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Tuesday Morning…
The wildlands of Vale were a breath of fresh air compared to city life. Literally. Adrian hadn't felt this alive for over a year, or at least not since his initiation in the Old City. He loved nature.
"GRAAAHHH!"
"Oh, 'graaahhh!' yourself!"
The Creatures of Grimm, on the other hand, were even more irritating than he remembered.
Two Beowolves leapt at Adrian from a fair distance, claws at the ready. Adrian leaned back on one foot, charged up Duster and darted forward to get behind them. He turned and let his fists fly against the first one, landing several good blows against its unguarded back. Its pained cries were oddly satisfying.
The second turned and began swiping. Adrian had to dodge and block the first few swipes, but the last one left 4 deep gouges in the armor of his gauntlet. He cursed, then pushed forward with a heavy volley of hits wherever he could land them. He finally let loose the weapons' charge with another volley and smiled as the extra force finally brought the creature to the ground. Sections of its armor plating bore thin cracks, and he sent out his fist one last time to punch through it, finally sending the thing to oblivion.
"GRRAAAHH!"
All at once the first Beowolf reminded Adrian it was still there with a brutal slash to his back, claws almost cutting right through the fabric of his jacket. His Aura shield was all that saved his life. He recoiled, turned with a snarl and raised one fist-
BANG
-Just as a bullet came out of absolutely nowhere and took the Beowolf right in the temple, blasting out whatever served as its brains. The creature was dissolving before it even hit the dirt.
Rather than get angry, Adrian bent over to take a breath. That last hit actually hurt. He grunted, stood upright and sent a quick wave in the direction the bullet had come from.
[You're welcome,] said Crimson through his earpiece.
Adrian smiled, then rolled one shoulder and took a look around. The sounds of battle floated towards him through the trees, but neither Misty nor Opal were visible from where he stood. Still, with Crimson acting as support, Adrian had no reason to worry. The rest of the team could handle themselves just fine.
Instead he turned his eyes to the ground, scanning for odd formations in the grass and foliage. So far he'd found 2 traps, Misty and Opal half a dozen, and it was only an hour away from lunchtime. Of course, he also kept his other senses on full alert – no point in looking for traps then blindly bumping into the things that set them in the first place.
Suddenly he spotted it; a wide, flat area of leaves that was unnaturally even. He glanced around carefully, then bent down and quickly scanned the leaves more closely. He just made out thin sticks that had been tied together lying a fraction of an inch beneath the covering.
"Found another one," said Adrian.
[That brings the total to 10,] replied Crimson. [Misty just found one more as well.]
"These damn things sure are busy."
[And skiddish. I only spotted one in my scope before it hid again.]
"That tracks with what they told us back in town."
Valley Glenn was dealing with a mixed herd of troublesome Grimm in the nearby woods, which was why they needed a team sent in to dispatch them. Beowolves were hard enough for Huntsman to deal with on their own, but accompanying them was a rare species called Traptors; few people had even seen them, but those that did reported these Grimm to be large, vaguely reptilian, and incredibly smart. As in, smart enough to create and deploy surprisingly sophisticated traps to catch their prey (which, being Grimm, were humans). The woods around Valley Glenn were almost impossible to pass through because of those things, and team MOCAs first task was to find as many of these traps as they could. If that included thinning the herds of Grimm while they were at it, all the better.
[Misty says we can head back now. We've found enough for one day.]
"Roger that," said Adrian. He didn't bother adding how hungry he was. Instead he rubbed his stomach and turned, took one step-
"…!"
-Only for that foot to suddenly snap backwards, fly straight up, and drag the rest of him with it. He tried to give a yelp of surprise, but it was cut off as his face made contact with the ground. He ended up swinging by one foot in a daze.
[Adrian! You okay?!]
"Uurgh…" His world was upside-down, slowly spinning, and partially hidden behind the stars that now danced before his eyes. Now that hurt. "I'm alive," he groaned.
[Hold tight, I'm sending Opal to cut you down. And be on your guard, those things might be hiding nearby.]
"Obviously."
Traptors were apparently smart enough to create and set some pretty fancy traps, but only by Grimm standards – the average human could usually see them in time to avoid them. Something like a damn snare should have been beyond the limited abilities of any Grimm. How in blazes…
"Well now… you're not a Beowolf."
A new voice came from behind him, and this one sounded weirdly familiar. Rather than struggle to turn around, Adrian let himself hang as the rope gradually let him turn to see who was talking. All he could be sure of was that it was a person. And a girl, by the sound of her voice. He tried to keep his voice casual as he said, "Would it be safe to assume you set this trap?"
A light chuckle, "Yeah, that's pretty safe."
Almost there. A little further and he could see who caught him. "Well then… after you stuff me and mount me over the mantle with my mouth open and roaring, be sure to break it to my team gently that I died like an absolute bitch. Opal might not take it too well, but I expect Misty will laugh her head off."
"Hmm…" It was clear the speaker was trying to hold in further laughter, though she didn't reply.
Instead Adrian heard footsteps approaching, finally turned far enough to get a look at a pair of stone-gray slacks with black boots, then suddenly remembered how gravity worked as his rope was cut loose. The only thing keeping him from kissing the dirt again was his arms hanging down the entire time.
Opal was just coming into view as the mysterious speaker reached out a gloved hand and said, "You okay, Adrian?"
He paused as he took her hand, "…How do you know my name?" It was only then that he finally looked up and saw her face.
Dark skin, long black hair and purple eyes like jewels, but the shape of the face was more angular than her sisters. It was the same face from the locket. "Well for starters, Amy's told me so much about you that I feel like we've already met," she said with another giggle.
"You're… Amy Currant's older sister?" Adrian had to fight to keep his jaw from falling open. Of all the people to find out in the middle of nowhere…!
She was still holding Adrian's hand as she let out a hearty laugh, bright white teeth standing out in stark contrast to the rest of her face. "My name's Andesite, but you can call me Desi. Nice to finally meet you, Adrian Arc." She gave his hand a firm shake.
Adrian tried not to grin, but it happened anyway. Opal saw it. And her sour expression was enough to dampen his good mood.
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An old wall of wooden spikes and mud was the first thing to greet them as team MOCA returned to town. It had been there since the place had started, but this wall was one of many things that needed more upkeep than the townspeople here were willing to give. A couple of tired guards gave them a nod as they passed.
Inside the wall was a town more alive than one might find in the rest of Vale or any other kingdom; there were several 3-story buildings, a massive Town Hall, and you couldn't throw a stone in any one direction without hitting somebody's house. It was cramped, in other words. And one of the goals of having both team MOCA and a few other Huntsman around was to clear space for some much-needed expansion.
"So you live here?" said Adrian. He and Desi walked side by side as they made their way towards the Inn.
"Live and work," she nodded. "I didn't wander long after graduating before I found out how cozy this place was, and they practically threw a party when I offered to stay year-round." Desi pointed to one side, gesturing at an old and run down tavern. "The people around here like to party, as I'm sure you'll find out. How long you guys here for, anyway?"
Misty piped up from behind Adrian, "Just a week. We can't really afford to stay any longer with the school the way it is."
Desi glanced back at her, bright smile faltering. "Yeah… I heard about that. Sorry you kids have to deal with that nonsense."
Adrian took a moment to consider Amy's sister – Desi only stood a head shorter than himself but she was built like a truck, her physique made obvious by her choice of a sleeveless top. Her overall color scheme was gray and black, the former her clothing and the latter her leather armor pieces, a cuirass and a pair of tassets. She had a long metal staff at her back and a shortsword against her left hip. Adrian couldn't help but notice that all of her armor's gold fasteners bore purple gems that matched her eyes. It was hard not to stare.
"Well, in any case I'm glad for the company," said Desi with a renewed smile. "The only other people in town who put up with me are Rusty, the Doc and his wife. Oh, and the barkeep; if you wanna stop in later tonight I can introduce you…" She gave Adrian a wink at the last part.
The only thing that kept the stupid grin off of Adrian's face was the sudden murderous rage he felt emanating from somewhere behind him. "We'll, uh… we'll see how tonight goes. For now we're just going to get some lunch."
"Alright. Don't be a stranger, you hear? I'm staying next door to the Hall if you need me." And with that Desi gave Adrian a pat on the back.
White-hot pain shot through his entire body at the contact. Adrian bent over backward with a groan, instinctively trying to pull away from the pain left by the Beowolf's claws. Damn… must've done more damage than he thought.
The twins were by his side in an instant. Crimson looked worried, "Hey, you okay? You're not bleeding are you?"
Opal matched his tone, "We can get some ice if you need-"
"I'm… fine…" Adrian tried to snap, but his lungs refused to fill on command. He forced himself to stand up straight, his back muscles protesting the whole way, until he was upright again. He panted, "Mostly. Which way… was the clinic again?"
"I'll walk you there. I mean, that hit was kinda my fault," said Desi.
"I'll walk him there, I'm his partner," Misty snapped.
"I live here. I know the way perfectly well."
"This place is so small you could spit and reach the other side! I think we can manage without you-"
"How about we all walk him there together?" said Crim suddenly, stepping between the two. "That way he has more support."
Both Desi and Misty sighed through their noses and nodded, still glaring daggers at each other. Adrian groaned quietly.
What kind of week was he in for?
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"Well the good news is that you're not badly injured," said the man in the white coat. "Your Aura Shield was low enough that the Beowolf only pushed into it, but still far enough to leave some serious bruises. You'll be fine in a day or two."
Adrian nodded, then took a shaky breath. He kept his Aura focused on his back to dull the pain, but it wasn't easy.
The clinic was fairly bare-bones compared to the one at Beacon, but that made sense for a small town like Valley Glenn. It had all the important stuff, most notable being the Doc – a tall man of Mistralian descent, with long black hair and pinkish eyes. He had a thin build and appeared harmless, but the Huntsman's License by the front door told a different story; everyone in town held a deep respect for Doctor Lie Ren.
"My Aura…" said Adrian. "I could've sworn it was still high enough."
Doc, as he preferred to be called, said, "It's normal to overestimate yourself at your current level. You're still a second-year, yes?"
Adrian nodded, maintaining his focus.
Doc narrowed his eyes as he looked Adrian over again. "Hmm… Your Aura does seem a little faint. What is your Semblance?"
"Useless."
"Pardon?"
"Sorry. I, uh… I can give a little shock with my hands. I built Duster to channel and enhance it, but at this point it's little more than a bad zap from static electricity." Adrian scratched his neck. "Useless."
"No Semblance is ever useless," said Doc, "…merely misunderstood. Would you mind demonstrating for me?"
Adrian blinked.
"I happen to be something of an expert in Aura Studies. Perhaps I can help you understand the problem."
"Oh…"
Doctor Ren stretched out one arm and pulled back the sleeve, his pink eyes watching carefully. Adrian summoned up all the Aura he could spare without letting his back start throbbing again, forced it into one hand and touched the mans arm. As per usual, Doc gave an involuntary recoil but didn't cry out in pain.
"Interesting," he muttered. He replaced his sleeve and rubbed his chin. "I've worked with individuals who can manipulate electricity – in fact I married one of them – and I can say with certainty that your ability is nothing like theirs."
"How so?"
The man cleared his throat. "First, I should tell you that the study of Aura and Semblance is nowhere near complete. There are still many things we don't know for sure, but there is one thing I can say: a person's Semblance is always evolving. It's usually slow, often so gradual that hardly anyone notices, but it evolves none the less. Your ability might well have functioned the way you described at some point in the past, but it doesn't appear to be that way now.
"Those who can harness electricity usually fall into one of two camps; either they convert their own Aura into electricity and expel it outwards, or they absorb electricity inwards and convert it into Aura for their own use. The Aura I sensed in your hand did neither of these things. In fact, it looked far more similar to the Semblance of Jaune Arc, though there are still differences I can't quite put my finger on."
"Uncle Jaune? You've worked with him?"
Doc smiled. "I was on his team at Beacon. Did he not tell you?"
That news left him reeling. First he finds the older sister of Amy Currant, and now an old teammate of Uncle Jaune, both in the same town at the same time? Could the world really be that small? "No, he… wow… he hardly ever talked about his days there." Adrian had to struggle to push down his shock.
"That sounds like him, always keeping his mind on the here and now." Doctor Ren clasped his hands behind his back, looking like a true professional. "Adrian, the only reason your Semblance produced a shock is because your Aura is incompatible with mine, and was therefore rejected. There was no conversion at all. So it stands to reason that your ability is not useless… you are simply using it the wrong way."
"… … …What's the right way?"
"That's not something I can tell you. Every Semblance is unique to the individual. Even my best guess might still be completely wrong for you and your circumstance. All I can advise is that you keep an open mind about it; it is your Semblance, after all. It wouldn't develop itself in a way you could never figure out."
"That… makes a strange amount of sense."
Doc gave a chuckle, "I get that a lot."
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Whoever named the place 'The Cock & Bulls Tavern' deserved a medal. And then a smack upside the head.
Adrian sat at one of the dozen or so tables within, eyeing his drink while Desi gleefully chugged her own across from him. Aside from them, the place only held about four other people including the bartender, an older man with ginger hair speckled with white. Poxy was his name. The man's ginger mustache came paired with a goatee, the ends of which were oiled and shaped into points. While he seemed quite amiable and charming, there was also a distinct sense that Poxy hated being here.
And considering the shape of the tavern, it wasn't hard to see why; the plaster of the walls was cracking and falling off in numerous places, parts of the ceiling had mold, and the floor was covered in something that might have once been a carpet. Most of the furniture looked older than the Great War, and what few light fixtures still worked only served to highlight how dingy the whole place was. In short, it was a dump.
Yet they had just served a veritable torrent of people, all having just gotten done with their work day at the nearby Kup O' Kibble factory – as the only company to specialize in dog food exclusively for the Imu, they had a lot of locations around Remnant to meet the demand. At least their workers seemed happy enough; they were probably the only thing keeping this place open.
Adrian had caught a glimpse of the factory on his way into town. And he'd made up his mind to never go near it.
"You keep scowling at the thing, imma drink it myself," said Desi. Her own mug was empty as her purple eyes had just started to glaze over.
Adrian scratched his neck and shrugged, "While I appreciate you buying it for me, I'm… not really a beer drinker." He scooted the large mug across the table. "Sorry."
"No worries," she chirped, then picked up the glass and guzzled the whole thing. One of the other patrons witnessed the event and gave a whoop of approval as Desi slammed the empty mug back down.
Poxy made his way to their table at that moment and sighed at the woman. "I figured you'd pull something like that. I swear woman, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to give yourself alcohol poisoning. Here, kid-" He put another glass on the table, this one much smaller and bearing a darker liquid. "You look like someone who might prefer a classier drink. Rum and Coke, on the house."
Desi gave the man a raspberry. Adrian looked at the drink – it certainly had a sweeter smell – and said, "Thanks, but… what's 'Coke'?"
Poxy gave a shrug, "Eh, some local soda. It mixes pretty well, but it's rather vile on its own. Guy who makes it swears it'll be the biggest drink in the world if he can get it distributed. I say he's a looney."
Adrian gave the cocktail a sip. It really was sweet. "Mmm… I like it. I'll be sure to pay for the next few."
"Finally! A customer who wants something other than beer!" Poxy raised his arms to the heavens in exaggerated praise. "Glory to the gods, I'm saved!"
Adrian chuckled as Desi started growling and kicking at the man, but Poxy dodged and laughed his way back to the bar. Silence fell over the table as Adrian took a few more sips, enjoying the warm sensation in his gut that followed.
"I haven't heard from Amy in awhile," said Desi at last. She ran her finger along the top of her empty mug. "Didn't she get sent to that Elysium Academy everyone's talking about?"
"She did, yeah."
"Has she contacted you?"
"Nope."
"Hmm…"
"Miss Rose made it clear that there won't be any contact in or out until they open to the public, though I can't imagine why. And she never bothered to explain."
"Well… *hic* …if Ruby Rose says it's okay, then I can deal with it. Amy's a big girl. She can handle herself."
"I hope so…"
Adrian briefly considered bringing up the locket he found, but decided against it. That was in the hands of Uncle Jaune and Lieutenant Ashens now. Best to move on and hope he hadn't started more trouble.
The door to the tavern opened to admit the single largest man in Valley Glenn, both in terms of size and importance: Rusty Hamer, the mayor of the town (though not by choice, he'd be quick to point out). He was equal in height to Adrian, but probably had more than double the mass in both muscle and fat combined. His black hair had migrated off the top of his head some years ago, seemingly taking up permanent residence on his face and neck in the form of stubble he never could get rid of. His arms bore tattoos designed to look like various Creatures of Grimm, a Beowolf on his left and an Imu on his right, with a few others behind them. Rusty looked around the room for a moment before locking onto their table, at which point he smiled, aimed his bulk in their general direction and started walking.
Adrian's gut churned. Hopefully the man could avoid talking about his Imu, Ebb, for more than 5 minutes tonight.
"There you are," he said as he backed himself into the unluckiest chair in the tavern; Adrian could actually hear it crying in pain. "Your girls were stalking around outside, and they looked pissed."
"They're not my girls," Adrian immediately retorted. He sighed, glancing out the front windows. Just around a corner he spotted to figures, one with rabbit ears. They were too far away to see their faces, but it wasn't hard to guess what they were thinking. "I'll never understand those two," he sighed. "Why do they get so mad at me all the time?"
Desi eyed him sidelong, grinning. "Hmm… and here I thought you were the smart one."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothin."
"We men aren't meant to understand women-folk, I say." Rusty rubbed his hands together, one of his nervous ticks, and said, "So I heard you kids found more of those traps?"
"About 10, yeah. Plus one…" Adrian directed a look at Desi, who promptly ignored it.
"Hey, progress is progress. We really need that land, and the sooner those Grimm are out of it, the better. Starting tomorrow I'm hoping you and the other Huntsman here can work together to drive out the herd all at once."
Adrian paused, "Shouldn't this be something you talk about with my leader?"
Rusty opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again. "I thought you were-"
"Misty's the leader," Adrian said quickly. "And for your own sake, don't tell her you got mixed up about it. She has a gun."
"Heh… If it's not an anti-tank round, I'll be fine." Rusty patted his midsection with a hearty chuckle. Adrian could have sworn it made a sound like a distant explosion. "Point is, with your team here we have enough manpower to make one big push. Half-Pint may have the final say, but are you in?"
Adrian considered the words of Doctor Lie Ren; 'your ability is not useless… you are simply using it the wrong way.' He'd only figured out his Semblance in the first place during a fistfight, so it made sense that if he could reach a new understanding, it would be during another fight. He finally nodded, "Yeah, I'm in. I could use the stress relief."
"Atta' boy," Rusty grinned mightily. "Oughta be a fun day for everyone."
"Are you gonna join us?" said Desi.
Rusty's grin faded. "Nah, not this time. Ebb's only got a few more days left in him. I wanna be there when he goes."
Desi patted him on his big, beefy shoulder. "Aww, sorry to hear that. I'd offer to stay with you, but I know how Imu owners prefer to see their last moments in private."
"You're too kind," said Rusty. He rubbed his hands together again, making the tattoos on his arms twitch and wiggle. It wouldn't be so vile if the man ever wore sleeves… instead of a tank-top large enough for both Misty and Opal to sleep in together.
Dammit… that was an image that was gonna stick in his brain for a few days. Thank you, Mr Poxy. Adrian gulped down the rest of his drink and resigned himself to the inevitable questions when he got back to their rooms.
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Tuesday Night…
"Lieutenant, we need to talk."
[I… um… if this is about my ongoing absence from the precinct-]
"That's one of many things on my list, yes. I've also been hearing reports that you're sticking your nose into matters that don't concern the police."
[Sarge, please… I can explain.]
"I'm listening."
[I… dammit, this isn't something I can talk about over the network.]
"Ashens, you know I trust you, but this erratic behavior of yours has got to stop or… or I'm gonna have to relieve you of your post. You're not leaving me much choice."
[…I know, I know. If you can come over tonight, I can explain everything. But it has to be in person. If you can't accept that, then-]
"I'm on my way as we speak."
[Good… but maybe give me an hour to get the place cleaned up first?]
"You have 5 minutes." click
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=^..^=