Saviors of Remnant: Book 1 Beginnings
Made possible by the joint efforts of Keeper Of The One Winged Angel
and TheBoredBoot
AN: Finally After who knows how long,(Sorry I'm bad at keeping track of time.) Here we are again with another chapter of Saviors of Remnant. We are entering the final chapters of this first book and hopefully we will be able to give the climax you readers are dying for. Sit back, get yourself a drink and get ready for some hopefully interesting world and character building as we have our protagonists start thinking more about their futures and the roles they will play in the coming events.
Chapter 10
"Sometimes the loudest cries for help are silent."
- Harlan Coben.
Atlas Academy Training Arena
Through the noise of the training arena Morvens voice rang.
"Again!"
Like a flash Fenrir was on him, relentlessly slashing his twin blades trying to break through his teachers defenses as they crossed blades once again.
"Dammit, after all this time I still can't even touch him. And if he was trying harder…" Barely finishing the thought Fenrir parried another slash from Morven, the force of the strike turned his hands numb as he fell to his knees dropping his weapons.
"Oww dammit, do you have to hit so hard? I can barely feel my hands after that one!" Glaring at Morven, Fenrir massaged the palm of his hand when he heard the quiet snickering coming from behind him. Turning around and not to his surprise Irithyll was sitting on the sidelines, her signature smirk once again directed at him as she silently laughed at him.
"Geez, are you ever going to improve?" Getting up and lazily stretching, Irithyll cracked her knuckles and stepped forward. "Why don't you take a break and let me fight, I'm getting bored over here watching you flail about."
Picking up his swords Fenrir instead just rolled his eyes at the comment, biting his tongue and saying nothing rather than arguing with her as usual. The fight had left him too tired to care as he plopped himself on the side lines. Taking a swig of his water he waved her away before returning a smirk of his own, "yeah like you'll do any better."
Getting in her fighting stance Irithyll took a deep breath. On her exhale there was a release of flames as she flashed over to Morven beginning her assault. The sound of her claws ringing against his sword drew the attention of several students who had just arrived for practice.
"Hey it's Morven and Fen."
Hearing his name Fenrir turned to see a familiar duo approaching, both giving a friendly wave as they got closer.
"Yo, Flynt. Kat. What brings you guys here?" looking behind them at the other students following Fenrir raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you guys on a field trip or something?"
"Naw it's nothing like that. A bunch of us in our class were thinking about what has happened lately, we can't just sit around." Pointing behind him Flynt gave a heavy sigh. "We're tired of being on the sidelines when people need help, so a bunch of us have signed up for the accelerated Specialist course. The sooner we're out there, the sooner we can help everyone including the other Kingdoms."
"Yeah cause if it's only you and Yang out there helping them, then they'll have their work cut out for them won't they?" Neon teased, patting Fenrir's head before looking at the fight that was going on. "Wait, who is that fighting Morven?"
"Just another pain in my ass," Fenrir muttered, glancing back at the fight just in time to see Morven sweep her legs out from under her and knock her down with a palm strike. The sight of her getting smacked around just as easily as he was however did bring a smirk back to his face as he turned back to the two. "So an accelerated Specialist course huh, if it's anything like the hellish training Morven was putting me through then good luck, you guys are gonna need it."
"Hey if it helps us get stronger it'll be worth it, after all we can't have you guys doing all the work. It makes the rest of us look bad and I have a reputation to maintain." Flynt joked giving Fenrir a friendly bump on the arm before turning back to the entrance. "Oh and speaking of reputations, here comes our instructor now."
Following the direction of Flynt's gaze Fenrir spotted a woman approaching them. Even from that distance he could tell she was tall, maybe even almost as tall as Morven as she came closer.
The form fitting dark blue body suit she wore complimented her pink half jacket nicely, though it looked impossible for her to zip closed past her impressive bust. Tearing his eyes away from her cleavage he glanced up at her face to find her eyes hidden behind a pair of aviators similar to the ones he had seen his mentor wear. The bright pink hair on her head ended with what he assumed were dyed blue tips at her shoulders bounced slightly as she finished approaching them.
"Flynt, Neon. Who's your friend?" The woman asked, blowing a bubble. The sweet scent of the gum she was chewing tickled Fenrir's sensitive nose as she got closer. Lowering her glasses to take a look at him.
"You look familiar, haven't I seen you around before, are you a student or something?"
Fenrir opened his mouth to respond but he couldn't find the words, his voice lost in the cool blue depths of her eyes that seemed to see everything. After a moment he noticed the amused look on her face as she stared at him and turned bright red. Quickly breaking eye contact Fenrir jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Morven and muttered, "I'm with him."
The woman's eyes flicked up to glance at Morven and a big smile spread across her face. "Well well well, so you're the little pup that was causing all the commotion months ago. I gotta say I wasn't around when you first arrived, but from what Tiona told me, Morven was very adamant about keeping you around." Her eyes flicked back to his, looking over him as if assessing him again before she laughed out loud and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well if that's the case I suppose you got nothing to worry about, he takes good care of his own. though since he hasn't changed that much. He's probably still way too serious at times."
"You know Morven?" Fenrir asked, wincing slightly from the force of her hand.
"Morven? Oh yeah we go way back, during our time at the academy we were all on a team. Him and Winter were always so serious, Reizo was a recluse and a bookworm and somehow we all worked well together. Hey you've been with them for a while now, have you noticed how bad WInter is at flirting yet?"
"Yeah I've noticed, though I don't know if I should feel bad for her or just laugh." he replied back with a chuckle. "After all Morven either doesn't notice or is ignoring her hints which I can imagine is driving her crazy."
"Oh you have no idea," She said, chuckling as well. Her light voice had a melodic tone that tickled his ears. "The fact that they are still the same together and haven't shown any improvements to their relationship despite the years that have passed is kinda depressing.
"I can imagine," Fenrir said with a nod trying to imagine a younger Morven and Winter together. "Wait, so there were four of you guys on a team, why did you guys split up then?"
"Oh that. Well as the top of our class we were recruited right after graduation into separate sections, well aside from Winter and Morven. It's almost like they are destined to be with each other. They were switched to a two man special operations team, Reizo is with the recon division, and I go between teaching and other standard operations for Atlas. Right now though, I'm in charge of the Specialist accelerated course."
Her gaze turned serious again for a moment as she muttered under her breath, "These kids are forcing themselves to grow up faster because we can't solve these problems on our own… It breaks my heart but there's nothing else I can do but teach them as best I can."
Seeing their instructor with such a grave expression Neon stepped forward and gave her a hug. "It's ok Ms. Linnaea, we're tougher than you think. After all, you're a great teacher."
"Thanks Neon, but I've told you all to call me Ada now. You're not regular students anymore, not to me. " Ada's voice took a lighter note as her smile returned. Looking back down at the arenas her eyes met her former teammate's gaze, Morven who had the young Faunus on her back at sword point, as he stared up at her and gave a nod. Sheathing his sword and helping the girl up before he leapt out of the arena and started making his way up the stairs.
"Hello Ada. It's been awhile, how have you been?"
"Oh you know the same old same old, but I've got to say I'm hurt. I know you've been busy lately but not even a phone call to say hi?"
Ada stepped closer to Morven and lightly placed a hand on his chest, a mischievous smile on her face as she tensed up and leaned in close.
"But that's fine, cause I know you'll make it up to me. Right Morven?"
"Well shit."
In a split second Ada's hand seemed to glow pink as Morven was launched back towards the arena, not a trace of surprise on his face as he landed and immediately drew his sword.
"Fine if this is what you want to do," holding out his hand Morven gave Ada a little "come here'' gesture before cracking a slight smile of his own. "I'll play."
Fenrir blinked and the next thing he saw was Ada already down in the arena attacking, her apparent fighting style changing with each flurry of attacks. Starting first with a series of punches and jabs that reminded him of Yang's fighting style, only to immediately transition into an acrobatic style with flips and kicks that flowed into unending combos.
Switching his focus to Morven, Fenrir was surprised to see there was no counter or anything coming from him. In fact from the looks of his movements, Morven seemed to be doing everything in his power just to avoid letting her even touch him.
Down on the arena floor as they fought, Ada and Morven were also engaging in small talk as Ada's deft attacks forced him to dodge and weave between her combos.
"Seriously Morven this is so like you, it's been almost a year since we last even spoke outside of work and you are still way too serious." Feinting a sweep to his legs, Ada instead pulled a full 360 and lashed out with both legs nearly hitting Morven with a scissor kick straight to the head as she laughed. "I'm also disappointed in you and Winter, all this time together and neither of you have made any progress."
Ada's sudden change in topic caught him off guard. Rather than dodging her punch, he blocked it with the flat of his blade immediately grimacing. It was the chance she had been waiting for.
Leaping back to make some distance she jerked her hand and between Morvens blade and her hand a pink glowing tendril appeared reacting to her movements. Yanking his sword out of his hand she expertly directed it to her as if she was going to catch it when Morvens smirk caught her attention.
Holding out his hand towards his flying sword he focused his aura applying what he had been working on in the acclimation chamber. Feeling the tingle of the electrical build up he snapped his fingers and released the building charge using his sword like a lightning rod and giving the surge of electricity a target to hit.
"Dammit," releasing her semblance on his sword she moved aside and didn't catch the blade, her hair momentarily standing on end as the bolt of lightning zipped faster than she could see and struck the weapon releasing a blast of electricity. Turning back to Morven she spotted him moving in just as fast right at her.
Stomping her foot she pivoted and lashed out with a kick missing Morvens temple by a hair's breadth, swiftly side stepping her attack Morven grabbed Ada's outstretched leg and threw her over his shoulder aiming for the ring out.
"Tcchh," Ada clicked her tongue and twisted her body in the air. Pointing at Morven, "try this on for size then." She then jerked her arm back and halted her movement out of the ring, Morven in response was pulled up towards her as she shouted. "I've got some new tricks up my sleeve Morven, you shouldn't take me so lightly!"
Immediately Morven made a slashing motion with his free hand and severed the aura connecting them. An arc of electricity trailing his hand as he collided with Ada in mid air before grabbing her by the front of her suit. "I always take you seriously." Hitting her with an open palm strike he sent her flying back down to the ground.
Ada hit the ground and despite cushioning her fall using her semblance, the force of the impact knocked the wind out of her. Looking up she could do nothing as Morven dropped down on top of her, straddling and pinning her. A rare but familiar smirk she hadn't seen since they were students on his face as he leaned in close and whispered, "I win this one Ada. If you want to catch up over drinks, it looks like this time it's going to be on you."
Laughing at her loss she gazed up at her old teammates face and gingerly reached up to touch it. "This was fun Morven, like old times."
"Yeah, just like old times."
The two of them remained like that for a little while longer when suddenly a sharp voice cried out, "Ada what the hell do you think you're trying to pull here!"
"Well it was only a matter of time," Fenrir muttered, turning with the others to look at the new arrival. Standing there at the top of the stairs was Winter, her fists clenched as she glared down at Ada who smirked from underneath Morven.
"Oh hey Winter it's been awhile, we always seem to miss each other and I was wondering when I'd get to see you again."
Winter didn't respond, but instead pointed to the two of them and then flicked her hand upward creating one of her glyphs between them. After a split second she triggered it and another glyph at her feet launching Morven up off of Ada, and herself right at them. Her sword in hand as she flew right at Ada.
"Not even letting me catch my breath huh? That's smart," Ada growled, windmilling her legs and flipping up to her feet. Narrowing her eyes she crouched slightly and with a practiced motion drew her pistol tracking Winter's movement in the air. "But it's not enough."
Twisting in the air, Winter managed to dodge the first set of shots. Using her glyphs she set up several points in the air, launching herself between them and building up speed before suddenly flying at Ada.
Narrowly dodging her flying slash, Ada couldn't help but smile at the Schnee. It had been a long time since they had done this and it gave her a warm feeling of nostalgia. Drawing a short blade of her own she parried Winter's next strike immediately following through with a riposte and grazing the Schnee's aura.
Grunting and dodging backwards Winter sent several bolts of energy flying at Ada who easily avoided them and closed the distance ducking under Winter's sword and catching her arm on the back swing. Twisting once she flipped her over onto her back trying to mount her but was then kicked and in turn mounted by Winter who straddled and forced her down.
"Oh now this is good," Fenrir chuckled, admiring the view with a sly smile. "Nothing like a good old fashioned cat fight. Hey Flynt you wanna get in on this action and make a bet?"
"Hey, what about me?" Neon called out, pouncing on Flynt interrupting him. "I want in on this too, although it's obvious that Ada is gonna win."
"Yeah I gotta agree with Katt," Flynt said with a nod crossing his arms. "She's about to hit her second wind after all."
"Her second wind? What is that?" Fenrir asked, turning back towards the fight.
"Shhh, just watch and you'll see." Neon snapped, shushing him.
As soon as those words left Neon's mouth Ada made her move. Bucking up her hips and twisting, she threw Winter onto the ground and rolled up onto her feet immediately drawing another one of her blades and slashing at Winter. Like lightning the two were crossing blades again darting about the arena, Winter using her glyphs as steps while Ada just seemed to have a natural agility that could go toe to toe with the Schnee's Semblance.
"Hey what's happening to Ada?" Fenrir pointed out, noticing a glow growing in intensity around her.
"Yeah that's what I was talking about, Ada's second wind." Neon explained. "We heard from another instructor that back during her time as a student she worked so hard to keep up with her team that she ended up developing a sort of second reserve of Aura. She can only tap into it in times of stress and when her aura is almost drained. It only lasts for a short while and knocks her out afterward, but it's incredible what she does during that time."
"Dammit, I need to finish this fast." Winter and Ada muttered at the same time, landing on opposite sides of the arena, their weapons coming up as they dashed at each other one last time.
Catching Winter's sword in another blade lock, Ada stepped in and kicked her foot out from under her while at the same time sliding her blade down and knocking Winters from her hand.
"Shit," leaping back to make some space, Winter conjured a glyph near the edge when she caught the grin on Ada's face and the gun pointed her way, but not at her.
Ada fired her gun blasting through the glyph causing Winter to stumble on her landing, falling to her hands and knees. The moment she saw Ada it was too late. Dropping her gun and blade, Ada bolted in and nailed her in the chest with the same palm strike that Morven had used on her, sending Winter out of the ring and into the opposite wall cracking the concrete and knocking the wind out of her. Her aura flaring brightly once more before going out.
Coughing and blurry eyed, Winter gazed up at Ada who stood looking down at her, a look of tired triumph on her face as she swayed on the edge.
"Looks like I win this time Winter, ha guess there's a first time for everything."
Swaying one last time she collapsed, falling off the raised arena and into Morvens arms who had moved below to catch her.
Tenderly looking down at her he whispered. "Well done Ada, let's say this makes us even and I'll treat all of us to drinks. Maybe we can even get Reizo to join us if she's around, that way it'll be like the old days with the whole team back together."
"Yeah… I'd like that, I've missed you all…"
Winter, watching the two of them gritted her teeth but remained silent slowly getting to her feet and heading towards them, pride hurting more than anything as Ada finally passed out in Morvens arms. Turning away she thought about leaving when she heard Morven call out to her.
"Winter you did amazing too, honestly I'm lucky to have you watching my back."
Winter felt her cheeks immediately heat up and turn red at his praise, "well you watch my back too." She muttered looking up at him, hearing him voice his appreciation like that outloud was more embarrassing than her losing the fight. Finally breaking eye contact she asked quietly. "We are a team right? It's only natural for us to look after each other."
"Of course," Morven replied, giving her another slight smile before turning towards the stands and leaping up to where Fenrir and the others were. Giving his ward a nod he turned to the Flynt, Neon, and the other gathered students in the stands. "Alright everyone. Due to Ada being out of commission I will be taking charge of your combat training for the day, go ahead, pair up and find an empty stage. Also if a couple of you would like to mix things up a bit I have two students of my own who you can pair up with." Glancing over at Fenrir and Irithyll who had come and joined him he added with a chuckle, "You two will be nice right?"
Later that Evening
Now back at the Kenrich manor relaxing and soaking in his bath, Fenrir gave a sigh of contentment. Wincing slightly from his new set of bruises he leaned back and submerged himself in the water closing his eyes in thought. "Man I'm beat. Who would've guessed that group drills could be so exhausting. And some of those other students…"
The image of two in particular came to mind. A tall black student wielding a massive spear, and who he had figured to be his partner, a slightly shorter female with sunkissed skin and hair black as night. She had wielded a halberd and working with her partner they proved to be an excellents team, covering each other's blind spots and controlling the fight with the reach their weapons provided.
"I should ask Yang if she wants to work on our coordination some time," he thought with a slight smile picturing the two of them fighting together. "Hmm maybe we could even come up with some cool combo moves to use."
Suddenly a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Master Fenrir, sorry to disturb you but dinner will be ready soon."
"Geez Lyla!" Fenrir yelped, slipping further into the tub. Peeking out he saw that she hadn't entered the bathroom so he added, "you gotta creep everywhere you go or do I get that special treatment?"
"Oh so you need me to come in then Master Fenrir?"
"No No I'm fine!" Fenrir yelped again seeing the doorknob turn slightly, Lyla letting out a low giggle from the other side at his reaction. "Look I lost track of time so I'll be right out, ok?"
"I'll let the others know, we'll await you at the dining hall."
Hearing Lyla leave, Fenrir gave another sigh of relief and climbed out of the tub before getting dressed and making his way to the dining hall. Right as he was about to enter he ran into Serena who stopped him.
"Hello Fen how are…" She stopped suddenly and leaned in to look at him, gently reaching and touching his face. After a moment she sighed and shook her head, "If Morven is working you too hard please let me know, alright Fen?"
"I'll remember that Ma'am but really you don't need to worry about me," Fenrir chuckled. "Oh I got to meet another one of Morvens teammates, and I gotta know. What is up with him and the ladies, I mean I swear he has a harem or something hidden away."
"Oh which one did you meet today?"
"Dammit what was her name again?" Fenrir thought to himself, completely spacing out on her name. "Umm pink and blue hair, matching jacket and bodysuit, oh and…" Fenrir gestured around his chest turning a little red at what he was implicating.
"Oh you must be talking about Ada," Serena said with a smile. "I liked her too, she was a fun one. I remember during his time at the Academy he brought his team home for the holidays. It was the dead of night and she slipped into his room to pay him a little nighttime visit, but she wasn't aware of the sleeping arrangements that were already made."
Raising an eyebrow Fenrir thought about what she had said for a moment before it suddenly dawned on him. Remembering what she had joked about before and how Morven seemed to consistently share his bed. "No way," he laughed, covering his mouth.
"Yes, she snuck not only into his room, but into his bed only to find Winter already there. And let's just say that the two of them were not happy to find each other instead of their target."
Fenrir and Serena both laughed again before noticing that Morven was leaning against the wall staring at the two of them, a look of subtle annoyance Fenrir had learned to recognize across his face.
"Mother. You know that you don't need to share all these stories."
"What do you mean sweetie? I mean Fen here is practically family now, and we were just talking about your team. Though I suppose I may have started rambling so I'm sorry dear."
"I personally thought it was hilarious," Fenrir chimed in casually throwing his hands behind his head as he started making his way to the dining hall with Morven and Serena in tow.
"I'm glad you find it so amusing Fen, I'll remember that when we continue our training come Monday." The edge in Morvens voice immediately wiped away the smirk that had been on his ward's face.
"Hey now, what have I told you before?" Serena said, pulling Fenrir into a protective embrace and glaring at her son. "You don't need to be so hard on him alright."
About to open his mouth and make another smart comment Fenrir was stopped by his stomach growling out loud. Reminding them all that dinner was waiting for them. Removing himself from Serena's embrace he turned and gave the two a smile. "Why don't we continue this over dinner? I kind of want to hear your dad's two cents on your lady problems too."
"Oh and you know he has some stories of his own that I'm sure he'll share, Lyla has some as well" Serena said with another giggle as they resumed their walk to the dining hall joining everyone.
The remainder of the evening they spent enjoying the meal and chatting away. Serena and Yorath both started sharing amusing stories about their sons despite the minor protests from Morven and Floyd trying to hide their embarrassment.
Enjoying the moment Fenrir leaned back in his chair and looked at the people around him and smiled to himself. It's been several months since he had started living with the Kenrich family, they're acceptance and kindness to him he found suspicious at first. But as time passed and he got to know them, he realized that they really did care about him and wanted him around.
"They really treat me like I'm family… But Caius is still out there, actual blood out for blood." With his thoughts turning to his brother still in the White Fang Fenrir could feel the knot in the pit of his stomach again. The constant reminder that they would eventually cross paths again mixed with the dread of freezing up when it happened made him feel ill. Standing up suddenly he excused himself from the table and rushed to the bathroom.
Morven noticed Fenrir's sudden erratic behavior, started to get up and go after him only to have his mother gently grab his arm and shake her head at him.
"Morven, leave him be. If you really want to help him you are going to have to let him ask for help."
Looking after the young wolf Morven sighed and remained seated, his own heart heavy and wanting to reach out and help his ward. The rest of the meal was eaten in a somber silence before everyone retired for the night, and as Morven made his way to his own room he was stopped by Lyla who smiled at him.
"There are many people who have trouble reaching out for help Morven," Lyla whispered in a comforting tone wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace. "But I believe if you give him time he'll come around, and if it's not you don't worry. He's surrounded by people here who care about and want to help him." Reaching up and stroking his face she added quietly. "You can also reach out for help too, Morven. You don't have to bear the weight of the world alone."
"I know Lyla," Morven whispered back, taking her hand and tenderly squeezing it once. After a moment of silence he gave her a half smile and released hand," Good night Lyla."
"Good night Master Morven."
The Next Day
"Hey Fen-Fen do you have any plans today?" Gareth asked.
The sudden question from the youngest Kenrich caught Fenrir off guard. The two had just been sitting in the dining hall eating breakfast while Serena and Lyla quietly chatted and drank their coffee.
"No, Morven said we were taking the day off so I didn't really have anything planned," Fenrir replied with a shrug. "Why? Do you want to go do something?"
Pursing his lips and thinking hard Gareth suddenly smiled and asked, "oh can I watch you do your sword training stuff again? Like when you were all like whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, and the fire was all like craaaaa-boom!" Waving his arms to emphasize the big explosion.
"I suppose I could," Fenrir replied chuckling. "Though let's check with your mother first, stuff like that can be dangerous and we wouldn't want anything to happen to you." Patting Gareth on the head Fenrir turned to Serena who had heard herself mentioned and had turned to look at them with a smile.
"Thank you Fen for being concerned for his safety," Serena said, turning to her youngest. "Alright you can go watch, but you need to behave and stay out of the way ok?"
"Awesome. Thanks mom, Cmon Fen lets go." Gareth blurted, practically dragging him out the door in his hurry.
Watching the two leave Serena smiled to herself. Gareth had taken a real liking to their guest, in fact to the whole family he was already more than just a guest. Which was why she still felt guilty ever since she had learned his name, the secret that she and her eldest and her closest friend had been keeping since he had arrived.
As if sensing where Serena's thoughts had turned too, Lyla gently reached out and took her hand. "Are you still feeling guilty about not telling him Ma'am? You know it's not our place to tell him if she's still alive."
"I know Lyla, it's just been since Morven was born that we last heard from them. If something had happened to them then we would be the only ones that can tell him. And having to give him news like that…"
"I think he could handle it, it would hurt and be confusing but your son was right in his appraisal of Fenrir. Even if he himself does not know exactly what he is preparing him for."
"With only two houses remaining I can still hope for a better future. The two heirs are already tied together by destiny. It's only a matter of time till the third one appears."
"Destiny? What do you mean by that Serena?" Lyla asked, releasing her hand.
"Come now Lyla, did you really think that it was a coincidence? The boy that Morven finds and rescues, is from that family. The ties are there but neither of them know the true extent of how close we all are." Clenching her teeth Serena fell silent and glared out the window before muttering, "They are pawns of fate. But they deserve better and we can't even warn them."
"Even if you do, how would we explain it?"
"We'll worry about that when it happens," Serena said, exhaling sharply and looking out the window again. "Until then we just have to wait and hope things won't get as bad."
Outside the Manor
"And go!" Fenrir yelled, lashing out with his swords again. The blast of fire shooting into the air caused another series of cheers from the young boy watching him from the edge of the training grounds.
"Again, again Fen," Gareth cheered, clapping and smiling. His enthusiasm was contagious as a big smile spread across Fenrir's face who gave a little bow.
"How about I show you something else I've cooked up," he said with a grin switching both blades to whip mode. Spinning them around him he began slashing in a focused and methodical way until he abruptly crouched and lunged forward. Bringing his bladed whips around into a cross slash he released the fire dust, and with precision born from days of practice sliced in half and ignited all the targets he had set up on the far side.
"Wow. So what do you call that move Fen?" Gareth asked, clapping his hands. "Is that like some super finishing move you came up with?"
"Ha I wouldn't call it a super finishing move," Fenrir chuckled, sheathing his weapons and moving back over to Gareth. Patting his head he thought for a moment and then asked, "I don't know. I never really thought about naming my attacks, what do you think is a good name for it?"
"Hmmm, I don't know." Crossing his arms Gareth scrunched his face up thinking hard of a cool name. "How about FireBlade? Hell Slash? Oh oh, Doom Flare?"
"Ok Hell Slash does sound kinda cool, though shouting that when I do the attack is kinda embarrassing."
"Personally I think Doom Flare sounds the coolest."
Feeling his face heat up immediately at the sound of his Mentors voice Fenrir whirled around to find Morven approaching with Irithyll at his heels, though surprising to him rather than a smirk on her face she seemed to be thoughtfully considering something.
"That one does sound cool, but what do you think of Hell fang? Hmmm no actually that wouldn't work with that move, if it was more of a thrusting attack maybe." Looking up at Morven she shrugged, "I guess Doom Flare is the best fitting one for that attack."
Waiting while Morven and Irithyll finished nodding in agreement Fenrir burst out, "Wait are you guys serious? You guys aren't making fun of me?"
"Make fun of you?" Glancing at each other the two suddenly had very serious expressions. "Look Fen," Irithyll started leaning in. "I'll make fun of you till I'm blue in the face, but not when it comes to something this serious."
"She's right Fen,"Morven added, nodding again. "A signature or finishing move is almost essential. It adds to your character and reputation, and can even end a fight before it's even started."
"Really?" Fenrir's tone was suspicious. "If they are so important do you have one then?"
"Of course, I have quite a few. As a matter of fact you missed one while you were locked up in the airship when we first met."
"Wow, no hesitation." Fenrir thought, cracking a smile and laughing. "Ok. I'll keep that in mind and come up with some cool names for those moves. Though don't expect me to shout those out when I do them, you got that?"
Giving Fenrir a nod of agreement Morven moved past him and began inspecting the targets he destroyed. The look of pride on his face as he admired his wards' handiwork also made Fenrir smile as he watched Mhin. His eyes drifted towards the sword that he carried and he couldn't help but suddenly feel curious about the blade again.
"Hey Morven," Fenrir started to ask looking at his mentor. "Can I take a look at your sword? I mean we've been teamed up for a while now and I gotta say, I've been curious about it."
Cocking his head slightly Morven gave a nod of understanding before unclipping the sheath from his belt and handing the whole thing to Fenrir. "Careful, she's a little on the heavy side for people."
"What do you mean by that?" Fenrir asked, taking the weapon. As soon as his hands grasped it his eyes widened in surprise at the full weight of Storm Razor. For how big the sword was, its weight still caught him off guard, holding the sheath with one hand he drew the blade and admired its edge. Struggling slightly as he held it with one hand he peered closer at the blade and noticed that within the strange black metal that made the core of the sword were streaks of gold. He also noticed a slight tingling and could feel the hairs on his body start to stand up, reacting to the electrical charge.
"Yeah I feel it now, What is causing that Morven? Is there also Gravity dust in this thing?"
"Not necessarily," Morven said quietly, taking the weapon from him and staring at the blade. "My master said that the core of a weapon can be affected by what he called the "weight of responsibility." Something I've begun to notice all the more often nowadays."
"The weight of responsibility… That's some pretty heavy stuff," Fenrir muttered watching Morven take the sheath and put away his weapon. They had spent so much time together that by now he could make an accurate guess on how his mentor felt about certain things, and this weight of responsibility troubled him.
Realizing that his Ward was staring at him really hard, Morven shook his head remembering why he had come down to find him. "Anyways enough about a serious topic like that I was coming to find you because a friend of the family is coming by today."
"Oh, and what does that have to do with me?"
Morven raised an eyebrow, "he's a tailor and he's coming for you actually. Remember we have the Schnee charity ball coming up, and with us working security I'll need you to look the part." Turning to Irithyll he added, "Also I can ask about arranging you to work with us or would you just like to attend the party as a guest with the family. We can also have him do a fitting for you as well though most likely he'll get his sister to do the actual dress designing."
"Thanks but no thanks, parties aren't my thing. Remember I'm a social reject, and besides I'm gonna spend that night hanging out with Lyla."
"Hey on second thought that sounds way better than working this party, can I do that instead?" Fenrir asked only to see Morven roll his eyes in annoyance.
"Sorry Fen, I already agreed to have us help security. And besides," giving his ward a smirk he added. "Yang is attending the party as Weiss's guest. I even heard from Winter that they are going to pick out dresses together."
Hearing the mention of Yang picking out a dress for the party Fenrir couldn't help but wag his tail in unconscious excitement. "Well if that's the case I take it back, getting a nice suit and going to a fancy party doesn't sound that bad anymore. Even if it is hosted by the Schnee's."
"Well remember Fen, we are attending mainly as extra security. But there will be some time to socialize and spend time with Yang and the others at some point during the party so don't worry too much."
Given a groan of annoyance, Fenrir looked up and spotted Lyla approaching with a man he had never seen before.
"Young Masters, Mr. Tassu is here for the suit tailoring." She called out gesturing to the newcomer.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice Jean," Morven said, greeting the man. After shaking his hand he gestured to Fenrir, "This here is my ward Fenrir Argyros. He's the one for the other specialty suit we'll need. He's going to pick out the design and color of course, but do help him if he needs any recommendations alright?"
Now that Mr. Tassu was closer, Fenrir could finally get a better look at this so-called tailor. From a glance at the neat and pressed suit the man wore he could tell that he was an expert of his craft despite looking so young, "Maybe even younger then Morven." He thought to himself.
Clad in a navy blue suit with a white undershirt, Fenrir noticed that he had forgone wearing a tie and instead had the top button undone, his slicked back black hair giving him a sophisticated appearance while his grin and swagger was that of a free spirited slacker.
"Of course Morven," Turning to Fenrir the tailor paused looking him up and down, circling him for a moment before smiling and holding out his hand. His light green eyes flashing with amusement as he asked. "You've never worn a suit before, have ya kid? Don't even sweat it, I'll have you looking like a million lien at only half the price."
Hearing the price Fenrir paled and turned to Morven. "Half-a-millen lien…" He started to stammer when he saw the amusement in Morven's eyes who looked at the tailor. Seeing Fenrir turn back to him he clapped him on the back and cackled.
"Ha ha! Sorry kid but you should've seen your face. Fuckin priceless."
"Hey!" Lyla snapped sharply, glaring at the tailor. "Language, the young Master is still here." Herding Gareth away who was chuckling at the scoulding of the guest she gave one last bow before returning into the Manor.
Staring after her a moment longer the tailor turned back to Fenrir, "I think she's finally starting to warm up to me." He said with a nudge and a smile. "Anyways let's head to your room, Morven. We'll do whatever minor tailoring for the suit you have already and then start sizing Fenrir here for his, Unless you want a whole new suit for this party?"
"No, I'm happy with my current one. Just looking it over and making the necessary adjustments should be fine." Morven said, leading the way.
Following Morven the three walked to his room and began their work. Sitting to the side Fenrir watched as his Mentor pulled out and donned a black and gray suit from his closet and stood on a short stool in front of Mr. Tassu, the two casually chatting as he moved around him making measurements and writing notes.
Glancing around the room Fenrir realized that this was the first time he had ever been inside his mentors room. Looking around he could see it was the same size as his own room, with the bed neatly made in the corner and no clutter anywhere else it was exactly identical. There was a much larger worn out desk he noticed facing out the window. Just looking at it he could imagine the hours that Morven had spent hunched over it working.
Getting up he curiously approached the desk and spotted several pictures, either in frames or pinned to the backboard on it. Picking one up he saw that it was a family photo with the whole Kenrich household, maids and butlers included. In another it was just of the three sons all standing together, Gareth in the middle of his two older brothers smiling widely while they stood beside him all serious like.
"Always so serious, yet it's obvious that they care." He thought about putting down the photo and picking up another.
This one had people he actually recognized. All of them younger though, he saw Morven, Winter, and Ada. But there was one person he didn't recognize standing on the far left.
"That's an old team photo from when we were all students." Morven called out. "I'm sure you recognize Winter and Ada but that third woman, that is Reizo. You haven't had the chance to meet her yet since she's busy doing recon operations but you'll get a chance at some point."
Nodding, he put down the photo before turning and moving back to Morven and the tailor, who had just finished his work on Morvens suit.
"Ok now it's your turn now Mr. Argyros, or would you prefer I call you Fenrir?" Mr. Tassu asked, turning to the Faunus.
"Fen is easier. And you seem like a fun guy so I think we could be friends," Fenrir said with a smile getting up on the stool. "Plus if this suit helps me with the ladies I'll owe you."
Laughing he clapped him on the back again. "Alright you got a deal, and you can go ahead and call me Jean. Now," pulling a measure tape he began measuring Fenrir. "What colors would you like your suit in?"
"I'm thinking something black and red, but also would you be able to do something like that?'' he said, pointing to Morvens crest.
"Oh a seal, yeah I'll just need the design. Do you have anything in mind?"
Fenrir smiled in response, "Oh yeah. I have something specific I want."
AN: BoredBoot here. It has been a long time since my partner or I have been able to post a completed chapter so rejoice I guess for this one. It was a long time in the works due to scheduling and real life events, and I'm sorry that I can't promise more consistent chapters. All I can say is thank you old readers and new for sticking around and enjoying this story. Remember reviews and encouragements are greatly appreciated, and I hope all of you stick around for future chapters.
TheBoredBoot