[IC] A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

[Scout]

"Can't you at least keep it to yourself for a few days? Maybe you could make some friends by tricking people into thinking you were normal, then guilting them into staying your friend after they find out what you are," Owyn suggested venomously.

"I'd really rather not... Wearing a hood is uncomfortable and do you have any idea how sore it makes a tail to be confined for that many hours a day?" Lyra asked, speaking as though she hadn't heard the hatred in her own brother's voice. It was commonplace and by now, his words couldn't hurt her. Being a Faunus wasn't something that shamed her or their father as much as it did Owyn and the rest of the family.

"Then just... Don't embarrass me," He warned as they walked with the throngs of students into the opening courtyard of Beacon Academy. It was so massive... Owyn didn't break stride as his adopted sister fell behind. The last thing he wanted was for his new classmates to see him actually talking to a Faunus. In fact, it was so much so that he hadn't even looked at her when suggesting she hide it before.

Lyra simply shook her head as he walked off, readjusting her bow so that it felt a bit more at-home on her back. Sometimes it was cumbersome to carry, sure, but she didn't like to let it leave her sight. The weight was reassuring and if she didn't have it with her, the quiver on her thigh would just look silly, wouldn't it? Her silvery white tail flicked behind her as her curious eyes drank in all that Beacon had to offer. Large buildings wasn't something that surprised her, but the fact that she was actually here made her all the more excited. The Faunus had always been eager to learn and a hunger for new experiences. Back home it was always "sit up straight," and "chew your food like a lady," and "don't take a bite larger than your fork." Remembering manners was tedious and just gave Owyn another excuse to call her a mongrel. For clothing, she'd decided to dress down a little bit by opting for a simple green top with detached, matching sleeves and skirt. It wasn't exactly cheap clothing, but it wasn't as expensive as what Owyn always wore either.

The swordsman walking away from the Faunus wore a white-and-black long coat with his sword hanging from his hip over top. He had white gloves and a pair of expensive combat boots, the type he'd always trained in. He stood at a perfectly normal six feet, but carried himself as though it were ten. Just by the way he walked one could tell that any breath that wasn't his was a wasteful one, at least in his mind. One hand rested firmly on the hilt of his blade while the other hung at his side.

It wouldn't be long before they'd have to meet at the cliff for Initiation. This was going to make an interesting day for sure.

[GambolMuse]

Vale was so vastly different from Vacuo in so many ways, from its towering structures to the dense green foliage, and the crowds of people on every street. Being in such a busy place was a new experience for Soren, yet it was one he took in stride. The noise might take some getting used to, as would just being in such dense crowds, yet he'd adapt soon enough. Already he had made a friend too since coming here, albeit friend may not be the correct word for it. Acquaintance? Maybe not that either, in fact he still wasn't entirely certain why this girl was following him really. She had offered him directions upon his arrival, and then as if thinking he was helpless, began showing him everywhere. Soren might have said something if he cared enough to, willing more so than not to just have a guide for the time being.

"And here we are, Beacon Academy! This is where we will be spending the next four years of our lives," Ulyssa explained, smiling proudly as she placed one hand on her hip, gesturing up at the towering buildings before them, "Some of Remnant's most prolific Huntsmen, like my parents, came here to train. We'll come out of this with the skills necessary to defeat the Grimm, and make the world a safer place for it!" And she absolutely would, it was what her parents expected of her and she intended to meet said expectations. Her happiness at being essentially their doll to order about may be a fallacy, yet the smile on her face now seemed the genuine article. Beginning to walk along again, she glanced back as if to make certain Soren was in tow, folding her hands at the small of her back, "You're excited too, aren't you? I mean you came all the way here to Vale, it has to be exciting for you."

"Yeah... I guess I'm excited," Soren replied indifferently, rubbing at his head as he glanced around, "I don't feel a whole lot right now to be honest, still sort of taking it all in." His senses were pretty well overloaded with all these sensations, the sights and sounds that came with being in a totally new culture. He hoped he didn't stand out too terribly much here; wearing a plain black yukata top with grey flames along the sleeves, a red sash holding it at his waist, coupled with black samurai styled pants and sandals, he was hardly as preened as many other hopefuls here. When combined with his appearance, half-lidded eyes and a slouched posture, he seemed more like some street urchin who had wandered their way into the upper echelon of society. And in reality that wasn't too far from the truth.

Ulyssa sighed at her companion's comment, shaking her head before frowning in displeasure at his attitude. "You could at least pretend to be. With your getup and the way you're walking, you seem like you're waiting for a funeral or something. Pep up a little, it won't kill you!" Appearances meant a lot, especially for first impressions. In hopes of making herself well known, she had dressed as nicely as she possibly could for the orientation. While she didn't have untold sums of money, she had managed to scrap together enough to buy a new long-sleeved blouse, a fashionable dark blue jacket, a new skirt of the same shade with a baby blue hem, and a pair of tall boots. She'd certainly make an impression in more way than one, if the looks from some of the males wasn't telling enough. That wasn't the sort of attention she was after though, and plenty of angry glances were shot in their direction, sending the horndogs away with their tail between their legs. "What do you think of initiation? Are you excited for that at least?" she asked, expecting a prompt answer from Soren. When she got nothing from him she stopped and glanced back, her eyes widening in shock seeing no one behind her. "That slippery jerk!"

Soren really just wanted to get to the Initiation already and get that over with. This would be where they met their team, and hopefully he'd get partnered with someone not so chatty. Maybe Ulyssa was just trying to be social, but he didn't quite have a desire to talk with someone right now, more focusing on getting where he had to be and preparing for Initiation itself. It wasn't terribly difficult to guess where to go, just follow the swarms of students and you'd find your way there. "Jeez... This is going to be such a mess though..." he lamented, hanging his head slightly as he moved along, "So many people... And I probably have to fight some Grimm, what a pain..."

[Scout]

Finally... It was finally his time. Owyn smirked as they were instructed to take their place on the plates. He looked to his right and left. Several of the people here on these pads wouldn't be in Beacon Academy tomorrow. The rest of them would have a team with which they would spend the next four years of their lives. Three of these lucky bastards would get to have one Owyn Tudor on their team. He envied them, if only slightly, because he'd never get that same opportunity. He bent his knees and readied his hands, leaving his blade sheathed as he focused on that rapidly approaching moment.

Lyra, on the other hand, was bouncing back and forth on her feet, shifting weight from one to the other in eager anticipation. Her eyes narrowed only on the forest, stretching far into the horizon several stories below them. This was going to feel amazing. Her tail was stock still as one of her ears twitched. Already she'd noticed more than her fair share of disgusted glances. What did it matter? It didn't. If she was on their team, she'd be damned if they didn't give her every ounce of their motivation between now and Graduation Day. As long as she wasn't going to continue living with Owyn for the next four years, life would be great. What were the odds of that happening? She knew he was going to actively be trying not to see her first and, besides that, there had to be some kind of rule against family being on the same team... uh, right?

Spring!

Without missing a beat, the Faunus leaped from her pad at its highest point and spread her arms out wide. She shut her eyes tightly, letting the fierce wind of her momentum blow into her face. Her inhalations were deep and slow - you couldn't get air like this in any district of Vale. It felt so natural... Like a second home to her. Finally, gravity found its wayward child and began to pull her back to Earth. At first, it was only a gentle tug before the tenacity of physics got the best of her. Lyra twisted about, now facing the ground like a dart, waiting for just the right moment. The treetops were growing near... nearer... Almost... On the off-chance that any of her classmates were watching her, they wouldn't be for long. The moment she broke through the canopy was the moment she seemed to vanish into dust. For a moment, the wisps of air particles that were her essence continued hurdling toward the ground. However, shortly after they halted and floated gently to a nearby limb, about twelve feet away from the forest floor. It was here that she perched for a moment, one hand gripping the thick branch tightly while the other held her bow.

Cautiously, her eyes pierced the dense wood. Was she the first one to make it to the bottom? That'd be a shame... She wanted to be up there as long as she could. Maybe they'd let her do it again sometime. For now, she was more excited to meet the rest of her would-be team. For a few minutes, she sat in complete silence. Nothing but the gentle draft and the sound of her recovering breath to fill the void. 'Flitting,' as she called it, was quite the energy drainer, sure, but it was nothing compared to Owyn's exhausting trick. In honesty, though, Lyra preferred her own semblance over his. It made getting away from the family that much easier. Finally, she let herself down from the tree and clipped an arrow onto the string of her bow, just standing by for any Grimm that might already be lurking.

Please not Owyn... Please...

----

With a grunt of exertion, Owyn was launched from the cliff and into the air. Instantly his eyes were scanning for a good landing point. Nope, that was the point. You make your own landing space. If that was the case, then so be it. He threw his feet out in front of him and drew his sword, finally beginning to plummet toward the ground. Bursting through the treetop he bent his knees and, as soon as he felt the branch beneath them, kicked downward. The branch shattered under his weight and he passed through it, slowing down only slightly as he did it again to the next. After destroy about three branches, Owyn finally stopped his trajectory and was able to push off of one, leaving it only cracked as his hand reached for the next open branch it could find. The bark scraped against his rough hand as he swung and released, finding footing on a lower space before hopping to the next and finally onto the ground. He brushed off his coat and gave himself a once over.

"Coulda been better, I guess," He muttered to himself, slicing the air to test the balance of his sword. "Good, no worse for wear... Movin' out." Owyn cracked the vertebrae of his neck before taking his first steps into and through Emerald Forest.

[GambolMuse]

Plenty of anxious murmuring surrounded Soren right now, yet he himself felt relatively calm. This would, in theory, be a lot like the base jumping he used to do back at home. Granted, base jumping included water with which to break your fall, as opposed to say... Solid ground. Yet he'd already begun to think of a few ways which to land safely, it would all just depend on how he was thrown. Taking his place on his pad he glanced out over the canopy of the Emerald Forest, enraptured for a moment by how dense it was. A few forests were here and there back at home, yet nothing compared to this. It was just another reason why Vale was so vastly different to Vacuo, and why adapting to the drastic changes would take a bit of time. He couldn't worry about that right now though, as he was about to find himself launched into the air any second now.

"Okay... You've got this... It'll be easy." Ulyssa repeated this mantra to herself several times, yet her heart would not cease racing. Something didn't seem terribly fun about being launched hundreds of feet in the air, yet it would be absolutely necessary should she wish to enter Beacon. What did she have in her repertoire that might help? One card could do the trick, yet her chances of pulling the exact card she wanted, at this very moment, were slim to none. So what was her other option? Aim for the softest spot and hope she didn't end up a pancake, that seemed reasonable. Swallowing back her nerves she forced a smile to her face, crouching down and bracing for the sudden push. What felt like an insufferably long time, the sound of metal clicking alerted her that her flight was just about to begin; not a second later the platform sprung up beneath her, launching Ulyssa's petite form through the air at high speeds. With the whistling of the wind filling her ears and her lungs struggling to catch breath, she did her best to find some semblance of direction while in flight.

It wasn't easy, but she eventually managed to spot something that seemed reasonable just as her descent began. A large tree, perhaps a few dozen feet taller than the rest, loomed nearby. If she could manage to slow herself by falling through there, then maybe she could lose enough speed and land safely on the forest floor. This was of course a big if, she had no idea what the limbs of the tree were like, or if they could support her. Angling her body she managed to direct her flight in the direction she wanted, soaring down like a bullet across the sky. The treetops came up rather quickly, and Ulyssa had to pull herself over and flip to go through the canopy feet first, sliding along the trunk of the tree after passing through. Pulling her sword free from its sheath she dug it into the trunk, giving it a pull and managing to direct herself around a branch, before sliding into another and managing to lose some speed. With her sword acting like a rudder through the water, she managed to avoid any collisions and bring her velocity down to a manageable level, eventually hitting the ground and coming out none the worse for wear.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief upon landing, Ulyssa dusted off some wood chips from her outfit and checked her sword, glad to find it wasn't damaged at all from that trick. "Oh thank goodness I survived that..." she mumbled, leaning over for a moment as she tried to calm her racing heart, breathing in deeply through her nose. And that was just to start, goodness knows what more she was going to face in here. Well, she had a relatively good guess, and it didn't quite instill her with optimism. "And I still have to find three partners, lovely," she added to herself, standing upright and surveying her surroundings. No one here, she mused, which meant time to explore.

Soren had gone into this assuming it would be familiar, only to find it was completely different than expected. Simply jumping off a platform was easy compared to being thrown, and for a moment he completely blanked on what to do. Simply being tossed through the air, it wasn't until he began to plummet that his brain kicked into high gear, trying to come up with a solution to his problem. He had to slow down somehow, and he'd rather not do so by falling through trees. There was one thing he could do, though it was a bit risky to anyone potentially on the ground. He'd not seen anyone else land really however, and he'd gotten thrown away from the others, so it should be safe enough. Reaching onto his back he pulled his rifle free, aiming it downward and firing off a shot. The concussive force of his blast slowed him marginally, yet nowhere near enough to keep him from ending up six feet under. Quickly priming his weapon he fired off a second blast, then a third, and continued to do so on his entire way down.

By using his rifle's concussive recoil, and bouncing off of some trees, Soren made a less than graceful landing upon the forest floor. Somehow ending up on his feet, he first and foremost made certain he'd not accidentally shot anyone in the area, relieved to find bullets buried in trees, but not people. Turning the safety back on his weapon he slid it into the holster strapped to his back, hopping on each leg then to make certain nothing was broken; everything felt like it was in order, and aside from the small fright of being thrown off a cliff he was relatively okay right now. "But I can't take a break... I have to find someone," he said to himself, letting out a reluctant sigh as he started walking, "Or some Grimm... Maybe if I shoot something then people will come to me." Sounded like less work, he kind of liked that idea.

[Scout]

As she walked, Lyra watched for any rustling bushes, cracking twigs, or shaking trees. Her eyes would move to the sky now and then, but it seemed like everybody had already landed somewhere in the forest. No more stragglers. Maybe she'd landed farther ahead than she'd thought. She was fairly light, after all. With a shrug, the girl continued her trek, ignoring her idle thoughts as she peered through the trees. The hair on the back of her neck stood up just before she heard a low snort and a hoof scraping the forest floor. The girl whipped around and pulled the string of her bow, spotting a Boarbatusk only metres away. With a small smirk, she pulled the arrow of her bow all the way back to her ear.

"I thought it'd take a lot longer than this..." She noted, releasing her breath as the beast began to charge. She released the arrow and it whistled through the air, only to shatter upon contact with the beast's forehead.

Muttering an obscenity, the girl kicked off the ground to the side just in time for the Grimm to run past where she had been standing. With a quick roll, she pushed herself back onto her feet and finally got a chance to look at the creature. It was black as tar with a pair of foreboding crimson eyes, glowing even in the shaded wood. The same ivory of its tusk covered its face and much of its body. Mucous flew from its grotesque nostrils and into the air as it snorted again, ready to charge. Lyra snapped her bow in half and the mechanism instantly reformed itself into claws around her hands. She took a firm stance and bent her knees, bracing. Ready in three... two... She reached out as the Grimm reached her and locked her blades with its tusk. The two pushed back and forth, trying to twist one another back and forth. Fuck this thing was heavier than she thought. Breaking the contact, Lyra and the Boarbatusk each took a quick-step back before simultaneously dashing into one another. This time, however, she pivoted and launched from the ground at the last moment, letting it slip past her. Without breaking step, she sprinted just to put distance between herself and the monster. The claws around her hands reformed into a bow once again and she pulled an arrow from her quiver. This one looked much the same as her previous but its tip was coloured a deep shade of burgundy. Drawing it, she aimed at the recovered Grimm, who was once again charging her. Her gaze shifted only slightly as she released the arrow and it hit the ground right in front of the beast, detonating on contact.

The Boarbatusk was caught off-guard and the shock threw it onto its back. Without giving it any time to recover, Lyra loaded another normal arrow and fired it, this time piercing a joint. She snarled, "Fuck." Slowly this time, she drew a fresh arrow and fired, piercing it through its neck and directly into its head. The thrashing of a dying animal ceased in that moment and Lyra let out a breath of relief, shaking her head. "What a pain in the ass..." She muttered, approaching the beast to retrieve her arrow.

-----

Bang!

Owyn heard the blasts from his position fairly easily. He quirked an eyebrow and looked up to see somebody actually using a rifle to slow their descent. He stared for a brief moment before sighing, "You've got to be kidding... No." He pulled himself up into a tree and moved toward the canopy, looking out across the forest. Not too far away there was a tree that stood out from the rest. That'd be a good place to start. A good view of the rest of the woods from above and then he could plot out his course. Hopping down, he started on his way to the landmark.

It was a fairly quiet walk. He heard some shouts and things from the louder students around the woods. Some were already looking for specific people while others were yelling commands, already forming teams and fighting the nasties. Good for them, he supposed. As he made it to the tree, he heard a girl on the other side mutter something about surviving... He furrowed his brow, wasn't that supposed to be the easy part? He took a look for himself before she saw him and then spent a moment debating. Well, he couldn't really gauge skill, but she was certainly easier to look at than, say, Lyra.

"Make that two, I guess," He noted, stepping out with one hand in his pocket as he sheathed his blade and rested that same hand on the hilt. "Owyn," He introduced himself with a small bow that was more like a bow than anything.

[GambolMuse]

Now came the matter of finding some teammates, not quite as easy as it might sound. The possibility of ending up with a bad team was quite high, and Ulyssa couldn't settle for anything then the best group; she had to impress and appease her parents, that wouldn't be possible if she ended up with the lowest rung of students. Finding those who would make her team was utterly random chance, yet she'd try her best to avoid contact until she ran across someone who seemed to fit her idea of a "good student". Gathering herself from her fall, she dusted herself down before surveying the area, wondering in which direction to go. This tree at her back made an excellent landmark, towering over the others in the area, so maybe she should remain here and just let someone come to her. That might take a while however, and she really didn't want to be a sitting duck for a wandering group of Grimm.

"Owyn".

Eh? What was that? Jumping slightly at hearing someone's voice, Ulyssa spun on her heel and held her sword out in a threatening manner, realizing thereafter it was simply another student behind her. Recognizing her foolishness she quickly dropped her stance, face growing a slight pink as she sputtered incoherently, offering a small bow in turn. "Uh... Ulyssa! Ulyssa Jove, pleasure to meet you Owyn!" she belted out quickly, mentally damning herself for being such an idiot. After all those worries about first impressions and she'd drawn her sword on this boy, great way to make a teammate. Glancing up at Owyn she tried to get some idea of what he was like, noting immediately his expensive clothing and the way which he carried himself. From money then, proud? Definitely, she could see as much just by glancing at him. That was all fine and well, but was he capable?

"Sorry for drawing my weapon on you, I was taken by surprise," Ulyssa explained meekly, offering a smile in apology as she held her sword at her hip, "I suppose this is good though, it means we've each found a teammate." Was he the right fit though? Hard to say just yet, but if he was as affluent as she assumed then he should do just fine. She had one member of her team now, just two more and her Initiation would be complete. Of course with the Emerald Forest being as large as it was, finding another person, let alone two, is easier said than done. "I... Don't suppose you saw anyone else on your way down, did you?"

---

What route offered the least possible work? Soren wasn't lazy persay, he just didn't want to be wandering these woods for hours in search of teammates. Though firing off his gun had probably alerted some people on the way down, chances were he hadn't landed near enough another student for them to come to him. "Best get moving then..." Retrieving his rifle off his back once more, he grabbed hold of the barrel and snapped it loose, swinging the rifle out to the side and opening up the weapon, extending it onto a blade. Then, with a press of a button a thin strip of plasma extended from one conductor to another, giving him a small yet incredibly effective blade. Resting the sword then over his left shoulder, Soren placed his hand in his pocket and began trudging through the woods.

Despite knowing Grimm were here, the Emerald Forest was deceptively pleasant. Sure, it lacked the sound of birds singing, and sometimes it was so dense there was no sunlight, but it was a change of atmosphere and one that he enjoyed. He'd rather like to just sit down and relax, yet he wasn't going to accomplish anything if he did so. At any rate he couldn't well rest, not when he was beginning to hear other students, and Grimm as well. Not too far off in the distance he swore he heard a Boarbatusk roaring, yet the sound died away within a few moments. Either the student it had found had killed it, or it killed them, hard to say which. Either way though he should make his way over there, just to make certain they were alright. Who knows, he might get a teammate out of doing this.

Before ever making it to the battle however, Soren found himself in a predicament of his own. Ever get that sensation that you were being watched? He did, and though he was almost positive what it was, he continued walking as though unaware. He made it a good few dozen meters before a throaty growling prompted him to stop, letting out a sigh of reluctance before glancing over his shoulder at a pair of Beowolves. Just two? He might be able to handle that, though it was annoying to have to fight so soon. Watching them carefully as they began to circle him, he spread his feet apart somewhat but remained otherwise at ease, his sword still at rest on his shoulder. "Do we really have to do this now...?" he complained, sighing as one of the wolves growled at him, "I've got people to meet, can't this wait?"

Evidently not. As though taking his complaint as a sign to start, the Beowulf at his rear howled loudly then lunged at him first, right claw raised high in the air to strike him down. Raising his sword up over his head, Soren caught the Beowulf's claw on the back of his sword, straining somewhat to keep it back but managing to stay its sharp appendages. The second Beowulf lunged at him then, trying probably to capitalize on him being preoccupied with the first. "Come on... Two on one isn't fair..." he complained, easing up his grip and dropping to the ground, rolling under the second as it lunged across and slammed into the first, the pair tumbling away in the process. Getting back to his feet, Soren dashed over as they were beginning to gather themselves up, dropping the sword slightly before twisting his body and lifting his weapon, bringing it down in a hefty, diagonal slash that caught one of the Beowulves along its right shoulder, slicing open from the point of impact all the way to its stomach. Then, taking the flat of his blade he slammed it down on the Grimm's back, pummeling it back into the ground and finishing it off by driving his sword into its neck, a single weak growl coming from its lips before it was permanently silenced. One down, one to go.

[Scout]

Placing the projectile back into her quiver, Lyra poked the boar with her foot. There was no response and she gave it a small nod, "Thank you for the fight." With a solemn pivot, she started back into the wood. She was never sure why she did that, but something in her always pushed her to be grateful for each moment that passed where she continued to breathe. This monster was an abomination of nature, but she knew not whether it had chosen that life. Did it deserve no respect simply because of its birthright?

Birds scattered from the trees nearby in a flurry of flapping wings and screeches. Lyra gripped her bow tightly and turned at the sound of snarling and crashing in the trees before dashing off after it. The trees blocked out the sun, dimming the path as she vaulted fallen trees and brush. Breaking through the treeline into a small clearing, she slammed her heels into the ground and brought her momentum to a complete stop. A male with dark hair was just pulling his blade from the neck of a Beowulf. Thank god he'd won, and now she had a partner! She moved to introduce herself before hearing another growl and turning her head to the second wolf, who had sensed her presence before she made it apparent. It seemed to be investigating her more than preparing for attack, if only for a moment.

"O-oh, uh... Heh, hi," She said with a small wave. It growled from deep in its throat and then let out a loud roar, leaning back on its hind legs. Lyra instinctively pulled back an arrow of blue and let it fly. An explosion of flakes and icy air exploded as it struck the Beowolf's hip just before it could pounce. With the joint immobilized, it lost it's balance in the jump and accidentally threw itself down onto the ground and side.

The Faunus broke her bow and it formed into claws around her hands again before she lifted them to a ready position. "Two on one sounds like better odds to me, don't you think?" She asked with a smirk, "They certainly thought so." The girl stepped back and decided to let the boy have his own moment, standing by just in case he wasn't as strong as he seemed before.

-----

Owyn gripped his sword tightly as the girl held up her own. He waited for her to move, a bit relieved that he wouldn't need to kill her when she lowered her blade. It was just a misunderstanding. With a shake of his head, he stuck his tongue in his cheek for a moment, "Nuh-uh. Thank god. It's better if you don't go looking for people. One teammate is enough to keep you out of the shit, the others will just kind of... come, eventually. Trust me, rushing it is a good way to make sure you get crappy partners... I've seen some pretty sad characters around here."

"I suppose we should try to make our way to the temple and collect a relic, yeah? Means we can get our full team and finally settle into a dorm room to get some sleep..." He mused, nodding his head, "Let's get a move on, then."

[GambolMuse]

He had dispatched the first Beowulf easily enough, yet that wasn't reason to be cocky. One misstep could mean the end of him, he had to keep his wits about him even now that the numbers were even. Once he had pulled his weapon free from the corpse, he held the sword out in one hand at the ready, waiting for the Grimm to attack. His focus was stolen temporarily at the sound of twigs snapping and leaves being stepped on, expecting yet another Beowulf to appear. What he spotted couldn't have been further from that though, as a small Faunus girl came barging out of the forests, seeming relieved to have found him. She was alone then? He supposed that made them partners, and it looked like they would be getting an early exercise for their teamwork. Nodding in response to her greeting, the pair quickly refocused themselves, preparing for the Beowulf's attack.

Soren didn't even make the first move as the Beowulf went on the attack, instead watching as the Faunus had a leg impaled by an ice arrow, effectively rendering it immobile as it floundered to the ground helplessly. It was a pitiful look for such a vicious creature, though he supposed it made their jobs of killing it all the easier. "Two on one is unfair. Besides, I can kill it on my own," Soren answered simply, slowly approaching the hobbled beast with a casual stride. Unflinching as it howled at him furiously, he raised his sword up and deflected one of its massive paws with ease, causing the Beowulf to stumble as it fought to retain its footing. A second claw came his way, yet this time Soren reached up with his free hand and caught it, sliding somewhat but managing to stop the limb from striking him. With a grunt of effort he began pushing back, his body seeming to tense all at once as veins protruded on his neck.

"Nothing personal, you're just in my way," he said, throwing the Beowulf's arm aside and causing it to fall over as a result, "At least you get to see your friend now." Bouncing the blade slightly in his hand he repositioned it, then with a shout he swung it high up in an arch, bringing the blade down on the Beowulf's neck and cleanly severing its head. Needless to say the beast didn't last terribly long after that fact, only a guttural snarl escaping its lips before its entire being went limp. Five minutes in the forest and he'd already had to fight two Grimm, today was going to be an interesting one. Slicing his blade through the air to rid it of blood, Soren laid it back over his shoulder, glancing back at the Faunus girl. "Nice shot, by the way. Made killing it a lot easier."

---

Ulyssa was glad she hadn't actually attacked, otherwise she'd have a difficult time tending to Owyn and his wounds. Easing out of her stance, she smiled at the other student and nodded in agreement with what he had to say on partners. "I've been worried about who I might meet, I can't handle being with any slackers. There's a lot riding on my being here, I have to do well," she explained, keeping her story short and sweet, "You look like you know how to carry yourself though, so we should be in luck." Still, they needed to find two more team members now, even before they could imagine doing anything else. What would happen if there were not enough students? Surely some were going to find Grimm, and while she loathed to think it, some very well might die too.

"Do we even know which way the temple is though? I never saw it on my way down," Ulyssa remarked, frowning as she looked around cluelessly, "And you need sleep? We only just started! We have to work a little before we rest!" She was never going to get anywhere if she started worrying about sleep, or eating, any of that. She had to keep busy and continue working, not taking part in those sorts of things. "Let's go find some more teammates, and maybe then we can find the temple. We should try and do this as quickly as possible too, time wasted looking around is time we could spend doing something else."

[Scout]

"Well, they're not exactly an easy target to miss, are they?" She asked with a small smirk, "Just because you can kill something on your own doesn't mean you have to kill it on your own. Save some energy, let somebody help... I have to admit, though, that was pretty impressive. Those paws are almost bigger than me, I'm surprised you can stand hand-to-hand with the Beowolves." She examined the first body and ran her fingers over its wound, giving a small 'hmph' in response before muttering something under her breath and gently bending down to wipe her hand on the grass.

"Name's Lyra," She explained with a nod and a smile. This guy didn't seem to be much of one for conversation on a battlefield, so she kept the introduction short. "I'm from Vale, you?" The girl asked, pulling out an arrow and letting it idly fall from one finger to the next, twirling it up and down her hand. The two fell into a fairly natural step, proceeding the direction they were initially launched - it was as good a start as any for finding the temple and their own relic. "So we're looking for a chess piece... That shouldn't be too hard," She noted aloud, "I mean, once we find the temple it should be pretty self-explanatory... I think."

-----

"I'm a planner. I'm not ready for sleep now, but I will be, and having a bed will be comforting. Today's gonna be exhausting, it's time to start thinking about recuperating from it," He explained. In Owyn's mind, he'd already completed the day with flawless capability. "Doing this quickly is exactly what I'm here for. If you think I look like I know how to carry myself, you should see me actually fight. Once we find our relic piece, we're golden."

The two picked a direction and started walking. This direction was as good as any, he supposed. It seemed to drag on for hours with little conversation. The two spoke sparingly and, upon finally reaching the temple, concentrated whole-heartedly on the mission before them. "Alright, who's first?" He asked, flicking his wrist. As he did so, the segments of his blade broke apart into a long strand of blades. They needed a light...

"Any ideas for how we're gonna see in there, or should we just kind of... fake it?" He asked half-jokingly, shrugging his shoulders.

[GambolMuse]

"No... But it means I don't have to accept help either. No sense in putting someone else at risk," Soren replied, hefting his shoulders up in a small shrug at her compliment. "Those were small ones, I doubt I could do it to a full grown Beowulf." He'd never really fought one before, at least not to any extreme extent. There were however a handful of nasty creatures back home, so he wasn't unaccustomed to fending off ferocious beasts. Really, what more was a Grimm than just another wild animal? Yes there were obvious differences, but if you viewed them as just another creature of the wilds then they weren't quite so intimidating. Watching the Faunus inspect his latest kill, Soren placed his weapon back and his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to come up with some kind of plan for them. He wasn't really one to initiate anything himself, he'd leave that to her.

Lyra, huh? And she was a local, or at least compared to him she was. There was some slight surprise in finding a Faunus here, given the animosity that some people still carried towards them. She'd get no such grief from him though, he was far more about live and let live. "Soren, and I'm from Vacuo," he answered simply, glancing back to his kills for a brief moment. That was right, there was likely going to be people from any number of kingdoms here. All these cultures clashing together, it was surely going to make for some interesting moments. Just between him and Lyra there were two completely different lifestyles, and he'd imagine their other teammates would be different as well. Following Lyra's lead, the pair began making their way for the temple, wherever that might be, to claim their piece and take the next step in this Initiation. "I'm sure we'll find it, eventually. Forest is pretty big..."

---

So he was planning ahead then was he? Ulyssa could appreciate that, though she wondered if he was considering the here and now as well. Planning ahead was nice, but if you only looked ahead then you weren't engrossed in the moment, and you might miss something. Smirking somewhat amused when he mentioned fighting, the young student tossed her hair over one shoulder and sheathed her blade, folding her hands behind her back as she began walking off. "I'm sure I will be absolutely enraptured by your abilities, Owyn. But let's not try finding a fight, okay? I'd rather just get to the temple and get this done with." He could show off later if he really wanted to, she might humor him and find a Grimm to fight with. It was hardly her idea of a good time, but part of her wanted to see if he lived up to his own hype.

Not having a map or even a sense of direction for that matter certainly made this journey take a while. The sun had long since passed its peak and was now beginning to set, signifying it was later in the afternoon by now. Ulyssa had worried for a while that they may have gone in the wrong direction entirely, and that they may never well come across the temple at this rate. Concerns were quelled however when they found the structure in question, albeit it was more ruins than a sound temple. Not exactly what she had expected coming into this, but then they didn't quite know what to find when they got here anyways.

"So our relics are here somewhere then...? Those chess pieces you mentioned?" Ulyssa asked, moreso confirming it with herself than anything, "Well great... Now we just have to find them." It was not immediately obvious where they might be, yet she was confident they would locate the relics after a quick look. Resting one hand casually on the hilt of her saber she began to walk about the immediate area, looking for any signs of what they were after. If this was what they needed to finish, surely they had been hidden? No way did the Headmaster or instructors make this easy on them, she expected to have to do everything short of excavate the ground to find these.

Soren had scarcely spoken for the walk, letting Lyra start and usually finish every conversation they had. He was more dedicated to keeping an ear out for any Grimm as both of them had already been attacked today; neither of them caught wind of anything however, and after some hours of walking they appeared to have found the temple. What were the chances they had taken the right route? Slim to none he'd venture, so the fact they were here now was a miracle. As they rounded about from the southern side, Soren came to a gradual halt when he spotted two others by the ruins, apparently looking around for something. Another pair then? Or were they already part of a two man team? It didn't appear that they had been noticed yet, which begged the question then of approaching them or not. "Lyra... What do you think, should we go over?" he asked, glancing back curiously, "The guy looks to be stiff, might be a pain in the neck..."

[Scout]

Owyn shrugged, "There ought to be at least one in there. It depends on how many teams have made it in and out..." He muttered in thought, rubbing his chin, "I don't imagine the inside will be very safe though. Treading with caution would be a good idea. Like I said, if you've some way to light it, we'll be in good shape. If not, we're gonna need to take a minute to fashion something and get it ignited." The man crossed his arms and examined the mouth of the temple, staring deep into it, as though something would come out at any minute. "... Eh, fine, wait here, I'll go put something together..." He turned on his heel and started sifting through the dead branches on the ground, wandering into a radius of several feet.

"You're not much of one for conve- Eh?" Lyra stopped as he asked her for an opinion. "Go over where..? Oh," The girl blinked and looked to where he was gesturing before instinctively shaking her head. "No, nope. Definitely not." Her reaction was a bit quick, so she recovered and cleared her throat, "I mean, it might be better not to... Heh... Like you said, he seems kinda stiff, y'know? And who knows what kinda people they are, right? They could easily walk in there with us and just sneak away the moment we find danger or they'll try to nab a relic piece before we can get one for ourselves. Let's find another entrance..." She didn't hesitate to grab his hand and pull him in another direction, looping around the structure of the ruined temple. Finally, they found another point from which they could approach the building.

Meanwhile, Owyn returned to Ulyssa, "Alright... Now comes the hard part. Unless you get a better idea, we're gonna be here for a bit..." He dropped the kindling on the ground. Amidst the supplies was one thicker, semi-stubbed section of a limb. "Let's see if we can't get a makeshift torch... Again, unless you have a better idea?" He stared idly at the supplies, hoping that she did... Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing with this stuff...

Lyra tapped her foot impatiently as they looked at the entrance to the temple. She snapped her fingers, "Got it. I know what to do," She beamed brightly before dashing back into the woods. When she came back, she was holding a large branch with a multitude of brown and yellow leaves on it. "This must have snapped off a tree recently... Good luck too, watch." Dropping it to the ground, she pulled an orange-tipped arrow on her bow's string and fired it at the top of the branch. The burst of flame was far from an explosion, igniting some of the grass around and the leaves on the wood. "There! A torch!" She said with excitement. It would have to do for now, she was limited on Dust Arrows... The girl reached down and picked up the long branch, holding it at the mouth of the ruins.

"Shall we go?" She asked curiously, looking to him as the soft glow of the fire already started to fill the dark space.

Owyn crossed his arms... Perhaps learning to be a survivalist would have been in his best interest before coming. However, father was rather preoccupied with teaching him combat. It must have just been overlooked. Right now, though, it was the one thing between him and being an official Beacon student. "So... what? Do we just like... rub sticks together and they light up..? Err... Or do we need something else to light it up?"

[GambolMuse]

"I don't have anything to light a torch, or anything to make a torch. I suppose we could make a fire, then light a branch..." Ulyssa mumbled, thinking it over with herself. Hm, she had been taught how to make a torch before, but did she have the materials for it? Branches were a definite yes, and she could find some spare cloth somewhere, if not from her own outfit. That just left some kind of fuel to put on the cloth, no idea where she'd get that, and a means of lighting it. But where to get a fuel? What out here might burn for an extended period of time? Not knowing frustrated her, but it seemed like Owyn had them covered.

There were two perfectly good partners over by the temple, even if one did seem a bit stuffy. For whatever reason Lyra was wanting nothing to do with it, shooting down the proposal with no hesitation. Giving the Faunus a puzzled look, Soren hefted his shoulders in a shrug and gave the area another look. "They would need partners too though, I don't see why..." he began, eyes widening in slight surprise when his hand was grabbed and he was pulled away. Okay, for some reason Lyra really didn't want to partner with those two; her business was her own, he wasn't going to press her for details and ask why. He didn't see another entrance from here, chances were there wasn't one, yet that didn't deter the Faunus at all. "Okay, okay, quit pulling me," Soren replied, stumbling along to keep up with the anxious girl.

"Do I seem like I have a better idea? Why do you imagine I'm letting you do this?" She wished she could offer something, anything would be quicker than watching Owyn try to ignite a fire. Was it just her, or was he hopeless when it came to this? The look of confusion on his face would suggest as much, and part of her wondered if he'd ever done something like this in his life. Judging by his outfit too that was a very real possibility, he probably had someone to do it for him up until now. Great, a preppy moron with no idea of even the basics Ulyssa lamented, a bead of sweat dropping down her forehead as she watched him stare at the sticks, utterly lost. Hopefully I don't have to rely on him for much.

"I'll be damned... There's a rear entrance." Who would have thought? There were no other students out this way, and Soren was pretty certain there wouldn't be for some time. They had found this place completely by chance, the notion that it would be teeming with students any moment was a bit absurd then. So they found a way in, but unless they had night vision they were going to have a hard time of it. Taking the initiative, Lyra ran off and gathered supplies for a torch, returning promptly afterwards with a proud look plastered on her face. It was impressive to see her able to fashion a light source so readily, Soren had to give her that much.

"Yeah, we'll head in. I'll lead though, we don't know what's inside," Soren answered, withdrawing his weapon once more and unfolding it into its blade form. Holding it at his hip, he then began moving into the shadowed entrance, using the faint glow of Lyra's torch to guide him.

It was painfully apparent after watching Owyn that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Honestly, how difficult was it to start a fire? Sighing as he tried to solve it himself, Ulyssa forced a smile to her lips, though she snatched the tinder and twigs away from him impatiently. "If we were in dire straits, we'd be dead by now, I just want you to know that," she said, smiling up at her soon-to-be teammate, "But then we're not, so I guess it's okay you're useless!" She'd handle it then, so much for the man of the group doing anything. Laying out several sticks on the ground she surrounded it with some dried grass and leaves. Then, finding a small chunk of stone from the rubble, she withdrew her sword and held it in the center at an off-angle, beginning to strike the broad side with the stone. After a few swipes she managed to make sparks, and with sparks came flame.

"See, that wasn't so difficult was it?" Ulyssa taunted, grabbing a stick and bunching up grass around the tip. After using a long strip of grass to bind it to the stick, she ignited the entire thing and created a torch, thrusting it into Owyn's empty hands. "It won't last that long, but then we shouldn't be inside too long either. You lead, I'll be right behind you."

[Scout]

"In dire straits, I wouldn't be making a damned fire!" He argued in agitation, his pride struck. Owyn sneered and crossed his arms, "This isn't an indicator for my ability, it's just a weak suit. At least I was trying something," He muttered, taking the torch and starting into the cavernous ruins. Each step echoed off of the walls and filled the place with the sound of their walking. He held his whip in a loose coil, making sure his hand only gripped the cord and not the blade segments.

"Shouldn't take too long... Even if most relics are taken, they're probably all clustered together... It's not supposed to be a scavenger hunt," He noted, his eyes scanning the walls. Part of him had hoped that there would be markings and carvings in the structure, but it was surprisingly barren for a temple. Watching ahead, the darkness swallowed their fire's light and seemed to stretch on without end. Naught sounded but the sound of their footsteps and he couldn't help but wonder if they were early or late to the place... They wouldn't be finished with the challenge until sunset the next day, as the rules had stated for the day, as a test of their ability to survive through a full night. Not to mention they could try finding a pair with their matching relic and get a headstart on testing their synergy.

Owyn accidentally kicked a small rock as they walked and it bounced across the floor, making a soft ticking sound as it hit the uneven surfaces. It was matched by an equally pitched, but more frantic tapping. The future Huntsman stared into the Void of darkness as a soft golden glow made itself clear, paired with multiple red orbs gradually moving toward them. His ears now picked up the tapping noise as that thing's "feet" and he stopped dead in his tracks, holding the torch out.

"Finally..." He said with a smirk, letting the Death Stalker draw nearer. Its pincers entered their small orb of light rather quickly, "Show me what you got, Ulyssa," He urged. Owyn pulled back his hand and in a single, circular motion, brought the segmented blade over his back. It arched with a high-pitched whistle, starting a combination of quick, precise motions. First thing was first: the thing had to be at least slightly disoriented. If they couldn't get past its mandibles first, or find a way to fight at a nice distance, then the fight was not theirs to win.

"I got the front, you get past me first," He instructed without looking back. His other hand held the torch, but it moved just as much as his body as the blade fragments struck each claw, fighting them back. His strikes focused on the less-armored, black portion of the claws and arms just behind the pincers. The constructs would still be formidable, but at least the creature would feel it and keep focused on the fire-wielding swordsman. It would give Ulyssa a chance to find her own method of attack and gain the upper-hand for both of them.

-----

Lyra stepped into the ruins barely one step behind Soren. Sure, she'd have taken the lead or at least walked at his side... But he said to let him go first, so she did. It was rather hard for her to not take orders. At times, she would even find herself doing whatever Owyn told her to, even if she didn't particularly want to. If he said go away, something in her mind would force her away despite what she actually wanted. He was easier to resist, but a situation like this was one where she didn't even realize she was following an order. This Faunus stuff made it difficult for her to distinguish what was simply her personality and which traits comprised the side of her that shamed her brother so...

Upon entering, she realized that the torch was hardly necessary. It made plenty of light, yes, but she found that after her eyes adjusted she could much farther into the tunnel than she had expected. "Huh... I guess I didn't think of it, but... I kinda do have nightvision. This has some upsides, y'know," She explained, looking up toward the ears on her head and shrugging her shoulders. Lyra kept the torch, though, to ensure that Soren had some sense of sight and because it still helped a hell of a lot to see farther down.

"I wonder if we'll find a few relics together... how should we pick one? I mean, that choice will put us with another pair of students for four years. If we pick the wrong one, we could end up with the most incompetent or weak partners in the school... Oh god, we'd be laughingstocks..." She lamented dejectedly. Being a Faunus made her stick out as a target more than enough to the point where she didn't think that a reputation as the team that couldn't work together would be something she could take.

[GambolMuse]

"But what if we needed one? Your 'weak suit' could kill us," Ulyssa retorted, giving Owyn a cross look as she placed a hand on her hip, "I'll be sure to give you a golden sticker when we get back for effort, okay?" So maybe he was good at fighting, yet completely helpless when it came to being outdoors. That was somewhat problematic, she'd have to manage for both herself and him then, and potentially whoever else might be on their team. "And don't you think I know that? I've prepared as much as I can for this, I know what we're doing." She'd fought Grimm, studied the Initiation itself as best she could, and now was trying to take charge of the situation at hand. Owyn just didn't quite come across as the leader type, not a very good first impression to make. That could well change though depending on how things went hereon out.

They had gone some ways into the temple before finding something, yet it wasn't the relics they stumbled across. Pausing when Owyn kicked a rock along the corridor, Ulyssa listened to the sound as far as it went, just to gauge how much distance was left. It didn't seem to hit a wall, meaning they had some ways still until they got through. Just as she had begun to walk again, the sound of skittering brought her once more to a complete halt. Spotting the telltale, glowing red eyes ahead and a large golden stinger made her draw her weapon, readying herself for a fight in these cramped spaces.

"We shouldn't fight here though, it's too cramped. We'd be better off outside." They could lure it back outside, use the open space to their advantage and bring it down there. If they fought in here, with reduced visibility and space, the chances of injury were far greater. Ulyssa never even got a chance to voice her concerns though as Owyn went right on in to the fight, his blade clanging against the armor plating of the large Grimm. "Or we can fight here! Sure, I love fighting in the dark!" Ulyssa lamented, rolling her eyes and darting off to the side. Moron, trying to battle in here, things just became infinitely more difficult for them.

While Owyn acted as a distraction, Ulyssa cut around the Grimm's left flank and get a better angle on it for attack. Her shoes clattered faintly along the stone floors, yet were drowned out by the clanging of Owyn's blade against the Death Stalker's claws. Good, she had at least a moment of surprise, she had to make it count. One of the first things she'd been taught as a prospective Huntsmen was to limit a Grimm's mobility, especially the larger ones. To that end, Ulyssa struck the flat of her blade with two extended fingers, causing the metal to vibrate slightly. Then, using the sound of its limbs hitting the ground she zoned in on one, the faint light of the torch helping as well. With sword in hand she made a jump at its hindmost left leg, trying to sever it at the joint and cripple the beast.

---

So he was basically playing bodyguard in this situation, wasn't he? Sure he couldn't see in here, but then Lyra probably couldn't fight. These corridors felt rather cramped, drawing a bow then was pretty much out of the question. She did have her claws, granted, but then was it wide enough even for both of them to fight? His weapon had an awfully wide swing, it would be tricky to make attacks without potentially catching Lyra in the crossfire. So yes, he was essentially a bodyguard now, a fact he wasn't thrilled with yet wasn't going to fuss over; he'd certainly fight if he had to, he just would rather not have to expend the energy for it.

"So you can see... Great," Soren said with a sigh, relieved one of them was at least aware of their surroundings. Aside from their own sounds this place was silent, both a relief and a concern as there was no telling what might be inside here. There was every reason to expect Grimm, and the fact they hadn't encountered anything just yet hardly placated him. Maybe once they actually reached the relics they would run into some trouble, not that he was hoping for it.

As if on the same line of thinking, Lyra brought up the relics as well. Only she sounded far more anxious about it than he was, borderline outright panicking over the prospect of finding a less-than-perfect teammate. Sighing to himself, Soren continued to press on ahead as she had her fit, just trying to focus on getting to the relics for the time being. "If that happens then we work harder to make up for it. That's why it's a team of four, I guess... One or two weak links don't drag everyone down." Or it shouldn't, he couldn't imagine himself or Lyra being unable to handle themselves though. The two of them had handily dispatched a pair of Beowulves earlier, and yes while they were smaller than normal they were still dealt with. Point being? Soren was already confident in their ability, and their potential to carry weaker members of a team.

Up ahead one could see natural light seeping into the tunnel, making Soren wonder if perhaps they had gotten turned around somehow. That was one possibility, the other was maybe there was a break in the wall, or this was just another entrance and they were going to have to double back. As they drew closer it became apparent that they had actually found a courtyard, or the remains of one. A few carved pillars stood in the center, others toppled over and shattered, with benches dotting the space and long-since withered flowerbeds lined the edges. What Soren took most notice of however was the altar in the center, and in particular the small golden objects along its surface. Cutting directly across the space to the alter, his eyebrows arched slightly in surprise seeing they were indeed the chess pieces they were after, thinking it an incredible stroke of luck they had made it here. "Huh... Wonder why those other students aren't here yet..."

[Scout]

Owyn sneered; sure, they could take the fight outside, but the Death Stalker's mobility was far more limited inside. It didn't have options for where to go or how to move. He could feel the judgment from the girl, though he cared little for it, as the Stalker was already on them when she made her suggestion anyway. Ulyssa moved around the beast and the swordsman was at least glad that she could tell what a distraction was and how to use it, meaning him.

It was only moments later that the creature cried out in agony, its posture becoming slightly off-balance as one of its legs hit the ground. Owyn had to admit - that was an impressive feat considering the size of her blade and even her body. Of course, everybody had their own weapon choice, perhaps hers had something about it that he didn't know. Either way, that'd have to be one incredibly keen blade in her hand. Taking his turn to switch in, Owyn pulled a small trigger on his blade's hilt, causing it to instantly retract and form into one long piece again. If he could get close enough in the guard, then it would have to resort to tail and confused, inaccurate claw attack. The eyes were another point of interest as well.

The young swordsman was ready when the recoiling scorpion reared its tail back. He sidestepped and pivoted slightly, narrowly avoiding the attack's target on the ground. He had only slightly deflected it with the flat of his sword and allowed it to pierce the floor. Eight legs pushed in an attempt to free its stinger but Owyn had enough time to swing his blade as hard as he could and sever the tail about halfway deep. "Fuck," He muttered, withdrawing his blade quickly and readying the next swing. However, the Death Stalker had other plans as it pulled its tail back out of the ground with the stinger dangling slightly from the end of the tail.

"Get the stinger, Ulyssa! If we can get that, the claws are..." He shouted, rolling to the side to avoid a snap, "Easy enough to deal with. But that thing is absolute death on a stick!"

-----

Lyra's curious eyes took in every detail of any hallway and room they came across. Some of the pillars here and there would have etchings, but others would be blank entirely if not scratched out. She loved it here. Not only did it feel like history, but this man-made structure was so old that it had become a part of nature itself. Whether or not it was intentional, the temple was built for the land and not the people. Incredible. Leafy green mosses grew around edges and on debris while it seemed almost constant that creaking from different parts of the building filled the room. She was certain that they maintained the structure, if only for training purposes.

Finally, there they were... The chess pieces. Lyra rushed up to them and bounced very slightly at the prospect. "Ooh, which one... which one..." The real question was which one Owyn wouldn't pick. Instantly she grabbed the pawn and turned to face Soren. "This one!" Not only would Owyn not choose the pawn, but Lyra had her own reasoning. It was her favorite chess piece, though she was far from a skilled player. In her mind, she was certain that Owyn would pick the King or Queen. Most pieces on the board can move with some kind of specialty. Lyra not only loved the pawn and who it represented, but she respected the piece. It was the only one on the chess board that could only move forward. Until the very moment it died, that small, seemingly insignificant piece would keep marching forward at the command of its superior: you. Chess, while impersonal in nature, would often remind Lyra that there were people out there fighting with nothing but disadvantage. Many died, yes, but some would go on... They would cross the board with naught but a prayer and dedication to their leader. Such a tiny piece, but every soldier is an asset.

"I don't know why they're not here... Maybe we're just a really good team or... do you think something stopped all of them..?" She asked with a slight twinge of remorse. "Maybe there's something bigger in the forest that found them before any of them got here and we just haven't seen it? Should we check..?" She asked curiously, rolling the pawn around in the palm of her hand.

[GambolMuse]

Dragging the Death Stalker outdoors seemed to make more sense to Ulyssa: they could fight better in the open, and they would be better able to see, which was obviously a benefit. Owyn, for some possibly masochistic reason, didn't seem to agree with her however. If they weren't going to move then fine, they would just have to capitalize on an otherwise lousy situation and make the best of it. She knew full well that Huntsmen were rarely dealt an ideal hand in a battle, this was a good a test as any to see how well she and her future partner might handle adversity.

Using the faint glow of the torch, Ulyssa struck out with her blade and met its mark, the pull of flesh and cries of agony a telltale sign she'd found the Grimm. Ignoring the splatter of blood that caught her clothes, she tried to take a second leg but instead had to back off as the tail swung at her haphazardly, blocking any potential follow-ups. Were she the only person fighting this beast then that would have been annoying, but with the Death Stalker defending against her that now enabled Owyn to take a shot of his own. Again, limited visibility left her largely unaware, but the sound of flesh being torn asunder, and the roar of the Grimm, let her know he had found his target.

With the torchlight glistening off of the stinger she was able to assess the damage already done; hanging by literal threads, if they could just remove that then the Death Stalker's most lethal weapon was gone. She didn't need Owyn telling her what to do next, though she went about his instructions regardless. "Right, I got it! Keep it busy!" Turning around, Ulyssa made a leap at the wall some several feet up, extending one leg and twisting her body before springing off, shooting herself towards the Death Stalker. With her newfound height reaching the stinger was no problem, and with a spinning slash she managed to sever it completely. Her feet hitting the stone floor was drowned out by the clanging of the stinger smashing into rocks, and the howls of the Grimm served to silence her as well. "We got it! Alright!" she celebrated, beaming as she turned back to their enemy, "Now to finish it off!"

---

There was something eerily beautiful about ruins like this, overgrown with vegetation and remarkably well preserved. Soren was no stranger to seeing buildings in shambles as it was common in Vacuo, yet those ruins generally were worn down, covered in sand and often times home to any number of nasty creatures. So far these ruins seemed to be peaceful, not a single sign of a Grimm anywhere and a proverbial sanctuary in the Emerald Forest. For that reason alone Lyra bounded across the courtyard, apparently not even remotely considering there might be danger as she went directly for the chess pieces. While she mused to herself over which to grab, not that Soren thought it particularly important, he kept an ear out for anyone or anything in the area. Wild animals waited until their prey was vulnerable or relaxed to attack, and he was sure the Grimm in the forest were no different.

"It's possible, we fought Grimm on the way here," Soren muttered, frowning as he looked off towards one of the adjacent corridors. Had he just heard a roar? Or was he imagining things? Staring at the entry way for a moment he shook his head, turning his golden eyes back onto Lyra as she continued to speak. "We have our piece, I suppose we don't need to stay here..." It would be easier to meet their team, but then they could always meet later too. He didn't particularly have any intention on playing hero and try saving their peers, yet if confronted with it he'd obviously try to, as no doubt Lyra would as well. But where to even begin? Emerald Forest was expansive to say the very least, and there was no accurate way of gauging where the others might even be. "We can double back the way we came, wait for someone outside..."

There it was again, a distant roar. Only this time it was far clearer than the last, and it echoed in a strange way that suggested it was indoors somewhere. Though Soren's heart climbed to his throat his expression remained steady, glancing over at Lyra with a slight frown. "You heard that too, didn't you...? It's a Grimm..." Inside the temple? He supposed it was possible, though he'd not even considered it really up until now. With weapon in hand he began moving towards the corridor in question, beginning to get a bit of foreboding from what might lie beyond the shadows here. "Stay here Lyra, in case anyone else comes," he called back, disappearing through the darkness and breaking into a jog down the hall. He was blind without her help, but thanks to the slight glow his blade gave off he could use it as a makeshift source, only just enough to light the path before him. If someone was fighting a Grimm alone here then they may need help, and he'd be damned if another student died without a fighting chance.

[Scout]

The Death Stalker thrashed about in frustration and fury, its pincers clapping loudly as it reached for Owyn. The swordsman, however, was more than ready for the flurry of attacks. His weapon responded to each strike, which were haphazard and desperate at best. The sword clashed with an incoming claw as Ulyssa took the rest of the stinger. The loud clang filled the hall, but he didn't flinch, prepared for its retaliation. With a smirk, he turned his back on the monster's face as one of its claws came hurtling directly for him. Owyn spread his arms out wide and the Stalker's claw met his body... then went straight through.

Before it even knew what had happened, Owyn was gone and the scorpion was left with a damaged face of eyes. In honesty, it was gruesome. Several of its beady, crimson eyes were pushed back into its skull and one even fell out. Disoriented, it released another swing.

Owyn laughed and shook his head, "That's pitiful. It can't even tell where I am," He observed, watching and easily stepping out of its way. "It's hardly fair at this point. The beast continued to screech and flail, but it had absolutely no sense of depth or accuracy as the swordsman retrieved their torch and waved it around.

"Over here, big guy. Go for the light," He cooed teasingly. "If you can't finish it off like this, Ulyssa, I honestly don't see why you'd even be here." Was the taunting and talking necessary? Hardly. But the power trip it gave to him was almost intoxicating.

-----

Lyra shrugged, "We could, but it's kinda nice in here. I just don't wanna leave people out there fighting something that could actually overpower them..." She opened her palm and looked the small chess piece over before a roar and a clang came echoing from one of the corridors. She furrowed her brow and turned to look as Soren tensed up.

"Eh? Stay behind..?" She asked in confusion as he dashed off, "But... I thought... alright," He was already gone, there was no point in arguing. The torch burned on the ground where she had left it. It didn't light anything else, but it still held light and smoke. Maybe the others would see the smoke as it rose from the courtyard and help them navigate.

Meanwhile, Lyra stuck a tongue inside her cheek and got a good look around the courtyard. It was like some of the less cavernous parts of the temple. They'd seen a couple of the rooms as they moved through and the courtyard showed that same former glory. A few arches were the backdrop for the chess pieces, which were mirrored in opposite colour on the other side.

A splash climbed up her leg and she jumped, having lost her focus as she stepped into a puddle. With a small laugh at herself, she stepped back and crouched down to the water - the damp area with little sun probably didn't make evaporation an easy process. A girl with white hair, red eyes, and wolf ears stared back up from the ground at her and he bit her cheek. Was that why Soren was in such a rush to get away? Did he just hide his distaste for Faunus, or was she paranoid? It's not like he could abandon her as a teammate... But, she supposed that didn't mean he had to be her friend. 'Stay behind.' Was she not competent enough, or did she just make him uncomfortable? He seemed like one who didn't live in high society, which made him a rather new subject for her. He carried himself differently, yet somehow with an equal amount of dignity. Why then, did he remind her so little of Owyn, who was much the same in his prideful demeanor..? It seemed more measured, like something could be stolen from him at any moment. Perhaps he was simply more alert than Owyn.

She sighed and swiped a hand through the water, rising fully to her feet and moving to the pedestal from which she took the pawn. The girl placed her bow over her back and gripped the relic tightly, climbing up on top before leaping and grabbing the edge of the arches. With a surprising athletic ease, and her jump's momentum, she vaulted over the lip and landed on her feet. Placing one foot directly in front of the other as she walked across the narrow, stone structure, she finally made it to the edge and looked up. It wouldn't be too hard to get on top from here and get a good view. Thinking back, they did climb a lot more stairs than she'd realized at the time. Maybe this was the pinnacle of the temple - an altar or something - and not just a simple courtyard. How did it come to be buried, though? Did Beacon build and bury it just like this to serve as a good simulation, or was it something entirely different? It made little sense, to be honest.

Lyra didn't think too much on it as she jumped from the edge again and grabbed hold of a small brick sticking out of the opposite wall, bracing her feet against it as her eyes focused a few meters up. That was the top... Gradually, she found more hand and footholds to work her way higher. She loved climbing... Often, when her parents couldn't find her back home it was because she'd found a roof or turret window to sit on. It used to be dangerous, but after she discovered her own semblance she had a failsafe.

Pulling herself over the edge finally, she stood up and brushed herself off. "Whew... I always forget how heavy that thing is..." She muttered, looking at her bow and shaking her head. From up here, she had a perfect view of the whole forest and even out into the lake. It was a lot like the cliff before they were launched out, except she could actually take the sight in. The smoke from the burning leaves in the courtyard billowed out like a beacon for those who still could not find the temple. Behind the temple was a small range of mountains, which concealed this hill quite well, giving it the environment to blend in. Even now, she could see a couple of pairs engaged in a fight with a Beowulf or another Grimm. Some were a couple of miles out, so she couldn't make them out well, but Emerald Forest had a shocking number of clearings. At least, from up high it looked like it. From the ground, it seemed as though there were so few...

She sat down and just watched the woods, certain that if Soren returned, he wouldn't think she was actually gone.

[GambolMuse]

Just one clean cut was all that she needed, and Ulyssa got it. Granted she probably wouldn't have been able to sever the Death Stalker's tail in one cut, it was thicker than its legs and had some decent armor, so she was grateful at least for Owyn's help. Now that its greatest asset was gone she could focus more on disabling its movements, make it a sitting duck for their attacks. With one leg gone it was already crippled, now to move onto a second. From where she was stood at its side she couldn't see her teammate, all she knew was that he'd inflicted some kind of nasty blow given the Grimm's pained howls. This was going surprisingly well for them. Despite being in a relatively cramped space, and being inexperienced, they were handily beating back this Death Stalker with little trouble. One more limb, one more solid strike and they could finish it off for good.

"Hah, please! This is barely a warm up for me!" Ulyssa retorted, smirking as she began her blade's vibrations again. For extra measure she reached up to the clip on her head and slipped loose a card, hoping to get something useful to slay the beast. Giving the face a quick look she grinned and threw the card into the air, using her Semblance to shatter it into dust crystals afterwards. The one she had drawn was for a speed boost with her strikes, enabling her to hit at almost twice her normal rate. It was brief, but should be plenty to do the job here. Poised to strike, she began to move in and try to sever one of the legs, yet fell short when a sudden sound caused her to freeze in her spot. A loud, guttural growl seemed to echo from down the hallway, and looking in said direction Ulyssa's eyes widened in shock. Staring them down was another three, no, four sets of eyes, the actual beings themselves cloaked in the shadow of the hallway. They were drawing nearer too, and she worried for a moment about their chances in such tight spaces.

"Owyn! We have trouble!" she shouted, turning to face off against the four new Grimm. Fighting a Death Stalker on your own might be a bit difficult, but with how injured it was Owyn could likely finish it off. Until he did then she'd have to contend with four Grimm, four of which she had no idea what they were. She still had speed on her side for about a minute, if she could land some decisive blows in that period maybe she could kill at least one or two. She knew what she had to do, yet Ulyssa was finding that her legs were not at all compliant to her will. Even as the four Grimm advanced on them she couldn't move, and she swore she felt her hands shaking. Why couldn't she attack them? So she couldn't see, big deal, she could hear them and at the very least see their eyes. She'd fought Grimm before, albeit never in these conditions, but that shouldn't be a problem. Come on legs, work! Work! The nearest Grimm let out a howl, one belonging to a Beowulf, before apparently leaping into the air and at her, barreling down with its fangs and claws. Bracing for the pain of the attack, Ulyssa closed her eyes and held her sword up defensively.

Yet the pain never came. Instead of feeling herself be swatted away or torn asunder, a sudden, thunderous blast rocked the Grimm before her, knocking it into an adjacent wall and breaking through the stone. Doing so let natural light pour into the room, and finally Ulyssa could get a better grasp of the situation. Beowulves, four of them, and the Death Stalker. The latter was injured heavily and blinded, but these four newcomers were the new threat. Just what in the hell had attacked that one then? Glancing over at the shattered wall her eyes widened slightly in surprise, seeing a foreign looking boy atop one of the wolves. With a sizable sword in hand he pinned the Grimm's neck down with his foot, and with one mighty cleave took its head clean off. Just where in the heck had he come from? Had he been following these Beowulves? He had just effectively saved her life, yet she couldn't find her voice to thank him for as much, finding herself still stuck in place and trembling slightly.

"Hey... Stand around and you're going to die..." Soren muttered, frowning as he glanced over at Ulyssa. She was one of the two from before, wasn't she? A quick glance and he spotted the preppy looking boy as well, finishing off what looked to be a badly injured Death Stalker. So that left three Beowulves for him then, right? Seeing as Ulyssa was utterly helpless at the moment it had to, unless the other boy could finish off his opponent in the next few moments. Letting out a sigh he began approaching the other three wolves, dragging his sword behind him as he did so, the steel clattering against the ground as it bounced over bricks and fallen rubble. "Just sit there actually, I got this..."

Three on one? Was he insane? No way was Ulyssa going to let someone do something so reckless. Sure, he'd killed one already, but it had essentially been a surprise attack; the chances of this boy doing that three more times seemed minimal at best. Besides, he had just saved her life, was she really going to let him die? Gritting her teeth she began to move her legs forward, furious at herself for freezing up like that. One step, then another, it was painstaking to try and do such a simple thing. Already Soren had begun fighting the wolves, being put on the defensive rather quick as he had to block a number of swipes and lunges. If he kept that up he was going to tire, and he'd die. If Owyn somehow lost his fight then she couldn't help both of them, what should she do? Owyn or the new boy? She had to decide rather quickly, who had a better chance of success?

Owyn did. It was one on one, his enemy was injured, and he seemed competent. If he died here then she'd be heartbroken, but if he couldn't defeat a single Grimm on his own then he had no business as a Huntsmen either. Setting her sights on the nearest Beowulf, Ulyssa let out a shout of anger before rushing in, drawing its attention away from Soren with the scream. Ducking underneath a set of claws she slid along on her feet, pivoting the blade in her grasp and bringing it up in a quick arc. Her attack caught the Grimm along the chest, and while not a lethal strike she drew blood, and plenty of anger towards her. Jumping to the side to avoid the claws coming down on top of her, Ulyssa dashed forward again and made a horizontal cut along its left forefront leg, cutting tendons and rendering the limb near useless. That didn't stop the Beowulf from turning to try and bite at her though, and it might well have gotten her had another not been kicked back, smashing into the injured beast and knocking them both away.

[Scout]

Owyn furrowed his brow, "What kind of trouble could we possibly be in that doesn't involve an eight-legged cretin directly from Hell?!" He shouted in disbelief, returning to a combative stance and refocusing. Now he could hear the Beowolves and... another fighter? Somebody without a partner could create problems though, so why was he alone? The rules stated that the first person he found would be his teammate. But had he yet to find anybody?

Owyn couldn't think much on it as a half-blind scorpion-demon continued its rampage. Ugh, what a pain... He readied his sword and dashed forward, parrying one of the massive claw's attacks with a flowing pivot and the flat edge of his weapon. He half-spun and drove the length of his blade into one of the cracks in the Death Stalker's bone-plated face. Using his leverage, Owyn leaped up and pulled the hilt of his sword with him. The crack grew wider and finally broke the lower third of the 'mask' off as the swordsman yanked his sword up with him. The Grimm screeched through the halls again and Owyn had to fight to maintain his footing. He thrust his blade down between a pair of vertebrae and twisted. The sound of bones cracking and popping apart was unpleasant to say the least. He retrieved the weapon again and segmented it, whipping the linked blade fragments to the side with a few swipes. The effort removed two legs on the right and, upon repeating, another one on the left.

The Stalker fell to its stomach and lost all control of its body at this point. Owyn hopped back over its head, pivoted on his heel, and drove his sword deep into the shattered portion of the bone mask. The Grimm fell silent and stopped trying to get to its feet as the life left its soulless body.

-----

Lyra pulled her bow from her back and placed it next to her. The screeches from the temple were unnerving at first, but she realized that they were just the sounds of Grimm losing quite badly to her comrade(s). She pulled her knees to her chest comfortably and watched the Emerald Forest with intent eyes. She was simply happy to be here, in a place where you were valued for your merit and not your net worth, not your name. None of that mattered here.

She hummed softly, rocking from side to side atop the temple. She wondered where she would be today had Owyn's father not taken her in at such a young age, but it must have been some kind of divine fate. Life in Vale would have been harsh, but not unforgiving like she'd heard Vacuo was. On the other hand, were she raised in a poorer lifestyle, maybe being a Faunus would have taken a backseat. As it was, her wealth made her an outcast with anybody remotely like her and her race made her nigh-untouchable with her social class. Where did that leave her? On top of a buried temple, humming child's tune as she waited for a teammate to return from his investigation which he insisted she not accompany him for, despite her ability with nightvision.

[GambolMuse]

Soren probably had no business getting involved here, he should have left this to these two. That was what he wanted to think, yet he found himself springing into action almost involuntarily, tackling and driving the nearest Beowulf through the walls. If he was able to think that way then what good would he be as a Huntsmen? Just because they might be okay here didn't mean he could ignore them, and it was a good thing he didn't; the girl had frozen up at the worst possible time, he'd probably kept her from being mauled. After dispatching his third Beowulf of the day, Soren took on the other three, albeit with far less finesse and ease than the last couple. With six sets of claws swinging at him and three teeth-filled jaws snapping at his throat, all he could do was block and push back the Grimm. Could he win this? Maybe, but it would take an awfully long time to do so on his own. He wouldn't need to though as the girl finally found her legs again, and in a blink of an eye she darted in and immediately crippled one of the beasts. Good, she was able to fight, now they could finish these off. Watching one of the Grimm lunge at him again he spun his body around and kicked out his right leg, knocking the Beowulf back and into the crippled one, sending them both into the wall and shattering some of the stone.

"Don't act like I can't fight! I've got this!" Ulyssa said firmly, gripping her weapon as she sized up the remaining Beowulf. How humiliating, she'd had to be saved in Initiation, not even an actual mission. What would her parents think of that? After all the work they had down, all the training they had invested in her, and she was as useful as a small child. Well she'd not let that happen again, she'd make short work of this last Beowulf and show both Owyn and the other boy she could handle herself. Her speed boost had since worn off at this point, but she wouldn't need it to handle just the one beast. Charging headlong at the creature she kept ready for an incoming attack, her eyes darting to the left seeing its right claw coming in for a swiping blow. Rather than dodge it outright she reached out with her left hand and grabbed hold of it, jumping up and vaulting off of its limb, rising high enough to hit the ceiling above. Then, flipping around her feet met the stone, and with a grunt of effort she pushed herself off, flipping again and driving her blade along the shoulder of the Grimm; it wasn't a deep enough cut to sever the limb completely, but it cut tendons again and left the leg hanging uselessly.

So she could fight then, good. She was quick too, that would make her useful in a team fight. But what of the other one, the fancy looking stiff? Soren was somewhat impressed to see he actually finished off the Death Stalker, noting the beast was flat on its back and motionless. So this pair wasn't as inept as he'd first thought, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have them as a team after all. Watching as Ulyssa went about making work of the last standing Beowulf, he found himself having to interfere yet again as one of the others had gotten back to its feet. The beast with the torn limb seemed to have died on impact, being crushed between the wall and its companion, yet the other still remained and was furious. Making a wide berth around Ulyssa he flipped his weapon over and retracted it, turning it into a rifle once more as he approached the monster. Ignoring the roars and growls, Soren calmly lined up his weapon and fired off the first shot, hitting it in the shoulder and making it reel back. After preparing the second shot he let that loose as well, and a third, each of which hit the Grimm in the chest. With it now staggering in place he switched his weapon again to a sword, slamming down one foot before pushing off, carrying the blade alongside him at his hip. Once within striking distance he twisted his body, pulling the blade across in a horizontal motion as he severed the Beowulf from the waist up, and for further measure he drove his shoulder into its torso, breaking the wall yet again and sending its now parted body tumbling through, becoming buried in the rubble.

During that period Ulyssa had been doing something of a dance with the last Beowulf. Where Soren seemed to simply use brute force, she relied more on her lithe frame and quick movements. Sliding and swaying in and out of strikes, she'd respond to each attack with one of her own, leaving the Grimm's body littered with small gashes and plenty of wounds, yet none quite lethal yet. She didn't necessarily have the power to kill a beast in a single strike, unless she drew the right card or got a clean strike; she could do it though, she was determined to kill at least this on her own, prove that her training wasn't a waste. Leaning backwards she avoided a head-level swipe, falling all the way back onto her palms and flipping backwards as another swiped down, smashing the tiled floor at her feet. Once upright again she dashed in and made a cut along the Beowulf's neck, drawing a pained groan from it and sending it finally to its knees. With a shout of effort she raised her sword high and sliced through the same spot, driving it deep into the wound before using her other hand to push, managing to slice completely through and take its head. Though she had clearly had a more difficult time of it, Ulyssa was proud to have killed that one Beowulf herself, smiling as she shook the blood from her blade.

"See...? I can fight," Ulyssa said, reaffirming it for herself as much as she was reminding the boys, "That was... Fun."

If that was her idea of fun then Soren didn't quite know if he wanted to be teammates with her. These two were capable though, and he wasn't so much looking for 'fun' people as he was ones who could hold their own. Had they passed the bill? Aside from Ulyssa's freeze up yes, they had done a decent job of fighting. "Never doubted you," he replied simply, inciting an annoyed look from the girl that left him confused.

"Then why tell me to stay back?! I was just... A little surprised, that was all!" Hmph, what a jerk, saying something like that after telling her to stay put. She had half a mind to give him a slap for being two-faced like that, but let it go and exhaled deeply to settle herself. It was over with at last, and now they could focus on what they had come here for. "Owyn? Let's go get that relic already, before something else shows up and tries to kill us..." Knowing their luck there was a whole pack of Beowolves around the corner, waiting for them to arrive to attack. Maybe that was a touch unrealistic, but given today's events she wouldn't be too surprised.

"Oh... The chess pieces? Those are just down the hall," Soren spoke, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, "Just came from there, it's easy to find." Should he try convincing them to take the same piece that he and Lyra had? There might be other students nearby, yet these two were decent and already here, so why not? Glancing up at the ceiling as he heard it groaning, Soren frowned before waving Ulyssa to move, shuffling along as bricks began to fall down, the ceiling giving way with no walls to support it. Kicking up all sorts of dust and debris, and burying the Grimm's corpse beneath it, the hallway was partially sealed from that end, albeit one could enter and exit from either hole in the walls now. "I can show you where the pieces are, follow me," he added, his sword resting again on his shoulder as he started back to the courtyard.