Hours had gone by and… nothing, not even a beowolf had attacked him. It was getting to the point that the sun was creeping below the horizon, casting a shadow over the Emerald Forest bit by bit. Honestly though that was fine in Sabito's book. They didn't know anything about this Aberrant, so maybe it was nocturnal. That was the problem with Aberrants; you never had information unless the damn things had a body count… So that meant that this one was new, or it meant that nobody who ran into it had lived to tell the tale. Sabito knew one thing though… He'd find out soon enough…
It wasn't night quite yet, but with the sun falling just behind Beacon Academy the Emerald Forest finally fell into complete shadow. It would've made for a compelling scene; the castle-like academy wreathed in light overlooking the forest filled with demons, but Sabito wasn't focused on the scenery. Coming to a stop in a clearing the fox-masked boy gently rested his hand on the pommel of his katana before closing his eyes and slowing his breathing. The world fell away, sounds disappeared, and even the smells of the forest vanished until the only thing he heard was the steady beat of his heart. For one full minute he kept himself completely still before he suddenly unsheathed his katana and leapt as high as possible into the air. Almost the moment he leapt the ground beneath him erupted in an explosion of dirt as a massive Grimm burrowed its way to the surface. It resembled a crab mixed with a deathstalker, standing on eight legs with a massive two-pronged stinger on a tail. One of its claws was half the size of its body, covered in enough chitin to make an Atlesian tank blush. Its other claw looked normal, but looks could be deceiving. In fact the entire Aberrant was covered in armor plating with very few exposable gaps. Six blazing red forward facing eyes sat on either side of a gaping maw filled with razor-like teeth. All in all it was a walking tank with a stinger, making his job exponentially more difficult. After his analysis Sabito reached the apex of his jump and after a moment of floating gravity reasserted its claim on him.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
Drawing his sword and holding it high, Sabito let gravity bring him down on the Aberrant. But the monster was intelligent, funnily enough though so was Sabito. Rather than trying to bat him out of the sky the Aberrant lashed out with its stinger in an attempt to pierce him. Seeing the tail draw back Sabito moved his sword perpendicular to his body.
"Second Form Improved: Lateral Water Wheel!"
Twisting his body in mid air he let the stinger fly past him before completing his spin, aiming for one of the few chinks in the armor that allowed the stinger to move freely. He struck true, but upon feeling how dense the tail was he pulled his sword across, leaving a deep but ultimately shallow cut. It didn't have his intended effect of removing the stinger entirely but his sword didn't get stuck. He could already tell that this battle was going to be one of attrition. Letting the water flow around him he landed in crouch before slashing at the Aberrant's legs, but all he did was leave small scratches on the armor. The Aberrant turned, much faster than it should've been able to, and suddenly Sabito's instincts screamed at him to get away. Leaping to the side he narrowly dodged the frog-like tongue that shot out of the monster's mouth before retreating back into its maw.
"Of course it has the properties of a frog, because why not?" He grumbled. Ducking again his tree was shattered into splinters as the Aberrant swung wildly with its massive claw. So it was armored practically everywhere and was basically invulnerable from the front, and it had two ranged abilities that would spell certain death. So naturally what would be its weakness? What's the tradeoff? Sabito leapt again to avoid the tongue but had to awkwardly deflect the stinger as it attacked him in the air, sending him flying into a controlled landing. I'm not equipped for a frontal assault, but maybe… Sabito grabbed his katana with both hands before charging. If the Aberrant was sapient, then this might be enough to throw it off.
"Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent!"
Small splashes of water followed his footsteps as he charged the massive Grimm, sword held pointing behind him. With his landing time minimized he was able to make precise movements to dodge the tongue before poising to stab the Aberrant in the face. As he expected it raised its massive claw to protect itself, but it also blocked its view of Sabito. At the last possible second Sabito dove forwards, twisting his body, and slashed a deep groove into the monster's underbelly. He jerked his sword upwards towards the end, leaving a brutal wound and causing his enemy to screech in rage and pain. Black ichor coated his sword before slowly dissolving into a fine mist. The Aberrant turned somewhat unsteadily towards him, much more wary of the threat that Sabito posed. It might've been from the injury, or maybe it was just that intelligent, but it was crouching lower now leaving very little room underneath it. That trick wouldn't work again…
Holding his katana low, Sabito crouched with one foot bent and the other poised to launch him forwards. All of a sudden his scroll started buzzing, but he quickly put that from his mind, he couldn't afford to slip up. Taking a breath the fox-masked boy leapt forward followed by a trail of water. Almost immediately the Aberrant lashed out with its stinger but Sabito deflected it with all of his power, buying himself a precious few seconds to make his move. Landing on the ground he leapt forward and underneath the massive claw, dashing to the left as it came down with a titanic 'thump.' Right up close to its face he decided to unveil his latest party trick and sheathed his katana. From his recent fights Sabito knew that as skilled as he was, his only real trump card was Water Breathing. So he decided to take inspiration from a source he knew to be effective… His mother… Holding his sheath he thumbed a small wheel and a pale blue glow erupted from a thin line in the sheath. At the exact moment the Aberrant opened its mouth to attack, he drew his blade into a diagonal slash, sending an arc of ice dust straight into its mouth and completely freezing it over.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Using the Aberrant's moment of panic Sabito sent a horizontal slash across its face, cutting across three of its eyes and leaving a deep groove. But with that last attack his time was up, as he noticed just too late the small claw punching out towards him. With a pained grunt he was sent flying across the field and into a tree, where despite his aura he definitely heard a crack in his chest. He tried using recovery breathing but his breath hitched as a lance of pain rocked his chest.
"Idiot," he berated himself. His TTC was gone, and without recovery breathing he wouldn't be getting it back very easily. But it seemed that his opponent was just as injured as he was, thrashing and roaring muffled sounds of pain and anger. Finally after some painful breaths he managed to slow his heart and get his rhythm back, and the Aberrant crushed the ice in its mouth after hitting itself with its small claw. The monster looked at him hatefully before striking the ground in front of itself, digging. Sabito's eyes widened and he ran as fast as he could, taking short and hesitant breaths. But by the time he got to the massive hybrid it was already underground, and with the lack of tremors or any attacks it seemed like it wasn't coming back.
"Damn it!" Sabito winced from the pain of his sudden shout before sheathing his katana. Before he could head out again though his scroll started buzzing again. Annoyingly fishing the device out he saw a familiar caller. "Ozpin…" he answered.
"Sabito, it's good to hear your voice," the enigmatic Professor said before pausing, "I want you to come back to the Academy, the sooner the better."
Sabito blinked before shaking his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious…"
"I'm very serious. I've been watching your fight and it was admirable, truly. But the situation's changed."
"I can finish it off! It's injured, if you call it off now we'll just be giving it time to heal!" Sabito argued, breath hitching again from pain.
"You're injured as well. A Hunter's greatest weapon is their Breathing, and temporary as it may be you've lost the ability to do it confidently. You of all people know what can happen if you use your Breathing while compromised like this…" The Professor spoke calmly, only making the boy angrier. "Plus, our sensors are showing an increase in Grimm activity. Your pain combined with the Aberrant's anger is drawing a very unwelcome crowd. The Aberrant is dangerous, but your life is far more important."
Sabito paced back and forth. "Initiation is hours away… Are you seriously willing to send prospective students out here with an Aberrant on the loose?!"
"The Aberrant is injured and is retreating, but most importantly we saw where it exited." Sabito stopped pacing. "It's in a rather large cave system to your east. Do Not go after it…" His mask turned in the direction of the cave, and knowing that Ozpin could see him all he could do was clench his fist in anger before sighing painfully and releasing it.
"I'm on my way back… You'd better be sure about this…"
"How is it that when both of you look at me like that I feel like I've done something wrong?" Sabito winced as Shinobu shoved her stethoscope against his chest with a little too much force. Upon his return she seemed happy to see him, but her smile turned malicious as soon as he got close. He hadn't winced, he hadn't felt his ribs, he hadn't even hissed in pain. Her semblance must've had something to do with being able to see injuries, because there's no way she could've seen that he was injured otherwise. He was glad that the initiates were asleep, because the sight of the butterfly themed doctor dragging him through the halls would've been a massively embarrassing sight. Even worse was the fact that on the way they ran into Glynda Goodwitch who had been coming to debrief him as other than the brief phone call Ozpin still hadn't seen him yet.
"Because you did do something wrong~" Shinobu chided too cheerily. Setting her instrument to the side she typed something into her computer. "You completely ignored my warning~"
Glynda glared at him, "I reviewed the footage, given the circumstances you were completely reckless, ignoring your own safety for opportunities to try and kill the Aberrant."
"Given the circumstances I think I did rather well. A bruised rib—"
"Fractured, actually," Shinobu interrupted.
He glared at the doctor, "—was a small price to pay. If I wasn't called back I probably could've killed it."
"And after you would've suffered more injuries and probably would've been mauled on your way back," Glynda chided, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a… look in her eyes, one that he couldn't decipher.
"No offense but why are you so concerned about me? We only met once." It may have been a little harsh but it was a good question and his curiosity outweighed his sense of tact.
Glynda's response was neutral, if a bit irate, "I care for everyone who passes through the halls of this academy. For the time being that includes you, reckless as you are." He didn't notice the odd look Shinobu gave the stern professor before it was replaced with her usual off-putting smile.
"Right…" It was a response, even if it didn't make too much sense to him. Sighing, he turned to look at Shinobu. "How long until I'm good enough to get back to it?"
The doctor frowned at him, "technically your Aura will heal your rib by the morning but I'd like for you to take at least a day to rest, unlikely as that is to happen."
"You're right, that's not gonna happen as long as that Aberrant's out there." He turned to Glynda, "is there a spare room I can borrow or should I join the students?"
"There are no spare rooms prepared, as all of them are being prepared for the school year," Glynda answered before sighing, "however if you want to keep your distance from the students there is a mezzanine above the ballroom. From what I saw, it was almost completely unoccupied."
Sabito nodded, "then I'll sleep there tonight. Hopefully I can kill that thing before the Initiation starts." With that said he gave his thanks to Shinobu before leaving the two women behind.
"That…" Glynda began, sagging her shoulders. "Depends entirely on what Ozpin is planning…"
Shinobu remained silent, still staring at the door before she spoke her mind. "You're not going to tell him?" She turned to look at Glynda, uncharacteristically serious.
"No, he has enough to worry about without any grandiose revelations," Glynda answered before making her way to the exit.
Shinobu hummed before turning back to her computer, "I think you should." Glynda's hand paused halfway through opening the door. Neither faced each other.
"He has Sakonji, which is enough."
"This isn't for Sabito's sake, it's for yours." At the lack of a response Shinobu continued, hands stalling on her keyboard. "The average lifespan of a Hunter is remarkably short. There's a reason why they're a dying breed."
"I'm well aware, and from what I understand Sabito knows this as well." Glynda released the door handle.
"Then you should tell him." Shinobu closed out her screen to open another, but the screensaver changed, making her pause. "There were things I wanted to tell Kannae…" Glynda turned around. Shinobu's computer revealed a beautiful woman resembling Shinobu, except with lighter and kinder eyes. Her smile was also genuine, and unlike Shinobu she had two green and pink butterfly hairpins. "Don't leave things like that unsaid, it'll be the worst regret you'll ever have…" Taking a deep breath she didn't let Glynda say anything, "you should probably get some sleep, you have a long day tomorrow, yes?"
"Right…" Glynda managed. She told the doctor goodnight before she also left the clinic. Tomorrow was going to be… interesting.
"You're kidding," was not what Pyrrha Nikos was expecting to hear when she arrived at Beacon Cliffs. Having already been fully prepared, she was the first to arrive followed momentarily afterwards by Weiss Schnee. The boy making the exclamation was about her height, wearing a detailed white haori with wave and water patterns, and a scarred fox mask that covered his face. His left hand was gripping the hilt of a katana in agitation, but it seemed that it was just in annoyance rather than an actual desire to draw it. He stood across from Ozpin and the Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch.
"Quite the opposite in fact," Headmaster Ozpin said, taking a sip from his coffee mug. His eyes wandered over to the number of prospective students all making their way to the cliffs. Before landing back on Sabito. "If you hunt it now then the Grimm will be drawn to you, making the Initiation pointless. Instead, you'll be here on standby just in case it does make itself known."
"That is not a small risk, Ozpin…" The boy said slowly. Pyrrha furrowed her brow in confusion. Judging by his voice the boy was young, so was he a student? And if not then why was he here? "If you're playing it like this then they have a right to know. What if some idiot walks right into its hideout? Don't answer that, because the answer is obvious…"
Ozpin sighed. "Telling them the truth would only make them nervous and increase their stress. Not only will they be unfocused, but they will attract more Grimm as well" By now more students had arrived. One in particular saw the boy and smiled.
"Sabito!" A red flurry of rose petals sped right in front of the boy before reforming into a red-cloaked girl. "What are you doing here?! I thought you said you were already a Hunter?"
"Hello Ruby," the now named Sabito said lightly before crossing his arms. "That'll be revealed in a few minutes, and as much as I'd like to catch up I'm on the job. I'm all Business Mode right now, just like you should be, this is your Initiation after all?"
Ruby backed up with a determined smile. "Right! "Business Mode!" I gotcha." She pumped her arms, her serious side lasting for all of five seconds, "we'll catch up later then!" She said before speeding back to a blonde girl.
"Right…" Sabito muttered, all lightness disappearing. Finally, all of the initiates arrived, standing on the square-like metal plates. "Ball's in your court, Headmaster."
"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin said, looking over each of them.
Glynda continued for him, "now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion, as each of you will be given teammates… today." Ruby made a pained noise at the revelation.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," Ozpin continued before smiling, "that being said the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." There were multiple exclamations and the sound of breaking glass from one person. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, so don't hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die. You will be monitored for the duration of your initiation, but outside of one possibility our instructors will not intervene." He continued to tell them that at the northern end of the forest there would be relics that they would have to retrieve, and that that relic as well as their performance would determine their standing. "Furthermore we have a rare opportunity today. The young man with us today is Sabito Urokodaki, an accomplished Hunter. He will be joining us in your evaluations. Now, are there any questions?"
"Yeah, um, sir?" One blonde raised his hand.
"Good!" Ozpin cut him off, "now take your positions." The Initiates all got themselves ready for an eventful flight, bending their knees or loosening their muscles.
"Um, sir? I've got a question." The blonde did none of this, still holding his hand above his head as the Schnee Heiress was sent flying into the forest. "So this landing… strategy thing, what is it? Um, are you dropping us off or something?"
"No, you will be falling," Ozpin answered stone-faced. But when Sabito looked at the headmaster he could see a twinkle in his eyes. The bastard was enjoying this…
"O-Oh I see, so did you hand out parachutes or something for us?"
"No, you will be using your own landing strategy."
The girl in the red cloak was sent flying, leaving the blonde last, "so… what exactly is a landing strate—" was all he got out before his words turned into screams. With him, all of the students were airborne and sent head-first into their Initiation.
Sabito looked over the forest with his arms crossed over his chest. "You know I'm not helping you two, right? My contract was to kill an Aberrant, not to assess potential students."
"You won't even watch?" Ozpin asked, taking a sip of his coffee. "I think that some, specifically three of them, might catch your interest."
Sabito's head whipped in his direction, eyes narrowing dangerously behind his mask. He wasn't sure if that was an insinuation that Ozpin knew of his past, but he didn't doubt that the Headmaster of Beacon Academy knew who he really was. Rather than getting into a battle of words Sabito kept his peace and looked back out over the forest. No matter how much he tried to shake it off, something felt off…
"Gotcha!" Jaune shouted, grabbing onto the glowing bident-like crystal.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked nervously, suddenly feeling a pit growing in her stomach. All at once the crystal glowed, along with three furious red eyes. Jaune wasn't holding onto a crystal, he was hanging from the stinger of a massive crab-like Grimm with a scorpion's tail.
The invincible girl's eyes widened in shock and fear. "An Aberrant!" Jaune, now realizing what he was hanging from and coincidentally right in front of, screamed at a pitch that surprised all three of them. It was only this sudden shock, and Pyrrha's quick reaction to shoot the Aberrant in the face that saved the blonde's life while also angering the monster. Rather than focus on the annoyance hanging from its stinger, it charged the fleeing girl, bursting from its cave and into the forest at large.
Identical alarms blared from Ozpin and Glynda's tablets. Both feeds showed the three's worst nightmare; the Aberrant that Sabito failed to kill was chasing Pyrrha Nikos through the forest, having just sent the blonde she was with for another unexpected flight.
"What did I fucking say?!" Sabito yelled, already resetting one of the launch platforms.
"Mind your tongue—" Glynda tried scolding, only to be cut off.
"That's your concern right now?! Ozpin, what's its path? Where's it going?" The fox-masked boy stood on the same platform as a year ago, almost in a crouch and poised to draw his katana at a moment's notice.
"It's following Ms. Nikos straight to the ruins. I've already set the platform to its highest setting, and it's set to send you straight there. Good Hunting." Ozpin said seriously. Sabito had many things he wanted to say to the Headmaster, but that would have to wait. If he was fast enough… No, he would be fast enough, and he would kill this thing before it hurt anyone. With one last breath he was sent flying through the air, sailing over the forest and towards the ruins.
This was… not exactly going to plan! When Ruby decided to charge the massive Deathstalker, the warning that it was in fact not a deathstalker came a little too late. Ruby sent herself forward with the recoil from Crescent Rose but the Aberrant covered itself with its large claw, deflecting the scythe and leaving it completely uninjured.
"It's an Aberrant! Get out of there!" And up close, yep! She could definitely see it! Before she could even move its smaller claw lashed out and sent her sprawling across the ground.
Standing up she laughed nervously, "d-don't worry! Totally fine!" But when she turned around her eyes widened in fear as the Aberrant advanced on her. She shot a round at it but all she got was the sound of a ricochet and the angered roar of the abnormal Grimm. Turning back around she ran as fast as she could, but then she also heard the angered screech of the Nevermore she had jumped from a few minutes prior. It remembered the fact that she rode it like a common horse and it was very keen on getting its vengeance. The redhead's momentum was brought to a total stop as one of the avian grimm's razorlike feathers pinned her cloak to the ground. Come on! But no matter how hard she tugged and yanked her precious cloak wouldn't come free. Hearing a familiar thudding she looked up at the massive crab-like Aberrant bearing down on her. Her mind raced; she couldn't get away, she couldn't hurt it, she couldn't dodge… There wasn't anything she could do! As the two-pronged stinger stabbed towards her she closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come.
SSSHHHHIIIIIINK
In that moment a white blur shot past the rest of the initiates, unleashing a massive wave of ice that trapped the Aberrant's stinger mere feet from Ruby's face as well as some of its legs, temporarily immobilizing it.
"You are so childish!"
Ruby opened her eyes in disbelief. "Weiss?" She asked, unsure if her brain was playing tricks on her or not.
"And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose that I can be a bit—" the heiress' face almost turned pained, as if the prospect of saying the words hurt her, '—difficult. But if we're going to do this, then we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be… nicer."
"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby defended, "I want you to know that I can do this."
"You're—" But before Weiss could respond a long tongue wrapped itself around her midsection, yanking her towards the Aberrant.
"Weiss!" Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and got ready to dash—
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
But before Ruby could even move to help, a massive plume of water erupted in front of the Aberrant, hiding both of them from view. When the water cleared Ruby's eyes widened. The long frog-like tongue fell from Weiss and began dissolving, having been cut clean in half. Standing up Sabito set Weiss on her feet before swinging his katana to rid it of blood. The girl stumbled back before righting herself, coming to terms with what had almost happened to her.
Free from current danger Yang ran up and enveloped Ruby in a hug. "I'm so glad you're ok!"
"Can't… Breathe!.." Thankfully this hug only lasted for a few seconds before Yang released her. Their reunion was cut short though as a loud roar pierced the air. The nevermore from before was coming back, and soon it would be in range.
"Guys that thing's circling back!" Jaune pointed out, "what're we going to do?"
Weiss, having recovered from her shock, took a step forwards, "look. There's no sense in dilly dallying, our objective is right in front of us!"
"She's right, but…" Ruby looked at Sabito who was walking up to them, sword sheathed. "What about the Aberrant?"
"What about it?" Sabito asked. "Last time I checked, killing an Aberrant was not your objective. Grab the relics and get out of here." A massive crack appeared in the ice holding the Aberrant as it started struggling to get out. "Make your choices, you don't have much time."
"Run and live? That's an idea I can get behind!" Jaune said before the rest of them all chose their pieces. When everything was said and done Sabito turned and started advancing towards the Aberrant. As another large crack appeared in the ice Blake stepped forward, worry in her eyes.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" She asked, bow twitching slightly.
Sabito spared her a look before focusing on the Aberrant, "sure I will. It only fractured my rib last night," he said jokingly.
"Sabito…" She said, unamused.
"I'll be alright. This is what I do," he shrugged. At least this one wasn't using guns… With a violent tug the Aberrant tore itself free, roaring in rage. When it focused its remaining eyes on him he saw them get even angrier. The fox-masked boy turned to the eight behind him, "time's up! This thing knows me, it'll ignore you so get moving!"
"Right, let's go guys!" Ruby yelled before the eight of them ran towards the cliffs. Blake spared the boy one last glance before following them. Thankfully when Sabito looked up the nevermore decided to follow them as well, as dangerous as it was he believed in them enough to handle it. More So than the Aberrant in front of him at least.
"Alright, ready for round two?" The Aberrant, as if understanding him, slammed its big claw into the dirt in anger. Sabito knew his options were limited, and any tricks he had already used were unlikely to work again. Drawing his katana he let the Aberrant charge him, thinking of anything he could do. It was extremely heavily armored, but it had gaps in vital locations like its joints, mouth, and underbelly. It needed to move after all. But he'd lose a battle of attrition, all the Aberrant had to do was get one lucky strike in and it was over. What made it worse was that the thing was intelligent, so it could learn his attack patterns and adapt accordingly. All of this culminated into an incredibly difficult and dangerous opponent, however Sabito discovered that it had one weakness he could exploit… As the Aberrant charged him it roared, glaring at him hatefully and snapping its claws while its tail waved threateningly in the air.
This Aberrant had a temper…
Grimm and Aberrants resembled animals in multiple ways, and one of those ways was how they acted. Beowolfs hunted in packs and had alphas they followed while Ursas kept to small groups or even alone when not in a frenzy. Aberrants were more erratic and intelligent, and could even be compared to humans in some instances. But they were still animals, and when animals get angry their reasoning gets set to the side. Considering this, Sabito's brilliant plan was essentially to piss it off… Not his best idea but Hunters had to work with what they got.
"Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
As the Aberrant got within striking distance Sabito dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the stinger while slashing its legs. He carved long grooves into gaps, watching black ichor spurt out until he pivoted right behind it. Before it could turn around He slashed upwards into a gap in the tail, earning an angered roar from his trouble. Unfortunately he couldn't stay behind it to kill it, there was too much armor and nothing he could really target to deliver a killing blow. The Aberrant spun around and lashed out with its large claw, following Sabito as he retreated. It slammed its claw to the ground three times but the fox-masked boy was able to dodge it every time. With each dodge and each small attack he could see the reason disappear from the three red eyes. Striking again with its claw in an attempt to crush him, Sabito saw the tail arc back ready and poised to stab towards him. A bad idea popped into his head but at this point it seemed like a genuine option. His eyes glowed purple behind his mask as the stinger launched itself at him, and as it did everything slowed for the briefest moment. When the stinger was within touching distance he stepped to the side, letting it bury itself into the dirt. Rather than dodge though he flipped his sword horizontally before stabbing straight through the stinger. Roaring in pain, the Aberrant immediately pulled its tail back, unknowingly taking Sabito with it. At the apex of the arc Sabito pulled his sword free before using the momentum to sail into the air. Water gathered around his sword as he raised it to stab downwards.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
He had used it a lot lately but this time he was doing something different. Falling down his sword buried itself into the stinger again, and pulling as hard as he could he threw both it and himself downwards before lodging the stinger into the Aberrant's back with a sickening crack! The armor was split from the impact, and before the Aberrant could react Sabito sheathed his sword before sending a wave of ice right at the point of impact. No matter how it tried it couldn't pull the stinger loose, but he wasn't going to chance it.
"Second Form Improved: Lateral Water Wheel!"
Using the momentum of his spin he struck just above the stinger at one of the thinnest gaps, severing the weapon with a spray of ichor. His job done and plan amazingly successful he leapt from the thrashing monster, landing in a crouch. The Aberrant was ignoring him, thrashing wildly and plowing over trees as it tried to shake itself of its own instrument.
"Usually this wouldn't work. You can kill a Deathstalker with its own stinger because it can pierce the organs, but if you miss it'll be immune to its own venom. Aberrants though?" As he spoke to himself he noticed that ever so slowly the Aberrant was slowing down, its roars becoming weaker. "You guys are different. You spawn with the attributes of other Grimm, but they're not truly yours. It was speculation on my part but it looks like evolution granted you amazing exterior resilience with almost no interior protection. So even if the venom's not killing you it's corrosive enough to melt your insides." Finally after a full minute of struggling the Aberrant collapsed. Without saying a word Sabito threw his katana like a javelin, piercing one of its eyes straight to the hilt. It was probably dead, but only when the Aberrant started dissolving fully did he walk over to retrieve his katana. Sheathing it he let out a deep sigh.
Something off in the distance caught his eye. A speck of red was dragging the nevermore from earlier up the cliff. Upon reaching the top Ruby swung her scythe, decapitating the massive avian and landing gracefully on the top of the cliff. Rose petals drifted from her cape, blowing away in the wind and disappearing.
"It would seem that our family has a thing for dramatic finishes… Good job, Ruby."
"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as…" Like with every other team Ozpin paused for dramatic effect. "Team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose." The hall filled with applause like it had with every other team. Sabito stood near the back by the exit, crossing his arms. His ship wasn't due to leave for another hour so to kill time he decided to watch the naming ceremony. The fact that his best friend and two sisters were a part of it had nothing to do with it… Not at all… Speaking of; Yang broke the seriousness almost immediately by dragging Ruby into a hug while the silver eyed girl looked around in nervousness, shock, and excitement. Blake gave a subdued but gentle smile, but the girl in white looked none too pleased by the turn of events. That was not something he had to deal with though. Although… Looking closely the girl did show a striking resemblance to Winter… Right! In their brief chats the specialist did mention that her sister was hoping to become a Huntress. Good for her.
As the newly minted Team RWBY left the stage Blake spotted him. Giving him a smile she waved which caught the attention of the other three. Feeling a bit cheeky Sabito made a show of clapping, earning a giggle from Ruby, an amused shake of the head from Blake, and a genuine grin from Yang. Weiss looked on in confusion but gave him a polite nod regardless. Throwing them a wave he turned and left the main building, heading to the docks. As he boarded the airship back to Vale he verified that the payment from Ozpin did indeed transfer to his account, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that a small 'bonus' was added for their near unfortunate accident. It was appreciated, but if this was a bribe to sway his anger the headmaster would be sorely disappointed… But, that was neither here nor there. Reporting Ozpin wouldn't do any good, the man was too well protected. And at the end of it all he was still contractually obligated to follow his employer's orders, as stupid as they were… Oh well. The fox-masked boy made a plan for the next few days, spotting some things to do in Vale before going back to let Urokodaki know how things went. Hopefully he wouldn't receive any new contracts for a while, a break really sounded nice…
"You didn't tell him?" Shinobu frowned.
"No, I didn't get the chance."
"Right… Well, it's your choice then… I just hope you don't regret it."
This chapter was odd to write. It felt off in some places but I feel like I made the changes that made it work. Regardless we're officially at the start of Volume 1! And unfortunately for you guys you'll see practically none of it! Most of the ongoing events at Beacon Academy will only be mentioned in Sabito's personal chapters or in crossovers where it's relevant. This is a Short Story, and Sabito is not attending Beacon Academy. That said, things will be ramping up and there will be PLENTY of moments between Team RWBY and Sabito in the future, just not for much of Volume 1.
Also I'm having a lot of fun with the Aberrants. It's like a think tank of Grimm designs! More odd and interesting designs are coming up! And some of you guys have already inspired me~ Now onto reviews!
Kabuto S. Inferno: Just you this time~ The idea of Demons in RWBY in the forms of Aberrants isn't something I've toyed with much, though a Sapient Aberrant is something that may show up. Luckily for you, you'll definitely see more Aberrant development as well as some horrifyingly threatening creations. Regarding Demons themselves, they may or may not show up as characters. I choose that phrasing not as a teaser, but as a genuine 'I don't know.' Unfortunately the more complicated I make this story the more I feel like I'll disappoint people when I end it. Volume 4 is… unlikely. I have an idea of how to segway it into another crossover idea I've had brewing but that won't be for awhile. When The Dragon and the Fox ends that's probably all we'll see of it for a substantial period of time. I have more ideas that I want to work on, and RWBY isn't one of them. If you have an itch for Demon Slayer and hopefully my passable writing, then I have another crossover called Final Destination~
Going away from that depressing end~ I also like giving Sabito new Water Breathing Forms. It's a widely accepted fact that if Sabito survived he'd be a Hashira, so his current survival is breeding new skills. Something I will spoil is that you will see a Water Breathing Esoteric Art before the story ends. It's going to be rather dramatic~ Thank you as always for the comments, you and everyone who leaves reviews are seriously what keeps these stories going.
Oh! And though it won't be for a while, this story will get more… Flamey~ as time goes on.
Next in the Rotation: Final Destination
I'll see you all soon!~