Ben's arrival was remarkably prompt this morning. He was out of bed without much complaining, made sure his team was awake, and prepping for the day. First up was the week's sparring matches. He wouldn't know who he was up against til they got there, but the thought of a fight put a little spring in his step. He could use the chance to stretch his muscles. Hadn't had a decent fight since Grimm Studies the week before. Homework was a pain, but sparring was important. It showed him how he measured up to other people, pointed out flaws in his strategy and technique, and honestly, it was fun.

His prompt scheduling was probably a mix of excitement and a desire to make a decent impression on the group's newest member, as well as the administration. With Trad gone it was more important than ever.

What he didn't expect, though, was to be paired up with his newest teammate. A lazy grin spread across his face at the sight, chuckling quietly. To be matched up against Lorena their first day of classes. Someone, somewhere, really had a sense of humor.

"Hey, Lauren. We're fighting."

"...Ngeh?" Lauren had a massive chocolate bar sticking out of her mouth the way most businessmen chomped cigars, still half in the wrapper to prevent it from melting in her hand. It was just a small tool in the candy arsenal she'd brought to Beacon, and she usually had herself a candy bar a day before brushing her teeth and going to breakfast. It soothed the soul into the day ahead of it. "I thought we were all getting along pretty well."

She glanced at her team leader quizzically and aimed a confused chomp or two his way before her emerald eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh oh OH!" the newest member of BASL exclaimed, pulling the chocolate out of her mouth and laughing. "You mean like the wallahi kind of fighting. Oh, man. Sweet."

And it was. A chance to show her team what she was made of, a chance to get muscles, synapses, and reflexes back in action, a chance to give her axe some well-needed loving...she relished the fight, though it was tempered with a rare caution; a team leader was nothing to screw with, even if it was a team as haphazardly thrown together as BASL.

Not that she wasn't growing to love the team.

"Sorry for your loss!"

“Yeeeeeah,” Ben said, a half grin spreading on his face as he stretched the word. BASL’s leader rolled his head and stretched his arms, working the sleep from his muscles. “I might be a bit rusty. Suppose we’ll see how this goes, won’t we?”

"Sure will!" Lauren, already mostly dressed in the uniform she'd signed a grudging truce with, broke off the bit of chocolate with her teeth marks and tossed it into the air. BASL's newest member leapt up to grab it in her mouth like a seal, tumbled in midair, and landed on her bed with an oomph and raised arms.

crinklecrinkle

Lorena pulled down the wrapper over the rest of the chocolate and chucked it underhanded over to Ben's bed.

"For energy. Never let it be said that a Negasi woman let a man go into a fight at a disadvantage."

Ben laughed, taking an idle bite from the bar and slipping Artorius and Lawnslot through their loops at his waist. Each one had been tested and maintained the night before. They’d serve him well. And speaking of energy he knew that their batteries were just about full. Hadn’t been released in weeks so there was plenty of time to build up a charge.

He’d have to see how they played with the sparring system.

Taking another bite he looked over to Lauren.

“Ready to go?”

"Yuuuuuuuup."

Lauren hopped off her bed with a quiet yank of her collar and gripped her axe (she'd never really gotten around to naming it, which was a thing people did here...) in her hands as casually as she would put a pencil behind her ear. Following the BASL leader at first, she quickly sidled up next to him once it was clear she wasn't going to get lost and wander back onto the next airship home trying to figure out where the hell she was supposed to fight at.

"I should probably say thank you," she brought up as they walked. "Not just for, like, carrying your impending asskicking on your back like a champ and all-" punctuated by an elbow to the ribs "-but for helping me get acquainted with the whole Beacon thing. You and Desire and even Sangue. I know I was a late addition and all, so, uh...thanks."

“Don’t mention it.” He grinned, glancing sidelong at Lauren. “You’re part of the team. And if anyone gets what it’s like to get here late, it’s us. Hell, we weren’t just late, we teeechnically shouldn’t be here.”

“Getting you up to speed was simple, and about as far from out of the way as it gets.” A lazy smirk crossed his face. ” Even if you are just a bit arrogant, there, Lauren.”

"Law 28 of the 48 Laws of Power, Ben! Enter action with boldness!" Lauren said emphatically. "Save the caution for your own head, let everyone else see the confidence."

She beamed and elbowed her team captain's ribs again, decidedly more playfully.

Ben’s laughter resounded through the hall, the leader nodding his head. It made sense, especially with what he knew of Lauren, but the enthusiasm behind it was pretty incredible. He punched her shoulder lightly, grinning.

“Yeah, well, don’t think I’m gonna sleep through it and let you win. Not that lazy.”

"I'd be bummed if you did, bruh." The young woman stretched both arms behind her back and cracked her knuckles, trying to limber up a little as they walked to...wherever Ben had mentioned the fights were staged. She'd sort of zoned out making faces at Amy Desire behind his back, but she'd gotten the general gist of it!

"I wanna win or lose fair and square. You're a team leader, and you must've been chosen for a reason. I respect that. I've spent my whole life dancing outta scrapes. I respect that about myself, too. S'gonna be hype either way."

“Well, you’re enthusiastic.” With a turn and a few more steps, Ben stepped into the designated arena. His chosen starting space left several paces between himself and Lauren, a fair starting distance for whatever style she had. A practiced movement brought his weapons to hand.

“Ready?”

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Lauren scraped one foot along the ground, as if testing it for something, then looked up at BASL's team leader. Ben's laughter was still echoing in her ears, and now that she was standing at dueling distance from him, she could almost feel the energy of a looming fight crackling inside her, s l i t h e r i n g a r o u n d under her skin, seeping into muscle tissue.

She favored him with a teasing smile.

“Alright then.” The leader said, bouncing on the balls of his feet briefly as he settled into a ready stance. With their fight set to start, the arena’s monitors shifted to display both combatants’ Aura levels; Lauren’s a full green bar, and Benjamin’s own missing a solid fourth off of its length already.

Artorius and Lawnslot rested easily along the path of his forearms, safeties disengaged and his fingers on the triggers. He returned Lauren’s grin, and settled in to wait.

It was time to see what she had.

Oh, so it's gonna be like that.

She'd expected caution from Ben, but was hoping that by not instantly jumping at the first sign of the (metaphorical) starting gun, she could slowly bait him into making the first strike. He was even more cautious than she'd thought, though, meaning it was up to her to make not just the first move, but make sure he stayed on his toes in the process. If she couldn't shake him, she would just exhaust herself before he turned himself on her in a swoop.

Plus...what was with his Aura bar?

Sketch-yyyyyyy.

She scuffed her other foot along the floor and lowere her head slightly, charging towards the BASL team leader with everything she had. She saw his twin tonfas ready defensively, fingers ready to twitch and drive her off her path, so she decided to beat him to the punch. Charging through his legs would have only gotten her tangled up, too - not nearly enough room to fit through the gap in his stance. Instead, Lauren veered to her right, Ben's left, crouching as though she were about to springboard herself into the air.

Instead, she kept herself low until she was feet inside the range of his tonfa's barrels and then dropped herself completely on her knees; now under his forearms entirely, she slid like a baseball player gunning for a base, wielding her axe (seriously, without a name the weapon felt positively second-class. Barry the Hatchet...?) by the head so that the hard metal shaft could clatter against Ben's shin bone. Tensed in a defensive position already, it had started to swivel as Lauren moved beside and underneath him, disrupting his momentum temporarily (and hopefully leaving his back leg throbbing) enough for her to bounce to her feet and send a sweeping blow with the axe straight for his gut.

Metal rang off metal, the interposition of a tonfa guarding Ben’s gut, but his back leg was definitely throbbing. He’d expected Lauren to be tough, but she was wilier than predicted. He knew his Aura gauge had dropped a bit, but despite the necessity of keeping an eye on it, he didn’t have time to look. A flick of his wrist brought his right hand weapon, Artorius, into a gyakute-mochi grip, the pointed end normally near his shoulder extending forward.

Even as he hatchet collided with Lawnslot, he flicked the trigger mechanism of its twin, the recoil from its shotgun barrel sending the pointed end hurtling towards Lauren’s chest. Lawnslot, once the initial strike was blocked, was shifted to face its shotgun barrel just to Ben’s right; launched from a right-hand position, Artorius’ trajectory included a slight leftward curve.

If Lauran dodged, then the easiest move at this range would be the opposite direction of that curve. Lawnslot, hidden like a snake in the grass beneath the primary blow, was positioned to fire off a shot should she follow the path of least resistance.

Let’s see how well you defend.

Not very well, as it were, but not in the way Ben might have been expecting.

Lauren, realizing that she wasn't about to take a shotgun blast to the torso and come away with much Aura, let alone feeling hype, ducked under Artorius and caught his arm at the bottom of the bicep as she straightened out her own torso. She knew she wasn't going to be able to hold him for very long in this position, especially as he repositioned Lawnslot, so she moved on impulse and started another charge, carrying Ben along with her head tucked in his diaphragm and her left hand gradually pinching down on the soft flesh beneath his bicep.

coochie coochie coooo

She laughed loudly.

After about fifteen feet, she suddenly stopped and threw herself upright. Ben, no longer carried by Lorena's momentum, was suspended in the air above her, and she bucked her shoulders suddenly, trying to throw her opponent over her shoulders and onto his back. If he landed there, winded, she could press the advantage with a backwards somersault, maybe plant her feet on his chest once or twice. If he recovered earlier than that, she could take advantage of that hurt shin of his and hobble him before he recovered a stance.

If he did something unexpected...well, good for him. Wouldn't be the first time for either of 'em in this fight.

Grappling wasn’t really Ben’s forte, he had to admit. And Lauren’s charge had been too unexpected for him to do much about it. As he hung suspended in the air, however, he had a pretty good idea of what was coming next. As he went up and over her shoulders, his teammate intending to make sure he slammed down on his back, he flipped Lawnslot forward too and fired both barrels, both cutting down on the force before impact and providing him with enough momentum to somersault forward, putting a little distance between him and Lauren.

A small burst of Aura, represented by an unhelpful drain on his gauge, fueled a small boost to his legs; pushing off when his feet neared the ground again brought him to his feet and put a little more distance between them in a single lunge.

The short time they had been fighting, though, had already told him the most important thing he needed to know. He couldn’t let Lauren get close. In close range, it was harder for him to adapt to her unpredictable style. Mid or further, his skillset and loadout gave him enough time to react and attack.

His opponent was a good fifteen, twenty feet away thanks to his space-buying maneuver. He couldn’t let her get closer than five.

Flipping back to a more standard grip he fired off a shotgun blast aimed in Lauren’s direction. With about fifteen feet, she was well inside his range. More importantly, he was far enough out of hers that he’d have some time to work with when she came charging in.

As soon as she'd watched Ben's Aura gauge dip without any further attack on her end, she had instinctively turned to face him, and so saw the shotgun blast coming at her from within a few yards. Still operating on instinct, she dropped to the ground and then pushed herself back up with her hands in an impromptu pushup, but she'd still been too slow - Lauren felt Ben's blast scrape her back up, resulting in the first meaningful drop on her own gauge.

Crap.

He was gonna make her work for it from here on out, too.

She pushed herself into a sprint and turned on her feet, giving Ben her back for a crucial second - she knew he'd fire on her again while she danced along the edge of his comfort zone, so she put her weight into a small backflip, barely enough to clear Ben's head. It was, however, good enough to get above and behind him, using the shaft of her axe and hooking it horizontally underneath his chin, both her hands gripping its ends to ensnare him in her hold. She was intent on pulling him down with her, and this time, only one of them would be on their feet.

Crap.

There was no pre-planning this time. Everything from the moment he felt the shaft hooking under his chin to the moment her hand closed on the other end was pure instinct.

And man. Was it unpleasant.

Deinamig flared to life, accompanied by the dip in his Aura that left his gauge hovering over the orange, and bolstered the muscles in his neck and back. Specifically, the group used to resist the force being exerted on his neck. On the plus side, he didn’t move; Deinamig ensured his muscles were stronger than the force exerted on his chin.

On the con side, the force exerted wasn’t negated. And the pressure it exerted on his windpipe as Lorena arched down was really, really uncomfortable. The first real impact on his Aura levels caused by her, too, given that it was what was preventing damage to his windpipe. He slammed an elbow back in desperation, loosening her grip on her axe just enough to buy him a little breathing room. A second application of Deinamig boosted his legs, a lunge putting a little space between them.

What he saw on his Aura gauge, as he coughed and started to breathe properly again, wasn’t pleasant. He’d dropped into the orange a lot sooner than expected.

No choice.

“Points,” He coughed. “For pushing it this far so quick, Lauren.”

As he turned to face her, his finger found the button just above Artorius’ trigger and pressed it.

And felt Aura flooding back into the fuel tank.

Ohhh, fuck me.

Lauren recovered quickly from the initial shock of seeing his Aura gauge make an upwards climb that would leave mountaineers blow their wads with the knowledge that he was still coughing for breath. The recovery process as he drew back into the green would take precious seconds. Maybe...

With his finger still holding the button of Artorius, she readjusted her grip on her axe and swung it wide at his head, fully expecting the tonfo to block it. Her real goal was Lawnslot; if the one weapon had the potential to replenish his Aura, she had no idea if the second could do so independently as well, and so if he brought it up against her while her axe was busy trying to conk him in the head, she got ready to shift her weight imperceptibly, ready to kick Lawnslot right out of his hand and separate him from a final Aura boost.

Ben had learned the first few times better than to stay within Lauren’s range, whether he could block her or not. Rather than block, he fired both shotgun barrels at Lauren’s torso; this served the dual purpose of seeking to cause damage, and ensuring that there was extra force behind his foot pushing off of the ground. The combined momentum sent him flying back, though the axe head rather unpleasantly skimmed across his face, registering as a slowing of his gauge’s recovery.

Rather than wait for her to take advantage of his still-in-progress recovery again, Deinamig fueled his legs to let him jump back once more with equal force to ensure she couldn’t get too close.

After a moment’s hesitation, he flicked the release on Lawnslot’s battery, too. He hated to spend them both, given how drained it was going to leave him for the next few days, but he needed the extra juice. The first release had mostly served to boost battered Aura reserves back up to normal. The second was the real turbocharger; as the stored Aura rushed back, he was operating at a suplus, rather than a deficit.

Deinamig had plenty of fuel for once.

It had been Lauren who was pressing most of the offense in the fight, so it wasn't as much the second drop in her Aura gauge - registering as a fuck fuck fuck spinning half-dodge in the two seconds it took for her to realize Artorius wasn't moving - that bothered her as it was the fact that, for the first time, Ben had her at an energy advantage. She could make it up given time, if she managed to avoid many more of those shotgun blasts, but it would involve being quick and continuing to press at him from forward and behind. The exhilaration they'd both been feeling walking into the fight was aching in her legs, giving her the ability to at least amp herself up for continued sprinting, but there were risks inherent with the strategy. If he could squeeze any shots off...

...

...but it wouldn't matter if he couldn't even move an arm. And there were no charges left for him, whereas all Lauren had to do was keep him adrenal.

Alright.

Alright.

Lauren found herself charging again, this time in a sickle shape swooping in on Ben's left - the throbbing in his shin may have been subsiding with his Aura boost, but it was better than nothing - yet again. She ducked down and skidded on one knee, fully expecting the tried-and-true shotgun blast and leap-frog backwards of his that she'd come to rue. This time, as soon as she saw the slightest twitch of Ben wanting to retreat to mid-range again, she darted out with her axe, hooking the tendons on the back of his superpowered pogo ankle of ruefulness~ between the shaft and head of her axe and pulling the BASL leader to the ground.

She dove for his left arm as soon as he wobbled, trying to land on it and pin him to the ground with her knees while her axe came back up over his chest to catch onto Lawnslot.

She’s blocking my right, left arm’s pinned between her legs...

...

Gonna have to apologize for this one later.

Rather than try to evade the pin, Ben actually did his level best to make sure she had as much of the limb pinned as possible. When they came to a momentary lull, the time Lauren needed to adjust to her new position and attack, his elbow was situated somewhere past her knees. Said elbow bent up, allowing him to angle his arm up and, after releasing his grip on one of his tonfa, plant his hand on the small of her back.

"Why, Mister Darcy~!"

... Not even going to deal with that right now.

And then use Deinamig to pump a large strength boost to his left arm. With a feat of strenth far exceeding what he would normally have been capable of, he rolled and flipped Lauren as he did, planting her on the ground not-too-gently.

The tactic left her pinned on the ground, tucked into the crook of a super-powered arm, with a shotgun barrel jammed up against her ribs. A quick glance at her Aura gauge reassured Ben that her Aura wasn’t low enough for firing to be genuinely dangerous, so with a swift squeeze of the trigger, he let loose.

No no no no no OW FUCK FUCK GIGGITY I MEAN F U C K

One shot. One shot was all she'd allow him. She wouldn't afford herself the time to look at her gauge; the time for a peek was, coincidentially, the exact amount of time it would take Ben to put a second round into her ribs and deplete her Aura even further. She was at a deficit, she knew; if she wanted this match, she had to fight for it. And given Ben's prom night grip, she thought she knew exactly how to get him - with his own two mistakes. The first had been discarding Artorius at all in order to catch her in the pin; the second had been leaving open one arm in order to catch her with a shot.

In one move, the wrestling girl exacerbated both.

Her right arm, unpinned, coiled at her side and wrapped around the barrel of Lawnslot, with her fist wrapping tightly further up the tonfo's stock. Teeth gritted, she rammed the butt of Ben's own weapon up into the soft flesh underneath his own left rib cage, then again, until his grip faltered. Then, rolled forward, she executed her disarming manuever - twisting her arm to send the tonfo skittering across the floor, bumping into the discarded Artorius and lying prone feet away from the pair, where Lauren had pinned Ben only sixty seconds before. Disarmed and winded from his own weapon's blunt force, BASL's newest member had her opening.

Her ensnarement of her team leader began with the hard clang of her axe's steel shaft against the fine bones of the insides of Ben's wrists, and then a harder clang as she pinned them both to the floor. Slithering up along his average frame, Lauren planted both her knees on the insides of his biceps as he laid sprawled. This left her open for her real manuever - sitting on her legs, with her toes digging into the same soft flesh underneath the ribcage and her heels laying in wait above Ben's undefended hips, the tank wrapped her thighs around her opponent's head and squeezed hard, ensuring that she had a solid grip on his face.

"Sorry, Cap'n," she chuckle with an apologetic grin, just as her thighs twisted and sent Ben's head snapping to the right. That sent the Aura gauge dropping, and Lauren - heart starting to race in excitement - readjusted her position with the cruel precision an accurate hold required.

Secure the core. Finding the same spot under Ben's left ribs where Lawnslot had made contact, as well as his as-of-yet unwinded right ribs, Lauren's toes dug in hard, while she readied herself to slip backwards and bring her heels down hard on the bones of his hips if she had to.

Check.

Secure the arms. Lauren dug in with her knees harder into the soft, pinched skin of Ben's biceps, while she started to massage the fragile bones inside Ben's wrists with her axe's shaft like a rolling pin before bringing it just to a halt underneath the butts of his palms.

Give him a silver lining. Lauren squeezed her thighs almost playfully, as if to remind Ben that, hey, you could be in worse positions right now - even though only a handful of those positions would result in the kinds of repeated neck snappings Lauren Negasi had in store.

Aaaand...get ready.

Lauren tensed her legs and grip on the axe, ready for the second crack of Ben's neck.

Fuck.

A theorist would tell you that Aura prevents injury. Benjamin Lloyd would tell you that prevention of injury doesn't mean prevention of pain. Pain lanced through his head, his response urged on by the fact thathe was not going to go through that again. Lauren's stance gave her a lot of options, but she was too spread out. No solid base.

Planting his feet solidly on the ground, he pushed his lower body up and pumped Aura into the muscles of his right arm, bringing the limb forward at the same time. The result destabilized Lauren's stance, and then exerted a tremendous amount of force to use her own grip to shove her off. Balance of probability, she'd be forced off of him. Even if she wasn't, she'd have to relinquish her grip on his head to keep from falling.

I've got more Aura. Need to get her off, and get a few good hits in. Released both batteries, so I've got a big stockpile.

I won't give up this match. Won't. Won't won't wont.

Lauren Negasi felt the tide turning yet again when Ben's waist bucked underneath her, and her feet began to slope in more and more of a decline. At the same time, she felt her axe give way underneath his arm - his goddamn Semblance - and wobble as her mount slowly disintegrated on both ends. Instinctively, she moved to her right, rolling out of the way of his strike before Ben could use Deinamig and cleave her face in twain with a strike. Her aura was still hovering in that tenuous just-orange zone, enough to sustain several more hits from her team leader, but all the same his Aura bar was still resting at full - above full, thanks to those thrice-damned batteries. Any other opponent on the planet, and he'd be in the red right now.

But she could even that out.

Before Ben could even adjust his stance and tweak his neck. Lauren was flying at him from the side, closing the gap from mid-to-close range yet again with axe flying.

The first strike hit Ben's superpowered right arm when he turned to block it, and in the brief second that the axe made contact with his clothing he realized that Lauren had disarmed him before her latest mount; his tonfas still lay a foot from each other a yard away from their current positions. Ben was still weighing the thought of going after them and finishing Lauren off with a few shotgun volleys when he found himself back in the uncomfortable - and, lately, more and more familiar - position of being down on the ground while his newest teammate adopted a spider guard. Instinctively, Ben went to kick up again.

Lorena Negasi started to laugh.

Jumping up into the air, both her legs came down hard around the inside leg of her team captain, sweeping from a heel hook into a leg lock that only cinched down tighter by the second. Sitting upright, she tossed her axe from right palm to left and took it in her grip tightly. This is it. This is it. I've got him good this time. She watched Ben wince in pain, and knew that she had the match in the bag.

SCHWINK. SCHWINK.

As she watched, the Aura meter on his Scroll was whittling away, shrinking, shrinking. It was going to dip into orange any second...and there it was, orange. Same as hers. For a brief second, Lauren Negasi had the lead, and victory, between two rows of white, beaming teeth.

SCHWINK. SCHWINK. SCHWINKSCHWINKSCHWINKSCHWIIIIII--

WHAM

Ben, right arm still powered up from Dienamig, finally struck back hard and fast, sitting up the same way Lauren had and twisting his body - at the cost of any good feeling left in his legs - to deliver a hard punch right to his teammate's jaw. Watching her reel for a second, just out of range of his arm, her eyes set in new determination. That, he knew, fazed her.

WHAM

WHAM

SCHWINK SCHWINK SCHWINK

The two BASL members had gone into full mutually assured destruction mode, Lauren beating into Ben's face with her axe like Lizzie Borden while Ben's right arm hammered away at her head. The dipping of their Auras, neck and neck, was almost lost to both of them.

"Forfeit?" Ben asked, pulling back his fist. Pusing as much extra Aura as he felt comfortable with into his arm, he gave Lauren the strongest grin he could muster through the soreness in his body. Despite her bravado, he was pretty sure his teammate was feeling the same way.

"Sorry for your loss," she quipped, tightening her grip on the axe and swinging with all the momentum she had in her, even when Ben's arm shot forward with the strength and speed of a--

WHASCHINK

...

...

...

"Owwwww."

Ben winced at the sliver of blood running down his cheek.

"I'm in the red," he said, with a heavy sigh and a congratulatory smile for Lauren - who, he noticed with a jolt as he looked up, was holding her eye gingerly.

She slipped away from the leglock with the ease of a serpent and sat, cross legged, with as wide a grin on her face as she'd had during the fight itself. With a laugh, she let out a muffled "fuuuuck" through her palm and held up her Scroll with her free hand for Ben to see. Her eye stung as her face stretched out in a wider grin; no doubt her eye would blacken within the day.


"Don't beat yourself up," she replied good-naturedly, tapping her red Aura bar with her thumb. "I'm in the red."

With a lazy look towards Goodwitch, both members of BASL dropped into a prone position on the ground, complete with unison "ayys" and a single tired groan.

For a moment afterward, there was silence. Evidently, a technical tie did not occur too often in Goodwitch's class. A few seconds later, however, the combat instructor found her voice. "Well done. Such determination will serve the both of you well on the battlefield. Full marks for each of you today. If you need assistance, miss Dei will help you out." The clock was nearing its end; more than likely, the duel between Ben and Lauren would mark the last match-up of the day. There remained a few students who hadn't gotten the chance to fight yet, but with the impending deadline, combat class would be coming to a close shortly.

The  morning sun was already starting to loom overhead, and the combat  classes back at Beacon started, by the time that Sarina, Clair, and Flax  Fulvous the camera guy arrived at the launchpad near the Emerald  Forest.  Though Professor Port has spoken of a ferocious,  larger-than-usual Ogdoad when he'd given the seniors this assignment,  the viridian woods seemed as peaceful and as pleasant as ever.  The  newcomer, a martial artist from Vale's Summit of Fists with a passion  for cinematography -as he'd said when introduced- was the first to the  edge of the cliff.  Hoisting his oversized camera on his shoulder like a  rocket launcher, he leaned slightly over the edge, brown pompadour  waving in the breeze, and whistled.  "That's a big drop.  And you guys  just got launched by spring pad into there four years ago?  What an intense way to start college."  He eyed the spring-loaded diases nearby  doubtfully.  "I'm sure this'd be a nostalgia trip for you, but I've  always been a more down-to-earth kind of fellow.  Do you know if there's another way down?"

Clair shrugged. "Well, if you really want to go the slow way, you're in  for quite a hike." She took a deep breath in. It's not like Vale was a  city with pollution problems, but nothing beats the air out in the wild.  She glanced at Flax. "I just transferred in a few days ago, so I never  did this the first time. We did something like this back at Haven,  though, so I don't think I'll have any problem getting down. If you let  me carry you when we're in the air, you'll get some good footage." She  mock flexed her arms. "I might be skinny, but it's all muscle. I can  carry you and that big camera of yours."  This prompted a chuckle from the pompadoured teen.

She looked at Sarina, who was standing a short distance away on the  edge of the cliff face. "How about you, Princess?" she asked.  "You can get down safe, right?"

Sarina stared straight across  the cliff face observing the vast green forests  of Emerald. She was  somewhat annoyed that their mission was being  filmed. She was not keen  on being screen for the masses who wanted to  watch a Grimm die. Being  of course a Praetorian from the Dei meant she  would garner more  attention. A child of one of the most powerful  families in Mistral, the  owners of Mistral premier robotic company, and  of course being a  members of the cursed controversial family meant that  her families  prestige would be affected by how she conducts herself on  screen. That  goes the same for her entire greater kin, the Praetorians.  As a Ducissa  (Duchess) under Mistral nobility system, this mission was  important  for herself, her family, and the Praetorians.

“Yes” Sarina said with a neutral tone, and a pensive look. “You know, I’m curious to see you in action.” 

"Ah,"  Flax interjected, "But before there can be action, there must be, of  course, lights and camera!  We've got the equipment, but not the  location.  As inviting as taking a dive in your arms sounds, love, I'll  be do-or-dying this scene myself.  I was always a fan of the whole  hunter idea -this isn't the first time I've visited Beacon, actually-  and since I'm the chap they pick for shooting the most bangin' stuff, I  thought I might as well try and give my trusty camera a little oomph."   Flax flicked a switch, and the camera's lens went dark.  He manually  popped open what looked like a barrel, looking a little sheepish.   "It...doesn't transform.  But it can shoot rockets almost as well as  films.  Let's see, now..."  Hauling the device onto his shoulder, he  aimed directly downward, aiming at his feet.  Uttering a not-at-all  confident sort of high-pitched grunt, he jumped and fired the weapon  straight down.

A  second later the junior cinematographer was sailing through the air,  his sneakers singed.  "Wooooo!  See you ladies on the ground!"  As he  plummeted down the cliff, he muttered in a still-audible tone, "...I  hope." and fell out of view.

Clair  scratched her head. "Well, after that show, I'm not sure it's me you  should be curious about." She leaned over the side of the cliff. "Did  you see where he landed?"

A fan, well I’m not. Sarina  then looked down from the cliff face only to see vast forests then  turning her head back to Clair. “Somewhere there”  as she pointed as a  part of the forest “though he’s probably gone,  searching for the  location to shoot us fighting the Ogdoad.”
 
     "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised."
      
With  that, Sarina then looked once more at the vast forests of Emerald.  Sarina then looked into her soul… Excitare, stella martis pacisque.   (Awaken, star of peace and war) Suddenly two stars appeared one that   was red and one that was blue began revolving around her. Her presence   changed, as if two forces were keeping her balanced as the stars   revolved around her. She then exhibited heterchromia, her left eye  blue,  her right eye red. Looking at this, one can feel a sense of something…a symbolism that depended upon a person’s subjective mind.

She then pointed her finger to the air, modum viator (mode   transport); the white star left Sarina and formed a platform in the   shape of the white star, moving towards the end of the cliff face. The   red star was only revolving around her. With that, Sarina walked onto   the platform. She then looked at Clair. “We can get down this way.”

     "Oh boy," Clair said. "The royal treatment. I'm honored." She joined  her partner on the platform. "Just so you know, I already had a plan for  getting down there. Many plans."
    
Sarina squinted her eyes while looking straight at the direction of the cliff face. Hmm…
    
    
    Clair stared at her. "So, you know how to fly this thing, right?"

Sarina looked down. Descendo (descend). The blue star platform began to descend… (as an bonus option :P play this during the descent  (youtube.com/watch?v=-kl4hJ4j48s)   start at 0:41) The platform lowered itself at a steady pace. When the   platform neared the tree line, Sarina jumped in the air, unsheathed   Arbiter, descending down and cut open through the foliage, landing on   the ground with a light step, reaped foliage around her vicinity. She   then looked up through the hole she cut through the tree line, looking   at her blue star platform… Reditum (return). It and reformed itself quickly around Sarina, circling her once more, looking at Clair now in the air. You said you had a plan to get down from the cliff face. Well, let’s see how you will get down in air…

     "Oh, real funny, Princess!" Clair whipped herself around in mid-air,  back to the ground. Free-fall wasn't her specialty but she had, in fact,  made plans. Several.
    
     "Aias!" The gauntlet on her left arm projected a red, glass-like  shield, and with a flick of her wrist it flew into the air above her.  She opened her fist and the shield expanded; closing her fist tight, she  pulled herself towards it as it continued traveling higher, using the  magnetic-like force to slow her descent. In a moment, she landed feet  first, like a feather.
    
Nice Shield…

    
     Clair snapped her fingers. The shield shrank and returned to its place  on her arm, before disappearing in a red flash of light. She looked at  Sarina. "Try that again," she dared. "And we'll see how well that works  out for you."
    
Oh a threat? Don’t get me started… Sarina making a lip-tight smirk, “Heh. Just checking you out, that’s all” looking back at her. 
    
     "Checking me out? What do you -"
     
Sarina interjecting, “As in your skills.”
        
The  next instant, the sound of an explosion nearby heralded the arrival of  Flax.  Having nearly fallen to his death, he managed to redirect his  momentum at the last moment before impact with another rocket,  converting a fall into flight.  He skidded across the ground, and for a  moment before he lost his footing he fancied himself quite the cool  man.  After tripping and rolling a couple dozen feet, he spat out a  mouthful of grass and got to his feet.  His pompadour had been destroyed  by the constant wind, giving him instead a large, drooping bang on one  side.  "Well...that coulda gone worse, I s'pose."  He turned to see both  Clair and Sarina looking his way.  "...Told ya I'd by fine, didn' I?   We uh, ready to go?"

    Clair took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders. "Yeah, we're ready. Where exactly is this thing waiting for us, anyways?"

Sarina nodded at Flax, signaling she is ready.

The  group began to walk.  There wasn't much to tell about the  larger-than-average Ogdoad they'd be facing; those question were better  suited for the mission assigner than the cinematographer.  Progress  through the forest was quick, the trail of the rogue Ogdoad easily  found.



Flax  crept up against the rock, peeping around the side.  They were on the  edge of what used to be a basin, but now, with one edge of the thing  eroded, it formed a semicircle waterfall that drained into a marshy  canyon.  Heading up to the falls, the river was only about a foot deep,  and flowed reasonably slowly.  It was interspersed with grassy delta.   The groups' quarry, if it could be called such, was using its tongue to  fell trees near the waterfall's lip, perhaps to carve itself a pleasant  place to lie down.  Though all Grimm of its breed were repulsive, this  specimen was particularly nasty.  Its ebony skin was blistered with  warts, punctuated with scars from previous battles fought and won.

Chuckling,  Flax leaned back.  "Aaaalrighty then, we've found the beastie, guess  it's time for the show to begin.  Once you two have engaged it, I'll  start the film.  If ya see me rocket jumpin' around, it's to get a  better angle, but if you need me to shoot at the toad jus' gimme a  call.  Ya might try knockin' it into the old basin, cut off it's  escape.  Ready for action, girls?"

    Clair peeked her head out from behind the rock.
    
    Soft  flesh. Leathery, but soft. Easily pierced, but vitals are  well-protected. Stabbing and slashing weapons won't be as effective  here.
    
     Muscular legs means it can move easily despite its size. Normally,  incapacitating a Grimm would be effective, but in this case, it's just  going to be a waste of effort.
    
     It's... well, it's a big frog. Its tongue can probably cover close to  mid-range. and it might even have projectiles that can cover long-range  combat.
    
     Melee weapons alone won't do much.That thing can take standard bullets  with no problem thanks to all of that fat. If I'm going to take it out,  I'm going to need something with a lot of impact damage and serious  range.
    
    She glanced at Flax's camera. Large blast radius. Not bad. I guess our cameraman might come in handy after all.
    .
    "Give me a minute," she whispered. And with that, she closed her eyes.
    
     Clair didn't have an offensive weapon of her own any more; it shattered  in her last mission at Haven. But her Semblance more than made up for  that.

    Sorry, Arthur. I'm going to have to borrow this.
    
     "Fabricate."
     
      A red light concentrated in her hands - her Aura. With a dim flash, the glow dispersed, and she was left holding a long-barreled, high-calibre rifle.
         "APFSDS rounds. Kinetic energy penetrator ammo. This thing can blow a hole in the side of a tank," she explained, unfolding the rifle's massive bipod. "It'll be more than enough for our friend here." She  looked at the other two. "Flax, sorry, this won't exactly be a show-stopper, but it's the best way to get the job done. Sarina, if you can make me an opening, I can take it out."
        
So that’s your power…as Sarina looked at Clair fabricate a weapon. “Impressive." 
Sarina carefully monitored the Ogdoad movements. She had never fought an Ogdoad but seen one in combat, a dangerous foe to face. Clair had a point on ending it quickly. If they didn’t, more Grimm could be attracted to their position. Sarina looked at Clair, “Ok so I will lure out the Ogdoad to get near the cliff. Once it gets near the cliff, fire upon it to knock it down to the basin. I will then check out the Ogdoad on the bottom to see if it’s dead. Then we can get out of here.”

    Clair nodded. "Alright." She waved her hand over the side of the rifle and with another flash, a strap appeared. She slung the weapon across her back. "Make sure you get clear of it fast once you've got it near the cliff. I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire. I'll give you the signal once I'm in position."

    Channeling her Aura into her legs, she leaped up into the treetops. Hopping through branches, she came to a solid perch. She lied down, prone, along a thick branch. Unfolding the bipod, she lined up her sights with the Ogdoad. She projected a small knife and flickered it between its Aura and solid state, creating a blinking red flare.
    
    Your turn, Princess.
    
Sarina saw the blinking red flare and set her plan in motion. She first ran left near some trees, creating loud footsteps on the ground while looking at the Ogdoad. It was attracted to it and looked at the trees Sarina was running through. The beast made a huge grunt. That was the signal and then she immiedtley exited out their…looking sacred confused as she came across the Ogdoad with a fearful emanation, looking at its body. It’s all part of the plan. The grimm then made an aggressive grunt and charged at Sarina. She made a dodge to the left as the Ogdoad stopped but then faced towards Sarina. Sarina began running as fast as possible from the charging Ogdoad who was gaining on as she ran to attract the Ogdoad near the basin. She could feel the creature gaining on her as she turned her sideways while running, so close, so she channeled her aura to her legs making a high jump, with her hand on Arbiter, ready. The Ogdoad launched its tongue at Sarina. The tongue had hit Martis and reflected the attack back at the monster, hitting it straight at the face. Sarina had landed but was near the edge of the basin. The Ogdoad quickly recollected itself from being attacked by its own tongue. 
 
The Ogdoad stared off Sarina, her hand, firmly placed upon Arbiter. It was daunting, stressful as the Ogdoad was looking at her. She wondered what it was thinking as Sarina was trapped at the edge. The Ogdoad which was aggressive then slowly eased itself, continuing to look at Sarina. It then made a large frog-like roar. Immediately Sarina could feel something, the presence of Grimm in the other areas. As they continued to stare down at each other, the Grimm emanation was becoming stronger, and coming closer.
 
Sarina then realized the Ogdoad saw through her façade. She felt that the Ogdoad must have seen through the fake emanation she was putting up. With the feeling of Grimm going to their location, endangering Flax and Clair, Sarina made a backflip into the air, “DO IT NOW” she said as loud as possible, then standing on a white platform in the air, looking at the Ogdoad. In her mind, she had to make this quick… Martem belli aperuit ianuam (Mars, open the gate of war). The red star continued to orbit around Sarina, slowly transforming into a darker red star, with a dark outline around a hole.

The Ogdoad looking at Sarina standing on a platform in air, turned at the direction Sarina yelled at. It looked at top at a perch, noticing someone there. Immediately it launched a gallon of fetid, poisonous at the perch, making an aggressive grunt…

    "Aias!"
    
   Clair jumped onto her feet, instantly projecting her shield in front of her. The acid sludge sizzled as it connected, the force of the impact knocking her back along the branch. Dammit, why did you have to yell? She flung her shield aside. Finger on the trigger.
   
    Crack.
    
    Branches splintering, she lost her footing - and she saw it: the Ogdoad's acid had burned through the tree's trunk. She threw herself off the branch as the tree toppled down.
    
    Looks like I'm just going to have to try!-
    
    She whipped the rifle in front of her, took aim, and -
    
    Fingers crossed!
    
    - the shot tore through the forest, scattering wood and leaves as it ripped through the air. The bullet slammed into the ground at the Ogdoad's feet and shattered the earth. The side of the cliff slid into the basin, taking the hulking Grimm with it.
    
    The force of the shot sent her sliding backwards along the forest floor. Once the dust cleared, she glanced through the rifle's scope at where the creature was a moment before. No blood.
    
    Shit. I missed.
    
    She ran back to the edge of the basin. Sarina was safe on her platform, and Flax was nowhere to be seen. In the canyon below, she could see the beast glaring up at them. She loaded another round into the chamber. "Not this time."
    
    The second shot echoed through the canyon. But the Ogdoad was ready - it leapt backwards as the bullet blew a crater in the marshy ground.
    
    "This thing's that fat and still this fast?" she groaned. The barrel of the rifle was now white hot. She sighed. "I'm not supposed to fire two shots that fast." She tossed it aside and it hit the ground with a thud, disappearing in a flash of red. With all the Aura she used for blocking and jumping, it would take too much of a toll on her to make another one.
    
    Guess that leaves Plan B.
    
    Two shortswords appeared in her hands. She had one last trick up her sleeve. "Sarina," she said. "I don't have enough Aura to make another rifle. We're going to have to do this old-school." She smirked. "Think you can handle it?"
    
Sarina was surprised how ell Clair handled herself once the Ogdoad launched its acid on her and sending it to the basin. When Clair fired her rifle, she hoped that shot would have been its deathblow but was not the case.
 
 “What a shame, I’d hope your 2nd shot would have ended its existence” making a deep disappointing sigh while looking at the Ogdoad down below. “I can defeat it just with my sword.” I will keep the gate as a backup though. Turning her head to Clair, “Yes” making a miniscule grin.

The girls launched themselves at the creature, deftly navigating the rough terrain and approaching their enemy with blades drawn and ready.  Seemingly sensing a problem incoming, the Ogdoad puffed up its cheeks, drawing up fetid water from deep inside its inner systems.  This spew, though not acidic or gaseous, remained one of the most vilest substances that any huntress-to-be could ever have the displeasure of encountering in her career.  Before it could vomit forth a noxious tide, however, a rocket slammed into the monstrous grimm from the side, ripping apart the side of its mouth and causing it to disgorge its load harmlessly at its feet.  If either of the swordswomen looked, they'd spot none other than Flax Fulvous, possessed of a new hiding spot, rolling film, and giving them the thumbs up.  He was in a prime position to record a stunning display of talent and brutality, and in the course of the next minute, Sarina and Claire did not disappoint.

When the deed was done, and the black chunks of the obliterated Ogdoad steaming up into the air, Flax came out of his hiding spot.  "That was quality!  Great job, ladies.  The way you made it look as if the beastie had the upper hand--priceless!  All the more exciting.  Y'know, they should make a tv show about the huntresses in this school.  I'd watch it.  That's not creepy for me to say, though."  Sighing, the cinematographer looked up at the waterfalls.  "We've got a long way to go to get back."