"Here you go, Ilrinyu."
Onyx glanced out the aerocraft's window, before jumping out with her team on the landing pad. Ilrinyu was a wreck, half ruins half functioning village. Fortunately, the aerocraft landing pad was one of the parts of the village that was intact. Team Opera silently surveyed the village, their weapons strapped across their backs along with packs.
"Wasn't Huntsman Wenge supposed to meet us?" Richard asked as the aerocraft flew away.
"Yes," Onyx frowned at her watch. She didn't approve of tardiness.
"Well, should we wait here or go down into the village?" Robin queried. There was a flight of stairs going down from the landing pad, but he planned to use his glider.
"We should go down and wait at the base," Onyx decided after a moment's thought.
Pewter nodded his agreement and the three of them started down the stairs, Robin jumping off the side to glide to the bottom. There was no sign of the Huntsman at the bottom. Onyx paced, hadn't the Huntsman been informed of their joining him? Why wasn't he here? A thousand questions whirled around in her brain and the longer they waited increased the questions. Scenarios began playing out in her head and she sorted through them, finding the most logical ones. Perhaps Hunstsman Wenge was helping the villagers and had forgotten what time they were coming. Perhaps he had been injured in a Grimm attack and was recovering. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
"We should go into the village and try to find him," Onyx said after an hour of waiting.
"Finally," Richard jumped up. "Maybe we could find something to eat?"
"You only think of your stomach," Robin shoved Richard playfully.
"Well it is demanding," Richard swung his bat catching it midair.
"We are here to work, recreational activities can be saved for later," Onyx answered Richard's question. "Our job right now is to find Huntsmen Wenge."
"Aw," Richard sighed. "Where do we even look?"
"There," Onyx pointed at a building being constructed by the villagers."We ask around, one of them is bound to know."
"Should I be worried you know so much about finding someone?" Richard hurried to keep up with Onyx's fast pace.
She didn't give him an answer, instead shooting him a look that said she wasn't going to grace him with a reply. Richard shrugged, returning to swinging his bat and whistling a sailor's tune he had learned from another of the students. Many of the villager's were outside the building: children playing among the beams yet to be hauled to the roof, women hauling pots and pans of steaming food to tables with plates piled high with rolls and other assortments of food, men hopping off the rafters and stem walls to eat. Onyx led the way, the crowd parting and falling back behind the team like a boat cutting through water.
"Excuse me," Onyx tapped a man's shoulder. "Could you tell us the location of Huntsman Wenge?"
"Hm?" the man grunted. "Oh, Ravine." He looked around the people as if searching for the Huntsman. "Oh. Over there."
Onyx looked in the direction the man pointed and nodded. "This way," she waved at her teammates.
"I wonder what he's like," Richard whispered to Robin.
Huntsman Wenge was a very thin man, who's clothes hung off him like bags, though he was not unhealthily thin. He towered over Onyx, even though he looked slightly bent.
"Oh," Wenge slapped his forehead with one hand. "I was supposed to come pick you up."
"Yes," Onyx nodded, her face blank.
"Sorry kids," Wenge scratched his head. "Come have lunch, I'll introduce you to the people."
Pewter shifted, he had caught some of the villagers pointing at him and whispering. They had recognized him. Not that it was hard, but it was always awkward for him.
"Everyone!" Wenge gathered the attention of the few who weren't paying attention. "This is a team all the way from Beacon Academy in Vale. They've come to help with the rebuilding! Uh...this is…"
Onyx took over, "We are Team Opera. I am team leader, Onyx Alabaster. This is my partner Pewter Balderk and my teammates, Richard Rosso and Robin Coquelico."
"Welcome to our village," a chorus of voiced greeted them.
The team dipped their heads respectfully, before Wenge pulled them into them into the crowd.
"So since we are guard detail," Robin leaned on his staff. "I thought we should scour these cliffs for Grimm activity."
"You just want to play with your glider," Richard pointed out.
"No, I'm just saying we should practice our training," Robin stammered. "Scout an area so we aren't surprised during attacks."
"Alright," Richard shrugged. "But I still say you want to play with your glider."
Richard shrugged, "Wanna ride?"
"I'll stick to the ground for now," Richard swung his bat a few times.
"Suit yourself," Robin twirled his staff, his glider popping out.
Richard craned his neck up to watch Robin shoot upwards. A red dot swirled around in the clouds. Robin must have overestimated the amount of wind he needed. He sometimes did that, like that one time they had caught Ghara accidently. Humming to himself, Richard strolled through the bushy grasses. The spring semester had been good to team Opera. They had advanced as a team well enough to compete with team Cargo. Right now they were competing with team Jasper on who was going to beat Cargo first. Team Galena had fallen behind becoming last place. Team Persian was doing well too. A few days after their mission the Fourth Years would graduate and the whole school would be shut down for festivities. So the mission was really finals. Finals he didn't mind for once.
His mind wasn't so preoccupied that he didn't hear the snap of footsteps behind him. Whirling around he found several Beowolves approaching. Gripping his bat, he cursed the decision to look out over a cliff for Robin. One large one growled as it neared, Richard ready to beat it off crouched, ready for the Grimm's attack.
It lunged.
The Grimm landed near the cliff edge, its prey vanished.
"You do know I'm way better on the ground?" Richard shouted up at Robin. "Also...I had that covered!"
"Yeah, I know. Hang on!" Robin replied
"Aah!"
The red glider launched off the side of the cliff, soaring into the sky. Behind them the Beowolves skidded to a halt, staring dumbly up at the two flying males above them.
"Hang on!" Robin said.
"Of course I am hanging on! What do you expect when there are a bunch of pointy rocks below! They didn't teach us that kind of landing strategy at Beacon!" Richard shouted back, the wind blurring his voice.
The glider circled in the wind and a gust hit the Beowolves, knocking them backwards. Richard and Robin hit the ground, the latter grabbing the glider and pressing a button. It whooshed as it wrapped around, forming into a long-barreled gun. Firing two shots, he rushed forward. Richard grabbed his baseball bat tighter and swung it around a few times before engaging a beowolf.
"Come on," he slammed the bat down onto the Grim's head.
Dodging a swipe of the Grim's claws, he brought the bat down once again on the Beowolf's head. Shots echoing and whizzing past him told him Robin was doing his job in cutting down the hordes.
Robin aimed carefully, clearing a swathe around Richard so that he could fight hand to hand. Peering down the scope he fired again. The beowolf dodged the bullet, lunging at Richard. Only to meet a mouthful of flare. He grinned and shot another Grimm as it charged, the previous one beginning to disappear in a cloud of black dust.
His Grimm on the ground and disintegrating, Richard turned to another, charging before bringing the bat down heavily on the Grim's head. It thumped to the ground and he flipped his bat, slamming the spiked end of the bat into the monster's eyes. He left that monster behind as well. A roar blew him back as an old Beowolf approached.
Turning his sniper rifle back into staff form, Robin stepped forward and placed one had out. Wind whirled around him. Glowing a light blue he forced back the other beowolves as the old one took on Richard. Suddenly he stopped, charging forward with his staff.
Richard swung his bat up, blocking the old Grimm's paw as it came down. He grinned up at it, firing a flare. Guiding it around, Richard backflipped as the flare slammed into the Grimm's head. Landing on his feet, Richard brought his bat down full force on the Beowolf's head. It dropped, dissolving into dust.
Together, Robin and Richard cut through the horde.
Pewter used his semblance to lighten the main beam. A set of pulleys and ropes pulled him and the beam up. They landed, teams swarming to adjust it and nail it into place. They would be ready to finish up the roof soon.
"Thank you," Wenge clapped him on the back. "You have quite the amazing semblance young man. I bet you do well at Beacon."
"Thank you, sir," Pewter nodded quietly.
Pewter glanced over where Onyx was tying off some boards to be moved to the other side of the building for scaffolding. Jumping down, he landed easily. "Need help?" he asked, wondering if he should lighten the scaffolding.
"Got it," she hoisted the wood into the cart. "Thanks."
Pewter nodded and went to see where else he could help.
"So who's going to tell Onyx?" Richard asked.
"I will," Robin opened his scroll and dialing her number. When she answered, he could see the construction going on behind them. "We found a pack of Beowolves," he informed her. "They are now all dead."
"Thanks to Teammates R&R," Robin called over Richard's shoulder.
"Good work," Onyx nodded. "Keep an eye out and call if there is more trouble than you can handle."
"Nothing we can't handle," Richard grinned.
The scroll blinked off.
Happy New Year!
FYI if you see any reference to Team Opera being Team Persian its a typo. For some weird reason I kept calling them team Persian, but I think I got all those mess ups fixed.
So Yay! Team Opera!