Chapter 3
As Ember finished untying the front of her cloak, she allowed it to effortlessly fall down following the figure of her body. As the cloak fell down it had still not revealed Embers secret, until she placed her right hand on the handle. She gripped it tightly and pulled it from the holster at the same rate of her cloak falling to the ground. As she continued to pull it from its holster is began to reflect Coals image in its metal.
Soon she had the katana upholstered and held up high allowing it too glow from the light being admitted from the crystals. Embers cloak was now at her feet, yet Coal had still not moved, which had caused anger to travel across Embers face.
"You're angry because he ruined the surprise, aren't you?" The Grimm asked, knowing the answer automatically.
"You're right. Now he's going to pay for it," Ember replied whilst bending her right knee, pointing the tip of the katana at Coal.
Ember then placed the katana pointing backwards and to her left side, gripping her right hand with her left. She lowered her stance and put all of her power into her left leg. Her left leg coiled up from the stance before exploding with power, causing her to rapidly charge at Coal kicking up dust as she took her step.
She began to get closer and closer to Coal with every step she took, increasing her speed and her power. Ember came into two steps of Coal before transferring all of her power to her right arm. It acted as an elastic band, being kept in place by her left hand. As Ember came into one-step of Coal, she decided to release her left hand, allowing her right arm to spring diagonally and transferring all of her power to her katana.
As her arm start to move in an upwards fashion, it was suddenly stopped causing all of her power to instantly escape her body. The force was inhumanly strong as if a brick wall was suddenly placed in front of her. Ember quickly tried to look around to see whom, or what could have possibly stopped her. As her eyes looked around, they slowly went down the length of her blade to see Coals palm placed on the edge of her blade.
His hand was fully open, meaning only his palm was touching the blade. Embers eyes began to show a mix between panic and disbelief. She remained speechless as Coal had barely even moved a muscle, yet had been able to block her attack with just his hand. Her eyes moved to the movement of Coals head. He slowly looked up at Ember and gave her a smirk before closing his hand, wrapping it around Embers sword. As Coals fingertips touched the blade, a stream of electricity travelled down the blade and too Embers hands causing her to shake violently.
The stream of electricity travelled right across Embers body, causing all her muscles to lock up and become useless. Coal kept his hand on Embers blade as he began to return his body to an upright position, causing the crystals to contain to light up. He then placed his second hand on Embers blade before using his strength to hurl Ember across the cave. Ember was thrown with a lot of power as she was in the air for two second and as Ember hit the ground; her body began to roll before ending up at the wall of the cave.
"He certainly has his own surprises," Embers Grimm said in a sarcastic tone, but with a few grunts.
"But don't forget that with still have our own surprises" Ember weakly said whilst using her katana to stand herself up, electricity still pulsing through her muscles. As she stood up, Coal simply bowed again, not fazed by the first attack. She raised her katana, pointing the end at Coal as she sprinted at fall pace at Coal.
She kept her katana raised as she got within one-step of Coal, her blade once again being effortlessly stopped by Coal, his palm curving the angle of the sword, the tip moving to his other hand.
Buy this time Ember was prepared for the attack, and as the tip of the katana was moving to Coal's other hand, so was her Grimm, his powerful back legs quickly getting him up to full speed as his travelled along the edge of her blade.
"It's not a semblance. Coal's weapon is on his body and attached to his hand, but seems to be powered by the crystals," her Grimm telepathically shouts to her as it gets to the edge of the blade. "I suggest letting go of you katana now!" he telepathically shouts again as Coals right hand closes around her sword, the blade slotting into his left palm.
Time slows down as Ember sees the five connectors in Coal's left hand as she lets of the blade, her hands moving from the blade as Coal's left hand closes, her sword glowing blue as the electricity runs down the blade, closing the circuit. The electricity on the sword acts as lightning as her Grimm dodges the bolts of lightning jumping down the katana, jumping off at the tip of the blade. Coal now has no time to react as Embers left leg raises from its position, making contact with the back of Coals right knee, pushing him off balance. As Coal begins to stumble, his left hand loses grip, as Ember's Grimm enlargens in size as it makes contact with Coals open hand. Coal's left hand moves upwards, reacting by opening his right hand, dropping the katana as he quickly closes his fist and move it upwards to make contact with the Grimm's right side of his body. As Ember's Katana drops to the ground, Ember opens her hands, catching her blade as her arms move upwards, making contact with Coals chest.
All of that happens in seconds as Ember's Grimm is flung across the cave, Coal being launched in the opposite direction, both of them crashing to the ground, but the Grimm receiving more damage.
Ember quickly sprints to the side of the cave where her Grimm landed. "Are you injured?" Ember says in a panic tone as she rolls him over.
He sticks his tongue as he pants and softly looks at her
"Yeah… he got a good hit on me" he telepathically replies without moving.
Ember does not have time to help him as she hears Coals feet rapidly hit the floor as she looks back to see him charging at her. She does not have much time to react as Coal opens his palms, trying to connect with her back.
Ember does not move an inch as her back glows black as it spreads across her back. Coal notices the change, but doesn't have time to react quick enough as two Black arms sprout from Embers back, both making contact with Coals chest as he's sent flying across the cave, Ember continuing to extend them whilst standing up.
"Thank god they worked!" she said with a sigh of relief as she turned around to face the injured Coal.
"Just give up Coal! You can't win!" she shouted as she sent her Grimm arms forward, aimed straight at Coal.
Coal simply stood up and stood still as the arms rushed towards him. Ember had not learned how to properly control them, which meant they were mainly on autopilot as they reached Coal.
However, as they reached Coal, he placed his palms outstretched, as the crystals grew brighter, the Grimm arms making contact with his hands as he planted his right foot at a ninety-degree angle.
Coal keep his palms flat as the Grimm arms kept trying to push Coal back, his foot slowly digging into the ground, a pile of dust collecting behind his foot as the electricity in his weapon began to move to his muscles, giving him more strength.
Ember felt her muscles begin to ache as she kept pushing with her arms, slowly moving forward as her Grimm arms kept pushing, neither side giving in, but Coal slowly pushing back.
After a few minutes of both sides pushing with their strength, Coal's weapon suddenly gained a boost of strength from the surrounding crystals as he began to easily push Ember back, Embers back foot now digging into the ground, his new found strength becoming overwhelming for her.
She tried to push him back but her Grimm arms suddenly gave up causing her to go onto one foot, her Grimm arms quickly losing strength.
Coal realised the loss in Embers strength as he began to pull on her Grimm arms sending her into the wall, hitting her head badly as she fall onto the ground into a lump
Her vision became faded and fuzzy as she saw Coal pull his cloak back over him as he walked over to Ember, picking her weapon up as he stood by her head.
"Game over Ember, you lose" Coal smugly said as he raised the katana, Ember too weak to fight back.
"SIMULATION FAILED!" a female robotic voice bellowed as everything around her slowly turned into green screens, including Coal. As she got up, she felt her strength up as her Grimm also got up.
Ember and her grimm had been wearing a suit of armour which turned the simulation hits into real hits, having the able to make limbs ineffective by locking them into place. She unstrapped her helmet as she walked out of the simulation with her head down as a guy in a lab coat with a clipboard was shaking his head.
"Not a very good performance Ember. You made multiple mistakes" the guy said in a degrading tone as he made notes on his clipboards.
"I know and I'm sorry for not completing the simulation" she said with her head pointing downwards.
The guy sighed and put his hand on her shoulder
"It's okay Ember, you will get another chance, Do you want to watch the next simulation?" he asked in a comforting tone as Ember tilted her head up as she walked past a young boy in a hoodie and jeans, looking about 11
"Wait? As that kid next? He looks eleven," Ember asked in a shocked tone as she was placed in front of the large screen.
"Oh yes! He is eleven, but he is one of the best hunters we have here. Just watch and you will be impressed"
Ember locked up and sit back in her chair, her Grimm sitting in the chair next to hear, and a few hunters and huntresses sitting near her as she looked at the screen, the boy taking his position as the simulation loaded up.