GRYD Chapter 13 - The Last Stand
Far away, several cloaked figures gathered in a room in a circle. One spot was empty for a time, until another cloaked figured filled it.
This figure looked around the group, and a male voice rang out "Is the plan ready?"
"It'll begin momentarily," answered a female voice, "by the end of the day, the attack will begin on Vale."
"Are the children there? The ones who stopped us?"
"It's hard to say, it's likely they're students at Beacon. However, their...ability to be around when trouble comes makes it likely that they'll be there one way or another."
"Good. What of the captured?"
The cloaked female shifted in place, "Plans are in motion, but it will take time. He's holding strong for now. But..."
The man grunted, "Orchid is stronger, I know that from personal experience. Use any means you have to. Silence him, or free him, I care not which. But do it quickly. After these attacks, we must go underground for a time. The Heralds must not be exposed, not yet."
The group muttered in agreement, and one by one they all left the circle.
At Beacon Academy, in the room of Team GRYD, Glyph got ready for the day, as he put on his overcoat, he winced in pain. His shoulder was still hurting from the knife shot he got during the protection mission. He took it to protect Diana, and though he was healed on the outside, the insides still stung. He was assured though that wouldn't last much longer, he was holding them to that.
He turned to his teammates, who were also getting ready. It had been a few days since the mission, and though everyone was playing down what happened, at the request of Headmaster Night, all were still reeling from the fact that the Heralds of Purity almost got their hands on top notch Dust that was meant for the military. It weighed on them heavily that at any moment, the Heralds could do another attack, one far away from them, and this time, get what they want. Glyph was especially burdened by this.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his funk. He went and opened it, and was surprised that Leilani was there.
"Hey Glyph," she said with a kind smile
"Hey Leilani," he replied, "I'll get Yasmine."
"Actually...I wanted to talk to you."
He looked at her curiously, but then smiled, "Ok, what's up?"
Clearly surprised it went that smoothly, Leilani fidgeted in place, and focused on her Dust Sharpie bandoleer, "I...um...wanted to see how you were feeling, with your shoulder and all. I know you've been in and out of the infirmary since the mission."
"Yeah, routine though, I'm fine."
"Good...good..."
Silence followed, Leilani tried to meet Glyphs' eyes, but quickly brought them back down. Glyph laughed softly as he saw this, "Is that all you wanted to ask?"
Her bunny ears fell flat against her head, which hid the fact that she was blushing, but to her credit, she took a deep breath and looked up at him with confident eyes, "Actually...I wanted to see if you...would be up for going-"
"Glyph!" came a shout
He turned into the room, and saw that Diana, Yasmine, and Reyson were all ready to leave. The shout though came from Diana specifically, who had a very odd look on her face, "Talk later, we're going to be late for class."
Glyph looked at her suspiciously, but nodded before turning back to Leilani, "To be continued, ok?"
"Ok...ok..." she said defeated
With that, Glyph turned and left. Reyson came out next and gave a sympathetic shrug to her. Diana was next, and didn't look at Leilani at first, but once into the hallway, she spun around, and wagged a finger back and forth teasingly to her before turning around again.
Leilani hung her head in shame once Diana was out of sight, and let out an audible groan.
"You were going to ask him, weren't you?" asked Yasmine as she came up to her sister
"Yeah..." she said sadly
Yasmine came over and hugged Leilani, who found comfort in this.
"I know it didn't go down like you wanted, but think of it like this, if it wasn't for Diana, you would've asked. That's a big step for you."
"Yeah...I guess it is."
"And if it helps? I'll distract Diana next time, make sure she doesn't interfere."
This surprised Leilani, "You saw that finger wag?"
Yasmine made a sound of disgust, "No, but that certainly sounds like Diana. I saw her getting more and more agitated as you and Glyph continued to talk. She couldn't hear you, but, she could probably guess where things were headed. So she broke it up."
"All's fair in love and war I guess..."
"Oh, so you love Glyph now?"
Leilani froze in place and blushed, Yasmine laughed and wrapped an arm around her sister and guided her down the hallway, "I'm kidding, just relax. Something tells me this'll be an eventful day. Who knows, you might get another chance to ask him out."
"Thanks sis."
As Leilani and Yasmine made it to their class, they were surprised when all the others, and all their other classmates were simply waiting in the halls.
"What's going on?" asked Yasmine as they got closer
"No clue," answered Reyson, who then pointed to the classroom door they were supposed to have gone through, "note says wait in the halls, except all the doors say that apparently."
"That's weird." noted Leilani
"In more ways than one," stated Aaron, looking suspicious, "the teachers don't like to do surprises, I wonder if something is up."
"I hope not." wished Erin
"Let's not jump to conclusions," said Macro in a calm voice, "could be nothing."
"Worrying does no one good." added Glyph
"Whatever you say, partner." teased Diana with a playful smile to him
Glyph rolled his eyes and shook his head. Diana meanwhile laughed and gave a look to Leilani, who looked away. But when Diana saw Yasmine glaring at her, she backed off. They went into separate conversations until a tapping of the speaker system got their attention.
"Students, attention students. This is Headmaster Night."
Everyone stopped cold at this, and immediately turned their heads towards the closest speaker.
"As you know, you all recently partook in missions for the greater good of Remnant. I was very happy to review all the reports and find out that you were all successful in your tasks. Thus, after discussing it with your teachers, we have decided to give you a day off. You can do whatever you want, even go to Vale if you so wish, we have transports outside waiting for you to do so if you desire to go. Just remember, you represent Beacon. Do behave. A wonderful day students, you've earned it."
The moment he was done, the students leapt for joy and shouted for their day off. Once the noise had died down, the students went off in all directions. Both GRYD and MEAL waited though, and only once everyone else was gone did they speak.
"Didn't see that coming." revealed Glyph
"It is odd..." agreed Macro
"Hey!" exclaimed Diana, getting their attention with a snap of the finger, "What happened to not jumping to conclusions? Let's enjoy this chance and go to Vale, we can have fun like last time!"
"We were attacked by the Heralds last time." corrected Yasmine
"Fair...but that was at the tail end of the day, the rest was fun, right?"
She looked to the others for support, who all nodded in agreement.
"It would be nice to see the city again..." said Leilani meekly, "we could all go together again...if you want to course."
Diana was surprised by her support, Glyph, Macro, and Yasmine all smiled at her because of it.
"Frankly," interjected Aaron, "we owe it to ourselves to relax for a bit. That mission...it pushed us hard, we've been on edge ever since we got back."
"We might not admit it, but we're all tense. Especially with Glyph getting injured. Why not take a day for us. Don't we deserve it after all the good we've done?"
With Erin's appeal, they all got a little more relaxed, Reyson let out his usual laugh, "The city beckons! Why not see what it offers this go round?"
Macro put up a hand to calm them down, "Let's make it fair, who wants to go to Vale?"
They all raised their hands, even Glyph. Macro nodded pleased.
"Great, let's go then."
With a motion, they headed down the hallway, then out the school, and towards the city.
The city of Vale was booming with life once they arrived, because it was early in the morning still, people and Faunus were off to work, and starting their work days. As GRYD and MEAL arrived and looked around, they all wondered what they should do.
Reyson looked around at his possible opponents and cracked his knuckles, "So, where to first?"
"Somewhere you won't get us in trouble." stated Reyson
"That's not a lot of options."
"Say the word and I can make it EVERY option."
The two glared at each other, and only a whistle broke them up. It was Macro, who looked at them in disbelief, "Seriously? Didn't we start the last Vale trip in a similar fashion."
The two looked at the other, then back to Macro, "Maybe."
"My gosh, Glyph, take over."
"I don't care where we go. But this...we stay together, all day. Ok? Just this once."
Though unhappy about it at first, they all agreed.
Macro patted Glyph on the shoulder for the suggestion, "Good call. Probably safer that way. Though this was an unexpected trip, you never know what's coming. I say we just walk the streets first, and see what catches our eyes, ok?"
"Wonderful!" said Aaron loudly, and extending an arm to Erin, "Shall we?"
"With pleasure." she said with a smile as she wrapped her arm around his
After the Lovers took point Diana, Reyson, Yasmine, and Leilani soon followed, with Macro and Glyph taking the rear. They wandered the streets for a while, just taking a look at the people, or seeing what sights greeted them.
Soon though, Macro looked at Glyph with concern, "How's the shoulder?"
"Ha! You're the second member of your team to ask about that today." replied Glyph
"Oh, so that's why Leilani stayed behind. That all you two talked about?"
"Pretty much. She was going to ask me something, but Diana "interrupted" us."
Macro whistled lowly, "Wow. You poor soul Glyph, two girls pining after you. Got a preference?"
Glyph grunted, "I like them both, but only one annoys me currently."
"Wow, can't believe you find Leilani annoying..."
Glyph gave him a "come on, man!" look, to which Macro laughed and waved him down, "I'm kidding! Kidding."
"Right. Anyway, what should we do?"
"Well, I suggest luring Diana away so that Leilani can ask you-"
"About the Heralds Macro!"
"Oh, right...that's what you meant." Macro teased
"Macro..." warned Glyph
"Ok, ok. In all honesty? I don't know. That knife that pierced your shoulder? It shouldn't have broke through your Aura like that. You were rested a bit before he threw it. It should've blocked it, But it didn't. That worries me."
"Same."
"Be honest, does it hurt still?"
"Yeah, it does."
"Well, just try and take it easy today, ok?"
"Almost looking out for me."
"That's what friends do. That and hook up their best friends with girls that like them."
Macro made to continue, but another glare from Glyph shut him down, but with a laugh. Before they could start another conversation, they looked up to see Leilani waving them down.
"Come on you guys!" she called out to them, "You have to check this out! There's a little party happening over here."
Intrigued, the two sped up to see what was going on. To their surprise, there was indeed a mini-party of sorts going on. A group was playing instruments on a corner of a street. There were flutes, guitars, even a violin, all playing just for the fun of playing. The crowd that was around them was very much into it. And as Macro and Glyph got even closer, they saw why.
For in an open space, The Lovers were dancing to the music. Not to please anyone, but rather, just so they could dance with the other. Their eyes rarely left the gaze of the others as they danced, twirled, and moved to the beat of the instruments.
Glyph couldn't help and smile at the purity of the act he was seeing. Though he wouldn't admit, he was a bit jealous of the connection Aaron and Erin had with one another. It was a pure love that he wasn't sure he could ever have because of his past.
"Want to be next, partner?" said Diana suddenly appearing at his side
"No." he responded bluntly, "Don't ruin their moment."
"I said "next", as in after they're done. Even I'm enjoying this, I wouldn't ruin it."
"That's good to know."
"So is that a "yes"?
"No."
"You'll dance with me one day, I promise you that."
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I don't."
He looked at her with a glare, but Diana responded with an innocent smile, and he couldn't help but laugh and shake his head before returning his attention to The Lovers, who were still dancing the day away.
Soon though, the band finished their song, and The Lovers finished their dance. Which immediately made the crowd clap in appreciation. GRYD and MEAL clapped the loudest for their friends. Aaron and Erin bowed to the crowd, and made sure attention was given to the band as well before rejoining their friends.
Macro patted Aaron on the shoulder as they came over, "You two always did know how to put on a show."
"Very nice, both of you." added Glyph
"Well, we don't get to dance as much as we used too," admitted Erin with a sad smile, "we couldn't resist."
"And I'm glad we didn't!" boasted Aaron proudly, "I feel more alive than we did during that mission. Also...that just reaffirmed my love for you Erin."
"Aww..."
"Ugh," gagged Diana, "you had to go there didn't you? You couldn't just say she's a magnificent dancer?"
"I already knew that, that doesn't bear repeating. My response though will be said every day for as long as we're together."
"And I will gag every time I hear it happen so sappily."
The others laughed at this, even The Lovers. Reyson though was happy to break up the love fest, "Ok, we did your kind of fun can we wander around some more, see if my kind of fun finds us?"
"Why must you always ruin the moment?" asked Yasmine testily
"Better someone you know than someone you don't." he snapped back
"Why you little-"
"Sis, don't." begged Leilani, "Let's go walk around, see what else Vale has to offer today."
"Fine. But you lead Leilani."
With that, Leilani and Yasmine took point and led the others off down a path. Both Glyph and Macro shot warning looks at Reyson as they passed by him to not cause trouble.
Far away, in a laboratory, a man examines Grimm that are contained in tubes. Some are augmented, while others maintain their purest forms. He writes down notes on a clipboard as he examines them.
"Hmm...changes are happening quickly in this one...but not in the other, why?" he asks himself as he examines a couple of Boarbatusks, "I thought I had perfected the enhancements in the last batch, did I forget something?"
He strums his chin and writes some notes before going to a string of capsules containing Nevermores of various sizes. He smiles evilly as he looks at them.
"And you, I can't wait to show you off. Your beauty will be known, even if only for a short time. I just need to wait for the right moment to-"
A small alarm goes off, the man looks in shock at the warning lights above him, then races to a computer and frantically types on it.
"I haven't had an alert like this in ages, what is going on?"
Screen after screen is brought up on his computer, and the man struggles to see the danger.
"Vale? There's nothing wrong in Vale, I have cameras there. Nothing at Beacon...where is...? Oh no..."
He taps some buttons, and the mans expression gets more and more afraid.
"That's not...that's not...no...no, no, no."
On the computer, a wave of black dots marches towards the city of Vale.
"That's Grimm, but why? They've must've been...oh, those monsters!"
With a roar, he picks up the computer and slams it against the wall. He composes himself though, and quickly raises to another computer, "I have to let him know, it's the only way. Vale can't fall."
At Beacon, Headmaster Night works on some papers when a notification from his computer gets his attention.
"Hmm, unknown sender...better check it." he said before bringing up the email and going wide-eyed, "Vale about to be attacked by Grimm, proof attached. Warn them now?"
Night brought up the image showing the Grimm coming, and rose from his desk and pressed a button on a phone near him, "Squire! Get me the security posts in Vale, the city is in danger!"
In the city, GRYD and MEAL were dining on some cotton candy, each of them enjoying a different flavor.
"Good call on this Leilani, it really hit the spot." said Glyph with a smile to her
"Thanks," she replied, using her cotton candy to hide her blushing face, "our parents used to treat us to cotton candy when we could afford it. It's been a while though."
"All the more reason to enjoy it now," encouraged Yasmine, "and that is what we will do. Right?"
"Right."
"My mom used to give me cotton candy." noted Reyson as he ate his, which got surprised everyone, as he rarely talked about his mother
"What happened?" wondered Macro
Reyson sighed heavily, "My other relatives decided it was a bad idea, as it was clearly "encouraging" my "bad behavior"."
"Wow, they tried to do positive and negative reinforcement on you? That's sad."
"Yeah, yeah it was. Because clearly I turned out so much better for it."
He laughed at his own jest, and the others joined in too. They all went back to eating their candy, and soon they were all finished and waiting for their next destination to be pointed out to them.
"Where to next?" Erin asked
"Not over there..." pointed out Aaron
They all looked to where he was pointing, and across the way was Team PRME. Rita, Maggie, and Primrose were all talking with one another, with Elenor bringing up the rear.
Glyph growled at the mistreatment of Elenor, and made a move to do something about it, but Macro held him back, "Not here man, don't cause a scene. Besides, you know you can't change them."
"Yeah...I just wish that-"
An alarm silenced them, and everyone in the immediate area stopped cold as it sounded. Macro and Glyph got the most worried of the group, while the others just look confused.
"What's that alarm?" asked Diana
"It's the Grimm alarm!" shouted Macro over the noise, "It only sounds when there's a large amount of Grimm coming towards the city."
"And everyone knows it, so now the Grimm will be coming even faster."
"Why?" wondered Leilani
"Because Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, and fear is negative. In trying to protect Vale, they might have just assured its destruction."
A screeching noise stopped the talking, and a voice came over several loudspeakers, "Citizens of Vale, please remain calm and head towards the designated shelters. This is not a drill."
Immediately, people began running around in fear for their lives. GRYD and MEAL though stayed calm as they watched the chaos around them.
"What do we do?" asked Reyson getting his swords out, "Do we fight? Or do we help with evacuation?"
This again surprised them all, to which Reyson countered, "What? I'm not above saving lives, especially when I don't even know where the enemy is!"
Macro got out his E-Tool and put it in machine gun mode, "He's right, we need to help the people out, but we also need to see where the Grimm are coming from. Glyph?"
"I'm on it. Let me get you some extra help though."
He teleported away, and appeared next to Team PRME, who surprisingly hadn't left the area yet. They were shocked by his sudden appearance, "Why haven't you run yet?"
Primrose scoffed, "Because running in this mob would get us killed."
"Good thinking. Macro and the others are going to help with the evacuation while I find out where the Grimm are coming from. Will you help them?"
"You're asking for my help?"
"Yes. Miracles do happen. Consider this a chance to atone for past sins."
"You think you can-"
"We'll do it!" interjected Elenor, to Primrose's horror and Glyph's delight, "What do you need?"
"Go to Macro, he'll guide you, he knows the city well, and where the shelters will be."
"Ok."
Elenor left, followed by Rita, then Maggie, Primrose glared at Glyph before turning and leaving herself.
"Primrose." said Glyph
Primrose turned to look at him, "What?"
"You bail? You abandon your team, or mine? I will find you after this, and you won't like the conversation."
"I look forward to it.
With that, she left, and Glyph teleported away.
Within the city, MEAL, PRME, and most of GRYD helped get people to safety, the city was in a mad rush, but they kept it civil as best they could. Meanwhile, GRYD teleported from one part of the city to the other to try and get a good vantage point on everything. When he couldn't find anything, he looked up, and then teleported as high into the sky as he could.
Once in the air, he spun around, and from his viewpoint, he saw that the Grimm were coming from the northeast side of Vale, a black mob of beasts on the land and in the air. He grimaced as he saw how close they were and teleported away.
Back on the ground, he appeared before the others as they continued to help with the evacuation. Macro was the first to see his return, and waved the others to converge, everyone did so, even PRME.
"How bad?" asked Macro without fear
"Bad." Glyph bad, "Very bad."
"Give us numbers!" demanded Reyson, "20? 50? 100?"
"Hundreds."
"Crap."
"Yeah, they're coming in from the northeast."
"That's where we are now." noted Primrose
"Yeah, so it's a good thing we were evacuating here first."
"So what do we do?" asked Diana, unsure of what the others would say mostly
Silence filled the ranks, until a familiar laugh broke it up. They turned to see Reyson smiling evilly, "I always wanted to die a hero."
"This isn't a joke Reyson!" exclaimed Elenor, "If you go out, you will die more than likely."
"I wasn't joking Elenor. It's like Night said, some of us weren't going to make it to graduation. I might as well be the one to kick it off."
"Not alone you won't." interjected Yasmine, much to Reyson's surprise, "I'm coming too."
"Dying by my side? You really do care."
"Ha, while you're thinking with your "heart", I'm thinking with my mind. If Vale falls? A lot of people will die, including our friends at Beacon, the Grimm won't stop here. If I can help deter that? I will."
"We will." corrected Leilani
Macro laughed, "Count me in."
"And us!" said The Lovers in unison
"Ok, I'm in." said Diana with a playful shrug
"You know I'm game." added Glyph before turning to PRME, "You help with the evacuation, keep these people safe. And if you see anyone from Beacon, tell them to get back to the school, ok?"
"Sure." said Primrose
"But Glyph-" started Elenor near tears
He stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "This is our last stand, not yours. Stay here, help the people, we'll do all we can to slow the Grimm down."
Elenor nodded in understanding, and watched as the others left for the northeast entrance to the city. As they did, Primrose watched them with narrowing eyes.
Now outside the city, they all readied their weapons and prepared themselves for battle. They ran until they were a good distance away from the city, and from the horde of Grimm and stopped so they could catch their breath.
The horde got closer, the large mass of black bodies mixed with red eyes chilled all the members of GRYD and MEAL. But they steeled themselves, and prepared for battle. To their surprise though, the sound of footsteps broke their concentration. They turned to see PRME racing to join them.
Glyph watched as Primrose stood next to him, her poleax at the ready, "I thought I told you to help with the evacuation."
She scoffed and smiled, "Yeah, and you always told me not to abandon your team. I didn't want that "conversation" you mentioned."
"...thank you Primrose."
"Thank me if we don't die."
"Right."
The Grimm drew closer, close enough that they changed their pace from slow march to fast run so that they could attack GRYD, MEAL, and PRME. Macro took a step forward to get the teams attention, "Do NOT take them on alone, stay in your partner duos or in your teams. If anyone gets separated, get them back. Only together do we have a chance. A whole city is counting on us. They cannot enter the city."
Each one prepared for the battle in their own way, and within seconds, the first wave of Grimm arrived, and they attacked.
Pairing up into their partner duos, the initial wave of Beowolfs, Boarbatusks, and small Nevermores were almost immediately cut down by the teams. Giving them plenty of time to recover and adjust for the second wave. The mass of Grimm let loose Ursa, Griffons, Creeps, and Beringels. Though tougher, the teams again worked together, and defeated their foes.
Thus how it went for the next few minutes. Wave after wave of Grimm attacked the teams, but all were beat back. Yet, despite all the deaths, the mass of Grimm didn't get any smaller to their eyes. After one wave, as they prepared for the next, a loud screeching filled the air, and they all looked up to see a massive Nevermore about to crash into the ground.
They all dodged out of the way just as it landed. But between that and the flap of the Nevermores wings, they got separated into much smaller numbers. Worse still, they had no time to regroup, as the next wave of Grimm met them in action.
Each duo worked together to try and defeat all the Grimm that came to them. Yasmine guided Reyson with her Semblance so his attacks would do the most damage. Macro and Leilani used their skills to pick apart their foes as well. The Lovers blinded or blocked any Grimm that dared harm them, then struck back in kind. Rita and Elenor straight up overwhelmed their foes with strikes, the same went from Maggie and Primrose. For Glyph and Diana, Diana would use her whip to stun a Grimm, and Glyph would finish it off with his Escrima or his shoutgun.
The more time went on though, the more dire the situation got. As good as they were, and as good as their numbers were, the Grimm just didn't stop coming. All of them were taking damage, and it was only because of their partners that the attacks weren't fatal.
After taking a bad hit himself, Glyph surveyed the battlefield and saw just how bad things were getting. What made his fear get even worse was that coming closer to them from the horde were a pair of Goliaths, Death Stalkers, and King Taijitus. He could tell they were going to lose, and worse, they were going to die. As he tried to get up, he heard the many screams of his friends getting hurt again. He closed his eyes, and teleported away.
In a flash, he went to every single one of them and teleported them back into Vale, far enough so that they wouldn't be in an immediate danger from the horde. All were surprised when they appeared in the city, though the reason was clear when they were all safe, and Glyph stood before them breathing heavily.
"I'm...I'm sorry. Goodbye."
He vanished one last time. Much to the horror of his teammates and friends. But Diana and Leilani made to go after him, but were held back by Macro and Yasmine.
"Let me go!" roared Diana
"You won't make it in time! Do you see where we are? We're in the middle of the city!" Macro shouted back, "He put us here so we couldn't follow him."
"We can't leave him!" cried Leilani
"Leilani," said Yasmine sadly, tears in her eyes, "he's trying to save us. Give us a chance to get help and fight another day. We need to honor that."
Both Diana and Leilani were silence by this. And everyone stopped to reflect on what just happen. All except Reyson, who was looking into the sky, "Uh, guys, do you see that?"
In front of the Grimm horde stood Glyph, shaking badly from overuse of his Semblance, but still willing to fight, he laughed as the Grimm stalked slowly towards him, "I'm sorry, did I take your meal? Well, I'm fully of anger right now boys, so feast on this."
Glyph let out a roar of defiance at them, and the Grimm seemed to enjoy it, and raced to him to finish him off. Two Beowolfs reached him first, but were killed instantly by two large pods that landed right in front of Glyph, much to his surprise, and the Grimms.
The pods were large, and made of pure metal. They stood there for a bit, then slowly opened, and out from them came Night and Squire, but not as Glyph had seem them before. Rather, they came out decked in full on armor. Night had lance that was larger than he was, and Squire wielded a broadsword that he theoretically shouldn't have been able to wield.
The two stood to face the horde, who were displeased at the new arrivals. Before attacking though, Night turned to Glyph, "Mr. Masterson, I know a thing or two about last stands, and I never want to see one of my students partake in one. So let us handle this."
"I'm grateful...but just the two of you?" asked Glyph still exhausted
"We're stronger than...we...look..."
He looked into the sky, and another object was heading toward them. It crashed not far away from Night and Squire. It was another pod, it opened, and a man walked out. He was tall, and wore a gray garment with a large cloth coming off the back. His eyes were a lighter shade of grey, while his hair was a dark gray. In his hand was a large staff with a glowing orb at the top.
"Sorry I'm late." said the man
Squire looked at him in disbelief, "Wizzer? You're...here."
"Hey Squire, Night."
"Wiz." said Night with a nod
The man known as Wizzer stepped towards the horde, and raised his staff up, "Chat later boys, we got a city to save...again."
He slammed his staff on to the ground, a blast of energy shot out from the orb and consumed many Grimm, killing them instantly. The Grimm stunned, Night and Squire took advantage and began attacks of their own. Nights lance pierced any Grimm it touched, and when he needed a larger attack, he spit the forward part of his lance, and charged up a massive attack that destroyed many Grimm at once.
Not to be outdone, Squire took out many Grimm himself, slicing and chopping numerous Grimm at once. He even took out one of the Goliaths all on his own. He also picked off many of the Grimm via a rifle that his sword transformed into.
Wizzer used his "magic" and Dust manipulation to overwhelm the Grimm, or break them up into much more manageable groups. As Glyph watched, he couldn't help but think he was a true wizard.
Despite it being three against many, Night, Squire, and Wizzer took out all the Grimm. The few that survived ran away in a panic that Glyph had never seen before.
Once the battle was over, Night immediately went to check on Glyph, "Are you ok?"
Glyph nodded, "I...pushed myself really hard to save the others."
"Noble. Knight-worthy even. Heh, heh.
Glyph laughed along with Night and Squire. Wizzer didn't join them though. Instead, he went into his pod and launched back into the sky. As Night and Squire saw this, Glyph noticed two different emotions on their faces. Squire's was sadness, while Nights was anger.
Now alone, Night helped Glyph up, and they made their way back to Vale.
Hours later, at Beacon, Macro and Glyph sat alone in the cafeteria. Glyph was eating a meal to restore his strength. While Macro just watched to ensure nothing happened to him.
"You're an idiot." he stated to Glyph
"That's the sixth time you said that." replied Glyph with a smile
"And I'll keep saying it! You shouldn't have done that. I thought Reyson was the one with a death wish, not you."
"I wanted to ensure you all got to safety."
"Idiot."
"Seven. Don't feel lucky though."
This got Macro to laugh, "You're lucky that half our teams were just happy you were alive, and that Diana only punched you once. I thought Leilani was going to hit you too! Surprised Reyson didn't though."
"He was jealous of what I did, not angry." revealed Glyph
"Fair enough. You're lucky Night and Squire saved your butt."
"Wizzer."
"Sorry?"
"Wizzer was there too."
"Wait...Taupen Wizzer? The final member of KGHT?"
Glyph shrugged, "I guess, is that bad?"
Macro got an uncertain look on his face, "Surprising. The battle that made KGHT a legend was also said to have torn them apart. The fourth member died a month after the battle. Gargo Lord. Taupen disappeared not long after that. Only Night and Squire stayed in the public eye for whatever reason. This was the first time they've probably seen each other in years.
"Wonder why he came back."
"Guess we'll never know."
In Vale, in a bar, in a booth in the far back sat Night, a glass of water before him. A waiter come up to him, "Sir? Are you sure water is all you need? It seems like you could use something stronger."
Night smiled, "Thank you, but I need faculties for my guest."
"Guest?"
"Him."
He pointed behind the waiter, and Wizzer entered the bar, and made a beeline for Night, and sat across from him in the booth.
"Water please." said Wizzer to the waiter
"Heh, you two must be friends. I'll get you that water."
The waiter left, and the two sat in silence for some time, until Night leaned forward, "Thank you for today."
"I didn't do it for you." replied Wizzer
"I know, but you warned me anyway."
"I knew you could do something about it."
"Right."
Night looked at Wizzer with a glare, but Wizzer shook his head, "I didn't send that horde Night."
"I know, but you did send those modified Grimm to my school."
Wizzer smiled at this, "How long did it take you-"
"All of three seconds. You always were brilliant, a true wizard when it came to Dust and science. You always talked about how killing Grimm wasn't a permanent solution to the Remnant problem. So when you disappeared, and then those changed Grimm appeared? Didn't take long."
"If it helps, I sent them to your school because I knew you could take care of it."
"It doesn't help."
"Right, Kendall Night, Mr. High and Mighty! Leader of KGHT, legend of the Last Stand of Schrienian."
"You were a legend too from that battle."
Wizzer became very angry at this, "That whole thing was a joke Night, and you know it! We weren't legends, we were lucky."
"...I know." Night admitted, much to Wizzer's surprise, "We weren't even supposed to be there. We just...happened on it. If it wasn't for Gargo we wouldn't even have gone."
"The big lummox. That guy loved to fight, I swear he could sense that onslaught of Grimm, and led us right to it. We were never a team when it came to fighting. So why did it all click that day, huh?"
"I don't know, but we did, and we became heroes for it. Or so they claim."
"They didn't care about the dead, or the pain and loss that was caused," said Wizzer bitterly, "all they cared about were the "heroes", made me sick. Do they even know what really happened to us after that?"
"No, the truth they created was easier to take."
"It was for all of us, that's why Gargo did what he did, then he died, and I couldn't handle it. Squire wasn't much better, I see he's still clinging to you. And you...you went back to school. Why?"
"To prevent another us from happening. That's why I went into battle today, for that boy that was there. His team is so much like us, it's scary. I will not have them have our fate."
"How noble. Futile, but noble."
"I could say the same of your endeavors. You really think your way will solve the worlds problems."
"Yes, just as much as you think you can save these kids by teaching them."
Silence again filled the gap, and the waiter brought over the glass of water for Wizzer, who chugged it in seconds.
Night just watched while he did so, "Do you know who sent the horde today?"
"The Heralds. It's the only explanation. And don't play dumb, I know you know they're back."
"I do. Why they do this though? It's too big, too risky."
Wizzer laughed, "Is it? What's more believable? "Grimm destroy Vale!" or, "Hooded group terrorizes city"?"
"Point taken."
"Yeah. Look, I know you don't approve of my methods. And I know that if you had the proof, you would lock me up and throw away the key, right?"
"Yes, I would."
"Good old Night. Anyway, I don't want this world to fall, not to Grimm, and not to people. That's why I'm trying to bridge the gap. And I'm getting close. The modified Grimm were just a byproduct of that, they were never the endgoal. But I promise, if any danger, that I don't cause, comes to Vale or your school, and I catch it, I will let you know. I owe you that. Oh fearless leader."
Night smiled as the joke triggered old memories, "I would appreciate that, Wiz."
The waiter once again came over, and refilled their glasses with water. Wizzer took his and raised it up, "To The Last Stand of Team KGHT. Friends one last time."
"To KGHT." said Night as he raised his glass
The two drank their water, then just looked sadly at the other. For they knew that once they left that booth, they would be enemies once again.
*Credits*
*Season 01 Has Ended! But Season 02 Will Be Just As Impactful! Stay Tuned For GRYD's Return!*