Chapter 2: Oh
Unknown woodlands, Western Anima, Remnant
78 AGW, April 30th, 4:40 pm
Monster X's massive form soared through the cloudless sky above Mistral with no real destination on his mind. The kaiju was away from his prison, the sun warming his hardened skin. In the end, nothing else mattered. The trees below passed in an unfocused blur, failing to capture his attention. X's body felt a little relief while flying through the air, allowing him time to think.
How much time had passed while he was asleep? What planet had he landed on, and where were the masters? Nothing good would come from his escape if the violent aliens showed up to recapture him. Enslavement meant more death. They might even punish him for daring to leave them. Glancing at the environment below, X decided to worry about his masters later. It would serve no purpose other than upsetting him further.
-Why fight what you were made to be?-
-Your purpose is clear.-
-We are the end of life.-
"You are the conduit. Free us!"
Grabbing his head, X tried to silence the trio of voices crawling into his mind. The world around him became irrelevant at that point, green and brown mixing together from the pain his skull started experiencing. Unable to focus, the kaiju began to lose altitude. Impacting the ground would not harm his body. The ones in actual danger were a band of terrorists that happened to be traveling through the forests below.
"How much further before we can set up camp?" Adam's feline companion asked while leaning against a pine tree, rubbing her sore and aching feet. Fifteen-year-old Blake Belladonna wasn't tall in any way, but she still cut a figure that demanded attention.
Atop her head was a set of black cat ears twitching as they listened to their surroundings, framed by silky black hair reaching her lower back. Her eyes were like two amber gems, nearly glowing due to the shade of her skin. Despite growing up on Menagerie, Blake was whiter than paper. Her clothing choice didn't help this either. She wore a white cropped undershirt with no sleeves and white shorts, exposing her belly to the elements. A black vest with coattails covered her top, buttoned in the middle to keep it from flapping everywhere. Black stockings and low-heeled, ankle-high black boots hid her legs. Her weapon, the ballistic chain-scythe Gambol Shroud, was attached to her lower back in its collapsed form.
Adam Taurus was a fair-skinned boy that stood a respectable 6'4" with spiked, crimson hair surrounding a set of black bull horns. His eyes were covered by a mask designed to look like a Creature of Grimm, bone-white with red lines imitating a set of eyes. His top was a black, long-sleeved blazer with red lining. The blazer's left shoulder had a red thorn-like pattern and a white crest akin to a flower. The back of the blazer was adorned with a wilting rose emblem atop a white background. It matched well with the red shirt he wore underneath. Instead of something suited to life in the wilds, like jeans or cargo pants, he wore black slacks and a pair of black dress shoes. Wilt, his red chokuto, was sheathed in Blush on his hip.
The nineteen-year-old bull faunus pulled a compass from his coat, checking that their small group was still heading east to Lake Matsu. He looked to the paper map they'd brought along, comparing the last position noted. So far, they were still on course, with maybe roughly 3-4 miles between them and the large lake.
"Forty-five minutes, maybe an hour if the terrain is rough; I'd like prefer access to water and a supply of meat." Adam folded up the map and put it in his back pocket. "Setting up on the lake's edge will provide both."
Blake couldn't fault his logic there. Plus, when had she ever said no to fish? Yet, deep down, something else dragged into her mind. Lately, her time with the White Fang had become rather… hard to handle. Once upon a time, Blake's days consisted of protests, sit-ins, and spreading the word about businesses that discriminated against faunus. She pined for those days now, compared to the constant violence Adam brought with him.
Theft. Sabotage. Murder. Adam said so long as the humans oppressed their people, such methods were acceptable choices for the White Fang and the faunus people. Impressionable as she may have once been, her fifteen-year-old current self began to see her mentor's true nature. He was angry and suffering from years of abuse by bigoted humans. Blake remembered finding Adam staring at his scarred eye in a river once, so engrossed with the sight he didn't notice her approach. She couldn't forget the tears that trailed down his cheeks, even after he furiously rubbed them away. They never spoke about that moment again.
Blake was about to ask if they could take a small break to rest her feet, but she was interrupted by the sound of growling from the trees around them. Everyone tensed as they drew their weapons, eyes scanning the woods. Adam's grip on Wilt grew tighter and tighter, a bead of sweat disappearing behind his mask. The tension finally broke when a Beowolf came flying into their midst, smacking against a tree with the force of an 18-wheeler. The beast was turning to ash before it hit the ground.
The cause of said Grimm's demise made herself known to the faunus group, sliding along the grass using another Beowolf as a skateboard. She looked to be Adam's age, with light brown skin and brown hair cut into a bob, caramel eyes focused on the Grimmboard beneath her. The girl stopped in front of Adam, dirt plastering his worn boots. In an instant the stranger pulled a long staff from her back, tipped on each end with a Dust crystal.
The end with the Wind Dust glowed vividly as the unknown girl swung her weapon, separating the Grimm's head with no resistance. As the girls improvised ride faded away, she finally looked up to her bewildered audience. Then she grinned, "Hello there."
The unknown human's clothing didn't stand out in any way. She wore a cream-colored blouse with frilled shoulders that were split at the bottom, with a dark brown corset covering her abdomen. A dented and scratched gold bracer protected her left forearm, held to her arm with rope in a makeshift form of armor. Her lower half consisted of matching brown pants flowing into frayed knee-high brown boots with duct tape keeping the soles together.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, pointing Wilt at her threateningly.
"Wow, rude much? I just killed two Grimm for you, and this is the thanks I get?" Her smile only widened when Adam's jaw clenched. "Name's Amber Saegusa, hopeful Huntress extraordinaire and your savior. You can say thank you now."
Steam started to pour out of Adam's ears by this point. The swordsman was about to give Amber a thorough ass beating had Blake not placed Gambol Shroud between them. "Let's deal with the Grimm first, then we can worry about her."
Indeed a horde of Ursa and Beowolves charged towards the group of six, along with two large Deathstalkers clicking their pincers. The number of Grimm looked to be close to fifty or sixty individuals. Everyone prepared for a tough fight, but Blake's cat ears started twitching. A strange whooshing sound was nearly overwhelming her eardrums. It sounded like a rock soaring through the air, amplified a hundred times over. She wasn't the only one to notice the noise, as her fellow White Fang looked in every direction for the source. Even the Grimm had stopped in their advance, turning every which way but up.
Blake finally looked towards the sky as the sound was loud enough that her ears were almost bleeding. Her jaw dropped in absolute terror, unable to look away from the figure plunging out of the clouds. "What is that?!"
The impending battle was hindered when the giant monster landed with a harsh crash. It immediately fell to hands and knees, grabbing its skull in discomfort. The vibrations of its arrival were felt all around with the force of a small earthquake, sending the local wildlife running away in primal fear. The armed group fell on their collective asses as their weapons dropped out of numb hands.
Golden energy arced off the creature's body, explosively striking trees, the ground, and even a few Grimm that rushed forward to attack. Unlike the rest of the environment, the Grimm hit by the light seemed to absorb it. Their twitching bodies fell to the forest floor, with the energy dancing across their prone forms.
The giant monster paid no attention to anything going on around it. Struggling to focus, it crawled away from the group, knocking down every tree in its path. It appeared to be heading towards Lake Matsu and gave absolutely zero fucks about any of the chaos left behind. Grimm jumped onto the monster trying in vain to hurt it, which only led to more of the soulless beings hitting the ground in a seizing mess.
A fair number of Grimm ignored the kaiju in favor of attacking the six recovering from their stumble. One of the masked Fang, a man whose neck was covered in snake scales, was taken down before he could bring his machine gun to bear. His agonized screams kicked everyone into gear as bullets started flying. Blake fired her weapon at a charging Beowolf in vain, the smaller caliber doing little to bothering it.
"Not today." Switching tactics, Blake brought her blade up to block the claws coming down. Her knees nearly buckled from the force, but a twist of her arm parried the blow. With another twist, she buried her blade into the monster's neck, turning its savage growl into a whining gurgle. The crackle of trampled leaves to her left triggered her next move. The cat girl had barely turned when claws tore into her body. Instead of a bloody corpse, however, Blake faded into shadow as her Semblance took the attack.
The new Beowolf stood confused for a moment by its prey disappearing, letting Blake use its head as a platform to jump to a thick branch above. Why fight when she could keep out of reach? Standing her ground to fight left her vulnerable. Blake's sharp, golden eyes surveyed the battle, and watched as the others fought against overwhelming numbers. Trifa and Yuma kept up a steady stream of bullets, but the Grimm mostly appeared annoyed by the Dust rounds.
As for the other duo...
"Behind you!" Amber yelled out in panic. Two Ursa approaching Adam's unguarded back were set on fire with a swing of her staff. The bear-like beasts groaned pitifully and fell over dead a second after.
"I don't need your help, human!" Adam punctuated this by slicing through a third Ursa, then using Blush to shoot a leaping Beowolf out of the air. He arrogantly turned to her, choosing to smirk in supposed superiority. "See? You think just cause I'm a faunus I can't-" His poor decision to smart off was rewarded with one of the Deathstalkers that had yet to be destroyed smacking him away.
Adam's trip was halted when he smashed into a boulder, Aura flickering around his body, indicating it was dangerously low from that one strike. Blush fell to the ground from numb fingers, with the tip of Wilt's blade stuck into the earth to keep the young man standing. Adam's ribs badly ached, and the coppery taste of blood made him want to vomit. Raising his head, Adam saw Amber leaping onto the back of the Deathstalker, stabbing the flaming end of her staff into its head. Trifa and Yuma were barely holding their own, now using shotguns instead of assault rifles. As for Blake...
"Blake, where are you?" Adam had just managed to stand up to full height when the smell of rotten meat filled his nose. A set of jaws clamped onto his shoulder like a living bear trap. Wilt's pommel was swung upward, smacking the Beowolf in its masked face in desperation. Freed from its grasp, Adam started to move away, trying to establish a superior position to attack from. As Adam turned, he blocked a swipe from the same Beowolf, absorbing the force with Moonslice and repaying the Grimm by cutting it in two.
"Blake!" His victory was short-lived when yet another Beowolf attacked from behind. Were Adam in a better state, he would have dodged or sliced it to countless pieces. With his Aura dropped so quickly, however, the faunus was tackled to the ground with contemptuous ease. Struggling against the beast, he managed to roll onto his back. Adam braced his booted foot against the Grimm's chest, seeking to create enough space to swing Wilt into an eye or maybe the throat.
His weapon was torn from his grip, knocked away by another foe. "Ahhhh!" He couldn't hold back the scream this time when an Ursa locked its teeth around his right bicep.
"Blake!" Adam couldn't marshal the strength to throw either Grimm off. He needed his partner now. But the sound of Gambol Shroud slicing flesh and bone never came. " ...Blake?"
He couldn't hear the crack of his humerus breaking. Adam's mind was too focused on why Blake was nowhere to be found. Compared to the agony of the missing girl he loved losing his dominant arm was an afterthought for about five seconds, at least.
Adam's arm, or what remained of it, surged with pain the likes of which he'd only felt once before. Having his arm torn off hurt, like when those SDC dogs had branded his eye. He lost all strength to fight then. Blake was seemingly gone, his arm was gone, and his life would soon be gone. Adam's death wouldn't be from fighting against oppressive human scum but instead to a couple of random Grimm in a no-name forest.
He suddenly found the weight on his chest gone. Amber stood above him, flanked by Trifa and Yuma. Her eyes shone with light, and the world shifted. She floated into the air, the wind swirling around her in a bubble. The human brought her hand forward, lightning following her command and striking every Grimm in the area.
One-by-one, a Beowolf or Ursa was struck, falling over dead instantly. Amber's face was like a vengeful goddess, mouth turned with a wild snarl. Adam had never seen anything like it in his life. Such power and ferocity were being used to protect him. No. To protect them all.
"Adam! Stay with me, man! Come on, say something," Yuma slung his shotgun, letting it rest against the assault rifle. The bat faunus lifted Adam up, ripping his mask off to look at his eyes. Adam would reprimand him later if he remembered to. He wasn't sure he was going to live much longer, though.
"We got you, boss. Just stay awake," Trifa grabbed his arm, which was pumping out his blood fast. She ripped a tourniquet out of her rucksack, not caring that her weapon was lying in the dirt. "Yuma, get him talking! Keep him coherent."
"Hey, you know I've never seen you without your mask. I think a pair of sunglasses would suit you really well." Yuma tried to keep his voice jovial; better to fake joy than admit panic.
Adam wished the smell of blood would go away. The metallic aroma made him want to gag. He winced when Trifa tightened the bar on the tourniquet as far as it would go. That would stop the bleeding for the moment, not that he cared in such a delirious state.
"She's kicking a lot of ass," Adam babbled, mesmerized by all the lightning and fire Amber was throwing around. Grimm dropped left and right, but the human refused to stop. He wished she were a faunus. Such power was awe inspiring and a little hot, if Adam were being honest.
Yuma propped Adam against his knee, attempting to keep him from falling unconscious. "Yeah, she is. Our bullets weren't doing much against them, but she's had no issue taking them out."
"Where's Blake?" Adam swore that his voice wasn't wavering. Had to be the blood loss, and he wouldn't admit otherwise.
Trifa finished bandaging his bloody stump with gauze, wrapping it twice with her webbing to lessen the chance of the dressing coming undone. She nervously looked at Yuma, unsure how to explain what happened to Blake.
Yuma sighed heavily but trudged forward. It would help no one to hide the truth from the redhead. "She...we saw her jump into the trees above us. We haven't seen her since. I think she ran away."
Adam stared into oblivion, failing to process what they'd just told him. It didn't help that his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders from blood loss. His partner, his love. Gone? "Oh."
He just wanted to sleep. Or maybe die. Either outcome sounded good to Adam right now. It was so quiet now; had the human finished slaughtering Grimm?
"How is he?!" Amber slid into his view, her eyes shining in concern. Her weapon was collapsed and put away. A fine layer of sweat covered her skin, but she had no visible injuries. Good. It meant Adam wouldn't feel bad for what he was about to say.
"I could've...fought'em myself."
"Uh-huh. I saw how you were doing a fine job of that." Amber rolled her eyes at his bravado, then handed him Wilt and Blush. The weapon was sheathed and appeared to be in good condition. "You're welcome, by the way."
Adam's half-lidded glare started to lessen, looking down at his sword, then to his mutilated arm. The faunus sighed heavily, anger momentarily dissipating as reality set in. "Thanks."
Thanking a human was the hardest thing Adam had done in recent memory. He didn't like owing his life to her. Strength was a value that Adam coveted. The training he endured for years never failed him before. This couldn't happen again.
His grumbling gratitude drew a smile from Amber, who held out her hand. "Let's try this again. I'm Amber Saegusa, Huntress Extraordinaire. And who are you?"
Adam blanched at the olive branch being offered. His instincts, his memories of what humans had done to faunus the world over, screamed to smack the hand away. Humans couldn't be trusted. Their kind enslaved his people once, then tried to banish them to Menagerie. Today humans spoke of equality as if it were fact, but the reality couldn't be further from the truth.
Yet… she could have left the three of them to die. This human had enough strength that leaving the area was an easy option. Instead, she fought to protect them. Trifa and Yuma looked alright, and although Adam was missing his arm, he was alive.
His hand grasped hers firmly as his tired eyes locked with her optimistic ones. "Adam Taurus," he grunted.
An explosion of golden energy came from where that giant beast had crawled to. The light show sent Yuma into a yelping mess, holding up his hands to protect his body. It wasn't needed, seeing how the light faded as fast as it appeared.
"Okay, you can shut up now." Trifa covered Yuma's mouth with her hand. She nodded in relief, then her face slowly morphed into disgust. She pulled her hand away so fast you'd think it was burned. The spider girl wiped Yuma's saliva on her pants, looking like she wanted to smack him. "Why'd you have to lick my hand? So nasty."
"That's what you get." Yuma looked away, arms crossed like a petulant child. Webbing covered his face as a reward for his grossness.
A giggle. A sound Adam didn't expect to hear, considering their current surroundings. Amber's face had lit up with a smile, and her eyes glistened like topaz gems. Adam was disgusted with himself, unable to deny she was beautiful.
"You guys are funny. How about we stick together for a while?" She punctuated her question by gently pulling Adam to his feet. He's still light-headed, and his legs nearly give out, but Amber's lithe form keeps him steady.
Her strength is helpful, hard as that is to admit, and she has done nothing to warrant any suspicion or hostility. Adam knows this, even if his hatred demands he strikes her down. He glanced over to his severed arm, a feeling he couldn't place filling his chest.
So, once more, he made a difficult decision. "Okay. We'll have security in numbers. I won't be any help until I heal, either."
The human nodded in appreciation, her gaze checking over all three faunus. Then Amber turned to look at the body of the man whose neck was covered in snake scales. Her happy demeanor vanished upon seeing his bloody corpse. Even with all her power, she wasn't able to keep everyone safe. Had she been a little stronger - a little faster - the man would still be alive.
"I'm sorry about your friend," Amber sympathetically offered.
The three faunus looked over towards their fallen comrade, his throat torn out in a bloody mess. Adam was unfazed, having seen and caused death as a child and since joining the White Fang. The other two... They'd gone as still as a tree and silent as a flower. It was clear neither had ever seen a dead body.
Then the man's body twitched, and things got weird.
A set of slimy fingers poked out of his mouth. The fingers pulled Plesskin's mouth apart like a snake preparing to eat its prey. His mouth continued to widen, opening to nearly 3 feet wide. Then a slime-covered and healed Plesskin stepped out of the translucent remains of his skin.
His shoulder-length mullet clung to his head due to the slime, but Amber still got a good look at his face and wide eyes. He was handsome, blue-eyed, tanned, with a five o'clock shadow, somehow wearing the same clothes his shed...skin?...wore. Plesskin panted as if he'd just finished a triathlon, falling to his knees before them.
Then he lazily waved his hand as if the foursome hadn't just witnessed a man puke himself up. "Kept you waiting, huh?"
Was this real? Amber wasn't sure, but it was pretty fun so far.