Excuse the lateness, but yes, I know what's happened in RWBY. And for God's sake, Monty, stop using my ideas! I already planned to have Grimm assault Remnant like that since Chapter 7!
Chapter 30: The Mark of KAYN
'Focus. Breathe in, two, three, four. Out, two. In, two, three, four. Out, two.'
The gym was fairly empty, which wasn't surprising: students tended to find other ways to spend free period, rather that having to do work. From what I'd heard, RWBY and JNPR had elected to spending this particular period in the library, playing a few games Ruby and Yang's father had sent from home. I decided to pass: after hearing that the games that had been sent only allowed four players maximum, I decided to try and build my usefulness to my teammates. Namely, my physical condition.
Currently, I felt the muscles in my legs burn, as they pounded rhythmically on the JT-400 treadmill. A first look at it would give one the assumption that it was designed for practicing on parallel bars, like in Olympic gymnastics. But this wasn't the case: the bars were far too wide to be used as such. Instead, a groove ran along the inside of the bar, as if to hold something in place.
Right on cue, a thin, red, metal rod emerged from the left bar, and began to crawl it's way towards me, a dark red holographic square reaching to the rubber mat. But I was prepared. Inhaling deeply, I leapt over the rod, and began to tumble forwards in midair, feeling the rubber mat beneath my shoulders as I landed, and rolled back onto my feet in one supple move. A near perfect dive roll.
This particular treadmill was designed for Hunters to practice and maintain their agility, vaulting over and ducking under obstacles that would appear semi-randomly. For a first-timer, even at a slower speed, it was inevitable that they would be slammed by a rod, and the treadmill would swiftly shut down to prevent further injuries. Of course, I couldn't say I was exempt from this: a few of the regulars, third and fourth year students, mainly, had taken to calling me 'Black-And-Bluebell', due to the amount of bruises I suffered.
Another bar emerged, crawling towards me at a faster pace. This time, I let my front leg sag, and rolled underneath the bar, feeling the cold metal whisk past my hair. A narrow dodge, to be sure, but I was ready for the next one, as I got to my feet and resumed running.
"Afternoon, Darrel!"
Turning to look at who had acknowledged me, I only had a moment to register that it was Professor Kor who had yelled my name before a thin bar nailed me in the stomach, catapulting me back into the padded wall, where I fell to a preprepared crash mat. Huffing and wheezing, trying to get my breath back, Professor Kor strode over to me.
"Oh, sorry, Darrel. I didn't realize that you were doing that program. You okay?"
"Yeah… it's just my diaphragm. Nothing to worry about." I groaned in between pants. Feeling around my abdomen, a stinging sensation erupted when I felt the area around my navel. Looking underneath my gym gear, I saw a thin bruise where the iron rod had struck me. Professor Kor knelt down beside me, trying to see if there were any lasting injuries.
"Darrel, could you lift your shirt for me?" He asked gently. I nodded, rolling up the shirt to reveal my chest. As I looked down, I smiled inwardly: it was incredible to see how much more toned I had gotten from spending so much time on Remnant. Before then, I could hardly be called the epitome of fitness, but after a few months of training at a school specifically created for combat studies, soft fat had been replaced with hard muscle, and my endurance had increased dramatically. In all honesty, I wouldn't be able to beat an Olympic athlete in speed, but in terms of traveling distance, I'd outpace them by a mile.
"It's just a bruise. You should be fine." Professor Kor smiled. But before I could put my shirt back down, Kor's mouth turned down slightly.
"Darrel, that scar… it's fading." He stated simply. I looked down, and saw he was right. The discoloured line on my flesh, courtesy of the Nevermore, appeared to be disappearing back into my body. Well, so much for impressing any ladies with that story…
"You know, it's incredible. Hunters have fought the Grimm for generations, and not one of them had ever considered engaging them as you have done. Riding a Nevermore, punching a Boarbatusk, blowing up a Wahtani's stomach… all of those tactics could be accurately described as 'insane and suicidal'… and yet, you still stand before me, the picture of health." The professor mused. I simply shrugged.
'Well… y'know… Lady Luck really loves me." I responded. Professor Kor placed his hands on my shoulders, giving me a hard look with his bandaged eyes.
"Luck only takes one so far, you know. To tell you the truth, Darrel, in my youth, I was a lot like you. Rash. Crazy. Foolhardy. During missions, I simply swung blindly at my foes, praying that an unstoppable onslaught would prove to be enough to slay all who stood before me. But I was a naïve fool."
The Bullhead's engines roared as the hatch opened, revealing a night sky filled with a monsoonal downpour. Lightning flashed once, a jagged and purple lighting the sky with a thunderclap that would awaken the dead. Beneath us was a small number of thatch roofs, and tiny fires were scattered around them. The leader turned to me and my two other teammates.
Much like any other team, we were composed of four members. Kain Yaeger, our leader, wielded a battle-ax, and his marksman skills were unparalleled with the integrated battle rifle. And if he would be disarmed, his raw strength, combined with lightning perception made him an untouchable juggernaut, capable of whittling a Grimm down to a smoking corpse with his bare hands.
Aurora Lily was the only female in our team, but we all thought she was beautiful. Her appearance was never marred, and she always knew what to do. Her pair of dagger whips were as graceful as they were deadly. She moved with such grace and poise, it was as if the battle was a painting being created right before our eyes. All three of us wished to be more than teammates with her, but our duties came first.
Nigil Kiros was the resident prankster, always able to make a joke out of anything and everything. But what he lacked in tasteful comments and good comedy, he more than made up for in his usage of Dust-firing gauntlets and unbreakable loyalty. Kiros was the one I would choose to assist me in any situation, no matter the danger.
"Team, we've been sent to defend this village from a herd of Goliath. The residents have already retreated to the shelter beneath the church, so we need to keep the bastards from reaching there. If we lose this village, the Grimm will be one step closer to Atlas. And if we lose Atlas, the SDC supplies will die with it. So our objective is simple: we strategize, fight, and kill anything that's black, white, and red all over. Are we clear?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"Good! Now, Team KAYN, let's turn and burn!"
As Nigil and Aurora leapt out the hatch, I was about to follow suit, when a hand grasped my shoulder.
"Kor, I want you to stay back and cover our six. Unless I give the order, you are not to engage. Am I clear?"
I looked at Kain, his face refusing to give any kind of emotion. As usual, my eyes fell to the scar down his nose, looking like someone had tried to cut it off with a machete. His dull, grey eyes, cold as steel, could cause even a Grimm to run with it's tail between it's legs, whimpering like a puppy. Our leader was a veteran, and a terrifying warrior, and he knew it.
"I said, am I clear?"
I nodded. But he merely leaned forward, and tapped his right ear lobe. I sighed.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, let's go. Aurora and Nigil are waiting for us." Kain said, as he closed his eyes, raised his arms, and he let his body fall backwards. With my two tomahawks holstered on my hips, I ran to the hatch, and leapt into the raging wind and torrential rain.
"It was a simple enough mission: get in, kill the Grimm, get out."
As I listened, I took a swig of water from a bottle beside me. Gulping the liquid down, I offered the bottle to Professor Kor. He grasped the bottle, threw his head back, and held it over his gaping mouth, letting the water drain into his mouth.
"What happened?" I asked, naturally curious. Professor Kor put the bottle down, and sighed.
"I screwed up."
"Nigil, one on your six!"
"Rog!"
Chaos abounded, as smoking carcasses of Grimm littered the drenched ground. It was difficult to tell what was happening, what injuries we had suffered, but the stench of blood filled the air, and dying trumpets were heard, as the herd of Goliath were slowly thinned out. But even as the notches grew, more and more pachyderms emerged from the darkness. It seemed as though they would never relent.
"Kain, we can't hold out much longer! We need backup! Now!"
"Aurora, head to the roofs, just don't let them near the church!"
Aurora's voice rang out through the streets, coming from somewhere on my left. Kain roared furiously, his ax tasting blood from innumerable foes.
"Come on, you big ivories! I've got enough for everyone! I AM KAIN MOTHER—"
A thunderclap.
"—ING YAEGER!"
It was difficult to tell how long the conflict lasted, but finally, I saw a relieving sight.
They were fleeing.
"Guys! They're retreating! We've won!"
As my teammates slaughtered the remaining monsters, I spun around from the roof and slid to the ground, hanging on to a tomahawk that was slowing my descent by slicing into the wall. I hit the ground, holstered my weapon, and saw my teammates emerge from the darkness, bruised and bloodied, but grinning with relief.
"Well, what's say we hit up a bar on the way home? My shout?" Nigil grinned. Kain groaned.
"Nigil, you know we can't do that."
Nigil sighed, now depressed.
"Aw man, why not? It's not like we have another job to do tomorrow!"
Kain grinned.
"We can't do that because the local tavern is now in shambles. I threw a Grimm into it by accident."
Nigil sighed.
"So a Grimm walks into a bar?"
Aurora shuddered.
"Bad joke, Nigil. Bad joke."
I was about to chime in, when a familiar noise resounded. An elephant's trumpet. As we turned to the empty streets, we all saw a beast covered in spines, bony plating, and spiked tusks, scratched and worn from past conflicts.
The leader of the herd.
I pulled out a tomahawk, and smiled.
"This one's mine."
I charged.
"What happened?"
Professor Kor looked away, and gave a mournful sigh.
"To tell you the truth, Darrel, I don't know. All I remember was the Goliath Alpha swiping a tusk at me. And after that, I woke up three days later, with my eyes bandaged. But the first thing I heard was Yaeger. And he was angry."
Opening my eyes, I saw nothing, but blackness. As I felt across my face, my fingers grasped at some rough material, like that of sandpaper. I went to remove it, but a hand grasped my wrist before I could grip at the bandage.
"Don't bother. The Goliath slashed your eyes open. You won't be able to see normally again."
A female voice, harsh and unfamiliar. Looking around blindly, I couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from. All I could see was darkness.
"You picked a hell of a time to disobey orders. I said don't engage, and you charged straight in there like a lunatic. What the Grimm were you thinking there, Kor?"
Now a familiar voice: Kain. But his inflections were icy and hateful. Trying to pinpoint his location, a rough hand gripped my scalp, and twisted my head, so that I faced a particular direction. I immediately assumed that I was now facing Kain.
"Boss? What happ–?"
"You were blinded. We tried to move in to save you. Nigil ended up with a broken spine, courtesy of the Goliath leader, and I lost my arm. You screwed up bad, Kor. Team KAYN is no more, thanks to you."
I gripped my head with both hands. My teammates were hurt, because of me. And because of this, I'd never be able to… Wait a minute.
"Wait. What about Aurora? What happened to her? Did sh–"
A harsh slap resounded, as a calloused fist smacked meatily against my cheek. I didn't need sight to tell Kain was furious. As I listened to his growling, I began to feel uneasy.
"You don't deserve to say that name. Not after what happened back there."
I rubbed my stinging cheek, trying to forget the punch. Kain just growled like an angry Beowolf.
"Aurora stayed behind to buy us time to get out of there. If I wasn't bleeding out, I would have gone back to save her. But I could only watch, as they tore her limb from limb. She died to save you. And frankly, it's a decision that should never have had to be made."
I swung my legs out from under the covers of the bed, and began to walk unsteadily towards Kain's voice.
"Look, Kain. I'm sorry. If I could take it back, I would. But you have to understand–AGH!"
A harsh backhand caught my face, sending me sprawling on the floor. Before I could react, Kain's hand closed around my throat, and began to squeeze hard.
"Go and stuff your fake apologies up your ass! You think that a fake watershow and a half-hearted apology will fix this?! It won't bring back my arm, it won't heal Nigil's spine, and IT WON'T! BRING! AURORA! BACK! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED INSTEAD! OUR TEAM'S SPLINTERED, AND IT'S! ALL! YOUR! FUCKING! FAULT!"
Right as I was about to lose consciousness, the door burst open. Two sets of footsteps pounded into the room. I remember hearing the crackle of electricity: one of them must have been armed with a taser.
"Release the patient! Release him!"
Security was prompt, I had to give them that. But up against a Huntsman, even with only one arm, was suicide. And Kain was the best. Quick as a flash, Kain grabbed me and forced my head back, holding it aloft by biting down on a large clump of hair. With his free hand, I heard him scrabble about on a nearby tray, grip something, and hold it up to my throat. The sharp edge told me that it was a scalpel that was now pressed against my throat.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him! I swear to God, I will kill him!"
"Sir, put down the scalpel, and let the patient go!"
"This bastard, he needs to die! He killed her, I'll kill him!"
"Please, sir, just calm down! We can give you help!"
"Screw you, man! You don't know what he's done!"
I felt the blade press deeper against my throat, blood beginning to trickle down past my Adam's apple. It was clear that Kain had lost all reason and sanity. He couldn't be reasoned with. All that would satisfy him was taking my life. Well, I would have none of it. Even if I was blind, I was still a Huntsman. And this lunatic was not going to stop me.
Gripping his arm, I forced it away from my throat, and at the same time, I threw my body forward, causing him to roll over my. But what I hadn't counted on was the fact that he was still biting my hair. I tumbled to the ground, and Kain straddled me, the scalpel raised.
I didn't feel the blade puncture my chest. Not until he stabbed me for a third time. His blows were punctuated by his maddened screaming. To this day, the screaming still haunts me. As blood began to trickle down my chest and pool around my body, I teetered on the verge of unconsciousness.
Right as I lost all senses and succumbed to a coma, I heard and felt a variety of things.
The clink of the scalpel. The sound of cutting flesh. Someone choking. The feeling of warm blood on my limp body. A heavy weight on my chest. And screaming.
Lots of screaming.
But all of the noise was nothing compared to what I heard next.
Kain whispering in my ear.
"Aurora… forgive me."
"What happened?"
Kor sighed.
"I don't know exactly. From what I heard, Kain stabbed me about seventeen times. Then he slit his own throat. He couldn't bear to live with the shame of commanding a failure of a soldier like myself. For years, I thought about his death. How it was all my doing. What I could have done differently. And as much as it shames me to admit it, I even thought about following him to the next life. Once, I even tried to go through with it."
I gasped. This joyful man, the closest person I had to a mentor and, dare I say it, father figure, had tried to commit suicide? It seemed so outlandish, so ridiculous. But then I thought back to the regret I felt when I had fought with my father before I arrived on Remnant. Everyone has at least one dark secret. One that we are so dedicated to keep locked away, we'd do anything to stop it from being revealed.
"I remember… sea spray in my face. The smell of fish, and the howling of the wind. I was about to jump from the cliff I stood upon. I had no family, no friends. No one would miss me. But then… Ozpin saved me. He offered me a chance of redemption. I took it. Over the years, Ozpin taught me how to see without my eyes. How to keep others from falling down my path. But a day or night never goes by when I don't relive those moments."
I just sat there, trying to take it all in. Kor must have been a legendary Huntsman back in the past. From the sounds of it, he and his team would have been a sight to behold. Slaying Grimm left and right, carrying people to safety. They would have been role models. But one moment of foolhardiness caused the entire team to implode.
"Anyway, I've bored you enough, I'm sure. You should probably finish up, and rejoin your team. I believe Ms. Xiao Long was interested in seeing you today." He smiled. I rubbed my head awkwardly. Since we had kissed, we had agreed to take our relationship slowly. After all, I was inexperienced with this matter, having never been in any meaningful relationships with a girl back on Earth, and due to being teammates, we were worried as to how it might affect Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.
Plus, if Yang's father were to meet me, he'd probably kill me for fooling around with his 'little blonde beauty'.
"Okay, Professor. Thanks for the story. And I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine the pain you felt. But thank you, nonetheless."
I stood up, picked up the water bottle, and walked out. I felt Kor's gaze in my back as I departed.
As I headed for RWBY's dorm room, I thought about what Professor Kor had told me. Was the story something he was trying to teach me? Was it some kind of moral he wanted to impart? But I couldn't focus for long: my hot, sweaty body begged for a cool shower. And I was only too happy to oblige.
*THUMP*
"Oof!"
Stumbling back, I managed to regain my balance before I hit the ground. Looking down, I saw a green haired girl with dark skin and blood-red eyes sitting on the floor. She was wearing a black uniform, one I hadn't seen before. I must have run into her when I was lost in thought. Just my luck…
"Oh, sorry. My bad." I apologized, offering a hand to the girl. She took it, and I hoisted her to her feet. Surprisingly, she stumbled forward into my arms, and was leaning on me for support. Her skin felt supple, and her chin was resting gently on my shoulder. It felt a little too close…
'No, no, no! Think about Yang, dammit!'
The girl pulled herself out of my arms, and looked at me oddly.
"You okay? You seemed lost in thought there."
I blinked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Uh, I wasn't paying attention. Sorry."
Feeling a little flustered, the words came out a little unconvincingly. The mint-haired girl cocked her head to one side, before shrugging.
"So, uh… my name's Emerald. Emerald Sustrai. What's yours?" She asked.
I pondered the name for a moment. The name seemed familiar. Where had I heard it before? I knew it was after I had arrived in Remnant, but for the life of me, I couldn't place it.
A clicking of fingers sounded, and I was drawn back to reality.
"Hey, focus, buddy! Eyes up here!"
As I shook my head, I noticed that in my pondering, my eyes had rolled down to Emerald's chest. Dear God in heaven, what was wrong with me?!
"Uh, m-my name's Darrel. Darrel Conway. So, uh, ar-are you lost, or…?"
"No, it's okay. My friends and I just got turned around. We know where to go now. You wanna come meet them?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.
I panicked. What do I say? RWBY would be wondering where I was! And if Yang saw me with Emerald… Oh God, what do I do?!
"I'd love to."
The words emerged before I could stop myself. Damn that habit of mine! Why me? Emerald giggled.
"Okay! Hey, Mercury, Cinder! Over here!"
Two more students walked up, one a boy, the other a girl, wearing the same, black uniform. The male student was a silver haired, handsome man with grey eyes. He had a cocky smile on his face, and his appearance was one sure of his abilities. The female had black hair covering one eye, and had clean skin, without a single blemish. The eye I could see burned a hot yellow. She was mysterious, and I could swear I'd had seen her before.
"So, who're you, kid?" Mercury asked. I inhaled, not used to all the attention of strangers on me.
"Uh, I'm Darrel Conway. So, um… you know where to go?" I asked awkwardly. The black haired girl nodded.
"Yes. We just got in the wrong dormitory. We know where to go now, though. Either way, I'm sure we'll see you later, Darrel." Cinder said, her voice pushing needles down my spine.
"O-okay. Well, I-I guess I'll see you all later." I stuttered nervously. Mercury and Cinder walked past me, while Emerald lagged behind, holding out an arm so that I couldn't get past her.
"By the way… whenever you have a moment free, I'd love to chat more with you, Darrel. See ya round, big fella." Emerald purred, flashing me a wink. My mind went into overdrive, as she sauntered off behind her companions. I stayed like that for a few moments, when I felt a hot trickle on my upper lip. Oh, jeez, did my nose start to bleed?! Trying to wipe it clean, I hurried to the dorm, and shut the door to find all,of Team RWBY sitting around a pile of cards. Yang turned her head to look at me, and smiled.
"Hey, D! How was training?" She waved. I shrugged.
"Ah, you know. Same old, same old. Few more bruises here and there, you know." I shrugged. Weiss looked up.
"Darrel… did you get hit in the nose? Because it's covered in blood." She stated matter-of-factly. I wiped my hand over it, seeing some red on my hand. Aw, nuts. Yang placed her cards down, and stood up, frogmarching me to the bathroom.
"Come on, I'll help you clean up. Ruby, you can play my hand, right?" She asked her sister. Ruby nodded, while I heard Blake snicker.
"Anything for a few minutes of alone time, right?"
I turned around to face the ninja.
"Oh, go and get high on catnip." I retorted, as Yang shut the door on the three.
Before you ask, all that happens in the bathroom is Darrel gets cleaned up. No sexy activities. I don't do lemon.
By the way, PAX AUS is coming up in less than two days at this post, so I hope I'll be able to post a couple more chapters soon.