(February 14, 2016)
Chapter 14. A Monster Within
"You have a stepbrother!?"
Bruin and Nicandra were on their way in the airship. The boy was surprised hearing this news. He didn't know much about his strict team member, aside of that she was initially studying business, but changed her mind at one point.
"Truly, is that too much to grasp?" the girl sighed.
"Kinda, yeah. Why is he on the run? Few months back I saved him from some White Fang grunts. He is a human, but as far as I know he doesn't seem to pose any threat for the Faunus. So why they were after him?"
"I... don't know," she replied looking through the window. "He was adopted by my parents around twelve years ago. They provided for him as they did for me, roughly equally, but at times one of us got more than the other, but nothing major."
"A-are you okay sharing your personal life with me?" Bruin asked concerned. "I don't want to intrude on it if you're not comfortable with it."
"Then he just... disappeared a year ago," Nicandra continued as if she didn't notice his question. "We don't know why. There was not even a goodbye or even a ransom letter. We searched for him for about five months but then my parents kinda... gave up."
Then a female voice over the intercom announced the airship's arrival at the dock. Nicandra stood up without uttering a word and headed for the exit. Bruin watched her with interest: there was something between the two and the girls seemed to care about her stepbrother a great deal.
As they found themselves on the platform, they looked around for Canard. At first they didn't notice anything special, but soon noticed a strange person looking nervously from behind the newspaper they were reading. Bruin came closer and noticed short, spiky blond hair from under a big hat and recognized the person.
"Canard, it's you!" he exclaimed.
"Shush! Not so loud!" the other boy calmed Bruin.
A moment later Nicandra arrived. She looked at Canard without saying a word, then slapped him across his face.
"Do you have any idea how we were worried about you!?"
"I… I couldn't stay with you!" Canard cried. "I had to run! It was to keep you safe!"
"Umm, guys?" Bruin asked reluctantly. "Maybe… tone it down a bit? People are looking at us." Indeed, the argument between Nicandra and Canard had drawn quite an interest. "Could we, uh, talk about this somewhere else?"
"Will I… be safe?"
"Nicandra and I are Huntsmen-in-training, we can protect you."
Bruin looked at the blue-haired woman: her face told him her emotions were now conflicted. Strangely, Canard looked scared and in pain, holding his head as if he was trying to hold it up from bursting.
"J-just follow me, o-okay?"
Bruin followed Canard, with Nicandra walking behind him. On their way to a comfortable spot, the brunette asked the girl calm down, but without desirable effects.
After about thirty minutes or so they arrived to a warehouse district. The blond seemed to be in much better condition, but still seemed to be in pain. He looked around, and loosened his form. Still, Bruin could feel tension filling the air.
"So what was it that you wanted to talk with me about?" Bruin started.
"The reason why I'm hunted by the White Fang is my Semblance."
"What's so special about it?" the other boy continued with his questions.
"I can sense enmity. All those terrible things humans and Faunus alike are feeling…" Canard's voice started to break. "I… I can detect them. The White Fang wants it. I don't know why, but they do."
"So that's why you run away from us? From the people who care about you!?"
Nicandra was fuming. Really? He couldn't trust them with this?
"You might think you don't have any enmity in you, but you're wrong! Even a pure-hearted maiden has some!"
"We can help you! You could just ask!"
"It's not that simple! Sometimes the enmity is too much to bear and it takes control of me and then..."
"Then what!?"
Nicandra yelled as loud as she could. This was a frightening experience for Bruin, seeing her so angry. Suddenly Canard fell to his knees and grabbed his head, shouting in pain. For a moment it seemed as it was normal reaction of the boy's Semblance to his stepsister's behavior when suddenly his skin turned black and eyes were painted red.
"C-Canard? I-Is that you?" Bruin asked scared.
There was no reply. Well, if one considers a hiss for a reply then there actually was one.
The transformed boy then jumped at Nicandra. She barely managed to conjure a magmatic wall to shield herself from Canard. She looked at Bruin: her face told him she was scared, she was actually scared. She always acted so composed but now she seemed to be confused and frightened by the current situation. Was the creature before her her doing?
Canard suddenly broke threw the barrier and punched his stepsister hard. She crashed into a nearby building with such strength that it started to collapse. Bruin quickly run to her and saved her from being crushed by the debris. He then took out his weapon in the staff mode, impaled to the ground and a large, light blue ornamented circle appeared from it healing Nicandra's wounds. He then switched his weapon's mode to crossbow and pointed it at Canard, his hands shaking.
"I… I don't want to do it, but if you're gonna kill us, then I'll have to kill you first."
The transformed boy didn't seem to care and initiated rapid roll in the direction of his enemies. Bruin initially shot a few light bolts, but quickly transformed his weapon into staff and started to spin it in front of him. Just before Canard was to hit him his staff started to emanate breezy flame and a fiery vortex shot out of him. Then tendrils of lava shot, also aiming at the blond: Nicandra was using her Semblance to not only perform her attack, but also to enhance Bruin's.
"Don't strain yourself! You took a nasty hit!"
"Canard is my stepbrother, not yours. I can take him on."
Canard's hands then transformed into a Death Stalker's claws and the boy charged at his stepsister, slashing with his new arms. The girl barely blocked the attack with an ice wall and followed with a lightning blade falling at an angle at their opponent. Upon the contact with ground, the phantom sword burst into electric explosion which blew Canard a few yards away. Bruin quickly switched his staff for a crossbow and shot several Auric bolts in the air. As Canard was recovering, a rain of arrows came from the sky and wounding him in few places.
Suddenly sirens sounded in the distant. As they came closer, Canard briefly transformed back into his human self and let a few tears. Then he returned to his dark appearance and quickly escaped.
"Canard!" Nicandra cried. "Come back!"
Bruin just stood there. He was confused at what has just happened. Who was Canard actually? How did he transform like that?
A moment later a police car arrived. The two policemen that came with it were quite surprised, seeing the warehouse district in such disarray. And two young people appeared to be the cause of this.
"So anyone can tell me what happened here?" the taller policeman asked.
"We were... attacked," Bruin hesitantly replied.
"Some Faunus no doubt," the other, smaller policeman thought.
"It was… it was..." Nicandra stuttered.
"A Grimm," her teammate provided. "It ran away hearing the sirens. Thanks, I suppose." He awkwardly laughed.
"Bruin…?" the girl looked at him confused.
"It's easier that way. Even we don't really know what happened," he whispered back to her.
"A Grimm here in the city? I thought the city walls were good at shielding us from those monsters," the taller policeman said.
"Nothing is perfect, I suppose."
"What Grimm was it?" the smaller policeman asked.
"An Alpha Beowolf. It went that way," Bruin pointed the other way that Canard escaped.
"Right. We'll inform some Huntsmen to hunt it down. You go back to school, kids," the taller policeman said.
Then they entered the car and drive away, the smaller of the policemen talking over the radio.
"We need to find him!" Nicandra said. "They'll kill if they'll find him in this state."
"I think it's safe to assume that as long as he's out of the city, he has better chance of survival."
"There are Grimm outside of kingdom walls! It's no better than to leave him there in the wild."
"Nicandra," Bruin stood in the front of his teammate now, his hand on her arm, "I'm worried to, but what can we do? We're in training and as much as I'd like to help, we can't. I don't think that even with the best technology available his Semblance won't react. For now we wait." He then walked pass her.
"Wait for what exactly?" Nicandra tapped her heel on the cold concrete, clearly angry.
"For what happens next. Let's go back to school."
Bruin left her in silence. Nicandra stood there for few more moments and finally decided to follow her team leader and together they headed back to Beacon. They didn't share a single word on their way back, both thinking about what had just happened.
Meanwhile Zelony was accompanying Rouge on her checkup in the infirmary. The nurse conducted a series of quick tests and recommended only rest for the rest of the day. Maize got a worse verdict: he was out of battle for the rest of the week, such strong was Rouge's assault.
Zelony, Rouge, Maize, and Larimar then went to the cafeteria. They talked a bit, mostly about how Team PLTM has started to do well in their team practices. On their way, they overheard Cardin talking with his teammates about some "Faunus Thrash Out Party".
"Lark, you and Dove will cause a wee bit of trouble with the 'Team Midget', while me and Russel 'surprise' them with some good walloping!" Team CRDL's leader burst into laughter.
"'Winchester' acting like like 'Loose-chester' again," Rouge spoke softly to Cardin's ear.
"Aye! You again!?" Cardin was startled with the dark pink-haired girl's appearance. "What do you want?"
"Just give it up, Vulture," Zelony mocked him, earning an angry growl from Cardin and his clique. "Stop being such high-and-above-all idiots and start accepting reality."
"Or what? You gonna turn me into one of those dirty freaks?" Cardin replied with a smug grin.
"Do not call them that!"
"Dirty freaks, dirty freaks!" cackled Russel.
Zelony growled. He put his hand into the pocket and took his yoyo out, intending to teach Cardin a lesson. Strangely, Maize quickly reacted and stopped Zelony from attacking Team CRDL's leader. He shook his head, earning another growl from the green-haired boy.
"I see you have a bodyguard, Bushman," Cardin snickered.
"Let me through, Maize! I'm not going to let him talk about me like that. I'm gonna—"
Zelony was ready to break out of Maize's tight hold, when Larimar came between him and Team CRDL.
"Stop it. You're both acting like children. First mature, then resolve your problems."
"W-what do you know, huh?" Zelony asked.
"I know enough to tell that it won't resolve anything. Now be so kind and let's continue to the cafeteria."
"Oh, Lar, don't be like that," Rouge said. "Things are getting interesting. I could do with some action, you know?"
"I think you had enough action for one day," Maize replied.
Then Maize and Larimar looked at each, nodded knowingly, took Zelony by his arms, and started their walk to the cafeteria. Team CRDL laughed as the distance between two two groups grew. Rouge winked at them while showing her tongue and a fireball shoot at them from a red emblem. They barely evaded it, much to the girl's dislike.
When she caught up with the other three boys they were in the middle of a heated conversation. Zelony wanted to go back and beat up Team CRDL, but Maize and Larimar held him firmly, not wanting any kind of trouble. Rouge was watching them with amusement, a big grin forming on her face.
"Thank your damn leader for putting us in this situation," the blue-haired boy said. "He wanted for our two teams to bond and even though I think he's out of his mind I'll just do it to have some peace from him."
"Speaking of Bruin, where is he?" Maize asked.
The group looked around them, but the leader of Team BRNZ wasn't anywhere in sight. Nor was Nicandra who accompanied him the last they saw her.
"Maybe I should contact him," Zelony wondered.
"Nah, let's give them some space," Rouge said. "They can take care of themselves, unlike someone I know," she winked at Zelony who growled at that. "Oh, don't be like that, I'm just teasing you. But seriously, it's weird that these two have disappeared on us somewhere."
"Zelony, if you calmed down, can we please let you go? Even with the two us holding you down, it's really difficult," the blond boy complained.
"Y-yeah, thanks."
Maize and Larimar finally let Zelony free. The blond stretched his limbs, while the blue-haired boy flicked his hands.
"Now that we're done, I'm leaving you," and just like that Larimar left them.
"I'm going too, see you!" Maize joined his team member.
"And now it's only us, big guy," Rouge poked Zelony on his side.
"Yeowch, cut that out!" the boy complained.
"You're such a stiff, you should loosen up a bit." Zelony scowled at that remark and without saying anything else he left Rouge alone. "Jeez, what's gotten into him? But seriously though, where are Bruin and Nic?"
The girl called on her team leader and partner's Scrolls, but there was no response from either of them. She deeply sighed and decided to follow Zelony: seeing how angry he was leaving himself unattended would most likely result in some terrible consequences.
Author's Notes
Oh boy, that was some volume finale, wouldn't you say? I'm really sad about Pyrrha pretty much sacrificing herself, even though she most likely knew she didn't stand a chance. And wow, those are some mysterious powers you have there, Ruby. However, probably the greatest mystery was granted to us: the mysterious narrator back from the first chapter "Ruby Rose" is actually very real and dead-set on wiping humanity of the face of Remnant.
Also, I hope this chapter is to your liking. Next one will be somewhere close to "The Stray" and after that I hope you write a chapter set within "The Stray's" timeline, but introduce an antagonist for my story, well, at least for one of the OCs. I'm really excited for it since I'm considering quite a variety of attacks for them.
Let the Hiatus Hell begin!