Chapter 19. Umbra
"Newbie, call Ironwood! Now!" Qrow shouted, his voice piercing through the growls of the Grimm that waited for them behind the small snowy hill. "Tell him to send as many units as he can. We can't let this overgrown cat leave this place, not when Mantle is still attracting every fucking Grimm in Atlas. It will be a slaughter and with how angry this fucker seems, it will probably latch on the first center of negativity it can feel."
Specialist Ebi gave a sharp nod, his fingers already flying over the screen of his Scroll. Good move, but Glynda had to wonder what could they even do against a monster like this with three Huntsmen and ten Atlas Battleships. It usually took about three or four full Huntsmen teams to take down a monster that large. Well, that or some really heavy weaponry which they definitely didn't have right now.
Even with the odds against them, Glynda knew that Qrow was right. A Grimm of that proportions could not get close to Mantle when the entire city was in disarray due to the Virus. Atlas had the tools to deal with it, but not before it would cost Mantle hundreds more lives. As such she had to trust Qrow that he knew what he was doing. The Branwen spent most of his time in the wild and no matter how Glynda soured at the thought, he was the only one here who had any experience in situations like this.
"What's the plan, Qrow?" Glynda gripped her weapon tightly, knuckles turning white. "Megoliaths are one thing, but this?" She shook her head. "We have nothing to stop it."
Qrow chuckled, but it was a hollow, empty laugh. "Your guess is as good as mine. We need to slow it down, try to distract this shit from dashing straight for Mantle. With a body like this, it would be a matter of thirty or so minutes before it got there."
"So you don't have a plan," Glynda muttered, her voice as dry as a desert. Maybe she put too much trust in the damned crow.
And then the man had the gall to smirk at her. "No, no, no. I always have a plan," he grimaced slightly. "Though I doubt anyone here will like it. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. And it has been a while since I have been in a situation more desperate than this."
"Just call it, Qrow."
He shot her another grin and grabbed his own Scroll. "Capitan, do you copy?" The screen flashed, showing a face garbed in an Atlassian helmet.
"Aye, sir," The man saluted. "What would you have us do?"
"We need to hit the Grimm as soon as it tries to leave. It is a matter of minutes before it begins to move and it will have two targets. Either us or Mantle, and we both know what will happen if it chooses the latter option," Qrow said and it sometimes really baffled Glynda how the drunk man could change between his personas in a second.
"I understand sir," the Capitan nodded. "We have enough power to last us maybe another hour of constant fighting, but we won't be much of a help against a monster like this. We were fitted with weapons against normal Grimm."
Qrow waved him off. "It doesn't matter," he said. "We only need to distract the Grimm long enough for reinforcement to arrive. Hit it with everything you got and try to offer us cover when the situation gets too heated. I and my team will take care of the rest."
Of course, we will, Glynda narrowed her eyes. She could already guess what Qrow had in store for them and she didn't like it one bit. They were a makeshift team without any trained formations and tactics. And the less said about their missing member, the better. They could certainly use Umbra's mastery of lightning and transformation now.
I want a vacation after this, Glynda sighed, her gaze going back to Qrow Scroll where the Capitan saluted again. "It will be done sir," the man declared. "I will be waiting for the signal to move. Good luck," the screen flickered, turning black.
"Ironic," Qrow shook his head. "Wising me good luck," he chuckled and turned to her. "So Blondie, you ready to take on, what's probably the most powerful Grimm you have ever seen?"
Glynda took a deep breath, her shoulder tense. "I will do whatever is necessary," she declared. This was the reason why Glynda had chosen this career path and she wouldn't back down, even when the odds were stacked against them. With hundreds of lives at stake, it was time for her to do what was necessary, even if it meant her own demise.
Qrow's snort brought Glynda out of her morbid thoughts. "Don't be so gloom Glynda. We are not dead yet. Besides they don't call us Vale's finest Huntsmen and Huntress without a reason. If there is anybody that can do this, it is us," he stated, briefly looking her in the eyes. "Now come on. Let's get the newbie and I will explain what we are gonna do."
Glynda nodded as they moved towards Clover who was also putting his Scroll away, You better be right Qrow.
"Specialist," she started. "What did the General say? We could use some good news right about now."
"Ma'am, sir," Clover almost saluted. "General Ironwood is mobilizing every free unit he can find. They will be here in fifteen to twenty minutes and will bring heavy caliber weaponry."
"Fifteen to twenty minutes huh. Could be worse, I worked with less before," Qrow muttered, voicing Glynda's thoughts. "It won't be easy, but with some teamwork and good timings, we just might come out of this alive. Bruised, but alive," he added, taking out his flask and taking a sip. "Now let's get going, I will explain the plan on the way."
Glynda and Clover nodded without a word and ran with Qrow back towards Merlot's base. Unlike before they scaled the small hill that housed the safehouse and kept going, the growls and hisses of the monstrous Grimm echoing through the area.
"We will wait for the Grimm to make its move first," Qrow finally spoke up. "No reason to rush it if this overgrown cat doesn't want to leave. Saves us some strength too," he mumbled the last part as they stopped at the peak of the hill and crouched, hiding behind rocks of ice sticking from the ground.
Glynda took a peek over the edge and for the first time laid her eyes on the huge feline monstrosity. It remained seated on the snowy ground, piles of cracked ice scattered around the creature as it scanned the area with its glowing eyes. Seeing the Grimm with her own eyes only confirmed that this thing was at least three times the size of the largest Megoliath Glynda ever fought. Not a pretty sight.
Backing off, she focused on Qrow, whose quiet voice barely reached her ears. "Once the Grimm moves, we go down there and pretty much bait it into a fight. Glynda, you will offer support with your Semblance and call the shots in case something happens. Meanwhile, I and Clover will get better acquainted with our new friend," Qrow nodded to the Specialist. "From what I saw, your weapon should give you enough tricks to avoid most of the attacks coming your way. Let's try to use it and run circles around it. From my experience and some stories I heard, every Grimm of this size has problems with changing directions and it will probably be the only advantage we will have today."
As much as Glynda wanted to disagree with the plan, she just couldn't. Her fighting style was made for long-range and with her Semblance, she just might save the two men from death if she stayed a good distance away. Glynda just hoped that the huge Grimm didn't possess any special abilities like some of the more powerful monsters.
"Remember to use your dust only when it can save your life," Glynda added, seeing that Qrow finished his short speech. "Wasting it to wound the Grimm is a lost cause. We just need to survive long enough and a single crystal of dust can be a game-changer here."
Her two teammates gave a nod and once again, only the constant howling of the wind and the colossal Grimm accompanied them. They all sat still, almost lying in the snow as they watched the feline monster scan the area of its awakening.
And then in an instant, the creature jumped to its feet and its head snapped to their far-left, a hiss leaving the Grimm's enormous mouth.
"Shit," Qrow muttered. "I guess our time is u-"
Roar!
They all froze as an earth-shaking roar stopped Qrow from finishing his sentence. It echoed for miles, the bestial and primal sound ringing in Glynda's ears. Her head snapped in the same direction that the feline Grimm chose. For seconds or maybe minutes, nothing happened only for a figure to shoot into the sky, its leather wings flapping in powerful beats.
The Grimm's black scales glinted in the orange light of the setting sun as it just hovered in the air. The draconic body buckled with every move and Glynda gulped when the Grimm's head turned in their direction, the familiar crimson eyes glaring at the feline monster.
Even if the dragon wasn't larger than an Atlesian transporter, any Huntsmen or Huntress knew to avoid creatures of this caliber. Flying-type Grimm were a pain in the ass to deal with, but when you add a body structure that resembled a dragon, all bets were off. Kingdoms literally sent armies to kill those things due to their strength, hidden abilities, and rareness. So even if the dragon couldn't be too old with its current size, a team of three had no chance to stand against it and the colossal hybrid.
To make the matter worse, the entire body of the dragon lit up with a blue glow as lightning crackled across its scales. And then with a thunderclap, the Grimm moved, its glare never leaving the other monster.
"We are fucked," Qrow muttered next to her, and for the first time in her life, Glynda couldn't disagree with his choice of words. Though the longer she looked at the draconic Grimm, the creature seemed more and more familiar.
No, She shook her head. It's impossible.
I looked at the setting sun as my roar reverberated through the ground. It definitely took me a while to dig out from Merlot's trap. My Aura was halfway gone after I used my last attack on the escaping Bullhead and had to protect myself from the majority of the blast. At least I hit it, even if it managed to escape. I thought as I closed my eyes and stretched my senses, searching for the unique signature of my mana.
Head snapping to the left, my mouth opened, showing rows of sharp teeth, Got you. You can only run for so long. My hind legs buckled, ready to send me into the air. But just before I could make the jump, a loud growl echoed through the area, coming from the opposite direction I planned to take. What the hell?
Dismissing my previous target for a moment, I pushed myself off the ground, finally becoming one with the sky. Climbing higher and higher, I scanned the entire area, searching for the source of the challenge. Almost instantly my gaze zeroed on the massive Grimm with a head so similar to a Sabyr but the body of an overgrown, Ursa Major.
Our eyes locked, six versus two, and an instinctive growl left my throat as a notification blocked my vision.
[New Quest Obtained]
Survive for five minutes against the Elder Prowler to buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.
Rewards: 10k EXP, 5 EP, EXP Scroll (Small)
Failure: Death of your ex-teammates, Death of hundreds of civilians in Mantle
Will you accept?
Yes/No
Taking a glance behind me, I narrowed my eyes. Of course, the System just had to give me a quest so tempting. The rewards were nothing to scoff at and even if the so-called Elder Prowler was probably far beyond my power level, I had the advantage with my ability to fly. Really becoming a dragon was the best decision I could have ever made.
The only thing speaking against taking the quest was the possibility of Merlot escaping again, but in the back of my mind, I was still tracking the small part of myself that I left inside the Bullhead. With every second it moved further away, though, with its current speed, I could catch up in a matter of a minute or two. I sighed, Just so you know, I am not doing this because you mentioned my ex-teammates.
[Whatever helps you sleep at night.]
I growled, already missing the few days when the System decided to stay silent. Whatever, just get my strength, vitality, and intelligence to fifty. I will need every possible advantage if I want this to go smoothly.
[Processing...]
STR: 50 + (25%) = 62.5 (2nd Milestone: Small chance to crack armor when unarmed)
VIT: 50 + (25%) = 62.5 (2nd Milestone: +20% Max HP)
DEX: 51 + (25%) = 63.75
INT: 50 + (50%) = 75 (2nd Milestone: +25% Max MP)
WIS: 38 + (50%) = 57
Power filled my entire body, as my Aura reserves stretched. it had been a while since I used so many points in one moment and I forgot the adrenaline rush that came with it. Truly, nothing was better than new power flowing through your veins. Now, let's see what I'm up against. Observe.
Elder Arctic Prowler | Level:?
HP:?
MP:?
Tier: B
Additional Info: Limited intelligence, Powerful and Strong Armor, ?
Why did I even expect anything different... System what is my current tier? I asked, hoping against hope. Only one of my abilities had any chance of harming the Grimm and if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't need to kill it, I would have flown away right now.
[Somewhere between C+ and B-. Though that is mostly due to all the abilities you possess.]
I will take that, I thought after a moment, my eyes a bit wide. And here I thought there was some huge gap between us. Not bad, not bad at all. Though, the System made a good point. If we compared my base physical stats with the Grimm, I was most likely outclassed in all of them. Bullshit abilities for the win.
[Your five minutes start now. Good luck.]
Nodding, I gently shifted my clawed limbs into their improved counterparts, while the end of my tail flattened a bit, a short and thin blade forming. I reached deep within my body and pulled on my Aura as crackling filled the air. The blue lightning jumped across my scales as I twisted the element into an ability I wanted to create a long time ago. Against an Elder Grimm, I wasn't pulling my punches even if I planned to stay high in the air.
[New elemental technique created: Midnight Comet (An armor made of lightning. Significantly boosts your DEX and reaction time. Can be released to form a powerful attack.)]
That should do it. I grinned and shot towards the Prowler, my wings creating thunderclaps with every beat. I broke through every speed barrier I created before as the icy plains beneath me blended into one white scenery. I had eyes only for the massive creature in front of me as I channeled both the power of the Midnight Comet and normal lightning. And then when I was no more than a couple of hundred feet away, I released it all, my roar cracking the heavens.
At once, everything got consumed in a midnight blue light as a literal thunderbolt struck the feline Grimm's head. The beast howled, the sound joining the thunder echoing through the entire icy valley. Not once did I have to shield my eyes and I had the front seat of the Grimm tumbling to the ground. Its head smoked, black blood flowing in rivers from the area where three of its eyes should be.
The Prowler continue to thrash on the ground, sending ice in every direction as it crushed everything that stood in its path. And I just let it continue, happy to just hover above it, regaining my strength from the most powerful attack I had ever performed. I only needed to buy some time anyway.
My entire body stung, and lightning continued to flicker across my scales, completely out of my control. Midnight Comet proved its power with this one strike, but like everything, it had to have some drawbacks. Drawbacks, which would probably disappear as I got more familiar with the ability.
It took more than a minute for the Prowler to regain its bearing, spit flying out of its mouth as it growled at me. Silly kitty, and how do you plan to reach me? As if the Grimm heard my thought, it opened its jaws wide and chomped the crushed ice on the ground. I watched as the monster ate more ice and snow with every bite. Did I hit it too hard in the head?
Taking the last gulp, the Grimm froze as its body began to release a faint white mist. With every second the mist grew thicker, slowly enveloping the Prowler's frame. My eyes grew wider when its armor and fur shifted from its natural color into the pale blue of ice. Now I get why it was named an Arctic Prowler.
With the mist, new coloring, and ice clinging to its body, the Prowler almost blended perfectly with the natural plains of Atlas. Only the massacred left side of its head remained the same, unable to change or heal.
[You have discovered the final attribute of Arctic Prowler.]
Oh yes? Please enlighten me.
Additional Info: Limited intelligence, Powerful and Strong Armor, Winter's Approach (Upon becoming one with winter, the Prowler gains limited control over the element of ice)
Well shit. I groaned, severing to the right as a volley of icy projectiles shot out of the Prowler's body. They were similar to my own spikes and yet when one flew near my body, I felt a chill travel down my spine. Not so resistant to cold anymore...
Lightning once again covered my body as the Prowler opened its mouth. The beast inhaled, consuming more and more of the mist settling over the clearing. I sent my own spikes, trying to stop the Grimm from whatever it was doing, to no avail. The monster just shut his jaws and a second later opened it again, only this time, it roared, releasing a continuous beam of frozen wind.
I dashed across the air, the beam chasing my every movement in a game of cat and mouse. I grimaced as the beam grazed the tip of my tail, covering it in a thick layer of ice. Fuck!
[You should have hit it when you had the advantage.]
Yeah, yeah. Now you are playing smart! I shouted internally, diving towards the ground as another beam almost hit me in the side. Be useful and tell me how much longer I need to be here!
[Time left: 2:36]
Great. I scowled, this time crushing the few icy spears with my claws as the Prowler took time to recharge his breath of ice. Not again you overgrown ball of fur. I will probably regret it, but why not.
Just when the Grimm wanted to open its mouth, I dived, wings tucked in as I activated 'Dragon Charge'. The Prowler tried to jump away, probably recognizing the danger of my attack or just thinking that I was trying to attempt my first trick again. Nonetheless, even if the Grimm managed to shift its body a bit, I hit its back with full force, the cracking of armor filling the air as the massive monster once again collapsed to the ground.
MP: 342/2925
Yeah, I felt that. I groaned, my claws stabbing into the cracks between the armor. The Prowler howled as I hacked and slashed, my tail joining in the fun as it freed itself from the ice. How I wished that soul drain worked on Grimm. The entire fight could have been over in a matter of seconds if the monster had a soul.
A pity. I thought, jumping off the Prowler as it decided to roll on the ground, probably trying to flatten me. In the meantime, I deactivated my Aura under the guise of a flash of lightning. From what I noticed, my ex-teammates still observed me afar and I didn't need to give them more clues than I already did.
[Time left: 1:03]
Almost. Another volley of spikes impacted the howling Grimm that attempted to stand up with its bleeding back. They didn't do much, but I wasn't making the same mistake I did before. The Prowler tried to send back his own projectiles, to no avail as I dodged or destroyed them all. For another few seconds, I remained on the offensive, trying to keep the Grimm off its feet.
It didn't last and the creature once again climbed to its feet, jaws already opening, ready to consume more of the mist and the freezing air.
In response I climbed higher, my wings flapping like never before. I pushed another ten points into dexterity and let the Midnight Comet cover my body for the last time. The temperature fell again, hoarfrost forming on my scales and I took a quick peek at the Prowler underneath me.
Its closed jaws leaked rivers of freezing air and even the creature's three remaining eyes gained a pale blue tint. Shit.
[I highly recommend a retreat. There are only ten seconds left on the timer, not enough to fail the quest if you run.]
Say no more. I dived, wings tucked as I once again flew faster than ever. Only the blue streak of lightning was left behind as I disappeared from the range of the Prowler with quest rewards in tow. Now, it's your turn Merlot. I grinned, my eyes glowing as I pushed myself faster.
Not that long ago, I found out by accident that I could track any part of my body, be it spikes or destroyed scales, if it was filled with a bit of my mana. Nothing too special and I didn't really find any use for this little trick. That was until Merlot decided to blow up his base and bury me alive.
Back then I managed to transform in a matter of seconds and force an unfocused 'Lightning Stream' out of my mouth. The elemental attack only impacted one of the engines of Merlot's Bullhead without even breaking it and after that moment, I remembered the little fact about my body parts. Seconds before the explosion, I fired a small spike, filled with my Aura and lightning that lodged into the Bullhead's metal frame.
Thank god for quick thinking, I chuckled internally as I sailed above the clouds. I took a deep inhale of the air as the long-awaited smell finally reached me. It's time.
Diving through the clouds, I slowed as the smoking Bullhead came into sight a fair distance away. The aircraft twitched with every second, switching altitude or direction with every move as the smoking engine barely supported the working one.
Shivers traveled through my body at this sight. Finally, after weeks of chasing the old bastard, I just needed to finish it. Once and for all. Nothing to stop me now.
Just like before the fight with the Prowler, I let the lightning ignite across my body as I pushed more and more mana into my mouth. Shooting forward, I let the thunderclaps fill the air. Know that you failed again, Merlot. The Bullhead's engine stuttered as the aircraft sped up, finally alerted of my presence.
I grinned, lightning cracking across my teeth and released a booming roar, the thunder roaring with me.
Boom!
The working engine exploded in a myriad of metal parts, some hitting my body as I watched the aircraft spin after it lost the only thing that kept it in the air. To make it worse for the inhabitants of the death box, I positioned myself right above the Bullhead and then dived, Dragon Charge activating as I smashed into the metal roof.
The spinning remnants of the aircraft shot towards the ground in an uncontrolled flight. I followed from a fair distance, my eyes never leaving the freefalling object. You should have landed when you could, fool.
The tin can of death smashed into the snowy ground, the metal screaming as another few parts broke away from the impact, including the entrance ramp. I hovered a bit above the crash site and sent out a Hunter Pulse, my eyes narrowing at the feedback. Interesting.
Slowly lowering my altitude, I stopped when someone crawled through the Bullhead's broken entrance. Legs twisted in an unnatural way with blood coating every inch of the man's body. I squinted my gaze, eyes widening as I noticed the long ponytail and a scorpion tail almost hidden by the man's shredded coat. Tyrian.
Without a thought, I dropped from the sky, one of my hind legs impacting Tyrian's back. The man screamed, followed by a series of coughs as he painted the snow in red. I shook my head, Tyrian was never my target and quite honestly I forgot about him when I chased the Bullhead. You were in the wrong place, at the wrong time buddy. Nothing personal. Though, I never liked you anyway.
One of my frontal limbs, the ones that offered the same freedom of movement as a human arm, shifted into the blade form. With one flick, I stabbed the mad worshipper into his heart. Tyrian gave out one last scream, before his head collapsed onto the snow, unmoving.
Yanking the blade out, I lowered my body and took a peek through the Bullhead's entrance. "Here you are," I murmured, pushing my untransformed arm inside the aircraft.
Another scream filled the air as I tightly grabbed my target and pulled out. "Hello Merlot," I grinned, looking at the broken visage on the elderly man. His once disheveled grey hair and mustache were bathed in blood, while his torn clothes were barely clinging to his body. "I see someone had his Aura activated. Even now you tried to cling to your pathetic life. You really shouldn't have."
The old man opened his only good eye, his bloodied teeth forming a maniacal smile. "Y-you truly are the most amazing specimen I have ever met," he coughed out. "I should've never let you leave."
Madness.
I chuckled and squeezed, eliciting another scream from Merlot. "Even in the face of death, you can still think of only one thing. You really are mad," I muttered, letting my blade rest on the old man's neck. "Good luck in hell."
Blood spilled in a fountain as Merlot's head fell to the ground, the rest of his body soon following. I couldn't be bothered to let the man live any longer, even if it was for only a minute. Merlot lived for far longer than he should have anyway.
Is it done, System?
[It is. Good job Umbra.]
[Quest Compleated]
Atlas Syndrome!
Finally.