-The GOOD, the EVVL, and the STRQ-
Wassup, fam. I'm back!
[Beacon Academy/Vale City, Vale/Continent of Sanus]
Enrique made it to the ballroom with Raven in tow. In his opinion, he didn't trust this one woman. She was too experienced compared to the rest of the others in this school. Not that he hated people with experience, but going from his own experiences, having someone else with skills within a civilian area was always a bad sign to the mercenary.
Regardless, he simply opened the doors and walked into the ballroom, with Raven following behind him at a good enough distance.
Looking around, he saw Vladimir, who had just finished his conversation with a girl with cat ears sticking out of her hair. Enrique quickly made his way over to the Russian teen, calling out his name in a gentle yet firm manner.
The aforementioned teen turned his head at Enrique's direction and beamed slightly.
"Now there's the man of the hour!" Enrique simply narrowed his eyes in a certain degree of annoyance before sighing as he made his way over to his brother-in-arms.
"Not even a few hours and already you've picked up a girl, Vladimir," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his lips forming a slight frown.
"Heh, says the guy that talked with to this cutie over there." Vlad stepped to the side, revealing one person Enrique just met recently, who was missing her cloak/hood. Sighing, he explained himself.
"I merely helped her in getting here." That's when he paused and directed his head back at the Russian. "How the sweet fuck did you know I talked to her?" The Russian simply smirked and replied in a smug tone.
"I have my ways," Vlad then placed his hands on Summer's shoulders and moved her in front of Enrique, "now why don't you talk with her some more?" Enrique responded with a grunt and a glare aimed at his friend before sighing.
"Sorry about this, Miss Rose." He could see said girl's cheeks flared up, whether from keeping herself warm in the cold room or something else, he'll never know.
"I-It's fine, Enrique. I could use some socializing from here on out." Judging from her tone, she was nervous, but remained truthful in terms of her words. He internally nodded while he spoke his agreement, making Summer beam for a bit before she resumed her quiet demeanor.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Enrique didn't know why he was being so chatty as of now, but he couldn't undo the damaged he'd done. Summer, hearing his question, perked her head up, her wolf ears straightening in a manner similar to a legit canine when something grabs their attention.
"O-oh! I was hoping we can talk about who our teammates could be during the initiation." Summer was eager, he could tell by that small smile on her face, barely being able to keep herself from jumping up and down in glee.
He had to admit, the action was admirable to a degree, although the word 'teammates' did catch his attention.
Glancing at Vlad, his mind began to ponder. So many random events, so many ways to botch even the tiniest thing, so many ways to kill…
So many ways to die.
Shaking his head slightly, Enrique decided to focus on the lighter-hearted subjects.
"From what I've heard," his words caught Summer's, Vlad's, and Kali's attention, "the teams are formed after the initiation in the forest next to the academy."
His words had an immediate effect. "O-Oh!" Kali's face formed into one of genuine surprise, "I didn't know we'd do an initiation, let alone in a forest filled with Grimm."
Oh yes, he had forgotten about that minor detail. Beowulves, Ursai, Taijitu, Creeps, Nevermores, Beringel, Boarbatusks, just to name a few. In complete honesty, Enrique and Vladimir had faced those creatures from the slightly armored younglings to the older and heavily armored elders. He and Vladimir also learned that, despite their moderate to high resistance to Dust, solid objects such as actual bullets, if propelled by gunpowder (He also had test-fired a loaded gun, complete with a lead bullet, with Fire Dust as the propellant. That's five grand of gun and bullet he ain't getting back), can go through the bone plating of the Creatures of Grimm of all ages. It was just a matter of finding weaker parts of the armor, or aiming for the eyes and vital areas.
A reassuring hand to the shoulder from Summer calmed the Faunus down. "Don't worry, Kali. Those Beowulves, Ursai, and all other Grimm are no match for the superior intellect of mankind." Kali nodded, seeing some logic in her fellow Faunus' words.
Vlad simply smiled in response. Waving a hand in dismissal, he added, "Details, details! What's really important is that we kill as many Grimm in the initiation so we can be the talk of the school!"
Great, just the one thing that he didn't need, attention. Sure, he'd be respected by his peers, but given at how gossip-y most of the females around them tend to be, and how most of the boys tend to fall for unproven rumors, he'd rather be as inconspicuous as possible.
Yeah, as inconspicuous as a 7'4" juggernaut of a teen can be.
Enrique sighed, an audible sound that was more of a guttural growl than a human sigh, as he began to squat down on the floor to set up his sleeping bag. His growl did cause the two ladies to jump a tad bit, not used to hearing a sound to come from a human rather than a Creature of Grimm. Ignoring it, the two also began to set up their sleeping bags, Kali having bid the three farewells as she sets up near the cleaner areas in the ball room.
Vladimir, unsurprisingly, slept next to him at a fairly respectable distance. Now Summer, on the other hand…
"What are you doing?" He asked quietly as he felt his right shift considerably as Summer began to lie down rather closely to him.
"I dunno? I-I guess I feel comfy when I'm with you." Summer murmured, burying her face into her pillow, or, at least, as much as she can hide into that pillow, as she shifted over so her back was facing Enrique's front as she began to sleep soundly and peacefully.
Enrique, internally sighing, simply accepted the fact that Summer's here and there's nothing he can do without making a scene. Closing his eyes, Enrique began to slowly drift off into sleep.
Hopefully, without any night terrors for once.
-Insert Intro: Warriors by Imagine Dragons-
-Camera starts panning from the sea towards a landmass.
-Camera reveals Beacon Academy.
-As a child, you would wait and watch from far away
-It then shows Summer Rose lying in her bed, watching the stars twinkle in the beautiful night sky.
-She then sees a shooting star pass by, with her smiling in pure happiness.
-But you always knew that you'd be the one to work while they all play
-And you, you'd lay, awake at night and scheme
-The scene switches to the cold mountainous area surrounding Camp Omega, with Enrique Verde and Vladimir Paprika training harshly shirtless out in the bitter cold.
-Of all the things that you would change, but it was just a dream
-Scene changes once again, to show Tatiana Lapis as a child training under her father's arena.
-Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)
-The next scene shows Evelyn Fall slicing some Grimm like Ursai and Beowulves down with her swords.
-We are the warriors that built this town
-It then shows Raven Branwen and Qrow Branwen fighting back-to-back against some Nevermores and Boarbatusks, with Taiyang Xiao Long brawling with an Alpha Beowulf.
-Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)
-Summer, after killing off a lone Creep, gets smacked aside by a Beringel who, in turn, gets crushed by Glynda Goodwitch's telekinetic/psychokinetic grip.
-We are the warriors that built this town from dust
-Glynda's teammates, Oswald Pin (later known as Ozpin), Bartholomew Oobleck, and Orianna Drakonus, are then seen taking on a large group of Grimm.
-The time will come when you will have to rise
-Enrique and Vlad are then seen taking on a few terrorists accompanied by some hijacked Atlesian Knights Model 130's.
-Above the rest and prove yourself your spirit never dies
-Tatiana and Evelyn are then seen teaming up against Glynda and Orianna in a friendly sparring fight in Beacon's Combat Class.
-The scene switches to Enrique's father, Marcus Vasquez, and Vladimir's uncle, Anatoly Prozodnikov, discussing business, with Marcus looking rather pissed off before taking his leave.
-Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above
-The scene switches over to the man known as Schadel in an underground laboratory of some sort, experimenting on a dead body with hundreds of test tubes containing human-shaped figures below him.
-But don't weep for me for this will be the labor of my love
-He then stabs the body with a sinister syringe with black ooze inside of it just as someone approaches him.
-Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)
-Headmaster Drakonus is seen typing away on his personal computer, his features concealed by a shadow.
-We are the warriors that built this town
-The scene changes to two panels. One showcases Evelyn and Enrique fighting through a Grimm horde, with the second showing Vladimir and Tatiana.
-The panels change to show two more scenes. This time one's showing Summer and Raven fighting a pack of Beowulves in another location, and the other showing Taiyang and Qrow taking on a flock of Nevermores.
-Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)
-The two panels then show the final two pairs. The first being Glynda and Oswald providing supported by corralling any stray Grimm and preventing them from overwhelming the group, and the second being Bartholomew and Orianna preparing a massive attack.
-We are the warriors that built this town from dust
-The two panels fade out their scenes and begin to merge as one, with the camera panning over to the center of the large horde, showing a mysterious individual looking like a Wendigo, commanding the Grimm to attack the group.
-Teams STRQ, GOOD, & EVVL all looked at one another before unleashing an all-out attack against the horde.
-Bartholomew and Orianna unleashed a massive fireball and a surge of lightning, respectively, with Glynda levitating chunks of debris of varying sizes and Oswald rapidly zipping from place to place striking groups of Grimm rapidly with his cane.
-Summer and Raven began fighting their way through the small fry, with Taiyang and Qrow facing the bigger Grimm head on.
-Tatiana and Evelyn are then seen devastating groups of Grimm with their weapons and Semblances, as Enrique and Vladimir are gunning down and slicing up a majority of the Grimm.
-[Song skips to the final tunes]
-The scene flashes out to white, before fading to black.
-The next day; 0530 Hours; Beacon Academy; Ball Room-
Thankfully, Enrique woke up and suffered little in terms of his mental health in his sleep. Looking around, he sees that the other students weren't early birds like him or Vlad.
Speaking of Vlad… Enrique glanced to his right and saw Vladimir enjoying some shuteye, the Russian mumbling about something involving girls and his uncle's company.
Looking to where Summer was, he noticed that she was now facing him, indicating that she moved in her sleep, with as peaceful smile on her face. Seeing her like that caused something inside the mercenary, but he didn't know what it was exactly.
"Probably nothing…" He mused mentally as Summer's soft breathing reached his ears.
Resisting the urge to pet her, Enrique got up to make his way to the school's training area to shape up, intent on getting something to eat for the day ahead.
Heading towards the training area was pretty straightforward, just a few turns here and there and Enrique stepped foot onto the training area before he even knew it.
It took a few minutes, but Enrique was able to set up the various targets to suit his needs.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Enrique slowly shifted into a fighting stance. Facing one of the larger punching bags, he began to unleash a fierce right hook, followed by a roundhouse and finishing off with an overhead slam. The force of his attacks, combined with his swiftness and high strength, managed to send the punching bag flying a good distance.
Not satisfied with what he saw, Enrique began to attack another target, this time a wooden dummy, unleashing vicious attack after vicious attack.
After a few minutes, the training area was littered with annihilated punching bags and wooden dummies with Enrique looking rather satisfied with his handiwork.
His stomach started growling, prompting him to head towards the cafeteria.
Upon getting to the cafeteria, he immediately began to get some food for himself. And by some, in his case it meant a large version of what he considers breakfast.
There was a large piece of beef and onions with some sauce alongside some brown rice, alongside some more obscure meat and fish products.
Setting down his breakfast onto his selected table, he began to eat in silence. After finishing his meal, Enrique began to head back, seeing as how the sun was rising if the rays weren't any clear indicator.
When he did get back, he still saw everyone else asleep, including Vladimir, who seemed to be snuggled up in between his blanket and one of the pillars.
Grunting, he simply changed course and headed towards the locker rooms of the school's very own armory.
It was a good thing, prior to them sleeping, he and Vlad already picked their lockers in advanced.
"Locker 322, where art thou?" he mused in a faux-Shakespearean accent, as he made his way through the locker room, closing in on his own locker.
Mentally counting the lockers as he went, he eventually stopped in front of his locker. Opening it, he then takes out his weapons and brought them onto the floor, after he had spread out a white sheet on it.
Enrique began to disassemble each individual weapon, carefully inspecting every single part with utmost care. Every nut was adjusted, every barrel was polished and cleaned, and every chamber and action was inspected and tested for any errors. Nothing was left behind from his care.
Even the bullets were checked, the bullet-heads made sure they are in their top condition, the bullet casings properly weighed and polished, the gunpowder was at the right amount and weight, et cetera et cetera.
As soon as he was satisfied, he began to reassemble his weapons and placing them into their holsters (Whitetail and Blackhawk), sheaths (his bolos), and slings (Salhaeja and Dzhaggernaut).
Glancing to the entrance, he took note of the time on the digital clock said 06:49:32 AM. Getting up, he soon makes his way to the Ball Room to wake up Vladimir.
As he walked down the halls, he took notice of black spiky hair darting behind the doorway. Having a sneaking suspicion on who that was, his eye slightly twitched.
And just as he walked past the two doors, he heard her say, "Y'know, it's not every day you see someone come back in full military gear." The smugness in her tone indicates that she wanted to rile him up.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Raven leaning against the door, having that damn smile on her face.
"Miss Branwen." His words were curt and straight to the point, as he looked forward again, scanning the room for his partner. He did not want to cause trouble, especially so early in the day.
Raven sashayed towards Enrique, making damn sure her hips give off that certain bounce. Stopping behind him, she inspected his rear side head to toe.
"I have to admit, you look mighty fine. Are you compensating for something perhaps?" She sent out a mischievous grin, not that he could see.
After that, she also inspected both sides of him, taking in most of the details.
Growing tired of this, the mercenary grunted and simply walked off, breaking Raven out of her examining mood.
"You're getting on my nerves, Miss Branwen." He muttered, although it was audible enough for the raven-haired beauty to hear.
"I don't know what you're talking about~" she said in a sing-song tone as she sashayed alongside him. Enrique grunted as the two made their way across the ballroom.
After a minute or two, the duo found Vladimir up and ready for the day ahead, although his eyes were somewhat closed.
"Vlad, good to see you're up already." Enrique spoke as he crossed his arms. Not in a hostile manner, rather it was done in a habitual manner. The Russian perked his head towards the large young man and gave a small grin.
"I could say the same to you," Vladimir looks past Enrique and sees Raven, a smirk forming at his lips. "And who's this? Selecting another girl to add into your harem?" Vladimir winked playfully, although whether at Enrique or Raven the two will never know.
"Ha-ha, very funny, Vladimir. This is Raven Branwen, a woman who I had the misfortune of meeting last night." The mentioned young woman pouted as she huffed and looked away.
"Hmmm… says the man who went rough on me last time." Vlad gawked at Raven, then at Enrique. In the blink of an eye, the young teen was at his friend's face.
"Alright! Deets, and I mean all of it!" Vlad's answer was a hand grabbing his face and pushing him back.
"Vladimir, we did nothing of whatever this woman is talking about." Enrique growled, once again sounding like a guttural sound you'd hear from a large predator or a Grimm.
Raven herself flinched internally, before shaking it off and giving a teasing smirk as well as accusingly pointing a finger at him and wagging it playfully. "Hmph! But you rammed that big sword of yours in me, in the middle of the hallway, too." She seemed to enjoy teasing the large young man.
Vlad immediately removed Enrique's hand from his face.
Now Vladimir's gawking was even worse. His mouth was wide enough for a large beehive to fit in, his eyes were wider than saucers.
"YOU GOT TO BANG A HOT CHICK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?!" Everyone who was awake turned their heads towards Vlad, who was still bug-eyed and slack-jawed.
Enrique shifted his gaze towards Raven and glared, his pale right eye glowing slightly in the process. The glow itself and the atmosphere around Enrique intimidated the crowd around the three, causing them all to back away slightly from the large teen.
"Oh shit!" Vlad immediately started to speak.
"Hey man! I don't think it's a good idea to just outright murder a girl in broad daylight!" He went in front of his friend's field of vision, trying to placate him to a more controllable state.
Raven saw the glow his right eye gave off and can't help but feel curious. Despite the dim glow, she felt a large amount of power emanating from it.
This was someone that was not to be taken lightly, even though he was young, and that brought a little smile to her face.
Enrique shrugged off his annoyance before walking past both the now-dispersing crowd and Vladimir and Raven. "Did you check your Scroll?" He asked as he walked over to his sleeping bag and folding it away for the time being.
"Uhm, no actually, I was gonna wait until I heard fro-"
PING! Vlad was cut off when his left pocket vibrated. Reaching into it and pulling out his Scroll, this world's version of a smart-phone, tablet, and even computer all in one, he saw that there was a new message in there.
Attention all enrolling students,
Please proceed to the Beacon Cliffs by 12:00 Noon. Punctuality is a must. Late-comers will be expelled. If you have not yet picked up your gear, please proceed towards the locker rooms in the School Armory.
Sincerely,
Professor Octavius Drakonus
Vlad nodded wordlessly as he pocketed the Scroll away, stretching his free arm and bending over backwards slightly o ready his muscles.
"Alrighty…" Raven perked her head towards him, seeing the Russian heading in the Armory's direction.
"Wanna come with, buy guy?" Enrique shook his head. "I already grabbed my gear if you haven't noticed already."
Nodding in response, Vlad made his way to the Armory, leaving the two for the time being.
Enrique began to head off in the other direction, intent on getting a good feel of the academy before noon strikes.
Raven alternated her gaze between Vlad and Enrique, at a speed where it would've broken a regular person's neck, before sighing in annoyance.
"Boys…" She muttered before morphing into her bird form and flying off, startling a few people along the way.
-Armory Locker Rooms-
Vladimir, who was now in the locker rooms, approached his locker, Number 321, to retrieve his gear. Along the way, he had bumped into Kali once again, who was getting her own gear from her locker.
Kali had picked her weapon already. It was a rather elegant handgun, resembling an OTS-33 "Pernach" in its generic shape with a few bits from the MP-443 Grach, although the grip was slanted more than usual. There was a muzzle weight on the weapon, with the ports at the side (which made Vlad shake his head for a bit) to reduce horizontal recoil. The weapon was also a mecha-shift apparently, as there seems to be a tall (height) and thin (width) metal block underneath the barrel and attached to the front of the trigger guard (which was curved inwards by that area which separates it from the rest of the block via a horizontal line while the rest of it sported a few diagonal lines separating it into segments), along with a second selector switch just next to the actual selector weapon was silver, the light giving it that immaculate aura, with engravings written in South-Western Mistrali (imagine Italian) with the words saying "Muoviamo avanti, non ancora" on one side and "Move Onwards, Not There Yet" on the other. The grips were rather ornate as well, beautifully carved wood with golden engravings resembling vines. The barrel was rather long, for a handgun, being at 16 inches (much like a standard AR-15/Armalite Rifle Design 15), possibly for the large metal block underneath.
It was when she flipped the second selector switch (which oddly had a gun and a sword on two separate markings) did Vlad realized what the metal block actually was. The block separated itself horizontally, revealing a telescopic blade underneath, that with the lower half attaching itself to the barrel. The transformed block extended, the segmented lines revealing more of the blade as said blade lowered from the thin block.
Kali pulled back the slide to chamber a fresh new round (Judging by its size, it was a 5.7x28mm round), before she slung it over her back, the sling made of a silky yet durable black and white fabric.
The Faunus felt someone's eyes on her and began to look around before seeing Vlad standing a few feet away from her, causing her to send a small smile in his way.
"Hello there, Vladimir, fancy meeting you here again."
"It's good to see you too, Miss Noir." Vlad took one of Kali's hands and kissed it like a gentleman, causing her to blush slightly from his rather bold action.
"My, my, Vladimir, isn't this a bit too fast?" Vladimir simply smirked as he lets go of Kali's hand.
"I was only being a chivalrous individual to a fine lady such as you." Someone clicked their tongue in annoyance.
"Fucking animal lover… This place ain't a petting zoo!" A male voice called out, causing the two to turn their attention to the speaker.
It was a teen male with a runner's build and brown skin. The person wore a dull gray waistcoat over a white sleeved shirt, with a silver chain necklace around his neck sporting a metal sculpture of a hawk. He wore a pair of black slacks with brown leather shoes.
He stood tall at 6 feet straight, with some taunt muscles being made clear even underneath his clothing. The person sported dull-red hair done in a swept-back style with golden brown eyes, along with some reddish lips.
Currently there was an annoyed look on the man's face.
There also was one on Vlad's face too, as he releases Kali's hand and walks up to the slightly shorter male individual.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that an ugly monkey's the main exhibit." That comment angered the individual, who brought up his fist, holding his rather large weapon.
"You wanna repeat that to my little friend here?" The boy said, waving the weapon for emphasis.
The weapon wasn't a firearm, as far as Vlad can see it, although knowing Remnant and the Huntsmen and Huntresses' quirk with transforming weapons, he can damn hazard a guess that it will transform.
It resembled a Zweihander sword, with the 6 feet-long obsidian blades being vertically segmented by a single, thin purple line for about two-thirds of the blade from the tip down, with the remaining portion being completely solid. There was an odd hollow space in that portion's middle, with one end being covered by a curved box housing a series of mechanisms. There was a dull red Dust crystal embedded inside the hilt's center. Seeing a trigger (without a trigger guard, to which Vlad was sure Enrique would berate the wielder for possessing complete disregard for proper firearms technique) along with a magazine release paddle (similar to that of a Kalashnikov rifle or an MP5 sub-machinegun), as well as magazines on the person's belt containing 4 four-inch metal bolts with each arrowhead color-coded for each varying type of Dust, Vlad knew the weapon was also a crossbow.
A rather large and unwieldy one, if you ask anyone with common sense.
Anyways, the weapon, much like Kali's, was rather decorated, with red highlights and engravings on the blade, with the edges being golden. The grip/handle, fashioned like a Japanese sword's Tsuka ito (Cord Wrap), was white (not snow white like that of Schnee family, but a light bluish white much like most snowflakes), with a pommel at the bottom sporting a sculpture of a knight piece from chess made of diamond (or Dust, he couldn't really tell).
How the boy holds the weapon and how nobody else saw it sooner was anyone's guess.
Vlad, regardless, simply smiled before walking past the teen and into his own locker, which was conveniently nearby and within sight. Opening the locker, he grabbed his gear and weapons.
"HEY! We're not done talking here, animal lover." the boy, apparently not used to being ignored, spoken up in annoyance. He approached Vlad with a predator smile, sword/crossbow weapon haphazardly being settled on his shoulder.
"I oughta teach you a le-"
He was cut off by a barrel of a Colt Python Magnum revolver being aimed right at his forehead/temple, the user's intent being to kill.
This Python was customized externally and internally, with the base frame of the gun made from stainless steel and coated in nickel. The grip was in real mother-of-pearl, contoured to seemingly blend into the shooter's grip for maximum stability. The barrel was 7 and a half inches in length, the platinum-white engravings depicting a python's body wrapping around it delicately. The muzzle was custom-made to be shaped like a sapphire-eyed white snake baring its fangs at a hostile being, as well was sporting venting holes on the top to force recoil downwards. The hammer, that part used to cock/ready the beautiful single-action piece of art, was skeletonized ring instead of a spurred hammer and it was given serrations to improve cocking speed when used by either the shooting hand's thumb or the off-hand. The cylinder of the revolver was modified to quickly swing out and quickly back into the gun, with the ejector rod being safe-guarded by an outer stainless steel shell.
Now it was Vladimir's turn to smile in a predatory manner. The hammer was already cocked; he just needed to pull the trigger.
"I can see that you're speechless when my beautiful baby girl gets up in your face." The teen's face held a mix of fear and anger as Vladimir talked in a condescending tone.
"This right here is one of my personal Colt Python .357 Magnum revolvers. It holds six shots, more than enough to kill anything that moves. Oh yes… a fine piece of art in every square centimeter of this astounding gun." Vlad said as he slung over his custom SVD rifle over his back and holstered his other Python into one of the chest-rig holsters.
The air was tense, with Vlad holding a gun into the teen's head and Kali looking on with wide eyes and apparent fear.
It was until a hand placed itself on the boy's left upper arm that the tense air was slowly going away.
"Reid, enough, we're gonna be late." It was a girl, judging by the pitch of the voice, which was just slightly higher than that of a boy's voice.
Vlad removed the revolver and holstered the weapon, Kali breathed out a sigh of relief at the averted situation, and the boy, Reid, simply scoffed and turned to face the girl.
She was pale, not unnaturally so. She was standing at over 5 feet and 8 inches, with a fit body build, but no visible muscles were apparent. She had smooth and silky pink hair that went down to her upper chest (which wasn't too shabby, either), her eyes were crystal blue. Her face was rather cute in a mature sort of way.
She dressed like a Western Gunslinger, her top wear consisting of a yellowish shirt with a burnt orange poncho sporting white square decors around the neck area with some silver tassels. She wore a black pair of jeans with a few rips in the lower areas (fashion, Vlad surmised) along with some cowboy boots, complete with star-spurs that spin with each step. On her head was a Stetson hat, with an emblem depicting that of a Pegasus-unicorn hybrid bursting through the flames which were stylized in an ornamental wreath's fashion, while around her neck was a red scarf that was currently lowered to revealed dark-red lips currently in a pout.
"Come on, Reid! We're gonna be late!" she said in annoyance as she pulled Reid's arm in emphasis. Reid grumbled in annoyance as he lets himself be dragged off by the newcomer, but not before glaring daggers at Vlad.
"This isn't over." He was promptly met with a rude gesture. Some call it 'Flipping the Bird'; others call it the 'One-Finger Insult'.
But we all just come to know it as the middle finger, which Vlad had done in response to Reid's words. As the two disappeared from view, Kali wiped off some unnoticed sweat from her brow.
"That was unnecessary, you know?" she asked Vlad, who quickly retracted his outstretched hand and shoved it into his pants' pocket.
"Eh, guy was an asshole, alright? What was I gonna do? Let him insult you and me further?"
"But you're just making it harder for the Fauna out there by defending me." Kali muttered with some sadness lightly lacing her tone. Vlad simply shrugged in response before walking off, passing Kali and heading for the doors. But not before her replied to her words.
Looking over his shoulder, he spoke, "I don't care if Fauna around the world are getting it harder than before, or if pricks profit from it. No one insults my friends, ever."
Kali, at loss for words, simply nodded as Vlad exited through the large double doors.
Chapter 1 Part 1 - Into the Fray
[Beacon Academy/Vale City, Vale/6th of June, 1996]
-With Summer Rose-
Summer had groggily woken up to find no one by her side. She glanced around lazily and saw Enrique, who was leaning against one of the ballroom's pillars, scanning the room with watchful eyes.
The two locked eyes for a brief moment, but Summer immediately broke off eye-contact looking like a deer with headlights. She always was awkward with any male individual, even those in her pack. She would often stumble over words and if not, and she would instead make things more awkward somehow in some way.
Enrique was no different, for that she was certain. But that won't stop her from trying at all.
He simply raised an eyebrow at her behavior. Granted, he never really knew how a female acted. Not even the lessons with his adoptive mother helped, the words were too confusing despite being worded in English (Valean, he corrected himself as he was in Remnant now). In a sense, he was a little bit dense. Sure, he can pick up on some of the signals any girl would send his way (Thanks or no thanks to his mother), but is unsure on how to proceed with them.
It was like being in a minefield with all mines being cleverly buried to the point there's nothing different in the surface. One wrong step and he'll be all over the place faster than you can say "KABOOM!"
He was aware that Summer held some form of feelings towards him, although whether that was because he was her first friend in Beacon or something else, he didn't know the answer for now.
Summer, after holding down her blush, quickly put away her sleeping gear and sluggishly tucking them away. She was not a morning person, apparently evident in her tired state of waking up early.
"Uhm-hmm… Why do we have to wake up so early?" she asked to no one in particular as she trudged around a bit more, before bumping into someone.
"Oo-oof!" Summer nearly fell over had she not regained her footing quickly, a sign that she was trained well to be a future Huntress. She addresses the person she had bumped into. "I-I'm sorry!"
"Just be more careful, brat." A female voice replied before the speaker turned to face her.
She stood at 6 feet flat, just taller than Summer, with a fair and healthy skin color. She wore an unbuttoned leather jacket over a plain black shirt that revealed a bit of cleavage of her moderately sized breasts, as well as a black skirt that barely went past her crotch if she stood still and didn't move a lot. Her legs were covered by pure black stockings, and her feet were hidden behind some military-style combat boots. She had a black cape with purple inner that was attached to her via a silk choker around her neck.
Her face, while beautiful, was somewhat of a mess, with a short green line (obviously a tattoo) vertically going down just beneath her right eye and dull-colored lips. Her eyes were a vibrant green, like emeralds shining in the dark. Her hair was a mess as well, with no apparent style or controlled form other than the fact that it was spiking into various directions but the eyes were given a clear view of the world around her.
This woman look irritated, although whether it was from Summer or something else no one knows, evident by the scowl on her face.
"Eh?" She leaned closer towards the wolf Faunus, who tensed up a bit. After analyzing Summer under her scrutinizing gaze, she stopped leaning and straightened her posture somewhat with a hand on her hip and one leg bended and lazily just standing on the tips of the foot's toes.
"You look cute." She said with one eyebrow raised, grabbing Summer's cheeks and lightly pinching them. After a few seconds, the woman released Summer's cheeks as she patted the wolf Faunus on the head.
Jabbing a finger to face with a toothy grin, she introduced herself.
"Name's Glynda Goodwitch, brat, but you can call me Glynda." Summer nodded, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as she introduced herself too.
"M-my name's Summer Rose. It is nice to meet you." She said meekly. Glynda responded by giving her a little pat on the head, much to Summer's surprise.
That's when Glynda pointed in a direction. "That guy bothering you?" Summer, confused at what she meant, followed to where Glynda's finger was aimed at.
Her confusion turned to surprise when she saw Enrique, who had witnessed the entire scene no doubt, crossing his arms as he leaned against the pillar, looking rather intimidating especially with his gear, weaponry and outfit.
Shaking her head, before realizing that Glynda wasn't looking at her, and replied/answered, "No, it's fine. He's a friend of mine, my first friend here in Beacon, actually." She said with some pink tinting her face, unseen thanks to her donning her hoodie/cloak.
Glynda, however, was unconvinced. How does a cute girl like Summer find a friend in a big giant like him? It just didn't seem right in her mind, that.
The guy was rather tall, hell he was probably larger than a Beringel (a type of Grimm that resembles an upright gorilla with a disfigured face), carrying an assortment of weapons on his chest, hips, and back. He looked more like a mercenary than a student in Glynda's eyes, and she had the feeling that her suspicions weren't far from the truth.
She scowled at the man, already not liking his presence in here. She flinched when he caught her staring and sent back a calm glance, one that held hostile thoughts underneath.
Glynda slowly backed away a few steps and shivered, although the latter action went unnoticed by Summer.
She just thought Glynda needed some space for now. "Well, I'll be off for now, Glynda. Again, it was nice to meet you." She bowed in respect before heading off towards the armory/locker rooms with a skip in her step as she went past a few future students.
Glynda was a little bit surprised when she heard Summer's voice and looked just in time to see her already leaving through the doors.
Sighing, she looked back at Enrique before scoffing and walking off.
Enrique watched the blonde woman warily, keeping his eyes on her form as she walked out of sight. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, he grumbled in his head.
"This op's getting more damn complicated than I thought." Glancing around and looking at his future schoolmates, he thought again.
"Just hope these guys can be good soldiers when the time comes." With that in mind, he stopped leaning against the pillar and made his way to the Beacon Cliffs.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of glowing amber eyes trailed his every move until he was out of their sight.
Those eyes belonged to a fair and beautiful maiden with hair as black as a raven's feathers and skin healthily pale.
"Interesting." That was all she said before heading towards the Beacon Cliffs as well.
-12:05:38 PM/Beacon Cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest-
Enrique got into a combat-ready stance, hands hovering over his handcannons the moment the headmaster gave them the go signal. From both sides of him, a few students also had the same idea, readying their weapons the moment they are sent into the Emerald Forest.
Drakonus stood in front of them, explaining to the students what was needed to be done. In all honesty, it felt like a debriefing back at HQ to Enrique.
"For many years, you all have honed your skills so that you may use them to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You all proved, not just to yourselves, but to everyone you know, that you are worthy, nay, already Huntsmen and Huntresses ready to defend from the never-ending onslaught of the Grimm hordes." He spoke in a sage-like tone as he glanced over a few individuals that caught his eye.
"Some of you have heard rumors on how teams were made, as well as how partners were chosen. Let me be the one that shall dismiss the rumors and give you the flat-out truth. The teams shall be selected," he paused for dramatic effect, "today."
Enrique heard Summer whimper quietly as she readied her weapon, a thin stiletto blade with a cross-hilt and a ruby gem on the pommel. Glynda grunted and flicked her weapon, a riding crop that doubles as a wand. Vlad craned his neck and flexed his fingers.
"It is rather simple. Once you are in the forest, you all are to make your way to the temple to obtain the relics at the far north side of the area. Along the way, you will no doubt encounter Grimm, so do not hesitate to kill them on sight." A few nods were given in response as Drakonus continued. Summer once again whimpered, stroking the side of her hoodie as a form of comfort.
"As for your partner, the selection is simplistic once more. The first person you make eye-contact with shall be your partner in academic work and other works for the next four years." Enrique swore he heard glass breaking as Summer yells out a cute "WHAT?!" in response to the headmaster's explanation.
Drakonus smirked, although it was slight to the point no one noticed.
"Now what you are each standing upon are spring-loaded platforms that will propel you upwards and forwards. From there, it is up to you on how you get back on the ground."
Wait a minute, what? Looking down, Enrique and a few warriors saw that, indeed, there are spring-loaded platforms.
Without warning, a SWOOSH emitted like a gunshot and a student was sent flying (and screaming) into the forest. The others, at least the ones near to that unfortunate student, had no time to react and were also sent flying (and screaming) into the forest.
Luckily, he and Vladimir were far from the unfortunate starting bunch and got ready once more. Enrique flicked off the straps securing the tops of the holsters of his handcannons and Vladimir readied his customized SVD, racking the bolt to check if a 7.62x54mmR round was really settled in neatly into the chamber (which it was, and he closed the bolt once more).
A few more students were then flung into the forest, with Summer, Kali, Tatiana and Glynda being amongst them. When it was finally their turn to be launched, Enrique nodded to Vlad, who smirked in response before they were both sent flying into the forest as well.
As the last of the students were launched off, Drakonus smiled.
-High above a section of the Emerald Forest/With Vladimir-
Vladimir never felt so free in his life. The feeling of the wind blowing against his face and body as he soared through the air. It felt so amazing to him! He's definitely gonna go skydiving if he gets the free time.
Doing a few somersaults, Vlad readied his SVD. Taking aim through his rifle's scope and making adjustments when necessary, he fired a single bullet, nailing a headshot on an unsuspecting Ursa Major, killing it in one messy shower of gore. Aiming at another location, he fired and struck down a Nevermore through both wings in two shots.
Seeing that he was descending into the forest thanks to gravity (which was lighter on Remnant compared to Earth, if he remembered right), Vlad searched for a suitable landing spot that wouldn't hurt him that much.
Finding a large tree with a few sturdy branches, he slung away his rifle and pulled out a Soviet-made NR 43 combat knife, customized in his preferred colors and its blade made to firmly embed itself in whatever its master decides to stab. Once he neared to tree, he stabbed his blade into the bark at a diagonal angle, causing him to spin around the tree as he quickly made his way down to the grassy ground below.
Jumping off (taking the knife with him) the tree once he was ten feet above ground, Vlad got into a rolling position as he impacted against the grass. Rolling for about three feet before leaping and landing on his feet, he wasted no time in rushing to where the relics are said to be.
"Nailed it!" he said as he rushed to the far northern end of the forest.
-With Summer-
She was screaming as she was flung across and over the forest, many treetops zooming past her as she soared a little bit higher and faster thanks to her lithe body. Luckily, she was able to land thanks to an open clearing, to which she directed her body to fall down to that spot. Focusing her Aura to envelope her body, she braced for impact.
Thanks to her Aura, the impact against the ground wasn't too bad. She ricocheted a bit before stopping completely by firmly planting her two feet against a smooth boulder nearby.
Jumping off, she readied her sword as her feet touched the ground. Using her enhanced senses (sight, sound and smell), she begins to make her way towards the far north end where the relics are located.
As she rushed through, she began to ponder on her options.
"Alright, gotta get to the temple and find a partner! Hmm, but who? Let's see now… who do I know? Oh, there's Vladimir. He's cool, pretty classy with that coat and fedora on. Buuut I don't think I'd wanna deal with his flirting." She imagined a Chibi Vladimir flirting with a Chibi Version of herself as she passed through a few bushes and vaulting over a few downed trees, she pondered some more.
"And then there's also Kali! She's pretty cool herself, plus she looks like she can hold her own during a fight. I kinda think we can work along fine. I'm a Faunus, she's a Faunus. I mean, sure, she's a cat and I'm a wolf, but I'm sure we can look past that, ehehe…" She imagined Chibi versions of herself and Kali having a conversation as she giggled at the thought.
"And then there's Enrique. Out of those three, I've known him first and he was so nice! But he looked pretty serious this morning, I wonder why? Eh, doesn't take away the fact that the guy's pretty good." Summer then imagines a buff and Chibi Enrique just being an overall grouch as a Chibi Summer frolics around him. A blush appears on her cheeks but then she gets shakes her head. Summer then reached a clearing overlooking a plain just a few feet below and a large chasm far away.
Oh, and there were a few Grimm in the plains, just some Beowulves, a couple of Ursai, and a few Boarbatusks. Nothing she can't handle.
She readied her sword, the thin stiletto blade gleaming brightly against the midday sun which attracted the Grimm nearby.
"Uh-oh!" she gulped as two Boarbatusks rolled rapidly towards her. Bracing herself and flaring her Aura, she blocked the first one with her blade and dodged the second one via rolling under it.
Breathing in and getting to a sword-fighting stance, Summer stabbed a third Boarbatusk through the neck and sliced its' head off. She side-stepped, dodging a Beowulf and slashed twice at the chest before leaping back and landing on some grass superhero landing style. Rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding the first two Boarbatusks from before that were coming up from behind, Summer then horizontally slashed at a fourth one, the blade creating sparks as it impacted against the bony armor.
She then leaps over it and sends a rapid flurry of slashes at its' armored back, cracking it in a few places. A second Beowulf growled and made a lunge, only for her to send a swift stab to where a heart would be if the Beowulf were a person rather than a soulless harbinger of death and destruction. The creature of Grimm fell over dead as Summer dodged another Boarbatusk's charge and stabbed it through its' exposed stomach, killing it as well.
Summer smiled as she watched the dead Grimm bodies disintegrate, only to get blindsided by an Ursa that had somehow snuck up behind her. Her body made impact against a nearby tree, causing it to bend a little and send out a couple of splinters. She groaned as she tried to stand up, only for the Ursa to knock her down again.
Her face showed horror as the bear Grimm opened its' maw, intent on eating off her face. What was worse was that it cleverly placed both of its' front paws on her arms, immobilizing them.
She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own demise.
…
But it never came as a blood-red sword sliced off the Ursa's head, causing it to roll around before stopping at a Beowulf's foot.
The remaining Grimm looked from their would-be victim and saw a woman with blood-red eyes and spike-y black hair in crimson clothing.
The two remaining Beowulves lunged at the newcomer, only for her to slice them in two swift strokes of her sword. The three Boarbatusks rolled at her in a triangle formation, only for them to be cut down as swiftly as the Beowulves in three swift movements.
The final Ursa roared at her before attempting to slash at her with its claw, only for it to be sliced off by the sword. The Grimm had no time to comprehend the pain as the woman sliced it vertically apart in one move.
As the Ursa's body fell to the ground and began disintegrating, Summer opened her eyes to see her savior.
Raven Branwen smirked at her and opened her mouth. "Nice to meet yah, partner."
Summer, on the other hand, was blushing at the woman's coolness. "Th-this is my partner? She's so pretty."
-With Enrique-
Enrique 's large body (combined with his heavy weight and the weapons and equipment he's carrying) caused him to descend faster than the other students.
Luckily, he landed on his feet… right onto an unsuspecting Alpha Beowulf in the middle of a Beowulf pack (around 10 including the Alpha).
Wasting no time, he got out his handcannons Whitetail and Blackhawk and quickly went into town.
BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG!
Firing five rounds from each gun into the armored skulls of these developed Beowulves, each custom .50 AE round managing to penetrate then absolutely demolish each Beowulf head.
The results were a group of Beowulf heads popping in a shower of gory chunks, staining the grass and trees with their black blood. The poor bastards never knew what hit them.
Grunting, Enrique pressed the ambidextrous magazine release buttons on his handguns as he loaded two fresh 20-round magazines into his handguns and keeping away the partially depleted magazines into his magazine holsters.
Scanning his surroundings, he began to make a mad dash to the far north end of the forest.
Hopefully Vlad didn't find a partner yet, but if he did…
Enrique's gonna have to make do with what he's got.
As he made his way through the forests, he got rid of a fair amount of Grimm. Mindful of his ammunition, he used his blades to slice the Grimm apart and only used his guns on the larger or tougher adversaries.
Just as he neared the end of the thick forest, his hearing picked up on the sounds of a nearby fight. There was another initiate nearby; hopefully it was someone he knew. Again, if not...
He's just going to make do with what he gets.
Changing his course, Enrique made his way to the source of the sounds, the fighting growing louder as he got closer.
When he emerged from out the thicket of bushes, he saw who was fighting off the Grimm. And she was doing rather well.
She had just sliced off a Ursa's head from the upper neck portion with one of her twin weapons, which were scimitars that had a few mechanical embellishments on the blades (meaning that they combine into an alternate form, or individually turn into two separate modes) and the grips being rather curved outwards starting at the point where the handle meets the cross hilt portion and ending about halfway.
Twirling diagonally to the left and avoiding a Beowulf's slash, the young woman punished its' poor aim with one of her scimitars going deep into the neck before the other pierced through its' skull from the bottom of the jaw to the top of the skull.
Pulling the blades out, she jumped high into the air to avoid another Beowulf's charge that sent it slamming into another Beowulf.
"Oh, she's good."
As she landed, she was immediately hit from the side by a fourth one, sending her sprawling across the grass groaning as she did.
"But not good enough, it seems."
Her recovery was quick, Enrique noticed, as she was rapidly up and on her two feet to narrowly avoid the same Beowulf's claw. Problem was that she leaned a little too far back, which sent her back into the ground.
The Grimm, not wasting this opportunity, ganged up on her.
"Time to intervene."
Pulling out his bolos, Enrique threw one of them at the pack. The blade twirled rapidly as it removed the head of one Beowulf before sinking lightly into a tree's trunk.
Not wasting time, he charged at the remaining pack and tackled another, his strength outmatching the creature of Grimm, before punching its' head into a squishy black mass with his fist. Hearing the remaining two approaching, he rolled forward and then followed it with a side roll to the left, avoiding the two completely.
Running to his thrown bolo, he grabbed it and faced the two Beowulves once more. Narrowing his eyes, he sheathed both his bolos and cracked his knuckles as he approached the two Beowulves, who were growling and roaring as he neared them.
Getting into a fighting stance, he taunted the two with a 'come hither' motion of his entire left hand.
They charged, the two creating distance between them as they neared the large man that killed their two pack members. One opened its' jaws and lunged, and the other simply charged with the claws ready to kill whatever is caught in their grasps.
Enrique responded by twisting his body to meet the one that lunged, driving one of his bolos straight through the mouth and into the chest cavity. Using his own momentum, he immediately slammed the dead Beowulf into the other one, disorientating the creature of darkness and staining a large area around them with black blood as well as covering Enrique's front with the substance.
As the dead Beowulves dissipated, Enrique turned to face the individual he saved. If he remembered correctly, she was the girl in the night blue dress during the Headmaster's speech, although she was dressed differently.
She wore a brown leather jacket over a white shirt (which oddly was designed to look like they were mere bandages covering her top) that exposed a bit of her midriff. Her leggings consisted of dark blue jeans with cowgirl boots (complete with fur tails), with a blue feather accessory attached to her left butt cheek portion of her jeans.
She had a moderate bust and ass with her figure being able to turn all kinds of heads. Her hair was moderately long, just past her shoulders, with thin bangs framing her heart-shaped face.
While Enrique had fended off the remaining Beowulves of the pack, the young woman managed to get up and dust herself off just in time to see Enrique slam his bolo into one Beowulf and using his momentum to smash the body against the last one, covering him and the surrounding small radius with black blood. She was really surprised at the man's combat skills and his brutality towards the Grimm.
Such an individual was someone she knew wasn't trained to kill just Grimm, but also people. It confused her, but she didn't show it to the man that had finished off the Grimm who was now facing her.
She flinched when she saw the man's right eye, while pale, seemed to glow lightly. Just looking at it made her feel uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Enrique stared into her amber yellow eyes. Strangely, they reminded him of fire, like napalm burning a jungle. He quickly hardened his features and pushed away the thoughts.
"So I'm guessing we're partners, huh?" Enrique's voice snapped the woman out of her daze, to which she replied with a stammer at the beginning.
"Huh? O-oh! Yes, I guess we are since we've just made eye-contact. And you kinda went overkill on the Grimm, so... yeah." She shrugged as she stretched for a bit, showing a bit more of her midriff, before extending a hand out.
"Evelyn Fall, nice to meet you," she calmly introduced herself. Enrique simply took her hand and shook it lightly once.
"Enrique Verde, Miss Fall." Letting go of her hand to wipe away the Grimm blood from his face and neck, Enrique twirled his bolos as he asked.
"Are we close to the temple Headmaster Drakonus pointed out?" Evelyn nodded as she recovered her scimitars and sheathed them on her back.
"I saw the top of the temple before I got distracted by those Grimm back there which, again, you killed brutally." Enrique simply shrugged before sheathing his bolos into their leg-mounted sheaths and pulling out Whitetail and Blackhawk, the two handcannons giving off a bright shine thanks to their parkerized finishes. He began to walk in the direction Evelyn said she saw the temple's tops, with said Huntress-in-training tagging along.
-Back with Vladimir-
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!
Eight shots rang out, and eight creatures of Grimm fell before Vlad, the barrel of his SVD smoking from rapid usage.
"Y'know…" he began as he reloaded the rifle, "when I read up on your kind, I expected a challenge." He stepped over a dissipating corpse, continuing his calm rant. "But instead, each one I've faced so far are complete jokes. Even child soldiers in the Middle East were better fighters than this." Hearing something move through the bushes, he readied the rifle.
Suddenly, a black paw with white bony plating shot out and took a swipe at him. Vlad flipped out of the way and narrowed his eyes at the newcomer.
It was a bear Grimm, an Ursa if he remembered the briefings, with multiple bony plates covering it, suggesting the creature is old and experienced. Smirking a tad bit, he squeezed the trigger.
Just as he thought, the Ursa dodged to the side, avoiding the 7.62mm round that flew past it. Quickly readjusting his aim, he fired once more. This time the round hit the Grimm square in the shoulder, making it growl loudly in response.
"So the older they are, the tougher they're to kill? This makes it interesting." He fired again before slinging rifle onto his back and reaching into his trench-coat and pulling out his customized NR 43 combat knife and rushed forward at the Ursa.
The Ursa roared as it managed to somehow intercept the bullet aimed at its face with one of its paws. Because of this, it did not see Vlad charging in and sending out a rapid barrage of knife slashes across its underbelly, cutting multiple times before jumping away. It roared in anger and pain before charging at the human that attacked it.
Vlad sidestepped the charge before plunging the knife deep into the Ursa's left leg and forcing it to the side, the blade ripping the appendage, causing it to hang on loose strands. The creature stumbled before, in a surprising move, turning quickly and knocking Vlad to the side with a backhand (or paw, depending on how you see it as) and into a tree.
Grunting as he made impact with the bark, he pulled out his silver/pearl Python revolver from his chest-rig holster and pulled the trigger just as the iron sights were aligned with the general area of the Ursa's head. The firearm went off with a loud bang and the 9x33mmR/.357 Magnum round flew in a quick and flat trajectory and piercing the Grimm's bony armor surrounding the upper portions of the neck, severing the bone and muscle.
It stumbled for a bit before giving a defying roar and falling down, dead at last. Vlad took this moment to regain his breath, smiling as he did.
"Well… huff… huff… That was fun…" Vlad, forcing himself out of the tree trunk and landing on his feet shakily, said as he stretched for a bit.
Hearing some footsteps approaching his direction, he quickly spun on his heel and aimed his revolver and placed his knife…
At Tatiana's head and neck, respectively. Said woman was pretty shocked at the speed and reflexes of Vlad, not just from the fight with the Ursa Major, but also from what happened just now. Her mismatched pair of emerald-green and light golden-beige eyes widened to the size of small plates when she felt the bloodied metal of the knife on her neck and as she stared down the barrel of the Magnum revolver.
Vlad's own blood-red eyes widened when he recognized the young woman he nearly killed before holstering his revolver and sheathing away his combat knife back into his trench-coat. "I am terribly sorry, Miss Lazuli. I was a little too caught up in the moment there." He gave a curt bow of the head before straightening himself.
Tatiana overcame her shock and simply waved off his apology. "It's quite fine, Vladimir. I was also at fault for approaching you that quickly and closely." She giggled off her own worries and cocked her head to the side.
"I guess we are partners now, eh?" She placed her arms behind her back as she rocked in place on her heels and soles alternating in a placid manner.
Vlad simply nodded in response and flashed a toothy grin. "Then what are we waiting for, Miss Lazuli? Let's go!" He began to head off in a random direction, much to Tatiana's sweatdrop and chagrin.
"Vladimir! You're heading in the wrong direction! The temple's this way!" She pointed in the direction opposite of Vlad's path as she exclaimed her annoyance. A few seconds later, Vlad came back with one hand behind his head scratching it in embarrassment.
"Hehe, I knew that." He played it off as he walked past Tatiana and whistling off his little blunder.
She simply shook her head in mock annoyance as she readied her battle-axe. "Boys will be boys."
AAAAND CUT! That'll be all for today (and this month) so thank you all for taking your sweet-ass time to read this pathetic excuse of a chapter. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that good jizzle. EnriksD8 is out, PEACE!