Chapter 3: New places, old faces
How the fuck did you get here!?" Gale asked as he parried the giants strikes. The creature roared as it slammed its weapon on the ground. Gale got out of the way as fire shot out of the ground.
He pulled his revolver and shot in quick succession the bullets ricocheting off its armor. The creature charged at Gale. Grabbing his leg he threw him through multiple trees. Gale swore as he landed. The creature jumped in the air and slammed his weapon down. Gale blocked the strike the ground shattering underneath.
In one swift move, he broke its defense and slice its arm off. He quickly dashed and sliced the creature in half. The creature let out one final growl and fell dead on the ground. Gale let out a sigh as he knew things had gone sideways in the most colossal of ways. The whole 'demons are a secret' was out of the picture. And a berserker like the one he had just killed only went into that stage after absorbing enough blood.
He saw two bullheads approaching. He quickly ran towards the group as the bullheads descended. He saw they had many questions and he would answer them at one point or another but as he saw Ozpin walk out of one of them he knew that could wait.
"It's good to see you're all safe. Please board the bullhead" Glynda said stepping out next to him.
"What is happening?" Weiss asked.
"We will explain in due time but for now please board the bullhead it's not safe here," Ozpin said. "Mr Greene would you please stay?"
"Wait you're sending us all back but letting him stay?" Yang asked pissed off. "What about his safety!?"
"Appreciate the worry Yang but remember this is my line of work," Gale said grinning. "I'll be okay and I'll explain later."
"Just who are you?" Pyrrha asked. A hit of betrayal in her voice.
"Gale Greene, demon hunter extraordinaire!" He said bowing dramatically. "I didn't lie about anything I just omitted the part of me killing demons."
They all left but before that Ruby hugged him. He chuckled as he patted her head. "Be careful."
"I always am Rubes. No worries" he smiled. They left leaving only Glynda and Ozpin. They looked concerned as they walked towards the demon's body.
"Care to enlighten us, Mr Greene?" Ozpin asked. Gale kicked the severed head and spit on the body as he crouched next to it.
"Bezerker. As the name implies all brawn no brain. They go into that rage mode after absorbing enough blood. This leads me to believe he ran into someone..."
"That is sadly true," Ozpin said in an expressionless tone.
"Sad. So why do you need me?" He asked in a surprisingly cold tone although Ozpin let it go.
"We thought you could maybe help us find if there are more of those... Things out there." Glynda said a hint of venom in her tone.
"Well, I can certainly bring them to me if I tried."
"Did you bring them here?" Glynda asked with a surprising hostility. Gale glared but didn't back down.
"You give me too much credit. I kill them I don't attract them unless I'm trying to. They want this blade but the power is normally sealed. If I unseal it any demon within a mile will come running." He said swinging the blade.
"Very well. I'll have professor-" before Ozpin could finish Gale shook his head.
"Nope. I'm doing this my way. Rather fight without having to worry about collateral damage." Ozpin looked at him curiously before Glynda stepped forward.
"Absolutely not! You are now a Beacon student. We can't let you put yourself in any more danger!"
"Of course you can. This is my thing remember? Your shtick is killing Grimm mine demons."
"I would agree with that assessment but due to this unusual situation professor Goodwitch is right. You cannot put yourself in this situation without a faculty member."
"Fuuuuck" he groaned. "Fine!" If you two want to join go ahead!"
"Sadly I won't be able to," Ozpin said. "The initiation ceremony must continue. Otherwise, people might suspect something is happening."
"Okay... So it's me and Glynda" Gale said.
"Professor Goodwitch!" She corrected him.
"Thought we were on a first-name basis," he said sarcastically.
"I see you two are getting along well. I will entrust this mission to you both." Ozpin left leaving them both alone. Gale groaned and turned to the professor.
"Okay, Glynda-"
"Professor Goodwitch!"
"Goodwitch," he said grinning much to her distaste. "Gonna give you a crash course on demons! Number one! Make sure they are dead! Some demons can fight without ahead! If you aren't sure it's deadly double tap him!" He began saying. "Second thing demons will try to allure you with promises! But much like monkey paw wishes, they will backfire!"
"Demons are extremely hot! And not in the sexy way! Their blood burns and so does its body! Although certain types of demons do not fit this mold."
"Any advice on killing these... Creatures?" She asked raising her brow.
"Rip tear I guess. There shouldn't be many issues. If we are lucky we will fight mostly imps. They die easily. If we see an overlord then we are in a pickle." Gale looked at his blade and grimaced.
'Ready for this?' Hoji asked surprisingly concerned.
'Not one bit' he muttered.
"You might want to get back," Gale said. Glynda did as told. "Release seal 1," he said. The sword shook violently as Gale fell to his knees gritting his teeth.
"Are you okay!?" Glynda asked concerned kneeling next to him.
"Fucking peachy" he grunted. The sword was enveloped by a red hue as it shook violently. He noticed Glynda staring at the blade. "Don't trust what it says!" He yelled.
"Why- why Is it talking?"
"This fucking thing is very persuasive. But if you aren't compatible it will turn you into a Lovecraftian monster so ignore its whispers and get ready for battle. I can sense them coming." Nikolai stood up the sword still shaking, black markings running up his arm. He saw a horde of imps and other demons charging straight at them. Without a second thought, he dashed forward and with one swift motion killed six of them.
Glynda joined the fray shortly after. In all her years she had not seen such horrible creatures. Like grim, they charged with no stop but unlike them, they took much more punishment. The heat was also unbearable. She sweated profusely as she kept fighting.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gale dashing around slicing demons left and right the blood flying. He seemed so... Empty right now his blade almost leading his movement. That blade... It had called to her, it felt so enticing. She had almost faltered before he snapped her out.
What internal conflict was raging inside of him? She wouldn't dare to imagine. Such a young kid with this weight on his shoulders... She hated seeing him like this.
Gale hated breaking the seals. The sword was... Interesting... Hoji had seen it necessary to imbue it with life. What came out was an artificial demon. One that was extremely unstable and lived within the blade.
Hoji was its creator and he was one of the Eternals so he could keep it at bay away from taking over Gale.
Gale's body on the other hand for all its training was still human and a human body was under extreme strain wielding it. He had trained to lessen the impact but it still hurt like hell.
His muscles screamed as he kept slicing through demons of all sizes. Only giving glances to make sure the professor was still alive. He spun in the air his blade cutting several heads off. As one fell he kicked it at an imp staggering it. He pulled his shotgun and blew it up.
As he cut through the demons he noticed a pale creature. Its face void of features aside from its maw. Its extremities lanky and unnatural. Gale noticed the herd thinning and charged at the creature.
It was a blank. A creature useless in battle but with a singular ability which was boosting the surrounding demons. The drawback of that was that one good hit would send a backlash that would kill the rest of the demons.
He sliced the creatures in half. It released an unholy screech as the remaining demons fell dead. Gale noticed the demon was still alive and it slowly dragged itself away. Gale kicked it turning it on its back.
Glynda approached him as she saw him crouching next to a demon. She looked horrified at the display as he spit on the creature.
"Okay, blankie speak up how did you make it here?" Gale asked.
"Give it to us!" The creature tried to grab onto the sword before Gale kicked it across the head making it screech as it fell back.
"No can do blankie. Speak up before I flay you up. Or worse."
"Wherever you go we follow!" He gaggled. As Gale stabbed it again.
"How did you make it here! I'm getting bored of this bs."
"They have found an ally. We will get what is ours back and the betrayer will pay!"
"Hmm someone allying with demons? Now, who would that be?" Gale asked curiously. He noticed the worried look on the professor's face but decided to ignore it for now.
The creature then started chanting something as Gale quickly sliced its head off. "Hey, no teleporting out!" Gale let out a sigh as the blade returned to its normal state. "Well someone who would join forces with demons," Gale said whistling. "Now professor. You wouldn't know something about that now would you?"
The ride back was quiet. The blood on Gale's armor slowly steamed away. Professor Goodwitch had been surprisingly quiet.
'She knows something' Hoji said.
'No shit Sherlock' Gale said. 'But who would join forces with your brothers and sisters?'
'Don't know but they must be interesting at the very least. My brothers wouldn't care of someone they would consider boring.'
'Now I'm curious...'
'Same... Still, these people have a lot of secrets. We can't trust them. We might want bail before things get worse.'
'And what? We don't exactly have anywhere to go.' Gale chided. 'I'm not stupid trusting them is a bad idea. Yet keeping them close might be useful.'
'What if you are wrong? What if they turn on us?'
'We do what we do best... Still, it isn't exactly a good position to find ourselves into.'
'Gale... How are you feeling?' Hoji asked concerned for him.
'I feel like shit. My arm feels like it's burning. My body aches.'
'You know there is another way to control it...'
'No... Would rather not do that. That is only worst-case scenario...'
'I was just saying-'
'I know Hoji but let's just handle one crisis at a time okay?'
They made it back to the school. Everyone seemed to be waiting for the team formations. He was excused and left to take a shower. He knew they would call him again. But at least for now, he savored the moment. He let the warm water splash. He looked at his hand. The damage of unlocking the seal was clear.
His hand had some burn marks on it. It was a bit pale and his veins stood out. He grimaced at the effects the blade had on him. He got dressed in a normal attire he had gotten in the week before starting school. A red shirt some boots and jeans. Nothing stylish but to be fair he didn't care about that. He put on a glove to cover the damage and stepped out.
He found Glynda waiting for him. He let out a sigh and walked towards her keeping his blade close to him.
"Lemme guess. Ozpin" he said calmly.
"The professor would like to speak privately. Now that the ceremony is over there will be no interruptions."
"So he going to tell me what you are hiding?" Glynda looked surprised at how he said those words. Venom dripping from each one of them. "Withholding information from possible allies really leaves a bad impression."
"You have to understand that things are... Complicated."
"Oh save me the act I know this talk. Let's just get over with it."
She took him to an elevator to a tower. His mind going back to the others. How were they? How were they coping? Did they hate him?
'They don't hate you' Hoji said.
'Since when did you become the type to comfort?'
'I have my moments!'
'Well... I'll give you that.' They made it to the top. There was an office, It looked like a clock tower. The spinning gears... It all looked symbolic.
'Is he secretly doctor manhattan or something?'
'I hope not' Hoji responded sarcastically. He noticed a drunken man on the couch drinking from a flask. He barely acknowledged his presence.
"I heard from Professor Goodwitch that the issue was taken care of." Ozpin began before Gale interrupted him.
"Save the pleasantries get to the point what are you hiding?" Gale asked him.
"Heh, he's got bite I like him," the man said his voice gravelly.
"Qrow please," Goodwitch said.
'So he's Ruby's uncle...' Gale thought.
'There is a striking resemblance if you really squint.'
"Very well... Before we do though I would like to learn more about these demons..."
"So you then tell me jackshit?"
"Mr Greene I can assure you that anything we didn't tell you was out of concern for you." Ozpin said.
"I've been to the demon realm and back. I think I can handle any information you give me. But very well I'll tell you more about the demons. If you lie to me and leave me in the dark I'm out. You do you and handle your own... Issues but I will have no part in it."
"Very well. Professor Goodwitch has gotten us up to date with the information you gave her. But there are still questions. Would you mind telling us who the betrayer is?"
"The betrayer? He's the one who forged this blade. Out of hatred for his brothers and sisters." Gale said spinning the blade. "Legend goes that hundreds of years ago Hoji, the master weaponsmith had grown tired of the demon realm. He decided to go sightseeing in the mortal realm. Disguised as a normal human he wondered for weeks until he bumped into a human. A young woman, the youngest daughter of the king." He began explaining, Hoji was quiet but he knew why. This was a painful memory.
"It seemed it was love at first sight. Hoji started spending more time in the mortal realm and soon enough they were planning a life together. But love between an Eternal and a human? That was a big no no. When the eldest of them caught wind of what was happening he flew into a rage and a full scale invasion started."
"Hoji took the side of humanity but he was a master weaponsmith not a warrior. He built several weapons to help humanity defend themselves. The war threatened to end it all and in a last ditch effort the celestials helped humanity. But it was too late. Khaine, the eldest of them all had managed to track down Hoji and his wife. He killed her and his son."
"Hoji was taken back to the demon realm. They thought he was broken... But they made an enemy of him. In his blind rage he created this blade. A blade to kill the Eternals, to slay gods... He would give humanity the greatest weapon that he had ever built."
"That Is quiet the story Mr. Greene. And where is the betrayer now?" Ozpin asked. Before he could answer Hoji materialized as they all grew tense.
"You happy now?" He asked spitefully. "Now tell us who is helping them so we know who to kill next" Hoji said.
"Very well... Although I don't understand your arrangement with Mr Greene I can see you are both trustworthy."
"Whatever just get on with it!" Hoji said sitting on the desk. The tale that was told to them seemed rather cliche. Being of pure evil created the Grimm yada yada yada.
Although she seemed the classical villain archetype Gale could see why the other Eternals would be interested in her.
"I can see why my sister might find her amusing" Hoji said. "Weaver did have a thing for evil overlords."
"Excuse me?"
"My sister, one of the Eternals. Weaver, the changer of fates, Weaver of fates? You get it? I know it isn't smart." Hoji said.
"What are Eternals anyways?" Qrow asked.
"We are like overlords of hell. Each one of us representing one facet of humanity." Hoji explained. "There are 15 of us. Each one of us with different powers."
"And what does Khaine represent?" Goodwitch asked.
"He represents war and martial prowess." Gale responded. "If you want a list of all of them I can make it but..." Gale stretched and yawned. "Can I go to sleep? I'm fucking exhausted."
"We can continue tomorrow" Ozpin conceded. "Miss Goodwitch will guide you to your room."
"Sweet! So do I have a team? Or..."
"Due to the current... Situation you actually have no team. Therefore you will be a one man team." Glynda explained.
"Wait that's legal?" Gale asked surprised.
"Yes... Most schools have one-man teams although they are quite rare." Explained Ozpin.
"A room for me alone? I dig it." Gale said grinning.
"Very well. I hope you have a good rest Mr Greene. And thank you for all the help Mr Hoji."
"Call me just Hoji" he said disappearing into mist.
Gale was taken to his room. Once he stepped in he was amazed at how big the room was. Then again it should have been for one team. Gale grinned at the sight.
"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Glynda said.
"Thanks, also what about the others? Will I explain it to them or..."
"You will be able to explain your side of the story although I would leave Hoji out of it. Although under no circumstances must you tell them about Salem."
"Yeah got it" he said waving. He closed the door and jumped on the bed. His body ached and as he closed his eyes he instantly fell asleep.
Cut! Kept ya waiting huh? Finally new chapter! took me a while but I finally got it out! As always feedback is always welcomed. Also remember to vote! As of today the Weiss pairing is winning with 3 votes! UltimateMetroMan out!