Some Turn to Dust Or to Gold…
Uh, I imply some things later on, so uh, be warned...
Roughly thirty minutes into her flight east, skimming the treetops in a serpentine-esque pattern due to large, random gusts of wind catching on her wings. It was nothing that couldn't be dealt with but more of an annoyance. A clearing came into view just to her right of her and she quickly landed on her feet with a heavy thud that left indents in the dirt and grass and immediately began to observe the edge of the clearing on foot.
Majority of edge held no evidence that someone or something passed through, that is until she glanced to the south-east. There she found the sight of a couple of trees snapped over, deep, violent claw marks within both trees, their stumps and the ground as if one of the Grimm were attacking something. With a few beats of her wings she was standing next to one of the down trees.
The area was still a little damp from the rain over the past few nights, turning the upturned dirt and claw marks in the ground into nothing but drying mud. Celestine scoured the immediate area and a circumference of twenty metres of a grace distance, upturning both trees until a small piece of evidence of a human was found on the inside of the forest.
A small, worn, brown leathered and white laced shoe next to a few snapped branches and destroyed bushes, all of which face into the forest. Her first four steps within the forest were met with a distant, yet loud, echoing sound. It was one she knew all too well from hundreds of battles. Terrified, guttural screaming.
Though it was not from within the trees, but from behind- the opposite end of the clearing. With a swift about-face, the clearing was within full view again, where she found a small figure with a green bob of hair, running as fast as it could, blindly in her direction with a group of roughly ten, maybe twelve of the Beowolves stumbling over each other in an attempt to catch the figure, though distant howls signaled more on their way.
Within seconds, the shoe was dropped and she was between the girl and the abominations with the Ardent Blade poised to attack with the blade ignited in an angry fire.
The Ardent Blade came down, trailing fire in its wake as the first strike was made; a Beowulf lost a limb and had its neck slit, yet it kept fighting as black ichor sprayed out of the wounds from the sheer pressure alone. The wounds it sustained did not stop it from trying to fight, though its ambition was ended as its head was severed from its body, the corpse going limp.
At the death of one of their pack, the Beowolves froze and took to encircling the Living Saint, who met each of their blazing red eyes with her own crackling blue ones. The Saint shifted her stance but froze as her right leg brushed something and a startled squeak met her ears. A glance down confirmed the sight of green hair, the small girl was huddled against her armour and using her wings to hide from the Beowolves that were behind her.
Then more Beowolve's burst through the foliage, at least another pack's worth and joined the encirclement with snarls to one and another, almost like communication between the two groups, especially between the two larger, more armoured Beowolve's. They must be the Alpha's of the packs.
They die first.
Her options became limited with the arrival of the second pack; if she were to take to the skies, she would put the girl's life at risk; take the girl with her and the Abominations would attack as a whole- she would 'survive' at worst but the girl… it was not a chance the Saint was willing to take.
The sound of metal shaking and clanking together broke her thoughts and she peered at Emerald from the corner of her eyes to find a large, revolver-like handgun in the girl's hands. It was aimed at the group, but it wouldn't cause damage, not with the constant shaking. That is, until the girl took a deep breath and the weapon steadied- not much as it still shook, but more than a child should be able to.
So, she's a fighter, the Saint observed the Grimm that circled slightly closer. If this girl could fight, it would make life easier for her to take them out. The idea of taking the girl and making a break for the town was dismissed as soon as it came; if the Grimm were led back to the town, it could mean the deaths of innocents.
A single black bird cawed overhead as the Ardent Blade was twirled at her side, the flames creating a crackling as they burned unnaturally in preparation. "Emerald, how good are you with that weapon?"
"U-uh, I survived this long by myself," she said nervously.
The Living Saint gripped the Ardent Blade tighter and gave a lazy swing at a Grimm that ventured too close and pushed her wings out to full spread, the golden glow radiating off her being, "I will thin them out and kill the Alphas, you will pick off those that are a direct threat to you, otherwise do not engage," the Saint commanded.
"But what about you?"
The Living Saint's eyes narrowed and crackled with power at the closest Alpha, "I will draw their attention away from you, ensuring you survive."
The girl gave a shaky nod and flexed her hands out of agitation, but gave the Living Saint a nervous glance as an electric hiss emanated from her and the sword's flames grew hotter and Emerald fidgeted more, "Calm yourself, child. The Emperor protects."
Emerald felt her body and mind relax unwillingly as the words echoed in her mind. She gripped the revolver tightly and readied her legs.
"NOW!" Emerald immediately dived away and the Saint sped forward, unleashing a firestorm form the Ardent Blade, that incinerated a vast majority in an instant, their corpses nothing but charred parodies of what they once were, the Alpha had burns across its body and patches of fur were still alight or smouldering and rushed the Saint, who spun out of the way. But in doing so, she brought the blade down on its head, cutting it in half diagonally. She then faced down the second.
Emerald dodged and weaved through the horde of raging Beowolve's with surprising finesse for a child of her age as she tried to keep her emotions in check and her revolver in hand. She found the crackling of the firestorm that the Living Saint unleashed to be somewhat soothing and reassuring that she might just yet live to see the next day. But as that thought entered her mind, a smaller statured Beowulf caught her in its sight and charged her.
Emerald rapidly jumped to her left and the Beowulf stumbled over its own feet as it tried to stop, it may be a Minor, but Emerald knew they were just as dangerous as any other. She raised her revolver and fired at the thing. To her, the bullet was as fast as a butterfly, she could see the Ice Dust frost then projectile and the vapour trail it left in its wake, but as soon as it made impact with the Minor Beowolve's neck and encase the creatures head and upper chest in ice, time resumed it normal pace.
The sound of fighting behind her drew attention; there the Living Saint vertically bisected the final Alpha, sending the remaining Grimm into a frenzy at her. A frenzy that was met with crackling energy at the closest to the Saint.
All the Grimm howled as they shook and burned, their eye sockets spewing electric blue energy while light physically pierced out their bodies until it stopped, not faded, just outright ceased. Just as the lives of the Grimm abruptly fell in tangled, burning heaps.
To Emerald, it was as awe inspiring as it was terrifying.
For the Living Saint, it was concerning. The Grimm she targeted did die, but so did the others she didn't target. There is always a catch to something…
Was it going to be a slight hindrance? Maybe, depending on the circumstance.
The Saint let a breath out as the Ardent Blade extinguished its flame and Celestine looked over to her right, finding Emerald a few meters away, staring at the pile of smouldering Grimm. The girl's clothes consisted of a light brown, collared shirt that was torn all over and only held closed by two buttons, a pair of dirty, lime pants that too, were torn in many places and held up by a raggedy belt, finally, a singular ruined shoe on her left foot.
As Celestine made her way over, she put the Ardent Blade through the Grimm that Emerald shot, brief confusion at why it was encased in ice passed through her, but he dismissed it as she pulled the blade from the creature's head.
A few steps more and she was next to Emerald and she then glanced over to the fires that engulfed the corpses of Grimm and a large number of trees. Slowly, black smoke rose into the air while she fished out some food and a bottle of water from the bag, finding a hastily wrapped up sandwich inside and held it out to Emerald who's red eyes still had not left the bodies of the Grimm.
Celestine gave Emerald a gentle nudge on the shoulder with the hand that held the sandwich, "Here, eat, you will need it if you haven't eaten in a long time,"
Emerald eyed the sandwich wearily, as if it were a threat to her. "It may be hastily produced, but I didn't exactly give the store clerk much time to prepare…" Celestine let the sentence drift off as Emerald narrowed her red eyes at her.
Celestine felt a small amount of amusement as Emerald struggled to keep her eyes off the sandwich for a few moments before caving and snatching it from her hand. As Emerald took a seat on the ground, Celestine left a bottle of water next to her and faced the corpses once again.
Yes, she found the girl, but she also needed proof of slaying two entire packs of these Beowolve's…
She glanced at the Ardent Blade that resided in her right hand for a second, then at the bodies of the Alphas. They were big, but cutting them down to size would not be hard…
Emerald trudged along next to the strange women with
wings. Her armour was so bright, even with all the Grimm blood covering it! And it looked really cool… Emerald's eyes drifted up to the woman's- Celestine's face; the dark hair flowed in the slight breeze and her blue eyes scanned every bush, tree and blade of grass surrounding the two. Suddenly Emerald was seeing blue eyes and a small smile. She faced away with a light blush at being caught staring.
The sandwich was good and didn't hold any surprises for her. Same for the water. But the sword and gun were really heavy when held together. That and the bag on her shoulders weighed slightly more with leftover cans of stew, soup and bottles of water. All in all, it was heavy. But she got the other shoe! She wiggled her toes in the worn footwear.
She adjusted the bag's strap with a shrug and eyed the sword in her hands. It's blade was still so shiny after being on fire! It was really...she didn't know what, just that it was a thing. Maybe if I carry all her stuff she'll keep me around…feed me...
Not many wanted a street rat in their home or town, least of all one that never liked other kids. Many adults didn't like her either. Many, not all. Emerald held the sword closer to her body and with only a free finger, pulled her blouse closed.
"Are you cold?" Celestine's voice gave her a start, previously unaware of Celestine keeping an eye on her. Emerald shook her head. No.
Celestine's eyes softened along with her voice, "Are you sure? I could remove my cloak for you," the woman gestured with a full hand to her red and white hip cloak that hung off her waist and fell down to just past her knees.
"I'm sure…" Emerald paused. Debating. It was clear to Celestine it was of some importance, but clearly not enough as Emerald faced forward again and left them both in silence as they walked.
While it had taken Celestine half an hour to find the girl and fifteen minutes to take care of the Grimm, it took them both an hour to find a path back to the town, even with the compass, and now they only just saw the town in the distance. The sun was still in the sky, maybe just an hour past midday or so. But the town was in sight so time was not a problem for them and it didn't look like it was bound to rain anytime soon again either.
It took roughly half an hour before they reached the town's open gate and Celestine was surprised at the looks of horror and amazement she got off the guards, but she led Emerald through and began making their way down to the Hunters Guild. Still getting looks from the townsfolk. Well, I am covered in these creatures' blood and have a child next to me.
She imagined this is what the looks would have been the night before if anyone else were out other than the guards.
"So," Celestine started, "how old are you exactly, Emerald?"
Emerald, once again, startled at her voice but this time, gave a genuinely terrified look out of the corner of her eyes and stared rigidly forward.
"N-nine, Mam," the shake in her voice was barely contained and Celestine's brows flattened together in worry. Was she alone before the Amber Alert was placed?
Celestine continued as if she hadn't noticed, "Ah, won't your family be worried?"
Emerald clutched the Ardent Blade closer, but still avoided eye contact and held her rigid posture, "I-I don't h-have one, Mam,"
The worry the saint felt morphed into sympathy for her and Celestine slowed her pace as they neared the Guild office, "I am sorry," she spoke softly, "and please, call me 'Celestine,"
Emerald's posture appeared to relax a little yet her eyes still held some fear. An improvement, a small one but one nonetheless. With nothing else to say, Celestine led the final few steps to the Guild office. Using her elbows to push the door open, she ushered Emerald in after her and stood in front of the counter with Emerald next to her, green hair barely peeking over the top of the counter.
The duo had to wait no more than a minute before the same young man from the morning made his way through a door Celestine missed on her first visit. He immediately caught sight of her and came to the counter but as he got closer, he saw the bob of green hair,
"Holy shit! You found her!" he exclaimed in surprise and mild joy. The Saint glanced at where Emerald should have been next to her, but instead found her a few steps away from the counter and back to the state she was in outside except the terror in her eyes was aimed at the guild worker and the urge to protect formed together violently in the Saints mind.
Without thinking, Celestine took a step to her left, blocking the man's view of her and gave him a smile to distract him from her, "Yes, she is safe now. However, I had discovered from her that she has no family; what is to become of her?"
She did not doubt his integrity or morals, but the urge to protect was one that she had always listened to when it made itself known. It had never led her astray before and she had faith it would never do so, least of all now with the terror the girl displayed.
The man gave a sigh and his shoulders slumped, "Yeah, I figured as much," he ran a hand down his face, "that leaves two or three options; We take her in at the Guild and contact the authorities, we send her to the towns orphanage-" both options garnered a small negative reaction from where Emerald stood behind Celestine's wings- "or, and this is a long shot, you or someone else takes her…"
…
Nothing. There was no noise from behind her, no negative sound or even breathing. Worried that Emerald had run, Celestine turned around, nearly swiping the Guild worker with her wings, where Emerald stood wide eyed and staring at where the back of Celestine's was, clutching the Ardent Blade like it was more a lifeline instead of a tool of destruction. The Saint let her mind race, filing through the pros and cons of such a decision and if it was the right one. Her gut churned against the logical and pragmatic part of her brain while her heart sided with her gut. Her gut won out and gave the answer; Only if it was what she wanted.
The Saint released a breath, "What option do you want, Emerald?"
The girl in question blinked rapidly and stepped closer to Celestine, almost burying herself in Celestine's left Cuisse, "Is that an answer to stay with me?"
A very visible nod and was only short the arms to hold onto her, "Y-yes!"
Celestine faced back to the Guild worker, "So, she made her choice, how do I go about it?" there was bound to paperwork, and it was now that she wished she still held her reputation. Just be able to go 'you're mine' and leave with no one batting an eye. But she had a feeling that wasn't how it worked here, even if she held her reputation from the Imperium.
The young man went over to a filing cabinet, "Do you have a Scroll on you?" he asked as he began to dig out paperwork. Celestine subtly rolled her eyes at the tedious work to come.
"No I do not," she answered despite not knowing what a Scroll was, "I'm afraid I never had one or know of it,"
The man stopped for a second to glance at her in amazement but shook his head and continued his work, "ah, grew up in the outer regions, so that means there will be a few more things to fill out, primarily the custody papers, Hunters registration and Scroll registration,"
"You can get me a Scroll now?" That was...easier than she expected.
The guy gave a sharp, amused laugh as he came back to the counter and Emerald pushed herself into the Cuisse despite it being covered in the black ichor of Grimm, "Sure can! The joys of being a Hunter, Scrolls are free! Just need to sign some stuff and you're done"
He dropped the small pile of paperwork on the counter and held out a pen with a small, sympathetic smile, "If you had a scroll and registration it would be just two pages, not two dozen, sorry," he didn't sound sorry at all...
With an audible sigh of defeat, she placed the items in her hands on the ground and took the pen.
About forty minutes, dozens of questions and clarifications later, the paperwork was complete and she was Emerald's legal charge, the aforementioned girl never leaving her place at Celestine's side and clutching the Ardent Blade tightly. The scabbard is looking very much like a worthy investment…
"Alright, that completes that," the guild worker rearranged the paperwork as he spoke, "that just leaves me to file it all and prep the Scroll; should take no more than an hour or so, but stay in the town for the night, the pencil pushers might get nit-picky," he grumbled out the last few words with a small frown.
It appears bureaucracy is the same everywhere, Celestine couldn't help but think, I wonder if Guilliman began his reorganisation yet...
It wasn't important in the immediate, so she let that thought go to the back in the metaphorical line of other thoughts that needed sorting, like; whether or not this was the right choice or the plans of how to actually look after a child.
Convents and Orders- even armies if need be- she could organise and run with ease, thousands of years of practice hones the skills required for such a thing. But a child? Only in the rare aftermath of battle where civilians survived had she been in a position to care for children, but even then that was for prayers and moral boosting. Not such a long-term or permanent- it is best to take it day by day until a footing is gained. Thinking of which,
Celestine knelt down and grabbed the items she left there, giving Emerald a small grin during the process. She straightened and cleared her throat, "excuse me, I also have another report,"
His eyes immediately flicked to the black ichor covering her, "Ah, of course!" he clapped his hands together and took a seat at the counter, "so, how many and what type?"
At his question she hoisted the heads of the Alphas onto the desk with no effort, much to the shock of the employee, "two packs of Beowolves, the heads of the Alphas for evidence, of course,"
How else was she to prove the destruction of the Grimm? Unless it required all the corpses; a tedious task to move them back to the town, it'd take a day but it could be done.
"I- uh, what!?"
A miniscule frown formed on her face, "do you not believe me?"
His eyes locked onto hers for a moment then to the dull red of the Grimm's, "no, it's- wha- the corpses are supposed to dissolve upon death! How-" he cut himself off with a groan.
Celestine meanwhile, stared at the severed heads and blinked once, my abilities negate the natural process?
"Oh, well you'd be the first person who's Semblance stops Grimm from dissolving!" he exclaimed with shock. She hadn't realised she spoke aloud, oh well.
Semblances? Warp-like abilities?
No. the way he spoke of it as if they differ greatly. So, a form of Psyker then? Her eyes shifted to Emerald and back to the man. I have eradicated Daemons from both the Immaterium and Materium before, to never return again. So if these are reincarnating over time…
It would make sense that they would not dissolve back to the realm they emerged from and reform it their souls were wiped from reality. By extension that would make them a type of Daemon or, at minimum, bare qualities of them. The question was, where do they go to reform? Was it within the Material realm or of some other nature?
They bore none of the taint from the Ruinous Powers, that ruled out their involvement. Her mind ticked then came to a decision,
"Is there an archive of sorts in the town?" it would help in the long run if there was such a place.
He scratched his chin, "yeah, on the other side of town, next to the small education centre,"
Celestine hummed and nodded her head before getting back to the topic at hand, "so, how much roughly?"
"Oh, uh- you said two packs of Beowolve's right?" Celestine nodded again, "they're one hundred and fifty each pack, plus the Alphas being an extra thirty; three hundred and sixty Lien!"
Not as much as she would have liked, but it was enough to buy Emerald a new set of clothes, pay for a hotel room and, if lucky, place a down payment for the scabbard. Of course she'd need to take up more bounties to continue paying, she just hoped that they didn't run out of bounties to give her.
But in the end she walked out the door with enough Lien for the day and that is what matters to her the most.
With the new Lien in one hand and the Ardent Blade in the other, she made her way over to the General store to return the supplies and bag, however the clerk rejected the offer on the terms of the bag being one of many replaceable things and the food was needed for emerald. That didn't stop Celestine leaving some Lien on the counter when the clerk wasn't looking. Though she did have to stop Emerald from swiping a candy bar...
Slightly further down the street was a woman who was watering a park's garden with a pressured hose and Celestine got an idea. She approached the woman with another small upturn of her lips, "Um, excuse me?"
The woman faced her, "Yes?" it wasn't spoken rudely but with caution, most likely due to the Grimm blood that coated it once more,
"Would you water down my armour?" at the strange look she and Emerald gave her, she motioned to the Ichor, which was met with a slump of her shoulders but a questioning look,
"With you still in it?" the skepticism leaked off her voice,
Celestine gave a single nod, it was better than walking it into stores and carpets.
"Alright," she motioned to the park's grass and the Saint stepped over on to it and handed Emerald the bag and Ardent Blade, though she eyed the other woman warily. The girl took a seat on a bench nearby.
Without warning the pressure of water hitting the back of her wings and armour hit her, surprising her. She felt the pressure shift all over her armour, from the back to her wings and leg pieces before the man called her to turn around. When she did the water spray cleaned off a majority of the ichor from her front and she took the bag and Ardent Blade off Emerald with a smile and thanked the woman who nodded awkwardly back.
With her armour somewhat clean, she led Emerald to another that had clothes in its front window, where she bought the girl a long sleeve shirt that had a black body and dark red sleeves, a pair of black pants called 'Jeans', some black shoes called 'Sneakers' and at the clerks suggestion, a few pairs of socks and underwear. Jeans and Sneakers had strange names but they fit the girl and Emerald didn't fuss. She counted it as a win, especially since the girl was clutching the clothes and shoes tightly.
By the end, the sun was beginning to dip lower into the sky, so she took them to the final stop for the day; the Hotel Ritz.
The elderly man was surprised to see a small girl with her, but when given the story, he understood. Apparently it was a common practice to have Hunters take in orphans and look after them or if the child wished to, be trained by them. It made sense to her, a vast majority of Sororitas were orphans that were taken in by convents when they could.
With some more idle conversation between the two and him asking Emerald a few questions, or he tried to- the girl hid behind Celestine the whole time- Celestine handed over the appropriate Lien for the same room and he gave her a key and a few extra towels for both of them and for cleaning her armour. Celestine bid the man a nice evening as she took Emerald up the stairs.
The moment they reached the start of the hallway, that was evidently also the top of the stairs, the girl's posture went rigid again and her breathing got heavier as they made it to room twelve. What does she think is going to happen?
Celestine knew it wasn't anything good as she let Emerald into the room before her and closed the door after herself,
"You should wash yourself, Emerald," she gestured to the door that led to the bathroom. Her old clothes were dirty and had Grimm blood smeared into it, very much like the poor girl herself. Emerald scurried off into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, the lock audibly falling into place. The shower started not soon after.
Celestine pulled the curtains closed and placed the bag and Ardent Blade on the table then lit a fire in the fireplace, she then began to lay out a couple of towels on the floor in front of the new fire.
Once they were laid out, she stripped the armour and Fibro-muscle layer off, her wings staying materialised with no effort, and started to clean off the parts the hose-down missed or wasn't powerful enough to clean. It was mostly the crevasses' and small corners that had the muck stuck in them. But the Fibro-muscle layer would need to be soaked in hot water for a deep clean, something to be done tomorrow in the sun, I should have gotten a shirt and pants for myself,
She knew the time would come when her armour and Fibro layer wasn't going to be available ro wear for a day while it dries, the guardsmen called it Murphy's Law. and they were right with what it was; If it can go wrong, it will.
A squeak from the bathroom door took her from her thoughts to find Emerald in her new clothes, staring at her with some fear.
Celestine tilted her head, "What is wrong?"
Emerald shimmied around Celestine, always keeping as far away from her as the room would allow, "W-why are you naked?" she asked once she had the bed between then two of them.
Celestine looked down at herself and then armour, "I needed to clean my armour, but I do not have a change of clothes to get into. I'll be purchasing some for myself tomorrow," as Celestine spoke, the reasoning for Emerald's behaviour fell into place,
"I can put the Fibro-layer back on if it were to make you comfortable," she offered as she reached over to the said layer. It wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in, but she wouldn't mind. Sleep was a luxury she was not entirely used to anymore, so she could go without it if needed.
Emerald relaxed slightly, "no, i-its fine…" she fiddled with her hands, "where'd I sleep?"
Celestine looked to the bed as she place the Fibro-layer down again; it was a large bed but having another person in it would make Emerald uncomfortable, "you can have the bed, I'll figure some solution for myself out,"
Emerald's eyes widened at how easily she gained such a massive bed for herself and she scurried over to it and greedily hid herself in its sheets, only the top of her green hair popped out the top. Celestine watched the event in amusement, but confirmed to herself that the clothes would be the first thing to get tomorrow as she finished cleaning the armour to its regular golden shine and arranged them neatly out of the way so neither herself or Emerald tripped over it in the night for any reason.
Once done, Celestine stood, wiping her hands and any stains on her body away, "I will be in the shower," she spoke to the covered lump in the bed as she collected the dirty towels from the floor, "Just call if you need anything,"
She wasn't expecting a response from the girl, so she wasn't surprised when none came and got herself into the shower after dumping the towels into the laundry basket.
She knew why Emerald was so scared of strangers, it wasn't hard to piece that together anymore. Sure, the suspicions raised at the Guild, but with the woman at the park, the hotel owner and now herself, it was obvious. At least she will be safe now.
Celestine knew she could protect her from anything bar the gods themselves and with the new information, she would do as such.
One thing she remembered from the Convents she was in, was that the other girls and women there shaped each other, their bonds and rivalries forged warriors of the Emperor and guardians of the Light. Only those who never had those connections wandered and strayed, their faith lowered.
How was she able to create the same for the girl who laid in the bed outside? She herself was old and, she could admit, not one for such close connections. Her years as a undying soldier put her above the rest, her few friends long since dead and new ones never made. She was fit for a teacher, a support pillar for faith and a guardian, but two people were fit to be her friends..
With a plan in mind, she finished her shower and dried herself as she left the bathroom drying her hair, only to be met a few seconds later by a question. "Why are you so comfortable being naked?"
That was not what I expected, she thought but answered honestly, "I have fought in less and-" Celestine pulled the towel off her head and continued drying- "where I was raised, such things like nudity in these situations were of little issue,"
A small nervous 'oh' came from Emerald who sat upright above the covers with only two pillows, the other two were on the floor closest to the door with some blankets to form a haphazard bed. This child is rather contradictory; scared of me now being nice…
Then again, maybe she's proven herself to be of no threat to her? There was still a small amount of fear in the girl's eyes, but there was also a miniscule slither of hope that shined through every time the red eyes glanced at her.
Celestine leant back into the bathroom and tossed the towel into the basket then stood back up and beamed at the nervous and scared girl, "thank you for the bed, Emerald, that is kind of you,"
Emerald buried herself in the sheets again, and a hand popped out to grab one of the pillows and dragged it back under. Celestine chuckled sadly at the girls antics as she got into the bed on the floor,
"I believe I know a pair of girls you would like very much, If we were to ever cross paths again," Emerald popped her head out the side of the sheets, an incredulous look coated her face and her eyes narrowed at Celestine, causing the Saint to chuckle, "Alright then, they would perhaps like you,"
Emerald's eyes narrowed even more into a glare, however the fatigue on her face negated it, especially when they closed the rest of the way as the girl drifted off into sleep. A sleep that Celestine was sure to be the first proper one in a long time, only hoping that whatever happened to her in the past wouldn't haunt her dreams. As she got as comfortable as she could, she promised the girl that she would ensure they crossed paths, not only for her sake, but because she was sure the Ruby girl was wanting to see her again.
"The Emperor protects," she uttered the small prayer as she let sleep come.
A/N:
It's not hard to figure out the implications with Emerald. And this is as comfortable as I am with writing it. It may get referenced again if needed or plot calls for it but that is all. And it will come up again if a particular event I have in mind happens, just a warning. Besides, she's probably the safest person on Remnant now. If someone sneezes in her direction they'll be Alt-F4'd from life.
Speaking of which; Celestine's nerf that I spoke of! She can no longer choose what gets targeted by her powers like in canon 40K; it's now indiscriminate in what it kills, ally and foe alike. She can direct it, but that's it really.
Why did I do that? Well, she's a ridiculously OP character from an OP universe, and to me, for this to be interesting she needs a challenge, something that gives her a down side so it's not just her constantly winning against the baddies by just Alt-F4 their souls from reality on a whim. Now she has to be mindful of who's around and where the enemies are, and how much power she can release at once or she risks killing an ally or civilian in a very painful way.
If it were just Grimm, they'd all die in seconds. But, say, a town under siege or fighting alongside Hunters? Then there's some problems. As for why it wasn't noticed when she went to town on the Grimm before; she didn't have a reason to try and be careful with them, they were outside the town and didn't require caution. The bandits that died by those powers were the ones that she 'targeted' with a small amount of power or they were out of range. I don't think I did a good job of showing it at the time, I think I was able to do that with Emerald somewhat though.
As for how attached Emerald already is to Celestine; well, look at Em with Cinder in canon, she was all but surgically attached to her, so it's not that hard to believe a child version would grip onto Celestine who is being really nice.
Anyway:
YermakGundyr: "Good chapter, it is actually great when the crossover character takes the time first to explore and observe the world of Remnant and formulate her own opinions regarding on what she have learned before moving on to her goal/objective."
Yeah, that is actually a side effect of me having little planned outside a few events and the need to reach said events takes time and some filler. That and I always like the stories that had the character slowly discover the world before the real shit kicks in, and I'm trying to actively replicate how Coeur Al'Aran does his RWBY fics, but with my style, because his stuff inspired me to give fics a shot and post them.
His Relic Of the Future version of Emerald will be heavily inspiring my one, but I'll aim to make them different. How well that will go, I have no clue.
Brother Bov: "The grammar, its perfect, do you know how rare that is. Also the story is looking great so far."
I try to be as grammatically accurate as I can since I know how much it grates on people when a particular standard isn't met- however, mistakes will get through from time to time, I'm sure a few did in this chapter. And thank you for the feedback!
I'm gonna go start writing the next chapter now that the ball is slowly starting to roll on my creativity machine. Give it a few days till it's posted. *laughs in what's to come*