For a long time, Torvi had always been around chattering. No matter where she went, the voices followed. The voices were maddening at first, but with Alva's teachings, she learned to quiet her mind and let the voices just talk away without reservation. To listen rather than shut them out.
They were her personal cheer squad. Tense situations seemed less so with them just talking about how the ground looked like a disfigured dwarf or how they used to successfully takedown a bear with five strikes.
But now, because Hella caged them, her mind was too quiet. She needed sound and she didn't care from where. Even Hella with her obnoxious belittling was a welcomed than this... torture.
"You alright, Torvi? You did drink a bottle of liquor after all."
Thankfully, her salvation came in the form of a black prior and a scarlet reaper.
"Her people are sturdier than you can imagine. I doubt that bottle even got her buzzed." Olivia said.
"'Her people'?" Ruby echoed.
Torvi cackled. "True that!"
The shaman was at the front, sniffing the ground and air like a bloodhound. Hell, she even crawled on all fours like one. The action reminded Ruby of Zwei, her cute dog back in Patch. 'Oh, I miss him so much.'
Ruby looked to her left to see Olivia doing her own scouting, keeping an eye out for any attacks on her side. Ruby did the same, but not with the same vigor as the black prior. "So... what brought you to Beacon?"
Both Torvi and Olivia stopped and turned to her. Ruby was flustered at being put on the spot so suddenly.
"I mean, word around school is that you snuck in and asked to be accepted, so, I was like... curious?"
Olivia then turned to Torvi, who snickered and shrugged. "Well, Beacon is renowned for its decades of spotless education and top-of-the-line training equipment and facilities. Since I desire education, I seek for the best." Oliva answered curtly.
"Oh! Yeah! Why else? Beacon's awesome. Not like the other schools are terrible or anything, 'cause they're not! They're cool too! And I'm not asking you this because I find you being here bad or anything, please don't misunderstand! I just... eh..."
"...You don't initiate conversations very often, do you?"
Ruby withered a bit at the accusation. She was the most socially awkward in her team and was still learning to come out her shell. She wasn't surprised Olivia could see that. She expected Torvi had as well.
Instead of tease or poke at this weakness of hers, Olivia comforted her and said, "I can empathize. I don't usually socialize."
"Yeah, tell me about it. I feel better tinkering and ogling weapons than people. At least weapons don't laugh at you when say something weird, you know? Especially when most of the people are two years older and stronger."
Olivia could understand. She was also someone to be put in charge of others at a young age. She started her black prior career when she was sixteen and earned the right to lead when she was twenty, the youngest black prior leader in Ashfeld. It wasn't easy when most of your squad was seasoned veterans, but it got easier with time and learning what each member of your team could do.
Perhaps that was the reason why Ruby found it hard to interact with others. She probably felt lesser than her more experienced peers.
"Don't let your age delude you. Ozpin chose you for a reason. He can tell you have potential to be a great leader. And a person one can rely on."
Ruby snapped her head to her, shocked at what she said. She beamed with youthful exuberance and grinned happily, motivated.
It was strange to say, but leaders who were firm in their beliefs to the point they lived in their own fantastical world were ones soldiers could rally around. They inspired others because of how unfaltering their views were. Followers of such a leader would feel like what they were doing is right.
That was Ruby's greatest strength. She saw a world where everyone was safe and happy, and aimed for it.
"By the way," Ruby then added. "Word around school is that you chose to bunk with Torvi. Do you two know each other?"
While Olivia wanted to be subtle, Torvi did not even consider the option.
Stood up back on two legs and turned, skillfully walking backwards. "She pushed me off a cliff!" she laughed. Her jovial tone, however, hid a smidget of anger.
Her stance on Olivia and her stance on Ryuuto were two similar, yet different cases. Though both had fought her and survived, and were Torvi's sights to fight again, Ryuuto held more of her ire than Oliva.
She and Oliva met in a battlefield setting. Though it was in the aftermath, she and her still met and fought on the battlefield. It simply a case of two opposing sides colliding.
It was war.
When they fought, Olivia just landed the final blows before finally "ending" her. At the time, Torvi accepted death like any honorable viking, but that was before being transported to Remnant. She was still alive. Her death wasn't then and she was thankful. Now she saw how how her "fight" with Olivia wasn't much of a fight. It was an execution. Now she had a chance to redeem herself for that stain on her honor.
Ryuuto, however, was not the same. They did indeed fight, even thought it was essentially a three-vs-one scenario. She wanted to fight him solo, but Ruby and Blake joined in. She did not want any help next time around, especially now that she knew how powerful a warrior the aramusha was.
That, and she hated looking in his direction. Who he was did not matter so much as what he represented: the walking embodiment of her betrayal of her principles. Mercy was not a foreign concept to the shaman; she was just taught brutality and killing was the more efficient route to take. When you win a fight - especially one to the death - you have all the right to finish off your opponent. The strong live while the weak die. That was simply nature's way.
Yet she let Ryuuto go, even allowing him to be her roommate. Were the fates playing some sick joke on her? She had once thought her morals were unshakable; most would call her stubborn. But Ryuuto's living body made her question herself, made her question what she wanted when before she thought she had everything she could ask for.
She hated doubting herself and looking at her actions more carefully. Everything was so simple back in Heathmoor!
Ruby, at a loss for what to say, initially gaped at the two of them. Surely that had to be a joke, but when Olivia did not even bother to rebuke the shaman, she knew it to be true. "You, uh... look good all things considered."
"I am in agreement. And I appreciate you are mature enough to let bygones be bygones." Oliva said to Torvi.
"Not quite." Torvi abruptly stopped and pulled out her dagger. It shifted into its pistol form and was pointed at Olivia's head. Ruby and Olivia stopped in bewilderment, but the black prior recovered and scowled at the norsewoman.
"Are you really going to start this now?"
Pleas and suggestions to calm down streamed from Ruby's mouth, but were left mostly unheard. "I still have not paid you back for what you did." Torvi said. "I want a rematch. And this time, I will win."
"Do you not realize where we are right now?"
"Maybe later then." Torvi excitedly suggested.
Ruby fell silent just as Olivia had. Just when Olivia thought the shaman had grown a few brain cells, she was immediately proven wrong. She let a disappointed sigh. "I have no intention of satisfying your battle lust." Olivia said firmly. She walked again and harshly pushed down the pistol as she passed Torvi. "And even if we did fight again, the end result will be the same. I am just stronger than you. Either accept that, or fruitlessly continue to chase me. It matters little to me." she stated coldly.
Shamans were notorious - not just in Valkenheim, but Healthmoor in general. Both her people and enemies learned to respect and fear shamans, for their authority and battle prowess - her authority and battle prowess. To have both belittled only made her indignation burn brighter.
Ruby patted her back in comfort. "Don't listen to her. You're strong, too. Just as much as her."
Torvi appreciated the effort, but it still didn't stop her from starring daggers into Olivia's back. "Weaker than her? BULLSHIT! SAY THAT TO MY FACE YOU WALKING CARCASS! I'LL CUT YOUR BOOBS OFF AND FEED ONE YOU ONE WHILE I EAT THE OTHER!" she yelled, her pale face turning a faint red.
Ruby gagged at the mental image. "Torvi, please stop. I wanna keep the food in my tummy."
Olivia ignored her as Torvi raced to her side to continue spilling more colorful insults.
With Blake and Yang...
"I found more footprints. Whatever's out here clearly doesn't care about stealth, huh?"
Blake crouched at where Yang had pointed out another series of haphazardly left markings. That made... four separate tracks by Blake's counting. Three out of four of them were evidently human or faunus, but the other looked as if a heavy slug was pulling itself through the grass.
She cross-referenced all of them and none of them matched any known grimm. Key word: known. While the possibility of this being perpetuated by some human or faunus was possible - a possibility she had not yet thrown out - this could be a new type of grimm.
That possibility unnerved her. Whole new variations of grimm have never been seen before; though the likelihood of surviving first encounter was arguably low. But it was common knowledge that grimm could live for hundred of years and grow in strength, size and experience. So could they evolve into something resembling human?
'Times like these make me wish I listened to Professor Port.'
"Cat got your tongue, huh?" Yang smiled.
"Oh haha. Real comic of the year here."
"I try." Yang smirk, putting her hands on her hip. "But seriously, what's on your mind?"
Blake groaned, already knowing she was overthinking the subject. "It just... what if this is really a new type of grimm. We're basically walking in blind here."
"You worry too much. We're awesome! We can take whatever the world throws at us." the yellow bombshell comforted. "Look: even if this is a new grimm type we've never faced, it's not like they can do anything we haven't seen before. Spit fire, spew acid, scratch, sting, fly, whatever. Point is, we can fight grimm and they've never been a big problem. I don't see how man-sized grimm can be any different."
With Weiss and Ryuuto...
Weiss expected a lot from someone like Ryuuto to do many things. She did live with Yang, after all. Start the fight inside the cramp house, yes; somehow exploding the kitchen stove was also an option.
One she did not foresee was the aramusha charging at the grimm in lighting form before tackling it through a wall.
The two rolled outside at which Weiss regrouped with them after exiting from the newly made hole. Ryuuto and the grimm were already duking it out with Ryuuto slicing at him, but only met the solid face of the masakari. Both his blades came at the hitokiri's left. And again the hitokiri blocks. Ryuuto grinned, electricity pulsing through his body, but to his surprise, the grimm did not back down, as if the static stung were like ant bites to him.
The grimm front kicked the aramusha off him, before pivoting and kicking him again. Distance was created between the two, enough for Ryuuto to be close to Weiss. The small yellows sparks danced on the grimm's body, but they dissipated quickly.
"His defense is impeccable given the ferocity of your attacks."
"The bastard's durable, too. Shook off my electricity like it was nothin'." The teen then grinned. "This is lookin' like a better time with every second."
Weiss let out a shaky sigh. "I swear, I don't understand you thrill-seekers."
"Funny, your sister said the same thing."
"Humans..."
The dreadfully deep and raspy male voice startled the teenagers. It came out of nowhere and it sounded so close to them. The only other body with them was the grimm, but that couldn't be right. Grimm couldn't talk.
"Why do you struggle? Why do you labor and toil through the gutter that is life? Allow me to put you to rest and send you to the great beyond where you will feel no pain."
The synapses on their mind had trouble connecting. The first one to recuperate was Ryuuto. "Huh. Talking grimm. Go figure."
"This is bad..." Weiss said. "This grimm has high intelligence. That means he can forms strategies."
Ryuuto softly scoffed. "Just 'cause he can talk doesn't mean he's smart. We just gotta overwhelm him. Nobody can survive that." The hitokiri began to run at them. "Push me forward - NOW!"
Weiss nodded and a pale blue glyph with a snowflake design appeared beneath Ryuuto. The teen shot forth, meeting the hitokiri in his path. Off guard, the hitokiri was only able to block one of Ryuuto's swords before the other landed blow beside his knee. Forced to bend down, the grimm then kicked in the face by Ryuuto's back kick. The hitokiri rolled to evade Ryuuto's sword that was coming to his neck. He stood back up, but Ryuuto flashed to his side and rained blade after blade.
Not wanting to just stand on the side lines, Weiss, too, shot forward. As the hitokiri was defending against Ryuuto, She was able to cut his right side and start her assault.
At this point, the two hunters in training thought they were in for an easy win. But the hitokiri proved them wrong when he grabbed Myrtenaster by the blade. And though he endured a few slices from Ryuuto due to this, the grimm stopped him in his tracks when he kicked his front, pushing Ryuuto from him and the entrapped heiress farther than one would expect a regular kick could do.
He moved his hand to the bottom of the axe head and swung at Weiss' exposed side. It was an improvised and awkward move, but it dealt major damage. The hitokiri swung at her again to which Weiss dodged back, before thrusting at him. Though the attack failed to land, she summersaulted over the grimm and attacked his back. She only got a couple thrusts in before she had to dodge another heavy swing. The hitokiri swung again before she could make another attack. He grabbed Weiss mid-dodge, and strangled her thin throat.
Ryuuto was already behind the grimm to rescue Weiss, electricity off to prevent hurting her. But when the grimm dropped his axe and grabbed his gullet, his electricity pulsed instinctively.
"Human... Faunus... It doesn't matter. We are all on a one-way course to oblivion. So why continue to struggle?"
"'Cause we don't wanna die?" Ryuuto groaned, dripping in sarcasm. "C'mon Hitogrimmy, don't ya see the holes in your defense? The flaws in your logic?"
"Hmmmm... Humor. A defense mechanism to stress. I hope you find humor, too, in the afterlife."
The clamps on their throats tightened, ticking off their aura at a snail's pace. Weiss' vision sported white dots and her mind began to leave her. Ryuuto was much the same only with more struggling. He refused to be killed this way by some weirdly familiar grimm, and so electricity pulsed, but only served to tickle the unstoppable beast. It did, however, travel into Weiss and while it did hurt, it gave her body the jumpstart it needed.
Her sword. It was still in her hand. She was cognitive enough to hold it. Ryuuto's semblance nearly made her drop it in shock, but then she remembered where she was.
And she thrusted her rapier into the hitokiri's eye.
His right eye to be precise. He dropped them quick enough after that, but the grimm was more formidable than either one of them thought. His movement were quick and ragged, demonstrating an air of annoyance at the injury. The hitokiri grabbed Ryuuto by the throat again, but forwent choking him. With great strength, he flung Ryuuto to the shore of the lake. The hitokiri wasn't finished as he grabbed his axe and swung it through the air, and that swipe produced a purple crescent energy attack.
It travelled so fast, Ryuuto had no time to dodge. He raised his swords to block, but it only protected him from the attack. It did not prevent him from being flung into the lake. And it was a big lake.
Ryuuto's head resurfaced, swords thankfully in hand. When he saw how far he was from the fight and from the endangered Weiss, he loudly cursed, "FUCK!" and began his swim back.
Meanwhile...
The White Fang encampment was inconspicuous at first glance, but upon closer inspection held items that raised many red flags. In was in a clearing about the same size as a baseball field. Ten tents, but three were not for sleeping. One had a command table and map of Vale. The other two were used as weapon storage. The seven tents that were for sleeping had three cots in each. That meant there was at least twenty-one people here.
The moment the three girls arrived, Torvi charged in to get a scent, ignoring Olivia's words of caution. She first went to a cot and pressed her face against the mattress. Ruby couldn't help but cringe. That couldn't be sanitary.
"You, uh, picking up anything?" Ruby asked.
Torvi took one more whiff and nodded. "Nothing too great. Sweat, cologne, some cum, but no blood."
"Ewwwwww."
Torvi exited the tent to look at the grassy floor. It was longer, which meant there had to be tracks left. Ignoring the one made by her and the others, she got on all four and sniffed the ground once again.
Meanwhile, Olivia went to investigate the other tents. What she found was something to note. Some of the cots were undisturbed, but half of them were thrown about as if there was a struggle.
Ruby went to the arms tent and saw a standard issue assault rifle laid on the ground. A magazine was next to it, but most of the ammo was spilled out.
Torvi's nose twitched as she picked up a faint trail. It was must have been a weeks old, which made following it difficult, but she was able to pick up bits and pieces of it as it led her to the trees bordering the camp. The trail went cold, but that was went a soft ruffling of leaves was heard. Torvi looked ahead of her, expecting a grimm looking back at her, but there was none. She was confused before she looked down. It was then she was able to catch a black blob with a familiar-looking helmet pounce at her.
"THE FUCK?!" The glob went for the shaman's head, but Torvi grabbed its sides before it could reach her. It violently stretched, clearly wanting to connect to her. "You're no man!"
"Torvi!" Ruby raced to her, scythe in hand. "Hold still! I'll get it off."
Easy said than done. The blob with its little tentacles for hands touched Torvi's face, making her double up her struggle. Her hands were slipping and the blob was getting closer. Ruby tried her best to shoot it, but with how Torvi constantly moved, it made aiming all the more harder. In the end, she decided to try and stab it with her pommel.
And she did hit something. But it wasn't the blob. It was Torvi's cheek. Torvi staggered to the floor, allowing the blob to near itself closer to her face. Its tentacles were below her eyes about to touch them, but when Olivia pointed her pistol in front of the blob's face, it paused.
"Nani?"
And it was blown to smithereens. Its helmet was the last to fade away, but the three girls took a good gander.
"Is that...?" Torvi started.
"A samurai's kabuto helmet and mempo mask." Oliva finished with a whisper. There was no doubt about it. The shape and placement of the two were beyond distinguishable to the Heathmoor-born fighters.
It was either a kensei or an orochi. But it was definitely samurai.
"Uh... girls?" Ruby uttered.
"Coincidence?" Torvi suggested.
"I think not." Olivia shot the idea down. There was only a select few who knew their true origins, and considering this was a grimm, Olivia had her sights on one specific woman. "Any better ideas?"
"... It's all in our imagination?"
Oliva did not disguise her groan.
"Girls!" Ruby shouted.
"What?" Olivia and Torvi turned to her in unison.
"What are samurai?"
"Well, they're-"
"Mythical warriors from our homeland. Rather obscure legend, you won't find much." Olivia said before going to search the rest of the camp.
Torvi was annoyed. She had a much better explanation than that!
Ruby looked unfulfilled by the brief and vague answer. Torvi saw her expression and frowned. She understood the necessity of keeping their origins a secret, but after weeks of spending time at Beacon, Torvi was beginning to question whether it was right of her to do so.
Which made her even more pissed at herself. She never turned back on her decisions. She always carried them out and never looked back. Now here she was questioning herself? How much of this world was gonna mess with her head?
Torvi twitched. "Not much since there ain't much left." Hella snidely remarked.
Hella twitched back inside. "Shut up!" Torvi snapped.
"Torvi?" Ruby softly called. The two red warriors stared at each other. Ruby saw Torvi's face crinkle, as if she was debating on something.
To tell or not to tell - that was the question. She kept it a secret in the first place so that Ruby and the others wouldn't think she was crazier than she seemed. Torvi paused at the thought, and growled in irritation. She hated that she valued someone's thoughts of her. She never done so back in Healthmoor and it made things so much more complicated!
With a huff, she slung an arm around Ruby's shoulders. To Hel with it! If she believed her or not, that was on her. She can't say she wasn't upfront with her. "I'll tell you more later." she whispered.
"Oh! You-You don't need to do that if don't want to, Torvi." Ruby whispered back to keep Olivia from hearing.
"I wouldn't propose if I did not want to."
"Ah... good point." The younger of the them smiled. "I... appreciate this, Torvi." Ruby thanked. It meant she trusted her and she could only hope she could live up to that trust.
Torvi smiled at the beaming look on the young leader's face. It then dropped as something entered her nose. Something ashy and smoky. She sniffed the air until her head was pointed in the direction of where they came from. There was also something familiar about it. Was it...?
The smell became sharper, strong enough for Ruby to smell it, too. "Um, did Olivia start a campfire or something?"
A huge fire ball was launched from the shadows towards Ruby. Torvi moved, covering the fifteen year old and took the hit in the back. She had thought she could hold her ground against the attack, but she was wrong. It exploded and violently pushed Torvi and Ruby into a tree.
Because Ruby was at the forefront, she took the most punishment from smacking back first into the tree. "Uhhhhh... That hurt..." she groaned.
"No shit." Torvi groaned as well.
Olivia rushed out of a tent she was searching. "What happened-?!" Another fireball was launched, but Olivia was more aware than her two red compatriots. She raised her shield and was saved from the burning attack, but she was still pushed back.
Torvi steadied Ruby as the younger girl gathered back her bearings. The girls looked at the new arrival, but only the Heathmoor-born girls recognized the shape.
Out of the shadows came out a figure. It was a grimm just by the red marking on the armor and red eyes, but was close to their height and was shaped to look feminine. It was definitely humanoid. In the grimm's left hand wielded a sharp bone sword in the shape of a longsword.
What struck Torvi and Olivia was the placement of the bone armor and her familiar helmet. The grimm's armor almost encompassed her entire body, on her torso, lower legs, shoulders, and forearms. The biceps, thighs, and neck were grimm black. But it's helmet... its round design as well as the visor were recognizable.
It was a warden. Even with the out of place antlers on her forehead, it was still a grimm warden.
The warden trembled, her body jerking forward and she yelled, "Damn humans! You're destroyers, NOTHING MORE! All you do is rape, kill and oppress. There's NOTHING good about you!"
Shocked at the grimm''s use of language, Ruby was taken back. "That's not normal..."
Torvi grinned back at the grimm, which only seemed to make the grimm tremble more in fury. "Destroyers, eh? That's rich coming from a monster."
"Monster? MONSTER?! You humans are so quick to put labels on everything. IT SICKENS ME!" the grimm roared. A bright orange flame began to climb her blade until it was entirely engulfed in fire. "But very well. I'll play your game. Let me show you how monstrous I can be."
"Don't disappoint me then!" Torvi then charged the grimm, hatchet and dagger in hand.
"Torvi, wait! The grimm has intelligence! It could-!"
Olivia's warning were all for naught as Torvi attacked. The heat of the flaming sword made the moisture on her skin immediately dry up so she kept in mind to evade and attack fast. The warden went for her neck, but Torvi slid under the sword and sliced the warden's side with her kukri. When the warden barely buckled, she attacked her back with her hatchet.
The grimm staggered, but turned to back to Torvi with ferocity. In wide, swiping motions, the grimm warden forced the shaman to move back. Her attacks were thrown so carelessly that it gave Torvi the opportunity to dodge one more swing before closing the distance again. She slid her hand up her hatchet until her hand was underneath the head, and she punched the warden in her exposed neck with the blade.
Torvi expected a cut into the grimm's flesh; or at least make a cut. But her blade did not pierce grimm flesh like it did the rest. In her moment of surprise, the grimm warden slashed her flaming sword across her abdomen. Because of the close distance between them, the sword dragged rather slowly, the fire on the blade causing Torvi great pain.
She jumped back, the warden wasn't done with her. "DIE!" Though the distance was lengthened, the warden swiped the air anyway. This time, however, the flames on her sword extended like that of a whip and hit Torvi again in the stomach. The force of the fire whip launched Torvi to the side and she once again smacked against a tree.
The grimm moved to throw another fire whip at the shaman, but when she felt her foot not move with her, she looked down to see a black clamp anchoring her. She didn't have much time to process this as a loud bang shook the air and the grimm was hit with tremendous force at her left side. A red blur was seen going right.
Ruby went at the warden again, shooting her scythe behind her and dashing around the pinned down grimm. She got her good with three hits before the grimm began to adapt to her attacks. The grimm blocked the next set of blows, and it wasn't long before the grimm began to counter-attack against Ruby. Every time Ruby closed the distance, the warden seemed to know where she was going to attack and swung at her. Half of the attacks she evaded. The other half, she was nicked.
Seeing as her attacks weren't going anywhere, the fifteen year old charged head first, drawing her weapon back before delivering a heavy swing at the warden's front. The grimm blocked and grabbed the scythe head easily, but wasn't like Ruby thought the attack would land. She hoped Olivia would catch on and capitalize on what she did.
When the grimm, drew her sword back to stab, Olivia did something to Ruby's relief. A black tendril shot from the ground and grabbed the grimm's sword arm. Though most of her body was preoccupied, the grimm shot her head at Olivia, realizing it was her semblance at play. Her red eyes widen at Olivia.
Just then a bright spot was conquered underneath the black prior. Olivia was caught off-guard and a pillar of fire erupted beneath her feet. It sent her high up in the air, which ended her hold on the grimm.
"Olivia!" Ruby exclaimed. She then screamed in pain as the grimm's flaming sword stabbed where her heart was. If it wasn't for her aura, she would've been dead. A bone covered foot then slammed into her stomach, sending her back and on the floor.
The grimm warden turned to the falling black prior, who was about twenty-five meters off from the ground. The grimm's feet blazed and she shot off towards her plummeting target. Like a rocket she came close to Olivia, who saw her coming and raised her shield. The grimm's sword was flipped as she gripped the blade and used the guard and hilt to hit Olivia with great strength. The hit forced Olivia to fly like a rocket in the direction of the dense forest. The grimm flew off to face her.
Ruby, with an aching, burning chest, rushed over to Torvi who also saw the grimm fly. "C'mon, get up! Olivia's in trouble!"
Torvi childishly scowled. "The bitch is strong. She can handle herself."
"This is no time for pouting!"
With Blake and Yang...
While the other two groups were engaging in life or death battles against grimm entities closely resembling Heathmoor warriors, they met their opponent rather differently.
The grimm didn't actually find them, they found him... admiring himself in mirror.
Weapons were raised when they initially found the pitch black, male figure. He looked imposing with sharply detailed muscles on his chest, legs, and arms. White bone armor covered his shoulders, lower legs, and forearms. A white bone helmet shielded his head with two eyes holes showing red eyes. The only thing that looked remotely comforting were the gentle mouse ears popping out the top of his helmet.
Hanging on the tree in front of him was an old scavenged mirror and on the side was a buckler shield and a trident. To the two girls, he looked like one of those storybook gladiators.
"Oh yeah! Look at you! What a beautiful man you are! How you have no lovers is beyond me!" With a flex his biceps bulged. Though he had no face underneath the helm, he would've smirked at the sight. "Booyah! Plus one biceps! Nothing can beat-!"
"Hello?"
"WAAAHAAA!" The grimm gladiator shrieked in shock. His immediate reaction was to grab his weapons and clutch them to his person closely.
"Yang, be careful." Blake warned as she drew her sword.
"Chill out, I got this." The blonde brawler whipped out her gauntlets, but placed her hands on her hips. "That was sure some pep talk you gave yourself. Not sure how much of that'll help you though."
The grimm seemed to be triggered by the remark. "You...! You think these muscles are for show? IS THAT IT?!"
"True men show than tell." Using the power of her imbedded shotguns, she shot towards the grimm and raised a mighty punch. The grimm stood his ground, digging his feet into the dirt before throwing a punch with his buckler against Yang's. The blunt, destructive force of the resulting clash pushed the trees around them away from them, breaking bark and bending them.
A thrusting trident went for Yang's head, but she dodged and punched the gladiator's exposed side. Though he budged a few inches, he otherwise took the hit like a tank. He squared her across the face and headbutted her forehead. Yang stepped back in response, but her front foot felt something sharp stab her. Through her aura and boot protected her toes, the pain made her hiss.
The toe stab was followed by a leg sweep of the same foot stabbed, but before Yang could lose her footing and fall, the gladiator threw another punch at her stomach. The force caused the ground to crack and Yang to loss her breathe as she barreled into a tree.
"Bitches like you make me sick. You think just 'cause you're pretty you can say and do whatever?! BULLSHIT! BULLSHI-!"
A sword found itself trying to pierce the side of his neck. He felt heat emanating from the back of him and he turned to thrust at his attacker. Blake evaded, the gladiator penetrating a shadow clone of the faunus. He felt Blake cut behind his knee, but the attack was too light to make him sway.
With elegance cultivated from year in the White Fang, Blake spun and cut the grimm's stomach, chest, and neck. The grimm's shield batted away Blake's sword before it could pierce his eye. A heavy swing to her right made Blake dodge back, but a quick thrust poked her chest and another in the stomach. Blake dodged the third and left a frozen double for the gladiator's trident to then get stuck in. She reappeared to the gladiator's left. She smacked her sheath against his head and sliced his throat again.
The ice cracked and in a flash, Blake was hit the side and punched in the face. She cartwheeled over another horizontal attack, and in response the grimm got more angry. He roared at her and threw his trident at great speed. Luckily, Blake backflipped, using a shadow clone to gain more height, and evaded the sharp projectile. It did, however, stick into the tree next to Yang, who was gained back her clarity.
"It's unfair! IT'S UNFAIR! Why can't I have long, luscious locks like you?!" the grimm raged. He then gasped, as if a brilliant idea entered his head. "I KNOW! I'll just scalp both of you and use your hair myself! Then I'll be the fairest in the land!"
Blake couldn't believe her ears. This grimm is displaying a level of intelligence like that of an conceited teenager. Then again, this was a grimm. She shouldn't have had her hopes so high. "You're deranged, you know that, right?"
"And stupid, too." Yang got up and smirked at the sight of the trident-less gladiator. "Who the hell throws their only weapon?"
The gladiator did not seem unnerved. His body language actually suggest he was the calmest out of the three of them. "Stupid?" the gladiator chuckled. "No, I got it exactly where I wanted it."
A low hissing came from Yang's left. She turned to the trident to see it emitting a baby blue glow. Before she had the chance to move, a big explosion of light blue energy roared through the night, taking out the surrounding trees, and severely damaging and knocking back the teenage girl near the epicenter.
"YANG!"
Back at the village...
"IT SOUNDS LIKE A FUCKING WARZONE OUT THERE!" Brandon raged, though he couldn't help feeling fearful at it all.
The village was in constant worry, bordering fear. Loud explosions were sounding off in the west, what looked like the start of a forest fire in the east, and though not much noise came from the north, Brandon had no doubt something was happening.
He may have had his grievances with letting the students help them, but Oum damn it, he hoped they haven't sent them to their deaths.
And worse of all, for Brandon and the rest of the village, was that Wenona had not come back yet.
Brandon was surprised grimm hadn't swarmed them with everything happening. He tried his best to calm to currently panicking villagers, but it was at a snail's pace. "Damn it all...! Everyone, get back to your homes and load up whatever weapons you have! The huntsmen are out there fighting whatever so it's OUR JOB to defend our home! YOU HEAR ME?!"
The idea resonated with all able bodies. The others - mostly the children and elderly - went inside their homes. Everyone else went to guard the walls, rifles and pistols in hand. Their show of defiance at the prospect of death was brave, but that didn't mean they weren't afraid.
When Brandon went to grab a rifle, he noticed one other person was missing. He stopped one of the villagers, a middle aged racoon faunus, and asked, "Hey, do you know where Zhao Ning ? The one that helped me repair the wall?"
"Who?"
Brandon suppressed a groan. "Black hair, bright yellow eyes, bushy black tail?"
"Oh!" the faunus realized. "I think I saw him leave after the explosions started."
"What?" Was Ning planning on fighting too? Sure, he looked fit, but he didn't strike Brandon as the fighter type. Then again, he barely knew the man before he arrived two weeks ago. "Did he bring a weapon at least, like a gun?"
"Not really. It was a sword, but its shape was something I've never seen before."
"Fucking hell..."
Meanwhile...
Ning picked the direction of the explosions as it was the nearest. In his hands was a custom-made transformable sword. The blade was thicker than a katana and slightly longer than one too. It was an elegant sword, with a single edge and curved, colored mostly white and silver with hints of purple.
A dao, but most in Vale did not know the name of this type of sword. It was mostly seen in the east, in Mistral.
Chinese culture did not quite exist in Remnant, but it had one similar to it.
A tingling flowed through Ning that reverberated throughout his entire body. He looked to his right. The night had reached its apex and it showed in how dark the forest was. Fortunately he was faunus, who could see well in the dark.
Running in the distance beside him was a shape. A large white shape. It ran on all fours, akin to that of a bear. On its face was a black mask and its eye were a glowing purple, the same color that marked its mask.
A white ursa. A white grimm. A being made from Ning himself.
The ursa looked at him, but did not attack him. It actually listened to him, or rather, his soul. Ning told it to go ahead of him just as another explosion went off.
