I'll be honest. I'm both happy and disappointed with how it turned out.
I get to finally write a fight scene and at the same time felt that I rushed it. Don't know if I did though it's just my opinion on how I wrote this.
Review time!
jure roll: Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk. Besides I don't think Gods would be the most discreet when playing a TTRPG.
A girl in a black hoodie and rimmed ran through the streets, looking back over her shoulders periodically. Her expression turned downcast when she saw that the group of fans had not given up. If anything, they looked more determined to catch her.
"Over there!"
"Please, wait up!"
"I haven't gotten your autograph yet!"
The girl gripped the handle of the bag in her left hand. She had only wanted to get through the city of Argus unnoticed. Accidentally into a rabid fan certainly wasn't part of her plans and getting recognized was the opposite of her goal. She didn't mean to cause a scene with her presence.
Her name was Pyrrha Nikos, the current champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament. Hailed as a prodigy in combat, she was thrust into the spotlight at a young age. She never really had a normal childhood thanks to her newfound fame. Pyrrha tried her best with her situation but more than often she felt stifled.
Despite her age, it didn't stop fans from ganging up on her in the middle of the streets to ask for photographs and signatures.
Hence the disguise. Albeit a rather poor one if she was found out that easily.
She needed to escape. Quickly.
Seeing an open alleyway, the girl turned and ran into it. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the group of fans had run past the alleyway and most likely lost sight of her completely.
Yes! The girl celebrated in her mind, Now to-
So focused on her attempts to escape, Pyrrha didn't notice the lone figure walking down the alleyway in the same direction as her. Bumping against the figure, the pair stumbled and fell together.
"Eep!" Pyrrha tripped over the figure's body and her bag was thrown in a random direction, landing with a thud. The lens of her glasses cracked as she landed hard on the ground.
She groaned and pushed herself up only to realize that she was-
Soclosesoclosesoclosesoclose!
"I'm sorry!"
Pyrrha's hood fell back to reveal bright red hair and emerald green eyes. She didn't even notice her lack of a disguise as she tried to help the boy up. She should've paid attention to her surroundings. Her mother had ingrained it in her head several times and yet-
"It's fine." A deep voice said. It was coming from the boy! He pushed himself off the ground, glancing towards the broken shards of what remained of her glasses (which were purely aesthetic of course).
Silver eyes stared into emerald green.
Now that Pyrrha got a good look at him, he was younger than she expected. Younger than her if she was to guess. He had massive amounts of purple hair, neatly styled in a vortex-like pattern. He wore a gray coat with one sleeve colored black. Much of his clothing looked like they had been made from discarded materials. Even his brown boots had some wear and tear.
Yet she couldn't help but get lost in his eyes. His face was rather cute too despite his ragged appearance. An unnoticeable blush settled across her face.
Yeah, she could get used to this.
Agh, stop iiiiiittttt!
No! Bad thoughts! Her mind had committed treason! Treason she says!
Pyrrha suddenly looked away, turning towards the alleyway's walls instead. The shadows looked nice for some reason.
On the other hand, out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw a large bag that had been sitting there this entire time. The boy walked over, crouching down, and picking the bag up. He tilted his head at how heavy it was before bringing it over to Pyrrha.
"Is this yours?"
The boy held out the bag. It was the very same one that held her weapons: Miló and Akoúo̱.
What a gentleman, One part of her mind treacherously whispered. No! She needed to be polite! That was what she was taught by her mother!
"Uh...y-yes!" She shouted embarrassedly, quickly taking the bag from his hands. Her cheeks resembled the color of her hair as Pyrrha tried to gather her thoughts to say anything. "Thank you!"
The boy simply nodded with very little changes in his expression. He began to walk away from Pyrrha, leaving her in the darkened alleyway alone. She panicked and quickly ran after the boy.
"Wait!"
His head turned to look over his shoulders, stopping to see what she had to say.
Pyrrha opened her mouth to say the first thing on her mind. Only to close it as she realized just how rude she was. The boy was clearly trying to get somewhere and yet here she was, trying to bug him about a question.
Why is trying to talk to people so hard?
"Is there anything you need?" The boy asked, his silver eyes peering right at Pyrrha. He didn't show any agitation at being stopped and merely eyed her up and down.
Pyrrha tried to speak but no words came out. She stayed silent, too scared to say anything. It was one simple question but she couldn't find it within herself to speak. She had spoken to probably hundreds of adoring fans yet she couldn't speak to one boy.
In the end, she tapped out.
"...um... never mind," the red-haired girl meekly said, bowing her head slightly to the ground. "I'm sorry for bothering you."
For a few moments, the boy only stared daggers at her as if judging Pyrrha. Visibly, he showed no emotion but the judging look in his eyes told her enough. She felt so small and meek underneath his gaze despite the clear age difference. Wasn't she supposed to be the older one?
He probably thinks I'm a weirdo…
Pyrrha couldn't help the self-deprecating thoughts. Being a celebrity, she learned early on to cultivate her public image which hinged on the opinions of others. It also didn't help that she had very few social skills besides talking in interviews and press conferences.
"...next time," the boy finally said, causing Pyrrha to look up at him. "Do not shy away. Resolve yourself to your actions."
With that said, the boy walked away. He disappeared behind a corner; the sound of his footsteps slowly lowering as he got further and further away.
Pyrrha stood in that dark alleyway, not knowing how to respond to his words. It was perhaps the strangest advice spoken to her. She wasn't sure if he was joking or actually serious.
"Resolve myself?" she muttered. "What did he mean by that?"
Pyrrha stood there quite confused, going over the boy's advice over and over again. Until she suddenly looked up and remembered why she had disguised herself in the first place.
"I have to train!" She simply said and quickly ran out of the alleyway as well, heading towards the nearest secluded area.
Yet even as she ran, she couldn't help but think about the boy.
And if she can meet him again.
A few days have passed since then and Pyrrha found no signs of the boy. It was like he vanished into thin air. She thought that a boy with purple hair would be easy to notice but Pyrrha didn't see anyone matching his description. Granted, it was a dark alleyway so she couldn't see his face fully but even then, it shouldn't be that hard to find him.
She was wrong.
Pyrrha sighed, sitting on a large rock while eating her lunch (it was a sandwich). She had been practicing alone in the forests surrounding Argus; most Grimm don't wander near the walls of the city and it was secluded enough to make it the perfect place to train.
The Mistral Regional Tournament was coming up in a week. She needed to be at her best when the matches began. There was a lot of pressure on her shoulders to hold her title as champion including from her classmates.
The first time she won, it was a close match. If not for her Semblance then Pyrrha would've lost. Since there was a chance that she might not be so lucky next time, Pyrrha threw herself into training. She couldn't disappoint her mother who spurred the girl on
Though the main reason why Pyrrha was out in the middle of the forest was to find him. Since she didn't find him in the city, the champion hoped that she could find him in the forest somewhere (ignoring the fact that Grimm is in the forest).
Still no luck on that endeavor.
But she won't stop trying!
Pyrrha pouted, chewing up the last pieces of her lunch. Any person would've given up after searching for so long. But she was no ordinary person. She is Pyrrha Nikos, the Champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament. It would be an insult to just give up after only a few days worth of searching!
The leaves shook from the large roar that echoed throughout the forest. Pyrrha immediately got onto her feet, holding up both her javelin and shield in a crouched stance and looked in the direction of where the roar was. She narrowed her eyes and waited for something to lunge out at her.
Several seconds passed in silence. The bushes around her shook slightly. Pyrrha couldn't tell if that was due to the wind or something else. Instead, she merely gripped Miló tighter in preparation.
The bushes ruffled again, causing Pyrrha to narrow her eyes.
Instantly, she preemptively stabbed Miló at the black shape that lunged out of the bushes, firing the rifle attached to the weapon to give a burst of strength. Miló pierced through the jaw of a wolf-like Grimm, a beowolf, and out of the bone-like helmet.
It was dead upon impact.
Shortly after, Pyrrha retracted Miló away from the dead Beowolf and the shaft of the javelin quickly retracted into itself, turning Miló into a double-edged short sword. Smacking the now disintegrating corpse of the beowolf aside with the rim of her shield, Akoúo̱, she used the momentum to swing with Miló again. Just in time to decapitate another Beowolf diving towards her; the head falling by her feet. Pyrrha crouched down to allow the body to fly over and land behind her.
Sensing another Grimm reaching out to her with its claw, Pyrrha whirled around and swung again, cutting the arm off. It yelped in pain, stumbling back, as Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱ like a frisbee. The shield impacted against the beowolf's face and ricocheted off its skull. As it flew back towards Pyrrha, she jumped over Akoúo̱ and used the opportunity to slash down on the Grimm's head, cutting it open. It let out one more groan before going still.
Pyrrha landed on her feet, the discarded shield returning to her open hand as if by an unseen force.
She took a second to catch her breath, still keeping an eye out for any more. Despite being caught off-guard, she managed to deal with three beowolves with nary an injury. As expected of the Champion of Mistral and future Huntress.
Pyrrha was admired for a reason. While she didn't have much experience fighting Grimm, it wasn't much different from fighting people. Was it easier? She wasn't sure.
Though something about the whole situation bugged her.
"What kind of Grimm is able to make that roar?" Pyrrha thought to herself.
And why was there only 3 Grimm? Surely there would be more than that especially after the largest roar she had ever heard. Or was she just imagining the entire thing? Pyrrha is in a secluded area. Anything could be mistaken as a roar.
"Hm?" She looked up to the overbearing trees above her. There were no birds and only the wind was present, billowing past the branches and leaves.
Then Pyrrha saw them. A pair of red malevolent eyes gazing right at her. She got into a crouched stance again, holding Akoúo̱ in front of her. Preparing to fight again, the Champion of Mistral glanced around to see if there was any more.
Another pair of red eyes looked back at her. Pyrrha stepped back; a flash of fear clear in her eyes. She looked over to the right, a third pair was also glaring back at her. Everywhere she looked, a new pair of red eyes were watching her. It wasn't long until Pyrrha realized she was surrounded.
Had they been watching her this entire time?
Deep guttural growls were coming from all around her. They all glared at her, circling around the girl. Pyrrha's breathing became faster and her heart began to beat rapidly as she realized the kind of situation she was in.
Grimm. Creatures of darkness. It is said that they existed before humanity. They were born and molded in the dark, attacking the light itself. Grimm were attracted to negative emotions such as hatred and sorrow.
And Pyrrha's growing panic and fear made her the perfect prey.
Two beowolves charged out of the darkness from different directions. Their maws dripped with drool, salivating at the chance to kill another human. For a moment, Pyrrha swore that she saw small purple markings across their bone-like armor.
This was no time to gawk however.
Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱ to the first beowolf she could see. The shield bounced off the Grimm and stunned it momentarily. As she ran at the stunned Grimm, she focused her Aura and manipulated the falling shield to suddenly shoot towards the other beowolf. It whacked the Akoúo̱ out of the way just as Pyrrha went to make the first blow by slashing at the torso of the first beowolf. Spinning around, her second slash cut deep into the flesh of the Grimm causing it to wail in agony. Pyrrha reeled back her arm before shifting Miló into its javelin form, extending the point into the beowolf's mouth, piercing through the back of its neck and killing it in one blow.
Seeing the second beowolf raising its claw, Pyrrha quickly shifted Miló back into its sword form and sliced through the disintegrating corpse's cheek. The beowolf's turned towards the weapon and tried to lean back. The sword tore into the eye of the Grimm, permanently blinding the beowolf in one eye. It roared and pressed its large paw against the damaged eye and stepped back in both shock and agony.
Before Pyrrha could capitalize on the momentary weakness, she saw two more already so close to reaching her. She can kill the one in front of her only to be attacked as soon as she finishes or she can deal with the two behind her, leaving the blinded beowolf to possibly recover.
Leaving the blinded Grimm for the time being, Pyrrha reached out for her shield. Akoúo̱ shook slightly before rising off the ground and launching itself towards Pyrrha again. She quickly caught the shield and smacked the first beowolf aside causing it to whine as it rolled across the ground. As she went to intercept the other beowolf's jump with Miló, Pyrrha yelped as she was suddenly pushed to the side.
She rolled a couple of feet away, thankfully relatively uninjured due to her aura. Pyrrha sat up, her eyes widening at the lack of weapons in her hand. She glanced up ahead, seeing that her weapons had been dropped when she was pushed aside. Pyrrha tried to concentrate and called upon her Semblance again. As both Miló and Akoúo̱ started to move, two large paws would slam onto the weapons, stopping them from moving at all.
Pyrrha gasped in shock and leaned back in fear, seeing the large Grimm that pressed down on the weapons. It was an Ursa, a bear-like Grimm. It had bone-white spikes across its entire back with clear purple markings across its fur and mask. On its arms were small bone spikes embedded into the skin almost like a wrist blade.
The wind began to billow even louder, causing Pyrrha's hair to raise slightly.
Pyrrha's pupils shrank as she looked at the pack of Grimm snarling at her. They didn't attack just yet, only looking at her in an almost gleeful fashion. It didn't take a genius for her to know that they were just toying with her.
The wind was roaring now, causing the very trees to shake. Several leaves were plucked from their branches and were swirling around the area.
She had no weapons. Argus was a mile away. Pyrrha doubted that even with Aura, she could get away. The Grimm can easily keep up without any difficulties.
No one was coming to save her.
Pyrrha is going to die.
What's worse is that her legs refused to move. Fear wracked her body and stopped Pyrrha from moving. All she can do is sit there, knowing what fate awaited her.
Was this what death feels like? The hopelessness and despair of knowing that you cannot do anything to change it?
Pyrrha could only whimper, gripping the blades of grass underneath her.
The Ursa snarled before turning towards the two Beowolves beside it. It gestured its head towards the prone girl as if commanding them to go after her before stepping back. The beowolves complied with the order and immediately dived towards Pyrrha, intent on ending her life.
Pyrrha closed her eyes and turned away, screaming for help. For anyone to come.
Mom...I'm so sorry.
A blast of wind blew across the area and howls soon followed. Pyrrha kept her eyes closed and waited for anything to happen. Nothing happened. She didn't feel sharp claws mauling her entire body.
Instead she heard something different.
"It's not your destiny to die today."
Pyrrha opened her eyes to see a figure bathed in a purple aura with his back towards her. He wielded a large scythe with a gnarled staff. The actual blade was separated by (unbelievably) what seemed to be a black vortex. The scythe stabbed through one of the beowolf's neck while the staff of the weapon held back the claws of the second Grimm.
Pyrrha recognized the clothing of her savior. It was the same boy from before. She has been searching for him for some time now and she finally found him. But it seemed like he found her instead.
"I was wondering why it was my destiny to arrive here," the boy said out loud, silver eyes staring at the two beowolves. "But I realize now that it's something far bigger."
In his hands was a small glowing card. Pyrrha could see that there seemed to be a drawing of some kind on the card but it was too far away to properly tell. The card then dissipated into several motes of light as the boy made his move.
"[Counterattack]."
Pushing the staff of the scythe against the second beowolf's claws, he pulled out the scythe from the neck of the first beowolf as the second was shoved back. In one swift motion, the boy spun around and sliced through the torso of the second Grimm, bisecting it cleanly. It was done with such fluidity that Pyrrha thought it was the work of a Semblance. The card she saw earlier could be related to that.
Clearly caught off-guard, the Ursa lowered its head. The bear-like Grimm growled at the new threat while still pressing down on Pyrrha's weapons. Several beowolves began to circle the boy. Eleven in total yet he showed no signs of being worried. Instead, he twirled the scythe, preparing to attack as well.
One of the beowolves lunged at him, claws already outstretched.
"Look out!"
Pyrrha shouted to warn him. He didn't seem to need the warning as he jumped straight at the Grimm, swinging the scythe to cut across the collarbone. Kicking off the beowolf, he swung again and cut across its back and spine in mid-air. He used the beowolf as a platform again, launching himself towards the next Grimm. Flipping through the air, the boy stabbed the scythe through the head of another beowolf, bringing it down to the ground.
The boy whirled around and cut off the hand of the Grimm attempting to stab him from behind. The beowolf whined before going down to its knees as the boy swung again and cut off its right foot. Twirling his scythe, the boy quickly sliced it into ribbons before jumping back from another beowolf's claw. The boy landed safely a few feet away and three of the Grimm charged at him, too mindless to properly form strategies.
The first beowolf he immediately created several deep cuts across its chest to stun it. He focused his efforts on the beowolf on the right, embowling it and kicking the Grimm away to block a claw from the last beowolf. The Ursa was done waiting and charged with a roar. The boy merely swung his scythe again and again, almost splitting it apart with his weapon before stabbing the scythe behind the beowolf's shoulder blades and vaulting himself over it. The beowolf was too injured to avoid the large arm spike spearing through its chest that was meant for the boy. Grunting in annoyance rather than anger, the Ursa tossed its comrade away and roared again for the other six remaining beowolves to charge at him.
"I cast: [Black Drain]." The boy brought up another glowing card in front of him, immediately dissipating after the declaration.
Several mots of black began to float away from the commanding Ursa, causing it to fall prone as if weakened. Its mass began to reduce in size rapidly as well as the spikes on its body and arms. Whatever the boy did was draining the Ursa of its strength. The black motes of light shot towards the blade of the scythe, sharpening the edges and covering it in a black aura. The other beowolves continued charging regardless.
The boy crouched down, waiting for the pack of Grimm to get closer to him. As the first one near him, he attacked. Swinging the scythe left and right, a multitude of purple flashes cut through the pack of Grimm rushing at him. His body was a blur, moving across the battlefield like a veritable hurricane. For each strike, one more fell. It was a dance of death where there was beauty in every kill and swing.
Eventually, the boy killed the last beowolf by bisecting it horizontally, sliding to a stop in front of the Ursa. It watched as the last of its pack members disintegrated into nothingness, leaving the Ursa to the mercy of the lone child. Its body mass had reduced significantly to the point where it can be mistaken as a beowolf if not for the bear-like snout. The Ursa looked up only to be greeted by the blade of the scythe pointing at it.
"Your strength is useless, letting others fight for you instead of fighting alongside them."
The Ursa continued staring up at the boy as if it can hear and understand him. It snarled but otherwise did nothing, too weak to do anything.
The boy glared at the Grimm below it, actual disgust settling across his face. Before he raised the scythe, preparing to kill it.
"Scatter into nothingness. It's the set destiny for all Grimm."
With one swing, he decapitated it. It let out one last groan before falling silent. The boy watched the Grimm disappear into dust with a blank expression. The twisted scythe would dissipate as well into several orange card-like particles, leaving both Pyrrha and the boy alone.
Pyrrha was in awe at how effortless it had seemed for him. The boy crouched down to pick up Miló and Akoúo̱ and walked over to the currently prone Pyrrha. Once he made his way towards her, he held out the two weapons.
"T-thank you!" Pyrrha shot off the ground and took back the weapons almost immediately. There wasn't any damage to the steel thankfully. She wiped off the few patches of dirt stuck to the shield, attempting to clean it.
When she looked back up, the boy was already walking away. No goodbyes and anything.
Just like before.
She tried to say anything but again like before no words came out. Pyrrha wanted to know who her savior was. What kind of person was he to be able to fight a pack of Grimm with practically no effort and at such a young age.
She wanted to be his friend.
Resolve yourself to your actions.
Pyrrha gave a small sigh and resolved herself.
"W-What's your name?"
The boy stopped, already pushing through a bush. He didn't say anything for a few seconds. Turning over his shoulders, it almost seemed like he was debating in his head on whether or not to answer.
Finally, he spoke.
"Gaito. Gaito Kurouzu."
"My Vanguard...we lost contact."
Blue eyes narrowed at the woman clad in a white lab coat. The temperature was significantly colder after that report. The woman slightly flinched at the cold look sent her way but tried not to show her discomfort.
"What. Happened?"
She all too eagerly responded. "Someone managed to kill every single one. We couldn't get them even close to the walls."
Silence. His expression held nothing but cold judgment. The woman gulped down the saliva building in her mouth, sweat beginning to form on her brow.
"My Vanguard?"
He sat up from his throne, stepping down from it.
"It seems we have a new piece on the board." the man began. "Make contact with the insurgence group in Vacuo. We will need far more resources than we have currently."
"Right away, my Vanguard."
The woman bowed and scurried away, happy to obey his word. The man was alone again, only the shattered moon shining in from the lone window accompanying him.
"Perhaps this world is worthy of saving."
Ah, Buddyfight. You were gone too soon. The show and card game made up parts of my childhood so I wanted to add it in. It was actually a toss-up between adding the Ark from Kamen Rider and Gaito. But then I realized I have a person running around with an army and another character with a robot army seems too much.
Anyways, read and review!
