As usual with these kind of AUs, some dialogue is taken straight from the source media, some is original. Although Cassie was originally Glinda, after watching Volume 4, I've decided she's better off in a different role. So Glinda's role is now filled by none other than good old Amy, who will be fighting in classy, classy stilettos.
Part II
The Emerald Forest
"Waaaake up lazy butt!"
Ciaran's eyes flicked open, and he glared up at his little sister, who was peering down at him with a shit-eating grin on her face.
"It's moooorning, it's moooooorning, it's moooorning!" she shrieked as he got dressed.
"I can't believe that we've been at Beacon for a full twenty four hours!" she cried, as he brushed his teeth. He could see her jumping up and down behind him in the mirror. "Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything," she said, grinning at his reflection. "You're the perfect student, and I'm…well…me!"
She was still wittering as Ciaran cleared up his sleeping equipment, and ate his breakfast. She continued talking even when she was stuffing pancakes in her mouth, spraying crumbs all over him.
"I hope we end up on a team together!" she said, before swallowing her mouthful of pancake. "Oh! We could come up with some kind of plan! What if we bribe the headmistress? No, that won't work, she has a school."
She was still chattering as Ciaran retrieved his weaponry from the locker he'd been assigned, strapping his blades to his belt.
"I know! We can have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal! A secret signal so we can find each other in the forest!" She put her face up very close to his. "Can you imitate a sloth?"
"Rie," he said wearily.
"Yes Ciaran?" she said, beaming.
"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."
She blinked up at him for a moment, before her mouth twisted back into a grin. "That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!"
Giggling, she followed Ciaran off, past two boys who were also checking out their lockers.
"I wonder what she's so worked up about?" Steve said, staring after Rie as she danced after her brother.
"Who knows?" Cillian said, shrugging. "How are you feeling about today?"
"Yeah…okay," Steve said, shrugging as he fiddled with his sword.
"Bullshit. You look like you're about to vomit."
"I'm…just….trying to remember everything we learnt in class," Steve said, shrugging.
"Isn't it like…ingrained into by now?" Cillian said, raising an eyebrow. "I know it's burnt into my brain after all the studying for the entrance exams."
Steve felt his cheeks heating up slightly. "Yeah…I guess…I just get nervous under pressure."
"Freaking out about teams, huh?"
"Well…I just kind of assumed you and me…"
"Steve, we don't know how they pick teams. We might not end up together."
"Well…let's just hope then," Steve said with a note of finality. "Um. Cillian?"
"Yes, Steve?"
"Do you remember which number locker I was."
Cillian rolled his eyes. "400? Something like that?"
He began to meander between the lockers, checking the numbers. As they moved further down, he noticed the girl from yesterday, the one Steve had pissed off, talking with a smaller girl with curly blonde hair, who seemed oddly familiar. Despite himself, he began to eavesdrop.
"So, Bryony," Robyn was saying. "Have you given any thought to who's team you would like to be on? I'm sure everyone must want to be on a team with you; you're a very well-known individual."
"Urm…" Cillian raised an eyebrow. Despite Robyn's words, this Bryony girl seemed pretty unsure of herself. "I'm not quite sure. I was planning on just…seeing what happened really."
"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could be on a team together," Robyn said, flinging an arm around the girl's shoulders, ignoring the startled look on her face. "Think about it. Two strong, good looking, kick-ass ladies…we could take this place by storm!"
"Um…that…that sounds nice," Bryony said with a friendly smile.
"It will be perfect!" Robyn cried. "The two smartest and strongest girls in class! Together we will be unstoppable! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! It will be awesome!"
"Hey, ladies," a familiar voice said. Cillian automatically facepalmed. Here we go. "You know what else is awesome? Me. Steve Cray. Nice to meet you."
"You again?" Robyn's voice we shrill with irritation. Cillian tried not to laugh.
"Nice to meet you, Steve." That was that Bryony girl again. Cillian sighed, and headed over to join the conversation. Steve needed all the help he could get.
"Sooooo, Robyn. You decided to stop hating me yet?" Steve said, in what he seemed to think was a smooth voice. "Because you know hate is only one step away from love, right?"
"You have got to be kidding me." Robyn looked like she was going to slap a bitch.
"It's okay, no need to be embarrassed," Steve said, flexing his biceps. "A lot of ladies feel that way. So, I've been hearing about teams, and I was thinking you and me could work out. What do you say?"
"Actually, I believe that the teams are comprised of four students each, so…" Cillian's eyes flickered back to Bryony as she spoke.
"You don't say?" Steve's attention turned to the blonde girl. "Well, hotstuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team."
The girl went bright red. Yup. Cillian should probably save her from his idiot cousin. Before he could get there, however, Robyn had interceded.
"Look. Steve, is it? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"
"Not in the slightest, sweet-cheeks," Steve said, smiling at the two of them.
"This is Bryony," Robyn said, gesturing to the girl.
"Hello again," Bryony said awkwardly, giving a little wave.
"Bryony graduated top of her class at Sanctum," Robyn continued.
Cillian's eyes widened. Whoa. That tiny blonde girl?
"Never heard of it," Steve said. Cillian could have kicked him.
"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row! She set a new record!" Robyn insisted.
"The what?" Steve said, looking confused. Cillian kinda wanted to scream at him. The girl Bryony, met his eyes, and her lips twitched. His look of horror appeared to amuse her. To be fair, she didn't look like a hardcore warrior; she actually looked like a very normal, if awkward, teenage girl.
Robyn appeared to lose her temper. "She's on the front of every box of Pumpkin Pete's Orange Flakes!"
Steve gasped, and Cillian rolled his eyes. He'd finally twigged. "That's you!" his stupid cousin yelled. "They only do that for star athletes!"
"Yes…um…it was pretty cool," Bryony said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you are in a position to ask her to be on your team?" Robyn said, raising an eyebrow.
Steve sagged, and Cillian put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "No," Steve said in a small voice. "I guess not. Sorry"
Well, there went his cousin's confidence. Cillian went to turn both of them away, but the blonde girl stopped them.
"Actually Steve, I think you'd make a wonderful team mate," Bryony said, giving him a warm smile.
Cillian's eyes widened, and flicked to his cousin, who's face lit up.
"You really think so?" Steve said in a hopeful voice, and the girl nodded. "Positive. It would be an honour to be on a team with you."
Her gaze flickered to Cillian, and she have her the same warm smile. "And who are you?"
Cillian felt something swoop in his stomach. She had very blue eyes. A deep, dreamy blue. He'd never known eyes could be so kind.
"Uh…I'm Cillian," he said. "Steve's cousin. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," she said, still smiling. "Good luck today, both of you. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."
Her smile was doing something funny to his brain. "Y-yeah," he said, smiling back. "You too."
-o-
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Professor Kapoor seemed surprisingly relaxed for a woman standing on the edge of a cliff.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams," Professor Nagi said, her short black bob blowing in the wind. Aislinn watched her with bated breath, her eyes eagerly fixed on the very same huntress who had saved her almost a month ago. "Allow us to put an end to your confusion," Amy Nagi continued, glancing down at her clipboard. "Each of you will be given teammates. Today."
Aislinn gulped, and glanced over at Robyn who was standing next to her. Her adopted sister gave her a wink and a thumbs up.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Professor Kapoor continued. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Aislinn grabbed Robyn's hand despite herself. Her sister rolled her eyes, but gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze.
"That being said," Professor Kapoor sipped at her tea nonchalantly, as if she wasn't deciding Aislinn's imminent future right in front of her. "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What?" It took Aislinn a moment to realise that the slightly hysterical exclamation had come from her own mouth.
"I told you!" a shrill voice said from down the line, and she saw a small girl punch a miserable looking boy in the shoulder.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Professor Kapoor looked couldn't look more relaxed as she lowered her tea, her dark hair and blue sari fluttering in the wind. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."
There was a pause. Aislinn could hear the blonde boy and his family whispering together a little way down the line.
"She doesn't mean that…does she?"
"Steve, if you want to drop out now, we won't judge you."
"I will!"
"Cat shut the fuck up, I'm serious; Steve, are you sure you can handle this?"
"I'm fine, you guys! I can do this!"
Professor Kapoor's dark eyes travelled over them all. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair much choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
"Yeah…um…Ma'am?"
"Good. Now take your positions."
Steve continued to keep his hand in the air. Aislinn glanced over at him sympathetically.
"Um…Ma'am? Uh….I have a question. So this landing strategy thing…uh…what is it? You're like…uh…dropping us off or something?"
"No," Professor Kapoor said pleasantly. "You will be falling."
Aislinn glanced to her left. The platforms which the students were standing on had started launching them into the air one by one.
"Oh…I see. Did you like…hand out parachutes for us?" Steve said, ignoring his cousin, who was shaking his head at him.
"No," Kapoor said. "You will be using your own landing strategy."
Steve's red haired sister saw Aislinn looking, and gave her a wink and put on a pair of aviator sunglasses, just before she was thrown into the air with a "WHHHHHHHHHHHHHO YEAH BOY!"
"Um…so…."
Steve's cousin gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before his platform triggered, flinging him into the air and leaving only Steve, Aislinn and Robyn.
"What exactly is a landing strateAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"
Aislinn winced as he was thrown over the cliff, his arms and legs flailing. She sighed and raised her rapier, bracing herself. There was a mechanical click, and she was thrown into the air after Steve.
The wind whipped her hanbok out behind her, her ponytail flew in the breeze. She flicked her sword, and glyphs appeared below her. She landed on one, her momentum carrying her forwards onto the next, and then the next, like a staircase descending down towards the forest below.
The boy, Cillian was ahead of her, firing himself forwards with a rifle. The red haired girl flickered her wrist, and what looked like a whip with a sickle on the end wrapped around a tree branch. Robyn flew past, her hair whipping in the wind, and the blonde girl, Bryony landing nimbly on an upper tree branch. Aislinn flew past her, creating another glyph to break her fall, before finding a tree branch of her own. She raised her rapier and scanned the skyline, listening for the sound of screaming. Her eyes caught sight of a blur of orange flying past, and she flicked the rapier, sending a shard of ice flying towards her quarry. The shard pierced Steve's hood as he disappeared below the tree line. There was a muffled boing as it pinned him to a tree, followed shortly by a cry of: "Thank you!"
"I'm sorry!" Aislinn called out across the trees, wincing again.
-o-
Across the forest, Cat landed on the ground in a crouch. She jumped to her feet, beginning to sprint through the forest. Okay. This is bad.
She'd lost sight of Steve in the air, and had no clue where he'd landed. "Steve!" she cried, as she sprinted through the trees. "STEVE!"
What if she couldn't find him? What if someone else found him first? Sure, he wasn't the best fighter. But that's why he needed her. His aura should have protected him from the fall, but what about the Grimm? Maybe Cillian would find him first. That would be okay. Cillian would understand. But if he didn't…he needed someone to understand him. To look after him. And stop him doing anything stupid.
What if Cillian did get there first? Who did she even know in this school? There were Steve and Cillian, of course. And that girl, Aislinn. And…
She rounded a corner, and skidded to a halt, just about managing to stop herself from crashing into someone.
Aqua eyes met green.
Cat stared at Robyn in horror, and the other girl stared back, her eyes narrowing, before turning on her heel and stalking off.
"Hey!" Cat yelled after her. "Where are you going?"
She stalked after the girl, her arms folded.
"What's the hurry?" she snapped, as she pushed foliage aside.
"I won't let my mission be delayed because you're too slow," Robyn snapped.
Cat glared at her. "You literally know nothing about me. Get the fuck off my back."
"I know you're not the partner I would have chosen," the other girl said, glaring at her.
"Well the feeling's mutual," Cat snapped, taking the lead and storming off into the trees. She'd been walking about a minute when she realised that Robyn hadn't followed. She turned, staring back through the trees. What was she playing at?
There was a roar back the way she'd come. Oh shit.
She sighed, and began to run towards the sound, unsheathing her sword. Bratty Dust heiress or not, she couldn't let her new partner get eaten by Grimm. As tempting as it was.
-o-
Steve had managed to stop himself chocking to death via cloak, but had not managed to get down. But at least he was alive. He sighed, dangling listlessly from the tree. He should never have come here. He should just stayed at home. He screwed his eyes up tightly, biting his lip miserably. When he opened them, he saw an angel.
"Hello, Steve," Aislinn said, her silver eyes crinkling as she smiled. "Need a hand?"
"Very funny," he grumbled, staring down at her. But it seemed her smile was genuine. She waved a hand, creating a circle of light under his feet, enabling him to get a proper purchase on his cape. He wriggled it free, and she let him drop to the floor. Steve opened his mouth to try and initiate some kind of conversation, and jumped when he heard a series of loud bangs off in the distance.
"Did you hear that?" he asked Aislinn, who nodded.
"Gunfire," she said. "Seems like some of our classmates have met the Grimm."
Steve gulped, and gripped the hilt of his sword more tightly. He followed Aislinn through the bushes, only to be knocked onto his behind when she pushed a tree branch out of her way and it swung back and hit him in the face.
"Steve!" she cried, rushing over to him. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay," he said hastily, wiping a trickle of blood off of his cheek. "It's just a scratch."
She stared at him, frowning. "Why didn't you activate your Aura?"
He went bright red. "I…uh…."
She continued to stare at him. He could practically hear the cogs turning in her mind. "Is…has your aura not been unlocked?"
He must look like a beetroot at this point. "I…well…there were complications at…at my school.
"What kind of complications?"
"I….I don't really want to talk about it." Steve shifted uncomfortably. "Does it really matter?"
"Steve, Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burden's and shields our hearts.
"Are you reciting a textbook?"
It was her turn to flush. "That's not the point. Have you ever felt like you were being watched, without knowing someone was there?"
"I…I guess."
"With practise, Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it. Even animals."
"What about monsters?"
"No. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness and we are the light," Aislinn said seriously, her silver eyes staring into his. Steve felt his throat constrict slightly. She wasn't laughing at him, or teasing him.
"That's why we fight them," he said, his mouth suddenly dry.
"It's not about why," Aislinn corrected gently. "It's about knowing. Understanding both dark and light helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has some of both. By bearing your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for aura. You project yourself and your soul when fighting."
"So…it's like a forcefield?" Steve said, the pieces clicking together. It was strange. He felt like he'd learnt more within the last five minutes with Aislinn than he had in six years at Signal Academy. Probably because he'd spent most of his lessons drawing instead of listening or taking notes. But still.
Aislinn stepped towards him, and tilted her head upwards, and Steve felt his blush returning slightly as her face got very close to his. She reached her hands up to cup his face and for one crazy moment, he though she was going to kiss him. Her silver eyes were boring into his.
"Close your eyes and concentrate," she said in her musical voice, and he found himself obeying. A strange feeling crept over him, a tingling feeling, like freshly fallen snow. It was a sharp, cool silver, which sent shivers down his spine, the way music did when a note was hit just right.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
Steve felt the silverness wash over him, seeping deep into skin, through his body, his mind, his heart, and something deep inside him responded, something bright, flame coloured; a vibrant orange.
He opened his eyes as Aislinn let go, and stared in concern as he saw her bent double.
"Aislinn?" he said uncertainly, and he was relieve when she smiled up at him.
"It's alright," she said. "I used my aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you know is your own."
Steve stared at his hands, which were shining faintly with an orange light. He felt the cut on his cheek heal shut.
"You have a lot of it," Aislinn said with a smile.
"Wow," Steve whispered.
"Come on," she said gently. "Let's get moving."
-o-
Cillian strolled through the forest, looking around for any signs of life. No Cat. No Steve. Nothing. Well then.
"Hello?" he yelled, "Is anyone out there?"
He strained his eyes for any noise, and was rewarded by a rustling the bushes ahead of him. He smiled slightly, and headed towards them. "Is someone there?" he called. "Cat? Steve?" He reached out and parted the bushes. "Nope."
He rolled out the way as an Ursa came thundering past. He smiled and switched his weapon into melee form. Two Ursa. One of the reared up on its hind legs, and he swung the blade of his naginata into it's stomach. The second charged, and he sent the butt of the weapon into its jaw, kicking it in the stomach.
A huge claw flew towards him and he flipped out of the way, before sending a flurry of slashes into its stomach. It flew backwards into a tree, breaking through the trunks. The second charged at him, and he swung the weapon around raising the blade, but the Ursa suddenly stopped. It stared at him for a second, before falling down dead at his feet. Cillian stared at it, before looking up. His gaze met blue, blue eyes.
Bryony smiled at him, sheathing her sword, and Cillian felt his stomach tie itself in knots.
-o-
In the depths of the forest, Ciaran stood on top of two giant dead snakes. They were dead because he'd just killed them both singlehandedly. He had just sheathed his weapons, when a strange noise came from over hear.
"Qrrraaww! Qrrraaww!"
An upside down Rie appeared in his field of vision, hanging from a tree branch by her knees. He sighed softly.
"Rie?"
"Yes, brother dearest?"
"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like."
-o-
"Our last pair has been formed, Ma'am," Amy said, walking over to stand next to Anandi Kapoor. "Rie and Ciaran Spark. Poor boy. He seemed to want some distance from his sister. I can't imagine the two of them getting along very well. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Seung."
"Hm," Andi said noncommittally, staring down at her touchpad.
"I don't care what his transcript say, that Steve boy is not ready for this level of combat," Amy said, staring down at the live feed coming through her touchpad. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within a few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?" She turned to look at her boss. "Professor Kapoor?"
Andi sipped her tea thoughtfully, her eyes still fixed on the video stream in front of her. "Hmm," she said again, a small smile curling around her lips as she watched a tall blonde boy and his dark haired companion.
-o-
"Think this is it?" Steve said, staring at the dark cavernous opening in front of him.
"I'm not sure," Aislinn said doubtfully. "Aren't we looking for a ruin?"
"It could be inside the cave?"
"I suppose…we should probably check it out, just in case," Aislinn agreed reluctantly.
About fifty feet into what turned out to be a tunnel, she began regretting those words. "Steve.." she said, as they trudged through the tunnel, "I'm not sure this is it."
"Aislinn," Steve said slightly irritably. "I made the torch." He waved the burning stick he'd created. "Could you at least humour me for maybe five more fee-agh!"
There was a splash as Steve fell and landed in a puddle. The torch was extinguished with a hiss, leaving them both in darkness.
"Ow," he mumbled miserably as he clambered to his feet, and then he let out a yelp as he felt something touch his arm.
"Steve, it's me!" Aislinn said, and he felt himself intensely grateful that she couldn't see his embarrassed face.
"Oh."
"Steve, do you feel that?" she asked.
"If you're referring to soul crushing regret, then yes, yes I do."
"No, it's…warm in here."
-o-
Cat wasn't quite sure how she and Robyn had managed to set the forest on fire, but they had done it. She stood, glaring at her partner as Robyn tried to decide which way the relic was, and tried to deny that both of them were horrifically lost.
"We're looooooost," she said, flopping back on the ground. "Just admit it."
"I will not admit defeat!" Robyn cried, her eyes scarily animated. During their first fight together, Cat had realised that her partner was crazy, and was trying very hard not to like her for it. Like she would ever be friends with a Kingley.
"You're not admitting defeat," Cat drawled, lazing in the sun. "You're admitting you have no fucking clue where we are."
"Oh, and like you do?! You're just lounging around!"
"I'm waiting for you to stop pacing, and decide which way we're going. Or to let me make the decisions, which would, by the way, be the only good decision you've made all day."
"Excuse me?!"
"Just saying."
"What on earth did they teach you at your combat school? Where did you go, Signal?"
"I didn't go to one," Cat said lazily. "Life got in the way."
"Life…got…" Robyn spluttered. "You mean I am stuck with an unqualified dunce as a partner?!"
"I wouldn't quite go that far. I aced the entrance exams. My transcripts are exceptional."
"Oh, and I can just take your word for that, can I?" Robyn snapped.
"You calling me a liar, heiress?"
"I'm calling you, and that brother of yours, uncultured sneaks who don't deserve to be here!"
"You spoilt, stuck up little-"
"You have no idea!" Robyn was yelling now. "You have no idea how hard I trained to be here! How much effort I put into it! I left my home, my family, to come here, to excel! And I will not let some…some ginger midget ruin this for me!"
Cat shot her a piercing look. "That's cute. Did you train, in your nice little safe space with your practise dummies? Some of us don't get to train. Some of us are born fighting, some of have to spend our entire lives fighting just to survive. So spare me your sob story."
She got to her feet, looking around the forest. After a moment, she had decided. "We go this way."
"Excuse me?" Robyn snapped.
"This way. We need to get high, to see where we are."
"Well in that case, shouldn't we climb a tree, or get to a hill or something?" Robyn said.
Cat turned, and for the first time, gave her a slow grin. "Who said anything about climbing?
-o-
Cillian and Bryony had walked in a companionable silence through the trees, both of them listening out for danger. The finally made it to a rocky outcrop, overlooking a ruin which could only be the temple that Professor Kapoor had specified. They exchanged a look, and Bryony gave Cillian and encouraging smile.
"I guess this is it then," he said, gesturing to the ruins. The two of them headed down the slope and walked around the circular space. The 'temple' was really a circle of stone paving, surrounded by a couple of worn columns. Around the circle, however, were dotted stone plinths, each displaying a small figurine.
"Chess pieces?" Cillian picked one up and examined it. "These are the relics?"
"Some of them are gone," Bryony said, "We're obviously not the first here."
"I…guess we should pick one, then," Cillian said uncertainly.
"Which one?"
He gave her a smile. "You choose."
"Hmmm…" she walked around, inspecting the pieces, before finally selecting the white tower. "How about this one?"
He gave her a smile. "Looks good to me."
She smiled back. "Well…that wasn't too hard, was it?"
He laughed. "Well it's not like this place is very difficult to find."
-o-
Aislinn did not know how Steve had talked her into continuing forwards, but he had. She understood his interest. As they advanced further into the tunnel, it was getting lighter. Perhaps he had been right after all?
Her hopes leapt when she heard a sudden cry of "That's the relic!" from in front of her. Steve dashed forwards to investigate a glowing golden object, floating in the air in front of them. She hesitated. It did look very relic like. He reached out a hand to touch it and it moved. Was this part of the test?
"No!" Steve scolded. "Bad relic!" He moved forwards, chasing it, and managed to get a purchase on it as it began to rise up into the air. This did not stop it, however; it merely meant he was now dangling from it.
Aislinn's eyes widened. Somehow, this suddenly did not seem like a good idea. "Steve…"
The light of the 'relic' illuminated it's owner; namely the giant scorpion Grimm who looked very angry to see someone hanging onto its stinger.
-o-
Across the forest, in the ruined temple, Bryony and Cillian looked up as a high pitched scream split the air.
Bryony spun around, her eyes wide. "Some girl's in trouble!" she cried. "Cillian did you hear that?"
Cillian just shook his head slowly. "Steve…why…?" he moaned softly.
-o-
Aislinn sprinted out of the cave mouth, weapon in hand. Behind her, Steve's screams continued loudly, echoing through the quiet of the trees.
"Noooo! Noooooooohohohohohooooooo! Aiiiiieeeeeee!" There was a crash, and his screaming grew louder as the Grimm burst from the cave entrance, roaring its displeasure.
"No! NOOONONONONO! AGHHHHH! WHHHHHHHY?! AAAAAAAAAGH! AISLINN!AGHHHHHH! AISLINN! THIS IS NOT THE RELIC! IT'S NOT! AHHHGHHHHHHHH!"
Aislinn stared helplessly, weapon raised, as Steve swung miserably from the enraged Grimm's tail.
"DO SOMETHING!" he screamed desperately
"Steve!" Aislinn cried," Whatever you do, don't let-"
The Death Stalker flicked its tail, and Steve was sent flying away over the forest, screaming as he went.
"…go…" Aislinn whispered. The Grimm rounded on her, and in a split second decision, she decided the wisest course of action was probably to follow her teammate, and beat a hasty retreat in the process.
-o-
Cat, to her intense displeasure, we beginning to warm to her partner. Despite her determination NOT to like a Kingley, the fact that the girl was shrieking with laughter as they rode on the back of giant bird Grimm put her in the category of people that Cat would like to be friends with.
"You are fucking insane!" Robyn shrieked at her, as the two of them clung on for dear life. "Absolutely insane!"
"Bitch, you're the one laughing!" Cat called back, matching Robyn's grin as the girl began to laugh again.
Cat herself let out a whoop as the bird did a turn in the air. "Okay, I think I see the temple!" she yelled over to Robyn.
"You sure?"
"Looks like a ruined temple to me! Ready?"
"Ready for what?"
There was no reply. Robyn looked down to see her partner plummeting towards the ground. "Oh you sneaky little ginger-"
Cat shrieked with laughter as she plummeted towards the earth, switching her weapon into its third form, the one which resembled a kusarigama; a sickle on the end of a chain, or in her case, a ribbonlike piece of fabric. As she approached the treeline, she prepared to throw her weapon, so that she could swing herself down safely, but unfortunately she was hit by a screaming mass of Steve.
She was knocked into a tree branch, winding herself, and lay there for a moment, drooped over the branch like a piece of washing, rather dazed.
"Hey sis," a little voice said from above her, and she looked up to see Steve hanging upside down from the tree branch above her.
"Hey loser."
"STEVE!" both of them looked around as someone called the man in question's name.
"Aislinn!" Steve called back, looking around for the source. He grinned suddenly, and turned back to Cat. "Hey Cat, I got a really cute girl as my partner!"
"Yeah, great, good for you; I got the girl you blew up on your first day, so thanks for that."
"Oh. Sorry?"
-o-
"Did your cousin just…fall from the sky?" Bryony said to Cillian, looking confused.
"I think she did," Cillian said wearily.
There was a crash, and the two of them turned to see an Ursa thundering out of the woods. There was a flash of flame, and the Ursa collapsed to the floor, dead. A small girl rolled off of its back, and poked it morosely. "Awww," she said, disappointed. "It's broken!"
There was a rustle in the bushes behind her, and a very pissed off looking boy emerged. "Rie," he said, looking like he wanted to punch something. "Don't ever do that again."
The girl payed him no attention, whizzing over to the temple, straight past Bryony and Cillian. She examined the chess pieces eagerly. "Ooooooooh! CIARAN! I FOUND A PRETTY PONY! I WANT THE PONY! GET ME A PONY!"
"Rie, I swear that if you don't get over here right now-"
"Sorrrreeeeeeeeeeeee Ciaran!"
"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Bryony said, looking even more confused.
"Um-" Cillian managed to say, before hissing and roaring caught his attention. The dark haired girl, Aislinn, was running as fast as she could, pursued by a giant scorpion. It swung a claw at her, and she managed to nimbly jump between its pinchers, but she seemed to be tiring.
"Steve!" she called. "STEVE!"
"Ouch. Looks like she got my cousin," Cillian said.
"Heeeeeeeeey coz!"
Cillian spun around and saw Cat grinning up at him, a leaf sticking out of her hair.
"Hey Cat," he said, pulling it out, before turning to stare at Aislinn.
"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker chasing her?" Bryony said, following his gaze.
"Oh for…what the HELL is going on?" Cillian said, losing his patience. "Can we all just calm down for a few seconds before something else crazy happens?"
Cat, however, was looking upwards. She gave Cillian a nudge. "Yeah…about that Cillian…"
He groaned, and looked towards the sky, where a screaming Robyn was hanging off of a Nevermore claw. Cillian was pretty sure that he heard a shriek of: "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME YOU GINGER BITCH?"
Cat just shrugged. "I said 'Jump'."
"She's going to fall," Bryony said, looking concerned.
Cat waved a hand. "She'll be fine."
"She's falling," the Ciaran boy said, coming over to join them.
Still stuck up in his tree, Steve seemed to realise this, and decided to take the opportunity. He leapt from his branch, catching Robyn in mid-air. He then seemed to realise that he couldn't fly. The two of them plummeted to the ground, Robyn landing smartly on Steve's back. Cat winced. "Welp."
There was a thud, and a yelp, and Aislinn was thrown through the air by the Deathstalker, landing on the ground in front of them.
"Oh great, now everyone's here," Cillian said dryly. "Now we can all die together."
"Fuck that noise," Cat said, giving him a grin, before turning and charging at the Deathstalker.
Cillian felt his heart jump into his throat. "Cat, no!"
His impetuous cousin ignored him, running straight towards the giant scorpion. Her weapon was folded up into its gun form, and she let off several shots, which just bounced off the creature's exoskeleton. She swung the bladed sheath she held in her other hand, but it just glanced off the creature's shell harmlessly. That was the point when Cat seemed to realise that she'd made an error, and when Cillian began to run.
"Cat, get out of there!" he yelled, and for once she took his advice, turning and running back towards him, her skirt flying out behind her.
There was a screech, and Cillian swore as he saw the Nevermore bearing down on her, no doubt drawn by her panic. The creature arched it's back, and with a flap of its wings sent giant feathers shooting towards them, blocking Cat's path. Cillian slid to a halt, finding himself encased by them.
"Cat, come on!" he cried, but she seemed to be stuck, a feather through her skirt.
The Deathstalker bared down upon her, raising its tail, bringing the stinger down to strike-
There was a blur of speed, a burst of gunfire-
And when Cillian looked up, the Deathstalker's tail was trapped in ice, and Robyn Kingley was standing over Cat, helping her to her feet.
Cillian stared at both them, hardly able to believe his eyes, or his ears as he heard Robyn say: "Look. We may have got off on the wrong foot. And you may be fucking insane. But I kinda respect that. Just don't get yourself killed. I need my partner."
Cat, for once in her life, appeared to have been stunned into silence. Robyn shoved her shoulder playfully. "And next time you do something crazy? Bring me along for the ride. Your survival rate will increase."
Cillian managed to shake himself out of his stupor, and found himself pelting towards his cousin and pulling her into a hug, squishing her face into his chest. "If you ever pull anything like that again," he said, his voice only shaking slightly. "I will send you straight back home."
"Whatever," Cat mumbled, but he could feel her trembling slightly.
There was a thud as Steve charged into them, hugging Cat from the other side and enfolding her in a hug sandwich.
"Cat, why would you do that to my heart? Are you trying to age me? Is this because you're jealous that I'm the best looking twin? You're trying to give me wrinkles, aren't you?"
"Guys, you're squishing me!"
"GOOD!"
"AGH STOP DOING IT MORE!"
"NOPE. TOUGH."
"I CAN'T BREATHE YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKS!"
The Deathstalker let out a roar, and the three of them leapt apart, running back to join the rest of the group.
"The Neveremore is circling back around," Ciaran said seriously as they approached.
"What are we going to do?" Steve said, looking nervously up at the sky.
"Well there's no sense in waiting around to get killed," Robyn said, "Our objective is right in front of us."
"She's right," Cat said, shooting her partner a smile.
"I agree," Ciaran said. "Our mission is to retrieve an artefact and make it back to the cliffs. We gain no advantage from fighting these creatures."
"Run and live?" Steve said, nodding slowly. "I can get behind that idea."
"Come on!" Robyn grabbed Cat's hand and dragged her over to the chess pieces. Aislinn glanced at Steve, and headed over with him to do the same.
"The ice around the Deathstalker is breaking," Ciaran called. "It's time we left."
"Right," Bryony said, stepping forwards. "Let's go. Shields, front, I'll take up the rear." She gestured to her own shield. "Polearms, pick a shield, use them as your cover."
"Anyone with guns, cover the melee users," Ciaran added. "Any snipers?"
"That would be me," Cillian said, gesturing to his sniper rifle.
"Good. We might need you."
"Let's move out," Bryony said, gesturing. "Come on!" She waved everyone in front of her, and ran after them, keeping an eye behind on the Grimm.
Cillian took a look behind as well, before glancing down at the chess piece in hand and clutching it tightly.
-o-
The way back to the cliff was lined with more ancient grey ruins. Cat would have liked to examine them, but they were all sprinting a bit too fast for that. There was a rush of wind as the Nevermore soared over them and began circling the main body of ruins in front of them; which lay at the bottom of the cliff they had to climb to complete their task.
Cat and Cillian took cover, as did the others, scanning the ruins in front of them. She could see Ciaran and Bryony together, and they seemed to be discussing tactics in hushed voice, although it didn't look like they were getting very far. The Nevermore perched on top of the ruins and let out an ear-splitting shriek. Cillian swore.
"Well that's great," he said, rolling his eyes.
"RUN!" came a sudden cry from Bryony, who had been watching the rear. The Deathstalker burst through the bushes, hissing furiously as they all began to sprint once more. Once they left their cover, the Nevermore swooped down on them, arching it's back for an attack.
"Rie! Distract it!" Cat heart Ciaran yell, and the small girl in yellow began to run horizontally in front of the Nevermore, nimbly dodging it's attacks with a wild grin on her face. The girl reached down and grabbed a pair of glowing nunchucks from her waist, and gave a flick of her wrist. The nunchucks fused to become one double barrelled gun, and she began firing on the Nevermore, all with a crazy smile on her face. She didn't notice the Deathstalker behind her, but Cat did, leaping in to block its claws at the same time as Ciaran. Aislinn leapt in and grabbed Rie by the arm, launching them both to safety with a glyph. Cat and Ciaran began to run towards the stone bridge stretching out over the ravine, towards the cliff, Bryony and Steve ahead of them. She heard Bryony ushering Steve on ahead of her, before she herself turned, her cruciform sword adapting into a rifle, and firing on the Deathstalker as Cat and Ciaran made their escape. Cat was the last on, but Bryony waited until she was past her to start running. Cat rolled her eyes. Looked like they had a martyr in their class. The Deathstalker's legs couldn't fit on the bridge, which left them only the Nevermore to worry about. And that was when the Nevermore swooped down and crashed through the bridge supports. Cat leapt backwards, and rolled along the bridge. To her chagrin, she found herself back in range of the Deathstalker's claws, along with Bryony and Ciaran. She open fired, wondering how on earth they were going to get through that exoskeleton. There was a shriek behind her, and Rie and Robyn came flying through the air, clutching each other and screaming, launched by one of Aislinn's glyphs. Rie's guns reformed into nunchucks, and she let go of Robyn mid-air, swinging them down through the air and smashing the Deathstalker in the face with them, causing it to let out a screech of protest. It's stinger came swinging down towards her, and she jumped back, knocking Bryony backwards off of the bridge in the process. Cat swore and retracted her sword into its sickle form, before leaping off after Bryony. She threw the sickle and it latched onto a stone arch above her. She swung through the air, grabbing the other girl around the waist and depositing her safely on the other side of the bridge, before swinging back to her partner and re-joining the fray. As she landed back on their fragment of bridge, the Deathstalker was using it's stinger to destabilise their precarious stone purchase.
"We've got to move!" Ciaran called.
"Robyn, with me!" Cat called. "We'll distract the claws. Ciaran, the sting!"
For the first time since she'd seen him, the boy smiled. "Got it."
Cat flicked her weapon back into sword form, and took her sharp edged sheath in the other hand. Beside her, Robyn was also duel wielding, a gleaming war axe in each hand. The two girls charged forwards, whilst Rie fired on the creature. Out of the corner of her eyes, Cat saw Ciaran leap, grabbing hold of the tail and repeatedly shooting the point where the stinger joined.
Cat flipped backwards out of the reach of the claw, and, sword a sickle one more, launched it towards the creature, where it stabbed it in one of its many eyes. It's tail flailed, and Ciaran was sent flying towards a stone wall. The boy managed to kick off it, and land in crouch.
"Cat!" he yelled. "The sting! Use your sickle!"
Cat nodded, and threw her sickle into the air. It sliced through the thin piece of sinew holding the stinger in place, and she grinned as she pulled it back to her. The creature screamed.
"Robyn, finish him!" Ciaran called, and Cat grinned, tossing Robyn the sickle.
"Heads up, partner," she said, and the girl grinned back as Cat swung her around on the end of her weapon to build up momentum before launching her into the air.
Robyn flew through the sky with a delighted shriek, reaching her apex before beginning her decent, propelling herself with a series of shots from her weapons. As she neared her target, she twisted in mid-air, extending the axes in front of her and smashing down into the Deathstalker with both blades. The bridge began to crumble, and the impact flipped it up, like a child's seesaw, sending Rie and Cat sailing towards Ciaran. Robyn launched herself after them with a couple of blasts from her gun and the four of them turned and watched as the Deathstalker and their side of the bridge tumbled over the cliff.
-o-
Bryony got to her feet from where she was crouched on the bridge. "Thank you!" she called after Cat's retreating form, before turning to survey the situation. Aislinn was currently on the Nevermore, causing as much damaged as she could whilst running down it's back. As she watched, the girl leapt to a safe purchase on the same tower as Bryony herself. Cillian was there as well, firing at the bird, and his cousin Steve. She leapt from rock to rock, until she was next to Cillian. "It's tougher than it looks," she said, frowning.
"Then let's hit it with everything we've got," her partner said with a slight frown, reloading his gun.
"Seriously, am I the only person without a gun?" That was that boy Steve. "Maybe I should have stuck with the scorpion…"
"Shield are good," Bryony said, giving him a smile. "Don't worry. You can cover your teammates if it starts throwing feathers again. Now, everyone else, open fire!"
The bird soared towards them as they unloaded their weapons, but instead of trying to attack them directly, it flew under them; knocking out the supports of the tower they were on.
Steve yelled something very rude as he began to fall, but Aislinn grabbed his arm, sending them both to safety with a glyph. Bryony leapt from rubble to rubble as the tower crumbled, trying to get to the bridge. The ground underneath her gave out, and she found herself falling, but a strong hand suddenly grabbed hers.
Cillian pulled her up onto the bridge, and she lay there, gasping for a moment. "Thank you," she said slightly shakily. That was her second near fall today.
"What are partners for?" He said with a shrug.
"None of this is working!" Aislinn called to them from another stone pathway to their left, where Steve appeared to be catching his breath.
Bryony took a moment to consider. Her eyes lighted on Steve's shield, before flicking to Cillian. "Did you say you had a polearm, earlier?" she said, rounding on him.
He looked slightly startled. "Urm..yes?"
She gave him a smile. "I…well. I have a plan. But it's kind of crazy."
"Please. I'm related to Cat and Steve. I'm used to crazy."
She laughed. "Cover me!" she cried, before leaping the gap to explain to Steve and Aislinn.
Five minutes later, they were ready.
"I take it back," Cillian said. "You are crazy."
"Sorry…" Bryony said, wilting slightly. "I mean…if someone else has an idea I'm happy to-"
"Shh," her partner said, patting her shoulder. "I like your crazy."
Bryony felt her cheeks go bright red, but there wasn't time to swoon when a giant bird was trying to kill them.
"Steve?"
"Ready!" the boy stepped forwards. The bird soared towards them.
"Cillian, now!"
Her partner leapt onto Steve's shield, and his cousin threw him high into the air, right towards the bird's beak. The Nevermore opened its mouth wide...and Cillian flew inside, lodging one arm in the roof of its mouth, using the other to fire his gun down it's throat. The bird screamed, and wheeled in the air as Cillian use the beak to twist it's head, steering to towards the cliff. Just as the bird was about the crash, he jumped clear, re-joining the others on the ground whilst the bird smacked into the cliff face.
"Aislinn!" Bryony called, and the girl flew forwards, lodging her rapier into the ground by the bird's tail feathers. Ice bloomed, trapping the bird by the tail as it strained to get free. Aislinn leapt back to the group, creating another glyph behind Cillian who had folded his gun out into a seven foot naginata.
Bryony focused her semblance around the glyph as Cillian leapt back, so that he feet were resting on the glyph.
"Ready?" Bryony said again, giving Cillian and nervous smile. He looked her dead in the eyes and gave her a reassuring smile back.
"Always."
She nodded, and signalled to Aislinn, who let the glyph push him forwards. Bryony focused eh telekinesis to add to his speed and aim, so that when he hit the Nevermore, the foot long blade on the end of his weapon lodge in its throat.
It wasn't enough though. The creature shirked and struggled, and Bryony screamed: "PHASE TWO!"
Steve nodded, and mentally relayed the order to Cillian, who couldn't hear over the sound of Nevermore.
Glyphs appeared up the cliff face, creating a gravity defying walkway for Cillian. Bryony gave him a small push with her power to build up his speed as he began to run up the cliff face, blade still lodged in the creature's throat. As he reached the top, the Nevermore's head separated from its body. Bryony watched in awe as the creatures body tumbled down to the cliff base, before looking up and seeing Cillian at the top. She smiled and waved, and he waved back.
"Well, that happened," Steve said, sitting down on a piece of rubble. "Now, please tell me; how do the rest of us get up there?"
-o-
"Catherine Cray. Robyn Kingley. Ciaran Spark. Rie Spark."
Cat's heart squeezed at Professor Kapoor announced their names. She walked forwards with her partner onto the stage, glancing behind her at Steve and Cillian. Did this mean she wasn't in their team?
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forwards, you will work together as team Carrick."
Cat looked up at the screen. There were their faces, and underneath the first letters of their names which spelt CRRC. Rie squealed, and hugged Ciaran, who let out a longsuffering sigh.
"Your team will be led by…Ciaran Spark," Professor Kapoor said, and Cat felt her heart sink slightly. Why not her? She'd shown some leadership skill during the fights. Was the charging the scorpion incident counting against her?
"And finally," Professor Kapoor said as they left the stage, "Steven Cray, Cillian Damian, Bryony Mae and Aislinn Seung. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forwards you will work together as…Team Brass."
Cat looked up the screen, where the letters of their name spelt out BACS. Seems like they'd had to stretch that one. But she supposed it was better than some alternatives. SCAB, for one.
"Your team will be led by…Bryony Mae."
The blonde girl went bright pink, and Cat saw Cillian punch her gently on the shoulder. It seemed her cousin was quite taken with his new partner. The dark haired girl, Aislinn hugged Bryony, and after a moment, so did Steve.
Cat supposed it didn't really matter. She couldn't let it matter. Despite their shared blood, she'd never really been part of their family anyway. Even if it sometimes felt that she was. She glanced up at Robyn, and saw that the other girl was watching Aislinn with an expression that looked how she felt.
"Hard when the kids leave the nest huh?" she said, bumping her partner's shoulder with her own.
"Worse for you," Robyn said. "You've got a double whammy. Cousin and twin."
"Yeah, well," Cat said. "I guess we can just be miserable gits together."
"Sounds legit," Robyn said, nodding.
Cat grinned at her, before realising she had done the one this she'd sworn not to do. She'd made friends with a Kingley.
-o-
On the other side of the city, a man stood in a downtown warehouse listening to a police radio he really shouldn't have had.
A girl sat on the desk beside him, idly swinging her legs, listening in over his shoulder. After a moment, Alec Hunter set the radio down with an irritated sigh.
"Anything?" the girl asked, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Nothing really. Beacon Teams have been formed. We'll let her know about those."
The girl nodded and hopped down from the table as a man in a Grimm mask wheeled in a trolley. On the floor, she didn't even reach Alec's shoulder, even in kitten heeled boots. She watched with interest as Alec put a stack of money down on the table, and the man took it.
"Open it," Alec said coolly gesturing to the trolley. The man did as instructed, revealing hundreds of clear cut dust crystals lying on black velvet in stacked trays.
Alec picked one up, examining the quality. "What do you think, Lia?" he said to his female companion.
She reached down, running her fingers over the crystals, before reaching out and slipping her arm through his. "I think that we're going to need to need to start hiring again."