Grit
Chapter 18
"Any questions?"
"Uh, yeah, quite a fucking few," Marsden bluntly replied, a frown on his face, "Where the hell does it say in our parole contract to go into the fucking woods to do pest control? Ain't that your job?"
Tapping a few buttons on his scroll, a holographic screen appeared behind Ozpin, displaying Team GOSM's contract with it flicking forward a few pages. Stopping, it enhanced a specific section which Ozpin pointed at.
"It is understandable, Mr Heath, if you did not see it, considering it was a three hundred page legal document but section 143A-2 states; 'In addition to their academic duties, this student must also assist Beacons faculty in Grimm hunts to level out the population for the safety of the rest of the student body and also a form of community service in lieu of a sentence. Failure to comply with these orders will result in the termination of their tenure at Beacon and be charged by the full measure of their respective kingdom.'"
They all looked at the enhanced paragraph with varying degrees of surprise, but Marsden aptly managed to sum it up.
"…Fuck." Ozpin smiled sadly as he swiped away the screen.
"I apologise, gentlemen; if I had my way, you would not be doing this but still be in lessons with the rest of your peers. Unfortunately, all the Kingdoms Councils all agreed that you must serve some form of community service in response to your crimes."
"And that means we gotta get eaten? Sounds like bullshit to me; how often we gotta do this?"
"Whenever the Grimm population in the Emerald Forest begins to swell beyond manageable numbers, which sadly it has done in the past week."
Marsden rubbed his head while Sudri burst out laughing and slung his arm around Marsden's shoulders, pulling him close.
"Gahahaha! Are you not thrilled, Heath? Glorious battle against the Grímur for a whole week; what is there not to love! Gahahaha, it just gets better and better the longer I stay here!" Throwing Sudris's arm off him, Marsden dusted off his shoulder, which Sudri didn't notice as he began muttering prayers and thanks to Odin or Thor.
"Yer sure you couldn't have said no to this? Yer the goddamn Headmaster of Beacon, for cryin' out loud." Ozpin shook his head.
"Regrettably, this was one of the few concessions I could not disagree with if I were to get the initiative off the ground. Please understand, Gentlemen; this will be one of the few duties you will be called on to do while you are here."
"One of the few? What else you got cookin' for us Ozpi-,"
"Ah, be silent!" Sudri yelled out as lightning bounced around his body, "I do not care for duties or chores fit for wenches! This is glorious battle that we must engage in for the Gods!" Ove stood next to his partner and patted him on the shoulder several times before withdrawing his hand from the static shock he received.
"All in good time, Mr Baldrson; first, I must explain a few things," Sudri grumbled for a moment before stepping back with a frown. "Thank you. You will not be going alone as a hunter will accompany you until you finish; I have already chosen one that will be best suited to keep an eye on you. As soon as he arrives, you will pack necessary supplies for a week or when you reach your quota."
Ove stuck his hand up.
"Yes, Mr Timur?"
"You said fifteen per cent of the Grimm population. How many are in the forest at this moment?"
"Ten thousand."
"…Ten thousand?"
"Yes, Mr Timur. Ten thousand Grimm are currently lurking in the Forest as of this moment."
"So we must slay…fifteen hundred then? Within a week?"
"I am afraid so, Mr Timur."
"Hm," With that, Ove looked down at his feet, his brow furrowed as he went deep into thought.
"How do you even know that?" Grit, who had been silent for most of the conversation, said, "Do you just have some guy counting them, or are you just eyeballing it?"
Ozpin walked back around to his desk and tapped on a few keys on his holographic keyboard, making a 3D map of the Emerald Forest pop out in front of them. A large red circle encircled Beacon and a portion of the Forest that led towards the mountains before stopping.
"Using state-of-the-art technology from our allies in the Atlas military, we have set up a perimeter of beacons that send signals to each other whenever a Grimm crosses our borders, where it tallies that Grimm into a total amount. This allows us to monitor how many Grimm are currently near Beacon and whether we need to cull the population to a more manageable number. The drawback of this, however, is that we do not know what types of Grimm are in the area, making it a much more riskier endeavour." Pressing another button, the screen lit up with red dots in roaming clusters, "These red dots signify the last known locations of hordes or bands of Grimm that have congregated in large amounts."
Grit looked over the screen with raised eyebrows as he looked at the mass of dots slowly moving around; a small grin began reaching his face as his eyes darted between them. Sudri whooped and cheered as he understood what they meant, while Marsden groaned and Ove frowned.
Ozpin moved to say more before a chime rang from his computer, causing him to look down. A small smile appeared on his face as he pressed something on the screen below him.
"Ah, that must be him."
"Him?" Marsden asked.
"Yes, the Huntsman who has been assigned to watch you for the week; he should be coming up the elevator right now."
As though on time, the elevator let out a ding and the doors opened to reveal a tall, lanky man stepping out. The first thought that came to their minds unwittingly was that this man was dangerous, and it was obvious in the way that he stalked over to Ozpin with no wasted movement and silence to his steps. Getting a better look at him as he stood next to them a couple of feet away, his shaggy black hair hid his eyes while a heavy stubble decorated his face but didn't cover the nasty scar going up from the right side of his lip up to his forehead.
He stood slightly hunched while his tattered black cloak swallowed up his body, hiding everything from the chin down. He glanced towards GOSM for a moment, and they saw the heavy eyebags that only made his pale red eyes look more demonic against his alabaster skin. He looked back towards Ozpin, who nodded at him.
"Hello, Mr Calemore. I hope the trip here wasn't too eventful?" The lanky man shrugged, to which Ozpin hummed and turned back to the rest of team GOSM, "Gentlemen, this is Corvain Calemore, one of Beacon's most decorated Alumni and a true expert in his field. Corvain, this is-"
"I know who they are." He flicked his eyes towards them, which some of them returned before he returned back to Ozpin, "Can I just take them already?"
"Of course, Mr Calemore, but before you go, I would like to speak to you while they prepare their supplies," Corvain said nothing but nodded his head slightly as he stepped towards Ozpins desk.
Ozpin turned to the rest of them with a firm look on his face, "If you gentlemen would prepare yourselves and be at the entrance to the Emerald Forest within thirty minutes, Mr Calemore will guide you down. Until then, you are dismissed, and I wish you good luck for the times ahead."
Marsden tipped his hat while Ove bowed in respect as he walked off with the rest of his team reluctantly following him; Sudri did not take his eyes off Corvain, who didn't even look at them as they stepped into the elevator. When the doors shut, Marsden turned to the rest of them with a grin on his face.
"Man, and I thought Grit here was a miserable bastard; that guy looks like he could chew an apple and spit out a lemon; he were so sour." Grit scoffed while Ove and Sudri laughed.
"That Hunter is strong, Heath, make no mistake," Sudri licked his teeth as he cracked his fingers, "I wonder if he will battle me?"
Marsden cuffed him on the shoulder, "Lay off it, ya dumb bastard; if you wanna get yerself killed, do it after we get out of that damn forest." Sudri laughed again while Marsden grumbled to himself.
"…Fuckin' goddamn' community service…How 'bout I pull my dick out and slap ya in the face?... How's that fer' community service…"
"What are you saying, Marsden?" Ove asked as he listened to his grumbles.
Marsden sighed in reply, "Ah nothin' Ove just wonderin' how I even ended up in this mess." Sudri punched Marsden on the shoulder.
"Do not be afraid, Heath; as long as I am here, nothing will go wrong! Gahahahaha!"
"…That's exactly what I'm 'fraid of,"
Double-checking his supplies, Ove looked between a piece of paper in his left hand while going through his Beacon-issued rucksack in the other, checking off each line on the list to make sure he had everything. While they were packing Marsden had told them that they were responsible for their own gear and if they didn't have something, they were 'shit out of luck'.
Medical supplies…rations…flares…rope…sleeping bag…lighter…Dust…that should be mostly everything I guess, I wonder how the others are doing.
Looking at the others as they stood around the entrance, he saw how each of them was preparing; Marsden had brought more ammo to compensate for less dust as he performed gun tricks with his revolver to pass the time. Grit had packed incredibly light but now sported a hunting knife strapped to his thigh, his bag only had his sleeping bag, a rope and a few rations. Sudri paced back and forward at the entrance carrying nothing at all as he grumbled.
Ove looked over in concern, "Sudri?"
"Yes, Timur?"
"Where is your pack?"
"My what? Oh…I do not need it."
"Are…are you sure?"
"Yes, I am a true son of the Aesir so I will live off the bountiful land they have given me and take it from the Grímur." Sudri pointed his axe towards the forest, "Do you hear me, foul beasts of Hel?! I come to send back to your hellish pits! FYRIR ÓÐIN, FYRIR ÞÓR, FYRIR TÝR, FYRIR ÆSIR-!"
"GODDAMN IT, SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" Grit yelled cutting off Sudri who spun around with a snarl.
"You dare interrupt my prayers?! You shall pay Risi!" With that, he lunged at Grit who caught him halfway as they began slugging it out on the grass.
Ove was flabbergasted at how quickly that devolved watching them punch and wrestle each other as Marsden came over dusting off his cowboy hat before placing it back on his head. Ove noticed that Marsden had a bandolier of bullets over his chest packed to the brim with bullets.
"I can already tell that this shit is gonna go sideways," He said as he watched Grit and Sudri put each other into headlocks squeezing the air out of each other. "Wonder when that ghoul is gonna get 'ere."
"Ghoul?"
"Yeah, the gangly fucker that's coming with us," Marsden pulled out a cigarette which he angrily sucked on, "Sending us out 'ere with barely any warnin' like we're just bunch of attack dogs to let off the leash…bastards."
"…Isn't that what Hunters are?"
"Sure, but we ain't Hunters yet, hell we ain't even been 'ere a full month and-," Marsden stopped what he was saying as he glared out in front of them. Ove followed his gaze to see the lanky man – Corvain – coming towards them that slight hunch making him look smaller than he was. By the time he had reached them Grit and Sudri had stopped fighting and were now standing away from each other glaring.
Striding between them Corvain stood at the entrance before turning around to them, his pale red eyes staring each of them down until he focused on Marsden.
"…That's a nasty glare you got there cowboy, you got something you want to say?" His raspy voice slithered out as Marsden puffed out a cloud of smoke.
"Yeah, just one," He took the cigarette out of his mouth and used it to point at Corvain, "Why the fuck are you here?"
"Did you not listen to the Headmaster?"
"Oh, I heard him, but I also heard what he wasn't saying," Ove looked to Marsden with a raised brow, wondering what he was talking about as he thought back to what Ozpin said.
'Yes, the Huntsman who has been assigned to watch you for the week; he should be coming up the elevator right now.'
'Assigned to watch you.'
'Watch you.'
'Watch.'
"You are not here to help us," Ove found himself saying, unaware he was speaking out loud until he realised that the rest of his team was looking at him, his ears heated up in embarrassment.
"Exactly what I was thinkin' Ove," He didn't look away from Corvain who only looked back apathetically, "He ain't here to help us one bit, am I right?"
Corvain only stared for a bit before sighing and standing up a slightly straighter, "That's right." He looked at each of them with no expression betraying what his thoughts were on them, "Those Grimm are yours to deal with as you see fit, slice 'em, crush 'em, burn 'em do whatever you want with them. I couldn't give a rat's ass."
"I am only here on orders from Ozpin and the rest of the council to keep an eye on you and ensure that you dogs stay on your leash." He stood even straighter now, and Ove idly noticed that he was a bit taller than Grit, "So that means no getting funny ideas of running away, you understand?"
"What happens if we do get a funny idea?" Grit asked snidely.
"Then you'll receive the same fate as every other wild dog," He glared at Grit through the curtain of his hair, "Death."
Grit raised his hands and shook them, "Oooh, I'm really shitting myself," Corvain scoffed.
"You would be if they placed you with a Warden like the council wanted to," That shut Grit up as his eyes widened in a frantic panic. His breath became shorter before he managed to get it under control, "Fortunately for you, Ozpin managed to talk them into allowing a Huntsman of his choosing."
A Warden…that would have really sucked.
"Does that mean we get to fight you?" Sudri chimed in with a grin on his face as he eagerly gripped his axe, "You look strong, and it would please Tyr if we battled! So-,"
"There wouldn't be a fight; I would just kill you and be done with it."
"That sounds like a challenge!"
"Enough." Corvain stated and turned to the stairs, his tattered cloak swishing behind him, "Follow me and shut up so we can get this over with."
Ove watched as he got further away and moved to follow reluctantly.
"Huddle up fellers' I got something to say," Marsden ordered as they turned to him instead.
"Marsden?" Ove asked as he watched the sweat beads roll off his forehead and down into his shirt; Ove hadn't seen him this stressed out before.
"Listen, we gotta prepare for the worst now we know that fuckin' weirdo is here to whack us if we get outta line. So in the meantime, we're gonna play along and kill as many Grimm as we can until we see what that guy is capable of."
"Why do we not just kill him now?" Sudri asked as he turned his gaze towards where Corvain had walked off, "If it bothers you so much, Heath, I will just slay him so we can slaughter in peace."
"…That won't work on your own, Sudri." Ove found himself saying.
"Why not Timur? Are you saying that I am weak?"
"No. He is just too strong."
"And you know this for sure?"
"I do."
Sudri growled but said nothing in response as he flipped his axe in his hand, never taking his eyes off where Corvain had gone.
"Ove is right on this one, that feller gives me the willies just lookin' at 'im. So again let's play it safe until we know that we can jump 'im." Marsden looked over to where Grit was, who stared off into the forest instead, his usual frown now replaced by a fierce scowl, "Grit? What do you think, pardner'?"
"I think it doesn't matter in the slightest; who cares if some fucker is watching us? It's either we die or they do, and I don't have to tell you who I want in the fucking ground more." Grit looked back behind him, "If you want to pussy out of slaughtering those fucking monsters then be my guest but don't involve me in your fucking schemes Marsden, I ain't interested." With that, he heaved his chainsword off his back and revved it up a few times before stomping after Corvain who had begun descending the steps.
Sudri also marched after Grit, "I will not have Risi call me a coward! Watch me, Lords of Asgard! I will bring glory to your halls!" Lightning rolled across the ground as Sudri charged after them.
Ove watched as Marsden's foot began tapping furiously against the ground as he swallowed something in his throat and muttered something under his breath.
"…Just me, a couple of nutcases and a forest full of those fucking monsters…fuck…"
Ove watched Marsden quietly panic as he thought of what to do to calm his leader down. His mind raced back to a book he had read a few days ago; 'How to Be a reliable friend.'
'To ease your panicked friend, hold them by the shoulder and reassure them that you will be there for them.'
Grabbing Marsden by the shoulder he turned him slightly towards him making Marsden eyebrows shoot up. Ove cleared his throat.
"I am here for you."
Awkward silence greeted him as Marsden stared at him mouth agape before shaking his head and regaining his senses.
"Uhhh…thanks Ove but yer' a little too close for my likin'," Ove noticed that he was almost nose to nose with him and stepped back and began coughing trying to hide his embarrassment.
Why can't I get it right?!
Hearing a chuckle, he turned to see Marsden laughing softly as he began marching towards the entrance. Marsden turned his head back towards Ove, who followed behind with his rucksack flung behind his back.
"Thanks, Ove. I needed that…maybe work on yer delivery a bit more next time?"
Ove looked down at his feet, finding them suddenly more interesting.
"…Will do."
With that, they began descending towards the Forest, unaware of its dangers.
Day One…
The boys marched through the woods, barely staying in formation as they only focused on themselves. They had been walking silently for an hour towards the nearest last known hotspot of Grimm activity. Marsden stayed near the back, where his head swivelled around, looking up towards the trees and then towards the bushes; Ove walked a few feet ahead of him, keeping his head straight but subtly sending out pulses of his aura to see if anything was coming near them. Grit and Sudri strode far ahead of them, with Sudri resting his axe across his shoulder, whistling some unknown tune. Grit stood a few metres away from him, turning his body in each direction eagerly to see if any Grimm were coming; it was obvious to see the frustration and anger that rolled off him to anyone nearby.
What was most confusing was the fact that Corvain was nowhere to be seen as he had disappeared halfway through the trek. Marsden prided himself on having incredible eyes and perception but was taken aback that he didn't notice Corvain magically disappear like it was nothing. Marsden hated not knowing what was happening and despised not being able to plan ahead; it was madness. Palming his revolvers, he pulled them out of their holsters as dread crept up his spine at the thought of being watched and he began to get the feeling that they weren't the ones chasing but were the ones being chased.
He looked ahead of him to see Grit becoming more unhinged as they travelled further into the woods, not understanding what had set him off so badly.
As soon as that bastard mentioned Wardens, Grit's been acting fidgetier than a priest in a whorehouse.
While Marsden would usually ask him what was wrong, he knew that this wasn't the time to have a little pow-wow again, as right now, Grit was a sign saying that he was an all-you-can-eat buffet for the Grimm. Even though they had to kill them, Marsden would prefer to deal with them in manageable numbers instead of being overwhelmed.
"Grit! Ease up ya moody bastard, yer making us look like a bonfire out here!" Grit whirled around to him with a wild look on his face and a snarl on his lips as he looked at Marsden. He was about to yell something back before a branch snapped to their left, causing them to ready up towards the trees. They waited momentarily, and Marsden was about to call a false alarm when low growls began reverberating around them.
They had been found, and worse than that, they were surrounded. Marsden licked his lips as he saw the darkness between the trees be lit up with bright red eyes watching their every moment.
Were they following us the whole time? Fuckin' god dammit…
Their hulking figures stepped out from the darkness, snarling and yipping as they salivated at the thought of tearing into them. Their numbers never seemed to end as more appeared behind them, drooling on each other or on the ground; from his rough estimates, Marsden could see there were about fifty or even more. He began walking behind Ove, who drew Soyokaze and held it with two hands getting into his battle stance while Sudri's semblance crackled the air around him.
As long I stay behind these guys, I'll survive.
He pulled the hammers back on Bonnie and Clyde while raising them in front of him towards the mass of Beowolves and Ursa that were snarling as they inched forward ever so slowly. He looked towards the rest of his team as he formulated a strategy.
"Alright, fellers, here's the plan. I'm gonna stay back and pick off any stragglers while-"
*BANG*
Marsden watched as one of the Beowolves' heads blew clean off and slumped to the ground. There was silence for a moment as Marsden turned to see Grit holstering his still-smoking shotgun and began revving up his chainsword. Rage flew up into Marsden's throat as Grit blatantly ignored him and his authority.
"Grit! You fuckin' bastard, what the fuck-!"
"Shut the fuck up, Marsden! I didn't come out here to listen to some stupid fucking plan!" The Grimm howled as they began bounding towards them; Grit met them with his own bloodthirsty snarl as he charged into them, his chainsword screaming with him as it tore into the first Beowolf, completely bisecting it. Not stopping the momentum, he continued swinging Excuser into the next Beowolf, which yelped as the chainsword caught on its lower hip and then kept going. Grit screamed as he pushed his weapon through the Beowolf's body as though he were relishing in it's pain.
Marsden turned to the rest of them, deciding to chew him out later, but when he went to look at Sudri, he saw that he was already following Grit's lead, laughing and howling as his lightning ripped through two Grimm before he buried his axe into the face plate of another.
"GAHAHAHAHA! DEYJA! DEYJA! DEYJA!!" Sudri chanted as he grabbed a juvenile Beowolf by its throat before charging it with electricity and tossing it towards a group of them, watching it explode. Cursing under his breath, he noticed that Ove stood a few feet away from him, slicing and cutting at any Grimm that came near them as more continued pouring out of the trees. Ove was using his Semblance as best as he could, meaning he could dodge or counter any attack that the Grimm tried to pull.
Marsden shook his head to distract himself from the madness that was happening around him and began firing off into the horde, using his semblance to fire pinpoint shots into the eyes of Beowolves and one Ursa that came charging out with them. He soon found that he wasn't even paying attention to what Ove or the rest of them were doing as he fell back to better cover behind a rock, only trying to keep himself safe.
Even as the Grimm roared and snarled with as much hatred as they did at the beginning, Marsden could tell that it was becoming dimmer as they continued fighting.
We might get out of this!
He spoke too soon as when he went to duck behind the rock again to reload, he popped back up to see a Beowolf leaping straight towards him and tackling him to the ground, making Marsden yell and use his Aura to push its snapping jaws away from him.
"GAH! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" He yelled as he struggled to move Bonnie underneath its jaw; he ignored its disgusting rotten breath as he pulled the hammer back and fired. The back of its head exploded, and it then slumped on top of him, making him exhale in frustration as he pushed its gigantic weight off him.
"…Motherfucker." He fired another shot into its lifeless body as he stood up. He looked back to the fight to see that the rest of his team was still going strong. Ove flitted in between different Grimm, slicing at their tendons to slow them down before cutting their throats while trying to get back over to Marsden. Sudri was battling an Ursa Major that ripped a tree out of the ground to throw at Sudri, who leapt towards it and burst out through the other side, sending shards of wood everywhere as he slammed his semblance-infused axe into its face killing it instantly.
What really drew his attention, however, was Grit, who had turned into something vaguely resembling a person. Veins popped out of his neck as his skin turned red, and his eyes were white from rolling into the back of his head while he bled from wounds in between the exposed bits of his leather armour that had torn. He looked more like a beast than a man as he shoved his arm into the throat of a Beowolf before using it as a makeshift hammer to batter away more of them; his rampage was interrupted by the arrival of an Alpha that let out an earsplitting roar.
Grit met its roar with his own spittle-covered Battlecry as he bounded towards it, his chainsword screaming along with him. Marsden cocked the hammers back on his revolvers to assist Grit – or as well as he could – But his hair began standing up, and he knew that Sudri was on his way as he came down from the sky laughing and chanting as he landed on top of the Alpha Beowolf with a thunderous crash signalling his arrival. The Alpha lay in a smoking heap as Marsden had to cover his eyes from the flash of light; looking again, he saw Sudri planting his foot atop it as though he had just climbed a mountain.
"GAHAHAHA! HEYRIR ÞÚ Í MIG ÞOR ALMATTUR? MÁ ÞRUMUR MÍN NÁÐA BLESSUÐ EYRU ÞÍN!" He looked down to see Grit still bounding towards him, and his smile from the battle turned into a frown, "What are you doing Risi? The battle is over!" Marsden could already see it before it happened but still called out in warning.
"SUDRI GET DOWN!" Sudri looked confused before his instincts kicked in, allowing him to raise his axe in time to block Grit's chainsword, which met in a clash of sparks. Grit continued snarling as he tried to overpower Sudri, who found himself losing ground inch by inch as the Alpha's body below them slowly disintegrated.
"AH! I SEE RISI, YOU HAVE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY FENRIR!" He pushed back against Grit as his tattoos glowed bright blue, increasing his strength to barely match him. Saliva dribbled out of Grit's mouth as he snarled again before swinging his fist at Sudri, who caught it with his own; Sudri then took the offensive as he booted Grit in the chest, sending him skidding backwards with an aura-infused kick. "I WILL PUT YOU DOWN, MAD BEAST!"
Sudri leapt back as Marsden fired off a bullet at his feet, "AIN'T NOBODY KILLIN' NOBODY. NOW SETTLE THE FUCK DOWN 'FORE I PUT A BULLET IN BOTH OF Y'ALL!" Sudri sneered at him in disgust.
"You would get in the way between two warriors Heath?! You shame yourse-!" He had no time to finish as Grit had already come leaping back, bloody murder on his mind.
"RED EYES WITHIN THE BURNING WHEEL! WHERE IS THE RAVEN?!" Grit howled out as he swung at Marsden, whose eyes widened as he realised he couldn't dodge in time.
SHIT!
He closed his eyes and brought his revolver up towards Grit's face.
Nothing. He felt nothing.
He opened his eyes to see Grit being held off by Oves Katana, which shook against the force of Grit's inhuman strength. Before Marsden could say anything, Ove's fingers glowed with his aura as he struck at Grit's neck, chest and shoulder, making his eyes roll back out of their whiteness before they snapped shut as Grit slumped to the floor, his weapon clattering away from him.
Marsden watched with wide eyes as Ove raised his katana over Grit's body, poised to strike, making Marsden snake his arm out to grab his wrist.
"What the fuck are you doing?!"
Ove looked back with apathetic eyes, "He is dangerous. He must be dealt with now." He explained as though Marsden were a child.
"Are you out of yer fuckin' mind?! We can't just start killin' each other in the middle of Grimm country!"
"He was going to kill you."
"And I'm gonna deal with that! Right now, you gotta step back and let me deal with this." He moved Ove out of the way to look down at Grit's unconscious body, which began stirring. Sudri walked over to them and grabbed Marsden by the collar of his shirt, heaving him up.
"Heath! If you ever dare intrude upon my battle again, I will-!"
"You'll what?" Marsden asked as Sudri's eyebrows rose in surprise as he felt something pressing into his gut. Looking down, he saw Marsden's white revolver pushing against him with the hammer back, "You try anything and I'll pump your guts full of lead." Sudri looked down and back at him before dropping him to his feet.
The tension was thick between them as Grit groaned and began pushing himself up, "Ugh…What the fuck happened?" He looked up to see the three of them glaring at one another before turning their attention to him, their venomous glares making him go on the defensive, "The fuck are you looking at?" Ove scoffed and walked away while Sudri and Marsden stayed next to him.
"Risi! We will finish our battle another time when there are no distractions," Sudri stomped off from them but still managed to curse at Marsden in his own tongue, where he joined Ove. Marsden growled in irritation and made to say something to Grit.
"Well, seems like there's not much point in me being here. You'll just kill each other by the end of the day." The raspy voice interrupted him as they turned to look up at the trees where Corvain was standing on a thick branch looking down at them. Marsden snarled and pointed his guns up at him.
"You wanna come down 'ere and actually help or what? Otherwise, I might as well come up there an' shoot you in yer fucking face!" Marsden shouted, which had no effect on Corvain, who still stared back at them impassively. Grit had pulled himself to his feet as he examined his injuries, putting together the pieces of how he acquired them.
Corvain pointed ahead of them, "I doubt you'll have enough time to do that," Ear-piercing howls and yipping greeted them, which became clearer every second, "It looks like they're coming back for seconds." His words confirmed what was happening as the roars of rage made Marsden's knees buckle for a second before he slammed his fist into his thigh to make it stop.
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" He turned away from Corvain and stormed past Grit, who watched as he walked away, "Do whatever the hell you like; just don't get in each other's way and don't fucking die!" He called out to the rest of them as they got ready for the second horde coming faster now.
Any sense of good mood was gone now, and all that was left was a grim determination not to die in this forest. The ground shook as the monsters stormed towards them; Marsden swallowed the saliva in his throat and took position behind a fallen log.
He cocked the hammers back on his revolvers.
He waited.
He aimed them at the woods.
He waited.
Their red eyes flashed through the dark.
He waited.
They burst through with hungry jaws and savage claws.
The smell of gunpowder and dust filled the air as his vision tunnelled.
It was going to be a long one.
Day One…Later that night…
The young men of GOSM sat around the fire in uncomfortable silence, not even bothering to look at each other as they tended to themselves. Grit sat away from them, claiming to take the first watch as he stayed near a tree rather than the fire while stitching up the wounds his aura didn't heal, hissing slightly as he missed some areas. Sudri knelt before a roughly carved mini statue of a hammer while murmuring his prayers to Thor. Ove sat crossed-legged in front of the fire holding his katana out in front of him looking deeply into the blade's reflection. Finally, Marsden was sat on a log tugging on the ankle bracelet and grunting in frustration while muttering to himself before yelling and standing up.
"FUCK THIS!" He picked up a stick and threw it into the fire, making it blaze for a moment before it settled as he paced around it, "If I knew we were jus' gonna be used as cannon fodder, I woulda jus' died in the fuckin' sand!" He stopped as he rubbed his face while the rest of them looked at him as he ranted.
He took his hands off his face and turned towards Ove, "How many have we killed today, Ove? Three hundred? Four hundred?" He asked as Ove pulled out his scroll to press a few buttons before frowning.
"…One hundred and fifty-seven."
"One hundred and fifty-seven?"
"Yes."
"One hundred and fifty-seven…One hundred and fifty-seven…" He chuckled before snarling and booting a rock off into the distance, "ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FUCKING SEVEN! Out of fifteen hundred, what a fuckin' joke!" He huffed angrily as he kept stomping around.
"It took us all day to kill that much, and we barely did that without nearly killing each other! Speaking of which…" He turned towards Grit, who glanced at him before looking forward again, "What the fuck's wrong with you?! You nearly killed me and Sudri because you couldn' help but have a tantrum?" Grit didn't turn around and remained silent.
"Well? Anything? Did our little talk on tha' roof not register in that fuckin' thick head of yours? Huh?!"
"The roof?" Ove asked Sudri, who shrugged as he finished his prayers.
"You know I think I figured you out, partner," Marsden took a step towards Grit, "For all yer tough talk, you ain't got a clue what the fuck yer doin' do you? Yer just a big kid with a big stick swinging it at anything that scares you."
Grit said nothing.
"You fuckin' coward!"
Grit leapt to his feet to get in Marsden's face with an animalistic snarl on his face, "SAY THAT AGAIN! I FUCKING DARE YOU!" Marsden stepped forward with a sneer on his face.
"I'll say it as often as I have to you fuckin' pussy!"
"Bah! You are both cowards!" Sudri chimed in as he got to his feet to join the conversation as both their heads swivelled towards him, "Risi, you are everything Heath says you are! A warrior with no purpose in his weapon is just a child playing pretend! While Heath, you are a fraud." Marsden spat at his feet.
"You have no courage; you cower behind those stronger than you only to save your own skin! Disgusting," Marsden laughed bitterly as he turned his attention towards Sudri.
"Big talk comin' from the dumbass who can't even read," He stepped towards Sudri, "You say I'm a fraud, but what about those 'Gods' of yers? Screaming for approval for some dipshits who don't even exist 'cause without them yer nothin' jus' another screamin' idiot like this fuckin' dipshit," He jabbed his thumb back at Grit, who snarled at him, "And jus' like 'im yer a frightened babe desperately tryin' to hold to what makes you, you and when that's gone? Yer existence will mean nothin', and you'll be like every sorry bastard on this planet!"
Sudri growled as his tattoos glowed blue while Marsden hovered his hand over his revolver, Grit reached down to pull out his hunting knife. It looked as though everything was about to kick off as the three young men got ready to kill each other.
"ENOUGH!" Ove's normally quiet voice called out over them as they turned in surprise towards him as he stood there, a foul scowl on his face, "I am tired of listening to you three squabble over nothing! So I'm going to tell you what the fuck is wrong with each of you," He marched over to them and jabbed each of them in their chests as they stood there dumbfounded.
"Marsden! Get your shit together; Headmaster Ozpin didn't make you our leader so you could get into a pissing contest with the rest of us. Take charge! Show us why we need to respect you, listen to you, and stop hiding behind us!" Marsden was stunned as he looked down at his feet. Ove then moved on to Sudri, who refused to break eye contact.
"Sudri, you're supposed to be my partner, but you are just obsessed with trying to outdo Grit constantly. I know you're used to being number one from where you come from, but out here, when we're training to be Huntsman, we have to be in a team. Otherwise, we'll die. Surely dying somewhere here will dishonour you?" Sudri grunted as he stepped back away from him.
"Grit, I was the one who knocked you out earlier," Grit made to say something, but Ove cut him off, "Do you know why I did that? Because you were about to kill Marsden and probably the rest of us if I didn't do something. I know what Corvain said about the Wardens set you off, and I don't know what your problem with Wardens is, but now is not the time to fall apart!" Grit said nothing as he stared into Ove's eyes as he stepped back from them to address them all.
"I know we don't really like each other, but right now, in this moment and in the rest of our time at Beacon, all we have is each other. We can't do it alone; otherwise, we'll die and I…I refuse to die here; I want to see what happens if I make it to the end…" Suddenly he realised that was the most he had ever said in the past few weeks he had been at Beacon and probably his whole life. His ears heated up in embarrassment as he looked down at his feet, trying to hold in his shameful feelings. Hearing the crunch of leaves coming towards him, he felt a palm land on his shoulders, causing him to look up at Marsden's grinning face.
"Goddamn Ove, Ozpin shoulda' made you the leader. That was the kick in the balls I needed." Ove smiled but broke eye contact and preferred to stare at his feet. Marsden walked away and moved to stand on top of a nearby rock as he looked down at them.
"Ove's right, fellers. I been actin' like a spayed dog since we got this 'service' and I ain't been in my right head to lead you fellers the way I should. Well, that's gonna stop right now." He looked each of them in the eyes as they returned his stare; he stood straighter now, projecting confidence in what he was saying, "Remnant couldn't have picked a more mismatched bunch of scumbags if they tried, and the Council is makin' it pretty clear we ain't wanted around 'ere. Well, you know what I say? Fuck that! And fuck them! We're gonna tear these woods the fuck up and make these Grimm bastards run with their tails 'tween their legs!" He noticed that Sudri and Ove were grinning as he spoke, while Grit had the beginnings of a small smile on his face as he listened to him. Jumping down from the rock, he clapped both Grit and Sudri on the shoulders while smirking at Ove, who stood away a bit.
"Whaddya say, fellers? You with me?"
Sudri began laughing as he clapped Ove on his back, "It seems, Timur, that you have the wisdom of Odin in your words, too, I have been a foolish pup to ignore you. This will change now."
"I…" Grit began speaking as they turned to look at him; they noticed the tips of his ears were turning red as he looked…bashful? "…I'm sorry…" Marsden smirked and cupped his ear.
"What's that? Can't hear you partner?"
"I said I'm gonna punch you!"
"Suuure ya did."
"Fuck you, cowboy."
Marsden, Sudri and Ove laughed at Grit's embarrassment as Marsden gestured for them to sit around the fire. Sitting around, they – except Grit – Cracked a few more jokes here and there as they got comfortable. Marsden then turned to Grit.
"So Partner," They all turned to Marsden, "Is that part of yer semblance? You know…Flippin out like that?" Grit said nothing for a moment as he looked back into the fire for a moment.
"…Yeah, it's one of the downsides of using it too long or if I get too worked up."
"You didn't think to tell us that the first time?"
Grit shrugged.
"…Brothers balls partner, yer a nightmare." Marsden chuckled as Sudri looked at Grit with a thoughtful look.
"Why did you not say you were a Berserkur Risi? I would have shown the teachings of my people." Grit tilted his head at him.
"Berserker?" Sudri nodded at him.
"Yes! Berserkurs are a group of warriors in my tribe that don the skin of Fenrir to fight with bestial might. Although it is hard for them to control, some lose themselves to the rage." Sudri leaned back, "When we return to Beacon Hall, I will show you some things I learned from them."
"You're saying I could control it?" Grit looked up in interest at what Sudri was saying.
"Of course, although I cannot guarantee it will work."
"…Thanks," Grit muttered, and Sudri waved it off.
"Well, this is all lovely, but I think we gotta get down to brass tacks," Marsden cut back in as they turned to look at him, "If we want to make it out this shithole, we gotta strategise – Don't moan Sudri I see you! – So we gotta know more about each other's strengths and weaknesses, alright?" They all agreed reluctantly as they gathered together closer.
"Alright…now huddle up, and let's get this over with."
Far above them in the trees, Corvain watched them with slight interest as they managed to reconcile with each other to start formulating a plan.
Maybe they won't die here after all…
A vibration from his scroll made him look down to see an encrypted message from Ozpin about the secondary orders he was supposed to receive. Swiping it open after putting in the password, he looked at the message, where his eyes narrowed.
'Investigate Rumours of Dr Merlot's research outpost within the Emerald Outpost. If confirmed, destroy the base by any means necessary.'
'Beware of other parties that might be lurking in the Forest.'
Translations:
HEYRIR ÞÚ Í MIG ÞOR ALMATTUR? MÁ ÞRUMUR MÍN NÁÐA BLESSUÐ EYRU ÞÍN! = Can you hear me almighty Thor? May my thunder reach your ears!
DEYJA! DEYJA! DEYJA = DIE! DIE! DIE!
Authours Notes: Jeez, sorry about the wait, but I decided to switch up my approach again on how I'm writing the chapters. This basically means I've already written out the plan for the next three chapters and how it's going to end. This means that while I write an arc for the story, the planning will take longer, but I'll be able to get chapters out more often, you dig?
Review reply:
AsynchronousTextureStreaming: Thanks, man! I can promise that Grit will become better tempered over time, he is by nature a good boy he's just been put through the ringer a few times so he's just a bit grumpy.
Scoolio: Lets see indeed.
Guest: Thanks Pal I would be lying if I said that Berserk wasn't one of my inspirations for writing Grit however I'm hoping I don't rip him off too much at the beginning lmao.
Kodaking: There will be character development galore and even more action in the coming chapters!
See you next time!