Here we have it, chapter seven! This is probably the longest chapter I've written in awhile, sorry if it drags on a bit. I've got most of the next chapter done as well so it shouldn't be too long before I get that out to you guys. Unfortunately with everything going on at work next weekend ( I work at a pub so St. Patrick's is the biggest weekend of the year for us) I will not be doing a lot of writing after this week and might take another week off just to relax from the huge undertaking it always is. Anyway I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Speech"
Thoughts
Chapter Seven: Visions In The Dark
Slade walked through the school hallway toward his team's room, upon reaching it he knocked once before opening the door to find his team already decorating the place with their own belongings.
"That didn't take long" Slade chuckled.
"Hey, Slade" Dusk greeted "How'd it go with the Headmaster?" he asked curiously.
"It proved... enlightening" he answered.
"We've already pretty much decided what part's of the room belongs to who" Hazel pointed out "That's where Willow decided you would be" she pointed to the empty corner of the room lacking decorations of any sort.
"Unless of course you'd prefer somewhere else-" Willow offered in an attempt to be considerate.
"It's fine, I'd sleep on the floor if needed" he smiled.
"Well that certainly won't be necessary. You have a perfectly good bed right there" Dusk laughed.
"Thank you" Slade sat upon the bed dropping his small bag of belongings next to him. Opening the bag he removed his uniform and a small weapon maintenance kit placing them both into the drawer next to him, reaching further into the bag he removed the final item placing a picture of him and his family onto the top then closing up the bag and tossing it under the bed.
"That's all you have?" Willow asked surprised.
"I travel light" he answered with a shrug. Slade stood up and removed his large coat and armor seamlessly, removing his gauntlets and holster with his revolver still secured within it, he placed them both underneath his bed stripping down into the unarmored parts of his pants and vest. Sitting down onto the bed he removed his boots and socks then proceeded to lay back into the bed prepared to sleep.
"Are you going to sleep already?" Hazel asked surprised.
"I'm done unpacking and you're all wrapping up your own so I don't need to help you finish. I figured I'd try and catch up on some sleep" he answered without opening his eyes, giving a small shrug.
The group looked between each other and shrugged "Alright then, goodnight Slade" Hazel offered.
"Goodnight, Dusk, Hazel and Willow" he replied turning over onto his side with his back facing him.
"Don't forget class starts early" Willow reminded the group.
"We won't be late" Slade answered back with a small chuckle "I'll make sure of it"
"Slade!" Slade opened his eye's to find himself in an empty corridor just like the one from the bunker where his parents had died, he looked around confused at having heard his mother's voice.
"Hello?" he called as he started walking down the massive corridor toward the door he had been stuck behind when they detonated the explosives.
"Slade!" his father's voice called shortly followed by his mother's.
Slade began rushing down the corridor but noticed quickly he wasn't getting any closer to the door than when he started as their voices began to increase in volume and the walls began to shake violently, the tremors continued to grow in strength causing the walls to crumble and break leaving Slade in an empty, black, silent void. Slade dropped onto his knees "I'm sorry!" he cried "I wasn't fast enough to save you" he continued looking up finding himself still alone "I...I..." he bang to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly he felt a presence nearby, the same presence he felt when he was in the bunker just before the darkness had come alive to attack them.
"Life is as empty without terror as without love. But though chaos can be beautiful... it cannot last" the woman's voice echoed as he felt her fingertips graze over his left shoulder. The woman guided her hand down his chest, stopping just above his heart "The heart begins in darkness... and so it shall end!" she shouted the last few words forcefully wrapping her hand around Slade's throat.
Slade's eye's shot open as he practically leapt out of bed, looking around he found himself back in his dorm at Beacon with his teammates sleeping even still. Slade relaxed with a small sigh "Damned nightmares" looking to the nearby clock he saw the time "8:20" he sighed "Class start's at 9:00" he approached his teammates to wake them up.
"Willow" he called lightly shaking her.
"No" she groaned "just a few more minutes"
"Dusk, Hazel, get up" he ordered loudly causing them both to shift slightly in bed.
"Time to get up already?" Hazel asked awakening.
"Get Dusk up, class start's in forty minutes"
"Alright, alright" she groaned getting up from her bed and shaking Dusk awake "C'mon man, I really don't want to have to hit you"
"I'm up" Dusk groaned sitting up tiredly.
"Willow-"
"Just a little longer!" she nearly yelled rolling away from him.
"Willow isn't easy to wake up, Slade" Dusk said through a yawn.
"If you'd like we can-"
Slade grabbed Willow by the shoulder and rolled her out of bed onto the floor "What the hell was that for!?" Willow yelled rolling over to face him.
"Good, you're awake" he smirked stepping over her, starting to get dressed himself.
"Yeah... thanks" she groaned picking herself up off the floor.
"Anytime" he chuckled attaching his gauntlets and holster.
"Don't push it"
"Class starts in forty minutes" Dusk told her as he began getting changed.
"Yeah, thank you I can read a clock"
"See you there" Slade said walking toward the door as he placed his coat on over his uniform.
"Woah, woah, woah, you're done already?" Hazel asked surprised.
"Yes" he answered before leaving "You'd better all be on time or I'll kick your asses" he called back as he walked down the hall.
"That was fast" Willow said staring in shock, Dusk quickly rushed to the door.
"Who's class are we going to?" he called down the hall.
"Goodwitch" Slade answer could be heard, though he was nowhere in sight.
"Hurry up, Dusk. We cannot be late on our first day" Willow called as she rushed into her own clothing.
"Welcome students" Glynda said with a small smile "While in my class you will be learning and practicing your individual fighting techniques and abilities within my oversight. When I say a match is over there is no disputing it, and there will be no maiming of other students when in the ring. This is a learning experience for everyone and the last thing we want is someone to get hurt because you can't control your impulses" she lectured.
"Well this class sounds fun" Willow smirked "I wonder who's gonna go first"
"That being said..." Glynda paused "...Do I have any volunteers who'd like to start off the year?"
"I would love to, Professor" a student called standing up with his hand raised.
"What was your name again?" she asked.
"Hunter Thombs, Professor" he answered. The man had slicked back green hair, blood red eyes and a deathly pale complexion, he wore dark black armor with a red under-glow lighting his armor that covered his body stopping only at his neck, it appeared to be lightweight armor.
"Come into the ring then, Mr. Thombs and we'll find you someone to practice with" she instructed.
"I already know who I want to fight" Hunter said leaping down into the ring as he turned back toward the crowd "I want to fight him" he pointed directly at Slade.
Slade's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the request Who's this guy? How would he even know me? he wondered to himself. His teammates seemed to wonder the same thing staring in his direction confused.
"That's not exactly how this works Mr.-" Glynda began trying to explain.
"I accept" Slade stood up and leapt into the ring standing opposite him "If he wants to fight me so badly then let him, he'll learn soon enough the mistake he made" he smirked.
"That's what I like to hear" Hunter grinned maliciously.
"Alright then... get your weapons ready" Glynda instructed, Hunter removed a silver rod from his back with a black chain attached on the back end of it, the rod had three large black blades emerge from the tip forming a triple bladed scythe. The black chain attached at the back end reached up to the gauntlet holding it and lined across his armor keeping the whole thing together.
"That's a new one" Slade noted to himself as he crossed his arms in front of his chest The chain appears to be the only thing holding his armor to his body... curious indeed
"When you're both ready... begin" Glynda announced stepping back far enough away from them as to not be in the way.
Hunter charged forward dragging his scythe across the ground behind him, lifting his arm up toward Slade his scythe launched itself from the ground toward his chest. Slade, while mildly surprised by this easily sidestepped the weapon as it soared past him, the weapon swung around from behind at Slade with Hunter controlling the weapon with it's chain. Slade dodged once more as the weapon embedded itself into the ground between them.
"As good as you are, even you can't dodge this" The chains closed around his waist. Hunter grinned as he charged toward the trapped Slade picking up his weapon by it's handle as he closed the gap between them. Leaping into the air as he prepared to strike he noticed Slade's smirk, slicing directly through Slade left Hunter confused as he stared at him in bewilderment. Slade simply stepped out from the chains having used his semblance to pass through them as he did the strike just beforehand "I stand corrected" Hunter groaned in annoyance flipping his scythe through his hands expertly.
"You really shouldn't attacked so brazenly, Hunter. A plan of attack usually helps tremendously when facing a superior opponent" Slade lectured as he slowly paced around him, Hunter never even moved.
"I have a plan" he grinned "Attack" Hunter's scythe soared from his hand back around his legs to strike at Slade's knees forcing him to jump over them, twisting around quickly as he caught his scythe by the hilt, Hunter swung for Slade's chest. Slade removed his combat knife from it's sheathe using it to block the blades, the force of the strike pushed him through the air as he flipped backward onto one foot. Slade charged forward as Hunter swung his weapon down at him only to be blocked by his knife once more, he pushed the scythe backward as he spun pulling his leg back for a powerful kick to Hunter's abdomen only to find his boot making contact with the back end of the scythe. Slade twisted around fully as he struck with his blade clashing with the scythe as the both glared into each other's eyes.
"I've wanted to go head to head with you like this for quite some time now" Hunter chuckled.
"How exactly do you even know me?" Slade asked surprised "I don't recall ever meeting you before and I've certainly never heard of you before"
"Oh but I know plenty about you, I know all about those little visions you've been having and about what happened to your family" he grinned maliciously.
"How-"
"How do I know you're the reason your sister is dead? How do I know you keep seeing the one responsible for your parents death? How do I know about the hooded woman that was there all three times?" Hunter grinned tilting his head as he whispered just loud enough for Slade to hear.
"Three times?" Slade asked.
"You didn't know?" Hunter laughed quietly "Yeah, the woman in the hood from the cave your brother died in, and the one who escaped the bunker your parents died in is the same one who was responsible for the capture of your sister" Slade stared at the man in shock, his mind reeling from the information he just gave him "You're gonna be next, Slade!" he said a bit louder than before. Twisting around and kicking Slade in the chest, throwing him through the air, Slade was in such shock he barely even registered having been attacked, he never even attempted to recover from the strike as he rolled on the floor onto his stomach.
"C'mon, Stroud. Is that the best you've got? You put your entire family to shame! What would your brother think if he saw you today? Your Father?" Hunter yelled charging at him with his scythe poised for a killing blow.
"Enough!" Glynda yelled just as he attacked. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out through the room.
The students looked toward Slade to find his arm up, having blocked the strike with his gauntlet. Standing up as Hunter continued to try and force the weapon past his arm.
"You need to learn when to shut up" Slade growled.
"Just what do you think you're gonna do about-"
Slade slammed his head into Hunter's knocking him back, followed shortly by his fist into his abdomen. Dropping his elbow into the back of Hunter's head pushed him into the ground, grabbing him by the shoulder he flipped him onto his front and punched him in the face.
"Don't... you... ever... talk... about... my... family... again!" Slade yelled between punches as Hunter just laughed through each strike like a madman. Slade stopped and delivered a powerful kick to his face, throwing Hunter across the room as he rolled to his knees.
"Stop!" Glynda yelled stepping between the two students "The match is over. Mr. Stroud as you can see you've dropped his aura down into the red" she explained pointing up to the screen behind her "When that happens in an supervised match, it means it's over" she continued.
"Keep that son of a bitch away from me" Slade said as he turned to leave.
"C'mon, Slade! I'm right here! Come back and fight me!" Hunter yelled after him.
"That's enough!" another student called from behind Hunter.
He was slightly taller than Hunter as well as a slightly darker complexion, his eyes were a bright yellow with the whites of his eyes were a dark red and a mask that covered his head and face leaving only his eyes visible to others. He wore a dark leather jacket with three silver spikes on each shoulder and spiked gloves with a pair of combat boots and matching black pants.
"You always ruin all the fun Cole" Hunter growled as Cole helped him off the ground.
"Shut. Up" he glared "You're incredibly annoying"
"You're lucky I don't send you to the headmaster for your behavior Young Man. You intentionally provoked Mr. Stroud with his family members he recently lost"
"Apologies, Professor Goodwitch" Cole bowed his head lightly "Hunter's always been a asshole" he smacked the man in question in the back of the head "Next time just let it be"
"Hey! Hey! I'm not the one that forced Slade to attack me like that, he did that of his own free will"
"Most people would" Cole sighed in annoyance.
"Mr. Larson would you make sure Mr. Thombs stays out of trouble and with his team for the rest of the day?" Glynda asked curiously.
"Of course" he bowed his head before yanking Hunter to the right in annoyance "Can't you go more than five minutes without causing me problems?"
"Where's the fun in that!?" he shouted as he exited the room.
Glynda sighed with a shake of her head "That'll be all for today, you're all dismissed" she announced.
Slade looked up to his teammates to find them staring back at him with a mix of shock and pity. Growling in annoyance, he quickly exited the classroom.
"What was all that about?" Dusk asked.
"That Hunter guy doesn't know when to shut his mouth is what happened" Willow answered.
"Slade's probably pretty pissed right now. I wonder what Hunter said to him down there, all I heard him was say something about his sister dying"
"Let's try and not bring it up too quickly, give him some time to calm down" Willow offered.
Slade sat steeping in anger over his previous match as Professor Port continued to rant on about his own stories as a Huntsmen.
"Are you alright?" Dusk asked concerned "That Hunter guy sounded like he was hitting home back there"
"He was" Slade growled.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Hazel asked.
Willow shook her head in annoyance "Guys-" she tried.
"No, I don't want to talk about it I want to forget about it" he answered never losing his tone.
"I'm going to need a volunteer for this next part" Port announced.
"Are you sure?" Dusk asked "Sometimes it helps to talk about things like this"
"If I was going to talk about it somewhere I wouldn't be doing it here-"
"Mr. Stroud!" Port called "You seem so interested in this class, why don't you come be my volunteer today?" Port said with a knowing look.
Slade sighed "Professor I would appreciate it if you called on somebody else for this. I'm not particularly in the mood for a fight right now-"
"Nonsense! It'll help you let off some steam, come on now don't keep the class waiting" Port interjected waving him down toward him. Slade groaned as he stood from his seat.
"Sorry" Willow whispered after him just loud enough for him to hear.
"If you would like you may change into your combat equipment-" Port attempted to offer gesturing toward the cage with an unknown Grimm locked inside it.
"I'm fine" Slade replied "Let's just get this over with"
"As you wish" Port approached the cage with his own weapon prepared to break open the lock on it. Slade suddenly saw an Ursa erupt from the cage toward him before the room shifted back to Port standing at the cage with his weapon held high "Defend yourself!" Port yelled breaking open the lock unleashing the Ursa caged inside as it charged for Slade.
How did I just see that happening already? Slade asked himself confused. Coming back to reality he noticed the Ursa was already upon him, in his shock he raised his hand up to block the strike only to find the Ursa had stopped. Looking in utter shock he found the Ursa was being held by some unknown force in the air before him choked at the throat. Looking between his own hand and the Grimm he noticed if he lowered his hand so too did the Grimm That's interesting Slade continued moving his hand slowly to see how the Ursa was affected but his hold seemed to be loosening I see... If my mind is focused or overwhelmed by positive emotions my ability to manipulate the Ursa dissipates. However, focusing or allowing my negative emotions to run rampant seems to increase my hold on the creature Slade assessed to himself with a small smile on his face.
"This has potential" he whispered to himself.
"Wow, looks like the Stroud was hiding something after all" Hunter called with a laugh.
Slade's anger returned upon hearing his voice and closed his hand into a fist as he attempted to reel in his rage, the Ursa's neck snapped and dropped to the floor with the action shocking everyone in the room including himself.
"Mr. Stroud... I must say that is certainly a very unique Semblance you have there. Take care you use it wisely, you must be cautious when wielding a power so unpredictable" Port warned having already been briefed on his unique and unknown ablilities. Slade looked down at his hands in confusion as the bell rang to dismiss class.
"How did I even do that?" Slade asked barely above a whisper.
"That will be all for today students, go enjoy your lunches"
Willow, Dusk and Hazel sat in the cafeteria looking around unable to find Slade "Lunch is almost over and he's nowhere to be seen" Dusk pointed out.
"Do you think he ditched or something?" Hazel asked concerned.
"Slade looks like he had a pretty bad day, and his life before Beacon didn't sound much easier" Willow pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Dusk asked confused.
"Slade didn't really seem like he wanted to talk about his family and when Hunter said something to him about it he was enraged. Hunter seemed to say something to him while they were clashing that just shook him to his core, he didn't even fight back when he threw him through the air" Willow explained.
"Yeah, not to mention it looked like that anger had something to do with him killing the Ursa in class today. The minute Hunter spoke, Slade was pissed and the Ursa died seconds later... and yet he looked confused" Hazel added.
"Now that you mention it, it does sound like Slade was getting angry very easily today" Dusk admitted.
"We should go find him" Willow said standing up from the table.
"Where would we even look?" Dusk asked.
"We don't have to look" Hazel said holding up her scroll and showing it to Dusk "His scroll and ours are connected since we're on a team now. We can obviously see he's sitting in our dorm room" she explained.
"Let's go" Willow led them out of the room and through the hallways back to their dorm room, the group stopped upon seeing Slade inside sitting on his bed with his revolver in hand, staring down at it solemnly.
"Do you think we should-" Dusk began.
"I'll talk to him" Willow said with finality and entered the room.
"Guess we'll... just be here then" Hazel sighed leaning against the doorway opposite Slade.
Willow entered and started silently fidgeting with her own equipment, several moments passed before she spoke "So dead sister huh?" she asked without turning to face him "Yeah that can be annoying"
"Not exactly the word I would use but yes... annoying works" he chuckled darkly.
"That guy you fought earlier... he said your brother and your dad-"
"Both dead" Slade sighed "My brother Malachite was killed when a cave collapsed on him, he saved my sister and I in the process and my father died in an explosion to stop a dark summoning ritual"
"Still got a mom though?" Willow asked finally turning to look at him.
"Killed in the same explosion as my father"
"A Best friend?" Willow asked.
"My sister was my best friend... and I stabbed her through the heart" he never looked up from his weapon.
"You stabbed her?" Willow asked confused.
"Elise told me to kill her so the bandits that were after her wouldn't get what they wanted. I refused so she leapt onto my gauntlet's blade while I was fighting the bandits" he explained "That was the day the last of my family died... leaving me alone in this world"
"You're not alone" Willow said with a small smile as she placed her arm onto his shoulder.
Slade looked up with the smallest ghost of a smile gracing his lips for a brief moment "I don't want you to die too, you and Hazel, Dusk... I don't want you to get hurt because of me"
"We won't" Willow claimed confidently "I promise you we'll be fine"
"Don't make promises you can't keep" Slade warned.
"Ms. Griswald" Ozpin's voice called from the door "Mind if he and I have a moment alone?"
"Slade didn't do anything-" she began to protest.
"I'm not here because he's in any trouble. I'm here to help" Ozpin assured.
"Oh... sorry" she apologized before quickly leaving the room trying to hide her embarrassment.
Ozpin chuckled before sitting down next to him, he waited patiently for his teammates to be far enough away to not hear them "Slade"
"I'm sorry" Slade said looking up at him.
"I know that boy shouldn't have done what he did but you need to get better control over your emotions. You could seriously hurt or even kill someone like you did to that Ursa in Port's class earlier today"
"I know... I just... haven't had a very good day today"
"Besides what I already know?" Ozpin asked curiously.
"I... I had a dream"
"What kind of dream?"
"About that bunker where my parents died, but it's corridor went on forever. They were both calling but I couldn't find them. The room broke away into a black void and I heard that damn voice again" Slade punched the nightstand next to him cracking it just like the bathroom countertop "Great" he sighed with a small shake of his head.
"Did anything else happen in that dream?"
"She grabbed me by the throat and said some more confusing garbage I couldn't understand. She's always speaking in riddles" he crossed his arms in annoyance.
"You've been through a lot in your short time, Slade. It's understandable for you to have these kinds of dreams or nightmares" Ozpin explained.
"I know, but... everything I've lost... I meditate and study but it still hurts" Slade looked up at Ozpin "Shouldn't my training make this better?"
"That's not how that works, kid. Training can make you feel better about yourself, but drowning yourself in studies and meditations to take your mind off grief won't help you. You need to let yourself grieve" Qrow explained leaning against the doorway "Trust me, I know how much this hurts first hand" he sighed.
"Why'd she have to die?" Slade asked Qrow, he knew exactly who he was talking about "Why couldn't I save her?"
"I don't know, kid. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and there's nothing we can do about it. We can however do something about what we do going forward"
"Qrow's right, Slade. Huntsmen go through terrible loss everyday, but that can't stop you from being who you are"
"I know" Slade sighed "Huntsmen must be prepared to think calmly, even in the most intense situations. They must temper their intuition with wisdom"
"Elise told you that didn't she?" Qrow asked with a small smile.
"Yes, among other things" he chuckled "She was a very good teacher-" Slade stopped when he heard a loud alarm blaring in his ears, he placed his hands over them quickly to block out the sound, only to find it was ineffective.
You filth an angry male voice growled.
"Slade? Are you alright?" Qrow asked as Slade dropped onto his knees.
You have no idea what you've unleashed, child the voice continued as the alarm got louder.
"Slade!" Ozpin called louder, trying to gain his attention.
There's no place on this planet where you can hide from my wrath it continued.
I suggest you prepare yourself to face a god, and you may want to consider what that means The woman from the stage spoke yet again as the alarm stopped.
"Slade!" Qrow's voice snapped him from his trance.
"What happened?" Slade asked confused "Where am I?"
"Relax" Ozpin said soothingly with his hands on his shoulders "You're in your dorm room, just take a breath"
"Why... why does this keep happening to me?" Slade asked confused "Why can I see and hear things that aren't there, or haven't happened yet?"
"How do you know it's something that hasn't happened yet?" Qrow asked surprised.
"Port's class today, I saw the Ursa tear it's way toward me to attack before Port even opened the cage to release the creature" he explained.
"You saw a glimpse into the future by mere seconds?" Ozpin asked "Imagine how far off the rest of what you've seen could be"
"How do we know some of the things he's seen haven't already happened?" Qrow pointed out.
"We don't know anything" Ozpin sighed.
"Well I'm really glad we cleared that up" Slade sighed.
"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Slade. I promise" Ozpin said reassuringly "For now you should just focus on your school work until we figure something out"
"There's... something else" Slade sighed.
"What is it?" Qrow asked not sure he wanted to know at this point.
"Hunter... the student I fought today in Goodwitch's class. He knew about what happened to my family... in grave detail"
"The incidents surrounding your family members weren't released beyond the surface details. No one but the three of us and Glynda should know about that-"
"He did... he knew how they died and that there was a hooded figure at all of their deaths"
"All of them? Even Elise?" Ozpin asked "You never told us about her being behind that-"
"I didn't know she was behind Elise's kidnapping" Slade interjected "But he did"
Ozpin sat in silence as he thought about the implications "You said the woman from the bunker that appeared to you and your parents pointed to students in the crowd during my address of your year as if they were her servants, correct?" he asked.
"Yeah... you don't think-"
"I do, but unfortunately I have no proof on the matter so I cannot take action"
"Let me handle that. I'll find out if there's something Hunter and his team are hiding" Qrow offered.
"Do it, in the meantime, Slade, just focus on your studies and becoming the best Huntsman you can be. If we find anything out I promise you'll be the first to know"
Slade grabbed Ozpin into a small hug, surprising the older man"Thank you, Professor" he slowly returned the hug with a small smile.
"I promise we'll get to the bottom of this. Qrow can help teach you to control your Semblance for now and figure out the extent of it's power"
"You can count on me, kid" Qrow promised "We'll get that Semblance of yours under control before you know it"
(Four Years Later)
Slade sat in boredom as Professor Oobleck's lecture droned on and on, he wasn't listening at this point as he had been much more focused on his own daydreams. In the past three years he had become a much more open person thanks to his friends, he wasn't really a people person even with his new found social skills, his only friends were his own teammates, Qrow and Professor Ozpin. Everyone else at the school was just a stranger with a familiar face or an enemy when it came to people like Hunter. As the years progressed Hunter became even more of a nuisance to all of the classmates instead of just Slade but Hunter seemed to have it out for Slade and his team for some reason or another. Cole Larson, his teammate was always pulling Hunter away from potential fights he'd start chastising him for being a moron before continuing on like nothing ever happened. Their other teammates, Ebony Harris and Ray Vicari, were always so confused by their actions, apologizing in their place for their behavior.
Regardless of that he was excited to finally graduate so he could finally take the licensing exam and become a full fledged Huntsman, he was only a few weeks away from the eagerly awaited day. Slade's abilities in combat and with his Semblance had grown exponentially in the past few years allowing him to go toe to toe with veteran Huntsmen like Qrow and Professor Goodwitch with relative ease despite several months of setbacks on failing to uncover anything about his Semblance. Slade's teammates hadn't made quite as large of strides but they were far more formidable than they had been previously. Slade's visions seemed to lessen the stronger he had become, he was concerned about the reasoning behind the lack of visions but eventually grew to become more comfortable without them. Throughout their time at Beacon, Ozpin had taken a particular interest in his team. Allowing them to get out of trouble for things most would be punished for or even expelled. Slade had always wondered if him being on the team had any impact on his decisions to ignore their rule breaking or if he was like that with most students.
"Mr. Stroud!" Oobleck's voice called urgently as he suddenly appeared in front of him leaning down to look him in the eye.
"Yes, Professor?" Slade asked raising his head out of his hand.
"Care to explain why you're dosing off in my class when there's so much more important things to learn?" Oobleck asked narrowing his eyes.
"Apologies, Professor. I was thinking about the upcoming final for our graduation"
"Ah, excellent work, Mr. Stroud. Even when not paying attention you're planning for your next adventure, why I'm sure Professor Port would be proud" he joked standing up straight with a slight nod before taking another sip from his mug "However as much as I am excited to be calling many of you in this class fellow Huntsmen in the coming weeks I would rather you focus on your classes until you get there. After all, graduation is only the first step. There's so much to learn in this world that you cannot possibly know it all by graduation day"
"Of course, Professor" Slade smirked as the bell rang.
"Ah, class dismissed" Oobleck announced quickly before zipping behind his desk.
"Nice save" Willow laughed as they exited the classroom together.
"I was fully expecting to be stuck after class because of him lecturing" Dusk said in agreement "Glad we didn't have to go through that again"
"I said I was sorry didn't I?" Hazel asked feigning offense causing the group to laugh.
"Attention: Team SHDW report to Professor Ozpin's office immediately. Your final has been selected" Goodwitch's voice spoke over the intercom.
"Finally!" Willow shouted in excitement "Once we ace this mission we can finally be considered graduates. We won't ever have to worry about another assignment ever again"
"That is until we get out first assignment as official Huntsmen" Slade chuckled "Oobleck was right, the learning never stops after graduation"
"C'mon let's go, I want to know what mission we're getting today" Hazel smiled in excitement.
The team quickly made their way to the elevator to Ozpin's office, they rode up in relative silence until the reached the room. The doors opened to reveal Ozpin, General Ironwood, Leonardo Lionheart, Qrow Branwen, and Glynda Goodwitch.
"Well... just invite everyone" Slade said in a mildly joking manner.
"Unfortunately the headmaster of Shade Academy was unable to make it here today due to personal matters which she had to attend" Ozpin explained.
"Why're the headmasters of Haven and Atlas Academy here anyway?" Willow asked curiously.
"Because we have something very important to tell you" Ironwood answered "Ozpin has told us he wished to include you in this meeting"
"Meeting?" Dusk asked confused "I thought we were here to find out what our mission is to graduate"
"You are, of course it's something far more important than that" Leonardo explained.
"Let's get on with this then, what's the mission?" Hazel asked curiously.
"Slade... unfortunately we never learned anything about the students we'd been watching for the past few years. They never did anything incriminating in anyway, they've only been a nuisance so far but they've just recently disappeared from the school" Ozpin explained.
"What team?" Willow asked confused as she turned to Slade.
"Hunter's" Slade answered with a slight growl.
"They left sometime yesterday morning. I tracked them down to an area just outside Mountain Glenn, it's completely infested with Grimm and yet they never once encountered any on their journey there. I reported back to Ozpin and he instructed me to return as quick as I could, I only arrived moments ago" Qrow explained.
"Your mission is to track them down there and find out what they're doing, no matter what the case may be I want you to capture them and bring them back here for questioning" Ozpin explained.
"That still doesn't answer why the other headmasters are here" Willow pointed out.
"We're here because we believe their disappearance to be connected with an old enemy of ours, one that would restart a war between the kingdoms if she could" Ironwood answered.
"She?" Slade asked his eyes expanding out of shock.
"Yes, Slade. It's exactly who you think it is" Ozpin sighed "The four headmasters of the Huntsmen academies are the only ones who know about this outside of people like Glynda and Qrow... now you're all be included within my inner circle. You've all more than earned it over the past three years"
"How soon should we be leaving?" Slade asked.
"As soon as possible, we don't want them to escape our scrutiny. They've caused quite some trouble the past four years and now they've gone somewhere completely surrounded by Grimm and never had an issue being attacked... something doesn't add up there and I want to know what it is"
"We'll get it done, Professor. I can promise you that" Slade assured him with a small smirk.
"This doesn't make much sense" Hazel groaned "Hunter's an asshole, sure. But Cole never seemed like the type to do anything wrong, he's always been the one dragging Hunter away from fights he started. Ray and Ebony were always kind, they couldn't have anything to do with this"
"I mostly agree" Ozpin sighed "Ray and Ebony going along with this is concerning but I don't believe they're involved with what's going on with Mr. Thombs and Mr. Larson, they're clearly together and something about them isn't right"
"Yet they've never done anything to prove themselves a danger?" Dusk asked.
"Hunter was the only one we suspected and Cole's close association with him from before his time at Beacon is concerning"
"We're not going to learn anything standing around here" Willow nodded toward Slade.
"Agreed, we'll head out immediately" Slade turned to leave with the rest of his team following behind him.
"Students" Leonardo called "Please, do be careful out there. I would hate for something to happen to you all" he warned with genuine concern.
"Don't worry about them, Leo" Qrow smiled confidently "If anyone has this in hand it'll be them. I'll be heading out after you once I've checked in with my family, don't get too far ahead of me"
"Isn't the point of this mission not to be shadowing a Huntsman?" Willow asked.
"You're not shadowing me, I'm shadowing you. Every team had a Huntsman shadowing them, they just didn't know it"
Team SHDW sat in the bullhead as it soared over the forest below them toward Mountain Glenn, Hazel looked over to Slade as he fidgeted with his weapons to ensure they were ready for when he needed them.
"Who was Professor Ozpin talking about, Slade? You seem to know more about this woman they were talking about" she asked.
"When I was fifteen, my parents were called to Ozpin's office. This was only two years after my brother's death so they wouldn't let me leave their sight, that's why they increased the amount of training I received over that time so I could accompany them on their missions without being in danger. Once we arrived he told them Huntsmen were disappearing around the town of Foxworth, we found a bunker there where we believed the Huntsmen had been disappearing so we investigated it only to find something so terrifying it's indescribable using words alone... the entire facility was filled with darkness... hatred... cold rage. We continued deeper inside until we found someone there, she was covered by a hood keeping her identity a mystery to us but she escaped in the ensuing chaos once we began trying apprehend her"
"What do you mean?" Hazel asked.
"There was a deafening screech or roar that tore through the air as the very shadows themselves began taking shape and attacking us while she escaped, it seemed to be coming from a fountain of darkness. We managed to close it stopping the spread and causing the darkness around us to shrink away from us... but then she appeared. I don't know her name but an almost transparent image of a woman's face appeared before us and kept shouting at us to give up or accept our deaths, even went so far as to call us an infection. That's when my parents decided to detonate explosives in the chamber while we escaped so we could seal that evil away, unfortunately they didn't escape with us and died in that facility. We did however succeed in stalling any plans the woman had going forward... according to Ozpin they were performing a ritual based on sacrifices of Huntsmen to summon or create a very powerful Grimm" Slade stopped as he gathered his thoughts.
"What is it?" Willow asked nervously.
"The first day at Beacon when I had the incident during Ozpin's speech in the auditorium... it was because I saw her standing up on the stage where Ozpin had been and she was speaking to some of the students in the crowd, I assume Hunter and his team were the ones she was talking about. Then I had such an extreme pain in my head that I dropped onto my knees, I had several more of these visions but never saw her again I only heard her voice... not long afterward I figured out I was seeing things in the past that had already happened or the future of things that hadn't happened yet... sometimes I saw attacks from Grimm or my opponents in battle just before they happened so it clearly ranged small increments of time to much more vast increments" he explained.
"You can see the future?" Dusk asked in awe.
"Not exactly, I can see things that haven't happened yet but not necessarily something I will experience myself or even happen at all... but sometimes they're things that have already happened and could be completely unrelated" he answered.
"That's pretty cool" Hazel smirked "Must be why you always win your fights" she laughed.
"Not with our class it wasn't" Slade laughed "Everyone else in our year is garbage when it comes to fighting another Huntsmen"
"Did you use that during the Vytal Festival Tournament?" Dusk asked curiously.
"Not intentionally but yes" Slade chuckled "Though honestly I didn't need any help with our fights until the finals anyway"
"You mean your fight with Cole don't you?" Willow asked somewhat nervously "That guy is still pretty scary if you ask me"
"You saw what he could do when he wasn't trying to kill someone and couldn't use a Semblance. Imagine what he'll be like when he's not holding back" Slade replied "We all need to be careful not to get into a fight with them before Qrow shows up to help out. Cole and Hunter are formidable enough but if Ray and Ebony are helping we'll be fighting a full team of trained Huntsmen"
"Don't worry about us, Slade. We've got this" Hazel placed her hand on his shoulder smiling confidently "We can't lose when we have each other"
"We're approaching the landing zone!" the pilot called back as the sides of the bullhead opened for them to exit once they descended.
"Get ready for action people" Slade ordered standing up from his seat, once the bullhead arrived just outside the ruined city of Mountain Glenn they all effortlessly dropped out of the vehicle which quickly ascended away from them as they readied their weapons.
"Where do we start?" Dusk asked as his gauntlets began encasing his hands.
"Let's start our search on the south side where Qrow last sighted them and work our way from there, once we've picked up their trail we can catch up to them" Slade answered as he placed his hood and mask on over his face.
"Sounds like a plan to me" Willow smirked as she readied her rifle.
"Do we have a plan for when we find them?" Hazel asked.
"Watch until we find something incriminating and then we set a trap for them. Once we've engaged them it will be difficult to take them alive as they're a well coordinated team" Slade answered as he led the way.
"Fun" Hazel sighed.
"Don't worry, Hazel. I've got you covered" Willow elbowed her as she gestured to her rifle.
"I'm not sure on whether or not that should comfort me or scare me" Hazel laughed.
"Let's stay focused, keep the chatter to a minimum until we find them. Last thing we want is for them to be onto us before we're prepared" Slade ordered.
They continued through the forest in silence until they caught a glimpse of a camp through the bushes. Slade dropped down onto one knee holding up his fist, signaling them to stop.
"Willow, back up and find a vantage point over the camp before we get closer. Dusk, take the right flank and don't move until I give the word. Hazel, I want you taking the left side covering Dusk if it comes down to a fight. Willow will have our backs covered while I head up the middle, do not attack without my order, no matter what happens. Understood?" he asked.
"Understood" Dusk replied with a nod.
"Yeah, let's get this done so we can go home" she smirked.
"I've got a good view over the camp. Looks like they're still there, I've got eyes on Hunter and Cole" Willow reported.
"Cole?" Dusk asked "That's their team leader right?"
"Yeah, Team CHRE (Ochre)" Slade answered.
"Doesn't Cole not have a Semblance?" Hazel asked as Slade got closer.
"Yeah, like I said on the Bullhead no one has ever seen him use one and he doesn't seem to like to talk about it when asked" Slade explained.
"Right... he was the one that fought everyone with his fists only instead of his launcher for some reason. Cole barely even lifted a finger when fighting other students during the tournament" Dusk recalled.
"He's the toughest opponent I've ever faced among our classmates. At least the others of his team have a Semblance to hide behind, he's just tough"
"What're their Semblances again?" Dusk asked.
"Hunter's able to absorb damage before expelling it back out twice as strong and using the power from the attacks he absorbs to heal himself. Cole doesn't have one we're aware of and Ray can condense the air around him to use as a weapon. Ebony can generate lightning from her hands to use for attacks or wear it almost like armor to defend herself instead"
"Looks to me like there's only the two of them in the camp right now" Willow reported "We could take those two down if you want and watch the other two-"
"Taking action against any of them will put the others on alert, we cannot-" Slade stopped as he watched the camp more closely.
"Slade? Is something wrong?" Willow asked.
"You said you saw Hunter in the camp didn't you?" Slade asked as he scanned over the area.
"I'll look again" Willow answered looking through her scope to see Cole stand up, turn around and look her right in the eye "Guys" she said with fear in her voice "Cole is looking right at me and I don't see Hunter anywhere"
"How could he-" Slade stopped as he felt a presence behind him. Suddenly he could be seen soaring through the air out of the tree line and into the camp with Cole behind him. Hunter's scythe came crashing into the ground from Slade's previous position through the brush embedding into the earth right in front of him.
"Slade!" Willow called concerned.
"They sent you to capture us huh?" Hunter's voice laughed from the shadows of the trees as he slowly emerged from them "How pathetic"
"Well this is what happens when you conspire with the enemy" Slade replied keeping his eyes on the two of them.
"Perhaps you should've thought this through more thoroughly before attacking us" Cole chuckled "You aren't prepared to face opponents as powerful as us, even with your friends hiding in the trees"
"We'll see about that-" Slade was cut off as Cole's fist passed right through his chest.
"Inferior men cannot hope to stand against superior opponents no matter what the situation" he removed his fist from Slade's chest allowing his body to fall to the ground.
"Eh, Cole?" Hunter asked.
'What is it now, Hunter" he asked annoyed as he stepped over Slade's body.
"That didn't look like he even got hit by your attack, shouldn't there have been more blood?" he asked confused.
"What?" Cole asked in surprise as he turned around to find Slade's corpse had disappeared "You idiot! You couldn't have told me-" he stopped as Slade's gauntlet blade pierced his heart.
"You talk awfully big for someone who didn't even notice he couldn't feel anything when you attacked me with your hands. Although I imagine that's what happens when you use your Semblance isn't it big guy?" Slade asked with a smirk underneath his mask.
"How could you possibly even know about my semblance? I never even-"
"You try to hide your semblance usage with your clothes but failed, I noticed on several different occasions you were able to repel attacks without so much as a scratch on you with only your fist. Of course that's not possible without some outside force acting on it, I theorized you were somehow able to harden your skin and clothing or something relatively similar which meant when you attacked me you would've had it activated, likely unable to feel any sensation in your arm at the time. Thank you for proving my theory right" Slade removed his blade from Cole allowing him to fall to the ground dropping onto his stomach.
"C'mon man, all that big talk and the guy takes you out that easily?" Hunter asked "Man and I thought he was pathetic"
"You're next, I only need one of you alive-" Slade began but was interrupted as he was kicked in the abdomen throwing him back into a nearby tree, splintering it as he crashed through the opposite side doing the same with several more until he finally stopped against a half destroyed tree.
Cole was standing with no visible damage with the exception of his clothes torn by Slade's blade "How in the world is he still standing?" Slade asked as he got himself back up from the ground "I couldn't have missed his heart could I?" he wondered groaning in pain.
"You were acting so confident a minute ago Stroud what happened?" Hunter asked mockingly.
"Slade!" Hazel and Dusk rushed to his side "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I told you not to come out without my say so-"
"It's not like they were doing a good job of hiding anyway we already know about your sniper friend anyway" Hunter laughed.
"Let's get serious now" Cole said removing his torn jacket and tossing it aside, he placed his hand onto the ground summoning four bodies from the ground, they stood identically next to each other in black robes and differently colored masks going blue, red, white, and yellow from left to right.
"What're those supposed to be?" Slade wondered.
The man standing with the blue mask dropped to the ground immediately with a hole where his heart should be "Looks like I'm going to only have three helpers this time" Cole sighed "Not that I will need them for brats like you"
"What's happening?" Hazel asked "how did that guy just die and yet Cole is perfectly fine even after you put a hole in his chest?"
"I think I understand" Slade sighed.
"Hey!" Hunter yelled "Why'd that one just die? I thought they were supposed to help us!" he shouted annoyed.
"Unfortunately that's what happens when I have to use them" Cole answered with a growl.
"The hole in the dead one looks identical to what should've been on Cole but he's undamaged, save for his clothes" Slade explained "I assume he's controlling those bodies somehow and every time he takes fatal damage he passes it on to one of the bodies so he doesn't die"
"Impressive" Cole said in surprise "You already figured out my ability, unfortunately for you it won't be enough to defeat me"
"Just how exactly can you have a Semblance to harden your skin and another to summon corpses to save you from death?" Slade asked.
"Call it a gift from my master. She's quite powerful when it comes to manipulating the darkness" he chuckled.
"The usual?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, do your thing" Cole answered.
Hunter licked his lips hungrily before charging Slade and swinging for his throat "Get back" Slade ordered as his gauntlet blades shot out deflecting the blades from his scythe. Stepping backward away from Hunter he ducked under a strike as Hunter spun around. Hunter twisted the weapon in his hand and swung it back the way it came toward Slade only for it to be deflected once more, he then swung low only for the weapon to be deflected by a gunshot from Willow's sniper.
Slade took this opportunity to leap back away from him only to be followed by Hunter completely undeterred by her interference. Slade blocked both strikes in the air before making contact with the ground and leaping back into the air to avoid Hunter slamming his scythe down where he stood then leaping back after him. Slade continued to block the strikes as he soared through the air but noticed the body with the white mask fly up behind Hunter with black wings on his back that looked similar to that of a Grimm.
"Looks like it's my time to duck out!" Hunter kicked at Slade's face only to smash into his gauntlet then pushed off back toward the ground throwing Slade higher into the air. The very air around them suddenly felt thinner as if it was sucked away from him toward the masked assailant, the air was then launched back toward him like a canon from above crashing into him and the ground as he was landing onto destroying all the trees in the area and knocking the leaves from dozens more surrounding it with the blast radius of the attack.
"Slade!" Dusk yelled.
"Dusk, careful!" Hazel yelled as they were pushed back by the aftershocks of the attack.
"Now for you two" Cole said turning toward them, the yellow masked man held up both of his hands as lightning began to form around them.
If they're hit by that directly they're done! Willow realized "Dusk, Hazel, get out of there!" she yelled as she prepared to fire at the masked man.
The lightning blast was launched toward them just as she fired the bullet for his head, the mask shattered but the man was completely unfazed by the attack. Just as the lightning reached them, Slade appeared from the ground holding his hands up in front of him he stopped the attack without even touching the lightning redirecting it back at Cole only for it to be absorbed by the masked man as his mask fell to the ground.
"Slade, are you alright?" Willow asked.
"Yeah" he answered "We need to be very careful with this fight, if one of you can get away long enough to call for help, do it" Slade ordered.
"I'm impressed" Hunter said in a serious tone as he walked over to Cole "You're the first one to survive that attack so far, Slade... Stroud" he drew out his name with a grin "I'm going to enjoy this more than I thought I would"
"How're we even supposed to keep up with these guys?" Dusk asked "It's five on four and they can do that much damage in a single attack, we don't stand a chance. What happens when the rest of the team shows up-"
"They won't be coming" Slade answered.
"What?" Dusk asked confused.
"He's right, look" Hazel pointed to the man with the broken mask only to find it was a woman "That's Ebony right there, if she's like that it can only mean she's been killed" she explained.
"How could you kill your own teammates and resurrect them to fight for you?" Slade asked as his anger surfaced.
"Quite easily" Cole chuckled "Ray and Ebony weren't part of this to begin with. They outlived their purpose to us" he explained.
"You son of-"
The red mask suddenly launched a massive blast of fire straight for the group "Hazel!" Slade yelled.
"I've got it!" she unsheathed her blade and placed it up in front of her absorbing the fire into the blade and redirecting the attack with it causing the massive ball of flame to implode. Slade leapt up out of the smoke for visibility only to find a shadow coming toward him from behind as he turned to face his attacker he blocked Hunter's scythe once more. Hunter laughed as he poised his weapon for another strike as Slade descended blocking the strike that pushed him toward the ground at an accelerated speed. Flipping backward he caught himself and pushed himself backward away from the scythe embedding into the ground in front of him as Hunter twisted around using the hilt as leverage and kicked for his head only to miss as he slid away from the strike. Slade easily blocked two more strikes from the scythe as he backed away from his attacker, jumping onto the blades and pushing off them to escape his assault, much to Hunter's clear annoyance as he growled in frustration.
"Dusk, Willow, you guys alright!" Hazel asked putting her back to a tree.
"Yeah" came Willow's muffled reply through her sleeve as she covered her face from the smoke.
"It's all good here" Dusk answered brushing the embers from his shoulder.
Slade and Hunter ascended a nearby tree with the momentum from each attack pushing him further upward until they reached the top, Slade clashed his blades against Hunter's as they slid back downward landing opposite each other, each of them sliding to a stop.
"You're pretty good" Hunter complimented him "I wasn't expecting this much of a challenge in killing you" he admitted "I suppose you didn't spend all that time between classes being a complete moron like the rest of those weaklings"
"Unlike some people in our year, I focused on improving my skills. Experience has been a better teacher than any of those classes could've been" Slade replied remaining in his current position, ready for another attack.
Dusk, Hazel and Willow all converged on Slade "Are you alright?" Dusk asked.
"I'm fine" he answered quickly still panting from his struggle to keep up with Hunter's sheer speed "This battle is going to be tough, I can't get away from Hunter long enough to attack Cole and the resurrected dead"
"Yeah, it's a real problem" Hazel sighed.
"So you're able to use the Semblances of the bodies you resurrect is that it?" Slade asked Cole.
"Very perceptive of you, that's exactly right" he answered.
"For someone as smart as you are, you're really bad at keeping those you care about safe" Hunter taunted "I mean, you stabbed your own sister"
"Don't talk about Slade like that!" Dusk yelled.
"Dusk!" Slade said sternly "Stand down"
"Why would I stop?" Hunter asked "Maybe if he was better at keeping his friends safe you wouldn't all die here today"
"That's it!" Dusk yelled as he charged Hunter.
"Dusk!" Hazel called after him.
Hunter grinned, preparing to strike Dusk in a fatal spot as he got closer. Just as he got in range he swung only to miss by merely inches as Dusk stopped suddenly by Slade using his Semblance to keep him in place, Hunter shrugged then leapt into the air toward Dusk swinging his scythe down to kill Dusk. Dusk closed his eyes anticipating the blow only to hear the clashing of metal against metal instead. Slade was above him with his gauntlets protecting him. Hunter twisted around kicking Slade in the abdomen, throwing him backward as he gave chase. Slade leapt back away from the next swing after rolling to his feet then blocking the second and ducking under a third painfully as his abdomen hadn't yet fully recovered from Cole's attack.
"You idiot you can't just go off halfcocked like that, you'll get yourself killed" Hazel groaned.
"Sorry" Dusk apologized looking back toward them.
Hazel and Willow wore shocked expressions causing Dusk to whip his head back around to see Cole standing in front of him. Dusk quickly pulled his fist back with all of his might to strike Cole only for it to be blocked as Cole slid back slightly from the attack. Cole leapt up kicking Dusk in the face, throwing him back several feet before rushing toward him and twisting around violently to kick him through the nearby tree.
"Dusk!" Willow called as she aimed for Cole, ready to fire her weapon.
Slade rushed away from Hunter only barely managing to reach the top of the branch before flipping over the strike aimed for his abdomen. Slade slid back away from another strike then flipped backward using his right hand to propel himself off the ground further back as he flipped. Leaping backward away from a strike he went over the edge of the tree, as he soared through the air he noticed the red masked man flying toward him with identical wings to the white masked man firing a fireball toward him. Slade flipped around the fireball and continued to dodge several more as he landed on the opposite tree and a final one smashed into the tree splintering it in the process. Leaping out of the smoke as he ascended the tree he found Ebony to be waiting for him at the top using a very thin line of lightning to cut the top of the tree off. Slade managed to avoid it by flipping and handspringing himself around the branches before dropping off the edge, flipping upright he found the white masked man preparing to launch pressurized air at Slade forcing him to use the falling tree branches as cover to avoid the strikes and his Semblance to pass through the last one as he did.
I'm not going to be able to keep this up for very long if they keep bearing down on me like this Slade noted to himself as he took note of Dusk's condition.
Cole grabbed Dusk by the throat and hardened his opposite hand as he prepared to strike "It's over for you, kid" he quickly moved his hand in front of his face to block a sniper bullet from harming him, the bullet dropped to the floor dented by the impact. Looking over to Willow he found her switching to her staff ready to attack "I have to deal with you now, huh?" he laughed to himself.
Slade propped himself up on the final branch as it descended the tree, looking up at the sound of wild laughter her found Hunter sliding down the tree using his scythe to launch himself toward Slade. Placing his hand down onto the branch he threw himself back onto the tree as Hunter passed by him only marginally missing his strike, slicing the plummeting branch in half. The two masked men and Ebony used their Semblances to completely destroy the tree he was on as they tried to kill him, Slade managed to barely escape the carnage using his Semblance to pass through the attacks.
At this rate... there's no way we can win
Cole suddenly noticed the flames extending from Hazel's blade as she embedded it into the ground, everything it touched instantly disintegrated. Cole quickly ran away dropping Dusk to escape the impending death that followed him. Ebony suddenly launched lightning at Hazel forcing her to retreat quickly.
"Hazel!" Willow called concerned.
Cole suddenly appeared in front of her grabbing Willow by the throat and holding her up over his head as he walked toward Dusk still struggling to breathe, and picked him up in his opposite hand, holding him level with his teammate "You pathetic fools" he chuckled as he began to close his hands around their necks.
Slade took notice of this quickly leaping behind the nearest tree he picked up his scroll from his pocket and called Qrow before placing it on a small branch giving him a clear view of the battle before charging back into it. Slade was suddenly hit in the back by a blast of compressed air forcing him painfully to his knees as several fireballs were launched toward him all exploding upon impact.
"Slade?" Qrow asked answering the call just in time to see him bombarded with fireballs. Hunter could be heard laughing as he approached an injured Slade preparing his weapon to strike "Slade!" Qrow called "Hold on! I'll be there as quick as I can"
"Looks like you weren't so tough after all" he laughed "This is where you die!" he sliced through Slade to find no resistance to the strike. Before he could register what had happened, Slade rolled onto his back kicking Hunter in the face, throwing him onto his back before leaping toward Cole rushing to help his teammates.
"Hazel! Come this way, now!" Slade ordered as he held his hands out over the ground concentrating as he ran.
"I'm a bit busy-"
"Now!" Slade insisted as a large torrent of water erupted from the ground in front of him flooding toward Cole, he looked down in confusion before Ebony launched lighting at Hazel just before she dodged the strike. Cole was electrocuted painfully as Slade pulled his revolver from his holster and aimed it for Cole's head and fired. Cole managed to barely drop Dusk and Willow to use his Semblance to block the attack and leave the water as quickly as he could. Slade and Hazel quickly grabbed Dusk and Willow moving away from their opponents for a brief reprieve.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hunter groaned in annoyance.
"Are you alright?" Slade asked Dusk and Willow as they coughed painfully to get air back into their lungs.
"We're okay" Willow answered "These guys are too strong for us to handle on our own"
"I know, I called for backup. Qrow will be here as soon as he can" Slade said reassuringly.
Hunter approached Cole with a smirk on his face "You're pathetic, you know that?" he asked.
"You too, how could you not have seen that trick coming after he pulled it on me?" Cole asked with a raise of his eyebrow.
"You saw that did you?" Hunter replied sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"This is just some game to them?" Hazel asked shocked.
"We cannot win this without taking down at least one of those bodies from the field to even the odds in our favor" Dusk pointed out.
"I know, they've been hammering me since we started the battle" Slade sighed "I'm going to go after Cole, the rest of you need to keep Hunter occupied while I do as much damage as possible to him so we can start whittling down those bodies he's using" he explained.
"Got it" Hazel embedded her sword into the ground streaming fire toward Hunter and Cole, forcing them to leap out of the way.
"C'mon now, are you that afraid of me that you're trying to keep me at a distance?" Hunter asked confidently.
Slade appeared in front of Cole with his combat knife in hand swinging left then right as he backed away from him, swinging downward forced Cole to duck away from it. Cole pulled his body back away from Slade as he swung up toward his face then again toward his abdomen and finally swinging it back around to stab him in the side of the head, Cole placed his right arm up to block as his left arm grabbed Slade's to keep the blade from moving any closer to his head.
"You're gonna have to fight me now" Slade smirked "You'll find I'm more difficult to pin down than my teammates are" he pushed away from Cole as Hunter continued to retreat from Hazel's fire.
Slade pressed the attack on Cole with his blade, forcing him back with each strike before swinging his leg up to kick him in the chest pushing Cole back slightly. Swinging the blade toward his face, Cole smashed his hand into Slade's wrist forcing the knife from his hand then swung his leg around for a kick as Slade back away from the attack. Cole kicked for his legs as he slid back then toward his head as he leaned back away from it, issuing his own kick toward Cole's head forcing him to duck under it as he kicked for Slade's legs once more. Slade leapt over the kick and slammed his leg into Cole's arm as he blocked the attack aimed for his head then slid his foot on the ground toward Cole forcing him to jump over it. Slade flipped up through the air and slammed his leg down onto Cole's shoulder before flipping backward away from him.
"Enough!" Cole yelled as they stepped into the large puddle Slade had previously created.
Cole swung his leg up with a powerful kick for Slade's head only to meet with his gauntlet before using his opposite leg to knock Slade's feet out of under him and dropping onto his back. Cole raised his leg up to slam it down onto his face as Slade rolled away before kicking Cole in the chest and leaping away, only to have Cole grab him by the leg and attempt to slam him into the ground. Slade placed his hands onto the ground as he fell and used his opposite leg to kick Cole in the chest pushing him back as he returned to his feet. Cole charged toward Slade pulling his fist back to strike only for Slade to catch it before dropping onto his back and rolling Cole over him with a powerful kick. Cole landed on his hands as Slade stood back up kicking him in the chest, throwing Cole into the air before grabbing him with his Semblance and slamming him into the ground headfirst.
Suddenly Ebony launched lightning at Slade forcing him into the air, the fire mask launched a powerful blast of flame toward him. Slade quickly tied a small thin string to the end of one of his knives and threw it into a nearby three pulling himself safely away from the blast behind a tree only to find a compressed blast of air passing over his shoulder through the tree. Slade quickly ascended the tree as dozens more coated the tree in holes before he soared over the top just as a fireball soared toward him, Slade passed right through it using his Semblance. Landing safely he dropped onto his knees from exhaustion.
"Slade!" Hazel called concerned.
"You shouldn't have looked away!" Hunter yelled soaring toward him.
"Hazel!" Willow screamed in terror as Hunter impaled her onto the end of his scythe laughing maniacally.
"One down, three to go"
Cole stood up from the ground as the fire masked body dropped dead to the floor "Too bad you'll need to try that again a few more times" he chuckled.
"No" Dusk breathed in disbelief.
"Hazel!" Slade yelled concerned Focus Slade, there's still time to save her. Just take down Cole and Hunter then get her back to the Bullhead. Hopefully Qrow arrives with help soon
Suddenly the white masked body was forced into the ground by Slade's Semblance as he went right for Cole using his blade to slice his head clean off
"No!" Cole yelled as his body was quickly repaired from the damage but the white masked head came flying out toward him revealing Cole's former teammate Ray. Slade then took his revolver and fired it into Cole's head dropping Ebony in the process. Cole kicked Slade in the chest throwing him backward to his teammates as he painfully rolled to a stop exhausted.
"Slade-!" Willow began to call out to him only to find Hazel being launched toward her forcing her to catch her.
"Guess who's next!?" Hunter yelled as he approached her. Willow used her weapon to defend herself as he stuck, barely managing to keep up. Hunter laughed as he continued his onslaught, catching her spear between his scythe blades he brought the end into the ground embedding it there. Hunter slammed the back of his scythe into Willow's face, stumbling her backward. Dusk pushed her out of the way before finding himself impaled on Hunter's scythe just as Hazel did moments prior. Willow looked up at Dusk in shock "That's two!" Hunter yelled laughing maniacally.
Cole slammed his boot onto Slade's back, forcing him to the ground "No!" Slade yelled at Dusk's possible death.
"Time for little piggy number three" Hunter called licking the blood off his weapon as he approached Willow.
"Watch as all of your friends die!" Cole laughed pushing his boot down harder onto Slade's back.
"Willow!" Slade called from the ground as he tried to get up, Cole slammed his foot onto Slade's back once more keeping him in place.
Willow stood from her place and swung her fist toward Hunter as he easily pushed her away with the back of his scythe. Slade used his Semblance to launch his scythe away from him as he prepared to strike her with it. Noticing his hand extended toward Hunter, Cole smashed his other boot into Slade's back breaking his concentration.
"That's not gonna stop me!" Hunter laughed kicking her onto her back as he used his chain to pull his scythe back to his hands "Time to say goodbye!" he yelled flipping the weapon in his hands before stabbing it down into Willow's chest with a malicious grin.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Slade yelled in despair and helplessness.
"That's all three little piggy's that were standing in my way of my true prize" Hunter laughed turning toward Slade as he wrenched his scythe from her chest.
"H-how could you? How could you kill them so mercilessly? Are you even human?" Slade asked as he attempted to attack Hunter but Cole pushed him into the ground once more.
"For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: Hunt or be hunted" Hunter answered with a malicious grin.
"It only takes one second... one second and it's over" Cole snapped his fingers "Just like that" he chuckled.
Slade looked up at them both from his place on the ground with contempt "You have no idea what you've wrought" he growled.
"Ooh, I'm sooooo scared" Hunter taunted.
Slade passed through Cole's boot followed by Hunter, standing upright before slamming his boot into his back before he could react. Hunter stumbled forward, Cole pushed him to the ground to get him out of his way. Looking back to Slade, Cole found the barrel of his revolver staring back at him just before it fired. Cole managed to dodge the bullet, but not before it tore through part of his mask, revealing part of his white hair.
"You're going to regret doing that" Cole growled.
Hunter's scythe pierced his knee, forcing him down onto one knee. Hunter stood back up with a growl before smashing his knee into Slade's face, throwing him onto his back "You're really starting to piss me off" he laughed "Why can't you just lay down and die already!?" he asked as Slade struggled to get back up.
Suddenly the very ground around them began to vibrate violently as small rocks and pebbles began to float away from the force, Cole and Hunter were lifted up into the air as Slade stood exhaustedly with rage clearly showing in his eyes "It's time for you to know what real pain is" Hunter's cocky grin had changed into a expression of pure terror.
"L-let's talk about this, Slade! You don't want to do anything rash-" he tried but was stopped by an intense pain flooding his senses.
Slade began tearing them apart using his Semblance as they screamed in anguish for what seemed like forever. Eventually the screams stopped and Slade released what was left of their withered corpses to the ground before he himself dropped onto his chest from exhaustion.
Slade laid there for several minutes before footsteps could be heard approaching "Qrow? Is that you?" Slade asked looking at the shadowy figure standing over him "Please, save my teammates. Don't let them die because of me" he pleaded before passing out from exhaustion. The person standing over him was clearly a woman in a black cloak with a hood covering her face, her ember eyes showing clearly as they looked like they could've been ignited by fire as she smiled down at him.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright" she assured him in a sweet tone that would've sent a chill down his spine had he been conscious, as she kneeled down next to him placing her hand onto his forehead, a small purple light twinkled on the edge of her finger "Sweet dreams" she chuckled darkly.
Qrow was rushing through the trees in his crow form hearing screams of anguish echoing throughout the trees as he approached the clearing, the screams stopped as he got closer I hope I'm not too late Qrow desperately prayed he got there in time, arriving at the scene he changed back into human form to find Dusk, Hazel and Willow bleeding out onto the ground around them having already passed.
"Dammit!" he growled. Looking past them he found several other bodies including Slade's lying on the floor around a single figure covered in a hood as she kneeled down next to Slade "What the hell?" he asked barely above a whisper. Qrow observed the mutilated corpses of Hunter and Cole in disgust "Who the hell could do that to a person?" he asked in shock.
"Slade" answered the cloaked woman as she stood and turned to leave.
"Hey!" Qrow called out to her catching her off guard "Who're you and what're you doing here?" he asked.
"Who I am is inconsequential" she answered "I have already accomplished what I intended to do here Mr. Branwen" she laughed "Please make sure Slade get's the upmost care upon his return, the boy has been through quite an ordeal. We have such big plans for him"
Qrow removed Harbinger from his back prepared to attack "Plans? What kind of plans?" he asked cautiously.
"Don't worry your precious little head about it. I'm sure everything will be made clear quite soon" she answered as she tried to leave.
"Hold it right there! I'm not just letting you go after all that" Qrow said rushing toward her with his blade ready. The woman turned with an obsidian blade in her hands seemingly created by her will alone blocking the strike and extending her other hand toward Slade "Continue to attack me and I will burn him to a crisp" she warned generating a fireball.
"How're you going to fulfill your plans for him if he's dead?" Qrow asked confidently.
"We can always find someone else. Slade will just be the easiest to use... I suggest you allow us to follow through with it otherwise we'll have to implement the plan on your lovely nieces" she threatened causing Qrow to back off immediately.
"If you touch a hair on their heads-"
"You won't have to worry about that for now. I am only interested in the boy" she grinned "Ta" she waved turning to leave.
Qrow stared after her feeling completely powerless to stop her, he looked back to Slade placing his weapon on his back "I'm sorry, Slade. I promise I will do right by you"
Finally reached the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and are just as excited for the next chapter. It will be reasonably shorter than this one was, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless. As always I have the colors of the associated names of characters listed right here for you. I know they're not always that imaginative but hey, when you have to work within some naming rules you make do.
Team CHRE (Ochre)
Cole Larson (Coal)
Hunter Thombs (Hunter Green)
Ebony Harris (Ebony)
Ray Vicari (Grey)