, their eyes clearly focused on him and the former assailant.
"You okay kid?" Taiyang asked him. "Ruby and Yang told us what happened."
"Everything is fine." Vergil said, standing up. "He's not a danger anymore."
Hearing that, Taiyang looked like he had calmed down significantly. Summer, on the other hand, still looked cautious. Seeing Ruby and an incapacitated Yang must have shaken her. She kept a calm expression, but her eyes spoke more volumes as she looked at the Faunus on the ground.
"What happened?" Summer asked.
Vergil dismissed the Yamato before speaking. "He was afflicted with a Semblance that gave him great strength, but made him lose control of his actions. I stopped him. There's no trace of what affected him left."
Taiyang nodded at this, followed by looking at the downed man curiously. He walked up to him, seeing that he was scared out of his wits. Taiyang quickly looked him up and down. Even without the wounds on him, he didn't look like someone that would give others a hard time in a fight. His eyes then caught sight of a wound that looked unlike the cuts across his body. This one was more visceral than the rest.
It also looked worryingly familiar.
Taiyang was about to say something when Summer walked past him and kneeled right in front of the man. Fearing the worst, Taiyang walked up to Summer and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Honey, it's fine. Like Verg' said, he's not a danger any-"
Summer placed her hand on Taiyang's, gently squeezing it. She looked back at him with a caring smile. Taiyang knew what this meant. That Summer was okay and didn't need to worry. He knew it was genuine since Summer would never lie about how she was feeling. It was more than a bit of a surprise for him though, since he feared her unleashing hell for what he did to the girls.
Summer looked back at the man. "… What's your name?" she asked.
The downed Faunus was reluctant to speak at first, believing that she might be as harsh on him as Vergil was. Her expression, however, showed no anger or hate. Instead, there was only concern. More likely it wasn't for him… but for the ones who were hurt.
"… Cisco." He answered.
Summer nodded. "Cisco… I'm… not happy with what's happened here. I'm very angry that my daughters were hurt…"
Hearing this, Cisco looked like he was going to panic. Before he could think of anything to say, Summer grabbed his hand and shook her head.
"But I'm not angry at you." She stated.
Vergil looked at her with a narrowed gaze, not wholly in agreement with what she said.
She looked down, focusing on the original wound. It wasn't as bad as it was before, but it was still taking its time healing. Her expression became calmer at the sight of it, hiding the anger she felt.
"… The person who did this… hurt you… and my family… and that's something I won't let go of." She said. "Have you spoken to Vergil already?" she asked, looking at her adopted son to show who she was talking about.
Cisco looked at Vergil worryingly, but nodded in confirmation to Summer.
"In that case, we'll get you someplace safe where you can recover. I'll take you somewhere safe until we can call in some extra help."
"…" Cisco looked at Summer in surprise, not expecting such kindness. He lowered his head, finally feeling at ease. "Th… thank you."
With that, Summer helped him onto his feet. She looked back at Vergil and Taiyang. "I'll head over to Signal and reach out for more help. You guys head back to the house and check in with Ruby and Yang."
Summer walked away without another word, Cisco close behind him. Taiyang looked over at Vergil, who looked like he was trying his best not to lose his temper. Taiyang looked at him curiously and decided to inquire.
"Something on your mind?" Taiyang asked.
"… Why the leniency?" Vergil voiced. "He wasn't in control of his actions, I know… but neither you or Summer showed any anger towards him. You had to have known what happened to Ruby and Yang, so why-"
"We were."
Vergil, now looking towards Taiyang, saw his adoptive father's expression fall into a frown, breathing deeply as if to calm himself. It seemed that he was more affected by what happened than he let on. The same must have been for Summer too.
Taiyang continued. "But… that wound on him. This is a lot more serious than we thought, we can't lose our cool here."
"What do you mean?"
"… People have been attacked on Remnant, all the victims sporting the same injury. It's like when their aura tried to heal them… the wounds fought back. They let off a glow when they did." Taiyang explained. "It's the same wound, but this is the first time something like this happened."
Vergil calmed after hearing what Taiyang said, quickly realizing the severity of the situation. "These other victims might be driven to violence as well. That's what you're thinking isn't it?"
"Exactly. Which means there are a lot more people at risk. I'm still mad, but we can't let our worry distract us now." Taiyang answered. "Besides, the girls are tougher than they look. You know that as well as Summer and I do."
Vergil had agreed with Taiyang on his points. He knew he couldn't allow emotions to get the better of him. He was still surprised at how Summer and Taiyang were so composed, but then again, they needed to be at a time like this. Vergil looked at Taiyang taking out his phone. He dialed a number and held it up to his hear, signaling to Vergil that he would be a while. Vergil nodded in understanding, deciding to follow after Summer and Cisco.
Just in case, he thought it would be best to keep an eye on him. Summer may have chosen to show compassion towards him, but that didn't mean that this man was truly trustworthy. People tell stories to get themselves out of trouble. Whether or not his words of him being attacked were true or not will be verified soon enough.
"… Attacked…"
Vergil came to a halt. His mind went back to what Cisco had told him.
"Attacked us…" he said to himself.
At that moment, he two things. One was a strong self-loathing for having missed this theory, and a growing sense of worry and urgency, fearing what might come next. This time, he broke into a sprint, moving much faster than before in an effort to catch up to Summer and Cisco.
"Is… is this the way out of the forest?"
Cisco looked around, seeing that they were still in a maze of trees that surrounded them and dead branches on the ground that easily snaped under their feet. As they were walking, Cisco had told Summer what had happened. Only this time, he was less frightened and more willing to speak. He told her about the area where they were attacked. A small clearing with a river, different kinds of flowers blooming in the bushes, mostly lily flowers.
At the mention of that, Summer had taken them off the route out of the forest. The Faunus was afraid that she had an agenda in mind, that she really was angry enough to strike him down. What's worse, it looked like there wouldn't be any witnesses.
Cisco looked back at Summer. "Are we going to be long getting out?"
"We're not leaving yet." Summer stated.
This only worked to worry Cisco even more. He wanted ask where they were going, but he was too afraid to ask. He closed his eyes as he walked behind Summer. He was well able to hear her footsteps, so he would be able to tell which direction to walk in without having to see it. Even if it meant tripping over, he didn't want to see what was going to happen next.
Before he could work up the courage to ask Summer what was going on, a familiar sound hit his ears. He heard it earlier in the day before they were attacked.
"Okay, here we are."
Curiosity finally overcame him and he opened his eyes. He was filled with as much surprise as he was frightened, seeing that they were standing in the same place he and Nick were when they were attacked by that monster.
Summer looked back at him. "I come here sometimes when I need to relax. I can understand why you and your friend would want to come here."
"…"
Noticing the silence, Summer looked back and saw Cisco standing perfectly still, his head lowered and a frightened expression on his face. Summer instantly felt the guilt well up in her, knowing that this would be tough on the guy. Nevertheless, there might be some extra clues as to who the attacker was and how they work, and Cisco was the best person right now to find out what happened.
"We'll try and get this done quickly." She said to him.
Summer checked her scroll. She grinned when she saw that she had a signal on her scroll, just in case she needed to call for backup.
"… It was over there."
The Huntress looked back to see Cisco pointing towards an area that led into a dark part of the forest. She walked over to the spot as indicated.
"Can you come with me, please?" she asked him.
Reluctantly, Cisco followed her. They both walked through the trees, noticing that it was becoming much darker again.
"So, you guys had that clearing and decided to walk into this scary part of the woods?" Summer asked. "Seems like a waste, don't you think?"
"… Nick thought he heard something here. If it was a Grimm, he wanted to take care of it. I followed after him." He answered. "He's always going in head first without thinking."
This interested Summer. "Oh? So you're friend… was…"
Summer stopped speaking after spotting something just up ahead. Worried, she quickly moved closer towards it, finding it was what she had feared. Cisco was unsure of what had caught her eye, but soon fully understood what had caused her to go silent. It was a spot in the forest that was heavily damaged. Deeply cut trees, bloodstains and torn vegetation was everywhere they looked.
"This isn't…." Cisco said out loud.
"Yeah, it can be tough to process. If you need to-"
"No." Cisco said, interrupting Summer. "This isn't what it was like before."
Hearing this surprised Summer. She stayed silent as she let Cisco continue.
"There wasn't any damage. They guy just appeared and stabbed Nick in the back. He struck me right after, but there was no fight… we were just left there…"
Summer looked at the damage done to the trees. If what Cisco said was true, then there was a chance some Grimm came here and tore the area up. However, that idea went out the window when she looked at the marks in greater detail. She had seen the damage Grimm could do, leaving behind distinct marks. This was nothing like that kind of damage. It looked like…
"Why isn't he here?"
Summer turned back to see Cisco. He looked more concerned than before, looking around as if having lost something precious.
"What's wrong?" Summer asked him.
"… Nick… he was killed right here." Cisco answered. "His body was where that bloodstain is…
Summer looked to where he was staring, seeing blood-spatters across the ground. Summer walked over, looking at the small area in more detail. If he was struck down like Cisco said, then there would have been more blood. The large drops of blood spread across the ground did look consistent with a sharp thrust with a blade.
"And yet, he's not here." Summer pointed out. "… he could have survived."
"He had to have died." Cisco said. "He died right in front of me, I saw it. There was no way he could have survived!" he exclaimed.
"Maybe… but…" Summer gestured towards his wound. "Looks like you didn't have the best chance of making it either.
Summer couldn't help but feel sorry for Cisco. He was having extreme difficulty processing… well, everything. Then again, becoming a strong berserker and losing your friend, all caused by one guy who didn't care what happened to them in the end…
If this really caused by the same guy, then it meant that she'll have to show no mercy.
Summer was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a small snap of a twig. Cisco seemed to notice that too. Summer gestured for Cisco to stay behind her, drawing out her weapon. She eyed her surroundings, unsure of where the noise came from.
"Who's there!" Summer yelled. "Come out and face us!"
There was nothing but silence for the next few seconds. Summer held her blade with both hands, her Aura flaring around her hands. She wasn't able to hear anything else around her. She looked back at Cisco, who also shook his head at hearing anything.
Cisco looked up, a look of horror across his face.
"Look out!"
Summer quickly turned around, the figure of a person quickly falling down the dark cluster of leaves. Summer held the blade above her, blocking a figure's attack. Seeing it up close, Summer recognized it as a Battle-axe. Summer was able to push the attacker back, sending this person bacl and rolling across the ground.
The attacker roared violently, standing back on his feet with difficulty before swinging his axe into the ground, followed by large arcs of electricity firing out of the ground. Many of the arcs caught onto the trees, setting them ablaze. Deciding to get Cisco out of the way before engaging, Summer grabbed Cisco by the hand and tried pulling him away. Cisco wouldn't move, resisting Summer's attempt to help him.
"Come ON!" Summer yelled. She didn't pull him too hard since his Aura was still weakened, which could definitely lead to injury if she wasn't careful. "We need to get you out of here!"
"… It's him."
Summer halted her attempt to drag Cisco, looking baffled by what he said. She saw him looking at the assailant with a plethora of emotions. She looked over to see what had shook Cisco so suddenly.
With the flames lighting the forest, it was easier to see what this person looked like. He was a tall individual with black-greying hair, green eyes and a crescent-shaped scar across his mouth. He wore a skin-tight vest, cargo pants and military boots. His eyes showed great anger, looking ready to tear into the Huntress.
This man was no doubt a fully-fledged Huntsman.
"… Nick?"
The Huntsman looked at Cisco. The Faunus looked at his friend, seemingly happy. The sight of his friend once thought dead made him smile with hope.
"Buddy… thank goodness. I thought you were-"
Nick charged at them, raising his axe into the air. With a loud roar, he swung at them, his movements erratic and increasingly more dangerous. Summer had to push Cisco back, blocking and evading the attacks. The Huntress was surprised to see how strong he was, even more so considering he was thought to have received a lethal injury.
"What is with you!?" Summer asked, rolling to the side and slashing his side. Summer managed to get some distance between the two, readying her guard for the next attack.
The slash had seemed to have struck his skin, making a shallow cut. The Huntsman looked at the cut briefly, followed by a growing glare sent in Summer's direction. As his anger continued to grow, his eyes suddenly glowing a shade of ember. A second later, the Huntsman was surrounded by an large Aura, slowly growing in size and flaring more violently by the second.
Summer charged towards the Huntsman changing her sword into a bow, firing several ice and fire arrows in his direction. Nick swung his axe, a crescent wave of lightning sent through the air and destroying the arrows. Summer slid under the lightning, firing another arrow at the Huntsman's leg. The arrow landed, the Huntsman's leg coated in stone. Summer sprung back into the air, firing three more arrows at him. As they landed, the Huntsman was completely coated in flames.
The white-cloaked huntress landed behind him, readying another arrow. For now, she would need to wait as the fire Dust ate away at his Aura. She fired the arrow into the air, flying into the trees before exploding in a blast of ice-cold air.
Wind and ice dust. Nothing better for putting out a forest fire.
It wasn't long before the flames surrounding her were extinguished. She looked back at Nick, seeing his movements were becoming less erratic, his Aura and the flames around him also dying out. The Huntsman looked back at Summer; his expression much calmer than before. He dropped down to one knee as the fire completely faded, the ember Aura shattering as well.
Summer reverted her weapon back to a blade before sheathing it. She walked over to her opponent. Seeing that he had now energy left. She knelt down beside him, checking to see if she if she left any lasting damage.
"You were tough." Summer told him. "Did you go to Beacon too?"
"…"
The Huntress looked at him curiously. Was not one for talking? She decided to say something else, hoping to learn more about what happened.
That was when his shirt suddenly had a red stain appearing on the center of his shirt. Summer reached to lift up the vest to inspect the damage.
"Oh, sorry. Guess I went a little… to…"
Summer had lifted up his vest, speechless as underneath was a large, visceral hole in the center of his torso. Blood was slowly pouring out of the wound, the rate of the flow increasing rapidly. As shocked as she was that he could move with a wound like this, she knew she needed to find a way to stop the wound.
That concern vanished when the wound was coated in the same ember Aura as before, cracking and sparking. Nick roared as the aura travelled through the wound, causing immense pain. His head was tilted back as he continued to roar.
Summer jumped back, readying her weapon in bow form. The Huntsman tilted his head back into its normal position. This time, he looked at her with eyes that were nothing but glowing ember. The Aura once again covered his form, his body visibly tensing from the dark power.
He charged at Summer bare-handed, swinging his fists wildly. Summer was able to avoid them, dodging under him and firing another earth Dust arrow, coating his leg, followed by another to his other leg. It proved ineffective, shattering the stone binds. He charged at Summer again. Summer was readying another arrow when he got too close, swatting the bow away. He lashed out at her again.
Summer managed to dodge again, getting some distance once again. However, she was now feeling the strain of having to maneuver around this person. This power that was affecting him sounded much like what Cisco was going through. The difference being that this Aura came back after it was destroyed.
Summer had various questions as to what was happening now. There was no time to answer them though, as the Huntsman went to grab the Battle Axe. He held it over his head, electricity coating the head entirely. With one last roar, he slammed the weapon into the ground, sending out a much stronger wave of electricity than the last one, a full circle that quickly consumed anything in its path.
There wasn't any room to evade; the wave was approaching too quickly for Summer to evade this time. The Huntress held her arms over her face, hoping her Aura would be enough to withstand the monstrous attack.
"That's ENOUGH!"
The electric wave was suddenly hit with merciless barrages of bright-blue energy that struck at every part of the curve. The electricity dissipated, the blue energy halting in its place as it did so.
Summer lowered her arms, seeing the electricity having faded. She was filled with shock and glee at seeing sets of familiar ethereal blue swords.
"Took your time getting here." Summer stated. "Thought you'd be here more quickly."
Summer looked behind her, seeing adopted son slowly walking over to her. The Yamato in hand, Vergil kept his focus on the deranged Huntsman. He did hear her though.
"I thought you were back at the house." Vergil stated. "You were lucky I saw smoke from the fire… if I'm correct." He quickly eyed his surroundings, the trees and ground scorched all around them.
He looked back at the Huntsman, seeing him readying to charge in at them. As he did, Vergil spotted an unconscious Cisco lying some distance from them.
"I suggest you leave." Vergil stated, his free hand curling into a fist. "Else you wish for you and he to be cut to pieces."
Summer thought he meant Nick, but then soon caught sight of Cisco lying on the ground. He cursed herself for having not focused on him more. Nevertheless, he seemed unharmed. She looked back at Vergil and nodded.
"Right." She said, moving quickly to Cisco. "Kick is ass, son."
With that, Summer got to Cisco and threw him over her shoulder, still having more than enough strength to carry him. She quickly ran from the scene back to the village. The Huntsman saw them leave and charged in their direction. He pulled his axe back, intending to send more lightning attacks at them.
Instead, Vergil appeared in front of him.
"Stand down."
Vergil struck him in the chest with his palm, causing the man to skid backwards. While he was stunned, Vergil struck him several times with the sheathed Yamato. It was only with the last set of strikes that he unsheathed the blade, slicing through the skin of the man's thighs, followed by two deep cuts to his arms and stomach. Before the Huntsman knew what had happened, Vergil sheathed the blade, causing the wounds to open and shatter the Aura.
"How droll." Vergil said, looking back at the man. "How could Summer have difficulty with-"
Without warning, the Aura came back, flaring with more aggression and energy than before. The Huntsman tried to strike Vergil, only for the Dark Slayer to dodge the attack. Nick followed this with a punch, which Vergil caught.
Upon coming in contact with the Huntsman's Aura, Vergil could feel his hand burning. He grunted him pain briefly before pulling his hand back, striking Nick across the head with the sheathed blade. This time, the Huntsman was sent flying through the air before landing, sprawled across the ground.
Vergil looked at his hand. The damage done had faded, but he could still feel the burning sensation that occurred. He looked back at the Huntsman, who was quickly getting back on his feet.
"This is… curios." Vergil said with a grin. "A Semblance… or has that power simply rotted you that much?"
Vergil's only answers came in the form of angry grunts and glares. The Huntsman didn't look like he was going to back down anytime soon, the dark Aura growing with his fury.
"… So that's how it is." Vergil said, feeling calm and composed as he readied himself once again. This time he wasn't filled with anger or worry. There was no one he cared for too close to the fight. No distractions.
And seemingly no need to hold back.
Vergil bent his knees and slid one foot back, his free hand now grasping the handle of the Yamato. As he looked at his opponent, Vergil's form was surrounded by a different energy. Not like the blue light from the ethereal blades, a dark violet light that would shake the nerve of any man or monster.
Vergil lost his grin, now using a blank expression as he looked at his opponent, ready to end this now.
"Alright." He said, his voice now colder than ice. "Now I'm motivated."
A/N: And that's it. As much as I'd have liked to show the fight in this chapter, I thought it best to leave it here for now. In the mean time, feel free to leave a review on what you thought. And in response to some of the reviews, i do plan on upping Vergil's arsenal at some point... maybe including a couple original weapons as well. You never know.
Well, that's all. Hope you all have a great day, stay safe and I'll see you all later. :-)