Boy, this one ended up being a lot longer than I planned it to be. My hand hurts...
Greenbriar Gorge was a small settlement in the outlying wilderness of Vale, hanging on the kingdom's eastern border it served as the last instance of civilisation before the wild and untamed Grimmlands, the narrow pass forming one of the kingdom's famous natural barriers, the sheer faces and deep caves making the surrounding regions difficult for both humans and Grimm to navigate.
The morning wind whistled through the gorge, it's echo sweeping through and ringing in amongst the sprawl of houses and buildings within the village; cosy timber structures nestled close to the gorge walls and wrapped around the small stream winding its way through the settlement's center. One of these buildings, by far one of the largest, sat towards the mouth of the gorge at the village's outer border, sitting close to the large and imposing gate leading to the wilderness beyond.
The building itself was the town's inn and lodge, the widest of all of the town's structures and the tallest as well; built from strong log walls and heavy blocks of the region's famous granite, it cast a comforting and warm glow from it's windows. The interior was modest; wooden surfaces polished to a shine with dull brass accents, the seats and floors lined with a rich red fabric. The walls were lined with the recreated heads of various different creatures of Grimm known to inhabit the region; ursai, beowolves, bobcats, even a gryffon.
The lodge was quiet, much of the town's population still clinging to sleep as the sun rolled in with the morning; however there were three inhabitants sitting lazily in the warm glow. The innkeeper, a man with thinning silver hair and a spry build stood polishing a glass behind the bar, occasionally glancing at the door expectantly. In one of the booths sat two teens, the first a red-headed boy with a slender frame and clear, pale skin, wrapped in loose and baggy robes of a cream colour, embroidered with red and orange threads. The other was a fair-haired girl; taller than her companion, her body was also bulkier, with fairly distinguishable muscles and skin with a very light tan; leant over a large sword resting on the table, tinkering with some of the mechanical parts within the handle. Leaning over the table, the boy whispered to the girl.
"Hey Skye, why do you think Mr. Rat called us here so early?" He asked, bobbing his head towards the man at the bar, who was now polishing the wood counter and looking at the door. Looking upwards, Skye glanced at Rat before turning back.
"No idea. He wouldn't have called us here this early on a whim though. Something's gotta be up." The soft whisper came back, met with a loud click as she moved one of the sword's gears back into place, before locking in the mechanism and replacing the panel on the hilt. "Must be something important too; normally he's out on patrol this early."
"Normally I'm snoring into my pillow this early!" The boy responded, throwing himself back into the seat with an exaggerated yawn. "Humans weren't designed to be up before the sun."
"Quit your groaning Jacko; if you want to be a guard then being up this early'll be part of the job." Skye sighed, resting her arms on the table and slumping her head on them. "Could have let us sleep in a little though, we've been sitting here for an hour and nothing's happened." Lazily turning her head to face the counter, she began to speak; "Mr. Rat, what are we wai-"
"WHAT HO!" A voice said as the door crashed open, startling everyone inside. In the open doorway stood a short man, solidly built with well-kempt hair the colour of hay; the light catching his burgundy jacket and glowing on the golden buttons lining it. Glancing around the room, he took in the startled faces staring at him. "Well now, I know I am truly a sight to behold, but it is unbecoming for a hunter to be dazzled so easily!" He guffawed, his thick mustache surprisingly animated as he spoke.
"Ah, uh, morning! Are you from Beacon?" Asked Rat, a hesitant smile on his face as he motioned for the man to come in; accepting the welcome, the man strode up to the bar and sat down.
"Indeed I am!" Extending out his hand, he continued; "The name is Peter Port! Huntsman extraordinaire and Professor of Grim Studies at Beacon Academy, at your service!" Looking at the bottles of drink lining the counter, he turned back to the counter. "I'll take one of your strongest whisky! Single-malt, please."
"Whisky..? Is it wise to have a drink before an outing?" Rat asked apprehensively, reaching for a small brown bottle at the back of the bar. In the booth, Skye and Jacko looked at each other with confusion and a hint of disbelief.
"Of course! Nothing like a good drink to light the fire under the senses!" Port boomed, placing the lien on the counter and accepting the small glass. Taking a sip, he spun around on the table to face the two in the booth. "Ah, good stuff. Is this them then?"
"It would be, yes. They are Skye Kobalt and Jacko Laindeir, my two most advanced apprentices." Introducing the two, Rat motioned for them to stand up. Doing so, the two bowed their heads and stood with their backs straight, facing the professor.
"They certainly look the part! Not to my caliber, but still impressive nonetheless!" Standing up, Port looked the two of them over. "Have you been told why I am here?"
"No, sir." Came the reply.
"Ah, very well! I... am Professor Port, a member of staff at Beacon Academy. One of the responsibilities of the academy is to liaise among the many small settlements of the kingdom lying outside of Vale itself; based on your mentor's nomination, we believe you may have what it takes to attend the academy." Turning his head back, he nodded to Rat to continue.
"Aptly described, professor." Rat said, walking out of the bar and sitting on a stool next to Port. "I believe you two could go on to become a fully-fledged huntsman and huntress; the professor is here to shadow us on a mission to observe your combat proficiency." Skye and Jacko looked at each other, wide-eyed expressions on their faces.
"Ha hah! Excited?" Port asked them, the two nodding hesitantly. "Beacon is a wonderful institution to learn; why, if you were wondering the quality of education there then no worry! You need look no further than myself to see the quality of Beacon's scholarship!" He continued, with a hearty laugh.
"Indeed. I have been saving a particular job specifically for this observation. We will be making our way to a medium-sized beowolf nest to the north-east, eliminating the threat, and Professor Port will promptly deliver an evaluation of your performance. Understood?" Rat's briefing was met by another dutiful nod.
"Very good! Shall we go, then?" Port asked, taking his blunderaxe from its sling and resting it in the nook of his arm.
"I think so." Rat replied; stepping to the bar, he called out to the back. "Mol! Hold down the fort, will you?" In answer a dark-haired woman's head appeared around the corner, smiling at the group and waving her clawed hands. "Sure thing, Rat. I'll have a feast ready for when you're back!" She giggled, before retreating around the corner.
Opening the now slightly loose door, Rat moved to allow the other three through. Assembling outside, the group departed towards the large wooden gate of the town, an imposingly large piece of bound-together timber with heavy steel bars running across it and the frame. Rat nodded to the half-asleep guards on the gate's walls, who promptly pulled a lever and set the door to open, allowing them to pass into the wilderness beyond. Naturally, Professor Port was the first to break the silence.
"A beowolf nest, eh? Reminds me of the time I unknowingly found myself surrounded by an entire pack! Armed with nothing but my trusty comb, mustache wax, and my sheer tenacity! It all began…"
Cresting the rocky outcrop, Rat pointed his rifle towards a cave indented at the bottom of a nearby rock face, a scattering of young beowolves lingering around the outside and a couple of grown up ones stood watching them; motioning towards it with the gun, he turned his head to the rest of the party.
"That right there, is the nest. Jacko, your job is to destroy it, Skye, your job is to escort him and eliminate the Grimm. Understood?"
"Yessir." Skye and Jacko replied in unison; getting up from their prone position, they began to move back down the outcrop they were on, moving towards a route to the nest.
"Good; me and the Professor will wait up here, ready to intervene if needs be. Good luck." Rat said, giving them a quick nod before turning back to look over the edge.
Sneaking through the rocky landscape, Skye and Jacko tried to keep to the shade of the trees scattered among the grassy regions of the surface, seeking for a good position to initiate combat. Spotting a small path-like edge running over the cave, Skye turned to Jacko.
"If you go up there, then I can engage them and you can attack from above." She said, pointing to the overhang. Satisfied with his nod in response, she began to sneak towards the clearing while he went for the vantage point; pulling the greatsword off it's mount on her back, she slipped into a thicket directly opposite the cave's mouth. Looking at the canine Grimm, she picked out her target; one of the adolescent ones that was closest to her, it's back turned.
Leaping from her cover, she charged the beast with a roar and crashed the blade into the beast's side; cleaving a large gash into it, she then used her momentum to kick the back of it's knee and then shove it to the ground. Raising up the blade she crashed it down onto its neck, cleanly tearing it's head off it's body. Looking up, she saw the rest of the pack outside of the cave glaring at her, angry growls resonating within the clearing as they got louder.
In response, Skye withdrew her blade from the ground and slung it over her shoulder; in the corner of her eye she saw Jacko scaling the small outcrop. Smiling slyly, she drew herself into braced stance and looked the eldest of the beowolves in the eye.
"Come on then, you brute." No sooner did she finish her sentence did the entire pack howl and begin to charge her; looking over them and nodding to the now in-position Jacko, he held his hand back, in it formed an orange ball of energy that morphed into a pumpkin shape, spectral fire radiating from it as the rock behind his back glowed orange. Bracing for the large Grimm at the front of the pack, Skye brought her blade in front of her; however, she caught the glowing sphere flying towards it and changed her stance once more. The projectile blasted into the beowolf's back and sent it stumbling towards her.
Pointing the blade's edge upwards, she swung as the beast was flung into her, slicing it in half as the pieces flew to either side of her; stepping back up, she jumped forward, the engagement catching the second young beowolf by surprise as she cleaved it in half with minimal effort. Turning again, she rolled away from an incoming swipe from one of the adult wolves in the nick of time, bringing the blade up and slicing it's large arm off at the elbow, then ducking down to ram its point into the Grimm's chest, pushing it to the ground.
In the background, explosions rang out as Jack rained explosive orbs down on the creatures sprinting out the cave; below him, Grimm were killed and maimed in a storm of pumpkin-shaped charges. The explosions left behind ground scorched and and flaming, making it hazardous for the grim trying to rush through. Barely hearing the roar behind him, Jacko turned to find one of the adolescent beowolves behind him, swinging it's clawed paw ferociously; absorbing most of the hit, Jacko crashed down onto the flaming ground beneath him, the pain of the impact racking through his body.
"SHIT!" Skye shouted, impaling her blade through the neck of the Grimm she was fighting, and charging through a gap in the ones encircling her; sprinting towards her fallen comrade, she reached her other arm down and clicked a switch on the hilt of her sword. Whirring to life, the plates making up it's blade began to separate, expanding outwards to form a larger blade as the central rod began to vibrate audibly.
Struggling to pick himself up, Jacko winced as he looked towards the ledge he had fallen from, watching with horror as the beast that had incapacitated him jumped down to finish the job. Moments before it would have landed, however, Skye slammed into the creature, a flash bursting out as the expanded sword made contact with it in an eruption of static; the charged Grimm colliding with a larger beowolf exiting the cave, the buzzing electricity arcing to it and lighting it up with energy. Smoke poured out from beneath its mask and it collapsed dead.
"Come on." Skye yelled, reaching her hand out for Jacko; grabbing it and standing himself up, he observed his surroundings. In front of them, a cave with beowolves emerging from it and behind them the part of the pack that Skye just abandoned.
"Skye! I need a boost." The order coming as the two groups of Grimm came closer and closer; understanding his intention, she got down on one knee and held the flat of the blade on her shoulders. Jumping on the large piece of metal, Jacko tapped her back and Skye jumped upwards. Hanging over the battlefield, Jacko turned his attention to the larger group already outside the cave, his hand wrapped in spectral fire as a larger pumpkin charge materialised in his fists. The dust-embroidered clothing glowed with the colours of fire and even his skin underneath the loose fabrics began to radiate the same blazing light.
Reaching the apex of his jump, his eyes erupted from a dull orange hue into two flaming pits of orange and yellow; the smirking face of a jack o'lantern opened up on the pumpkin charge and he sent it crashing down into the group, the impact exploding like a meteor collision.
For her part after launching Jacko, Skye had turned to battle the creatures emerging from the cave; one by one using her enhanced blade to cut the creatures down, lightning arcing from her sword to the beasts as they fell. Feeling the blast of Jacko's projectile, she turned and flung her sword towards the impact site; hitting the trigger as the handle left her grip, the blade once again expanded, this time outwards from the flat, as electricity arced between a series of raised pylons and impaled one of the weakened Grimm, powerful surges of electricity arcing from the blade to the rest of the downed Grimm, killing any that survived his attack.
Looking up, Skye rolled forward and braced herself to catch the falling Jacko. Landing in her arms, the two smiled at each other as she set him down; striding out to collect her sword, grabbed the mighty weapon and turned to face the remnants of the beowolf pack. The remaining ones, now only a few adolescents and an adult, retreated into the confines of the cave in a fearful rush. Looking at Jacko and giving him a slight nod, he brought both hands together and began to charge up another powerful pumpkin charge, reaching the size of a beachball with it's wide and jagged smile, Jacko thrusted it forwards, the ball of flaming energy illuminating the dark opening as it flew in. After waiting a few seconds, a small explosion was heard within, before a large burst of flame blasted out of the opening, leaving the inside even blacker with the walls charred by the heat.
"Damn… we did it." Skye muttered, looking at her partner.
"Yeah… we… we did." Jacko rasped, gasping for breath from the exhaustion of using his semblance so powerfully.
"You okay?" Her question was met simply by a thumbs up, the rest of him staying hunched over in recuperation. Dropping down onto the floor, Skye rested against the now-retracted flat of her sword, watching the two older men approach.
"Bravo! That was certainly an excellent display of both camaraderie and ingenuity!" Port shouted, slapping his hands together with a thunderous clap.
"It was certainly impressive; well done, you two." Rat continued, a proud smile lining his face as the two reached the exhausted teenagers. "I think it might be wise to listen to the Professor, I believe he has something important for you to hear."
"You both displayed a great deal of skill in your individual abilities in your performance." He started, Skye and Jacko's face lighting up in delight. "However, your failure to properly observe the situation and control your opponents allowed for one of them to catch you by surprise, a mistake which could have, but luckily didn't, prove fatal." Their faces immediately dropped, staring at their feet with disappointment.
"HOWEVER!" Yelled Port, bringing the faces of the two up to face him again. "...those are the exact sorts of things you will learn with your time at Beacon." He finished, the thick mustache raising up as he smiled warmly at both of them.
"Y-you don't mean.." Skye sputtered, wide-eyed with disbelief, with Jacko taking up where she left off, voiced raised with excitement; "...that we made it in?!"
"Indeed you have, the glorious institution of Beacon will gladly accept you for the new year of hunters-in-training. Well done, both of you." The Professor answered, nodding confidently at the two of them. "Now then! What say we make our way back to Greenbriar? The day is still well and alive, and I can regale you with more tales of my illustrious life of daring, courage, and tenacity!" Sighing to themselves, Skye and Jacko grinned; it was going to be a long trek home.
Hooooo boy, this one ended up taking much longer than I thought (I said Sunday but I'm uploading this Monday, sorry! D: ) However I'm glad to finally have it out. Skye's interesting because her weapon (and by extension her weapon) is the result of an idea that I've had pretty much from my earliest OC concepts.
That actually does it for the trailers! I'm really glad to have them out of the way because while they're not too difficult to write, coming up with a single instance outside of an actual plot/arc to develop a character a little can be a bit taxing, especially if you have to do it 4 times over. I'm going to be talking a bit more about my plans for pacing/length and my thought process in my author breakdown, which I'm going to start writing once this chapter goes up. In the mean time, I really hope you enjoyed these trailers, because in the grand scheme of things they were really fun to write and I hope they all felt good to read.
-Nyx