Chapter 5 – Friends, Enemies, Grimm, Other.
- Calico -
The harbor was a mess, a local brawl spilled out the other night and the pavement was covered in bloodstains, spilled drinks and broken glass. Calico sat at the pier with a slab of meat, nursing his black eye. The gulls were crying out, another fine Vale dawn. Footsteps echoed quietly behind him, footsteps coupled with the tapping sound of a cane. He turned his gaze. Roman Torchwick at the end of the pier. Calico hopped to his feet, his tail flicked low. He slowly reached and carefully reached for his weapon. Roman was way ahead of him and already was aiming his cane, cross hair up and ready to go. Calico gave a dramatic bow.
"You certainly leave a mess." Roman said, kicking a broken bottle off the pier. "Quite impressive for an alley cat like yourself."
"Oh you know, comes with the territory." Calico half slurred. He was still sort of tipsy. It didn't matter, he was always better drunk. "What's taking you so long? Do I have to hear a speech?"
"Listen, the White Fang want you eliminated." Roman nodded. "I don't like cleaning up other people's mess but if I don't then she sends the kids and that just won't do."
"I could probably take the kids." Calico gave a toothy grin, his teeth were like fangs. "I heard they killed Tukson, I actually knew him."
"It really wasn't their responsibility, but you know how children get." Roman said with an ebb of disgust. "Always so impatient and arrogant, it makes me glad I don't have any of my own."
"I'm sorry I don't feel sympathetic, I would but it's early and there's a gun in my face." Calico slurred. "I just don't feel friendly under pressure."
"I have a wonderful idea, it solves all our problems." Roman said, raising his arms triumphantly. "You eliminate another one of these troublemakers for me and I'll personally see about rectifying your issues with the White Fang."
"Target?" Calico asked. No hesitation, Roman smiled. This wasn't the first time Calico had this kind of assignment.
"A friend sadly. I wish it wasn't the case but the White Fang are insistent." Roman gave a frown. Calico got the impression that Roman wasn't the kind to take orders well. "You need to eliminate a student at Beacon, Ashton Gray."
"Ashton Gray?" Calico asked. His mind was racing. Of all people to end up on a White Fang hit list it was that drunk. It started to make sense, it was like gears falling into place in his mind. So that's what you were hiding Gray, you were another man running. Figures. The one friend he made in this dump. Still, it's Gray's life or his. "I'll do it."
"Excellent, I'll leave it in your time table to eliminate him. Don't disappoint me." Torchwick lowered his can. Calico gave him a nod and watched him leave. Ashton Gray. What a morning this turned out to be.
- ASH -
Ash sat in the cafeteria, a nice hearty breakfast of sausage and eggs sizzled in front of him. He smiled hungrily, cutting into the juicy sausage and watching the oil bubbling out of the incision. He was in a good mood. Nothing was going to break this feeling. He carefully raised the sausage to his mouth, taking in the scent. Billy stood up suddenly and Ash quickly grabbed his plate. A second too late and it would have flipped all over himself. He looked up to see Lyra slowly stumbling to the table and sliding in beside him. She had several slices of buttered toast in front of her, she stared at them. She didn't look too good, but getting a dust right hook had that effect on people.
"Lyra I wanted to tell you..." Morgana begun, Lyra glared at her. Morgana glanced around nervously and returned to her oatmeal. Ash had a bad feeling about this. Morgana dropped her spoon. "I just wanted to say..."
Lyra stood up and walked off with her food. They watched her find a seat somewhere else and went back to shoveling her food into her mouth. Morgana stood up and stormed off the other way. Billy let out a long sigh and grabbed Morgana's oatmeal. He dumped it atop of his waffles and went back to eating. Ash looked back at his sausage. The sizzling had stopped and it just didn't seem as appetizing. He frowned. There goes the morning.
"Billy, what do you think about this turn of events?" Ash asked. Billy gave a frown and took a bite from his slightly unappetizing meal.
"They fight too much." Billy shrugged. "Why don't we fight as much as them?"
"Because you for some reason believe I'm some sort of hero and when I look at you I can't help but see a big happy puppy and there is something very endearing about that." Ash said honestly. Billy laughed.
"I like that analogy." Billy wolfed down his oatmeal waffles and downed a glass of milk. "So what classes do we have today?"
"Port, he apparently claimed the entire day for some reason." Ash started to laugh. "I'm going to be up all night if I keep sleeping this much in the day."
"I wouldn't get too excited just yet." Said a familiar voice, Leon slid into the seat next to him. "From what I hear, your Professor Port has scheduled a field trip for today. We're going to the Emerald Forest. I hear."
"Great. I'll be sure to wear my Eau de Ursa Urine and we will have a fun time." Ash replied.
"I hear the forest is quite lovely." Leon added. "You spend much time there?"
"Oh, more than I'd ever want to." Ash replied. Leon looked a bit confused. "Long story."
- GWYN -
The garden quiet, there was a gentle trickling of water from the fountains that had a certain melody to it. It was so peaceful, so delicate. It was definitely one of the best parts of the academy. Stretched against the edge of the fountain was Gwyn, casually twirling her unbrella. She gazed across the garden and saw Orin meditating under a tree, dressed in his robe. His armor rested on the other side of the tree. He was always so serene out in nature. The big field trip sounded like it would be good for him. She continued to stretch lazily. A cold breeze entered the room, she pouted. Every single time.
"Kol, do you have to do that?" She asked. Kol grunted some form of response, she rolled her eyes. "Natasha, he's doing it again."
"Kol." Natasha said sternly, her thick accent rolled wonderfully of the tongue. On anyone else it would seem strange but she carried it like a melody. "You know how much she hates the cold."
"Can't help it." Kol grunted. "I don't like these flowers, they smell funny."
"They smell like flowers Kol." Natasha replied curtly. "There is nothing wrong with the smell of flowers."
"They make my nose itch." Kol grunted. Considering his size, it always amazed her how much he liked to whine. If Gwyn had a body like his she wouldn't complain every time she had to sit next to a flower. "What's the appeal?"
"Maybe if you got me some you'd figure it out." Natasha replied. Gwyn laughed, she had trouble stopping. Kol seemed confused.
"It seems like a waste of time, they wither and die." Kol grunted. Natasha rolled her eyes. "Why would you want something so fragile?"
"Oh Kol." Gwyn said with a the poutiest expression she could. "You are so broken."
"I don't understand you two." Kol growled and stomped away from them. The air began to warm up. Gwyn stretched.
"Much better." Gwyn felt the warmth against her skin and yawned. There was a smack and something cold and wet collided with her face. She yelped and flipped over into the fountain. She stood up soaking wet. "What was that for."
"Don't call my boyfriend broken." Natasha smiled devilishly. She whipped another snowball at Gwyn's face. Gwyn scowled.
"That's it, I'll destroy you!" She shouted, she lunged and tackled Natasha. They rolled around in the grass play fighting.
"Gwyn!" Kol shouted, she turned her head chuckling. She noticed turned to Orin and saw him convulsing under the tree. Not again.
She ran over to Orin and put her hands to the sides of his head and checked his eyes. He continued to convulse, blood dripping from his nose. She kissed him on the forehead and his eyes rolled back to the back of his head. His mouth was mumbling and saliva dripped from it. He stopped abruptly and collapsed into her arms weakly. She caressed his head like a child and hugged him tight. She waited in silence. He gasped heavily and pushed her aside he stumbled back against a tree and slid down, he coughed hoarsely.
"Orin?" Gwyn asked. She blinked nervously. He wiped his mouth, a long strand of saliva stretched to his hand.
"How long?" Orin asked, breaking the strand and wiping his hand against the grass.
"A minute, maybe less?" Gwyn said, she sounded more as if she was asking a question. Orin held his head, wincing heavily. The headaches always followed.
"We can't go to the forest." Orin mumbled through the strain. "It's not safe."
"It's never safe, the Emerald Forest was full of Grimm." Kol growled. "We've dealt with it before."
"It's not like that." Orin mumbled. "There's something new. Something terribly wrong with the forest."
"Calm down." Kol growled. "Whatever you saw wasn't real."
"But they told me. They showed me." Orin mumbled. Kol growled loudly.
"Tree's don't talk." Kol roared. "You need to see a doctor."
"Leave him be Kol." Gwyn said. She gave her brother a hug. He patted her back.
"Kol, maybe we should take a walk." Natasha said brushing her hand across his face. "We'll have a talk about the finer part of diplomacy."
Natasha patted Gwyn on the shoulder, she smiled as they left. Orin leaned back, groaning. He looked down at his robe. He poked it a couple times.
"Why am I wet?" Orin asked. Gwyn turned red.
"Sorry, I fell in the fountain." Gwyn smiled. He paused on that for a moment.
"Why?" Orin asked. Gwyn stood up and patted him on the head, he looked confused. She smirked and passed him his armor.
"We have a field trip." Gwyn said with a big smile. "Try not to talk to the tree's while we're there."
"They talk to me." Orin replied. Gwyn rolled her eyes. She laughed it off. She felt worried though, that was the third time this week. Real or not, it was taking it's toll on him. He looked rougher every day.
- ASH -
The Emerald Forest. Ash wished he'd never have to see this place again. It was a reminder of the general insanity of the Beacon curriculum. He had to admit it would make sense to use this forest as much as possible considering it's close distance to the academy and the general abundance of relatively weak Grimm. In fact, it's pretty convenient. Ash was, however, happy to hear that they wouldn't be arriving like last time. The students were four or five dozen in number. Not just first years from Beacon but from other schools as well. Ash could make out familiar faces among the crowd, big as it was.
"So the object of today's expedition is a mission of daring and valor. Much like a time I had back when I was a young and strapping lad of sixteen, when I slew a pack of Creepers in a small town called Oaken..." He began to ramble. Ash noticed he had started to tune him out when he does this. Probably not a good habit to ignore teachers but he really couldn't help it. He felt Morgana elbow him. "...so as I was saying. Today's mission involves collecting six of the twenty five artifacts spread across the forest. Now I know what you're thinking? Six out of twenty five? That's not much at all. Well There are plenty more of you guys than twenty five, even divided into you teams of four. I'll leave you valiant warriors to find the equitable path to victory."
Equitable path, Ash wanted to laugh. Judging from the looks of several of the students, they were already figuring out who the weakest targets were. Sad to say it would likely be them. Their training had only recently started back up again. They were still pretty rough.
"So, happy to be back?" Billy asked. Ash stifled a laugh. Last time he broke a couple bones.
"I'm eager for the nature walk." Ash replied. Port finally remember why they were there and sent them on their way. "Think we'll have time to smell the roses?"
"I'll check our schedule." Billy said, he mimed opening a book. "Yep, between getting chased by beowolves and getting eaten by ursa. You have one minute."
"Alright, schedule it, I want one minute of smelling the roses today." Ash said. He checked Silver Faust one more time, inspecting every inch. It's never failed him, and yet he still meticulously checks to see if it works. I suppose it's safer to check, at least then it won't jam when he needs it most.
"So, do you think we can beat the other teams?" Billy asked. He tried to direct it to Morgana and Lyra but they were snubbing each other again.
"Come on, we might not be able to beat them in a fight but we can still beat them in a scavenger hunt." Ash said. He wanted to be optimistic, he was hoping he was improving his leadership skills.
Their journey took them to an old ruin. Just several old walls and pillars crumbling under the overgrowth of the forest. It seemed promising so they decided to spread out. Ash and Lyra were searching the inside while Billy and Morgana searched the perimeter. The silence was beginning to get uncomfortable.
"So, we going to talk about this?" Ash asked. Lyra shook her head. "Morgana apologized."
"I'm not talking about this with you." She said with a frown. Ash sighed.
"We're partners, who else are you going to talk to?" Ash asked. She rolled her eyes. So much for teamwork.
"I think I found it." Lyra said pointing to a small metal disk covered in intricate glyphs. Seemed close enough to him. He reached over to grab it but a nearby scream interrupted him.
He turned around in time to see Morgana flying by like a rag doll. Billy was backing into view wrestling with an ursa. His weapon was missing. The Grimm were a little ahead of schedule. Ash flipped out Silver Faust, Lyra was already lunging with Maibaum, stabbing down like a spear. Ash hurried after her, he looked around the corner to see Billy's sword stabbed into the grass and three more ursa were sprinting their way. Ash opened fire in their direction. Black bolts skidded by his head and he ducked out of the way. Lyra managed to zap the ursa off of Billy but the other three were already on top of them. Ash switched his weapon to it's sword mode and swung. The battle was starting to fade into a blur, weapons and claws were swinging in every direction possible. Ash didn't even know what he was swinging at. The ursas turned and ran, team ALBM staggered back behind the walls. Ash hurried over to the relic. A shape appeared out of a shadowy corner. It was as if he was standing there this whole time. He scooped up the relic and twirled it on his finger.
"Well look what I've got here!" He said with a smile. He was a faunus with a rather rough looking appearance. His smile betrayed his sharp fangs, his hands were clawed and he had a pair of canine looking ears. He had scruffy looking brown hair and his face had a pair of big bushy sideburns. He wore a ruddy brown leather jacket. "You guys are really slow you know that?"
"Hey that's ours!" Ash shouted. The guy tossed it up into the air and caught it playfully.
"I don't think so." He said with a smug grin. "I got it first."
"So that's how it is? We fight the ursa, you get the prize for free?" Ash asked. He reached for his weapon, subtly.
"Yep, that's exactly how it is. Good luck with you." He backed into the shadows and seemed to just vanish.
There was a brief moment of confusion, they glanced around to see where he went, Ash caught his leg disappearing behind a crumbling stone wall. He took off, fast. The man was agile, Ash had to give him that. They sprinted through the forest, hurdling over stumps, roots, bushes and just about anything else they encountered. Ash could hear his team trying to keep pace. Ash suddenly felt something collide with his face, he flipped into the air and onto his back.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" A voice asked him. He opened his eyes and found another faunus looking down at him. He had catlike ears with a tiger stripe appearance. His hair seemed to match. He had clawed hands and a tail that swung low to the ground. He dressed formal, an all black three piece suit. Looked pricey, something you wouldn't expect a faunus to wear. "You better watch where you're going."
"We're looking for a faunus, big sideburns? Ring a bell?" Ash asked.
"Rust? He's just over there." The man said, pointing to faunus, Rust. He was leaning against a tree and seemed to just appear there. He twirled the disk around his finger casually.
"He stole that disk from me" Ash said, the man smirked.
"Did you steal the disk?" The man asked. Rust chuckled.
"No Chakor, he's full of it." Rust said with a smirk. "He wasn't fast enough to claim it first."
"You see, no problem!" Chakor said with a broad grin. "On your way then."
"I want my disk." Ash said firmly. Chakor started laughing. It was a rather unsettling laugh.
"No, you want to run for your life." Chakor said, his voice turned deep and slow, as if time was slowing to a stop. He suddenly had the face of a giant cat, feral and viscous. Ash could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his full body was beginning to jitter, and an overwhelming sensation of dread was washing over him. He noticed his vision was getting wavy. There was a slight flickering, almost like film grain. He could barely keep focus. He wanted to run, flee. Thankfully, he wasn't that smart. He drew Silver Faust and swung.
Rust was closing the distance. He had a pair of axes with lever action shotguns built into the handles. He opened fire. Ash pushed Morgana out of the way and used his aura to block the attack. He didn't know how much he could take before it gave out, he didn't want to find out. He charged forward and swung. Rust blocked his attack, but a black bolt knocked him straight off his feet. Chakor flipped back up and lunged, he was stabbed in the leg with a dart, he spasmed and dropped to the ground. Ash reached towards the disk. A hand grabbed it. He only just noticed the pair of feet in front of him. His eyes followed the feet up until he saw a sight he wished he'd never have to see again.
"Hey Cardin, long time." Ash said. Cardin slid it into his pocket. "That was my disk."
"I don't think it was, or else you'd be the one who has it." Cardin replied.
"Oh come on man, I just had to fight these people over the same thing. Let's just..." Ash said. The last thing he wanted was to fight Cardin. Unfortunately Cardin had other plans. A mace swung straight for his head, Ash rolled out of the way and the fight was on.
Morgana spun flicking out a burst of five black bolts, they spiraled off and managed to take at least one of Cardin's team out. Billy had picked up another of Cardin's and tossed him. Ash tackled Cardin to the ground. He took a deep breath and reached into Cardin's pocket. Definitely not the first thing he wanted to do today. He pulled it out, it was quickly snatched from his finger tips. Rust was running into the forest full speed. Cardin tossed Ash off him and broke into a full sprint. Ash took off after them, as did Billy.
- GWYN -
"I told you this was a bad idea." Orin said, his weapon was drawn. He swung down and the saw blade cleaved into the head of a beowolf. He pulled it free and readied it for another swing.
The beowolves were coming from seemingly every direction. Gwyn and Orin were separated from the rest of their team. She swatted a beowolf in the face with her umbrella. Orin cleaved it in half. Gwyn felt an arm grab her and suddenly she was dragging across the ground. Orin lunged after her but several of the beowolves tackled him. He disappeared under the pile. Gwyn screamed, the beast was now pulling on her hair. She clicked a button on her umbrella and a small blade emerged from the tip. She stabbed the beast in the ankle. It dropped on one knee. It growled loudly. There was a splatter of blood and the beast dropped without it's head.
Someone was standing over her, scarlet hair, long and wavy like the ocean with a single braid along her left ear, tied in a bow. Her pearly blue eyes twinkled in the light, though her expression was considerably colder than Gwyn expected. She was wearing a long blue coat and ragged looking jeans. She reached a hand down and smiled. There was what looked like a long rifle barrel strapped to her outstretched wrist. If Gwyn could find a way to describe her, it was really freaking cool.
"You got yourself in a bad patch." She said, a slight accent to her voice. She dragged Gwyn to her feet . "You packing any firepower?"
"My weapon's not entirely working just yet." Gwyn replied.
Her new found friend smiled and raised her sword. Gwyn quickly noticed it wasn't an ordinary sword. It was a whip made out of a sword, or a sword made out of a whip. It was a sword broken into several pieces linked together. She seemed to be able to crack them into place or crack them loose. She practically dove into combat, spinning the blade around herself. The blade broke into it's more malleable form and with a single downward swing they cracked back into place. Several beowolves were cut to ribbons. Two more beowolves lunged at her from behind. Gwyn charged, the wolves were quickly filled with arrows. Gwyn skidded to a halt.
"Thank you!" The girl shouted to the tree line. Several more arrows came soaring their way. She couldn't spot the archer. Gwyn spun around, a beowolf was lunging at her. There was a loud bang and the wolf flipped off it's feet, a giant hole where it's face once was. Gwyn turned back to find her savior lowering a smoking barrel strapped to her forearm.
"Who are you?" Gwyn asked. The girl cracked her blade together and sheathed it.
"I'm Pearl, nice to meetcha!" The girl said, shaking her hand. Her grip was very strong and very enthusiastic.
"Gwyn." She said with a smile. She glanced back at the mountain of dead beowolves. She just remembered. "My brother Orin is somewhere under that pile."
"You should probably check up on him." Pearl said. She tilted her head slightly. "Look me up when you get to Beacon. You seem like a cool person."
"Right you're..." Gwyn mumbled. By the time she had looked back from the body pile, Pearl was gone. She rambled on to the empty field. "...you seem pretty cool too. I'm talking to myself again. Right, Orin!"
She hurried over to the pile and surveyed the dead beowolves. She shifted a few around and found Orin buried under four beowolves. She struggled to drag him out of the pile. He didn't look amused.
"Orin, you okay?" Gwyn asked. Her brother was climbing to his feet, he was covered in cuts. His coat was turning red.
"Oh I've had better days." Orin said. Gwyn kissed his forehead, he frowned. "Do you always have to kiss me?"
"Don't be a baby, your wounds are already healing." Gwyn said patting him on the shoulder. He frowned.
"I would have been fine." He said with a shrug. "Just weird that you keep kissing me that's all."
"Oh come on, it healed you didn't it?" She asked. "What's the big deal."
"I just think it's weird." He shrugged. It was her turn to frown.
"I heal people by kissing, you talk to trees." She said. "Who's weirder?"
"The trees say you are." Orin said with a smirk, she punched him on the arm. He winced. "Still tender."
"Good." She said with a smirk. They needed to find their team. Gwyn was a little worried, there were quite a lot of Grimm out, way more than there ever should be. After all, the Emerald Forest wasn't that far from Beacon.
- LYRA -
Lyra was sitting on a stump in the middle of the clearing. Ash and Billy had ran off into the forest chasing Cardin and Rust, Chakor seemed to vanish, Cardin's gang ran off after them and now Lyra was alone in the forest with no idea where they went. Well, not entirely alone. The bushes rustled and Morgana stomped into the clearing. Of all the people to be stuck with.
"I can't find them anywhere." Morgana frowned. "You know, it'd be nice if they'd wait for us before they run off."
Lyra hopped off the log. She certainly wasn't going to wait around, they had six disks to find before the days end. While she wasn't entirely enthused with her partner here, she'd just have to make do. Just because they were working together, didn't mean she needed to talk to her.
"Still not talking to me? I said I'm sorry." Morgana said. Lyra tugged on the hems of her hood. "Real mature. Good talk."
Lyra raised her hand, she could see something sparkling in a nearby clearing. She gazed across her surroundings, for the most part it seemed pretty clear. She carefully approached the disk and placed her hand on it. It felt oddly wet.
"Lyra, just listen to me. I'm really sorry." Morgana sighed. Lyra turned to her. Morgana reached for her weapon. "Lyra behind you."
She spun around fast, the beast was drooling all over the place. It was a beowolf of considerable size, like the ones they've seen previously. They had never faced one by themselves before. Lyra readied Maibaum. She swallowed hard.
Black bolts shot over her head, she yelped and ducked. The bolts hit the beast in the mouth, it coughed hoarsely and roared. It beat it's chest and lunged. Lyra flipped out of the way and shot a dart into it's shoulder. Morgana launched a neon spear through it's chest. It staggered into a tree and yelped. It ripped the dart out and staggered into the forest. Lyra felt something hit the back of her head, she dropped face down into the dirt.
Everything was blurry, she shook her head an saw someone walking off with her disk. Morgana stepped in front of the figure. They were arguing, Lyra couldn't make out the words. She saw another figure approaching Morgana from behind, the figure swung a staff at her legs and sweeped them out from under her. Lyra stood up, she readied Maibaum.
"Hey, pick on someone your own size will you!" Lyra squeaked. She shot a dart at the one who hit Morgana. A shield intercepted the dart. Lyra gulped.
The first fighter, a very strong looking girl with sharp blue eyes, and long golden braids of hair. She was dressed for combat, a hard leather vest over a gold pleated dress. Her shield had claws on it. Her other hand was carrying a particularly broad sword. She twirled it playfully. She gave her shield a slight push and the dart shot right out of it and back at Lyra. Lyra squeaked and fell over, the dart flew past her and into a tree.
The second fighter, a more delicate looking girl. Her pale face addorned with freckles, she had green eyes and copper red hair tied in a long sidebraid. She dressed in a frilly red shirt and a long pleated skirt. She swung a staff around, it's head had a skull mounted on it. She wasn't sure if it was a real skull or not.
"I think she's really overestimating her chances." The second girl said, she had a strange accent, though there was something familiar about it. "What do you think Hilde? Is she worth our time?"
"We got what we came for." The other replied. "Saffron let's just go."
"No, not just yet. I want to see what this one's got." The redhead, Saffron replied. "Come on little mouse, show us what you've got."
Lyra retracted the dart from the tree and stepped forward. She swung Maibaum around for a moment, mostly to build up her own confidence. She watched Hilde approach, sword and shield at the ready. Lyra felt the sudden urge to hide under her hood. She buried the feeling as deep as she could. It felt like it was trying to climb back up her chest. She lunged. Maibaum came down, a shield collided with it. A sword swung her way, there was a blast and the girl cartwheeled. Lyra turned in surprise, Morgana spun around, sweeping Saffron off her feet. There was a loud smack and Saffron was rolling on the ground clutching her face. Hilde was coming back fast. Lyra hopped out of the way. Saffron aimed her staff and a jet of flames burst from the skull's eyes. Morgana dove behind a stump and launched black bolts blindly over it.
Hilde clicked a button on her sword and the blade seemed to slide downward revealing three barrels in a triangle formation. She opened fire spraying lead projectiles in a large scattershot. Lyra swung her arms in front of herself, her aura deflected the pellets into nearby trees. She felt a trickle of sweat dripping down her forehead. She aimed Maibaum and fired another dart at Hilde, who effortlessly blocked it with her shield. Lyra ran to a nearby tree and ran around it. She pulled with all her might. Hilde was suddenly pulled by her shield and faceplanted into the dirt. Lyra spun around and fired another dart at her shield. She retracted the darts and let go of Maibaum. Hilde was skidding across the dirt, Lyra waited for the precise moment and kicked. She recovered her weapon and turned to check on Morgana.
Morgana was filling the clearing with a green fog. She lunged. Saffron released a fireball her way and the fog erupted with it. Lyra ducked, Morgana seemed to have a bubble around herself. Saffron was nowhere to be seen. Morgana hit the ground hard. Lyra could see Saffron running through the smoke. Lyra ran to intercept. She swung high and fast. Saffron flipped over comically and dropped like a rock. The smoke began to clear, Lyra recovered the disk from Hilde. She also found four more disks in Hilde's pack. She heard coughing behind her, Morgana was covered in soot.
"Lyra listen, I'm really sorry about the other day. I want you to..." Morgana began. Lyra slapped her, hard. She didn't even know why anymore. She felt tears forming in her eyes and she swung her arms wildly. Morgana grabbed her and pulled her in close. She quietly sobbed into Morgana's chest. She felt a hand brushing her hair gently. "It's okay little mouse."
"I just felt so weak." Lyra squeaked. She felt pretty stupid. "I'm the weak link of the team, I always have been and then in front of everyone..."
"You aren't weak." Morgana said. Lyra noticed Morgana's eyes were slightly watery. It wasn't something she expected to see. When she first met Morgana she seriously though she had no emotions. "Look around, look what you were able to do. Hey, remember how you beat up Ash."
"I guess." She hiccuped. Morgana laughed and patted her on the back. "But Ash was drunk."
"So, it's still a win." Morgana smiled. She gave her another firm pat and released her. Lyra looked down, her clothes were covered in soot. She wiped the tears from her eyes and laughed.
They walked over to Hilde and glanced down. She was staring up at the sky. Lyra placed one of the disks on the girls chest.
"You okay?" Lyra asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." She replied. "I'm just going to lay here and wallow for a bit."
"Come on Lyra." Morgana called. "Let's go find the others."
- ASH -
Stand offs are a funny thing. Everyone was aiming a weapon at each other. Ash had his sword to Rust's neck, who had an axe at the back of Cardin's and another at Billy's. Billy had a sword at Chakor's neck. Chakor had a a claw at two of Cardin's team mates backs. Who in turn had weapons pointed at Billy. Another of Cardin's team had a blade to Ash's throat and Cardin happened to be the only on not aiming a weapon at someone. Instead he was kneeling on the ground holding his bleeding mouth.
"Ah thawnk yaw brawk mah jaw!" Cardin mumbled. Ash wanted to sympathise but was sort of preoccupied.
"Listen guys this got a little carried away." Ash said, he felt the sword poke his neck slightly. "This is just a scavenger after all, nobody needs to get hurt."
"Mah jaw!" Cardin bellowed.
"Nobody else needs to get hurt." Ash corrected himself. Cardin nodded.
"So how is this going to go down?" Rust asked.
"Who gets the disk?" One of Cardin's goons, the one holding the sword, asked. Ash hesitated. He needed to choose his words carefully.
"We'll find a fair way to settle this. We leave it to chance." Ash said. Everyone groaned.
"How about whoever is currently holding it gets it?" Rust asked.
"Owar mah dahd bawdeh." Cardin mumbled.
"Now we're back to square one." Ash said. "Guys, lets just be reasonable."
There was a bellowing roar, the ground seemed to quake along with it. A tree snapped clean in half and fell their way. Everyone dove in sepparate directions. The beast responsible entered the clearing. Ash froze in terror. It was a monstrous bull, it seemed to be plated with armor and it's mouth smoked as if a volcano were about to erupt. He'd never seen anything like it. By the looks on everyone's faces, nobody else here had either.
"What the heck is that?" He heard a voice bellow.
"Screw this, run for your lives!" Another screamed. The best let out a jet of flames from it's mouth. Ash rolled over and broke into a run. The beast roared and Ash was flung from his feet. He hit the ground a few feet away hard. He rolled over the beast stomped it's feet and charged.
Ash flinched. He didn't know what to do, the beast seemed unstoppable. It was absolutely massive. He saw Billy fumbling with his sword. The blade seemed to have knocked loose and was wiggling all over the place. The blade shot away from the guard and embedded itself between two plates of the beasts armored plating. A small chain connected the blade to the guard. Billy seemed absolutely perplexed. The beast broke off into a full spring and Billy was flung from his feet, skidding along after it holding on for dear life. Ash turned and ran after them.
He hurdled over brush and root. He was struggling to keep pace with the beast, his lungs felt like they were tearing out of his chest. His sides were burning and sweat was dripping from his head. His legs wobbled worse with each step. He wasn't sure how long he had been chasing the beast but he wasn't going to hold out much longer. The beast made a sharp turn and Billy flung around beast's neck and onto it's back. Ash felt the blood rushing back to his head. He tried to shout.
"Billy, choke it!" Ash shouted. His legs collapsed under him. The beast had turned his way and was sprinting full speed at him. He couldn't move anymore.
Billy pulled hard on the chain, kicking off the back of it's head. The beast turned it's head in protest, it sputtered smoke in desparate puffs. It tripped over it's own feet, slamming hard into the ground itself seemed to part for the beast, it tilled a long trail behind it. Ash watched it grow larger and larger. He focused his aura, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to manage it. He made a barrier in front of himself. A long horn collided with it. He collapsed on the beasts face. He stared into one of it's eyes, which had rolled to the back of it's head.
They sat next to the fallen beast for a while. Ash felt like he tore every muscle in his body. Billy had managed to retrieve his blade, getting the chain loose from under it's head was another story altogether. Billy was slumped down next to him, wiping the sweat from his forehead. They both looked at each other and grinned.
"Billy that was pretty damn impressive." Ash said. "I don't even know what this thing is called. It's a tough bastard isn't it."
"Not anymore." Billy replied. He let out a long sigh. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold on anymore, my arms feel like they gained ten pounds from the swelling alone.
"Hey Billy?" Ash asked. "I have a question."
"What is it?" Billy asked back.
"Aren't Grimm supposed to, you know, disintigrate upon death?" Ash asked.
They both spun around. The beast was staring at them. It's eye darted back and forth between them. They hopped to their feet and raised their swords. It's eye seemed to gloss over for a moments. There was something perculier about it. It staggered onto it's feet, which buckled under it. Smoke began to puff from it's mouth. Billy jumped onto it, clinging to it's plates and kicking off it's leg. The beast turned to Ash who readied his blade. He saw flame erupting from it's mouth. Billy stabbed down into it's head, pinning it's mouth shut. There was a loud blast as flame burst from it's closed mouth and it's entire head seemed to erupt. Billy hopped of the beast as it exploded in a massive blast. Billy slammed into a tree. Ash had been thrown a few feet back himself. As soon as he could stand he ran to Billy.
"You okay?" He asked. Billy laughed histerically.
"Did you see that?" Billy asked. He rolled over. There was nothing left of the beast.
"What was that thing?" A voice called out. Ash turned and saw a small crowd was forming.
"That, my young students, was a Khalkotauroi! A big one too! I haven't heard of any of their kind in these parts in a long time!" Professor Port exclaimed with an abundance of enthusiasm. He practically skipped over the plowed earth the beast left behind. "My boy, that was the most impressive thing I've seen in years! It reminds me of a time when I, myself, was but a student here and..."
Ash tuned him out again. The Port seemed like he was sucking all the joy from the crowd but at the same time, Ash couldn't feel any better. They were going to make it after all. Ash saw a small flower next to him. He smiled. He did schedule a minute to smell the roses. Well, a tulip is close enough for him.
- GWYN -
The sky was growing dark. It was pretty clear they were lost. They passed the same ugly old oak for the fifth time in the last hour. She was starting to get annoyed. This is what she gets for trusting Orin to know his way around a forest.
"Oh come on! You talk to trees, how can you get lost in a forest?" Gwyn shouted. Orin shook his head.
"They talk to me." Orin corrected her. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"Well did you piss them off or something?" She asked. "Why aren't they helping us out?"
"They're trees, not a GPS." He said calmly. She frowned. There was something about how calm his voice was, even in frustrating situations like this. It irked her more than it should. "Besides, I know where we're going."
"No you don..." She murmered. He cut her off pretty fast. His hand was over her mouth. She squirmed in protest.
"Quiet. Get down." He dropped fast, she dropped down with him. He crawled ahead a few feet. He was peaking around a bush. She peaked around the other side. There was what looked like a small village up ahead. She never heard of a village out here. She crept ahead a bit. She noticed Orin slink off behind the nearest tree and lean against it as if he was trying to listen through it. She rolled her eyes.
"Why are we hiding from people?" Gwyn asked. "Are you so afraid to ask for directions?"
"Something's wrong here." Orin said pointing. There were people wandering around the main street, it looked pretty crowded.
"So what?" Gwyn asked. Orin gave her a look. She sighed and looked back at the village. It was then she noticed it too. The people all had the same blank looking expressions. They weren't going anywhere either, they just wandered aimlessly. It was a little uncanny how lifeless they walked, it was like looking at manequins. It was starting to get creepy. Gwyn crept over to her brother and patted his shoulder. "I think it's time to leave."
"I want to know what's going on." Orin said. Gwyn winced. How did she know he was going to say that. Maybe she was psychic. Maybe the trees told her. There was an odd creaking noise from the tree next to them. Just great, she thought, maybe the trees are psychic. This is what she gets for hanging around Orin too much.
The tree collapsed, or more exactly, the ground beneath the tree collapsed. Orin swung his axe into the ground and was soon dangling from it. Gwyn tumbled into the hole. Orin grabbed her by the arm. They were now dangling over a very dark, very deep pit.
"Why do I have this sinking feeling that I'd be far better off not knowing what's down there?" She asked. She could faintly make out several tunnel entrances around them. Poorly supported too, they were almost like giant badger holes. That was a thought she didn't need. "I'd rather not get dropped."
"I'm not going to drop you, don't worry we're going to be..." He paused. Blood was dripping from his nose. Not now, definitely not now.
Gwyn started to panic, her brother started to convulse. He let go of his axe. They dropped a couple inches, she was still dangling. She looked up and saw Kol holding Orin by the arm. Natasha was waving at them.
"Having fun?" Natasha asked. Gwyn laughed as sarcastically as she could. They started to raise.
Gwyn scanned her surroundings. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. She could see what looked like handprints along the walls. Bloody hand prints. Further down one of the tunnels she could make out dim red lighting. There was a deer skull mounted on an altar filled with other things she couldn't make out. She noticed several shadowy shapes watching her.
Kol with one final grunt dragged them out of the hole. Natasha gave him a playful pat on the head, he scowled. Gwyn peered back into the hole. She could see figures staring up at her. She didn't want to be here anymore. Kol swung Orin over hsi shoulder and pulled the axe free from the ground. Gwyn made sure they wasted no time leaving. She gave the village a parting glance. The people were gone from the streets. It looked desolate, she only just realized how rundown the buildings looked. She'd be happy if she never went to this forest ever again.
- CALICO -
Calico leaned over the counter, stiring his drink with his finger. Rojo slid into the seat next to him. Calico wasn't in the happiest of moods. Being asked to kill one of your only friends has that effect. Rojo patted him on the back. Calico wished he could say he felt better.
"Listen, I know you aren't happy about how things are going but we need to make plans." Rojo said. "The fang want Ash dead, or else they'll kill you and probably the rest of us."
"I know, but Ash is a friend, he's a brother like one of us." Calico replied. He sighed. "We need a third option."
"Kill the white fang?" Rojo asked. "As in all of them."
"Well that's certainly an option but not a realistic one." Calico actually smiled at the gesture. It would certainly make the world a better safe if the Fang weren't in it anymore.
"Warn Ash and set a trap for the assassins?" Rojo asked.
"That's a lot better, but we don't know who the assassins are. They have plenty of choices, and different fighters will need different preparations." Calico said. "How screwed would we be if we prepared for the twins and they sent a heavy hitter, like Jet."
"Infiltrate the White Fang and figure out their plan from the inside?" Rojo asked.
"You know, I might still have my mask. It could be worth a shot." Calico said. He scratched his scraggly beard and downed the rest of his drink. "I'll look into it tomorrow."
"So what now boss?" Rojo asked.
"I'll need a bit of cash, you get the next round and I'll try to hustle a few bucks." Calico said with a roguish grin. Rojo scowled.
He knew the deal, the White Fang were never a forgiving bunch. Especially not to those who left. He sometimes wondered how many others like him are out there. Former members fleeing the wrath of the Fang. He didn't count on there being many left. Tukson was an example, one of dozens he's seen in the past. You don't leave the Fang. Even a crummy offer like this one seemed too good to be true.
