Rapax idly twirled his pugio as he walked through the forest. This journey was turning out to be excessively dull, and he almost wished something would attack him. But those thoughts were foolish, if enticing. An uneventful task was better than one risking death.
He heard shuffling to his right and turned his head to look, spotting a Beowolf sniffing the ground. It was larger than the usual Grimm and had some tougher armor but still held that same thoughtless gaze lesser Beowolves sported.
This will do.
He called out to the beast, garnering its attention. As he approached, he ordered it to lay down before mounting the wolf creature and taking off in the direction of the battlefield. With the speed of the Beowolf at his disposal, he was able to reach his destination within the hour. The sun was only just beginning its descent, meaning he still had plenty of time.
As he exited out into the clearing, he dismounted the Beowolf and took heed of his surroundings. The ground was still torn up from the fight, small metal shells littering the area. He picked one up and inspected it closely, noticing a small symbol carved into the side. Unfortunately, the casing was too badly burned to determine precisely what it was, but he tucked it into his pouch for later examination. He remembered seeing the scorpion man's weapons spewing these shells out as he fired them. Rapax assumed they contained whatever they fired, then were ejected when used.
This is why he was confused when, right next to where he'd found the first shell, he found a second, much larger, one. It was easily double the size of the first, too large to fit inside the scorpion man's gauntlets. He examined this one as well but found no identifying marks, despite only the tip being damaged. Tucking it away, he continued combing the area.
After some time, he found something partially buried in the dirt, barely noticeable if it weren't for the bright coloring. Brushing away the soil with his hand, he realized it was a handle. The ground being shallow, he gripped the object and lifted, surprised by how large it was. It was a long metal pole, not too unlike a Shaolin's staff, with a scythe blade on either end, facing opposite directions. It was light pink in color, with white and gold engravings growing throughout. Upon closer inspection, he noted they took the form of thorn-covered vines and beautiful roses, the word "Strawberry" etched in elegant writing at the center.
It was an outstanding piece of weaponry, one that would strike wonder into the hearts of Heathmoor's smiths. It was little wonder Lady Summer wanted it back, but now he was thinking how he would safely transport it back. Despite its length and metal composition, it was relatively light, so carrying it wouldn't be a problem. But maneuvering with it strapped to his back would be troublesome, to say the least.
That was when he noticed something near the bottom of the staff; a tiny indent resembling a button. Pressing it, he was surprised when the scythe-staff rapidly folded into itself, becoming a compact bar with the blades folding into themselves. It was now small enough he could clip it to his lower back and move about with it safely.
Moving the clip meant for his helmet around, he easily attached "Strawberry" to his person. The smiths of this land were incredible. Looking at his gladius, he wondered if he could commission such an artisan to improve upon his own blade. It was likely costly, so those would be plans for the future.
Turning to leave, he noticed something peculiar about Strawberry. While it was an incredible weapon, he noted it lacked any sort of hole or opening from which Summer could fire these metal bits the same way the scorpion man had. That implied the large shell from earlier came neither from the man nor from Summer. Someone else had been here.
At that moment, he heard a gunshot before an impact and the brief yelping of his Beowolf. Spinning around, he saw the beast collapse, a gaping hole where its eye once was.
Ambush.
His Beowolf now dead, he drew his gladius and, in a show of reflexes that surprised even him, deflected another bullet aimed at his throat. He heard a brief gasp of surprise, enough for him to figure out where it originated.
"He's a Huntsman, you idiot." He heard someone whisper-yell to whoever fired the shot.
"Reveal yourselves!" He called out to the hidden group. "Lest you think yourselves cowards!" After a moment of silence, the group emerged from the foliage.
"Well well well, looky here, boys! We managed to bag ourselves a Huntsman!" The leader, a large woman with short black hair in heavy makeshift armor, announced. She was tall, just under a Lawbringer, and with muscle to match. Resting against her shoulder was a massive sword, and clipped to her hip was a helmet forged in the visage of a skull. Behind her, the rest of her gang emerged. None of them stood out, just typical bandits with shoddy armor and weapons, all except one.
A woman with a rifle garbed in black leather, a hood and bandana blocking her face, a pair of wolf ears emerging from holes in the top. While her boss was loud and boisterous, she was focused entirely on him, a bullet loaded and ready to fly.
"You should've stayed in Vale. Your gear's gonna look nice on my wall." The leader grinned. "Your control over Grimm doesn't mean shit here. I'm the only one with real power here, and now that your little pet is dead, you're all alone." To make her point, her arms became engulfed in flames. Unbeknownst to her, she'd just admitted the rest of her group had no Aura, leaving them vulnerable.
Rapax stared at them silently, making a plan in his head. There were seven of them, all armed and ready for a fight. The leader would be a dangerous foe, even in a solo duel. Fighting her alongside her minions would be exceedingly tricky without reinforcements. He thought about using his Scroll to request backup, but that would take too long. The woman with the rifle would be the biggest issue, as she could stand back and pepper him with shots. She would have to die first.
"What, nothing to say? No speech about how you're gonna make us all taste justice? Every Huntsman I've killed had something stupid to say." She chuckled.
"I am no Huntsman." He spoke before springing into action.
In a flash, he drew his pugio and launched it at the archer. His theory was proven correct when it sank into her throat, making her gurgle and drop the rifle.
Six.
"Oh shit!" One of them shouted as they saw the sudden death.
Before they could retaliate, he was upon them. He sprinted forward and lept into the air, plunging his gladius into the neck of the nearest enemy before kicking him back into the grass.
Five.
"Don't just stand there!" The leader shouted with fury as she donned her helmet. "Kill that fucker!"
A man came at him with a shortsword, swinging it clumsily. He backpedaled, the blade narrowly missing his face but giving him an opening. Grabbing his shoulder, Rapax brought the bandit's face down on his knee, shattering his nose in a burst of blood. Dazed, he couldn't retaliate as the Centurion drove his gladius into his heart, killing him.
Four.
The leader reached him from behind and swung her sword, catching him in the gut. It didn't pierce his Aura, but the surprising force of the blow sent him skidding through the dirt. After recovering, he stood up, brushing some of the soil off his shoulder.
Two bandits attacked him at once, swinging both their weapons in opposite directions so he couldn't block them both. It would've been clever if it were true. He raised his gauntlets, the weapons impacting the hardened metal with a loud clang. He then shot his arms outwards, sending the weapons back and allowing him to attack.
He threw his gladius, burying it to the hilt in the right-most man's gut. As he fell to his knees in pain, Rapax used his arms to block an ax swung by a third bandit who'd tried catching him off-guard. Striking him in the gut, he then kicked him in the knee to force him further down. Grabbing his head with both hands, he twisted hard, hearing the bone snap.
Three.
The leader caught up once again and, with a roar, aimed to cleave him in half. He sprinted towards her before sliding beneath her legs, dodging the blow and tripping her over. Getting to his feet, he failed to see another bandit coming at him from behind until it was too late. He managed to land a punch on Rapax's face, but the blow was weak, just enough to move his head to the side.
With a barely audible growl, Rapax turned his head back to the man clutching his broken hand. He reared back before delivering a jaw-shattering blow, sending him to the floor. He then grabbed the bandit by the collar of his shirt and began pummeling his face with his free hand. Rapax rained down blow after blow until his face was reduced to paste, and his cries of pain were silenced. He let go of the corpse, letting it hit the dirt.
Two.
The leader, struggling to stand due to her cumbersome armor, gave him the chance to retrieve his weapon. The bandit it was buried in was still alive, desperately trying to dislodge the cold steel. Rapax approached, looming over the kneeling man, prompting him to look up. His face was marred by fear, his eyes wide with terror. He tried to speak but only coughed up blood.
Rapax grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up before ripping his gladius out of the man's guts, causing them to come spilling out. He gasped in pain but was silenced when the Centurion severed his head, the body falling free. He turned back to the leader who'd finally overcome her armor and stood up fully. He tossed the head her way, watching as it rolled to her feet.
One.
Looking around at her dead gang, her gaze fell on him before she screamed in pure rage.
"You motherfucker!"
She sprinted at him, sword raised high. He dodged to the side, not wanting to try blocking that kind of force, and stabbed her in the side. Her Aura held firm, meaning he'd have to wear it down until she was vulnerable. He was able to get two more strong stabs in before she wrenched the blade out of the ground and swung it again.
He ducked beneath it, striking her stomach with force. Each time he hit her Aura, the flash became slightly weaker, giving him an idea of how strong it was. Since the flash wasn't as bright as he thought it would be, he assumed she was a glass cannon. Powerful attacks, but a weak Aura, hence the heavy armor. Good.
Glass cannons were his favorite.
She was able to knee him in the gut, making him grunt from the force, before kicking him out from under her.
"I'll fucking rip you apart!" She swung at an angle, forcing him to dodge in a way that just barely avoided the strike. He grabbed her hands and twisted hard, making her cry out in pain and drop her sword. He then punched her in the chin, sending her helmet flying off and revealing her face, marred by fury and hatred. Her Aura was weak now, just a few more attacks and she would be vulnerable.
She grabbed him by the shoulders and headbutted him, but it hurt her more than it did him due to his helmet. He responded by dropping his gladius, grabbing her by the throat, and putting all his force into one powerful punch, finally breaking her Aura. He then kicked her hard, making her back up significantly. She recovered on her feet, rubbing her aching jaw.
"I've still got my armor, you son of a bitch!" She spat before charging, releasing a battle cry. He kicked his gladius into the air, catching it before meeting her charge. Right before they clashed, Rapax lept up and, as if in slow motion, placed his left hand on her shoulder and plunged his gladius into her exposed neck. He landed with a roll, ending in a kneeling pose. The woman stumbled for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. Then she fell to her knees, coughed up blood, and finally hit the ground, dead.
Breathing hard from the fight, Rapax rose to his feet and made his way to the dead bandit leader. He doubted they were here by accident; this was clearly a planned ambush. He now wished he'd left someone alive to interrogate, but he had been focused on surviving the encounter.
Reaching her corpse, he sheathed his gladius and began rifling through the pouches attached to her waist. He found various things; gold coins, bits of jewelry, what looked to be a finger bone, to his confusion. But ultimately, nothing of use, though he scowled in disgust when he found one pouch filled with various fingers, each of different lengths and colors. They were likely taken from previous victims as macabre trophies.
Savage.
Moving on to each of the corpses, he found similar items, none of which were helpful. Gold, general valuables, strange cards he assumed were the currency of this land due to the numbers he saw written on the sides. All of it was useless, until he reached the woman with the rifle.
The weapon she wielded wasn't of any interest to him. Other than him now knowing where the large shells from before came from, it provided little. Instead, he noticed the small slip of white paper poking out of her pocket. Retrieving and unfolding it, he was surprised to see only a few letters.
Tell your gang to wait near the location I gave you. Kill anyone who enters.
The letter was unsigned and lacked any distinguishing symbols or logos. Whoever wrote this knew someone would be back. Whether or not that someone was him, he could not say. Summer would have to be informed of this. He briefly entertained the idea of telling Ozpin, but decided against it. This matter involved Summer, and he was not at liberty to reveal details about the mission she sent him on.
That, and he would be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him that suspected Ozpin. The Headmaster clearly disliked Rapax, and he didn't know him nearly well enough to rule him out. No, this letter would be for Summer only. If she decided to hand it over to Ozpin, that would be her decision, whether he agreed with it or not.
In the meantime, he needed to request transport from the old man himself. Pulling out his Scroll, he made to send a message.
I have retrieved the weapon and am requesting transport.
But instead of it sending, a red message appeared.
ERROR: OUT OF CCTS RANGE
Sighing in frustration, he tucked away his Scroll and began walking back, annoyed at having to repeat the journey.
X
Ylfur walked down the dirt road, earth covering his boots. Before leaving Beacon, he'd been "encouraged" by Glynda to return to his quarters and put on a set of clothes more suitable to Remnant. He'd left his armor at Beacon in exchange for a plain white short with short sleeves, something called a "t-shirt," blue jeans, and heavy combat boots. However, he kept his sword and Ægishjálmr pendant. He could live without his armor, even his shield. But his ancestral blade? That wasn't leaving his side.
He'd been told by Summer to follow this dirt path until he found the forest cabin they lived in. It was peaceful out here, in the quiet woods of soil and trees. It reminded him of southern Valkenheim during the warmer months; The gentle swaying of the oaken giants, the soft whistle of the summer breeze. It was relaxing, and he briefly forgot he was no longer home.
After some time, the cabin came into view. It was a two-story log cabin with a sheet metal roof painted a rusty red. Approaching the door, he knocked hard enough for everyone to hear.
"Summer! You in there?!" He called out.
"Come on in!" He heard her reply from the other side. Opening the door, he found himself in a cozy main room, consisting of a couch, a wooden stand with holographic TV, and a fireplace built into the left wall. A door at the back of the room led to what looked to be the kitchen, a set of stairs leading to the second floor just next to it.
Seated on the couch was a blonde man he assumed was Taiyang, Summer's husband, but the woman herself was nowhere to be seen. Looking back at him, Tai smiled as he stood.
"I'm assuming you're Ylfur?" He asked.
"Já, that would be me."
"Well, good to meet the man who saved my wife." Tai stuck his hand out, offering a handshake. Ylfur accepted, taking note of his firm grip.
"I wouldn't be much of a man if I left a woman out in the forest to die, now would I?" At that moment, Ylfur spotted a small tuft of black and red hair trying to peek over the couch. Finally succeeding, he saw a toddler who must've only been two years old look up at him.
"And who's this little one?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, that's Ruby, our youngest. Please, come sit down." Ylfur nodded and sat down in the chair next to the couch, Tai taking his place back on the sofa. The toddler kept her gaze on him, a childish wonder in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile at it.
"Sorry for making you wait!" They heard Summer shout from the kitchen as she emerged. "The cookies are in the oven."
"Summer! Glad to see you're doing well." Ylfur greeted.
"Better than I was in Beacon, that's for sure." She sat down next to her husband, who promptly wrapped his arm around her. It made Ylfur feel warm seeing love. There wasn't much room for such things in war, though some warriors tried to make do. He'd lost count of how many times he caught lovers "relieving stress" in an isolated corner of a fortress or outpost. So long as they weren't shirking their duties, he didn't care. Let the young ones find solace where they can during those hard times.
"On the topic of Beacon, does he know about…?" The elder Warlord broached the subject of their resident Centurion. Summer nodded, though her smile was slightly dampened.
"Yes, Tai knows." The blonde man sighed at that.
"While I don't agree with it, if he passes the test she set up for him, then I'll believe he was genuine. I still won't trust him regardless." Fair enough. Ylfur decided to change the topic.
"You said Ruby's your youngest. You have more children?"
"Yeah, Yang is her sister. She's in the bathroom right now." Tai answered.
"So, how long do you plan on staying?" Summer asked.
"About a week, maybe more. I'm still trying to find my purpose here beyond working for Ozpin." Tai nodded.
"Right, I forgot you and Rapax aren't exactly from around here." Ylfur raised a brow at that. He thought the only people who knew were those working at Beacon? Though, he supposed it would be difficult for Summer to keep those types of secrets from her husband.
"You told him?"
"Yeah. Sorry, I hope that's not a problem." Summer apologized, but the Norseman just waved his hand.
"Bah, don't worry about it. I don't really care who knows, but Ozpin insists it stays somewhat a secret, so…" He shrugged. He heard a noise from upstairs, followed by a door opening and closing.
"Ah, and that'd be Yang. Yang, honey! Come downstairs, there's someone we want you to meet!" Summer called.
"Coming, Mommy!" A small voice came from above. That voice, it was so familiar. It sounded almost like-
"Yang, this is Ylfur," Summer said as the girl in question came downstairs. She expected the older man to greet her but was surprised when he didn't say anything. Looking over, she was shocked to see the expression on his face.
His eyes were wide, his face pale. His hands had a white-knuckle grip on the chair armrests, and his arms were shaking. He looked like he was staring at a ghost. Yang, bless her, was utterly oblivious to this, immediately going to sit next to Ruby.
"Ylv, Yuf, Ylu…" Yang tried to say his name but was struggling a bit. Meanwhile, Summer and Taiyang were looking at Ylfur with great concern. Something was deeply wrong.
"It can't be." He whispered. "No. No no no no no." He stood up shakily and started making his way to the front door, muttering something she couldn't make out. Looking at her husband, they made an unspoken agreement.
"Hey, kids, who wants to play in the yard?" Tai asked as they stood up. "We need to talk to Mr. Ylfur for a bit in private."
"Ok. Come on, Rubes, let's go!" Yang said, picking up her baby sister. Meanwhile, the parents followed Yflur, who was now sitting on the front steps, his head in his hands. The jerky movements of his back as he breathed showed he was quietly sobbing. Seeing the giant warrior break down like this had them both worried.
Sitting down next to him as Tai closed the door, Summer put a hand on his back.
"Hey, is everything alright?" She asked gently.
"She looks so much like her. It can't be Astrid, it can't be her." He said quietly.
"Astrid? Who's that?" She asked. After a few moments of trying, and failing, to compose himself, he looked up at the setting sun in the distance, tears streaming down his face.
"My little girl, my little Valkyrie." He said shakily. "She passed so long ago, I thought I'd accepted it. But seeing her face again, hearing her sweet voice. It has to be a trick, it can't be real." He had a daughter that looked exactly like Yang. A daughter he'd lost so many years ago, before the war that tore Heathmoor apart.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea." Summer said, trying to comfort the grieving father. As a dad himself, Tai could sympathize. If he lost Ruby or Yang, he didn't know how he would react. On top of that, to see that same lost child so many years later, he could understand Ylfur's sudden emotional breakdown. Clutching his pendant in a shaky hand, the older man began speaking in Norse.
"Alföðr, logn minn hugr. Segja frá ef hinn ir ginning." He said. "Ir hinn víti eða launa?"
"If you don't mind us asking, how did she pass?" Tai had heard talking about past events can help with overcoming them. After finally being able to compose himself, he nodded.
"It… it was many years before the war between the Iron Legion, Warborn, and Dawn Empire." He began.
"I was only just reaching my twentieth winter. I was at the fortress of Svengård visiting my uncle, Gudmundr, the Jarl of the region. I'd brought along my wife, Estrid, and my daughter, Astrid, named after her mother. We were only supposed to be there for a few days before heading back to the Hallowed Bastion we were living in. Unfortunately, it was during that time the Knights, the black-hearted bastards, attacked Svengård due to it storing food for the winter." He hesitated before continuing.
"Gudmundr knew they wouldn't be able to hold the Knights back forever, and so he told me to ride on horseback as fast as I could through the winter landscape and warn the other clans of the attack. But, in the chaos of the siege, I could not find my family and was forced to leave without them.
"When I later returned to sort through the ashes, I saw them." He stopped, his hands shaking. "Gutted and hanging from a tree!" He shouted, the tears flowing freely once again. "And I could do nothing but watch as the ravens feasted on their corpses!" The painful memories flooded back fresh in his mind, causing his body to be wracked with sobs.
Summer and Taiyang sat by his side, remaining silent as the mighty warrior was brought low by his grief. A grief he never had time to contend with, to put to rest. And it was now all hitting him at once.
As day turned to night, Summer and Taiyang retired to bed, giving him their condolences, though he barely registered them leaving. While his tears may have stopped, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. But one prevailed overall.
This was an opportunity, one he would not fail again.
Translations
Alföðr, logn minn hugr. Segja frá ef hinn ir ginning.
All-Father, ease my mind. Reveal if this is deception.
Ir hinn víti eða launa?
Is this punishment or reward?
And now you have some major backstory to Ylfur, the Warlord who lost his family to the Knights. Now you know why he has such vehement hatred for them, beyond just being at war with them.
Brian.H.H: Not gonna cover the stuff I PMed you about. Thanks for the compliment on Summer's weapon name, I thought it was pretty fitting.
naufalrakha0104: Truly.
Rook435: Hey, I remember you. You were there for the first chapter. Good to see you back. A lot of this stuff is related to spoilers, though I still enjoy reading what you lads think regardless, even if I can't really respond without spoiling stuff. Although, with the brief story about the Wu Lin, that isn't foreshadowing. In For Honor, there's an armor set for the Shaolin called Taiyang, and I thought the name coincidence was funny, so I figured I'd put in some flavor background. Other than that, I always love these longer reviews, they're great to read.
That's all for now. I will see you all later.
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