Chapter 12. Bonded by Fight

(December 27, 2015)

It had finally arrived: the All Hallows' Eve. The most excited about it where Bruin, Rouge, Thistle, and Matt. It's not always you set up an attack in school, with the headmaster's permission to boot it.

It was a Friday afternoon and the first order of business was setting up the trap. The large group who were responsible for the Grimm construct, Rouge, Nicandra, Ace, Matt, and Zweii, were setting the fight at the Beacon Cliff, away from prying eyes since a lot of students where still at school. Bruin and Zelony on the other hand were together with Thistle and Dezaryl, getting Pearl, Larimar, and Maize to fall into the trap. The boy from Team AZRE suggested setting up a meeting between the two boys from Team BRNZ and Team PLTM in the gardens where he could easily use his Semblance to think that their Grimm construct is calling them, threatening to destroy them and the Academy. Zelony, as always, was skeptical about the plan since it didn't sound believable at all, but Dezaryl said he can be quite convincing when he wants to be. With no other ideas, the group went with the bowman's suggestion.

Half an hour later, Bruin and Zelony were together with Team PLTM in the gardens, the girl and two distant boys rather dissatisfied with the current situation. Thistle was a mix of emotions at the moment, he didn't know if the plan would fail or succeed. However, he was hopeful that it would somehow tighten the bonds of their fragmented team even a little.

"Why have I even agreed to this?" Larimar complained.
"Because you have a team here?" Bruin hesitantly provided.
"I thought I was clear enough on the first day that I do not see you as a fellow Huntsman-in-training."

Zelony was about to come to the rescue, but suddenly something strange happened.

"What a delightful sight," came Dezaryl's greatly improvised, echoing voice through their minds.
"Wha—?" Maize was scared. He looked frantically around himself, his companions doing the same in a more reserved manner.
"Such pride, I yearn it."
"W-who are you?" Pearl demanded.
"There is so much darkness in your hearts, they have rotten to the core, a perfect feat for me and my brethren."
"Go... away...!" Larimar was holding his head, restraining sounds of pain.
"Your flesh will paint my teeth red and your bones will mark the place where my kind started to reduce your world into nothing."
"Where are you, you monster!?" Larimar demanded. "I'm gonna shred you to pieces if it's gonna be the last thing I'll do!"
"D-don't be reckless, Larimar," Maize said, fear in his eyes.

Then a roar echoed from the direction of Beacon Cliffs. Larimar quickly reacted and run towards them. Everyone, aside of Dezaryl who was keeping his head cool, was confused as to why the blue-haired boy reacted like that.

"L-let's go after him!" Thistle suggested.
"H-he's insane! And kinda mentally unstable," Maize commented.
"No kidding. This voice could tip off a few mentally weak people," Pearl remarked. "Alright, kiddos, pack your guts 'cause we're getting into some lad-in-distress rescue mission."
"It's not going to be that dangerous, is it?" Bruin was starting that he went a bit overboard with the plan.
"Ah, this soul is so rejuvenating!" Dezaryl's distorted voice sounded once again in their minds.
"I think he's going a bit overboard," Bruin whispered to Zelony.
"'Desperate times call for desperate measures', the saying goes," the green-haired boy silently replied. "Let's go with it for now."

Pearl was already leading Maize and Thistle. Bruin and Zelony barely caught up with them. Few moments later they arrived at the most strange sight: Larimar was ineffectively fighting a humanoid Grimm (although Bruin and Zelony knew it wasn't the truth) wielding a greatsword with a massive shield.

"W-what is that?" Maize muttered. The view scared him.
"An intelligent Grimm, what else does it look like?"
"Pearl, I don't think that kind of thing is possible," Thistle replied. "It doesn't seem natural at all."
"Grimm come in many forms, we just haven't seen them all," Zelony quickly provided. It wouldn't do any good if their little operation was discovered so early.

Briefly Dezaryl spoke only to Bruin and Zelony and told them to charge in first so they could be knocked out and provide team building experience for Team PLTM. The brown-haired boy wasn't sure how that would bond the three teams, despite originally planning to bond only two but since he 'employed' Team AZRE they could also get some profit out of this.

Zelony was the first one of the two to initiate their defeat: he started with ejecting the blades from his yoyo and striking at the golem. He was soon joined by Bruin's onslaught of Auric bolts from his crossbow. Both attacks were parried with the shield and were followed by a wide slash which hit Zelony and threw him against a tree, knocking him actually unconscious. Bruin then switched his weapon into staff and struck the enemy several times with the whirling weapon, but was soon knocked out with a powerful shield bash.

"T-two people and they barely scratched it!?" Maize's fear was starting to get slowly out of control.
"Well, there's four of us still standing. We might have a chance of beating this thing," Thistle said.
"Hope is futile. Surrender to the darkness."

Larimar charged once again at the golem, shooting arrows imbued with water Dust at it. However they didn't prove much against it.

"I have no idea who's more reckless, you or Thistle," Pearl commented. "Seriously, this isn't a fight you can win alone, Waterboy."
"'Larimar', not 'Waterboy'," the blue-haired boy bit back.
"Larimar Notwaterboy? That's a new one," Pearl snickered.
"Ha, ha, very funny."
"Watch out!" Maize blocked the powerful downward slash aimed at Pearl with his cards circling in front of him. "If you want to make it team effort, then put some fight, will you!?"
"If you say so!"

And with those words Pearl charged at the golem. While close to him she slid under him intending to slash it between its legs, but the creature timely defended itself with its shield. Then Thistle joined the fray, shooting ice bullets at his enemy. He hit the shield a few times, covering it with a thin layer of ice. Maize then followed with his attack, shooting several cards imbued with fire Dust which exploded in impact with the shield and effectively destroying it. Hoping to finish the battle, Larimar rushed and wildly swung with his dualblade if front of him, finishing the combo with a powerful upward swing.

As the golem suddenly recovered in midair, it came plummeting into the ground performing a downward slash at the unsuspecting Larimar. Noticing it, Maize quickly drew another card and threw it in Larimar's direction. As the card embedded itself into the ground it produced a stone wall which softened the blow from the enemy's attack.

"T-thanks," was all that flustered Larimar muttered.
"Can't you keep your guard up!?" the blond boy was slightly irritated, but bore a barely noticeable smile on his face.
"Anyone has any ideas?"
"Aren't you the team leader, Pearl?" Thistle asked. "I thought team leaders have them?"
"Battle strategies are team skills. You can't honestly hope I'll think of everything on the fly!"

Then the golem slashed horizontally at Pearl, who dodged the attack with a timely backflip. She quickly followed it with few strikes at the arm, but it didn't do much.

"Thistle, freeze its sword!" Pearl commanded.

The boy quickly responded with a lunge followed with several freezing slashes from his staff against the golem's greatsword which quickly covered it in ice.

"Maize, destroy it with an exploding card!"

The blond drew several cards which he launched at the enemy. The series of explosions resulted in the golem's weapon shattering, clearly satisfying Pearl as evidenced by her smirk.

"Not so tough now, are you?" the leader of Team PLTM asked, certain of their advantage now.
"Human conceit is such a fragile thing. You think it's hard as stone, but the truth is far more delicate."

The golem then clenched his fists together and smashed the ground, cracks forming from the impact zone. The shake was so strong that all boys fell, Pearl struggling to keep up. Then the 'monster' approached a small tree and pulled it out. With a new improvised weapon, the golem continued its charge. As the tree-club was about to hit them, incidentally Thistle and Maize acted, their joint attack creating a globe of rocks and ice which greatly softened the blow.

"T-that's it!" Pearl spat out. "We're finishing this monster right now!" She then followed with quick instructions, "Larimar, see if you can create a water tornado around this bugger. Thistle, you will freeze the water then. Maize, you distract the golem from them. I'll prepare for the finishing attack."
"These are really long instructions, you know," criticized Larimar.
"We'll worry about simplifications later," Maize replied. "Now you and Thistle get your act together!" The blond boy shot several wind-piercing cards at the enemy, followed by an earth-oriented one which turned into a boulder midway and knocked back the golem. "I won't be able to hold it off for long!"
"Alright, you whiny little—"
"Focus on the fight!" came Pearl's voice from the distance, cutting Larimar mid-sentence.

Larimar then drew several arrows from his quiver and shot at the enemy. As the Dust arrowheads came in contact with the golem, good amounts of water come pouring out of them. Then the boy started to manipulate the blue liquid with his Semblance, creating rather intricate in design waterspout. After a moment he gave his partner a nod. Thistle cocked his shotstaff in the golem's direction and shot a volley of ice Dust, freezing the water in the manner of seconds.

"Now's my turn!" shouted Pearl and charged at their enemy.

As she was sliding on the frozen water, she was performing a variety of cuts and slashes as she proceeded upwards. When she arrived at the top she leaped further into air and plummeted into the ground, piercing through her target with one of her claws extended. The power of the hit was so formidable that the icy waterspout shattered, a slight mist covering the ground.

Their leader looked at the golem. It didn't move. She was glad. She took down the monster, with the help of her team mates, but she did it.

However in her moment of pride, she wasn't able to notice the sudden stir and an incoming attack. Larimar and Thistle hurriedly aimed but failed. Then Maize used his wind card to blow Pearl away from the attack's range and followed it with an earth card thrown into the air, which turned into a rock falling on the monster. He finished the attack with a fire card which caused the rock to burn. The flaming boulder then crashed onto the enemy, shattering it into many stones.

"Wait, what–!?" the blond suddenly exclaimed. "A Grimm that is made of stone?"
"You are mistaken," came the 'Grimm's' voice. Team PLTM looked around fearfully. Then from the bushes came came a brown-haired boy, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Who are you?" Pearl growled at him. Larimar joined her, pointing his dualblade at the boy.
"I'm Dezaryl Ravenhawk," the boy introduced himself. "That was quite a good show you put there. Although poor Rouge and Nicandra might say otherwise."

From the bushes Rouge and Nicandra came out, followed with Ace, Matt, and Zweii. Pearl, Larimar, and Maize were surprised by the sudden appearance of six people.

"Thanks for the help!" Thistle suddenly exclaimed. "We'll better now, I'm sure of it!"
"Thistle? What are you talking about?" Pearl looked at him suspiciously.
"It was kinda my idea," came Bruin's voice from behind them. "Thistle was worried about you guys, you were really fractured as a team."
"Ace Wolfblade," the boy in Grimm armor introduced himself.
"I'm Matthew Erthanos, but you can call me 'Matt'," the boy next to him added.
"You say that line, like, to every person you meet. That's cliché," commented Ace, but Matt pouted. "Well, it was my and Matt's work that the golem was wearing Grimm fur."
"Golem?" Maize asked.
"Yes, Rouge here conjured an earth construct with her spirit artes, while I created its sword and shield. Nicandra Nepal," the blue-haired girl said.
"That was a really sick fight, you know," the dark pink-haired girl complimented them. "I'm Rouge Rhodolite."
"But there was still some help we got," Zelony said. "Zweii trained the golem in the ways of the sword."
"Zweii Dragos," the boy in a knight armor slightly leaned. "It was great to be a part of this."
"Wait, so it was a setup!?" Larimar exclaimed.
"We've been played for fools," Pearl turned her head away in shame.
"However," came another voice, "it was an excellent team bonding experience, wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

From the direction of the campus came walking Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch. While the headmaster was calm, as always or maybe it was his defense mechanism against something, his partner was not so composed. She was whispering something to him, but the man simply waved it off.

"Professors," Nicandra and Ace bowed their heads. Others just 'helloed' or 'good afternooned' them.
"I was right permitting this," Ozpin commented. "Professor Goodwitch wasn't keen on this idea, however."
"Because it's a Huntsman academy, not a kindergarten."
"We did all right, I suppose," Bruin scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I decided that because of this each of you will get a slightly better mark at the semester exams," the headmaster announced.
Goodwitch sighed, "You shouldn't coddle the students so much."
"I'm just merely giving them incentive to work harder to better themselves not only as Huntsmen and Huntresses, but as individuals as well." He then turned to the students, "You are free now. Spend some time together, enjoy your company."
"Thank you," Teams BRNZ, PLTM, and AZRE replied and headed towards the campus.
"There will be a time when you'll reminiscence on these precious moments and call on them as a glimmer of hope," he added when they were a good distance from them.

Author's Notes

Finally I'm updating it! It's been ages since I last posted a chapter. I hope this one serves to your liking. I decided to end the chapter with Ozpin's mysterious words since I decided I want to go a bit darker with the story, but fear not! I'm not going to dump it like "Fall" (V03E06) did, it's going to be more gradual.

Next chapter will most likely be set between "Forever Fall" (V01E013 + V01E14) and "The Stray" (V01E15).

Well, I first posted the "Brown" trailer one year and seven days ago. I missed the first year anniversary. Oh well. At least there's a new chapter.

I hope you had merry Christmas or nice holidays or whatever. I also wish you happy new year! May it bring justice to Yang. ;)