Gray had landed a few miles outside the ruins, and now he was dashing through the forest.
With Enigma and Duality in their scythe configurations, he cut through any foliage that stood in his way.
A sound made him jump, and he aimed his weapons in every direction.
Though the only thing that jumped out was a harmless bunny.
He released his breath with relief, but his relief was short-lived as a hissing sound from behind made him turn.
A large black serpent reared its head and turned red eyes on him.
Gray quickly raised his weapons and took a few shots at it, only to roll out of the way as it lunged toward him.
He often preferred to present himself as timid at first, then opened up the more he knew someone, but it was always a cover.
"This will be the first time I fight a King Taijitu outside of that old Atlesian simulator," Gray said, all timidity gone from his voice.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Gray sprang into action as the Taijitu attacked. He swiftly drew Enigma from its holster and took aim at one of the serpent's eyes, firing off a shot with deadly precision. As the creature recoiled in pain, Gray deftly transformed Duality into its scythe form, anticipating the next move. In a split-second decision, he dodged a strike from the black serpent and spun around, bringing his weapon down in a powerful arc to strike its underbelly. The force of the blow reverberated through his arms, but Gray stood firm, ready for whatever came next.
"You're a tough one," Gray said, a slight grin crossing his face.
He had read about huntsmen who fought against King Taijitu and knew how to fight them, but now he was getting to put his knowledge to use in a real situation.
The Taijitu's wound began to regenerate, and it prepared for another strike.
It hissed venomously, and swept its tail with the intention of striking Gray, only for him to leap up into the air, then fired Duality and Enigma at the Taijitu's eyes.
The tail of the King Taijitu had hit the trees behind Gray's previous position with such force that it had pulverized them. Gray realized that the battles he had fought in the simulator, including the one with the Taijitu, were nothing compared to the real thing. The King Taijitu, despite its large size, appeared to be an adolescent. Gray knew that the Elder of this species would be much bigger and possess additional defenses that its younger counterparts lacked.
Gray felt his hand tense up as a familiar feeling surged through him. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. A small part of him was subtly aware that the situation had changed and it was time to let his other side out to play. He looked around to ensure no one else was nearby before directing his attention to the Taijitu.
It wouldn't end well if others saw what he was about to unleash, but this was a life-and-death situation. The Taijitu was an obstacle and needed to be removed.
As the threat of the Taijitu approached, Gray deftly switched his weapon, the formidable Enigma, from its scythe configuration to its gun setting. He was prepared to strike the creature from afar if need be, but he was also ready to engage it up close if necessary. As he readied himself for battle, he felt a slight constriction in his neck and realized his free hand was getting ready to loosen his necktie. With a quick and practiced motion, he reached up and loosened it. In that moment, his semblance began to take over, imbuing him with even greater strength and agility. With Enigma in one hand and his semblance coursing through him, he was more than ready for whatever came next.
His face contorted into a grotesque, almost inhuman expression as he let out a low growl. With a cruel and unsettling grin, his jaw shifted and stretched, elongating his canines into visible fangs. His once soft and short hair grew long and unkempt, framing his face like a wild mane. Muscles bulged and rippled across his body, expanding and becoming more defined. His fingers curled and his fingernails sharpened into deadly claws, making him look like a creature straight out of a nightmare.
He opened and closed his fists, then looked upon his prey. "About time I had a little fun," he said. His voice was much more menacing than before, and he turned his eyes, which had once been icy blue but were now an unnatural yellow-green.
The Taijitu hissed venomously as more additional Grimm gathered.
Three Ursa had lumbered into the battle, and the monster deftly withdrew both weapons and aimed a hungry look of anticipation at the oncoming Grimm.
The adrenaline rush was palpable as he deftly switched both weapons to their scythe configurations. His eyes glimmered with a wild look of euphoria as he anticipated the imminent battle. Without wasting a second, he lunged forward with lightning speed, his blades gleaming in the sunlight like two deadly extensions of his arms.
The Ursa, a formidable creature with razor-sharp claws and teeth, charged toward him, its eyes fixed on its prey. But it was no match for his agility and precision. In a swift and calculated move, he sliced through the side of the oncoming Ursa, causing it to howl in pain. In a split second, he brought his blades down onto its neck, severing its head from its body. The Ursa fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.
For the rest of the pack, he returned his weapons to their holsters, then using his razor-sharp claws, he rammed them in a spear-like point straight into the nearest Ursa's chest. The creature reared up to bring its claws down, but it was too late. Within seconds, he pulled his hand out of its chest, black ooze dripping from his tapered claws. The Ursa fell on its side with a thud, its lifeless eyes staring up at the sky.
He barely gave it any thought and turned his attention to the remaining Ursa, who seemed unsure about how to attack. With his back straight and his eyes fixed on his prey, he waited for the next move, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Rather than wait for it to figure it out, he made his way forward, quickly taking out both of his weapons then mercilessly firing shot after shot, making it rear upward, then, giving his weapons a flourish, switched them to their scythe configurations, took two swipes to its belly making black ooze spurt outward and it too fell dead.
Only the Taijitu was left, though it took advantage of his blind spot and coiled around him, attempting to constrict him.
It hissed angrily, glaring at him with its one remaining eye.
"Gray" grinned with a savage smile that only a maniac would employ.
"Not bad, you oversized leech," he said in a haughty tone.
As it prepared to crush him, he'd managed to rip one of his arms out, which held Duality, then aimed it at its one remaining eye, and with a precise aim, it exploded in a gush of black ooze.
It was enough to loosen its grip and, having both weapons ready in their scythe configurations, deftly severed the Grimm's head.
Though the fight wasn't over, even in his current state, he knew that a King Taijitu had a second head that would strike if the other fell.
With a quick leap backward, the ghostly white visage of the Taijitu's second head struck outward.
He turned to face the Grimm when the slain head began to regenerate, as did the wounds Gray had made.
Now, he was facing the Taijitu with both of its heads poised to strike.
For a Taijitu to truly be killed, both heads had to be slain.
"Gray" licked his lips, "Two against two, now these are even odds," he said in his new menacing voice.
Both of its heads hissed threateningly, but Gray grinned wickedly as he dragged the curved blades of his weapons upon the ground; then, he stopped with only a few feet between himself and the Taijitu, letting the anticipation build.
Not waiting any longer, both heads lunged forward, their fangs poised to strike.
In a swift motion, Gray brought his weapons to the ready.
In equal measure, he began to slash at its eyes as they came upon him, then jumped upward with his weapons at a crossed angle, then with a twist, the blades started glowing as red dust flowed into them, and in a quick thrust, sent a flaming X downward which severed both heads and began burning the body which started to dissolve.
He landed on his feet, breathing heavily, gazing at his weapons which still had faint traces of the black ooze burning away.
He deftly returned the weapons to their holsters, but the rush of adrenaline was still flowing through him.
How long had it been since he'd been able to cut loose?
His cold feral eyes gazed upon the fading remains of the King Taijitu.
Gray, or rather the entity currently controlling his body, sneered. Grimm were certainly entertaining, but ripping them apart hardly compared to the feeling of his claws tearing into flesh and the rush of blood.
"I want more," he said, opening and closing his fists, but then his hand was reaching for the loose necktie.
"You little bastard," the said with a note of anger.
In his head, the voice of Gray, the real one, spoke.
"You've done enough, Hyde," Gray's voice said.
Hyde, the personality currently in control of his body, growled, "You never let me enjoy myself!"
"Now isn't the time to do that, especially not while he is watching," Gray's voice said.
Hyde was not someone who easily succumbed to fear, but he knew the importance of being cautious and thoroughly scanned the area.
Although he was confident that he hadn't been caught on any surveillance cameras, he couldn't ignore the fact that the initiation was being overseen by Ozpin. Taking into account Gray's advice, Hyde reluctantly agreed to proceed with caution.
"Just do both of us a favor and don't let yourself be distracted by your new friends that you forget why we're here," Hyde said.
"That's no way to thank her for all that she's done."
"Don't you ever question my resolve, Hyde," Gray's voice said, a touch of anger behind it.
"I'll do what is expected."
Hyde gave a derisive snort, "We'll see," he said.
Almost reluctantly, Gray straightened his tie, and he was once again himself.
Hyde was the name of his semblance which let him turn his inner evil into a manifestation to fight against the Grimm.
However, due to an experiment performed by his father, his semblance had become a different personality which made it dangerous to use unless he had no other choice.
As his emotions boiled over, his hand balled up into a tight fist. The word 'father' flew out of his mouth with a venomous spit. It was all because of him that Gray was now stuck living in a run-down slum in Mantle and why Gray's dear mother was no longer alive to comfort him.
He had a debt to repay and would do his part without question. He owed it to the person Hyde referred to because she had been there for him when others weren't.
As he looked back at the destruction he had caused, a disturbing thought crept into his mind: Ozpin had assured them that defenses were in place to prevent the Grimm from entering, yet the Ursa and King Taijitu had managed to breach the defenses.
Either Ozpin had been lying, or, more likely, the defenses had somehow failed.
If the latter were the case, this would be the worst time to have Grimm out with fellow students.
Belatedly, he remembered that Jacen and Rowan were in the forest too, hopefully, they didn't try killing each other.
He reached the point where he finally reached the opening leading to the ruins.
He stopped when he saw the familiar shapes of Rowan, Jacen, and his little astromech approaching the ruins.
He considered it fortunate, but then heard a loud scream from the forest that seemed like Jaune.
Gray wanted to help, but he was still too battered from his earlier fight, and he knew he needed to collect his Relic.
As he looked down at the tear in his sleeve, Gray couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief. The Ursa's claw had left a deep mark, but thanks to his aura, the wound was already starting to heal. He could feel the energy coursing through his body, speeding up the natural healing process.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if the claw had struck just a little bit harder. The thought of losing his arm was enough to make him shudder.
For all its power, aura had its limits. It was a formidable tool for any huntsman or huntress, but even it had its bounds. Regenerating a severed limb was beyond its capabilities - something that Gray was all too aware of. As he took a deep breath and composed himself, he knew that he would have to be more careful in the future. The dangers of the world were all too real, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down again.
The sound of gunfire could be heard, followed by the sound of small explosions, and he had time to turn his head to see Rouge Nightshade locked in a battle with a smaller-sized Nevermore.
She was fighting with the fury of a beast then something happened during the fight, which Gray couldn't turn his gaze away from.
Rouge had grabbed the Nevermore by one of its wings and then slammed it into the ground.
However, as he got closer, he noticed that her mouth was wide open with visibly sharp fangs aimed directly toward the Nevermore's throat.
Was she insane? Not many huntsmen or huntresses would be willing to take a bite out of a Grimm; it was usually the other way around.
He stared in morbid disbelief as she ripped out a sizable chunk of the Nevermore's throat.
Then she plunged her hand, which was in a spearheaded formation, through the Nevermore's back, and it exited from its chest where its heart might have been.
He watched as the very dead Nevermore dropped to the ground and began to dissolve.
A Jedi, a member of the Hounds of Cú, and now, whatever Rouge was.
He made a point to add entries to his historical journal.
Afterward, he began making his way discreetly toward the gathered group, unaware that a large black feather had fallen behind him.
END