Chapter Ten
Ryu sat up. "Did you guys hear that?
The others sat up too.
"Hear what?" asked Nathan.
"Hmm, I thought I heard gunfire."
"Well, we were supposed to have started the next part of the challenge now, weren't we?" Damian yawned.
"Only if you're ready to go." Gagana said in a soft voice. She had been this way since the first challenge. Maybe it was shock, or maybe she had gained some respect for Damian and him questionable way of saving them.
"So, uh, which way?" Nathan asked, looking around.
"Well, we heard a scream to the east and gunfire to the North, so I suggest we go south." Ryu said, looking very smug.
"How can you possibly know that?" Nathan asked, one eyebrow raised sceptically.
"I just have a good internal compass." Ryu shrugged.
"Let me see this compass." Nathan said, hand outstretched.
"Nathan, I don't think an internal compass is what you think it is." Gagana said with a giggle. Nathan blushed and looked at his feet
"Alright, let's get going." Damian said as he started walking southwards. As he pushed through the tree line he saw it: a very large Grimm with a massive head, a mouth full of sharp looking teeth and tusks protruding from its jawline. Thick armour plating covered its body.
"So guys, do you th-" Damian began, but was cut off by the sound of Ryu shooting at the Grimm. The force of the shot knocked it backwards, but it recovered, looked directly at Damian, and let out a bloodcurdling roar.
Damian didn't flinch. Instead, he puffed up his chest and let out a roar of his own, charging at the creature. The two butted heads and glared at each other, eye to eye. Then the Grimm whipped around suddenly, smacking Damian with its tail, sending him flying backwards to be caught by Nathan and Gagana.
"Damian, you ok?" Nathan asked pushing the team leader into his feet
"Where is Ryu?" Damian gasped as the air returned to his lungs.
"He's providing covering fire." Gagana called back as she bolted towards the Grimm. As she ran. Her weapons began to glow blue. She jumped up and delivered an upper cut that sent out a flurry of blue sparks. The Grimm's head jerked upward unnaturally, then plummeted down, jaws open wide and heading directly for Gagana.
Bang!
Another shot hit the grim, knocking its head to the side, and Gagana back-flipped out of the way.
"Damian, get me on top of it!" Nathan called out as he loaded his magazines. Damian fired a missile at his teammate's feet, launching him into the air. Nathan sent down a stream of pellets into the Grimm's head. The creature howled, stretched its neck towards the sky and clamped its jaws around this new attacker.
"Nathan!" Damian screamed, charging forward. "Open this fucker up!" He yelled, bombarding the Grimm with missiles. Ryu's next bullet hit its eye, causing it to cry out in pain. Gagana used this window to jump into its mouth after Nathan. Suddenly, a hole ripped open in the creature's neck and Gagana and Nathan fell out, Nathan continuing to pelt the open wound with bullets as they fell. The Grimm let out one final howl as it crashed to the ground and disappeared, leaving only dust in its wake.
Nathan lay on the ground panting, Gagana beside him.
"You okay?" Damian asked as he walked over. Nathan opened his eyes, and put on a slight grin. He looked a little shocked but not overly hurt.
"Glad to see you didn't become Grimm kibble" Ryu said, as he walked over from the tree line.
"Yea" Damian said with a slight laugh. He turned to Ryu, "Where were you, anyway?"
"I was lying in cover behind the tree line." he said, pointing.
"Fair enough. So where's this treasure?"
"Didn't the boss drop any?"
"Why would it drop anything?" Nathan asked.
"Because it's a boss monster." Ryu explained, looking at the spot where the beast had been lying.
"What makes it a boss monster?" Nathan asked him, eyebrows raised and mouth hanging slightly open.
"Do you see anything bigger around here?" Ryu stated bluntly, ending the conversation.
"So, um, what do you think the treasure is, anyway?" Gagana asked. Everyone thought to themselves. "Maybe it's some sort of valuable object." She concluded.
"I'm pretty sure the word treasure implies value." Ryu said, sneering at her.
"Maybe it's a weapon." Nathan said to nobody in particular.
"Maybe it's the gift of friendship." Damian said, a very serious look on his face. The other three looked at him, paused, and then burst out laughing.
"I think we can safely assume it is not that, Damian." Nathan chuckled. Ryu started to walk off. "Hey, where're you wandering off to?"
"Maybe the Grimm was guarding something?"
"So where are you gonna look?" Nathan asked as he caught up.
"I don't know." Ryu replied flatly. Damian looked at Gagana.
"I guess we will look over here." She nodded, and the two begun searching the grass where the Grimm had fallen.