Grimm Rider Chapter 4
"So with this," Ozpin carefully asked while holding up a piece of the red syringe, "This Wulf person managed to transform into something like you can?"
"Yeah, but his animalistic features were much more prominent then mine are. My suit feels a bit more technological if the voice changer is anything to go by." Cole replied in a normal tone. But Ozpin could see something wrong with him, ever so subtly his face would turn into a frown before returning to its neutral expression. It was like he didn't know how to feel at the moment.
"Well, now that the man is held in police custody I doubt he'll be much of a threat to anyone anymore. We'll be sure to question him about this as soon as possible. In the meantime I'll also send this to Dr. Oobleck for analysis, could help us determine where this technology could be created."
Another twitch, almost imperceptible to people not outright looking for it. "How was your return trip to Beacon?"
Cole nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way through the dorm hallways. He somehow managed to get to Beacon without being noticed by his friends and was certainly not looking towards the conversation they would have. If the ten missed calls on his scroll was any indication, it wasn't going to be a fun one. His shoulders dropped in relief as his room was in sight. Finally, some salvation.
His body froze in its tracks when he reached for the doorknob, and sudden dread filling him. He should go somewhere else, preferably far away from his room asap. Whatever was behind that door was not worth it. Cole hesitantly gulped the dread down and opened the door. No way it was going to be bad right? They shouldn't be in his room anyway.
Seeing eight teens in his rooms waiting in tense silence proved that he forgot to lock his door. Again.
"Um...hi?"
Ozpin smirked as Cole shuddered in his seat, "It...went well. Gave an excuse that I panicked and dropped my axe running away from the monster. Ruby did seem more concerned about my axe itself, don't know how to feel about that." Cole lightly joked before leaning forward. "They also told me I wasn't allowed to go to Vale without an escort, like I'm some kid." Another twitch.
Ozpin nodded before leaning back in his seat, "That is pretty harsh, but I highly doubt they meant it that way Cole, they might just be concerned for your wellbeing. I suggest you go rest up for tomorrow to help clear your mind, even heroes still have to attend their classes." Cole raised an eyebrow in confusion. "A hero, sir?"
"We tried to cover up your fight in Vale, but it's been spread around too much. Not many people see two Grimm-like beings fighting each other after all, much less one of them protecting a young child in the process. I don't doubt that some see you as a hero for doing that." Ozpin clarified, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make preparations with Oobleck to properly study this syringe." Ozpin concluded as he pulled up a holoscreen on his desk.
Cole nodded and made his way towards the elevator.
There was this frustration deep inside Cole, and for some reason, it just wouldn't go away. The hot shower he was taking helped little with how he was feeling. It seemed to start festering ever since he got a stern talking to when he got back to Beacon. For some reason, it just stuck to him for reasons he didn't understand. They were simply concerned about him, that was what Ozpin said right?
Cole simply shrugged, it didn't matter. He was probably just tired and getting yelled at exacerbated that, nothing a good night's rest couldn't deal with. Double checking that his door was locked, he turned off the light and slipped into bed.
…
…
"Ugh," Cole grunted as he looked at his alarm clock. Thirty minutes have passed and he still couldn't fall asleep. This was going to be a long night.
Eventually, he did manage to get some rest but it didn't seem to help with his mood much. The anger festering within him didn't go away at all and seemed to have worsened since then. His neutral face had turned into a slight frown and he had trouble focusing in classes. He felt constantly annoyed and needed something to distract himself with...
"For our next match we will have Cardin Winchester," Shit, they were in combat class now? Well, better time as any, "and J-"
"Um, may I volunteer for this match, Professor Goodwitch?" Cole raised his hand, shocking both the teacher and his friends. Murmurs sprouted throughout the class, Cole had not been called up for combat practice before even after everyone had already gone once, so seeing the boy finally volunteering seemed to sprout excitement among them.
Goodwitch had paused for a few seconds, "Are you certain Mr. Novak?"
Cole got up from his chair and rotated his shoulder, "Yeah, it's just a simple bout after all." It could also help him relieve some stress. Goodwitch adjusted her glasses, "Very well then, if you are sure, this match will be between Cardin Winchester and Cole Novak."
Before he could go to the locker room, Ruby grabbed his sleeve. His friends were shooting him worried looks, "Are you sure about this?"
It was then that he realized why he was feeling the way he was. As he looked at Ruby's eyes he could tell she was concerned, but there was something else. Something infuriating that was prevalent on everyone there.
Pity. They seemed to pity him. Like he was just some person who couldn't protect himself, a guy who couldn't do anything without that stupid forcefield called Aura. It infuriated him. Them pitying him pissed him off and made him even more determined to go through with this fight.
Yanking back his sleeve, Cole brushed her off, "I'll be fine." He stalked off towards the locker room. Retrieving his Grimm Axe, Cole also hooked a new satchel onto his belt, dust vials clinking about. While he was driving back to Beacon after fighting Wulf he came across the store that got destroyed. The shop owner practically shoved the vials into his hands in gratitude. He could have sworn he also heard the words 'tax write-off' but he wasn't sure.
He briefly thought of bringing his driver with him, but decided against it. He was mad, but he still didn't need that kind of attention. It was just him, his cybernetics, and an axe.
"Is each side ready?" Glynda shot each combatant a look, Cole could see she was also concerned for him but it didn't seem to contain that same pitying look the others gave. It felt more analytical than anything.
"This'll be a piece of cake." Cardin gloated, sending a grin to his opponent. An eye twitched as his anger began to boil over.
"Ready to pummel the bastard." Murmuring shot through the crowd, some people throwing up words like ''no aura?' How the hell would they know that? Then he remembered, there was a status bar above the arena that showed each person's aura level. While Cardin's status had a bright green bar representing his aura, Cole's did not.
Glynda simply sighed, "Language, Mr. Novak. You may begin."
The buzzer rang as the two combatants slowly circled each other, yet neither one trying to close the distance. Cardin got irritated and gave a mocking glance to Cole's aura bar, "I hope for your sake that's a bug, don't want to send you into a coma so early in the year." he taunted.
Cole simply clicked his tongue as he swapped his axe into shotgun mode and pulled a fire dust vial from his satchel.
"DUST VIAL CONFIRMED, READY TO FLARE." A fireball erupted from his shotgun and went hurtling straight towards Cardin. The crude man bolted out of the way, slightly staggered as the fireball's explosion rocked the stage leaving a scorch mark in its place. Cardin slammed his mace on the ground, the fire crystal sending a flaming shockwave along the ground. Cole slotted in another vial.
"DUST VIAL CONFIRMED, READY TO FREEZE." Grabbing the axe on the blunt side with both hands, he slammed it down on the ground. An ice wall began to form as the fire shockwave struck it. The drastic temperature change caused a large cloud of fog to form on the classroom battlefield. Cole scanned his surroundings, the fog was even thicker than he thought. Any sound now would probably have Cardin right on him.
Any...sound.
Grinning, Cole slowly opened up the vial container and slipped out the spent vial. He grabbed a random one from his satchel before locking it in place. He didn't close the hatch, however, instead opting to toss it out in front of him. The axe slammed into the ground, the force closing the hatch much like it opened it from yesterday.
"DUST VIAL CONFIRM-"
"Got you!" Cole could make out the faint outline of Cardin giving a large overhead swing with his mace where the axe fell. He had to adjust his stance as the mace hit the ground, making it shake from the impact. "What?" Cardin shouted, trying to pull his weapon from the ground. Cole took his opportunity and leaped in the air, bringing his fist down right on Cardin's face. Not letting him catch his breath, Cole quickly spun around and kicked him right in the jaw sending him backward. The fog slowly dissipated.
"Lucky shot, but aren't you forgetting something?" A look of confusion shot across Cole's face before he realized that his axe was no longer there. The previous mace swing sent it flying, right behind where Cardin stood now. Cole growled at the stupid smirk on Cardin's face before sprinting at him. Once in close distance, Cardin swung his mace in a familiar over-head arc. Crouching down, Cole leaped up over his opponent, missing the mace by mere centimeters. His hand slammed the button on the axe's handle, transforming it into the shotgun. In his crouching position, he spun around and aime-
It was a feint. Cardin's previous swing wasn't meant to go all the way, instead following through towards an under-handed one. Leaping over him caused him to slow down a little to re-adjust, but there was still a ton of force behind the blow. There was nothing that could be done, except pulling the trigger.
As a large earthen slug impacted on Cardin's chin, his mace smashed right in the middle of Cole's chest. Both opponents were sent flying through the air. Cole rebounded off the ground several times before rolling to a stop, coughing harshly as he tried to catch his breath. His chest pulsed with pain but he still managed to get to his feet as Cardin did. The latter didn't look too good either as he wobbled slightly.
Still holding onto the axe, Cole took a shaky step forward. A loud buzzer rang out.
"The match is over." Glynda's commanding voice boomed across the battlefield. The lights turned back on as the teacher stepped up on the platform. Cole looked up at Cardin's health bar, a bit below the 50% mark, before shooting the teacher a glare.
"I wasn't finished yet." Glynda shot a glare of her own, a frown taking over her neutral expression. She seemed to ignore him as she turned to the Class.
"Let this be a lesson class to not underestimate a threat, there are many ways for an enemy to turn the tables against you. Also be sure to not throw yourself recklessly towards danger despite your feelings, many have died a needless death because of it. Keep a cool head and assess the situation. You two are dismissed."
Cole simply huffed as he made his way back towards the locker room.
"Are you sure everything is alright Cole?" Silver eyes stared into his in concern. Cole avoided her gaze, occupying himself by stabbing more food into his fork.
"I'm fine Ruby." Pyrrha looked at him inquisitively.
"Are you being bullied by Cardin too? Is that why you tried to fight him in combat class? You can ask m- us if you need help you know." Cole nearly spat his drink out in surprise. Him? Bullied by CARDIN? Laughable at best. He was about to rebuke that statement before he paused. Pyrrha's face reflected concern, but her eyes was a blend of both sadness and hope. It caught him so off guard the irritation towards the comment he felt nearly evaporated, "Pyrrha, I'm not-"
"Even if he was, I doubt that would be a problem anymore. Cardin seems to have lost a lot of power around here after getting close to losing." Yang pointed somewhere behind Cole and Pyrrha. Turning around showed Cardin giving a shakedown to a random student. The shorter boy pushed Cardin back, saying something about him being an idiot who almost lost to a civilian. The pure shock on his face deserved to be in a picture frame, at least to Cole.
"I've seen him try to take money by force from a bunch of people, but I never saw one stand up for themselves quite like that," Despite starting that fight for a selfish reason, it seemed to help people out, "Although it seems not for everyone, however."
Cardin was once again harassing his regular victim, pulling on the brown bunny ears of Velvet Scarlatina. Cole simply huffed at Cardin's stupid expression before an idea came to him. He smirked as he pulled out his scroll, "Cole? What are you doing?" Ruby asked innocently.
"Knocking him down another peg, I'm sure Glynda would be thrilled to see such bullying happening at her school." Cole grinned as he sneakily snapped of photo of Cardin, still tugging on Velvet's ears, before sending it to Glynda over text:
'Professor Goodwitch, I must report student Cardin Winchester for discriminating against Velvet for her Faunus Heritage.' - Cole Novak
"Annnnd, send." It was a few seconds before he got a reply.
'Thank you for notifying me.' - Prof. Goodwitch
Almost immediately, it felt like the room dropped twenty degrees as the lunchroom doors slammed open with incredible force. Glynda stood there, scanning the crowds like a hawk until she found her target. Cardin looked like a deer in the headlights, one hand still wrapped around Velvet's ear.
It was the realization that not even a minute had passed since he sent the text, that Cole concluded one thing.
"God, she is terrifying." His friends couldn't agree more.
Cardin stalked his way outside full of rage. Four weeks of detention and three different essays about Faunus rights! Glynda also told him the punishment could have been much more severe. He just knew it was that asshole Cole that reported him, must have still been angry for losing against him. What Cardin wouldn't do to get his hand's around his neck.
The bully passed by the statue before a male voice spoke up, "I can sense the anger within you, are you looking for revenge?"
Cardin turned his head to be met with a cloaked individual, he glowered at the man, "What's it to you?"
"I want you to do a little experiment for me, this syringe will give you the power to take revenge on the people who wronged you. Be smart with this and nobody will even know it was you. C'mon, I know you want to teach someone a lesson." The man waved a red vial in his hand.
Cardin paused before grinning, "Well why didn't you say so sooner? I know just the perfect place to use it." He took the syringe without hesitation.
Cole sighed as he jogged lightly back to his room, his sleep schedule wasn't quite corrected yet and he hoped some exercise around the dorms would tire him some. Turning the corner, he ran right into somebody sending them both to the ground, with the other person throwing a box in the air in surprise. It landed with little fanfare.
"Oh thank god I taped the box shut." The person said in relief. Cole groaned as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.
"Jaune?" He questioned, the blond turned his head towards Cole but avoided looking directly, "O-Oh hey...didn't see you there."
Cole slowly rose to his feet, "Where have you been? Haven't seen you at all sin- god what happened to your face?" Medium-sized red bumps dotted Jaune's face, he was starting to look like some kind of pincushion.
"Oh, this? It's nothing I just kind of got stung a bit by some wasps that's all." Jaune chuckled nervously while absentmindedly scratching his face, before lightly jumping as the box he was carrying started shaking around, buzzing sounds coming from inside. Cole looked between the blond and the box, "Why did you collect them? Wait, I think I have some anti-itch cream back at my dorm, let's go get it."
Jaune sighed deeply, "Oh salvation, let me just get the box real quick."
Opening his dorm door, Cole moved into his bathroom and check the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. Ozpin had graciously stocked it with some common medicine before he had moved in. Grabbing the cream he walked back into his room to see Jaune practically collapsed in his desk chair, poor dude seemed ready to fall asleep right then and there. Cole shook Jaune's shoulder before placing the cream on the desk, "Hope your not expecting me to put this on you myself."
"No, thanks." As Jaune applied the medicine Cole sat down on his bed.
'Are you being bullied by Cardin too?' "You're getting bullied by Cardin, aren't you Jaune?" The blond jumped, nearly toppling over in his chair.
"Wh-What makes you say that?" That nervous response pretty much confirmed it.
"It was something I caught when talking to Pyrrha today in the cafeteria. It would make sense since you've been disappearing for hours, hell you nearly fell asleep the minute you sat down. What's going on Jaune?" Jaune sighed before looking down at the ground defeated.
"I did some stupid things, now Pyrrha's mad at me and Cardin's having me do things for him, like essays and collecting wasps." Cole raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't tell a professor or something yet? That seems like the first thing to do." Jaune simply shook his head, "That's the thing, Cardin's got ahold of a secret of mine, and he'll tell the second I try to do anything about it. Also, it might be selfish of me, but part of me still wants to do this on my own. That I don't have to rely on others so much and finally prove myself. Is that wrong?"
Cole leaned back, laying against his bed covers, "I don't think there's anything wrong with being self-reliant, but you can't just push people away either. You need to remember you don't have to do these things alone, your team relies on you just as much as you do them. You've got team RWBY and me as well. If you want to do this alone, I won't stop you, but when you need us we'll be here."
Jaune let out a small laugh, "I'm pretty sure Ruby told me something similar, although I think the lack of sleep is affecting my memory."
Cole leaned back up, "Then I suggest you go get what sleep you can, we have that Forever Fall trip tomorrow."
"Yeah you're right," Jaune got up and stumbled to the door tiredly, "Hey Cole? Thanks for the talk."
"Don't mention it, buddy." Cole kicked his feet up and layed down on his bed as Jaune left. He reached over and clicked off his lamp's light before sinking into his pillow and closing his eyes. 'hypocrite,' He thought. It was easy to give that kind of advice but here he was not even trusting his friends with his secret. Not only that he snapped at them today, he just couldn't get over the fact that it felt like they pitied him.
His eye's shot open as he heard a familiar buzzing sound. Looking on his table was that box of wasps Jaune had carried in here.
Even with his irritation towards himself he still managed to get a decent amount of sleep this time around. Especially since locking wasps in your bathroom drastically reduces their noise. Didn't stop him from being angry as he delivered them to Jaune however. Glynda was guiding them through Forever Fall, a beautiful sea of red trees and distant mountains. He mostly tuned out the lecture as he shot glances both towards Pyrrha and Jaune, latter of which was carrying the entire case of jars for team CRDL. He also tried to tune out the hole Cardin was trying to burn in the back of his head with his eyes.
"-however this forest is filled with the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stick by your teammates. We will regroup at four." Cardin huffed before grabbing Jaune by the hoodie and dragging him off.
"Alright Cole, stick by us and we'll get this assignment done in no time!" Ruby said excitedly before grabbing Cole and pulling him towards a group of trees. He followed her without pause, Team JNPR minus the J were bound to keep close as it was. Grabbing a jar and sap tap, he approached what seemed to be a mature tree before stabbing the tap in one swift motion. Red sap slowly filled the jar, he turned to Ren.
"Do you think bringing back extra jars will count for extra credit?" Ren turned to him before smirking and motioned behind him with his head. "We'll need to collect more anyways if NORA doesn't stop drinking it."
True to his words Nora was practically downing the sap like it was nothing. Cole could feel the cardiovascular disease just watching it. Out of the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw Pyrrha break off slightly and move to another side of the small clearing. Quickly he exchanged his now filled jar with the one Nora emptied, "I'll just go fill this one, please cut back on that stuff if only for the sake of my arteries."
Grabbing his sap tap, he tried his best to ignore the sounds of slurping and an angry Ren as he approached Pyrrha. She didn't notice him until he tapped the tree next to her. Even then she still seemed lost in her own little word. Cole simply watched as his jar filled slower than before.
"I know what happened with Jaune," Her eyes snapped towards him with a questioning look on her face, " I ran into him last night, poor dude is getting ran ragged by Cardin."
She turned back towards her jar, her lips pursed. "Then you must know how hard-headed he is about solving this problem himself, he hasn't even tried to talk to us about this at all."
"True, he said he still wants to figure things out on his own, even though it's what got him in the problem in the first place I'm guessing." Pyrrha simply nodded her head.
"He was having a hard time in his classes and Cardin was pushing him around so I simply offered him my assistance, then he started to rant how he didn't want any help. He said some personal things that Cardin is using against him." Her grip on her jar tightened.
"Sounds like he shot your offer down pretty harshly...can I ask you a question? Your jar is overfilling by the way." Pyrrha broke from her thoughts and quickly put the lid on her jar of sap, slinging off the excess that dripped onto her hands. She turned to him, "What is it?"
"Why did you try to help me?" The innocent question seemed to throw the redhead for a loop, "Huh?"
"Jaune reacted pretty negatively towards you wanting to help him, so why were you so ready to help me out with the same problem?" Pyrrha simply huffed before leaning down and flicking his forehead. "Ow!"
"Is it so weird to want to assist my friends? Just because Jaune may shoot down my proposition doesn't mean I won't offer others the same. Besides-" Pyrrha leaned down before slamming her fist on Cole's sap tap, causing the sticky substance to come out easier. "I like helping people, really makes me feel more like a huntress than some sort of celebrity. That's why we all came to this school, to put ourselves in the path of the Grimm, we want to help people. Whether that be our teammates, or villagers we may never meet again. Your jar is overflowing by the way." She grinned as Cole reacted the same way she did. After he pulled out the tap, he turned to Pyrrha.
"I see now...thanks for the offer from before, I appreciate it." He couldn't help himself from grinning as she did the same. Wait a minute, "You're a celebrit-"
CRASH!
A sticky substance coated the back of Cole's clothes, he desperately tried to see what hit him, "What the he- is that sap? Nora did you throw a jar of sap at me?!" Turning around revealed Nora was knocked out on the ground, a half-filled jar of sap slowly emptying itself onto the ground. Everybody turned to him in confusion, it certainly wasn't her.
'Then who?' A familiar sound began to close in, "Are those wasps?"
"Rapier Wasps maybe, although I don't know wh- Rapier wasps love sweet food." Pyrrha realized in horror. Cole didn't hesitate as he sprinted away from the sound deeper into the forest.
Jaune stood shell-shocked as he watched Cole get splattered in red sap. "What the hell Cardin?" He asked incredulously. Cardin simply turned to him and smiled.
"I had my own payback to give Jauney-boy, now it's your turn," He harshly threw the jar into Jaune's arms, "Go ahead, coat Pyrrha like I did to that snitch."
The blond looked between his jar and his friends, one still trying to figure out where the sap came from. He closed his eyes for a second, "No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said NO!" Jaune threw the jar full force into Cardin's chest making the boy stumble back. His foot knocked into the wasp box and sent it tumbling down the hill. Cardin slowly looked down at his sap-covered chest plate before looking back at the blond. "You know, I was planning on saving this for that little shit Cole, but you'll make good practice."
He reached in his pocket and pulled out his red syringe.
Cole leaped into a shallow river, the sap breaking off of his clothes as he floated downstream. The wasps eventually stopped following him to buzz around the waterlogged sweets. Pulling himself out of the river he looked around to see that he was lost. The trees blended in with each other and he couldn't remember any distinct landmarks while running away from the wasps. How was he supposed to get back? Everyone was probably looking for him this second.
'Might as well climb a tree or something, better than just standing here in wet clothes." He thought, pulling out his driver from an inside pocket. Slapping it around his waist produced a belt forming around him.
"GRIMM DRIVER." Cole looked down at his belt, it didn't do that before. Whatever. He pulled out his Beowolf syringe and inserted it.
"DNA MUTATION. BEOWOLF." Black substance enveloped Cole's body before solidifying into his familiar suit of armor. As he stepped up to a tree to climb it, his enhanced hearing picked up something in the distance. Sword clangs, growling, and an odd wooden thumping noise. Cole headed towards the noise without hesitation.
A minute or so later, Cole pushed aside a branch to see a baffling sight. Jaune was holding his own against an Ursa Major, until a white ball shot past the Grimm and impacted his shield, sending him onto his butt. He barely had enough time to scramble to his feet and dodge as the Ursa swiped at him. The white ball ended back on the other side of the field as it unfurled. A bipedal Grimm creature stood, white armor along it's back and head with nothing upfront, two tusks protruded outwards like...a Boarbatusk?
"I don't know why this big dumb Ursa isn't interested in me, but it does make it a lot more interesting doesn't it Jauney-boy?" A distorted yet familiar voice questioned.
'CARDIN?' Cole slammed his fist into a nearby tree, how did he get a syringe? That question could wait now, he needed to get involved. The transformed Cardin began to stroll casually to his opponent before he was tackled from the side by Cole. The two tumbled along the ground before he kicked the tusked man away. The two glared at each other.
"Your opponent is me." "You? Want a piece of me? Sure let's do this." Yep, sure acted like Cardin alright. This wasn't good though, if he used his axe Jaune will inevitably ask questions. This fight will have to be unarmed. Cardin dug in his feet before charging at him with surprising speed. Cole brought up his hands and gripped his enemy's tusks, it stopped him from getting impaled but he was still being pushed back.
Cardin flicked his head up quickly, dragging Cole upwards into the air and over him. Cole let go and reoriented himself to kick at his enemy, only for it to end up hitting the armored neck portion. Cardin gripped his leg before swinging Cole over him and into the ground. Attempting to fix the situation, Cole pulled the syringe popper in and out.
"DNA INJECTION, BEOWOLF KICK." A small amount of substance covered his other leg before he kicked outwards into Cardin's chest. The boy let go of his leg and stumbled backward for a couple feet. Cole got into a crouch before Cardin rolled up into a ball and shot towards him. He managed to just barely roll out of the way in time. Only for the ball to bounce off a tree and slam into him, sending him onto the ground again. Cardin unfurled and mocked him as he got into another crouching stance, "Is that all you've got?"
Cole nearly charged him but forced himself to calm down, he needed a plan. How was he supposed to attack his underside? Attempting it while Cardin was charging would just get him trampled, he needed something different...
His hand brushed into something on the ground, looking down revealed it was an empty syringe, it must have gotten knocked out of the satchel he carried. Gripping it, he eyed the battle between Jaune and the Ursa Major happening behind Cardin. An idea came to him. Getting up, Cole sprinted towards Cardin as the latter charged him. Once in a close enough range, Cole leaped over Cardin in a high arc, before hitting the ground running. He needed all the extra distance he could get.
The Ursa Major gave an overhead swing with its large paws, only being intercepted by Jaune's shield. He tilted his shield enough for the blow to glance off and pull the Ursa closer before slashing against its thick fur coat staggering it. Jaune prepared his shield again before Cole slammed into the Ursa, fully knocking it over. He reared back the syringe in his hand before forcefully stabbing it into the Grimm. The syringe automatically filled with a black viscous substance before the popper shot upwards, ready for use. He kicked off the Ursa and landed next to Jaune.
"WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" The two turned around before getting hit face first by Cardin's wheel attack. They were knocked over as Cardin stopped by the downed Ursa. Cole and Jaune slowly rose, the two groups eyed each other with a stillness in the air.
"You handle the Ursa, Cardin is mine." "Right." Jaune split off, leading the Ursa with him and leaving just the two transformed Grimm. 'Now or never.'
Cole removed the Beowolf Syringe before putting the new one in. He pressed the popper down.
"MUTATION. URSA." Grimm DNA surrounded him as his suit changed shape, thicker armor grew along his arms, torso, and legs. His helmet shifted from it's wolf-like features to that of a bear. Small spikes protruded out along his spine. Cardin simply seemed amused at it all.
"Did you think a makeover would help you?" He taunted before rolling into a ball again and charging Cole. He simply reached out and grabbed the armor, the friction between his hands and Cardin created smoke but didn't harm him due to the thick armor. His feet dug into the ground, not letting the ball gain an inch of ground. Gripping harder, Cardin's momentum eventually stopped entirely.
"What!?" Cardin questioned before Cole grabbed hold of an armor plate and threw him into the air. Disorientation caused him to unfurl, Cole taking advantage of this by rearing back and landing a powerful punch right into his unarmored stomach. Cardin went flying before impacting and tearing through multiple trees. Cole stomped after him, each step shaking the ground ever so slightly.
He came across Cardin getting up shakily, holding his stomach in pain. "It's time we end this, but first..." He pulled out another syringe from his satchel before walking over and forcefully grabbing the humanoid boarbatusk. Stabbing the syringe into his chest, it filled with the same black liquid as before. Cole roughly pushed Cardin away before pulling and pushing the syringe popper.
"DNA INJECTION, URSA DROP." Cole lifted a foot before slamming it down on the ground, causing tremors that approached Cardin before the ground gave away and dropped the lower half of his body inside. Cole charged the incapacitated man before leaping up, powerful thrusters shooting from his backside to keep him in the air. Twisting around in the air, he forcefully shot down the heels of both feet down onto Cardin. A massive explosion rocked the area, causing trees to bend back and smaller limbs to snap due to the blowback.
Cole rose from the imprint into the ground he made from the fall and picked up the two broken pieces of Cardin's red syringe. The man wasn't a threat any longer. Turning around showed Jaune still struggling against the Ursa Major. He prepared to go help out before Jaune charged the oversized bear, a weird aura surrounded his shield as it was brought up and deflected another blow. Jaune put his full force behind his swing and cleaved the Ursa's head from its shoulders. The blond panted before realize the humanoid Grimm staring at him.
"W-What?" "Nothing, Cardin's all yours now. I got what I needed." Cole stomped away into the forest. Leaving Jaune alone with a dead Ursa and a knocked out Cardin still stuck in the ground. "How do I get him out of there?"
Cole switched out to his Beowolf form for it's quicker speed as he approached the river. He could already hear voices approaching the area, most likely a search party for him. He quickly pulled out the popper before removing the syringe. His clothes had dried up long ago, so it would make his planned excuse that much harder to sell.
"DEGRADATION." He ignored the new sound as his armor dissolved around him and he stuffed his things into his inside pockets. He took a quick dip into the river to get his clothes wet again before getting out and leaning on a tree. Thankfully he had the time to do that as a voice shouted out shortly after.
"COLE?" That must have been Nora. He stepped away from the tree and cusped his hands around his mouth. "I'm here!"
The bushes rustled as Ren, Nora, and Blake rushed out and over to him. They paused at his soaked person, "What happened to you?" Blake asked.
"Took a dip in the river to get the sap off of me, those stupid Rapier Wasps wouldn't leave me alone."
"Where did they even come from? There were no nests around to even house them." Ren questioned.
"It was Cardin, I guess it was him trying to get some form of revenge for yesterday."
"Ugh. He did that too? What a class act." Blake's face twisted into one of disgust. Cole could have sworn he saw her bow twitch slightly, but he wasn't focused on it as he put on a face of confusion.
"That too?" He questioned, he already knew what they were going to say but it was better to keep up the act.
"Soon after you left most of Team CRDL came running down the hill talking about how an Ursa showed up and that Cardin had transformed into some kind of Grimm monster." Nora informed him, "After that, we split into groups, Yang went to go grab Goodwitch while we came to find you, and Weiss, Ruby, and Pyrrha went to go assist Jaune."
"Guys we should probably get back now, our assignment is done and Glynda will probably want us to report what happened," Ren informed the group. They all agreed and retraced their steps through the red forest.
Cole collapsed onto the couch in the dorm common area, the TV playing the local Vale news. All the running around in the forest and the fight against Cardin had taken quite a bit out of him. Not to mention having to answer Glynda's and Ozpin's questions about the incident. Getting on a fresh pair of non-soaked clothes was a great feeling though. His attention was turned to the TV as a new segment came on.
"Speculation about the battle between two humanoid Grimm in Vale is still raging online. Many on social media have drawn parallels between the wolf Grimm and Kamen Rider. A cult-classic comic book series about a masked hero fighting mysterious foes to protect humanity." The tv showed a green masked hero modeled after a grasshopper on the cover of a comic book before flashing through certain panels. A human showing off a belt-like transformation device, the transformed Rider doing a pose, and him fighting a monster. Then different forms, a tiger, falcon, and a shark.
"Do you think he could be some kind of hero?" Ruby piped up next to him, causing him to jump up in surprise. He never even notice her join him on the couch. "Oh sorry!" She apologized.
"Nah, it's fine, I was just focused on the TV too much. What did you mean by that Ruby?"
"I mean, he protected the kid back in Vale from Wulf, and now in the forest, he helped Jaune by fighting and stopping Cardin while he was a monster. I don't know I just figured he was evil because of his connection with you. I don't know how to feel about him using the powers of a Grimm though, they're supposed to embody negativity and are against humanity, not protective of them."
"Huh, I guess we'll know soon enough. He seems to be sticking around." Cole closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch as the TV droned on...
A hero huh? He wouldn't lie, he did seem to feel better after helping people out. Even if it was out of instinct like protecting the kid from Wulf's attack, or wanting to put Cardin in his place. Either way though...
"There are some that see you as a hero."
"-I never saw one stand up for themselves quite like that"
"That's why we came to this school...we want to help people."
"Do you think he could be some kind of hero?"
Kamen Rider...protect humanity...
Yeah, he supposed he could do that.
"Uh, Cole? Do you mind if I switch the channel? A new show about ancient weapons is going to be on soon."
He chuckled before passing the remote, "No problem, sounds interesting."
Grimm Rider Chapter 4: End.