Sulphur Fish, the name alone incited excitement within the audience. Anyone who had ever ventured to Ace's auction had heard of his impressive collection of rarities but very few outside his inner circle could claim to have seen it while keeping their heads attached to their necks. Sulphur Fish were one such specimen, a type of Grimm so formidable it had been hunted to near extinction upon the founding of the Huntsmen academies, some may even claim that what Ace owned may be the very last of its kind. For Ace to allow such a valuable collectible to be brought out for display was a clear sign that Yang's abilities had been proficiently described.
Yang's violet eyes carefully scanned the shifting mass of shadow that the gate slowly revealed. It seemed to fold in on itself, occasionally the dozens of eyes would overlap in such a way that a single pair would look back at her, before breaking apart into dozens smaller dots. The gate, each movement making a sound so sharp it seemed to pierce through Yang's mind, had barely cleared half the distance before the Sulphur Fish spilled out in a wave of pincers and spasming white bodies.
Yang took several weary steps back, her back quickly touching the side of the arena which now seemed a lot smaller than it had previously, as the small creatures struggled to return onto their six feet. Like normal Grimm, they had blackened bodies and armoured abdomens which led to three fiery yellow tails. Each skull-like face had a single amber eye beneath a glowing arachnid shaped engraving. On size alone Yang was not impressed however, she kept her guard up, recalling the exaggerated stories Professor Port used to tell in his class. The slave dealers' excitement above proved that the old teacher's words may have been more accurate than she'd anticipated.
Yang lowered her center of gravity, raising her arms before her face. Frantically the Sulphur Fish turned onto their feet and began to scurry across the sanded pit, the low clattering of armour hitting armour filled the arena. Yang could sense the agitation in the air, not simply from the Grimm but from the detestable audience that eagerly looked down at them from where they comfortably sat and observed. From the corner of her eyes she could see Sun subtly leaning against the railing of the balcony upon which he stood. His face may have been a facade of calm but, the rigid movements of his tail gave away his anxiety. Yang knew if he saw that this fight were to go south, he'd jump in to help her without hesitation but, in so doing their covers would be blown. She couldn't let that happen, not before the job was done.
The small Grimm continued to scatter for a while longer and Yang carefully took a step to the side, a soft crunching noise accompanied it as her boot sank slightly into the sand. It was then that the Sulphur Fish realised they were not alone. The creatures let out a low scratching sound, their fiery tails raised in warning before scurrying towards her. The Huntress side stepped, dodging the first pair that had tried to grasp her leg but she quickly dodged again as another one tried to climb up her leg from the other side. Desperately, she tried to kick the Grimm away. The ones that came in contact with her boot were sent flying through the air but it seemed to only aggravate the others.
A cry of pain left Yang's lips as one of the Sulphur Fish succeeded in climbing up her calf and jabbed its three pincers, not only through her skin, but through her Aura as well. Given the relentless heat she had been expecting from Vacuo, shorts had felt like a wise decision at the time though now Yang was regretting it. Burning pain spread from the point at which the creatures had attacked, seemingly turning her blood into fire as it burned through her body. The Huntress gritted her teeth, struggling to hold back another pained cry as another Grimm did the same thing on her other leg. The Sulphur Fish had backed her up against the wall, swarming her so intensely that they staggered over each other, their small pointed claws grasping the air in a desperate attempt to reach her.
"That's enough!" She growled, her eyes flashing red as her hair began to give off a fiery, golden light. In a wave of gold, Yang slid her leg across the ground, sending the Grimm crashing into the wall opposite. Standing, she tugged at the two Grimm that still firmly held on to her leg. If possible, the pain of the creatures' burns worsened upon being parted and they wildly jabbed their pincers at her hand in an attempt to escape. With a hiss, Yang released the one in her right hand as it pierced through her gloves, not wishing to repeat the pain she'd just felt. The other however, had been less fortunate as its pincer meticulously clanked against Yang's metallic arm.
With little sympathy for the monster, Yang tightened her grip on it, the Sulphur Fish letting out an indignant squeak along with a satisfying crunching sound before dissipating into black dust. Yang brushed her hands together, allowing the dark particles to fall to the ground and vanish amongst the sand. However, the peace was short lived. The remaining Sulphur Fish shrieked in retaliation at their brethren's demise and began to frantically scurry over each other, their bodies melding into a mess fo white, red and black.
Yang blinked, unable to believe what was happening before her eyes, slowly increasing in height until it was almost at eye level. The Grimm had somehow entwined their bodies together to create an almost reptilian-like head. It growled, its sound sending vibrations through the earth as it revealed a narrow snout with a large lower jaw covered in a row of Sulphur Fish legs to make gleaming teeth. The interior of its mouth was a bright yellowish orange, composed of a network of Sulphur Fish tails that allowed the Grimm to create this alternate form.
"Now that is ugly." Yang admitted, watching as the Grimm's head moved from side to side, its large maw opened, allowing the stench of sulphur and rotten eggs to wash over her. Although the warm air made her eyes water, Yang smiled at the creature.
Now it was big enough for her to hit.
Yang charged at the Grimm that raised its head to strike down the Huntress but she dodged, sending a flurry of punches into the main body. Each impact made a sharp sound as she came in contact with their hard shells. However occasionally, the sudden sting of fire that ran through her arm warned her she'd hit their actual body.
The Sulphur Fish reared its head, trying to send Yang away. She dodged but stumbled over the uneven terrain. They made to attack but Yang raised her prosthetic army to block, the creature's teeth scraping across the metal while Yang struggled to free herself. With her other hand, Yang punched at the creature's face, feeling as metal creaked within its monstrous mouth. Never in all her years of using her prosthetic arm had she worried of it breaking, except in that moment.
"Let go!" She grunted, punching the Grimm with all her force and, although she could see the fragments of black dust shifting through the air, the creature's grip on her arm only seemed to tighten.
"I said let go!" She yelled again, the glow of her hair and eyes intensifying, sending another series of punches into the creature and finishing with a teeth chattering knee into its lower jaw. Yang felt the creature's grip loosen slightly on her arm but that was enough. The Huntress ripped it free and jumped back as the creature tried to recuperate while Yang tried to get as much distance between her and the Grimm as she could. Yang knew that if more of these creatures had been present the situation would have been a lot worse, especially since she was being forced to fight it without her gauntlets. She hated to imagine the strength of this creature if it were present in the hundreds.
Yang adjusted her body, ready to respond to the monster's next attack but, as she did so, a strange buzzing sound filled the air causing the Sulphur Fish to quiver in fear and break up into its smaller, individual forms. A bright blue shield erupted from the sides and split the arena in two.
Yang blinked at the sudden blue light that filled her vision, wondering if that meant their battle was over. She watched, captivated, as the sides of the shields began to slide across the arena walls, pushing the Sulphur Fish back into the cage from when they had initially been released, the small creatures struggling over each other to stay away from the humming wall of light.
"And that's a wrap!" The presenter's sudden voice almost caused Yang to jump in surprise. She'd almost forgotten that the battle was meant to be for an auction.
"After a beautiful display of skill and strength, item 7865 has been won by Madam Solitaire for the lovely price of 50 thousand lien. You may pick up your item after completing the payment transaction after the auction."
Yang put her hand on her hips as she waited for the stairs that would lead her to Sun above to descend. She shot the audience above her a distasteful look as her eyes turned back to violet.
Nora's fight was next and it would have been an understatement to claim that it wasn't going as well as Yang's had. Prior to coming to the auction the small group had agreed to keep her powers as the Winter Maiden a secret, just in case there was someone else present that could identify Semblances as Luke had. However, assuming she wouldn't be struck by any form of lighting and armed only with her bare hands, the only asset the woman had entering this fight was her own strength.
The Huntress groaned in annoyance and she forced herself back onto her feet, spitting blood and sand out of her mouth as she looked at the Geist that had been chosen to be her opponent for her presentation at the auction. It loomed over her, its body made of shifting sand and the little rock that had previously made up the floor of the arena. It looked at Nora with it's ghastly, mask-like face as it raised one of its arms to attack. Nora barely managed to dodge as she struggled against the Winter' Maiden's power which whispered to be released, to allow the ancient magic to defend its host and destroy this creature of Grimm.
Keep it under control . Nora desperately thought to herself, as she raised her arms to block the creatures, struggling as a wall of sand and stone rammed into her, her feet digging into the ground. Moving against the momentum of the attack, Nora twisted her body, grasping the Grimm's limb with both her hands as she ducked under the arm. Each muscle screamed against its weight as she forced the creature over her head, slamming it so hard against the ground that its body crumbled back to what it originally was- just sand and rock. With a shaky hand, Nora wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling the grime and dust stick to her skin.
"And that seems to be the match!" The presenter hollered overhead. "Armed with brute strength alone, item 7866 seems to have managed to disintegrate Geist! Our highest bid was 41 thousand Lien from Sr Cachia. Do I hear 42?"
Nora let out a tired breath, relieved that it was over though silently she scolded herself for having become so reliant on her hammer and the Winter Maiden's power. When this was over she'd have to ask Yang to help her with close combat training. Silently as the presenter continued to drone on above her, the stairs that would lead her to Neptune, who was waiting for her on the balcony above, had begun to descend. Nora began to walk towards it, ignoring the presenter found even further above as she yelled out the winning bid. Nora did not see the darkness shift within the rubble of rock and sand.
"Look out!" Neptune yelled from seeing the movement first, startling Nora as the Geist, swift as lightning, shot towards the Huntress, ready to make the kill. A Geist's body may be weak, but its claws could still pierce through the toughest of materials. Nora turned just in time to see the creature a mere hair's breadth away from her.
And, just like that, the dam Nora had so carefully tried to maintain wavered ever so slightly. As the Huntress turned to see the Geist's attack, azure flames erupted from her eyes, the power that escaped her beyond her control as it reached out its icy touch to protect her. She watched, as if in slow motion, as the tendrils of ice spread across the monster's ebony body, freezing it down to its very core, all life vanishing from it as it crashed to the ground and shattered into thousands of tiny black shards.
Nora blinked at the sight, the fire around her eyes vanishing as she realised that the Maiden's power, by acting on its own accord, may have just saved her life, albeit at the cost of their mission.
The presenter cleared her throat.
"Well it seems there may have been some inaccuracies with the paperwork concerning item 7866." Nora sheepishly raised her hand to her head, the presenter had very clearly explained that her Semblance made use of lightning not ice. This may be a hard one to explain away. "Negotiations on the item may be put on hold until more accurate information is acquired."
Nora looked apologetically up at Neptune as she climbed up the stairs. She may have just given away their ruse. But, if Neptune were angry at her for using the Maiden's power he hid it well. In all honesty the Huntsman was just happy that, like Yang, she had escaped that arena unscathed.
Still putting on the show of being a captive, Nora dragged her feet as Neptune pulled at her chains and led her back to her cell.
"I'm sorry." She instantly told the others who had been unable to follow the auction. "I used the Winter Maiden's power."
"If she hadn't she would have been shishkebabed." Added Neptune in a hushed voice so the other guards and captives couldn't hear them.
"It doesn't matter as long as you came back in one piece." Ruby admitted, Nora raising her head slightly to give the younger Huntress a grateful smile. Ruby then sighed, looking between the rest of her team. "I guess I'm the only one left." She calmly said, desperately trying to shrug off her nervousness and unease to no avail.
A month had passed since Salem's attack on Shade Academy. For some, life had swiftly returned to normal, the events of that horrid day simply expelled from their thoughts like a bad memory to be forgotten. However, for others, no matter how much they tried, life could never return to what it was. Salem, during her attack, had claimed a number of lives and, amongst the names of the deceased, were the headmaster of Shade Academy, Eli Dell, and his adoptive daughter, Amelia. As had been expected of him, Theodore took up the mantle as the new headmaster, too young and inexperienced to fill the shoes his father had left behind. However, like everything else, Shade Academy, with the help of the other headmasters, would rebuild and that cursed day would eventually meld with its history, to become simply a story for the next generation to be told.
The truth behind the attack was played off as nothing more than an unfortunate occurrence, but a certain few knew the true nature of the incident and the true motives behind the Grimm's assault. Salem had attacked, resurfacing after centuries of isolation to test the waters surrounding Ozma's academies. For now she'd returned to the shadows to reevaluate and plan. Presumably, Tyrian had joined her for the Faunus had not been seen since the battle, disappearing into the darkness alongside his master.
But, as new walls of the academy were being built, and students were slowly being accepted back into the dorms for the start of the new year, a single monument had been built to commemorate those lost, a single plaque nestled within the academy's gardens, upon which the name of the ten souls lost that day were written. Beneath these names a quote from one of Amelia's favourite stories had been added.
" Though our lives are limited by years on Earth
Our dreams won't be bound inside
The goal's not to live forever
'Cause eternity loves the creations of time"
It was here that Valerian found Bellamy, standing before this small metal piece, all that remained of his father and sister. In the month since the attack, Kali, with nothing left holding her in Vacuo, had returned to Menagerie to begin her work as a Huntress. She'd begged Val to join her, to escape the memories confined within the passages of Shade. Although she had long wished to visit her teammate's home, Valerian had refused. While life continued to pull them apart, the final member of team BTKV had refused to move on.
"Bellamy, it's time to go inside." Valerian gently coaxed as she walked up from behind him.
She sighed internally when he did not respond, even though she had not expected him to. In the month that had passed since Amelia's death he had buried himself deeper into his mind than she had ever seen him do before, and nothing she'd done or said could bring him back.
Valerian stopped to stand beside him, their shoulders grazing each other ever so gently as she looked down at the names written on the still glistening shard of metal. She recognized the names of some to be classmates, fellow graduates, some others had been guests, brought to the event to enjoy the celebration with loved ones. No one had been prepared for the truth of that day.
The two continued to stand in silence as they had done almost every day since the attack. A comfort that had developed from years of being together, as teammates and as friends, filled the silence between them. To Valerian, who had spent so much of her childhood isolated from the world, it was strange for her to learn that the man's presence alone could comfort her heart and mind. She'd sometimes believed she'd had the same effect on Bellamy, in the way his mannerism changed ever so slightly in her presence but, as of late, Valerian doubted that had been enough for the mourning Huntsman.
Valerian sighed to herself again when Bellamy continued to refuse to speak to her. He barely had uttered a word since the funeral, the pair sharing their meals with the silence that had taken the place of their family. Assuming Bellamy's non-responsiveness would extend past their meeting, as he usually did, Valerian's mind began to shift to the different tasks ahead of her, namely with the relocation of the Vault entrance as a precaution against Tyrian. Like most of the other students at Shade, Tyrian should have been unaware of the presence and subsequently the location of Vault however, given the events that had unfolded, it would have been presumptuous of them to assume he had not learnt of its previous location.
In silence, Valerian, deciding that Bellamy had had enough of her presence for the time being, made to return to the academy. However, as she turned to leave, she felt Bellamy grasp her hand in his. Valerian stopped, surprised and unable to deduce the meaning of his actions.
"What were Amelia's last words?" He uttered the words as barely a whisper, his dark eyes never leaving his sister's name written on the metal. He didn't look at her as he spoke, he rarely did. Valerian had begun to wonder if he'd grown to resent her for having to be the only one present when Amelia had died. She wondered if he thought she'd only become close to the child to ensure she acquired the Summer Maiden's power when the time required.
That may have been the initial reason why Eli Dell had taken a child of the forest into his home, clothing and feeding her and giving her a better education then she could have ever hoped for. But, as she'd grown, that had changed. They had become the closest thing to family that she had in that despicable world. With them around, it had become far more tolerable.
Valerian paused, and Bellamy finally turned to look at her. She'd anticipated to see anger and betrayal in his eyes but, as always, all she was was a pain and a sorrow so deep it threatened to drown him, to wash away the Bellamy she knew and leave behind simply a husk of the man.
The Huntress opened her mouth to answer him. The girl's final words replayed in her mind, forever to be etched in her memory, along with her dying face illuminated by the soft blue light of her Semblance. She hoped her semblance had given her some peace at the end. Amelia had used her final breath to give her message meant as much for Bellamy as it had for her. But, as Valerian tried to voice them, her words failed her, forming nothing but an incomprehensible garble. Realising her own voice had betrayed her, she instead allowed her actions to explain as she leaned forward and kissed the man who, somewhere along the years, had become the person she'd grown to care for the most in the word filled with monsters.
"She told us keep moving on." She finally answered, feeling warmth spread through her cheeks in response to her own actions.
Valerian's mind filled with panic in that moment, as she saw the blank look that coated Bellamy's face. Valerian had never been one to doubt her actions but what if, this one time, she'd crossed a line she shouldn't have? The Huntress began to take a few awkward steps away, mumbling excuses under her breath for her abrupt departure but, rather than release her, she felt his hold on her hand tighten just enough to make her pause.
"That sounds like Amelia." Bellamy softly said, pulling Val towards her and kissing her in response. It was there, before Amelia's memorial, that they promised the child they'd live the life she'd always dreamed for them, the life that had been stolen away from her.
A bit of a shortish one (sorry!) but thats so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the update. Also anyone recognise where I got the quote for the memorial from? ;) Feel free to drop a comment, next update comes out on Friday. Thanks again for reading :D