Lycans are well renowned in the supernatural world for their often times rash and steadfast decision making. Ava being a daughter of a chieftain, means this way of life in ingrained into her very soul.
Which has led to chasing down her soldier friend in a world she knows very little of, including her current soft hijacking of this airship.
Out of a full twenty years of choices, this would probably be top fifty for the least thought out ideas. Nothing will ever top taking an enchanted foam bat to a raging giant for nothing more than a piece of gold and a whole platter of grilled meat. Painful times made good by tasty meat. Her tail thumps against her seat, thinking back on all the times she's won herself some delicious meals. Passing over another diverse ecosystem the scenery helps distract her from how boring this trip has been.
Happily pressing her face against the glass to admire the vast wilderness beneath the airship. Plenty of room for a proper hunt. All that can be saved for later, her current target still needs to be found. Ethan's been alive this entire time and hasn't tried to reach out to her once. Time to show him that Ava is not a warrior to be so easily forgotten.
Energy has never been an issue for lycans, the blessing giving them enough stamina to hunt for days on end with little to no sleep. Perfect for her as the airship lands on an airfield within the floating city. Lowering the ramp, a soldier steps on board with a clipboard. Paperwork won't slow her down! Purple glow shines through the lycan's veins, blood magic flowing to begin the metamorphosis.
Walking lazily through the airship, the night guard yawns. Opening a door, he's bowled over by a massive wolf with gray fur and blue markings. Running like the wind, the wolf form lycan makes some sharp turns and runs off towards the main city. Ava easily launches herself onto a nearby rooftop for access to even higher structures. Jumping to climb higher and higher, it takes the lycan to a building overlooking a good chunk of the city. Using the power of supernatural eyes, Ava scans the city streets for any trace of her friend. Upon spotting dozens of trails of Ethan's presence, she lets out a joyful howl.
Leaping from her perch, striking the ground gracefully. It being night means the streets are empty enough to not hinder her search. Tracking the trail, it becomes somewhat confusing as she approaches what looks to be a business section. Five minutes into following all these trails, it occurs to her that all these lines make a giant maze. Dashing up the side of a small skyscraper, the lycan warrior reaches the top in record time. Sitting on a ledge, this vantage point has a much better sight line. Tracing these lines is much easier now, seeing as she just found the winner. A trail with massive amounts of presence indicating weeks worth of repeated walking.
Backing up to get a running start, Ava flies over entire blocks in one mighty lunge. Yapping in excitement, Ava does some flips before landing perfectly, ironically like a cat. Walking daintily, holding her snout proudly in the air, basking in the glory of a successful track. Tail wagging strong enough to create a small breeze behind the wolf form, fiendish ideas fill her mind. Once that inconsiderate man shows himself, bam! Ambush time. If he's so thoughtless as to forget about a lycan warrior as great as her, she'll simply have to leave a permanent mark.
Losing concentration, Ava's metamorphosis ceases and reverts her to human form with an intense blush on her face. She really just chased after a male across worlds didn't she? Might as well see this through and discover what these feelings really mean. Slowing down, the pursuing lycan lets the cold air bring her temperature down. Staring toward the massive building in the distance, Ava points out a few potential hiding spots for a proper surprise. Picking out a ledge to hide just above the main entrance, Ava easily reaches it and begins her stake out.
Grimm pools are always actively producing more creatures of darkness. Several centuries have come to pass since Grimm Queen Salem has had to intervene with the process. Flocks of nevermore that act as a spy network have observed some form of magic from her undead opponents. That complicates things.
Drawing upon magic reserves, Salem creates a new variant of grimm. Rising from the darkness of the pools, a hulking humanoid grimm towers over it's master. Commanding it to stand over in the fields to display it's powers to the monarch. Roaring, a blast of pure black smoke flies from it's inhuman maw, spreading throughout the area. Coalescing into solid form, anything from beowolfs to ursa majors form from the smoke. Its true potential is only revealed in battle against foes, the Queen shall be watching with bated breath for that fight. With fresh magic flowing in the pools yet again, grimm propagation sky rockets. Erupting like a geyser, the grimm are climbing over each other to bow before their master.
It's a shame true magic died out so long ago, it's only embers and dying reserves now. Swarming before her, the perfect horde led by her newest creation, the assimilater.
"My loyal subjects! Go forth and destroy these living dead invaders!" silence dies as the horde unleashes an unholy harmony of howls and screeches. Splitting their path in two, using Salem as their divide, they flow like a river of death. Leviathans arise from the water as the horde reaches the beach, the massive sea beasts carry the hordes out of sight.
Returning to Evernight castle, the Queen summons her human servants. First to answer her call as always is Tyrian. His fanatical devotion is a double edged sword, great for dealing with targets that need to be killed, terrible for anything else. Hazel arrives after the psychotic follower. Salem made sure to hold these two for a special assignment, Cinder and Arthur are busy elsewhere in the world, working diligently to please their leader. Sitting down in her ornate throne at the head of the table, her two agents take their own seats.
"Hazel. Tyrian. For the past month and a half, our poor grimm have been slain in droves. So many have fallen that the lands of man have grown. All thanks to these other world interlopers. Adding to this chaos, a new group has come to be an issue for our cause. Neither living nor dead, it is unknown to me how they came to be. What is known however, is that they are interfering just as much as the other world humans. Both must die. A grimm horde is already on its way to deal with our lesser known foes" Tyrian is bouncing in his seat in pure unhinged excitement. Rocketing onto his feet he can no longer contain himself.
"Oh goddess, you want us to kill those rotten other world humans yes!?" it's much faster to simply let these outbursts slide by, there is no time for disciplining.
"Yes, Tyrian, you are to head to Mistral, engage the ECHO soldiers there, kill them all if the possibility arises. Hazel, your target is the soldiers in Vacuo. Wipe them out when you can. I care not for how it is done, just see to it. Do it now" launching like a missile, the fanatical faunus sprints out of the castle to fulfill his goddess' demands. More reserved in action than his deranged comrade, the mountain of a man rises, making his way out.
Grimm production is going to be quite high for some time, perfect for building a reserve for future moves against humanity. Using leviathans should allow for her subjects to reach their targets much faster than the usual birth from shadows. Of course, with grimm being born in mistral, numbers should explode once the horde reinforces them.
Tyrian and Hazel should have no trouble in dealing with a group dedicated to combating inhuman foes. In reality, her only true concern is that of the undead.
Reinforcements had come several days ago, making progression of capturing this 'kingdom' so much smoother. Splitting her forces, all surrounding villages and towns must fall so the capital may fall from all sides. Lack of intelligence on ECHO livestock positions is troublesome, all the Viscountess knows of is an officer had been watching them. If luck favors her forces, ECHO soldiers will be hiding in the capital to be purged like the livestock they are.
Viewing through a magic mirror, a smile grows on her face, seeing the villages being overrun. A knight in lunar armor drops dead, wiping the joy from the vampire noble's face. Several snipers pick off knights and gargoyles alike, fury grows in Alivi as ECHO soldiers reveal themselves. ECHO unit had sent soldiers to defend some of the targeted areas, adding further insult, the livestock of those villages are wielding rifles bearing the mark of ECHO. A familiar scene greets the Viscountess as the militia led by ECHO form a defensive line, as they had done on her first raid. This one however is actively fending off her well crafted assault.
Despite being a noble, Alivi loses her temper, slamming a fist into her stone table breaking it to bits. Screaming into the mirror, she orders all forces not engaged by resistance are to converge upon those who are. Breaking away from their current undefended targets, all vampire forces do as they're commanded. Joining the battle, ECHO positions begin to crumble as their lines can't handle the increased enemy presence. The combined forces of ECHO and militias retreat from the cities.
Interference dealt with, victory is all too swift. Unfortunately, it is anything but sweet. Sweeping the buildings, evidence of a hasty departure are found. All livestock had fled at some point, meaning for all the land they'd just taken, there is no food to help grow their food source. Far too absorbed with the glory of victory, Alivi had missed a crucial detail. No livestock were seen fleeing the area. Perhaps it was naive of her to assume that ECHO unit had refrained from action upon discovering their campaign. Reporting this to Lord Valentine shall wait until the capital is within her grasp.
Shouting and the clang of clashing steel sound out, from within the walls of their fortress. Damnable fools, this is no time to be getting rambunctious. Tuning the mirror to view her fortress, a most unwelcome and shocking sight reveals itself.
Lycanthropes.
Going fast enough to break through solid stone, Alivi skids to a stop on a balcony overlooking her command fort. Curse magic mirrors for being so accurate!
Hissing, the Viscountess jumps from the balcony, flying down to assist in the defensive. Drawing her saber, she lands on top of a young lycan, piercing the blade through his skull. Pulling her sword free of the dog flesh, a wall of stone rises in time to block a lunging strike from another flea bag. Punching through the wall, Alivi blocks the flurry of swipes aimed at her throat. Smacking a filthy paw away, her saber swings into her current prey's guard and decapitates him.
"You fucking mongrels! Go back and hump your master's leg!" a pillar of flame rises just beneath her feet, cutting the Viscountess off from saying anything further. Like a blur, dashing out of the fire towards the caster, saber meeting claws. This mangy mutt is older than the two before him, war tattoos speaking of strength and victories. She'll be sure to strip those off his mangled corpse.
Back stepping away from an upward slash, the vampire noble points her saber at the lycan, sending a bolt of lightning hurtling at him. Skin bulging with purple muscles, the bolt disperses against the sheer density of the magic empowered muscles. Disgusted by the obscene display of blood magic, Alivi decides to show the dog what true blood magic looks like. Calling the blood of fallen vampires and lycans, weapons of all shape form around the noble, floating behind her. Blurring yet again, Alivi strikes forth at the dog warrior. Dodging backwards, the mutt blocks the first blow, not the next six from her blood weapons that follow. Saved from lethal wounds by his grotesque muscle mass yet again. Overwhelming the dog warrior with an unending combo of attacks, he's left wide open for her saber to rend flesh.
A sonic boom slams into the noble before she strikes. Rupturing ear drums and sending her flying for a moment, the attack leaves her unable to stop the oncoming threat. Claws tear through her undead flesh with a sickening squelch. Shrieking in pain and rage, blood explodes from the wound to form spikes stopping any other attack. Using her blood weapons as area defense, her wounds quickly heal.
Fucking disgusting animals, their surprise attack must have destroyed a fair bit of defense if she's being allowed to get ganged up on like this. Sending the blood weapons to fight the interloper, she charges her original foe with her saber. Conjuring a small stone shield in her off hand to block the initial savage swing from the dog, she forces his arm away. Thrusting her sword at his chest it's swatted away, leading Alivi to spin and shield bash the warrior in the face.
Rolling backwards and righting himself just in time to kill a gargoyle that had swooped down to take an opportunistic chunk out of him. Taking full advantage, Alivi throws her saber like a javelin. Striking true, it impales the dog warrior. Pulling her saber back to her with magnetism, eyes widening as it rockets back to her hand with a still breathing lycan latched on. Returning to her grasp at a speed not even she could match, she as no time to dodge as claws rip through her face, blinding her. Not stopping the lycan doesn't even pull himself off the sword, focused on tearing the vampire before him to shreds. Luck favors the vampire as her blood weapons manage to kill their target, turning to their masters aggressor. Piercing his body six times over finishes him off just as Alivi was going to have her head severed.
Crumbling to the ground, a small flock of surviving gargoyles form a perimeter around their healing leader. The battle rages for another half hour, ending with a chorus of howls as the lycans retreat into the nearby swamp land.
Recovering from her wounds, Alivi climbs back to her feet. Rallying her surviving forces, she begins a head count. That ambush took a dozen knights, seventy foot soldiers, and she could give a damn about the gargoyles, thralls, and chimeras. There should not be lycans on Remnant, especially not on this continent.
No one had informed her that Earth's livestock had sent lycans. Great, now she must face Lord Valentine early, not only to deliver more fatality statistics, but also alert him that their intelligence network has failed them. Taunting war cries come from the swampland surrounding the fort, with as loud as it is, there are far more dogs than the attack showed.
Storming into her humble command building, time is not on their side. Coming to the doors for the distance mirror room, Alivi hesitates. Death is very likely from this conversation. Guaranteed if someone other than her tells him first.
Stepping into the room, funneling magic to the mirror as soon as she's in range. Pulsing and filling with haze, the noble bites her lip to try and ward off the growing dread inside of her. Taking a knee before the mirror, shutting her eyes to suppress the fear. Lord Valentine's visage appears in the mirror. Raising her head, panic fills her soul. The lord's normally hate filled eyes replaced by rage.
"What is it now Viscountess, are you not capable of leading this campaign without bothering me for more than a few days?" shaking in fear, his agitated tone tells the lesser noble all she needs on how this interaction shall go.
"My Lord, I have the most terrible news to deliver. Lycan forces have appeared in Remnant" all the rage in his eyes drains, filled by an emotion she'd never expected to see in the Lord. Fear.
"Tell me this is some form of jest"
"I would never jest with you my Lord" all things are silent between the two as the higher noble simply stares at his lesser in disbelief and horror.
"I... I am. Going to a meeting with his majesty. Hold that position until I return" the transmission ends abruptly, leaving the Viscountess stunned. Walking away with her life and striking fear into a Lord? Unsure of how dire the situation is, all she can feel is relief as she hurries out of the room.
No time to regain control from the terrible feelings within her, a fireball crashes through a nearby wall and explodes, sending rock and glass everywhere. Gritting her teeth with enough intensity to crack said teeth, she jumps out of the freshly made hole. It's time to go hunt some dogs.
Teleporting to stand before the grand doors to the Supreme Lord, Valentine pounds on the door frantically.
"My Lord Vacati, there is terrible news!" the doors open, swinging wide to reveal the lavish throne room, King of the Vampires, Supreme Lord Vacati sits on his royal throne. Several of the finest maidens cling to the King anywhere they can manage. Running past the lines of royal guardsmen standing watch, Valentine trips, falling right on his face. Fumbling to his knees before his Lord.
"Valentine, you miserable wretch, cease your embarrassing behavior and tell me of this supposed news" letting loose a bombastic laugh that all of his wives share in, the Supreme Lord can't help but wave off his subordinates fear.
"There are lycanthropes in Remnant!" the mocking laughter dies in the Supreme Lord's throat. In an instant, Valentine finds himself lifted from his feet, the iron grip of his master's hand around his neck the only thing keeping him suspended.
"Do not lie to me you worm! This is no such topic to make light of!" knowing better than to grab the King's wrist to support himself, all Valentine can do is dangle helpless.
"My Lord! I'm not! I swear it!" wide eyes filled with fear stare down at the King of Vampires, who promptly unleashes a devastating gout of hellfire upon Valentine. Dropping the screaming Lord as he burns, the Supreme Lord literally kicks him out of the room. Before the King can continue his furious attack on his lesser, a massive shock wave destroys windows and rocks the castle. Stomping over to one of the now ruined windows, the Supreme Lord bellows with rage. A ballistic missile just erased a chunk of the noble town. How had it even known the towns current position. It's been a well kept secret for centuries. An undead dragon climbs out of the ground to act as anti air, shooting down another missile before it reaches the city or castle. Blinded by wrath, Vacati uses his magic to drag Valentine over to him. Picking the poor fool, he holds the sniveling coward at eye level.
"GO RETRIEVE THE RAT! BRING HIM TO ME!" with those orders, the Supreme Lord tosses his lesser Lord out of the window like a bag of garbage. All of his servants know not to react to these kinds of outbursts. Returning to his throne, the King acts as though nothing had happened. His wives return to holding onto him.
"It is so hard to find proper vampires these days"
Taking a hit that sends her sprawling to the ground, Yang's aura drops into the red. Popping the damaged plates off his exo, Carr puts fresh ones in there place. How come all the huntsmen like fighting so early in the morning.
"Gotta say, you'd make Rennold proud with those hooks" lending the blond brawler a hand, Carr pulls her back onto her feet.
"I can't believe those things are that strong, I mean they look totally flimsy. Like a noodle" wiggling her arms like a worm at the Corporal, he chuckles a bit.
"Had it been a Private, I'm sure you'd have done better. My exo is about four tiers above standard issue, meaning more plating, higher strength. It's just better in general. Don't forget though, an exo alone didn't whoop your ass" making the sock puppet talking gesture with her hand, Yang rolls her eyes.
"So, could you take me without the fancy armor then?"
"Hell no, I'm just a normal guy under all this. You're a damn super human. My exo is meant so I can fight super things" flexing her bicep, an ultra smug look creeps on her face. Carr stares at her like a kid who was just told to eat broccoli.
"Yeah, I'm pretty great" time to pop that growing balloon of an ego before it gets it's own gravitational pull.
"If you're so great why couldn't you beat me in my exo?" that wiped that grossly smug face right off.
"Well excuse me grandpa, you've got like two decades over me in the whole fighting department" placing a defensive hand on his chest, an evil grin finds its way on his face.
"I worry for future huntsmen if the next generation is so easily beaten by old people" showing a dangerous amount of teeth with her smile, Ember Celica extends. A competitive nerve has been struck.
"Alright then, Greg. Lets go all out, I've got some aura left and rubber bullets, I wanna see how well you do with range thrown in" wrist blades extend in an instant, popping the fresh blades out and replacing them with the dull ones he was saving to sharpen. Pulling his pistol out of its holster, he checks his ammo. Nope, no non lethal here. Going over to the weapons rack, Carr grabs a pistol loaded with rubber bullets, checking it all the same anyways. Holstering the pistol, the Corporal hops back into the ring.
"You sure Yang? I've seen some pretty serious fights" a condescending laugh escapes her mouth, the blond loads her rubber rounds into the gauntlet shotguns.
"You're not getting cold feet now are you?" grunting, Carr takes his stance making Yang smile menacingly. Hitting a button on her scroll, a five second timer starts. Each second beeping away until a bell rings out.
Running into the fight, Yang throws punches causing her gauntlets to fire with each swing. Slamming his arms together, the armor plating on his forearms stop the rounds. Getting in close, the brawler goes for an upper cut bypassing his guard only for her opponent to throw a straight, wrist blade extending. Bobbing her head to the side, dodging the initial strike only for a back hand to catch her cheek. Spinning to avoid being sent to the floor by the force of it, her new position gives her a haymaker and a hook into his exposed side. Each hit having a rubber surprise with it. Biting back a cry of pain, Carr kicks her in the stomach, the mechanically assisted blows easily knocks her back.
Stumbling into the ropes of the ring, Yang yelps as two rounds hit her right in the chest. It's a bit odd but she doesn't think she's ever been hit in the boobs before during all the fights and training. It fucking hurts even with aura. Rolling her body along the rope, she fires off some rounds to keep Carr distracted until she can right herself. Dashing to the side, keeping his pistol trained on the huntress in training, waiting for a good shot.
Pushing off of the rope, Yang is trips as a solid shot hits her knee. Using the momentum, Yang lands with her hands, doing a hand spring to get back on her feet. Sticking the landing, turning and taking a knee, Yang fires a shot that lands right in his gut. Keeling over, Carr throws his guard back up to stop another volley of shots, bruising his arms through the armor.
Sprinting to get in close, the blond brawler keeps him pinned by emptying her weapons. Opening his guard with a spinning kick, going with the kick Carr takes Yang's legs out from under her by grabbing her ankle. Rising with a mighty heave the blond brawler finds herself sailing through the air like a hammer to hit a nail. Slamming face first into the ground causing her aura to flash. Rolling onto her back to get a shot off, her Ember Celica is empty. His pistol isn't as he fires enough shots into her stomach to break her aura.
Looking up at the soldier from the ground, she can't help but grin at his shaky arms, no doubt from a bit of damage. Offering her his hand yet again, Yang waves it off, resting on the ground for a bit longer.
"Had those been real rounds, you would have won. So I'll count this as a victory for you" squinting at the man who had just whooped her ass, climbing to her feet to stare at him.
"Sorry gramps, but I don't take handouts from creepy old guys. I'll take that win once you're the one on the ground"
"I'm only twenty seven damn it" Yang doesn't even listen as she grabs herself a water bottle and chugs it. Crumpling the empty bottle, throwing it in a nearby trashcan, Yang looks back at Carr. Not really the questioning type, the brawler realizes she doesn't know jack shit about Earth or the enemies that make men and women as strong as Alexander and Rennold.
"Soooo, what are the monsters on Earth like?" pulling his beastiary from a pouch on his back, Yang immediately shoots that idea down. "why do you even have that during spars? If I wanted a boring read, I'd have asked for the book" dragging his hands down his face, he puts the book away.
"Alright, I suppose the easiest way to describe it would be, hell on Earth. Grimm are tough and there are a shit ton of them, but you'll never be about to kill a grimm only to be hit by a fire ball. For as much ground as we've actually made, a lot of people have died. God help you if your captured" now that's a pretty big difference, if grimm corner you, you're pretty much dead. Capture by grimm sends a shiver down the blond brawler's spine.
"Why would the bad guys capture you guys if they need you dead" a tired sigh comes from the soldier. Gesturing for the young huntress in training to follow. Sliding under the ropes, Carr goes over to a nearby couch with Yang in tow. Sitting down, Yang takes the seat next to him.
"Honestly nothing about the fight against hell is pretty. You've got kids who never had a childhood because of it, men and women can get captured and used as living blood banks, sometimes they just torture them for fun. Some monsters require a living person for their specific form of feeding. I'm not going into any detail on those ones, it's just horrid. I'm a Corporal, it's the fifth rank you reach in the army when you don't go the officer route. ECHO unit doles out its ranks based on combat and leadership more than anything else. If you fight good enough to survive, you're rewarded. Leading men and women well enough to keep em alive gets you a reward. I've seen a lot, plenty of it I want to forget"
"But you don't you guys have like the entire world colonized?" nodding, Carr rests his head on the comfy couch as he continues talking.
"Yeah, but with all those people come all the more problems. Your world has the same issues. From what I've seen, Remnant only has about a hundred million people. Earth has nine billion and counting. That has it's own problems. I don't know what will happen once we help eradicate the grimm and Remnant can claim all of its land" that's a huge number of people, Yang couldn't possibly picture the sight.
"If the big bads are as strong as you say, why haven't you guys lost yet?" ugh, history was never his favorite subject.
"As far as I know, vampires were apparently pretty chill a thousand years ago. Sure they still fought with people and the churches, but it wasn't as serious as it is now. Around nine hundred years ago, leadership changed and holy shit, everything exploded. It's funny actually, because their heavily increased aggression they made so many more enemies. Blah blah blah, maps change, human population keeps growing. Now it's 2063 and humanity has pushed vampires to the brink. Of course even with that, the fight is far from over"
"And now you guys are here, and beating up teenagers"
"Oh go cry about it, I'm giving you valuable lessons in fighting"
"That includes throwing me like a ragdoll?" smirking at the blond, he gives her a thumbs up. Smiling, Yang gets up to head out for the day on bumblebee.
"See ya around kid" waving as she walks out the door, the blond brawler hops on her bike. Turning it on, she drives off back to her house.
Sending the lycans out to deal with the vampire front gives Rennold and her soldiers a bit more breathing room. Which of course is the perfect time for her injection ceremony. Sun low in the sky, her company, Alexander, Jenkins and pretty much anyone else able to attend are gathered in stadium that was graciously rented to them for the event. Lye, Ruby, Yang, Ozpin along with what seem to some of his teachers, and a couple of the council members arrive. It's nice to see that the invites got to them, since they had been along for the ride for a while.
Chatter dies down as Rennold and Alexander take center stage. Setting the microphone stand at the proper height, the Lieutenant Colonel speaks into it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, both from Earth and Remnant. Welcome to our traditional injection ceremony. A time honored tradition for one hundred and fifty-three years, 1910 being the year the first ECHO unit officer was given the first ever injection of SH-S1. Also known as super human, series one. Very original, I know" a few chuckles here and there, from ECHO and huntsmen. "Now for those out of the know, do not be alarmed. SH-S103 is a very potent compound, the human body reacts accordingly, Ryan if you would" presenting her arm to her second in command, he pulls out the syringe.
Searching for the proper vein, finding it easily enough, the hunting Major lines the syringe along the artery. Plunging the syringe into her arm, he injects the steroid. Entering the blood stream, Rennold's muscles in her arm seize up and bulge out noticeably. Being carried throughout her body, the magic chemical enters her heart, making her collapse into the waiting arms of Alexander.
Checking her vitals, Alexander gives a thumbs up to the crowd to ease any of the more squeamish. About ten minutes later, Rennold rises like a phoenix yelling with excitement and joy. Clapping fills the stadium at the successful procedure. Bouncing due to the great amount of power currently flowing through her body, the Lieutenant Colonel grabs the microphone.
"Everybody, thank you for coming out today, we've got some food that was prepared. Stick around, catch up with friends or just hang out. Leave whenever you like. Thanks for coming!" the two leading officers exit the stage, immediately going after Jenkins. The ex satanist had tried to sneak away but ended up being blocked by societal obligations.
"Soooo where ya been Diane? It's been a bit busy, coulda used some help" blowing a raspberry, the Major acts like it's no big deal. Dropping the happy face, Diane winces at the sight of her boss being very not so happy.
"Yeeeeeah, I have been a lazy shit. However, I did find out that there's a whole underground scene, so there's always that to be aware of in case of any criminal activities related to our line of work" sighing, Rennold supposes she can let it go since that could into play later.
"I want you running missions later, give Ryan a break every once in a while" nodding at her boss, Jenkins goes over to Yang, the two greeting with a secret handshake of sorts. Ozpin seems to be avoiding the council, instead talking with Ruby about something that has the girl bouncing off the walls. Lye and Carr are chatting each other up along with some ECHO soldiers and a few of Beacon's staff, sharing work stories. Goodwitch is verbally prostrating herself before the council members, who couldn't possibly be more uncomfortable with the apologetic sight. Reminding her of the joint operations between different factions and units, it brings a smile to her face. At the end of the day, all she wants is to make a difference in the world.
Being stubborn has managed to save her hide a few times, but more often than not it's made things worse. Sighing, the leader of Remnant's ECHO unit detachment, strides over to Councilwoman Gold whisking her away from Glynda's attempt at repairing Ozpin's reputation. The two make their way over to a more secluded spot to talk.
"Cathy, I'd like to again give my congratulations on your new rank" raising a glass of whatever it is, Rennold taps the glass with her knuckles seeing as how she hadn't gotten a drink. "So I hope that this isn't anything too heavy of a topic" holding her hand up to show that the conversation won't be anything dark.
"No no, I don't have any horrible news to share, I just wanted to personally tell you that I've reversed my decision on the Remnant enlistment program" Gold's face lights up like a Christmas tree.
"Oh Cathy that is fantastic, I guarantee that this will be a great addition to Vale. We can always work together with the current Valean military to make a proper training program. I do have to ask, what brought on this change of heart?" Catherine turns around and gestures to the whole ceremony.
"I feel as though, seeing huntsmen and ECHO unit chatting together, we've made an improvement. I want to see Remnant become even better"
"Well I'm glad to hear you're still as dedicated to fighting for humanity as you would have been on Earth"
"Of course Goldie, I'd be a pretty shitty person if I just up and abandoned people just cause we're not from the same world"
catching up with each other, the two head over to the tables to get some food and drinks. Integrating themselves into the crowd to keep chatting with everyone in the mildly festive atmosphere.
Opening the main doors to the courtyard, Ethan takes in the cold Atlas air. Walking out onto the courtyard a beautiful setting sun welcomes him outside. Time to follow his wanderlust to see what new things he can discover. So far Atlas doesn't seem to have much of a nightlife scene, it could be his proximity to the academy or the culture of the city. Either way it's just a curiosity, not having to worry about drunks is just fine by him. Weaving through the general populace is enough of a headache as it is. Learning early on that huntsmen in Atlas aren't the most flashy of individuals, it doesn't take much for people to stick out. Not realizing his own popularity, his appearance on world wide television made him something of a minor celebrity.
As a soldier, Ethan never thought he'd have fans. Introducing actual magic to a world can do a lot for someone's popularity. Lucky enough for the ex paladin, his time frame of being in the city keeps him exposed to a limited amount of people.
Spine tingling, he wheels around to scan the area behind him. His instincts are usually pretty good at pointing out someone watching him, yet he doesn't spot anyone. Shaking off the feeling, the young Captain continues down the streets. Venturing into the other side of the city, it seems much more residential, with smaller shops and restaurants. Atlesian architecture is really similar to the styles in the United States, at least the richer areas. Not really hungry at the moment, Ethan decides against getting any food from the spots that are still open.
Thanks to his extensive exploration, the soldier has plenty of routes back to the academy, as well as some to his prayer spot. Taking a rather scenic path to his spot, he looks out over the city just as the sun sets. Not having felt another sense of being watched, Ethan waves off the prior feeling as paranoia. Kneeling in the small area, Ethan prays, speaking to The Lord in his mind. Finished with his prayers, Ethan watches over Mantle, a city that has far more night time activity than Atlas.
Letting out a startled cry, the young Captain is pulled to his feet and away from the edge. Panic turns to confusion as the life is nearly squeezed out of him by some woman with a familiar head of brown hair, two wolf ears poking out and a rapidly wagging tail. Joy and confusion mix together in an odd way upon seeing his old friend.
"Ava!? How the fuck did you get on Remnant!?" she cranes her head to look up at Ethan. The crazy look in her eyes, makes the young Captain shudder in her iron grip. Practically slamming her face into his, she kisses Ethan deeply. Shocked at first, the ex-paladin's brain is fried, his body responds on it's own. Returning the embrace and the kiss, the two squeeze each other as if they'd be taken away if they didn't. Pulling away a bit of functionality comes back to the soldier, just enough to be embarrassed.
"That's for forgetting about me, you jerk"
"Y-yeah, I've been a bit busy y-" putting a finger on his lips to shut him up, Ava just stares at him dreamily. The two stay like that staring at each other for a good while.
"I thought you were dead, so when I finally got news you were alive, I followed after you" feeling guilty at the sight of Ava's teary eyes, Ethan decides to kiss her this time. It did always kind of seem like Ava had chosen him to be her battle mate.
"So, I assume I've met the criteria to be your battle mate?" giggling Ava licks his cheek.
"I don't know have you?" pulling him back towards the city, Ava leads the way back to the academy. It's going to be a bit odd to explain this to the General. That's an issue for tomorrow.
Alright, finally making progress to the actual war, just know that ECHO fighting vampires is far different than them fighting grimm. Finally giving some characterization to the biggest bad on Earth, and showing a bit of Valentine's true nature. I felt like with Ava and Ethan, the most realistic response for her would be to solidify any feelings she has for her mate once she found him alive. It's a bit slower in the original story. As usual, reviews, favorites and follows are welcome and hope y'all enjoyed. See ya next week.
Lolz out