Chapter 1
[Rabia Colorado]
"Good. Now keep the aim steady. Make sure to breathe through your nose and let it go before you shoot."
Rabia followed the instructions of the older huntress as he held the borrowed sniper rifle with both hands. He took a deep breath in and let it out in a silent exhale. Then he took the shot.
The ground they laid on was still muddy from the heavy rain from last week. He could feel the heat and humidity through the air that rushed towards his lungs. It wasn't ideal, but living in Kuo Kana, one tended to get used to the ever-changing damp and hot weather of the jungle.
One could say that at least it wasn't raining right now, but he almost preferred that to the never-ending buzzing of the swarming mosquitoes. The humidity after rains always increased their numbers, after all, like the things needed greater numbers already. It was exceedingly annoying, especially at that moment as they tried and failed to get through his skin and aura.
Their bites weren't really a problem, but the constant noise and feeling of them landing on him while he couldn't move was driving Rabia mad.
"Focus shrimp," the huntress chastised him. "And get your emotions in check, you're gonna give our position away," she reminded him as she waved her hand towards their current objective.
Sure enough, the orangutan like Grimm in the distance stopped its lollygagging and smelled the air with some caution. He couldn't hear it, but he could see it pulling its fake lips back into a threatening snarl as it tried to scan its immediate surroundings.
The name of the particular breed escaped Rabia, but he knew it was a variant of the common Beringels that spread across Sanus and Anima. It was much weaker and slower than its counterpart, but it wasn't without its tricks. The things were scary smart, even without being elder grimm, and that was what made them dangerous, if weak.
He saw the creature readily grab a thick branch with a rock on one of its ends, messily tied with wilted palm leaves.
It might not be a particularly strong Grimm but it was one of the very few non-elder grimm that could naturally use their environment and even create crude tools.
"Yeah, yeah. I know," he replied with a grumble. He didn't like being called shrimp, but he had some more important things to take care of at the moment. Retribution would come after, hopefully.
Rabia let his eyes line up with the scope of the heavy rifle as he made sure the tripod was properly secured. The bush leaves that covered their position from the now alerted Grimm tickled his nose irritably. The damn mosquitoes still didn't get the memo that they weren't going to suck his blood either. How was he supposed to focus like this?
With a snort, he could see through the lens how the creature's neck turned toward their direction.
'Shit.'
Not wasting any more time, Rabia pulled the trigger of the heavy rifle. A fire dust bullet flew through the air at a speed he could barely keep track of with his Aura-enhanced senses. It flew straight forward… only for it to completely miss the target.
The creature jumped and flinched at the sight of the bark from a nearby tree exploding before it screamed in anger in their direction. Rabia cursed under his breath as he pulled the bolt action for the next bullet. It was too late for another easy shot, however.
The Orangutan Grimm started to zigzag around the canopy making sure to put as many trees as it could between it and their position. Caution thrown out of the window, Rabia pulled the trigger over and over again, always missing the target, sometimes by a hair, sometimes by a fair bit more than that.
It was by the fifth bullet that the Orangutan came to a close distance from their little bush. Arm raised with its stone hammer it tried to hit the bush to kill whatever human had tried to ambush it. It was at that moment that the Huntress let out a sigh and pulled the entirely too-big revolver from her holster. The creature let out a weak groan as the hand that held its weapon, and most of its forearm, was blown off in one shot.
It wasn't the last of his suffering however when Rabia decided to leave the rifle behind and jump at the creature's face. A snarl that had appeared when he kept missing all his shots was plastered on his face as he delivered punch after punch at the creature that tried to desperately defend itself and run away. It was another characteristic that differentiated it from most grimm.
It wasn't even two minutes later when Rabia found himself breathing heavily as the creature's beaten corpse dissolved into black particles. A sense of vindication filled his chest. He wondered if he could do the same to the damn mosquitoes though. Sadly all of them had disappeared as soon as the fight started and were nowhere to be seen.
'How is it possible they always disappear when you look for them? Cowards.'
To his side, the Huntress just shook her head with a wry grin.
[}-o-{]
[Nero Cielo]
'Just die already,' he thought, shooting his short sword-revolver, Fall, towards the last beowolf. Good thing too, since he only had one remaining bullet in the chamber, and he really didn't like running out of ammo. Quickly, he opened the thing to load it up once more, feeling out with his Semblance… 'Coast's clear,' he noticed with a nod and a pleased smile.
"You done over there?" Nero asked, turning to see a white cat standing over another beowolf's corpse as it started turning into dust. Bianca looked up at him from where she'd been licking her paw lazily. "Show off," he commented, more amused than anything else. His only response was the feline standing up, jumping off the grimm and making her way towards him in a regal manner, as if she hadn't just got done decimating some monsters of darkness.
'I can't wait to reach Vale and start making some money, because Gods damn it, gunpowder ammo sucks,' he thought to himself, grimacing as he put Fall back inside its holster on thigh. 'Almost there,' he added, starting to walk forwards once more, leaving behind the grimm bodies to disappear into nothingness. 'With some luck, there'll be some juicy gossip to pick up and I'll be able to get Fall upgraded… Maybe even finally make Rise too, I've had the blueprints since forever ago.'
It had been a long, harsh road, the one that had led him to Vale. There'd been a lot of bad times and a few meager good ones, but Nero had pulled through. Maybe his parents wouldn't be proud of him, he supposed, but he'd given up caring a while ago. He'd kept himself alive, and if they couldn't be happy with that, then that was their problem.
Bianca meowed something and he grimaced.
"I know, I know, it's just… it took a while to get here, right?" he commented, running his fingers through his black hair to push it away from his eyes. "I guess I got a little… emotional, you could say," he explained with a shrug. The little shit that was his cat seemed to roll her amber eyes at him, which made his own blue ones twitch. "I see how it is. I'm silly, am I? Let's see how silly I am when we are back and I have to spend money getting you food."
To that, the shameless cat started purring and rubbing against his leg even as he walked.
"Yeah, good try," Nero commented, turning forward and continuing on his way. Not that he even stood half a chance to get away with not getting Bianca food anyway. She most definitely knew it too, but she humored him at least. He'd take what he could get.
Soon, he'd be inside Vale's walls, able to see Beacon for the first time. After that, it was just a matter of getting everything ready for the pre-exams so he'd be able to try out for the school. His journey to being a huntsman – in training, but whatever – was far from over yet, but he was almost there. He was so close…
A grin spread over his face.
So very close.
But first, he had to find himself a place to make money. Fortunately for him, he'd come prepared. He knew exactly where to go to get started in the city. It was a matter of getting inside with the money he had and then starting to make money the usual way.
'The Club, difficult to forget a name that original,' he thought sarcastically to himself, going over what he'd been told to look for. From there, he'd start gathering information, selling it, and then starting to set up his new life in a new place, again. Business as usual, really. 'Hei "Junior" Xiong.'
[}-o-{]
[Rabia Colorado]
Rabia grumbled to himself as they made their way back to Kuo Kana. The jungle gave way to a small dirt road, the canopy around cut down and much less dense compared to only a few minutes ago.
It wasn't like they had gone that deep into the jungle either way. They would have found a lot more grimm if that was the case. The main point was to hunt straggler grimm that got too close to the city either way, so he wouldn't complain about it.
At the end of the day, they had completed their job and that was what mattered.
"Well, Kid. I guess congratulations are in order!" his companion and current mentor said with a cheerful smile and a small skip on her steps. "You suck!" she finished with a laugh that only made him want to punch her teeth in.
"Shut the f-," he started screaming at his companion, his lips already pulling into full snarl before stopping himself in his tracks and correcting his statement. "-f-fudge up, Lotte! Keep talking and I will make you eat your tongue!" he corrected himself with a small stutter. Rabia really hoped that she hadn't noticed his mishap. Sadly for him, if the Cheshire grin on the otter Faunus face was any indication, she had heard him loud and clear.
"Oh my! Such a dirty-mouthed young man! I guess I will have to report him to his parents once again for swearing after promising to not do it anymore!" Lotte exclaimed dramatically, putting one hand on top of her chest and the other on her forehead while throwing her head back as if she had been struck.
He couldn't help the growl that escaped his lips, but he swallowed his words and fumed in silence. He couldn't get himself into another discussion with his parents. Not so close to the big day.
"Whatever…"
"Jeez, you are not as fun when you are not screaming at every poke, you know? A young lady needs to find some entertainment other than hunting monsters for profit," she commented, almost pouting at him.
"Aren't you like 35?" That got him a smack at the top of the head. 'Worth it though.'
"And now I liked you more when you were silent. Seriously kid, here I am spending my valuable time with you, trying to teach how to use Stinger here," Lotte said with a faux pout as she raised her shoulder making the rifle he had borrowed a few seconds ago bounce on her back with the movement. "Which brings us back to the previous topic! Man, I thought I had seen it all. But I never expected someone could be that bad at long-range weaponry!"
"Then maybe it is because you are sh-suck di- you are awful at teaching me how to use the da-stupid thing!" he retorted. For her part, Lotte raised an unimpressed eyebrow in his direction.
"Damn kid, the no-swearing rule is really hitting you hard, huh? It's like half your vocabulary is suddenly gone." Both of her hands went to the back of her head and she kicked her legs up as if she were marching. "Besides I taught what I could with the time we had at hand. It's not my fault you can't keep your calm for shit. You need patience and calm to become a decent sniper, let alone a good one." The woman that was now ahead of him turned around and continued walking backwards. "If it weren't for your skin, I swear I would have thought you were a scorpion Faunus instead of a honey badger with that aim," she stated with a mocking tone.
Rabia just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Who cares about snipers anyway? They won't even work with my Semblance. I have these two with me after all," he said with a vicious grin as he smashed his spiked dust-infused knuckle dusters against each other with a resounding 'clang'. It wasn't a marvel of engineering by any means, but he made them himself with a lot of sweat, blood and anger.
"If you say so, shortstack," she said, unimpressed, while making his eye twitch. "Stinger, Hornet and I will leave the meat grinding to meatheads like you, while we stay safe at a distance stealing the kills!" Lotte responded as she patted both of her weapons. With another turn, she started singing some obnoxious tune as she went back to fake marching forward at his side. He didn't miss the hidden edge on her eyes, however, as even now, so close to the walls, she didn't let the guard down.
It came with the job, he guessed. Kuo Kana wasn't an easy place to live in. The Faunus and the very few humans living on the island had to fight, sweat and bleed for every single inch they won against the jungle and the grimm. Every time they went out for resources or scouting, they risked themselves to the harshness of the wild world just for a smidge of a commodity any civilian from the four kingdoms likely took for granted.
It was a hard life, but he loved it. It made him strong. It kept him sharp. It also gave him an outlet for his not-so-slight anger issues. It was a work in progress though. He knew he wasn't good at the whole keeping his cool thing, but he was way better than a few years ago. At least he didn't jump at people in the streets for looking down at him anymore. Even if he really wanted to from time to time. 156cm was a perfectly reasonable stature for someone his age, damn it.
What was once a simple hobby to channel his anger had long since become something more. It was two years after he started his training under some of the best huntsmen and huntresses that based themselves in the community of Kuo Kuana, that he realized what his calling for this life was, what he desired to do. Soon, he would take the first true step toward it. His mind went toward the acceptance letter he received just last week.
Soon, he would assist Beacon Academy.
[}-o-{]
[Nero Cielo]
He made his way through alleys and dark streets with practiced ease. He might have never been to Vale before, but he'd studied the maps enough to know his way around the place. Besides, streets were streets and he'd been living in them for almost as long as he could remember.
Then there was his Semblance.
Echolocation couldn't be better suited for his usual "missions" if he'd made it himself. Then again, he likely had gotten the power he had because of how he'd grown up and what he did to keep himself alive, he suspected. Regardless, it was a very useful Semblance, and he couldn't be happier for it.
The main point of it was that it allowed him to be aware of everything in his surroundings. It was like having 360 sight, but by applying all his senses. Everything he heard, everything he smelt, everything he felt, everything he tasted, all of it helped paint a picture in his head about the world that surrounded him. Yes, he'd tested that one once by sticking his tongue out like a snake and it had actually helped, surprisingly. His Semblance would take all that information and craft a map in his mind.
Pair that with enhanced senses and being unable to sleep anymore and it was no wonder he'd earned a bit of a reputation back in Mistral's criminal circles. It was one of the reasons he'd had to move away, after all. He was a bit too good at his job.
That and he wanted to leave that behind to be a huntsman, so there was that.
With all that in mind, he'd be very impressed if Vale managed to get him lost. So, he moved with confidence, following his memories of the city map and his own Semblance-crafted mental map to try and find some info. He'd need something to offer whenever he went to The Club to try and get the ball rolling. You didn't show up asking for a job without something to offer and while Nero made for a mean thug or bodyguard… He didn't want to do that.
He preferred selling information. Much easier to pull off and much more profitable. Nobody wanted to make an enemy of someone that made it a point to know more than they should. Chances were they'd know something about you that you didn't want them revealing, after all.
Nero would know, he'd used that trick enough times.
The trick had been used on him enough times too, unfortunately, but that wasn't important.
Eventually, he found himself walking through the less friendly parts of the city. There'd be plenty of undesirables to eavesdrop on, he was sure, and eventually someone was going to let out something juicy that he could sell for info. He just needed to keep walking until he found something.
The trick was looking like a random person, preferably a homeless guy. The in between look worked fine, Nero had learned. Ironically, in dark places, mostly dark clothing stood out like a sore thumb. They screamed that you were shady, with something to hide, after all.
It was why he wore a simple, gray hoodie that was a few sizes too big and had seen far better days. Under that was a shirt that might have been white back in the day but now had reached a somewhat faded cream color. Then there were really old jeans with a few holes that were definitely not purposely there, with a few patches to keep them from falling apart.
Nero could have probably afforded better clothes, but why would he when what he wore was comfortable enough and, more importantly, pretty good at keeping him out of people's minds. Maybe once he got into the beacon, he would be able to get a nice outfit or two. For the moment, what he had was good enough.
Eventually, he reached a building where he heard people talking. It took him a second to grin widely when he realized that they were using "business" voices. These people were talking about something important, and important info was expensive.
'Vale loves me,' Nero thought, pressing himself to the wall and letting his senses and Semblance do their magic as he let himself fall. Sitting there, looking like a pitiful beggar, would be good enough. For some reason, people dismissed the homeless as if they were barely people. What did it matter if they heard a thing or two? What were they going to do?
Unfortunately for them, Nero wasn't what they thought he was like.
Just in case though, he put up his hood to cover himself a little more. One could never be too careful, after all. It was a lesson that everyone learned sooner or later, at least the world he was part of.
"Roman, your progress is good, but you'll need to speed things up or you'll never meet our requirements," a woman said, and Nero tilted his head. He sniffed at the air, letting his tongue out for good measure. There was the woman, of course. There were four other people though. Two, male and female, on each side of her. Two more, male and female again, across from her. Their placement was vague, but Nero didn't need to know exactly where they were. That wasn't the important part.
"I know, Cinder. Geez, have some faith, will you?" a man answered and Nero's eyes widened as the mental map updated itself. Not that he needed it to. It was difficult to mistake the voice of one of the most famous criminals of modern Remnant. You didn't just not recognize Roman Torchwick. At least not if you were anybody in the criminal world, that is. "It's fine, I'm working on it. I found someone that'll lend me some people so it'll go better. You'll have all the Dust you can store wherever you are taking everything I give you."
"See to it that it happens as you say, Roman," the woman said, clearly very unfriendly, for whatever reason.
"One would think that you are paying me, with the way you demand things," Torchwick replied before Nero heard steps. The man moved in his mental map then… towards where he was sitting.
"Do you want someone to see us?" he heard another female voice hiss.
"Relax, girl. My partner is making it so that nobody will see us through these windows. It's fine," the criminal reassured and Nero had to hold back a snort. He didn't need to see through the windows, after all, so while the confidence was probably well deserved, it wasn't gonna help them with him.
This was getting a little too dangerous though.
These people weren't some random gang. They were important, and while that kind of thing was important and sold well… It was also more likely to get you in trouble too, so one had to balance the pros and cons. Just with those few things he'd heard though, he would probably make quite a bit of money. There was no need to risk it.
If he stood up and left then and there though, he'd bring attention to himself-
A new set of steps reached his ears and the man with the woman that was talking with Torchwick approached the window too. Nero did his best to relax. If they caught him, maybe they'd think he was a homeless guy sleeping there. It had happened before.
If not…
His hand slipped into the front pocket of his hoodie and wrapped around Fall's handle. His eyes darted to the side, looking at Bianca who was sitting some distance away on a building's balcony. It wouldn't be the first time he had to fight his way out of a tough spot, but he'd rather not have to, if at all possible.
"There's someone there," the man that had approached, although it seemed to be more of a teenager or young adult, pointed out. "Didn't think of that?"
"A homeless guy. Hell, he's sleeping!" Torchwick scoffed, as if offended that they thought a homeless person could do anything against the mighty Gentleman Thief. Not that he was wrong about that, or about Nero being homeless, for that matter, but still.
"I'll take no chances, Roman. No chances," the woman said with finality.
'Ok, time to book it,' Nero decided, springing to his feet and starting to run.
"He's running!"
"Catch him!" the woman demanded, making it clear that someone was going to suffer if they failed. 'Sucks to be them,' Nero thought, already far enough that their voices grew further and the map less accurate even with his enhanced senses. He wasn't going to stick around for longer than-
'What the fuck is that?' he thought, eyes widening as his mental map seemed to glitch. He was clearly seeing a car approaching and thugs pointing at him and-
And his mental map saw nothing. The sounds were there, but they were wrong. The spot where the car was blurred in his Semblance's design as if it couldn't quite piece it together despite the thing being clear as day to his eyes. He sniffed and stuck his tongue out.
The car looked even less solid in his mental map.
'Illusion?' he thought, continuing to run without paying the car or the people that seemed to get out of any mind.
"He saw through it!" a female voice called from behind him and he turned to run into an alley when he saw her pull out a gun in his mental map. 'Nope, I'm out of here,' he thought, pushing aside any idea he might have gotten about shooting them with Fall. Not only would that give them information on who he was, but it'd also be pointless.
It was a two against one as it was, and there was no guarantee that nobody else would join. Yeah, no, Nero wasn't going to-
The sharp sound of chains and a blade in the wind reached his ears and something appeared in his mental map. He ducked under the flying blade making it hit the wall to his side. Fortunately for him, before anything else could happen, he reached a street where an actual car was passing by.
Jumping over the hood, he heard the horn entirely too loud, but he ignored that. He kept running, grateful that there were more people around. He didn't look back to check if he was still being followed through. That could give his face away. No, he just kept going for a while until he found himself a more populated space. There, after making sure that nobody was following, he took off his hoodie and stuffed it in his backpack.
Bianca arrived next to him at that moment and seeing her calm reassured him a great deal.
"I think Vale might hate me, girl," he commented, crouching and petting his feline companion while calming himself down.
[} Chapter End {]
Arc: And with that, we got another story out. I would say that we can't control ourselves, but believe it or not this one has been in the backlog for a very long time now. We just never had the opportunity to share it.
Adrian: Different from the dice system we apply for character creation as of late, these two were made with a CYOA. Granted, we took some liberties here and there for the sake of storytelling, but still.
With that said, we hope you guys liked this first chapter of Colorful. Please, do let us know your opinion on it.
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