A/N: Hey everyone, I apologize for the late update again. Life had kept me busy and barely had much leisure nowadays. Nonetheless I am here to provide this new chapter of the Arrowfell arc. Plus I am sure you guys noticed this story finally has a cover! Woo! Also there is one thing I will be informing you guys but that will be in the Author's Note at the very bottom of the page. Without further ado let us begin the chapter!
NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ REMNANT OF DESIRES AND REMNANTS OF DESIRES: AFTER THE FALL, READ THEM BEFORE YOU START READING THIS STORY. THANK YOU.
Third Person View
'Thought'
"Greeed/Yummies"
Grimm rested calmly on a supply crate, his eyes closed as his position made most mistaken him to be slumbering in the alley of the streets of Mantle. His Shark Lance was against him while the edged tip pressed against the wall itself.
He hated the humans as they were just pests in his eyes. Just as Gara saw them as; his source whose memories and powerful desire he inherited. It was how he made Borvin and Muchiri. A Greeed who masters the poisonous elements whereas the other was a literal force of nature. Such grand creations he had ever made that Gara could not do.
Gara could not kill OOO. He could not create such Greeed like Borvin and Muchiri. He could not achieve godhood.
Himself on the other hand? He was able to injure OOO. He made two new Greeed. He was getting closer to godhood.
"You're late, Muchiri."
The human-disguised Poison Greeed entered the alley, his enclosed eyes not affecting his steps nor obstacles.
"I was just having some fun… Can you blame me, Lord Grimm?" Muchiri snickered. "The humans are just strange miscreants as you proclaimed. And-" He froze to the crimson eyes that were seen from the disguised half-breed. "A-Ah yes, I have also displayed my ferocity to those you ordered me to. They didn't stand a stance. Would have ripped out the girl's silver eyes too were it not for our older kin."
"Which."
"Red."
"… Ankh." The evil rider grunted irritably. "Which meant he and Gamel are roaming around as is Kazari within this side of the continent"
"Hmm… it does explain the lone detection of Core Energy south of here." Muchiri realized, leaning against the wall while fiddling with a butterfly knife. "I apologize for not completing it."
"No. You were told to show them your toxic might and you did. Alas that also means Ankh won't be idle now he sees you and Bovin exist as I do."
"What do you suggest then?"
Grimm stood up and adjusted the blue jacket. "Borvin's turn will come soon. For now, we wait." He walked as Muchiri followed behind, he too adjusting his yellow trench coat. "A Shark must stalk their prey… before snapping their jaws to make them bleed."
Not too deep in the alley were several Atlas soldiers lying dead from being impaled by the lance Grimm carried.
Remnants of Desires: Edge of Avarice
Chapter 9: Forgotten Memoirs, Goliath, Team BRIR
The five of us began to recover from the beatdown we suffered at the hands of the newly discovered Greeed who named himself Muchiri. Some of us had used our Auras to heal but it didn't hamper what happened. We encountered a new Greeed and it was not like Uva but a Poison Greeed which meant all attacks are meant to be fatal.
"I can't believe we lost to that… thing." Weiss murmured.
"I don't like it as much as you do Weiss." I put my two cents in. "I didn't expect this at all. None of us did."
"We should tell Ironwood as soon as we can. It wouldn't be wise to let them roam so freely." Yang spoke up, knowing what damage they could do.
"Already did." We noticed Ankh who pocketed the Scroll. "The drunk asshole already relayed what I told him to the general and they are not happy. I warned the old man to not send more patrols which he complied but Gamel and I will be scouring in search for the abomination and his two creations. This… Muchiri and Borvin."
"Muchiri is just an ugly depiction of bugs unlike Uva." The former heiress cringed. "I do not want to know what Borvin is regarding his animal traits."
Ruby raised her head. "What does the general want us to do?"
"Continue with what you are doing. Once you are finished with whatever it is, return to Atlas. I have to pinpoint possible areas after learning several soldiers were found dead in an alley in Mantle. No doubt Poseidon's work given the details. After all, he did say to kitty cat, Enrique, and myself back at Menagerie that he will rid any obstacles in his way to kill Enrique and become god. And it meant any obstacle in his path."
"No matter how many bodies and Yummies he had to waste… no matter the destruction in order to kill me." I bitterly remembered those words Poseidon said to me in our fight on the boat to Mantle. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang gulped to the implications Poseidon had. He was willing to do all of those mentioned acts in order to fulfill the void in him and become god.
Blake had a worried and scared look on her face, gently hugging me as we truly don't know what to expect now. As far as we're concerned? Poseidon could be everywhere due to his power to control Grimm as he was part Grimm himself.
"Do yourselves a favor and finish up whatever you five are doing. So the General can just shut up." He shifted into his Greeed form and flew back to Atlas.
"First we have Kazari and Uva to deal with, then Salem, then Poseidon and now we have two more Greeed on the cake!" Yang raised her arms. "Well that's just fan-freaking-tastic!"
"We shouldn't focus on that… We'll just attract more Grimm…" Ruby pointed out, pushing herself off the rock. "I know we got ourselves in a pickle-"
"A big pickle." Weiss deadpanned.
"We just have to keep trying and do our best with getting Amity Tower up. By then, people will realize about Salem. The Greeed we can stop as long as they don't have all nine of their medals and using the Medagaburyu to destroy the Core that housed their conscious."
Yang sighed. "I guess you're right…"
"What about the words Muchiri said? This… 'Borvin' being next to test us?" Blake inquired. "Muchiri is one thing with his insectoid and poisonous capabilities, but Borvin?"
"Maybe it's a cow and won't be that harmful?" Yang shrugged.
"Really Yang? A cow? From all the animals we saw the Greeed have, they're dangerous."
"Do I need to point out Enrique literally having a 'Penguin' medal?" Ruby pouted. "A penguin is the most innocent bird out there! They're fluffy when they're newborns and they glide on their bellies!"
Weiss raised her head, imagining Ruby's description of newborn penguins waddling and sliding across ice. No, she can't let such adorable description disrupt her!
"Also Ruby… Penguins aren't that innocent. You shouldn't let those cartoons guide you." Yang chided. "They can peck very harshly."
"Nature Documentaries are just horror films in disguise!!!" Ruby proclaimed, holding her hands to her ears so she doesn't hear anymore things to ruin her fantasies.
"They're not wrong, Ruby." I admitted.
Ruby gasped. "Traitor!"
"Back in my world, they have countless documentaries regarding animals. More than the ones you guys have."
"Lalalala! I'm not hearing this!!" The leader of Team RWBY marched away. "I'm not listening! Lalalala!"
"Uh, Ruby… Crossed is that way." Blake pointed in the other direction.
We waited and it took five seconds before Ruby went the other way.
"I knew that!" She huffed.
Weiss sniffed at the spectacle. "Hmph. And you all say I am the one with a bad sense of direction."
"You are…" Yang and Blake said in unison.
"I do not!"
"Yes you do!" Ruby's voice echoed not too far.
I chuckled in amusement. "Guess the votes are in on it, Weiss. Sorry."
"Brutes! Every single one of you!!" Weiss huffed as she marched off…. Only to turn around and walk towards where Crossed was. "Don't. Say. Anything."
Yup, it's official. Weiss does have a bad sense of direction in regards to certain areas.
Our travel to Crossed really didn't take us that long as the travel to Essen Cavern. When the woman mentioned how Crossed was now nothing but remains, she really wasn't kidding.
The village that was Crossed was littered with burnt wood all around. The presence of Grimm being relatively small which was normal but the sight was rather sad given it wasn't nothing now.
"She said her book was here… you really think it would be in good condition?" The Faunus asked.
"Damaged or not, as long as it is intact, it still gives the person some hope in their lives." I stated. A memento was more important than anything in a person's life. It was something most would have to remind themselves of the graceful memories.
"Question is… would it be hers or someone else's book? I mean… well, she told us it's in Crossed in this part of the village but not the exact place or it's description!" Ruby pointed out. Immediately we realized we don't even know how to look for it!
"Can't you sense it with your…. 'Desire Sense' or whatever it is?" asked Weiss.
"That's not what it does." I facepalmed. "My Cores can only sense Core Medals of other Greeed."
"Well, we tried." The buxom blonde shrugged.
"This will be more like finding a needle in a haystack." I grumbled, earning puzzled stares from the four. "It means finding something that is almost impossible that is hidden amongst so many other things."
"That… does make more sense now that you clarified its meaning." Weiss pondered. She knit her brows and elicited an exasperated sigh. "Which means we will being doing the same thing here. Goody."
"Well, no use in talking around. Best get to digging." Yang spoke up, plucking a fragment of charred wood and tossed it aside.
Coming to an unified agreement we began to scour around the area the paper showed. However it wasn't all that easy given the remains of the village, adding with the snow and weather made it complicated to find the book.
All we picked up were wood fragments, old fragments of dishware, and the occasional cloth that was shredded by the nature of the elements. Not a single sight of the book.
"This is going to take forever!" Weiss groaned audibly.
"Shall we start telling jokes to pass the time?" Yang grinned.
"If you even MAKE a pun about this, I will freeze your bike…" Weiss glared at the huntress.
"Sorry but Bumblebee is at Argus. Freeze Enrique's RideVendor 2.0."
"Why mine?!"
"Gotta pay you back for not letting me ride it."
I grumbled, muttering a few words under my breath while rummaging in the snow. Must she always bring that up? It was just the only Ridevendor I have! Sheesh, I swear if she wants to keep doing that, I will do the same in return. Brushing my hand across the snow, I paused. "Huh?" I shoved the snow more before finding a worn booklet. I pulled it out of the snow, brushing off the remains of the ice. "Girls, over here."
They gathered around as they looked at one another, waiting for me to open the book to see if this truly was our prize or not.
Slowly and delicately, I flipped the cover open and we noticed the first page held a name and details. Adding it was the year.
"Names, year and events?"
"Wait, look at the last names on the two pages." Blake pointed at several. "They all share the names connected to the previous person. This book isn't just a book…"
"It's a written form of a family tree." I realized.
"We found it!!" Ruby cheered with delight.
"Finally… Let's get going before something worst happens…" Weiss sighed with relief.
My eyes softened, finally understanding why the book was so precious to the woman. A memoir to remember her family's legacy and ancestry. From the looks of it, it was spanned for such a long time. A few pages were worn out but kept from degrading.
"Enrique?" Blake called to me, gently.
I closed the book and stood up. "Let's get this book back to her."
"Sounds good to me." Yang smiled with a nod.
Giving one last look at the book in my hand, I placed it into my jacket and the five of us left the remnants of Crossed.
Returning to Essen Town was eventful for the five of us. We briefly took a small break during the walk but kept going. We talked to one another in regards to what we have been doing in regards to our tasks back at Atlas and Mantle before this task. I had also come to learn that like Ruby, they've been making improvements and more tangibility to their respective Semblance. A part of me felt envy as most of my friends have already advanced their Semblance unlike me. All I have been able to do was conjure ice, control it, and on occasions create it as reinforcements to my body such as the decoy, ice armor, and an ice sword. Not much to call a step in development.
Though Blake and the others keep trying to convince me that they find my Semblance useful and helpful. Each one talking about what they like the most, with Blake being the one to name even more things about it and how I use it.
Not that I was entirely complaining about. As long as I kept training,
"Maybe when it's truly mastered you can make a giant ice mech!!" Ruby said with delight in her eyes. "That'd be so cool~! You'd just be able to smack down anything big, fire missiles at them, and flatten your enemies!"
Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's enthusiasm.
"Not sure it can go to that extent, Ruby." I replied.
"Never know until you try!" Ruby smiled innocently, once again her pure heart making me smile.
"Oh look, we have arrived," said Yang. We noticed the entrance of the village. The villager who watched the entrance was greeted by us before we went to the villager from before. The fur-cloaked woman took notice of us.
"You've returned," The woman noticed. "Has there been any luck?"
"Actually," My fiancée nudged me slightly in which I reached into the pouch on my leg. With the book in my grip, I presented it to her. "Is this the book?"
The woman gasped and gently took it from my grasp. She flipped the first few pages and her eyes glimmered with joy and a thin smile. "My precious book. Oh I thought to never see it again."
"We… kinda looked at the first few pages to confirm anything." Ruby sheepishly admitted. "W-We weren't sure-!"
"It's okay." The woman assured us, holding the book close to her chest. "This book contained all of my ancestors." The woman smiled thinly upon the retrieval of her precious book.
"I hate to ask but why is it so important with its names?" The former heiress inquired.
Ruby looked at her partner, aghast to the question"Weiss!"
"No, it's alright." The villager raised her hand to placate the rest of us. "This book holds handwritten records of my ancestors who fought in the Great War. Without this book, my tribe's stories would have been lost to the ages."
"A memoir."
"Yes. Alas I am glad for it to survive this long… unlike before."
"Eh?"
She gently opened the book more widely to reveal miniscule fragments before the first page. As if… "Someone tore pages from it?" Yang noticed.
"A time in my tribe that is still a mystery."
"When was it?"
"It's hard to say but from my tribe's stories, it was almost 800 years I believe? Though by current year it would be marking 802 years in a few days"
We all tensed at her answer. Almost 800 years… that meant… well fuck. We recalled our discovery of the cavern in the summit and added to Ankh's words revealing any evidence that the former Multi-King was removed, leaving only ruins of the lost kingdom. It meant her ancestor may have been a surviving inhabitant of the Lost Kingdom.
Perhaps a time the woman's ancestor never wanted to remember given such tragedies in its aftermath.
"At least your book is safe, right?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Glad we could help!" Ruby chimed.
With our efforts finished we were about to leave but Ruby's Scroll rang. She reached to her cloak and held her Scroll. "Guys, Dr. Pietro wants us back at Mantle! He finished fixing the scraps from that orb!"
"Guess that means we have to head back." I agreed with Weiss ' words. With the request finished and Pietro asking for us in regards to the odd device, it was time to head back.
"Thank you for telling us about your book, er-" Ruby trailed off.
"Oh I never introduced myself before. My name is Cerise Claire. And thank you for bringing my book to me."
Being back in Pietro's place was a good refresh for us as we temporarily no longer have to deal with the cold temperatures thanks to the heating systems Mantle and Atlas hold. "We're back again!" the scythe wielder raised her arm.
"Welcome back. How was it out there?" Pietro asked.
Yang opened her mouth but saw the brief look at Weiss regarding the few mishaps including the unease of our discovery of the remains of Solaris' concubines and guards. "Eventful to say the least." She shrugged. "Ruby said you fixed the orb?"
"Ah yes." Pietro moved around with the help of his wheelchair. Plucking the orb from his desk upon Maria handing it to him, the scientist returned to us with it. Unlike the broken scrap it was before, it was fully restored. "The device… well you see… the mysterious orb is definitely some of kind of container."
Ruby blinked. "W-Wait so it's not something rare or valuable?"
Pietro shook his head. "Don't seem to be anything there's a market for that I know of." Weiss furrowed her brows, "You said it's a container. A container for what?"
"I'm not sure. But the core looks like it could harness some sort of energy."
"Was it Core Energy?"
"No. I made a comparison with the cell medal you gave me before and it surely isn't Core Energy either." Pietro assured, handing the orb to Ruby. "Take it. Hopefully someone out there can tell you more about it."
The leader of Team RWBY looked at the repaired orb before pocketing it into her pouch. "Thank you for everything!"
"Of course! Good luck on your journey!"
Ruby nodded eagerly before we left the building. Blake rested a hand on her hip, "Any ideas?"
"Huh?"
"Pietro said someone may know something about it. But who should we ask?"
"Hrm…" We all pondered. Yang snapped her fingers and rested a fist onto her open palm, "What about Essen Town? Yeah we found the orb in the summit north of here but if it was in outside territory, then what better way to ask a local outside Mantle and Atlas?"
We couldn't help but agree to Yang's suggestion. Given we did find the peculiar orb outside Mantle and Atlas, within the summit, someone must know something about it. And what better way than asking a villager outside Mantle?
"Good thinking sis!"
Yang grinned with pride. "I aim to please. This time we are taking the bikes there! Walking was a hassle."
"Fair enough." I sighed, reaching for the RideVendor Can. With it out, I said, "Let's get the hoverbikes and-" I suddenly felt empty air in my hand. I blinked and darted to my palm to find the special Candroid missing. My attention turned to the girls, only to notice Yang who excitedly tossed it upon popping its tab open to activate. "Hey!"
"You snooze, you lose!" Yang grinned, swiftly hopping onto the rider machine. She revved the engine in excitement before the wheels spun and she immediately was the first to drive off. "WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!"
The four of us stared before Blake leaned over, "Did she forgot about using the Cheetah Candroid to increase its speed?"
I chuckled with a sly grin, slightly lifting the Candroid in question. "Yup." And pocketed it.
"How long do you think it will take for her to notice?"
"Meh, I give it when we arrive at Essen town." I shrugged.
"100 Lien says she will demand why it didn't go fast like in our trip to the summit." Ruby placed her bet.
"… make it 200 for possible vulgar words." I gave my response
"Deal." The two of us bump our fists.
Weiss facepalmed, "You guys are idiots."
"And what are you betting?" Ruby grinned at her teammate. "Or are you afraid of losing to us?"
"None. Thank you very much. I rather not do something so mundane in making bets like some people do."
"Say's the chicken." Ruby snickered.
"I am no chicken!"
"Chicken~! Bawk Bawk!"
"You are so…" With an exasperated breath, Weiss looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. "Fine! Same amount Enrique is doing!"
"Yes!" Ruby cheered with delight, knowing she got Weiss to bet with them.
Blake gave a slight smile.
We came to a stop upon Essen Town with the hoverbikes, our eyes noticing the familiar buxom blonde who was tapping her right foot against the snow. Her left hand tapped her right bicep like a drum. The look in her eyes was full of demand and we had a good guess to what.
"Oh hey Yang! How was the ride?" Ruby inquired with an impish smile.
"Oh you know it was fast but there was one little problem." Yang 'smiled'. "Like oh I don't know… WHY THE HELL DID IT NOT GO FAST LIKE ENRIQUE MADE IT BE BACK ON THE SUMMIT!?"
"And there is the response we were waiting for." I felt amusement that she included one vulgar word. A minor one but still. Weiss idly laid her hand out to the side towards Ruby who grumbled, giving the former heiress the 200 Lien.
"Don't mess with the Ice Queen." Weiss joked with a sly smirk.
"I am waiting for an answer damn it!" Yang hopped furiously.
"Oh that's because you didn't give it the Candroid required to assume its mode." I explained, raising the Cheetah Candroid.
"Lemme try it, please!!" Yang pleaded as she tried to snatch it from me. She may be an inch taller than me and Blake but I idly moved to avoid Yang grabbing the can.
"Nope. That's for taking my RideVendor Can."
"Not fair!!" Yang whimpered a pout, arms crossed as she was out of luck again for her dream ride of fun.
"Like you said to me: payback." I pocketed the Candroid before clicking the holographic dashboard to allow the motorcycle to return to its small can mode. "Now that we are here, let's individually ask the villagers if they know anything regarding the orb."
"Great idea! Let's split up!"
The five of us began to ask the villagers of the settlement with the girls going around while I decided to ask Essen. The viking-dressed man took notice of me.
"Oh! You must be the Huntsman who was with the girls, you came just in time!"
"Eh?" I blinked. "Did something happen when we left?"
The man's face turned grim and nodded. "Yes. There's been a… distressing development. It is about the Grimm that have seemed to come out of nowhere lately. A large Grimm appeared over at the outpost! The threat it poses to our people isn't to be taken lightly. In fact, we may be left with no choice but to evacuate our settlement here."
So it was that serious. I wanted to ask Essen about the orb but this was a situation we couldn't turn away from. Requesting help will take time, risking the locals. "We will take care of it, sir." I patted my chest with my fist. "You won't have to evacuate your homes, you have my word."
"Appreciate it good man!"
I nodded before I rushed to the girls but they too were in a hurry as we regrouped. "You girls were told about it too?"
"Yeah, Cerise told me about it too!" Ruby nodded.
"Same with the other locals we talked too." Blake agreed.
"We should find this Grimm and take care of it before more problems occur." Yang spoke up. "It is no coincidence it is connected to how the Grimm at the summit appeared."
"Right. Let's go Team RWBY, plus Enrique!"
I chuckled but we rushed to the windmill outpost that was north of the town. The number of Grimm was relatively low but oddly the more we drew close, the numbers ceased.
"There are no Grimm around…" Weiss observed our surroundings.
"Think they're intimidated by us?" Ruby assumed.
"No… this feels different…. I don't like this at all…" Blake noted with worry, her cat ears folding back with unease. "It is too quiet for there to be no Grimm."
I took a few steps, my eyes swiveling around before I paused my step. My eyes drifted down to a small shadow but it was growing larger and larger. Slowly, I raised my head. "Oh crap." I immediately spun on my heel and jumped to the girls.
I slid across the snow, Blake helping me up as we all saw what landed before us. It was Grimm that was practically as large as a Vertibird. It was fully based around Mammoths and Elephants, as the bone white hide on it with its massive tusks showed how long this Grimm had lived.
"That's… That's a Goliath isn't it?" I pointed upward. Well, guess we just found ourselves in a bit of trouble, again.
"Yup." We all brandished our weapons.
"Enrique, now might be the time to use SaGoZo!"
"Right!" I gripped the Driver and slammed it onto my waist. Plucking the SaGoZo set from my person, I placed them into the slots. "Henshin!"
SAI!
GORILLA!
ZOU!
SAGOZO… SAGOZO!
Now I was instantly donned in armor with my helmet being white with red visor eyes but had a 'horn' going up on my helmet; my arms and shoulder pads were silver and black with two tough-looking gauntlets were on my arms, and the armor on my legs had the shape of an elephant. This was the all-black, grey, and white armor of the SaGoZo Combo, aka the Gravity Combo.
I slammed my fists together, creating a brief burst of gravitational energy that shoved the snow away from me in a circular formation.
The Goliath brushed its front right leg and trumpeted with its trunk. It charged at us.
"Weiss, cast a gravity Glyph on Enrique's legs! Yang, Blake! We will attack from its exposed sides!" Ruby ordered.
"Got it!" Weiss rotated her weapon's canister and casted two small black glyphs onto my feet. I firmly planted my armored sabatons, the gravity firmly and strongly gluing me to the earth. The Grimm drew near.
"Wait for it!"
I breathed for a second; inhale and exhale. I got this.
"Now Enrique!"
With a grunt, I raised my armored arms that are the Gori Bagons and gripped its tusks. The ground beneath me cracked upon impact, the glyphs trying to provide an extra boost to the Combo's power. The insignias nearly shattered were it not for the Combo's parameters and abilities upon its full set being active. The beast tried to push me but I held my ground. The earth only becomes deeper upon the push.
"Now!" Ruby thundered. Yang, Blake, and Ruby herself immediately delivered their physical strikes across its black hide. The beast squirmed but it was my grip that prevented it from thrashing around to stop the girls. Having enough, it used its trunk to coil around my waist.
"Uh oh."
It threw me up, shattering the glyphs while it threw me up. Alas due to my grip, it snapped off its tusks as I was now in the air.
I twisted my form, shoving the tusks into the Gori Bagons and thrust both gauntlets downward. The two gauntlets launched like rockets, impaling into the top of its hide, making it bellow in agony.
"Nice one, Enrique!"
I nodded before flipping over, allowing the girls to see the incoming quake stomp.
Weiss immediately casted several glyphs beneath her teammates before the Zou Sabatons to slam right into the Grimm, planting it into the earth that shuddered with its tremors
Its crimson-amber gaze dimmed out, proving we managed to subdue it. I planted my arms into the bagons and pried them off the skin of the Goliath, hopping off and joined the girls who lowered their weapons to sheathe.
"Phew… just where did that thing even come from?" Yang sighed in relief, turning away to look at her teammates.
"Not sure. At least Grimm don't get much harder than that." Ruby replied. Though fighting a Goliath was a bit of an achievement given the lessons back at Beacon reminded us how dangerous the Goliaths were.
Weiss raised her palm and added, "I hope not. It's the harsh weather. The Grimm in Solitas have had to adapt to survive."
Huh, guess even Grimm goes through natural adaptation to acclimate to the environment. "Guess they're not so different from animals to do that." I earned curiosity from the girls. "In my world, if any living thing - plant or animal - is in a new environment they go through Natural Adaptation in order to survive such environments. They can develop new things within themselves in order to live. My best guess from Weiss' words and the ice fragments on the Grimm we have come across, prolonged exposure to the cold temperatures causes them to use those icy pieces to build up the cold instead of the rest of their bodies. I mean, the Goliath has ice across its top."
"He has a point." Weiss agreed.
Blake stretched with relief. "At least it's done. I'm ready for a nap."
"It's a good thing we were here. I don't know how people live so far from-" a bellow caused us to look back, almost turning around to see the Goliath still alive. Even after the Seismic Stomp slammed into its body earlier, it survived it. Gotta give it credit to have such tenacity.
It swung its trunk, knocking Yang and Blake to my left before hitting Weiss and Ruby to my right. I grunted and used the Gori Bagon to launch forward and slammed the other against its faceplate. The impact caused a web of cracks but not before its trunk could grab me and began to slam me into the ground repeatedly.
"Ow!" It slammed me like a ragdoll, my voice leaving by each impact. "Damn! It!"
I was glad I was equipped with SaGoZo otherwise it would have been worse.
It jerked left and right and threw me into one of the cottages. I crashed through wood and furniture until I skidded to a stop. I raised my arm, "That… really freakin hurts!"
It bellowed, ready to charge but a blaze of fire stopped it. Where did that come from? We all looked at the origin that came from the top of the windmill, seeing four women leap out from above.
The first was an avocado green eyed, pale-skinned girl. Her dark brown hair was styled bob cut straight hair that parted to her left, wearing a one-piece forest green jumpsuit suspended by brown leather straps with golden buckles, exposing her collarbone and cleavage. A khaki asymmetrical corset belt is fastened around her jumpsuit horizontally by a dark brown leather belt studded with gold spikes with matching fastened belt buckle. On top of that, she wears a large, loose two-tone sleeveless avocado green leather jacket with gold spikes studded across a bright tan notch lapel, and a pair of opera length fingerless dark brown gloves with a tan slim strap on the tops. Topping her outfit off are a pair of dark brown knee high boots. She has a tattoo on her left pectoral, right above her left breast. Like the rest of her team, she has golden spikes in her design, having them on her belt, jacket and earrings.
She lashed a vine-like whip at the Grimm but what surprised me and Team RWBY was the green rift that appeared before it hit the Grimm. Suddenly two rifts of smaller size appeared behind the Grimm's hind legs, constricting them.
The second woman made her move upon the pin. The red-headed girl with a slight tan, styling her straight orange-red hair with a parted fringe at the front and a loose top bun at the back, with a couple of loose strands and platinum streaks. She wears gunmetal gray circular goggles with an orange visor and bronze studs on the straps. Additionally, she wears a charcoal-colored cropped T-shirt that exposes her midriff underneath a cropped, lime green turtleneck sweater. She also wears presumably a pair of two-tone black and desert white pants, underneath two overlapping dark green belts, the larger one overlaid over the smaller belt wrapped diagonally from her top left to bottom right, adorned with gold spiked studs, and gunmetal gray belt buckle, while the smaller one inverts direction from top right to bottom left. She shares a tattoo with her teammate on her left arm, and wears two streaks of black face paint underneath her orange eyes. Like the rest of her team she has golden and bronze spikes in her design, having them on her goggles and belt.
She literally dove into the earth, and swam like a fish in water. Then through her own ability she popped out like a jack in the box, using her weapon to deliver a swift uppercut to the Goliath.
With the Grimm damaged, the young woman chuckled, diving back into the earth like water. I grunted, prying myself out of the rubble before seeing the third woman make her move. The third individual was a dark skinned girl with red hair and matching crimson eyes. She styled her hair, evenly center parting her straightened crimson bangs, with large, twin dreadlocked pigtails tied together at the back with gold spiked ring headbands. She wore a white strapless leotard with a red triangle that exposes the majority of her arms, cleavage, and part of her hips, as they are underneath black shorts adorned with gold spikes at the sides. She also sports a black spiked collar with matching black spiked underarm pauldrons and long black gloves with large gold cylindrical cuffs. Her tank that holds the ammunition for her wrist cannon is fastened horizontally by a belt and studded leather straps on her waist attached onto a hardpoint to mount her tank on. Completing her ensemble is a pair of dark black trapezoidal sunglasses and dark rouge lipstick. She too has a tattoo but on her upper left leg. Like the rest of her team she has golden spikes in her design, having them on the sides of her pants and shoulder plates.
Her hair flared red and released a harsh blast of fire from her weapon, blasting a wave of heat directly into the Grimm's hide. The beast bellowed in pain but it was the opportunity for the fourth woman to make her attack.
She had fair skin, short, platinum blonde hair boyishly spiked at the back with center unevenly parted bangs at the front and green eyes. She wears a two-tone white and grey sleeveless tank top and brown studded leather pauldrons that match her brown studded pants. The pauldrons themselves are connected with brass o-ring pieces that the leather wraps over, with brass studded tassels hanging at the bottom of the pauldrons, and a white cape hanging from the back. The center o-ring that connects the pauldrons together hangs unsuspended on her collarbone, while a second o-ring where her midriff would be is sewn at the bottom hem of her tank top, fastening up a leather strap that holds her studded pants up. She has a tattoo shared with those of her teammates' but on the bottom of her right cheek. Like the rest of her team, she has golden spikes in her design, having them on her legs, pauldrons as well as on her segmented swords.
The blonde twirled her weapons, and for a moment I thought I saw images of her companions appear in the reflection of her blades. To my surprise she mimicked the same exact move as the orange-red head by diving into the earth. Then with the rift dove into the Grimm and literally ripped it in half with her swords.
"That was…" Yang gawked.
"Amazing!!!" Ruby's eyes twinkled with stars.
With their voices known, the unknown Huntresses looked at the two. The dark-skinned girl lowered her shades. "Looks like Bianca was right about those new Huntresses." Then eyes went to me as I got out of the debris. Though their weapons tightened upon the colors of my armor until I dismissed it upon tilting my buckle back to its original position. "And a Hunter."
"Ugh… what are they even doing here?" The driller groaned out.
Weiss felt offended. "Who are you?"
The pale-skinned woman chortled and looked at her own team. "Oh look, they talk."
I frowned. "The same goes for you." I shot back the insult.
"What did you say?" The redhead glared at me.
Before I opened my mouth, another voice beat me to it.
"Hey! I told you to not come back here!" Team RWBY and I turned back to notice a man marching towards us. He wore an outfit almost designed similar to the Ace Operatives but rather than a primary color of white, his outfit is primarily red. He has a very formal appearance, wearing a red jacket with golden accents, and golden brooches on his shoulders. The left brooch holds a golden chain connected to the lapel of his jacket. Beneath the jacket is a black vest with gold accents tucked in beneath his beige slacks. Under the vest is a white dress shirt and a darker red tie. "Go on! Leave us alone! You've terrorized us enough!"
The blonde-haired girl stared before closing her eyes and looking at her companions. "Come on girls. We're done here."
The four made their departure while earning a glare from the redhead and left.
The man from before approached us, rubbing his brows to ease a possible headache. "I apologize you five had to hear my outburst. Your generosity in assisting Essen's indisposed guardian today is greatly appreciative. Taking on a Grimm like that took courage. Though apologies should be made to you for having that dishonorable run in."
"And you are…?" Weiss questioned the man. "And who were those girls that went in for the coup de grace?"
"Ah right. I'm Bram Thornmane, a watcher of Essen. And those girls you met are Rogue Huntresses."
"Basically mercenaries." I recalled Kougami's RideVendor Battalion composed of former soldiers and hired Hunters.
"Right you are. They call themselves Team BRIR."
"Team BRIR?" Ruby repeated in curiosity.
"That team offers 'protection' to isolated settlements like Essen… for a price." He huffed. "Well, there's no need for their services. Essen already has me and my guardians in place."
Now more curious Ruby asked Bram a question. "Say mister Bram, you're a Huntsman yourself aren't you?"
"I am. At least, I used to be. A long time ago I trained as an Ace Operative under General James Ironwood."
"You were part of the Ace Ops?" Blake said with surprise.
The man chuckled dryly. "Nearly but those days are long over for me." His eyes noticed the object Ruby carried. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to the orb.
"Oh! Uh… we don't know. We just found it at the peak of the summit north of Mantle and it started spawning in Grimm. We did destroy it, but we had it recently repaired to find out more about it. We think it could be some kind of container of energy?" Ruby informed the older Huntsmen.
"That's right." Yang confirmed. "Dr. Polendina mentioned it to us. Do you know anything about it? We tried to ask most here but with that Grimm we never had the chance to fully ask."
"Goodness, I'm afraid I do not."
We deflated by his answer. "Well, might as well ask the general about it." I suggested.
Immediately Bram responded upon my suggestion. "I… can't recommend you do that. The device could be dangerous."
"How so?"
"It may very well be military tech. Allow me to do you a favor and take it off your hands to dispose of safely." The watcher of Essen advised.
I was a little puzzled. Why would he immediately change his answer? It was quite weird but nonetheless regardless of the sudden change, Ruby handed the device to Bram.
With the device in his hand, Bram gave a brief bow to us. "I'm afraid I must be on my way. The Briar Bunch could be out making a mess of things as we speak. However if you're looking for clued about unusual technology like that, there's someone I would suggest you speak to."
"Who?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Olive Harper. She, too, reports to Atlas Academy. You can trust her."
I pocketed my hands as Yang shrugged, "Well, guess we're off to Atlas Academy then."
"Thank you, Mr. Thornmane!" Ruby thanked before the man walked away. I merely stared at him intensely. "Uh, Enrique? You okay?"
"Don't you girls think it's a bit odd that he suddenly shifts his tone when we planned to take that device to the general?" I asked the four.
"I mean, with the embargo, not a lot of people do like Ironwood at the moment. He might be on the people's side?" Weiss pointed out with a shrug.
"…. yeah… I guess…" I murmured. It still didn't feel right. Something was off and it was that gut feeling telling me we got ourselves into something big. Very big.
Muchiri hummed a little tune as he played with his butterfly knife, his enclosed eyes still hiding the toxic yet insane personality he holds. The two long strands of hair on his head were slightly bouncing.
There were so many desires lingering but his lord ordered him to wait after Borvin displayed his might to OOO and his companions. Quite unfair but it was by the word of his lord. He paused, his antenna hair picking up death. Or rather the desires.
He hopped back a step, leaning over and stared. His sights sharpened before seeing a scorpion tailed Faunus already hiding a body. The strands of hair twitched as the desires in the man were rather… fanatical. Peering further within the desires, there was the sense of pleasing the queen.
A queen? … Ah, yes his lord mentioned a queen tried ro forge the connection to Lord Grimm due to being part Grimm but failed several times.
'Ah, and he sees me.' The human-disguised Greeed's enclosed eyes met the crazed eyes from the Faunus.
"Seems I have a witness. Well… not for long…" The Faunus grinned as he began to approach the disguised Greeed.
Muchiri stared upon seeing the incoming pincer blades.
Tyrian's weapon collided to something unexpected. Not only was there a honeycomb-shaped barrier appearing on his right but the violet-haired man actually used a mere butterfly knife to block the other weapon with ease. He frowned and his stinger lunged but something occurred, the man's violet ponytail moved and gripped the scorpion tail.
"Hrm… now I see why the girl with silver eyes compared me to you." Muchiri noted. "You radiate such fanaticism and bloodlust."
"Hm?" Tyrian glared, "So… you met the brat and her friends?"
"Ah yes. Slip of the tongue? Or is it mandibles? Meh." The collision broke off and Tyrian launched his strikes but the human effortlessly deflected each attack with the yellow barrier and his knife. His stinger would have done the job were it not for the strangest fact the violet hair can move to catch it. Two Semblances is impossible and for a Semblance to involve the tangibility of hair? That was unheard of.
"Just what are you…" Tyrian asked.
"Oh me?" Tyrian saw the enclosed eyes open, revealing blood red eyes and the impish smile turning into a full twisted grin. "Just a being serving my lord who aims to be god."
The ponytail wilted away via medals, becoming the body of a centipede and then the rest did the same, revealing Muchiri's Greeed form. "And you are going to tell me everything you know and any cohorts in this continent."
The stinger extended while the honey barrier manifested. "I can bring you alive or dead. Or poisoned to ensure you answer. Pick your poison."
"Hahaha! If you think I'll lie down, you're mistaken… Everything I do is for my Queen! And should I die for her ambitions, then so be it!"
"… Good enough for me."
"Ha?"
The Greeed lunged in the form of a swarm of bees.
The only sounds that echoed from the alley were the sounds of chaotic laughter.
CURRENT MEDALS:
Blazing: Taka (x1), Kujaku (x1), Condor (x1)
Scorching: Lion (x1), Tora (x1), Cheetah (x1)
Strongest: Kuwagata (x1), Kamakiri (x1), Batta (x1)
Legendary: Kobura (x1), Kame (x1), Wani (x1)
Water: Shachi (x1), Tako (x1), Unagi (x1)
Gravity: Sai (x1), Gorilla (x1), Zou (x1)
Invincible: Ptera (x1), Tricera (x1), Tyranno (x1)
Cold: Seiuchi (x1), Shirokuma (x1), Penguin (x1)
Ultimate King: Super Taka (x1), Super Tora (x1), Super Batta (x1)
(NEXT TIME)
"Wait, you're Olive Harper?" Weiss realized.
"This is Ace Operative Elm! I need backup at the shopping district! Unusual activity by-" from the corner of her eye she saw a fist in which she used her Semblance to stand her ground but grunted and skidded several feet.
"Correct. I am a Greeed."
Next Time: Team Efforts, Balance of Nature, Another Greeed
A/N: Thus ends another part of the Arrowfell arc. As you may have noticed, Team BRIR from the game have made an appearance and things are not what they say. Now as to my announcement, on Friday November 17th, I will be away for a but because I will on a trip to Japan so on Thursday November 16th, I will be updating my FFXIV Story The Reincarnated Journey so look forward to that.
Don't forget to leave a review of this chapter as well as favorite and follow the story. Until then, see you all next time!
