V4E5: On Rails
The wind rushed past Hope's ears as he cut through the thin brush of Anima's wilderness. Things had gone quite smoothly, save for some dickhead border guards trying to klept his stuff under false smuggling charges. Luckily, his old Shaderunner ways still worked miracles and he was able to pass without much further fuss.
And by that, I mean he bribed their captain into letting him pass and slipped him extra to berate his subordinates.
Hope sighed pleasantly as the air began smelling of pine and maple trees instead of oak and birch.
"Reminds me of that time I smuggled some draught of male vitality across the Canadian border..."
Summer looked at him weirdly, hovering over him as he sped through some brush.
"You smuggled what?"
"Some old fuck wanted to keep pleasing his paramour of fifty years but he wanted something more potent than your average boner pill. So he commissioned an alchemist/witch friend of mine to make the draught."
Summer glared at the embarrassing and, frankly odd, request.
"Why is that a thing?"
Hope shrugged.
"What? You think men in the past didn't suffer from impotence? If there are means to make men hard, hard men will find it and put it in their mouth."
She snorted.
"It sounds like the intro to a bad gay porno!"
"I mean, it basically was."
"Also, paramour of fifty years? Just marry the hag already!"
Hope shrugged again.
"A bit late for that, but then again, he did die doing what he loved."
"Doing what?"
"Sucking dick while being sucked on by his vampire twink boyfriend."
"...I don't know why, but it doesn't sound that strange anymore."
"The things you get used to in my old line of work."
Hope finally passed through the brush and reached his stop. After days upon days of travelling through Vale's frontier, Mistral's wilderness and the sea between, he had finally reached the Trans-Mistral Train Network station. The building itself was not much to rattle on about, save that it was old but well taken care of. A few other buildings like motels and corner stores were strewn around but the place was obviously a small relay village and nothing more. He slowed down as he approached the station before parking his bike. He shook his hair free of his helmet and left his steed for the doors of the train station. He walked through the door, with cane in hand, and was greeted by a holographic mascot of a cute beaver in a red and green bellhop uniform.
"Welcome to the Trans-Mistral Train Network station number 15!" It greeted with an annoyingly cutesy voice. "My name is Bevis! I'm super happy and pleased to meet you, mister! Please, tell me how I may help you!"
Summer grimaced incredulously as she turned around the hologram in fascination.
"What in the world is this!? It looks so real!"
Hope blinked at the mascot as he picked his aching ears.
"Do you have to talk like that?" he blithered.
The mascot paused before sighing apologetically.
"Sorry sir..." he apologized with a much less high-pitched and upbeat tone. "The voice that was sampled to make me was not the first choice of the company CEO but the marketing department wanted to make me sound cuter to appeal to older women and children."
Hope blinked incredulously.
"Are you... An A.I.?"
The mascot shook his head.
"No, I'm a virtual intelligence. The difference being that I have no advanced learning capabilities nor the processing power to become truly sentient like A.I.s are in theory."
"Huh..." Hope shrugged verbally. "Then why did you change your tone and admit to me that marketing was being marketing?"
The mascot shrugged.
"My programmers had fun making me."
Hope nodded.
"Makes sense."
"it does, doesn't it?" the mascot approved.
The mascot pattered over to Hope.
"Do you need a ticket, sir?"
"Yes, Premium if it's not too expensive."
The mascot pointed to one of the many service counters.
"Premium is medium, sir!" he quoted, more than likely from some slogan pamphlet. "Counter numbers 3 and 4 are open, you can buy your ticket there!"
Hope shot the hologram a thumbs up.
"Thanks, Bevis."
"You're welcome!" he waved happily. "Have a good trip, and thank you for choosing Trans-Mistral!"
His usual programming kicked in and his grating voice returned.
"Trans-Mistral! Coast-to-coast travel, Anima's first and best!"
Summer kept glaring at the three-dimensional avatar made of light in befuddled awe.
"Technology sure went forward in the decade I was gone..."
Hope nodded in agreement as he walked towards the counter.
"Such is the march of technological progress. Tech advances ever forward, year by year. And the march only goes faster, for good or ill."
A young woman sat behind the plexiglass, texting something to someone on her scroll. Once she saw Hope walk towards her, she put her scroll away and put on her best smile.
"Why, hello there, handso-"
As she went to say 'handsome', Hope's face, and scars, came into view. Her smile flinched and she stared at his maimed face with a mix of pity and sympathy. Hope paused uncomfortably.
"I should have guessed this would happen sooner or later," he muttered.
Hope sighed as he snapped his fingers in front of her. The woman blushed in embarrassment.
"S-so sorry, sir!" she bowed apologetically. "I didn't mean to stare!"
Hope waved his hand dismissively.
"Pay me no great mind, miss. Just someone who bit more than they could chew."
He snorted.
"Not that I regret doing what I did."
The ticket lady squinted as she leaned forward.
"I feel like I've seen you before..."
Summer popped in next to him with an annoying smirk.
"Well look at you, mister superstar! You're getting recognized."
Hope rolled his eyes.
"Maybe if you've been to Vale before the whole White Fang/Grimm shindig."
She grimaced sadly.
"More than just a shindig from what I've heard."
Hope nodded.
"Aye, sad day that was." he smiled defiantly. "But we gave back all the pain they dished a hundredfold."
She smiled.
"Good for you guys. Keep up the good fight."
"Oh, they will."
Hope pulled out his scroll's pay app.
"Premium ticket, if you please."
She smiled teasingly.
"Oh, it does please me, sugar bomb."
She gave him a paypad as she began click-clacking away at her terminal's holographic keyboard. A small terminal located next to the paypad showed the different options and what they entail.
(A/N: 100 Lien is 1$USD. In before people tell me these prices are stupid and unrealistic, Note that I don't care. Still, cheers for the engagement!)
The Economy ticket was the most basic, you had to share your cabin with at least three other people and the menu was as basic as the amenities. Mostly stuff like sandwiches and soups that probably came from a can. It was, however, the cheapest at just 10000 Lien. Premium was better despite the price increase at 35000 Lien. You could choose if you wanted to share a cabin or get a slightly smaller one for a solo passenger. The menu was better, as in it was food that was actually cooked and not taken out of a can or quickly slapped together, but it wasn't anything fancy and was comparable to a good dinner in quality. Amenities were better quality but still barren, with just a toilet, sink and shower. Laundromat was available for everyone, thankfully, so at least even if you chose Economy, you didn't have to live with your dirty clothes.
'An actual shower would be nice.' Hope thought before smelling his clothes. 'Scratch that, laundromat first. These fucking reek.'
Business was essentially the Economy of First Class, a more basic template with fewer bells and whistles that the next class over would have in spades. Still, it was much more lavish than anything in the Premium class. A nice, high-quality menu you'd find at an expensive restaurant, an entire bathroom and a spacious and comfy bedroom. First Class was just plain over-the-top. A menu right out of a five-star high-class restaurant, with a classically trained chef to serve you his orgasmic products. A bathroom so clean and spacious, you could have a dinner party inside. the bedroom could fit an entire family and also serve as a lavish lounge.
Unfortunately, both of these packages cost upwards of 85000 Lien for Business and 115000 Lien for First Class. Neither of which, Hope was interested in paying. It also helped that he was flying solo, so all the additional space would be completely wasted.
The cashier hummed a pleasant tune as she tapped away on her terminal.
"Any unusual luggage?"
Hope shrugged.
"Other than a large backpack? Weapons and a bike with a sidecar."
She paused for a moment, looking at his hip where his weapons rested.
"Huntsman?" she asked.
"Studied at Beacon when it fell." Hope said as he showed his old student ID.
She nodded as she returned to tapping.
"You're in luck, All you need in Mistral in place of a licence is an official student ID or an associate's degree to be allowed to carry weapons openly."
Hope nodded, keeping that in mind in case some asshole cop tries to shake him down. Mistral had an unfortunate reputation for police corruption, so it was good to know he could bite back with legal semantics.
"You had a bike you said?" she questioned.
"Motorcycle, to be more precise." he corrected.
She sucked on her teeth.
"Sorry sir, any personal vehicle counts as special luggage and have to be stored at the back of the train."
Hope shrugged.
"I don't see a problem with that."
"An additional fee of 50000 Lien must be paid to store your motorcycle."
Hope grimaced in annoyance.
"You're shitting me..."
She sighed sadly.
"Sorry sir, company policy."
Hope sighed in turn.
"Fine, whatever."
She tapped on her terminal a few more times until the paypad turned green, displaying payment options. Hope swiped his scroll over and with a cute beep-boop sound, the transaction was closed. A ding rang on his scroll and a digital Premium ticket was now his.
"All done, handsome." she chippered, the handsome sounding actually genuine.
Hope waved her goodbye.
"Thanks, Luv. Have a good one."
Despite his goodbyes, he was quite sour on the inside. A sentiment shared by Summer.
"Why are train tickets so expensive now... They used to cost like 5000 Lien for Economy back in the day..."
Hope grumbled.
"Inflation's a cunt but worse is the fucking storing fee."
Summer smiled awkwardly.
"Well, on the bright side, you don't have to pay Dust for your bike?"
Hope sighed.
"Only slightly more expensive than the combined cost... All it saves me is riding for a week..."
"At least you get to wash in warm water, clean your clothes and have meals prepared for you?"
Hope sighed.
"Whatever, I already paid for the ticket anyhow. Let's just get my bike to that fucking storing unit and get some rest."
The Premium single cabin was about the size of an apartment room. It had enough space for a bed, a nightstand, a desk and chair and not much else, save for a closet and a small bathroom. The bathroom itself had a sink, shower and toilet, all cramped together to maximize space usage. At least it had unlimited hot water...
Hope tossed his bag in a small corner and groaned as he dropped into the bed of his small, but quite cozy cabin. The bed was nothing to ride home about, about as good as the bed he had in Beacon before he changed the mattress and definitely worse than it and the bed he had at Taiyang's. But just the fact that he had an actual bed was pure bliss compared to the uneven and often hard ground of the Animan wilderness. He sighed pleasantly as he buried his face in his pillow.
"Fuck... I'm already dozing off..."
He reluctantly pushed himself off. He already stunk to high hell and didn't want to taint his sheets. He quickly tossed his clothes off and into a laundry bin, switching for a pair of shorts and a bare chest. His arm was wrapped in bandages that had seen better days. Summer passed through the door, looking chipper.
"Settling in well?"
Hope began undoing his bandages, letting his damaged skin breathe a little. It still felt warm but at least it didn't burn anymore. Hope rolled his shoulders to alleviate some of the unbalanced soreness his metal arm incurred.
"I finally have a bed and I'm about to have a warmish shower. I'd say I'm pretty happy."
She grinned teasingly.
"Still regretting that purchase?"
Hope sneered.
"I'm still mad about the extra fee."
Ruby's mother sniggered in response. She kept floating above him, twirling in the air absentmindedly as he filled a bucket with boiling hot water. Inside the steamy bucket, Hope laid his bandages and began meticulously cleaning them with a bit of detergent and bleach after putting on some thick rubber gloves. A bit of water splashed onto his scarred flesh, making him hiss in pain. Summer quietly blew on his scar with a dumb smile, one that Hope returned.
"What, you're not gonna kiss it better?" Hope snarked.
Without another word, the departed mother gave his boo-boo a kiss.
"Pain, pain, go away~"
Hope palmed his face.
"You're a bloody dweeb, you know that?" he said despite his smile.
Summer had a wry grin.
"Reminds you of someone?"
Hope chuckled along with Summer.
"Yeah, but then again, she IS your daughter."
He emptied the bucket down the sower drain before filling it up with more boiling water, leaving his bandages in to soak. He removed his prosthetic arm, its heavy weight not missed in the least, and laid it down on the nightstand for ease of access. He let out a relieved groan as he disconnected his robotic member. Summer winced as the arm clanked against the nightstand.
"Good grief... I remember when those things first came out when I was a kid." she recounted.
"Like three decades ago?"
Summer pouted angrily.
"Don't age me! That's rude!"
Hope waved dismisively.
"Did people complain about the weight then?"
Summer nodded.
"You have a V2 model of that prosthetic, the weight problem was even worse with the V1"
"Is there a V3?"
"I think it came out about when Ruby was born."
"Almost two decades ago..."
"They never were popular, except with Huntsmen who wanted to keep on going despite their infirmities. Said the weight was like a form of balance and shoulder strength training."
Hope nodded with a quint as he rolled his shoulders again.
"Checks out."
She cringed as she stared at the neural connector disfiguring his stump.
"Geez, can't say I envy you."
"Not much to envy about my situation," he smirked. "Save maybe an impressive..."
He stopped muttering once he saw Summer's unimpressed frown.
"Let me guess, penis?"
Hope turned around and bent over slightly, showing off his nice, shapely ass. Summer glared in incredulity.
"By the gods, what are those beauties?!"
Hope let out a goofy laugh as he prepared to slip into the shower. He pressed a button on a remote for the staff to come to get his laundry, a luxury available only for Premium packages and up. He entered the glass canopy of the shower after taking everything off and let the lukewarm water wash over him. He let out a pleased sigh as for the first time in a week, he finally didn't have to wash himself in a cold-ass stream. A knock came at his door, and the camera feed of his scroll shower a bellhop with a laundry cart.
"You called, sir?"
Hope pressed the unlock button on his scroll.
"Let yourself in, bruv. I'm cleaning myself."
The bellhop nodded and opened the door, collected his laundry and left as soon as he came.
"Cheers." Hope thanked.
The bellhop left without another word, save for a respectful bow in front of his door.
Hope left the shower wearing nothing save a towel. To his amusement, Summer was already facing her back to him.
"Don't you dare peek~"
Summer scoffed.
"My husband's better looking." She bit her lip lustfully. "Especially when wearing nothing but a smile..."
Hope shook his head in further amusement.
"You really love the bastard, don't you?"
Summer spluttered.
"Nooooo, it's not like I married him and had his child or anything," she uttered, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Probably a fling that went right."
Hope grinned as he put on his last remaining pair of clean underwear. Now free of a week-long journey of filth that couldn't quite be removed without the aid of a washer and sponge, It was time to finally, at last, take a nice long nap. He closed his eyes and a strange sensation, one he hadn't felt since he was a child, graced his head on soft hands. His eyes shot open, catching Summer caressing his scalp with a sweet and gentle expression. He blinked silently until Summer realized Hope wasn't asleep yet.
"Do you... Always do that?"
Summer jolted to attention once his voice reached her and she looked down at his confused expression. Her cheeks became a shy red.
"Sorry, force of habit." She went to remove her hand reluctantly. "I'll stop if you want."
Hope simply closed his eyes again.
"Did I sound like I did?"
The departed mother leaned back in surprise before a sweet grin spread across her face. She lifted his head slightly before slipping her thighs under him. Hope's mind flashed back to The Land Between Life and Death as she gently patted his head on a lap pillow. The seer's eyelids grew heavy as a snort left his nose. He felt a slight falling feeling, as the shadows inside his eyelids deepened and his whole body loosened. Summer kept smiling as her daughter's crush slept peacefully on her lap.
"Sweet dreams, Anon."
Hours passed and the early morning welcomed noon-like workers exchanging shifts. The trembling of the train was so minimal, its magnetic tracks making the journey a comfortable one.
So much so, that any interference made it obvious that something was wrong.
The train jolted violently, frightening Hope into wakefulness. He glared around the room as the shaking subsided.
"What in the fuck?!" Hope blurted as he bolted away from Summer's warmth and comfort.
The dead Huntswoman shot out of the train and looked at the problem from above. She shot right back into Hope's cabin with a worried grimace.
"Razorwing swarm in the front!" she warned. "There's a Griffon leading them!"
Hope groaned angrily as he put his prosthesis back on.
"How many?" he asked.
Hope looked at the foot of his door, where his now clean clothes were and threw his pants and socks on before strapping his boots to his feet.
"A dozen at most, but the turret ports are jammed!" Summer reported.
"What?!"
"The hinges keep creaking and the panel covers are stuck halfway!"
Hope let out a raging breath as he heard screaming from outside his cabin, as well as the sound of claws scratching against glass. He looked for his bandages and cursed himself, he let them soak in the clean water and forgot to take them out to dry. He stared at his remaining arm, still so sensitive, then at his coat. He could already imagine the pain of the inside of the sleeve raking against his skin and the grimace of pain appeared naturally in turn. Suddenly, the crack of breaking glass and redoubled screaming alerted him that his time to prepare was quickly running out.
"Fucking hell!"
He took his coat and put it on, a short scream of pain escaped his mouth as the pain he feared came out worse than he could imagine.
"Fuck it!"
He took the offending sleeve and, with the help of his new mechanized strength, ripped it off at the shoulder. he strapped on his double belt and bolted out of his room with his pistol aloft. A slide door came before him but before it could be an obstacle to his hobbled trample, he slammed it open. His hand missed the gap handle and instead shoulder-checked the door open. Luckily, his mechanical arm took the hit instead of flesh and bone but this was already a bad start. Hope tumbled to the ground but scrambled to his feet quickly as he moved towards the next cart. Summer floated behind him as he limped down the hall.
"Are you ok?!" Summer asked in a panic.
"The fucking disconnect!" he cursed as he rolled his shoulder. "This might get really fucking ugly. Summer! Watch my back!"
The departed mother nodded determinedly.
"Roger!"
Another door came but this time, caution rewarded him by not making him miss his target again. He slammed the door open and his march continued until the desperate sight of a middle-aged woman being straddled by a Razorwing and about to have her throat ripped out made him change his course. His boot collided into the Razorwing's side, its hollow bones cracking under the strength of the blow, and was thrown to the side to hiss and growl. Hope had never played Arrowfell, or Grimm Eclipse for that matter, but he recognized the harpy-like monster for what it was.
"Fucking nuisance." Hope quipped as he pulled his gun out and shot it in its oversized head.
He limbered over to the woman, whose heavy breathing and shocked glare at the sublimating Grimm.
"Yo-You saved me!" she exclaimed, her shock turning into euphoria.
Hope helped her to her feet and pointed to the previous carts.
"Go lock yourself into your room and lock the window panels!"
She nodded frantically before bolting away to the carts furthest away from the Grimm menace. The Hero of Vale went cart to cart, popping caps in every aberrant creature that dared assault the innocent passengers. Each encounter going about as well as the first one, if only because Summer was a fantastic security alert.
"Behind the door!" she called out.
Hope slammed the door open and backhanded with his cane one of the three Razorwings in the cart who, as warned, was right by the door.
"Left corner next to the window!"
Hope pulled his gun up and aimed, pulling the trigger as the beast flapped its wings intimidatingly. Its wings took the brunt of his barrage of lead, screeching in rage and outrage at its vital limbs being damaged. The first Grimm stood back up groggily before being cane-slammed back down. Hope lifted his heavy foot and stomped down on its head, spraying black gore across the floor.
"One down."
"Behind the turned-over table!"
The third Razorwing jumped over the table and grappled with Hope as it bit down on his mechanical arm. Hope staggered back, having already seen the Grimm coming but his body lagged behind, getting himself caught. Hope scoffed as the beast tried desperately to eviscerate him with its taloned legs, until Hope unlocked his cane and gored with his estoc. The beast's half-living frame was then unceremoniously crushed between his prosthesis and a wall.
"Two down." He panted, the situation having been a bit too much of a close shave.
"BEHIND YOU!"
The second Grimm charged as his back was turned but Hope didn't bother looking back. He threw his pistol toading arm to the side and opened fire, inflicting the Grimm with a lethal case of lead poisoning. Hope smirked, his dumbass luck having allowed him to hit almost every shot without missing. He blew the end of his barrel cheesily as the last Razorwing despawned in a plume of smoke.
"Three down."
Summer hovered over him, looking midway between impressed and unimpressed.
"You enjoy this, don't you?"
Hope scoffed as he retrieved his cane and sheathed his estoc.
"'Course I do." He grinned feraly. "Even back in Sin City, I knew this was what I was built for."
Hope opened the door to the control room and cleared it. Luckily, no Grimm had gotten in. The captain of the train, an old man with a handlebar mustache screamed as he swung a chair at him. Hope fell onto his stomach with a scream as the chair shattered on his back. The conductor immediately regretted his action once he saw he had assaulted a person.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" he cried out.
"ANON!" Summer gasped in horror as she scrambled to his side.
Hope squirmed on the floor as he held his aching back.
"What is it with me and trains..." he mumbled as he tried to push himself off the ground with his cane. "First the Breach, now this?"
The train conductor helped him to his feet and to another chair. The man bowed profusely as Summer gave him the stink eyes.
"I AM SO DEEPLY SORRY, SIR!"
Hope waved him down despite feeling like his back was going to turn to jelly.
"Mate, I get it. You were just scared, chill out."
The man was built like a shit-brick house despite his seemingly simple and easy job. With a modern train like the one they were in, he was essentially a glorified host for the train's guests while sometimes steering should the auto-pilot go on the fritz.
'So why in messiah's name is he built like Billy Herrington?' Hope thought.
Conductor Aniki raised his head.
"I believe you are to thank for dealing with this... Problem."
Hope shook his head and motioned Summer to go scout. She nodded quickly before leaving.
"We aren't out of the woods yet," Hope warned.
Summer reappeared with a worried grimace.
"Two more Razorwings on the roof are guarding the Griffon..."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but time was not on their side for the moment. the sooner they got rid of the three remaining Grimms, the better. Hope nodded furtively before looking back at the conductor with a glare.
"We will discuss the reason why your defence systems are non-functional later."
The conductor felt sweat drip down his forehead.
"I have no excuse..."
Hope held his hand up to silence him.
"Save it," he commanded. "For now, I need to get to the roof and deal with the last of the Grimm."
The conductor's eyes bulged out of their sockets.
"I-isn't that incredibly dangerous?!"
Hope nodded.
"Train surfing is probably one of the worst fucking things you can do, along with trying to fist fight a gorilla or fuck a succubus."
"Wha-"
"Don't ask me how I know about the last one."
The conductor glared in confusion at his saviour.
"S-should I stop the train?"
Hope shook his head profusely.
"Are you crazy? Do that and the Griffon will call for more of them and the problem with get worse!"
Hope heaved himself off of his seat with his cane.
"I'll deal with the Darkness, you keep the train running. Got it?"
The train conductor hesitantly nodded his head.
"U-understood. Sir?"
Hope turned around, facing the door.
"Hope."
Wind furiously rushed past Hope as the conductor opened the outside access door. The conductor held on to his hat as Hope walked past him.
"This is insane!" the older man squealed.
Hope took a deep breath, steeling himself for the execution of his suicidally stupid plan.
"I know, that's why I thought of it," he said lightly, trying to dissipate his nerves.
He mounted the small latter that led to the flat roof and as soon as he stood up, The Griffon greeted him with a noble bow as its last two flunkies charged him recklessly. A quick burst from his gun took one down but the last Razorwing, as its namesake implied, gave him a bad cut on his arm. Hope staggered back as his shoulder began bleeding and the Razorwing charged once more. Hope angrily backhanded the Grimm off the train, inadvertently splattering it into a chunky mist as it collided with a railway post. Hope groaned as he rolled his shoulder, already feeling the weight of his prosthesis taking its toll, not helped at all by the bleeding gash.
The Griffon stood still, poised like a gargoyle as Hope massacred its lesser kin. Hope approached the beast with Pistol held aloft but before he fired, the Griffon sprung into action as it dodged his fire. For a Grimm the size of a large horse, it was shockingly nimble. Hope charged the monster and succeeded in bashing it off the train, only for it to dodge the railway lights and fly back into the small arena with an elegant flourish. Hope groaned in annoyance.
"Looks like I can't ring it out... Fuck, this is Nightterror from SC3 all over again!"
Summer held his shoulders as she floated up.
"Anon, something's not right with it."
Hope and the Griffon began circling each other, but strangely, the beast had no apparent aggression. Curiously, its eyes weren't in the usual red-yellow gradient so typical of Grimms. But neither were they the neon turquoise and yellow of Merlot Industries' Mutant Grimm, so either he isn't a part of this version of the RWBYverse, or he's not yet in the picture. No, its eyes and markings are almost the opposite of the violent red and vicious yellow Grimms were known for.
Royal Blue palling and transitioning into marble white.
He couldn't help but feel a dreadful sense of foreboding as the edges of the Odd Griffon's beak turned into a sinister smile. Hope began sweating as a creeping sensation ran down his back.
"That thing isn't a normal Grimm."
Hope stood off and the Griffon stopped, facing him. Hope saw the beast's muscles tense up and watched as it pounced. He threw himself to the side at the last second but slid and nearly fell off the train. The Griffon rushed and straddled Hope, holding him down as it reeled its beak back. Hope tried to throw his head to the side, but his soul was quicker than his bodily reflex and the Odd Griffon's beak slashed a jagged cut into his cheek.
"FUCK! OFF!" Hope screamed.
Hope tried to kick the monster off as he did with the Razorwings but the Griffon couldn't care less about a being far smaller and lighter than it trying to break free, even if his mechanical arm packed a punch. The Grimm chuckled cruelly like some kind of bully made of evil as it dragged Anon across the edge of the train's roof, hanging his head over the edge. Hope finally lost his iron grip on his gun as he was tossed overhead and across the train's length, nearly falling over the edge if it weren't for his metal arm taking hold of a ladder. Hope reached for his gun as it tumbled off the edge.
"NO!"
Hope shakily climbed back on top of the train as the Griffon slowly walked over towards him from the front of the train to the tail end of it. Hope splayed himself on the roof, holding on for dear life as he breathed heavily.
"Fuck... too close..."
He left his cane with the conductor and Shatterslash was hiding in its sheath where Hope left it, but his pistol was gone. Before Hope could lament, the beast stomped into view. Hope staggered to his feet, his left foot already feeling the strain of his extended fight. Hope threw himself to the ground as the beast swiped down its talon into the train hull. It whipped its tail towards at him as he charged with Shatterslash, slapping him across the jaw. Hope rubbed his face with a sneer.
"Ok, I need an actual plan."
Summer appeared again, looking incredibly panicked.
"You need to go! NOW!"
"What's up?"
"Tunnel coming!" she warned. "It's coming FAST!"
Hope looked towards the front of the train and sure enough, a tunnel dug into the mountain was fast approaching. He spat on the floor.
"Gonna have to wrap things up qui-"
Hope was once more caught lagging, as he saw the Griffon charge but his body was too slow. The monster held Hope by the throat and began squeezing with a strange look of glee on its face. Not one born of sadism, but one of crushing victory. It stood over Hope like a tyrant, holding its proverbial boots over Hope's throat. It didn't fight to survive, not even for the sport of it. It had fought to win, to conquer a mighty foe and dominate the field of battle.
And It had bested Hope, to its smug self-satisfaction.
Veins bulged on his forehead and his glare turned dark upon the realization that he was being toyed with. His metal hand shot for his belt, for Shatterslash, but the beast laughed as it pinned that arm down. His other hand wandered desperately, until it gripped an unexpected aid.
His pistol, right where, and when, he needed it.
Without a second thought, he slammed the grip into the monster's jaw. bits of the monster's mask flew off as it backed off, disoriented. Hope held his pistol up to his face, its surface shining dimly in the light as spider cracks formed in the grips.
"You... You came to me when I needed you most too... Just like Shatterslash."
The reflection in the gun had changed as it became like a smoking silhouette made of shadows but its furious defiance remained. As it promised the day he left Patch, it will not fail him again. Hope smiled as the apparition looked at him expectantly, knowing exactly what his partner wanted. Hope held his gun aloft as the shine grew. His whole body began to feel warm as the light condensed and concentrated.
"Thy name..."
The Blue Griffon shrieked as it took off into the air to swoop down, but Hope's gunpower companion would not have any of it's crap. Twice it barked, its furious cry in the face of its tyrannical opponent earning it its new appellation as the beast's wings were broken. Hope smiled as the griffon crashed on top of the train, further breaking its mask apart as its clipped wing flopped around uselessly.
"Shardshot." he named his pistol. "Thy name is Shardshot, the Cry of Freedom."
Hope stood focused on his crippled enemy, unconscious of his entire body as it began to sting like the feeling of static one gets from retrained blood flow. He gripped Shardshot and stomped forward. His thoughts and his body felt even more disconnected than usual but as his stomp made way for a stampede, slowly, his body began to catch up to his mind.
The hunter became the prey, and his mark was a dead beast walking.
The Blue Griffon shook the dizziness off just in time for Hope to slug it in the face with his metal arm. Hope then began to furiously pummel the Griffon until its mask cracked further. Each hit reverberated throughout his body, as the stinging subsided and a feeling of warmth took over him. The beast threw him off but Hope threw his hand down, his body obeying his mind to the letter, and dug his metal fingers into the hull of the train in a shower of sparks. Hope stood off as the beast screeched in outrage. The Griffon pounced but Shardshot's leadstorm forced it to back off long enough for Hope to formulate a new plan.
The Seer simply smiled as he dropped flat on the roof, his body as limp as he could make it.
The beast looked confused until a violent siren blared in its ears. The beast looked back, and the last thing it saw was not the glorious sight of a defeated Hope,
But simply a rock wall, as it crashed against it and fell off the train in a broken heap.
Hope breathed heavily as the tunnel roof rushed overhead. He felt Summer's desperate grip as she tried pointlessly to drag him through the roof and into the train. Hope closed his eyes as he dug his metal fingers into the hull of the train.
"1... 2... 3... 4... 5..."
He counted each second he was in the dark.
"55... 56...57 ...58... 59... 1 minutes..."
Seconds led to minutes.
"1:55... 1:56... 1:57... 1:58... 1:59..."
The darkness made way to light, and his eyes opened.
"3 minutes," he muttered. "It's over."
Summer finally opened her eyes and was greeted by the greenery of Vacuo once more. Summer let go of the seer and watched over the horizon. She breathed a sigh of relief as she descended and held onto Hope.
"It's over." she breathed out. "Are you ok?"
Hope held up his mechanical arm and smiled as it moved just as he intended. No delay, no sensation of disconnect. Only oneness with himself.
At last, he wasn't a stranger in his own body.
Sure, his extremities were still cold and unfeeling and his nerve damage was still there but now, he didn't feel like he was lagging. He smiled as his arm dropped onto the hull and the wind rushed past his ears.
"Better than ever, Sum." his smile turned to a grin. "I live, again."
The train screeched to a halt as it reached a railway maintenance station. Hope jumped off the train to the shock and confusion of the engineers, workers and the other hardhats who were called to receive the train after it sent out a distress signal. Someone wearing an especially ornate hard hat that hid his eyes came to greet their surprise guess. The man was built like a fantasy dwarf, short, stocky as all hell, built like a barrel with a big beard and an even bigger voice.
"You've got some nerves to hitch a ride on one of our trains, stowaway!" he angrily accused.
Hope scoffed.
"Bitch, I paid my fucking ticket."
"HAVE YOU?!" he yelled louder than was needed.
Hope, non-plussed, showed him his scroll, which was swiped out of his hands to be thoroughly inspected by who Hope assumed was the head engineer. The man humphed before giving Hope his scroll back.
"I take back what I said, mister." The Head engineer admitted fault. "But I have to ask WHY IN TARNATION were you on the roof?!"
The doors to the front of the train slammed open and the passengers, along with the train staff, all spewed out from the train. Conductor Aniki practically leapt out of the train once he saw Hope alive and mostly well.
"MASTER HUNTSMAN!" he blubered jubilantly. "You're alive!"
Hope nodded with an amused smile.
"Indeed I am," he said matter-of-factly. "It's a funny thing, you know. People always assume I'm dead or dying."
The conductor became quite flustered at his blunder. Passengers began grouping around Hope, recognizing the man who saved their lives.
"W-well it's just that we heard your fight with the Grimm and when it all went silent and you didn't come down," The Conductor's expression became grim. "W-we thought that you..."
Hope hummed to himself.
"That makes sense actually." he rubbed the back of his head guiltily. "Sorry, must have worried you."
"You can bet your bottom Lien we did! We thought you had sacrificed yourself to save us!"
Hope shrugged lackadaisically.
"Such is the fate of any true Huntsman. Besides, even if I did..."
He smiled handsomely.
"I wouldn't regret a moment of it and leave this mortal coil happy and proud that I could save you all."
The Conductor, head engineer and the people in the crowd blushed and swooned. Summer appeared, hanging from his shoulder with a big grin.
"Aren't you a heartthrob?"
Hope rolled his eyes.
'Can't help it if I'm so fucking cool.'
Summer grimaced, halfway between a cringe and a smile.
"Who thinks that way about themselves?!"
'Jaune does, and he got that because of me! Also, you're one to talk!'
The conductor took Hope out of his mental argument with the ghost of his best friend's mom by taking hold of his hands, still snotting and crying at Hope's heroic and selfless declaration.
"Sir Huntsman... I... I'm at a loss for words..."
Hope gave him a friendly pat on his back.
"That's fine, that's fine."
The head engineer piped up, coughing in embarrassment at having been caught in the flow.
"Why don't you upgrade his travel package?" he recommended. "A guy like him deserves to get to his destination in style and comfort."
The conductor gasped at the brilliant suggestion.
"That's it!"
The conductor puffed out his chest as he faced the man who saved him and his staff.
"Sir Huntsman! There isn't much we can reward you with. However, my colleague is completely correct! As reward for your heroic emergency rescue, I, Anise Kikimore, will fully reimburse your train ticket and personally gift you access to our exclusive V.I.P suite for the remainder of your journey!"
Hope beamed.
"Awesome, does that include the storing fee for my bike?"
"No!" Conductor Ani. Ki deadpanned him with a corporate smile.
Hope glowered in annoyance.
"Oh come on!"
Hope dusted his hands as he finished bagging his stuff, his mood still quite dire. Summer frowned in annoyance at Hope's continued sourness.
"Oh, come off it!" she demanded. "you get the V.I.P suite and you're still mad about your bike!"
"I mean come on!" Hope complained. "The room doesn't cost anything to stay at, you just need to know someone! You can't even buy tickets for it! The only thing he did was give me back my money for the second cheapest package, instead of the thing that actually costs a pretty penny!"
Summer sighed, disappointed at his ungrateful penny-pinching as Hope groaned impotently.
"Fucking whatever."
Hope shouldered his bag and prepared to leave. Due to the damage taken during the Grimm assault, everyone had to leave the train for the engineer and interior renovator to repair and rebuild everything that was damaged. Hope had made sure to tell the chief engineer about the poor state of the turrets, which led to shenanigans. The Chief's ass-ramming of the Conductor's negligence in maintaining the turrets was quite amusing, in a cruel sort of way.
But it didn't change that he had to hurry, unless he wanted to sleep in a tent due to everyone else taking all the motel rooms.
He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror and smiled. Summer followed his eyes and smiled as well.
"The half-sleeveless style looks really good on you."
Hope nodded.
"A gauntlet would look even cooler."
Summer gasped.
"No, an arm harness!"
Hope and Summer pointed at each other.
"I like your style!"
Summer pointed out of the room excitedly.
"C'mon! Let's go see if there's a leather workshop in town!"
Hope nodded as he walked out of the room, with Summer bouncing behind him. Another day passed, and more monsters found their end. Even despite that wonderful thought, Hope couldn't help but feel a worrying sense of foreboding tickle the back of his head. Something was deeply wrong about that Blue Griffon, deeply, deeply wrong. It didn't behave like a normal Grimm. But, it was dead now. Hope could only pray that this was just a freak mutation and that he wouldn't see another thing like it. But sadly...
Fate thoroughly enjoyed playing tricks on the Otherworldly Seer.
Hope shook the dark thought from his head, now was not the time for pessimism. He pulled out Shardshot and looked into the mirror-like frame of his handgun. He was met with a strange black silhouette of him looking back at him and waving happily, the eye reflecting Hope's broken orb looking like a bullseye. Hope nodded in acknowledgement.
"Let's keep this party going, eh partner?" He smirked.
Shardshot nodded back with a predatory white grin. Point, and it'll shoot. Hope twirled his rechristened weapon dramatically as he walked out of the train and into a township where he'd meet with someone important.
Someone he wished he hadn't.
V4E5 - END!
NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V4E6 - PLAY?
