"Why did I agree to this?" Cobalt asked as he slipped and fell into the mud, laying in it for a long moment as it soaked into his clothes and skin and he sighed before someone picked him up by the back of his tunic and placed him back on his feet. Cobalt was nothing more than a mere scribe and still wasn't sure why he needed to be with the knight and his fellowship when they headed deep into Mistral territory and killed the ancient dragon Athena that had been terrorizing the area for quite some time. The pay was more than he would have made copying down notes and laws for Queen Ruby, but to say that he was ill-prepared was an understatement of epic proportions. He had been given no armor and no weapons, only a quill, a well of ink, and a satchel full of parchment to record their journey on, given instruction to take cover if they entered into battle.
They were led by Titus of Atlas, the large man wore his armor with pride and was highly regarded as the best sword fighter in all of the four kingdoms, he had a commanding aura that reminded opponents that he wasn't to be trifled with, but was approachable and personable in person, even if Cobalt did find him intimidating. He was adorned with armor that was more expensive than all of the gold Cobalt would ever see in his lifetime, and they said that his sword was forged in the realm of the god of light, the magic imbued within could only be used in the moment it was needed most, but to this point, Titus hadn't needed to use it. He rode his horse slowly at the front of the group.
Following closely behind him was a woman who was hooded and seemed to constantly be on edge, her bow drawn as she examined the tree lines on either side of the path, prepared for anyone or anything that might come from out of the darkness and attack them. Neela of Vale was a well-known archer, though whether or not she was with them or against them was hard to be determined, there was an air of mystery about her that made her unapproachable, but the Queen had insisted that she accompanied them to the dragon. They weren't about to question the authority of the Queen, nor the motives of the archer.
With them were also two priestesses, one that dealt in ice though was somehow able to channel it without the use of a staff or talisman, was shy and nervous, standing towards the back with the outcast of their party, a quiet yet irritable lycan who Cobalt had already forgotten the name of. The other priestess was Ilia of Vacuo, known for her dark possession magic that often allowed her to possess the bodies of her enemies, making quick work of highwaymen and bandits that might mistake her for a weaker woman. He glanced back at their last member who brushed the hair from her face.
She was a brawler and wore heavy and overly sized gauntlets on each hand that he could only imagine packed enough punch to leave a crack in some of the largest boulders that made up the Vale Kingdom's eastern walls defenses. She was always looking for a fight, asking Neela and Titus to square off against her several times but they both refused on several occasions, though it seemed to really rub Neela the wrong way.
"I hate to sound like I'm complaining, but are we almost there yet?" Cobalt asked as he took a few quick steps to move up to the front by Neela and Titus.
"You have to learn to appreciate the journey," Titus noted. "All of this will be history soon! Bards will perform plays of the events that take place during our quest long after we've been commemorated and remembered as heroes! With my name first and foremost, of course!"
"I'm with the annoying, useless twig," Neela told Titus. "I'm getting sick of all of this traveling and Vale needs me to defend its settlements among the wilderness of its forests."
"I'm flattered?" Cobalt stammered.
"Me too! I want to fight something!" Tawney insisted.
"Well, we have to be getting close, right?" Cobalt inquired.
"Maybe ask Lykos?" Ilia noted getting in on their conversation. "He's a lycan, so he should be able to smell the thing, right?"
"Wrong!" Lykos shouted out.
"I didn't realize he could hear us all the way up here," Cobalt muttered.
"Well, I can!" Lykos yelled in reply.
"Maybe Ilia can use her powers to sense it?" Bái offered.
"That's not how my powers work," Ilia told her. "I can only possess things that are in my direct line of sight, and I wouldn't have enough mana to send the thing far enough ahead to scout the area out."
"So in short?" Cobalt asked.
"We'll just have to keep walking for now," Titus explained.
"Sure, yeah, fine, why not…" Cobalt began before Neela stopped dead in her tracks and he ran into her. He bounced off and looked at her for a long moment before opening his mouth but she clamped it shut quickly with her hand. He glanced at her in confusion and tried to speak. "Mmmf!"
"Shut up!" Neela scolded before releasing him and taking a step towards the woods.
"What is it?" Titus asked, stopping his horse.
"Grimm," Neela declared before drawing back her arrow and letting it fly. The Dust on the feathers activated as it flew, lighting it on fire and revealing the darkness to be swarming with beowulves that were prepared to attack.
"Get ready!" Titus shouted as the creatures roared collectively and charged them.
"And do what?" Cobalt shouted in horror.
"Just get behind me!" Neela demanded as she fired an arrow into one that came down on them. She tossed it to the side as its body made impact with her, nearly landing on Cobalt as he scrambled away and nearly tumbled down the river bank, stopping short of the drop-off and covering his head with his hands.
"It's going to be hard for you to record everything if you're cowering in fear!" Lykos noted, growling as he transformed before crashing into the pack that was rushing them.
"That's what I do best though!" Cobalt shouted out above the chaos.
"Why the hell did we bring him with?" Ilia asked.
"If I attempt a skill roll, can I leave?" Cobalt requested.
"Titus needed to feel validated," Neela grunted as one of the beasts took her legs out from under her.
"Bái!" Titus shouted.
"On it!" She called to him, running to the front and forming an ice wall between them and the woods but the beasts climbed over it, the weight eventually shattering it.
"This is bad!" Ilia yelled.
"This is the best!" Tawney hollered in the midst of the creatures, unleashing her strength.
"We can handle this!" Titus announced just before being knocked off of his horse. The beowulves targeted him, pinning him and stripping off his armor as his sword clambered away as they ripped it from his grip, landing close to Cobalt.
"I'm not so sure about that!" Ilia shouted possessing the beasts on him and trying to remove them as Neela thinned their numbers.
"They seem endless!" Bái declared.
"That would be amazing!" Tawney added.
"Look out!" Neela yelled as she dove but her arm was caught by a manticore, more of which were being attracted to the area by the second. It began carrying her off as she found herself unable to draw her bow. "Help!"
"We need to retreat!" Ilia pleaded as she began falling back down the path. Cobalt watched as everything unfolded, still stricken with fear.
"Lykos!" Bái shouted to him, unable to spot him in the mass.
Pick up the sword…
Cobalt glanced around, looking at it for a long moment before moving closer.
You can do it, Cobalt
"Oum?" Cobalt asked.
It doesn't really matter who this voice belongs to, it's just a clever plot device so you feel compelled to wield the sword and become the hero.
"Oh, okay. That's exactly what I figured it was," Cobalt noted as he snatched up the weapon and stood.
"Help!" Neela called out again from the distance.
"Alright, you Grimm assholes. In the words of my generation...Up yours!" Cobalt shouted as the sword's latent power activated and the light that shone from the weapon disintegrated the monsters instantly.
"You really just are the greatest thing since refined Dust inside of your head, aren't you?" Tawney asked. Cobalt looked across the lunch table at her before glancing at the rest of their friends staring at him.
"I thought that it was a cool dream…" Cobalt shrugged before taking a bite of his food.
"Maybe next time one of us can be the hero?" Bái questioned.
"I don't think he really has control over that," Lykos noted. Cobalt nodded and swallowed.
"Exactly, thank you," Cobalt said.
"If he did, Neela would be the hero every time," Lykos added.
"Huh?" Cobalt inquired.
"I mean, she's the strongest person we know," Lykos pointed out.
"For now!" Tawney spat with her mouth full.
"I mean, with stories, it's kind of situational," Cobalt explained.
"I'm the lead of my own story!" Tawney declared.
"Not exactly what I meant, but anyways… who do you guys think we'll be paired with?" Cobalt moved on.
"I'd say with any luck we'd be with Team ONYX, but I'm under the impression NITE will get to train with them," Lykos offered.
"It's not fair!" Tawney shouted.
"I think it's fair," Bái said. "Shouldn't NITE be trained by the best 3rd Year team? If they put a lesser team with NITE, it probably wouldn't be as beneficial."
"Still the lead in your own story?" Cobalt teased. Tawney growled.
"I'm gonna shove my tonfas so far up your ass that the doctor later in your life is going to assume you already had a colonoscopy!" Tawney shouted.
"Neela, I know this probably isn't the best time but Ilia and I decided on something and we think that you should hear us out," Titus stated as Neela closed the dorm room door behind her and flopped down onto her bed. They'd had a sale at the bookstore earlier that afternoon that had gone over far better than Fox had expected, leaving the two of them running to and fro, back and forth to make sure that the desk was properly manned, and that the books included were remaining stocked. She had absolutely no physical energy left, and judging by Titus's opening statement, she wasn't sure she was open to talking about what he and Ilia had decided on, whatever that meant.
"Do I wanna know," Neela's muffled voice escaped from her blanket as she attempted to roll over to face him but it was of no use.
"Ilia and I couldn't decide on someone to replace…" Titus began before reexamining his words. "We weren't sure who the best choice was to join our team. You can look the folder over if you'd like but Glynda wants to know by tomorrow or she's going to pick for us."
"Let her pick," Neela plainly replied, sighing. "You know that I can't do it." Titus nodded.
"I know, but we didn't think it would be fair if we didn't at least ask you to take a look at them," Ilia explained from her bunk. Neela nodded and grunted as she finally managed to roll over, but faced away from them instead of addressing them.
"Thanks," Neela noted. "I think sleep sounds good about now." Titus looked at Ilia and nodded as she leapt down, and joined him.
"We'll be down at the administrative building if you need us," Ilia said as they left the room and Neela was alone in her silence. She was tired, and she didn't feel like training. Eliana was gone, and now they wanted Neela to replace her. There was no escaping this nightmare, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. It was long, dark, and slowly filled with water. She let the escape of sleep slowly start to carry her away. As she began to drift off she began to imagine a scenario in which Eliana stayed but it didn't last long as she was awoken violently by someone shaking her.
"What? What is it?!" Neela asked as she forced herself out of her tired stupor, squinting hard at the figure above her.
"Your kind did this!" Titus shouted at her as he dragged her from the bed and tossed her to the floor.
"Titus!?" Neela stated in confusion as Ilia grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her down.
"If it wasn't for you, Eliana would still be here, wouldn't she?" Ilia hissed, attempting to kick Neela but she'd moved swiftly into the hall.
"What's gotten into you two?" Neela demanded.
"Us?" Titus replied. "You're the problem! If you'd stayed with the fang we could have stayed together. Eliana wouldn't have had to try and kidnap Shadow!"
"This is another nightmare, isn't it?" Neela pondered as she scrambled away from them.
"We'd be better off if you'd died in that hut from hypothermia!" Ilia exclaimed.
"We'd still have a complete team, that I would be leading!" Titus stated.
"This isn't real!" Neela yelled at them.
"Are you that out of it that you can't differentiate between reality and those nightmares you keep having?" Ilia questioned.
"You guys are my friends, I know better," Neela offered.
"Just like we thought we knew you?" Titus shot back. "You put us all in danger and you ruined Eliana's life!"
"Lies!" Eliana exclaimed stepping past Neela and blocking their path to her. "Neela did nothing wrong! I did!" Neela stared up at Eliana for a long moment.
"That's not true!" Neela screamed before an arrow struck Eliana in the forehead and she fell back, dissipating on contact with the floor as Neela found herself lying in the middle of an old abandoned throne room.
"Which is it?" A familiar voice asked Neela. She slowly sat up, turning around to face herself donning Athena's attire, Crimson on her left hand, and Ebony on her right. "One of the two of you has to be responsible for what happened, so which is it?"
"That's not true!" Neela shouted at herself, she found her feet quickly and was stopped short by Ebony. "Athena did this."
"Athena wanted what was best for all Faunus and you helped to make sure that her dream was never fully realized," the imposter cackled. "Which of you is at fault then!? Why would you throw away Athena's dream of paradise?! Was it not once your own dream, or have you forgotten?!"
"Athena wanted to watch the world burn!" Neela yelled trying to shove through Ebony.
"She wanted to protect you and all of the other Faunus from the humans," Fang Neela insisted.
"There's that 'we need to be protected from'," Neela informed the doppelganger. Her White Fang persona laughed again, placing a hand over her face.
"Soya? Zilla? Eliana? Haven't all of these people meant you harm?" Fang Neela questioned.
"Eliana was forced into it!" Neela debated as she took a few steps back.
"Does that matter?" Crimson pointed out.
"Of course it does! She wouldn't normally try anything like that!" Neela refuted.
"But she's capable, isn't she?" Fang Neela offered. "We're trying to open your eyes before it's too late, before one of them actually does betray you and commits to it."
"You're still one of us, Neela," Ebony noted.
"It's not too late," Fang Neela stated as she stood and began approaching the girl. "You can be the one that saves the Fang. They're all but gone and forgotten. What was left of their dream is no more than a figment of their imaginations, now having to live in fear of human control. It won't take much to push them over the edge again. You can lead them, Neela. You were always meant to."
"I'm a Faunus first and foremost," Neela agreed. "But I will never betray them."
"Even if they betray you?" Crimson asked, frowning. The scene disappeared and Eliana stood before her, clinging tight to Shadow.
"Elli," Neela began. "I was wrong to be angry at you. You had no other choice, it's okay that you didn't tell me."
"I would have done it the same way, every time," Eliana stated. Neela shook her head.
"That's not true," Neela insisted, approaching her.
"What if you hadn't been there to stop me? What if Athena had found out? What if they'd killed my mother? What if I'd given them Shadow…" Eliana ranted.
"Elli," Neela tried to cut her off but she took a step back.
"What if they'd gotten away with Shadow? What if one of us would have died? What if the Chameleon had killed you? Raven's death was all my fault. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anyone to look at me like my father," Eliana droned.
"Eliana!" Neela shouted as the scene formed around them and Eliana stood along the cliffside.
"I betrayed you!" Eliana screamed.
"No!" Neela shouted, trying to grapple the girl. Eliana disappeared, replaced by Fang Neela who caught the grapple and pulled herself in, hanging her over the cliff's edge.
"Either Eliana is to blame, or you are!" Fang Neela reminded her. "Who is it then?"
"Me!" Neela confessed. Her duplicate shook her head and released her.
"So be it," Fang Neela stated as she fell. Neela's body was shocked awake as she hit the water, sputtering as actual water ran over her body, Titus and Ilia panicking above her.
"Neela?" Ilia asked.
"What the hell is going on?" Neela asked them. Ilia grabbed Neela and pulled her out of the shower as Titus turned the water off and let out a sigh of relief.
"You finally woke up," Titus exhaled.
"What… what the… Ilia…" Neela stammered as Ilia held her tight.
"This has to stop, Neela," Ilia pleaded with her as Titus rubbed his forehead.
"Was I having a nightmare again?" Neela asked Titus looking up at him. He nodded.
"Started having another nosebleed," Titus explained to her. "Ilia didn't want to see you being drugged again, so we decided if anything was going to do it, it would be the shower."
"Why didn't Ilia try jumping in?" Neela questioned.
"She did," Titus told her.
"You really have no idea when I'm in there, do you?" Ilia inquired. Neela shook her head.
"What did you see this time?" Titus asked Ilia.
"There's some kind of alternate Neela that always greets me," Ilia explained. "She's wearing what Athena wore and she always tries to tell me that 'I'm going to betray Neela' and that 'Neela will be the savior of the Faunus.'"
"Maybe you should stay at home the next few weeks until you have time to cope with our current situation," Titus suggested. "I doubt things are going to get too much better after our new teammate arrives."
"I'm fine," Neela waved him off, finally separating herself from Ilia. "I'm in it just as much now as I was before, I don't need special treatment."
"Not everyone can say they've been through what happened to you," Titus argued. "Perhaps I'll put in a formal request with Glynda to make sure that you have to sleep at your parents'."
"Titus!" Neela bit at him. Ilia grabbed Neela by the shoulders and her mind violently reverted back to the nightmare. If it wasn't for you, Eliana would still be here, wouldn't she? "I said that I'm fine."
"Please," Ilia begged her with wet eyes. "We think it'll help." Neela stared at Ilia for a long moment before glancing up at Titus.
"We're just worried about you," Titus assured her. Neela took a deep breath in before nodding slowly.
"Okay," she agreed. Ilia laughed in relief and wiped the tears away.
"Thank you," Ilia said, giving her another hug. Neela held her for a long moment before releasing and moving to the door.
"Just until I'm ready to come back," Neela noted.
"Sure," Titus concluded as she left. Ilia looked at him and sniffed.
"I'm worried about her," Ilia noted.
"I know, but she'll be fine," he insisted. "She's tough."
"Right," Ilia agreed with a nod. "I just hate seeing her like that."
"You and me both," Titus told her.
"Neela, you're really working yourself to the bone, aren't you?" Fox asked as she checked several of the books over and carried them out to the shelves.
"Idle hands are Salem's workshop," Neela laughed. "You don't have to worry about me, I have it all figured out. I have to keep my mind busy, or at least off of Eliana to the best of my ability, so this is the best way that I can think to do it. If I just keep at the grind and preoccupy myself with work and homework, I figure I can't have an episode." Neela's scroll rang and she hung up without looking at it.
"You're not going to answer that?" Fox questioned. Neela smiled and waved him off.
"It's probably nothing," Neela insisted. He chuckled sheepishly and shrugged.
"Lock up when you're done," he informed her as he grabbed his keys and left her in the store. Neela informed him that she would and glanced across the store where Eliana had once filled the corner with kids to tell them a story.
"Settle down and we can get started, okay," Eliana told the kids. Neela could hear her from an aisle or two away and contemplated peaking out towards her but she denied herself the pleasure. She had work to do and she couldn't let Eliana distract her from it. She welcomed the chaos for a long moment, however, glad to hear the excited screams and giggles of children instead of the hate and fear that awaited her outside.
"What's the name of the story, Elli?!" Shadow asked sitting in the front just inches from her, bouncing up and down on her knees before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Hmmm… let me think," Eliana pondered for a moment as she looked towards the ceiling and contemplated possible titles. "I know. The Huntress and the Claw."
"Well?" Another kid insisted from the back.
"Go ahead, Miss Elli," A young girl with three short, black, tail feathers pleaded.
"Alright, calm down," Eliana said laughing as she leaned back in her chair. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was living with her parents inside of an evil organization called the Claw."
"Are they like the Fang?" Shadow asked. Neela's head shot up from her work and she glanced back.
"The who?" Eliana inquired with a smile. "No idea what you're talking about."
"What are you up to?" Neela mumbled under her breath as she moved a touch closer but stayed out of sight.
"Anyway, this girl grew up under the Claw and she only knew what they knew what they taught her, which is that the Others were evil and they couldn't be trusted," Eliana explained. "The Others showed up and there was a huge fight and they saved the girl, showing her that the Others weren't evil like the Claw thought that they were."
"What happens next?" the Faunus girl from before asked.
"She got stronger, she grew up to be a beautiful, amazing Huntress!" Eliana detailed. "But the Claw came back and wanted her to return with them." Neela watched speechless for a long moment before stepping out past the shelves.
"Then what?" Neela asked her. Eliana smiled softly at her, filling her with a warmth that she'd been missing recently.
"The Huntress loved the Others. She knew that what the Claw was saying wasn't true. She felt bad for them, but no matter how much they asked her to return, she stood her ground like a warrior. She didn't want to hurt them, but if it came to it, she wasn't going to let them hurt her new family and friends," Eliana said.
"Did she live happily ever after?" Shadow asked, forcing Eliana's eyes to leave Neela's.
"You kids are way too easy to please," Eliana laughed. "There was a final battle between the Claw and the Huntress. She faced off against their leader! She was scared but her love of her family was stronger. Her aura was close to breaking but she fought off the leader and unleashed fury on her unlike any other, defeating her once and for all and ensuring the safety of the people that she cared about."
"Now does she live happily ever after?" Shadow asked, her eyes wide. Eliana smiled softly at Neela a second time, her best friend's face bright red.
"I sure hope so, Shadow," Eliana spoke softly.
Neela's scroll rang again bringing her back into the moment, but this time she took the time to acknowledge the caller. It was Yang.
"Hey mom," Neela replied sheepishly.
"You had better have a good reason for not answering my calls," Yang insisted as Neela held the scroll a little further from her ear.
"I was busy at work, sorry," Neela apologized.
"I know how scrolls work, Neela," Yang told her. "It didn't fully ring, you were actively hanging up." Neela sighed.
"I'm sorry, mom," she repeated. "You know I've been trying to keep Eliana off of my mind."
"Did you forget about Shadow?" Yang questioned. Neela stopped shelving books and remembered promising Shadow a girls' night.
"Right. Right! Sorry, mom," Neela started sounding like a broken record.
"Don't be sorry, just come home tonight and spend some time with your sister," Yang informed her before hanging up. Neela looked at the spot again before nodding slowly and grabbing the keys for lock-up.
"School has been soooo boring this year, Sissy," Shadow told Neela as the two of them fought each other with sticks in the backyard. "How has school been for you?"
"It's been okay," Neela replied. Shadow drove her sister back.
"Have you talked to Elli?" Shadow asked her, examining her stick for a moment.
"What?" Neela replied.
"Elli? Have you talked to her? I haven't seen her in a while, but she'll be coming back soon to visit, right?" Shadow questioned. Neela shrugged and Shadow attacked after taking her off guard.
"Hey!" Neela declared.
"Remember when we all played with Grandma Raven here?" Shadow asked her. Neela nodded, her mind now focusing on Shadow's question. Would Eliana come back soon? Would she ever come back? "Do you think that I'll get to use Grandma's sword in the future?"
"I… I don't know," Neela breathed heavily.
"Elli and I will finish the other snowman and you put the arms on," Shadow instructed. Neela nodded and did as she was told as Shadow took a step back watching Neela. She shook her head and ran over. "No! You're doing it wrong, they need to hold hands!" Shadow wrenched the sticks out and fixed them, satisfied with her handiwork as the bird landed on Neela's shoulder again.
"Cute!" Eliana exclaimed. "Is it your mommies?" Shadow shook her head.
"It's you and sissy!" Shadow exclaimed. Raven cackled in laughter and Neela shooed her off, stepping away from them and into the woods. "Sissy?"
"Elli…" Neela spoke softly as she passed out from exhaustion and hit the ground.
"Does that mean I win?" Shadow asked poking Neela with the stick. "Sissy? Mom!"
"What's wrong, Shadow?" Blake asked, popping her head out of the door and spotting Neela. Blake sighed and moved out to the girls, picking Neela up and carrying her into her bedroom.
"Is she okay?" Shadow asked, slightly panicked.
"Yes," Yang insisted. "Sissy has a lot of stress right now, and when she thinks about it too much she has to take a nap."
"I like taking naps to feel better," Shadow agreed. Yang nodded.
"It's like that," Yang agreed as Shadow followed Blake into Neela's room and curled up next to Neela on her bed.
"If it worked for Grandma Raven, it'll work for Neela too, right?" Shadow asked, looking at her mothers. Blake smiled sheepishly, trying to hide that she was upset from Shadow as Yang wrapped her arm around her wife and nodded to her daughter.
"Of course."
More Cobalt shenanigans as usual. Next week, Chapter 5: Sting!
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay classy!