{Gross Misallocation}
Ray raised an eyebrow in response to Scarlet's unwarranted eye contact. She didn't say anything, not like she got the chance anyway.
"Guys, is it just me or is anyone else wondering why it's so damn quiet?"
Both Ray and Scarlet diverted their attention to Kyzal as the boy, for the first time, pulled the hood off of his head to look at them through a blazing pair of golden pools. His eyes barely visible through his mane of pitch black, shaggy hair.
"Well, I suppose it's nice to know what you actually look like." Gabriel commented jovially, chuckling as he spoke. "I wondered if you were going to keep us all in the dark about your appearance."
Ray smirked, "That was a good one, I'll give you that."
Kyzal merely rolled his eyes, "Yeah-yeah, now can one of you please pay attention to what's important here?" The boy asked impatiently, "We haven't seen any Grimm since that one Ray managed to luckily shoot out of the tree."
Luckily? Please.
"He has a point you guys, it's worrying me..." Scarlet spoke apprehensively as she passed between Gabriel and Ray to approach Kyzal.
"Have you got any suggestions, Kyzal? Do you think we should just beeline it to the cliff?" She asked considerately.
"Well yeah, we could, but-"
"That still doesn't explain the lack of Grimm." Ray finished the sentence for him earning a nod of affirmation from the marksman.
"Chances are that the beasts' attention is being diverted elsewhere," he added, pointing to the empty pedestals on the temple, "We're not the only team here, so logic would dictate that others have grabbed their artifacts and are making their way - or have made it - to the cliff."
"Drawing Grimm with them." Gabriel supplied.
Ray began to delve into problem solving to see if there was anything in the area that could give them an advantage.
He scanned the area with his eyes looking for any anomalies. Ray remembered spotting multiple trees during their journey here that emitted a weak electromagnetic frequency. So, he figured it would not be surprising to find one here.
His hunch, not to his surprise, proved to be successful.
A tree to his right was emitting one that was nigh identical to the previous ones he had encountered. The hacker approached the tree emitting the peculiar signal, drawing a knife from the inside of his coat as soon as he reached the base of the trunk.
"What is it, Ray?" Scarlet asked inquisitively, eyeing him as he walked with the bowie knife in his right hand.
"There's something..." he began to climb the tree and whilst holding onto one of the branches above his head, drove his knife into the trunk, "… in here."
"What does that boy think he's doing?" Glynda Goodwitch asked almost furiously as both her and Ozpin watched the close-up view of the boy's face as he dug out one of the many cameras throughout the forest. They observed him as he suddenly removed the pinhole camera, gazing into the device with interest.
Ozpin smirked, Mister Chroma was clearly attracted to technology like a magnet.
"It seems he might be onto us, Glynda..."
Ray gripped his knife in his pearly white teeth, allowing him to have a better grip on the camera as he analysed the tiny device. It was as small as the nail on his pinkie finger, the lens no wider than a pencil.
"What the hell?" He mumbled, the sound muffled by the knife in his mouth.
"Ray, what are you doing?" Kyzal sighed.
"C'mere and I'll show you." The others could just make out what he was saying as they all wandered over to the tree.
"Hey Gabe, catch," Ray said as he practically spat out his knife toward the duellist. He caught the blade by the handle – the only part where Ray's mouth hadn't touched – and held it for him as the boy climbed down with the wireless camera in his possession.
"Look what I've found. It's like Christmas morning and no one told me," He brandished the camera in front of his companions with a neutral expression. Scarlet – curious as to why Ray had just suddenly found a camera of all things – delicately plucked the device from his grasp and frowned.
"Why did you take this from the tree? What use do we have for it?"
Ray smirked before taking his knife back from Gabriel. On the casing were small seams indicating weak points that allowed Ray to wedge the blade of his knife into and pry the metal cylinder open, revealing the delicate electronics inside.
"What are these cameras for Scarlet?" Ray questioned with a sly, knowing glint in his eyes.
"Th-they're used to um… examine the students for the uh… examination?" The girl fumbled over her words like a broken record.
Ray nodded.
"They are used to examine the students, correct," he confirmed, "what are we looking for, Scarlet?"
The girl gasped and then immediately facepalmed.
"We're looking for the students." Gabriel answered for her.
"Doesn't explain why you're mutilating one of Ozpin's cameras though..." Kyzal injected his sceptical comment into the conversation.
"The cameras are designed to track the students and we are looking for the students so that we may avoid the entourage of Grimm that follow them and ensure our survival through this death-trap. So, if we can use this camera to find the students, we will know exactly where not to go, and complete this test quickly and without injury."
The three teens Ray had beside him watched as the boy removed his gloves. He placed the camera on the ground and brought his messenger bag forward, pulling out a pair of wire cutters and his scroll before snipping a couple of wires and connecting their opposite ends by twisting them.
"Isn't this like… cheating?" Kyzal questioned as he leant over Ray's shoulder, just watching him go to work on this piece of hardware.
"Well…" Ray began as he pulled out various adaptors and a soldering iron from his bag, much to the surprise of the other two.
"It's only cheating..." he pulled a small, cylindrical module out that connected to the printed circuit board and brought it to his mouth. "...if you get caught."
Glynda's frown of disapproval made itself known to the world as she scoffed at the boy's blatant teasing. How did a street urchin like him make it into the initiation? Especially since he wasn't willing to play by the rules like everyone else?
So eager to show off at the top of the cliff and gradually declining into a lazy, good-for-nothing liability.
And yet, Ozpin was adamantly justifying this boy's actions and was persistently attempting to convince her that he was more capable than he let on. The boy clearly wasn't his father – that much was clear – so why the headmaster seemed somewhat fond of him was beyond Glynda's comprehension.
Though, she was morally bound to offer the benefit of the doubt to young Mister Chroma. Maybe he was just saving his energy or maybe he was just waiting for the right moment to show off once more.
For the meantime, however, this had yet to be seen, as the live feed – both audio and video – was cut off from the camera the boy had taken, leaving it down to speculation as to what him and his soon-to-be teammates were up to.
You know those times when everything has just gone horribly and then all of a sudden one thing goes right and you're over the moon?
Well, hacking the camera was like one of those moments.
I had spotted multiple, similar frequencies from what I could only assume to be more pinhole cameras like this one, so I figured that they were connected to some kind of network.
And I was right.
Prying into the software was easy, using its nexus of other cameras was even more so and triangulating the position of the Grimm was a complete cakewalk.
The cameras were designed to activate and deactivate when in proximity to a scroll signal belonging to one of the initiates, this meant that every feed I had scrolled through had at least one student there.
Sadly, this also accounted for any that were injured, or worse, dead.
Through the camera feed, I had located the body of one of the initiates on the ground, he was lying there, completely motionless with deep, unsightly gashes through his body, weapon loosely gripped in his hand, and blood pooled around the poor guy.
I knew instantly that Ozpin wasn't joking about this initiation. No one was coming to save us if we got hurt. No one was going to be there to carry us to the cliff if we passed out…
This is why I was going to use every available asset to my advantage to see us through to the end of this damn test.
Like hell was I going to give my life for a cause I didn't believe in and a school I had no intention of attending.
I did not come out of hiding for this…
The Grimm were moving in droves towards ruins, South-West of the temple.
So, you know which way we went?
That's right. South-East.
Walking now – knowing that the majority of the Grimm were on their merry way to kill others – was a breath of fresh air. For us, I mean, not them.
Ozpin said something about people dying if they didn't fight for their lives, but if there are no hostile creatures to fight then we'll make it back in time for lunch, no problem.
I could probably even make the time to watch the sun set, how nice is that?
Of course, whilst the majority of the Grimm were essentially witch-hunting those students, some of the ugly motherfuckers obviously didn't get the memo, thus, we were forced to terminate them as we wandered toward the cliff.
Something felt off though, even I had to admit. Despite our favourable odds, we were still remaining both vigilant and on edge.
There was a dark presence boiling up somewhere; as if someone or something had just pissed off a God.
A loud crack was heard as an object travelled at such a high velocity, it broke the sound barrier. This was worrying for us, given our location, we were well out of the way of any students, this meant there was a big fight happening.
"Aw hell..." Gabriel muttered to himself in defeat.
His teammates turned to him inquisitively, curious as to what misfortune had been bestowed upon him.
"W-What's wrong?" Scarlet questioned nervously, watching as the boy fervently searched his pocket.
"Lost something?" Kyzal asked.
Gabriel's eyes trailed towards Ray, looking almost desperate in their purple gaze. "I didn't give the artifact to you, did I?"
Ray shook his head. Indicating the negative.
"Did you drop it?" The hacker enquired, tilting his head to the side.
"I'm not sure, I had it in my pocket and now it's just… gone, man." He replied with an aura of disappointment.
"Oh great, you dropped the one thing we had to bring back," Kyzal bemoaned, throwing his hands up in disdain. "how did you-"
"Oh, never mind, wrong pocket." The duellist chuckled with a sigh of relief, cutting Kyzal off in the process.
"Hey, you mind if we take five? It might do us well to recuperate for a little bit; make sure we have everything we need before we get to the cliff."
Scarlet eyed Gabriel and nodded, plopping herself down so she could count her ammunition.
"Well, if we're taking a break, I'll keep watch." Kyzal sighed, climbing a nearby tree and perching himself on one of the higher up branches, bow and arrow in hand.
Ray decided now would be a great time to sit down with his back against the trunk of the tree Kyzal was positioned in. The hacker opened up his messenger bag and pulled out a bottle of liquor, eyeing the glass container with an almost lustful stare.
Scarlet took a moment to gaze at the boy and gasped as she saw him take a long swig of the fluid before sticking it back in his bag, somehow seeming to just disappear as it entered. The bag didn't even deform where the bottle should have sat.
"Did you just drink alcohol during the initiation?" The girl interrogated him, earning a roll of his violet eyes in response.
"What? May I remind you that we've been cheating ever since we left the temple? It's not a big deal."
"Ray! You're not allowed to drink alcohol! You're seventeen!" The girl's face grew red as she admonished him.
"Oh, you delicate flower," Ray murmured sarcastically, completely undeterred by her scornful glare, "maybe you need it more than me, come here."
The girl stammered and furiously shook her head. "N-no! I won't do it!"
Ray shrugged. "Alright. Suit yourself."
"Hey! If you guys are done slapping each other's wrists, we've got company!" Kyzal yelled down from his perch in the tree before jumping down and rolling to break his fall.
"We'll discuss this later…" Scarlet grumbled.
"As you wish."
"Are you done now? Good. As there is a lot of Grimm on their way here, no doubt heading for those ruins," Kyzal pointed towards the stampede of Grimm heading towards the four of them, dust billowing in their wake, concealing their true numbers.
"If we let those Grimm reach the students, they're not gonna make it, guys."
"They'll be overwhelmed." Ray stated.
"And ultimately, won't finish the initiation." Gabriel added.
Scarlet's eyebrows furrowed and she wrapped her fingers around Crimson Brigade.
When duty calls, the girl's lessons and training have taught her that she must answer. This was one of the moments where she was honour-bound to take up arms and fight the storm. To hold back the torrential downpour of tragedy, to stay put when the clashes of angst and fear strike her.
If students needed her help, then she would do everything in her power to fulfil that request.
"Then we hold the line." Her resolute gaze fell upon the three males in her midst, instilling determination and a modicum of fear into almost all of them. Her index finger extended in Kyzal's direction.
"Kyzal, get yourself a height advantage and pick them off," She approached him and he noticed the fire burning in her eyes, "I need you to prioritise targets and fire at will."
The archer nodded as his hood was once more back over his face and he climbed the same tree from before.
"Gabriel, Ray," Scarlet demanded their attention like a flashing red light, "you're with me, we're the ones that have to cut them down, thin their ranks to make our comrades' lives easier. I do not give a damn what you do, so long as it kills Grimm. Understood?"
Simple instructions, works well on paper. Practical assessment? Eh… we'll have to see.
"Yes ma'am." Gabriel replied, a pair of cards drawn in each hand.
Ray shrugged, "How valiant…" before a crystalline thrumming pierced the silence. Two chimes resonating at slightly different frequencies as he firmly grasped twin violet, luminescent swords.
"Duel wielding?" Gabriel turned to him with a smirk on his face, "you've got balls for doing that with no defences."
"I can handle it." The hacker replied.
The first wave of Grimm was charging headlong like a fleet of ships, eager to rip into each of them without merciful qualms.
Clawed paws and bared teeth exposed, so terrifyingly ugly, it should have been illegal. Their black hides as dark as the devil and equally as unforgiving.
They would all die a quick and bloody death.
The first of the beasts, an alpha beowolf, was viciously skewered on Crimson Brigade's dual bardiche blades, the girl wielding the weapon following through with a 15mm high explosive round blasting through the creature's armoured chest, blowing out the back of its body in a shower of flesh and bone.
That was the first shot fired.
It also got their attention.
A sadistic grin crossed Miss Rubine's face as her tiny frame rushed into the heat of battle like an F-5 class tornado, mincing the Grimm indiscriminately as they came within striking distance.
Black and gold arrows flew through the air, striking down foes with a whisper quiet flick.
Kyzal darted from tree to tree, using the shade of the forest canopy to conceal his location as he dispatched several more Grimm.
The boy didn't even acknowledge the decaying corpses of his enemies as they became limp and crumpled to the ground. The cadavers left behind were filled with multiple arrows protruding from their matted fur and broken armour.
A pulse of Aura sent to his quiver coated his next arrow with a layer of burn Dust, giving his next shot incendiary properties. The boy quickly drew the arrow, nocked it and launched it deep into the bowels of a lone Ursa. The dust activated upon impact and effectively set the beast ablaze. The temperature from the arrow boiling its blood and cauterizing the wound, ensuring an agonising death.
Kyzal, unsurprisingly, had managed to take down three others in the time it took for that dust to ignite.
Gabriel had taken to mixing things up a little, fluently alternating between amputating Grimm with his cards to crushing their skulls with the business ends of his staff, each tip possessing a heavy head that added weight and power to his strikes.
Purple plasma surrounded each end and every time he hit something, it would seemingly force them back with incredible power. Additionally, his purple eyes glowed whenever he used this power, little bolts of lightning occasionally shooting out of his irises.
The boy thumbed his holsters and withdrew six cards, loosely gripping them between his fingers. He turned to a pack of beowolves and pushed his aura into his cards, the intricate reaper design beginning to glow in an amethyst hue.
Before the creatures could so much as blink, Gabriel whipped his cards towards them at a blinding speed, each card hitting their marks with laser precision.
Limbs were severed, blood was spilled, and bones were shattered. The reaper cards tore through the Grimm like flechette rounds, stopping at nothing as the Dust detonated in mixtures of elemental storms.
Ray had no interest in picking off the cannon fodder, that was child's play.
Instead, the hacker was looking out for the bigger fish. The smarter, faster and far more deadly Grimm, capable of laying waste to entire settlements in the span of an hour.
"We got an alpha beringel! Eleven o'clock!" Ray's ears registered Kyzal's call out from above and his head immediately swivelled in the direction indicated.
"Well, I'm a little preoccupied right now!" Gabriel yelled in response, "Ray, you take this one!"
Ray's trademark smirk made its appearance as the boy cautiously approached the being.
Now this was a real challenger.
Ray twirled his swords in a windmill motion, their violet tips leaving behind a glowing tracer of light that slowly faded.
The beringel seemed to understand what was transpiring and Ray noticed it completely disregard the other three and advance towards him.
"Come on, you dumb ape," Ray taunted in confidence, wolfish grin permanently adhered to his smug face, "You want breakfast? You gotta catch it..."
Author's note:
This was fun to write, especially Ray's complete disregard for the rules. They were meant to be broken after all.
Also, I completely forgot to mention this before, but Kyzal and Gabriel are both characters of Xera's design, not mine. He let me use them to fill in the other half of the team.
So, with that information, know that he is free to use them as he sees fit in Rogue Huntsman and if that occurs, chances are that I might have very little to do with it.
Take note of that alcohol by the way, it plays a very pivotal role in the story to come.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Favourite, Follow and Review it if you like the story so far and have anything to say on what's occurring. I love getting reviews, especially if they're constructive toward the story.
Have a good one!
-Hydra