Huntresses of Fairy Tail
"That's it ladies, keep up with flexing those cores nice and tight." Blake said, facing the other four girls of the house, while leading them in her normal yoga routine, with all five of them dressed in yoga flexible clothing.
"This yoga stuff is harder then it looks." Yang huffed, her body having trouble being as flexible as her partners.
"At least it's a good way for us to remain in shape. I did my fair share of yoga before joining Beacon." Weiss said, having an easier time. "But I've never experienced any of the poses Blake's putting us through."
"That's because this is the more advanced stuff." Seras said, having her own trouble with keeping up. "The fact that Blake's using them on us from the get go, means she trusts we're able to adapt to her routine rather quickly."
"I kinda like it." Ruby said, surprising everyone with showing she was more then capable of keeping up with Blake's yoga routine. "Makes me feel relaxed, and worry free."
"You're in a rather good mood this morning Ruby." Yang said. "The scars on your ankle still bugging ya?"
"A little, but it's nothing I'm not used to." Ruby smiled.
"What are the five of you doing?" Raion asked as he stood at the entryway to his back lawn.
"Morning yoga, wanna join?" Seras asked.
"I'm good with my normal morning routine of exercise." Raion said. "But quick question, who said you five could turn my backyard, into a yoga studio?"
"Give 'em a break kid." Qrow said, from in the house. "Blake's only trying to help the team keep balanced minds and bodies."
"Sorry Raion." Blake said. "I should have asked first."
"Look just… please just talk to me about these things first, before you decide on your own to do them, okay? This is still my house, and you're still tenants in it." Raion stated, before heading back into the house, and into the kitchen where Qrow was pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Something's eating at ya kid. Spill it." Qrow said.
"Nothing's eating at me Qrow." Raion said.
"No, no, no. None of this avoidance bullshit, you're not playing that card on me. You did enough of that when you kept quiet about Kiiro's treatment of you, and look how that turned out!" Qrow stated. "From one S-Class Huntsman to another, I can tell you it's not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up like this. Now tell me, what's eating at you?"
Raion sighed, before he looked to the drunkard with slight annoyance.
"It's the girls. They've completely taken over my home, and made changes without my permission." Raion stated. "Don't, get me wrong Qrow. I'm glad that they're here. But lately I've been feeling like my privacy, isn't even allowed in my own home anymore."
"Care to elaborate on that?" Qrow asked.
"Where do I begin?" Raion asked. "First, Ruby rearranged the dish cupboards and cutlery drawers, making it so my kitchen's a maze, all because she didn't like how I arranged things. Then Weiss goes and puts doilies on everything, including the water tank on my toilets. The flowers were a nice touch, but why add doilies? An' don't get me started, on the holes she's putting in my walls during weapons training. Then there's Blake, I ask her time and again not to put her feet on my coffee table when reading, but she still does it, while leaving her snack wrappers everywhere for me to clean up, while also leaving me to reorganize the books in my library, because she doesn't bother with putting them away properly. Yang's just as bad, leaving her vibrators on the bathroom counter, and putting craters in my lawn when sparring with the others. An' Seras… I've been giving trying to be lax with her behavior, because of what happened with Afton all those years ago, and then recently when she returned from the dead, but I wake up every morning to find her having snuck into my bed, in the night cuddling me like I'm some body pillow, while completely topless, and she even scratches at my walls like a house cat to trim her nails the same way. I'm just… I'd like to be able to come home to a house, that's not being taken over or destroyed by the five girls I'm letting live here, rent free, on Masters orders. An' I'd actually like to have my privacy, but the girls make that impossible to have."
"Okay, I see what's happening here." Qrow said. "Look, why don't you go blow off some steam with a job, and I'll have a word with the girls."
"Thanks Qrow, but there aren't any jobs on the board that caught my eye yesterday." Raion said.
"Not on the normal job board, no." Qrow said, pulling a folded up piece of paper from his pocket, showing it was an S-Class job. "But this one might be more suited to you."
"A job in Menagerie?" Raion asked.
"Some old ruins were recently uncovered in the deserts of Menagerie." Qrow said. "There's a monster guarding them, that's too much for ordinary Huntsmen and Huntresses to handle. I thought my Bad Luck Semblance might help with taking it down, but you seem like you need the stress relief more then me. I'll let Master know you took the job instead of me."
"Thanks Qrow." Raion sighed. "I'll go pack my things."
After Raion left, Qrow pulled out his Scroll, and dialed up the Guilds number.
"Fairy Tail." Mira's voice came over the line as the call was answered.
"Mirajane hey, it's Qrow."
"Hey Qrow, something wrong with the job? I'd have thought you'd have left by now." Mira said.
"Yeah, a change of plans on that." Qrow said. "Raion's needing to blow off some steam, because of the girls, and I thought he'd be able to with the job in Menagerie, so I need you to change the records, showing he took it instead of me."
"Oh dear, I hope everything's okay." Mira said.
"Well, that's depending on your point of view of the matter." Qrow said. "I need you and Master to make a visit to Raion's place ASAP. This requires some intervention on our part."
~Elsewhere~
The echoing thunder of giant footsteps, rang out through the stone corridors of the maze like temple. The narrowed corridors were the only shelter, the lone surviving man of the research team, could find that were able to hide him physically from the monster he and his team had encountered while exploring.
"What the hell was that thing?" He questioned. "C'mon Ghira, pull yourself together. This can't be all you're capable of in the face of danger, can it? You were the freaking Guild Master of the White Fang for Divinity's sake."
What little light filtered through the caverns, allowed for Ghira to see clearer in his panicked state. Though he was a Faunus, his eyes had begun failing him in his aging years, evident by the glasses in his inside coat pocket.
Ghira stood up from the ground, his back to the wall as showing his true tall and muscular stature. He wore a veteran ranger armor dark violet suede leather duster jacket, with a silver armlet carved with an intricate design over the right sleeve, and thin white fur trim around the collar and cuffs, over a silver colored dress shirt, and a large tribal skull ring on the middle finger of his right hand. His beige cargo pants were stained with mud, and the shine of the black steel toed leather boots had dulled, with white toes giving the design a shape reminiscent of paws with claws at the tips, having been chipped and scratched in a few places.
"I can't die here. I still have to make things right with Blake." Ghira said. "I still have to let her know, Kali and I still love her."
"How sweet."
Ghira's spine tingled at the sound of that eerie voice, echoing around him, his instincts telling him that he was in immediate danger, and he wasn't gonna be able to escape it, with the glowing red eyes coming to him from the shadows.
"Now, how shall I deal with this stain?" The raspy voice questioned, as Ghira felt a pair of boney hands gripping his shoulders. "After all, an unruly animal out of its cage, cannot be trusted to not bite its masters hand."
~Menagerie~
"It's been a while, since I took a job in Menagerie." Raion said, walking through the streets of the Faunus Nation, as he pulled out the S-Class flier. "Now let's see, the job was issued by the Chieftain himself. So I gotta get the details from him."
Raion looked around the streets, realizing he had no clue where to locate the Chieftains house.
"An' I'm already lost." He sighed. "So much for blowing off some steam."
"Pardon us young man. But are you looking for something?"
Raion turned to who spoke to him, and saw two Jackal Faunus, dressed in what he recognized as monk like robes, meant for preaching about the White Fangs cause, as if it were some sort of church, or well organized and loved religion.
"Uh, yeah I'm looking for the Chieftains house." Raion said. "I'm answering a call for help via a Guild Job."
"You don't look familiar. Are you new to the White Fang?" The other asked.
"No, I'm actually from Fairy Tail." Raion said.
"Ah, well pardon our rudeness. My name's Corsac Albain, and this is my brother Fennec." Corsac said.
"If you're looking for Chieftain Belladonna's house, then please follow us. We were just on our way there." Fennec said.
'Belladonna? No, it can't be. It's just a coincidence, right?' Raion thought.
Following the Albain brothers, Raion got to see a bit more of Menagerie, then he knew about. He'd chosen to take the traditional means of travel to Menagerie, as to try and relax and forget about his stress at home. Focusing on the task at hand, Raion needed to figure out what the job entailed, and why the reward was so high for it. The Hybrid teen was so lost in thought, he was unaware that they'd made it to the Chieftain's house already, until Fennec used the door knocker, which was very loud and intimidating.
"Okay, that's not ominous or anything." Raion said, before the doors opened, someone Raion had to do a double take at. "No way."
Standing in the doorway was Mrs. Belladonna, and Raion almost mistook her for Blake. In many ways she had the same traits and looks as Blake, black cat ears and hair, big yellow eyes and the two were even of similar height. Yet one could also see the distinct differences as well.
Her hair was shorter than Blake's and seemed styled to keep clear of her shoulders, a short motherly style of hair that also left her smooth skinned face and loving smile unobstructed, while tied back into a short yet noticeable warriors wolf tail. Her ears had golden piercings in them and her figure seemed fuller than Blake's, motherly and mature rather than sleek though the feline-like grace wasn't absent. Keeping his mind off of her looks, Raion made note of her clothing. The womans clothes were similar to her Blake's outfit, yet different at the same time. Black and white must be a Belladonna family theme. Mrs. Belladonna wore a pair of harem pants and sandals, from the waist down, with a white form fitting crop top, leaving her belly button exposed.
Over the outfit, she wore a black shrug with short sleeves, and a gold leaf trim along the openings on the front. On both arms, she wore long, black arm warmers that extend to the middle fingers, with her left arm sleeve had a purple band tied around the top and a pair of gold bangles around her wrists. Around her waist was a black and gold sash that trailed behind her like a tail, with a gold flower-shaped buckle at the end. Breast size: J-Cup.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Greetings Mrs. Belladonna, but we come seeking an audience with your husband." Fennec said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My husband hasn't been home the last while." She said, before noticing Raion standing behind them. "Who's this you've brought with you?"
"Greetings, my name is Raion, I'm an S-Class Huntsman from Fairy Tail." Raion said, before holding up the job request. "I'm answering your call for help about the ruins, and the beast guarding them."
"Oh dear. Please come in, I apologize for keeping you waiting. My name is Kali Belladonna, but please call me Kali." She said, introducing herself.
"Thank you." Raion said, accepting her invite in.
"I'm sorry boys, but as I said my husband isn't here. Please have yourselves a good day." Kali said, bowing to Corsac and Fennec, before closing the doors.
Within the home, Raion was seated at the table within the common area, looking around and spotting quite a few photos of Kali, who he assumed was her husband, another man who seemed to be friends with them, and a child with the same ears as Kali.
"I apologize for the wait." Kali said, coming in with a tray of tea.
"No apologies needed." Raion responded. "You've a lovely home."
"That's kind of you to say, but lately it feels as though it's been rather empty." Kali stated, setting the tray down on the table. "How do you take your tea?"
"One sugar, please." Raion said. "Mrs. Belladonna…"
"Please, as I said at the door, call me Kali." She smiled. "From one Fairy Tail Huntress to a Fairy Tail Huntsman."
"You used to be a member of Fairy Tail?" Raion asked, sounding surprised.
"It's a part of my life, I keep hidden from my husband and daughter." Kali said, putting Raions tea in front of him. "I quit the Guild not long before I met Ghira. My brother quit when Ghira founded the White Fang, and joined up."
"Is that who's in the photo's of you and your husband?" Raion asked.
"It is. His name is Tukson. He recently quit the White Fang, and runs a shop in Vale."
"I heard he's planning on moving that shop to Magnolia." Raion said. "I visit the book store every time I'm in Vale."
"So, about the job. My husband wasn't the one who put the request out. I was." Kali said. "As wife to Menagerie's Chieftain, I have authority to put out job requests in his name."
"I see." Raion said. "Well, as a Huntsman from Fairy Tail, I should inform you, the price you put for the reward, is what made it S-Class."
"Because it's highest priority." Kali said. "I want you to go into those ruins, slay that monster, and bring my husband back to me."
"Those are the specifics of the job?" Raion asked.
"They are." Kali stated.
"Kali… how long has your husband been in those ruins?" Raion asked.
"Since they first appeared three months ago." Kali stated.
'Around the same time I awoke my Fortress of Solitude on Galuna Island.' Raion thought. "Kali, you have to know, there is a possibility that he's…"
"Don't say it." Kali said. "I know, there's a chance he's dead. But I'm holding onto hope, that he's still alive. I just know he has to be."
Raion sighed, seeing the pained look on Kali's face, before getting up from his seat, his tea cup on the table, empty of its contents.
"I'll do what I can, to bring him back." Raion said. "But I can't promise you anything."
"I understand." Kali said. "If he is gone, then at least bring his body back, so I can give him a proper burial, or bring back his weapons, if that's all you can manage."
"Kali…" Raion paused, before he let out a sigh. "I know this is hard, but in the event that, that is the case, is there anything that's changed about him since those photo's that I could use to identify his remains?"
"He… His right upper canine." Kali said. "He lost his actual tooth six months ago in a scuffle he got into with Adam Taurus. He replaced it with a gold tooth molded after his original. He did the same with his left, but with silver to mix it up, and reversed them with the bottoms."
"Anything you can tell me about the land the ruins are located on?" Raion asked.
"Well, it's not much, but I have a few old archaeology journals from when this nation was first founded by my ancestor." Kali said. "Give me a minute to get them."
~Team RWBY~
"Okay, so the whole team's gathered, except for Raion." Ruby said, as she sat in the living room with her Team, Seras, while facing Mirajane, Makarov, and Qrow. "What's this about?"
"Yeah, what was so important you had to stop us from doing our daily weapons and fight training?" Yang asked.
"Girls, it's come to our attention, that you five have become free willing freeloaders." Makarov said.
"An' you're all getting on Raion's last nerve." Qrow stated.
"What?" Blake asked.
"That can't be true." Yang said.
"How dare you." Weiss said in an offended tone.
"What did we do wrong?" Ruby asked.
"I thought Raion loved having us around?" Seras asked.
"Don't misunderstand, Raion does love having you girls around, it's just…" Mira paused before she sighed, knowing there was no gentle way around this. "Qrow expressed to us about certain things Raion vented to him about regarding you five."
"Like what?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms.
"Like the fact that you've been leaving holes in his walls during your weapons training!" Qrow stated, making Weiss shrink a bit in shame, after feeling so confident. "Look girls, Raion's done his best to put up with this, and he's been generous in letting you all live here, rent free."
"But things have to change." Makarov said. "For starters, you can stop with the property damage."
"We're looking at Weiss and Yang when saying this. You're both gonna train in the woods, far enough away from the house that you don't cause property damage." Qrow said. "Second of all, you're not gonna be living here rent free anymore. You're gonna pay actual rent, like the tenants you are."
"What? But you don't pay rent." Seras complained.
"I do pay rent. I give Raion a fair amount of money equivalent to how many nights I stay here for. An' if I need to stay longer, then I let him know and add to the payment." Qrow stated. "Third of all, Ms. Belladonna?"
"Yeah?" Blake asked.
"You're gonna clean up after yourself, and start putting back the books you take down from Raion's shelves. Raion's your GI, not your cleaning lady! Am I understood?" Makarov asked.
"Loud and clear sir." Blake said.
"Ruby, you're gonna stop rearranging Raion's kitchen. He has his way of setting things up, and it's his house. So you need to respect that." Qrow stated.
"Fine." Ruby huffed.
"Seras, you need to respect Raion's privacy and stop sneaking into his bed at night." Qrow stated. "I get that you like him, but groping him in his sleep like he's a body pillow, is not a good way of portraying the message. From now on, you will sleep in your room, and only your room, unless you five decide to have a sleepover in the living room. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear, Uncle Qrow." Seras sighed.
"Finally, all five of you are gonna start pulling your weight around here. There are six of you living here, so all of you have to maintain the cleanliness of your living environments, together." Mira stated. "Master said it perfectly earlier, Raion is you GI, not your maid. But he's more then just your Guild Instructor. He's also your mentor."
"Do you girls know why Raion became your Guild Instructor?" Makarov asked.
"Because you assigned him to be our GI?" Yang asked.
"No." Makarov said. "Raion wasn't my first choice in being your instructor, hell I hadn't even considered him for the position. Your Guild Instructor was supposed to be Erza. That's why I initially sent you with her on that mission to bring back Natsu and the others after Grey had failed."
"But then why would…"
"Because he asked for the position." Makarov stated. "He made me and Mira promise not to tell another living soul, but he told me, his reasons for asking to be your GI, was because he felt obligated to ensure your team, became one of the strongest Fairy Tail had ever seen. Because he felt like he owed Ruby and Yang that much, for breaking their hearts and letting them think he was dead, for so many years. He took on the position of your GI, because he had a promise to keep to your mother, Summer Rose."
It was clear from Ruby and Yangs reactions to what Makarov said, that he'd gotten through to them, and looked to each other, before Yang pulled Ruby in for a hug.
"What about us? Don't tell me we were just collateral to that promise." Weiss said.
"No. You two played a part in his reasoning's for requesting the position." Mira said. "He thought that if he could show the world, that a Schnee and a Faunus can work together, and be sisters in arms against the Grimm, then maybe the world could strive even further towards ending the constant blatant racism and conflicts between humans, Faunus, and Demi's, that plagues our nations."
"So, that just means I'm the tag along, who doesn't have a reason to be here." Seras said.
"Not true kiddo." Qrow stated. "I was around when he asked the Master to put you under his care as your GI. He requested it, because he wanted to be there, for every step of the journey you'd take, to turning this world into a better place, like you'd always talked about when you were kids."
"He also requested it, as a means of penance for what he felt was failing to protect you against Afton all those years ago." Makarov said. "Each and every one of you here, owes something to Raion, because he's put his faith and trust in you all whole heartedly, knowing you'll all be the greatest Huntresses History has ever known."
~Raion~
"Achoo." Raion sneezed, facing away from the journal Kali had lent him. "Damn it, someone's talking about me, I just know it." He huffed, blowing his nose as he walked through the desert.
Though calling it a desert at this point, was a bit of a stretch. As Kali had neglected to inform him, or anyone who took the job, that the ruins weren't just an old temple. They were an entire city, that took up nearly the entire space of the sandy terrain, with stone structures still somewhat covered in sand, that hadn't been blown off by the winds yet. The structures looked ancient, and most of them looked perfectly intact, with only a few having sustained any sort of damage. But what drew his attention to those buildings, was the damage wasn't caused by nature. They were caused by weapons, magic, and Dust.
"A large scale fight took place here, and it didn't end well for the invading force, looks like." Raion said, spotting the rusted sword and shield in the rubble, and rib cage of what looked like an old Atlesian Gladiator. "That armor looks like it's a few centuries old at least."
Looking back down at the journal, Raion flipped through the notes, finding something that may help, near the end.
"Though my journeys into these ruins have taken me deep, and lead me to uncovering new mysteries never before seen. I cannot say with certainty, that it is such a blessing to have found these ruins. I believe that once, every four or five hundred years, the ruins of this once great and prosperous civilization, will emerge from their hiding place, and bring forth a season of prosperity for all who live in this desert, and the inhabitable lands at the shores." Raion read aloud. "However, my journey into the heart of the city, was met with a snag. For I met with someone unexpected, and unwelcomed to these ruins, as they are Faunus and Demi in origin. Zachary Grimmig, a human wide and famously known for his personal collection of enslaved Faunus and Demi, which earned him the nickname, Beast Tamer."
"That name sounds familiar." Raion said, pulling out his Scroll, and searching online. "Here we go. General Zachary Grimmig, nicknamed the Beast Tamer, was famously known for enslaving and breeding any Faunus or Demi's within his personal collection of slaves, over five hundred years ago. Zachary was forced to release all his slaves however, when it was discovered that he would force his slaves to do unspeakable acts to one another, within their own families." He read. "Yikes, looks like he had a thing for using inbreeding as torture." The Saiyan stated. "His magic, allowed him to control any liquid imaginable to his knowledge of their components, while his Semblance made him able to telepathically control those who partook of his blood, or bodily fluids." He cringed. "His last known whereabouts, as well as several Atlesian Royal Guards under his command, were presumably what is known today as the Menagerie Wastelands, in the epicenter of a phenomena rumored to have taken place and receded back into the earth at the time of his disappearance. He would often be seen adorned in the bones of his slain slaves, to show as a testament to his authority over them, and unwillingness to put up with any insubordination." Raion scrolled through the page, and saw photos of the mans antique armor collection displayed at an Atlas Museum, and saw they were indeed comprised of Faunus and Demi skeletons, while the helmets were sickening to say the least. "Law suits are in progress, by the descendants of those whose remains comprise the suits of armor, insisting on having the remains returned to them, for a proper burial."
Putting his Scroll away, Raion looked back at the journal, and read through it some more.
"Looks like Grimmig was here to rebuild his army of slaves, starting with Kali's ancestor. Oh boy, the armor he wore that day, was adorned with a chain belt with the skulls of infantile Faunus he murdered, hanging from his waist. There's even a sketch of the belt here in the journal." Raion shivered. "Seems as though he vanished, because right when the battle began, he and all the Atlesian Royal Guard with him, were consumed by the desert along with the city. Guess that explains where they went. But I'm not seeing any remains of the guard. Did Grimm come through here and take them or something?"
Closing the journal, Raion put it back in his bag, before looking up ahead. The town was still pretty big, and being as big as the 2/3rds that comprised Menagerie's inhospitable lands, he had a long way to go.
"I'll have a better chance at seeing what's going on in this city, from a birds eye view." Raion stated, before taking to the air.
Flying high into the skies, Raion found the city was relatively in one piece. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any bodies belonging to the soldiers. Suddenly, he felt his Semblance kick in, his blue eyes glowing silver momentarily, before he turned to the side just before a large clump of stone and mortar came flying past him.
"Was that a house, crushed into a ball?" Raion questioned, before his Semblance kicked in again.
Moving to evade another crushed house that came flying at him, Raion turned to see where they were coming from, and saw a creature that he did not recognize. There on the ground, marching to another house, was a massive titan of a creature. Its body covered in armor, as it stood taller then the houses it was throwing at him.
"What the hell is that?" He questioned. "The journal doesn't say anything about a creature like that guarding the city last time it sprung up from the ground."
Flying towards the titan of a beast, Raion closed the distance between them fast, but not fast enough for him to evade the next throw, that came right for him. Raion didn't slow down, as the projectile came flying right at him. Instead, he thrust his arms out, and caught the balled up stone and mortar, pushing him back several feet before he pushed back against it and flew straight at the colossal monster. Without even aiming, Raion raised the balled up house over his head, just as he neared the unholy beast, hitting it on the underside of the jaw, knocking it back before slamming the crushed mortar and stone into its chest, sending the beast flat on its back.
"This thing, isn't natural." Raion huffed, before the glare from the metal armor caught his attention.
Looking down at the monstrous creature, Raion hesitantly flew to its body, and got a closer look at the armor. There was a crack in it, and he could hear whaling coming from within the crack. Pushing the stone and mortar off the beast, Raion gripped the edges of the crack, and pried the armor open. The instant he saw what was inside, he wished for the ability to wipe his memories clean. Under the armor, were dozens, if not at least a hundred masses of writhing undead bodies, merged together to form the body of the colossal beast that had attacked him.
"What the fuck is… Oh Gods, I think I'm gonna be sick." Raion groaned, before he puked over the edge of the beasts body. "This thing… it's the Atlesian soldiers who went missing with Grimmig. But this can't be all of them, can it?"
Returning to his senses, Raion could tell the beast was still alive, just unable to move from the damage he'd caused. He could tell from the pleas and cries of agony, that the melded soldiers were in pain, and begging anyone to end their suffering. Looking around the beasts body, Raion tore the rest of the armor off, finding there wasn't even a head under the armor, not even a neck, just shoulders. But in the center of the torso, right between where the collar bones would be, there was a dark violet gem emitting a miasma of darkness. When he realized that's what was the cause of their never ending pain, Raion gripped the ruby pendant around his neck, the pendant he'd gotten from his Fortress of Solitude during the incident in Crocus that came from the photo shoots delay, and began to chant a prayer to the one deity he knew existed, as he built up a Ki attack in the palm of his hand, aimed for the gem.
"Through me comes, the hand of Lord Beerus. With this prayer, I release your souls from this mortal plain, and by my shoulder, grant you peace eternal. Your suffering shall end, and the flames of your pain shall be quenched. Rest in the hereafter eternal, and be free of your torment." He said, his prayer causing the attack to turn purple. "Hakai."
Releasing the attack, Raion shattered the gem, with the fragments turning to dust, as the writhing mass of the monstrous beast fell completely motionless, with the rotting flesh turning to dust, and blowing away in the winds.
"How so like a wild beast."
Raion's head raised slowly as he turned to look behind him, seeing a rather tall man, wearing Ghira Belladonna's clothes, covered in blood splatter on the shoulders and forearms, and armor made from bone, with his head and hands looking like rotting flesh that was rapidly restoring itself at a slow pace, with stitches at the neck, and wrists. The head of the man had long blue hair, tied back into a warriors wolf tail, with a goatee, and sharp fangs where the canines were. Around his waist, was a chain hanging off his hip, with small skulls hanging from each link, with the addition of a pair of hands on the link closest to his hip. An' on his left shoulder, was a skull that looked relatively fresh, resting there like a spaulder with the teeth remaining in the skull, including the top and bottom right canines made of gold and silver, with steam pouring off the skull and hands, in pace with the newcomers healing face and hands.
"Always so quick to killing, never shy about bloodshed. But, what can I expect from a mindless beast?" The man sighed.
"Those clothes." Raion said. "Those don't belong to you. Zachary Grimmig, the Beast Tamer."
"Quite the brains on this one." He smiled. "No, they're not really my style to be honest. But beggars can't be choosers I suppose."
"What did you do, with Ghira Belladonna?" Raion questioned.
"Who?"
"The Faunus, whose clothes you are currently wearing." Raion stated, stomping his foot on the ground in anger. "What, did you do, to him?"
"Oh, you mean the animal I ran into in the labyrinth bellow the city." Grimmig said. "Yes, he was quite the well dressed beast I must say. A perfect candidate for my needs. The only issue I had was that he was a Faunus. But that was a remedy easily fixable."
"What, did you do?" Raion questioned, clenching his fist tight.
"I thought you were a smart animal. Guess I'm the fool for thinking otherwise." Grimmig said. "It wasn't just the clothes I took from him. I took his body, and made it human. All I had to do, was remove the head and claws, the parts that made him a Faunus, from the body, and replace them with my superior intellect and parts. An' there you have it, the body of a Faunus now turned…"
Grimmig was unable to finish what he was saying, as Raion was instantly in his personal space, his fist centimeters away from landing a hit, before the strike made contact, and Grimmig was sent rolling down the stone road, before slamming into one of the buildings.
"You, murdered Menagerie's Chieftain." Raion growled. "You think this is some sort of game?"
"Oh dear me." Grimmig groaned, picking himself up from the rubble, before stepping out of the dust, showing his head had done a complete 180 and was facing behind him. "That wasn't very nice, you naughty animal you." He stated, gripping his head before twisting it back around, showing Raion took out a chunk of flesh over the left eye, and cheek, revealing the gums, teeth, and the silver iris in his eye, before steam poured out of the wounds, and they began repairing themselves. "Master's gonna have to punish you properly for misbehaving like that."
"What the hell?" Raion questioned. "You're a Silver Eyed Warrior?"
"Oh, so the animal is only smart with certain subjects." Grimmig said. "Yes you beast, I am. I'm also immortal. I was a voluntary test subject for a promising young man named Zeref. I gained immortality, but the drawback is I have to switch bodies every couple decades. Usually a small meaningless trifle. But I was trapped in those ruins for fifty years, so I was in desperate need of a replacement."
"Fifty… Is that how long you believe you've been gone for?" Raion asked.
"How long could it have been if not fifty?" Grimmig asked, reaching into his stolen coat, and pulling out a spiked collar connected to a chain.
"Try five hundred." Raion stated. "It's been five hundred years since these ruins last popped up, and it's been five hundred years since you vanished with them."
"Preposterous." Grimmig said. "There's no way that can be true."
"You don't think so?" Raion asked. "Faunus enslavement was abolished, we suffered a World War nearly a hundred years ago over a debacle of freedom of will and expression, and the Four Kingdoms aren't ruled by Kings anymore. They're governed by Councils, while Menagerie, the Faunus country, is governed by their Chieftain, and the Magic Council was formed after the Guild Wars over a hundred years ago, outlawing conflicts between Guild being settled with violence."
"Well now you're just speaking nonsense you blathering beast." Grimmig said. "So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put this collar on you, you're going to shut up and stop spewing your lies, and you're gonna obey your superior like the animal you are."
"I'm no Faunus, and I'm not human either." Raion stated, cracking his neck, his eyes glowing red with his heat vision. "I am a warrior whose mother hails from the stars. I am the culmination of two powerful races, one of science, and one of war. If you truly believe you can control me, then give it your best shot."
Grimmig swung his chained collar at Raion, intending on enslaving the hybrid, as it began glowing with a green energy and went straight for him. Raion merely glared, before he used his heat vision to destroy the collar, resulting in it landing on the ground.
"You think that's the only trick I have up my sleeve?" Grimmig questioned, before snapping his fingers.
The ground beneath Raion's feet began to tremble and quake, before it split open, with over several dozen smaller Amalgamated Monsters then the Titan he fought, crawling out of the opening with intent to kill. Raion knew they weren't as powerful as the Titan, given their diminished stature from the beast, but that didn't mean their numbers weren't a threat.
"I'd need Lord Beerus himself to put you all to rest." Raion groaned.
"Feeling overwhelmed you animal?" Grimmig asked. "I'd imagine so. In the 50 years I was trapped within those ruins, I had to bide my time somehow, and the Atlesian Soldiers were more then adequate enough to help with that."
"You turned your own men, into these monsters?" Raion questioned. "Even the Titan I put down?"
"Indeed." Grimmig smiled. "Their lives, are mere trinkets, to a deity such as myself."
"You think yourself a God?" Raion asked.
"I don't think, I know!" Grimmig stated. "I am the God who gives all you filthy animals purpose, use in your worthless existences. You should be worshiping the ground beneath my feet. Instead you revolt, whisper talk of freedom. You Faunus are nothing more, then…" Grimmig stopped his ranting as he could hear Raion laughing, his small chuckle growing to something more loud and boisterous. "What are you doing? Have you gone mental at the realization you're out matched?"
"It's just… so funny." Raion smiled, as he brought his laughter under control. "It's ironic, that you claim yourself to be a God. Because if that really were true, then I'd be you're natural enemy. The predator, who would end your existence."
"An' what pray tell do you mean by that?" Grimmig questioned, before both Raions hands lit up in black flames and lightning circling his metallic arms, as he clenched his fists.
"I'm a Godslayer." Raion stated.
Raion crouched down and twisted around on the ball of his foot, hitting the closest Amalgamation to him, with a strike from his triple elemental attack. The strike sent the Amalgamation flying into several others, while the lightning and flames burnt them to a crisp, using the gases from decomposition as fuel.
"These men, followed and trusted you Grimmig." Raion growled, not even looking at the immortal, while still in the stance he took, executing the punch. "An' you used them, like they were nothing but toys to you. They were your loyal soldiers, and you turned them into these, abominations!"
"Of course, an animal like you wouldn't understand the beauty in sacrifice." Grimmig sighed. "Obviously, you've never heard of an honorable end."
"Oh, I know about that shit all right." Raion growled. "Because I died, destroying a tower that turned into a bomb, that could have destroyed over half the continent of Fiore."
"Yet you're still here." Grimmig said.
"Because, I have a greater purpose in life, then just dying at the hands of a bomb!" Raion stated, fighting off the Amalgamations.
"There you go with your lies again. You should just submit and give in, like the animal you truly are." Grimmig sighed.
Snapping his fingers, Grimmig used his magic, to bring up more Amalgamations. Raion's eyes widened as an Amalgamation with four arms, appeared behind him from out of nowhere, and grabbed him by his arms and legs. Raion grit his teeth, as the Amalgamation pulled on his limbs, before the sound of joints popping echoed through the air, and he cried out in pain.
With his joints dislocated at the shoulders and hips, the Amalgamation threw Raion towards one of the building. The force of the throw caused him to crash right through the building, and the next two over, before the one he landed in, crumbled on top of him.
"Oh dear, for a supposed Godslayer, he's not very strong." Grimmig tsked sadly.
Under the rubble, Raion grit his teeth, suppressing the urge to cry out in pain, as he laid beneath the rubble.
"How the hell is he so powerful? How could he have made so many Amalgamations when his magic isn't suited for that sort of thing?" Raion questioned. "At least my right arm was put back in place when that Amalgamation threw me. But seriously, how the hell was he able to make those things?"
"It's what Zeref did to him."
Raion's eyes widened, as he felt something on the middle finger of his right hand. Using his hand to push some of the rubble away, Raion looked to his hand, and saw an ornate skull ring sitting on his finger.
"Hello there, Godslayer." The ring said. "My name is Zaruba."
"Zaruba?" Raion questioned.
"Yes. I am the Menagerie Chieftain's sign of authority." The ring said. "I was given to Kali's grandfather by a blonde woman, wearing a similar emblem on her chest, that you wear on your belt. The same emblem in fact."
"She wore the Family Crest for the House of El?" Raion asked. "Did her name happen to be Kara Zor-El, or did she mention a title like Supergirl?"
"I don't recall any titles or code names, but she did go by Kara." Zaruba said. "I was something of a trinket she picked up, during her travels through the Multiverse."
"No kidding." Raion sighed, a slight smile on his face. "Guess my mom has been all over the Multiverse, when trying to find her way back home from Remnant."
"Your mother? Then this must be fate boy." Zaruba said. "If her blood runs through you, then you can use the same armor granted to her by the last of the Watchdogs, when my universe was on the brink of total annihilation. But there is a risk to it."
"We can talk about the detail on that later." Raion said, reaching for a pouch on his hip, and pulling out one of the same types of pills he gave a bag of to Levy and Gajeel. "Just tell me how to dawn the armor." He stated, biting down on the pill.
Outside the crumbled house, Grimmig and his Amalgamations were just making their way past the crumbed building. Grimmig had lost interest in Raion, and thought he'd find better slaves in any settlements near the city ruins.
"Come my followers, we've got a town to enslave!" Grimmig smirked, before he was stopped by a hand gripping him at his ankle, after having sprung out of the rubble.
"Where the hell, do you think you're going?" Raion's voice echoed out before his heat vision shot out from the rubble, hitting Grimmig in the chest, and sending him through several buildings.
When Grimmig was out of sight, the rubble that was once a house, began to tremble before being sent flying from the force of an explosion, with the stones taking out a good majority of the Amalgamations.
Raion stood there, seething with anger, and wearing a different style of clothes then he had been before. Raion now wore a suit of armor, with the House of El crest on his chest in red, over a dark navy blue color going down the front of his torso, and around his waist. On the sides, up to the shoulders, and down around his upper thighs near his hips the suit was black, with a the dark Navy color continuing along the lengths of his arms, and thighs before showing the red combat boots he wore from the knees down. On his face, he wore a helmet that looked like a dragons head with its design looking like his head was stuck in its open maw. Connected to the helmet was a visor and a cover that shielded his mouth and nose, while giving him plenty of room to breathe. On his back, he had a blade that looked like a cross between a guardless long sword, and a broad sword. (A/N: Superman's Unchained Armor, minus the original helmet, and the cape.)
"My powers are weakened in daylight, so you must act quickly." Zaruba said.
"Understood." Raion stated, before he charged at the Amalgamations. 'The Celestial Saber finally came in handy. I used it to create an actual sword for granting me the use of this armor. Though I have no idea on how to actually use it.'
(Cue Music… What I'm made of: Crush 40)
Pulling his arms back, Raion slammed his right foot forward on the ground, before he slammed his hands together, releasing a large clap of power that released a massive crescent blade of power, cutting through several Amalgamations cores, rendering them motionless, as their bodies evaporated like Grimm.
"Destroy their cores, and the trapped souls are put to rest." Zaruba said.
"That's convenient." Raion huffed, before pulling the helmet off, and threw it to the ground. "But the helmet, is a bit stuffy."
Putting his hands on the ground, taking a runners start, Raion pushed forward with his back leg, and ran straight for the Amalgamations. Grabbing one, Raion was shocked when he saw the area he touched with the armor, was being singed in his grip. Deciding to leave that on the back burner, Raion threw the Amalgamation over his shoulder, and into the ground before slamming his fist into the gemstone core, shattering it, before the body was dusted and the souls were freed.
Raion was about a third of the Amalgamations height, but that didn't stop him from using his Kryptonian strength, as he enveloped his arms in lightning and fire, and slammed his fists together, sending blades of the dual elements at the Amalgamations. Jumping back momentarily, Raion brought his arms up in an X formation, and caught a with fingers made of arms and legs, slamming down on him, with the force traveling through his body, and pushing a crater into the ground.
"Blegh!" Raion coughed out, blood splattering the ground in front of him.
"Are you okay?" Zaruba asked.
"I'll be fine." Raion huffed, blood dribbling down his chin. 'The force and pressure traveling through my body caused some pretty bad damage. I'm probably not gonna last without another Healer. But the pouch they're in, is under the armor.' He thought.
"Raion, time is almost up for the armor." Zaruba stated.
"Understood!" Raion coughed, his eyes glowing red, before he struck the Amalgamations core, with his heat vision. "I can't keep relying on my Kryptonian abilities alone. If I'm wanting to win this fight, then I'll need to access some Saiyan abilities as well."
Standing tall as the Amalgamation dispersed into dust, Raion jumped up from the ground, narrowly avoiding the other Amalgamations, as the rest of them dog piled the spot he was in.
"You think that will save you?" Grimmig questioned, showing Raion he was standing on the roof of one of the buildings. "Oh you naïve beast. You have no idea, what true power is, until you've seen mine."
Snapping his fingers, all the remaining Amalgamations began clustering together, their cores traveling through the growing body, before the cluster of Amalgamations formed into a single Titan sized Amalgamation.
"Shit!" Raion cursed, flying away from the Amalgamation, avoiding the massive hand swinging out at him. "This things five times bigger then the first Amalgamation I fought."
"I'm sensing negative emotions coming from the west." Zaruba said.
"That means this thing's big enough to be seen from the Main Village in Menagerie." Raion hissed. "Zaruba, remove the armor, I need a Healer."
The armor vanished from Raion's body, leaving him flying through the air in his attire from before, as he reached into the pouch he'd grabbed the medicine from earlier, a sleeker sword sitting on his back, as he ate another Healer.
"What are you planning to do Raion?" Zaruba asked.
"I've got one move that I've been hesitant to use. I haven't really managed to execute it properly in training. So I've been working on my own variant with the same name, but it's not been fully tested." Raion said, flying away and landing on the dome of what he assumed was the main hall of the Royal Palace. "But I think it's the only think in my arsenal to destroy that thing, and prevent a Grimm invasion from happening in the village."
"Then go for it my boy." Zaruba said.
Raion took in and let out, several deep breaths. His blood flow slowing as he calmed his racing heart. Taking a wider stance, with his left foot forward, the Hybrid teen held out both his hands, like a pair of jaws, before pulling them back to his right hip, with the left hand facing the other direction.
"Kame…" Raion began to chant, as he built up the power within his hands, creating a spiraling sphere, comprised of fire, lightning, and Ki.
"Raion, the Amalgamation Titan has spotted us." Zaruba said as the colossal monster began reaching out its arm, and bending down towards him.
"Hame…" Raion continued to chant, his eyes closed in concentration as the power of his attack continued to grow.
"Raion!?" Zaruba shouted, as the shadow of the monsters hand washed over them.
"HAAAAA!" Raion shouted.
With that battle cry, Raion thrust his arms forward back into the open jawed position, and released the attack, comprised of a combination of his magic, and Ki.
(End Song…)
The attack flew through the air, and struck the giant core of the Titan Amalgamation. The force of the strike pushed the Amalgamation back, and off the ground, just as it pierced the core and came out of the monsters body.
The light of the attack died down, as Raion had poured every ounce of his strength into that attack, before he fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Looking up, Raion saw the Titan Amalgamation as it began to fall, before turning to dust milliseconds before it hit the ground, avoiding any more damage that could have happened.
"You did it." Zaruba said. "You saved Menagerie's citizens from that mad mans tyranny."
"Now to stop him." Raion stated, getting to his feet. "Where is that rat bastard?"
"Down there, right bellow us."
Raion looked down, and saw Grimmig running straight for the palace, an angered look on his face, as his body was covered in lightning, allowing for him to run a great distance, while leaving behind a trail of dust.
"That's not physical enhancement magic. That's lightning magic." Zaruba said. "Why's it white though?"
"Probably another ability he got from Zeref."
Raion jumped down from the palace, intercepting Grimmig, and forcing him to a sliding stop as Raion was blocking the entrance.
"What's the rush? You don't like crowds?" Raion asked. "Because a crowd of Menagerie's best warriors, are gonna be coming here to investigate that monster I just took down."
"You think you've won? It's nothing more then a setback. I'll ensure you're the first of many Faunus I break under the heel of my boot, once I rebuild my slave army!" Grimmig stated.
"This again." Raion sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I honestly don't know what else I can do to convince you that this isn't the past anymore."
"That doesn't matter. Past, present, future? None of it matters, because no matter the era, the filthy Faunus will always be put in their place, under the heels of their human superiors, their masters." Grimmig stated.
"Then I guess this is where I end you." Raion stated, before rushing Grimmig.
The madman jumped to the side, pulling the skull chain from his waist, before throwing it at Raion, the skulls and hands enveloped in a green light.
"Watch out." Zaruba called to Raion.
Raion stopped, and jumped back, but was forced to the ground as the skulls came to life, with razor sharp teeth and began biting down on his legs and arms, with the hand bones gripping his throat.
"That's sure to stop you. Or slow you down at the very least." Grimmig laughed victoriously, as he ran past Raion and into the palace.
"This… isn't good." Raion choked out. "How many magics, did Zeref bless him with?"
"This isn't magic, these are curses." Zaruba stated. "Hold on a moment."
Zaruba's red eyes illuminated momentarily, before enveloping the immediate area in a silver light, and washing Raion in it. When the light died down, the skulls were motionless, as their teeth remained embedded into Raion's flesh, before he pulled them off, one by one, and stuck the bone hands in an empty pouch on his waist.
"You're keeping the hands?" Zaruba asked.
"I promised Kali I'd at least bring her husbands body back, for a proper burial if I couldn't bring him back alive." Raion said. "An' I intend to bring every piece back that I can."
"Then I assume that also means Ghira's skull, that Grimmig is using as a pauldron on the left shoulder?" Zaruba asked.
"That, and the rest of his body." Raion said. "I'll cut Grimmig's head and hands from Ghira's body, and bring the whole thing back."
"If that is what your heart is set on, then so be it." Zaruba said.
"Now." Raion began, as he got to his feet, and went straight for the entrance to the Palace. "Let's get this dungeon crawl started."