Krysthane took a step backwards and raised her arms to guard herself but Ebon appeared startlingly fast and blocked the shot. "Thanks Ebon, Sepia link us!" As soon as the link was established Krysthane would explain her plan. Ebon, Sepia, and I rush forward hiding behind Kingdom then rushing out. Skyra get in here and take out anyone we haven't. Ready, set, go! Krysthane hid slightly behind Ebon waiting for him to creep up, once they got close enough she would boost out in a burst of speed, taking down the first person she saw with one devastating kick and moving onwards, jetting around erratically to avoid any gunfire and blocking any shots that managed to connect with her aura, semblance, and . The rest should fall into place. From what little experience she had with Sepia's semblance when they were linked they were practically unstoppable, and when against normal gun men this should be a piece of cake. Right?
Sand Vespa – Capture the Fort (Collab with Lucius Cypher)
Any vessel approaching the abandoned Outpost Jaeger by sea would have been treated to a sorry sight. Its walls were in various states of disrepair. While much of the front walls still held, the coastal walls had collapsed some time ago, giving the side of the building a jagged, naked appearance.
Five towers stood around the building, dark spires looming dangerously over the structure. Winged figures fluttered and roosted among them, white, bone-like masks reflecting the light when the sun hit them at certain angles. Once, the towers had been fitted with solar panels meant to supply energy to the building, but most of those were likely broken or dirtied beyond use.
Below, at sea level, one could see a ship entrance, staring forlornly out into the vast blue. Dark figures scuttled silently along the docks.
From such a vessel, should one strain their eyes, they might have been able to make out a small figure clinging to the side of the cliff, precariously settled on a small outcropping. A young woman, her skin a bronze hue, blonde hair picked up in a messy pony tail, scowled at the port with coffee colored eyes.
She tried counting the figures milling about, but quickly gave up. She was far enough away that whenever one of the Grimm moved, they mixed with other nearby monsters and she lost track of which ones she had counted.
Still, a lot more than I expected, Sand thought. And here I hoped this would be an easy way in. Professor Gamboge had insinuated that the Grimm concentration in the area had dropped significantly from what it used to be, but so far, that only put into perspective the magnitude of the catastrophe that had befallen Outpost Jaeger.
Her eyes strayed to the lone ship moored on the docks, standing like a lone mourner praying long after the fortress fell. Part of her was curious about the small vessel, but she did not dare make an approach. Too many Grimm, and just over the sound of crashing waves, she thought she could hear another, clear sound.
Singing.
“Huh.” Sand paused. “Not dealing with that unless I absolutely have to,” she murmured as she turned around to climb.
Wearing boots, blue, tactical pants, a dark, short sleeved shirt, a white vest, and a conspicuous pair of thick, black, metal gauntlets that covered her arms up to her elbows, few would say she was dressed for hiking. She was not particularly worried. As her hand contacted the wall small particles flared, as if picking up a small cloud of dust, and the gauntlet held steady against the rocky surface. She used it to pull herself up. Rinse, repeat.
Soon enough, she was back at the edge of the cliff, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She took a moment to rest before once again setting off back for the front of the Outpost. The structure’s builders, possibly in the event of an invasion by another nation, had built several defenses around the fort. Small watchtowers, walls, and cannons, all facing outwards. The cannons were useless for her purposes, as even if she found ammunition, she could not turn them back towards the Fort without damaging them.
However, the structures themselves provided valuable cover and hiding places. She had already cleared a small space in the outer perimeter which she was using as a temporary base of operations. A wall protected her from the eyes of avian Grimm, and she had a good view of the fort proper and what could be called the ‘roads’ leading up to it.
She planned to return there for the time being. Now that she had completed her survey of the area, she needed to plan her approach.
Looking down at his expected drop point, Oswald started humming casually. It'd only be a short while now before their chutes activated. Eventually, it did, and he slowly drifted to the ground, landing in the middle of a park.
As the chute unfolded, Diamond let out a surprised yelp. The deceleration was stronger than she expected. At least she was used to being in the air through her own abilities, but it still didn't feel great not to have any ground under her feet.
Landing with the grace of a brick, the thug shed the parachute, brushed some dirt off of her coat and went to look for the rest of the team.
Letting out a cackle, Emerald spread her arms out as if they were wings and glided above her teammates in circles, manipulating the air currents was child's play for her. She was tempted to glide around for a while and get a decent look at their surroundings. She decided to do so, at least until the rest of her team landed, free falling was too much fun to do otherwise. It made her wish she could truly fly.
Cobalt screamed on his way down, fighting a giant Megaladeus was one thing, falling out of the sky was another. Hell, just being in the sky made him terrified. The parachute activated and Cobalt slowly drifted to the ground, whimpering the entire time.
Emerald glided down towards Cobalt, and once she came into his line of sight she smiled and waved. "Isn't this the best!?"
"If I could open my eyes without throwing up I would so give you the evil eye!" Cobalt yelled as he finally hit the ground. He opened his eyes and gasped in awe. "Ground! How I've missed you so!" Cobalt took off his parachute and got up. He saw Diamond and walked over to her.
Noticing Diamond and Cobalt after removing his parachute, Oswald jogged over to the rest of his team and greeted them with a nod. "Wonder where our gear landed. We should probably get on that quick."
"I saw them land in that direction!" Emerald shouted, still slowly falling towards the ground. At the pace she was falling she might as well have been a leaf in the wind with how slow it was. Finally she landed softly on the ground before the team. "Boop!"
"Finally she joins us mere mortals on the ground. Hey, Cobalt, we're still alive. Guess we've got some work to do now. How we gonna play this?" Oswald looked over to the team leader for a moment
"I believe the first step is to meet up with our contact, Mr. Davis. On our way there we'll ask any townsfolk we see if they've seen or heard anything suspicious. After that we plan our next step." They needed information before acting further. For all they knew, the Grievers had completely moved on from the town. Unlikely, but anything is possible.
"Might I suggest fetching the gear first before the grimm or god forbid some children find it? There's ammo in those boxes, shouldn't just leave it lying around." Diamond said, pointing in the direction of where it landed, "We could split up, two of us can carry that just fine."
"I agree, let's grab our gear before we do anything else." Emerald waved her hand around towards yonder. "It's just up ahead thataway!"
"Yeah that's probably a good idea." Cobalt headed over to where the gear was and picked up two of the boxes for turret repair.
Following after Cobalt, Oswald grabbed the other two boxes. "Looks like you ladies might have to be fire support in case things get hairy."
"I have no problem with that!" Emerald replied cheerfully, giving her holstered weapons a look.
As the four got their bearings and decided on a course of action, they would eventually come to notice that the park was barren. Abandoned. Not a soul could be seen or heard as their eyes would scan their surroundings. Even with Emerald's enhanced Faunus senses, it would be clear that no one living was around. Eerily peaceful and serene, the only noise that could be heard was from the wind rustling through the foliage of the beautiful park. Nothing else.
As she walked Diamond realized this place was just wrong feeling. Her senses were trained to spot when someone or something was watching her - and that was the problem. All her senses were sending back nothing. "This is creepy. Where is everyone? I don't like our odds if it has the natives barricaded in their basements. I swear this is the last time I am dropping somewhere - by air no less - without checking it out first if we have to leave on thursday godsdamn evening." the redhead whispered her worries.
Oswald casually followed after Diamond, not particularly worried. "If what those guys said was right, they cleared the area for our landing. Probably just in case there was a strong wind or something. But your instincts have proven right before, so I'll be on guard just in case." True to his words, Oswald's eyes carefully scanned the area, looking for any disturbances.
Cobalt looked around and shrugged. "If anyone spots anything, call it out. Otherwise we're just going to go meet our contact and learn more from him." He headed off towards the exit of the park, wondering where their contact was.
"I don't see or hear anyone..." Emerald sniffed the air. "Nope, don't smell them either. No one's here." Emerald looked around the park with both a sense of care and curiosity.
"The Grimm feed off of negative thoughts...sooooo all we have to do is stay positive...remember this!" She nodded.
"Instincts? No need to glorify that, it's paranoia and we both know that. Doesn't mean it is a problem though." the thug said as she headed after the rest of them, her eyes ticking all over the place. "And I am perfectly positive. The citizens of the ghost town I am not so sure about."
"It's not paranoia if you're right, ya know?" Chuckling, Oswald turned his head to Emerald and kept moving forward. "They don't just feed off of negativity, remember. It's a lure to them, almost like....if somebody left a massive feast of mutton and potatoes and such for me after I'd been wandering the forest for a week. Being consumed by negativity is dangerous, but learning to harness it...that is one of the skills that allowed the hunted to become the hunters."
"Hmmmm....that makes sense I guess." Emerald said with a nod. "Could lure them into a trap even..." "More of a beef woman myself." Diamond grunted. Great, now they made her hungry for a steak. Listening to where the discussion went, she snickered: "Trap? What are you going to do, get a bunch of kids in a hole and tell ghost stories?"
Emerald shrugged. "I don't know, I'm sure we could think of something..." Emerald tapped her chin, as if in thought. "I've got it! We tie some poor sap to a tree and scare him senseless." She put her hand into her fist, grinning. "No wait that would probably get us in trouble..."
"I was about to say that I can't imagine you scaring someone period, but now I am little unsure about sleeping in the same room." Diamond snickered, "That said, two poor saps dead ahead." she said, nodding towards Oswald and Cobalt.
"I can hear you, ya know. And you do realize that it's literally not possible to bind me so long as I have Aura, right?" Shaking his head, Oswald gave a small chuckle at his teammates' conversation. "I don't think I would be very scared if I knew the purpose of tying me up was to scare me. Just saying." Cobalt shrugged and continued walking.
Attracted to the chatter of voices, a small drone that had been silently patrolling the streets nearby chirped with life. Hovering in the air for a moment, it dropped a sonar-like ping out as it faced the direction of their voices. Initiating a scan, its vision pierced through the surrounding buildings using a combination of powerful thermal imaging and x-rays. "Organic life forms detected. Number of detected life forms: Four. Evacuation directive currently still in effect. Initiate contact. Direct to nearest evacuation route." Its childlike electronic voice spoke aloud for no discernible purpose other than to possibly report its findings and actions. Pinpointing the location of the Hunter team, the little drone flew over to their location until it appeared right in front of the group to stop them. As it hovered in the air, it slowly panned from side to side and discovered that they were armed. Speaking to itself once more, it declared its alarm. "Organic life forms are transporting weapons. Potential looters with ill intent. Requesting backup." A little headlight popped out of its top and began to brightly flash and strobe as a loud alarm blared. With an amplified voice it spoke to the team.
"Armed personnel, please identify and disarm."
This, it repeated over and over as more drones flew in to surround the team and join in. Emerald's ears twitched as the drone hovered in front of them, it made the most distracting noises. More importantly it was quickly becoming aggressive. As the alarm went off she immediately covered her cat ears with her palms.
"Hey we're not looters! We're hunters and huntresses in training! We were called in to take care of the Grimm problem around here!" She looked right at the original drone, squinting her eyes from the flashing lights. "Will you cut it out with the alarm and bright lights!? I'm getting a headache..." This was one of the few times she wished she had the dulled senses of a human.
Cobalt squinted his eyes and grunted. "I don't think they're going to listen to us. I suggest doing as they say, I don't want to get marked down for assaulting what I believe are patrol drones." Cobalt put down his boxes and unclipped The 27 Smasher from his back. He dropped it on the ground near his feet and raised his hands. "This is quite annoying though. You would think that the drones would be programmed to recognize us. The town did hire us after all."
Sighing and lowering his box to the ground, Oswald removed his sword and placed it in front of him. "They don't know who we are, Cobalt. Perhaps the fearless leader should be the one to say it?" Joking with his team leader, Oswald moved closer to Emerald, his eyes counting the drones surrounding them. The drones that surrounded Cobalt and Oswald backed off, but instead gathered with the others to float around Emerald and Diamond to further harass them. Repeating over and over.
"Armed personnel, please identify and disarm." "Armed personnel, please identify and disarm." "Armed personnel, please identify and disarm."
Getting even closer to his Faunus teammate, Oswald was forced to make an effort to suppress his chuckle. "I think you should identify and disarm, Emm."
Emerald reluctantly removed her hands from her ears and removed the belt from her pants that held her holstered weapons, letting it drop to the ground. "The name's Emerald Felicia. You happy now Sparky?" She figured the annoying drone deserved a nickname, she then went back to covering her ears and being blinded by the headlights.
The drones all ceased their incessant demands, disabling their lights at the mention of Emerald's name. "User Name, Emerald Felicia listed within database under Authorized Users, Level 2. Please provide proof of identification. We appreciate your compliance." The original drone lovingly nicknamed 'Sparky' floated in front of her, waiting for her input as it made a series of beeps and whir noises.
Emerald begrudgingly pulled out her wallet, taking out her ID and showing 'Sparky'. "There, good enough?"
Sparky turned to face her ID and quickly scanned it. After another series of beeps and clicks, it relayed information to the other drones and all of them backed off. "Emerald Felicia. Huntress registered with Beacon Academy. Designated Hunter Team CODEX. Contacting security supervisor. Please stand by. We apologize for any inconvenience." The drones all gathered and formed a neat, organized platoon of themselves with Sparky at the front. Sparky then started ringing like a telephone. Ring-ring. Ring-ring. Click. Sparky then displayed a holographic panel with a man's face on it. "Heh? What is it? What did y'all fi-" The gentleman's face on the panel wore a camouflaged ballcap and had an impressive full beard like that of a lumberjack's. Leaning in and adjusting his glasses, he looked at the four and blinked. "Aw, crap. Are y'all the Hunter Team dispatched by Beacon? Hell, I didn't know y'all already dropped in! How did y'all make it here without coming up on my security feeds? Ah, never mind. I'm Mr. Davis, your contact. I'll be over shortly so just hang tight for a moment. I guess these stupid bots are good for something. Ah, ignore that comment." The panel then cut off and the drones all hovered in place, silent and unmoving in their observation of the students. A few minutes passed and Mr. Davis arrived in a small SUV. Slamming the door of his vehicle shut, Mr. Davis limped his way over to the team and gave a cordial wave and smile. Dressed in a band T-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots it was difficult to see how he was any sort of authority figure. It didn't help that he held a tall BEAST energy drink in his hand as he hobbled his way over to them with a cane in the other hand. Upon his arrival the drones turned to face him and started to float over. Rolling his eyes and making an aggravated grunt, he stopped his hobble to pull out his Scroll and raised it so that the drones could see. "Security Administrator D. Davis. Authorized User, Level 1. Alpha-numeric clearance code 61612-A." The drones scanned his Scroll and quickly backed down. "Check the clearance levels you freakin' floating rust-buckets. Hah! You'd think with all this grand technology they'd come to recognize us by now, but noooo. Have to vocalize a freakin' code, clear view of your face, present your ID. No facial recognition as part of the package deal. Feh!" Stopping in front of the team, he frowned and clicked his tongue as he sized them all up. "Hmph. So y'all are it, huh?" He took a swig of his energy drink and waved off the drones. "Resume Patrol/Sentinel protocols and directives. Piss off, nuts and bolts!" The drones obeyed his command and all hovered away. "You'd think with how important this place is the Althesian military would provide us with better shit. But no, you know how they are. Love to dump and pour all sorts of Lien for all sorts of unnecessary features save for the ones that matter. No guard bots or nuffin'. Just those annoying gnats." He hocked and snorted, turning his head to the side as he spat out a fat loogie. Wiping at his mouth after he was done.
With his energy drink in hand, he stretched his arm out as wide he could and laughed. "Well, anyways! Enough of my bitchin' and complainin'. Welcome! Glad y'all could make it. Y'all have any questions? Would you like to have a tour or do you prefer to get straight to business?" Pulling out what looked like a metal rod from his pocket with his energy drink hand as he leaned against his cane. Pressing a button on it as he put one end to his lips and taking a deep inhale on the one end. As he exhaled with his head turned away from the team, he let loose a ridiculously large and dense cloud of what appeared to be smoke. Apparently, the gentleman Mr. Davis used electronic cigarettes. He seemed nice enough, if out of place and odd.
Cobalt let out a sigh of relief and kicked up his gun into his hands. "Hello Mr. Davis. It's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted with a smile. "I'm Cobalt Chideta, leader of Team Codex." He would've stuck out his hand for a handshake but Mr. Davis' hands seemed a bit preoccupied. "If it's not a problem, I would prefer if we got straight to business. I don't want to waste any time, every second could mean the difference between life and death, the usual for Hunters really. We were wondering what the current status was on the Grievers? Have you discovered any nests, a general estimate of how many there are, anything you believe to be important really." Cobalt hesitated for a moment and spoke up again though. "Afterwards though, a tour would be lovely. Getting to know the environment is always helpful." Mr. Davis chuckled and took a swig of his energy drink. Making a face and looking around, he motioned with his cane around the empty park.
"Wish I could tell you more, kid. But really, there's not much to say. Once we started getting reports from the farmers that Grimm were being spotted the town was put on alert and evacuated immediately. Myself and a few of my officers got in contact with Beacon as soon as possible and they pretty much guided us from there. We collected the information for that Ms. Van...something or other. Her name was weird. Anyways, we collected the data for her and just followed what she told us to do." He shrugged and took another puff from his electronic cigarette. "I was hoping you had some other questions for me. Like uh, how's the weather or something arbitrary like that." He laughed heartily. "Anyone else have any questions?" Cobalt looked at everyone else.
Having gathered his gear, Oswald looked between Cobalt and Mr. Davis. "I'd like to know a few things about the situation, in detail. Recent weather patterns, expected weather for the next day or two, when the first sighting appeared, all that business and such. I'm sure that'll all be covered, but it could be vital information."
Mr. Davis made a face and tapped a finger on his cane, tapping his foot just the same. Looking up, he thought for a moment. "Hmm...Well, those are some pretty good questions. Weather around here has always been nice. That combined with the natural protective barriers is the reason why this area was selected to become major farmland. Soil is nice and rich with nutrients, which is always a plus. It's always been real stable weather-wise around here so no worries about a coming storm or anything like that. As far as the first sighting I can't tell you specifically what day it was. It was just a few days ago though, within the week to be sure. It wasn't just one reported sighting after another however. The farmers along the border all claimed to have seen Grimm one after the other. Different farmers, different times, different days. So, we knew it wasn't some hoax. Nothing to just dismiss as some poor tired sap hallucinating late at night. Ah, but that was another common thing between them. Each reported sighting saw what looked to be Grimm late at night. It was never during the daytime if that helps any."
"Do we have a map? And could you point out the sightings in chronological order? It might help us narrow down the area we need to search. there's only four of us and I'd rather we didn't split up too much. That said though, if anyone feels like taking a look at the turrets I guess three people is safe enough. I'd go but I'm only good with the computer side of things. If something needed welding..." Diamond put out ideas. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they didn't find the nest before dark, and much less what Ms. Vanhombrigh would have to say about that.
Mr. Davis belched and nodded, pointing a finger at Diamond. "Bleugh, 'scuse me. Uh, yeah. I thought that Ms. Van-something-or-other gave y'all all the details already? No matter. Take out your Scrolls and I'll send y'all another updated map." Opening his own Scroll he pulled up the map and tapped on the parts where sightings had been reported. Swiping upwards, he sent the information to the four. As they would open their maps to look at the new information, it was apparent that each sighting lined a good section of the protective border. Practically spanning the entirety of the border in all actuality. It was a 'grim' bit of information to process and Mr. Davis knew it as he silently nodded and pursed his lips. Arching his eyebrows as he made a face that said "Yup." Scrolling over the red dots that approximated the area where the sighting took place gave a rough estimated day and time. Going from one end to the other with the lines of dots, it showed that nearly every day another Grimm sighting occurred further and further along the border.
"That....is extraordinarily helpful, actually. After last week, I...I did not expect such detailed intelligence about our Area of Operations. Well, I do believe the four of us should be able to gather a pattern from this if we put our heads together. I have no further questions, sir."
Emerald kept a respectful distance from Mr. Davis, mostly because he smelled strange. "Shall we go flush them out then?"
"That would be good. Also, in respect to your comment on the turrets Diamond, I can repair the physical aspects of the turrets. I just can't fix the programming. I propose that after we kill all the Grimm, we fix up the turrets so there's no repeat of the incident for a while." Cobalt pulled out his Scroll and nodded. "Let's head to the closest attack site and work from there."
Taking the final swig of his energy drink, Mr. Davis crushed the can and tossed it aside as he turned and hobbled back to his vehicle. Beckoning them all to follow. "Ah, don't worry about that trash. The drones will get it. Anyways, sounds like y'all have some sort of plan in order so come on and let's get a move on. I'll be taking y'all to the edge of the city limits but from there, Ms. Van instructed me to force y'all to walk the rest of the way for some reason. Don't know why, but I wasn't about to question a woman like her. She sounded scary." It was indeed a sight as the gentleman limp/walked his way back slowly as massive clouds of obnoxious vaporized smoke puffed from him like he was a steamboat on its last legs. "No point in fixing it afterwards, there's a repair crew scheduled to arrive after us, remember?" Diamond noted, "Let's see how much ground we can cover before it starts getting dark. I'd say then we can decide if we go get the defenses online or hope we find the nest before they all wake up." the thug put the suggestion out there.
Giving the area a look, she wondered what they would do if they neither found the nest nor got the turrets up in time. Usually she would have pulled back to the urban area where she was used to moving and had plenty of lights to give her a few extra shadows to work with. However this time they needed to protect the fields rather than the people and buildings. I hope I brought enough flares.
Mr. Davis poked his head out of the open window of his vehicle, motioning with his hand for them to all hurry up. "Hey, did you kids want a ride or what? Put some pepper in your steppers! Come on!" Emerald was reluctant to get into the vehicle, not because she had something against automobiles. It was mostly because she was concerned on what it would smell like on the inside. She didn't want to walk all the way to the city limits however, so she hopped onboard.
Cobalt climbed aboard as well, wondering how long it would take to get to the city limits. On one hand, it would be better to get there faster, on the other hand, going slower allows him more time to think. He pulled out the scroll and looked at the map once more. Perplexing.
Shrugging, Oswald made his way over to the SUV and got on board with the others, ready to get to the mission area.
~~~
Slowing the vehicle to a stop, Mr. Davis unlocked the doors to let them all out and popped the trunk to allow the team to gather their equipment. Opening his door, he decided to get a bit of fresh air and to stretch before making the trip back himself. "Well, here we are kiddos. You'll have to hike the rest of the way before you hit the border fence. Whenever I sent y'all that map I also gave you each a temporary access code that'll allow you through. the feeling of the wind in her hair as they walked. Despite the fact that they were walking straight into danger she was rather enjoying herself. It was certainly better than Mr. Davis' smelly vehicle. Of course, that didn't mean she would let her guard down. She was on high alert for Grimm, as that was why they were there in the first place. Emerald also realised that she was more likely to detect any nearby Y'all need anything else or will that be it?" As he stood leaning against his cane puffing away with his electronic pipe, the wind picked up strength. Blowing moderately as it made its leisurely passage through the massive expanse of green farmlands. Various different types of crops were being grown in large divided sections as the eye scanned the horizon. It was rather quiet and peaceful, oddly beautiful even. With the peculiar sound of the crops' motion in the breeze oh-so similar to the ocean's waves, all seemed right with the world out here in the country. Bright blue, clear skies with nary a cloud. Warm sunny rays beating down on them all. It seemed like just another day. Though, a sharper mind would know that was not the case. Not in the least bit. "No that'll be all. Thank you Mr Davis." Cobalt nodded and began hiking towards the gate. Now for the mission to really start.
Emerald followed just behind Cobalt, taking in the beautiful countryside with her wide eyes. She enjoyed Grimm before her human teammates even noticed. She sometimes wondered how humans managed to survive with their duller senses.
"Nice chum. A bit rural and his cigs smell terrible - and I say that as a smoker - but al least he doesn't raise red flags. Maybe because he's not working for Schnee." Diamond commented as the car and Mr. Davis departed, checking once more over her gear. The boxes with spare flares felt heavy on her back and they would do her pathetic little good while the sun as still up, but after the last mission she intended to be more thorough with her preparation. "Well, lads and lass, now what?" she said, looking once more at the map. "My gut says to begin near the first sighting, but who knows if the Grimm would take the shortest path. Maybe they are smart enough to take a paved road." she mused, trying to pin the location of the nest before they had to search every square meter.
"At least he didn't try to make awkward jokes with us the whole way. Frankly, that's about as bad as what crazy teacher was pulling before, if ya ask me." Oswald commented, somewhat preoccupied with the gear he had. "We should probably try to see if there's any pattern in the location and timing of the sightings, then work off of that."
Cobalt looked at his Scroll and carefully analyzed the pattern of attacks and when they attacked. It looked obvious, but he needed to look deeper. He couldn't afford to fail his first mission, not if he wanted to amount to anything in life. This town depended on them and how well they did. "I say we start... here." Cobalt highlighted the most recent attack point and nodded. "Going to the first sighting doesn't make sense to me, I don't think they would go to somewhere they've already been. Not only that, but going here would yield the freshest and most reliable clues. Any objections?" Cobalt sent the coordinates to everyone else's Scrolls and closed his own.
As the group stood talking, a small Ratatosk crawled from out from the vegetation. It was sniffing along the ground, seemingly unaware of the group's presence as it appeared to be searching for something. As the little mouse Grimm sniffed and crawled around, one could see that something was tied around its neck. Something along the lines of a grass necklace or collar.
Emerald's eyes darted straight toward the mouse-like Grimm as it scurried in front of them. She proceeded to pounce at the creature in what could only be described as cat-like before grabbing it by the tail and lifting it straight up. "Nyahahahahah! Got ya."
The Ratatosk freaked out from the sudden attack, flailing and squealing as it attempted to grab at Emerald to bite at her.
Diamond saw the creature emerge, but people took action before her brain spewed out her strategy. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she spared the angry creature a look. "Well, now it's too spooked to lead us to its nest. Back to the grid search." she couldn't really be mad at Emerald for that, but her lazy side was cringing.
Emerald hissed at the Ratatosk as it tried to bite her and smacked it in the face.
The Ratatosk was getting more and more desperate, wanting to be freed. It increasingly grew more and more savage in its attempts to claw, scratch, and viciously bite at her. Desiring nothing more but to draw the blood of the Faunus girl.
"Um, Emerald? I think you should let it go. For mission purposes." Cobalt had a strange look on his face, comparable to authoritative mixed with amusement. He decided to give her a second before he stepped in.
Emerald watched the Ratatosk's pathetic attempts at harming her, she was holding the creature as far away from her body as possible, and even if it did manage to scratch her, her aura would protect her. It took a moment for the Faunus to realise that she was being spoken too. Her eyes unfocused and she shook her head as she dropped the tiny creature of Grimm. "Sorry...I had a...compulsion I couldn't resist." Emerald stated sheepishly.
Sighing as he watched Emerald embrace the inner kitten, Oswald simply watched on, waiting until something happened. He'd be ready, alright.
As the Ratatosk dropped to the ground, it regained its bearings and decided that it had a personal vendetta against Emerald. Refusing to run away or give up, it scurried over to her ankles and tried its damnedest to sink its teeth into her to tear away whatever it could.
Emerald responded with a swift kick to it's head. Aura or not, she didn't like being bitten into. "Get away you stupid rodent!"
Squeaking after being kicked, the rodent got back up and shook it off. Scurrying back at Emerald, it again Cobalt sighed and pulled out the 27 Smasher. He slowed time and aimed at the rodent carefully. He fired one bullet to its left and let time resume it's normal flow. "Maybe it understands what a warning shot is." After being blown away by Emerald's Semblance, the Ratatosk was more than a little dazed. Getting back on its feet it shook its head before a shot narrowly missed it by a few centimeters. Turning to train its beady little eyes at Cobalt, it was obvious the little Grimm was scared. But, for some reason it harbored a deep drive and scurried after Cobalt this time. It wanted to hurt someone, anyone really, as best it could.refused to give up in its new quest for blood. It wasn't going to stop. Emerald raised an arm as a powerful blast of air flew against the rodent, sending it even farther than her kick had previously. "Stupid Grimm rodent thing."
Oswald couldn't help but let out a chuckle as the Ratatosk fought on, despite being clearly outnumbered and outmatched. "It either doesn't understand the concept of a warning, or doesn't care. Should I?" "Well either we beat it into submission, or kill it. I don't really care which." Emerald said with a shrug. Cobalt sighed and kicked it away when it approached him. He rolled his eyes and fired a bullet directly at it this time. It obviously wasn't going to back down.
As the large caliber bullet ripped through its body, the little rodent Grimm fell over on its side and let out a loud, shrill shriek as it died. Louder than was thought possible for such a tiny creature. Its body burning away and fading into ashes, the grass necklace it had around its neck was the only remnant of its existence. If the four young Huntsmen thought its cry was to raise the alarm of their presence, no such thing occurred. No other Grimm appeared from the fields, no other ambush or surprise attack was launched. The lone Ratatosk died alone with no further fanfare. The grass necklace lay still on the dirt, undisturbed if only slightly from the winds.
Walking over to where the Grimm had perished, Oswald bent down and picked up the grass necklace delicately. "Why the hell was a Grimm wearing a necklace.."
"Thank you for minding the fingerprints and not damaging them. I guarantee you that if there are clothes on a grimm, man put it on it." Diamond said as once again she was too slow to act. Amateurs! The whole lot of them. she sighed it out, hoping not to strangle someone in a fit of frustrated anger by the end of the day.
"It's fine. We just take the fingerprints off of a part that Oswald didn't touch." Cobalt took off his backpack and pulled out a pair of gloves and a plastic baggie. He put on the gloves and took the necklace from Oswald, carefully putting it into the bag afterwards. "Anyone want to take this? I fear it might get crushed in my bag." Cobalt closed the bag and held it out for someone to take.
"Why would anyone put a collar on a Grimm? Was it actually someone's pet?" Emerald shook her head. "Who would want an ugly rodent like that as a pet?" She subconsciously rubbed her leg with her foot where the creature had attempted to bite her. "Vicious bastard."
Ignoring Diamond’s snark, Oswald put a hand to his chin in thought. “I’ve encountered….some very strange people. Including one lunatic who worshipped Grimm as the next phase of Human evolution. If somebody else like him exists….these people are in a lot more danger than we thought.” Frowning, Oswald shook his head and sighed. “If we’re lucky, it was some stupid kid or a hippie or something. Regardless, I suppose Diamond should look at it. She seems to know something about this, anyway. Sorry my giant meat slabs lack the finesse required to pick locks.” Chuckling, Oswald looked down at his gauntlets and shook his head. What a shitshow this team is. At least Cobalt’s trying to defuse this.
“The better question is, who was able to get a grass necklace on a Grimm? They're not exactly the most docile creatures in existence. And grass necklaces are pretty fragile.” Cobalt shook his head and thought about this. “Something is definitely off with this mission… Whatever. We need to move on if we want to find this nest.” Cobalt walked past Diamond and handed the bag with the necklace to her. “Here you go.” He then pulled out his Scroll and looked at the map. “Let's head to the point I marked.”
“The easiest explanation I have is that the necklace comes from a victim, or at least someone who ran away and the grim just walked right into it.” Diamond theorized, glad to have had something to think about otherwise she might have blinked at Oswald’s remark. Taking a closer look, she shook her head: “No blood as far as I can see. The person could have just dropped it or something. I don’t see a grimm being friendly to any human or faunus for long enough to get this around it’s neck and not lose a finger.” the redhead gone on as she followed, stowing the plastic bag under her hat.
Diamond was willing to bet the thing would be of no use whatsoever in the end, but her problem was the principle of the thing: She was used to careful approach, observing and evaluating options, not taking the first action she could think of. It made her uncomfortable to say the least - that was the way for someone to end up dead. If that dying screech summoned a swarm of more grimm, what would they have done? She felt like growling in frustration, but instead shook her head to calm down. But she could only bottle her worries up for so long.
Emerald meanwhile had taken this time to load her weapons before putting them back in their holsters, she didn’t want to be caught unprepared if they were suddenly attacked by the Grimm that was for sure. The closer they got to their destination the more likely they would encounter them after all.
Making sure his load was secure, Oswald began following his team once more, implicitly trusting them to lead the way. He could have checked his scroll, without a doubt, but to do so would be overly cumbersome at the moment. “I suppose the simplest explanation is likely the truth. It’s just a bit odd that we’d find the one Grimm to have a grass necklace. Emerald, Diamond, I’d appreciate it if you two kept yourselves on the highest alert from here on out. We’ve officially encountered Grimm, now, so I’m trusting you two to have our backs in case shit hits the fan before we can get ourselves prepared for combat.”
“That goes without saying.” Diamond grunted with a nod. Looking around she wasn’t too fond of the area. Could be on the ground, could be below ground, could be at any height in the trees. I miss the city. Paved road can’t be burrowed through and you only have to watch the rooftops and sky unless you’re in bad neighborhood. she thought, not quite sure from which direction to guard herself first.
Cobalt looked around and admired the scenery. It was a really pretty day out actually. The wind was nice, not many clouds, it almost made him forget how he was on a dangerous mission. Not pretty enough for that. He looked at his Scroll and smiled, they were almost at their first stop. Time to enter investigative mode.
After an uneventful hike, the four arrived at the protective fence that bordered the farmlands. Spanning as far as the eye could see, the so-called ‘fence’ was of rather impressive construction. To simply call it a ‘fence’ was a severe understatement. It more closely resembled the over engineered walls of an olden castle. The height of the walls was an easy thirty feet tall and at the top edge were nasty coils of electrified razor wire. Every couple of yards were little round orbs that resemble eyeballs that lined the top edge of the border wall that acted as the security cameras for the wall itself. The material of the walls appeared to be a sort of thick reinforced concrete. Nothing short of a missile or tank shell would even begin to put a dent into the border walls. The exact composition of the wall, its depth, and its thickness were kept somewhat secret. All in all, it was a pretty serious defensive measure. It could’ve been improved by slapping automated turrets along the top, but for some reason that was the one feature it didn’t have. Reasons unknown, save for the people responsible for the wall’s construction.
At a brief glance, there was no apparent disturbance along the wall. It didn’t look as though anything could climb over it or even damage it. The wall just sat in near-silent guard for potentially the next few thousand years, the razor-wire at the top humming ominously as electrical current surged through it. Along spots on the wall were groups of signs that warned of the dangers of attempting to climb or breach the wall, and stated that only authorized users at certain access points were allowed through.
Looking at the wall, Diamond wondered how long it stood there. There was certainly enough moss on it to make it difficult to climb even without electrified wire on the top. “Long time, no siege.” she grunted, looking at the map they were given. “Ah, nearest gate is… too far. We wanna make good time, right?” Well, a wall had yet to be invented that could stop Diamond Frost. “Gather ‘round, kids. We’re hopping over.” she said, molding her shadow into a platform under her feet and expanding it to accommodate the four of them.
Cobalt observed the wall and noted the lack of automatic turrets. It was very interesting that the designer would choose not to place the best possible finishing touch, as it was now Cobalt could imagine digging under the wall to get through. Turrets would help deter that line of thinking. He noticed Diamond making a shadow platform and frowned. “Are you sure you can carry us all? Oswald and I aren't exactly lightweights.” It wasn't that he was worried about tiring Diamond out, although that was a concern, he didn't want her to drop them all onto the electrified wire because she overestimated her own abilities.
“Understatement of the century there, Cobalt. I’m 300 pounds plus fully kitted, even more with everything we need for the mission.” Oswald chuckled, also skeptical of Diamond’s ability to lift what was likely near a thousand pounds of people with her shadow. “This wall, though. Impressive. Not like the wall from home, but electric razor wire? That’s a new one….”
“Ye of weak faith can walk. And here I thought I would have earned trust at least in my abilities at this point. No wonder we suck working together. I might be the one most vocal about it but hardly the only problem.” Diamond said as she rolled her eyes. I had to boost heavier loot than that. she added for herself, but didn’t say that out loud. Pointing an inquisitive look at Emerald, she offered a hand.
“Ye of little faith, but I can live with that. As for teamwork, it’s been two weeks, for us. A week for CODE. My last team had people I’d worked with since I was twelve, so I think a bit of an adjustment period is fair. We’ll figure it out, Diamond, just...it takes time to learn to really trust new people. You fight pretty well, and you helped me last week, but don’t hold it against me if we’re not the bestest of friends just yet.” Looking over to each side for an access point, Oswald noticed one a short while away. “Cobalt, there’s a point there if you wanna walk. I don’t want to risk all this gear just yet.”
Cobalt shook his head in the negative and smiled. “There's no need. If you say you can do it then I'll believe you Diamond. I will reserve the right to say I told you so if I get electrified.” He said jokingly as he stepped onto the platform. “I don't want to seem as if I don't trust you, because I do. But there's a difference between distrust and caution.”
Grinning as she took some of the gear off of Cobalt and slung it over her shoulder - just to be sure nothing would accidently fall off - Diamond couldn’t resist making a jab. “The soles on those boots are rubber right?” she semi-whispered with a smirk, hooking her arm to him. Launching them was easy, but if they separated in the air, things could get a bit more dramatic than any of them wanted where landing was concerned.
Emerald took Diamond’s hand without hesitation, she certainly wasn’t worried about being too heavy. “Come on guys this will be a fun team activity! Getting over the wall!”
Grunting as he got a better grip on his gear, Oswald shrugged. “Still going around. See you on the other side, I guess.”
“Metal actually. Why do you ask… oh.” Cobalt grimaced as the thought if his highly conductive boots. ’There's no need to worry. She has this handled. Hopefully.’. Cobalt plastered a sms on his face and shrugged. “A few volts never killed anyone.”
“Off we go, hoping our ground-bound comrade won’t get dismembered and eaten one pace out of the gate!” Diamond winked, tightened her grip on the other two and without warning they were shoved into the air, clearing the wire easily by their body height. It nagged at her though - splitting up begged to go bad. So before they begun to fall out of sight, Diamond risked the strain and summoned the platform under them again. “Oswald! Teleport! Now!” she barked. If she recalled the first day, she could hold a platform under her own feet for over a minute that one time she demonstrated the technique in the cafeteria. And she had two weeks to train. Looks like some of it paid off, this is easier than the last time. Still, better hurry and decide, infidel.
Cobalt flew through the air quite suddenly, which was surprising for him, but he wasn't worried at all. It was when they suddenly stopped that he felt worried. He quickly looked back to make sure nobody got snagged on the wire and relaxed when he realized it was just Diamond trying to help out Oswald.
Sighing as he heard Diamond barking at him, Oswald shrugged and quickly made his way towards the platform, utilizing his Semblance to appear near his teammates. “There.”
“That’s right. Follow the leader.” she grunted for herself. “Happier than if you got torn apart looking for the rest of us, although with your current attitude I just might get over it with a few drinks.” Diamond blown a raspberry in Oswald’s direction before bringing them to the ground. She nearly stumbled afterwards, but quickly regained her composure with a shake of her head and fell into walk next to Oswald. “Do we have a problem?” she whispered barely audibly to try and avoid Emerald overhearing.
Rolling his eyes with a chuckle, Oswald cocked an eyebrow at Diamond when she asked if they had a problem. “Only problem we got is a truckload of Dust, Diamond. You’re talkative when you’re drunk, ya know. But now isn’t exactly the time to start throwing around accusations, I just want to get this job done, and prefer walking as compared to your...Semblance.”
“Hey what are you two talking about?” Emerald could totally hear what they were talking about.
“Our last mission. Had to protect a convoy of Dust trucks. It didn’t go well for the folks we were looking after. Had to scuttle one of the trucks...driver was still inside, but likely...well, not among the living anymore. As you can imagine, it left a bad taste in our mouths.” Seamlessly covering up their conversation, Oswald gave Emerald a small nod. “I wouldn’t stress it too much, we’ll manage to work it out between ourselves, right Diamond?”
Diamond blinked long, rubbing her eyes. So much for the earlier remark being accidental. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one with a skilled tongue. “They were definitely gone by the time. You were so inebriated with melancholy after you had to deliver a coup de grace your mind might have made up things.” Diamond said, giving the ever so subtle emphasis on certain words to deliver her reply trying to play it to an out as talking out of her ass while drunk.
“And even if they could have been saved, what was I supposed to do? We had no other option left. All of us would have died.” she managed to add. It was the same logic she used over and over whenever a doubt wormed itself into her mind about her past. It wasn’t far from truth - it was how it begun. But she couldn’t stop even once she was doing OK. “Eheh… I do wonder… Did I mention anything else?” she said with a nervous grin, tugging on her collar.
“I’m well aware that there was nothing we could do. I’m just...frustrated. That wasn’t a situation to send a bunch of kids into. For all we knew, there could’ve been an entire White Fang battalion there, lying in wait. That was a job for a team more experienced than us, and whoever organized it should have realized that. You don’t send your least experienced teams into a completely unknown situation unless you have no other choice.” Shaking his head, Oswald locked onto what Diamond said last, a devious smirk crossing his face.
“You also mentioned...well, how truly fond of your teammates you are, Diamond. It was sweet.” Holding back his laughter, Oswald looked over to Emerald for a second before closing his eyes in a desperate effort not to die of laughter.
In a second, the previous conversation was forgotten as the tone of Diamond’s cheeks rapidly approached the color of her hair. “Wipe that shit eating grin off of your face! And one more word about this anywhere and there won’t be enough of you left to run a residual aura identification!” she said, trying to sound angry and threatening and failing miserably. Shoving her hat closer to her face, Diamond picked up the pace and distanced herself from the grinning chump, her walk having an angered stomp to it.
Emerald’s ears perked straight up as Diamond hid herself in her hat with embarrassment. Emerald cocked her head, looking towards Oswald. “I feel like I’m missing something…”
“You are. It’s not important at the moment. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of time to talk about it over the weekend. But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure it’s a good thing.” Chuckling a little, Oswald turned to Cobalt and gave a small nod. “Sorry about that, bossman.”
Cobalt blinked as he thought about the conversation. This was obviously something they wanted to cover up. “It's cool. Just make sure it doesn't affect team dynamics and we're solid.” He wanted to ask about this further, but decided not to pry. ’I recall Diamond being pretty drunk a few nights ago. Maybe I shouldn't have ignored her drunken ramblings.’
---
On the other side of the wall, back within the fields of the crops little red beady eyes peered out from the vegetation. Determining that it was now safe, a small group of Ratatosks slowly crawled out and began to inspect the area that the team of Huntsmen had traveled down. Sniffing at the ground, they combed the ground for trace scents. Looking up at the skies, the rodents looked at one another and figured that one of their own had fallen. Of particular note, each Ratatosk wore an identical grass necklace. One exceptional Ratatosk made a quick headcount of its comrades. One was definitely missing, that death cry they had heard earlier was not an illusion. Immediately, all of them went on high alert. As per their instinctual drive, the group of Ratatosks made for a mad dash towards the wall.
Within minutes, the scouting pack was right at the massive wall. Splitting up along the wall, the Ratatosks brushed aside cleverly hidden holes that were covered with innocuous patches of straw and grass. Holes that had been dug long prior. Holes that went deep, deep into the ground and underneath the walls. Regrouping on the other side, the small pack stopped for a moment to again sniff around for the scents of the Huntsmen. Once a clear idea of where the team was located, the group of Grimm made it a point to avoid them. Moving as quietly and quickly as they could, they frantically made their way deep into the forests in search of a particular tree.
Deep within the forest, there was a singular dead tree that was aged and scarred. Something had delimbed most of its branches and stripped it clean of its leaves, even going so far to cut into the hollow to empty out its contents to create a sad husk or shell of a formerly glorious tall tree. Approaching the tree, the group of Ratatosks lined up in front of the hollow and bowed their heads. Doing an odd little wiggle, they all removed their grass necklaces in an orderly line in front of them. Apparently, there was a specific order they each laid down their adornments. The line of necklaces continued unbroken until near the end. The second to last necklace was missing. The very same one that the team of Huntsmen had in their possession. Backing away from the hollowed out husk-tree, the group of Ratatosks apprehensively looked to one another. The Ratatosk with a slightly higher level of intelligence stepped forward and made to scratch softly at the side of the hollowed out tree. Within the hollow, something that slumbered stirred. The eye of the Grimm within slowly opened to peer out of the husk-tree to see the line of Ratatosks and their laid out grass necklaces. Scanning from one end of the grass necklaces, its eye froze on the empty spot where another Ratatosk and necklace should’ve been. Waking up more and more, an intense and deep-seated rage boiled the slumbering Grimm’s blood. Forcing a very odd rumbling growl out of it, a combination of a series of clicks and hissing. The Ratatosks then knew the message was passed on, and moved forward with the next plan of action. Scattering, the Ratatosks then sought out the Huntsmen somewhere within the forest.
It happened fast during the chaos. Delta couldn't even scream when many pairs of black, clawed hands reached forth and pulled him into the shadows. The last thing they saw was his hand as his body vanished into the darkness. There was little time to mourn and less time to mount a rescue; the sound of more grimm, bigger ones at that, were coming in hot. The other remaining beowolves kept their distance knowing that their few remaining numbers will make them easily wiped out by the hunters, but if they delayed them long enough, reinforcements will arrive and they can crush them under sheer numbers. So the grimm retreated back into the forest, using the threes as cover, but stayed close enough to keep track of the hunters so they could alert the main horde when they were close.
As for Sand, as she continued to observe the fort she'd be well aware of the sudden Grimm activity. Beowolves jumping down from the walls or running out from the rear breach, heading into the forest. Harpies leaving their roosts and heading in the same direction. While many came close to her location, none seen to be currently aware of her, instead answering the call of the howling she may have heard earlier before. Obviously, something has alerted them, and subsequently much of their forces left to investigate. While this meant bad news for whoever was in the forest, that also left the fortress with even less grimm to guard it. Most of the ground-based grimm have left, but many of the harpies still sit in their nests, watching, waiting.
The Nevermore did not fear the little hunter's spears, or his ghostly arms. Even back during the days where it was barely larger than a sparrow, it has willingly charged towards the blades of hunters, expertly able to dodge their tips and claw out their eyes. As it grew bigger, it grew stronger and hardier, so much that it could crush stone pillars and grand oak trees with slams of it's bodies. Spears were naught but pin pricks to the giant bird, if they could even penetrate the Nevermore's iron-hard feathers. The giant bird of prey did not fear the hunter, and so it continued it's rapid decent, sending it's entire body down onto the hunter. First, with it's sharp talons it would grab Shuai, even if it meant getting it's claws pierced, and if nothing stopped the nevermore it would continue it's fall so it can slam the hunter into the ground, possibly killing him even through his aura. And should the Nevermore do so, it would also be slamming Shuai quite far away from the clearing his allies are at.
As for the others, the airship managed to escape before the Nevermore or other grimms would take notice. The remaining hunters on the forest floor would see no Grimm near, though their tracks were obvious. They could find the slithering path of King Taijitu , molt from nevermores of various sizes, and web from broodlings. At least there was a clear path; follow the web to the nest. Additionally, a map of the area was sent to everyone's SCROLLs. However this was merely an image and not an interactive map, so it was up to the intelligence of the team to figure out their relative location on the map. The only landmark near the hunters on the forest floor that they could use to pinpoint their location was the fact they were in a small clearing, of which there were three on the map. The tress were too high to see any mountains beyond their canopy.
Sarina Tala Dei – Team JESS with an L – Defending a Caravan
Sarina ignored the remark spoken by the driver, she considered hasty. I can easily purify these beings without any of your help, as she faced the Taijutus that surrounded her. Her eyes were in the moment as one by one she moved with luminous speed slashing each Taijutu that tried to eat hear. More came and she continued to do the same routine until she looked to the distance, the caravan vehicle speeding away. FAEX, as she realized the caravan vehicle was far away and the Taijutu surrounded her in a circle that lunged at her immediately upon that realization She sensed it as she could feel their dark energy come down upon her and in a flash appeared at another point facing the speeding caravan. From that position to another position were in a line of position she appeared at, slashing Taijutus blocking her way, before coming to her ideal position, upon the caravan vehicle.
Her face was glowing; her eyes were narrow as she held a euphoric smile as she looked onward upon the Taijutu that gazed at her. She sheathed her sword and prepared herself to defend the caravan, ready to fire bursts of laminating energy.
--
Vega Venetia – Team VGNB – Outskirts of the City
“I think you mean Perception check,” as she kept a calmed face after Gratia remark. Bitch…“Banks can have different times, maybe this one is different.” Vega had an idea that this was a trap by Zephyr as it is likely they caught wind of a rescue team coming for Bianca. Perfect plan for her. “I will enter, I am the most sociable and this is a perfect chance for me to learn about the facility. If I get captured” as she thought for a second, “Gratia you can either wait or accompany Beryl and Napoli” as she looked at her.
Even before the surprise attack began, Skyra had a bad feeling and when the attackers stormed, she had more or less disappeared into the shadows avoiding the bullet hell before it even began. Oh, she so had to have a word with Krys after this... She crept up the wall dangled down from the ceiling watching her allies take cover behind Ebon's huge shield. Patiently Skyra waited for Krys to break out and when she did, it was glorious. The assailants left behind by Krys' and Sepia's breakout attack were is a pretty dazed condition, which proved to be the opportunity for Skyra's own assault. Letting go, she let herself drop right on top of one dude knocking him on the head with the pommel of her blade. As he is falling over, Skyra was already back in the air leaping from person to person using all manner of different attacks on the unsuspecting enemies.
Sepia's attack knocked one of the gunmen into the wall, where he slammed his head into the wall then floor. While he wasn't dead, the groan and twitching from his body indicated he took a lot of damage, and wasn't in any condition to continue the fight. When Ebon's R-Types came out the other gunmen took cover, blind firing between reloading. One managed to avoid the Claw R-Type, transforming his rifle into a sort of axe as he tried to smack it out of the air. This same gunman however got a kicked in the chest by Krysthane, though unlike the other he was still able to fight as soon as he got up.
One another gunman got knocked out by Skyra's surpise attack, one of them took out a smoke bomb and threw it at their feet in order to beat a hasty retreat. The one who Krysthane kicked picked up his rifle-axe and took a swing at her, while the other gunmen moved somewhere around the mechanic's garage to flank Ebon and Sepia. He was hiding and waiting until the smoke cleared enough for him to get a clear shot so he wouldn't give off their positions too early, though there weren't many places to hide in the garage anyways.
What was a semblance? The obvious, textbook answer to such a question would be the manifestation of one's aura, an unique power that was fuelled by the energies of one's very soul. A perfectly accurate and usable definition, but to simply explain the phenomena in such a ... drab and utilitarian manner ... was quite disappointing, especially when there was far more to it. After all, a semblance was a projection of the soul upon the physical world ... or as Taidan saw it, the imposition of one's identity upon reality.
It was the ability to affirm one's sense of self in a world that cared naught for it.
It was to take everything that made somebody a person and shape it into power.
And through that power, they would tell the world that they exist.
That they are.
Time slowed. He could feel the conduits within him come to life. He could feel the burning of his blood, the cycling of energy through his body, the beating of his heart as his aura flowed, the liquid fire of his soul bringing his semblance, his six divine arms, into action. He could feel it all. The emergence of his identity into the world.
The Santouliubi.
Taidan didn't move a single inch.
He didn't need to.
His ethereal arms, once wisps, echoes of his soul ... they became corporeal.
And they struck.
Two of the aura arms twisted around the attacking talons of the Nevermore, bringing their force to bear against the descent of the flying Grimm and stopping them from striking against Taidan. The hands gripped tightly against clawed feet, stalling the bird's fall and forcing the whiplash back into its body. Another pair of arms instead struck at the wings, each one grabbing harshly at the black limbs to stop them from moving or launching any further waves of deadly feathers.
And the last two moved to pull apart the Nevermore's beak, opening its mouth wide ...
In order for Taidan to spear the Huojian into its mouth and launch a stream of burning hot napalm down its gullet.
---
Gratia Mindaro - Zephyr City
"My use of tabletop nomenclature was adequate, Venetia," she replied, shooting a quick glance at her team leader's expression. It was so utterly futile of the noblewoman to hide the annoyance and irritation; the artificially calm face was always there when Venetia found offense in any of their actions. It was too obvious.
And it did not matter to Gratia Mindaro one single bit if her leader knew nothing of the typical bank's closing hours or if the other girl was simply blind.
"I do hope your shitty noblewoman swagger can be toned down, then," said the Mistralese huntress, "because even fucking Fiordilatte over here is better at bullshit than what you've got."
It took Sand some time to get back to a watchtower on the outer limits of the fort.
Had she been detected by a large group of Grimm, or seen by the birds perched on the solar arrays, they would have raised enough of a ruckus that she might have needed to fight off a horde of monsters or relocate farther away from her objective. She did not need to make things even more complicated for herself, so she returned using a roundabout route, using the fortifications that dotted the outpost’s surroundings for cover.
The small structure she had taken over was one such building. A small pair of towers connected by a mostly collapsed wall that formed a convenient ramp into the two towers. A cannon was set up on what remained of the wall, rusted beyond use. Upon arriving, Sand warily took in her surroundings, waiting and listening for any sign that Grimm had come back while she had been out exploring.
Once she was satisfied that no monsters would jump out at her, she let out a sigh and climbed into the nearest tower.
After being out in the open in Grimm-infested territory, the cool shade and stone walls surrounding her inside the watchtower were an appreciated comfort. The inside was completely empty, and the only features in the walls were large holes one could look out of.
Sand leaned against the tower wall and looked out through one of the openings, much as a guard would have done in this post. Instead of looking for outside threats to the fortress, however, her gaze was fixed on the looming form of Outpost Jeager in the distance.
If she was going to get inside the fortress with minimum hardships, she needed to consider her options.
There were two main entrances that she had seen, leading in and out of the outpost. Large gates that still held strong after all those years. They had likely been closed by the fort’s previous inhabitants and the Grimm had not been able to break them down. She had to praise the builders in that regard. Those doors were made to stand up to hordes of monsters, and stand they had. Because of that, she doubted she would be able to pry those doors open herself, never mind doing so without bringing an army of Grimm down on her.
The land walls might have been in various states of disrepair, but they were still solid enough to ward off land bound intruders. With her particular set of skills, she was sure she would be able to climb them if it came to that, but that would leave her completely exposed to the Grimm roosting in the solar array towers. If she alarmed those birds, the other Grimm in the area would probably grow agitated as well.
The coastal wall however, as she had observed earlier, had almost completely collapsed. On her way to the cliff side, she had seen a group of Beowolves march into the complex from a hole in that wall, accessible through a small footpath. In truth, that could be her best way in, but she had no way of knowing what she would find until she went in. For all she knew, the entrance could lead directly to a Beowolf den.
That left the ship entrance, but she was already convinced that place was a Grimm nest. The only difference from the hole in the wall and that was that she would have a better view of what was ahead as she went in. But that did not account for whatever that noise she had heard had been. It gave her a bad feeling. The idea that someone was living in a place like that was unthinkable, so it could not have been a person singing. Perhaps a Grimm had brushed against a machine inside and some recording had started playing. She had no way of knowing unless she investigated. It seemed more and more likely that she would need to. It was simply too suspicious to be left alone.
She examined her options from several angles before concluding she was simply stalling. It seemed more and more likely that things would go wrong at some point or another, and she would have to face the Grimm of Oupost Jeager. Even if she made it in undetected, she lacked much information regarding the fort’s interior, how many Grimm were inside, or how long it would take her to find what she needed. Eventually, things were bound to go south on her.
And then what?
This was not the first time field work as a student research assistant in Atlas had sent her to a dangerous place. She could hold her own in a fight. This was, however, the most dangerous place she had been sent to without any backup. If she got into a tight spot, she had no leeway for screw-ups.
And whose fault is that? Sand reprimanded herself. The truth was, her team would have helped her had she asked, but she had chosen against it. This was supposed to be the last mission she took at Atlas, and as such it felt fitting that she do it on her own. A sort of severing act.
Though now that I’m actually here, whatever I was trying to prove escapes me.
Alas, bravery and recklessness came hand in hand. Hunters were expected to overcome adversity, even when said adversity was created by themselves. Particularly then, she thought.
A piercing howl interrupted her musings. Her eyes narrowed on the looming structure as shadows began appearing on the fort’s walls, their answering cries echoing throughout the ruins. Moments after the first howl, a faint tremor began to spread under her feet as a horde of Grimm set out towards the forest. Sand retreated from the opening and pressed herself against the wall, her body tensing as foot-stomps and snarling grew nearer, then faded away, over and over with each passing monster.
It did not take long for the main body of Grimm to pass by, the tremor fading with them. Sand let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding, then approached the window once more. The fortress still stood in the distance, as intimidating as ever. Now, however, a large group of its inhabitants had left.
It was almost too good to be true. If she was planning on infiltrating the building, she could not hope for a better opportunity.
Still, she hesitated. There were few things a Grimm would have reacted to in the manner she had just witnessed. She had a hard time picturing Grimm rushing out like that in response to a territorial scuffle with animals.
Grimm exist for the sole purpose of killing us.
People, then. Though whatever someone could be doing this far out into the wilderness she did not know.
Hunters out in a mission, like her? Perhaps. Was it safe to make that assumption? Could she assume whoever was out there could handle what was coming for them?
Can I afford not to? This will be my best chance. If I try to see what caused the commotion and it's nothing, it might might mean completely scrubbing the mission. Hunters are expected to carry out their objectives. Hunters are expected to overcome adversity. Hunters are expected…
The lone figure crept out of the watchtower and paused, staring in the direction of Outpost Jeager. Then turned and followed after the Grimm.
Without an argument Ebon charged forward, protecting his teamleader until she was close enough to attack. Things got pretty chaotic when a smoke bomb was released, but it was too late for that gunner. One of Ebon's R-Type (Midnight Eye) already had a bead on him, and now he was on his radar. When the smoke started to fill the room Ebon recalled most of his R-Types back into the Kingdom while he kept his guard up. He was able to detect the gunner moving around, trying to get past Ebon's shield. But little did the gunner know, his shield was just a distraction. By the time the smoke cleared enough for the gunner to make the shot, the Kingdom was planted into the ground where it was, but Ebon was nowhere in sight.
"Peekaboo."
Having sneak up on the gunner, Ebon bashed him in the head with a tire iron from one of the tool boxes. And to make sure the gunner couldn't fight back, Ebon had his Claw R-Type, the only one he didn't put back into the Kingdom (Alongside his Midnight Eye), grab the gun out of the gunner's hand at the same time Ebon hit him. And for extra good measure, Ebon hit him again and again, until the gunner stopped trying to fight back. It added a bit of red to his shirt.
Lauren swept the camera of her glasses over the maps, recording each diligently. For once, as Ben presented her idea, she stayed completely silent for the sake of her captain's headache. Nonetheless, her chest swelled with pride as she continued listening, and when she turned back to the other six students, she was beaming ear to ear.
"Sounds like a plan to me, for what it's worth." Prolly not much. Lauren thought burgers were a plan to her, too. She looked to Amy and Sangue, and one emerald eye briefly closed and opened again. "What about the drums? They're targets too. And my girl is, like. Super serious about making her bank."
She raised a hand and casually stretched it out...right over Amy's ruffled crimson spikes and into Ben's hair.
"But what do I know. They just put me in front and let me flex at shit."
Trad Oak – Capture The Fort As the last Beowulf fell to Grane's glaive, the glow around Trad vanished. Releasing his grip on Robert he stood and surveyed the area. It looked as though all the Grimm were gone for now…But so was Delta and Eve! The second he realized their teammates absence, Trad heard Roberts cry for them. Within an instant Trad's blade became a rifle ready to open fire, but he was too late. The Beowulves were gone and so was Delta.
But that wasn’t what kept Trad from breaking into a full sprint toward where their comrade was taken. No, it was the howl from a distant pack closing in on them. The reality of the situation hit Trad like a brick. Leaving Delta would mean his death, but with one of them already wounded and more Grimm on their way, attempting to save him would lead to all of theirs. “I'm sorry my friend…” he said softly putting his weapons away. But the time for mourning would have to wait.
Making a quick dash to where he left the battery, he hoisted it up into his arms then made his way back to the others. “We have to go. If we make a beeline to the fort, we might get there before the Grimm hit us.”
As Robert watched Delta and Eve get pulled into the darkness, he felt his legs go weak and he suddenly dropped to his knees. "No, not another one," he whispered under his breath, staring down at the ground beneath him. Looking up in the direction of Fort Jaeger, his eyes watering with slowly forming tears, knowing that he failed to protect another friend and teammate and they had paid the price for it. Robert closed his eyes to wipe the tears away and got back up to his feet. "I need to keep moving. I need to stay strong. If I don't I'll only lose Grane and Trad as well," the team leader tried to motivate himself.
Calling out to his remaining teammates he shouted, "Everyone split up! I'll only slow you down! I'll meet you at the fort! I promise!" Looking back toward the approaching Grimm, he emptied what remaining rounds he had in his weapons before running off in the other direction. "Need to keep them on me for as long as I can. I'll worry about trying to get them off my tail once I get to that point," the red haired teen thought out loud while gripping the side of his chest where the beowulf had scratched him.
Krysthane frowned briefly, she hadn't expected the man to get up. She side stepped the swing and used the motion to power her next kick, this time at the man's head, confident that he would go down now. It looked like everything else was control, though of course she could hardly see a thing though all this cursed smoke. The mind link was still helpful, she could tell Ebon had found his man and beaten him. Thoroughly. She winced a little, that might have been a excessive, even if effective. "Finish up and gather up the goonies." Krysthane said through their link. If the man had gone down in that hit then she would drag him to the center as best she could through the smoke and look for some chains to bind them with. Otherwise she would beat the stuffing out of him and then continue as planned, she was confident whoever this goon was they couldn't stand up to a hunter. In-training, but still.
"While I am hesitant on the idea of splitting up I do understand that its practically our best option at the moment" Cian said with a soft sigh as she hefted byakko once more. Something about the entire situation unnerved her and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge. Despite it probably being the atmosphere and the already tense situation she couldn't help but feel like something was missing a piece of information that was vital. "So since the mission plan has been decided shall we go on there is little to no point just standing here at the moment." With her piece said Cian once more looked around the room making sure nothing was amiss paranoia getting the better of her as she gripped her weapon a bit tighter.
The Taijitu attacked by Lilac played right into her ploy, hissing at the flames that charred the tender inside of its maw before giving a shrieking hiss at the ice buried in its back. Badly wounded, it instinctively backed down, sliding beneath the edge of the caravan vehicle and leaving its four fellows to continue attacking. Lilac, having been more focused on attacking than where her attack might end her up, continued on in the arc of her jump to land on the canyon floor in front of the vehicle—a disadvantageous position if ever there was one. Down there, the other heads of the four Taijitus still attacking the caravan could get at her. Two enormous snakeheads lunged at her from either side.
A ripple passed over the caravan when Estelle activated her semblance, pouring aura into it to maximize its effect. Now that the caravan had begun moving forward, the greater weight increased its momentum. If allowed to pick up more speed, a good chance existed that it could smack right into the Taijitu blockade and rip them from the canyon walls rather than come to an abrupt stop. A miracle if only the senior could keep it up. With four serpentine Grimm still looming over the vehicle in attack position, Estelle lay only a single crushing bite away from sacrificing her entire aura to save herself rather than the mission.
Fortunately, Sarina's efforts prevented her from throwing it all away just yet...or would have, if only Sarina stood next to her. Instead, she heroically held off several Taijitus from a position a hundred feet behind the vehicle. Just as the monstrous creatures hurled themselves toward her as one, the young woman disentangled herself and sped toward the caravan. Landing nimbly atop it, she found an unmoving Estelle within handy devouring distance of four Taijitus, with only Sterling -who had yet to react- to back her up. Two of the Grimm, drawn toward the aura projected by Estelle, lunged at her, while one each attacked Sterling and Estelle. Time was short; if the group meant to escape without cutting each and every Taijitu in the colony, this moment was critically important.
A few moments had passed with no substantial disagreement to Benjamin's proposed plan of action. Lauren's mention of securing drums met collective acknowledgment and affirmation, but nobody tendered the idea that the objects should be sought out before people. From a logical standpoint, it made sense to wipe the facility clean of threats before working to gather secondary objectives. No further deliberation among the beleaguered seven meant that the time had come for action.
Upon returning to the junction room as a single group, armed with the comforting and steadfast radiance of their new portable lantern, the students found no Grimm. Whatever gremlins slain by their mostly-blind efforts a minute or two before had already disintegrated. Interestingly, the body of the old man had disappeared as well. All that remained was the choice: the stairwell to the bottom floor in one direction, and that to the top floor in the other. Splitting off into two teams, though as acceptable a notion as any, might have led to second thoughts when some realized that the undermanned team would be the one delving past more rooms and more opposition to reach Priscilla far below. Still, the time for objections had passed.
As JCL descended the staircase, the first obstacle that lay in their way was the Generator room. The mechanical components that gave this chamber its function lined the rectangular room's walls, leaving much free space in between. Seeing this as a waste, perhaps, the facility's staff had erected all sorts of tables, chairs, and workstations in the space, though a decent aisle remained through the middle for passage of personnel. Nestled just by the doorway lay a device very much like a dumbwaiter, though conspicuously super-sized, most likely utilized for the transportation of heavy objects between floors that would otherwise be rendered terribly painstaking by stairs. A would-be hunter with a decent memory might recall a similar chute in the junction room upstairs, as well as a heavy-looking industrial battery right beside the hallway to Traffic Control. According to a wall plaque, the adjoining room at the opposite end of this one connected to a decontamination chamber, though for now JCL would have to take its word for it; the door was sealed shut. No doubt this held some sort of link to the very much offline generators, which instead lay dormant. As convenient as it would be, no fuel sources could be seen in the room, though at least the counterbalance-operated dumbwaiter would work manually. At least, it would after the Scavenger sleeping inside it had been removed, though for now the ratlike Grimm lay unseen behind the device's shutters.
Meanwhile, the spiral staircase upward to the residence area turned out to be a problem in and of itself. Its upper third appeared to be retractable into the walls, mostly likely for the sake of security, but by working together a strong human could boost a lighter teammate or three up to the second floor. The residence hall itself took the form of a large, looped hallways with doors to individual rooms pockmarking its every side. Some were closed and locked, others wide open, and all open to investigation if one got over the blood smeared on the floor. Though nothing aside from the usual pitter-patter of presumed Grimm feet could be heard, anyone entering might feel compelled by instinct to move more quietly and deliberately than usual, lest some hidden foe burst out and lay them to waste.
As it happened, Priscilla's eagerness to help her fellow Beacon students impaired her memory, leading her to believe the control center lay on the second floor rather than the basement floor. Either way, she would have encountered resistance, but now the girl turned herself topsy-turvy to boot. Immediately after exiting the Control Room, which the other survivors rushed to seal afterward, she entered the Supply Room. Within, in addition to a floor with a vast array of clutter to snag unwary feet, stood a pair of Harpies rummaging through scattered food. Instantly they noticed her brazen presence, squawked, and leaped into the air. Though they hadn't much room to fly, they needed to fly in only one direction: straight at Priscilla, claws extended.
The mission just went from bad to FUBAR. A part of him wanted to chase after Delta's killers, another wanted to strangle Robert. But Grane knew if he did either of those he wouldn't last very long. His team needed to get to the fort, ASAP. Even though he had effortlessly slaughtered the grimm that had come first, the howls and sounds of stampeding indicated that possibly dozens, maybe even hundreds, were converging on this position. Seeing how Robert had already decided to hold the grimm back, Grane decided to book it to the fort.
Hopefully this would be the last of Robert. Possibly the first fucking time he'd do something to save someone. Grane had plenty to say to Robert, but now was not the time. Now he needed focus on his own survival at the moment. Grane wasn't about to become the second victim to Robert's faulty leadership, and he now felt the mission had to be completed. At least Delta's death wouldn't not be naught if they captured the fort, as they were told to do.
"Lets go Trad. I'm ready. We need to get the fort's defenses up and ready."
"Fuck." The curse slipped out while BASL's leader stared at where the stairs ended. He could see the edge of the upper third in the wall; with how such things were engineered, he could've gotten a grip and yanked. Locking mechanism would've broken, and the rest should have slid right out. Easy peasy. Not even much Aura needed. Buuuut, busting that lock wouldn't be quiet. And that noise would attract any Grimm that didn't know they were there already. He needed to be quieter than the average Negasi. More like the average Naga. So no forcing it out. Something subtler. Could boost the team up one by one, but that'd make whoever held up the current climber vulnerable on this end. And whoever pulled up the last person vulnerable at the ends. Double vulnerability. No good.
Needed to be quicker. Something with no climbing.
...
"A'right, Bastille, human catapult time. Lauren or Amy, you're up first. Sangue next. Whichever of you's left last. Then Amy's gonna use Unchained Fury to pull me up." Ben stretched almost casually, rolling the shoulder of his throwing arm and cheekily miming a catapult motion. "Step up, step up, and be the first to fly. Unless anyone's got a better plan."
"Send Desire up first. She's quieter and she has the better Semblance for it. We'll watch her ass from here." Lauren finally worked on quieting her voice, though she still smiled up at the landing they were all gearing themselves up for with a touch of innocence. "Hey Cap, loan me Lawnslot, will you? If we're gonna be going up one at a time, whoever's down here might still get jumped while we're making the landings. I could keep you covered, I'm kinda clutch with a shotgun."
...
Just don't blab about it. I'm still on a plea deal.
Sapphire folded her arms over her chest and watched the map as the police chief explained the situation to everyone. Of course while it was good to have some of the specifics that McDougal provided most of the information he gave them had been included in the mission briefing. The most important tactical information that he provided was the location of previous abduction sites and the fact that each victim was being lured into a cave that apparently opened up onto an underground lake. Sapphire was rather glad that the Sheriff clarified the fact that collapsing the cavern wasn’t an option as she had the distinctive impression that was going to be Gren’s first suggestion.
When Shiro started speaking Sapphire rolled her eyes. His suggestions as usual were well intentioned but misplaced. While his questions entirely failed to hit the correct mark. “Curiosity is never a bad attribute but having some common sense to go with it wouldn’t hurt. You can’t simply classify all Grimm as ‘beasts’” Sapphire said with disdain. “That’s the kind of thinking that leads people to go in shooting and ask questions later. It gets people killed. Sirens are weak, as far as Grimm classifications in strength go Sirens are more of an annoyance than a threat. Their strength comes from their hypnotic voice which means that they’re not going to do anything out in the open unless they have other Grimm to protect them. They lure people into a cave because it’s secluded and it keeps them isolated. Their mesmerizing powers are the only defense they have. If someone came along with say noise cancelling headphones the Sirens would be near defenseless. So they lure their prey and kill them away from the public eye. If there are any remains to be found they’ll be in that cave the Sheriff was talking about. Sirens aren’t stupid cause if they ever are they are shortly thereafter dead.
With regards to searching the sites of the previous abductions I think it is a foolish idea to send someone with augmented hearing to a site frequented by a creature that attacks with sound. Especially since you don’t have any sort of hearing protection. No our best bet would be to gather as much information on their method of attack and any sort of pattern they display from the locals and if we’re lucky find some means of mapping the cave system before we go in. Also Shiro unless you can find some way to protect your ears it might be better that you stay outside. That semblance of yours will only magnify the effect the Siren’s power has on everyone.” Sapphire didn’t mention the fact that she didn’t like the idea of Shiro’s semblance acting on her in the first place. Besides the fact that it literally altered the way her mind processed data Sapphire had seen the effect it had on the tiger faunus and was not particularly eager to end up a forgetful airhead with no memory of her past.
“Shall we talk to the witness?”
Nodding, Captain McDougal addressed the questions presented to him in order, leaving the team's internal communications alone. "As far as we're aware, there is only one other potential victim, but...well, we've little to no evidence of what happened to him. After Daisy went missing and we got our bearings, we figured the same had happened to him, but we can't be sure. Guess we never really will be."
Turning to Shiro, the Captain nodded a few times. "Approximately....two dozen folks or so. I could get a basic list if you need it, but it wouldn't be perfect. One member of our force here is a Meerkat Faunus. As for the Siren...well, the lady is right. They tend to fall on the smarter side of Grimm. By necessity, due to their fragile nature. Hell, in terms of direct combat, an Ursa is generally tougher, but with an Ursa, you don't gotta worry about having your eardrums ruptured by the screeching."
"As for taking your time to gather the facts, I can appreciate that approach. I'd listen to your friend there, though. Treat that beach with care. If y'all don't have noise-cancelling gear, you'd better get it, because in that cave, you'll be sitting ducks for a Siren. Frankly, that was why we called for you folks. We were hoping for a more professional touch, but if you need me to, I'm willing to come in there with you. I've at least got a little Aura, after all."
Sapphire nodded as the Captain continued to talk. "We appriciate that Captain but it's probably best that we handle this ourselves. We don't want to risk lives unnecessarily."
Shiro's ears lowered and his tail did its usual lazy sweeping whenever he went through a drop in his mood, which was often whenever he was around Sapphire. A sour look on his face, he sighed and crossed his arms. From the way Sapphire explained it to him, Shiro was essentially useless for this mission other than his swimming ability. Hell, not just useless but he alone potentially made the mission more difficult and dangerous. So, what was he to do? Build sandcastles on the beach? Fish in the ocean? Exasperated and not in any mood for Sapphire's lovely demeanour, Shiro just shook his head and walked out of the police station. Fishing sounded nice. Maybe a nap on the beach too. With possibly a full belly and more rest, he'd feel more up to the mission at hand. But right now he could feel himself on the verge of losing his shit on Sapphire. Muttering, he wondered if he should pick up a new fishing rod from the local store here as a souvenir. If it came down to it, he could just fish with his claws.
Walking out seemed like a great idea to Abel. He'd turned slightly deaf to Gren and Sapphire after his attempt to share in the tactical discussion went completely ignored, and hankered for action rather than further deliberation. As far as the guardian was concerned, the team knew where the hunt would begin, what they faced, and what a Siren could do. Now, armed with earplugs, a rebreather, and an excess of pent-up electricity, Abel bemoaned the idea of walking around and talking to people. Sure, getting more information might be advantageous, but it seemed so incredibly boring. When his feline teammate departed, Abel was on his literal tail.
Outside, he sidled up to the bemused faunus, and prodded him gently in the side with an elbow. "Sounds like we'll be fightin' for oxygen before long if we stay with those two. Buck up, Shiro. Let's find something to do while they detectivize. Detectivate? Detect. You think I'd be any good spear-fishing with this thing?" He held up his Ampere, examining the fine point on the polearm's end. "Not really streamlined. But fishing must be good in Trawl, huh?" Abel hoped his attempt to distract Shiro from the others didn't seem to obvious; fish struck him as an obvious potential solution given Shiro's race, but he didn't want to bring it up. "Feel like having a go at one of the wharfs?"
Surprised that Abel decided to accompany him, Shiro felt a little better having the large human tag along. Really, if anyone came with him he'd feel better if it weren't Sapphire. Smiling slightly, he grunted when elbowed and prodded by Abel. "Yeah, I'll say. It's always so suffocating around her." Shiro shook his head and looked at Ampere as Abel raised it. "Sure, we can give it a shot. Ah, you'll have to aim a little off if you sight a fish though. Light diffraction and everything because of the waters." Shiro chuckled a little and shrugged, "Even if you miss a quick shock will get 'em floatin' up to the surface real quick anyways." Sighing as he walked around, looking for a pier or something to fish from, Shiro suddenly shifted gears. "I'm going to take it from her, Abel. If neither you or Gren do, I'm going to take her position first chance I get." Shiro stopped in his walk and turned to lock eye contact with Abel. A look of serious determination burned within his irises. "What do you think? Would you support me?" Was he joking? Or did he fully intend what he said? Shiro never was a good liar or actor.
A few minutes into the dynamic duo's expedition across the wharfs, Abel found himself blindsided by a serious question from his friend. "Um..." The guardian couldn't think of what to say, which the ambiguity of Shiro's true intentions certainly did not abet. Scratching the side of his head with his free hand, Abel broke eye contact with the faunus to stare into the shimmering water. "Depends, I guess. Never really struck me as the leader type. Uh, hey, listen, man. You're cool and hilarious and a great fighter, but you're also kinda goofy at times. If Saph's so serious her edginess cuts us, then you're the opposite extreme. Girl pisses me off, but I can work with her. Can't honestly say I'd support you as leader...sorry. I'd like you more, but we do get stuff done under Saph -shut up, you know what I mean- so I guess she does her job. Sorry again. Don't want you to feel bad."
Suddenly, he hefted the Ampere and threw it into the water, trying to compensate for the refraction just as Shiro advised him. Unfortunately, the small fry scattered way before the blade could reach them. Clearly, the targets were too little and the weapon too bulky to make this happen. Laying down on the pier a third of the way over the edge, Abel carefully summoned his weapon back to his hands. While there, a thought occurred to him. "Um...I guess if push comes to shove, I could do some leading. I'm not really smart, or creative, and I really just kinda hate that kind of responsibility, but I might be able to do stuff. Give it a try, you know." He stood back up, searching Shiro's face for any sign that he wasn't mad at him for telling the truth.
Shiro stopped in his little stroll with Abel when the young man offered his honest words. Like a sponge, he just absorbed all that was said without giving away the slightest hint of emotion. His eyes just watched carefully with his tail swaying normally, his ears still. It was clear he caught Abel off guard, that much he knew. But, it was a little disheartening to know that even his friend didn't trust him with a leadership position. Truthfully, learning of Abel's lack of faith and confidence in him damaged their relationship a little. Even more so when Shiro realized that Abel entertained thoughts of taking up the mantle of command for himself. Shiro resumed eye contact the moment Abel turned to look at him, probably for any signs that he had upset him. All Shiro could say in return was a cryptic, "Hm." No more than that. The simple sound implying many things while in the same paradoxical turn implied nothing.
Walking over to the edge of the pier, Shiro squatted low and focused his eyesight on the waters below him. Locking onto an unfortunate fish about to meet its demise, Shiro quickly plunged his claws into the waters to clutch at the slippery body of the aquatic creature before pulling it from its home to smack its body against the wooden planks of the pier's walkways. With his other hand he ripped free Kladenets from his back and beheaded the fish in a single fluid motion instantly killing it. Sheathing his sword, he used his claws to tear open the fish's belly to gut and descale it. Once done, Shiro filleted the dead seafood with the very same claws and chowed down. Fresh fish was the best. Who cares about it being a little bloody or raw? Fresh is best.
As he ate, Shiro gave Abel another bit of advice on spear fishing. His cheeks bulging slightly with his food as he chewed. "You were too far away when you threw your spear. Get closer to the waters. You have to be in close for the kill. Take them by surprise." Munch munch. Chew chew.
Thinking that he should have lied, Abel moved uncomfortably to the water's edge and glanced through the sparkling water. Beneath the surface the fish slowly filtered back through the area in which one of their brethren had abruptly bitten the dust. The guardian hefted the Ampere again and brought it into position, kneeling so as to comply with Shiro's advice. Before throwing, however, he paused. Whatever subliminal messages had passed between him and his teammate had sapped a remarkable amount of his enthusiasm for wasting time fishing. Above all else, Abel felt as if he screwed up. He knew pretty keenly how badly Shiro needed support, but he allowed an empty principle to dictate his response. It made him feel terrible...and angry.
Abel pulled his lips back in a grimace, his muscles suddenly tense. Employing strength rather than dexterity, he hurled his weapon into the water, where it lodged in the sandy bed. A surge of electricity spread through the water like a flickering web, blowing out the eyes and overloading the tissues of every fish within a few feet. From minnow to crappie, they died instantly and floated to the surface. When Abel stretched out his hand, the Ampere returned to it obediently. He glanced back at Shiro, wondering with a twinge of bitterness who deserved more pity. "Direct approach." Did the faunus think that Abel had no problems? The guardian considered the stories of Shiro and Gren, told to him in the past. "My turn for a tough question. What do you know about me, Shiro?"
Shiro tilted his head curiously as his ears twitched. Looking down at the half-eaten fish carcass in his hands, he swallowed and wiped at his mouth with the side of his gloved hand.
"Well, to be honest not much. But, I know enough. That you're a pretty swell guy yourself and that you're my friend. You haven't really told any one of us much about yourself, but in my opinion you're kind of like a rock in a stream. Unmovable, yet you allow things to flow around you. Y'know?"
Shiro grinned brightly before returning to take another chomp on his food. His mood suddenly changing and becoming more positive. It seemed sincere enough, if a bit out of place with its timing and feeling a little unnatural.
Peering over the edge from where he sat, he whistled as he eyed all of the now fried fish that floated dead on the water's surface. "Boy, you might've overdone it a little boss."
After looking over Shiro's shoulder, Abel shrugged. "Plenty more fish in the sea." A moment passed before his face spontaneously developed a reluctant smile. "Hah...I didn't mean to make a joke." He sat down on the edge of the wharf, his legs dangling, and considered what his teammate told him. "Not as much. I'm not really interesting or likable, which I don't care too much about, but the thing is I've got no faith. Believing in...well, anything is hard for me. But, um, I don't mean to be sappy." With his free hand he brushed some water droplets from his sublime blue jacket, before he returned his gaze to Shiro. "You suppose the others are done yet?
Shiro's smile only grew brighter and bigger when Abel returned one in kind. "Aww, don't be like that. I think you're plenty interesting and likable. Why do you say believing in anything is hard for you? Why do you have no faith? Now the reasons better be good. And you're not being sappy, you're just being you."
Turning to look over at the Police Station, he had yet to see anyone from his team exit. He figured they were still formulating some sort of plan. Or something like that. Shrugging, he had an idea. "Maybe we should just go collect information out in the field ourselves and report any findings? I don't really want to sit and wait around any longer doing nothing. I want to contribute some sort of productivity, y'know? What do you think?"
The hands of Abel rose into the air to signify that he didn't have much of an idea. "Should be done in a minute or two. Before we go off and do anything, let me give your my answer really quick." Finding a trunk to sit on, he laid his weapon at his feet and without reluctance or ceremony started to speak. "For generations the people in my family have worked as guardians on the edge of the kingdom of Vale. Natural geography is a fine barrier in some parts, but in others there are real walls, and we protect them. Keep watch, make repairs, repel attacks, occasionally rescue small towns. It's..." he paused, searching for a good way to phrase what he thought. "It's a job that hurts your soul. Bleak, simple, dangerous, and sometimes trau...traumatic." Abel swallowed inadvertently. "A lot of people live happy lives by pretending Vale is impregnable. It's not. I've seen so many Grimm...it's like the water on rock, washing and eroding it slowly. Looking at all that, it becomes hard to think that people, leaders, armies, kingdoms, or anything can stand forever. 'All the kingdoms, mere bonfires flickering in a dark and cold world, sooner or later to run out of fuel.'"
A look of depression had itched itself onto Abel's face, replacing the usual blank expression typical to the area. His voice, already deep and slow, seemed a touch deeper and slower as he said. "That, um, wasn't me. Not poetic at all. My brother said that. He died." Blunt, certainly, but Abel had no interest in angling for pity or sympathy. Long ago he'd come to terms with Cain's death, and he detested the ideas of trying to make his past seem dramatic. Shiro asked, and Abel answered. An eye wandered toward the Police Station, hoping to see Gren and Sapphire on their way.
Shiro tilted his head and oddly enough, he managed to keep his smile as he listened to Abel. Sure, it was sad that his brother had died. But it was an empty and hollow sadness to him. After all, Shiro couldn't really empathize with loss of a loved one's life. He never had anyone to begin with. Even still, it was better to keep one's head high and have a brighter outlook on things. Forever naive and 'sappy', Shiro roughly patted Abel's back when he was done speaking. "Well, I'm gonna be sappy some more. You want to know somefin'? All of the Kingdoms may eventually fall, candles with their flames about to die and all that. But, you know what their fuel is? People like you and I. People like the students at Beacon. We're the fuel that keeps those flames strong and roaring. As long as we continue to march on and do our jobs as Huntsmen, it'll be a long time coming before those monsters can do anything to bring down the Kingdoms. If you let the weight of the world bear down on you and force you to think badly, then you let them win. From what I know of you Abel, I doubt you're the kind of person to take a couple of licks and just lay down. When the Kingdoms do fall, I'd like to think that you and I would already be nice and comfortable sleeping in the ground. But I feel that for generations to come the Kingdoms will continue to stand even after our legacies have faded into obscurity."
Abel shrugged. No doubt the powerfully affirmative words of Shiro required some sort of concurrence on Abel's part, but they received instead the steady lap of water against wood and the perennial coastal breeze. A subtle lack of candor held firm on the guardian's face, but neither did he brashly give voice to his inner thoughts.
Ears twitching, Shiro's head turned towards the Police Station. Sighing and deciding to take a bit of his own positive advice, he stood up and tossed aside the butchered fish carcass he had been working on. Wiping his gloved hands onto the front of his shirt, he turned to Abel and offered his hand to the seated guardian. "Come on, boss. Let's go see what our wonderful teammates have come up with and see what progress they made standing around talking about things. " Shiro grinned brightly, not looking forward to having lay eyes on Sapphire again but he got over himself for the moment.
-=-=Meanwhile=-=-
Gren didn't need a special semblance to tell Shiro was feeling down about what Sapphire said. Abel too left, and Gren could guess his reasons (Not that he'd be correct). He'd talk to them later, but right now he needed to focus on the mission. "We could use whatever supplies you can spare. We're willing to pay for it of course, or at least I am. I have gear to protect me against a Siren's song, but if it dives underwater my weapons aren't suited to fight against it." Gren motioned towards The God Eater, which covered most of his back and was big enough to serve as soft cover. "I won't ask for much. If you have a harpoon gun, or even just a harpoon and some scrap you don't mind me using, I'll make due." Preferably boat mounted. Normally not the sort of weapon you'd give a hunter, but Gren was big enough to handle it.
"There's still the matter of the witness. We'd like to talk to her, if you know where she might be at."
The captain cocked an eyebrow as half of Team SASG made an exit, seeming to have decided that they weren't needed here. Captain McDougall wasn't going to make it an issue if it wasn't one, though. "Alright. As for supplies, raid the Armory. Just bring it back when you're done. Long as nothing gets ruined, I couldn't care less about a little wear and tear if you manage to kill this thing. And the witness is right outside." Pointing to a small bench outside the makeshift war room, Gren and Sapphire would notice a woman sitting there, her face morose and tired-looking.
Nodding his head Gren tipped the edge of his helmet towards McDougall. "Thanks captain. I promise that your town would be safe and sound before too long." Gren took one more quick look at the map to locate the armory before finally turning to Sapphire. "Miss Rookwood is just outside. You want to talk to her, or should I?" If it were anyone else Gren wouldn't have asked that question. While he likes to think of himself as a nice guy and that the world is very progressive, he couldn't change the fact he was a seven foot tall green-skinned boar faunus with a gun bigger than a commercial motorcycle. He tends to scare people. "Shiro could be helpful if he uses his semblance to help enhance Miss Rookwood's hearing. Side effects aside.".
"Best both of us go," Sapphire responded. "We both have different ideas of what useful intelligence is and I don't want to go into the field and discover that your concept was more useful and we didn't ask the right questions. Besides I figure a woman living this far to the edge of Vale has likely seen a lot worse than you in her time."
Gren decided not to comment on that. Sapphire can judge for herself what the "Worse" thing he's ever saw is, if she ever gets around to knowing that much about him. Eventually the two stepped out of the war room to confront Miss Rookwood. Sure enough she seemed like a feeble old woman, mindlessly staring out into the open space. With a firm and gentle tone, Gren called out to her. "Excuse me, Miss Rookwood? We are hunters from Beacon. We would like to ask you some questions, if you have the time." Gren bowed his head towards the elderly woman, giving her a polite, but closed-mouth smile. his tusk jutting out from the corners of his mouth.
As the hulking Faunus introduced himself Miss Rookwood gave a small smile and nodded. "Yes, that's me. What would you like to know?"
Clearing his throat so that the older woman would hear him the first time, Gren asked his questions. "My team and I are looking into the disappearance of Daisy, as well as others around this area. We were told that you were the last person to be with Daisy before her disappearance. Where exactly were you two, and what did you notice before, during, and after Daisy was gone?"
The memory of her missing friend clearly weighing heavily on her, Ms. Rookwood nodded slowly before replying. "We were on the beach, near the rockier section, just taking a stroll. At some point, Daisy must have heard something that my aides couldn't. She started talking about finding some...some beautiful thing. She kept walking faster, and I tried to catch up to her, but she...she just climbed over the boulders and she was gone. I tried to look for her, but...I couldn't find her." Tears were streaming down her face as she spoke, but the woman was resolute. "It was the Grimm. It always is in these parts. The last time something happened, we almost lost one of the police officers. He hasn't been the same since he lost his leg."
Looking between the two in front of her, Miss Rookwood seemed to deflate. "How could this have happened? Why do they just keep coming...?"
Nodding his head, Gren made a mental note about Miss Rookwood's hearing aid. He didn't know much about the Sirens, but it seemed like their song only affect organic hearing, if Miss Rookwood's hearing aid couldn't pick it up. That would be helpful for Gren since he could adjust the sound dampeners in his helmet to accommodate normal sound through a sort of filter, hopefully allowing him to continue to listen to his surroundings while ignoring the siren's song.
But putting that thought aside for a moment Gren latched onto word about this police officer. "Someone else survived? Please, Miss Rookwood, what can you tell us about this police officer?"
Sapphire listened to what Miss Rookwood was saying. For the most part it was devoid of any sort of tactical information but Sapphire had expected that. The old woman was traumatized having watched one of her friends disappear likely never to be seen again. She wouldn't be thinking about what information would be relevant to a hunter's team. At this moment her guilt was to prevalent to allow that.
When Gren asked about the officer Sapphire was mildly surprised. She'd assumed at the mention of him losing his leg that it was the result of some other Grimm attack in these parts. After all the Siren was a relatively recent threat and being so close to the outskirts of Vale this town couldn't have gone without its share of Grimm attacks. Still it wouldn't do to tell Gren that. It was only serve to make him feel foolish, paint her as condescending and damage there already frayed working relationship. It was best Sapphire let Miss Rookwood explain that the injuries suffered by the cop had nothing to do with the Siren. Of course if Sapphire was incorrect then it was also better for her credibility that she not say anything.
"If you please Miss Rookwood can you recall anything specific your friend Daisy said about the sounds she heard? It could be helpful."
"Well, that was...that was Lenny." At the mention of what was apparently his name, a uniform-clad officer rolled away from a desk with his hand raised high.
"That's me! Officer Lenny Bradford, at your service." Pointing down to his leg, which ended prematurely above the knee, he shrugged. "Megaladeus. Captain, myself and a few others went into the water on a boat with as much hunting gear as we could grab. Harpoon guns, weighted nets, rifles, you name it. Damn thing knocked me off the boat and got a hold of me, but it didn't manage to get away for long. Hooked a harpoon in its eye socket while it had me. I'm just glad they had enough fire Dust to sear the wound." Shivering a bit at the thought of having his leg cauterized, Lenny nodded a few times before looking back to his computer. "Yeah, it was lucky, honestly. Now I don't have to go on patrols." Winking at the two students, Lenny started rolling his chair back with his remaining leg.
"Lenny serves as a...sort of assistant and makeshift counselor for the folks here. He's always been an optimistic fellow, really." Standing at the edge of the War Room, Captain McDougall smiled at Gren and Sapphire. "Good man. We need more people like him in this world."
"Yes...I agree with you, Captain McDougall." Miss Rookwood had a small smile on her face, her mood lightened somewhat by Lenny's good humor. Tears still stained her cheeks, but she gave Sapphire a nod and furrowed her brow in thought. "She...she said that it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. I thought that maybe somebody was singing and it was too soft for my hearing aides, but...it wasn't. Nobody was singing, not any person...I'm sorry, it all just happened so quickly, I barely remember anything. All I know is where she disappeared, really."
Just as Sapphire had thought the near loss of the officer had nothing to do with the Siren's though it was good to know that the police force in this area was capable enough to take on a Megaladeus.
"You couldn't hear the Siren's song at all?" Sapphire asked "Even muffled or deadened? Everything was silent?" Something else occurred to her and while Sapphire didn't really want to be insensitive to an old woman the situation didn't allow for much tact. "I'm sorry to ask this but how bad is your hearing without your aides?"
Chuckling slightly, Miss Rookwood shook her head softly. "That's quite alright. It has to do with...what happened, after all. Without my hearing aides, I would barely be able to hear anything short of shouting, and even then, it's not particularly loud. It's safe to say that I need them quite a bit."
"Interesting." Sapphire mused. Perhaps that meant that the Siren's song could only be detected by organic hearing. If she had time and some equipment Sapphire would have been able to construct a hearing filter not dissimilar to the hearing aids that Miss Rookwood used but unless it became absolutely necessary the earplugs would function well enough.
"Miss Rookwood, could you direct us to the locations that this happened at? Some investigation of the area may produce some important information. Though if we're going to a known abduction site we should make sure that our sound dampening equipment is operating."
"I...suppose we could allow Miss Rookwood into the area again if she had your team as an escort. However, I'll have to go with you. If anything happens, somebody needs to be there to bring her back to town. We're not losing anybody else." Determination burning in his eyes, Captain McDougall looked at the two students from Beacon. "As I said before, feel free to take anything you may want or need from the Armory. Ammo, Dust, protective gear, anything. I'll be gearing up, so I suggest you get your teammates if we're going ahead with this plan."
"Captain..." Sapphire started but he was already gone. Sapphire sighed. She hadn't meant to suggest they bring Miss Rookwood back to the site of the Siren attack and it was the last thing that she consider a good idea. Sapphire had simply wanted some geographical description of the area and a location. She sighed. Well of all of them Miss Rookwood with her hearing aides was the most protected against the Siren and perhaps having Captain McDougall along would help in some manner though at the first sign of engagement Sapphire would sent the pair of them out of harm's way.
"Gren I suppose we should gather the rest of the team. You wouldn't happen to have anything Shiro could use to block out his hearing would you? I don't want to bring him to one of the Siren's possible hunting grounds if he doesn't have ear protection." I fight his impulses enough, I don't need him under Grimm control too. The subtext to her words was evident to anyone who knew Swansong's team dynamic.
Mentally keeping a record of the information he was getting Gren turned to Sapphire. "Not at the moment. Give me an hour and I could, at best, make him something that would dampen his hearing all together. But if time is of the essence, I have nothing right now"
Gren wondered just how intelligent the Siren was. What its possible motivations where. It was no mere beast led by hunger, or at least if it was it certainly had more cunning then your average animal. It was purposely putting itself near the shore where people would walk, which told Gren that if they could get the drop on it, it'd be at a disadvantage in terms of terrain. But if it was smart, and knew that the townspeople were at least skilled enough to take on the likes of a Megaladeus, it may have it's own counters in store. Namely whatever other abilities it's song can produce.
"Captain, if you have any means to protect yourself from the Siren's song, you're more then welcome to come. But if you don't, you may become a liability. Plus if we all came as a group, and the Siren isn't a complete fool, it may not even show up or set up it's hunting ground elsewhere."
Gren took out his Scroll and set Abel and Shiro a text message calling them over. Gren had an idea what they could do, utilizing their unique talents to the best of their abilities. "Sapphire, if I may suggest: You and Abel should investigate the location Miss Rookwood and Daisy were at. Your semblance should allow you to scout undetected, and Abel should stay near by to provide assistance if you run into trouble. I'll need to take Shiro to the armory to either make him some sound-dampening head gear and/or get ourselves geared up to take on the Siren."
Gren then handed his Scroll over to Miss Rookwood. "It also wouldn't do us any good risking the townsfolk, though your hearts in the right place. If you do want to point out things we need to see, use my Scroll. It's linked to my helmet's on board camera, allowing you to see anything I see. And if I happen to look across something important, you can use my Scroll to contract me."
Sapphire nodded. "You take Shiro the armory, He's more susceptible to the Siren's song than anyone given his augmented hearing so he needs sound dampeners. Me and Abel will scout the site." She didn't really like following someone else' strategic advice but if she was being honest with herself it wasn't that much different from what she was planning on suggesting.
Looking between one another, Miss Rookwood and Captain McDougall shrugged. The Captain had a confused look on his face for a moment, but quickly replaced it with one of pleasure. "Well, I'm not so sure about taking care of your friend's ears, but if any of you need... standard ear protection, we've got some over in the Armory. Other than that, I suppose the two of us can consult through your Scroll while you go about yer business."
