Author's Note:
So I'm back again. I've got my rough storyline for this fanfiction now coming into shape and there only be one more chapter(and one or two Interludes) between the start of Beacon, where shit will get crazy as hell. I've set up the basic lore, and will add a fuller background to Alchemy(as well as magic in general) over the course of this story. I'm starting relatively small for now.
In other news I've set up a schedule for how I'm updating stories...I'll be alternating between this and Paradigm shift. One week I'll work with this story as well as some shorter length fan fictions Im working on, and the other week will be spent with Paradigm Shift and it's corresponding shorter fics.
Now that that's done hope you enjoy. And I don't own any of the franchises reference here...
Chapter Seven: Flies By…
Is this really necessary? I questioned my friendship with Umber as she dragged me to a pool party of all things. We had been both been invited by one of the richer students, the daughter of some old Huntsman family. I hadn't really ever paid much attention to her name. Kind of had my own thing going on. Whoever she was, she was almost certainly loaded with cash and prestige. But despite that she was a very kind hearted women having no issues with faunus or people of less fortune. She would invite people she believed she could be friends with.
The girl was around our age and apparently rather excited to be our new friend. I was feeling rather nervous because we were going in our swimsuits, with Umber wearing a light chocolate brown two piece bikini. While I was wearing a white bikini top and black swim trunks. I wasn't very comfortable wearing…anything like that, no offense to Umber or anyone else of course. While we walked, Umber had a big towel to cover herself though I went without it. I mean I had a towel but…I preferred my cloak which I had brung.
I tapped Umber on the shoulder to get her attention, she made eye contact as we walked. "Are you sure it's today?" Umber groaned and gave me a push, so now I was forced to take the lead.
"Yes Jayleen's party is today. The invitation said June eighth and today is June the 8th." I felt weary and wondered when Umber had become the confident and social one. It was probably around the time she convinced me to join a regional Tournament later this year. She said it would help with refining my skills against peer opponents outside of Signal.
But let's get back on track. I peered over to the huge house sitting on a hill. We could make out music from here, Reinforcement providing me with an auditory boost. From what I can it was an all girls party mainly because what's her faces mom didn't trust her around most of the boys except for Taiyang, Cassin and three other boys. That isn't exactly much of a party so just girls was okay with them.
Guess I'm technically in a weird Grey area with all of that, not that I would advantage of that. They're in the fourteen to fifteen age range and if you go by when I fully woke up I'd be like…twenty. I've never been interested in dating anyway(at least not right now)
I came out of my musing, holding on to my proof cloak as we stopped on the doorsteps of the face. Yes, proof this cloak is waterproof, fireproof, rip and tear resistant, explosion resistant etc.
"Aren't you going to knock?" I grimaced and knocked on the door three times. A few loud steps warned me and the door flew open revealing the one who had invited us.
She was fairly tall and lanky though her build was rapidly becoming more feminine and mature. Jayleen had long wavy blonde hair pulled into a simple ponytail, her diamond shaped face lighting up with a grin. Her blue eyes shined brightly, and it was hard to look away.
Like a tiny sad puppy…
She was wearing a white bathrobe and I could see some small glimpses of her two piece bikini. The top was a simple plain blue and I could see a swim skirt of the same color peak out from the covering.
All in all…she was rather cute individual. I still didn't know her last name though. She took a step forward and I went stiff like a board when the girl wrapped her arms around me. She patted my back as if I was an old friend.
"~Hello~" Her voice was melodious and I felt flustered as her…assets pressed against my own. The sensation was odd and I shimmied away from the disappointed girl.
"Uh hi?" She rebounded upwards, leaning back and forth on her feet.
"I suppose I should introduce myself." That would be the right thing to do. The girl pointed to her bouncy chest with a cheeky and flirty grin.
"Well the names Jayleen Arc…" My eyes widened but I kept my emotions under wrap not wanting to rouse suspicion. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, everyone loves it." The Arc echoed the words of her future son or nephew depending on how she was related to him.
Huh…neat.
I took a hardy bite out of an offered apple as I laid down under the shade of an umbrella. The small party was already under way with the girls forming into small groups and just talking. I was alone for now, using my time to get some brief rest. I had a giddy feeling rise up inside me as Umber talked with some other girls about something. Couldn't tell you what it was from how far away they were.
Meh…doesn't matter anyway.
Now I'm going to take a little cat nap and—
"Nope!" I jolted up as Jayleen snuck up behind me. She had managed to glomp me and I struggled out of her shockingly strong hold. I really need her to get her boobs out of my face! Even if the feel really nice…
I pushed her off, my face turning red as I became flustered. Jayleen didn't apologize and I sighed as I jumped up onto my feet. The girl had a cheeky grin and I did my best to hide my burning cheeks. She took the space opened up by my movement and I sighed.
"Aren't you going to hang out with everyone else." I shrugged at her question, though I was thinking of it. Sometimes…I did get lonely, though it was better than before my…death.
"Maybe later." I stuttered as the Arc girl wrapped her arms around me, pressing against the small of my back. From the corner of my right eye I could see Umber give a thumbs up and I bit back a growl. I ignored what little libido I still had and tried to get away but she wasn't having it.
"You are going to have some fun if it is the last thing I do. And an Arc always keeps their promise." I resisted but couldn't compete against her unyielding strength. For someone so dainty looking she had a lot of power. We eventually stopped in front of Umber and two other faunus.
G-Good…faunus are easier to talk to for whatever reason, likely because a great number of humans don't like me. Umber grinned in a certain fashion and I was puzzled on where I had seen that smile before. My face remained red as Jayleen never left my side, pressing herself into me.
She was doing it on purpose…the jerk…
I coughed and with some struggling freed myself from the blonde girls grasp. I took a hesitant step toward the small huddle, and Umber leaned forward giving me an uncomfortable view of her…well.
I was starting to wonder when my libido would start manifesting itself again. At first I had made nothing of it, since I was focused on my own more important shit. Of course I started to notice I wasn't feeling much attracted to women anymore. Fortunately it wasn't anything like the situation with that Naruto gender bender SI where his mind was still heterosexual as a girl so he started to like guys.
It had more to do with my relative youth when I woke up. Without that whirlwind of growing and hormonal activity and my general disinterest in dating I kind of ended up not caring for such things anymore. Honestly I'm kind of thankful it's worn off…though now I'm wondering how the hell I'm going to…relieve myself.
I flushed as Umber gripped my shoulder in genuine concern. I waved her off, not liking that expression of worry and stress on her face.
"Hey, I'm okay there's nothing wrong Bun-Bun." I flushed as I accidentally used her nickname as did the rabbit faunus. The other faunus said nothing, but they did have small smirks on their faces. I really hope they don't think anything weird about us. I like her in the sense of a friend and even well…physically. But I just don't feel that way about her.
"Sooo, now that you're here…" Jayleen decided to enter the circle here pointing at my cloak with a pleading look. I mouthed "later" not feeling in the mood, and she nodded in response. "How about a little love life gossip." My eyebrows scrunched up at the deliberate use of non-gender specific terms. It seemed rather consistent with Jayleen too. Though with a lightning quick thought I remembered that Remnant rarely had issues with gender and sexual equality. Most of the civil rights issues were with the faunus.
"Uh sure." I could hear her mutter "victory" under her breathe and the other girls looked oddly excited as well. Was this one of those things I didn't get because I used to be a guy? That or my aspergers…huh do I still have that with this body?
Questions for later…
"Okay, so have you heard any interesting rumours at all?" Both girls looked curious and I hummed, brushing my fingers against my chin as I thought of anything I had heard.
Hmm…what about…no, no just something some jerk spread around. What about…
Huh…
"Sorry I don't have anything." The other girls looked dissatisfied but Umber seemed to be happy with me at least talking. Jayleen was the next to speak up, raising her hand for a moment before putting it back down.
"Okay I heard that Amethyst and Steel are hooking up…" I slowly tapped out of the conversation, only vaguely attempting to memorize anything and making the appropriate noises when necessary. I was fine with talking but I only agreed so I wouldn't be bored. I had little interest in social gossip. But it didn't mean I wouldn't eavesdrop out of curiosity though.
Despite my lack of interest it was still nice to talk to some more people. Eventually though the topic seemed to turn to my love life.
"There anyone you're interested in Summer?" Umber gave the blonde a cut it out signal, though the blonde kept going. "I know you don't have too many friends…but" Her expression shifted, since she could have unintentionally insulted me but whatever.
"Uh I don't think so?" was the best answer I had for her.
Jayleen didn't seem to believe me. "But there's got to be someone right?" I tilted my head, and my hand reached for my nearly forgotten apple. The satisfying crunch was her only answer. "Maybe Umber?" Umber growled and flicked the girls nose. "Oww, uh Cassin?" I shook my head. Bird boy was sweet and all but he was a little too…scrawny for me. Jayleen mumbled as she made a list, until the Arc suddenly had an epiphany.
"What?" I asked her while leaning back from her.
"What about Taiyang?" Umber made eye contact with me, with an unreadable look.
Hmm…Tai? Kid's nice but…I don't know…he was my first friend. He's helped me out a lot, and has never done any of the suggestions his "friends" gave him. He…was really sweet actually…cute too.
"Maybe?" I shrugged my shoulders in response and Jayleen pouted. Her eyes suddenly lit up however and I had a bad feeling.
"Wait really? Oh my gosh y—." I instantly covered her mouth not wanting to deal with any meddling from her.
"Can we do anything else? You said this was a pool party right? Then let's use the pool." That was Jayleen's s cue and she jumped up into the air. Again her assets bouncing with the action.
What is she like a double D or something? Not that much bigger than mine actually. Wonder if she has the same problems as I do? Because I'm worrying if I'll eventually have to deal with back problems. Though fortunately a mix of aura as well as posture lessons from Gilda should keep those to a minimum.
Man, I really know my old mom's pain and may or may not curse her due to her genetics somehow passing on in the next life.
"POOL TIME!" Jayleen suddenly leaped into action, ripping off my cloak and then—SHIT!
Not the water! At least—
"BLEH!"
I kicked my feet in the pool to keep myself afloat, giggling as Umber was splashed by water. After the first minute I ended up chasing Joan throughout the pool to attack her.
"Get dunked on you little shit!" She squealed as I dragged her underwater, and I held on tight. Eventually we floated back up to the surface and I gave her a light squeeze.
You know…she is pretty cute…scrawny but filling out nicely. I gave Joan another squeeze and she squirmed out of my grip with a red face. I giggled again paddling away from the girl.
Uh…uh…
Jayleen snuck behind me from below and I felt hands wrap around my Stomach, before one of them lowered to my…
"Jayleen please." I felt a hand brush itself along my thigh and ever so gently sq— I immediately pushed her off as that feeling of…mhmm, went up my thigh and…
"Heh." My hand lifted itself out of its own accord to slap her. My chest heaved as my rage influenced my breathing. Jayleen was glaring at me though it swiftly died and she looked apologetic. Holding her red cheek she apologized.
"Just…don't do it again." I kicked my feet to reach the edge of the pool.
"But didn't it feel nice?" I rolled my eyes at her and crossed my arms with a line forming in my forehead. "And didn't you do do the same thing." I snorted at her counter.
"I was hugging you, not actively groping you. Heck give me a hug right now I don't mind." I welcomed her with opens arms, my amusement likely rather obvious.
"I get your point." Jayleen swam up to give a friendly hug anyway and I shook her around with happiness. "So…it's getting pretty cold out and I was thinking of making this into a slumber party? You alright with that?" I gave her a thumbs up and she beamed.
She reminds me a lot of another blonde I know…
"Didn't think you were such a snuggler Sums Up." I shrugged my shoulders as I held onto Umber like a pillow despite her half hearted protest. I might not be interested in dating her but cuddling was a whole other ball game. Umber really was a cute little bunny and I couldn't help myself.
"Please let go." My lip may or may not have quivered and Umber may or not have given up the moment I pouted. I crawled into her lap to get more comfortable, a dopey grin on my face as we watched the movie.
"Why? Because I am here!" Some type of Hero Academia knockoff was being played on the screen and I smiled as Umber wrapped her arms around me with a nervous smile.
It was…nice to have a friend I was this close with. Umber was a nervous sort but she cared about my interests, cared about me as a person. So did Taiyang but at times it seems he cares even stronger. Cassin was a tough cookie to get to chill out but it was worth it…he was worth it.
I nearly had a heart attack as something fuzzy touched the top of my head, but fortunately it was just Umber's ears. Kind of want to pet them now, but that seems like it would be an intimate thing for faunus. We watched movie after movie, only occasionally shifting so neither of us would become discomforted. Didn't want my ass or my legs to fall asleep on me.
Eventually only Umber and I were still awake and I pulled the remote out of Jayleen's hand. The blonde was quiet actively drooling onto her bed and I took a picture for later.
I felt a yawn come on and I moved Umber to the left so I could use my blanket. I smiled lightly as the bunny faunus moved closer. I was grateful too since it was rather cold tonight despite it being summer. My body stiffened as the faunus pulled me to her side by my waist. It was…an odd feeling?
"Shut up…" I shrugged, and then yelped as a hand made its way to my exposed stomach. I carefully removed the offending hand with a blush and got comfortable. Relaxing as Umber's breath evened out signifying her entrance into dreamland.
Guess it's time for me to sleep too. Probably need to start training for that Tournament Umber got me into. Maybe I'll get a better idea of where I stand among my peers…
I fidgeted hesitantly as Doctor Polendina muttered while poking and prodding, though it was really Miss Kitsune who was doing most of that poking. She frowned as if it wasn't enough and dismissed her lover(?) At this point in my growth stage I was already a few inches taller than the rather short faunus. She poked me in the chest and I grumbled.
"Strip." I floundered at her commands before hesitantly obliging her. I crossed my arms, doing my best to hide my chest despite the bra. The faunus rolled her eyes and took out a measuring tape. I grumbled as she used the tape to get my sizes, the feeling of hands near my bust rather new.
I felt a smirk come on as the fox faunus eyes followed my chest and glanced down to her own. Though now I returned to why she was doing this.
"Uh OK, now uh why do you need my measurements?" It wasn't everyday you were asked by Atlas scientist to do…this.
"Well Geppetto wanted to give you a little gift you see for opening his eyes to the possibilities. I know you've picked up some tidbits on our projects and I don't really mind for you to be among the first to test some of them." I felt a giddy feeling rise from my stomach and up my throat and I unleashed a squeal.
"Eeee!" I lifted my arms into the air as my emotions got the better of me. I shook off the strange urge. At the smile she was giving me I blushed, cursing the odd compulsions of this body. But I still needed to know more.
"Ahem…" My blush died down as she finished her measuring. "So what are you going to do with this." While I waited for her to answer, I put on my black cargo pants, passing each leg through its respective section. She opened her mouth, until I heard the door creep open. An ignorant Taiyang opened the door much to my amusement. He stopped with one foot in the air and I couldn't help but smirk as his expression. He looked at me like I was going to smack him across the face at any moment.
I want to test something… Miss Kitsune said nothing as her smirk was enough of an answer for me.
I crossed my arms, quite purposely lifting up my sizable chest in the process. His eyes followed the movement closely before meeting my eyes with red coloring his cheeks. "What's wrong Tai? Something uh caught your eye." He was shaking his head in denial and I was this close to giving him a hug to embarrass him even more. I decided to give him some mercy and put on my white tank top.
"S-Sorry I didn't mean to…" He mumbled under his breath, playing with his fingers in worry. His eyes looked downward and there was a small frown on his face.
Oh God…
"H-Hey it's okay it was an accident!" My plan had backfired within seconds. "Just knock before you enter a room okay?" He nodded and shyly said goodbye, leaving the room.
"Didn't go as well as you hoped huh?" I pouted and smacked her arm. She winced and I kicked at a small pebble on the floor.
"Again what are you going to make me?" Kitsune's eye kit up as the question registered in her mind. She dragged me along, and when we reached the living room, where Tai blatantly looked away from me. She opened up what looked like blueprints for protective clothing? The scientist looked giddy and my curiosity got the better of me.
"A very special protective article of clothing for your Hunter uniform." I nodded and I felt a smile come on as several different pieces of clothing showed up on screen. She pointed to a bodysuit under a flight suit of some sort that acted as an undershirt of some sort. "This is a special suit of armor that we're developing for Atlas, thankfully they don't mind if some Hunters get some as a gesture of goodwill with Vale. The inner suit is made up of a carbon nanotube and diamene weave with a variety of sensors built in for your convenience. It's also able to assist in thermoregulation for harsh climates. The inner suit can take twelve to thirteen shots from an average Dust rifle before breaking." My eyes were wide open at the information.
The average rifle with a Burn Dust propellant and and a Shock Dust igniter has around the same muzzle energy as a 12.7mm caliber bullet. So 18 kilojoules would be the best estimate? And this is for the innermost layer!
"What else! What else! What else!" She grinned and we moved on to the next layer which was the armored flight suit. Actually upon closer study of the armor I was reminded of a strange mix between the Nanosuit from Crysis and Spartan armor. Much more lightly built of course, resembling a less armored bodysuit instead.
"Then on top of that is another thicker carbon weave with a layer of metal foam to act as an absorbent layer. Armor plating is placed on top of that covering on as many vital points as possible without excessively restricting movement. The plating is made of carbon reinforced nanoceramic. Together with the inner layer the suit can take 40 something shots from a Dust rifle. There's also a number of pockets and various magnetic holders to store Dust, ammunition, your weapon and whatever else you need."
"Anything else?" She nodded and as I was left with my white cloak and a helmet in two varieties.
"Two helmet designs. Both can display and an HUD that links you to the sensor suite of your suit. Motion sensor, radar, thermal radiation, aural energy. Counts how many projectiles you have left, can be used in place of a scope. It will also monitor your vital signs, aura levels included of course. My next question was obvious, and we shared a conspiratorial smile. "The helmet is made up of some more carbon weave as before, while the visor is comprised of an aura enhanced Aluminum glass."
"You did what?" Taiyang was left sputtering and I beamed at the realization. "I know Summer said you were working on something but that." He sounded impressed and Kitsune haughtily laughed.
"Indeed, our project has been a complete success. All the suits system are powered by…uh remember not to tell anyone this just yet okay." She didn't let us answer her and the image shifted to illustrate about a dozen small crystals wired up to both suits. "They are powered by Aura Storing Crystals or ASC for short, and the alloys and composites in the armor are part of a new subset of materials known as Aura Storing Alloys or ASAs"
Really? Is having acronyms really necessary?
"Anything else they can do?" Taiyang was curious and frankly so was I despite my contempt for those acronyms.
"Self healing properties?" Was what the fox faunus replied with.
Dear lord, Atlas and Remnant technology is absolutely bullshit with what their capable of in such a short amount of time. They went from this technology not existing to existing in a little over two years.
"I want it…" The moment she said yes I charged her giving her my tightest hug. I checked out the cloak next and the changes there were minimal, only a change in the material, though I personally added some light bending alchemical circles for stealth. So yeah I'll be the stealthy sniper build that nobody on Remnant uses, with some explosive demolition on the side.
I blinked and realized that the doctor had left while I was doing a little celebratory dance.
Thunk.
Taiyang had given me a poke on the nose to get my attention. He held out his hand and I greedily took the chocolate chip cookies he had. The boy had a fond look in his eyes while I ate them in small bites. The tasty and chocolatey flavor was familiar… "Are these one of mine Tai?" He nodded and took a seat next to me.
"Um yeah. I…couldn't help myself. They're really good. I shrugged, not able to blame him. After a year of very necessary practice you tend to figure out your way around the kitchen or starve. I even figured out how to make some of the old foods from back home. Apparently just remembering the taste would be enough for my semblance to get a minimal understanding with my semblance. Still a lot of trial and error and—
GRRR!
My eyes instantly honed in on Taiyang's stomach and he meekly nodded to the expected question.
Time for lunch then!
"How is it?" I asked worriedly as Taiyang took a bite of the soup I had cooked up for both him and I. For fun I had worn an apron that read "kiss the cook" that I usually used for baking instead. Back Before I had a modest interest in cooling and once I got good over here, there was a sense of pride whenever anyone liked it. I tended to ask quiet frequently even though they always told me it was good.
"Fantastic." He took a few more bites before speaking again. "I wouldn't mind if you cooked for me everyday." He suddenly choked on his food and I tilted my head.
"Huh? What does that mean?" He sputtered with a blush and I pointed the ladle accusingingly at him.
"It's nothing…Um how are you preparing for the Tournament?" I rubbed my chin at the question, letting his blatant change of topic go.
"I think I'm doing alright. My skills have started pulling ahead of the other students in our class and I can beat you guys with greater regularity. Based on the sparring records charts I've just hit top ten. Soon nothing will stop me! Hehe hehe." I evilly rubbed my hands together and I stopped as my friend started to laugh. "What's so funny?" he stopped and wiped a tear away.
"It's just you sound like the world's most adorable super villain." I preened at the praise, and we both couldn't help but laugh together.
"Of course I'm adorable! I mean come on, look at this face. " I smiled, pressing my pinkies against the dimples.
"Really hot too…" I felt a flush at the sudden compliment and he apologized quickly. I didn't mind though, he was my friend and I just loved compliments. My flush went down as I noticed he seemed…off somehow.
"Are you alright?" The golden boy froze, showing me a stiff upper lip. I took a few hesitant steps forward and placed my hands on his shoulders. I absently noted that we were almost the same height, and it wouldn't be long before he surpassed me. I lifted one hand up to check for a fever, but he seemed okay in the health department.
"I…" I gave him a patient smile and I held back a shout as he threw himself at me. I sighed as his body shook, and held him tight. I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what.
"You can trust me you know. I care about you and want to help you if I can." I hugged him tight, and his resistance crumbled at my expression.
"Okay I'll tell you." I grinned in victory but schooled my expression as he started. "I…my mom got in an accident with Dust." My heart stopped and I grabbed his arms so he would hug back. Tai needed a hug, and he needed it bad. "She's in the hospital."
"Is she going to be okay?" He nodded and I sighed in relief. He didn't deserve to have his parents taken from him at this age. He let go, and rubbed the back of his neck, the embarrassment clear.
"Thanks really. I know you're not good at this stuff but." I waved him off. I might be an antisocial nerd, but that doesn't mean I don't care about my friends. And…I wanted to be a better person than I used to be. I…would become a better person. Taiyang relaxed and he had a sweet and easy grin on his face. He gave me a cheeky look and opened his mouth. "So…how well do you think you'll do at the Tournament." I felt my lips widen into a fierce smirk.
I was so going to kick some ass at the Tournament.
BOOM!
I felt dissatisfied as the girl fell to her knees after only three shots. We had started at a mere 50-meters and I had my sniper up and shooting by the time she had crossed half the distance. Her aura had dropped to the 15% mark and the match was called. I offered her my hand but she slapped it away, grumbling the entire way as she walked out of the small arena.
"Rude…"
I had been gradually making my way up the bracket for the regional tournament. There were a total of 40 participants in our age bracket and I had blazed through over a half of them. Half of it due to my skill the other half due to their lack of skill. I was feeling rather excited, and I hoped I would get to face someone tough even if I lost. Just the learning process experience would ultimately do wonders for me.
I was currently in the top 11 only one more match short of entering the top ten. The next match wouldn't be for another hour so I had time to kill but still I was worried with my next opponent.
It was Jayleen…
I have a few advantages here, I know how she fights. She yields a small blue staff like thing she wields as as two knives when split apart. So I have the range advantage, but it's possible no incredibly likely that she's hiding her semblance. Biding her time until someone who can really push her becomes worthy.
I sat back in the lockers, and pulled back my hair into a temporary ponytail. I had left it grow for too long and planned to cut it sometime. I removed my shirt and breathed a sigh of relief, as the AC did its work. Unfortunately today was a very hot day despite it being Fall. I rolled my eyes as a certain blonde Arc snuck up from behind, getting a tight hold on my stomach.
"Jay please. Don't make me get the spray bottle." The girl promptly let go, and I leaned against the locker shivering as bare skin met cold metal. I pulled out another identical but cleaner shirt and after applying some deodorant and stretching a bit was more or less ready.
"This is going to be an exciting match Sums Up." I shrugged with a smirk and inspected Gungnir, checking for any issues but finding none. The white and black rifle was in mint condition relatively speaking. Once that was done I took a brief nap to pass the time.
…
…
"Yeah…" I felt excitement as we were called out.
"This is gonna be awesome!" My Arc buddy pulled ahead of me and I kept a behind her not wanting to waste unnecessary energy. My body tensed as we entered try ring and I kept my nerves as steady as could be.
"Okay B…Summer keep calm you've managed to keep your stage fright at bay all this time. I can do this."
We started about 40 meters apart, not an optimal range for either of us really for our melee weapons. Though this was more a problem for her due to her knives short range.
I watched Jay closely, just as much as she watched me. There was an odd confidence that put me on edge. I decided to go with a smaller round for now.
One, two, three…
BANG!
I kept my grin off my face as Jay took a Mach 18 tungsten slug to the face. The area around her then exploded into smoke and rubble. I heard shuffling from the smoke and narrowed my eyes. The moment I heard whistling, my rifle became a spear and I narrowly blocked a bubble, bouncing it away from me.
From the smoke I saw a blue wall protecting her from harm. Firing a few more times to test the blue shields resilience. Strong shield, she can form them into bubbles…likely to carry explosive Dust packages. The barrier splintered away into bubbles and Jayleen's started her attack.
I rolled away dodging the barrage of blue bubbles. The explosions of fire, ice and lightning told me enough about the power of her semblance. I activated the alchemical runes etched into my spear and then…
BAMM!
A roaring inferno surged toward the girl and I cursed as my eyes registered a blue flash of light. I growled as another shield blocked the attack like it was nothing.
Stay calm, don't lose your shit.
I'm sure…Jay is going to be rather electrified!
BAKRAM!
Several lightning shocks pierced through the shield, and Jayleen screamed as the electrical shock twitched her vulnerable muscles. In her moment of distraction I took my shot, and I watched as the 3.527 ounce bullet slammed into her chest throwing her meters back.
"10% in one hit…" I circled around her as she picked herself up with a hoarse huff. But she had a smile on her face…
I ducked under a bubble she had hidden only to run in to a second one filled with…
Jet Dust!
BOOM!
I muffled a scream as I was thrown flat on my back. A chunk of my aura was taken down by the Thermobaric blast as well as the fall. I threw myself forward picking up my weapon on the way, and I grinned as I thrust into Jay's aura. Her mistake had been to get in close in with her knives to attack me. Her aura took the hit, and I opened up with something special.
Jayleen's took a block of thermite right to her skull and the metal detonated, throwing her away. She landed on her feet, orienting herself while in the air and throwing Block Dust in my direction.
"Shit! Move!" I leaped upward, blocking and cutting through any generated or thrown up earth. I cracked the ground as I landed and let out a ping with my semblance.
What…the shit is this? From behind me I heard a roar and a rocky hand nearly ripped my arm out of my socket as it slammed me into the ground.
I popped up onto my feet and bent back, dodging a sharp clawed hand and revealing my attacker.
A giant stone…puppet? And several smaller puppets?
I…wait is Jay wearing a blue dress? She's using a wand…brought an army of puppets to life…
"Are you…the blue fairy?" Jayleen's face contorted into utter confusion and her puppets faltered. I roared and slashed with my halberd crushing most of the smaller puppets in my wake. The Arc returned to life and snapped her fingers, and three puppets surrounded me before—OH SHIT!
SHOOM!
I lost ten percent of my aura in a single blast and I focused to the best of my ability.
Three to the left. Five to the right
Two behind, one in front.
I side stepped to the left, ducking under several puppets and proceeding to murder them into a million tiny pieces. Then opened up fire…
Within seconds I had reduced most of her puppets to rubble. My instincts started screaming however and my eyes widened as a solid chunk of Thermobaric Dust collided with me.
BOOOMM!
I growled as my aura dropped to 25% with that explosion. I had forgotten about their master in my murderous rage. Okay let's focus some aura here and…
I tore through her remaining puppet, dropping it with an aura slash, and cutting it in half with my halberd. I felt the wind push against me as I dashed toward Jay, crossing the twenty meter distance in a quarter of a second. My halberd clanged against her barrier. I shattered it with ease, a blast of directed alchemical fire striking against the barrier and then her aura.
I thrust the spear aiming for her arm, but she leaped up landing on top of my weapon. She balanced easily on it and brought down her knives for a final strike. I instead thrust my weapon downward embedding it into the ground before unleashing a point blank fuel-air explosion to her face.
BOOOMM!
"Jayleen Arc has defeated Summer Rose by the slimmest of margins! She moves on to the next round!"
Jayleen Arc 15% Aura
Summer Rose 14.99% Aura.
Son of a—!
"Good match!" I grinned despite my loss, the sharp sting of disappointment was still there though. From what I can, at the last minute Jayleen made a final puppet that had dropped my aura down while I Roy Mustang'd her entire body.
"Um yeah. That was actually really exciting!" It really was, fighting with my all against a strong opponent. At the very least sport fighting was really fun, especially with a good friend. Jay rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet, and I almost did the same. But I don't want to be that girly.
"So you'll stick around for the other matches right?"
"Of course! I want to see you kick ass after all!" We both smiled at one another. I pulled her into a friendly hug, and she hugged back. At this point our friendship had long been cemented.
Sniff.
A line appeared between brows. "Did you just…Sniff me?" I rolled my shoulders and nodded.
"You kind of smell bad? I'm sorry." Her eyes widened and she lifted up her arm to check. She recoiled from her armpit and agreed with a grimace.
"Right, so after I…clean up, can we have some lunch together? I know this little coffee shop…and." I lifted up my hand, and an OK sign was my answer. She practically sparkled with happiness, she embraced me a second time before leaving to wash up.
I should do the same…
"Are you drinking chocolate milk?" I took a sip of the aforementioned drink and nodded. We had about 37 minutes before her next round, and this little cute shop had some good food. Jayleen was apparently a fan of coffee to my surprise, admittingly she added like five sugars and cream so it probably didn't even taste like coffee.
"What about it?" I took another sip as Jayleen thought my question over. The girl put one leg over the other as she pursed her lip. You know, she was kind of cute when she was thinking like that, as much as Tai is when he does that.
Huh, where did that come from?
"Uh well," I beckoned her to go on. "You've always been rather serious, I thought you'd be more of a black coffee kind of girl." My nose fueled at the audacity of the idea and shivered. That sounded disgusting. "Heh, based on the look on your face I was wrong." I agreed shaking my head at the mere idea of it.
"Coffee is gross." She didn't seem to agree and I had a good counterattack. "Heck even Headmaster Ozpin doesn't like it. He drinks hot cocoa." Her expression dropped and I puffed up my chest in victory.
"That may be…but it's still unexpected"
"How so?" My curiosity hastened my question. Didn't really get why she would think.
"Well like I said you're pretty serious. Half the time you don't even respond to our jokes. But then suddenly you do things that are really nice and sweet, and it's...weird."
My nostrils flared as I picked up the suspicion. "Are you saying I'm being fake?" She turned away and I felt frankly insulted. My temper reared its head quickly at the perceived insult. "I might be a lot of things. Apathetic, antisocial, cynical, but I care about my friends, care about their interests. I'm just…" My voice choked and I relished the guilty expression on her face.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that." I rubbed my eye as they felt watery for a moment. "I…had some bad credit experience with fakes in the past."
I was still angry but I understood what she meant. I knew what people were capable of when they wanted to be malicious or manipulative. Thankfully not from first person experience. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt that she thought so little of me.
"I'm sorry again. But…why do I have that feeling of…like you're forcing myself then?" There was curiosity brimming in those bright eyes of hers and I thought of how to answer. My older friends already knew sind they had forced the answers out of me, so I guess I could tell her too. I could…trust her.
"I guess you could say I am forcing myself. Not because I don't care…but more. I want to be better, more proactive." It was still a hard topic to broach with me.
"What do you mean?" Her face expressed more befuddlement at my response. My words hadn't illustrated my point across as well as I had hoped.
"I've always had issues with…putting effort into things even when it's important. I guess I have very little…willpower of sorts. Sometimes I don't even want to get up in the morning." I hid a sniffle, turning away from the now sympathetic girl.
"It sounds like your a bit…depressed."
"Heh," A bitter laugh escaped me. "That's not something new to me Jay." My chuckles stopped as she placed her hands over mine. Her eyes darted back and forth as if analyzing me.
"You're not alone, I promise you that. You have Taiyang, Umber, Cassin. You have me." There was desperation in her voice and I looked deeper into her eyes. She blinked away tears, turning away. "I, the fake did a bad thing." I followed along so far, willing to listen. "She was…bullying another kid, using her power to leave him with nothing until he—" She didn't finish her sentence and I understood.
"You don't have to worry about that. I rather like being alive." She released a breath and I frowned as I checked the time. I gestured to the time and her eyes popped out.
"Oh…shit!" I picked her up and jumped right over a customer, paid of course and ran like a bat out of hell. While I ran I continued to reassure her. Eventually we came to a stop and I put her down.
"Hey Jayleen?"
Jayleen brushed back her matted hair and replied with a "Yeah?"
I beamed and gave her a thumbs up. "Kick their asses for me kay?" her warm smile was all the response I needed.
"Thanks…"
"What do you think?" A certain Atlesian scientist asked a small figure hidden under a thick dense cloth that obscured their features.
"I believe they would both be sensational friends and would like to meet them one day." The bundle of cloth answered with glee in her voice and metaphorical heart. She had been allowed to attend after some adjustments to hide her current appearance from what her father said could be potential dangers to her. He said many would not understand, that man and faunus were afraid of what they did not understand.
"But who do you think would fit as a partner?"
"Hmm…" The clothed being tilted her head, as she watched the two humans fight with everything they had. "They're both strong, but one of them is kinder and may provide better synergy than the other. Her defensive shielding is interesting."
Her father grinned and crossed his arms as the fighting ended in a potent explosion.
'How curious…there's no aura draw from her semblance.'
The machine beings eyes focused in on the runes painted or carved throughout the sniper users form and weapon. But her sensors did pick up on some energy being drawn in from…elsewhere. She modified her code to analyze the energy. To her it was strange and new, a flow of power overlaid across the entirety of the arena. Her aura sensors were the most advanced in existence, and with her newly made improvements she could now sense the "other" source of power more easily.
"Father?" The red haired Atlesian scientist tilted his head in her direction. There was question in his eyes. "My sensors have picked up a strange energy from the silver eyed girl you talk with." He leaned in, his curiosity sparked by her statement.
"Can you give me some more detail?" Her form became unnaturally straight and his scroll vibrated.
He started to read the images sent to him. "Another field of energy? It resembles aura but…harder to control. Those arrays draw power from them, to begin and control their reactions along with small amounts of aura." The small figure noticed his elevating heart rate and felt worry. The worry stopped and for a brief moment the figure thought she was going mad.
Her sensors were picking up thousands of "ghost" signatures all around her in massive numbers. The motes of lights came and went like mayflies, disappearing and reappearing at any time. Others persisted for much longer amounts of time, with a single blazing fire gathering within the bodies of the animals scattered across the arena. Whether it was a rat, or a smuggled in pet she could sense the entities contained within them. Some appeared with physical actions in the real world. Motes of light appeared whenever a match was lit, or a faucet opened, or even a breath taken. Her father picked up on these images if his paling complexion was any indication. Her processing even almost stalled as her sensors focused on the silver eyed human. In the new mode her eyes shined like a supernova, and for a brief moment the peeping being felt something watching her, judging her. The spiritual glare weakened and she sensed approval before the being watching left.
"I…"
"S-Should we keep this to ourselves father?" The scientist paused before he gave his approval.
The small figure turned off the sensory mode and smiled as she watched a new match start. Doing her best to keep the encounter to the back of her mind.
RRRRR.
I opened my eyes and held back a yawn as I lifted myself up out of bed. I leaned myself against the head of my bed, cleaning up some of the sand-stuff from the corners of my eye. The house was quiet as Gilda was out on a mission. I think it was to defend some obscure village from a Grimm attack? From what I could gather they were offering a lot of Lien, so mom took them up on their generous offer.
Time to start the day off then…
My feet met the floor and I glanced about the room. I had never bothered to care too much about it, until Jayleen convinced me to decorate. "Make it my own," was what she said to me. So I did.
The room was rather roomy, I could have fit two beds if I wanted to. My bed was on the left side of the 12.5x16 foot room, next to a built in closet I used for my clothes and other stuff. The bed was pretty big, a full size if I'm remembering right. It had an orange bedsheet and the tiger stripe print blanket I used was sprawled across its surface.
Very comfy…
On the right side there was a reinforced glass window that would have provided a view into my room if it wasn't for the long black curtain I had gotten. I thought it looked nice, and it contrasted with the creamy white walls of my room. At the right most corner where the window ended, I had a mahogany little desk I used for studying.
Mahogany…
Anyway, I felt a breeze as the AC snapped on, the summer heat being rather intense today. This day in August has proven to be a real scorcher for us all. I had decided to just have a lazy day and didn't bother to change. I stopped at the mirror, deciding to see for myself how much progress I had made. I had to have advanced at least a little after more than a year and a half.
"Hmmm…looking good…"
I was taller, since my growth had finished off at about 5'11 in height. My hair was down to my shoulders, and I didn't plan to grow it beyond that. My outfit was a long black shirt paired with grey boxers that I found comfortable. It was a women's large since it was the only size that fit me now. Going to be honest, I looked a lot different than the OG Summer did, but that might just be a guess. Now I was no buff Buffy, but I wasn't some skinny gymnast either, and in thick baggy clothes I tended to look cutely chubby. But I suppose I was chubby where it counted if you know what I mean.
"Should probably stop talking to myself." Yeah, besides this growing girl needs some food in her belly.
I slipped on my slippers so I didn't have to put on any shoes and opened up the door. I zeroed in on the shared kitchen and living room, and thought about what I wanted to do. Should I cook up some breakfast? Or just get some cereal? Hmm…nah just cereal is fine.
I picked out from our varieties of unhealthy brands, From Frosted Schnee Flakes to to Cheerios(Some brands stayed the same…) my eyes led me to a Lucky Charms like cereal.
A few minutes later and I'm sitting on the couch watching the holographic TV and only a shirt and boxers to hide my womanly dignity. I watched with excitement as a new program started, an interview with a certain Atlesian faunus doctor about the recently unveiled joint space program. From what I can tell the program has opened up to the remaining kingdom, mainly so they wouldn't feel threatened. I upped the volume so I could hear better.
"This space program has advanced rather quickly hasn't it Doctor Kitsune?" Some famous reporter badgered the Dust expert, and she gave her a practiced smile.
"Indeed it has, all thanks to some old research notes from before the Great War." Atlas had managed to pass off my books as well as the near fully decoded files, after I sent the Russian through a translator. Millions of files were left in the possession of the Headmaster so he could gradually send anything he considered vital into the capable hands of the Kingdoms R&D department. I even heard they were thinking of building a Particle Accelerator somewhere within one of the Kingdoms.
"You've recently stated the plans for a satellite network to displace the CCT Network. How exactly will that work?" Kitsune's eyes lit up at the question and she jumped to answer.
"Well we plan to create a satellite constellation into orbit around next year. We already have the highly reliable rockets needed to send them." I felt elated as an image played behind the two women, showing off what looked like the BFR rocket. The reporter gaped as the size of the vessel became more obvious, the 118 meter monster impressive even from a screen. There were some small differences here and there, mainly it looked tougher somehow. Likely due to the use of Aura Alloys, which made them much stronger than normal. However fueling the rocket still required methane and liquid oxygen as per usual, easily obtained from the Agricultural industry.
"Communicating with each other through lasers, the network will provided a nearly unbroken internet connection across the globe as long as a connection like this one." Holding a pizza box sized router in her hand, the reporter was still without words. It made me question how they managed to hide this for three years.
I paused the channel for a moment to take a few bites of cereal. If there's one good thing about the Schnee's I like it's their food and Dust. And on that note I think little Winter's like two and a half years old now. She's going to be 28 and half if I'm counting the years right when we get to RWBY time.
DING!
My me time was interrupted as the doorbell rang, and I sighed as I got up to open the door. I held up the bowl with my left arm, and turned the doorknob with my right.
"Hey Tai," I greeted the blonde kindly, a smile pulling at my face. Taiyang looked almost identical to the SRTQ picture if with a slightly more youthful look. He turned out to be a really tall young man. About half a head taller, or like five or six inches thereabout? His eyes shined, almost lilac in the lighting and his right hand met with the frame of the doorway. "You bored or something? You could have called me you know." He raised a brow and waved his Scroll in the air as an answer.
Fair enough.
"So can I come in?" I gestured to the back with my thumb and he lit up. Tai closed the door behind me so the AC wouldn't waste precious energy. We sat on the couch and I smirked as he visibly kept his gaze from going below my collar.
"You always act like a flirt but you get flustered so easily." He didn't respond to my observation. "And you're working on that little soul patch of yours?" I poked the small patch of hair with a bemused smile. The corner of his mouth twitched and I felt content.
"Uh yeah, I thought it would make me look older." He rubbed the back of his head with an abashed look.
"Well it does make you look cuter. So you've got that going for him." His cheeks turned pink as my tone shifted to a more flirtatious one. Tai was an easy guy to tease and I relished in it.
"Shut up Summer, don't mock me…" Tai grumbled childishly and I took the time to get another few bites in. The cereal was starting to go soggy and I didn't want soggy cereal.
"So," I paused for a swallow, "What brings you by my humble abode?"
"Do I need a reason to visit my best friend?" My heart skipped a beat at his earnest expression, and I laughed nervously.
"That's a…good reason I guess." I shyly brushed my hair back, and I huffed as Tai gave me a lopsided grin. He was usually a terrible flirt but he still found ways to surprise me after all these years. It didn't help that I actually did find him attractive no matter what I used to be before this. Not that I have any issues with that, I worked out my sexuality years ago.
"So Atlas and Vale are going to space?" I shook my head, focusing on the present moment as Taiyang spoke, gesturing to the TV. I missed the details on an eventual manned mission planned for the next Vytal Festival in about a year or so. People from all walks of life would be sent into low Earth orbit, and the missions would be expanded to a greater and greater distance from Remnant.
"Apparently."
Space Opera, Space Opera, Space Opera…
"So, you ever plan to go to space yourself, You've got connections…" I rolled my eyes, ignoring him by lifting my bowl up to my lips drinking its contents as I usually did.
"I'll take that as a yes." Damn straight you will blonde. I'm going to become a space marine or die trying.
I can see it now. A village surrounded by Grimm cries out for help, and out of nowhere a shooting star comes. Is it a meteor, is it a broken satellite? No! It's space marine/ODST/Startrooper/Space Alchemist Spartan Summer Flamel Rose to the rescue.
I'll come down like a rocket, snapping a Nevermore's neck with my bare fucking hands. I'll be shooting Grimm left and right, I'll bitch slap a Nuckelavee in the face like a total badass.
"Heheheh." Tai scooted back with concern and fear in his eyes as a laugh escaped from the recesses of my soul.
Yes, fear me! I am the night! I am B—
"Bleh! Bleh! Fucking hell!" I cursed as I spat out a shoe. That little twerp jammed one of his feet in my mouth! Oh he's dead! He was snickering the entire time and I pounced on him in retaliation. He laughed while I aimed to wring his freaking neck with my hands "You little shit! Don't you laugh at me!" My face flushed with anger and he laughed even harder.
His laughter stopped…
"U-Uh Summer?" I tilted my head at his sudden stutter, wondering what had gotten him him in such a tizzy. I adjusted my position and—
Oh my.
In my anger I had ended up closely straddling Taiyang. My legs sat comfortably in his lap, while my upper body pressed against his chest and neck. I felt the strong toned muscles underneath his shirt and a powerful heat settled in my stomach. The way his strong hands felt as they subconsciously gripped my hips…
"O-oh s-sorry…" I blushed as my nose met with Taiyang's and I jumped back, safely landing on the cushion.
Oh jeez I should pay more attention next time. Don't want Gilda to walk in and get the wrong idea. And I should get changed and ignore the pounding of my heart in my chest. And forget the feeling of his muscles and abs on my body.
Yes…let's do that…
"You okay?" I snapped my head back as a nervous sounding Taiyang calls out from behind the door. I added a pair of white yoga pants, and kept the shirt finding no good reason to change much. I opened the door, and I hid a laugh behind a cough at Tai's expression. He just…looked so nervous and jittery and it was hilarious.
"I'm good!" A smile and a thumbs up was enough to reassure him and he calmed down.
Now…I had questions.
"Tai?"
His smile became wobbly and my smile became a tad more strained. "Yeah?"
"I know you didn't just come here to hang out. So what happened?" I asked him, feeling almost as worried as when his mother was sick. Thankfully she got better…but still.
"I…you know how Cassin didn't want to become a Huntsmen?" I nodded, while I brushed my bangs back. "Well, he changed his mind."
"Wait really?" I felt amazed at the idea, Cassin had been adamant for years that he would never become a Huntsmen, especially after the shitshow with his father. I really wish he would have let me gut that little bastard. That would show him…
"Heh yeah, there was an incident with some Grimm that convinced him." I stopped him there with a cold glare.
"Give me all the details, cus this sounds like something I should know." He meekly nodded and I gave him a condescending pat on the head.
"Okay it started pretty normal…
—Flashback—
Near the outskirts of the island of Patch, a new village was being constructed in what could be considered former Grimm territory. A second wave of expansion had begun after the failure of Mount Glenn. Many had fled to the several thousand square mile island to have a new life away from the ruined city. Though the city of Glenn was gone, it had slowly been taken back after the various Grimm infected caves were destroyed or emptied of the beasts of darkness. But for now, the growing populations were in Vale, Patch as well the several major cities scattered across the Kingdom.
Cassin had decided to volunteer as a small guard force in case the Grimm decided to attack the still vulnerable village. Fortunately for the guards, the new fangled radar and motion sensor system would give fair warning to an attack. The brown haired teenager gripped his still unnamed warhammer assault rifle while his left hand reached for his shield. He had a bad feeling about this place. Cassin felt a tension and energy in the air, and his soul seemed to pulsate with fear.
He jumped as a hand patted his shoulder and he gave a grunt of greeting to a tubby bear faunus that had been hired as a guard. He didn't know his name, not because he didn't want to but because he was too distracted.
"Something wrong kid?" The bear faunus sounded concerned, and Cassin sighed!as he watched over the horizon.
"There's a vibe in the air I don't like…" The bear faunus mumbled an agreement and his ears twitched.
"Yup…something's coming…" As if in response to the faunus the sensors sounded the alarm and the twelve strong guard force were now on the ready.
Cassin straightened up and his voice became more authoritative. "How many Grimm? I know that's a feature with the visual sensors." A terrified operator shakingly responded.
"Uh…the cameras are picking up. 80 beowolves, 40 Boarbatusk, 30 Ursa minor, 5 Taijitu, 2 Ursa Major and…oh gods." The operator was shaking and Cassin felt a spike of irritation at his cowardice.
"What else?" The red haired operator swallowed some saliva before answering.
"A Geist…an Atsali Gigas to be precise."
Cassin flared his aura at this new knowledge and thought carefully of what he needed to do next. His mind went into overdrive, and he shouted loudly for all the villagers to stay back. An Atsali Gigas would be a massive problem, a Grimm that took possession of metal would prove to be far tougher and more agile than a more common Petra Gigas. Cassin would need to use all of his training and wit if he wanted to leave this place alive.
'Today is just not my day is it?' Cassin shook his head and grimaced as a flock of birds flew overhead, a second warning to what was coming.
Gunfire suddenly rang out, making Cassin rush in with his weapon. From the treeline, the beasts of darkness rushed in with ruthless abandon hungering for bloody battle. Cassin felt disgust at the Beasts, the natural pungent smell of their kind invading his nose. The black smoke that came from their bodies unnerved, and he unleashed a rain of bullets.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
With each bullet a Grimm fell, the armor piercing rifle rounds spearing through their supernaturally tough flesh. They didn't die instantly but another round was more than enough to out them down for good. Cassin frowned and twisted his hips, deflecting a blow from an Ursa. He pushed the Grimm back, with a shield bash to its face.
'It's pretty big for an Ursa but I don't think it's an Ursa Major. At least…not yet. I guess I'll go with a test drive.' Summer had convinced him to add some Dust and alchemical capabilities to his shield. His shield was conductive to aura and had several different Dust crystals built into it.
The Ursa screamed as an electric current surged through its body. It ended with shock as a blast of white-hot fire seared it's flesh, and it wobbled before falling dead.
He was suddenly surrounded by a pack of drooling beowolves led by what he could see was an Alpha if the addition armor and spikes didn't make it obvious. In that lull Cassin's thought ran at hyperspeed. 'Two beowolves to my left, three to the right, four behind, and the Alpha in front. How about…'
The pack struck and Cassin dropped to his back before activating the Gravity Dust within his shield. The beowolves were struck by a gravity wave, cracking their armor with the impact. Cassin flipped onto his feet and shot off some bullets, striking a few hits, scouring through beowolf hide.
He smashed his war hammer into the side of one hot heated individual, punching it's skull in with the devastating blow. The two to his left fell to a shield blast shattering their spines, and he spun on his heel stabbing the Alpha with the bladed end of his shield.
The Grimm drew back with a snarl, and was met with a wave of ice sealing it's eyes shut. Cassin smirked as the sound of shotguns silenced the other Grimm leaving him alone with the furious Alpha.
It swiped with its blood coated claws and Cassin blocked it out of instinct. He realized his mistake as the Alpha wrapped it's hands around the edges. Cassin's arm screamed as the wolf pulled, trying to rip his defense out of his hands.
'It's trying to take my shield! Shit!' He grit his teeth before unleashing a Gravity blast, throwing the Grimm off. He barely kept his grip on the shield and sighed in relief. He channeled his aura to his legs, and charged into the Alpha with all the force of a truck crash. The Alpha met him head on, and he relished in the hiss of pain as its skin sizzled away under the intense heat of his shield.
"How about this you monster!" Cassin braced his arm as he lifted up his war games and fired. He had switched to a explosive round and internally cheered as the grimms jaw was blown off by the Fire Dust warhead. He kept his shield up and brought down his hammer, ignoring the splattering of Grimm grey matter he grinned.
"Not half bad kid!" He pressed the trigger, shooting six explosive bullets into a Taijitu. The white snake hissed as its insides broiled and Cassin went on the offensive. He cracked through the snakes scales with a bash of his hammer, and he quickly climbed up to meet the furious Grimm.
He flipped his hammer, and stabbed the pointed end of the head right into the snakes skull.
SHINK!
The Grimm went still, as the blade extended into its skull case.
Cassin pulled out his weapon and leaped off, leaving as crater as he landed. He felt proud of himself for taking out the Grimm but knew it wasn't time to relax. The battlefield still rung with the sounds of dying Grimm and dying people. He followed his ears to an eerie roar and started flat out running, attracting the bear faunus's attention.
On the way Cassin brought down a dozen weakened beowolves and tore his eyes away from the sight of the mangled body of the operator. His crushed ribs and spilled out internal organs was enough to tell him the man had fallen to a Taijitu.
'I didn't know you well. But I promise I'll avenge you.'
He picked up the pace as he heard what sounded like a younger cry. The footsteps behind picked up instantly at the sound, and Cassin had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Cassin skidded to a stop as a pile of metal blocked his way. The pillar had come out of nowhere. He nearly cloth lined the faunus, having some suspicions. The meta looked like it had came from a construction site, pieces of aluminum, steel, and iron flowed together seamlessly.
Cassin looked up…
And up, and up, and up…
The red glowing eye of a 20 meter tall Atsali Gigas glared down at the puny by comparison humans.
"GHHHHHAHHHH!"
'OH SHIT!'
From behind a poorly guarded rock, two shivering bear faunus kids cried out as they held a prone women. The bear faunus was shaking, his hands practically crushing the grip of the halberd in his eyes.
"You…" Cassin tried to push in front of the faunus, and yelped as the older man pushed him aside.
"H-Hey let's think rationally here. We need to have a plan." The man stopped and Cassin almost relaxed.
"Yeah…a plan sounds good." The man's voice was deathly cold and Cassin felt a Choo run down his spine. "Now how about…"
'Oh please don't.'
"I TEAR OUT THIS BASTARDS SPINE AND SHOVE IT UP IT'S OWN ASS!" The faunus leaped stabbing his halberd right into the bests arm joint.
'Double shit!'
The remain guards had been doing battle with the Grimm for half an hour, and only the Gigas was left. It proved the most resilient and now only three people stood in its way. If they failed here well over a hundred people could did.
Cassin wouldn't let that happen. He had seen what losing family could do to a person. He remembered the expression on Umber's face upon learning of her mother's death, he remembered the night terrors Summer still suffered from.
He needed to think…that was when an idea hit him. Something Summer and Umber had told him about Geist. Their weakness…
But there isn't anyone with enough fire power to bring its limbs down. There was nothing he could do anymore. No allies, no Dust warheads with enough oomph, this was it. His allies were going to die, the villagers were going to die, and most importantly…
He was going to die!
"AHHHHH!" Cassin charged in a final stand against the end. His body ached his soul cried out, and raw power surged in his veins. His dark brown-red aura simmered with a building up of something.
'I refuse to die like this!' Those limbs had to go, and he would…bring them down!
The Grimm warbled as he jumped into the air with a roar, his hammer poised to cave in its metal innards. Overwhelming energy flowed from the core of his being, and it needed release…
Cassin would give it release…
BWOOOOM!
Cassin shot up from his sleep and blinked owlishly as the unfamiliar surroundings came into focus. He gripped the white bed sheet, and grimaced at the dozen and a half bodies laid in a haphazard pile. He breathed deeply, and felt relief that the bear faunus's body wasn't one of the corpses on display.
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Cassin growled as he was forcefully lifted off thy ground by the hands and tail(?) of a monkey faunus. The man, a doctor based on the coat he was wearing, looked relieved as well as fascinated. "Thank God you woke up before we made the call our else your mama would be pretty confused."
Cassin gave the faunus a puzzled expression and shrugged not caring for the specifics. The doctors gaze suddenly peered behind him and Cassin turned around. Two little girls stared at him with awe and reverence and he didn't know how to take the situation.
"Uh hi…" His smile was awkward and unpracticed yet the girls responded with sweet smiles anyway. Cassin's heart practically skipped a beat at the children's heartfelt expressions.
Both children bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much Mister…if it wasn't for you daddy would be…be." Both children tackled his pillar like legs and now Cassin was even more of of his depth.
"I…your welcome?" He patted their heads with a half hearted Smile, not finding it in him to deny them. His eyes flashed with hope as the father approached him, though all hope was lose as the tall man lifted up his hands for an embrace.
Cassin was now caught in a familial bear hug and remained completely caught off guard. The look of gratefulness in the small families eyes…was appeasing. The family let go and brushed away any signs of weakness.
"Thank you young man for saving me and my daughters. I don't think we can ever repay you." Cassin's cheeks blazed red and he hoped they couldn't see it, though their cheeky grins told him he wasn't that fortunate.
"We all are grateful for what you've done for us!" Cassin was left startled as the village practically dog piled him. Each villages sang his praises, yet that wasn't what caught his attention.
It was the peace and reassurance in their eyes that moved him. His presence alone was enough to calm them and bring hope. Because of his efforts they were all alive. He saved them…from a fate no one wanted.
"I'll be right back." Cassin fled the crowd and after a short chase found a quiet spot where he cemented his new direction in life.
"Hey Taiyang." His voice was soft as he spoke to his friend of nearly four years.
"Yello?"
"You know how I said I didn't want to be a Huntsmen?"
"Yeah…why?"
"Well I may have…made some changes in my plan."
There was a loud gasp on the other line. Suddenly a crashing sound resounded form the phone.
"Tai?"
"I'm okay!"
—Not a Flashback—
Well…that's one way to get roped into the path of a Huntsmen…I didn't expect that from Cassin but it was a welcome change. It meant that going to Beacon wouldn't be as lonely as I thought it would be. I would get to have a few of my friends attend alongside me.
"Cool right?" Taiyang asked with a cheeky grin.
My signature grin was all I needed to respond with.
"Yep!"
"The mortals are starting to pick up on the existence of Magic again…"
"What of it..?"
Two voices spoke in a strange void, one of a female nature while the other was quite androgynous.
"Death…does that human know you are not the full aspect of Entropy?"
"I'm sure she has…if I was then my power would be limitless…but the world does not like such things."
"The spirits have grown quite excited again. The loss of the city of Alchemy dealt a big blow against their resurgence after the 'Gods' took possession of this world."
"But your thrall spreading alchemy to her friends and revealing its existence to the Atlesian scientist has brought them hope. With the Gods gone…they can renew the age of Old and combine it with the New."
"SHE IS NOT MY THRALL REAPER!"
"I only jest…Spirit of Light." The more effeminate voice grumbled and the other voice chuckled a heart of echoing laugh.
"The other spirits have started to prepare Pacts like that of the Wizard and them. Or of mine with the sil…well you get the idea."
"Don't cut yourself off for the audiences sake it's completely unnecessary!"
"Excuse me?"
"Oh it's nothing…not like there's anyone watching us right now." A whistling sound followed.
"Sometimes…I really hate you."
"Meh…I'm this worlds manifestation of Death. It comes with the job. And right now I have a few souls to harvest, before she can take them."
"Soon that dark bitch won't be a problem. And the girls foreknowledge has proven interesting for my kind."
"Stopped listening…bye bye!" Footsteps echoed and a gate harshly shuttered shut.
"Well at least this century will prove more entertaining than the previous 100. I hope you take care of my child well Ozpin or there will be...consequences..."
Author's Note:
Bet you didn't see that coming did yuh? Death hasn't been seen since the first chapter and over time I started to have a problem with that. It's a common trope with SI's, some random omnipotent being grabs our wayward hero and throws him into another dimension before never being seen again. So having him at least play a role of some sort just feels right. Admittingly he isn't even the one to fully bring me here. He's the gatekeeper you could say. The guy who fills out the paperwork.
As to why I introduced magic as well as these Spirits, it would be kind of weird for there to be three different magic-like things running on different sources of energy. Though aura and magic are interconnected and play a role in the formation of Dust that will be elaborated on in the future. Though why Maiden Magic is so potent will also be explained later on...
Besides that...I'm sure you're all going to be speculating on what that other voice is, and her importance.
So I guess this is goodbye, see you in two weeks. And if you notice any glaring typos please let me know...