RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth
I've also updated my last chapter a bit, with a little better grammar, extended the fight parts, and even added a little more detail with some characters. Check it out again if you want to
OCs are mine
Team ANGR
Trailer: The Orange Elephant
Hit me as hard as you can. Try and knock me down. I'm gonna keep standing on my feet and endure it all, until you're the one that's getting knocked down. The only thing I struggle to endure… is having nobody with me…. but I will not let that knock me over either…. I must keep going until I find somebody that can also fight with me.
Western Vacuo; The Sanus Jungles
Vacuo; one of the four kingdoms of Remnant. Part of the continent, Sanus, that's also shared with the kingdom of Vale.
Home to Shade Academy, one of the four major academies, next to Beacon Academy of Vale, Atlas Academy of Atlas, and Haven Academy of Mistral.
Every kingdom has Its history and Vacuo's was a rather harsh and tough one, before and during the Great War.
Much of Vacuo used to have a vast oasis, in the center of the desert, with natural barriers, huge amounts of Dust deposits, and lush jungles that made it a paradise, which attracted many new settlers to flock over and settle down in.
Sadly, much of oasis was reduced to a wasteland, after the abuse and overhaul on dust mining and bigger settlements being made in it, overtime. Grimm activity also increased which turned Vacuo from a paradise to a death trap where only the toughest can survive.
Not to mention Mistral and Mantle, before the latter becoming what is now Atlas, used to have their settlements in Vacuo territory and even pressured Vacuo to join their side when they were at war with Vale… but Vacuo wasn't falling for them, as they knew they wouldn't be able to protect themselves, if Vale fell, and also because Mantle and Mistral would also try to steal their dust mines. So Vacuo's leader ordered Vacuo to stand their ground and joined forces with Vale, which eventually brought the war to its peak. Sometimes, even in the middle of a battle, all sides in the war had to ceasefire when the Grimm butted in, than going back to battle once the Grimm were taken care of.
As the war raged on, it finally ended, near Vacuo's capital, when the King of Vale stepped in and stopped the war, once and for all.
But even than…. It costed so many lives, as the deserts were soaked in red, and the Grimm kept coming, as they were attracted to the conflict like moths to a flame.
But with every war that ends, comes peace.
Thanks to the peace treaty, made between the four kingdoms, on the island of Vytal, brought Remnant together and brought peace with them.
With the world at peace, Vacuo and the other kingdoms focused on more important tasks; such as protecting their settlements from the Grimm, mining more dust in proper conditions to prevent damaging the environment at a minimum, building more academies to train more students that will become the next generation of huntsman for the future, and advancing technology to benefit the rest of the world.
Along with Vale, Vacuo is a one of the two kingdoms of that has a higher tolerance and equality practice between both humans and faunus, which makes it easier to both sides for beneficial opportunities in surviving Vacuo's current climates and hazards, especially thanks to their own little memo that's basically "If you can survive here, welcome to the club.".
Even than, Remnant still suffers some current problems; The Grimm that still hide in the shadows and attack when humanity is at their most vulnerable. The current White Fang's violent approaches towards equality based on fear. The SDC's current moral gray area status and it's questionable business practices. And, lastly, all kinds of crime running rampant.
In addition, Vacuo also has its own problems to deal with.
Even after the Great War ended, the damage to Vacuo was already done; the climate drastically changed, most of the oasis, if there is any of it left, is gone, and even several species of plants and animals native to Vacuo have gone extinct, as they couldn't adapt to the dramatic changes and the oasis they relied on. Making it much harder to survive for Vacuo's citizens.
Even than, there's still parts of the kingdom that's not all scorching deserts and dry canyons.
On the western and southwestern parts of Vacuo, closer to the coasts, there are lots of lush jungles, layering those section of the kingdom, along with plenty of mountains and plateau where temperatures are slightly cooler.
The western jungles of Sanus were hardly affected by the the war so it remained relatively unscathed and untouched, making it a beautiful paradise compared to the wastelands; Teaming with a whole variety of flora and fauna that thrive here and filling in every niche provided.
Despite the richness in resources and rumors of more dust deposits in those areas, Vacuo has already learned their mistake they previously suffered from, as to what they have done to the once beautiful oasis that is now forever gone.
So, to not make history repeat itself, Vacuo created a strict law that no major settlements are allowed in Vacuo's jungles and no dust mining are allowed either. Visiting and exploring the jungles are permitted and some smaller settlements are also permitted, with populations no more than two hundred, each.
Many decades after the Great War, Vacuo's now on it's own steady pace with handling its own academies while the jungles are usually left alone.
But now.. Let's take a closer look into the Jungles of Sanus and what they hold.
Sanus Jungles; 11:00 A.M
The sun is shining high in the sky, above a lush and vast jungle that can be seen far and wide. Small mountains, covered in thick vegetation that are trees, are also seen peeking over the treetops.
Here, the temperatures are warm and humid, just right for plenty of rainfall that comes from the coasts, yearly, to keep the jungles wet and nourished, for plenty of plantlife to grow to their full size to support a variety of species native to the jungles.
Making up the majority of the jungle, that also dominates the other plant life are the Skyscraper Trees. These trees are some of the tallest known in all of Remnant, with average heights reaching up to 600 feet. Some have been known to grow further, up to even 900 feet.
They reach such heights to easily get enough sunlight to replenish themselves, along with plenty of rain to keep their massive roots nourished.
Living in the branches houses a whole variety of animals; such as man sized howler gibbons, dog sized four toed sloths, and other kinds of animals found in the treetops which keep them safe from the predators far below. Though, they are occasionally hunted by large, predatory flying birds such as eagles and hawks, some with wingspans up to 25 feet, that soar in the sky, looking for a meal to catch to eat or to feed their chicks.
Down below, it's different than up in the treetops.
On the forest floor, it's very damp and pretty dark, due to the massive trees towering in the sky, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun. But some bits of sunlight are still able to shine down and make the jungle look more mystical. Rivers and waterfalls are also found which have fresh water for many animals to drink and even suited for other animals suited for the aquatic lifestyle.
The forest floor is teaming with all kinds of plants that covers nearly all of it, that you can't even see the ground that easily.
Much of the floor is layered in all kinds of ferns and thick leaves, but it's also covered in a whole variety of colorful flowers, in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and especially in dazzling colors, perfect for all kinds of insects, hummingbirds, and even small bats, to feast on the rich nectar and to pollinate them.
Perched in the smaller trees and lower branches are a whole variety of tropical birds and monkeys; spider monkeys, toucans, hornbills, parrots, including a rare and dazzling species called the Rainbow Macaw, and even a few colorful birds of paradise.
On the jungle floor, a giant anteater, the size of a horse, is seen trudging through the thick foliage, looking for a termite mound or an ant hill to feast on.
Nearby, a troop of giant apes, that look like a cross between a gorilla and an orangutan, standing 9 feet at the shoulder when walking on their knuckles, were patrolling through the forest, with the alpha male, the largest of the troop, leading in front. Not far away is a large, tiger sized, spotted jaguar that's sleeping on a low hanging branch. It was snoozing, not long after finishing it's meal that it caught, posing no threat to the primates.
Not far away, there's a large watering hole with a waterfall close to it, a perfect spot for many animals come here to drink or to swim in it. Rising from the water is a large hippo, as it snorts for some fresh air and gives out a loud yawn, before diving back into the water. Nearby are a group of capybara, as big as sheep, were closer to the water's edge and feasting on some freshwater plants. A large crocodile, nearby, stalks for any potential prey in the water while looking like a floating log.
Down below the water's surface, there are a whole variety of aquatic fish, including a school of striped fish with razor sharp teeth, also known as the tiger piranha, looking for any prey that's injured, sick, or weak.
Near a patch of yellow and lilac flowers, a black and yellow bumblebee appears, as it buzzes towards one of the flowers. It lands on a yellow flower with a lilac center and it starts sucking the sweet nectar, while also covering itself in pollen to pollinate the other flowers that it will find in other parts of the jungle.
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and tremble, as if something massive is coming this way. With each loud step, the ground shook harder, as nearby puddles rippled and small plants shook from the shaking ground.
Nearby, the sound of smaller trees creaking and breaking were heard, as something massive was there but couldn't be seen in good detail due to blending well in the foliage.
The stomping increased as now the puddles were shaken so hard that some droplets were thrown in midair while the plants shook even harder. Some of the nearby animals that were much smaller also scampered to safety as to not be in the path of whatever's coming their way.
The bee was too busy drinking the nectar as a large stride of the massive creature came closer in seconds. A shadow suddenly loomed over the bee and the flowers and the bee takes notices as it and flies away just in time e.
A massive pillar-like leg slammed down, close to the flowers which shook violently but the bee was safe. It flew higher and further away and it managed to get a limited view of what the massive creature is suppose to be….
The creature is a large quadruped, with four, pillar-like legs, each with five toes, a decently long tail with a tuft of hair at the tip, and a massive body with dark gray and slightly wrinkled skin.
On the side of its large head are two medium sized, flappy ears. Hanging from it's face is a long and sturdy trunk that nearly reaches past it's knees. Protruding the side of it's mouth are two long, thick, and slightly curvy tusks that jut out like spears. A second but smaller pair of curved tusks protrude behind the larger tusks, giving the creature a total of four tusks.
It's an elephant… a really big one.
Stomping through the jungle is the Sanus Elephant.
Towering in at 35 feet at the shoulder and weighing in at 40 tons, it's the largest and heaviest land mammal of Sanus and all of Remnant.
Native to the jungles of Sanus, these elephants are rare, as they were once found throughout much of the deserts and oasis of Vacuo but the destruction of the oasis and the Great War has dwindled their numbers down significantly that they are now found only in the jungles which are under strict protection laws by Vacuo.
This Sanus Elephant that's stomping through the jungle, is a young bull that recently reached sexual maturity and left his former herd a few weeks ago, now living on his own.
Despite living in solitude, his species are very social and like to live together in herds. When young bulls leave the herd, they either find another herd of females to live with, or live with a smaller herd consisting of only younger bulls.
But that's not what the young bull has in mind for now; He's searching for something to eat and also staying on high alert for any nearby predators that may try to attack him, regardless of his superior size and weight.
Despite traveling on his own, the young bull is not completely alone here; perched on his back are a few random tropical birds and a troop of monkeys, that are squawking and chattering, as they are temporarily using the elephant as their own method of transportation. Some are even perched on his massive tusks, which are covered in vines.
Heck, even the bumblebee decided to hitch a ride, by landing on top of his head and waits until it finds a good area that has lots of fresh flowers to pollinate.
The young bull doesn't mind this. He accepts his temporary passengers riding on his back and tusks, which gives him a little company.
He continues his way through the jungle… but little does he know, something is stalking it in the trees. Hiding, in the thick leaves on the lower branches are a pair of slitted pupils and a low growl. It's not a Grimm… but a predator that's on the hunt.
Meanwhile; At the same time.
Several miles away, in another part of the jungle, it's quiet, except for the distant mating calls of the tropical birds or the howls of the howler gibbons. But a new sound is heard close by.
The sound of rushing water is heard, that it nearly deafens the calls of the wild itself, as the scenery now shows a massive cliffside, with a massive waterfall, and many tall rock spires sticking out of a large and clear pool of fresh water that's so clear you could see the bottom and even see lots of underwater plants and fish. Up above, the falling water reflects with the sunlight that it creates a beautiful rainbow.
Directly under the waterfall and on top of the highest rock spire, which is over 50 feet high, appears to be something.. or someone, sitting on it.
Upon closer inspection, the figure is a young, teenaged, male, due to his physique and appearance.
He stands at 6'3", when he stands because he's sitting crossed leg, around the age of 17 but he's bordering to 18 in just a few more months. He has a well developed and built body that's packing with muscle, but not to exaggerating degrees, which makes him look athletic.
His arms and biceps are well toned and muscular but still fairly slim and smooth. Both his legs and thighs are also muscular but less so compared to that of Nigel's. His chest is slightly broad, his midsection has a nice pair of abs that rival Sun Wukong's, and his skin complexion has a slightly darker shade than Nigel's but still gives an overall tan skin tone.
Due to being under the waterfall, his short and bright orange hair is soaked but also shines in the sunlight, thanks the sun shining overhead.
The only clothing he's wearing is a pair of orange swim trunks with bright yellow edgings and turquoise colored swirls.
He does have one accessory, that're three golden, pierced earrings, on his right ear.
The last thing he has is something on his back; it's an orange colored tattoo that's the head of a four tusked elephant and it covers the majority of his back. The elephant head tattoo shows the entire front side, looking calm, yet, very imposing.
Most of all, he he doesn't appear to have any faunus traits found on him; indicating he's a human.
The young man is meditating, as the water splashes and drips off his toned body but he stays focused, with his eyes closed and his hands resting on his knees that were spread out. The peaceful calls of nature were music to his ears and the shower of water trickling down his skin was refreshing.
Minutes after the boy stayed in his pose, he finally opens his eyes, which are bright turquoise in color.
He takes a deep breath and gets a good whiff of that moist air that was even more refreshing.
The young man picks himself up onto his feet and does some stretches and poses to loosen and relax his muscles.
Than he does 500 pushups, 500 sit ups, 500 squats and finally, 500 handstand push ups without the aid of a wall, showing excellent sense of balance. And he did all that relatively fast.
Once he was done, not even feeling winded, he easily leaped back on his feet and enjoys his surroundings. He was smiling and looked so genuinely relaxed.
"Phew!" The young man signed as he felt much better and energized. "That sure was a great workout!" He cracks his neck and a few pops were heard. "Nothing like doing some good basic routines to get you all loosened up and energized on a day like this, especially after an intense training session!"
He looks around again with his hands on his hips.
"Now… what should I do next?" He asks himself but he doesn't finish his sentence and just stands there in silence, with a blank expression, still as a statue…
"CANNONBALL! WOOOOOHOOOOO!" He shouts at the top of his lungs and makes an astounding leap off the rock spire, doing a triple somersault, and finishes it with a cannonball, just before hitting the water which created a rather large splash.
Seconds after the splash, the boy resurfaces and lets out a loud gasp for air, followed by comically smacking the left side of his head to get some water out of his right ear.
The boy starts swimming through the water with ease, as he takes a deep breath and dives downward, near the deep end, embracing the chilly but soothing feel, and enjoying the sight of the marvel that's hidden below the pool's surface.
He sees all kinds of freshwater fish, most of them vegetarians and a few of them being predators but they pose no threat to him. He keeps swimming until he swore he also saw a Sanus river dolphin, which is pink in color and as big as a beluga whale, swimming nearby. It elusively swam out of his sight, when it saw him.
A few minutes after, he resurfaces and takes another breath of fresh air but stays above.
He swims towards a nearby rock spire and perches on a low hanging ledged gap that's several inches below the water's surface, a perfect spot to take a seat while still dipping in the water. He sits there, leans back against the smooth surface of the rock spire, and enjoys the musical sounds of nature once more, while also grabbing a nearby low hanging fruit from a nearby tree; a large mango that's conveniently next to him. He grabs the fruit and starts eating it, savoring the delicious and heavenly taste of the tropical fruit.
"This… is paradise!" The boy thought in pure delight.
Once he finished eating most of the fruit, he tossed the rest of the fruit, the core and seeds, into the water that get quickly eaten by the nearby fish.
The boy goes back to relaxing against the rock spire, hands rested behind his head, eyes closed, and sits still for half an hour, enjoying the call of nature….he can't help but frown a little.
He opens his eyes and looks around a bit… no matter where he looks… the only one in the area that he is in… is just himself.
"Man.. when was the last time I personally hung out with someone?" The boy thought but he couldn't think of the last time he personally hung out with another person… except that one time… as his memory briefly flashed that showed somebody in his vision.
It was a person that resembled an elderly man… that's also very muscular, is shirtless, wearing a more old styled kind of hakama pants, and also appears to be wearing a necklace of orange oversized beads that are about as big as golf balls. He appears to have something else on the sides of his head.. that resemble elephant ears. He has his back turned, facing away, and also appears to have an orange tattoo.. that resembles the head of an elephant on his back but also has several other kinds of tattoos on his arms and shoulders.
But the most eye catching and strangest feature for this mysterious person.. is that his skin tone is bright blue.
The elderly man still had his back turned and appears to have his arms crossed over each other as he stands there, completely still.
The boy shakes his head and sighs, trying not to think about his past too much.
"I think that's enough relaxing for now. Gotta stop my dilly dally and head on out." The boy thought again and starts swimming to the edge of the water hole that's connected to a small river. There, on the shore, laying on a small boulder, is his small satchel which has all his stuff and necessities, despite its small size.
Once he reached the shore, he steps out and dries himself off with an orange colored towel with yellow edgings that he left on a low hanging branch. He was taking his time, as he made sure he dried off every inch of himself but that left his swim trunks which were still wet. He took them off and left to dry on another low hanging branch but made sure the sunlight shines over it as he focuses on drying the rest of himself off.
He's briefly naked but, despite being all alone, he couldn't help but mentally chuckle to himself of the mere thought of how many teen girls would do anything just to even get a mere glimpse of him right now.
Once he was done hanging his swim trunks and completely drying himself off, he puts on his standard outfit; a pair of dark gray, torn around the edges, tight fitting, hakama pants, with swirly patterns of orange and turquoise on them. The right pant leg is half gone which exposes his muscular right leg below the knee. He has a hanging, yellow waist sash, wrapped around his waist. He also wears a pair of foot wraps, made of synthetic rubber and fiber, that're wrapped around the soles of his feet, but leaves his ankles and toes exposed. He puts on a turquoise colored necklace with the beads the size of marbles which also look very polished, around his neck.
Lastly, he pulls out a pair of cylinder shaped devices from his satchel. They are turquoise in color but are also made of some kind of polished metal where sunlight reflects off of it. On one end each, there is some kind of turbine attached to it, that's silver gray, and has a polished surface too.
For decoration, the devices also have orange colored, striped patterns and flowers, snaked across them.
In a way, the devices resemble miniature jet engines.
The boy couldn't help but check out his own reflection for a second and admired how well polished his devices are that you can even use it as a mirror to shave.
Normally, he doesn't take pride in his looks but he couldn't help but admire himself today; looking pretty handsome and well clean shaven that he smirks how dashing he looks.
Though, the one thing he easily notices is a scar, on his right cheek. It's rather minor and hard to spot from a distance but this scar is one of a kind he got from part of his training…. and he made a slight mistake that made him earn that scar.
He slowly and gently traces his finger across his scar…. bringing back those memories… and one briefly flashed of a beowolf slashing its claws towards him...
He sighs and focuses back to reality.
He places the devices on the back of his forearms. Once the they touched his arms, they create the sound of grinding gears and advanced shifting, that the bottom and sides of the devices open up and disassemble, until reassembling back; wrapped around his arms, safely strapped and secured.
They are in fact a pair of weapons that Gale created which he calls them his Cyclone Gauntlets but he has also has a nickname for them as well; Tempest and Gust.
The weapons are in their inactive mode, for now, until he has to fight any opponent or Grimm that comes his way..
With that done, the teen checks his scroll and sees what time it is. It's close to noon so he should also find something to eat.
He puts his scroll back in his backpack backpack which he picks up and hangs over his right shoulder, as he looks back at the waterfall again, picturing the marvel and beauty it holds, for the proud effort mother nature had to offer.
He smiles for a second but turns around and heads off into the jungle… heading towards… he doesn't know. He just needs to keep moving forward until he comes across something… if he ever does. He's been in these jungles for several years and has been doing this since that day… that forever changed his life.
Though, there is one place in the jungles that he knows and has lived there… but he hasn't visited that place in quite a while lately and rarely visited it for the past couple of years.
As he kept walking forward, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled something out of it; two feathers.
One's an orange feather with turquoise near the tip and the other is a blue feather with orange near the tip.
The blue one is gift that was given to him, when he was a child
He gently holds the feathers in his fingers, as he kept staring at them in silence, until putting them back into his pocket and pushes his way through the bushes and foliage, with a determined and serious expression… though, he couldn't help but feel slightly tired for some reason.
He shakes his head to wake himself up a little and keeps walking forward.
If one wants to know this young man's name; it's Gale Hathi.
However… despite his belief that he was alone... he wasn't.
He was being watched… but not by some teen girl but if Gale realized that, he would wish it was a teen girl… because something more sinister and bloodthirsty has its sights on him.
Behind a thick bush, a pair of glowing, burning red eyes, watches Gale move off. It made a strange sound that sounded like a mix of snarling and grunting. It sensed his slight negativity and was drawn to him like a moth to a flame but it was also smart enough to stay hidden, not letting Gale spot it in plain sight.
It sensed a lot of slight negativity coming from that human and decides to follow him, as it stayed low to the ground and slowly followed not far behind.
It's a Grimm… and it found a potential victim to slaughter.
Back to the young bull; 11:15 A.M
Back in another part of the jungle, the loud stomping is heard again, as the young bull elephant continues his search for something to eat, while carrying his unofficial, but friendly, passengers.
Some of its passengers that rode on it's back have already left; some monkeys leaped off onto random vines and trees, settling into their new homes. Most birds flew off to their new perches as well. The bumblebee is still perched on the top of his head and still waiting to find a perfect patch of flowers.
The elephant still didn't mind, as he was too focused on his hunger.
Eventually, the young bull entered a wide, open, clearing of the jungle, where there's lot of wide open space, even for a very large mammal. Though, there are some smaller trees and rock outcroppings scattered about but it's still plenty spacious.
Even than, the much taller trees still towered over everything else and sunlight still had difficulty shining through the treetops. Thankfully, it's still around noon so the sun is shining overhead and down on the wide open area.
The elephant has been following its nose lately and finally found what it's been looking for; A decently large patch of tall grass. Nearby, there's a large banana tree with a bunch of ripe bananas.
But what's more impressive are how big the bananas themselves are; each banana is nearly five times larger than your average banana. A large banana tree with that many bananas would be enough to feed an entire village.
Out here in the jungle, a diet of a Sanus elephant consists of a variety of plants; including grass, bushes, twigs, many kinds of vegetables, many kinds of fruits, and the occasional sugar cane. And the Sanus Elephant, due to its massive size, needs to consume a large amount of food just to survive.
Thanks to its effort, the young bull rewards itself by strutting towards it's lunch and begins digging in; using its trunk, it grabs a large trunkful of the tall grass, rips it by the roots, and stuffs it mouth with the delicious green it craved for. After chewing it to a pulp, it gulps down the chewed up greenery and grabs another trunkful of grass.
After finishing it's main course, the young bull now goes for some dessert as it reaches over to the banana tree and grabs a large bunch of bananas and devours them as well, even the peels included. Savoring the ripeness of the golden delicacy.
Even the birds and monkeys perched themselves on the large banana tree and chowed down on whatever bananas the elephant hasn't eaten. The elephant is aware of that and decides to leave some bananas out, showing signs of his intelligence, as his species as a whole possess.
The bumblebee that was perched on the young bull's head buzzed off to a patch of nearby flowers, that were on the ground, and begins pollinating them while drinking their nectar.
It's an all out buffet for this massive mammal and it's tiny passengers.
All seems well and peaceful… but the young bull doesn't know that he's being watched… and on the menu.
Hiding in the thick foliage, the same pair of slitted pupils from earlier, were stalking him, watching the young bull's every movement. The eyes belong to something really big but it's too well hidden to tell what kind of creature it is.
The only visible characteristics that are seen… are spots, stripes, sharp claws for ensuring and tearing apart it's prey, and large canine teeth that could easily pierce through the thickest hide and muscles.
The only sound heard was a low and primal growl as the eyes locked onto its prey.
Suddenly, in the middle of their meal, one of the monkeys stopped eating and felt it's instincts kicking in; something is wrong and it can't help be feel like they're being watched.
It looks around, and, thanks to it's sharp eyesight, sees the eyes behind the vegetation. It instantly recognized the threat and lets out a loud screech that alerts the other monkeys and even the birds; a warning call used, if a nearby predator is spotted.
With the alarm sounded, the monkeys and birds scatter to safety, as the monkeys climbed up the nearest vines, and the all the birds flew to the higher branches of the trees.
But the bumblebee didn't budge and continued pollinating the flowers and feasting on the nectar.
The sudden scattering alerted the young bull's attention as he stopped eating and let out a slightly startled sound, as he backs away from the banana tree and stomps towards the center of the area;
He's definitely aware what this means when small animals scatter and move to safety at such a quick pace.
It means there's a predator nearby.. and it's on the hunt.
Normally, the Sanus Elephant have no natural predators, at least when fully grown, healthy, and living with it's herd.
Any of the elephants that are young, old, sick, weak, injured or even living alone, are fair game to an apex predator.. If they can take it down.
Despite that he just reached adulthood, the young bull is still pretty young, as he's currently measured around 24 feet at the shoulder and only weighing in about 32 tons. A bit smaller than most older bulls.
The massive mammal stays alert to his surroundings, as he flaps his ears and flexes his trunk in slight panic but remains steady on his feet. He starts letting out loud, rumbling, growls, as he continues looking around and trying to see where the predator is at.
The Sanus Elephant may appear to be at a disadvantage… but he does have one trick up his sleeve.
The elephant's body momentarily shined for a second, as if an orange colored shield of light covered him entirely…. he just activated its own soul and using it as a force field to protect his body.
He's using Aura.
Humans and faunus are not the only living things that can use Aura on Remnant.
Yes, even when it was originally thought that only the humans and the faunus could use and manipulate Aura, it turns out, for quite a long time, that some species of animals can use it too.
Unlike the Grimm, which are soulless monsters of destruction and bloodshed, everything that is alive, has a soul, thus, has an Aura to their extents.
Though, while it's true every living thing has a soul, even the plants, there are only a limited amount of lifeforms on Remnant that have the capacity and potential to use Aura to their will.
One must remember; Aura takes skill and knowledge to use it like a tool and even a weapon. Since sentient beings have the capacity and potential on the greatest scale, thanks to their sentience and being the smartest lifeforms on the planet, they can easily unlock aura and use it in many ways, which leads to their semblance.
For animals, it's more limited and harder to use Aura in more complicated and advanced forms, due to most having less levels of sapience, than most sentient beings do.
However, that doesn't mean it's impossible for some of the smarter and more adaptable kinds of fauna can find ways to use aura to their own benefits
There have been records of animals using Aura; that includes most apes, especially chimpanzees, most cetaceans, especially dolphins, elephants, pigs, rats, crows, ravens, and even octopuses and squids. Though, it's not unheard of that dogs, cats, and other pets can use aura too, with the right amount of training from their owners.
Most use Aura to help them be more aware of their surroundings a little better, enhance their senses, increase their physical stats, and even help them protect themselves from most predators to an extent. Additionally, in the whales case, they can even use Aura to enhance their echolocation even further. Some bats can do this too.
In the Sanus Elephant's case; they use their aura to enhance their physical status a bit, but they mostly use it in another, unique, way; they focus their aura into their feet to feel their surroundings and to also detect nearby predators, based by the vibrations through the ground. Their desert cousins also used this to find water when the seasons were dry and water becomes scarce.
The young bull is rather a little inexperienced using his own aura and he isn't used to his vibration detecting use yet. This young bull has a lot to learn if he's gonna survive here on his own, until he finds another herd he can live with.
The young bull continues looking around, his eyes wide open and alert. He decides to use his hearing and smell, along with his vibration detection by focusing his aura into his feet… he can detect a presence behind the foliage.. but it's not alone.
He detects two more life signs as well.
The young bull turns his sights towards that location and lets out a trumpeting roar at the threat.
The predators know their potential prey has detected their presence and their ambush is moot, as of now.
The bushes and ferns rustled, as the predators revealed themselves.
Stepping into the sunlight, were three, large wild cats… and they are HUGE; at least twice the size of a polar bear.
The creatures look like a cross between a tiger, a jaguar, and a saber toothed smilodon. The big cats are dark green in color but were mostly covered in black spots that covered the majority of their bodies but also had black stripes that mostly covered their legs, hindquarters, and tail, also intertwining with the spots. Their underbellies are a lighter shade of green. They also have short but pretty rough looking manes.
The most prominent feature are a pair of massive saber teeth that are in the upper canines.. and they were merely over 12 inches long which they bore at the young bull, as they growled and even roared at their chosen prey.
However, each of the three looked slightly different.
One had a slightly thicker mane and had the largest saber teeth, while also being the most muscular and largest. He was even covered in several scars, indicating he's been in a lot of fights.
The second is a bit smaller, has smaller saber teeth, looked a tad thinner, and lacked a mane.
The third looked the most normal but is missing his left saber tooth and only had his right one.
These three are all males and being lead by the largest and strongest that's the leader.
These big cats are known as Sabre Fangs and they are the apex predators of Vacuo's jungles; having one of the strongest bite force of any carnivorous mammal, they can easily pierce through the thickest hides and can even break solid rock with their jaw strength alone. Their muscular limbs are also very powerful that can easily overpower most large animals and even strong enough cut through trees and solid stone with their claws behind their powerful limbs.
They prey on just about every animal here, including the Sanus Elephant. Though, they usually avoid the full grown adults that travel in herds. They prefer preying on the calfs or young bulls that live alone… and this young bull is on their menu.
Despite feeling threatened and even a little intimidated, especially that now he's on his own and facing a pack of the top predators of the jungle.. the young bull doesn't back down as he sizes himself up, by raising his head, curling his trunk, showing off his large tusks, and even lets out a loud and rumbling roar that could be heard for miles around.
The Sabre Fangs aren't intimidated. Even if they were, they weren't showing it, as they eye their chosen prey that could last them for weeks.
On que, the predatory cats suddenly had something bright and yellow shine over their bodies… as if have their own force fields protecting them.
Seems these predatory cats can use Aura too.
Truth to be told, it's not impossible for predators to also learn Aura, despite that more intelligent animals have higher chances of wielding it.
With that said, the young bull and the sabre fangs glare at each other… waiting for one to make its move… even one slight error can lead to a fatal injury.. or even death.
However… caught in the middle of this tense showdown… is that bumblebee… who is minding its own business and still pollinating…not giving a damn.
After several more seconds of silence, the young bull decides to make the first move and charges forward, shaking the earth with his mighty steps, leaving craters as big as his own footprints, letting out another roar against the saber toothed cats that roared back.
Back with Gale. 11:30 A.M
We now see Gale continuing his own path through the jungle, munching on a bunch of fruits he gathered, including some bananas, mangos, and even a large watermelon Though, he couldn't help but momentarily stop in his tracks when heard the rumbling roar of a Sanus Elephant… which is the young bull fighting the Sabre Fangs.
"Huh.. the war cry of a Sanus Elephant." Gale said out loud, as he turned his head to the direction he heard it from. "Based on the pitch and volume it's making out... sounds like it's either butting heads with another bull or it's in a tango with a predator; likely a pack of Sabre Fangs."
He looks towards that direction a bit longer but eventually ignores it and keeps heading on his own path. Nothing personal between predator and prey; as survival of the fittest and the circle of life are the natural laws of nature itself. Gale deeply respects nature and lets it take its course.
Even after walking for a while and devoured every fruit he found, Gale still has a lot on his mind, lately. A ton of thoughts are racing through his head and, now, he's trying to understand why on an average and run of the mill day like this must so many questions be brought up now, especially after he's been through them already before.
Could it just be a coincidence? Or is it that he's been penting up all of this for so long that now it's starting to break the mental gates and flooding out?
Or could it be that he's feeling… tired and sluggish?
Either way... might as well just rethink about some of the past issues so he can empty his head a little better and focus on where he's going.
Maybe remembering some of those memories could also help him find something that he's missing out on.
For starters, Gale Hathi is more than just some human teenager with a pair of Cyclone Gauntlets that he carries around on his arms; He's far more than that.
To start off, as far as he can remember, Gale used to be raised in a temple, located somewhere in these jungles, up on a mountain, and was trained at such a young age to become a skilled and capable fighter; Raised by an elderly man who was his mentor whom trained him in the arts of fighting, aura use, semblance, and even weaponry.
Days, weeks, months, even years, Gale trained very hard to reach the physique and condition to where he is now and feels a pretty proud about it. But his mentor made sure he got plenty of rest and free time to balance out his training, to have some free fun time and to learn other things besides physical improvement.
Though… that didn't go the way he wished it to be in the end.
His life forever changed, that morning, and he could still remember it like it was yesterday.
Every time he thinks of that morning, all Gale can think of is the mountain that towers over all the trees of the jungle, where the temple he lived in, the morning sun rising over the horizon and, up on the highest point… is somebody sitting in a meditating pose.
The teen shakes his head again and keeps moving forward.
The second thing he has in mind is where he's been and going for these past several years.
For the past several years, Gale's been in these jungles and much of Vacuo itself; he's traveled as far north where he met the dry savannas and grasslands, as far south where he met the cooler mountains and plateaus where there was even snow and ice that covered them, as far east where he met the tropical coastlines and peninsulas where he saw the vast horizon of the oceans, and as far west where he met the hot deserts and sand dunes. For once, he even decided to travel further west… and he even saw Shade Academy itself. He even saw all kinds of humans and faunus living in the city that was near the academy…. but he avoided making direct eye contact with them or even saying hello to them...
So many wonders he has seen on this part of the kingdom and he wonders what else is out there that Remnant has to offer.
Sadly, no matter what, before even thinking about leaving Vacuo, he always returned to these jungles, because he believes this is where he belongs. He feels like he can't truly leave here because of that day that makes him feel like he ain't worthy going anywhere else. But why exactly? Either he doesn't really know and struggles with that or there is a reason but he doesn't want to confront it.
The third thing that comes to mind is that he knows how to fight well on his own, against the Grimm, thanks to his intense training that he undergone, since he was a child.
All those years of training were from his mentor. Strict and precise, but gentle and patient, as to not overwhelm and over exhaust Gale, both physically and mentally. His mentor may have been his teacher, but even he knows how to hold back, keeping Gale stable and getting the right amount of training and rest to balance it all out.
Originally, when Gale was a young boy, his mentor promised him he would train him to the fullest, until he reached the age of 17, where his training would be complete and he could make the decisions what he wants to be, including going to an academy to becomes a huntsman, that is, if he wants to be one by choice.
Sadly, by the time Gale reached the age of 13… he had to undergo the rest of his training by himself. Despite being able to adapt and improve himself on his self taught based training, It just doesn't feel the same to him, not without his mentor by his side.
Eventually, Gale got used to being on his own, already being more than capable of taking care of himself.
In these last few months, it seems his way of living alone is starting to get to him but that's not his concern today and he must focus on the current situation right now.
The fourth and last thing that comes to his mind… what's his purpose and future?
Gale kept questioning himself what he wanted to be; perhaps maybe a huntsman, as he remembers hearing the awesome tales and stories about how huntsmen and huntresses fight for justice and protect the innocent from the creatures of Grimm.
That made Gale actually feel like wanting to become a huntsman, as he has the capabilities and even being at the right age of attending an academy…. but why does he feel like not wanting to go and just stay here?
It's almost like as if he's holding himself back from reaching that goal he deeply wants.
"Maybe that's enough thinking for now…" Gale thought but still felt a bit down. Those memories being so fun and warming that they made him happy.. and now it isn't the same anymore since that day….
While Gale was deep in thought, he's unaware that he's still being followed by the mysterious Grimm, as it stays far away to not be detected by him, biding its time until it's right to strike.
Before Gale could think even more of the current situation … Gale notices that the trees are getting smaller and more spread out, showing Gale is reaching an opening
Gale steps out of the thickets of the jungle and into the open where lots of sunlight shines down on him.
Thanks to having no trees being in his way, the young teen can now see a wide and open valley that shows the mountains and trees. He can see the white clouds drifting in the sky, as the sun shines high above. He can hear the howls and caws of many kinds of animals, echoing through the valley. He can even feel the soothing and graceful touch of the wind blowing in his face.
He inhales his nostrils, as he smell the refreshing and moist scent of the jungle. It's just pure beauty and spectacle that Gale can never get tired of.
"Yeah.. I can never get tired of this place…" Gale thought as he grinned a little. "This whole jungle feels like home to me. It's like I'm in my natural habitat."
Even if he considers this jungle his home… Gale still wonders what else is outside of Vacuo and beyond.
As he kept staring, he notices something that's very far away but he can easily see it, thanks to being on a higher point of the valley.
Further out, he sees many less trees and sees man made structures that are completely made of stone.
"Hmm… haven't been in this part of the jungle before… might as well just see what that is over there."
Gale looks down and notices how steep the slope is. Not that he can't get around places, thanks to being very acrobatic and has done this many times before, both as training and for fun, even when he was a kid.
Gale shrugs his shoulders and he leaps off the ledge; skidding down the slope, managing to keep his balance.
The Grimm that's not far behind continues to follow Gale, as it decides to go on another route by staying in the foliage. It watches Gale heading towards the the bottom of the valley and towards the mysterious.
Later. 12:00 P.M
Gale walked for quite a while to reach the place that appears to resemble an ancient civilization.
Emphasis on ancient cause it looks like it's been around for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years, and hasn't been touched or occupied by any living residents for such a long time.
Much of the town sized and ancient city has seen better days, as much of the stone made buildings are slowly crumbling away and most pillars are either knocked over or reduced to rubble. Nature is also slowly taking over, as many trees and vines are swallowing up the buildings, like they are starting to own the place and telling civilization who's boss.
But even than, the city still looks pretty ancient and artistic, showing all kinds of art carved into the stone that shows all kinds of animals and beings, possibly worshipped as gods in ancient times. This place could even be a great tourist site… that is, it deserved better to be left alone as the jungles are mostly protected by law and to be left in peace.
Gale's now seen walking through the city and looked around, admiring and respecting the architecture, his hands in his pockets and whistling a tune, while he's at it.
Though, Gale had to rub his eyes yet again and even yawned like he was getting a bit drowsy.
"Why do I feel really tired all of a sudden? I felt pretty fine and energized right after doing my warmups earlier." He asked himself as he yawned again.
Gale wondered about why he's feeling drowsy lately. He tried to think of something logical but a small part of him deep down something's not right but he keeps going.
"Hmm… better stay focused… something doesn't feel right about this place." Gale said as he furrowed his brow, feeling a little unease about this place. It's been deeply silent here that he can barely even hear the howls and squawks from the animals which are pretty far away.
Seeing this place feels like it's been longed abandoned.. almost like a ghost town.
As Gale walked further into the ancient city, the mysterious Grimm was slowly stalking him but still staying far away and out of sight.
When Gale nearly reached a section city and came close to the largest building that looked like a sacrificial temple… he stopped in his tracks, as he heard a sound that sounded swift. He jolted and faced the direction, getting into a defensive stance… he saw nothing.
But, that didn't put Gale off his guard, as he knows something's not right…
From a partially crumbled window of a building… a pair of red eyes peer out and stare at Gale, but these aren't the same eyes that were following Gale earlier. Nearby, another pair of eyes also appear and peer out towards Gale.
Gale stood still and darts his eyes around slowly… than he heard a few rocks falling from a building and smashing into the ground as their impacts echoed across the dead city….
Gale stared at the rocks and looked up where they came from but saw nothing. Out of the corner of his eyes, he swore he saw something black, peering out of the corner of another building but it isn't there anymore, once he turned around and got a clear view…. he narrowed his eyes.
"I have a really bad feeling about this…" Gale said out loud as he can't help but feel like he's being watched.. which he is in fact. "And that feeling is telling me I'm gonna be in quite a sticky situation… so sticky that it makes glue look like water in comparison."
More burning red eyes peered out of the many buildings and corners but remained out of Gale's line of sight. They are all eager to show themselves and lay their assault on Gale since they can sense his emotions… they slightly sense a bit of negativity in him.
But they stay hidden and wait until the time is right.
Gale doesn't even bother trying to guess what could be watching him…
"Grimm… probably a ton of them. Hiding out here… and they likely want to rip me to shreds…."
As on cue, Gale heard the sound of something running towards him from behind. It leaped out towards Gale, letting out a loud and wailing howl, as it tried to slam it's hardened fists on his head.
Gale could've easily countered that with either a punch or kick but decided to roll out of the way, as the attacker slammed it's fists to the ground, creating a decently large crater and the ground shook a little.
Just as Gale finished rolling away, the attacker leaped towards him again, howling at the top of it's lungs and tries to punch him in the face.
This time, Gale countered by catching the punch in his palm which stopped the attacker in its tracks. Than he grabbed the attacker's arm and spun a complete 360 several times which added enough momentum to toss it towards a nearby wall of one of the ruined buildings. It smashed straight through the old structure and left a large gaping hole in it which scattered bits of dust and pieces of stone.
Gale stood in place and watched the hole in silence... until it leaped back out of the hole and tried to bite his face off by opening its mouth wide open.
Gale raised in eyebrow in slight surprise as that move he just performed can easily kill a Beowolf but this Grimm shook it off like nothing and seems ready for more.
Gale leaps to the side and is now a bit closer to the large temple but he still keeps his eye on the Grimm.
This time, the Grimm started to just howl and screech while slapping the ground, as if it's gone insane.
What Gale sees, in front of him, is a Grimm; a bloodthirsty creature of darkness and hatred, bent on destroying humanity and the faunus off the face of Remnant. They are the scourge and enemy that humanity has been facing, ever since mankind has existed..
Being quite a bio-diverse race of monsters; they come in all different shapes and sizes. Taking the forms of many kinds of creatures, from animals to even mythical beasts, which helps them adapt and to fit in the different environments all over Remnant.
From land, to the seas, to the sky, there is no place for a Grimm to not exist in.
While they do vary in shapes and sizes, what everyone agrees on is that they all have something in common with their appearances.
The main color scheme is jet black; making them as dark as the shadows they lurk in. Much of their bodies are covered in a set of bone like platting and spikes, that grow out of their bodies which also acts like their own set of armor which they use to defend themselves, since they lack a soul, thus, lack an aura to protect themselves.
Their heads are covered in a plate of bone that resembles either their own skulls or a "mask" which are also covered in red markings that stream across their heads in all kinds of different patterns, based on the species.
Lastly, the most recognizable feature every Grimm has are their burning reddish-orange eyes that glare into the souls of any unfortunate human or faunus they come across.
Appearances aside, every Grimm has one drive that they all share together; to find any human or faunus nearest to them and eliminate them.
Nobody exactly know why the Grimm do this, but their only purpose in existence is to wipe out humanity and the faunus. Which is why huntsman academies exist to train students to become powerful and skilled warriors to battle this massive threat that dominates the majority of the world.
Another thing about the Grimm is that they are deeply attracted to negative emotions or violence and come straight to it like moths to a flame.
Here, this Grimm sensed Gale's minor negativity nearby and it's instincts to kill kicked in, it tried to kill him from behind.. and ended up being thrown into a building.
This Grimm that Gale sees resembles a chimpanzee… and it's as big as an adult man. As said before, it's body is a black as the night and covered in sets of bone armor, including having a set of bones across that look like ribs, along having a few spiked bone pads on it's elbows and knees.
Gale recognizes what type of Grimm it is; a Death Howler.
The Death Howler continued screeching and howling at the top of it's lungs for almost two minutes, while slapping and smacking its hands on the ground which left small cracks on the ground, like it was trying to intimidate him… but failing.
Gale started to look more annoyed, due to the loud screeching slightly hurting his ears and tried to cover them with his hands. He even tried backing away from it to gain some distance until his back was facing towards the temple, as he kept his eyes on the Death Howler that was still screeching.
"Okay. That's just getting really loud and annoying. What are you even trying to do? Make me go deaf?" Gale deadpanned at the Grimm, unimpressed.
The Grimm stopped howling and glared at Gale as if he took offense to that.
But than.. It started giving off a rather smug and creepy grin at him….
Gale couldn't help but frown at that… despite how serious the situation is.
"I don't like that smug grin you're giving me…. It mocks me…."
Before Gale could even try to further protest, he suddenly felt his instincts kick in as two more presences came at his right and left, jumping out from a nearby windows from either side; Two more Death Howlers
The second Death Howler came from a second story window from Gale's right, while the third Death howler came from the top of a roof of the building from his left.
Normally, Gale could take on three Grimm but he can't help but feel suspicious there are far more Grimm around here than he already can see with his eyes.
So, until his suspicions are clear, he decided to play defense.
Gale backflipped away as the two Death Howlers slammed both of their fists into the ground which, with their combined might, created a slightly bigger crater where Gale used to stand.
Just as Gale landed safely, he couldn't help but feel drowsy and a bit tired again. He put a lot of effort keeping his eyes open and even slapped himself in the face for a brief second to further wake himself up.
"Again. Why am I getting tired at a time like this?" Gale thought in worry and in suspicion. "Something isn't right here… could it be the Grimm that are doing this?" Gale thought again as the Death Howlers are now charging at him and he glared back at them.
Not too far away, perched on top of one of the buildings, is the Grimm that's still stalking Gale but it lays low to not be spotted. It decided to watch from a distance and let it's fellow Grimm take care of him for it… if Gale still beats them, than it might finish him off if he's weakened enough….
Gale really wanted to fight back, since he could easily decimate them, but he decides to drag it out a little longer… cause he can't help but feel there are more Death Howlers nearby and they might try to get the drop on him if he focuses on these three to much… he needs to get out in the open. And feeling a little tired all of a sudden isn't helping either.
As the three Death Howlers continued throwing wild swings, bites, and occasional punches, Gale still stayed a step ahead by leaning aside to dodge and the occasional countering grapple to catch their attacks and throw them off balance.
One Death Howler tried to bite him but he thrusted his palm upwards and slammed it into the Grimm's chin, forcing its mouth shut so hard that it even broke a tooth, followed by Gale blocking the swing of another and than grappling it with his own arm and tossing it into the first Death Howler.
Suddenly, Gale was ambushed again as a fourth Death Howler charged at him from behind and leaped forward with a punch. Gale ducked and his attacker ended up punching one of the other Death Howlers in the face so hard it propelled it back dozens of meters away and skids on it's back, until it stopped roughly 30 feet away.
The Death Howler that got punched quickly got back up and ran back into the fray, despite part of it's masked is cracked a bit, it doesn't seemed irritated in the slightest.
"Yeah… these guys are definitely tougher than mere beowolves." Gale thought. He's faced Death Howlers in other parts of the jungles before but nothing like these kinds… are these much older than most?
At the same time, Gale quickly did a sweep kick and tripped the Death Howler that tried to punch him and then grabs it by the leg and uses his momentum to judo throw it over his shoulder and onto the other two which caused the three to fall over and pile up on each other.
Much to his luck, a fifth Death Howler smashed through the wall of one of the buildings and was charging towards him at full speed from the side and ready to punch him.
Gale didn't had time to properly counter and had to block with his forearm from the side. The punch from the Death Howler sent Gale flying and smashed into the side of another building and heavily indented the wall with a human sized crater. Gale easily recovered and rolled out of the way as the Death Howler charged through the wall like a bull where Gale was moments before.
Gale leaped back and gained a wider distance from the Grimm that are now starting to somewhat making a good effort in putting him on the ropes but Gale's still not even winded. The Death Howler that charged through the wall broke through another one and rejoined the other Grimm.
The fifth one howled again and charged forward. This time, despite being on the defense, Gale decided to fight this one head on since the others are a bit behind.
"Alright. Show me what you got, Banana Breath." Gale taunted as he gets into his stance.
The Grimm threw a punch and Gale blocks it with his forearms but that punch was strong enough to send him skidding back about a dozen feet that his feet even dug into the ground and left a dug up trail.
The Death Howler screeches again and, this time, simply tried tackling Gale with a shoulder charge. However, Gale twisted to the side and landed his own punch which slammed right into the Death Howler's side of the head. The impact was so hard it broke its jaw and sent it skidding across the ground that upturns dirt and stone.
This time, the Grimm doesn't get back up, as the entire side of its head is heavily indented, much of it's mask broken and cracked, and it's bottom jaw is shattered.
The Grimm is dead, as it disintegrates to dust.
"More should be pouring out now." Gale thought as that would likely trigger the whole tropp now...
Much to his assumption and cue, dozens of Death Howlers started pouring out of the windows, entrances, and corners of the buildings. The whole area started getting much louder as more Grimm started to surround him and attacking him
Now they are really trying to zerg rush on him, as they all try to overwhelm him in numbers. Not helping Gale's suddenly feeling tired again, as he's barely focused enough to counter or dodge their attacks.
One Death Howler suddenly appeared from above him, from an open window, and landed on his back but Gale countered by grabbing the neck that's followed with another judo throw, slamming his attacker into another Death Howler but he instantly gets attacked from his right by yet another one which forced him to block with his forearms but then throws a roundhouse kick to the face and sending it flying back.
However, more start swarming around him and he's struggling to keep up with so many of them… and Gale suddenly feels drowsy yet again.
Now this is getting tedious; not only is Gale starting to feel tired, but he's also getting attacked from nearly every angle in such a narrow area, with so many windows and openings for the Death Howlers to pop out of to catch him off guard, is starting to make him reconsider this challenge.
Clearly, he admits these Grimm got such a decent strategy which would've been overwhelming to some people... but he's far from helpless here.
"Alright. I think it's time to get serious now." Gale said out loud as he now stops playing defense.
Just as several Death Howlers tried to swarm him, Gale suddenly leaped in the air and took his position. The other Death Howlers all looked up as the sun shines above Gale but the angle makes it look like it's right behind him and his silhouette makes him look.
With a flick of both his wrists, Gale activates his Cyclone Gauntlets, Tempest and Gust; the sound of shifting gears and advanced warping sounds were heard, the gauntlets started spreading across his forearms all the way to his fingertips, making it look like he's now wearing metal gloves with miniature turbines
With his weapons activated, Gale tightens his right first and starts coming down like a human sized meteor and punches down just as he hits the ground…. right on top of a rather unfortunate Death Howler's head.
CRASH!
Gale's gauntlet enhanced punch heavily caved in the side of the Death Howler's head which easily shattered the mask, while creating a decently sized crater beneath it, followed by a shockwave that further tore open the ground and sending the closer Death Howlers tossed in the air and falling to the ground several feet bak. The Grimm twitched a finger for several seconds before fading to ashes.
Gale stood back up and stared at the other Death Howlers that were still standing and getting back up.
He slightly smirked and leaped out of the crater and punched another Grimm and buried its head and shoulders into the ground.
He started punching and kicking several more all over the place, while also dodging and weaving around their swings and punches.
Another Death Howler jumped in the air and tried to land both of it's fist on him from above but Gale was quicker and caught his attacker by the arms and quickly spun around at rapid speeds, hitting any other Grimm that got too close, finished with a powerful throw that sent it flying into another group of Grimm that sent them tumbling and knocked over like bowling pins.
That throw leads to the temple and now Gale has a slight opening gap to get there. He needs to get in the open so no more Death Howlers can pop out of the buildings and get the drop on him.
He sprinted through many others, punching and kicking any that got too close, while rolling under any swing or using any Grimm's head as a stepping stone to get closer to the open.
Yet another Death Howler got in his way but he landed a rather powerful clothesline in its face that sent it spinning in midair which the boy used a hurricane kick that sent it crashing into a random pillar which shattered and crumbled to pieces that crushed other unlucky Death Howlers.
Gale now sprinted to the open with Death Howlers, somewhere in the hundreds, following in pursuit. He stops in his tracks several meters away from the stairs of the temple and turns around and sees the Death Howlers, now bunched together and all howl and screech at him again.
The young man got into his stance with arms spread out while hunching down a little, like he's ready to throw down. The Death Howlers respond with their own howls and slapping the ground.
Looks like Gale's gonna be here for a while. Besides, having Grimm around here isn't a good idea as they may be a threat to nearby villages. So it's best if Gale exterminates them.
Before Gale could continue the fight… he heard a loud roar, coming from the temple. The roar was so loud that it echoed across the city and even to the jungle itself.
Gale froze in his stance for a few seconds and actually turned his attention towards the temple. Even the other Death Howlers ceased their screeches and too stared up at the temple. However, Gale noticed, in the corner of his eyes, the Death Howlers look like… they were just standing there and not doing anything.
Before he could say anything, Gale heard the sound of thundering steps from the temple. He then sees something coming out of the temple's entrance.
It's another Grimm.. but much bigger and more menacing.
It resembles a large gorilla, that easily towers over a full grown man, and has all the characteristics of the other Grimm, including the dark complexion and bone armor that covers its body. It doesn't appear to have any red markings on its bony plates but it does have one on it's spine plates, located on its back, which has red markings on it. It also has two large bony plates on its broad chest and several more bones across the sides of its abdomen that resemble ribs.
Lastly, it's blood red eyes peer down on Gale and gives out a rather low and intimidating growl, before beating its chest and giving out another loud roar which shows it's four large canines lining it's mouth.
Gale looked on for a bit until he looked back at the Death Howlers which were still bowing and kneeling before
Gale looked back to the Grimm and can't help but feel this may get a bit more difficult than he thought it would be. Not helping there are still tons of Death Howlers he has to deal with… and that feeling that's making him tired again….
"Great… a Beringel." Gale thought and feeling a bit annoyed, as Beringels are some of the strongest Grimm around these jungles and a pretty intelligent one to boot. "As if a whole troop of at least a hundred Death Howlers weren't problematic enough already…"
He looks back at the Death Howlers who still keep staring at the Beringel. This made Gale wonder…
"They stopped attacking me, once that Beringel showed up… does that mean it's their leader or something like that?" Gale thought but isn't sure if his theory might be true. Normally, he's aware most Grimm like to live in large numbers to overwhelm villages and cities so it's no surprise if Death Howlers and Beringels also work together.
He turns back to the Beringel which was still glaring at him… for some reason, it could've easily came down and attacked him but it appears to not even be looking willing to attack.
Gale raises an eyebrow but decides to say something to see if there is a reaction.
"I take it that you might be the one in charge around here?" Gale asked to the Beringel but he knows simply asking to a Grimm is moot to cooperate and considers his question more of a way to see if the Grimm will attack him.
The Beringel narrows its eyes down at Gale; it wants to pound him to a bloody smear on the ground and be done with it but stands there like something is holding him back.
"Judging how these Death Howlers are standing at attention before you, I have to say, you might be the alpha. And maybe if I beat you, I might make things easier to defeat the rest and I can be on my way." Gale deduced at the possibility that if he beats this Beringel that could be the alpha, things might be in his favor, especially that he's now using his Cyclone Gauntlets.
However, Gale didn't expect the Beringel to suddenly move to the side but still staying where he is.
Gale was a little confused at this but than heard something coming from the entrance… and it sounds massive.
He heard the sound of footsteps that got louder that even the temple was shaking with each step until it finally exited the building and standing next to the smaller Beringel and all in its glory.
Gale's eyes widened in shock and slight horror as he now sees something towering over the Beringel.
Another Beringel… but bigger, meaner, and more heavily armored; An Alpha Beringel.
Like most Beringels, this one heavily resembles one, except it's twice the size of your average Beringel and it is more heavily armored. In addition to having two massive bone-like plates on it's broad chest, ribs on its abdomen, and having several bone plates on its arms, legs, and shoulders, it also has two bone spikes on its shoulders and each of its knee has a bone-like knee pad with a spike on it too. It's four canines are much longer and sharper that even it's lower ones are jutting out. Though, what Gale feels worried is that he notices even its knuckles are also covered in bone… making him slightly dread to imagine getting punched by those bone-covered knuckles….
Gale audibly gulps and slightly sweat drops.
The alpha Beringel snorts which bellows out small wisps of black smoke from its openings where its nostrils should be.
Gale now feels like he wants to run away… but he's surrounded. Even trying to make a break for it might not do any good, as they will likely chase him.
However, he feels another reason why he won't run; if he runs away, than these Grimm might be left on the loose to eradicate nearby villages… and it's possible some of the those villages he befriended were destroyed by them.
Gale couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly and suddenly felt a little angry and silently glares at the Alpha Beringel.
"Okay… I stand corrected." Gale said but still sounded serious. "You must be the alpha, both figuratively and literally. Correct?"
Despite Gale usually trying to stay positive and happy, what Gale will not tolerate are the Grimm. His mentor taught him all about the Grimm and their only purpose in their existence. This makes Gale have another reason of wanting to a become a huntsman and help everyone he can. Sadly, the occasional grief of finding a village he befriended ends up in ruins and little to no survivors makes him feel guilty of not being there.
In fact, some villagers that did survive some Grimm attacks told him they saw a massive Beringel, unlike any other, that leads a troop of Death Howlers and another Beringel that acts as its second in command.
Gale didn't want to consider that true, at least not at first, but now that he sees an alpha Beringel, it's second in command, and a massive troop of Death Howlers, Gale deduces this might be the case now…
Both Gale and the Grimm glare at each other for several more seconds until Gale ended the silence.
"So it was you that slayed some of those villages of innocent people…." Gale said but sounded more angry. "... woman and children included."
The Alpha Grimm didn't answer but still glared at him.
Gale narrowed his eyes as well. Even if Gale wanted to run, he wouldn't forgive himself for letting these Grimm on the loose and destroying more innocent lives… so he's gonna fight them and slay them all, including the alpha.
He stared at the Alpha Grimm one last time but he smirks a little.
"Alright, King Kong." Gale taunted at the Grimm. "Since I may have found the one Grimm that may have masquerade some villages full of innocent people, this is where it ends for you. And I will definitely make sure of not leaving any of you alive… not one." He finished rather darkly.
Gale flexes all ten of his fingers, for a brief second, and activates the turbines on his Cyclone Gauntlets. The miniature engines let out a loud humming sound, as the turbines begin to spin and pick up speed and the tron lines across the gauntlets begin glowing; thanks to the Wind Dust he has loaded in his weapons which is the fuel and ammo for his weapon of choice.
Normally, he doesn't usually use wind dust or any other kind in the jungles because dust is rather scarce in these jungles and Gale wants to use them sparingly. Not to mention the only available stores are in the capital of Vacuo and that's rather far away. Though, if there were any stores around here in the jungles, Gale would gladly buy more.
The turbines were spinning at full speed and were giving off a rather loud sound like an actual jet when it takes off. Suddenly, green tinted gusts of visible winds started forming in ring
Now Gale has activated his weapons,full capabilities and he's gonna use them on the Grimm.
However, a random Death Howler, which was bigger than most of the others, decided to screw it and just attack.
Big mistake.
Once the chimp grimm was within range, Gale tightens his right fist of his right gauntlet, Gust, which got even louder. It released a powerful jet-like propulsion that Gale used to sharply turn in place and send his right fist towards the Grimm in an uppercut fashion.
POW!
Gale landed a rather powerful punch at the Grimm, right in the midsection, that even caused another shockwave from the impact. What made it show off it's devastating power was that the Grimm's mouth was wide open and its eyes nearly popped out of its sockets. But what made the punch so powerful was, not just the turbine and the engine's propulsion, but also the Wind Dust that spun around his arm in a spiral fashion that was digging into the Grimm's midsection.
Gale gives one last push and sends the Death Howler flying, at breaknecking speeds, and at an upward angle. It was also rapidly spinning and spiraling like a propeller, at a counter-clockwise motion, while leaving behind a trail of spiraling wind that spun like a tornado. The unfortunate Grimm kept going and smashed straight through the top floor of a three story building, which shattered the walls and the roof, which sent the Grimm tumbling in the air and than crashes down on top of one of the buildings further away.
The Grimm that was stalking Gale turned its attention to the commotion nearby… and sees the Death Howler that isn't moving. If one would look closer, the entire midsection of the Death Howler has a large gaping hole and even the flesh around the hole looked rather twisted inwards. Not to mention one eye is hanging out of its socket.
The Death Howler instantly died from that one punch as it disintegrates to ashes.
The Alpha Beringel roars at the Beta Beringel and orders it to get down there and fight the human. The Beta Beringel obeys and leaps from the top of the temple all the way to the bottom which left a crater as big as itself beneath its feet. It beats its chest and roars at Gale which also cause all the other Death Howlers to join in, as they howl and screech.
Gale looks around but doesn't feel intimidated. He just feels eager to exterminate these Grimm so the villages can be safe and at less risk of getting destroyed.
"Believe me." Gale warned at the Grimm, as he got into his stance, with wind snaking around his arms, as he gave a rather determined glare and prepares to battle. "This will surely blow you all away."
Despite looking serious, Gale still feels somewhat afraid because he knows an Alpha Grimm should not be taken lightly, especially one that commands at least a hundred more Grimm… and the Grimm can sense that slight fear.
The Alpha Beringel roars again, as the Beta Beringel and Death Howlers charge at Gale.
Back to the Young Bull; 12:15 P.M
A loud trumpeting roar was heard that echoed across the jungle.
The open area, that was once a peaceful spot for creatures, great and small, to thrive in, has now become a battlefield.
Most trees were knocked over and flattened, several large craters were randomly scattered all over the place, large parts of the ground were carved out, and even some of the larger trees had massive claw marks and pierced holes in them.
The whole placed looked like as if an army of Huntsman and Grimm battled here.
It's not too big of a stretch that this is really a battle being waged; a battle between predator and prey.
A trumpeting roar was heard again as the young bull swings his head downwards and slams his tusks into the ground, carving and tearing a large gash across it. He intentionally tried to hit the leader of the sabre fangs but it easily leaped out of the way.
The leader of the pack, now called Leader, that just dodged the tusks, made an astounding leap and slashed the young bull's face, causing it to stumble back but it's relatively unharmed thanks to it's aura.
The smaller sabre fang, now called Runt, comes from the young bull's left and tries to bite his side but the young bull counters by swinging his trunk, hitting Runt hard enough to send him flying into a large boulder, smashing it to pieces, but the scrawny cat easily got back up and runs back into the fray.
The young bull charges towards the sabre fang that's missing one tooth, now named Half-Tooth, at full speed, but the half toothed predator easily moved out of the way, ending with the young bull piercing it's tusks through a large rock spire, going all the way through and even sticking out of the other side.
The elephant jerked it's head to the side which shattered the rock spire in half, with its tusks alone, as it crumbled to pieces and crashed to the ground.
The sabre fangs regroup and stare at the young bull turning around and roaring at them again.
This fight has already lasted over half an hour but it's already as intense and violent as it begun.
The young bull did take some damage from their slashing claws and powerful bites but his aura is holding up well but keeping this up will eventually break his aura down and the sabre fangs will really be piercing and cutting his thick hide.
As for the sabre fangs, they barely get hit, despite being quite durable in their own right, and are usually keeping their distance to not get directly hit, while using their hit and run tactics.
However... caught in the middle of it all… is that bumblebee.. still busily pollinating the flowers and drinking more nectar… still not giving a damn about what's happening around it.
Leader lets out a growl to it's two teammates; ordering them to split up, spreading out, and surrounding the young bull, forcing him to go on the defensive to focus on one of them at a time which leaves him vulnerable to the other two.
Leader roars again, gaining the young bull's attention and taunting him to come at him, leaving him open for Runt and Half Tooth to attack by the blind spots.
The young bull trumpets back but actually stays put and refuses to charge forward. He decides to go on the defensive by using his aura to detect vibrations so he knows where Runt and Half Tooth are and when they attack him first, while he focuses his eyes on Leader.
Runt decides to make his move by charging from the rear, but the young bull anticipated that and did something unexpectedly; he sits down by slamming his massive rear end into the ground. Runt was caught off guard for a split second but managed to leap out of the way in time, just before the elephant's massive butt shook the ground and left a rather large crater where he sat. Runt was lucky or he would've been reduced to a pancake.. with red syrup to go with that.
The young bull quickly stands back up.. seems attacking him from behind is not a good idea….
Half Tooth tries to go for the ankles and tendons. Attacking there would force the young bull to fall over when the supports of his legs are heavily damaged.
That's easier said than done when the young bull is constantly moving around and stomping his massive feet into the ground that leaves his foot print sized craters, with Half Tooth constantly avoiding them, some even became a few close calls.
Half Tooth quickly retreated and regrouped, with Runt, back to Leader.
Despite how much both Runt and Half Tooth wanted to attack the young bull, they couldn't risk themselves getting crushed under his weight and tremendous force added behind it, even their aura wouldn't withstand it. They can surely tank a trunk swing or maybe even a kick, but a stomp, body crush, tusk swing, or even getting sat on would easily break their aura and even kill them.
The young bull is now starting to get irritated and wants these predators to leave him alone. So irritated that he's starting to slightly losing his focus.
Out of slight anger, the young bull reached his trunk out to a nearby palm tree, grips it tightly, and easily uproots it out of the ground. With a mighty heave, he throws the tree at the Sabre Fangs but they easily move out of the way as the tree ends up crashing into the ground with a thundering thud.
The young bull lets out an even louder roar and decides to charge this time, as the three predators are now grouped together. He slightly lowers his head, with his tusks nearly touching the ground, and are aiming straight at the Sabre Fangs.
The three cats stay in place and wait for the young bull to get closer…. Than Leader makes another big leap and lands on one of the tusks and than jumps onto the young bull's back, followed by Runt and Half Tooth who move to the side and jump onto the young bull's sides.
The young bull lets out a surprised roar but then starts roaring even louder out of pain and fury, as the saber toothed cats started scratching and biting on his abdomen and even close to his neck.
With each bite and slash, the young bull's aura soaked in the damage but started to waver. If this keeps up, than the young bull has to rely on his thick hide for protection which isn't gonna do much in the long run since the Sabre Fangs teeth are designed to pierce flesh as thick as a Sanus Elephant's.
The young bull tried everything he could to get them off of him but they hung on and kept attacking to break through his aura until it runs out.
Heck, the aura has weakened so much that the sabre fangs claws and fangs even started to pierce and scratch the thick hide which started to draw little bits of blood.
The young bull ran all over the place, trying to get them off of him. He even slammed himself into another rock spire which shattered and caused it to collapse. But the predators still held on and wouldn't let go as they continued drawing blood and the aura on the verge of breaking.
Than.. the young bull did something unexpectedly… he got on his knees and rolled over on his right side… which Runt is on… and Runt couldn't escape in time as he gets crushed under the bull's massive weight that slammed into the ground with a loud crash.
Leader and Half Tooth stopped their attack as they got off the young bull and made a safe distance.
The young bull gets back on his feet.. and laying in the large crater is Runt… flattened and his aura instantly shattered from the crushing force… even blood slowly leaked out of his mouth and he wasn't moving…. Runt is dead.
Out of rage and impatience, the young bull had enough and decided to end this fight with one last ditch move that will surely kill the other sabre fangs, even if it costs him all his remaining aura.
He suddenly stood up on both of his hind legs while his front legs were in the air. He started channeling every last ounce of his aura, as it can be visibly seen being all gathered, across his body, all channeled into the bottom of his front feet.
Leader and Half Tooth didn't know what's happening until it was too late.
The young bull lets out the loudest roar possible and slams both of his front legs into the ground.
BOOOM!
Like a miniature earthquake, a very small section of the jungle felt the full force of the young bull slamming both of his front legs into the ground. A massive, orange-tinted, shockwave spreads out as it tears apart the ground which tumbles over like a tidal wave and many pieces of the ground are overturned, torn out, and tossed into the air. The impact was so powerful that even the nearby birds and monkeys scattered. The nearby animals that were deeper in the jungle, including the horse sized anteater and large primates, turned tail and ran in the opposite direction.
Leader and Half Tooth were caught in the crossfire as the tidal wave of overturned earth appeared to have consumed them and dust scattered everywhere.
The dust cloud was so massive that it nearly reached halfway up to the skyscraper trees.
When the chaos died down and the smoke cleared, most of the entire area was destroyed and a massive crater in the center. Massive cracks and overturned pieces of the earth scattered everywhere.
Standing in the center was the young bull; panting and feeling exhausted from using whatever aura he had left to create that devastating attack. He flapped his ears a bit and looked around, looking for the remaining sabre fangs.
Among the pile of upturned earth… he sees Half Tooth; laying still and battered to the point he's covered in lots of bruises and scratches, while covered in many debris which are crushing him. His aura must've shattered and got overwhelmed by the attack. He isn't moving and is also bleeding out of the mouth.
Half Tooth is also dead.
But where is Leader?
Either he too is buried under the rubble… or he's still alive.
The young bull looks around but is having a hard time detecting Leader due to using up all of his aura.
Suddenly, a presence looms nearby as something is standing on top of a rather large pile of debris, just close to the young bull's height.
It is Leader… and he's in fact alive, thanks to his aura and being able to move out of the way in time of taking the brunt of the tidal wave. Though, he barely has any aura left but it was worth it. Now he used the dust cloud and debris as cover to sneak up on the young bull.
Leader leaps at the young bull with a raised paw, claws extended.
The young bull turned his head as his left eye sees Leader….
SLASH!
The young bull lets out a very loud and agonizing roar, as he falls over and slams into the ground in a thundering crash.
His left eye was bleeding, and much of the left side of his face has nasty claw marks, while thrashing and flailing around in the overturned earth.
Leader managed to land a direct hit and take out the young bull's left eye, as the prey is now vulnerable.
With the young bull now on his side, his throat is left wide open, which is what Leader is aiming for. If he can get his saber teeth in the jugular and hangs on, it will be all over and he'll be having a huge feast.
But the young bull ain't giving up. Despite the agonizing pain and the exhaustion, he manages to find his footing and begins to slowly stand back up while glaring at Leader with his remaining right eye.
He's not gonna lay down and die in a place like this. He ain't gonna die alone. He's gonna find a new herd and a place to call home so he's gonna keep fighting to the last breath.
However, Leader still sees his chance that his prey isn't completely back on his feet and his jugular is still close enough to reach.
He sprints forward while the young bull roars and attempts to swing his tusks out but at a slightly odd angle.
It looks like it could go either way of who will land the hit….
But suddenly… Leader stops in his tracks, lets out a painful roar, and frantically rubbing his paw on his nose.
The young bull was initially confused why Leader suddenly stopped and looks to be in slight pain and irritation.
Turns out, Leader got stung by a bee… the same bee that was busy pollinating.
During the whole fiasco, by sheer dumb luck, that bee somehow survived the shockwave, due to being catapulted up in the air by the tidal wave and managed to recover by flying to safety.
But by than… the bee was very angry for having it's favorite flowers ruined so it lets it's anger out on the nearest target.. and that's Leader.
With that one sting to the nose, Leader stopped dead in his tracks and the young bull seized an easy opening.
The young bull managed to get up and swung his tusk into Leader with enough force to send him flying across the area, skidding across it, and sliding to a complete stop.
Despite losing his aura, the force behind his tusk swings are still not to be trifled with.
Leader lays there and his aura finally flickers and breaks, finally unable to withstand any more damage from that last one.
Though, despite that massive hit, Leader actually managed to survive it, as he slowly rose back to his feet.. but he's critically injured and blood seeps from his mouth.
Leader turns his eyes at the young bull who is also staring at him.
Leader lets out a low growl, as the young bull lets out a low rumbling growl in response.
Both glare at each other with serious intent that this isn't over between them.
Leader is still physically outclassed, as Runt and Half Tooth are dead, and he's critically injured. While the young bull lost his left eye and has lots of scratches and bites across his body, he's more than capable of continuing this fight which is no longer worth it for Leader.. for now.
Leader lets out one last defying roar and quickly moves back into the jungle; finding a place to lick his wounds and to find some easier prey, for the time being.
The young bull lets out a minor trumpeting roar in victory and watches his now sworn arch nemesis leave him be… but this likely won't be the last time they'll see each other personally.
After several more seconds of standing in the middle of the ruined battlefield, the young bull turns around and starts moving onwards, despite his now missing left eye and bleeding wounds.
Despite being alive, the young bull couldn't help but feel the reason he lived was because of Leader stopping in his tracks. But at the same time, the young bull wasn't sure if he would've landed his hit first or if Leader got the young bull's jugular first.
In other words… the young bull was possibly alive because he was lucky… but there's no telling how the real outcome would've gone… but that also would have meant the young bull might have died as well in one of those possible outcomes that could've happened.
Either way, the young bull still got careless and now lost his left eye. If he's gonna survive in these jungles on his own… than he's gonna have to be more careful and not be as reckless as he was before.
This was already his first time fighting on his own... and almost his last…. a hard lesson to be learned.
As the young bull entered back into the deep part of the jungle and continued onward.. while the bumblebee buzzes off back to it's hive.
Back with Gale; 12:30 P.M
Back at the ancient city. From a distance, the Grimm that's stalking Gale stayed far away but kept observing the action and studying it's potential victim.
The area was now a warzone, as several craters and holes in the walls of the buildings was seen all over the place.
Gale's battle with the Death Howlers and the Beta Beringel leader continues but Gale still persists and isn't gonna stop until he slays them all. The Alpha Beringel is still standing on top of the temple and watching the fight unfold.
Gale was seen sprinting on top of a building, his Cyclone Gauntlets still turned on, towards three Death Howlers, and leaped into the fray. In midair, performed an axe kick on the closest one that sent it crashing through the roof and to the bottom. Than he starts wildly swinging at the other Grimm, with powerful and fast, but precise and focused, hits of his powerful arms and fists that are enhanced by his Cyclone gauntlets.
He landed a brutal combo on a rather large Death Howler, probably an older one; each punch rattled and staggered it back until he finished it with a brutal spin kick that shattered it's entire jaw, sending it flying sideways, and crashing into yet another building which left a Grimm sized crater and it crumbled to dust, before it could even hit the ground, midfall. He turned his attention on the third one and caught it's punch. He grabbed its arm, with a firm grip, and performed a harsh judo throw that sent it hurtling off the building and crashing into the ground that easily killed it.
Gale heard a roar and turns his head towards the direction. He sees the Beta Beringel swinging from a low hanging bridge, between two large buildings, and uses the momentum hurtle itself towards Gale and tried to smash him under its feet. The teen rolls out of the way in time, as the Beringel smashes the rather unstable roof with its tremendous weight and falls in.
Gale already leaped off the building and lands on the ground but the Beringel already smashes its way through the wall of the building it was inside and tries to bear hug Gale but he flips over it and lands behind the Grimm.
He throws a wind-dust enhanced punch, the same kind he used on that Death Howler to the middle of its back but only did moderate damage. The winds only tore up some of the back plates and made the Grimm stumble forward. It quickly countered with a brutal backhand that Gale had no time to block and took the brunt of it.
The powerful hit sent him flying back, bouncing, and skidding across the ground until he managed to recover and skidded on his feet until he stopped.
Gale turned to his right and sees more Death Howlers surrounding him and trying to overwhelm him. Gale punches the ground with his right fist and created a small but wide ring of wind that blew all the Grimm back and also blew away small pieces of rubble, giving Gale the space he needs.
With the Grimm spread out, Gale now clenches his fists and the jet turbines begin to spin faster. Gale pushes his arms straight out that start firing out projectiles made of wind at the Death Howlers. When they hit the simian Grimm, they explode like grenades and rip them to shreds, due to the sheer force of the air pressure. Than a larger group of Death Howlers appear which causes Gale to now turn it up a notch by
However, the Beta Beringel intercepted him and tried to land a powerful haymaker. Gale responded by slipping down and sliding on his back, easily dodging the punch and using the momentum of his slide to skid between the Beringel's legs. Once he was behind it, he quickly re-positioned himself and launched himself at the Beringel who turned around, only to get a powerful drop kick to the face from Gale which caused the gorilla Grimm to fall back and skid on the ground, crashing into another group of Death Howlers that fall over like bowling pins. However, that didn't really do serious damage and just sent the Beringel back, as it quickly got back up, more pissed off than hurt.
Before he could do anything else, Gale suddenly felt tired yet again and momentarily lost his focus… which left him open for a random Death Howler to tackle him to the ground which left a trail of upturned stone. Gale came back to his senses and quickly punched the Grimm off of him before it could do anything to him. But the moment he did, another Death Howler took the first one's place and pinned him down. Followed by several more that were swarming on Gale that they even started creating a large dogpile of Grimm that Gale is now buried under, as they try to overpower him and the ones closest to him try to bite his face off.
For a second, Gale tried to free himself but he's clearly under the strain and weight of dozens of man sized chimpanzee Grimm that were working together and holding him down.
Gale ain't gonna let that fly.
"Keep your stinking paws off me you damn dirty apes!" Gale shouted as he activates his Turbine Gauntlets again and punches both of his fists upwards. The massive dog pile of Death Howlers shook and than exploded outwards as a small but powerful tornado erupted and blasted them all away, scattering them across the area.
Gale flips back to his feet and now sees the Beta Beringel charging at him. It grabbed a random Death Howler and throws it at Gale like some kind of thrown projectile.
Gale responds by hitting the Death Howler with a clothesline which bisects the ape Grimm in half which instantly disintegrates seconds after. But that gave the Beringel enough time to get in close and throw a downward punch on Gale and his only response was to raise both of his hands and catch the punch.
However, the punch was so strong that Gale felt the force of the impact rattle his body and also caused the ground beneath him to deeply crack and break. He struggled to keep the fist up, while having his teeth clenched and eyes shut tight, as he did his best to hold the fist up and not crush him.
Suddenly, Gale's body started to glow orange and something else happened. The Beringel noticed his biceps started to slightly gain more muscle, same for his legs. His torso also hardened a little but the most shocking thing that's happening to Gale is something sprouting out of the side of his head….
Elephant ears?
Yep, a pair of elephant ears have sprouted out the side of Gale's head, along with a pair of short tusks that also sprouted from the sides of his mouth.
When he opened his eyes, his pupils remain the same shade of turquoise but his sclera turned pitch black; giving him a rather scary appearance. Even his orange hair slightly grew but not enough to make much of a difference.
This is Gale using his semblance.
Gale decided to use his semblance, to even the field and also because he's at a disadvantage and wanted to clear out most of the Grimm, so he can use it to face the Alpha Beringel.
After activating his semblance, Gale has boosted his stats up by a wide margin and now he's able to match the Beta Beringel that he was struggling against earlier.
With that said, Gale effortlessly pushed back against the Beringel's fist that he even gave one last shove that made the Grimm stumble back but it quickly recovers and tries to throw both of its fists towards Gale but he catches them and now they are in a deadlock.
Both Teenager and Grimm try to overpower each other but neither budges, as they seem evenly matched in strength, but their struggle is so intense that their feet are digging into the ground and cracking it.
"That all you got, big guy?" Gale taunted at the Grimm who didn't respond and looked like he wanted to tear his limbs off. "I bet we can do this all day and I wouldn't even break a sweat."
The Beta Beringel's response was roaring right in his face which was so loud and powerful that Gale's hair ruffles and he couldn't help but squint his eyes a little, along with scrunching his nose, possibly his reaction to the Grimm's bad breath.
"Yeesh. Ever heard of the word breath mint?" Gale asked sarcastically. "No wonder all you Grimm smell like death."
The Beta Beringel started pushing even harder, out of annoyance that this human just won't fall and won't shut up.
Gale fights back and pushes back too… until he stopped pushing back and redirected his position that caused the Grimm to lose its balance and stumble forward with no way or recovering in time.
The young man follows that up by charging his left Cyclone Gauntlet, Tempest, like he did with Gust, and performs the exact same charged punch, this time, right in the Beringel's face.
Once the fist made contact with the Beringel's cheek…
POW!
Like a spiraling missile, The Grimm was sent hurtling a good distance, until it crashed into the staircase of the temple, where the Alpha Beringel is still standing at.
When the dust cleared, the Beta Beringel is deeply buried in the rubble at the bottom of the staircase. The Alpha Beringel doesn't bat an eye, as it sees Gale slowly walking up to the temple.
Gale flexes his fingers yet again as the compartments of gauntlets open up and each of them eject two glass containers of wind dust powder that were all used up and empty. He pulls out two more wind dust vials from his pocket and inserts them into the gauntlets. The compartments close and the jet engines rev up again, with green winds swirling around his arms yet again.
Just as Gale is almost near the temple, the rubble on the staircase suddenly shakes and bursts open as the Beta Beringel charges out of the rubble. Much of its bone armor is cracked and damaged, along with much of the mask that Gale punched at has shattered. This time, it's so enraged that it doesn't even bother trying to think, as it just wants to smash this annoying human to a bloody smear.
Gale simply clenched his fist and the jet turbine hummed even louder; gusts of green winds formed and condense into a focused and concentrated ball of wind.
Once the Beringel was within the right distance, the human shot forward the projectile which instantly broke the sound barrier and flew at the Beringel, before it could even react to it. The projectile seemed to look like it has passed through the Grimm and did no damage but the Beringel stops in its tracks and looked stunned all of a sudden.
Seconds after nothing seemed to happen…
BOOM!
Suddenly, an explosion of high pressurized air made a slightly larger crater of the staircase and reduced much of the rubble into smaller pieces.
As for the Beta Beringel.. there's clean cut, gaping hole in its chest that Gale could see right through it and see the staircase. It looked down for a second, until it stumbled forward, dropped to its knees, and fell flat on its face in a loud thud and turns to dust seconds after.
The Beta has fallen.
Gale turns his attention towards the Alpha that now looks ready to fight him.
With most, if not all, of the Death Howlers and the Beta Beringel now gone, it's just him and the Alpha now.
However, Gale is still sweating, in worry and slight dread, that he's gonna be taking on an Alpha Grimm… he isn't even sure if he can beat it in his current state and form. He's only using his partial transformation of his semblance but he needs to fight it in this form to see how strong and intelligent this Grimm is, until he can use… his trump card.
The Alpha Grimm snorts again and leaps from it's high post and crashes straight in front of Gale, leaving a massive crater beneath its feet and glares down at Gale.
Gale narrows his eyes at the Grimm; The very one that slayed several villages and killed many innocent people, including some that he has befriended.
"Alright. It's time we settle this." Gale calmly says towards the Alpha Beringel that gives out a loud growl.
Both stayed still and glared at each other silently, one waiting for the other to make a wrong move that could make a difference between life and death.
After a minute of standing still, a Rainbow Macaw was sitting just at the edge of the jungle, on a branch… and gives off a loud call.
Both human and Grimm sprint towards each other at full speed, shaking the ground with every step in their running.
The Alpha Beringel threw the first punch, due to having a longer reach, but Gale shifted to the right and dodged the punch which created a small pressure that kicked up lots of dust and small debris. Gale threw several fast and powerful jabs at the Grimm's torso and than jumped up to meet the Grimm eye to eye and threw his strongest punch right in the Grimm's face… which barely even made it flinch.
Gale leaped back a bit and watches the Grimm slowly turn its head back at him, now really pissed off..
The Beringel raises both of its fists and slams them down… and created a shockwave tore out parts of the ground and sent pieces of the ground flying upwards. Gale responded by activating his gauntlets and shooting out a powerful tornado that pushed back the debris but than he had to stop when he saw the Beringel charging straight through the debris.
Gale was a bit too slow as the Beringel wraps its hand around his entire torso and slams him into the hard ground which left him in a crater. The Alpha Grimm than tries to stomp on his head with his foot but Gale activates his Cyclone Gauntlets again which propelled him back away just in time as the foot stomped the spot where his head would've been.
Gale rolls back onto his feet but sees the Alpha Beringel made another astounding leap and wants to flatten him like a pancake under its fists.
This time, Gale leaped in the air and landed on one of the nearby buildings and starts to open fire on the Alpha Grimm with his wind dust projectiles..but due to the Grimm's thicker bone armor, the projectiles don't even appear to do any damage or making it flinch, despite them exploding on it.
The Grimm now used its arm to block the rest like it's being annoyed. Gale stopped firing to not waste any more ammo and tried to think of a way to possibly beat it without his semblance.
The Alpha than starts grabbing large rocks around it and starts throwing them at Gale who is forced to start dodging them all. Those rocks are pretty big, twice as big as bowling balls, and they were all flying at him as such speeds that they easily shatter nearby walls and parts of the buildings. Heck, when Gale dodged another rock, it ended up hitting the top of a small tower and shattered the top to tiny pieces.
"Now we're playing dodgeball?… All right. Two can play at that game." Gale responded as he too starts using his wind dust to catch some of the thrown rocks and redirect them back at the Alpha Beringel which shatter and break apart with each impact but the Grimm also begins to dodge and even hide behind some obstacles to dodge the projectiles.
After a few minutes passed by, and much of the area is battered, Gale decides to end the game by dodging one more rock and propelling himself with his Cyclone Gauntlets like a rocket and barrels straight towards the Grimm before it could even react.
Gale rammed into the Alpha Grimm, with all of his might and momentum, which caused them to slam through the walls of a building and ended up at another open area of the city. After resisting for a bit, the Alpha Beringel tripped and fell on its back, skidding to a stop.
The Grimm tried to swipe Gale off of him but the boy leaped in the air to dodge the wipe and somersaulted in midair. Before the Grimm could even react, Gale repositioned himself with his feet facing towards the Grimm and his fists pointing straight to the sky.
Gale used the Wind Dust to propel him down at supersonic speeds and slams his feet into the Alpha's midsection which created yet another crater that sent smaller pieces of the ground flying into the air.
The Alpha Grimm took damage but not enough to kill it.
Gale leaped off of the Beringel and gained distance again, as he stared at it with slight shock that he couldn't even break through its bone armor and did little more than slightly crack it.
"Man.. just what is this Grimm made of? Indestructium?" Gale questioned, at how tough this Grimm is, as it got back up.
The Grimm lets out an even louder roar and leaps at Gale again.
Gale prepares another idea to counter the Grimm's upcoming charge by doing the same thing he did to finish off the Beta Berin-... Gale suddenly felt tired again and shut his eyes for a split second… he forced them back open... and instantly sees the Alpha Beringel's bare knuckles inches from his face… and Gale couldn't even blink or react in time.
For a second, Gale wasn't sure what just happened. A moment after seeing the fist, all he sees right now is the sky, despite that he isn't looking up. Though, Gale does see some pretty clouds, with some taking the shapes of elephants and peanuts. Than he felt a powerful impact hit his head and than felt his back skidding against the ground.
Gale was now seeing stars and peanuts floating around his head... and could barely process what just happened.
He slowly got up and shook his head to gain his senses back.
"Uhhh… what just happened?" Gale asked and groaned. "Felt like I got slammed by a giant wrecking ball." Not that he ever did get hit by one but he can imagine that's how strong that Alpha Beringel might be.
Once he can see clearly, Gale can now clearly.. And sees a long, gaping trail where he skidded and also sees two holes in one of the buildings he went flying through.
What just happened was that the Alpha Beringel managed to land a rather powerful and nasty punch right in the young man's face, which sent him hurtling back and smashing through that building until he skidded to a stop.
However, despite his aura taking most of the damage and his partial transformation of his semblance made him more durable, that powerful punch that Beringal gave him was still felt and he started to feel really sore.
But another thing… Gale is NOW really worried about the sudden cases of feeling tired that he even dozed off for a split second.
He looks around and tries to find what is causing this. "Again...WHY am I getting so tired all of a sudden?" He also thought in suspicion and even slight annoyance. This can't be a coincidence; there's no way he can be feeling tired when he's fighting for his life, especially when he was feeling so fresh and energetic earlier today.
From a nearby corner, the mysterious Grimm is watching Gale but still lays low to not be spotted.
Before Gale could think any further, he hears the Alpha Beringel's roar again and sees it on top of one of the buildings. It beats its chest again and lands in front of Gale.
"Boy… you sure are a hard hitter". Gale says, as he rolls his shoulders and cranes his neck to make his sore muscles feel better that brought a loud "Crack". "If you weren't such an abominable monster that's bent on destroying humanity and the faunus, I bet you would make a great addition to making so many home runs."
However, as much as he sounded so casual and looked like he shrugged that off with no problem…
"Still… I would consider myself lucky from that hit..." Gale silently admitted, as he was plain lucky to endure that hit, thanks to his rather high amounts of aura, which he still has plenty left, and also because his partial transformation that increased his durability. If he got hit with neither his aura nor semblance, he could've died.
That ain't the only problem he needs to worry about; most of his attacks are not doing much damage to the Alpha Grimm, showing just how powerful and tough they are… no wonder they are called Alpha Grimm… not to mention that annoying… whatever is making him fall asleep.
With so many odds stacked against him, Gale is starting to consider he might have to use his trump card…. despite that it drains his aura at quite a decent pace…. and other potential risks it holds.
The Alpha Beringel charges forward once more and closes the distance with each step. However,
Gale closes his eyes, as he focuses really hard, and begins to glow orange again. For some reason, he's standing inside the shadow of a building with the sun behind it. Giving Gale a mystical appearance of glowing in the dark.
The Beringel throws another mighty punch… but Gale lifts up his arm and reaches out, which is now out of the shadow, while the rest of his body hides in the shadow.
The Beringel's fist collides with Gale's left palm but he managed to stop it. Despite catching it, though, the punch still sent cracks through the ground. He even grunted a little and skidded back a few inches but he holds his ground and keeps the fist held back.
Than Gale started to undergo a change yet again.
Much to the Alpha Beringel's shock, the human's body started to grow larger, taller, and even more muscular; his skin on his arm changed to a dull gray, as the skin hardened and grew rougher. His arms and legs gained more muscle, his torso grew wider and broader, his feet suddenly got rounder and flatter, like that of an elephant's. His hands also grew larger that his hand that stopped the punch is now able to wrap its fingers around the fist. As for his head, his elephant ears grew bigger and his small tusks elongated and straightened out, resembling the tusks of a mammoth, and grew a tail. Lastly, his nose suddenly elongated until it stretched out far enough to become that of a trunk.
When the transformation completed, Gale's eyes opened, which glowed a chilling shade of turquoise in the shadows. Giving him a rather scary appearance, due to hiding in the shadows and his eyes glowing right down at the Beringel. Speaking of staring down, Gale's new form is actually one head taller than the Alpha Grimm and appears to be far larger.
The Alpha tried to step back.. but it couldn't, due to Gale having a firm grip on its fist.
In his full transformed state, Gale reels back his right fist and sends out a rather powerful jab, right in the middle of the Grimm's torso. The jab managed to send the Grimm skidding back at least nearly 50 feet and slammed into a nearby pillar which broke in half and fell to the ground.
The Grimm stumbled for a second and fell onto a knee. It noticed much of its bone armor across its midsection are heavily cracked and broken, with some pieces even falling off like shards of broken glass. It took heavy damage in the midsection.
It looked back up and sees the silhouette of Gale walking out of the shadow and reveals himself.
Standing there, is Gale in his full transformed state, that takes the form of a humanoid elephant; Despite looking like an elephant, Gale still has his orange hair but its much smaller which looks more like a small tuft of hair on the top. He also still has his hakama pants on but now look like a pair of shorts, his necklace is barely visible, and his Cyclone Gauntlets are now in their inactive mode as they now look like bracelets once again, wrapped around his thick arms. Lastly, his elephant tattoo is still on his back but now appears to be glowing a bit.
Gale glares at the Grimm for a few seconds then gives out a loud trumpeting roar that echoed across the jungle and made some birds fly away. Gale is doing his best to stay in control of his form, despite how much aura it drains… and if he gets too angry, he might lose control. Despite this, he has the hang of staying in control, by staying calm.
Despite being heavily injured, the Alpha Beringel's purpose of killing kept it going. It stood back on its feet and gave out its own mighty roar, beating its chest even harder. It grabbed the pillar that was laying next to it and hoisted it up high enough to rest it over its shoulder and charged straight at Gale.
Just as the gorilla Grimm swung the pillar, Gale managed to raise his left arm in time to block the pillar which shattered to pieces and Gale appears to be fine… though, he admits he felt the impact which slightly rattled him but is otherwise fine.
The Beingel threw away the rest of the pillar and threw its fists out. To its shock again, Gale was ducking and weaving around the punches like a boxer would. Once he dodged a random punch, he quickly countered with a jab, right in the Grimm's face, cracking its mask a bit. The Beringel hit back with a jab of its own to Gale's stomach but the humanoid elephant only flinched slightly, as he countered with a haymaker but it got blocked by both of the Grimm's arms.
As the fight dragged on, the Grimm that followed Gale kept its distance and continue to watch.
As the two kept trading blows, Gale decided to change things up by ducking and charging forward; pushing against the Grimm with all his might. The Beringle started slamming his fists on Gale's back but he ignored the hits and started picking up speed, charging through several larger buildings that left large holes in them. Once they were out in the open again, the Beringel pushed back and somehow managed to slow down and stop again.
Now both reeled their fists back….and threw both fists forward which collided… and a MASSIVE shockwave struck the center of the collision and spread out like a bomb. The ground beneath them became a large crater and the closest buildings slightly shook remained standing but looser pieces of rubble fell off and pieces of vegetation rustled and peeled off.
The two brawlers went back to trading punches once more and both seemed even again.
But, it seems obvious that Gale is slowly winning, because of his superior fighting skills, along with being slightly stronger and tougher.
But the Beringel is slightly quicker due to being a bit smaller.
The Beringel dodged another jab and actually jumped over Gale and landed behind him. He tried to bear hug Gale and crush him but Gale resisted and pushed back, until he broke out of the Beringel's grip and countered with another jab to the Grimm's face which actually dazed it.
With the Grimm stunned, Gale started laying his attacks without wasting any second. Each punch was breaking more of the Grimm's bone armor and making it stumble back.
However, after a few more punches, the Alpha Grimm broke out of its daze… and more pissed off than ever before.
That left it making a wrong move.
It tried to throw a reckless punch but Gale saw that coming and easily blocked with his forearm. Than he reached his trunk out which wrapped around the the Beringel's throat and throws it against the ground hard enough to shatter the ground again. Than he swings his head around and tosses the Beringel into the side of another building and a large section of the wall falls on top of the Grimm.
The Beringel bursts out of the rubble and charges once more, now in a complete blind rage that it couldn't even think straight. This time, Gale waits in his position and lets the Grimm come to him, until it was within the right distance. The enraged Grimm leaps forward once more and prepares another might punch and Gale thrusts his head forward
The scenery changes to the whole city and a loud sound was heard that caused the nearby birds to fly out of their roosts.
The Beringel stopped in mid air and, for some reason, stayed still. It looks down… and sees Gale's right tusk impaled straight through its midsection. So far in that it was seen sticking out of its back.
Gale quickly grabbed the Beringel by the head, moved his head to the left that tears open a large gash of the Beingel's side, and slams it into the ground that cratered the ground.
The Alpha Beringel is too weak and damaged to fight back, Gale starts throwing a flurry of wild punches to its face that its masks started cracking and breaking to pieces. The punches indented the ground further in that a crater was being formed and got bigger with each punch.
Gale stopped the assault and reared back his right fist for one last punch… than he punches straight down at the Alpha Beringel's head.
That one hit shook like a miniature earthquake. It created an even bigger crater that was at least a dozen feet in diameter.
However, much to Gale's slight disdain, the cobblestone ground they were standing on is practically unstable and begins to crumble and crack.. and collapses.
Both opponents and much the ground began to fall through what appears to be a wide and dark chasm, as Gale roars during his fall, while the Beringel doesn't even utter a sound due to how damaged and beat up it was.
As the loud noise and chaos has settled and silence returned, in the center of the ancient city is a wide gaping hole that leads to who knows where down there.
The Grimm that watched the whole thing approached the hole but stayed silent, as it looks down the gaping chasm.
Underneath the city
Deep below ground, it was dark and damp. Little to no light was visible and the sound of rushing water and droplets hitting pools were heard that echoed the deafening silence within.
Bats were screeching and navigating in the darkness, stalagmites and stalactites were formed on both the ceiling and floors of the cave. In a pool of water that's connected to the cave, a five foot long Cave Salamander breaches the water for a second than dives back in it.
In the middle of it all, there is a large dust cloud and piles of cobblestone laying about but it's definitely. Just seconds ago, a massive heap of rubble and stone came raining down from above and crashed in the middle of this dark cave which did startle some bats and other creatures living in the caves but everything settled down shortly after.
It was very quiet but a random pile of it begins to move and something is under them. It eventually moves the massive slabs of debris off of himself; It's Gale Hathi, still in his elephant form, and alive.
He rubbed and scrapped the dust off his shoulders and turned back into his human form.
"Ho man…. I think I overdid it…." Gale said, as he looked around, seeing the large hole above him and debris all over the place. "Yeah… I definitely overdid it."
He looks to his right… and there lays the Alpha Beringel, buried under several tons of rubble and its entire head smashed in and flattened.
It slowly disintegrates to dust shortly after.
Much to Gale's relief, many of the villages that were slain by that Grimm have been avenged, at least that's what he deeply believes.
However, with that taking care of… just where is Gale now?
He looks around but it's very dark and he can't see very far. Heck, he can't even see 20 feet ahead of him which is nothing but pitch black.
"Man.. it sure is pretty dark down here." Gale said as he tried to adjust to the dark… but couldn't.
After a few seconds of thinking, Gale had an idea and reached into his small satchel (how it managed to survive the whole event is anyone's guess) and pulled out what looks like some kind of gold colored crystal; Light Dust.
Gale keeps plenty of Dust with him, whenever as simple crystals or concentrated powder, used in combat and out of combat situations. He silently thanked himself of keeping a Light Dust Crystal that would come in handy.
With that said in mind, Gale focuses his aura into the crystal that begins to brighten up, as if it's a light bulb, and shines much of the area to make it easier to see in the dark.
The first thing Gale sees… is that he's in a very deep but also very wide and spacious cavern. So wide, that you could barely fit several Atlesian Airships in it.
Despite how moist and damp it is down, he rather go back to the surface and be on his way, since he could just his Cyclone Gauntlets to thrust him upwards and it has more than enough dust to get him back up... hopefully.
Before he decides that, he sees something out in the distance but can barely see because his light dust can only reach so far.
Though, despite his slight hesitance, he decides to check it out by heading in that direction, with the Light Dust crystal in hand to keep the area lit up for him to see easier.
After walking for fifteen minutes, he managed to get much closer and sees everything a bit easier and was a bit awed and intrigued of his discovery.
He sees several of the buildings look very similar in design to the ones of the surface.
"Could it be that this city might connected to the city from above and made by the same people?" He asked himself but, he obviously has no answer to that, at least for now.
As he walked further through, he now sees the temple which is pretty massive; probably a bit bigger than the temple on the surface but, instead of having a staircase, it has an entrance and the ceiling is domed shape.
Gale was completely awed and shocked of finding an underground city in the middle of a jungle like this. He has heard and read stories of underground cities across Vale but he didn't expect to find one, especially an ancient one.
As Gale stared at many questions are running through Gale's head but he could find some of them if he goes inside. Despite that he has other things to do, he actually considers investigating this new discovery that hasn't been discovered by anyone else.
So with that decision made, he heads on inside the temple, with the Light Dust crystal to shine his way though and to help him navigate through. However, he stopped and saw torches hooked to the walls.. maybe some fire dust might help. om.
Once he entered the wide opening of the building, he sees something that shocked and awed him. On the walls of the hallway; he's walking through, it has all kinds of paintings drawn on the walls that showed so much beautiful and colored detail. For starters, it showed the vast jungles and mountains that make up the majority of it on the walls, along with all kinds of animals living in them, including the Sanus Elephants.
It made Gale consider the natives of these jungles must be very good at art and especially put a lot of passion in the detail, almost like they worship the jungles and the animals that live in them.
Once he passed through the entire hallway, Gale was even more shocked.
He has entered the center of the entire building which is a wide open room in the shape of a dome. He looked around and the dome shaped room was so large you could fit a few small buildings in it. Despite this place looking hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, and showing signs of aging, the place still looks rather well stable and looks capable of lasting a few more hundred years.
It was the most detailed room as it had paintings on all the walls and even the ceiling which shows the consolations of the stars and other planets of the solar system.
in the center was a wide open floor but Gale saw something that caught his most attention. He saw massive statues that were at least 30 feet tall and were made of stone. Thing is, though, he never seen statues like these before and doesn't recognize them from any books or from the internet that resembles them. Indicating these might be a new discovery he stumbled upon.
Gale brightens the room even more by adding more aura in the dust to see everything better. Much of the room looks very worn down that he can see many cracks in the walls and even several holes in the ceiling of the dome, but it otherwise looks like it can last at least another thousand years.
Now he's able to get a good look at statues even better.
On his left, is the statue of a humanoid being appears to have a masculine figure and build but lacks any other kind physical features on the body... including certain places. As for the head, the face is devoid of any features, even lacking eyes and a mouth. Meaning the whole statue in general looks like some kind of incomplete mannequin. The only interesting feature it has is what appears to be a crown of deer antlers on the top of its head.
The statue stood in place with both of its arms raised to the sides and its palms facing upwards that gives it a divine pose and looks to be full of authority.
Also, perched above the statue is what seems to be a serpentine dragon with antlers, long whiskers, and fur racing down across its back from head to tail.
On the pedestal, it says a word in an unknown language that Gale cannot read or even translate with his scroll.
Gale felt a little curious and intrigued of this statue and the word. Though, the first thing he thought that this statue and word looks important so he feels like wanting to take a picture with his scroll and saving it in his photo album. He's not gonna put them online to show the world and thinks its best to keep them in his photos and keep them safe, until he feels like they might come in handy for some other time.
As for the statue on the opposite side, it looked very similar to the one on the left; having a masculine figure, if a little scrawnier and shorter. It also looks like a mannequin, with no physical features, besides a pair of ram horns it has on its head, instead of antlers. It to also have its hands raised but it looks more erratic and menacing that gives the statue a more frightening and menacing appearance.
Perched above that statue is appears to be another dragon, except it has a more western appearance, including having a more reptilian appearance, wings on its back, curved horns, and sharp teeth and claws. However, it appears to be more like a dragolich, due to having a dragon skull and its wings appears to be torn and full of holes, though, whenever if that is part of the design or being corroded by time, Gale will never know.
He also felt a bit nervous and couldn't but feel slightly afraid of looking at it, especially the dragolich.
Also on its pedestal, it also says a word of its own but in likely the same language Gale cannot translate either.
Gale decided to take a picture of that statue and the word as well and saved it in his scroll.
Now Gale wonders if these two statues are two deities that were worshiped by the people here and maybe the dragons may also be worshiped as well.
Now straight ahead is a third statue... or a lack of one.
Both statues take up two thirds of the dome, so this area should have a third statue in that spot.. but it doesn't. There isn't even a dragon perched above the empty pedestal.
There is no sign of a third statue nor a third dragon, not even any remains of rubble or dust laying around, like as if there never was a statue ever made. This made Gale feel a bit suspicious as to why the room feels like there should be three statues, due to three pedestals when there are only two complete statues. Could it be a coincidence that it wasn't complete and the people ran out of time... or is it some other reason? Not to mention it leaves more questions for what the third statue was suppose to look or what it would've looked like.
Gale noticed some kind of strange symbol on pedestal... it's colored green and looks like some kind of eye that's surrounded by some kind of green arcane circle with three triangles, with two pointing to the left and right while the the third points downwards. It also has five diamonds close above it.
Now he's confused and suspicious of this odd but interesting symbol that takes place on the pedestal. It looks so mystical... yet so important. He decided to take a picture of that one too and saved it in his photo gallery.
"I think that's enough visiting and sight seeing for today." The orangette thought as he put his scroll back in his pocket and begins to leave. "Better leave this place and carry on."
Gale exits the temple and heads back to the location. He did wonder if there is another way out. The people that lived down must've also came to the surface so there's gotta be... he just saw a stairway that likely leads to the surface... and it's broken and shattered. Not to mention the doorway at the top of the stairs is blocked by many pieces of rock that seals off anything or anyone from getting in or out.
Oh well... might as well take the entrance he made earlier.
He walks back towards the area where he fell, with many of the rubble from the surface still lying about. The orange haired boy looks up and sees the hole he made, and takes a guess it's at least two hundred to three hundred feet up. He flexes his fingers and reactivates his gauntlets that were in their inactive mode. He flexes his index fingers which causes the compartment of the gauntlets to open up. The teen gently pulled out the half empty Wind Dust vials and replaced with vials that are full. He's gonna need a lot to help him get out of here and he's hoping they are gonna count and not go to waste.
Gale pointed his fists to the ground and turns on the engines as they rev up at full throttle and at their loudest, that dust was blown everywhere and some of the smaller pieces of rubble were thrown back.
He suddenly shoots a massive gust of wind that propelled Gale upwards, as he flies up straight like a rocket. He kept going and got closer to the ceiling but he started running out of dust really quickly but he keeps going... than he eventually runs out but he managed to reach out and grab a hanging vine that was connected to the ceiling. He hung on tight and started climbing up, as it felt easy, since he did climb trees and swings through the jungle.
Eventually, after a few minutes of climbing on the vines and rock faces, he finally reached the top and climbed out of that hole. He got back on his feet and took a breather of that intense ride and climb.
Gale is now back where he started, right back to the surface and the small city where his battle with the Grimm started.
And now, he must carry on... though, he did find a few discoveries that might prove interesting... that is if he decides to ever share them.
For now, he should worry all about that later, as he needs to continue forward.
Before he left... he looked back at the city one more time and he realized something... just what happened to this city and these people?
During his visit to the city, both above and below ground, he saw no physical traces or signs, of anybody that may have lived here. Sure, corpses and their skeletons, in certain conditions, eventually reduce to brittle dust. But, even than, there should be at least some well preserved and well conditioned skeletons and even clothing that should be around... and not a single trace of it was found.
It feels strange. It's almost like... these people just vanished out of existence and left the city to crumble by the flow of time and swallowed by nature.
Could this city be a reminder of what the past was and what changed it?
"What... made this all happen?" Gale thought... wondering what kind of cruel fate these people must have met that brought them to their demise. This made him feel very nervous and suspicious what has happened here... he can't but feel this place is a shadow of some kind of ancient civilization.. that has been wiped off of Remnant by some kind of event... he doesn't know what it is.. and he doesn't want to know at the time being.
The teenager now heads off into the jungle once more but he still isn't aware that Grimm that watched the whole battle now follows him once more, from the buildings it was hiding in.
The Grimm saw everything he did and now it's gonna wait to strike at the right moment.
Later; 8:30 P.M
Up on a small mountain that peaks above the massive trees, now showing a beautiful sunset and with the shattered moon also floating in the sky. Gale is found perched near the top, sitting in a cross legged position, laying around him are banana peels and several remains of fruits he gathered and ate, to replenish some energy.
He's playing Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle, the first one, on his scroll. He owns and played the second one as well but he admits the first is much better. Not that it stopped him from playing it.
Thing is, he played this game many times… and is starting to feel a little bored. He already beaten every enemy, played and unlocked every character, unlocked all the concept artwork and bonus content, and even beat the entire game on the hardest and highest difficulty possible, and did that in a record time by luck and timing, which he would probably never be able to ever do so again. He has done the same to the second game as well.
After playing for a bit longer… not that he can achieve anything else, Gale sighs and shuts off the game but keeps his scroll to play some music. He can't help but feel tired again, as he rubs his eyes in trying to stay awake.
"Sigh. I know I've already achieved everything and done every single thing the game had to offer… and there's nothing left to achieve from it….. Man do I miss multiplayer where I can actually challenge someone else who's playing with me." Gale said in a slightly tired tone. The only time he ever played multiplayer was with his mentor… Gale decides to do a little meditating to refresh his mind before going to sleep. The sun hasn't set yet as he's got at least two more hours before dusk arrives.
He sits cross legged, closes his eyes and starts to meditate, focusing and clearing his mind to regain some of his aura and to heal some of his injuries.
Later; 9:30 P.M
A few hours have passed as Gale still continues to meditate, completely still as a statue. The sun has already set and the moon was shining overhead.
He sat so still that even a few birds, perched in the tree he sat in front of, felt no intention from him, as he wasn't focusing on them. The birds felt safe and minded their own business, but some even perched on his shoulder but Gale didn't react to them so the birds continue to perch on him to rest or chirp.
He was doing well and felt much better, even already regaining much of his aura back one hour earlier and continues to concentrate, feeling tranquil… than...
"Freak!"
"Monster!"
"You don't belong here!"
"Get out of here or we'll show you why we don't want you around!"
"Stay away from us!"
You're neither human nor faunus! You're an abomination!"
To his misfortune and bad luck, Gale started remembering the… rather unpleasant memories.
He couldn't stop himself from visualizing the groups humans and faunus that he met before in their villages; the ones he saved and protected… giving off various negative expressions, from fear, to hatred, or even a mixture of the two, and many of their words were equally as venomous.
The many that he saved and tried to help feared his transformed state and even question what kind of race or species Gale is suppose to be to them, whenever if he's a human or a faunus… or something else.
Truthfully, he looks like a human, by default, and looks like an elephant faunus when he uses his semblance, except a few minor differences.
Sometimes, even he isn't sure what he's supposed to be, as either of the two races, or some kind of hybrid, despite his mentor telling to not worry about what he is.
But still, hearing those words of hatred, spoken by those that he saved, yet, being ungrateful to him, still felt like a slap in the face.
He started to tremble and shake, as his concentration started to falter, that even the birds that are perched on him became wary and wanted to leave…
Much to his fear that he didn't want to remember.. Gale visualized another figure.. that resembles a teenage girl, with blonde hair and a tanned complexion, wearing clothing fit for the jungle; a pair of cargo shorts, a tank top, and a pair of combat boots. She has her back turned and Gale heard a voice that sounded feminine… that also sounded deathly afraid.
"Don't come near me…"
He lets out a loud and strained gasp, as he broke his concentration and shutters back into reality. The birds flew off of he as his movement startled them, leaving Gale alone again.
Gale took several deep breaths to calm down but he still felt spooked and scared hearing that one voice he hasn't heard in a few years… he wanted to forget that one.
As he kept thinking, he couldn't help but tighten his grip into the soft ground he's sitting on, his fingers digging into the soft dirt and a handful of dirt crushed into his shaking fists.
"Again… do some people have to look down on me and spit at me like I'm some kind of freak show, even after I've saved their lives that were in danger?" Gale thought in slight frustration. Normally, he never lets his emotions get to him that easily and, has enough willpower and patience to ignore those insults, like they are nothing to him.
Though, tonight feels different and now it feels like he might break down if this keeps up. Maybe he's been taking it for so long, bottling it all up, to the point it's starting to reach a breaking point where he can't hold it for much longer.
That amount of stress started making Gale feel even more... tired.
Fortunately...he starts to remember the lives of others that he saved and helped before… and they gave a different response.
"You're so awesome!"
"Thank you for saving us from the Grimm!"
"Young man, how could I ever repay you for saving my life?"
"I wish I had a semblance like that!"
"I love elephants! Elephants are so awesome!"
"Whatever you are, human or faunus, we are in your debt."
Gale now visualizes there are others humans and faunus that actually praised and thanked him, for his bravery and fighting off Grimm, for nothing in return. Not even judging his transformed state that resembles a humanoid elephant.
That actually made him smile and feel a little better, as he remembers a vision of him standing on top of a pile of Grimm corpses, as the villagers cheer on to him and thanking him for saving them.
"At least there are a lot of people out here that do care for me, for who I am.. rather than what I am.." Gale thought in slight comfort.
Then, he looks over the horizon where the sun is setting… out in the distance, he sees one of the mountains.. And sees the temple he used to grow up in.
But still…. even to those he saved and helped… he still can't really connect with them on a more personal level. Not when he doesn't stay for long and moves on with his own things he needs to deal with.
Even from all the praise and appreciation from the people that do accept him… he still can't help but feel the loneliness and the rather small hole inside his heart.
He feels like he wants something to fill it… something… someone… someone that would understand him and he can relate to on a deeper level… the only two known individuals that filled his heart was his mentor… and her.
The teen stopped thinking right there and decides to worry about tomorrow, as the sun was setting over the horizon.
He yawns, as he's getting tired, probably after that intense battle with those Grimm and especially fighting that Alpha Beringel which forced him to use his semblance.
Gale gently leans against the tree and shuts his eyes, and slowly enters a deep slumber, feeling at ease. But he ain't gonna have any peace for his sleep tonight.. cause he isn't alone up here.
The air started to feel tense and eerie.. as some kind of dreadful presence is moving behind the tree Gale is leaning up against in his sleep.
It's that same Grimm again… and it's now seizing it's chance on Gale who's fast asleep.
Perched on the small tree, just above Gale, it leans down as far as it could and stretches out its snout, slowly reaching towards Gale but, everything goes dark, just as the snout was inches from his head.
Gale's Dreamworld
Gale opens his eyes.. and looks around where he is at.
What he sees… is nothing but a black void with darkish-blue swirls of wispy smoke that's drifting through the void within the dreamworld that he's apparently in.
Gale continues to look around but he seems to be alone.
"Umm… hellooooooo?" He called out, with a little comical flare to it. "Anybody here?" But no answer. Nothing but silence…. except for the strange and eerie whispers he hears echoing in the void, which he can't understand what they are saying. "Anybody gonna answer that?" He finished with a slight joke to it.
Still no answer.
The whispers now started to creep Gale out a little as their volume picked up slightly.
"Those strange whispers are starting to get on my nerves… makes me wonder what they are saying… hope they aren't talking about me…." Gale thought in concern but he keeps his composure, and yet he can't help but feel like those whispers are likely talking about him.
He looks around again and wonders what he should do. He shifted his feet a little in his standing position as he also scratches the back of his head as well.
"Alright. I know this is cliche or whatever, but should I wait until I wake up from my dreams? Or should I do that one trick where I sharply pinch myself in the ass, which should jolt me awake… or…."
He couldn't help but see something… or someone within the smoke.
The figure stands there and facing towards him but the smoke was blocking much for Gale to see. All he could see was his silhouette; The only thing Gale can make out was that he towers over Gale, at least by a staggering 9 feet in height.
It's his mentor… or at least, in his dream, that's what it looks like.
"You….?" Gale said in shock. Despite being heavily aware this isn't real and tries to logically convince himself that this is just a dream...he can't help but feel that figure feels too familiar and even real to an extent.
The old man than turns around and starts walking away from Gale in the opposite direction.
"W-Wait!" Gale stuttered, as he begins to walk slowly that turns to running, towards his mentor he's trying to reach out to. "Is it really you?! Are you even real or are you just part of my dream?!" Gale asks in desperation in hopes the figure would answer back to him but the he still doesn't reply. "Don't turn your back on me! I need to know!" He shouted again. Even if his mentor isn't real… just watching him walk away from him is heart wrenching and he still wants to see his face.
Gale's mentor continued walking forward through the void, with Gale still chasing him. Despite running at full speed, Gale couldn't get any closer and it appears the the elderly man is walking further away from him and appears to be vanishing into the smoke.
"Answer me, damn it!" his confusion slowly turned into desperate pleas as the being still doesn't answer back to him.
His desperation and dread began to rise, the more he tries to reach out. "Why did you have to go like that?!" He shouted in anger and sadness. "You told me you were strong and wise that no huntsman has ever bested you in a bare fisted fight! You inspired me to to train hard! You promised me that you would watch me grow up and complete my training, before your time came!" Gale shouted as he tried his hardest to hold back his tears but his mentor still didn't answer, as he's nearly completely gone into the smoke.
"Just why?!" Gale shouted even louder but still no response. "I've had so much to learn from you! I've worked so hard trying to reach your expectations! And then I had to do it all on my own, ever since that day! Is this how it had to be this way for me?!"
Still no answer, as his mentor was completely out of his sight, like he vanished out of existence.
"No! Stop! Don't go! DON'T LEAVE ME!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as the dreaded feel of loneliness starts to take hold of him, reducing his speed from a sprint to a stumbling walk.
"…. Don't leave me all alone…." he quietly whispers and so close to shedding tears.
Gale nearly falls to his hands and knees but he refuses to fall, as he keeps stumbling forward in the void.
Despite being all alone again, he keeps walking forward...than things start taking a turn for the worse….
Just as Gale thought it couldn't' get any worse… the surrounding area started to darken… and the color of the blackish blue background of the void.. changed to a blood red.
Than the area started to form the silhouettes of tropical trees and and dense bushes that makes the area now look like a dense jungle.
Gale stopped in his tracks notices the sudden change and darts his eyes and head around, slightly surprised.
The eerie and inaudible whispers have stopped… but now Gale hears the sounds of... growling and snarling.
Gale stopped darting his eyes around and stood still. His breathing starts speeding up and his pupils shrunk… for some reason, he starts to feel genuinely afraid and terrified. Like he's REALLY scared and feels like he's facing sudden death and despair.
Within the void… Gale sees a pair of red eyes, staring at him… followed by another pair… and another... and another.. until he sees hundreds, if not thousands of eyes, all staring right back at him.
The thousands of eyes come closer… and revealed themselves to be the Grimm.. but what frightened Gale that made his pupils to shrink in slight horror.
There were lots of them…. In the thousands, if not tens of thousands.
The majority of them are Beowolves and Ursai, along with tons of Barboartusks, Creeps, Beringels, Death Howlers, Griffons, and Lancers.
He also saw a few Nevermores, King Taijitu, and Death Stalkers behind the front line as they also look eager to devour him.
But what Gale saw that surprised him the most… he saw a bunch of massive Goliaths, at the furthest back, as they trumpeted and growled at Gale. Being 200 foot tall elephant like monsters, Goliaths are some of the most feared Grimm around and seeing a bunch of them way far in the back makes Gale feel a bit unnerved.
But that's where the true terror begins…
A random Beowolf started to violently twitch and jerk, as if it was suffering a seizure… and its bone armor started falling off, while its body started bulging, contorting, and even melting a bit.
The same was happening to all the other Grimm.
But the horror has just begun, as the Beowolf started sprouting a second pair of arms from its shoulders and tipped with razor sharp claws. Dozens of burning red eyes sprouting all over its body... which were all staring directly at Gale… and it grew a long snake tongue that was hanging out of its mouth.
One by one, all the other Grimm, including the Goliaths, in front of Gale, also began mutating, undergoing their own horrific transformation that made them look like downright nightmarish abominations straight out of your worst nightmares. Heck, each one was completely different as neither two beowolves had the same mutation and looked completely different, which makes it more unsettling.
Gale couldn't help be feel absolutely terrified of this scenery. He didn't know exactly why.. It's like as if this place he's in is making him feel dreaded to his very core; feeling completely helpless and vulnerable, like a tiny mouse that's out in the open and nowhere to run or hide, as a massive and downright terrifying snake slithers towards him and prepares to devour him.
Gale tried to raise his fists and activate his Cyclone Gauntlets… but he heard no familiar sound of them activating. He slowly turns his attention to his arms… and all he sees are just his arms and hands… with no gauntlets on them.
Gale's pupils shrink in horror…. He has no weapons and dust with him.
The mutated beowolf with several eyes across its body and extra pair of arms pounced on him but Gale recovered from his shock and punched back that sent it flying. But it was instantly replaced by a mutated Ursa that had its entire mouth split wide open and its stomach had a gaping mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, as it tried to slash him with it's extended claws. Gale barely dodged the claw swipe and kicked the Ursa's head off with a roundhouse kick.
The moment he did that, he got slammed in the back by something that zoomed past him. It rolled back towards him and revealed to be a barboartusk… that appears to be bent out of shape and its tusks are much longer and curved back that they are digging into its forehead, while the rest of its teeth are needle like, while it gives off a loud and unholy squealing sound.
Gale kicks it away when it tried to bite him but he's slowly starting to get overwhelmed by all the Grimm. He tried to fight them all off but he sees the much larger mutated Grimm; the Nevermores now have teeth in their beaks, their feathers are even sharper, and they now grew another pair of wings that give them a total of four. The Death Stalkers tails have split into three separate tails and their claws also split apart that now resemble bony fingers. The King Taijitu now have each of the two heads grow two more from the sides, which give them a total of six heads, and a total of four eyes, along with longer fangs. The Goliaths now each have two trunks that have teeth in the snouts and also having a third eye on its forehead, along with another pair of shorter tusks added.
Gale was heavily sweating but he keeps fighting.
Things only got worse from there….
"YOU…."
Much to Gale's horror, he now hears the whispers again but, this time, more clearly... and they sound more like venomous insults aiming at him… and they sound even more sinister and spiteful.
"THEY SEE YOU AS A FREAK…"
"THEY HATE YOU BECAUSE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU REALLY ARE TO THEM…"
"EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THEM… ONLY TO TURN ON YOU IN RETURN…"
"YOU'RE BETTER OFF LIVING ALONE… WITH NO ONE TO BE WITH YOU…."
Gale does his best to ignore the harsh whispers, as he knows this is just a nightmare and these whispers are likely his subconscious of self doubt that's manifesting into his nightmares and trying to make him break down. He keeps pushing through, as he tries to fight off the swarm of mutating and abominable Grimm that are trying to overwhelm him.
He punches through several more mutated beowolfs and grabs a random one by the head and jaw and rips it in two. He grabs a random mutated Creep by the tail and used it as a club and bashed all the other
"IF THEY SHALL TREAT YOU LIKE A MONSTER… WHY NOT GIVE THEM A DEMONSTRATION AS ONE...?"
That last one made Gale's blood run cold from hearing that.
Gale may have encountered some villagers that treat him like a monster, but he would NEVER attack them or hurt them in any shape or form. He would NEVER stoop as low as the Grimm would ever be. He made a promise to himself and to his mentor that he will never use his power to harm the innocent.
But Gale can't keep thinking as more mutated Grimm started to overwhelm him, especially since he's unarmed and is getting sloppy.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a humanoid figure. He turned his head for a second… and saw that girl he thought earlier… she has her back turned but something seems wrong… her skin is all pale like that of a ghostly white and her hair is also ghostly white, rather than blonde.
But she suddenly looked over her shoulder but still doesn't fully reveal her face; Gale sees her skin is pale gray and black veins run over her face... and her eyes are black with red pupils that stare deep into his soul.
Just as Gale felt even more afraid of seeing that, he was left open, as a random Beowolf tackled him from the side and to the ground. Gale's lack of concentration due to fear and being too many Grimm coming at him all at once, he got pinned down by several more beowolves and ursai pin him down but don't bite or scratch him... yet.
Gale started to panic even more as the Grimm started to swarm him like vultures feasting on a carcass, as they begin to break him into despair.
He kept fighting back, as he thrashed and moved every muscle he could but they kept him pinned down...
Gale was starting to slowly give up and even felt despair and fear consuming and suffocating him.
Gale felt so scared and full of panic that the last thing he could think of was the regret of never travelling and seeing the rest of the world and finding his purpose.
"So this is it for me..." Gale thought as it was the only thought he could process.
However, when it looked like it was over for Gale… a bright burst of orange light shines out over the distance but a humanoid silhouette was spotted within the orange light. All the Grimm looked at the light and silhouette, as they instantly screeched and howled in pain, as if the light was burning them. They all screech in pain and agony as they reduce to ashes, even the giant Grimm didn't stand a chance.
The whispers went silent, as the red shade of the entire void slowly turned back to it's default color.
Gale was panting and laying there as he was slowly trying to comprehend what just happened.
As Gale was now free from the Grimm, he slowly got up into a sitting position, as he was still recovering. He slowly turned his head, looked up… and saw his mentor… standing there and looking very stoic and tranquil at him.
As said before, the most eye catching feature of Gale's mentor is his light blue skin and his elephant ears that are on the sides of his head which are also colored blue.
Upon closer inspection, Gale can now see his entire front side and his face. In addition of his orange necklace on his neck, for accessories, he also has golden bands wrapped around his arms and several golden earrings on his elephant ears.
Across his chest is a very deep and nasty looking scar that travels across his chest.
As for his face; his face is quite narrow but very chiseled and solid looking, despite also being covered in lots of wrinkles. He has quite a unique case of gray facial hair; he has very long and thick eyebrows over his eyes which are deeply shut as if it looks like he's sleeping. Lastly, he has a long and thick beard; so thick that Gale can't even see his mouth.
This is Gale's mentor; who's an elephant faunus with blue skin and towering at a staggering nine feet.
He had his arms crossed and was looking down at Gale but showed a genuine and fatherly smile behind his beard.
Than he lowered himself a bit as he got on one knee to get a Gale's eye level.. or as close as he could get due to his towering height that he had to still look down at Gale.
"It seems you are lost… and alone, my young pupil..." Gale's mentor gently spoke to him, in a deep and sincere tone, filled with wisdom that made Gale feel so much relieved and safer. In a way, he sounds like a caring and loving grandfather with a hint of badass added.
Despite seeing his mentor, even if he isn't real, Gale looked down in shame… he doesn't know what do… in fact, he doesn't even know what he should do or where to go for that matter.
"I see you're unsure of yourself and you're heart's filled with loneliness and doubt…." He continued as he understood Gale's issues and struggles, because he's part of Gale's consciousness.
"Yeah? Well whoop de doo." Gale answered back in a rather sarcastic tone. "Thanks for being so uplifting and supporting. You wanna know something? I'm feeling great, actually." Gale continued. "In fact, I bet I'm feeling so great that even the Grimm would choke and gag just by being near me. What does it look like that I'm going through?" He said again but now he sounds more like he doesn't care. "I bet you wouldn't know…. because you're probably just some old fart that's part of my consciousnesses and just look like him…. you aren't even real…." Though, Gale didn't mean to be rude or even that harsh… he's just been through so much for so long that it's really starting to wear him down and doesn't even care
"Now…. didn't I teach how to respect your elders…?" Gale's mentor said teasingly and with a raised eyebrow, despite still having his eyes shut and not even feeling offended by Gale's sarcasm. "Even if I am not really your mentor in the flesh, only a mere part of your dreams that resembles him… at least consider to appreciate seeing me as a reminder of who raised and trained you…"
Gale couldn't help but roll his eyes but actually smiled… real or not… he feels happy hearing the voice of his mentor again. He turns his head back up and looks at him and gives off a rather genuine smirk.
"Alright… even if you aren't real… at least looking at you and hearing that voice of yours makes me feel better…" Gale answers but no hint of sarcasm and is actually being honest.
Gale's mentor smirks and happily sees Gale looking better. "There's that smile you always give me when I teach you something important or when we finish our training..."
"Yeah… good times…" Gale said but tries to sound happy. "But…"
"But what...?" Gale's mentor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"But what's the point about me?" Gale said as he finally had enough bottling up his frustrations and questions that he thought of for so long. "Just... what am I doing here? What's my purpose? Why am I holding myself back from traveling across Remnant? Is my self taught training really worth replacing the training you gave me in the first place?" He was on the verge of shedding a tear again, as he wasn't sure of himself, especially after recently. "Am I really worthy of becoming a huntsman by myself?...Would Have things been different if you were alive and helped me find my purpose….?"
Now that was deep for what Gale just said.
In truth, Gale still isn't sure what what his purpose is and what he can do for himself. He wants to become a huntsman but he thinks he's not worthy of it.
He lost his mentor when he was a kid, when he still had a lot to learn. It left a rather traumatized impact on him but he continued his training in his own way, in addition to the training his mentor gave him.
He spent the rest of it taking care of himself just to survive and reach his condition that he's in now. But with no one there to approve of his training and improvement, Gale slowly suffered a bit of self esteem issues and self doubt. The occasional judgement and fear of his semblance only cemented it a bit further from everyone else he met in the jungles, despite most of them praising him for his acts of protection against the Grimm.
But most of all… that day… with… her… The one memory he doesn't want to think about but, in the corner of his eye, he saw the same feminine figure with her back still turned…. but he notices her skin isn't pale anymore and it's back to a tan complexion. Gale turned his head towards that direction but he saw nothing….
Through all of it, he managed to hang on and stayed positive as much as he could, until recently, especially right after the nightmare that scared him out of his wits and the whispers that taunted him.
Gale turned and looked at his mentor again to see what his reaction is… who doesn't bat an eye at him..
"...You're putting too much of this upon yourself… and you know that, don't you...?"
Gale couldn't say a word… he expected his mentor to pity him… but no, that's not what his mentor back than would do. He's doing what he's always done for him; comforting and giving him a firm lecture.
"You say that to yourself, because you think all your own efforts are meaningless and worthless, because there was no one else, since my passing, to approve of them... but you and I know that's not true…."
"Not true?" Gale asked, feeling his doubt slowly washing away.
"Yes. Even before my death, I've always saw how you improve yourself in any way you could, including your own ideas and approaches in your training, in addition to mine that I've given you. Even on days when no training was scheduled for you, you've always tried to think of something new and wanted it added to that schedule…
Gale was shocked hearing that… he's been doing good on his own?
The void suddenly shifted and showed Gale, in his youth, around the age of 9. Unlike the Gale that he is today, his youthful self was fairly scrawny and lacked the tattoo on the back
He was training very hard by punching a small tree many times until he could penetrate the bark and send it tumbling down. His grandfather was seen watching by the sides but is willing to stop Gale if he overexerts himself. But to his surprise and joy, Gale was suddenly punching harder and harder that he was starting to penetrate the bark until he finally punched through the trunk and the tree falls over. Gale smiles and was jumping in victory of passing that part of the training. He turns his head and sees his mentor was smiling at him in approval.
Gale himself started to smile at the memory; that was his first tree he managed to punch down with his bare hands.
"But after I passed away… you thought my training was all that mattered that you either neglected your own ideas or loathed them… because you thought they weren't worth it with no one else's approval…. "
Gale… silently admits to that part. The loss of his mentor and loneliness was a rather traumatic experience he had to face for a while and still does to this day.
Now the void shows Gale, in his early teenage years, around the age of 13. While he's a little bit buffer, he's still skinnier than he is now, but he now sports his elephant tattoo on his back.
He was on his knees, his eyes clenched shut, and shedding tears… all alone and his mentor was nowhere to be seen, while it was a dark and rainy day, as rain drops splashed everywhere
Out of anger and sadness, he suddenly shot up to his feet and instantly punched through a much bigger tree that his fist easily penetrated through the whole trunk in one punch. The tree falls over in a loud thud and splash but that didn't make Gale feel any better, as he still looked sad.
Gale remembered that moment too… that was the day after his mentor passed away and he was still sad over his mentor's death...
"And yet, you still continue using them, because you know and admit they do mean something to you…"
Gale now sees several different instances of him in different training sessions on his own; punches, kicks, push ups, sit ups, inverted sit ups, pull ups, squats, wrestling with some weaker Grimm, and even meditating.
Gale… was speechless… and his mentor's right. Gale actually does admit he loves his own way of training, despite missing out his mentor's training and thought his was better…
"As for you being alone and no one else there for you... It's true that you've sacrificed so much by yourself to be where you are now. But most of all… no one likes being alone, not even the biggest of loners can live completely alone forever, because even they have their limits and need the attention of others..."
As much as Gale can take care of himself and be on his own… he doesn't like being completely alone… which is why he tried to befriend many villagers. While he does in fact befriend most of them and create good memories… some didn't last long… because he's always traveling around the jungles back and forth. Sometimes… some of the villagers he has befriended… either end up hating him… forgotten him… or are demolished by the Grimm in his absence….
But still, he must remember the other villagers that he did save have truly praised him and will always remember him. Heck, the void now shows one village even made a statue of him in their honor.
Things like that make Gale feel.. warm and happy.
Despite that, sometimes, even the villagers he befriended aren't enough because they aren't on his level and they can't leave their villages without their own protection. Gale does stay for a day or two with them but he can't stay for long because….
"Even when you have befriended many of the villagers that do accept you… some of them still fear you for your beastly form you take with your semblance… because they fear your power if it were a situation where you turned on them."
Much to Gale's fear, the void now shows something that frightened him…. He sees nothing but darkness, a raging fire… and a silhouette of a massive humanoid elephant standing there and looking menacing.. while it's eyes glow in the dark that gives it a scary and terrifying appearance.
Gale couldn't stand it but the void erases the image Gale saw that he feared, just in time.
In a way, Gale's mentor was right on that part… Gale can still remember some villagers were rather harsh towards him.. because they were afraid of him and his power which some of them have witnessed when he was forced to use it on stronger Grimm that raided the villages. He can't really blame them because even he fears his semblance and it's destructive might if not used correctly.
But that also made Gale wonder… are there other people out there with a semblance like his and they too have to face the hatred for their beastly looks…?
"I too have faced such discrimination and being feared in my younger days, in a similar way…. for my massive size, my unusual blue skin tone, my towering might, and being an elephant faunus. Worse, even some fellow faunus have discriminated me for the same reasons, minus the last one…. but I never let that hatred get to me and I've never stooped to their level… because I believe we all can one day bring ourselves, humans and faunus, together and to fight against a common enemy we all have to deal with… Creatures of Grimm."
It's true there as well… his mentor has faced such prejudice but he never let that get the better of him and believes humans and faunus can truly live together in harmony one day…. and defeat a common enemy they both share. He was actually feeling happy his grandfather stuck to his beliefs and never let hatred nor malice get the better of him. Gale also has done that and stuck to his own beliefs of bringing harmony together between both races of Remnant.
"In that case, you should go out and attend an academy, make some friends, and form a team; who you can bond and fight alongside with, so you don't have to fight and live in solitude again."
Hearing that one.. actually made Gale think that's a nice idea. He also wanted to be a huntsman to protect the innocent and helpless form the Grimm and he will be learning to become one alongside three potential teammates he might meet in the future to form and bond with…. that's a splendid idea and now his doubts are starting to wash away.
"Overall, you shouldn't rely on me or others to decide who you want to be and what you want to do." Gale's mentor poked Gale's chest where his heart is. "That is for you to decide for yourself."
Gale smiled even more. Even if this isn't his real mentor, even he can't stop being surprised by his words of wisdom.
"And another thing…" Gale's mentor added while sounding… a bit enthusiastic… and the void suddenly took a pink shade.
Gale raised his eyebrow and wondered what his mentor was about to say…. but for some reason, despite that Gale can't see his mouth, he couldn't help but feel his mentor is widely grinning underneath that beard…
"You may even find and meet someone very SPECIAL~." Gale's mentor added with emphasis on that, wiggling his eyebrows up and down, while suddenly making a heart shape with both of void suddenly made a pink heart shape out of the smoke… and standing in its center is the silhouette of a girl who was doing a flirty pose.
Gale gave off a mortified expression at what his mentor just told him, until he remembers his mentor does have a rather corny sense of humor when he wants to be….
"Wh-Wh-What?!" Gale said astonished in confusion and embarrassment.
"You heard me." Gale's mentor teased and egging it further at Gale. "A special someone that your heart may fall for, when you get to know them more, getting the little knots tied together eventually…"
"N-N-Now hold on a second! W-Why would you bring that kind ridiculous and unnecessary kind of topic u-" Gale protested as his face turned slightly red but got interrupted.
"And if you're very lucky, you and your SPECIAL somebody might even someday start making a-
"ALL RIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gale shouted in complete embarrassment as his mentor was now laughing at the top of his lungs.
"Oh what's wrong?" Gale's mentor asked and sounded innocently but was REALLY pushing Gale with his humor. "I thought you liked my jokes of wisdom, especially when they en-lighten you up. He finished with a pun.
Gale facepalmed….
"You're definitely the worst" Gale muttered in embarrassment but still smiled at missing his mentor's humor… especially puns.
Gale's mentor stopped laughing but still smiled under his beard and Gale just smiled back.
"Just kidding. It's up to you to decide on that kind of life choice as well."
The two stared at each other a bit longer... maybe his mentor is right, maybe Gale should give it a try to go out there and find a purpose and even a team that he can share his experiences with.
Gale than wanted to ask something but, things quickly changed, all of a sudden, when he suddenly saw a shining bright light of orange in the distance.
His mentor also saw it but his brow slightly furrowed.
"Hmm… it seems you are close to waking up very soon… and I suggest you get going on that." Gale's mentor said but added a hint of a warning to him, as Gale looks at him in confusion.
"What do you mean by ?" Gale asked confused.
"That light will be the guide and beacon to waking you up from this deep slumber." Gale's mentor told him.
"Wait.. does that mean you will…" Gale suggested and Gale's mentor nodded.
"It means, when you wake up, I'll also cease to exist, because I'm just part of your dreams… but you already know that." Gale's mentor added.
Gale looks a bit saddened but looks at his mentor again who then looks a bit genuinely sad but he also shows his stoic expression to Gale.
"In case if I ever don't come back in your dreams again, this is my goodbye… but I will tell you one last thing before I go"
Gale's mentor knees down until he's just right at Gale's eye level. He slowly opened his eyes... which shows his orange colored pupils.
"My guidance and teachings that I taught have long since past… but that doesn't mean it has ever ended there… you will carry yourself on ahead without me… which you will still do, ever since you've begun your journey…. continue the path you carve and never stray from it….."
Gale's mentor hugged him with one of his massive arms, which was as thick as Gale himself. Gale by surprise but he gladly hugs back just as much, with tenderly affection, as tears start streaming down his face. He doesn't even care if he's crying right now as he lets it all out; feeling happily embraced once again that he hasn't felt for years… even if it's just in a dream.
"Never forget what I have taught you but never hold back on yourself either… use what you've learned, both from me and yourself, stay strong and wise… I am proud of you.. as I have always have been, even after I am no longer with you." Gale's mentor continues.
"Yes… I'll never forget… I promise…." Gale responded softly. He doesn't care if it's a dream… he feels so happy hearing his mentor's voice again and embracing him, even if it ain't even real.
Gale's mentor smiled again but he started to fade, as if he's slowly disintegrating into ash and dust.
"I will always watch over you… my strong and brave... grandson… The mentor, now revealed to be Gale's grandfather, whispered, as he crumbles away and scatters in the wind. "Never forget who you are and the memories I raised you to be… now go out there and find your purpose and happiness… Gale Hathi."
Gale hugs back as tight as he could, for as long as he could, to remember that loving embrace his grandfather has given him many times in his younger days.. until he could no longer feel it, as he's hugging nothing but emptiness.
Gale stood in silence, looking somber and feeling alone once again… he sighs again but sucks it up, making a promise to his grandfather he will find his new purpose and happiness that he seeks.
Gale sees that bright, shining light in the distance; the one his grandfather pointed to and he needs to get there so he can wake up.
Gale took his grandfather's words and stepped towards the orange light.
The smoke began to clear around him, as the light got a little brighter in the void and Gale continues walking towards it.
After a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity, Gale got closer to the light and looks around. He notices the void starts to shift and wrap around him which startles him but he calms down as a bit as he starts feeling he's standing on something else and looks down. He notices the ground is made of hexagonal shaped cobblestone.
After staring at the ground again for a few seconds, he looks ahead of the cobblestone path and continues onward. He wonders where this would lead to but, he hesitates for a second, until he felt encouraged enough to step forward.
After walking on the path for a bit, he notices more things ahead; he sees lots of light poles, trees, benches, and double colonnades bisected in the main avenue.
He looks down sees part of the cobblestone shows a symbol that is two crossed axes over some kind of crown made of wheat. He recognizes it as the symbol of Vale...
He continues to walk forward until he encounters something else in front him.
In the center, It's some kind of statue which is a large boulder with two warriors on top of it, one male with a sword, one female with an axe, and a beowulf the bottom.
Gale stared at the statue for a second until he saw something behind it… and it's massive. He sees a massive tower that towers over everything else, along with tons of other buildings and spires surrounding it. It almost looks like some kind of school academy.
"Is that… Beacon Academy?" Gale said out loud.
From what info he gathered, when he was a kid, and thanks to his grandfather's tutelage, he read tons of books about the history of Remnant, including Vacuo and the other kingdoms. He even knows the headmaster of this academy is none other than the wise and wonderful Ozpin.
"This has to be some coincidence… is it?" He asked himself as he stared at the entire academy before him. Normally, he's aware people having dreams can sometimes be connected to possible things happening in the future but Gale thinks this feels this can't that much of a coincidence….
The void suddenly warps again and Gale now sees many human sized silhouettes materializing in front of him 30 feet away.
The silhouettes are hard to describe but Gale notices they look like teenagers, both male and female, and are wielding weapons in all different shapes and sizes. Otherwise, he can't make out much of their appearances besides a few minor characteristics.
The majority are standing in a crowd but Gale notices two of them are standing the closest to him; One is a male and the other is a female.
The male silhouette appears to be a faunus cause it looks like he has a pair of horns on his head. He's tall, well built, and appears to have a sword strapped to his hip while standing there.
As for the female; She appears to be human cause he doesn't see any faunus features… but Gale notices she does have long and luscious hair that reaches down to her back. She also looks pretty well built in the arms and legs but she still looks pretty curvy.
To Gale surprise, the two silhouettes started to move while the others remained still.
The male silhouette suddenly draws his sword and his hair starts to glow blue, along with his mask and parts of his clothing that also glowed. He's surrounded by a raging blue aura, as he appears to channeling his sword's power that the blade is now shining brightly in a bright blue glow.
He takes a fighting stance with his sword, as if he's ready to battle, as the blue aura and glow of himself intensifies.
As for the female; Her hair suddenly starts glowing a bright yellow and it even appears to become a raging inferno. She suddenly slams both of her fists together and the intensity of her flaming hair skyrockets that she now looks like a miniature sun.
But what Gale saw that caught him by surprise is that he can see her eyes... which are a blazing red. She stares at Gale with those furious looking eyes but she doesn't move and stays in her pose, as her hair continues to scorch and shine the area that it slightly brightens it a bit.
When Gale saw all of it in front of him, he couldn't help but feel surprised and awe by both of their display. Heck, he can't help but even feel.. a little excited.
The dream realm starts to distort again, as everything starts getting brighter in a flash of silver light. If Gale would have guessed, he's starting to wake up… but the last thing he sees, as he turns around… is the bull faunus and the blonde girl who stare at him again but still do nothing.
However, he saw something else that surprised him… perched on top of the tower of Beacon.. Is some kind of silhouette that looks like a dragon or wyvern, giving out a mighty roar. Gale didn't understand what that meant… but he can't help but feel something isn't right seeing a dragon on top of a tower all of a sudden.
But what shocked him even more was that the female, for some reason, is missing her right arm and appears to be in pain, while the male faunus is missing his mask but Gale can't see his face since he's covering his face with his left hand. Gale was confused and wondered what this all means… but he didn't have time to think further about it as he now leaves his dreamworld which is enveloped in a massive burst of orange light.
Real World; 9:45 P.M
Gale started to wake up and opens his eyes.. and he can't help but feel a slightly numbing and stinging sensation on the back of his head.. and there's something latched onto him, as if a giant leech is sucking his blood.
The Grimm was aware it's prey was starting to wake up so it decided to go for the kill.. but it was too slow.
"Huzzah!" Gale instantly jolts awake, eyes wide open and alert. By reflex, he swiftly grabs the snout that was still latched to his head, with both of his hands, with a tight and firm grip.
The Grimm lets out a surprised shriek and was forced to let go, as Gale, with his already impressive strength, tosses the Grimm over his shoulder and violently throws it into the ground with a loud thud. So hard that it even cracked it and left a small crater under the Grimm, followed by bouncing off the ground and skidding several feet away on its back.
The Grimm layed on the ground but also kept flailing and shrieking, until it managed to regain its footing and leaps back several feet to gain some distance. It crouched low to the ground and lets out a snarl and a grunt at Gale.
Just as Gale kept his eyes on the unwanted visitor that disturbed his sleep, he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand to make sure the Grimm didn't do anything lethal to him… and saw his own blood smeared all over his right hand… he's slightly bleeding where the Grimm bit him.
Gale turned his aura on which instantly healed his wound to prevent any more bleeding. He turned his attention back to the Grimm as he got a good look at it.
It's the size of a tiger, with a large feline-like body, sharp claws at the tips of it's paws, a long and bushy tail that's tipped with sharp quills like that of a porcupine's, and the head looked like that of an elephant's, with the ears of a tapir.
Protruding from its mouth are a pair of boar tusks that curve back and hanging from it's face is a long, trunk-like, snout that is curled up like how a butterfly curls it's proboscis when not feeding.
Like every other Grimm, it's body is covered in pitch black fur, and has many bone-like spikes and scutes, covering its back, shoulders, hindquarters, and knee joints. It also has a ribcage of bone strewn across it's chest. Much of its head is covered by a plate of bone-like armor that heavily resembles a mask. But the most eye catching features are the red markings that covers it's "mask" and even parts of it's spike shoulders. He notices it has a total of four eyes; two main eyes on the head and a pair of smaller ones found just below the main eyes. Like most Grimm, it's eyes are a mix of burning red and orange that glare at Gale.
The Grimm growled and snorted at the young boy, with a mouth was full of razor sharp teeth and tusks.
But what was the most disturbing thing as it showed another feature that no one wouldn't expected… and wished they hadn't.
It uncurled it's trunk-like snout and showed Gale something that even startled and creeped him out big time.
At the tip of the trunk, one would expect two nostrils which are suppose to be meant for breathing.. but instead… Gale sees rows upon rows of razor sharp, hook-like teeth, that could easily grip and pierce flesh, forming inside the snout, in a ring like pattern. Even the snout has a tongue which is covered in sharp, chisel-like teeth that can even rasp and cut flesh.
In a way, the tip and inside of the snout resembles the mouth and teeth of a lamprey.
"Alright… that just isn't right…." Gale thought out of slight disturbance but remained serious and identified the Grimm.
It's a Baku; a very unique but VERY deadly type of Grimm.
Found in the jungles and dense woodland of Remnant, especially in Sanus, the Baku are very elusive and clever. They usually avoid facing large crowds of people and areas with larger populations, unless accompanied by other Grimm.
Though, even if they are with other Grimm, they usually stay out of sight and prefer to hide behind the lines or in the shadows… doing what they do best.
Normally, the Baku aren't overall impressive or threatening in a direct fight, as they are about as strong as an Ursa….physically at least.
That still doesn't make them any less dangerous. In their own right, as they can use their claws, teeth, even their quilled tail in combat, as they can also use their large size to tackle and pin down weaker huntsman.
While it's not designed to be used as a weapon, the Baku will sometimes use it's razor sharp trunk as a means to grab and snatch any huntsman that's trying to escape or could even use them to snatch and grab a their weapon, in order to disarm them or even break it, by chance.
While they are not that physically powerful and durable, compared to most other kinds of giant and powerful Grimm, the Baku balances that out with a special ability it possesses; a more indirect and passive kind.
The Baku apparently seem to have some kind of ability to indirectly affect people from a distance that makes them tired and lethargic, just by its mere presence alone. Though, the effect varies, based on the age of the Baku, the distance between it and it's target, and how energetic the target is.
But what makes them so dangerous to begin with is that they are extremely intelligent and clever.
When a Grimm starts out young from the pits of oozing darkness they spawn from (though, very few humans of Remnant know the Grimm's ture origins), they are usually very reckless and lack any kind of self preservation, as they just end up biting off more than they can chew; easily getting slaughtered by the more skilled huntsman.
However, the longer a Grimm lives and survives the battles it faces, the more they slowly begin to learn from their experiences and become much smarter and strategic, in addition to also becoming stronger, larger, and growing more bone armor on their bodies for better defense.
The Baku, on the other hand, are already intelligent to begin with, the moment they are spawned out of the pits; already being able to make complex decisions and tactics on the go, while also having a sense of self preservation and caution around who they face; making their chances of getting killed much lower. Not to mention they just keep getting smarter as they get older; Making them very dangerous and hard to deal with, even for a trained and experienced huntsman.
By day, the Baku are usually non-active, preferring to stay out of sight and avoid contact with humans and faunus. However, if enough negativity is sensed nearby, or if they find a lost and lonely human/faunus, they will take their chances and follow them, until they strike them where they least expect it.
At night, they are far more active, where it's much easier for them to prowl through the jungle, harder to be spotted and detected, as they search for any lost and unfortunate human/faunus that decided to sleep outside.
Once they chose their target, they usually stay out of sight and let their sleep inducing presence do it's work, as the victims starts to feel more tired and losing their strength to keep fighting. This is especially dangerous if the Baku is companioned by other Grimm, where it weakens the huntsman/huntress in the middle of a battle, making it harder to fight off a horde of Grimm which makes it easier for other Grimm to go in for the kill.
However, this Grimm has another deadly ability that makes them so dangerous.
When a Baku finds a victim that's asleep, or forces one to sleep against their will by its presence, the Baku performs a rather disturbing act that involves it's tooth lined snout.
The Baku latches it's snout onto the back of the victim's head, like a bloodthirsty leech, slightly digging into the flesh with its teeth and tongue, but not enough to cause a fatal injury. Than it starts sucking out it's victims aura and even some of their blood, weakening them to make it much easier to kill them… but that's not the only thing it sucks out.
The Baku gets a rather disturbing nickname for what they can do; The Dream Suckers.
Yes, a Baku also feeds on people's dreams and nightmares but, they prefer nightmares, as they are filled with lots negativity.
When a Baku is feeding, it induces dreadful and terrifying nightmares into the person's dreams, causing them to feel extremely scared and vulnerable, creating lots of negative energy for the Baku to feast on. In addition, the more a Baku feeds on the nightmares, the stronger and smarter they get, making it a reason why they prefer this strange and disturbing method, rather than outright killing them from the start.
With its sleep inducing presence, nightmare and aura draining snout, the Baku is a Grimm that shouldn't be taken lightly, even in a direct fight.
This Baku that Gale's now dealing with has followed him for much of the day, slowly tiring him out with its sleep inducing presence, until he eventually fell asleep. It seized it's chance and managed to drain some of his aura and even some of his blood, while also feasting on his nightmares that he suffered for a bit… but much to the Baku's shock, the young man suddenly resisted his nightmares and had good dreams, which slowed down the feeding process, giving him enough time to wake up and prevent the Baku weakening him enough for the killing blow.
Gale instantly knew what a Baku is but this is his first time of ever seeing and encountering one directly. He knew what they are capable of, thanks to his grandfather's teachings of how to fight all kinds Grimm and knowing how to deal with the right measures.
"So you're the one that's been following me all day and trying to put me to sleep… quite a cowardly tactic, for a Grimm, since they usually try to slaughter us up close and personal." Gale said to the Grimm with his eyes narrowed.
Gale mentally cursed to himself how he should've known this Baku was following him but it seemed all his stress and loneliness got the better of him… but now he's gonna make that up with a new purpose he found.. after he deals with the Grimm that is in front of him.
"Not to mention you're the one that's been messing with my dreams and made me suffer a terrible nightmare I did not enjoy." Gale added in a rather angry and serious tone when he mentioned that but the Baku just growled again at him.
Gale narrowed his eyes again at the Grimm and decides he should just get this over with, since it's obvious this is no time to chit chat, especially to a monster that wants to kill all humans.
"Alright. Since I got a big day tomorrow and planning a future for myself, it's best if I just destroy you so you can't suck anymore innocent dreams out of anyone else again." Gale steps forward, feeling confident he could actually beat it easily, since he managed to take on a troop of Death Howlers, but Gale suddenly feels dizzy and nearly stumbles off balance.
Much of his aura and some of his blood was sucked out. Not to mention he feels a bit drowsy again… it's the Baku's ability doing it's work again.
"Dammit… seems that bloodsucking bastard managed to suck out some of my aura and blood…. This is gonna be harder than I thought. Not to mention his ability to put you to sleep ain't helping either. I gotta keep my distance."
That was easier said than done as Gale realizes the cliff they are standing on is no longer and wider than a small backyard… meaning Gale can't keep his distance… either he's gonna have to throw the Grimm off the mountain.. or he's gonna be the one that's falling off.. and he chooses the former.
The dream eater takes notice of Gale's sudden weakness and realizes that it was still able to weaken the human a bit, despite that he slowed down and interrupted it's feeding process.
The Grimm growls even louder and leaps at young boy, bearing it's sharp claws and teeth, as it now decides to take on Gale directly.
Despite feeling tired again, Gale was still focused enough to lay a counter by slightly ducking and grabbing the Grimm from underneath, redirecting it's momentum, and adding his own force behind it.
Gale pivoted his stance and tossed the Baku into the tree he slept against earlier. The Grimm slammed straight through the tree and into the wall of the mountain where it left a small crater. The broken tree snaps and crackles, falling over to the ground with a loud thud.
The Baku gets back up and roars again, this time, sprinting towards Gale and starts swiping it's claws, with an occasional attempt to bite him. Gale tries his best to avoid the claws and teeth, as he leans left and right, sometimes ducking to avoid a high angled bite and jumping to avoid a low angled claw swipe. He also manages to block the paws, which are powerful. Despite holding well, it's getting more tedious with the Grimm's sleeping ability that makes it harder to concentrate and Gale is struggling to keep his eyes open, due to being this close to the Grimm.
The Baku swiftly turns a complete 360 and swings its tail at Gale's face which slightly nicked him, due to the sharp quills. Gale exclaimed in surprise and stumbled back from the unexpected hit. His aura managed to protect him from blood being drawn but that hit still painfully stung.
Gale looks back at the Baku which tries to swipe it's claws at him again, forcing Gale to lean out of the way. This time, Gale catches it's second swipe in his hand counters with a headbutt to the Grimm's own, stunning it long enough for Gale to repeatedly throw several fast jabs towards the Grimm's ribcage which slightly crack and break. The Grimm recovers and tries to bite him again but Gale grabs it by the throat and, with tremendous strength, flips the entire Grimm in the air and slams it very hard into the ground, head first, cracking the ground once more and even causing small rocks to fly into the air.
With the Baku down and dazed, Gale grabs it by the back of the neck with both hands and harshly drags it to the nearby cliffside, not being easy, as even it's ability still works when completely stunned.
"Time for some flying lessons!" With a loud and mighty scream, Gale tosses the Baku off the cliff… watching the Grimm plummet into the jungle… but it's eyes jolt open and glare at him. Suddenly, Gale felt something wrapped around his left arm.. and coiled around his arm is it's trunk. But it doesn't end there as he felt a sharp and stinging pain as the Baku's teeth lined snout latches onto his left shoulder. This time, Gale's aura prevents its teeth and tongue from piercing his flesh but the stinging sensation was still felt.
Before falling, the Baku lashed out it's trunk and managed to grab Gale. If it's gonna fall to the bottom of the mountain, than it's taking Gale with it.
Gale was too slow to properly react or do anything as he felt the whiplash of the Baku's entire weight dragging him off the cliff. Gale barely had time to act as he managed to grab the ledge of the cliff with his right hand…. Hanging on while the Baku dangles and kept it's own grip on Gale.
Gale was gritting his teeth and really trying not to lose his grip … he regretted taking off his Cyclone Gauntlets off and leaving them in his backpack, which would of been very helpful of dealing with this.
He asked himself why he took them off on a night like this when he wore them more often on other nights when asleep… probably due to the stress and frustration that got to him lately which made him didn't feel right and just lazilly took them off… or it had to be the Baku that was partially the reason.
Either way, it doesn't matter as Gale's now fighting for his life against this Grimm that stalked him all day and tried to suck out his nightmares… so Gale's gonna return the favor.
Gale's fingers started to slip and the tip of the ledge started to crumble…. and Gale was getting even more tired…. And he can't use his other arm cause that's where the Baku has its own weight holding it down.
If he keeps this up with this pointless struggle with little options to counter… he will end up falling asleep and the Baku will kill him... so he decides… to let go.
Gale released his grip.
Both human and Grimm fell and tumbled down the side of mountain, painfully slamming and bouncing against the rocky and rough terrain. At the same time, Gale was wrestling and grappling with the Baku, as one big ball of human flesh and corrupted darkness, rolling down the steep slope.
Eventually, the two fell off another ledge and are now falling straight down towards the treetops of the jungle.
It doesn't stop there, as Gale repositions himself until he's on top of the Grimm and starts viciously punching it in the face.
Each blow that landed on the skull/mask rattled and even cracked it.
The dream eating Grimm tried to fight back by swiping one of it's claws but the angle it's at and Gale wailing on it prevented a proper counter. It even tried to uncurl it's trunk and tried to bite him but Gale grabbed the snout near the tip and preventing the same thing it did to him earlier, as he goes back to punching the Grimm in the face again.
The skirmish stopped, once the two fell into the jungle; falling against and breaking many of the several branches on the trees which actually slowed down their fall but it was a pretty bumpy ride.
As they fell further down, the branches started to get thicker and got more painful to break through them. Until they hit a very thick branches that didn't break which caused both human and Grimm to painfully bounce off of it.. and bounced off another branch.. and another.. and another… until they bounced off the last branch and fell about 100 feet. Several seconds later, both slammed against the ground with a loud thud and shook up a cloud of dust.
Gale groaned in pain of taking such a long and hard fall. And now he feels his aura's almost at its limit….
"Man.. so gonna feel that tomorrow.. If I ever do see tomorrow…" He painfully said, as he was also panting heavily.
Normally, Gale has taken much higher falls and impacts that he even laughed them off like they're nothing.. It's just that he's fighting a Grimm and much of his aura and blood was already drained from the start.
Just as Gale got back on his feet and stood in his self made crater, he heard the annoyed growls nearby…
"Oh right… forgot about you. Still got a score to settle between us, eh?".
Gale turns around and sees the Baku getting back on it's own feet, standing over its own crater it made from it's fall. The Grimm's mask was heavily cracked and damaged, as it looked like it's reaching its limit too, despite not panting or looking tired, since Grimm don't get tired in the natural sense.
It turned towards Gale and looked really pissed off.
Due to its massive intelligence and semi-sapience, the Baku is aware enough to be taking this personally, as it wants to rip Gale to ribbons, suck out every last drop of his aura and blood, and leave him as nothing but an empty and dried husk.
"Alright, you jumbled looking piece of sewage… time to send you back to the deepest bowels from whence you came.." Gale understood this Grimm's anticipation as he gets in his fighting stance… and does a "bring it" gesture with his hand.
The Grimm roars again and charges forward. Gale responds as he charges forward as well with his own roar.
Gale throws forward a punch while the Grimm throws forward one of it's paws.
Both fist and paw clash and creates a decently large shockwave that blew back the dust and heavily rustled the ferns and bushes. However, this one was far smaller than his clash with the Beringels.
Both Gale and the Baku skidded back from the shockwave and glare at each other again.
The Baku decides to use another trick that almost catches Gale off guard.
The Grimm raises its tail and its quills stiffen in place. Gale raised an eyebrow for a second but quickly widened his eyes and realized what that means.
The dream eating Grimm violently flicks it's entire tail in Gale's direction, sending its own quills flying at him, as arrow-like projectiles and moving as fast as bullets shot out of an advanced sniper rifle.
Gale barely managed to maneuver around the quills, as many whizzed past him, with only a few that grazed his face and chest. The quills were embedded into the trees, easily piercing through the wood… and some even managed to pierce through solid rock that were the cliffside of the mountain.
The Baku repeats it's ranged attack by launching another volley, causing Gale to run and leap to the side with more quills embedded into the cliffside.
As he kept running, Gale quickly grabs a fist sized rock and plans to use it as a projectile. After dodging another volley of quills, he violently throws it at the Baku but the Grimm easily leaps out of the way. The rock smashes into a nearby tree and leaves a large hole in it that you can see through it entirely.
Now the Grimm gives chase and keeps flicking more quills that either impaled the ground, the trees, or the cliffside of the mountain. Gale, picks up more rocks he runs across and throws them with impressive accuracy and power but they don't hit it's mark and also end up hitting either the ground, trees, or nearby boulders which partially shatter from the impact.
Now it's a game of dodgeball, as neither managed to land the first hit in this squabble.
After 30 seconds of neither getting a hit… Gale managed to dodge several quills by twirling in midair.. and used that building momentum of that spin to throw a rock much harder than ever… hitting the Baku right in the face, which also shattered the rock to tiny pebbles. The Grimm shrieks from the impact and being caught off guard, but didn't falter and kept running at a steady pace with Gale.
Much of it's mask was even more cracked and it's right tusk was broken off. A piece of it's mask falls off like broken glass, showing part of its face hidden under the mask.
The Baku growls even deeper; now it's really getting pissed off with this human who just won't go down.
The dream eater darts it's eyes to the direction where Gale was running towards… and it spots a large, low hanging branch.
The clever Grimm has an idea; it launches it's last set of quills at the branch, easily tearing threw it and causing the branch to fall right above Gale.
The teen saw a large branch falling just above him and he reacts by instinct to punch upward which shatters the large branch in half.
That leaves him wide open.
Gale couldn't react as the Baku sprints like a cheetah, at full speed, and launches a powerful swipe which actually hit Gale with so much force that it launched him into the cliffside of the mountain, with a loud crash and dust flies everywhere. Gale is seen indented to it but pries himself off.. and his aura shatters seconds after.
Gale gasps in slight shock and even fear that he's now vulnerable.
The Baku leaps forward again and performs a downward slash but Gale rolls out of the way as deep claw marks were left in the stone where Gale stood half a second ago.
But this time.. Gale was too slow and the Baku turns around and tackles him to the ground, skidding across the dirt and leaving behind an entrail of upturned dirt.
The Grimm pinned Gale down with it's mighty paw, even slightly digging into his skin with it's claws, making sure he won't make escape.
Than it uncurls its trunk again….
"Crap!" Gale quickly grabs the Baku by the throat with his right hand and holds it back… and quickly snatches the trunk with his left hand, just by the tip, as it tried to bite into his face.
Now Gale's in a major struggle for his life, as he keeps the snapping snout from biting into his face and also holding the Grimm itself from going for his neck… heck, the snout is mere inches from his face that he gets a good look at the teeth and tongue of the Grimm… he can even see small traces of his own blood stained on the teeth...
Worse… Gale is slowly losing the battle because the Baku's sleep inducing effects are taking effect once more.
"Dammit!" Gale cursed as he realizes he's losing his strength and he's gonna be getting an entire row of razor sharp sets of teeth chomping down on his face.
"Stay awake! STAY AWAKE!" Gale mentally shouted, trying to stay fully awake to stay alive.
He started to panic and his mind was racing into overdrive and felt his adrenaline kicking to the max; He's pinned down, both of his arms are trying to hold the Grimm back from either biting his jugular or sucking the rest of his blood from his face.. And he's starting to fall asleep…the only thing keeping him from falling asleep is his adrenaline boost and sheer determination to live.
"What do I do… What do I do?!" Gale panicked and his eyes darted around for any possible chance to turn the tide….
Than.. he sees something that's nearly a foot away from him; a flat rock with a sharp and pointy edge.
Gale was a bit relieved but he can't grab it when both of his hands that are occupied… unless… Gale felt a slight bit of dread as he realized what he has to do… in order to gain the advantage… he's gonna have to bite the bullet…
"This is gonna hurt so bad… but it's better than being a dried and shriveled up corpse…." Gale thought in woe as he has to do what he must, if he wants to survive this…
With what little strength he has left… Gale forces the snout to a different spot… right on the left side of his abdomen… and lets go.
The tip of the snout latches onto Gale's torso, like a leech. This time, with no aura shielding it, the teeth instantly dig into the flesh and the tongue starts rasping…
The first thing Gale felt was perhaps the most painful thing he has ever felt in his life.
The young boy grits his teeth so hard that they nearly break and his pupils shrink to near pin pricks.. he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs…. but he endures the agonizing pain and reaches for the rock.
Once he grabs the rock, with all his might, he thrusts it right into the Grimm's right eye.
The Baku was so focused on trying to kill Gale.. it didn't notice the rock until it was too late.
Gale loudly screams and forcefully stabs the rock right into the Baku's right eye…
The Grimm lets out a loud and agonizing roar, as it backs off and releases Gale under its paw but it's snout stays latched on. Black ooze seeps from the wound, as the Grimm thrashes and stumbles around.
Gale now seizes his chance; He instantly jumps to his feet and does a mighty double fisted hammer blow on the Grimm's head which impacted so hard that the Grimm's head instantly smashes into the ground.
Gale than seizes his next chance by slamming his foot on it's neck, pinning down and preventing it from standing back up.
Than he stands directly behind and on top of the Baku and grabs it by the snout, in a tight and firm grip.. and he begins to pull with all his might.
The Baku starts screeching even louder, as it's head and neck was being forcibly bent back that it could easily get its neck snapped in two, by the force of Gale's sheer strength. The Grimm tried to fight back and break free but Gale had it pinned down under his foot, no way is he gonna let it get away.
"Nice try but you ain't escaping!" Gale shouted as he tugged harder.
After several more seconds of Gale forcefully tugging on the snout… it reached its limit... and was instantly torn off...
Black ooze sprayed across the battlefield and stained the nearby grasses and ferns.
The Baku let out the loudest and most agonizing shriek that it echoed across much of the jungle. Black ooze gushed out of the gaping wound where it's snout used to be; actually, the snout is still latched onto Gale's torso but he doesn't even care and focuses on the Grimm that is now beaten.
"Not so tough now, are ya, huh? Welp, this is what you get for messing with somebody's dreams so call this a little payback."
The Grimm glares at Gale with its remaining eye and tries to get back up but Gale still has it under his foot that he even stomps on it to keep it down
"Well, since I settled the score… I think it's time this is where we part ways; where I'll be the one that's gonna see the rising sun that's tomorrow, while you are the one that's gonna crumble to ashes and dust.
The Baku growls in spite at him. Even in defeat, the Grimm continues to glare into Gale's soul with murderous intent.
"I better make it best if I start doing that one thing you do in those violent fighting games… what was it…? Oh right! The one where you perform an epic finishing move called a "Fatality" on your defeated opponent!" Gale announced as he grabs the Baku by the head and begins to forcefully twist it.
The Baku starts to struggle again but Gale still persists and keeps twisting.
In the middle of performing his finishing move, Gale decides to add a rousing speech; once proudly said by his grandfather, as Gale feels like presenting it at a time like this.
"Creatures of Grimm!" Gale shouts at the top of his lungs, as if he's giving every Grimm in Remnant a message that's also a warning. "You will never prevail nor eradicate the towering might and the infinite wisdom that is Humanity and the Faunus! We will be the ones that will win this war, wipe you off the face of this planet, and live to see the shining beacon of the future in harmony!" He twists the head of the Grimm even harder.
Crick.
The Baku's resistance was futile, as it's neck started to contort at an odd angle, as snapping and cracking was heard.
"I… Am Gale Hathi!"
CRACK.
The Baku keeps screeching but less so, as it's eyes dart around in desperation and no way for it to break loose.
"Proud student and loving grandson of the mighty and wise Ganee Hathi!"
SNAP!
The Grimm begins to struggle less, as it's entire head was twisted even further that it should be dead by now.
"Future student of Beacon Academy and Huntsman of Remnant!"
CRICK! CRACK! SNAP!
Now the Baku's head was nearly torn off that it can no longer shriek but it's still aware of what's happening to itself.
"And… last but not least…. I will never again fight alone… but with others that I will cherish and be by their side… like a team... like a family….
The Baku had its remaining eye facing Gale and still glares at him, who glares back with no signs of fear… and he makes one last twist and pull; the hardest he's ever done.
"Now tremble and be crushed… by the imposing might… OF THE ELEPHANT!"
RRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPP!
With one last and mighty yank, Gale finally rips the entire head of the Grimm's shoulders. So hard that he lost his footing and fell off the Baku's body and fell to the ground.
A fountain of black ooze erupts from the Baku's headless corpse, like a fountain, which sprays everywhere, while the torn head tumbles in midair.
Seconds later, the head finally hits the ground and rolls away a bit.. until it stopped rolling and lays still. The headless corpse collapses, shortly after, with a decently audible thud.
The Baku has been slain.
Gale was laying on his side and breathing heavily but slowly calms down and takes a breather, as the adrenaline boost wears off.
He watched in silence, as the head and body of the slain Grimm crumble to ashes which get blown away in the wind. Shortly after, the trunk, that's still latched to his abdomen, also turns to dust.
Once the snout fully disappeared, all Gale now sees on his abdomen is a badly inflicted wound, with rings of teeth marks and an especially bleeding wound where the tongue really went to town on. It's not lethal, but still bleeding out pretty bad… it will likely become a scar that Gale will carry for the rest of his life.
With his adrenaline boost finally wearing off, Gale finally catches his breath and calms down
He stands still for several more minutes; his mind going through every moment of the fight that lasted from start to finish… but, he couldn't help but feel like he was very lucky of breaking out of being pinned down, since he found that rock right next to him conveniently… he wonders if there was any other way he could've fought his way out of that one without using that rock.
Gale now feels slightly guilty and frustrated that he came so close to being killed without his weapon and couldn't use his semblance either… but still, taking on a Grimm, without the aid of a weapon or a semblance, while having nearly half of your aura and blood drained, is still quite an impressive feat and he even felt slightly proud at that.
Either way, what has been done is done, as Gale can't ponder any further since he won and he'll be living to see the rising sun in the morning.
Gale sighs at this sudden and chaotic event,… and walks back towards the mountain. That's where he left his backpack and that is where he intended to sleep for the night so that is where he's going, even if he has to climb all the way back up there.
Once Gale got to the mountain, he started to climb… and he's got a VERY long way to go, as the top easily towers over the six hundred foot tall skyscraper trees.
It wasn't easy climbing up back to the top, due to his injuries and his aura that's still shattered which will take a while to recharge. Gale stayed determined and kept climbing; he's used to climbing these mountains so he's taking his time and stays calm. He even reruns the same path he took to get up this mountain earlier.
For one second, Gale almost slipped and lost his footing but quickly recovered and grabbed a firm ledge to stay on. He sighs in relief again and continues climbing.
Once he reached the top, Gale managed to climb right back to where he slept and his battle with the Baku began. His backpack is still there so that's a relief could've been worse if it wasn't there.
Gale limps over to his backpack, unzips it, and digs in to find what he needs. He pulls out several bandage wraps, a bottle of alcohol to ease the pain and to prevent an infection, and a small canister of healing dust. He slightly winces from the stinging pain but calms down as the alcohol did it's job of keeping the wound clean than sprinkles the healing dust to heal his wounds a little faster. He than wraps it up, along with his other minor injuries, in bandages to heal. Now he just need some sleep and his aura will reactivate and heal his wounds much more quickly.
He leans back against the broken tree, As Gale watches the shattered moon shine overhead. He puts his Cyclone Gauntlets back on for extra precaution, this time.
Just as he was about to sleep.. Gale wonders what he saw in his dream when he saw Beacon Academy... those two figures; that bull faunus and that human girl. For some reason, they seemed special and important as they were the closest to him and he saw a little more features from them, before waking up. Now Gale isn't sure what that all means but he's gonna keep that in mind when he gets to Beacon.
After a few more minutes of silence, Gale falls back asleep again to heal his wounds and to replenish his aura.
Morning; 7:25 A.M
The sun was already rising into the but still a little early, as the sky was still reddish-orange.
On top of another mountain, we see the temple that Gale was raised in, still standing tall and proud. But no one has used or lived it for many years.
It was deathly quiet, as the wind gently blew.
But the silence ended when footsteps were heard and someone appeared to have reached the top and set foot on the grounds his former home.
It's Gale.
He appears to be carrying a bouquet of yellow and lilac flowers that are wrapped up in fresh tree leafs, holding them gently in his arms, as he walks into his home that he hasn't visited for so long.
He no longer has his bandages on, since his aura eventually reactivated in his sleep and healed him up quickly… but all is left is that nasty scar the Baku gave him.
He walks through the courtyard… memories flash before him as this was one of his favorite places liked to play in his free time, by himself or with his grandfather…
Gale decided to enter his home, that looks like a small palace… one last time…
He slowly opens the doors… and looks at the empty and silent entrance that leads to the living room and dining room. He walks further in and enters the living room….
He sees the couch and the nearby advanced tv set where it makes a holographic screen.. That is where he watched lots of good movies and played lots of video games… with his grandfather…
He walks past the training room and peers into it… where he sees all the equipment; old and new, old fashioned and modern. This was the place where he trained… with his grandfather…
In the kitchen.. he sees the rather old fashioned kitchen sets where food is made the old fashioned way, and the dinner table… that was where he ate… with his grandfather.
After looking around and checking out his old home for the last time… he heads to one more room of the temple… his room.
After walking through the hallway… Gale now stands in front of the door that leads to his room…
He slowly reaches his hand out to the doorknob, gently grips it, and slowly turns it.
Once the door opened, Gale quietly walks inside and looks into his old room; it looks just like how he left it when he decided to live in the jungles…
The room was a standard looking room designed for a young teen boy; with a decently sized bed, several shelves, a few cabinets where he used to keep his clothes, and even a mirror on his wall.
He also has tons of accessories and personal items he kept; several action figures, comic books and manga, old school video games, a lava lamp, several posters of badass huntsman he looked up to, and even a world globe that shows the whole map of Remnant.
Gale looked around and started feeling a little nostalgic, as he stepped further into his room… than he felt his foot step on something that also made a squeaky sound.
He looks down… and under his foot… is a stuffed plush elephant, wearing a conical hat and a frilled collar. It even had oversized ears that were each as big as it's entire body.
It's his old stuffed elephant that his grandfather has given him when he was a child… the very toy and stuffed elephant he used to sleep with.
With the bouquet of flowers in his left hand, he slowly bends down and picks up the plush elephant with his right hand.
With the plush in his hand, Gale instantly remember cuddling the plush that gave him comfort and security when he was a small child…. even now, the plush makes him feel a bit secure and safe.
Gale slowly walks over to his bed… and takes a seat in it, while holding the stuffed elephant and gently placing the flowers next to him.
Gale sits in silence and looks around his room, while holding his stuffed elephant... such good times. He's been through a lot and now he's looking forward to his new future where he won't be alone and may have new people and friends by his side and sharing their happiness with his….
Gale almost closed his eyes and wanted to take a little nap but he kept them open and slowly smiled again….
After a few more minutes of sitting in his old room, Gale decides it's time to leave now. He's seen enough and needs to get something done….
Before he leaves his room, he gently places his stuffed elephant on his bed and against his old pillow, instead of leaving it on the floor.
He slowly walks towards the and exits it, right before closing it shut.
As he exits the temple, he continues up another set of stairs that leads to the top of the mountain.
Once he reached the highest point, which he can now see the rising sun over the horizon… right in the middle of it… is a tree; and just in front of it… is a tombstone.
Gale slowly walks towards it and sees an engraved symbol on the top that takes the shape of elephant's head that looks proud and mighty.
Under the symbol is an epitaph… that Gale engraved there himself.
GANI HATHI
A KIND AND HONORABLE WARRIOR
AN EXCELLENT TEACHER
A LOVING GRANDFATHER
The last one… made Gale almost shed a tear….
AS GRACEFUL AS I AM WISE, MY BELIEFS HAVE NO BOUNDS
Gale stared in silence of his grandfather's grave and wanted to say something to him… for some reason, he wanted the silence to last a little longer.
For quite a while lately, he's been thinking about his encounter with grandfather in his dreams and how he interacted with him…. Gale can't help but feel that encounter with his grandfather ain't some coincidence.
A small part of him actually believes that might of been his actual grandfather talking and watching over him... but he isn't sure either if that's true but, even if it isn't, it doesn't stop him from believing it to being possible.
Either way… Gale is happy to be here and to see his grandfather again that he hasn't for so long…. his grandfather's grave, that is….
After several more minutes of staring at his grandfather's grave stone, Gale kneeled down and gently places the flowers right in front of the grave stone and pulls out the blue feather with the orange tip which he also places in front of the tombstone.
Gale stays kneeled for another few minutes… and finally found the courage to speak.
"Hey Grandpa…." Gale said in a very calm and sincere tone, as he continues to look at his grandfather with somber eyes… "Been quite some time since I've last been here…."
Several more seconds of silence.
"Sorry I've haven't been around here much… since that day." He continued as he swallowed a bit.
"I just wanted to- okay, no point beating around the bush." Gale muttered and gets on with it.
"All this time, I was really scared and alone, because I had to fend for myself and tried to help anyone I could to possibly connect with, to not let my loneliness drive me much deeper into what I already was…. so I've decided I'm moving on to find my purpose and happiness beyond Vacuo… and I think Beacon Academy is the place that is calling to me." He softly says as he smiled a bit more.
"Though… I ain't sure if it was me or you that helped me get through this last night…" Before he could finish, Gale slightly frowned. "Look… I don't know if it was deja vu or just some mundane coincidence; whenever if it was really you or just a part of my consciousness that took the form of you." He continued.
"Even if it wasn't truly you, it still felt like you down to the very soul. Either way... I want thank you for helping me to overcome my doubts." He added, as he smiled again.
"So now… I'm gonna go to Vale, train to become a huntsman, form an awesome team… and…" The teenager couldn't help but blush, as his face turned a little red. "...maybe even raise a family…. If I ever do find that one person that fits for me…." He couldn't help but chuckle at that last part.
"And lastly… I do believe that you are watching over me, even if you aren't. I believe this is where we part ways… I can't help but consider not to say goodbye to you… If I don't say it, than I'm not gone… I'm just not here right now… but I'll someday try to come back if given the chance." After he finished his proposal, the orangette stayed quiet and decided to say one last thing.
"I must go now… I promise I'll find my new happiness and purpose." Gale tried to wipe his face from any tears from being shed until he let out a whisper that was very faint.
"Love you, Grandpa... Thank you for everything…." Gale finished, as he slowly got up and walked away and towards the stairs.
Just as he reached the edge, he stopped and turned over his shoulder to see his grandpa one last time… than he descends down the stairs.
Just as Gale was out of sight, a gust of wind blows by as leaves of the tree rustle and the feather briefly blows around a bit but stays in front of the tombstone.
1 Hour Later.
Gale was seen walking through the jungle, with his backpack back on and heading west. He's preparing to leave but he needs to gather a few things on his journey.
Suddenly, Gale felt the ground slightly shake and heard a few trees, in the distance, creaking and snapping.
He was on guard and faced the possible incoming threat.
But as the giant creature got closer, Gale slowly calmed down as he got a better look at it; a Sanus Elephant.
But when it stomped closer, Gale couldn't help be be surprised that it's covered in lots of scratches.. and appears to be missing it's left eye.
It's the young bull.. and Gale is right in its path.
Over night, the young bull's aura returned and managed to patch up his wounds really quickly but now all he has are his scars and his missing left eye in which his left eyelid is shut tight.
Despite the imposing height and size of the massive elephant, Gale doesn't look scared or intimidated by it. In fact, he looks on to it as if he's respecting.
The young bull stops in its tracks and notices the teenage human in front of him. He looks down and inspects Gale… his instincts don't sense any threat or ill intent coming from him… in fact, the young bull notices the scar on Gale's abdomen which still looks fresh.
Gale notices all the scratches and bites marks, but especially the nasty wound where the young bull's eye used to be…
Both stared into each other's eyes, in the young bull's case, his right eye… so much that their respective reflections were seen off of each other's eyes, as they understood what they've been through.
They've been in a fight for their own survival and barely made it out alive.
After a few more seconds of silence, Gale moved aside a bit and continue walking forward while the young bull continues on his own path as well.
The two silently pass each other without interfering one another, out of respect.
Gale heads West while the young bull heads East, in opposite directions from each other.
1 Week Later; Eastern side of the Sanus Jungle.
On the eastern side of the jungle, the young bull is seen walking through the jungle and still on his own… he wonders if he'll ever find some company.
Than… he hears a trumpeting roar in the distance.
The bull stopped in his tracks and flapped his ears… is that the roar of another Sanus Elephant?
The young bull lets out his own trumpeting roar which echoes across the jungle and waits for a reply… and it does.
He hears it again and starts to follow that direction which gets louder; he's heading in the right path towards it.
The young bull finds a wide clearing where there's less also finds a pool, with plenty of water to drink and bath in, covered in thick water vegetation.
The young bull looks around.. But then sees three large figures nearby in the pool. He steps closer to them and got a better look at them; Three young Sanus Elephant bulls, formed in a bachelor herd.
They all varied in sizes and traits; the largest one had a few scars on his abdomen and the longest tusks (but not as long as the scarred young bull). The second one was the second largest and had average sized tusks. The third was the smallest and had the shortests tusks.
They were busily cooling themselves off from the heat and one the smallest was even having fun by splashing around in the water and spraying water from his trunk like a garden hose.
The young bull trumpets again, gaining their attention as they turned towards him.
The three other young bulls stared at this new young bull before them. They even notice his scars across his body and his missing eye.
At first, the other three young bulls were silent for a few seconds, until the biggest one, that's leading the small bachelor herd, walks forward and looks at this new young bull before him.
Though, despite being the biggest of the small herd, the leader is slightly shorter than the scarred young bull who greets him with his trunk.
The two young bulls touch with their trunks that's almost like a handshake and the leader of the small herd instantly invites the young bull into the herd which the scarred young bull accepts.
The leader of the bachelor herd goes back into the water with the scarred young bull following and he ends up running and splashing into the water, with great enthusiasm.
He finally found a new herd to be with and a place to call home.
However… hiding within the nearby treetops is none other than Leader, the former leader of the pack of Sabre Fangs that attacked the young bull. For now, he's no threat but he intends on keeping an eye on the young bull.. While he's busily eating his kill which is a horse sized anteater that he ambushed and killed, when it was busily feasting on a termites in a termite mound.
At the same time; Western edge of the Sanus Jungle that borders to the savanna.
In this area, on the western side of the jungle's edge, where the trees get smaller and more spread out, as it gets drier and less tropical.
Gale is seen exiting from the dense brush and stops right at the edge of it. In fact, this is the same area he once exited a few years back when he wanted to visit Vacuo and now he's going there for a reason.
Attached to his backpack is a large sack of all kinds of fruits and vegetables he managed to gather, before leaving, and plenty of large water bottles for the trip. He's planned ahead and now he's gonna travel across the grasslands and deserts until he reaches the capital and find any transportation to get him to Vale. If he runs out, he'll use his skills to forage for other kinds of food, even meat, if he has to.
He lets out a deep but relieving sigh and looks back at the jungle again. He doesn't know how long he'll be gone but, maybe someday, he'll drop by and see his grandpa again on top of that mountain; maybe even remodel the old temple into his own home someday too.
turns back as he looks out and sees the horizon over the wide open grassland with some scattered trees dotted across it. That direction is where Shade Academy is and that's where he's gonna find whatever transportation he can afford.
He checked his credit card that he keeps in his wallet… which has enough savings and lien that can last for several years… yep, this was his grandfather's entire allowance and income that was given to him after his passing he left for Gale. As much money as he got that he could spend on everything… he chooses to spend on what's necessary, but he would probably spend on other things too, in moderation. He also looked at his scroll, making sure its working and still has those photos of the statues and the mysterious symbol he found in the underground temple. They might mean something so he's gonna hold onto them for now.
Lastly, before he came here, he went to every village he could reach and told them he's gonna go to Vale. When they heard that announcement, they all felt proud of him and some even celebrated with him. They all bidded him farewell and even gave him some of their food and water, in addition to his own he gathered.
Despite telling them in concern of his absence that they might be attacked by the Grimm, they told him he doesn't have to worry about their safety because, not only did he slay the Alpha Beringel, they assured him major grimm attacks will happen less likely, if they stay calm and positive, and they are also more than capable of defending themselves with their fortresses and walls that surround their villages.
With all that checked and secure, Gale looked back out at the horizon.
This is it. He's finally leaving for real, gonna go take on the world, and see what's out there and see if there is a team of other people that will treat him as a companion and a friend.
He's gonna find his purpose and happiness.
With that all said and done, Gale starts walking forward and begins his true journey of Remnant; and his first destination is Vale and Beacon Academy.
As the happy teen walks on, above him, are lots of clouds that cover the sky and even blocking the sun. But a few gaps in the clouds allowed some rays of sunshine to shine through.. And within those clouds is a silhouette of Gale's grandfather who smiles, feeling proud, and watching Gale move on as the sun rays shine overhead.
On this day, a young bull elephant has found his companions.. while a young human will soon find his own...
The scenery now fades to black once again, as the image of the four young teenagers appear again. Only Adam and Nigel in full detail, while the other two remain as silhouettes.
The image ripples once again; now showing Gale in his full glory.
He's holding his right fist in his left palm, wearing his turquoise colored Cyclone Gauntlets that are in their inactive mode which look like bracelets. He's giving a genuine smile, his turquoise colored eyes are wide open, so full of life and confidence, looking ready to rumble and throw down.
The fourth and last silhouette remains the same… as he awaits his moment to shine... the last member of ANGR will be revealed soon.
Gale Hathi
And that's the third trailer. One more to go.
Holy crap.. This has to be the longest chapter I've ever made.. And this is just a trailer for one of my OCs!
More will be revealed about Gale's past, along with the other three, including Adam, in the future.
Also, the many species of animals living in the jungles are taking place in Remnant are a little based on the real world jungles. The Sanus jungles is mix between the Amazon Rainforest and the jungles of both Africa and Asia. Since Remnant is a different planet, the species of animals coexisting here are justifiable.
As for the city, got a little bit of ancient Mayan inspiration as well.
Welp. Tune in next time for the fourth and last trailer and we'll head to the real story.