"So this is what it's like to be covered in women." Gales thought as he found himself glancing from left to right. Ruby was on his left, Nora had his middle, and Pyrrha was on his right. He wasn't sure how they'd done it but they'd completely wrapped themselves around him like a body harness.
"You're alive~" Nora squealed as Gales just released a healthy laugh.
"Yep."
"We thought you died!" Ruby stated
"I'm surprisingly hard to kill." Gales stated as tried freeing his arms. "Although, most of the times I got close, the Felyne Rescuers had to save me."
"That doesn't make this better~" Gales just scratched his head.
"Yeah I guess you got a point." Gales stated as he looked at Nora. "So~ can you three get off of me, please?" Said girls just buried their heads into his chest as they clung to him.
"No." Was their childish reply as Neo took a picture on her scroll. Everyone, literally everyone, just watched as Gales tried undoing their grip. More than half the looks he got were envious, the other half were confused and the rest were hateful. Except for Yang, she looked smug.
Blake just released a light smile.
Weiss muttered something along the lines of "good grief".
Jaune was just smiling that his friend was back.
Ren was… Ren.
"Wow ok I can not get you three untangled." Gales muttered as he continued trying. "Uh help?" Ren didn't say anything just walking forward as he wormed his arms between two of the girls and grabbed Nora under the arms. She folded like a stack of cards, being pulled straight off as she whined, stretching like a little kid as she reached for Gales. When she gave up she turned wrapping her arms around Ren as he blinked, trying his best not to smile.
Yang just started ticking her sister's sides getting her to squirm as she made a noise. "S-stop it." Yang just grinned, tickling her sister as she forced her to start laughing her grip, loosening just enough for Yang to quickly pull her off and carry her in her arms. "Oh~"
Jaune just looked to Pyrrha before holding up his hands. "Nope."
"Oh well you're helpful." Gales muttered as he wiggled a bit and tried loosening Pyrrha's grip. No use, she was like an iron bolt welded into place. "Pyrrha, Pyrrha you can let go now." No response. "Pyrrha?"
"I thought I lost you." Pyrrha muttered as she looked up at him, somehow her grip growing even tighter around his body. She looked like she was was about to cry.
'No… she has been crying.' Gales realized as he looked at the stains on her cheeks.
"My daughter was a mess when she called me last night!"
Gales remembered Theti's words as he thought back.
"It took me hours to get her to calm down and get a proper explanation. She said you never came back from an assignment in the Emerald Forest, she said she couldn't get in contact with you. She told me you died!"
'She was really worried…' Gales thought as he looked at the girl.
"Remember, Pyrrha didn't really have friends before you came into the picture."
"If you hadn't come back, she would have lost her first friend."
Gales didn't say anything, just reaching over as he snaked a hand around Pyrrha's head and let it rest on his chest. "I'm sorry I worried you." Gales muttered unto her hair. "But I promise, you're not gonna lose me anytime soon." He said as he moved his hand, rested his finger under her chin and pushed her back. "Ok?" Pyrrha didn't say anything, just looking at her counterpart before slowly breathing in relief.
"Ok." She whispered as she untangled herself and gave Gales some two shared a look for a moment, as everyone watched. At least until Jaune coughed into his hand to get their attention.
"Uh, do you guys need a minute?" Pyrrha flushed crimson as Gales just chuckled and reset the table and took a seat. The others following as he took a breath.
"Now I'm certain you have questions."
"That dragon- Rata...what in Remnant was that thing?" Jaune.
What in Remnant was a dragon doing in the Emerald Forest?" Weiss.
"Did you kill it?" Ruby.
"How did you survive fighting it?" Yang.
"How'd you turn purple?" Nora.
"What are you wearing?" Ren.
"Who's your friend?" Blake.
"Are you ok?" Pyrrha.
"You turned purple?"
"Guys, guys, one at a time." Gales raised his hands as he tried calming everyone. "In order, it wasn't a dragon, it's was a wyvern, to be exact it was a flying wyvern." Gales corrected. "It's name was Rathalos, also known as the Flame Drake, and the King of the Skies."
"Ominous." Everyone looked to Nora. "Sorry."
"A Rathalos isn't that uncommon from where I'm from, but that one was way different, it was older, way older."
"How could you tell?" Blake asked.
"It had a few traits I recognized. Those spines on its body, the degree of heat it released from its scales, those were biological adaptations that Rathalos start to develop after being alive for more than a few decades." Gales paused as he leaned forward on the table and started to think back. "But to that extent, and how old those scars it bore were; they were signs of that Rathalos being old, and I don't mean just a few decades - that thing must have been at least a couple centuries." Gales made a noise. "The battles that thing must have survived, the decades of biological adaptation it must have gone through, That thing has to be of Elder Dragon-Level." The group seemed to just stare at Gales for a moment before looking at one another.
"Um, is that bad?"
"Oh you have no idea." Gales releaseda humored chuckle as he looked at Jaune. "Elder Dragons are beasts in a class all their own, some possess abilities that allow them to passively affect the world around them; blizzards, firestorms, thunderstorms, desertification, tsunamis; that happens when these behemoths are just passing through. When they have to throw down." Gales states with a shiver. "They can wipe out whole ecosystems." Everyone gulped at his words but Yang just released a nervous laugh and hit him in the shoulder.
"That's a good one, you almost had me there." She stated as she got a look from him. "I mean come on guys, wipe out whole ecosystems? There's no way that's possible. I mean what, do they have magical powers?"
"Magic is the title we give to things we don't understand." Gales stated. "Science is when we break it down into an understandable form, learn what it is and how it works." Gales just frowned slightly, before taking a breath. "Example, your semblances." Gales states. "You have powers that people on my side of the world would call magic, but do you know exactly how it works, how you each acquire a unique ability?" No one answered. "Maybe it's formed from environmental stimuli, maybe it's formed from your personality, or maybe it's your 'soul manifesting'. It can be a number of things, but you can't explain why you have that semblance and not a different one." Gale continued seeming to think for a moment, as did the others. "Hell, for all I know, their powers are their form of semblance."
"They can have a semblance?!" Jaune jumped as he drew the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria.
"Theoretically." Gales stated as he tried thinking on the subject. "A semblance is connected to Aura right? Aura is produced by the soul, it's an extension of living being. Think about it that way; every human, bug, fish and animal has a soul."
"And creatures like that Rathalos are really just huge animals?" Pyrrha asked nervously as Gales nodded. "So the thought of them having a semblance and an Aura at that…" Pyrrha seemed to think for a moment. "Oh my god…"
"Again it's just a theory," Gales stated. 'I mean it would explain why my weapon just bounces off sometimes but~'
'If they do use Aura to protect themself it's probably protects them only sporadically.'
The Beast whispered
'You need to learn to turn it on right? So without training they can probably only use it instinctively, like in a fight or flight reflex.'
'What gives you that idea?'
'Remember when you went looking for the twins? You got shot and bullets just bounced off? That was an instinctive use of your aura acting to protect you.'
"Oh… neat." Gales muttered as he looked at his friends before shaking his head. "Right, sorry, sorry. Where were we?
"If these creatures are so powerful, how come we've never heard of it until now?" Weiss asked as she crossed her arms. Gales just shrugged.
"Maybe they stay on my side of the world, drift as far out as they can before flying back when the seasons change." Gales paused. "I mean I never heard of Grimm until I came to this side."
"Then why was it in the Emerald Forest?" Weiss actually sounded worried; for good reason too.
"Maybe it's migrating season." Gales stated. "Maybe it's food supply went dry and it had to find greener pastures. Hell if it was flying solo, maybe it flew this far out while looking for a potential mate." Gales threw the options out with a thoughtful expression. "It could even be that it was kicked out it's territory during a turf war and had to look for new land, could be anything really."
"Did you kill it?" Ruby asked quietly, only for Gales to start laughing good naturedly.
"Oh heck no, I got my ass kicked."
"I'm starting to think we need to get you a swear jar." Ruby stated as Gales just chuckled.
"I'm serious though, I got smashed by its tail, got bashed into trees, it broke my weapon, and it tried to barbecue my ass. I lost outright."
"We are definitely getting you a swear jar." Ruby muttered as she nodded her head.
"How'd you survive?"
"Aura apparently." Gales stated as he looked at his bandaged arms. "Stopped the king from roasting me alive." He lowered his arm. "I blacked out though, woke up hours later and he was gone. Got attacked by Grimm and walked my ass back to Vale."
"How are you alive!?" Everyone said it.
"I am very stubborn." Was Gales response as he smiled. Nora raised her hand.
"How did you turn purple?" Gales blinked in confusion before seeming to think.
"Oh that." He shrugged. "It's just a side effect of Uninhibited Access.
"What?"
"It's a skill my master taught me." Gales stated as he started to snack on something as the others just looked at him expectedly. "You guys know how the body has unconscious restraints placed on it right? How does it prevent you from releasing its full power and potential right?" Almost everyone just looked at him confused.
"I remember something about that." Pyrrha admitted. "Something about how the muscular system has limits placed on it to properly function without it causing harm to the body."
"That's a thing?" Jaune asked as Pyrrha gave hima nod.
"Yes, its like a safety mechanism, cause if the muscles were able to release their full potential at any given time they'd tear your bones apart." Pyrrha paused as she realized what she said and looked at Gales so fast it was amazing her head hadn't flown off. "Wait, that's what you did? You released your muscular limits?"
"And more." Gales admitted. "Uninhibited Access is a step up from that. I tell every cell in my body to release their restraints. Every drop of blood, every bone and nerve go full throttle and pull out every potential drop power they got stored in them." He stated. "The boost in physical and mental powers is crazy, but it drains the shit out of me if I use it too long." He admitted as everyone just stared at him.
"How… how?"
"How on Remnant can you do that?"
"I'm consciously aware of every cell in my body." Gales sounded like it wasn't that big a deal. "I can feel every drop of blood moving in my veins and I can adjust the output of my bodily functions, raising them up a bit or dropping them down. Again everyone just stared at him. "It's a skill, my master taught me and the others back at Eldenwyrm."
"You are just…" Weiss took a breath as she rested her hands on her forehead. "What the actual…"
"But if you're doing all that to your body…" Blade muttered. "You'd be burning energy like crazy, you'd be depriving your body of all your nutrients."
"That's why I eat so much." Gales admitted. "What I burn out, I have to find a way to put back in." Gales shrugged.
"I see…" Blake muttered. Neo just nudged Gales just looked at her.
"Oh right, everyone, this is Neo, she's a new friend."
"New girlfriend?" Yang made to tease.
"Well duh she's not a guy after all." That actually got a round of laughs to spill from the table, to Gales' confusion. "What?" Before anyone could answer the lunch bell rang, signifying that it was time to go back to class.
"Ah~ I don't wanna go to class yet." Ruby whined as everyone got to their feet. "I didn't finish my lunch."
"Maybe you shouldn't have helped knocking the table over." Gales stated as he looked at the food that was still on the floor. "Such a waste." He muttered as he shook his head and turned to Neo who was munching on a muffin. "How'd you keep that?" She just gave that Felyne-like smile as she continued eating. Getting to her feet she just started walking off, letting the others fall behind her as they headed towards the door. She stopped though when she caught sight of someone; a blonde haired woman with glasses. "Hey Glynda!"
"It's good for you to join us again Mr -" She paused as she looked at his shirt, flushed a light pink before taking a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Ashe… what. Are. you. Wearing?" Gales just looked himself over for a moment.
"Pants, shirt… boxers." Neo quietly snickered. "… it's the shirt ain't it?" Gales immediately pointed at Neo. "It was her idea, she gave me the shirt to wear." Glynda slowly looked to Neo as she whistled mutely.
"And you are?"
"This is Neo, she came with me to school today." Gales stated as he coughed into his bandages.
"I see…" She looked back to Gales. "The headmaster saw you coming back to school grounds from the security cameras." Glynda began. "He's happy to know that you're back, but he would like to speak with you about what happened in the Emerald Forest yesterday."
"Oh… ok." Gales looked at the others. "Can I bring my friends?"
"We've already spoken with Professor Ozpin." Ruby stated as she twisted her foot in the ground awkwardly.
"He wanted our explanation on what happened in the Emerald Forest."
"Oh…" Gales muttered. "So it's my turn to tell a story." Gales scratched his head before nodding. "Alright, I'll catch you guys later than?"
"Yeah." Jaune stated as he put a hand on Gales shoulder. "It's good to have you back Gales."
"It's good to be back."
Pines Farm
"Fascinating." Lacus muttered as she sat on the wooden fence, her eyes glued to a book she had been given by Oscar to look through as she passed the time. Beside her was Atalanta, who was staring at a bird, her eyes and posture more like that of a snake that was honing in on a meal. Abel just smiled at the sight, taking in the appearance of his two sisters. They seemed so relaxed, in their element. Nothing like Leonidas, who was tapping his foot in annoyance.
"He's not coming." Leo muttered as he watched Abel just stare at him for a moment before turning away. "Seriously, Abel can we get a move on? The kids not coming with us."
"We can't leave until Lacus returns that book." Abel stated as he watched Lacus turn a page. "How'd the read anyway?"
"I never knew crop rotation could be so interesting."
"Are you kidding me?" The exasperation in Leo's voice spoke volumes. "You're reading about crop rotation? What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing." Lacus states as she hops off the fence and starts walking towards Abel. "Abel look at this."
"What is it?" Abel asked as he peeked at the page as Leo groaned.
"Oh my chosen lord Kaiser."
"Isn't this curious?"
"A bit, the idea that it prevents soil erosion while increasing fertility is interesting, I'm curious as to why they use a three-field system instead of a four-field system though." Abel stated as he looked at Lacus, but this is rather… common isn't it? I've read books on crop rotation plenty of times when I was away."
"Why would you read crap like that?"
"It's called a retirement plan." Abel stated as he looked at Leo for a moment. "I don't plan on swinging my blades till I pass on, I intend to set them down at one point, rest and do something more constructive in my later years." Leo just clapped slowly, a bit of disappointment on his face as he heard the words. "But Lacus, why are you showing me this?"
"Read it again and you should see it." Abel did just that before raising an eyebrow.
"Is there a code in it?"
"No, just… read it." Abel did as a bird shrieked, followed by a sudden audio snap.
"Ok."
"Again." Abel did just that. "Again." Abel did. "Again."
"Lacus." Abel took a breath as he handed her the book. "I can read the book a thousand times, but I can't seem to find what you want me to find."
"You just said the answer." Lacus stated as she gestured to the book. "You can read it."
"And?" Leo muttered. "So he can read a stupid book, what's the big deal."
"The deal is that we're on a foreign planet." Lacus began. "When we cross foreign soil there's always a new language to learn, a new dialect to be heard, new written structure and letters to understand, correct?" She paused. "But they have the same root; a common "ancestral language", but we're on an entirely separate planet, their ancestral language would have evolved down a drastically different path than ours has." She looked to Abel, realization crossing his face. "And yet…"
"I can read it." He muttered. "I can read their language - I understand what they are saying. They have a bit of an accent but… I can understand them - I can understand Oscar's native tongue."
"Yes." Lacus stated as she patted the book on her palm. "Their verbal and written language is a variation of our own. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to understand a word being spoken to us. So why is it similar? Why can we understand them when we shouldn't?" She paused.
"It could just be coincidence." Leo stated as he grunted.
"There's no such thing as coincidence." Lacus closed the book as she looked to Abel. "I think our ancestors were here before." She made to say more before stopping, a figure running towards them as she caught their attention. Abel looked down the road as he took the book for a moment and then looked to Oscar.
"We'll finish this later."