Shade's New Blood – Chapter 13
Another day had passed since the end of their first semester at Shade and Team MTST found themselves at the exit of the city. For once, the minimal amount of personal space that Shade insisted on had proved to be beneficial here. The four students did not have much to pack to begin with which allowed them to take most—if not all—of what they owned with them. With their light travel packs filled, they met with Flaye and her own team who waited underneath the shadow of Vacuo's wall. Their packs were larger and carried more than personal belongings. They looked to have enough bedrolls and supplies for twice their collective number.
"At last you finally made it here," Flaye greeted the four new arrivals as she slid her Scroll shut and put it away. "I hope you've collected all that you need; we should already be on the move."
"You didn't exactly give us many details to work with," Maron said.
"Eh, it's not like we had much anyways," Toma added.
Flaye pushed herself off the wall and hauled her bag over her shoulder. "If you are all finished, we'll be leaving immediately." Flaye and her team left the cool safety of the shade and stood just outside the gate that separated the city from the desert outside, "We will not be returning until our contract is completed."
"And if we happen to fail it?" Shae questioned.
"That, I won't allow," Flaye answered, "So, if you're thinking of having second thoughts, then stay here with the rest of Shade's misguided hopefuls. I'm sure they would love to help in your studies." Shae showed Flaye a bitter frown in response.
"Wait, wait, wait. When are we returning exactly?" Toma asked.
"Difficult to say. A couple of weeks at most, but if all goes well, we'll return before the Vytal Festival is finished—Not that you should concern yourself with it," Flaye said.
"Aww, but we're gonna' miss the best parts!" Toma exclaimed.
Monsters and villains will not wait for your festivities, Toma," Flaye began, "You're a Huntress now, watching a glorified sparring match is the least of your concerns. You have a job to do now." She took the first step into the sands outside, her team quietly following behind her. "Enough delay, we're leaving," She finished.
Toma let out a defeated whimper as she walked forward, followed by Shae, then Trya. Maron watched them leave, letting out a sigh before she too went after them without protest or remarks.
Small gusts of wind carried a faint haze of sand over the rolling mounds that surrounded Vacuo. It was featureless, a bland and boring sight even for natives of the Kingdom, and the dangers that lurked underneath every mount was enough to make even the most veteran of Huntsmen stay on alert. However, it could also bring a sense of calm. A smooth, pleasing sight to the eyes unlike the thick forests of Vale or the jagged rocks of Mistral.
The eight pairs of footsteps were slowly being erased by the sand grains that sailed the steady breeze. Maron, at one point, turned her head to gauge just how far they had traveled, turning her head to check in the distance herself. By now, Vacuo's walls—once standing high and mighty against the untamed dunes—were all but indistinguishable from the sand-colored mounds that surrounded it. The only thing that still stood out was the impressive height of Shade Academy, who raised its peak just above the tanned sea around it. However, what caught her eye was something else. In the distance, there looked to be tiny figures that followed them. People? Were they yelling to them? Maybe they were just a small patrol around the city.
Maron shook her head and thought nothing more if it. "I'm surprised you tagged along," The laid-back tone of Steele's voice caught her off guard. He adjusted the straps of his bag, but his rifle appeared to be winning evident by the constant fiddling with its strap.
"You seem better," Maron commented after seeing him appear much brighter and without a drowsy look.
"Feel much better too. Rest, an ice-cold drink, and a bit of fun can do wonders."
"Good for you," Maron said dismissively.
"Ah, right, Shade still have you busy then?"
"Do you have anything better to do than check up on me?" Maron asked in return. A great help he was, sure, but she wasn't too interested in getting close nor to know him any more than she had to.
"I guess you're not here by choice then huh?"
"So what?" Maron returned, "I'm just doing what has to be done. School credit or whatever."
"'What has to be done', huh?" Steele copied her words, sounding somewhat content with himself, "Hah. Oh, I know a thing or two about—"
"No, you don't—" Maron snapped before catching herself. She cleared her throat and continued, "I mean—I'm just here as a favor. Once this is over, I'm done. Done with Shade and done being a 'Huntress'." Even calling herself that sickened her.
"That's… quite the decision," Steele said, "Have you thought about what you're going to do after that?"
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Maron, growing irritated, dodged the question with a question of her own, "Like, right now?"
"Well, I am supposed to be rear-guard and you are starting to fall behind. Don't want to get lost out in this wilderness," Steele answered with a light smirk. Maron looked up ahead after he mentioned that. She saw her team at the center of the eight-person party. Whether they realized it or not, the rest of the older team had formed a perimeter around them with Blizz and Tanya on either of the flanks with Flaye leading from the front. Steele's voice called for her attention again, "Eh, we can catch up another time." Steele lightly swatted Maron on her back, nudging her forward a little. She looked over her shoulder to him with a displeased pout, but kept quiet as she went to catch up with her team.
Once Maron joined the others, she caught herself at the tail end of an ongoing conversation. "It's my first time venturing outside of Vacuo alone too—aside from family stuff that is," Toma said to Trya, "There's no need to be so worried." She pulled the Faunus's shoulder closer and smiled, but Trya looked no less anxious.
The timid girl clung to her bag's straps, her arms and white-knuckled fists held close to her chest as she checked her surroundings over and over again. "I-I'm not sure about that. Something can go wrong. What if—"
"A little travel isn't so bad!" Toma cut her off, "Besides, It'll take a lot more than a couple of mean ole' Grimm to get the best of all of us."
Trya looked to her, but her face filled with what looked to be disappointment in Toma, "T-There's more than a couple of Grimm to deal with. And not all of them strike at the first sight of people."
Toma, caught off guard by the girl's look, took a few seconds to respond. However, Flaye beat her to it. "She's right, you know. It's good to be cautious out here in Vacuo's lands. Any number of villages in this kingdom are wiped out by Grimm every year, but its climate can kill just as many."
"Thanks for lightening the mood there," Toma returned with an even tone of sarcasm.
"Not to mention the roaming bands of bandits and rogues!" Blizz chimed in.
"T-T-The what?" Trya stuttered, a renewed, horrified look in her eyes.
"More like thieves really," Blizz went on, "They'll try stealing from you first before resorting mugging you."
"Blizz," Flaye raised her voice as a warning to her teammate.
"Hey, I ain't wrong now, am I?"
"That's besides the point." Flaye glanced over her to check on the younger four, "They're few and far between," She said to them, "Even Grimm won't be too big a concern, save a large swarm of Ravagers or one of the more 'impressive' sized Grimm showing up. The worst you should be concerned for, at the moment, is the making sure you don't succumb to the weather. Heat, cold, storms, whatever may come. Until then, let's keep moving."
For hours, the eight travelers trudged through the thick sands, but even the desert dunes started to grow more bearable as the land slowly morphed. Sand still coated the ground in uncountable quantities, but the land gave way to sparse shrubs and thick hills made of rock. It wasn't much, but it was different.
A small breeze chilled the air. The heat and sun had died down, but that only gave way to a new threat: the cold. "Shelter to the North-West. We'll camp there for the night," Flaye announced to the group, pointing out the distant structure surrounded by other ruins.
Maron and the rest of her team were running on fumes, barely able to hold on as their legs ached from the endless walking. Never had she walked for so long without a long break in-between. She wondered how their older counterparts were faring and, from the looks of it, they too looked tired, but more so mildly inconvenienced from the long distance they traveled. It made Maron wonder if they were just used to traveling on foot, if true, then that made Maron even more curious about how that came to be, perhaps even 'why'.
Once the group found themselves under a roof, Team MTST was quick to collapse from exhaustion. Out of all the lessons and training Shade Academy put them through, none compared to the marathon they had just endured. Meanwhile, Flaye and her companions started set down the heavier packs they were carrying, unpacking some supplies as they prepped for the night.
The place they found themselves in was a small, old canteen left to rot by its former owners. Starlight peeked through the spots in the corroded rooftop while dust and sand coated the floor and what few, unbroken tables and chairs remained. The floor, a patchwork of cracked, missing tile looked like it had seen plenty of rough times in the past. Now, the place was empty and abandoned, what remained of the furniture was disorganized, scattered, and knocked over, like those who had utilized them had left in a hurry or simply didn't care about appearances. Counters topped with junk, empty barrels and cans thrown about, it was a mess, one Maron didn't bother thinking too much about.
"Man… this place has… seen better days," Toma said between breaths as she sat back, propping herself up with her arms behind her. Maron sat next to her, taking the opportunity to do some stretches with one leg stuck out before alternating to the other, then back again. Being able to take a break now was a relief, but she knew tomorrow would be the same routine.
A hand gently placed itself on Maron's back, helping push her a little further if a little painfully so. "That it has. We should be so grateful that it still chooses to stand." Flaye moved on passed Toma and over to Shae and Trya, the latter of which was lying down with heavy breaths. "Blizz, Steele, go on first watch, see If there's anything useful while you're at it," She ordered without taking her eyes off the winded girl.
"Aw, and here I was hoping to cook something edible," Blizz whined, "Dried meat and bricks it is then." To that, Steele scoffed.
"Just get out there." Flaye gave her a stern frown as they left. She returned to checking up on Trya, resting the girl's head on her lap as the others gathered nearby and around the small pile of their own bags. Tania took the chance to nap, Shae unpacked a book from her bag, and Toma and Maron did nothing as Flaye too rested her eyes after setting her weapon down beside her.
After a few minutes of empty silence, Toma broke first and spoke, "So, what're we doing anyways?" She looked to Maron for an answer, "Aside from skipping out on our school break."
Maron shrugged.
"And I was wanting to check out that fighting arena I kept hearing about." Toma muttered.
"Arena? You mean the one at the academy?" Maron asked.
"Nag, someplace else. Overhead some classmates talkin' about it before. No professors getting in the way, no match rules, no jumping through hoops only to be told 'no' at the end. We can actually test ourselves against others!"
"Doesn't sound very—"
"Such a place is beneath you Toma. You would do well to avoid it," Flaye suddenly joined in. She hadn't moved, nor even opened her eyes, but she listened all the while one of her hands rested atop a sleeping Trya's head. "I'd suggest you focus on learning and training to a professional standard, not scrapping at some run-down refinery," Flaye said to Toma, finally opening her eyes to look the girl's way.
"You know of it?" Toma asked, curious as to how much the woman knows of the place.
"I do," Flaye answered. She returned her sights to Trya, "Let us just say: I did not see eye-to-eye with some of my classmates who were more… involved with its organization." Flaye let out a small exhale as she went on, "They were unworthy of being called 'Huntsmen', a judgement of my own that in time was proven correct."
"What happened?"
"Expelled," Flaye answered nonchalantly. Toma and Maron recoiled at the sudden answer, surprised just how casually she mentioned such a fate for a student at Shade. Not a dropout, or a failing score, but a full expulsion. "Plenty of reasons for it," Flaye continued, "A weak and pathetic fighter, an arrogant troublemaker, refused to listen to reason, a pitifully weak aura—" That last part caught Shae's attention, who glanced over from behind her book, "—just to name a few. Any one of them could have been the last grain that forced Shade's hand," Flaye explained.
"Man, and I thought we were doing bad," Toma remarked.
"Don't sell yourselves short. You each have faults, but they are nothing that cannot be improved upon or overcome. Take it as a warning or lesson: Do not indulge in your pride nor lust for more power. Those are Shade's ideals and they will make you many enemies at home, and, in the field, they will get you killed," Flaye warned them. "Now then," Flaye quickly moved on, "Let's talk about our plans for this mission. We have a tight schedule to adhere to if we are to complete it on time."
"Wait." Toma put up a finger before changing subjects, "I have to ask, what ever happened to that kidnapped girl? You never got back to us."
"The one with the silver eyes, yes?" Flaye asked. Toma nodded. "Unfortunately, I could not find any trace of her in Vacuo. After we separated from those masked rogues, it seemed as if they all just disappeared."
"Nothing? Then we should be out searching for her instead of—"
Flaye cut Toma off, "That," She loudly began to speak over her, "Is partially why we're here. I have a suspicion she left the kingdom altogether. Those assassins—we'll call them—were no amateurs. They knew how to slip in and out undetected and with the chaos we started, I have no doubts their job became easier."
"But why would they be there for the girl?"
"I can think of a reason or two," Flaye said, "But the real question is: who would benefit from taking her?" Flaye put a finger to her lips, "Hmm… Vale's underworld isn't prone to expanding beyond their kingdom. And while Mistral is the likely candidate, I have a," She paused, "'Strong intuition' that she's not there either. Even without it, I doubt they'd travel halfway across the world for one person."
"Which leaves just Atlas," Said Maron.
"And that brings us to our assignment," Flaye said. "Atlas is apparently having some trouble of their own. There's an alarmingly sharp increase in theft of personal, governmental, and military property. We aim to investigate. Although it may not our primary objective, you'll be able to search around for the silver-eyed girl while we're there."
"We couldn't have taken an Airbus then?" Toma asked.
"It's better for you to learn the land through personal experience. You'd be surprised how often fresh-faced Huntsmen cannot take care of themselves when deep in the wilderness. That and most flights were reserved for Vytal," Flaye gave her more mundane answer, "Earliest one would have us waiting another week-and-a-half and by then our mission deadline would have expired. Besides I have business at our next destination."
"And that place would be…?" Shae joined in with a question, putting down her book.
"'Tourmaline'," Flaye answered.
Shae appeared to recoil at the name.
"Vacuo's second largest settlement and the only coastal town in the whole kingdom—if you don't count small fishing villages," Flaye continued to inform them, "Once we've concluded our affairs there, we'll be boarding a ship and sailing north for Atlas," She finished.
"R-Right…" Shae acknowledged with a stutter, pulling her book over her face again.
Once done having their trip plan explained to them, Toma slid herself a little closer to Shae. She certainly caught that look Shae had and, with a confident smirk, homed in on pestering the other girl with questions. "Hey, something about 'Tourmaline' catch you off guard? Have you been before?" She asked.
Shae looked Toma in the eye, "No," She flatly answered, turning over to face away from the other girl. Unfortunately, her teammate didn't seem to get or accept the hint and kept bothering Shae about it. Shae did try to just ignore and deflect her away but nothing worked.
"Come ooon," Toma strained the last syllable of her plea, "If you know something, you should tell us! What if it's useful for when we get there? Or what if—"
Shae growled when turned back to face her, "Is it your hobby to pry into people's lives?" She came face-to-face with the girl and turned her anger at her, wanting to be left alone instead.
"Pfft, tell me about it," Maron scoffed from behind, earning herself a quick glare from Toma.
Toma turned back to Shae excited like she had been given the first clue into Shae's thoughts, "So there is something."
Shae opened her mouth to snap at Toma again, but a gunshot from outside alerted the lot of them. After carefully setting down Trya, Flaye was first to her feet, readied in a defensive stance with her hand instinctively hovering over the hilt of her weapon. The others watched the entrance of their shelter with caution, preparing for whatever threat was outside.
A few more shots reached their ears, but soon, a tired figure appeared. It was Blizz. She had a disheveled appearance and was short of breath. Her shotgun was held low by her side as she propped herself up against the doorframe. With a quick single breath, she spoke, "We've got Grimm."
Flaye wasted no time in getting answers, "Make it quick. Number, kind, location."
"Sulfur Fish," Blizz began before caching her breath, "From the mine—whole nest of 'em. Might be others."
Flaye acknowledged her with a nod, "Odd that they would pick now to strike. If they had already caught our scents then they'd have attacked sooner." She shook her head, "No matter." She looked over to the rest of the group, particularly Amethyst, "Well girls, you've rested enough. Consider this to be a first test of your skills. Let us see what you have learned." Her first instruction was to Tania, "Tania, go support Steele before he gets himself overwhelmed." The fennec-like Faunus, swishing her hips and tail side-to-side with anticipation, smiled and gave a nod before darting off. Flaye then turned her attention to the younger team, "Maron, Toma, you two will have it easy: Put down as many of the pests as you can, but do not be so stubborn, retreat if necessary." Her eyes fell upon Trya, who was just getting up. She looked groggy with an unfocused stance as if just standing required effort. "Blizz," She looked over to her teammate, "Stay with this one." She pointed to Trya after a quick assessment of the small girl's health. "Shae, you—" Flaye began only for Trya to speak up.
"I…" She began meekly. It took a second, but she soon found her voice; this time with a little more power too, "I'm alright." She told her, "Let me help." She desperately tried to keep herself straight, just able to do so after taking in a deep breath.
"Blizz, stay close to her, will you?" Flaye requested once again.
"Will do," came Blizz's reply.
"No!" Trya exclaimed, forcefully this time which caught the rest of her team and Blizz by surprise, "I can fight!"
Flaye narrowed her eyes and approached the girl, towering over her in size. She looked down upon the Faunus, appearing more than displeased with her sudden outburst, "Are you certain of that claim?"
"Look, Flaye, you don't—" Blizz started, only for the woman to raise her hand to silence her.
Trya trembled where she stood, her hands quivering at her side as she looked up and into a pair of imposing, fiery eyes. "Y-Y—" Trya choked on her words. She shut her eyes and forced out her answer, "Y-Yes." She peeked open one eye to see catch Flaye who turned away.
"Very well," She said in an accepting tone, "You and Blizz will handle and isolate any stragglers that get through. Stay close to and protect our supplies, the last thing we want is for our lifeline to be destroyed in the fighting or by an opportunistic Grimm. Shae," She called out to the final member of the group, "You'll be with me. Let us waste no more time. Move."
- - o - -
From behind the remains of a low, crumbled wall, Maron and Toma peeked their heads out to scan the way forward. Ahead of them was a horde of small, six-legged creatures armed with three spiked tendrils that stemmed from their back and lit up with a bright, burning orange glow. Majority of them crawled out from the pitch darkness that was this place's mine's entrance.
From their angle, they could see the many warning signs that dotted around the mouth of the mine. Bright paints of whites and yellows were used to splatter words of warning against the little rockface that showed itself. The rest of the hill had many metal signs planted firmly into the ground or hammered into rock. Finally was a heavy barricade of chain, fence, and wood that kept the Grimm at bay some time ago, but now it was torn apart, its pieces scattered across the sandy soil and old paths. Worse yet, the years granted to these Grimm allowed for them to dig out new tunnels to the surface. Some emerged from the ground and shook off the sand while others squeezed through smaller cracks and holes.
Toma look to Maron, "This," She started, "This is a lot more than I expected. I'm not even sure what we can do with this many on our own," She admitted.
"What happened to 'a couple of mean Grimm'?" Maron smirked.
"S-Shut up, Maron," Toma stammered, "This is a lot more that a 'couple' and you know it!"
"Haha, alright, alright." Maron turned her attention back to the Grimm, "Any suggestions?"
"Me? What about you? Can't you just block the entrances with a Dust arrow or something like last time?" She asked.
"Not if you want to deal with them again in a couple hours," Maron answered. Being reminded, Maron ran a hand over to her quiver and brushed her set of arrows with a few fingers. She was able to restock and resupply back at Shade, but now this small supply—and a few backups—were all she had available for this entire mission. And she wasn't about to ask any of the others to help supply her with more. "It's a backup plan, sure, but rock or ice, they'll dig their way out."
"No easy solution here, huh?" Toma said to herself. "Hmph," She smirked, finding a new sense of confidence somewhere within her, "Well, if it's down to raw prowess, then why're we waitin' around? Come on!"
"We should still think up a str—T-Toma!" Maron exclaimed as the other girl darted out from behind their cover.
Toma rushed forward and was spotted by Grimm in fractions of a second. A dozen Sulfur Fish turned their attention to her and charged their new target. The first jumped at her, but a swift spin on her heel and is missed her. She grabbed onto a nearby signpost, ripping it from the ground before utilizing the rest of her momentum to swing it down as she would an axe, crashing its end into the boney-face of another Grimm with a resulting crack. With a new polearm in hand, Toma crushed another under her heel as a third jumped at her with a bite. She blocked it with her makeshift weapon, but was forced to throw it and the Grimm aside to avoid a trio of incoming stingers.
Behind her, Maron barely caught up in time to fire two arrows through the eyes of two different Sulfur Fish that tried to flank Toma. She slid herself to a stop next to Toma, cursing the girl's name as she swept her staff across the ground. It bought her and Toma some space as a pair of Grimm jumped back and out of the way, but the third and fourth were sent crashing into each other and flew over the waiting rest of their kin. Their numbers both replenished and grew exponentially now that Maron and Toma were right in the center of the swarm. "Would it kill you to not charge in? We're supposed to—" She speared another pair of Grimm with a thrust of her arm and back before swiping at a third, "Not get surrounded."
"Not so bad actually," Toma said as she one Grimm went for her neck, "Here I thought we'd be facing a challenge, but these little things can't match the two of us together!" She said, jumping over a handful of the creatures to reach a rusted chain lying leftover from the barricade. She twirled it at her sides, using like a whip to strike the foes around her. "Besides," She continued, "You'll think of something!"
Maron let out an annoyed growl as she continued her side of the battle. They couldn't sit here forever, she knew that, but there weren't many options available to her. Over to the mouth of the mine, more the Grimm just kept crawling out, making any hope of beating them through attrition mute. She had to think, buy herself a way out of here but she couldn't keep a single thought for long with the constant attacks from the Sulfur Fish. One idea finally clicked. She couldn't block the openings, there were too many for her to count and certainly not enough Dust-laden arrows for each of them, but maybe she didn't have to find each one. "Toma, clear me some room," She instructed the girl who had, by now, already jumped back to Maron's side.
"On it," Toma acknowledged. After fighting off a few Grimm behind Maron, she pressed her back against hers, stretching out the chain in her hands. With a rapid twirl, she swiped at the ground on either side of them, almost able to tear apart any Grimm unfortunate enough to have gotten in the way with the raw damage she dealt. Within seconds, Maron was granted the breathing room she needed.
Maron drew two arrows from her quiver, one red, one yellow. "Down!" She commanded, notching both of her arrows at once and drawing them back. Toma dropped down to a crouch to avoid either of Maron's arms with a simultaneous sweep of her leg and chain, the latter of which swung around the two of them in a protective half-circle. With a light glow, Maron's eyes searched deep into the heart of the cavern that was to be her target. For anyone else, it was an impossible darkness, but for her, she could just mark out the lining of the walls and jagged rock even without the faint light of the stars above. Her fingers let go of her drawstring, and the two arrows sailed the air, missing the Grimm that still tried to close in on them with skittering and snarls.
Together, she and Toma watched the pair of arrows be consumed by the darkness, their hearts racing in their ears as the held their breath. A spark. In an instant, a blinding light grew from the mine, a second longer and a heavy fire erupted. It lit up the untold numbers of Grimm just before inside just before incinerating them and continuing on its path of fiery destruction. Of those not caught in the blast, lighting trailed from one target to the next, frying the creatures along its trail. However, neither Toma nor Maron were spared from the raw power the Dust gave them. They were swept off their feet, both sent tumbling back along with a myriad of Grimm caught in the explosion. A flash of lighting shot into the sky and a thunderous boom deafened the air…
On her stomach and lying on the sand-covered, flagstone path, Maron ached all over. Her eyes were slow to open, but when they did, they were met with a sea of fire that plagued the familiar homes all around her. Fires that ravaged and burned all she had known. She put a hand to her head, agonizing over the ringing in her ears that made her head throb as she tried—but failed—to get off the ground with a few loosened blonde strands falling out of place. With a dazed vision she tried her best to at least make out where she was, but she couldn't seem to put together a clear enough picture. Her own thinking could barely get past the painful cuts, bruises, and burns. However, on a not-so-distant hill, she saw the silhouette of a person, a sight that struck a cold fear within her. A haunting image that she couldn't stop taking in no matter how much she tried. She tried to speak and yell out, to ask 'why', but the strength of her voice failed her. That was when something large fell to the ground before her and filled her vision, its dark shadow engulfing her.
It was one of the many monsters she had been taught to dread. A bat-like beast that dwarfed its common kin. One with thin, red-leathered wings whose span rivaled that of the home she had just escaped. One with an emaciated stomach ribbed with bone, its blackened-fur body splashed with trickles of red blood and cinders. Freshly used talons, dagger-sized teeth stained with the remains of its victims, a hot breath that taught her the stench of death, and a hunger that oozed from the monster's mouth left agape. She managed to barely hold herself up with a push of her arms, but now, she choked on her own breaths which became erratic. Her eyes locked with that of the monster—ruby against crimson. The edges of her vision darkened as her struggle to breath properly continued all while the creature pulled closer. Her heart was all she could hear once her arms grew weak and slipped from under her. After so much, her body had given out and all she could do now—all she wanted to do now—was rest, even if it meant never waking up. For her, the fall was slow, but even with her eyes growing heavy, she refused to take her eyes off the monster before her for as long as she could. Just as her eyes were starting to close, she saw something—someone—enter the last light of her fading vision…
A single blink of her eyes and the nightmare that had plagued her had disappeared. In its place, she caught the sight of someone familiar who dashed past her, slashing at the Ravager that tried to claim her life. Toma pulled Maron upright, snapping her from her trance with a quick shake, "Hey, you dropped this." Toma, a little roughed up herself, presented Maron's own staff to her. Maron blankly stared at her, then to the weapon, taking a few seconds to registered the two. She gave a quick shake of her head and grabbed her prized weapon, remembering where she was. "Come on, we're not done yet!" Toma smiled as she helped Maron to her feet.
Ahead of them was Steele, who stabbed the Ravager through its chest. He twisted his glaive, turned to face the two girls, then drove the blade of his weapon upward in a circular motion, slicing clean through the Grimm's upper torso and jaw. The Grimm, gasping for breath and now furious, let out its signature screech—but it had been gargled and rendered ineffective thanks to the new gaping wound.
Maron aided Toma in mopping up what was left of the Sulfur Fish. There weren't many that survived, those that still remained were scattered and disorganized, easy pickings for the two of them even after the exhausting battle they just went through. After a while though, Steele had cleared what was left of the Sulfur Fish on his end, then he gave one final blow to the Ravager. One more swing, and the Grimm went down, its monstrous head separated from the rest of its body. With a relieved sigh, he turned back to join the others. "Quite the mess you two did here," Steele said, scanning the scars left upon the surroundings. The place was already a rundown ruin, but indeed it appeared more beat up than when they got here. "That should wrap up the last of them," He told them, "We can make do with clearing out the rest of the place later; Root out the stubborn stragglers."
"By the moon and all the wasteland in Vacuo, I'm beat!" Toma complained as she stretched her arms over her head. "What'd we bring along?" She placed a hand on her stomach, "I'm not expecting much, but I could certainly go for a filling meal. You, Maron?" The other girl didn't respond, "Maron?"
Maron snapped to attention upon the second call. "Yeah, I guess so," She answered dismissively.
"Let's just hope it isn't too late," Steele joined in, "Else we're all going to be stuck with the uh, 'bland' stuff we'll call it. Come on, you two, I think Blizz might even share some of her snacks if we're lucky," Steele said with a smirk, securing his glaive-turned-rifle on his back as he began to lead the pair.
Maron started following behind the other two, her mind running through what happened, but she wasn't sure what to make of it. She felt… odd. Not good, not bad, just… 'odd', but she didn't know what to do with this feeling. This all stopped when she felt a presence behind her. She turned back and there it was again: A small, vulpine figure sitting atop of and sniffing at the body of the Ravager. It nipped and bit at it, tearing off a small chunk to casually chew and swallow. It did so again, taking another piece in its mouth until it noticed Maron watching it, then it froze still and locked eyes with her. Growing tired, she rubbed her eyes just as Toma called for her again.
"Hey, Maron, you coming?" Toma called out for her again.
Maron looked to the girl, "Yeah," She started, turning back to the aftermath of the battle only to find that the Vulzera had vanished, "I'm going."
A.N.: Busy, busy. Here, thanks for waiting.
As always, enjoy!
~Firetoast312