GRYD Chapter 5 - Signs From The Past
The new students of Beacon huddled into the amphitheater. But this time, it wasn't for combat, rather, it was to listen to Headmaster Night, who had called them all there. All teams were present, including GRYD and MEAL, who chatted amongst themselves while they waited.
Soon, Squire stepped onto the stage, and got them all to quiet down. Once he did, he motioned offstage, and Night stepped into the spotlight.
"Hello everyone," he said kindly, and the students replied with a similar greeting, "I know it's been a rough few weeks. The beginning of a new school can be very trying, however, I feel you have adjusted well. And outside of some small squabbles, and a very odd painting prank...
Reyson snickered at this, but was silenced by a look from Glyph.
"...you have all behaved as good students should. Now, I also know you have felt rather confined during your stay. This was intentional. First, I needed to know you could adjust to the school, and the rules within. But also, I needed to know I could trust you to leave when granted permission. I feel you have done that."
The students murmured with anticipation, Night allowed them to talk, then raised a hand to silence them.
"As you all know, we are technically located within the city of Vale, one of the crown cities of Remnant. As such, students are allowed to roam there on occasion when allowed. Now that you are all accustomed to the school, I see no reason not to allow this. Starting today, you will be allowed to go to Vale-"
The students erupted in excitement, forcing Night to stop. He looked to Squire, who snickered and shook his head. Night did similarly, and then once again quieted them down.
"Yes, yes," he said still laughing, "it's all very exciting. However! There are rules to go along with this. You can only go on specific days, and at specific times. Vale is a very large city, there is a lot going on there at any given moment. I have contacts in the city that inform me when major events are going on, and when students shouldn't come. I expect you to follow the rules I'm about to give you. If you don't...well...let's just say...you'll be praying for extra homework rather than what I'll have you do."
At this, the students became very quiet, each imagining a different horror they may be asked to commit if they were caught doing wrong. Macro and Glyph looked at each other and laughed softly, realizing the tactic Night was using.
Content with the reaction of the students, Night continued, "Rule one, as stated before, only go to Vale when you are allowed. Rule two, obey the curfew we set. Rule three, do not partake in any illegal actions while in Vale. I mean it. Rule four, do not start unnecessary fights."
Night's eyes seemed to dart to Reyson as he finished, Reyson saw this and smiled evilly.
"Finally, though Vale is a well regarded city, it can be still be dangerous. Thus, no one is allowed to roam the city alone. I don't care if it's home town, no going alone. Those are the rules. Remember, going to Vale is a privilege, not a right. If I feel any team is abusing that right? I'll revoke your ability to go, period. Now, I've talked long enough, and the day is still young. No classes are set for today, so, I release from the bonds of this castle. Have fun, and behave, dear students. Remember, we are always watching."
We a smile and a laugh, Night and Squire left the stage, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves about the trip they were all going to take.
GRYD and MEAL huddled together to talk about what they were going to do.
"Vale! Awesome!" said Leilani excited, "I've always wanted to go and see it in more detail. I hear the city is huge!"
"It is pretty big," noted Erin, "it's a very diverse city."
"Yes," boasted Aaron, "it's has a massive port for people from Vacuo and Atlas to come in from. It has a business district, a coliseum, and more! It is a testament to architecture of all kinds!"
"Stop boasting." said Diana with a shake of the head, "But seriously, we are going, right? I mean, let's enjoy ourselves! Take on the town! I might even let you buy me something, partner."
She smirked at Glyph, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. He then focused his attention on Macro, giving a look of wanting his opinion. Macro saw this and shrugged.
"I'm all for it. After everything that's happened so far? I think we all need a break. Do some shopping, get some fun food. Relax."
"Yeah...relax..." Reyson mocked, his finger running along a drawn sword
"Do not get us into trouble." warned Yasmine, glaring at him, "I will make you pay if you do."
"You are like the worst partner, ever."
"Funny, I say the same about you every day."
The two glared at the other, Leilani and Glyph broke them up.
"Enough." said Glyph forcefully, and they reluctantly broke up, "I'm fine with going. As long as you all want to go."
He turned to them, and they all nodded in their own way. With a sigh, Glyph smiled and shrugged.
"Alright then, off to Vale."
With a motion, the two teams headed for the door. Once outside, they were guided to a small transport, which they rode right into the edge of the city.
As they stopped and exited the vehicle, the driver turned to them, "This will be the pickup for the ride back to the school as well. There will be multiple crafts here every 15 minutes. So if there's not one here when you arrive, just wait a little. We'll be here."
"Thank you." Glyph said to the driver
"No worries. Oh, one last directive from Headmaster Night. You cannot return to the school alone, you must be with one other, or with your team. Understood?"
"Understood." they all replied
The driver waved goodbye and restarted the transport, then left. Once out of sight, the teams turned to the city. It was still early morning, so the sun shined brightly on all the buildings, showing the life the city had to offer. As they headed onto one of the main streets, they saw the many citizens of Vale. Much like them, they were of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Both Humans and Faunus were among the people. Glyph smiled at this, as did some of the other.
Not long after their people watching, Diana turned to them all and got their attention.
"So, how are we going to do this?" she asked eagerly, "I want to enjoy this day, so let's get started!"
"Yeah!" added Leilani just as eager, "So how are we splitting up?"
The group turned to Glyph and Macro, who both raised their hands in a sign of not making a decision on this matter.
"Hey, I relent to you guys." said Macro, "I'll follow whatever group wants me. Or if you all go off in pairs? I'll hang out with Glyph, no worries."
"Likewise." agreed Glyph, "Decide amongst yourselves."
The rest looked at one another and shrugged, then huddled more closely together.
"Well obviously...," started Aaron, voice full of pride, "I'm going to be with Erin. What do you want to do first?"
"Well, I was thinking we could do some shopping." stated Erin after a moment's thought, "I was thinking I could add some special decorations to my room, as well as my new attire. If we find something good that is."
"That sounds like fun!" exclaimed Leilani, "Mind if I come with?"
"Not at all! I'd love to talk designs with you!"
The two smiled at each other and laughed, which made Aaron seem very proud. Leilani then turned to Yasmine.
"What do you say sis? Want to come with?"
Yasmine sighed, but then saw Reyson looking around, a fiery look in his eye, and turned back to her sister, "It has been a while since we went shopping together Leilani, it could be fun."
"Alright! What about you Diana?"
"Shopping does sound fun..." admitted Diana, but then got a sly look on her face, "but I fear what'll happen if we leave the majority of the boys to their own devices, so I'll go with them."
She shot a knowing look at Leilani, who was confused by what she saw, then proceeded to walk past them and stand next to Glyph, who didn't acknowledge her as she came.
Seeing the tension growing, Erin quickly turned to Reyson, "What about you Reyson?"
Reyson was still watching the street, a desire in his eyes.
"Reyson?"
He heard Erin this time and snapped to, he shook his head to focus himself and turned to them.
"Well, something tells me these two..." he said grimly pointing to Macro and Glyph, "won't want me too far out of their sights. Right?"
"Right." said Glyph and Macro seriously
"Exactly, so I'll likely have to be with them the whole day."
"You could just say you'll be on your best behavior." suggested Aaron
"Yeah, they'll believe that." he replied sarcastically
"Try!"
Reyson snickered and turned to Macro and Glyph, who were looking at him with blank expressions. He tried to look as innocent as he could before making his plea.
"May I go with them? he asked in an unusually high and sincere voice, "I promise I'll be on my best behavior."
Glyph and Macro looked at each other, then turned back to Reyson, "We don't believe you."
The others laughed at this, even Reyson joined in on the laugh. He waved down The Lovers, "Don't worry about me. Besides, I bet any "fun" we have will lead to the "fun" I desire. So why not go with them?"
He walked over and joined the other three. They separated into their new groups. Once set, Glyph raised his phone.
"I'm glad we're in groups of four," he said pleased, "but if anything changes, contact us."
"Yeah, for example, if you break up into groups of two after a while? Send a text." added Macro, "Don't want to be caught off guard or anything. Ok?"
They all nodded, Leilani giggled at this, "We'll be fine Macro."
"Most likely, yes. I trust you Leilani, and you three too. But..."
He motioned to the street, looking at the people walking up and down it.
"...I don't trust them. I don't know them all, and that makes me tense. Soldiers mentality."
"Friends mentality." noted Glyph with a smirk
"Worrywarts mentality!" rebutted Diana with a mocking look to them both
"Regardless," overrode Yasmine, "we promise to be careful, and let you know if anything happens."
"Promise." said Erin with a bow of the head
"If it helps, we'll send text to each of you," offered Aaron with kind smile, "just so you all know."
"I'd appreciate that." acknowledged Macro, "Ok, enough talking, let's go have some fun."
They all said goodbye, and split up into their groups and went down opposite paths of the streets. In a nearby alley, a hooded figured watches them leave, then disappears back into the shadows.
A few minutes after Leilani and her group left, they arrive at a surplus of stores. Her and Erin's eyes light up as they reach them.
"Wanna go in?" asked Erin
"Yes!" replied Leilani happily, "I recognize the name, it has a bunch of cool clothes and fabrics! And that one next door has a plethora of art supplies. I need to restock after redecorating our room."
"I believe "extreme makeover" is a more accurate term Leilani." noted Aaron with a smile
"You should've seen our room back home." stated Yasmine with a smile of her own
"Oh no, not this story..." groaned Leilani, now nervously playing with her rabbit ears
"Oh yes. Mother and father gave her some markers when she was young. Told her to, "draw to your heart's content." They then took me out to do some work in the shop. When we returned?"
Yasmine paused and looked at her sister with a mix of happiness and disbelief, "All four walls were completed made over. Various colors, pictures, everything you can imagine from Leilani's imagination.
Leilani smiled and laughed as she recalled the memory, "They said to my heart's content..."
"Not like that though!"
"So what happened to the room?" asked Erin intrigued
"They wanted to paint over it, but they feared how Leilani would react. So they didn't for years."
"Yeah, and I did cry when they finally did paint over it. But more out of sadness than pain." admitted Leilani somberly
"So the moral of the story is..." pondered Aaron as he stroked his chin, "be grateful she didn't go overboard with our room?"
"Precisely." stated Yasmine, "Leilani loves to draw, to a fault."
"I could say the same for your "planning" Yasmine," retorted Leilani with a sneer, "How many times I have to follow your plans, else you would get miffed?"
"I...I..."
Yasmine decided not to respond and instead turned away. This caused the others to laugh. Once done, Leilani pointed to the stores.
"So can we go in sis?" asked Leilani
"By all means." relented Yasine with a smile
"And while you two are doing that..." began Aaron, who then pointed across the street, "I see an ice cream parlor. We'll get you some food for when you're done."
"That'd be fantastic." beamed Erin, "You're the best."
"As are you."
The two gazed lovingly upon one another, making Yasmine roll her eyes.
"Just make sure you stay in these two stores. No wandering. And don't take too long, else the ice cream will melt."
"We'll be quick, thanks Yasmine. Come on Erin." said Leilani grabbing Erin's hand and going into the clothing store
Yasmine and Aaron watched them go in. Yasmine sighed after they were out of sight.
"They'll be fine." noted Aaron with confidence
"I know," admitted Yasmine, "I just worry at times."
"Sister's keeper?"
"Precisely. Shall we go get ice cream?"
"Of course!"
The two turned and headed back across the street.
Across town, Glyph and his group continued to just wander around, looking at the various buildings and people they came across. Diana and Reyson were particularly entranced by the surroundings.
"You know, I like Atlas, but this place feels more...more..." said Diana aloud
"Free?" finished Reyson
"Yeah, free. More personal touches, less uniformity. Ugh, I hated those Atlas uniforms. I'm glad Beacon lets me wear my dress."
She did a spin and a pose, but none watched her as she did. Diana pouted, but then caught back up with the others.
"Vale has always put individuality above all else." revealed Macro, "Call it location, timing, leadership, doesn't matter, the end result is what you see around you."
"Have you two been here before?" asked Reyson
"Twice." answered Glyph
"A few more for me." said Macro, "I would come here with my dad at times depending on his deployments and missions. It's been a while though, I'll admit."
They continued to walk down the street. This street in particular had a lot of sidepaths and alleyways. As they passed one in particular, a series of loud noises caught Reyson's ears. He stopped and looked down it. A group of men were towering over a young teen.
"Pay the toll!" barked the men
"It's a free street! I don't have to do anything you tell me to!" said the teen, confident yet afraid
"Is that so? Well then, you know what to do boys."
Reyson smiled evilly, and reached for his swords, but hesitated. Instead, he just cracked his knuckles and walked down the path.
"Something tells me you're about to do something very stupid." said Reyson going to them
The men turned to Reyson, looking at him with uncertainty and confusion, "Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm the guy you don't mess with. So leave the kid alone, or else...you're getting your butts kicked."
The men looked at one another, then laughed loudly. Reyson smiled even wider at this.
"That's what I thought. Ok, let's go then."
"Kid, you are crazy." noted one of the men as they approached him
"No...I'm just very angry."
The sent a punch at Reyson, he dodged easily, and struck back with a slew of punches. After they landed, he shoved the man into the nearby wall, making him crumble onto the ground. Reyson glared evilly at the other men, motioning for them to come.
"Next?"
Uneasy, but not backing down, the two remaining men charged Reyson. They began to attack in unison, making Reyson go on the defensive to start. But the moment an opening came, he would strike, and seriously harm the men. After a few seconds, all three were defeated. Reyson breathed heavily as he looked at the fallen. He then turned to the kid, who was rooted in place.
Reyson snickered, "I think you should go."
Without so much as blinking, the kid ran away, Reyson laughed more loudly at this. But when he turned to leave he sobered up. Macro, Glyph, and Diana were all looked at him displeased.
"Uh...how long have you been there?" he asked
"Since the beginning." revealed Diana
"Oh, well...they started it!"
"We know." said Macro, a small smile appearing on his face, "Good work."
"Agreed." added Glyph
This took Reyson aback slightly, "Wait, you're not mad? What about the "no fights rule"?
"No unnecessary fights. Big difference."
"To be honest, I'm surprised you helped out the kid." noted Diana, "Seems out of character."
"You kidding?" said Reyson, his evil smile returning, "Fighting for the little guy is the easiest way to get into fights! Got to satiate my appetite somehow, right?"
He looked at them all for approval, but instead, they all shook their heads and began to walk away.
"Ah come on! I was kidding! Kind of...ah, forget it."
Reyson looked once more onto the fallen men, and smirked before joining the others.
Back in the art shop, Leilani and Erin looked around at the various supplies in the stores. Leilani was especially entranced by the markers and pens.
"I want this one...and this one...and this one..." she muttered as she picked up supplies
"Just be sure to don't go broke after this trip!" joked Erin
"It's happened before...but it was worth it!
The two laughed, then focused again on the supplies. Erin eyed Leilani's sash full of her sharpies.
"Hey Leilani, how do those sharpies work? I mean, you draw on your arms, and then weapons come out?"
Leilani smiled and nodded, "I'm not very smart in many things, but, with art? I'm like a savant. When we had to make our own weapons at school, I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted something special to me, but nothing felt right. Then one day, a girl joked that maybe I should "draw my weapon", and something clicked."
"So what did you do?"
"I went to a teacher, one I trusted, and asked for their help. They noted that with Dust, nothing was too out of reach. So, we put our heads together, and we created my Dust Sharpies. He noted that I could draw about anything on my skin and it wouldn't get hurt. It'd be like a "hidden set of claws", and that's how I thought of my three-pronged claws."
She put down the supplies she had picked up, and summoned the claws from her arm. Each prong was a different color, she pointed to each.
"Because of the Dust itself, I can make any prong have a certain attribute. It comes in handy when I need to deal with certain situations. And I can change on the fly with no hassle! The gun part was trickier, but we figured that out too! So now, I have the perfect weapon for me! One made by my art skills."
Leilani smiled happily to Erin, who returned the gesture, and they began shopping again.
"That's amazing. I remember this one time, Aaron noticed I was really depressed, so he contacted a friend who was good in art, and he had her draw a portrait of me. He gave it to me as a gift."
"Oh! Is that the one in your collage?"
"Yep! I love that picture."
"That is so sweet, I hope to have someone like that someday..."
"Gee...I wonder who that could be..."
Erin looked at her knowingly, Leilani blushed, and hid her face, "I don't know what you mean!"
"Oh come on! You've eyed Glyph for some time. We all know it. Well, most of us, it's hard to tell with the guys to be honest. But the girls know. Why do think Diana keeps shooting those looks at you?"
"I thought she just didn't like me that much."
Erin shook her head, "No, she likes you. But she also sees you as a rival for Glyph's affections. She's not so subtle in her liking of Glyph as you can tell."
"Yeah..."
"So you do like him?" pushed Erin, making sure Leilani was looking at her
"Yes! ...yes, I do. He's great. But I don't know what he thinks about me."
"He's a tough read, by nature and design I think."
"Yeah..."
Leilani looked sadly at the supplies, Erin nudged her to shake her out of her funk, "Don't depress yourself. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine. That's how I got Aaron apparently, so just be you, and see if Glyph responds."
"And if he doesn't?" wondered Leilani with a smile, "This is Glyph we're talking about."
"Then take the first step. There's no handbook that says the man has to make the first move."
"Fair enough. Come one, I got my supplies, let's go pay and get our ice cream before it melts!"
She bounced away, Erin watched her and shook her head sadly, but did follow.
With the others, Macro, Glyph, and Diana found themselves in a book store. Reyson stayed near the door, eyeing the outside. The other three converged on one section of books, each looking at different ones.
Diana saw one in particular and eyed it longingly, "Oh my! "The Elegance of Dance"."
She picked it up, Macro and Glyph came to look as well.
"Is it special?" wondered Glyph
"I'd say," noted Macro, impressed at the condition of the book, "it's very rare. During the Great War, there were a lot of books that were burned or destroyed for their "symbolism" or "individuality". Dance books were just such a thing."
"Yeah, it sucks. A lot of great books were lost." added Diana as she flipped through it, "I thought this was one of them."
"Well, it's not! So get it Diana."
She pondered this, but then sighed and put it down, "I would, but I don't have much money, this one is expensive, and something tells me I'll need the cash for later. Another time though."
Clearly disheartened, she put the book back and walked towards the entrance. Macro shrugged at Glyph and looked around some more. Glyph however, looked at Diana as she went towards the door, her expression was still sad as she looked at the window. He then eyed the book she was looking at.
A little later, they all left the store, and walked down the street.
"Can we please go somewhere more fun?" begged Reyson
"Just because you don't like books doesn't mean we don't Reyson." snapped Macro with a look
"It's not that I don't like books, it's that I didn't come into town to look at books for a half-hour!"
"We weren't in there that long." stated Glyph
"Felt like it..."
Diana didn't say anything, which made Glyph look at her, but not speak. Macro though got their attention.
"How about some food? I see a cafe I recognize, they have some good stuff for low prices."
"I am hungry, and I might need the energy for a battle later on." said Reyson patting his stomach
"War monger." said Diana without emotion
"You know it Red. Shall we?"
He motioned, and they all proceeded to the cafe. It was called, "Through The Vale", and had seating both outside and inside. The group chose the outside seating. Diana sat down first and turned to them.
"Just get me something simple, I'll save our seats and people watch." she said with a small smile
"You don't mind?" questioned Macro
"Nah, go ahead."
Reyson and Macro proceeded in, but Glyph didn't. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a book. He placed it in front of her, his hand covering the title. She eyed him curiously.
"What's this?"
"Reading material. So you don't get bored."
He removed his hand, then followed the others inside. Diana looked down and saw it said, "The Elegance of Dance." She clasped her hand over her mouth in surprise, she looked inside, and saw Glyph looking back at her with a smile before turning back around. After a few moments of just looking at the book, she smiled widely and laughed. She held the book, and looked back inside the cafe.
"Yep, you will be mine Glyph Masterson. Yes you will."
Diana laughed again, then opened the book and began to enjoy it.
A few hours later, Macro and the others continued to roam through Vale. Diana was still reading her book, only looking up when she thought she might run into something. Reyson was on edge, as though he was an addict and was looking around for his next fix. Macro was also looking around, but just to enjoy the scenery, while Glyph was simply looking ahead.
Something caught Reyson's eye, and he stopped in front of a large brick wall.
"What's this about?" he asked
They all stopped, and looked at the wall, it was covered in artwork of various sizes and styles.
"It's a mural Reyson," said Diana with a motion to the drawings, "people do this all over, it's their way of adding life to something dull. They seriously don't have this where you live?"
"Where I live? No...no they don't."
Reyson's face became very angry at this, and he glared into the wall with intensity. Glyph and Macro saw this and knew they had to say something.
"I bet Leilani would love to see this." noted Glyph
"Oh she'd freak!" added Macro, beginning to move down the wall to admire all the artwork, "She would want to find a free space, and she'd probably beg Yasmine to let her draw something. Then she'd want to take hours to make sure it was...it was...it...was..."
Macro's voice died off, making the others turn to him. His expression became very fearful, his breathing very jagged. Macro's eyes began to bulge as he looked upon a particular piece of artwork. He ran his fingers through it, and saw the paint was still wet. This seemed to anger him greatly.
"No...no!"
Flashes appeared to him, images of Faunus, all wounded, or worse. They grew in intensity and frequency, making Macro grow more angry with every single one.
The other noticed this and came to Macro, Glyph especially was concerned.
"Macro, what's wrong?"
"It's the symbol...the symbol..." sputtered out Macro, still in an enraged state
"What about it? What does it mean?" asked Diana just as confused as the others
Instead of answering them, Macro pulled his shovel off his back, and formed it into his machine gun. He let loose a wave of bullets, trying to besmirch the symbol on the wall. When it only put a certain amount of holes into it, he roared in anger.
"Dang it! Wait. Reyson!" he called out
"Uh, yeah?" said Reyson, now very uneasy
"You wanted to break something? Break that part of the wall! Use your Aura Charge and destroy it!"
"I'm all for destruction, but is that safe?"
"The wall isn't attached to anything, no support structures will be harmed. Now do it!"
Reyson looked to Glyph, wanting his permission before doing anything. Glyph hesitantly nodded. And Reyson shrugged in agreement.
He got a good ways away from the wall, then rushed towards it, his Aura building as he got closer. Once a few feet away, he jumped towards the section, ramming into it with great force. The wall and bricks broke and crumbled until a huge section was removed. Reyson rose from the wreckage and brushed himself off.
"Well, I feel good, but why did I do that again?"
Macro didn't answer, Glyph got in his face when he didn't, "What is going on? You're not like this. You're lucky no one was around here, or we'd be in trouble. What is going on? Do I have to call the others to-"
"The others!" said Macro returning to his frenzied state, "Leilani and Yasmine are in danger!"
"What?" said Diana now very concerned
"Call them! Call them now! Diana, you call Yasmine, I'll call Leilani! We have to get to them!"
The others looked to Glyph, who was still focused on Macro. Macro, still in his frenzied state, fumbled to get his phone out and call them. Glyph grabbed his arm and made him look into his.
"What. Is. Going. On!?"
"We don't have time!"
"Make time! Look at yourself! You think you'll help anyone in this state?"
Macro looked at his hands and saw that he was shaking. He took some deep breaths, becoming instantly calm as he did. When he returned his gaze to Glyph, expression and composure calm, Glyph released.
"I'm sorry, I lost it there, but there was a reason. But I can't explain it now."
"Why?"
"It's too long of an explanation. We NEED to find Yasmine and Leilani. I'm asking you to trust me right now. Do you still trust me?"
Glyph continued to look at Macro, but then he nodded, "Yes."
Macro sighed and smiled in relief, "Thanks, now seriously, we need to call them. If we're lucky they're still with The Lovers."
"They're not," said Diana, making the three look at her, she held her phone up, "we got a text a half hour ago. Leilani and Yasmine split up to go look for something."
"Dang it!" said Macro angrily, "You call Yasmine, I'll call Leilani."
"What about us?" asked Reyson rejoining them
"Get ready for a battle."
"Heck yeah."
They all waited as Macro and Diana sent their calls. Each second though made them more tense as neither side answered. As both of them hit the voicemail message, they became even more fearful.
"Dang it."
"What do we do?" asked Diana
"I'll call The Lovers, tell them to meet us, and hopefully they know where they went. Glyph, do you think you can do some teleporting recon?"
"That's dangerous. I have limits in distance, if I go in the wrong direction...?"
"It'll take a while to get back..." said Macro as he weighed the options, "Ok. Let's meet The Lovers, then if they know at a direction, do it."
Glyph nodded, and Macro made a call.
Far away from them, Leilani and Yasmine walked alone down a street, the sun was beginning to set, and the sky above began to grow dark as it did. Both of the sisters carried bags full of items. Leilani walked with a pep in her step, while Yasmine simply walked normally.
"I'm surprised you bought so much sis," said Leilani look at the bags Yasmine was holding, "you're usually not a big spender."
"True, but I needed some things. My drones need maintenance, and these new Dust shells were perfect for them. I'm not coming to Vale every time we get the opportunity, so it's best I get it all now, rather than hope I get here later."
"I suppose, but you should take the opportunities to get out more sis. Make some new friends, meet some new people."
"I thought that was what school was for."
She shot a teasing look at Leilani, who stuck out her tongue and returned it in kind. They laughed at the joke and continued down the street. Unbeknownst to them, several figures in hooded garb were watching from behind objects and in alleyways.
Across town, Macro and his group raced down a street, dodging people and items as they ran full speed. Down the way, The Lovers waved their arms in the air to get their attention. They saw them, and made for them as quick as they could. Once they met up, they stopped and caught their breath.
"Thanks for meeting us." said Macro as he panted heavily
"You weren't exactly informative on the phone." noted Aaron, "How are Yasmine and Leilani in danger?"
"No time, do you know where they went?"
"Yeah," said Erin, looking very confused, "Yasmine wanted to get some mechanical parts for her drones, then maybe go to a Dust shop or two. They were going to the east side, near the business district."
"I know that area." said Glyph, grabbing his escrima, "If they're still around there, I can find them."
"Do it," said Macro with an approving nod, "we'll get there on foot, it's not too far away. If you can get them out of the city, do it. Don't wait on us, we're not the target."
"I want answers when this is done."
"You'll get them, now go!"
Glyph looked at the others, then teleported away. Macro loaded up his weapon, then turned to the rest, "Be ready for battle. Now let's go."
He lead the way down a street, the other reluctantly followed, arming themselves as they did.
Leilani and Yasmine continued down the pathway. They chatted with one another as they did. At one point, Yasmine pulled out her phone, but as she looked at it, the screen flickered in and out. This caused her to stop. Leilani saw this and became worried.
"What's wrong?" she asked
"My phone isn't working, something is...check yours, please." she stated back
Confused, Leilani did so, and like Yasmine's, her phone flickered in and out, "Huh, my phone's not working either. Weird."
Yasmine tensed up at this, she began to look around, eyes glaring into the structures around her. Leilani saw this and became very curious.
"Are you scanning right now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because there's nothing in this city that should be jamming our phones, they were built to never be interfered with. So if they're not working..."
"It's intentional."
Now worried, Leilani begins to look around too. As Yasmine used her Semblance to scan the area, she got a beat on a person nearby. Her eyes went wide when her eyes revealed a hooded garb. She grabbed Leilani's hand and began to race away.
"Come on!" she whispered just before bolting away
The sisters raced down the street, trying to get away from whoever was following them. But as they did, not only did they notice the streets were surprisingly empty, but more and more hooded figures began to show up.
Eventually, in their haste to get away, they made a wrong turn, and ended up in a blocked off alley.
"Oh no." said Leilani realizing where they were
"Stay strong," Yasmine said consolingly, "we just have to...crud."
As she turned around towards their path out, a group of hooded people stood before them. Their robes were black, yet had an odd white symbol on their chest, and their faces were completely covered. Both the sisters tensed up as they saw them.
"Who are you?"
None of the people responded. This made Yasmine more angry.
"I said who are you?!"
"We do not respond to the impure." the people sang in unison
"Uh, you just did!" stated Leilani, which got a laugh from Yasmine
"I don't know who you think you are. But if you're looking for trouble? You found it."
Yasmine reached behind her back and activated her lance, then put it into drone mode, releasing the satellites, and aiming them at the people.
"Now back off!" she barked
Instead of leaving, the people began to hum, and from their robes they pulled out swords, all of which looked the same, and bore the crest on their robes. They began to sing, and the swords lit themselves on fire.
Leilani became gob smacked at this, "Uh...sis? Can we get out of here?
"Yeah, do it!" Yasmine replied
The hooded group approached, Leilani grabbed onto Yasmine by the waist, then used her Semblance to bound into the air, and onto a nearby roof. Without hesitation, she bounded off it and onto another roof, then another. She did this until she felt she was safe.
Taking a break on a roof, she looked down at the streets to see if they were clear, "What was that all about Yasmine?"
"I don't know," she answered uneasily, "but something tells me it won't be that easy to get away from them."
As if to answer the statement, the sound of singing filled the air. The sisters turned to see more hooded people on rooftops nearby. Each slowly moving towards them.
"Oh come on!" cried out Leilani dismayed
"Keep it together," said Yasmine calmly to her sister, "let's get out of here."
Leilani again grabbed onto her sister, and began to leap away, but this time, the hooded people were ready. They released ropes into the air to try and grab onto them. Though Leilani dodged many. Two grabbed onto her and Yasmine, and with a powerful pull, began to send them back down to the earth.
The sisters tried to free themselves, but nothing worked. Just before hitting the ground though, Glyph teleported under them, grabbed them, and teleported away. The hooded ones scattered after they saw them leave.
A little bit away, Glyph reappeared on the street, the sisters in his arms. He let them go, and fell to one knee, clenching his chest and breathing heavily. Leilani came to him and helped him up.
"Glyph! Thank goodness, wait, are you ok?" she asked concerned
"I pushed my Semblance a little too far." he said with a groan, "If I go too far a distance, especially with passengers, it hurts me."
"How did you find us? How did you know we were in trouble?" wondered Yasmine
"Macro. He saw something, said you were in trouble, sent me to find you. Better message him."
With Leilani's help, he got his phone out, and quickly texted Macro. A few seconds later, he got a response, and he motioned down the street.
"Him and the rest are that way. Let's go."
"Can you walk?" asked Leilani still concerned
"Yeah," he replied with a smile, "just don't ask me to teleport you both there."
He smiled at Leilani as he straightened himself back up, she blushed slightly and smiled back. Yasmine though snapped them back to reality with a look.
"Let's not dawdle, we need to get out of here."
With a nod, the three raced down the street to meet the others. Darkness had now set in on Vale, the only lights coming from the buildings around them. Yasmine took lead, as her eyes were the best early warning system they had.
As they approached the rendezvous point, they were again approached by the hooded people, who surrounded them once more. They drew their swords, and lit them on fire as they sang.
"Ok, you guys just made a big mistake." said Glyph readying his escrima
"I'll say." added Leilani activating her claws
"Let's take them." stated Yasmine releasing her drones from her lance
With a flurry of motion, the three approached the hooded group, and began to attack. Though outnumbered, they held their own. Glyph fought them in close quarters, using his escrima to block and parry their swords to get in shots of his own. Whenever the numbers became too much, he teleported around them, and began to pick them off.
Yasmine used her Semblance to anticipate as many of their moves as possible, all the while using her drones to drive back the horde of people When they got in close, she used two of her drones to reform her lance, and began mixing up her attacks to best them.
Not to be outdone, Leilani mixed her jumping skill with her claws to slice and dice the people. Using her dust sharpies, she frequently altered the style of her claws, giving her new abilities. Including setting her claws on fire, so that their robes would catch ablaze. Several of them ran away screaming as she set them alight.
Despite their skills, the group had the numbers advantage, and all three took hits. At one point, they all were pushed towards the same spot on the street, which allowed the group to surround them once again. They went back-to-back to ensure they weren't caught off guard. But even they worried as the group drew closer.
"Death to the impure, death to the impure..." they sang drawing closer
"Death to you idiots!" shouted a voice
The group turned just in time to see Reyson crashing into them with his aura charge, taking out a large chunk of the group. Macro, Diana, and The Lovers followed suit by letting loose their own attacks to break up the group.
"Protect Leilani and Yasmine!" ordered Macro, machine gun letting loose on the hooded people
The others formed up, and began to fight alongside one another to protect the others. This didn't stop Glyph, Yasmine, and Leilani from fighting either though, as the two teams combined to definitive drive them back. Eventually, the entire group was pushed away, leaving only GRYD and MEAL standing.
"Enough!" shouted Glyph, glaring at the fallen foes, "What is this about? What did they ever do to you?"
"They were created..." sang some of the group
Macro began to step towards one of them, face full of anger, but before he could reach, a thick cloud of darkness permeated the area. Macro looked around, then raced back to the group.
"Stay together! Don't let anyone get taken!"
The darkness enveloped them. They huddle close to ensure no one was taken. Soon, the darkness dissipated, and they all found themselves alone on the street.
"They're gone." said Leilani looking around
"No one is around except for us." added Yasmine after looking around with her Semblance
"Dang it...dang it!" roared Macro at the sky
The others looked at him concerned, Glyph came and put a hand on his shoulder, "We need to get back to Beacon. You can explain what's going on there."
"10-4."
Weapons still out, they made back for the school.
In the room of Team MEAL, the others waited for Macro to speak, but for a while, he just looked out the window, staring in the direction of Vale. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head.
"You ever see something you shouldn't have?" he asked
"What do you mean?" wondered Diana
He turned around to face them.
"You see something, and you are so confused, or so terrified by what you see, that you know you should've never even been there to see it in the first place?"
Most of them shook their heads, but Reyson and Glyph nodded. Macro nodded as well, then turned back to the window.
"My father is a soldier, as far as I've told you. But I what I haven't told you, is that he's part of a special group that seeks out enemies to the people of Remnant, and helps dispose of them. Legally, I mean."
"That's a relief, heaven forbid it wouldn't be legal." joked Reyson, who was silenced by a look from the others
"My father has seen a lot, and he keeps his findings on the computer at our house. One day, when I was young, he was away, and I went to the computer, just like I had done a thousand times..."
He paused, and hung his head in shame.
"I started to wander around his files, and I saw a file called "Heralds". I wasn't familiar with that word, so I clicked on it, and that's when I saw them."
"Saw who?" asked Glyph
Macro turned around, tears now in his eyes, "Faunus, hundreds of them."
"What's so bad about that?" wondered Leilani, though clearly fearing the answer
"Because Leilani, these Faunus were beaten, broken, or dead. All of them. Hundreds of them, thousands of them."
"What does this have to do with us and what happened today?" asked Yasmine intensely
"I'm getting to that. I was so shaken by this, I couldn't help but looks at the pictures, when my dad returned, he saw me at the computer, glued to them still. He pulled me away, tried to comfort me. But the only questions I could ask, was, "Who did this to them dad? Why would anyone cause this much pain?"
Macro wiped his eyes, and once again turned to the window. It was then that my dad told me a horrible truth, a truth that not many know about, or believe in. One that I now share with you. About the "Heralds of Purity".
"That...sounds familiar." noted Reyson
"Does it? Interesting."
"Who are they? asked Glyph
"During the war with the Faunus, both sides got desperate in the third year. Each side wanting something to tip the scales in their favor. As such, both sides sanctioned...extreme options. Groups that would go beyond the laws of conduct, the laws of reason. For the humans, this the Heralds of Purity. They weren't so much a group as a cult, ones who believed they were "blessed" with great purpose. To wipe out the Faunus from the face of Remnant."
Both Leilani and Yasmine reacted strongly to this, looking to each other in fear and uncertainty. Macro didn't see this, and thus continued.
"It started out small, vandalism of Faunus houses. Surprise attacks on any Faunus they saw. Their original intention was to just scare the Faunus population into submission, but it grew into something more fanatical. More evil. Over time, they went to kidnapping, torture, and murder. Cold-blooded murder. For months, they terrorized the Faunus population. Giving hope to the Humans that they had the edge. Ironically, this boost in confidence led to the true turning point in the war."
"The Battle of Fort Castle." stated Yasmine
"Yeah, that fool of a leader thought he could taken advantage of the situation, backfired totally. Lead to the Faunus having the upper hand. The Heralds petitioned the human leaders for more power, more leniency, more terror. But the war had gone on long enough, and the treaty was formed and signed. It was over. Or so they say."
"What don't we know?" asked Glyph
Macro turned to his friend, expression full of sadness, "As part of the treaty, all extremist groups on both sides were declared criminals, and disbanded, then tried for their crimes. Unfortunately, the Heralds concealed their identities. So very few were caught. They promised to return one day, and finish the "purpose" they were given."
"But that was nearly a century ago!" cried out Leilani, "They would all be old! Or dead!"
"And the world is such a peaceful place when it comes to Humans and Faunus? No hate still exists?"
Leilani went quiet at this, as did Yasmine, who both know how harsh the world is to their kind. Macro shook his head sadly at this.
"Hatred for Faunus still permeates the four kingdoms. Just the way it is. No doubt the Heralds went underground, tried to rebuild, but were afraid of taking action so soon. So they waited, and now they're here."
"Ok, I get the history lesson," stated Diana still confused, "but your reaction, and that symbol on the wall, what was that about?"
"Because they were hidden in plain sight, the Heralds had to do something to let the others know when an attack was going to take place. In the old days, they would paint symbols on walls in public places as a kind of early warning system. That was what I saw on the wall, and it was fresh, the paint was still wet, which is why I knew the threat was imminent. As for my reaction..."
He sighed bitterly, and pulled out his phone. He typed up a few things then tossed it to Glyph. Who looked at it and passed it to the others.
"Before I came to Beacon, I was on a mission with my father. Not long after, he received intel that the Heralds had emerged. To prove this...Faunus are being kidnapped all over Remnant. Small numbers, but still noticeable to those who know what to look for."
"How is that possible? How can people not see they're missing?" asked Reyson after looking at the phone
"Come on Reyson! We live in a world of Grimm who are right outside our borders! What's more believable? That they were attacked by hooded figures from a cult made a century ago? Or by monsters outside our doors?
Reyson looked away angrily, the others got angry as well at this.
"So what are we going to do?" asked Erin speaking up for the first time, "Do we go to Night? Tell him what happened? He has pull!"
"We don't know their faces Erin." said Aaron knowingly, "It wouldn't do much good."
"Exactly," acknowledged Macro, "and even if we left the symbol standing, few know what that means."
"Can we even go to Vale again?" asked Leilani, shifting in place uncomfortably, "I don't know if I can knowing they're there."
"We can't live in fear," said Glyph confidently to her, making her smile, "we stick together, we show we aren't afraid of them."
"That's right," said Macro with a nod, "they'll be back, for sure. We keep our eyes open, catch them if we can, then we blow their cover wide open. I'll let my father know what happened, maybe he can find something we won't."
"So just to be clear..." said Reyson, getting everyone to turn to them, "We have Grimm, modified Grimm that's more powerful than regular Grimm, and now a cult wanting to kidnap and kill all Faunus. I'm all for a fight, but even I hesitate at those odds."
They all went quiet, all thinking of the darkness that lied just outside their school.
Not so far away, Headmaster Night watched a video on his personal phone. It was of Reyson destroying the wall with the Herald's symbol. He watched it over and over until he paused it just right so he could see the symbol.
"They're back." he said bitterly,
*credits*