Kaithas

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Ookawa @Plank Sinatra @NarayanK

Oh, just when he needed it, someone appeared. Tanner supposed the gods were smiling on him that day, despite his murder of their “chosen servants.” If her seeming rudeness bothered him--or if he even noticed it--it didn’t show.

“Nah, I’m no teacher. I’m faculty… no, staff. That’s the one. I normally catch whatever Professor Port needs for Grimm studies, do other odd jobs, that kinda thing,” he responded, lazily extending a hand in offer to shake Blaire’s. “I’m Thomas Tanner. Most people just call me Tanner, but eh. Doesn’t matter much to me. But I can guide ya, wherever you’re headed to.”

He laughed, his unoccupied hand going behind his head to scratch it as he grinned. “That being said, without your name or class schedule I can’t help you that much. Who are you, and where are ya bound?”

"Blaire Dawn. Apparently I am headed for this... 'Practice' class."

Tanner nodded, as if given new understanding, letting go of her hand and holding up his index finger. “Aha! Alright, well, I’ll take you to it, you’re pretty much headed the wrong--”

"I guess I just need to make the best of it. Beacon has a good reputation and it seems like a nice place. And I've proven myself once, so I can do it again. And I get to start with 'Practice', which seems like it'll be easy enough. I just have to get over the hurdle of..."

The Huntsman pivoted on the balls of his feet, his mouth freezing open, continuing to face a young Faunus woman that walked past them, muttering to herself as though they didn’t exist, trying to find a break in her internal-monologue-gone-external to mention that it wasn’t an indoor class--

He sighed, taking a deep breath as she rounded the corner. “Come along, Miss Blaire, if you would. Let’s retrieve her, then I’ll take you both to class.”

The pair caught up to her, right as she walked into Band Practice. Thomas stuck his head in after her.

“Psst.”

Iona wheeled around on her feet, brought out of her monologue by a beckoning noise behind her. A man's head was peeking in the door at her. "Oh hello, did I do something wrong already?" she asked.

“Wrong Practice. I'll take you to the inexplicable one.”

"Oh, ok.”

Both students in tow, Tanner's boots tromped on through the school, out the back door and toward the Practice field. He had nothing better to do, in truth.

Not a moment too soon, either.

***

Rowan was not having the best teaching day, though otherwise it was shaping up to be pretty good. Little overcast, but warm enough, didn't seem to be threatening rain anytime soon. Good weather for Practice, which of course was not the class she was teaching today. Still, probably fortunate for Jericho’s first day of actually being faculty of a sort. Maneuvers in the rain were generally not a good spot to start things.

No, Rowan's issue mostly centered on her own lesson plan. Ordinarily she enjoyed teaching Aura Control--it was a small class of only seniors, most of whom knew what they were doing and were eager to learn. As eager as Beacon students about to graduate got, anyway. But then there were days like today. Days where she had to try to codify her understanding of Aura into words and theory rather than feelings and practice.

She'd give everyone a few more minutes to get here. Jericho was nowhere to be found, yet, anyway, and there had been a lot of turnover over the weekend.

At least Tanner had been kind enough to gather up the two never-been-to-a-Beacon-class-before students for her. As the scruffy man walked away, Blaire and Iona were greeted by an auburn-haired, fit Atlesian woman walking toward them with something of a military bearing, tapping on the Scroll on her wrist cuff to dismiss it.

“Iona Murasaki, Blaire Dawn, allow me to be the first faculty member to welcome you to Beacon. I'm Professor Iderson, your Practice teacher. I regret that I don't have time to conduct orientation or go over the class syllabus with you right now, but if you need anything afterward feel free to ask me. In the meantime--”

The ex-soldier raised her voice, turning back to the class at large. “As you arrive on the field, please separate yourselves into seniors and freshmen. I'll be teaching Aura Control today for the seniors, Jericho Piper will be conducting Practice. You have a few minutes, talk amongst yourselves if you're inclined.”

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

I’m a new soul, I came to this strange world, hoping I could learn a bit about how to give and take.

Tanner took a drag off his cigarette, his boots thumping against the stone floor of the cavern. The ember glowed a little brighter as he inhaled, illuminating the cave walls in spiraling orange. Skypiercer was loose in his left hand, occasionally flicking left and right in easy swipes to swat away smaller Grimm.

He came by a side passage, the tromp of his boots pausing as he looked down it--the marks of tooling were obvious on the sides, not a natural cave like the rest of this place. He took one more drag off his cigarette, glancing down as it reached the filter. The Hunter rolled his eyes, throwing it on the ground and grinding it out on the stone floor.

These things always took too long. And knowing his luck, they’d get dragged out yet longer by whatever stupidity they had planned for him at the end of this tunnel.

But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear, found myself making every possible mistake.

He hummed softly as he continued on, his eyes glowing softly red. The pack of cigarettes found their way out of his pocket, one carefully extending and sticking in the corner of his mouth. He didn’t light it yet--no reason to spook his prey of sorts. He’d read the file on this mess--usual stuff, in all honesty, bunch of kooky people who had gathered around some Grausam class Grimm and were worshipping it. Ordinarily that was a self-rectifying issue--Grimm cared about as much for their human and Faunus allies as they did for their enemies--but these particular loons had found an Infernal Argus. Which was an issue. Because the damn thing was likely to just sit there and sleep until something irritated it, at which point it would become a Horrible Problem. And cultists had a way of being irritating.

La-la la la, la-la-la-la la la

Another pause in the steady procession of his boots, a slight glow coming from down the hall. His eyes flicked up to the ceiling of the cavern, Skypiercer following his gaze to the apex and knocking some dirt free--

Conduit. Fairly cleverly hidden under a dirty part of the ceiling, but once you’ve been to one evil cult cave hideout you’ve been to them all. Also helps when you have such an intimate familiarity with the leader of a particular band.

A click and his blade started to hum with electricity, then stabbed the cable--

And it all went dark.

***
William Essersmit was not having the best of days. Cult Security Breach #4 had happened, and by the looks of things this might be the last one. He’d gotten word through the usual channels that Beacon was sending some kind of Grimm expert out to deal with their little operation, and while that was easily enough dealt with… You didn’t kill a Hunter and remain inconspicuous.

Now that selfsame Hunter had managed to find their hideout and shut off the power with disturbing ease.

It was no matter. They had backup lighting and power would be back online as soon as the others could get the generator started. The Argus stood far behind him, motionless, their offerings heaped at its feet. The Hunter couldn’t be allowed to kill it while it slept, nor awaken it before the prophesied day.

The red glow of lighting didn’t really reach into the tunnel, William’s eyes straining to make out the form of the Hunter he knew had to be coming--he could hear the thump, thump, thump of boots.

Then it stopped, and a flame flickered to life in the tunnel, illuminating a man’s face, his eyes glowing red as he lit a cigarette, taking a single draw off of it while he put his lighter away, a grin coming to his face.

“I don’t suppose we could talk this out? I’d like to share the good word with ya, William.”

Essersmit was already in motion, his blade cleaving out for the Hunter’s neck, arm, side--and was met with a calm bend backward, step to the side, and deflection with the other man’s spear, each looking almost lazy and tired.

“Figures. Didn’t think you’d go for it, but still had to try.”

Tanner’s spear leapt up, its tip diving for William’s chest, twisting to the side as he tried to pivot away, the tip flaring to life with a concussive blast and slamming into his flesh--

His Aura rose to meet it--

”No, Will!” his sister’s voice called out, as the Griever ripped into her--

--and shattered, the blade piercing him deep. He fell to his knees on the cave floor, looking up with a snarl at the other man. To his surprise, the Hunter didn’t finish him, looking out across the cave, the glow of his eyes intensifying.

“Think my friend’ll take care of the rest of your little band o’ heathens. Can’t beat all of you at once, you know.”

A terrible grinding sound echoed through the cave, making the spatter of feet cease--and the Argus began to move. Its battle axe arose from the cave floor, light gleaming off the wicked edge.

Then the screams started. Stopped.

The grinding came closer.

And closer.

And stopped.

***

Tanner puffed again, looking up at the imposing monster of metal and hate looming over him, the eviscerated corpse of the cultist--William Essersmit, the file said--below it, providing a gruesome cushion for its horrible blade. He hated dealing with Argus, on the whole--he couldn’t really control them, just wake them up, calm them down a bit, and make them unconscious of his presence.

Luckily, this one seemed fairly young.

He started to hum again as he turned away and walked back down the tunnel, pausing once he reached daylight once more, his eyes looking over the assorted explosives he’d set at the entrance. Now that he knew where the Argus was, he could be certain it wouldn’t be disturbed by an explosion of the size he was intending. His fingers grasped the cigarette, lighting the fuse on the initial charge as he walked away.

A series of explosions rocked the cave entrance, sealing it forever.

Sure, an electronic detonator might be more practical. But you’d lose the style points.

***

Back at Beacon, the tromping of boots met linoleum floors. Mission complete.

Tanner stuck his hands in his coat pockets, looking up at the ceiling of the hall. Was odd he didn’t have to turn anything in this go round--normally he’d have something for Port. Still, he couldn’t complain. Less complicated, the better, especially for something that wasn't a usual mission. He was less “catch the bad guy”, more “catch the cool critter for class.”

Damn, he wish that Essersmit guy had been willing to talk. Introspection was only good for so long, then you wanted a conversation partner.

Heroes of Beacon - Contest of Champions

Valentine's Day Out

For musical accompaniment, and also the song Amy sings to herself
youtube.com/watch?v=ViAr5NRHrRE
The orphanage had never really had any money for holiday celebrations. That wasn’t entirely unexpected, of course--What had been was Taylor Maclaurin’s insistence on there always being something done for the holidays. Ms. Maclaurin herself was an older woman with no children or family of her own, and oftentimes she paid for whatever they were did herself.

But she wasn’t wealthy, either. For Christmas they always had a tree, but Ms. Maclaurin would have finagled one from the city somehow. For Easter, she always made Easter eggs with those that stores were about to throw out--not bad, yet, but not safe to sell.
For Valentine’s, she would get just enough candy for all of the children to give to each other, but not much more. To that end, Amy was very familiar with the candy hearts with stuff written on them--

But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out how Lauren had found some with “Wallahi, bruh” inscribed in their sugary surface.
Nevertheless, that’s what those in the Bastille dorm were greeted with when they came back after class, a small baggie of them on each of their pillows. Amy was back first--which was roughly normal, she tended to move quickly and didn’t have much to add or discuss at the end of Dust Apps--plus, she wanted to get out of her uniform before socializing, rather than after.

And on today of all days, she needed to be well rested for the night, rather than burning herself out on a lot of extra stuff after class. She undressed, carefully stepping into the shower, letting the warm water run over her body. Her feathers always reacted strangely to water, though after years of practice she could get them to stay down, the water rolling over them in small rivulets rather than just… Soaking them to the point of damage.

She washed up, then paused, her Semblance enhancing slowly, time gradually crawling to a near stop, every little drop of water on her lit up in glorious detail--then she dialed it back down again, returning to normal time and sensation, closing her eyes and feeling the water as the sum of its parts once more.

This would be the first Valentine’s she was spending for herself.

Amy let out a slow, steady breath, fogging the glass more than it already was. She inhaled again, dialing her semblance up--then released, synchronizing her breath. It was an exercise she’d done for years since she’d received the Gift, the cycle of increasing and decreasing sensation hypnotically calming. She started to sing, softly, her voice’s volume adjusting in time with the cycle--careful to not get too loud, loud enough for anyone else to hear over the water.

“What are you afraid of…”

The cycle went up, then down.

“To laugh and to cry later,”

Again.

“To break the ice… that keeps you quiet.”

Another deep breath, and she was done. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel and letting her feathers spring back into their normal array.

The plan was for them to go out that night. Amy’s hand found the hairdryer, using it to blow the water out of her hair.
Combs didn’t work too well on feathers, she’d found.

All of them. To a karaoke bar or something. Amy didn’t sing, as a rule. Not to others. Not something she advertised. Still, she was sure Lauren would--and maybe the lot of them could persuade Ben to, if they were lucky.

Her hair dealt with, she dried the rest of herself off with the towel, then discarded it. She put her underwear on--normal panties and a strapless bra--went to open the door, then paused, looking at the fogged mirror. One pale hand reached out, hesitantly, drawing a quick heart once it contacted the cool surface, putting the initials AD in the right lobe, then a plus sign--before pausing and retreating.
Maybe. But… But not certainly. She sighed, opening the door, the cool breeze flowing in.

***

The karaoke bar was about as expected. Most people drunkenly hammering their way through Journey covers. None of them had gone up yet--Ben wasn’t wanting to, Sangue was…. Sangue, and Lauren was refusing to unless one of the others “helped a sister out” and sang a duet with her.

“Come oooooooon, Am,” Lauren cajoled, her emerald green eyes eager and more than a little buzzed. “I need someone to sing the parts of Low I don’t like!”

“Lorena, you know I don’t--”

“You don’t have to actually sing, that nigga Flo Rida ain’t nothing to follow, just hum and you’re already a helluva lot better--”

“Amy, she’s not going to stop until you do something,” Ben chimed in, watching Lauren tug on the Faunus’ hand dramatically.

“Ben, last I checked you weren’t doing anything yourself.”

Ben held up his arm, a cast on it that looked like it had seen the days of many excuses past. “Can’t, I’m one of the walking wounded.”

“Your… throat isn’t broken,” Sangue finally said.

“Oh, but the pain is unbearable. Truly, I am incapable of holding a note, for I fear it will turn into a scream.”

As Ben and Lauren transferred into an argument, her grasp going slack on Amy’s hand for a moment, Amy slowed time once more, watching her teammate’s faces--Sangue’s slight goodnatured bewilderment, Lauren’s malicious joy, Ben’s teasing kindness.

Relax with me and tell me,
Because we’re here for you,
For the good and for the bad,
To cry and to laugh later.

“I’ll do it.”

Time accelerated, Lauren looking toward her in shock that was quickly covered with a grin, pulling the former stripper to her feet. Ben watched with amusement.

“But I pick the song.”

As they walked to the stage and the first chords of their chosen song started, Amy smiled slightly. It wasn't meant for a duet, but hey... It worked.

"You're a song, written by the hands of God," Amy started, nervously, her voice gaining confidence toward the end.
"Now don't get me wrong, 'cause this might sound to you a bit odd..."
"But you own the place, where all my thoughts go hiding," Lauren's voice met hers, and they continued on.

***

Later that night, when she returned to the dorm and went to wash the makeup off her face--the mirror fogged again, revealing another set of initials written next to hers.

And she smiled.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Thomas Tanner

Name: Thomas Tanner

Age: 31 (Hunter NPC)

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Weapon: Skypiercer
Thomas’ weapon is a simple one, if effective. A sharpened, honed spear with an elongated, bladed tip and a series of four Dust reservoirs in the handle, the Skypiercer is capable of channeling each of its constituent elements in various ways.

Lightning: By far Thomas's preferred element, lightning dust can be used to either electrify Skypiercer’s attacks or hurl medium range lightning bolts.

Gravity: A temporary but interesting effect, the gravity enhancement increases or decreases the weight of anything touched by it. This lasts for roughly 30 seconds, and can either double or half the effective weight of an object.

Water: Water dust can lend either a freezing edge to Thomas's attacks or be channeled through small holes in the tip to add additional weight and force to swings.

Fire: Same as with water, though in the inverse. Additionally, fire’s propulsion ability is a lot stronger, if more unreliable.

Speciality: Mage/Warrior

Semblance: Overlord Protocol
Thomas’s ability is a simple, if powerful one: Tanner can control Grimm of sufficiently low mental function. Fortunately, intelligence is not equal to power in the world of Grimm, and for the most part he can control them without much difficulty, though he won't be meddling with a Goliath anytime soon. A few important limitations on this ability exist. First, he cannot see through the Grimm's senses, so anything he does is from his perspective. Secondly, if they leave his line of sight his control is broken.

Tanner cannot control Faunus or humans.

Personality: Tanner is a strange sort of bemused, his normal demeanor one of well-meaning cynicism. Years as a Hunter have tempered his enthusiasm for combat and killing, and he’d rather speak if given the option rather than fight an intelligent foe. That extends to Grimm, though it tends to be a relatively one sided conversation before he eventually gives up and attempts to assert dominance. And talk he does--He’s charming, in a way that can seem superficial--always questioning, always at least seemingly feigning interest in what those around him are doing. At his worst, he’s manipulative, at his best, engaging. On the whole, though, there are worse conversational and combat partners.

Color: Brown

Emblem: A silhouette of a spear. He didn’t have his semblance when he picked it.

Appearance:

Hider

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Amaranth Desire: Double Down

Amy backpedaled down the field toward her own goalposts, keeping her eye on the ball and on the members of the opposing team that seemed to be assigned to offense. Her semblance didn't give her any speed advantage, just reaction time, so she had to stay in a careful position and keep her eye on the ball. She'd probably do better making callouts than sprinting after every ball herself, as well, since ball-chasing as an entire team was only likely to lose them the game. Prediction and thought would be how she had to win this--not sheer athletic talent.

Barring some deception--which she'd have ample time to react to--the ball was bound to Selena, then Krysanthe. She watched the blonde girl's movements, her eyes flicking toward the ball and its current holder with regularity,

Ready

To

Play

Defense.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Amaranth Desire: Football's Eve

“Do not worry, teammate. I said the attractive members of the team, you have little to worry about."

Amy stared at Blaine for a few moments, the student-Huntress' feathers standing stark out of her hair as he continued, then she abruptly laughed, smoothing them down before tousling the rest into a mess of crimson spikes. BASL's stripper wasn't entirely certain if Blaine had meant to dunk on her like that--from what little she'd seen of him, he was as oblivious as he was huge--but it was a dunk nevertheless, one she'd opened herself up for. One of her eyes closed in a mock wince, her gaze falling to the floor a little before she looked up at him out of the top of her right eye, the soft blue having a twinkling edge to it.

She'd never been that irritated to begin with, just blunt, but that certainly took the wind out of any small anger she might have been feeling.

"Fair enough, big guy. I'll leave the stripping to the men, then.”

She attached the red brace to her arm, ignoring the unbidden memories of "red is your color, you should wear it more" and focusing again. The number one rule of improv was to go along with the group, and the same thing went for a team. Even if you didn't go for the optimal strategy, the group working together would be better than half going for one and half going for the other.

So when Jericho became Sand, she took it in stride, only a slight smirk coming to her lips and a nod to their now disguised teammate.

She was ready.

Ready for some football.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Amaranth Desire: Huddle: No Longer Used to Reference an Inferior Waffle House

Amy scratched her cheek, comfortable in athletic clothing rather than the school uniform everyone seemed to have forgotten to change out of. On the one hand, team chemistry and everyone getting along were both integral to everyone functioning as a team easily and smoothly.

At the same time, they were supposed to be a team-and they didn't exactly have time to figure out everyone's foibles and personalities to work together as a group of equals, nor did they have a coach. Following a captain and a second completely were their best option currently, though they'd have to find a better method if they were going to take this show on the road.

Not that Amy thought a career as a professional footballer was in her future.

She nodded in agreement with Blaine as he finished.

"I'm Amaranth. Most everyone calls me Amy. That being said..." Her blue eyes flicked to Ferris, taking on a predatory edge as they did, the feathers in her hair standing on end. "Nobody calls Ben 'Cap' except Bastille. Moreover, our captain has decided what role we're all supposed to take," she continued, her hand indicating his prosthetic arm. "And while you no doubt have 'power to spare' and that claw is obviously good against Grimm, I'd prefer to avoid any accidental destruction of the ball by popping it--meaning you'd be playing a hand down as far as actually carrying the ball and punching it forward go. Your best bet is to help a deflector on defense, and hammer it downfield with your leg as our large friend here just said."

Her eyes softened again. "In answer to your original inquiry though, my Semblance allows me to heighten my senses and reaction time. And sorry, big guy," she said, patting the lion faunus on his broad back. "But I doubt many of us really want to take our clothing off."

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Amaranth Desire: OMAHA! BLUE 39!

The hawk's feathers twitched once and gradually rose as the rules for the game were (somewhat) explained and the teams were picked, her brain taking advantage of the welcome distraction from the rest of the day's thoughts to shift gears. She'd never played sports in any official capacity, really--opportunities to join varsity leagues had hardly been common growing up in an orphanage--but the one sport she'd played a lot of was soccer. A goal could be two posts, a field just the park nearby. A ball wasn't hard to find, even if most of the ones she'd dealt with were misshapen or under-inflated.

That last fact might end up working in my favor, she realized, looking at the oddly shaped ball in Fitzroy's hand. She had no doubt it was regulation for whatever variety of football they were playing, but it sure as hell wasn't a soccer ball. Still, it had been years since she'd even stepped on a field, and... rules weren't really a thing she'd had to worry about back then.

Amy might just want to play it safe.

"I... I'd suggest putting me on defense. I've not exactly got any Semblance abilities that'll allow me to move more quickly than I can normally or power through them, but my reaction time should help with guarding the goal. Alternatively, I can use it to try to aim shots. I'll... do whatever you say though, Cap."

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Amaranth Desire: MST3K Laserblast

...Football?

And he was shirtless. Perfect.

Well, at least it was a change from the complete lack of teacher they'd had otherwise. Maybe not much better, given that his current lack of clothing meant they'd probably have a total absence of any safety gear, but at least leadership had returned. Muscled, shirtless, enthusiastic leadership. Where was Lauren again?

Oh, right, Survival. With the, uh... owl.

Amy put her stuff up, walking over to the only two she really recognized and taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I don't recognize him either, but with the ####ing revolving door of staff this class has had I don't exactly expect to at this point," she said, her blue eyes shifting slightly to look at Skye, a slight nod of acknowledgment to her, then to Jericho. It was weird--when she and Ben joined, they had been two of the newer students, if only by a little. No Emerald Forest pairing ceremony, no first couple of days together. Everyone came and went so often though...

She shrugged. "Definitely more Agesander than Volkov. Money on more or less than a week before he mysteriously vanishes and we get a new one?"

Heroes of Beacon - Contest of Champions

1: ashe
2: sand
3: skye

f off

bojack

shut up