Dirt & Grit
Chapter 12
"Are you sure about this, Ozpin?" A mature woman asked, "You've seen the reports about him; he's absolutely not cut out to be a Hunter."
Heels and shoes clacked against the hard floor as they walked down the corridor, a tall man and woman discussing back and forth a subject they were in disagreement about. The blonde woman held her scroll out in front of her, rejecting calls and answering emails as her green eyes flicked between the device in her hand and the man walking next to her, his cane tucked under his arm as he sipped his coffee.
Ozpin didn't look at Glynda as he looked at his scroll; moreover, the report on the recent detainee that the VPD had in custody. He swiped through pictures of the young man's physical examination; his muscles, while large, were also stringy and sinewy, indicating a poor diet and lack of nutrition, scars littered his body ranging from bite marks, bladed weapons, burns and even bullet wounds. What stood out the most to Ozpin, however, was the young man's face; a gaunt face, light stubble, hair that had been buzzed down to a quarter of an inch and a scar going across the bridge of his nose along with a cut on his upper lip. What confused Ozpin the most was his eyes, a dull silver but silver all the same when he was sure that the last time he saw the boy, he had his mother's brown eyes.
Curious…
"Ozpin!"
Ozpin jolted from his funk to look over at Glynda, who frowned as she realised that he was only half listening to her complaints. He chuckled and sipped his coffee before handing his scroll over to Glynda.
"I understand your concerns Glynda, but I believe that he can be a considerable asset if set on the correct path."
"An asset? Ozpin, he needs to be put in a psychiatric hospital, not an academy." Glynda rubbed her brows as she put her scroll in her pocket before looking at Ozpins scroll. Her eyes scanned through the report, and she closed her eyes for a moment as she looked over the young man's damaged body.
"Have faith, Glynda, if he's anything like his father, then this is the best course of action to take." He explained as he gently took his scroll from Glynda, who sighed and shook her head.
"If he's anything like his father, then he needs to be away from what you're planning, Ozpin,"
They stopped in front of a door that read 'Interrogation – Observation – Room 4' with a green light above it indicating it was unlocked. Ozpin turned to Glynda again, his easy-going smile gone from his face.
"Glynda, I need your support for what comes next. I can't do this if we are not a united front, and I can't let your grudge against Amon factor into your decision." His eyes gained a serious glint, "Am I understood?"
Glynda made to retort, but the look in his eyes said there would be no argument, "Yes, Headmaster, I understand." Her hands clenched at the mention of that man, but she kept that bottled up.
Ozpin searched her face before nodding and opening the door; the room was dark, and the only light came from beyond the one-way window, and it's single occupant in the other room. Walking in, Ozpin nodded to the two men inside who watched through the window; one was sitting in front of the microphone while the other man stood above him. Ozpin shook the standing ones hand as they greeted each other.
"Chief Wick."
"Headmaster Ozpin."
They released each other's grips, and Chief Wick nodded to Glynda, who returned it. Standing next to Wick, Ozpin looked at the young man in the other room. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit where the first few top buttons were undone, revealing the white t-shirt underneath as he smoked a cigarette while long chains cuffed him to the table. Ozpin noticed the bruised knuckles and cuts on his face indicating that they must have been recent.
"How is he?" Ozpin asked as Wick scratched the back of his head, his rolled-up shirt sleeves tight around his forearms.
"He's been quiet today, only assaulted one of my boys today at least," He pulled out one of his cigarettes, "Seems like the little pikey here was excited for visitors."
"Does he usually assault the guards, then?"
"Well, to be fair to the little bastard, they come to try and rough him up first. I try to keep them away like you asked but well…." He blew out a cloud of smoke, "…Some of my lads lost family members in the Rice assassination and felt like they're due payback."
"And you do nothing to stop it?" Glynda questioned with a scowl on her face.
Wick shrugged.
"He's a gypsy; he ain't got rights here. He hasn't been beaten to death yet because you ordered it, and brothers know that no cop is going piss off a Council member."
"Besides, the kid fights like a damn savage just ask Noir here," He clapped the shoulders of the man sitting down, who flinched at the touch. Looking down, Ozpin could see the swollen black eye of the man as he glared at the occupant.
"…Fucking gyppo cunt," He muttered as he fiddled with the knobs on the microphone roughly.
"Is he willing to talk today?"
Wick gestured at the window.
"He's sitting right there, ain't he? Don't know what you want with him, though."
"That's fine, Chief Wick; thank you for doing this for me, and I apologise for not being here earlier. I was…caught up in meetings."
The Chief waved him off.
"Don't worry about it, Ozpin; I still owe you for helping get our budget through the Council."
"I'll go talk to him now, then."
"Sure, I'll get someone to guard the room and – "
"Alone preferably," Ozpin said gently as Wick raised a bushy eyebrow at him.
"Sir, I gotta respectfully disagree; you don't know what he-"
"Chief Wick, I think I and Professor Goodwitch here are perfectly capable of defending ourselves against a half-starved Nomad." Ozpin admonished gently as Wick closed his eyes and sighed.
"…Alright then, go ahead."
"Thank you, Chief." Ozpin bowed his head slightly and looked at Grit, who sat in the other room, ashing his cigarette onto the floor. Noir leaned into the mic.
"Stop ashing your cigarette onto the floor gypsy."
Grit flipped him off, and Noir nearly leapt out of his seat in rage as Wick pushed him back down by his shoulders to calm him down as he swore he would 'kill that gypsy'.
Ozpin was sure that he was just looking for an excuse; huffing in amusement, he left the room, Goodwitch following close behind.
Opening the door, Ozpin could finally see Grit properly without a window or scroll distorting his features. For a brief second, he had to double-take and make sure that it wasn't Gin sitting in the chair across from him as Grit looked at him and then at Glynda not saying a word.
It's like I'm looking at a ghost.
Grit's cigarette rolled to the corner of his mouth, and his eyes continually scanned the room in every corner and even at the window, never settling on anything for too long. Ozpin had seen this look many times throughout his long life, the same look that veteran hunters, police and military men gained from years of fighting.
Clearing his throat, Ozpin stepped forward as Glynda moved to a back corner of the interrogation room, keeping Ozpin and Grit in her line of sight, making sure she could react on a moment's notice. Grit noticed this, too and kept his eyes on her for a while before settling on Ozpin standing across from him.
"Hello, young man; I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy. Have you heard of me?" Ozpin asked.
Grit stayed silent and continued smoking his cigarette.
Ozpin noted the bags under Grit's eyes and went to try a different approach.
"You look like you haven't been sleeping, have the guards treated you well?" He tried to get a reaction out of Grit.
Still, no dice as he continued smoking.
"Do you know why you're here, young man?"
Silence.
Ozpin walked forward and pulled the chair out from under the table before sitting down and laying his coffee in front of him. Resting his cane against the metal table, he sighed content.
"It's always good to take a moment to rest your feet now and then." He looked at Grit with a small smile, "Am I right?"
Grit aggressively stubbed his cigarette into the table and leaned back with his hands behind his head.
"Is this my punishment? Being small-talked to death by some old bastard?" Goodwitch started forward.
"You will show Headmaster Ozpin the proper respect, young man or…." Ozpin raised his hand.
"It's alright, Glynda, he's just a bit worked up," He never took his eyes off of him "Aren't you Grit?"
"How'd you know my name? You stalking me?"
Ozpin chuckled.
"No, nothing of the sort. The Huntsman you assaulted was an…associate of mine; he heard the young girl in Little Lantern say your name was Grit." He took a sip from his coffee.
"Was he wrong?"
"No." Grit slightly licked his lips, "Bet you don't know my last name."
"Of course I do, Grit Merrick; I know many things."
Grit's eyebrows rose slightly, "How the fuck do you…."
"Would you be shocked if I told you that you were nearly the spitting image of your father?"
Grit scowled before leaning back and looking at the ceiling.
"You don't like being compared to your father?" Ozpin asked curiously.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because he was a fucking weakling!" Grit shouted, slamming his chair on the ground and glaring at Ozpin. Grit seemed to have realised he was getting worked up and schooled in his features into a thinly veiled calm, tensing and untensing his jaw.
Glynda was shocked for only a minute before returning to her usual expression. Meanwhile, not a single emotion passed through Ozpins face as he watched Grit, merely listening to his words as he spoke. He took another sip from his coffee and placed it back on the table.
"From what I remember, your father was one of the strongest hunters of our time. What makes him weak in your eyes?"
"He's dead, isn't he?" Grit snapped back.
"He died protecting you, didn't he?"
Grit barked out a laugh, "Ha! I only survived because of the Nomads, not because of some self-sacrificing bullshit." His mocking smirk disappeared as he stared at Ozpin.
"I see." Ozpin searched Grit's eye but found only a wall, "Was this Nomad Amon Osgar?"
Grit fell silent and reached into his chest pocket to retrieve another cigarette he popped into his mouth. He reached for the lighter on the table until it was pulled back by Ozpin's cane. Grit looked over to Ozpin's small smile and raised eyebrow, fighting the urge to punch his lights out.
"Well?"
Grit sighed in aggravation;
"Yes, it was Amon; now, gimme the lighter, or I'll shove that stick up your ass," Glynda bristled as Ozpin chuckled and pushed the lighter back over to Grit.
"Do you want to know what happened to him?" Ozpin asked.
"No."
"No?"
"I don't care what happened to him." He took a long pull from his cigarette as his jaw clenched, "In fact, I couldn't give a shit about anyone, to be honest with you."
Ozpin watched him for a moment as he smoked, his left leg bounced up and down slightly as he scanned the room again, looking for an escape, Ozpin would wager. His eyes landed on Glynda again as she stared right back at Grit unflinching.
"What's her deal? Does she just stand there and glare at people?" Ozpin looked back to Glynda, whose hands tightened around her riding crop, blood leaving her knuckles.
"Ah, where are my manners; this is Professor Glynda Goodwitch; she's the deputy Headmistress at Beacon and part-time combat instructor." She nodded towards Grit, who didn't return it as he ran her name through his mind before something clicked.
"…You're Amon's ex-" Ozpin interrupted before Grit could finish his sentence as Glynda's eyes widened.
"Grit, I have a question for you," Grit turned back to look at him, irritated that he had been interrupted.
"What?"
"What are you trying to achieve with your life right now?"
Grit bit his cigarette.
"…None of your fucking business, that's what."
"I think I have an idea," Ozpin said, taking another sip from his coffee, finally finishing it as he put it back onto the table.
"Oh yeah, what's that?"
"I think you're still looking for the man who destroyed your village."
Grit's chair clattered behind him as he launched to his feet, his eyes filled with rage, and his face twisted into a snarl.
"You don't know what the fuck I'm looking for, so keep your fucking opinions to yourself, shithead!" He shouted, tugging the chain taut as it automatically retrained his movement further.
*Stand down, pikey, or we will be forced to use lethal force!* A voice crackled over the speakers. Ozpin raised his hand to the windows, and the crackling ceased.
"I meant no offence; Grit, please." He gestured to the chair, "Take a seat and listen to what I have to say."
Grit stared at him for a little longer; he looked over to Goodwitch, who had her riding crop ready for use. Grunting, he pulled up his chair and sat back down on it, then slumping into it as he stared sullenly at Ozpin.
"Go on then, spit it out."
Ozpin straightened his back and smiled at Grit.
"I'd like for you to become a Huntsman."
You could hear a pin drop in the silence as Grit stared gobsmacked at Ozpin, who still sat there smiling as Glynda sighed. Grit couldn't help it; he tried to hold it, but he couldn't.
He laughed. For the first time in years, he genuinely laughed as hard as he could as Ozpin still sat there smiling.
The speaker crackled to life, and Wicks's voice boomed.
*Ozpin! You gotta be taking the piss! Him? He's a gypsy and a fucking criminal! They –*
"That'll be all, Chief Wick; the council knows my plans." He turned again to the glass, "No need to cause a ruckus."
There was a grumble before the speakers shut off again as Grit wiped his eyes; his cigarette had long fallen out of his mouth as it lay on the floor, burning away. He wiped his eyes while still chuckling.
"N-now that, heh, that was one of the funniest things I've heard of in my life," He laughed again while looking into Ozpin's smiling face. Grit leaned forward eagerly, his gaunt face smirking.
"But what Pedostash behind the window said is true," He stopped smiling, "I'm a gypsy and a criminal; ain't no way you getting someone like me to join your school."
"Oh? What if I said that I could?" Ozpin challenged.
"Then I think you don't have anything better to do with your time."
Ozpin chuckled as he readjusted his cane; "I wish that were true, Mr Merrick, but unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures," He placed his scroll on the table, and it lit up with a hologram.
"This," He gestured towards the figure breaking its chains and picking up a sword to wield, "Is a new joint initiative that the four kingdoms have come together for; 'The Second Chance of Underprivileged Minors' Initiative. Originally me and the other headmaster's idea, but it has now been greenlit by the council, especially since one of them recently had their niece saved by a criminal."
Grit narrowed his eyes at the title before quietly huffing in amusement, "S.C.U.M?" He asked as Ozpin frowned.
"Yes," He replied distastefully, "Originally I had other names for it, but this was the only one that the councils liked. I'm sure they did it to try and upset me." He turned the scroll off and put it back into his pocket as Grit raised an eyebrow.
"So, what? I'm supposed to be your underprivileged minor?"
"How old are you, Grit?"
"Seventeen gonna be eighteen next month."
"Perfect," Ozpin grinned, "You'll be just in time to be part of the test group."
"Test group?"
"Yes, a test group," Ozpin waved his hand in the air as if he were looking for the word, "The idea behind the initiative is that a shocking percentage of under eighteens are locked up in juveniles across Remnant that have their Aura unlocked. I think that it is a waste for Remnant as these young people can be a force for real change instead of rotting away wasting their gifts."
Ozpin pushed his glasses up.
"If I had my way, I would have already begun recruiting from these children, but the council wishes to have a valid test sample before it is given the full go-ahead." He looked Grit in the eye, "That's where you come in, Mr Merrick."
"Me?"
"Yes. You and three others from each kingdom have been selected to participate in this test run. For the next four years, you will eat, sleep and train at Beacon until you become fully-fledged hunters," Glynda coughed. "Under certain supervision of course, when you begin."
Grit licked his lips as he glanced around him.
"And…" He clenched his hand and unclenched it, "…What if I don't wanna be a huntsman? Then what?"
Ozpin didn't smile.
"Then I will thank you for your time and leave; you will stay in prison for the rest of your life and no closer to your goal."
Grit ground his teeth at Ozpin's words.
"I already told you…."
"Do you what I see when I look at you, Mr Merrick?"
Grit went to open his mouth.
"I see a young man who thinks he went too far down the wrong path and believes with all his heart that there is no way back. But I will tell you this, Grit." He leaned forward into Grit's face, "There is always a way back for men like you."
Ozpin looked at Grit for a moment who in turn remained silent.
"Do you know why this project managed to get off the ground?" Ozpin asked as Grit scowled at him, "I needed one councillor to support me on it, just one. I thought this would be another proposal that would be shot down, another potential waste of time on my behalf."
Ozpin pulled his scroll out again, "Until Councillor Sunflower demanded to know who had saved her niece's life and brought the local bandit menace to a halt. When she found out it was a gypsy and a criminal, she demanded their release." Grit still scowled, but it seemed to have gotten softer.
"She said that her niece wouldn't stop talking about this mighty hero that had saved her from her kidnappers, who fought off the Grimm, fed her, gave her medicine and even read her fairy tales to put her to sleep before leaving himself behind so she could escape." Glynda watched curiously as Grit turned his face away from Ozpin, red staining the tip of his ears.
"Now tell me, Mr Merrick," He smiled, "Does that sound like a criminal to you?"
Grit said nothing as Ozpin waited for him to respond as he continued staring at the wall.
"Because of the actions of that so-called criminal, I finally managed to gain the council's support, and my plan finally come to fruition." He reached into his blazer pocket to pull out a few pieces of paper and slid them in front of Grit, "And I believe that you so desperately want this second chance, Mr Merrick. Will you take it? Will you become a hero for the sake of Remnant and its people?"
Grit looked stunned momentarily before his scowl came back with a vengeance, "Remnant? It's people?" He stood again and jabbed his finger at Ozpin, "I don't give a shit about this goddamn planet or the fucking weaklings infesting it! That girl I rescued? I only did it so I could get money! That's all it was; if it wasn't for that, she could get eaten by the Grimm for all I fucking care!" He shouted at Ozpin, who stared at him impassively as he ranted.
"Why should I have to protect and save people too weak to do it themselves? What a waste of fucking time! All that matters is who survives, and I'm gonna make sure it's me!"
Ozpin glanced over to Glynda as she watched Grit yell at Ozpin but instead of the reprimanding look she would give to someone showing such disrespect to the headmaster, she looked…sad.
Sad at the wounded boy that lashed out at Ozpin.
Grit eventually stopped shouting and stared at them, panting as he waited for them to speak. They watched him momentarily as they looked at him with…pity. That was the worst of all the looks someone could give him.
He didn't need anyone's fucking pity.
"Very well, if I can't appeal to your decency, then I will speak the truth about something much baser," Ozpin took his glasses off to wipe them, "You are weak, Grit."
Grit was sure he heard him wrong, "…What's that?"
"You heard me; you are weak," Grit tried to lunge at him but found himself pinned against the wall behind him the table he was chained to screeching across the floor as it went with him; he looked down to see Ozpins cane jamming into his chest holding him in place. Grit snarled and tried to claw at Ozpins face but found himself gasping for air as the cane went higher and started pressing down on his throat.
"Do you wish to know what else I see, Mr Merrick?" Grit choked out a gasp as Glynda watched on with worry, unsure if she should intervene, "I see a reckless and out of control boy with no direction who is barely hanging on to his own life as he takes unnecessary risks with no benefit. All you have is the basics hammered into your brain and nothing else; no aura application, no thought or effort to control and learn about your semblance." Grit gripped onto Ozpin's cane, trying to push it away but found that it was stuck in place.
"You are wasting your time in such a way that it upsets me to see such wasted potential being poured down the drain." Ozpin retracted his cane from Grit's throat as his face began losing its colour. Dropping to the floor, Grit gasped for breath as he glared at Ozpin, who stared back with a frown, "Come to Beacon Grit, learn more about your strength and banish your weakness. I would hate to see you waste away like this."
Grit spat a wad of phlegm onto the ground but didn't move to rise as he stared back at the ground. He glared at his hand, having a silent war within his mind.
Ozpin sighed before straightening his jacket and nodding to Glynda, who continued watching Grit, a look on her face that ached to reach a hand out for the boy. Eventually, she looked away and went to move away with Ozpin, who felt disappointed by this encounter and sent a silent apology to Gin for being unable to save his son.
"…Wait." Grit's deep voice called from the floor as they turned around to see him bracing himself against the table. Bits of drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth before he wiped it away.
"…Gimme a fucking pen."
Ozpin smiled and reached into his pocket.
Months later…
Grit was already regretting his decision as he tightened the straps around his armour and ensured his shotgun was secured to his waist in its holster; Excuser leaned against the seat next to him as he shuffled back with a huff. He felt exposed without his cloak, but apparently, he had lost it when he fucked up those bandits. The cabin shook a bit, and he looked over to see two police officers escorting him to Beacon.
He grunted as they glanced at him from the corner of their eyes, glaring at him with as much hatred as they could. They turned back to each other when he refused to look away, daring them to try something right now. His hands clinked as he looked at the chains covering his wrists, keeping him bound to the seat below him. He rubbed his face as he looked around the small dark cabin lit by red lights.
He reached into a pouch on his waist and pulled out an old scroll that Glynda had provided. He had never had one in his entire life, and the last time he saw one was when his parents used theirs for business calls or friends. He still didn't know how it worked, and he just swiped absentmindedly through, seeing all the different apps on the store; 'Dustagram', 'PixelChat' and other stupid-looking shit that he couldn't be bothered to look at it.
How lazy do you have to be to come up with those names?
Going through his numbers, he saw that he only had three contacts; Ozpin, Glynda and the Beacon faculties. He also had a map of the school downloaded onto his scroll and spent some time looking through it while he picked his nose, feeling a massive booger stuck up there. Finally getting it out, he flicked it over at one of his jailers, who turned to glare at him, which he returned with a nasty sneer, trying to bait him. The jailer turned back, mumbling under his breath, and Grit felt disappointed that he didn't take it.
Pussy.
Bored out of his skull, he thought back to what Goodwitch said about the conditions of his stay here at Beacon.
"To ensure the cohesion of the teams that have entered Beacon's Hunter course normally, you and the other members of your team will be arriving a week after classes start," Glynda explained as Grit sat back on his seat after signing the contract.
"You will also be required to wear an ankle monitor at all times except for extreme circumstances. This monitor has a tracking range from Beacon to the edge of Vale; however, you will need permission to enter the city, which can be granted for good behaviour."
Grit rubbed the back of his head in agitation. This was just prison but with extra steps and homework.
"If you behave well and keep up with your studies, you will be allowed to remove your monitor by the beginning of your second year." She pushed her glasses up, "Any questions, Mr Merrick?"
"The other people I'm gonna be on a team with," Grit started as Glynda and Ozpin looked at him, "What're they like?"
Glynda looked at Ozpin, who grinned while sipping his newly refilled coffee.
"They are…Eccentric in their unique ways."
Grit rolled his eyes.
He didn't know what the other poor bastards he would be spending the next four years would be like, but besides a vague description, he only wished for one thing. He wished they weren't chatty as he fiddled with the tag around his ankle.
*Arriving at Beacon Academy in ten minutes, be ready to hand over the detainee at the landing pad*
Grit raised an eyebrow at what the pilot called him. Detainee? He guessed they were still sore that he managed to escape their custody, especially Pedostache and Detective No Air. Heh, No Air; Grit chuckled at the name as he remembered the first the detective tried to beat him up in his cell. No Air learnt his lesson when Grit nearly choked the life out of him.
"Get up, pikey and no sudden moves," said a gruff voice to his left; he looked up to see one of his jailers standing nearing him, their trigger fingers itchy to blow his brains out. Grit grunted before standing up and leaning down to retrieve his chain sword, which he holstered on his back with difficulty.
He moved to turn around but stumbled a step forward as one of his jailers butted him forward with his gun. Grit glared down at the man he cleared in height by more than half a foot. The cop glared back up at him but avoided eye contact as he focused on the exit of the police bullhead.
*Arriving at Beacon Academy in T-minus 10 seconds*
Grit's jaw clenched as he was only a few seconds from what he would assume to be the shittiest bit of his life. Pissing his time away in some school for wannabe heroes, his stomach turned at the thought.
*We have landed at Beacon Academy, drop off the gypsy and let's get out of here*
Grit rolled his eyes at the lack of tact when addressing but ignored it as the bullhead stopped shaking and stilled. The ramp began to lower, and light spilt in through the cracks causing him to cover his eyes to prevent himself from being blinded. His eyes were still adjusting before he felt the same shove from before, making him grind his teeth in rage.
"Move it pikey!" He strode down the ramp and finally took in the sight that greeted him. He tried to hold in his gasp but failed as he stared up at the giant castle dominating the sky; it seemed to reach up forever and forever. He moved his hands away from his eyes as he got used to the sunlight.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" A calm voice in.
Grit looked down to see Ozpin walking towards him, cane in one hand and coffee in the other, while Glynda stayed close to his side. Grit scowled as he made eye contact with them, but before he could say anything, he looked around to see a crowd of people- no, students standing a bit away, staring and pointing at him. He felt itchy and wanted to be somewhere else but instead decided to sneer back at them, making a few of them whisper even harder and others glare at him.
Hearing the sound of more engines, he saw other Bullheads coming in from other directions flying into the landing pad where he was.
It must be the other shitheads roped into this.
He knew where each one was coming from due to the flags of the kingdoms they represented; Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo.
"Ah, that must be the rest of your team; you must be eager to see them," Ozpin stated as he looked who Grit, who grunted in response.
Once they had landed, each of their ramps opened in the order they arrived from. Stomping down the ramp from Atlas was a tall, pale ginger man with wild aqua-coloured eyes, his orange hair more styled like a wild mane. He had two axes inscribed with runes on his back hanging off two hoops; his clothes were strange, and even someone like Grit had no idea what they were, as they were inscribed with the same symbols as his axe, his rolled-up sleeves revealed strongly muscled forearms as well as dark blue tattoos on his skin. His trousers and boots were of dark leather; trailing up to his face Grit saw the same tattoos on his forearms leading up from his neck to the bottom of his lips. The rest of his face had many piercings, including two small gold hoops on his right eyebrow and feather earrings.
The weirdo from Atlas had shackles around his wrists and ankles and a muzzle around his mouth; weirdly enough, though, his guards were a pair of…robots? Grit rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn't seeing things as he stared at the robots looking straight ahead. The man rolled his neck and scanned the area with calculative eyes before he made contact with his own. The man from Atlas grinned under his muzzle and waved to Grit, who ignored it in return.
Following the next bullhead over was the one from Mistral, and Grit didn't even notice the prisoner leaving the bullhead as he stood at the bottom of the ramp looking around with a curious gaze. From what Grit could see, he was of average height; his curly black hair was faded at the sides, with half of the top starting from the tip being a dull pink colour. Grit wasn't sure if it was dye or natural, but he had already decided it looked stupid. Looking over his body, he noticed that he wore a loose red kimono upper shirt around his shoulder, revealing his lean muscled chest and proportional traps. The upper part of his red kimono had pink flowery prints on it, while on his lower bottom, he wore black harem pants with pink and black lines vertically lining it along with leather shin guards going up to his knees and a bright pink wrap covered his midsection.
Grit then looked to his waist to see his weapon; a black katana handle with a pink sheath inlaid with gold Mistralian dragons. The man raised his right arm, and Grit narrowed his eyes at the metal that greeted his sight as the guy scratched his nose before looking with green hazel eyes over to the weirdo from Atlas, who waved at him, which he returned awkwardly before looking over to Grit who he held eye contact with; waiting for the first to break first. While Grit initially thought it was a shit test, he eventually realised that the other guy was just curious about why they were staring at each other.
The final bullhead opened, and the man inside swaggered out like he was being flown on his private jet; he wasn't even wearing cuffs! The dude turned back to the guards supposed to escort him, laughing at whatever joke he was saying as he made various hand gestures, making them laugh even harder. Grit got a better look at the guy seeing that he was wearing a leather cowboy hat that hid shoulder-length dirty blonde hair; his deeply tanned skin made him stand out from the rest of them but also highlighted the stubble above his lip and his chin. He wore a black tactical vest over a rolled-up white button-up shirt; his trousers were faded, washed-out jeans tucked into cuffed black leather boots that looked like they had been walking through a desert. Finally, Grit looked at the revolver holsters on his side as he turned to Grit and the rest of them; A completely black revolver with an ivory grip was in one holster, while the other was completely white with an ebony handle. He must have noticed Grit and the rest of them staring at him as he made eye contact; the whites of his eyes were a golden yellow with a black iris in the middle. Grit felt his hand clench as he stared into his yellow eyes but managed to cool himself off as the cowboy tipped his hat at them and began walking over, confidence oozing from his walk.
Grit already decided he hated them all.
They were all escorted in front of Ozpin, who made eye contact with each of them as they were shuffled over to him. The cowboy took his time as he waved to the crowd of students – mainly the girls – before finally getting over to Ozpin, the spurs on the back of his feet jangling the whole time.
"Howdy, partners! Names Marsden Heath; I'm guessing we're be stuck like glue for the next few years." He chewed something in his mouth, and Grit wished he had a cigarette to drown out this guy's enthusiasm.
The dude in the muzzle tried to say something but couldn't as it was muffled, while the katana guy said nothing but nodded gently and smiled. Ozpin chuckled as he raised his mug to take another sip.
"Your enthusiasm is appreciated, Mr Heath, but perhaps save the introductions for when you are somewhere…." He looked around at the talking crowd, "…Quieter?"
Heath grinned and nodded, "Whatever you say, boss." Grit rolled his eyes.
Kissass.
"Ah, but before we do that, I think it's best we get those restraints off you first, yes?" Ozpin nodded to the guards surrounding them, who reluctantly moved and began unlocking their shackles.
As soon as the muzzle was off from the tattooed guy from Atlas, he yelled while stretching his arms out as they were also taken off. Bits of lightning danced off his fingertips as he launched his head back and laughed.
"HAHA, FINALLY!" He shouted while kicking off the cuff from around his ankles, making the robot chase after it with a series of beeps. The stranger looked around before looking at Grit, who had his handcuffs removed by the guard who shoved him in the bullhead.
"Ah! You look strong! Care for a brawl?" Grit looked over at him and just grunted.
"Thank you, gentlemen, that will be all; tell your COs that I will be writing a good report when I have the time," Ozpin said to the human guards, that saluted Ozpin before they turned around back to their bullheads.
The guard who shoved Grit decided to get one final taunt in before he left; leaning up, he sneered in Grit's face, who scowled back at him.
"Don't get too comfortable, pikey, because when you mess up – and you will mess up – we'll be right there to take you back in," he said, spitting in Grit's face.
Grit felt the saliva drip down his face before he grunted and headbutted the guard in his nose, breaking it instantly and causing the guard to reel back from the agony.
"GAH! YOU FUCKING GYPPO!" He screamed as the crowd shouted and jeered in response.
"Gahahaha! Well struck, Risi!" cheered the strange tattooed man as he pointed and laughed at the guard who fumbled for his stun baton.
The one with the metal arm tried to cover his smirk as he watched the guard flail around.
"Ooh, I felt that one; better put some ice on it, buddy!" Heath called out, smirking behind his hat.
The guard turned on his electric stick, and Grit got ready to shove it back up his ass before Ozpin stepped in the middle of the confrontation, staring down the guard. Ozpin narrowed his eyes at him, stopping any excuses from his mouth.
"Headmaster! This bastard just –"
"I am not blind or deaf, officer." Ozpin's voice was low, quieting the guard, "I will overlook you assaulting and threatening my student just this once. Do not do it again."
Grit looked surprised at Ozpin before smirking at the guard and flipping him off, who seethed indignantly before being led away by his partner, cradling his nose the entire time. Once the bullheads had taken off, Ozpin turned to Grit, who had returned to his usual scowl.
"Mr Merrick, while I understand your reaction, I will have to warn you about assaulting officers of the law; the consequences would be…." He frowned, "…Severe."
"…Whatever," Grit mumbled as Ozpin returned to his usual smile.
"Wonderful!" He walked towards the academy while addressing the students, watching them, "Attention, students! I believe you have classes in ten minutes, yes?" They began milling away, still turning their heads now and then to get a look at the new arrivals. Within the crowd walking away, Grit spotted a short girl looking at him curiously; her silver eyes sparkling as they looked at each other. She was then dragged away by her red hood by a white-haired girl who glared at him with narrowed eyes before disappearing with the crowd.
What the hell was that little gremlin looking at?
"If you gentlemen follow me, we'll head off and go get your initiation started." Ozpin walked down the cobbled floor, his cane clacking against the stone. "While we walk, perhaps take the time to introduce yourselves to each other?"
They looked at each other before following Ozpin. As they walked, Marsden waved at the rest of them, his spurs jingling as they turned to look at him as he stood at the farthest edge.
"Howdy again, fellers! Lemme introduce myself again," He tipped his hat again, and his teeth flashed in the sun; "Marsden Heath, lover, fighter and one of the fastest shots in Vacuo. At your service!" Grit rolled his eyes at his second introduction.
The weirdo beside Grit introduced himself with his strange accent, "Kveðja! I am Sudri Baldrson, son of Baldr," Sudri grinned savagely at the rest of them as the blue markings on his body flashed, "I come from the Solitas Iceshelf where my tribe awaits my return but, in the meantime, I am looking forward to spilling blood with you all!"
Marsden laughed; "Yer an interesting fella, Sudri! How 'bout the rest of ya?" Sudri and Marsden looked over to the katana wielder, whose face lit up a bit when he noticed he was being spoken to, "What 'bout you, pretty boy? What's yer name?"
"…Ove Timur," He murmured as he looked at his wooden sandals. Sudri flung an arm around his shoulder as Ove squeaked a bit from the contact.
"Come now! That can't be all. Where do you hail from, Timur?"
"…Mistral," He mumbled as he unhooked himself from the Sudri's broad tattoed arm.
"Ah, he's a shy one," Marsden cut in before looking over to Grit, who turned his back to Ozpin, who was keeping a steady pace ahead of them, "What about you, big guy?"
Grit stayed quiet.
"Ooh, strong and silent," Grit felt his eye twitch at Marsden's mocking voice, "You got a name, don't 'cha?"
"Of course he does! He is Risi!" Sudri exclaimed, making the rest of them look at him in confusion.
"What the hell does Risi mean?"
"Ah! I forgot you útlendingar are not versed in Solitisian; it means giant, and that is what he is," Sudri's wild hair swung about as he slapped Grit's shoulder, making him glare at Sudri, who was completely unaffected by it.
"Well, if he ain't gonna give us his name, then Risi it is," Marsden grinned as he moved round to stick his hand out to Grit, "Howdy Risi! How's it going?"
"Greetings Risi!" Shouted Sudri.
"…Hello, Risi," Muttered Ove with a small smile.
Grit growled before taking a deep breath, "…It's Grit. Grit Merrick. Now stop talking to me." Ignoring Marsden's outstretched hand.
"Aha! He speaks! Grit, huh?" Marsden scratched his chin, "What? Was it snowing when they named you?" He chuckled at his joke while Ove smiled, and Sudri looked lost.
"I do not understand. Is Grit your word for snow?" He asked with a furrow to his pierced brow.
"Naw, my joke was that they use grit to dissolve it when it snows, you know?" He huffed at Sudri's still lost face, "I guess you wouldn't get it, ya know? Coming from a wonderland like you."
"I did not arrive from Wonderland; I came from Solitas." He explained as Marsden massaged his brow.
"Nothing gets past you, does it partner?"
"Nothing passes me; my eyes are like a great hawk's."
Grit groaned as he listened to this dense idiot not understand a basic conversation. Sudri turned to look at him as they approached the doors inside Beacon Academy.
"What ails you Risi? You groan like a woman with child."
Ove quietly chuckled as Marsden laughed while Grit glared at Sudri, who once again was unaffected by it and waited for Grit to tell him what was wrong.
"Just…stop talking already," Grit grunted as he sped ahead of them, tired of their inane conversation.
"Seems like we got the shy ones mixed up, Sudri," Marsden observed as he pointed to Ove and Grit before making a swapping motion with them, "Ove's more of a talker than that big ol' lump."
"Ay, that I can agree with," He bumped Ove with his elbow, "What do you think, Timur?"
Ove just shrugged.
"My thoughts exactly," Marsden nodded as Grit felt like his head would explode listening to these morons.
This test couldn't come soon enough.
Standing in an empty arena, Grit noticed the empty seats sitting around the edges, looking like one of those Vacuo colosseums he had seen in a book when he was a kid. Before him were two metal boxes standing around three and a half metres tall. They rattled and shook with snarls and hisses echoing within. Grit had a pretty good guess of what was inside and licked his lips in anticipation; he needed something to destress.
Glancing over at his teammates, he saw them in various positions of readiness; Sudri grinned savagely as he hopped up and down, his weird tattoos glowing while tiny sparks of lightning danced across the skin of his body. He had one of his engraved axes out and was flipping it in the air before catching it in his large palm. He muttered something under his breath in his weird language; something about 'Thor' and 'Odin' or some other weird shit.
Grit then looked over to Ove, who sat cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed and…beads in his hands while saying nothing as his body glowed light green before standing up. He held his katana by its sheath in one hand while his other hand was on the handle as he shuffled around, getting ready for whatever was coming next.
Finally, looking over to Marsden, he saw that he was looking at everyone else like he was, that same dumb cocky grin on his face as he spun his guns around his fingers, performing different tricks before holstering them again. He smirked at Grit.
"Impressed?"
"No."
"Ah, you don't have to be embarrassed about it, Grit," He waggled his eyebrows, "I saw you staring~."
Grit scowled before looking back at the cage; he turned again when Marsden clapped his hands to get their attention.
"Thinking 'fore we start, we ought to know what firepower we're packing," He asked as they all looked at him, "Ya know, weapons and semblances, all that shit."
Sudri withdrew his other axe and stuck them out in front of him, "This is Þrumubiti, the glorious axes that I've used to chop the heads of Grímur and óvinir, and it aches to spill more!" His tattoos started glowing harder, "My gjöf is to summon the powers of mighty Thor! I call thunder from my bones to ground the dust of my-!"
"What 'bout you, Ove?" Mardens asked Ove while Sudri continued ranting about the 'Aesir' and 'Valhalla', unaware no one was listening to him anymore.
Ove held out his katana, "Soyokaze," He tapped his head twice and gently smiled, "Prediction." And that was the end of his explanation as Marsden rubbed his chin over his answer.
"You can…predict what's gonna happen then?"
Ove shook his head, "Only a guess," Marsden nodded.
"So, it ain't completely accurate?"
Ove nodded, and Marsden grinned, "Sounds pretty good to me!" He then looked over to Grit, who was currently staring at Ove.
Prediction? That's pretty fucking powerful if it's true.
"How 'bout it, Grit? Wanna share with the class?" Marsden teased as Grit looked up in the air momentarily as if debating what to say.
Grunt or share?
He decided and looked over to Marsden, Ove and Sudri – who had finally stopped raving – As they waited for his answer. He pulled out his chain sword and shotgun.
"Excuser and this gun I found," He explained bluntly before describing his semblance, "I can pour my aura into my body for increased offence but no defence." He thought he should explain the side effect of him losing his goddamn mind whenever he used it for too long or got too wound up but decided not to. He was done talking and was itching for a fight instead.
"Anything else?" Silence, "Alright, then, guess I'll go next; I got my two babies right 'ere: this one is Bonnie," He spun the white revolver, "And this 'ere is Clyde," He then spun the black one before holstering them both.
"They're my partners in crime, and I couldn't do it without them," He flashed another smile, "Which brings me to my semblance; Golden Eye: I can't miss any shot I make for the next three seconds."
"I could shoot the wings off of a fly if I wanted."
Grit scoffed and looked back to the boxes, annoyed by Marsden's boasting. Marsden took notice and frowned at Grit.
"What you don't-?"
"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" Ozpins voice called out from the stands as he sipped his coffee, Glynda standing by his side, swiping and pressing on her scroll tablet, trying to get something to work, "Right now, we will be starting your initiation into Beacon. Usually, we would have you initiate with the other Hunters in training, but you are a special circumstance."
He gestured over to the boxes, which banged and shook violently.
"You may have noticed the large box in front of you," He took another sip, "Inside are two Grimm that the Council has provided for your test; An alpha Beringel and King Taijitu. You must come together to slay them, or you will fail." Marsden laughed.
"Damn, professor, sounds like yer tryna kill us?" He tried to look to the rest for laughter, but when no one did, his laugh died into a sigh.
"Believe Mr Heath; it was not my idea for you to face such Grimm for initiation. The Council wishes to ensure you are tested thoroughly before being allowed into the academy." Ozpin said with distaste.
"Shut up already and just open the fucking cages!" Grit angrily shouted, tired of all the talking and wanting to get it over with.
"Ha! Took the words from my tongue Risi! Hurry Wiseman! Release the cages!" Sudri shouted up to Ozpin as Grit's hair began to stand on end from the electricity generated by Sudri, whose hair floated from the current.
Ozpin said nothing but turned to Glynda and nodded. She pressed a few buttons on her tablet and the cages in front of Grit, and the rest of them let off a small hiss as they separated from the locks.
"Alright, fellers, what's the game plan?" A huge hand gripped the edge of one of the boxes as it clambered out, huffing and snorting. "I'm thinking me and Ove take on the big snake while-."
Sudri had launched himself with a burst of lightning at the emerging Beringel, who focused on the warrior coming towards it as Sudri yelled with delight.
"HAHAHAHAHA! COME AND TASTE MY AXE BEAST!" His axe was raised over his head, getting ready to decapitate it in one swing before a flash of black and white slammed into his body, sending him flying across the arena and destroying the floor beneath him when he landed. Grit looked over to see that the King Taijitu had slithered out from its cage to intercept Sudri, who was picking himself up from the hole he had created.
Moron.
Grit looked over to see that the Alpha Beringel had begun banging on its chest and howled at the rest of them while punching the Taijitu away from it. Looking at the Beringel made Grit think he would kill such a beast; it was completely covered in bone armour that only exposed pieces of its joints, and even then, it was far too slim.
The Taijitu slithered in front of the Beringel, who screamed at it before it hissed back and…gestured around it? The Beringel followed its white head, which nodded at us and then Glynda and Ozpin, who watched from above behind a hard light barrier.
"Are they…talking to each other?" Marsden had asked the question out loud that Grit was thinking as he revved up his chainsaw when they both seemed to agree about what to kill first. The Beringel looked to Grit and yowled at him in a clear challenge.
Grit snarled, "Oh yeah, you fucking ape? Fucking try me!" He began to run before Marsden stepped in front of him.
"WAIT, GRIT!" Grit stopped to look at Marsden, who had both revolvers drawn, "If we go there without a good plan, we can kiss our asses goodbye!" He explained.
Grit shoved him out of the way, "I don't need a fucking plan, and I don't need some dipshit like you telling me what to do! Now move!" Grit was already revving up Excuser over and over again, it's horrid screaming reverberating with the roars of the Grimm,
"Gods fucking damnit!" He heard Marsden shout behind him, "Ove! Come on!"
Fuck these morons; I'll deal with them both myself.
The Beringel began charging at Grit, with its speed far faster than it had any right to be. Within five seconds, they had already collided; Grit swung his chain sword at its arm but only scrapped off the armour as it returned the greeting by swinging its gigantic fist at Grit, who ducked it just in time. Grit tried to go for its legs, but it had leapt into the air to dodge. Looking up, Grit saw it was already coming down faster than when it went up.
"Shit!" Jumping backwards, Grit managed to avoid it stomping onto his head but not far enough to escape the debris that exploded beneath it, blinding Grit for a moment. He barely managed to open his eyes in time to see its giant hand reach through the smoke to wrap around his head, engulfing Grit in darkness. Grit struggled to get out, slashing his chain sword at what he assumed was its arm but stopped as the Beringels other fist slammed into his stomach, making his aura flash and winding him. It repeatedly punched while Grit tried to scream but could not because his face was smothered.
"Here I am, Risi!" A familiar accent shouted as the Beringel screamed in pain before dropping Grit, who breathed deeply for the fresh air. He looked up to see Sudri slamming his axe into the Beringels chest plate, causing lightning to spread out from the axe into the Grimm's body, making it spasm slightly. Yowling again, it raised both arms over its head to smash Sudri into the ground; Sudri's tattoos glowed again as he raised one hand to his left and pushed himself away with another burst as the Beringel missed and smashed the ground again into rubble.
As the Beringel turned to find Sudri, it felt something tearing into the back of its leg and pivoted around to find Grit trying to cut its leg in half. Howling, it spun its entire body to smash Grit, who leaned back in preparation to trade blows, but the Beringel lurched forward as something struck it from the back, revealing itself to be Sudri, who launched a thunderbolt from his arms. The Beringel knew that if this kept going, it would be the death of it, so its instinct called for the next best thing; help.
Sniffing the air, it roared at the Taijitu, slithering and sliding around the other two fighters as they tried to pin it down but were unable due to lack of strength and firepower. The black head glanced at the Beringel and hissed to its white copy as they agreed to back up its ally.
Sudri grinned and got ready for his second bout with the Beringel thinking that it was offering itself up as a challenge with its bellow.
"YES! I WILL BE YOUR ENEMY! COME AND-GAH!" He was interrupted when the Taijitu smashed into him again, launching him towards the Beringel, who seized the opportunity to grab Sudri and swing him into Grit, who caught Sudris full body weight and tumbled with each other back to their original starting position.
"Get off me, you fucking idiot!" Grit shouted as he rolled Sudri's body off him, who coughed and jumped back to a standing position. He snarled at Grit.
"Me? I should be saying that to you, fool!" He shoved Grit, "All you do so far is get your head smashed in!"
"That's you! You fucking dickstick!" Grit pushed Sudri back, and they glared at each other, getting ready to pummel each other.
"You dare? I will offer your guts to Fenrir!" Lightning danced across his body as Grit began to feel that familiar rage course through his body.
"Bring it on, you fucking finger painting; I'll kick your goddamn teeth in!" Grit shouted as he pulled out his shotgun.
They were about to fight when Ove appeared in the middle with his katana drawn, pressing the tip against Grit while pushing Sudri away gently with his robot arm looking completely unharmed. They looked down at him as he shook his head and nodded to the two Grimm circling them warily.
"Enough," He quietly said, "Fight together."
"Took the goddamn words out of 'ma mouth Ove," A pissed drawl replied. They turned to see Marsden stomping towards them, his hat gone from the fighting, revealing the rest of his swept-back shoulder hair.
He angrily marched up to Grit and Sudri to poke them both in the chest.
"Listen here ya, pair 'o bastards, I'm only gunna say this once," He looked at both Grit and Sudri, "If we don't put our heads together, we're gunna die, and I ain't dying in some fucking castle! So listen ta me and listen close."
Grit and Sudri glanced at each other before looking back at Marsden, a silent truce.
"We ain't got much time before the monkey and snake decide to finish us off, so here's the plan I got from watching you all," He pointed over to the Grimm, who edged closer, "We gotta beat 'em at their own game; divide and conquer. To do that, we gotta cripple one and then dogpile the other bastard."
"Grit and Sudri, ya both are heavy hitters, so yer gonna be at the front taking the blows and sending 'em right back. Ove yer fast and quick with that blade, so I'm gonna have ya ducking in and out slicing away at their weak points while these two deal with it the brunt of it. I ain't built for face-to-face action, so I'm gonna be blasting 'em with ma sweeties here to cover ya." He explained as Grit's eyebrows rose from hearing his observation.
Was he watching us the whole time?... Impressive.
Grit tried to fight the rising respect he developed for Marsden then.
He withdrew his revolvers, "Any suggestions?" He asked as Sudri grinned, Ove shook his head, and Grit said nothing.
"Ah, very cunning Marsden, a plan worthy of Loki himself!" He grabbed both axes and slammed them together as they transformed into a double-headed axe with the handle extended. He slammed the but into the ground, "I like it!"
"…The Beringel," Grit mumbled as he looked towards the Grimm, "I attacked the back of its leg; it's too slow to attack right now. Look." He pointed to the limping Beringel, which dragged its useless leg along.
Marsden nodded, "Aright, that'll be our cripple then," He took a few steps forward, "When I blow its eyes out, that'll be our signal to rush the snake. Ove, you'll be doing hit and runs on it, Sudri yer gonna be attacking the white head and Grit yer gonna be going for the black head. Meanwhile, I'm gonna support you all and go for its weak spots." He looked back at them with a grin.
"Got it?"
They all nodded back (Grit reluctantly.)
"Aright then," He pointed both revolvers towards the Beringel's tiny eyesockets that hid behind an armoured-plated face. Grit watched as his eyes started to glow gold, and the Grimm began charging, roaring at them. He held his breath, pulled both triggers one after the other, and then stopped as he turned to look at the rest of them, "NOW!"
They sprinted towards the Taijitu while Grit glanced towards the Beringel, covering its face and howling while stumbling around with its other arm outstretched before going berserk and smashing the ground beneath it.
Fucking hell, he actually got it!
"GAHAHAHA!" Sudri laughed as he launched towards the white head of the Taijitu, swinging his lightning-infused axe into the side of its head, knocking it off to slide slightly. Grit pulled out his shotgun and fired at the black head, getting ready to devour Sudri as the shell hit the underside of his jaw, causing bits of its scales to fall off and disappear, which caused it to focus on Grit and hiss before lunging at him. Before Grit could get to it, an arc of light green aura slammed into stunning it for a moment; looking over, Grit saw Ove already a blur moving around to assist Sudri, who chopped at the white head, that desperately tried to avoid the lightning that crashed into it.
Focusing back on the black side, it screeched before lunging for Grit, who holstered his shotgun and revved his chainsword as it tried to swallow him. Reaching as far it could into the air, Grit stood between its closing jaws, holding up the top with one hand as his feet pushed the bottom down as hard as he could to prevent himself from being eaten. The Taijitu's jaw was incredibly strong, and Grit was using all of his strength to keep it from clamping down as he swung his chainsword with the other hand cutting away at its demonic flesh and sawing out its teeth as it wailed and spat at him. He just needed a little more strength to get out of this…
*BANG* *BANG*
The head trying to devour him loosened its vice-like bite for a second as its eyes exploded, causing it to roar and recoil away from Grit. Grit swung out from under the mouth to clamber on top of its head as it tried looking around for the missing prey in its mouth. Grit yelled before revving Excuser again and shoving it straight into its scaly head, tearing apart its dark flesh as it wailed and hissed, trying to fling him off. It was useless; Grit's chainsword was too far into its head, and his grip was just as strong, causing him to be perfectly hooked before collapsing and disappearing into smoke.
Looking over to see how the others were doing, Grit watched as Ove pierced the middle body between the two heads and pulled his katana forward, completely separating the bodies and making the white head widen its mouth to hiss in rage. Marsden's shooting had also destroyed the whitehead's eyes, so it had no idea what was happening or who was attacking it. It had no way to see Sudri laughing like a maniac before diving into its mouth as the rest watched in shock as Sudri got himself eaten.
Before the rest of them could attack, the Taijitus's body began to expand rapidly as lighting pierced tiny holes before exploding in a shower of dark flesh and scales as Sudri stood there with his axe in the air, a maniacal smile on his face.
"FYRIR föður minn og föður!" He screamed in his native tongue before looking at the rest of us, "COME, THE OTHER WAITS FOR HELVÍTIS!" He ran to the Beringel, which had finally seemed to get its bearings as it focused on the rage coming from them.
It snarled and howled before bounding its armoured body toward them with a limp. Marsden barked out more orders as they ran and held back a bit to get a better shot.
"OVE! GO FOR ITS JOINTS, SUDRI, LIGHT ITS ASS UP! GRIT," He glanced over as they ran, looking at Marsden's bloodthirsty grin, "BEAT IT'S FUCKING HEAD IN!"
Grit returned the look as he turned on his semblance, the ringing in his ears starting very faintly. Ove had already passed them to slide under the Beringels legs and slice behind its knees; his katana was thin enough to get past its armour as it collapsed to its knees. It swung wildly behind it, causing Ove to create an aura shield to block it in time but still be sent flying as it shattered. The Beringel had no time to recover as Marsden fired at its empty eye sockets and only managed to get one as it dug into its skull, roaring in rage and frustration from the pain.
The air tasted of copper as Sudri hovered above, his axe a conduit for his semblance as he pointed it at the kneeling Beringel, who blindly swung it back and forth. Sudri mightly swung down with a roar as the charged lightning thundered from his blade and consumed the Beringel, which screamed in agony before it ended. With its last remaining strength, it dug its giant hands into the arena below to throw a chunk of it where it thought Sudri was; its guess was correct, as Sudri yelled before being hit by a ton of rock and crashing into the ground.
"GGRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" A war cry thundered from in front of the Beringal as a mighty force slammed into its head, causing it's smoking body to jerk backwards from the hit. Grit didn't stop as he punched the Beringel in the head, cracking its plated face. The Beringal tried to swing again, but Grit parried it with his chainsword knocking it away as he struck it again in the face, breaking the faceplate more and more until it completely shattered, revealing the shadowed fur beneath. The Beringal lunged forward with its razor-sharp fangs to try and rip Grit's throat out but jerked to the side when a bullet skinned the top of its face making it shriek.
Grit didn't give it the opportunity to recover as he jammed his free hand's fingers into the Beringals empty socket and pulled it back with him. The strength his semblance gave him allowed him to easily yank the Beringal until it was lying on its front. Grit removed his fingers and jammed them into the back of its head, heaving it back before smashing it onto the floor, cracking the tile beneath them. He did it repeatedly as Grit screamed and snarled, the smell of ash and blood filling his nostrils as he tried to cause as much suffering as possible to this fucking monster.
He didn't notice its other arm reaching out to try and grab it before a flash of pink zipped by and completely severed it. The Beringals arm dropped to the floor, and before it could let out its final yowl, Grit pulled its head and revved his chainsword with his other hand.
"FUCKING DIE!"
He then jammed the chains sword into his face silencing any noise from it besides the screaming of the chains and motors within Excuser. The Beringals body slumped and started to disappear around Grit's chain sword, leaving it out before him as he tried to smother the ringing. He felt something touch his shoulder and whirled around to see a blond man holding his palms out.
"Woah! Easy partner! Easy," The man came into focus, and the ringing died as Grit returned to Remnant and recognised who it was. Marsden grinned tiredly at Grit, "That was…some crazy strength you got their bruiser, wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."
Grit looked at Marsden before grunting and slumping to the floor; he reached into his pocket to pull out a packet of cigarettes he kept on him. He looked up to Marsden, who eyed them with envy, huffing he stuck the open top out to Marsden, who grinned and pulled one out.
"Cheers, partner! You got a light?" Grit reached into his other pouch and pulled out his lighter, flicking it open. Marsden leaned in as the tip of his cigarette glowed orange; Grit repeated the action to his cigarette, "Ahh~ Now that's the good shit,"
Puffing away on their cigarettes, Grit looked up at Marsden and mulled over something in his head before deciding to make it known.
"…Good job Marsden."
"Hm?"
"It was a decent plan; I'll give you that," Grit grudgingly admitted as Marsden kept that same annoying smile.
"Decent? I'd love ta see what ya call good."
Grit quietly chuckled.
"Was you laughing? I can't believe 'ma ears!"
"Watch it, Marsden."
"GAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT WAS A FIGHT!" The booming voice of Sudri barged in, and they both looked over to see him covered in dirt and rubble but still looking as cheerful as ever, "I feel the joy that my worst fear did not come true! That I would be stuck with huglausir! Instead, I am bound with Stríðsmenn! Glorious! Gahahaha!" He slapped Marsden's back, making him stumble forward a bit.
Turning around, Marsden shoved him back gently but barely moved him, causing Sudri to laugh, "You are as cunning as Loki and as accurate as Ullr, Marsden Heath!" He then looked over to Grit, "Risi, I'm glad to see that you are still alive! It would be a shame for you to die before I get my turn in!"
Grit flipped him off, "You're welcome to try anytime you want; you spilt bucket of paint." Sudri laughed and pulled his axe out.
"Come! Let's test your arrogance!"
"You want some?"
"Fellers!" Marsden stood between them, too tired to deal with another fight, as they glared at each other, "Ain't we forgetting our star boy?" They looked at each other before slight coughing was heard behind them.
They turned to see Ove standing there, a shy smile on his face as he watched them all banter. Marsden marched and slung an arm over his shoulder, bringing him into the circle.
"OVE! Ya beautiful bastard!" Ove looked at Marsden's arm but made no move to remove it, "You fellers see this guy out there? I could barely keep an eye on him!"
Sudri slung his arm around Ove's other shoulder; "Gaha! I could swear it was Hermod running around with the sight of Heimdall! Incredible!" He let out another laugh from the belly as Ove's face turned red from the praise.
"…Thanks," He mumbled, looking at his sandals, before looking over to Grit, "Are you well?"
Grit looked at him.
"You sliced that arm off of the monkey, right?" Ove nodded, "…Thanks,"
Ove smiled.
Before they could continue, they heard clapping behind the cages as Ozpin and Glynda walked towards them. Ozpin smiled while Glynda scowled, looking around the arena, mumbling about 'Glorified Janitor' and 'unpaid work', not looking at the young men.
"Congratulations, young men! Congratulations indeed," He looked each of them in the eye as they looked in various expressions, "With your initiation complete, it's time to to officially become a team."
They looked at each other before Marsden spoke.
"So, whose gonna be in charge then?" He asked as Ozpin sipped from his coffee.
"You will be Mr Heath," His eyebrows shot up, "After your exemplary performance on strategizing against the Grimm, I can't think of anyone better."
Sudri laughed and slapped Marsden's back again, causing him to scowl and swear at Sudri, who ignored him.
"You are to be our Stríðsleiðtogi? I can't think of anyone better!"
"No one can understand your dumb language, so stop barking, dumbass," Grit cut in irritably.
"Ha! You disrespect my mother tongue? You will pay dearly Risi!" Sudri lunged at Grit as they wrestled on the ground punching and kicking each other.
Marsden sighed before looking back to Ozpin, who watched with amusement and Glynda with annoyance.
"Just…ignore them Prof; what else ya got? I heard Hunters get team names and all that." Marsden asked, ignoring the thumps and yelling behind him as Ove threw pebbles into their pile, laughing quietly.
"Well, before that, we have to assign you, partners," He looked between Marsden and Grit, "Marsden Heath and Grit Merrick, you will be partners now, while Ove Timur and Sudri Baldrson will make up the other pair."
He looked at them all and sighed as only Marsden was paying attention, still smoking, before Glynda pulled it out of his mouth with her telekinesis shutting down his protests with a stern glare.
"Together, you are Team GOSM (Gossomer)," He turned to walk away, "Please enjoy your stay at Beacon."
"Hah! Not good enough Risi! No one escapes my holds-Agh!"
"DIE!"
"TIMUR, STOP THROWING PEBBLES AND JOIN US!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Marsden rubbed his eyebrows in irritation at the thought of spending the next four years with these nutcases.
It couldn't be over soon enough.
Authors notes:
Would have had this chapter out an hour ago, but virgin media cut out when I pressed save. For a company named Virign they sure do love fucking people right? Anyway here's the new chapter; Grits, new team and shit; very tired, so will come back tomorrow morning to put the translations in as am very tired.
(Also I know I keep saying only 5-6k but I did another 10k+ I'll keep it shorter now so I don't go on a schizo rampage)
Thanks for reading!
Review Reply (6/04/23)
Randa: Cheers pal, it always cheers me up seeing your reviews. Yes! That's something I always had a gripe with whenever I read a story about someones character surviving on their own but looking no worse for wear, I wanted to try and keep it as realistic as I could by showing that if you live outside by yourself you're not gonna get all the right nutrition and calories that you need to function properly day by day. Add to the fact that there are monsters trying to eat you also makes for poor sleeping quality. So while Grit knows how to survive out in the wilderness he doesn't do it well. The same can also be said for his fighting; while he has been taught the basics, he wasn't able to be taught any further than that, so most of his fighting style is self taught. With the addition of a teacher and consistent training schedule as well as a good diet? Well he should be able to rapidly improve. Also for the helmet; would you believe me if I sad I didn't think that far lmao. Anyway thank you for the kind words and I hope you have a good day!
ODSTFRymann: Yo, how you been pal? Yeah, thought it was good to do a timeskip to really get the story rolling, occasionally there will be flashbacks to what he was getting up to growing up into a man but I'll leave that for later. For Grit, his whole shtick is that he says one thing but does another, so for example he'll call you a pathetic slug that deserves to be stomped on but will also carry you three miles because you sprained your leg. He'll give thousands of justifications on why he did something like that but the truth is, is that he truly does want to do good by people.
Translations:
Kveðja = Greetings
útlendingar= Outlanders
Þrumubiti= Thunder Biter
Grímur= Grimm
óvinir= Foe
FYRIR föður minn og föður= For my father and allfather
HELVÍTIS= Hell
huglausir = Cowards
Stríðsmenn = warriors
Stríðsleiðtogi = War Leader
