At the main gate of Umen Village, three battle-ready souls exited the settlement. The guards at the entrance wished them luck on their hunt and safe return. Sylver walked ahead of the two, being the guide to the Alpha Beowolf's location. She had her new and improved spear in her hand, resting the shaft on her shoulder. Wind circled around the pointed head, showing the weapons new elemental attribute thanks to the Dust Crystal contribution from Kosta and forgery by Greii. As for Beig, he carried a claymore sheathed on his back which seemed to stand out from its simplicity compared to Kosta and Sylver's weaponry.
"Sylver, where exactly is the Alpha Beowolf residing?" Beig asked as they started walking off the road and into the forest. "You said you found its den, but never told us anything more specific than that."
"Yeah, the beast is on a hilltop overlooking a large lake. You know, the one with all the inactive geysers?" Sylver responded with a shake of her head. "When I found it, I didn't see any other Grimm aside from its own kind."
"Well, let's hope it stays that way when we get there." Beig sighed, not wanting to think about the prospect of facing other types of Grimm. "Regular Beowolves I can handle. Oum forbid we have to fight more than just one kind."
Kosta continued to walk alongside their Faunus companions, occasionally glancing at their own new and improved weapons. Sylver's eyes wandered over to Kosta who had just been in the middle of looking at their sword and shield.
"I gotta say, Kosta, Chief Greii did wonders for your weapon." Sylver grinned, admiring Kosta's weapons. "The fact he was able to convert the elements of the Dust Crystal into something you can use without Aura speaks volume of his skills as a blacksmith."
"I'm interested in seeing your weapons in action too." Beig spoke, looking at Kosta's sword and shield. "I have to say, the only thing that could make your weapon better would be if your shield could turn into a collapsible sheath."
"That would be pretty neat and handy, but I think it would still weigh the same if it were like that, no?" Sylver questioned.
"Yeah it would, but it would be better than just lugging around the shield on your arm all day, right?" Beig shrugged his arms and chuckled.
"...You're not wrong." Sylver agreed, nodding her head.
Although Kosta did not say a word, the two continued to ask Kosta questions that could be answered with a nod or shake of their head. However, the conversations would soon die out as Sylver quickly warned them that they were approaching Grimm territory and the light mood they had came to an end. Replaced with focus and determination, the three went from walking to slight jogging with weapons drawn all while keeping their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
"And here we are..." Sylver said as she took cover behind a tree while Kosta and Beig did the same.
The large clearing before them were crawling with Grimm.
"Ah, shit..." Beig cursed quietly as an Ursa minor came into view. "Looks like I just ate my own words. There are Ursa minors around. Sylver, can you see any other kind of Grimm around?"
"I see a few Boarbatusks." Sylver said, spotting the dark boar-like creatures moving around. "Damn...It's really going all out calling the reinforcements."
"Well, let's hurry and take out the Alpha Beowolf before it starts calling the bigger kind." Beig gripped his claymore tightly. "Let's try to avoid getting detected for as long as possible. Remember that out target is the Alpha Beowolf. As long as that leader is around, it's just going to keep calling for more Grimm to this location. If this force of Grimm attacks our village, we don't stand a chance to repel the assault and protect those who can't fight."
"Okay then, I see gaps between certain packs. There's also some reasonable cover in this clearing that we can use to hide ourselves in. On my signal, follow me closely and don't lag behind." Sylver said, hiding behind her tree completely as a Beowolf walked by that stopped to look around as if sensing them. But it didn't bother investigating further and continued along its way. "Hold it...ready...set...and go! Move!"
Sylver ran out into the open with her two companions quickly following behind her. When Sylver dropped onto the ground behind some terrain, the two did the same, though Kosta had a bit of difficulty considering they wore armor unlike their Faunus companions. A Boarbatusk had come dangerously close to stepping on Kosta, which caused Sylver and Beig to tighten their grip on their weapons. But they held their fear and emotion in for the sake of not being detected by Grimm. Once the boar eventually moved away, Sylver quickly got back up and continued to move again with Kosta and Beig in two. They repeated this process several times until the reached the slope leading up to the hilltop.
"All right, we're almost there, now we just have to-"
Before Beig could finish that statement, a sudden growl from behind them quickly drew the three's attention. They turned to see an Ursa staring at them, baring its teeth for the three to see. Kosta quickly drew their blade and ran up the Ursa, delivering a quick thrust throug its chin, a swift and fatal kill. But the thud that quickly followed afterward caused all the other Grimm to turn in their direction.
"Damn it, there goes the stealth!" Sylver's frustration and fear showed in her voice. "There's no way we can take on the Alpha Beowolf with all these Grimms!"
Kosta turned back to Beig and Sylver. They pointed their sword to the hilltop behind them before raising their shield and turning around to face the advancing horde.
"Wait...You're not seriously trying to take on all these Grimm by yourself, are you?" Beig asked.
As if answering them, Kosta quickly ran forward, meeting the masses of beast head on. But Kosta didn't stop moving, cutting and bash through the crowd of shadow beasts. But although Kosta injured the few Grimm they hit, it was then that Beig and Sylver realized what Kosta was doing. Kosta wasn't taking the time to finish off each Grimm they hit.
"Kosta isn't trying to fight them all on...They're pulling their attention away from us." Sylver shook her head as Kosta ran into the woods with the Grimm hot on their trail. "That knight...What a crazy person."
"Come on, we have to go take out the Alpha Beowolf and help Kosta." Beig spoke urgently, heading up the slope. "Kosta won't be able to run forever from them. They'll eventually surround and overwhelm Kosta...We need to take that Alpha Beowolf down before that happens."
"Right." Sylver nodded before following after Beig. But not without looking back at the woods Kosta ran into. "...Try to hold out until we get there, Kosta."
The two Faunus made their way to the top where they found the Alpha Beowolf. The large Grimm had its eyes closed and the moving shadows surrounding its body dispersed. It opened its eyes, glaring especially at Sylver who had her spear pointed at it.
"Hey there, remember me?" Sylver twirled her spear before dropping into a battle stance. "I hope so. Because the last thing your ugly mug will ever see is jamming my spear straight into your head!"
The Alpha Beowolf growled before unleashing a howl. A few seconds passed before the Alpha Beowolf realized no help would be coming.
"Sorry, but none of your buddies will be saving you from my wrath!"
Sylver grinned before charging at the Grimm leader with Beig right behind her.
"For Umen Village!"