Laurel cupped her hands as she drew up water from the brook beneath her. She used the chilled liquid to wake herself up and wash her face. While drying her hands she paused, kneeling on her organic knee, to take stock of the current surroundings. Pale gray clouds veiled the early sunlight from peeking out of its blanket, and the greenery only continued to thicken onwards and behind the little encampment she was charged with protecting.
It was day three of the mission she and KRME had been chosen to escort, and it hadn't been all too eventful. Day one had brought minimal Grimm confrontations, and day two even less. Good. As long as the trip continued in this way, it would remain quite manageable. Laurel had kept an eye on her hunters-in-training all that time, learning how the four acted and fared out in the field. So far she wasn't disappointed, but there were a few details about each of them that had caught her attention. It was an old habit of hers, to work through a mental list as she prepared for the day.
Azure seemed like a dependable leader for this group, keen on being the calm and collected one. His teammates trusted him, which was a good sign. But since the one on one conversation she had with him the other night, he seemed distracted. Perpetually lost in thought. There was a lot more going on with him than Laurel was privy to, but it wasn't her job to dig up that potential land mine.
Rember was a barrel of fireworks, which earned her a modicum of respect from Laurel. It took a special kind of individual to stand up so passionately for how she felt, especially about injustices she saw. In all honesty, Laurel never bought into the "my way or the highway" mindset of leadership either, but she knew it was a good method to gauge how flexible someone was in stressful situations. Rember cracking so quickly could cause problems for her and her teammates in the future, especially with the Grimm's ability to hone in on negativity.
From what Laurel could gather about Gayle, the young woman was polite and quick to help out around the camp. Smart too. The sheer volume of knowledge that the Huntress heard coming from this faunus just in passing was more than she'd ever pictured someone knowing at that age. However, she seemed a bit green in being out of the classroom. No doubt her partner and team were helping her grow out of that, and she was making progress. But from what Laurel had seen, she lacked confidence.
Jad was a funny one. The string bean of a redhead had an interesting dichotomy of wisdom and immaturity bouncing around inside that leather jacket. He could brighten the minds and spirits of those he was around, yet also knew when the situation needed a more serious and focused hand. She could see through his lighthearted facade, though. There were hints in the way he spoke that seemed to come from a deep-seated world weariness. Perhaps even loneliness. Laurel got the impression that Jad had seen a lot in a short time, maybe too much. He carried himself as though he didn't want the rest of his team to get too attached to him.
Enough of that, the Huntress concluded, wrapping up her internal reflection, time to work.
"Gayle, I'd like you and Azure with me for this leg of the trek. Have everything you need?"
Gayle leaped up from her makeshift seat. She nodded a hasty affirmative as she finished her light meal and grabbed her glaive. Laurel watched the girl go as she worked through the last of the daily maintenance on her robotic limbs. Azure drifted behind her, not noticing Rember's muted glances following him. She made a note to check in on that situation later and, after finishing up with her robotics and checking in with Clay, she followed after her younger scouts.
The group had set up camp near a river network the night before. The waterways branched out into brooks and creeks that cut through the forest in every direction, allowing them to easily replenish their dwindling supplies. Grimm weren't known to need water and so, upon locating a bridge to cross the river, Laurel only needed to worry about staying on guard for the occasional wild animal. At least, as long as there wasn't any contention nearby or among the group to attract anything more dangerous.
Before anyone knew it, the cool morning chill had given way to late summer sunshine. Azure and Gayle had kept point the entire time while Laurel hung back to keep an eye on both the convoy and the students. They followed the main river after crossing the bridge, its babbling current ever present beside them while they trekked along a dirt path.
Gayle glanced back to spy their Huntress trailing behind them before turning her attention back to Azure. Ever since they had started walking that morning, she could tell something was up, but she wasn't usually one to intrude. At this point, however, not only was he uncharacteristically quiet, he wasn't displaying any of his usual attentiveness. It was concerning, to say the least.
"Hey, bossman," she ventured, "you ok?"
The inquiry caught Azure by surprise and he snapped his gaze to meet hers.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm alright. Just...thinking."
"What about?"
Azure went silent for a moment, before asking in a tentative voice "Gayle, mind if I ask you a weird question?"
Gayle nodded.
"Are...are you ok with everything? Like, with what I've dragged you and the others into regarding my past?"
Gayle blinked. "That's…not what I expected. But this seems important to you so lemme think," she responded. There was silence for a couple of minutes, broken only by the tread of their feet and the steady rolling of the caravan.
"Well," she continued pensively, "I will admit that I don't really get everything that's going on. I don't know much about your relationship with those…people, or what danger they pose to us and the people we know. But you're my team leader, and more importantly than that you're my friend. You've helped me out when I need it, and I would like to help you too."
Azure couldn't help the smile that crept across his face at her earnest answer.
"I hope that helps?" Gayle said, offering a smile in return. "Why has that been on your mind?"
Azure answered with an absent hum, eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him.
"That secret, huh?"
"No, that's not it."
"So what's up? You've got my attention now, good luck losing it," she teased, attempting to mimic the mischievous grin that Jad was famous for. At the lopsided display, the team leader acquiesced an amused roll of his eyes.
"Alright, alright. I'm just...having a crisis of faith, I guess. About being team leader," Azure admitted.
"Why?"
"I'm just wishing I could do more for the team. For you," he admitted, watching the ground pass under his feet.
Gayle went silent. This was really unlike Azure. Or at least what she had learned about him in their time together, which was admittedly not a lot. Rember and Jad seemed to be a bit more familiar with his past. But she was not deterred; part of being friends was helping each other navigate hard times. She wasn't going to quit just because Azure's hard times were a bit harder than most.
"Well I, for one, think you're doing plenty. You're not perfect, but then again neither is anyone else on the team. You still remember that time at the beginning of the year where I was having trouble with team CRDL?"
"Mhm?"
"That was the first time in a long time I had someone looking out for me. And I'm lucky to have you, as well as Ber and Jad, be those someones."
When she didn't get a response, she pressed on. "You know, I remember back during initiation, I was kind of hoping I'd bump into you and we'd be partners."
"Really?" Azure asked, surprised.
"Yeah! You know I got into Beacon early, and I was moving away from everyone I ever knew, and you were the first person I met. Maybe I was just a little nervous and clinging to the most familiar face around, but I don't think it's just that. You were kind, and so ready to help someone you'd just met. You cared, even if it was just about getting me back on my feet. You're a good person and I'm happy you're my leader, Azure. I hope that helps?"
Azure blinked. It did help, just a little, like a small weight beginning to lift off his shoulders.
Abruptly, Laurel caught up to the students. Their chatter quickly died as she strode past them, casting a glance over her shoulder.
"Holding up okay?" she asked, and both teens nodded. "Good. I'll take the farthest point for a bit. Just make sure to keep the others in your sightline, alright? I won't go too far."
They waited until she was out of earshot to resume the conversation.
"Now that you mentioned it, just what was life like for you before Beacon?" he asked, looking at his teammate curiously. Gayle said very little about her childhood, and only if prompted first.
"Oh, uhm. What do you want to know about it?"
"Lay it on me, I guess. Share as much as you'd like."
"That's a lot of freedom. Let's see…" She contemplated the question for a while. Azure focused on assessing their surroundings to give her space to respond at her own pace.
"You know about where I live, and you know about how Ceri and I grew up together. Right?" Gayle began, and Azure nodded. "I'm the only child in my family. The only others around my age were Ceridwen, and his twin sister Mona.
"I've always loved to learn. My dad is the principal of the school, and he always encouraged my studying. He helped me find books on anything I wanted, and if I couldn't find it in a book, I would pester him or my mum with questions. It probably would have been really annoying for any other parents, but they were always patient. That didn't really change when I got into school. Sure, I was learning in the classroom, but I wanted to learn on my own too. My parents were fine with it too; they didn't push me to be more social or more active like I guess other parents do. Looking back, I ended up kind of sheltered."
"That never bothered you?" Azure asked, and Gayle softly shook her head.
"Nope. I enjoyed what I was doing. Eventually I did start spending time with Ceridwen and Mona, and I think my parents were happy that I had friends. Between them, my books, and school, what else could I want?"
Azure hummed a response, watching a distant flock of Nevermore on the horizon.
"You didn't have much in the way of schooling, right?" Gayle asked, and Azure chortled dryly.
"No," he answered with a wry smile. "I didn't have that chance while I was becoming an assassin."
"Sorry, I don't mean to overstep," Gayle said quickly.
"It's fine."
They were quiet for a moment before she ventured a gentle "So, uhm…what was it like for you? Growing up?"
Azure shrugged. "A blur, honestly," he answered, "and whatever I do remember I'd rather not share at the moment."
"That's okay, you don't have to. Can I ask about that one person you mentioned? The one who convinced you to leave the White Fang?"
He was about to answer when an unsettling wave of hissing rippled through the air toward them, cutting off Azure's response before he could voice it. The young Hunters instantly had their weapons at the ready, eyes darting around for any sign of the creatures. Azure wasted no time in confirming the positions of the others through his empathic sense. He found the wagon still moving with Rember and Jad just out of eyesight. Then Laurel ahead of him and Gayle. And…
"Grimm," Azure said quietly, sharp eyes darting to the river flowing beside them.
As if on cue, a large mass leapt out of the water toward them. They narrowly dodged out of its way, eyes locked on their foe.
This Grimm was unfamiliar. Its body was quadrupedal, with a tangle of different traits. Its head was reptilian, almost draconic in shape, with two large, curved saber-like fangs. Its spine was covered in black fur all the way down to its crocodilian tail, while its body and legs were more canine. It was enormous, standing nearly as tall as an Ursa Major.
It shook water from its enormous frame, showering Gayle and Azure with droplets. Its red eyes burned through the white plating around its face, locked on to the two of them. The monster snarled, ears flattening against its head, and lunged at Gayle with a webbed paw. She dodged nimbly backwards, but it followed up the swipe with a stream of water shot from its mouth with enough force to knock her down. It pressed forward to strike again, but lost its footing on a patch of ice from Azure's swords and tumbled to the ground with a yelp. Azure immediately put himself between Gayle and the hissing beast as it slowly climbed to its feet.
"You alright, Gayle?" Azure threw over his shoulder as he kept the monster at a comfortable distance. He could hear her groaning as she regained her footing.
"Yeah. I'm okay," Gayle replied, using Vendaval to push herself to her feet.
The unfamiliar Grimm howled, loud enough that Azure and Gayle both covered their ears, and similar cries echoed it from the water nearby.
Nervously, Gayle eyed the river. Climbing out onto the bank to join the Grimm were five smaller but nearly identical creatures, hissing and snarling.
Big one must be the alpha, then… Azure noted as he contemplated their next move. Laurel would be there any second, but Rember, Jad, and the others could need backup if any more of these things showed up. "We've gotta keep these things here!" Azure ordered, firing an arrow that lodged into one of the smaller Grimm's shoulders. "Wait for help from Laurel!"
Gayle nodded fervently as she swatted away one of the monsters with her glaive. She stood shoulder to shoulder with her team leader and assessed the creatures for potential weaknesses. Readying her laser cuffs, she sent a concentrated burst aimed at the alpha's head. The beam of hot energy scorched its white bony faceplate and earned an angry snarl. As it shook off the heat, Azure slipped past the smaller Grimm with his semblance and appeared face to face with the big one to deliver a quick succession of slashes across its neck.
To his surprise, the damage was minimal, leaving only shallow cuts in its durable, scaly skin. The Grimm retaliated faster than Azure could retreat, swatting him away with its powerful tail. The force sent him flying through the air and tumbling across the dirt until he dug one of his swords into the ground and held on tight, bringing his momentum to a violent halt. Gayle watched in horror before another attack brought her focus back to the fight. Two of the smaller Grimm struck at her, and Gayle vaulted around them with her weapon while trying to keep them away from a recovering Azure. She leapt over the jaws of one as it snapped at her, and brought her glaive down on its head with as much force as she could muster. The plating was too tough, however, and she barely pierced it. The second Grimm shot a jet of water at her, forcing her to leap off the other's head and retreat to stand with Azure.
"Got anything for me?" Azure asked his teammate.
"Just a hunch, but-" Gayle rolled away to avoid another lunge toward her. Its jaws snapped shut where she had been standing, and she watched as it pulled back and away from Azure's reactive strike before reopening its jaws.
"I don't think their jaws are built to open as strongly as they close! Try keeping them shut maybe?"
"Oh, great, brilliant idea! I'll just hop on and muzzle them, will I?"
"I'm doing my best, I've never seen these before!"
"Okay then, just lemme know if you come up with something that won't get us torn to bits."
"Well I'm all ears for other ideas, Bossman!"
Azure furrowed his brow in hastened thought. The tempo had momentarily slowed as the combatants eyed each other warily. He managed to see Laurel dealing with her own ensemble of Grimm, the woman trying to make her way back to assist. Azure tried to strategize; What did he have that could keep their maws shut? Or perhaps hold them open long enough to strike…
"Hang on, I think I got something," he began, keeping his eyes locked on the alpha. "Is any of your gear Dust compatible?"
"Absolutely not."
"Really? But– whatever, just watch my back then."
"Of course!" Gayle affirmed, standing her ground as Azure rushed in. She watched intently, both the creatures and her teammate, hoping to find any more clues. There had to be some winning strategy for her to find. Maybe if she had a better position…
Azure readied the ice Dust crystals in Tyto Naiatra and spread some of his aura into his muscles. He heard Gayle climb up into one of the overhanging trees on the other side of the path for an overhead vantage. It was a smart idea; she would be light enough to maneuver across the intertwining branches and, if worse came to worst, forewarn the caravan. Ahead of him, the Grimm watched with what seemed like a wary curiosity as he readied his equipment. They all readied to attack, but in a blink of an eye one of the beast's maws had been frozen shut in a muzzle of ice. Next came one of its front paws, then a rear paw. Before it could retaliate, Azure had immobilized another. He wasted no time in plunging one of his weapons into a softer patch of skin on its underside, watching as the Dust in his sword activated and extruded out of the beast. Its body slumped to the ground and began to disintegrate. Seeing its packmate suddenly slain sent the latter into a frenzy; the creature unleashed a flurry of swiping paws and snapping jaws and it was all Azure could do to keep himself from getting tagged with his aura enhanced reflexes. Gayle peppered the remaining Grimm with focused shots from her lasers to keep them off balance, but soon stopped when she noticed a shift in their behavior.
The alpha turned away from the battle as if listening to something. Gayle watched as all the subordinates halted as well, even the one that had been so intent on shredding Azure. What were they…?
Suddenly the larger Grimm barked out what sounded like an order to the rest of the pack. The four free creatures leapt back into the water, dark forms barely visible as they sped upstream.
Toward the caravan.
"Did you hear that?"
Rember's voice carried just enough for Jad and the others to hear, prompting the party to stop and look back at her. Her triangular ears swiveled this way and that as they tried to pinpoint whatever she was hearing that they weren't.
"What's up, Foxy?" Jad asked.
KRME's second in command left her place at the back of the procession to join her teammate, green eyes on the path ahead.
Azure and Gayle were visible in the distance, but weren't showing any signs of alarm or pause, and Laurel was a vague shape even further ahead.
"Is there something wrong?" the trembling voice of Clay ventured.
"Not sure," Rember muttered, attention completely fixed on the woods.
"We'll let you know," Jad reassured the old man, "but ready ol' reliable just in case."
Clay nodded, turning to relay quiet instructions back to his family as Rember prowled forward cautiously, an antique-looking rifle appearing in the man's lap.
It was difficult to listen for anything unusual with the river so close. The sound of the rushing water drowned out most natural noises and it set Rember on edge. Still, she could have sworn something…
There it was again. A low, inconsistent hiss. She could barely hear it over the river at first, but a moment later the sound grew into a series of howls.
"I don't like this," Rember said aloud, hands drifting toward her weapons.
Seeing the tension in his friend, Jad flourished Gypsy Flirt. He made sure to throw a reassuring smile over his shoulder to Clay and his family as he checked the path behind them. All clear for the moment.
"Wait, do you see that?"
Clay was the one to ask it, having lifted his rifle to look through the scope.
Rember squinted at their friends other half of KRME had paused, and she couldn't see Laurel.
"Heavens above," Clay gasped, lowering his rifle. "What is that?"
Rember walked back to the wagon and nudged the man. He looked down and she gestured for the rifle, which he silently handed over. The faunus hefted the weapon and put her eye to the scope, and a moment later the blood drained from her face.
"I don't know," she said with a gulp, "I've never seen a Grimm like that before."
Jad's grip tightened on his weapon as Rember handed the gun back to Clay and drew her batons.
They watched in anxious silence as their friends engaged with the beast, which towered over them. Their teammates held their own, even as a pack of smaller Grimm joined the fray.
Rember hated sitting back like this. There was no way in hell she'd ever leave next to defenseless civilians without backup, but it killed her to watch her friends take on the threat alone. Especially since the Grimm sat between her team and Laurel.
A loud bark caught Rember's attention, returning it to the beasts ahead.
"Oh crap," Jad muttered.
The smaller Grimm were all diving back into the river and the big one…
"Please tell me it's not looking at us," she grumbled.
"If I did, I would be lying," Jad replied. "Better get ready, back there!"
There was no chance of hearing the approaching Grimm while they were submerged, so they were forced to just wait until the creatures reappeared. While they waited, Jad and Rember moved to put themselves between the river and the wagon.
Just in time. The smaller Grimm - they could now see that there were five of them - torpedoed out of the water, jaws open as they honed in on the Hunters.
Rember flicked her wrist, sending Ashweave's claws reaching for one of the creatures. Upon making contact the faunus sent a powerful shock surging into its body. The creature halted, convulsing. As the whip retracted a second Grimm leapt for her, and she brought Stormshatter to bear, swatting it aside.
A few yards away, Jad flung one off him with Gypsy Flirt. These things were sturdy little skinkers, he had to admit. Every time he repelled one of their advances, they got back on their feet. It didn't help that their hides were mostly osteoderm. If it were just him, these opponents would just help power up his semblance. But he couldn't afford to turtle or go ballistic right now. He needed to fight smarter, which meant finding the chinks in their armor. Activating the Dust crystals within his staff, Jad blasted his closest target with concentrated fiery energy. The Grimm howled in anguish as its hide burned, engulfed in a blanket of flame. The three remaining packmates yipped and barked, but didn't attack. One made a mock lunge but none of them advanced.
Why aren't they attacking? Rember wondered. It was frustrating to encounter a Grimm she didn't recognise. She was proud of her knowledge of Grimm; she had worked hard for it. All she could figure out about these ones was based on what she could observe: they were coordinated and worked as a pack, and they were unusually durable. Her electricity had worked well, maybe-
The Grimm she had electrocuted shakily stood back up.
"Uhh…that's new," Jad said in surprise. He'd never seen a Grimm recover so quickly from Rember's electricity. The bolts of energy that had wracked its body were still present, seeming to jump around between the white bony plating on its back as its muscle spasms stilled. A crackling growl slithered out its maw, and it turned its glare onto Rember.
"Hang on, I'll–JEEZUS!"
Before they could deal with the renewed threat, a spew of fire shot between them. Jad exclaimed in surprise as the heat washed over him. Just like the first, the Grimm Jad roasted was back on its feet, body wreathed in flame. Following its brother, the electrified Grimm took a stance as arcs of static traveled up its body. A powerful bolt discharged from the monster toward Rember. She leapt out of the way at the last second, and the bolt struck a tree behind her. The loud crack of the impact caught the attention of Azure and Gayle ahead of them, but they quickly returned to their own fight.
Rember's heart was pounding. On instinct, she readied Ashweave and Stormshatter into whips. With her plan of 'zapping it until it dies' off the table, she had to find a way to stop these things. Her batons wouldn't do any meaningful damage against them; the claws weren't able to pierce through the skin. Maybe if she could subdue them with her whips, Jad could get in and run them through with his bladestaff. Would that work? She could only subdue one, maybe two of them at a time, and that wasn't accounting for the two they had accidentally infused with elemental energy.
"I can keep these Grimm tied up! Think you can get close enough to kill them?" she hastily asked her teammate.
"Keep the wild cards still! I got an idea!" he stated, rushing forward. Jad flung himself straight into the lion's den, Gypsy Flirt in a defensive position. "C'mon, ugly freaks!" he taunted, "I bet your mother hits harder than all of you combined! That is, if you didn't kill her with your absolutely. Disgusting. Mugs!"
The Grimm honed in on him, hissing fiercely.
Rember wanted to smack her head in umbrage. That was his idea?
The fire infused Grimm attacked first. As requested, Rember kept it from getting too close with expertly aimed cracks from her whips before she managed to bind it still. This may have just annoyed it, but it meant Jad had one less thing to worry about. The other pack members lunged at the redheaded boy, who only used his weapon to defend and redirect the advances. Rember didn't get it. Why was he being so passive? He was undoubtedly their strongest member. Was there some sort of trick up his sleeve?
That's when she noticed it.
As Jad held his ground, strange energy began to emanate from him. A dark, almost black light began to shine from his body, and with each successful block or parry, the light only grew deeper, and darker. The light in their immediate area was being absorbed by Jad, and the strikes that used to make him buckle barely even made him flinch. Even a bolt from the electric Grimm didn't phase him, it just fed whatever Jad was doing when he blocked it. Soon, a shadow stretched out and covered the ground surrounding the Grimm, the trainee hunters, and their escort. Jad smiled in anticipation. He just needed one last push.
"Foxy," he called over his shoulder, "I need you to give our new fiery friend a love zap." Jad peeked back to see the unsure look on the fox faunus' face. He gave her his confident smile. "Once he's properly pissed, see if you can fling him at me just before he fires off some hot retribution, okay?"
Hesitantly, Rember pushed down her instincts as she spread aura to her muscles. She readied a powerful enough charge and pressed the button on her batons. The electrical current engulfed the fire infused Grimm, and the air around it grew hot as it readied another fireball.
"Heads up!" the fox faunus warned, and used all her strength to fling the monster directly at her teammate.
Jad stood ready. With Gypsy Flirt in hand, he watched the Grimm fly toward him. At the last second, he swung the blade at the incoming creature, and the scene erupted in a brilliant explosion.
Rember shielded her eyes, waiting for the scorching heat to dissipate. When the dust settled, she opened her eyes, expecting the worst. She was met with total darkness.
She couldn't see anything.
"Jad?" she called. Her grip tightened on her weapons, and she took a blind step in the direction of the explosion. Behind her, she heard the rustling of Clay and his family, and the snarling of the Grimm, but no one seemed to be moving.
"Don't worry, Foxy. You're safe."
Rember wheeled around. That was Jad's voice, but it seemed to come from every direction.
"What happened? What did you do?"
"I met the win condition," Jad's voice stated calmly, "For in this moment, in this field of absolute darkness…" Suddenly, the tall redhead became visible, but he looked…different. Like she was seeing him through an inverted color filter. The young man became the only source of light in…wherever they were now. Twirling his trusty weapon, Jad closed his eyes to feel the presence of the remaining Grimm he'd ensnared. One of them barked and pounced, but was forcibly pushed back by his protective field. "I decide what sees the sunshine again," he said.
The Grimm swarmed him. Rember could only see their white, bony plating as Jad precisely evaded each attack with minimal movement. It was almost like he could anticipate every advance the creatures were going to make beforehand. He was even evading electric bolts from the one infused Grimm.
Was this Jad's semblance? Whenever they came close to connecting, Jad would either slip out of the way, or their paws and maws were repulsed.
In an act of desperation, the four Grimm leapt as one.
Bingo.
Jad lowered Gypsy Flirt into position. He had found the weak spot on these buggers. All he had to do while he wore them down was wait for them to present an ideal opening, and that time had come. Aimed at the undersides of the incoming Grimm, Jad swung the blade on his weapon, enveloped in a black aura, in a wide arc. His attack struck true, slashing all four targets in their underbelly. The Grimm crashed to the ground, and the void Jad had created crumbled away as the monster's bodies began to disintegrate.
Rember and Clay's eyes had to readjust as the sun came back into view. They saw the remains of the beasts that had attacked them. Jad was using Gypsy Flirt as a cane as his aura shimmered, then breaking as the toll on his body caught up with him. Rember rushed to support her friend, and he thanked her.
"What," Rember spat, "the hell was that?"
"Heh. Pasty may have the bulk of secrets, but I got a few of my own," Jad quipped, waiting for his aura to recharge.
Before anyone could celebrate, a chorus of hisses rose once more from the river.
"Oh, come ON…!" Jad growled.
Rember whirled to face the running water. To everyone's dread, a fresh new set of Grimm slid up onto the road to face them. The commotion must've drawn more out, and the pit of her stomach churned. She needed a way to kill these things. She needed it now.
The new pack of Grimm honed in on Rember's anxiety, encircling her slowly.
Gayle shakily landed on the ground as the Alpha Grimm shattered the tree she was perched in. She and Azure were slowly losing the fight, and their aura levels weren't looking good. She hoped Rember and Jad were faring better than they were. Azure kept his weapons pointed at their opponent, gasping for respite while his muscles ached.
"You alright?" the faunus asked her team leader, who exhaled sharply.
"Starting to get really annoyed," he admitted. Sparingly using his aura, Azure darted around the Grimm in a hit-and-run strategy. Its armor was too tough for him to cut, at least not without serious aura enhancing, or Dust infusions. The smaller ones had a weak spot on their underbelly, but surely this older pack leader knew of its own weakness and had preventative measures. Elder Grimm were a lot more dangerous like that.
The black monster anticipated Azure's next move, landing a solid hit on him with its tail. The young man felt the full force of impact, aura keeping his internals from becoming mush before the protective veil broke when he crashed into the ground in a tumbling motion. Gayle's heart stopped; she had never seen her teammate take a hit that devastating. Reflexively, she took a step toward him, searching for signs of life, but a menacing growl from the Grimm stopped her in her tracks. It turned toward her, tail lashing.
Gayle froze. Her every instinct screamed at her to run, to disengage, to reassess the situation and make a plan. She began to retreat, but the sight of Azure motionless on the ground kept her rooted to the spot.
Hands shaking, she half-raised Vendaval in front of her. She tried to summon her usual focus, but her thoughts were too frantic. There was nothing here for her to do; she could barely make a scratch on the beast on her own. But she couldn't leave Azure defenseless!
The Grimm sensed her dilemma and charged. The sudden movement snapped her out of her panic. She scrambled out of its way, but she could tell it was too slow; its open maw barrelled toward her, fangs dripping with malice, and -
Gayle felt herself be pushed aside roughly and the Grimm rushed past her, crashing into the trees behind where she had been standing. With stars in her eyes, she struggled to climb to her feet. A hand was extended in front of her; she took it gratefully, and gasped. Azure stood before her, with a trickle of red down the side of his face but otherwise intact.
"Azure!"
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, but you-"
"Good. I need you to get to the caravan. Fast."
"What about-"
"Jad and Rem need support. I'm counting on you here," he said, combining his swords back into a bow.
Gayle bit back her objections. A brief glance down the trail confirmed that the rest of the team were struggling to fend off the rest of the pack. "Are you sure?" she asked, hefting Vendaval and preparing to run.
"No time to argue, Gayle! I can handle this! Now go!" Azure ordered. Without another word he sent a volley of arrows toward the Grimm's eyes. The attack angered it, and it barreled after Azure as he led it further down the dirt road away from the others. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Gayle ran the other way.
Rember's pulse pounded in her ears. Nearby, Jad struggled to keep the Grimm at bay even as his steps were dragging. He tried to shoot her his usual confident grin, but it was more of a grimace. He wouldn't be much use now, leaving Rember to defend the caravan on her own.
Rember was beyond nettled. The temperature around her increased as her control over her semblance wavered. Her blood ran cold; her lungs burned. She needed to ensure the caravan and Jad were safe, and then she could go help Azure and Gayle. Her batons glowed white with heat as she poured her semblance into them. She struck out at one Grimm with a whip, ensnaring it, and raking its underside with the radiating claws in her other hand. The metal burned away the skin and disemboweled the monster.
One down, four to go.
To her dismay, the Grimm redoubled their efforts. Two lunged toward her at once, forcing her to use both whips to subdue them. A fourth took advantage of her distraction, only for Jad to intercept. Stumbling, he managed to push the monster back, but without aura he couldn't fight as well as he wanted to. Every attack he countered threatened to break his guard, and Rember could see his energy waning.
"Jad, I'm fine! Just hang back till your aura recharges!"
"No can do, Foxy! I–erch–gotta–hrrgch—pull my weight!"
"You can't pull your weight if you're dead!"
"Relax, everything's gonna be–" Jad was abruptly cut off when the Grimm rammed him, crashing both it and himself into a tree. It knocked the wind out of him, but adrenaline made his muscles move instinctually. In one swift motion he retracted his staff and brought his sword to the monster's neck as he used his free arm to hold its head from biting back. The body crumbled away and he wearily regained his footing. The final Grimm left him no time to catch his breath before pinning him to the ground.
Gasping for air, Rember struggled to take in the scene: Jad, trapped under a snarling creature; Clay, rifle ready but struggling to find a clear shot; the remaining two Grimm circling, waiting for an opening to strike. Frantically, she sent electricity down her whips and lashed out to push back the Grimm. With the larger threat at bay, she ran toward Jad and tackled the creature on top of him.
Grimm and Huntress alike went tumbling across the clearing. Rember felt the sting of rocks on her skin as she flew across the dirt, coming to an abrupt halt against a tree. She clambered to her feet, and saw the Grimm several paces away do the same. Beyond it, Jad was shakily hoisting himself up with the help of Gypsy Flirt, and Rember felt the anxiety coil and tighten in her chest at the sight. She had to do better; she had to protect him.
A shot rang out as Clay fired at the beast in front of her, striking it through the soft patch of its throat. As it dissolved, Rember spared no time in sprinting back toward the others, choking back the burning fear that was crawling up her throat.
The remaining pair of beasts were closing in on the caravan. They snapped and hissed in a goading gesture, taunting the huddled caravaners. Rember begged her limbs to move faster as they sidestepped another shot from Clay and pressed closer. One crouched, preparing to lunge, and Rember was too far, she wasn't going to make it, she needed to -
Two concentrated beams of red struck the Grimm, driving the pair of them back. Gayle vaulted toward the caravan, out of breath but determined. She took the offensive, whirling around with Vendaval to swat the Grimm back toward the river. They slunk back, as though considering retreat, but as Rember approached they turned their burning gaze to her.
Rember pulled up next to Gayle, chest heaving, thoughts racing. Her hands were trembling as she struggled to contain the turmoil of fear and rage and doubt swirling in her head. The Grimm leered at her, tails lashing, and charged forward in a frenzy. They rushed past Gayle's attempts to intercept them, swarming around her toward Rember. In a last ditch attempt, Gayle launched her glaive like a javelin, skewering one of the beasts. The other was undeterred.
Rember scrambled to raise her weapons to protect herself, but with her aura nearly depleted there wasn't much she could do. Time seemed to slow as the monster closed in, teeth bared in a deathly grin. The air around her grew hot as her semblance sputtered to life. All she felt was cold anticipation.
She took in a wavering breath and raised her weapons, eyes closing reflexively.
A horrible ripping sound, tearing through fabric and flesh, rang in her ears. The impact she was expecting never came. Rember opened her eyes to find her vision blocked; all she saw was the back of a leather jacket.
Jad's jacket.
The tall redhead had impulsively thrown himself in front of her. Gypsy Flirt protected what it could on its wielder, but the rake of the Grimm's claws went past the tempered steel and left a good scratch across Jad's torso. The throbbing pain ripped a muted grunt from the young man, but he held his defensive stance. It gave him the opening he needed and he ran his blade into the Grimm's weak point. With that, the final body disintegrated and blew away in the breeze.
"Good," Jad breathed, "glad…glad that's over with." His body finally gave out as the fatigue and injury outweighed his adrenaline. Rember and Gayle leapt forward to catch him, and he weakly smiled up at them. Rember wanted to say so many things, but the torrent inside her head made it hard to articulate.
"Jad…why?"
"Hah. Couldn't let our vixen get a nasty scar."
"That's not funny, Jad."
"It's a little funny," he mused, coughing up a small amount of blood that trickled past his lips. The ghastly sight frightened both the girls into action. Gayle scrambled to assess the wound and Rember swiftly retrieved supplies for first aid. Once they patched up Jad, it dawned on Rember that someone was missing.
Where was Azure?
"Gayle, where's Azure?" she asked, a deathly serious look in her forest green eyes. Gayle explained her and their leader's own escapades, and how he sent her in for support while he acted as bait. That was all Rember needed to hear to get back on her feet. She ignored all aches and pains in her body and ran down the road, fox ears picking up the skirmish her eyes couldn't.
It was a good few minutes before the wail of a Grimm cut through the air. It hurt Rember's ears, and she had to wait for the ringing to pass to get reorientated. She was close. She crashed through underbrush, as the trail of the battle broke away from the road and into the forest. Finally, she reached the epicenter.
Laurel was tending to an injured Azure. Behind them, the alpha Grimm was slowly crumbling away, its head bearing a hefty sized hole blown through the back of it like someone shot a cannon into its mouth.
"Azure!"
Rember ran to her partner's side, dropping to her knees as she took in his injuries. Azure was clearly surprised to see her, opening his mouth to speak before being cut off.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Rem."
Rember scowled at his response, anger bubbling up in her.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded. "Going off on your own like that?"
Azure winced.
"You and Jad were in trouble," he replied, flinching as Laurel tightened a bandage. "So I told Gayle to go help you guys while I lured the alpha away from the caravan."
"And away from help! You could have DIED, Azure! I've never seen Grimm like this! These things are seriously deadly, and you went traipsing off with the most dangerous one all alone!" Rember snapped. "I thought we were supposed to be a team. You know, a group of people that deals with stuff together. That help each other out! But you keep pushing us out or distancing yourself to do everything by yourself!"
"I- Rem…where is this coming from?" He knew she was distressed, but the intensity perplexed him. He looked her over, finally noticing her rough condition. "My god, are you okay?"
The inquiry only seemed to intensify Rember's temper.
"No, I am not!" she seethed. "You promised, Azure! You promised you would stop doing this!"
He had no defense for that.
"Rem, I-"
"And now Jad's hurt, and it's my fault!" Her chest was heaving and her face flushed with anger. "And you!" she added, whirling on Laurel. "Where the hell were you? Is this supposed to be some kind of test? Leave us on our own and wait for us to mess up? What kind of leadership is that? Because leaders should lead by example, and you've been doing a shit job of it! You're such a condescending bitch!"
Rember glared at the Huntress as she caught her breath. Laurel finished patching Azure up in silence, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag before replying.
"Rember," she began, smoke billowing out her mouth, "if it's any concession, I was taking care of a small horde that was planning on swarming us. Probably being drawn in by whatever muck is fouling your mood. Azure here held his own long enough for me to help him. It wasn't a good plan, I agree, but would you rather he jeopardize you and the others?"
"I'd rather he remember he doesn't have to do everything on his own and live. If that means trouble comes to the whole team, at least it's the whole team dealing with it together!" the teen shot back.
Laurel smiled, startling both the teens.
"Speaking of which," she hummed, "where are the others, exactly? Highly hypocritical of you to shout such fervent ideals, only to leave the others behind and vulnerable. Or am I to have the impression you checked on them before coming here?"
Rember tried to find the words to defend herself, but her throat was tight with rage.
"Stupid decisions aside, Azure can claim he was thinking of everyone's safety. You can't. Now, as for that 'condescending bitch' jab," Laurel continued, "you were right about it being a test. A test you failed spectacularly. If you can't keep your emotions in check when it really matters, you have no business being a Huntress. You'll just be a liability."
"Maybe you shouldn't be treating people in a way that triggers negative emotions!" Rember snapped. "Or do you just get to not take responsibility for your part in stuff like that?"
Laurel studied her, unreadable behind her cigarette smoke. Internally, she found a hint of satisfaction when watching the young woman spin her wheels as the Huntress leisurely enjoyed her guilty pleasure. Only after finishing did the blonde answer her understudy.
"Rember," she began, "I am not responsible for your poorly made decisions. I've already explained to you why I was acting the way I was the last few days. I may not know much about your situation, but I know you were already hiding your rotten mood before we started. The fact you can't control your emotions is the real issue."
"Oh, don't you–"
"Quiet," Laurel cut in, "I'm not done. You told me the other day that I had lost your respect, insulting my ability as a Huntress to boot. Yet in the span of this afternoon, Azure is injured, Jad is 'hurt' by your word, and you're barely able to stand. If I wasn't here, three of you would be dead, if not everyone else."
"Laurel, that's–" Azure tried to interject, but the Huntress silenced him.
"Too harsh? No, that's the truth of the situation. As for you: a leader should be more conscious of his actions regarding those that follow him. Or did you forget the other night we discussed that?"
Neither Azure nor Rember could answer.
"I don't care about earning anyone's respect here, Rember. You had my respect, as did the rest of KRME, from the start. You all showed me your capability. But this? This has no excuse. Your team, your friends, don't need a self righteous twit who projects her shortcomings and drama on others to feel better. Accept your weakness, and do better while you still can."
Laurel sighed deeply, rubbing her temple with her free hand. One last intake on her cigarette, and the Huntress walked past them, leaving them to their own devices.
"Fun fact: that new Grimm you didn't know about? It's called a Bunyip. We're old enemies, them and I," she threw over her shoulder as an afterthought. "We'll stop to take stock a little ways ahead as soon as we're a good distance away from the water. Hurry back and help the others, you two. We still have a lot of ground to cover."