RWBY: When Darkness Descends(IC)

[Demmy]

Eshell reappeared in the tree above Soneri. "Well, that was easy," he murmured. Though he was unable to see the fight, he could hear the growls and knew that they weren't there anymore. At least, not the ones in the immediate area. "But if we plan to stay alive, I suggest we move away from here." That said, he pushed away from the trunk he was leaning against, took a step and fell to the ground with a thud. "I'm not going to get used to this..."

@Gummi Bunnies @Hospes @Ringmaster

 

[Yun Lee]

David looked over at him and wasn't sure what he was doing. There wasn't much he could do in the way of asking and decided to remain quiet about the matter, feeling that it would be a serious situation. He looked over at him and could answer that. " D-D-david," he said, deciding not to give the last name on purpose. His father's last name was certainly a legacy that he would have to live up to. He had a feeling that no matter how hard he tried, he would be in his shadow.

@Yun Lee

@BlueFlameNikku @Hospes

"Not much of a talker, I'm guessing?" Kwame said, still staying quiet for David's sake. "Don't worry my man, I can talk enough for us both." He noticed his partner eyeing the threads. "I can explain what I'm doing, if you wanna hear. Or, if a Grimm shows up, I can demonstrate."
​

Franky enjoyed the wonderful expression and applause he was receiving for what he had done. Not enough to make him blush or anything like that but he'd admit to himself that he hadn't received praise anywhere close to that...for a long time. While Bianca stowed her weapon he only placed his Taser Duster back into his pocket; continuing to open carry his primary weapon. I think I may enjoy my stay at this academy more than I expected. He thought to himself before refocusing himself.

His smile softening to a more casual one as Franky's hand was tugged by her; assuming she wanted to lead for the time being. "Ok, I'll follow your lead. But don't go getting any ideas that that makes you the boss or anything." He chuckles before promptly walking alongside his new found acquaintance through this test.

While traveling along he does occasionally pipe up with random chatter; despite the conversation being as one sided as it is he still appreciates whatever responses he receives. He mentions about where the hell these tokens might be, what Eden may actually look like and whether the food will be good or bad; things of that nature.

@Hospes

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee​

Seeming to be satisfied with the fact that Franky was more than willing to follow her, Bianca gave what looked to be a small giggle at his comment about her not being the leader, though no sound came from her even then. Even so, at least the gesture didn't seem to hurt, despite the nasty looking scar on her neck, as she continued happily tugging the boy along by the hand, navigating the woods with practiced ease as though they were her second home. Or perhaps even her first one, though telling where she was from was next to impossible with her mute state.

Despite the fact that she obviously knew something about where they were going, it seemed like they wandered for quite a time, the female never taking pause or seeming to doubt her sense of direction. Well, okay, eventually she paused in her movements, but only upon hearing a sound nearby, judging by the way her ears flicked and how abruptly she halted. With a steely gaze, she glanced around, trying to determine the source of the sound, before seeming to brighten again. Suddenly leaping back into movement, she waved Franky to follow her after finally releasing his hand, before bounding off and occasionally glancing to be sure he followed. And, if he did, the two would soon stumble upon another pair of students.

David and Kwame.

Cheerfully, the mute waved, evidently not the most excited that they'd found other students before the relics they needed... But excited to some extent, nonetheless. A sentiment she hoped her new partner would share. Regardless of whether he did or not, though, perhaps having a couple of others with them would make finding the designated relics a tad easier.

@BlueFlameNikku @Yun Lee @LuckycoolHawk9​

"..."

Huh. Well, that was new. Pausing for a long few moments to stare at the armored beast, Midna's dark blue eyes and pale features remained... Surprisingly unsurprised. It wasn't as though she'd been expecting the transformation or something, but she'd seen crazier things. Besides, he had warned her his semblance activated when he got angry... Which, she took it that he had. In any case, to her luck, her pause went unnoticed by the creatures of Grimm, who had locked their sights on the boy-turned-beast. Which, was also unlucky, because like hell was Midna going to sit back and let him take them all down. In fact, she was mildly offended by the idea, as though this boy thought she couldn't handle herself.

Challenge accepted.

Eyes narrowing, and taking the distraction Angus had provided to her advantage, Midna charged one of the creatures and launched a powerful kick in aims of staggering it, following up immediately with two slashes to it's unguarded belly as it stumbled. With an enraged cry, it was soon back at it, but Midna was prepared and acted quickly, performing a slide right under the thing as it leapt and cleaving it in two as she went under. So, that was two down. Handy. One more to go, and Midna herself converted her weapon to it's flamethrower state, aiming to distract the beast.

@Ringmaster

@Gummi Bunnies @Demmy​

Well, would you look at that? Two other students! "HE-er, um, ahem." Kwame had gotten a bit excited for a second, but stopped yelling as he remembered David's reaction. Instead he stopped his work and waved at the other pair, smile on his face. "Say, wanna group up with them?" He asked David.

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Hospes @BlueFadedRose​

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

Frankly trailed along with Bianca, holding her hand for some time before she released his hand and beckoned to be followed again. He scratched the back of his head and sighed a bit before picking his pace back up, wondering that she just had to know where she was going...right?

Once Franky caught up and stopped next to Bianca and took a breath he looked across to see to more presumable students. With his gun still resting on his shoulder he turned to Bianca and spoke in a half joking manner. "Oh man, Bianca I thought you were leading us to the relics or somethin." He laughed and smiled though as well as patted the white haired faunus on the head before his attention was grabbed by Kwame's words. Franky promptly turned to face him casually and spoke. "No need to be stuttering over hellos. But yeah, sure we can all group up. More firepower to deal with the Grimm and all. I just hope they'll be enough relics for all of us wherever we'll be going. The names Franky and this is Bianca." He says pointing at the her name tag with his thumb. "She don't talk much butt I think she'll come around." He joked again with a quick laugh and smile to Bianca.

Franky then turns his attention to probably the runner up for the tallest motherfucker he'd seen as his eyes dart at David. He could see how soft the guy was despite his size and this immediately pissed off Franky as he drops his gun on the ground and angrily charges over towards David; leaping and grabbing onto his shirt with Franky being completely off the ground. His eyes peered angrily into the soft pretty boy's pupils. "If there is anything in this world that pisses me off its a giant like you look so soft that he'd get his ass beat by a five year old! If your gonna be in my vicinity you better fuckin stand up straight and not be a fuckin wimp you got that!?" Franky had exploded and waited for a response. He was testing to see what this big oaf would do.

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Hospes @Yun Lee
(P.S Yun Lee, you tagged a random person in your last post)​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

A certain pair of huntresses- Sam Guinn and Vasili Thana -would find themselves having a rather rough landing. Relatively near each other, but far from any others to be seen, they'd both find themselves quickly greeted by the shriek of a Nevermore in the midst of their landings.

@Indolent @Schnee Corp Lawyer
​

It turned out that there was no need for the outside support after all, Soneri having her mounted arm crossbow retract back into armored mode and placing the single arrow back before she would've wasted it. If they were fine, then they were fine! There was no need to exhaust herself with them, but then she remembered about the stupid forest in the way. The mental conflict of either sticking with people or going alone was scratching at her head.

@Demmy @Ringmaster @Hospes​

Eshell reappeared in the tree above Soneri. "Well, that was easy," he murmured. Though he was unable to see the fight, he could hear the growls and knew that they weren't there anymore. At least, not the ones in the immediate area. "But if we plan to stay alive, I suggest we move away from here." That said, he pushed away from the trunk he was leaning against, took a step and fell to the ground with a thud. "I'm not going to get used to this..."

@Gummi Bunnies @Hospes @Ringmaster

...Well. Oops. Midna had failed to notice the approach of the two students, and was now quick to whirl to face them at the smallest sound. Only to, of course, internally groan as she saw who one of the figures was. Soneri. Great. Having zero intentions of speaking to the female- though she hardly spoke to anyone, anyways -, the cloaked blonde prepared to simply continue walking with Angus... But unluckily, the poor kid in Soneri's company appeared to be struggling, and somehow? The secret faunus had a feeling the girl wasn't going to help him.

"...Hang on," she reluctantly spoke to her partner, turning on heel. So it was quietly that she walked over, offering a hand to help him up.

Despite realizing he might not accept it, much like Angus. At least she tried.

@Gummi Bunnies @Ringmaster @Demmy
​

Well, would you look at that? Two other students! "HE-er, um, ahem." Kwame had gotten a bit excited for a second, but stopped yelling as he remembered David's reaction. Instead he stopped his work and waved at the other pair, smile on his face. "Say, wanna group up with them?" He asked David.

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Hospes @BlueFadedRose​

Frankly trailed along with Bianca, holding her hand for some time before she released his hand and beckoned to be followed again. He scratched the back of his head and sighed a bit before picking his pace back up, wondering that she just had to know where she was going...right?

Once Franky caught up and stopped next to Bianca and took a breath he looked across to see to more presumable students. With his gun still resting on his shoulder he turned to Bianca and spoke in a half joking manner. "Oh man, Bianca I thought you were leading us to the relics or somethin." He laughed and smiled though as well as patted the white haired faunus on the head before his attention was grabbed by Kwame's words. Franky promptly turned to face him casually and spoke. "No need to be stuttering over hellos. But yeah, sure we can all group up. More firepower to deal with the Grimm and all. I just hope they'll be enough relics for all of us wherever we'll be going. The names Franky and this is Bianca." He says pointing at the her name tag with his thumb. "She don't talk much butt I think she'll come around." He joked again with a quick laugh and smile to Bianca.

Franky then turns his attention to probably the runner up for the tallest motherfucker he'd seen as his eyes dart at David. He could see how soft the guy was despite his size and this immediately pissed off Franky as he drops his gun on the ground and angrily charges over towards David; leaping and grabbing onto his shirt with Franky being completely off the ground. His eyes peered angrily into the soft pretty boy's pupils. "If there is anything in this world that pisses me off its a giant like you look so soft that he'd get his ass beat by a five year old! If your gonna be in my vicinity you better fuckin stand up straight and not be a fuckin wimp you got that!?" Franky had exploded and waited for a response. He was testing to see what this big oaf would do.

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Hospes @Yun Lee ​

Seeming rather pleased with her find, Bianca waved right back at Kwame with excitement, the girl who stood at a rather unfortunate 4'11" smiling brightly as she approached with a sense of pride. But that faded slightly, her movements towards the other pair of students faltering as Franky joined her side, causing her to glance to him as he spoke about believing he was leading her to relics and patted her on the head. Immediately, her smile turned into a pout, her arms crossing over her chest as she briefly, childishly stuck out her tongue. She had planned to take him to the relics, after all- and she still would!

Quick to shake off her brief bout of poutiness, Bianca at least managed a smile back at Franky when he introduced her to the others, giving a nod and clasping her hands behind her back after giving the two other boys another small wave. However, she was mildly startled, ears perking up in an instant, when Franky suddenly burst into action, practically throwing himself at the much taller David and hanging off of him. It took but a moment for his barked out words and rough actions to sink in, but Bianca was quick to react, regardless. Eyes narrowing and hands moving to her hips with an obviously disapproving expression on her face, she....

whipped out a bag of popcorn and watched with amusement

...started to storm towards the boys, only to realize David was way too fucking tall for her to smack the boy that had leapt on him on the back of the head as she'd intended. Welp. So, instead, the girl did the next best thing- moved to grab the back- bottom -of Franky's shirt to tug him off of the boy, assuming he didn't back off on his own. Luckily for her? What she lacked in height, she made up in strength and determination.

@BlueFlameNikku @Yun Lee @LuckycoolHawk9​

 

[Indolent]

A certain pair of huntresses- Sam Guinn and Vasili Thana -would find themselves having a rather rough landing. Relatively near each other, but far from any others to be seen, they'd both find themselves quickly greeted by the shriek of a Nevermore in the midst of their landings.

@Indolent @Schnee Corp Lawyer

(￣ー￣)​

Samantha Guinness managed to enroll herself into the academy of Eden after a fair tribulation in way of the opener examination. She'd immerse herself in the visible apartness she expressed herself through, keeping to herself far from the others, whether it be a secluded corner or a covered alcove. The loner vibes were definitely palpable, absolutely radiating off Sammy's person what with the quirk of shadows that seemed to play in her vicinity, standing about her. Staring over her. Her eyes were closed, her features fairly inexpressive with a tinge of somberness to it. She bided her time, exercising patience to great lengths, with the simple application of music streamed to the buds in her ear, from a custom scroll of her own.

She was in a world of her own until the headmaster had shattered it with the cacophonous message he outputted to all. Out of respect and what little decorum her family instilled in her, a single bud was gingerly removed from an ear as she flicked a gaze toward the techno-apparition of Solomon Oran. The shadows from earlier disapparated soon as she did so.

A poor opener of a joke that went ignored, Sam curiously listened to the rest of his message and indubitably sprang to action upon the closing statements he'd made.

"Bloody hell," she'd said before finding herself in a freefall.

And it was here we came to the start of Sammy Guinn's story, with a fated meeting and a dance with death in the form of a passing raven. It was only regrettable that, due to wanton surprise and distress brought upon by the spontaneous jettison from the shuttle, that our heroine's entrance wasn't as heroic as one'd like. It was definitely dramatic though.

A massive tree, an ancient evergreen by the looks of it, was rent down the center to its roots. It was aflame as our girl in black stood before the scene of her crime, staring on, eyes wide and mouth agape. She'd misused Gae Bolg just slightly... incorrect. There it was, its keen head embedded into the scorched earth amid the inferno, the tree's sundered trunks surrounding it at its sides. It had helped immensely in dispersing a major portion of momentum in its wielder.

It was just unfortunate that this tree was on the receiving end of such. More so when the spear's mystical talent was the emission of infernal flame.

"I am so sorry."

She didn't really care about the Nevermore nearby, the one that was rudely screeching toward her way. Well, not entirely true. She quirked a soured glance its direction, frowning briefly... before she pushed ahead, seemingly skipping in place for a split second before she sped toward her beloved artifact, snatching it from amid the flames and arming herself as proper.

Then there was a flash of red and the once more familiar odor of burning.

@Schnee Corp Lawyer. @Hospes
​

 

[Accelerator]

Hazel Sterling
@Accelerator @Mason Moretti

Hazel heard at least two others enter the fray, noticing that one even managed to freeze the Deathstalker's stinger, but even so... She refused to stand down, keeping up her seemingly relentless assault, despite feeling her aura begin to waver; it was getting low, dangerously low, and with more more hit... Her aura would be completely gone.

Good.

She could already feel the impending fear coursing through her body... And all it would take, was one more hit before she could finally tear into that creature like she had hoped.

It was a risky gamble; this next hit could just as easily end her life... But to her, it was a risk worth taking... After all, this is what her semblance thrived off of.

The very fear that she felt each time she took such a risk... Often gave her just enough of an edge to pull through.

Closing her eyes, she braced for impact, intending to retaliate immediately after.

Except instead of the brutal impact of a Deathstalker's pincer coming towards her, all she heard was a clang, and when she opened her eyes, she found that both Ael, and... Someone else, a faunus, had both parried the Deathstalker's pincers, denying her that opportunity she had sought to finish it off.

"Oh fer cryin' out loud... I HAD IT!!!!" She shouted.

To say the least, she was furious... Even if she was a bit tired; she took the moment to both catch her breath, and give her body a little break.

For a moment, she seemed to consider Ael's offer for a moment, before she spoke again, seeming a little calmer this time. Naturally, she was still mad, but, she wouldn't settle her differences here in the midst of combat. Instead, she'd likely give him a good scolding (even if he did go out of his way to help her out) after the immediate threat was dealt with, so for now, she settled with parting her name.

"It's Hazel to you! Hazel Sterling..."

She muttered, appearing quick to break eye contact as she focused her attention on her weapon, giving the end of its spear-like handle a rather rough thump, causing it to compact a little... Appearing to be functioning now more like some sort of stock.

With a distinct click, it seemed to have locked itself into place, with the blades at the front appearing have come together, to form what looked like some brutal bayonet.

"Now. If yer finished blabberin'. I've got better things to do!"

Welp, back to shouting... But at least he got a name this time? That and she seemed to have calmed herself a little, or at least... Just enough to think about the situation strategically, her mind going back to her experienced hunting in forests just like this. It all started with her, perched from a relatively high place, aiming her weapon's muzzle towards the prey...

No, not just any prey... Her prey.

As the battle raged on, she herself, decided to find herself some higher ground... And eventually settled with scaling a tree by using her weapon's blades as an extra, mobile handhold.

Surprisingly enough, she managed it without any incident, climbing up to a branch just high enough to serve its intended purpose.

Aiming down the scope of her weapon, in it's more compact, rifle form, she targetted the creature's frozen stinger... Intending to take out the source of her problem from the get-go.

Unlike her teammates, she had no fancy weapon or ammunition, no shining armor to protect her... And least of all, any former training what-so-ever.

However, despite this, she shot at the Deathstalker's stinger with frightening precision... Pumelling any and every weak point she could find near the tip, where it's stinger hung down, and just barely in front of that ice patch that had kept it pinned.

It was hard to tell how much she had weakened, it, but she could have sworn she saw it waver.

Even though it wasn't for a certainty... It was still good enough for her, and with a swift motion, she gave her weapon's stock a firm tug... Transforming it once more into its spear-like state.

Then, looking down again at the scene below, she realized just how much she envied her newfound "companions", from Ael's apparent strength, to Tiara's fancy weaponry, and Mason's wide variety of ammunition... They each had something special to bring to the table.

The only thing she herself had to offer, was her dastardly semblance... After all, even from her first days in this world, she had been nothing more than an unwavering Grimm magnet.

That's why she wouldn't rest untill every last one of those creatures, were no more.

Maybe then... She can finally find a place to belong, a place where she wasn't shunned or feared.

A place where she could finally belong.

But as long as even a single creature of Grimm remained, such a thing seemed merely like a silly fantasy to her... Something she could never hope to achieve.

And so, here she was... Perched on this branch, keeping her distance from even Ael, who was supposed to be her partner for the time being, waiting for just the right opportunity to strike as the creature's stinger got closer... And closer... Until the opportunity finally arose for her to deal one, final, blow.

"Gotchya now... Ya git!"

She muttered, and then... She leapt, gripping her weapon tightly in her hands.

As she began to fall through the air once more, and yet again... That same fear that had once gripped her earlier, when she had plummeted from that ship in the air... The same fear that caused her semblance to flare up once more, a rather intense, yellow glint shining in her eyes this time... Just before she swung her spear downwards, aiming to cleave straight through the weakest part of the stinger; the point of which she had believed to have seen it waver.

She didn't exactly plan out what would happen next, but kept herself poised, intending to keep her landing as smooth as possible.

Even if her weapon itself wasn't strong enough to penetrate the Deathstalker's armor, she would hopefully have at the very least, permanently taken out its primary weapon as her teammates kept it distracted.

Was this her way of showing teamwork? Did she actually listen to Ael's words?

Honestly, it was hard to tell with someone like her, as it was just as likely she was simply using the situation to her own advantage, and this was just a coincidental act that only seemed like some degree of co-operation with the others around her.

Others who she still refused to outright call her "teammates".​

Mason - ??? - Aelius, Tiara and Hazel

Mason felt like thanking his lucky stars as his eyes locked with who his new partner would be. His older brother had warned him that it might be hard to find other Faunus in this new kingdom, yet here was a snow-white fox who was not only available to be a friend, but was now his partner! And his partner was fairly cute at that. She was cute to the point that it made his cheeks blush and his wolf ears wiggle and...

Nearly cost him his life.

Mason was shocked back into reality by his new Faunus partner and the golden-haired warrior holding off the powerful pincers of the Grimm from taking him out. "Thanks for the assist," he mumbled as he reassessed the situation.

Mason had caught two names, Aelius and Hazel. It seemed that Hazel had lured the Deathstalker closer to the one fighter equipped to deal with enemies at long range. Clearly, she must be the tactician amongst the group. Mason sighed and adjusted accordingly. The string of his bow retreacted like a coiling tape measure and the frame bent and reshaped itself into the handle of his gun. He reattached the barrel of his pistol, opting to keep the Ice Dust ammunition within its chamber. Looking to the trees, he saw that Hazel had taken up his role of sniper. It wouldn't have been his decision, but he wasn't in a position to argue.

With Aelius and the yet still anonymous arctic fox holding off the pincers, Mason took aim and unloaded several rounds of ammunition into the most available target: the Deathstalker's face. This probably aggrivated the creature, but would at least slow it down somewhat.

Over the roar of gunfire, Mason took what time he could to introduce himself. "Mason Moretti. Nice to meet you all. Especially you," he said, directed towards his partner.

Placing the barrel of his gun up against the claw that Tiara was parrying and pulling the trigger, Mason hoped to free her from the struggle. He said to her, "I think we'll make a good match. Faunus ears, fashion sense, and we're both adorable. If you're a good tactician and like video games, then that would be five for five. Might I get your name?"

As Mason moved to do the same and attempt to free Ael from his struggle, he noticed Hazel taking potshots at the frozen scorpion tail. He saw her deep focus on the tail, despite the thick layer of ice encasing it. From his perspective it appeared as if her goal was to shoot directly through the iced-over portion of the tail. "Hazel, what are you doing?!" Mason cried out.

He holstered his pistol as Hazel switched her weapon back into its spear-like state. His right arm, now empty-handed, began glowing with a reddish-orange aura. Aelius and the fox Faunus may have felt the heat as his Semblance began to activate.

The moment Hazel lept into the air, Mason followed, aiming for the same point she was. Using the Deathstalker's face as a stepping stone, (while hoping he had frozen it sufficiently with Ice Dust bullets previously,) he lunged for the Deathstalker's frozen stinger. Midair, his right arm bursted into flame by the power of his Semblance. He punched the frozen tail with all his might, hoping to transfer the flames from his arms and melt the ice, giving Hazel a much easier time cutting through the Deathstalker tail.

So, to recap, because recaps are part of my writing voice now: Mason shot ths scorpion in the face, shot the pincer that Tiara was fighting, and used Fire Punch on the tail.

A @Accelerator M @Mason Moretti T @Accelerator H @york​

[fieldbox=Tiara Pendragon, Aqua, solid]

The white-haired arctic fox couldn't helped but be surprised when the wolf-faunus, who introduced himself as Mason, suddenly started flirting with her in the heat of battle. She felt himself giving him a look that clearly expressed how she felt about him making a move on her while there was literally a giant scorpion monster in front of them. She didn't know whether to call the boy charming or simply stupid. Despite being thankful for freeing her from the deadlock she'd gotten into with the Death Stalker, she was desperately trying not to smack the boy in the head with her sword. Still, she reminded him of a very precious companion whom she had once considered as merely a nuisance. Just like Mason, that guy also had the audacity to flirt with her in the middle of combat. Now that she thought about it, these two share some striking similarities. Both awkward, both funny, and both faunus.

"I wonder where you are now this time?" She thought.

But since this boy was supposed to be her partner now for the next four years, she needed to exercise patience and actually try to act like an ordinary huntress-in-training this time around. She was the one who insisted in experiencing this after all, so she definitely had no right to complain. Tiara could practically hear Corona screaming at her ears to just suck it up and start socializing with him.

"Tiara Pendragon. And I'm certainly all those things you've said... aside from the last one. I'm not really that familiar with video games..." the fox-girl said as she offered. "Though you do have 4 years to get me acquainted with them."

Or unti her cover's blown, whether accidentally or deliberately.

"Anyways, can we leave the chit-chat for later? Otherwise, that thing's gonna cleave one of us in half sooner or later." Tiara bluntly said as she stared at the Death Stalker with a murderous look on her face.

Noticing that the dark-skinned girl, who was apparently the knight's partner, had started targeting the frozen Grimm's stinger, and Mason following her lead, Tiara jumped back, transformed Hexcalibur to its optical rifle state, and shot at the creature's tail mere seconds before Hazel struck the stinger with her spear. The resulting combination was enough to finally dismember the stinger from the tail, incapacitating its primary weapon. The tail even impaled itself on the scorpion's head, which should have done a ton of damage to it. Though that didn't mean that the creature was any less dangerous than it was before. With that in mind, Tiara once again transformed her weapon to its sword form and anticipated the scorpion-grimm's next attack.

@Mason Moretti @york
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox= Aelius Cedomir, Gold, solid]

Meanwhile, Ael couldn't help but smile a bit when his partner finally told him her name. Though she was still upset with all the help she's been getting. And with the two faunuses joining the fray, the chances of her landing the killing blow had decreased exponentially. Still, he needed to ensure that the beast is slain as quickly as possible. Unlike him, the rest of the team would be overcome by fatigue the longer this battle continues. Even if he exerts a bit more effort here than he usually does, he would feel its effects at a much later time compared to the rest of the team.

Even if he wanted to allow Hazel to land the finishing blow, the safety of everyone remained his top priority. A compromise was needed to satisfy all parties' interests and so with that in mind...

"You guys keep that thing busy... I'll try to take out its legs permanently. Tiara, you had the strength to block the Deathstalker's pincer strike so I'm hoping you could somehow send it airborne for a bit once I take out its legs. Mason, Hazel, once you have a clear shot of its underside, do not hesitate to give it all you've got. While Mason fires at it from a distance, Hazel, you can impale your spear under the creature's head. Now this will only work if work in sync with each other. Whatever reservations you have about working together, I ask that you put it away for the meantime." Ael instructed after dislodging hmself from the deadlock he had gotten himself into and got in position.

"When I say the word, please move aside... if you don't want to die that is." He warned.

The golden burnign flames that had wrapped itself around him seemed to have somehow burned fiercer as he gripped his sword. The atmosphere around seemed to be affected as well as heat was being expelled all around him. The most notable change of all was the rotating glyph that appeared where he stood. And when it stopped, the air around him seemed to freeze too.

"Get out of there now!" He screamed. A second later, brilliant, golden flames wrapped around his sword, burning as bright as the sun shining down upon the world of Remnant.

"O' creature of darkness, be engulfed by the shining blaze of the sun..."

"Hexcalibur..." He swung the sword towards the left side of the Death Stalker, sending a burning beam of energy towards it.

"...Solstice!" Ael continued as he performed another aerial slice, releasing a second beam careening towards the right side of the Death Stalker.

The two beams heat the giant scorpion's legs simultaneously, disintegrating them seconds upon impact. This caused the Deathstalker to be lifted off the ground for a few seconds due to having its legs vaporized almost instantly. Tiara seemed to be in awe of him for a second but grinned and quickly did her part of the plan.

Roaring winds embraced the entirety of her sword all of a sudden, hinting that she had used Wind Dust to give that effect.

"Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King!" She shouted before slamming the vortex that had engulfed her sword in an upward fashion at the Deathstalker, sending it flying several feet in the air.

Eh? If he remembered correctly, that was supposed to be the name of one of the moves of a certain knight character from a fighting game. She couldn't have said the name of that move and practically performed it by the book if it had been mere coincidence. With the realization that he was now in the presence of not only a tsundere but also two possible gamers. Even if Tiara did mention that she wasn't that familiar with games, she must have played that certain game or seen someone play it to know that particular technique. To be able to replicate it so perfectly was an impressive enough feat so Ael was hoping these four could become his teammates for the next 4 years or perhaps even longer.

@Mason Moretti @york
[/fieldbox]


[fieldbox= Windia Milkyway, Turquoise, solid]

Her gaze roved up to the Nevermore looming in the sky before them, staring with those burning red eyes. A stare she returned with her own fiery gaze, eyes as intense as could be. "No." She stated simply but loudly. "I didn't sign up for this Academy to be the type who runs from challenges. I'm not a runner. I'm not a survivor. I am a warrior." As the Nevermore swooped down, she...actually grinned. Her measure as a warrior, a defender of those who would run and survive, would be measured by the caliber of the foes she fought and defeated.

This is it. The enemy we are born to destroy. Not just for my own honor, but for every single person the Grimm have ever killed. Vengeance, by any means necessary. Mindless beasts deserve no mercy, no semblance of chivalry.

In her mind's eye, she stood alone in this moment, just her and the Grimm rapidly approaching. Her thoughts narrowed to one.

Stand among the ashes of thousands of dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer.

And as the thing got real close, she let out a fierce roar of her own. The shout of a true warrior, as she propelled herself forward at the Grimm with a quick blast of flames, the grip on her blade so tight she almost drew blood just from clutching it. Avoiding any stray bolt shots, she aimed for a center of mass stab...where a heart would be, if Grimm had any to begin with.

Teanna just cheered.

@Accelerator @Gummi Bunnies

​

Windia stopped on her tracks when Audrey decided to face the creature right then and there. Part of her wanted to berate the blonde for being so stubborn but the other part agreed that killing grimm was what they were supposed to do.

With an exasperated sigh, she gently put Liliya on the ground and stared daggers at the Nevermore.

"Fair enough. Though I must say, I was wrong about you. If anything, you're a lot more stubborn than that friend of mine I was telling you about? Haven't you heard of "advantage of terrain" ? I wasn't running out of fear, I was running to get that damned bird in a position that would benefit us the most while fighting." The girl said in her militaristic voice, practically berrating Audrey.

Casually, she aimed Zephyrus, making sure to have grappling bolts loaded as ammunition. Looking at the bird grimm with a bored expression, she fired the first Grappling bolt, targeting its right wing. The bolt whooshed past Audrey, barely missing her by mere centimeters before it hit the grimm. The bolt was so powerful it went straight through the grimm's wing bone and the tree directly behind the grimm before securely embedding the hook on the other side of the tree. With a click of the trigger, the cable was released, but as if being controlled by an unexplained force, the cable began wrapping itself around a tree that was diagonally parallel to the tree where the hook lodged itself into.

Windia repeatedly performed this action until there were now two grappling hooks impaling each of the Nevermore's wings to a tree. The Nevermore itself was now helplessly crucified to the four trees with the four grappling cables tightly wrapped on trees parallel to the hooks. It was a cruel sight to behold... the grimm helplessly screaming as it tried to free itself from its crucified state. If one were to look at Windia now, one would notice the sweat beads forming on her forehead and her glowing blue eyes, but most of all, the indifferent look she gave her captured prey.

"Enkidu: The Chains of Heaven." That was one of the techniques she had in her arsenal, developed during her time training with Ael and Ingram in order to efficiently fight grimm with ease. It was a technique modeled after a certain golden-haired anime character's own convenient technique of restraining those with high divinity, although hers was made for restraining large-sized grimm.

"I'm not really going to stop you if you want to play hero that badly... but at least try to turn the battle to your advantage first instead of charging the enemy without thinking things through. I don't want to see you needlessly hurt or killed before we reach the school. Feel free to finish it off however you like but make it quick. The sooner we get the relics and reach the school, the better." Windia nonchalantly said to Audrey as she turned away. With the Nevermore helpless, all Audrey needed to do was land a fatal hit and the grimm would dissolve to ash.

@Gummi Bunnies @C.T.
[/fieldbox]

 

[TyranntX]

Erin Wasn't quite sure if he had the long end or the short end of the stick in terms of a landing location. But Any landing that you could walk away from is a good one he thought. He took a moment to try and triangulate his position using the sun as a compass, but it was not high enough in the sky for him to fully see it. That's when he remembered that had a compass app installed on the device on his arm. "Hey MAI, which way's east?" he would say into his wrist, and MAI would display a small hologram pointing to his left "That way, but aren't we looking for the academy?". "I saw the Academy on the way down, So I have a general Idea where it is." He would say while he had another look around to see if he could find anyone else, or if there were any grimm to be found. Thankfully the latter was not the case, but sadly the former was much of the same. So Erin began to walk in the direction he last saw the academy on they way down, it was a quite far but how could some one NOT see a structure when falling from the sky? "Mai, do me a favor and list my options in this situation." "Well the sun is starting to rise, so time is on our side today. Why don't we seek out a grimm and use your semblance to have it seek out a team mate?"

"Bad Idea, I want to make a good first impression. I didn't exactly make friends on the ship. I don't think taking control of a heartless rage monster would be the best way to do that." MAI then displayed a map of sorts in front of him, "My Short range scanners are operational, maybe I could see if I could find us some one.?" Erin starched his head in confusion, it was nice to know none of MAI's abilities were damaged, but this didn't exact;y feel like a good solution either. "That just feels like cheating, lets try and find a team mate on our own before switching that on." MAI then sighed, she was running out of options and Erin was making some good points of his own. "Why don't we just keep walking and see who we find first? Just be careful we don't want to attract unwanted attention." Erin nodded at his wrist, and thus agreeing with MAI. "I last saw the Academy in this direction, let's see who we can find first" and just like that, Erin and MAI began their search. the question who their team mates will be still fresh in their minds. Erin just hopes that they can all be friends, MAI on the other hands hopes they wont decriminalize him for being a lizard faunus.

@True Ending Eliza @Valentyne @OrlandoBloomers
(Who ever wants to find them first)​

 

[C.T.]

"Fair enough. Though I must say, I was wrong about you. If anything, you're a lot more stubborn than that friend of mine I was telling you about? Haven't you heard of "advantage of terrain" ? I wasn't running out of fear, I was running to get that damned bird in a position that would benefit us the most while fighting." The girl said in her militaristic voice, practically berrating Audrey.

"Advantage of terrain? Heh...that's cute." Audrey stepped up to the pinned and helpless Nevermore. She appreciated the strength behind this move at least. The mindless beast straining against the binds...and when she got close enough, trying to snap with its' beak at her. With a smirk, she lashed out with a burning outburst of flame, straight down its throat. The raw heat searing through, weakening it...followed swiftly by a precise sword slice, cutting through the neck utterly. Her sword slid back into her sheath with a loud clang and she turned away.

"I don't need outside advantage. I am the advantage." She fixed a cold stare on Windia before softening after a few moments. "That said, you are right on one thing. I am stubborn. My village had a silly practice. They had avatars of many traits. Strength, cunning, bravery, speed...tradition. An exemplar of each. They thought these special individuals would save them." Audrey shook her head. "Anyways...right. Let us move on."

@Gummi Bunnies @Accelerator​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

David looked down at Franky and he wasn't sure what to make of what the man was doing and then he noticed that he had put his gun down and then proceeded to grab his shirt. At that moment, he remembered all of the things that his father used to tell him when he was younger. You're worthless. How could I have such a son like you? You can't even defend yourself against the cruel world? After a moment, he gained his composture and didn't slouch. " You don't know a goddamn thing about me. I rather not attract the attention of fifteen Grimm when there aren't even four of us," he said, speaking his first clear sentence since he had gotten on the ship. He could have punched him- but it wasn't going to do any good anyway besides anger the man.

Actually knowing his luck and lack of it, he would probably wind up with two packs and three of the most interesting characters that he would ever have to deal with. After a moment, he decided to attempt to back away to break the hold. He knew that there were other things to do, but he wasn't about to mention it. He also stopped for a moment to see if he could hear anything that was approaching them due to Franky's outburst.

@BlueFlameNikku @Yun Lee @Hospes

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

Franky glared at David right in his eyes, he waited for his response and hoped. Upon noticing the tall blonde standing up straight, speaking clearly and deliberately the little gangster's expression softened just a tad bit before he was yanked down and away from David by the much smaller Bianca; Little Franky hitting the dirt with a thud and spattering bits of dirt onto his attire. He lays there on the ground for a few moments simply looking up at nothing as he laid on his back taking a few things in before he slowly rose to his feet. His expression seemed fairly blank while he didn't bother dusting himself off as he took a few steps to pick up his gun to continue resting his upon his shoulder in the usual manner.

As he turned back to face the group he would give a bland look to Bianca before walking back up to David. Franky had both expected and wanted the guy to punch him or retaliate in some way but not to start a fight with the biggest guy in the room this time. He'd stop just short him and lightly tap the bottom of his fist against the taller lads lower chest before speaking up in a low voice. "I know enough about ya to know you'll be alright...in do time anyways. Just next time someone gets up in your shit like that I want you to beat their ass ya get me?" He would then give a toothy smirk as he looks up at David. Franky understood that he'd probably be around these individuals for quite a bit from her onward and so he planned to start getting the kinks out of the way as soon as possible.

After all of the the young man spun on his heels to face Bianca with the same smirk, a little bit of dirt still spattered on his left cheek. "Well? We're wasting time right? He chuckled a bit before continuing on. "Let's get a move on and find four of those relics. We can chat on the way. Franky would follow along presumably with Bianca volunteering to lead again.

 

[York]

[fieldbox=Tiara Pendragon, Aqua, solid]

The white-haired arctic fox couldn't helped but be surprised when the wolf-faunus, who introduced himself as Mason, suddenly started flirting with her in the heat of battle. She felt himself giving him a look that clearly expressed how she felt about him making a move on her while there was literally a giant scorpion monster in front of them. She didn't know whether to call the boy charming or simply stupid. Despite being thankful for freeing her from the deadlock she'd gotten into with the Death Stalker, she was desperately trying not to smack the boy in the head with her sword. Still, she reminded him of a very precious companion whom she had once considered as merely a nuisance. Just like Mason, that guy also had the audacity to flirt with her in the middle of combat. Now that she thought about it, these two share some striking similarities. Both awkward, both funny, and both faunus.

"I wonder where you are now this time?" She thought.

But since this boy was supposed to be her partner now for the next four years, she needed to exercise patience and actually try to act like an ordinary huntress-in-training this time around. She was the one who insisted in experiencing this after all, so she definitely had no right to complain. Tiara could practically hear Corona screaming at her ears to just suck it up and start socializing with him.

"Tiara Pendragon. And I'm certainly all those things you've said... aside from the last one. I'm not really that familiar with video games..." the fox-girl said as she offered. "Though you do have 4 years to get me acquainted with them."

Or unti her cover's blown, whether accidentally or deliberately.

"Anyways, can we leave the chit-chat for later? Otherwise, that thing's gonna cleave one of us in half sooner or later." Tiara bluntly said as she stared at the Death Stalker with a murderous look on her face.

Noticing that the dark-skinned girl, who was apparently the knight's partner, had started targeting the frozen Grimm's stinger, and Mason following her lead, Tiara jumped back, transformed Hexcalibur to its optical rifle state, and shot at the creature's tail mere seconds before Hazel struck the stinger with her spear. The resulting combination was enough to finally dismember the stinger from the tail, incapacitating its primary weapon. The tail even impaled itself on the scorpion's head, which should have done a ton of damage to it. Though that didn't mean that the creature was any less dangerous than it was before. With that in mind, Tiara once again transformed her weapon to its sword form and anticipated the scorpion-grimm's next attack.

@Mason Moretti @york
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox= Aelius Cedomir, Gold, solid]

Meanwhile, Ael couldn't help but smile a bit when his partner finally told him her name. Though she was still upset with all the help she's been getting. And with the two faunuses joining the fray, the chances of her landing the killing blow had decreased exponentially. Still, he needed to ensure that the beast is slain as quickly as possible. Unlike him, the rest of the team would be overcome by fatigue the longer this battle continues. Even if he exerts a bit more effort here than he usually does, he would feel its effects at a much later time compared to the rest of the team.

Even if he wanted to allow Hazel to land the finishing blow, the safety of everyone remained his top priority. A compromise was needed to satisfy all parties' interests and so with that in mind...

"You guys keep that thing busy... I'll try to take out its legs permanently. Tiara, you had the strength to block the Deathstalker's pincer strike so I'm hoping you could somehow send it airborne for a bit once I take out its legs. Mason, Hazel, once you have a clear shot of its underside, do not hesitate to give it all you've got. While Mason fires at it from a distance, Hazel, you can impale your spear under the creature's head. Now this will only work if work in sync with each other. Whatever reservations you have about working together, I ask that you put it away for the meantime." Ael instructed after dislodging hmself from the deadlock he had gotten himself into and got in position.

"When I say the word, please move aside... if you don't want to die that is." He warned.

The golden burnign flames that had wrapped itself around him seemed to have somehow burned fiercer as he gripped his sword. The atmosphere around seemed to be affected as well as heat was being expelled all around him. The most notable change of all was the rotating glyph that appeared where he stood. And when it stopped, the air around him seemed to freeze too.

"Get out of there now!" He screamed. A second later, brilliant, golden flames wrapped around his sword, burning as bright as the sun shining down upon the world of Remnant.

"O' creature of darkness, be engulfed by the shining blaze of the sun..."

"Hexcalibur..." He swung the sword towards the left side of the Death Stalker, sending a burning beam of energy towards it.

"...Solstice!" Ael continued as he performed another aerial slice, releasing a second beam careening towards the right side of the Death Stalker.

The two beams heat the giant scorpion's legs simultaneously, disintegrating them seconds upon impact. This caused the Deathstalker to be lifted off the ground for a few seconds due to having its legs vaporized almost instantly. Tiara seemed to be in awe of him for a second but grinned and quickly did her part of the plan.

Roaring winds embraced the entirety of her sword all of a sudden, hinting that she had used Wind Dust to give that effect.

"Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King!" She shouted before slamming the vortex that had engulfed her sword in an upward fashion at the Deathstalker, sending it flying several feet in the air.

Eh? If he remembered correctly, that was supposed to be the name of one of the moves of a certain knight character from a fighting game. She couldn't have said the name of that move and practically performed it by the book if it had been mere coincidence. With the realization that he was now in the presence of not only a tsundere but also two possible gamers. Even if Tiara did mention that she wasn't that familiar with games, she must have played that certain game or seen someone play it to know that particular technique. To be able to replicate it so perfectly was an impressive enough feat so Ael was hoping these four could become his teammates for the next 4 years or perhaps even longer.

@Mason Moretti @york
[/fieldbox]

Hazel Sterling
@Mason Moretti @Accelerator

As Hazel landed on her feet, sliding to an abrupt stop, she quickly noticed that her attempt to slice that stinger off had not been done alone; she had... Help, but even then, much to her dissapointment, it seemed that it had missed whatever vital spot the creature had, instead simply serving to slow the creature down... How unfortunate...


Even so, she kept going, seeming to be completely ignoring Ael's instructions, again... But yet, as soon as he told them to get out of there, after just a moment... She seemed to do just that, moving out of his field of view in a blink of an eye.

For the moment, it seemed like she had fled the scene entirely, having disappeared into some underbrush, not having looked back... But, once Ael took out the Deathstalker's legs, followed with Tiara sending it flying into the air, a thundrous shout came from somewhere in the trees, before a brownish yellow blur tore through the air as Hazel descended upon the Deathstalker in the air... Perfectly timed so that her spear would embed itself underneath its head as it flipped upside down in its airborne tumble, impaling it with a sickening crunch.

That familiar yellowish glint shoen in her eyes once more time as she twisted her weapon in a rather brutal fashion, before she slid her hands further down the length of its handle, one finding the trigger, while the other finding its bolt. A distinct volley of shots rang through the air, before finally... With the underside of its carapace already weakened by the initial impact, the Deathstalker's life was brought to an abrupt end.

She moved her hands back towards where they had been on her weapon before, tightly gripping its handle as its body crashed into the ground, causing her to come to an abrupt halt, landing on her feet with it.

Even though it was dead as far as she knew, she only bothered to yank her weapon, in its spear-like form out as its body began to desintegrate... Seeming to be panting a little.

The fear she had felt from seeing the sheer power Ael, and perhaps Tiara too, had in them, the ultimate source behind her last... Vicious, attack faded, and that strength, speed, and extra resilience she had gained from her semblance, faded along with it.

Turning her attention to the rest of her teammates, she had this deathly glare on her face, like before... When Ael had taken her kill, and she was visibly shaking, perhaps with anger, like she was about to unleash the harshest torrent of slurs and insults Remnant has ever seen... Except... She didn't?

After compacting her weapon, and slinging it over her shoulders... Brushing a lock of hair that happened to have slipped over an eye... She appeared to grin all of a sudden... And then, surprisingly, she began to chuckle, which soon because a fit of laughter... Wild, heardy, and... ... Happy?

After her laughter subsided, and she had caught her breath a little, she finally spoke.

"Now... THAT, was a helluva fight!!!" She declared, her eyes darting back to the scene of the recently slain Deathstalker.

Unfortunately, Grimm were known to desintegrate into a fine, black, vapor once they died, eventually fading away into nothingness, but it seemed it had at least left a bit of a mark on the forest floor where its body had crashed into the ground. However, even so, she had felt a much bigger rush from fighting this Deathstalker than she had from slaying any Grimm in her lifetime... Perhaps she could get used to this...

After a moment, she seemed to center her attention on Ael, looking him over a couple of times, as if reassessing him after his display with the Deathstalker.

"Ya know... Ya ain't half bad yerself!" She said, smirking a little.

But her expression didn't take long to sour again... True to her apparently tsundere-like nature, she was back to her normal self in no time.

"But I still ain't lettin' ya off the hook!" She said abruptly, giving Ael a bit of a dirty look.

"... Ya dirty kill stealer..." She added, muttering under her breath as she pouted a little, folding her arms over her chest

As abrasive as she still was... It seemed like she had at least warmed up to him a little... And, well, perhaps even the others that had helped in the battle. Though perhaps one shouldn't press their luck in that department, as it looked like any little thing miiight just end up setting her off again...​

 

[lostfaith]

Lilac's whip swept through the Grimm leaping toward her, slicing open one's neck and killing it instantly. The weapon wrapped around the waist of another, and the huntress ducked forward and rolled under the third, flicking Favored Soul and slamming the entrapped Beowulf to the ground. Even as it began to dissolve, she whirled, transforming the whip back to a sword while still in motion, and stabbed a monster in the side. Deflecting a set of claws off the blade, she proceeded to sink it to the hilt in her attacker. As the number of Grimm around the pair of trainees fell, Lily looked up, through the sparse trees, to see another comrade, a ways away, with a spiky head of blond hair and a two-handed sword not unlike her own.

"Over here!" She shouted, knocking a Beowulf aside with the flat of her weapon.​

Not waiting to see if he had heard her, she turned and transformed Favored Soul, lashing it across the stomach of the creature she had just knocked prone and reducing them to several chunks of flesh, which then drifted into the air as shadowy smoke. After a second, she realized that had been the last one, and clicked her whip back into a sword, resting its tip in the ground and panting with exhaustion. Then she heard the rending crash of a tree being violently pushed away, and turned. An ursa, which would easily be almost five meters if it stood upright, was stalking toward her and Joylu. Taking a deep breath, Lilac held her blade up once more and concentrated. The Shroud of Cain came to life with a low whisper, wrapping her in its soft white radiance, ready to defned her. She prayed that the stranger was close enough to help.

@TyranntX
​

 

[TyranntX]

Lilac's whip swept through the Grimm leaping toward her, slicing open one's neck and killing it instantly. The weapon wrapped around the waist of another, and the huntress ducked forward and rolled under the third, flicking Favored Soul and slamming the entrapped Beowulf to the ground. Even as it began to dissolve, she whirled, transforming the whip back to a sword while still in motion, and stabbed a monster in the side. Deflecting a set of claws off the blade, she proceeded to sink it to the hilt in her attacker. As the number of Grimm around the pair of trainees fell, Lily looked up, through the sparse trees, to see another comrade, a ways away, with a spiky head of blond hair and a two-handed sword not unlike her own.

"Over here!" She shouted, knocking a Beowulf aside with the flat of her weapon.​

Not waiting to see if he had heard her, she turned and transformed Favored Soul, lashing it across the stomach of the creature she had just knocked prone and reducing them to several chunks of flesh, which then drifted into the air as shadowy smoke. After a second, she realized that had been the last one, and clicked her whip back into a sword, resting its tip in the ground and panting with exhaustion. Then she heard the rending crash of a tree being violently pushed away, and turned. An ursa, which would easily be almost five meters if it stood upright, was stalking toward her and Joylu. Taking a deep breath, Lilac held her blade up once more and concentrated. The Shroud of Cain came to life with a low whisper, wrapping her in its soft white radiance, ready to defned her. She prayed that the stranger was close enough to help.

@TyranntX
​

"Erin, Grimm on your 9 O'clock!" MAI would alert Erin, as he looked over to his left to see two girls fighting a pair of Beowulfs. At first they seemed like they were holding their own just fine, but Erin Had a feeling that something wasn't quite right. As if something else was near by, was it another human? Another team? No, it was an Ursa. and an extra big one too. "Those girls look like they can use a hand, what do you say? should we help them?" she would pause for a moment as Erin assessed the situation a moment. After all there were a few different different ways he could handle this.

Erin first took notice at the type of Ursa they were dealing with, judging by it's size and armor it was a Major. meaning his semblance would be of no use on the beast. There weren't even any smaller weaker Grimm for him to use it on, had that been the case he could have had them fight the Ursa Major along side him and have hopes that they would kill each other off. Not that it would make a difference if he could control the Ursa or not, he couldn't just make it stop attacking them. That would look to out of character for a creature of grimm, and he can't make grimm commit suicide using his semblance. Even if he could use it regardless of the variables in mind, He didn't feel like he could get away with it without the two girls noticing. Best to keep that ability secret for now, but should he be left with no other options... Then he will use it.

Next he Examined the Ursa it's self, Granted it was big. But wouldn't that also mean that it would have to sacrifice speed for it's shear power and girth? It sure looked that way from his angle, and that armor probably wasn't helping either. That's when Erin started to think. He could defiantly out pace a grimm of that size when Dragon buster is in sword mode, if he could attack it while it's off guard he could slice clean through that armor and take down that Usra no problem. Now there was only the matter of talking the girls into this plan. "Erin, what ever you are planing you better do it now" MAI said.

"One knight in shining armor coming right up." He would say into his wrist with a grin. "I'll be happy if you don't make that analogy again" "No promises" He said unsheathing his massive sword, he then charged his way into the fray. Once he had arrived to the battle field he took a defensive stance, the only thing between him and the Usra was Dragon Buster. "You Girls look like you could use an extra sword, Mind If I cut in?"

@Valentyne & @True Ending Eliza

 

[lostfaith]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Lilac simply nodded, not taking her eyes off the ursa before them as she stepped shoulder to shoulder with the newcomer. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll keep its attention[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]In the heat of the fight, all of her social anxiety had evaporated; her mind was on autopilot, racing through all of her options, evaluating each strategy she could take, considering the unknown variables, such as the stranger standing next to her. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Flank it; its armour should be weak on the stomach." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She directed. Lily stepped forward to meet the ursa stalking toward the pair, and raised her sword, clasped in both hands, in a parry as the Grimm smashed its claw down toward her. She met the blow with a reverberating clash, shifting forward and tilting her weapon so that the energy of the attack was deflected down and behind her instead of into her arms. The claw slammed ineffectively into the ground as the huntress ducked forward, releasing and deflecting the tension held in her block. Her sword whipped out in a tight motion toward the ursa's side, but the monster swung its other claw and she was forced to quick-step backward, avoiding the attack. She charged again, still wrapped in her Semblance, as she watched her fellow trainee from the corner of her eye.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]@TyranntX[/BCOLOR]

 

[Mason Moretti]

Tiara Pendragon

The white-haired arctic fox couldn't helped but be surprised when the wolf-faunus, who introduced himself as Mason, suddenly started flirting with her in the heat of battle. She felt himself giving him a look that clearly expressed how she felt about him making a move on her while there was literally a giant scorpion monster in front of them. She didn't know whether to call the boy charming or simply stupid. Despite being thankful for freeing her from the deadlock she'd gotten into with the Death Stalker, she was desperately trying not to smack the boy in the head with her sword. Still, she reminded him of a very precious companion whom she had once considered as merely a nuisance. Just like Mason, that guy also had the audacity to flirt with her in the middle of combat. Now that she thought about it, these two share some striking similarities. Both awkward, both funny, and both faunus.

"I wonder where you are now this time?" She thought.

But since this boy was supposed to be her partner now for the next four years, she needed to exercise patience and actually try to act like an ordinary huntress-in-training this time around. She was the one who insisted in experiencing this after all, so she definitely had no right to complain. Tiara could practically hear Corona screaming at her ears to just suck it up and start socializing with him.

"Tiara Pendragon. And I'm certainly all those things you've said... aside from the last one. I'm not really that familiar with video games..." the fox-girl said as she offered. "Though you do have 4 years to get me acquainted with them."

Or unti her cover's blown, whether accidentally or deliberately.

"Anyways, can we leave the chit-chat for later? Otherwise, that thing's gonna cleave one of us in half sooner or later." Tiara bluntly said as she stared at the Death Stalker with a murderous look on her face.

Noticing that the dark-skinned girl, who was apparently the knight's partner, had started targeting the frozen Grimm's stinger, and Mason following her lead, Tiara jumped back, transformed Hexcalibur to its optical rifle state, and shot at the creature's tail mere seconds before Hazel struck the stinger with her spear. The resulting combination was enough to finally dismember the stinger from the tail, incapacitating its primary weapon. The tail even impaled itself on the scorpion's head, which should have done a ton of damage to it. Though that didn't mean that the creature was any less dangerous than it was before. With that in mind, Tiara once again transformed her weapon to its sword form and anticipated the scorpion-grimm's next attack.

@Mason Moretti @york


Aelius Cedomir

Meanwhile, Ael couldn't help but smile a bit when his partner finally told him her name. Though she was still upset with all the help she's been getting. And with the two faunuses joining the fray, the chances of her landing the killing blow had decreased exponentially. Still, he needed to ensure that the beast is slain as quickly as possible. Unlike him, the rest of the team would be overcome by fatigue the longer this battle continues. Even if he exerts a bit more effort here than he usually does, he would feel its effects at a much later time compared to the rest of the team.

Even if he wanted to allow Hazel to land the finishing blow, the safety of everyone remained his top priority. A compromise was needed to satisfy all parties' interests and so with that in mind...

"You guys keep that thing busy... I'll try to take out its legs permanently. Tiara, you had the strength to block the Deathstalker's pincer strike so I'm hoping you could somehow send it airborne for a bit once I take out its legs. Mason, Hazel, once you have a clear shot of its underside, do not hesitate to give it all you've got. While Mason fires at it from a distance, Hazel, you can impale your spear under the creature's head. Now this will only work if work in sync with each other. Whatever reservations you have about working together, I ask that you put it away for the meantime." Ael instructed after dislodging hmself from the deadlock he had gotten himself into and got in position.

"When I say the word, please move aside... if you don't want to die that is." He warned.

The golden burnign flames that had wrapped itself around him seemed to have somehow burned fiercer as he gripped his sword. The atmosphere around seemed to be affected as well as heat was being expelled all around him. The most notable change of all was the rotating glyph that appeared where he stood. And when it stopped, the air around him seemed to freeze too.

"Get out of there now!" He screamed. A second later, brilliant, golden flames wrapped around his sword, burning as bright as the sun shining down upon the world of Remnant.

"O' creature of darkness, be engulfed by the shining blaze of the sun..."

"Hexcalibur..." He swung the sword towards the left side of the Death Stalker, sending a burning beam of energy towards it.

"...Solstice!" Ael continued as he performed another aerial slice, releasing a second beam careening towards the right side of the Death Stalker.

The two beams heat the giant scorpion's legs simultaneously, disintegrating them seconds upon impact. This caused the Deathstalker to be lifted off the ground for a few seconds due to having its legs vaporized almost instantly. Tiara seemed to be in awe of him for a second but grinned and quickly did her part of the plan.

Roaring winds embraced the entirety of her sword all of a sudden, hinting that she had used Wind Dust to give that effect.

"Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King!" She shouted before slamming the vortex that had engulfed her sword in an upward fashion at the Deathstalker, sending it flying several feet in the air.

Eh? If he remembered correctly, that was supposed to be the name of one of the moves of a certain knight character from a fighting game. She couldn't have said the name of that move and practically performed it by the book if it had been mere coincidence. With the realization that he was now in the presence of not only a tsundere but also two possible gamers. Even if Tiara did mention that she wasn't that familiar with games, she must have played that certain game or seen someone play it to know that particular technique. To be able to replicate it so perfectly was an impressive enough feat so Ael was hoping these four could become his teammates for the next 4 years or perhaps even longer.

@Mason Moretti @york

Hazel Sterling
@Mason Moretti @Accelerator

As Hazel landed on her feet, sliding to an abrupt stop, she quickly noticed that her attempt to slice that stinger off had not been done alone; she had... Help, but even then, much to her dissapointment, it seemed that it had missed whatever vital spot the creature had, instead simply serving to slow the creature down... How unfortunate...


Even so, she kept going, seeming to be completely ignoring Ael's instructions, again... But yet, as soon as he told them to get out of there, after just a moment... She seemed to do just that, moving out of his field of view in a blink of an eye.

For the moment, it seemed like she had fled the scene entirely, having disappeared into some underbrush, not having looked back... But, once Ael took out the Deathstalker's legs, followed with Tiara sending it flying into the air, a thundrous shout came from somewhere in the trees, before a brownish yellow blur tore through the air as Hazel descended upon the Deathstalker in the air... Perfectly timed so that her spear would embed itself underneath its head as it flipped upside down in its airborne tumble, impaling it with a sickening crunch.

That familiar yellowish glint shoen in her eyes once more time as she twisted her weapon in a rather brutal fashion, before she slid her hands further down the length of its handle, one finding the trigger, while the other finding its bolt. A distinct volley of shots rang through the air, before finally... With the underside of its carapace already weakened by the initial impact, the Deathstalker's life was brought to an abrupt end.

She moved her hands back towards where they had been on her weapon before, tightly gripping its handle as its body crashed into the ground, causing her to come to an abrupt halt, landing on her feet with it.

Even though it was dead as far as she knew, she only bothered to yank her weapon, in its spear-like form out as its body began to desintegrate... Seeming to be panting a little.

The fear she had felt from seeing the sheer power Ael, and perhaps Tiara too, had in them, the ultimate source behind her last... Vicious, attack faded, and that strength, speed, and extra resilience she had gained from her semblance, faded along with it.

Turning her attention to the rest of her teammates, she had this deathly glare on her face, like before... When Ael had taken her kill, and she was visibly shaking, perhaps with anger, like she was about to unleash the harshest torrent of slurs and insults Remnant has ever seen... Except... She didn't?

After compacting her weapon, and slinging it over her shoulders... Brushing a lock of hair that happened to have slipped over an eye... She appeared to grin all of a sudden... And then, surprisingly, she began to chuckle, which soon because a fit of laughter... Wild, heardy, and... ... Happy?

After her laughter subsided, and she had caught her breath a little, she finally spoke.

"Now... THAT, was a helluva fight!!!" She declared, her eyes darting back to the scene of the recently slain Deathstalker.

Unfortunately, Grimm were known to desintegrate into a fine, black, vapor once they died, eventually fading away into nothingness, but it seemed it had at least left a bit of a mark on the forest floor where its body had crashed into the ground. However, even so, she had felt a much bigger rush from fighting this Deathstalker than she had from slaying any Grimm in her lifetime... Perhaps she could get used to this...

After a moment, she seemed to center her attention on Ael, looking him over a couple of times, as if reassessing him after his display with the Deathstalker.

"Ya know... Ya ain't half bad yerself!" She said, smirking a little.

But her expression didn't take long to sour again... True to her apparently tsundere-like nature, she was back to her normal self in no time.

"But I still ain't lettin' ya off the hook!" She said abruptly, giving Ael a bit of a dirty look.

"... Ya dirty kill stealer..." She added, muttering under her breath as she pouted a little, folding her arms over her chest

As abrasive as she still was... It seemed like she had at least warmed up to him a little... And, well, perhaps even the others that had helped in the battle. Though perhaps one shouldn't press their luck in that department, as it looked like any little thing miiight just end up setting her off again...​

Mason Moretti - ??? - Aelius, Tiara, Hazel

Mason was awestruck and starstruck as he watched Tiara gracefully launch the beast into the air with her strike. Like Aelius, he recognized the move. However, Tiara's movements called out to memories much more familiar to Mason. Her name itself, Tiara Pendragon, referenced something that Mason's mind deemed impossible.

His brain was held captive by the impossibility. The clashing of of weapons against the armor of the Grimm were distant from where Mason's mind was. His body stood rooted in place, as he thought to himself, "That move has to be impossible. She doesn't play video games, and even if she did, then she shouldn't be able to use Hammer of the Wind King by herself. I've definitely tried, and just by watching you cant. No, a person would need the proper weapon, the right Semblance, and tons of training to pull it off. So, Pendragon... Is she really..."

Mason was brought back to reality by the force of the Deathstalker's body crashing down in front of him. His heart missed a beat until the beast's physical form wasted away to a black dust. With their opponent defeated, Mason exhaled a sigh a relief.

Mason moved his weapon to its holster, attaching at his right hip with a satisfying click. He checked his supply of Dust at his left side, and finding himself still well stocked and organized, he looked upon the new resource he had gained: his partner, and two potential friends.

Aelius and Hazel both appeared to have much more battle experience than he did, and Tiara, he deduced, had talents far beyond what she showed. All three of these people showed promise and talent, and to some degree Mason felt jealous. They were strong and powerful, and all Mason had going for himself was a bow, some Dust, and strategy which he couldn't always rely on. "Perhaps I can learn from them," he thought to himself.

Mason's exterior, however, remained bright, cheery, and beaming with light. With almost a song in his voice, he said, "Great job guys! We beat it! Though, we still have a mission at hand. Gotta find those tokens. Maybe... We should split up and cover some more ground to find those totem-token-things? We do have our partners now, and we're not sure that these sets of partners are going to be on the same team. We don't want to waste time..."

As Mason chattered on, he inched closer towards the arctic fox. He made a move to grab her hand and said, "Right, partner? Let's get going!" Then he sprinted off towards the woods, whether or not the hand he grabbed and the Tiara it was attached to came along. If her hand slipped away, he felt shat she would chase after him soon enough. He hoped to put some distance between the two sets of partners, and gain a moment of privacy with Tiara.

Once he felt there was some adequate distance, his pace slowed, but his breath did not. He still talked in a hushed tone, as if he did not trust the silence around him. He said, "I know we have secrets. I know you're going to have yours, but as of today you're stuck with me for four years. I just need to know one thing..."

He looked into Tiara's eyes. His own emerald orbs showed a level of maturity and seriousness that wasn't there before as he asked, "What's a living legend like you doing at Eden as a student?"

A @Accelerator M @Mason Moretti T @Accelerator H @york​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

David looked down at Franky and he wasn't sure what to make of what the man was doing and then he noticed that he had put his gun down and then proceeded to grab his shirt. At that moment, he remembered all of the things that his father used to tell him when he was younger. You're worthless. How could I have such a son like you? You can't even defend yourself against the cruel world? After a moment, he gained his composture and didn't slouch. " You don't know a goddamn thing about me. I rather not attract the attention of fifteen Grimm when there aren't even four of us," he said, speaking his first clear sentence since he had gotten on the ship. He could have punched him- but it wasn't going to do any good anyway besides anger the man.

Actually knowing his luck and lack of it, he would probably wind up with two packs and three of the most interesting characters that he would ever have to deal with. After a moment, he decided to attempt to back away to break the hold. He knew that there were other things to do, but he wasn't about to mention it. He also stopped for a moment to see if he could hear anything that was approaching them due to Franky's outburst.

@BlueFlameNikku @Yun Lee @Hospes

Franky glared at David right in his eyes, he waited for his response and hoped. Upon noticing the tall blonde standing up straight, speaking clearly and deliberately the little gangster's expression softened just a tad bit before he was yanked down and away from David by the much smaller Bianca; Little Franky hitting the dirt with a thud and spattering bits of dirt onto his attire. He lays there on the ground for a few moments simply looking up at nothing as he laid on his back taking a few things in before he slowly rose to his feet. His expression seemed fairly blank while he didn't bother dusting himself off as he took a few steps to pick up his gun to continue resting his upon his shoulder in the usual manner.

As he turned back to face the group he would give a bland look to Bianca before walking back up to David. Franky had both expected and wanted the guy to punch him or retaliate in some way but not to start a fight with the biggest guy in the room this time. He'd stop just short him and lightly tap the bottom of his fist against the taller lads lower chest before speaking up in a low voice. "I know enough about ya to know you'll be alright...in do time anyways. Just next time someone gets up in your shit like that I want you to beat their ass ya get me?" He would then give a toothy smirk as he looks up at David. Franky understood that he'd probably be around these individuals for quite a bit from her onward and so he planned to start getting the kinks out of the way as soon as possible.

After all of the the young man spun on his heels to face Bianca with the same smirk, a little bit of dirt still spattered on his left cheek. "Well? We're wasting time right? He chuckled a bit before continuing on. "Let's get a move on and find four of those relics. We can chat on the way. Franky would follow along presumably with Bianca volunteering to lead again.

TRIUMPH WAS HERS! NO ONE COULD MOCK HER FOR HER HEIGHT AGAIN, FOR SHE HAD JUST THROWN A BOY AT LEAST FOUR FEET TALLER THAN HER TO THE GROUND WITH EASE. ALL WOULD COWER AND GROVEL AT HER FEET, THEY COULD KISS THE BOOTS ON HER TINY LITTLE FEET! WOE BEHOLD THE NEXT PERSON WHO DECIDED TO PICK ON HER HEIGHT, FOR THEY WOULD MEET AN UNFORTUNATE FA--

....Oh. Right. She probably got a bit carried away there.

Regardless, the Faunus seemed satisfied once she'd pulled Franky off of the giant before them, no matter what sort of look he gave her. Even despite the fact that David bolstered the courage to tell the smaller boy off, she didn't intend to sit back and watch Franky beat up on him. But it looked like it was all resolved, regardless, for now. In fact, Franky even seemed cheerful again, regarding David much more kindly. And that was enough to earn a pleased grin from Bianca. As amusing as a fight or argument might be at one time or another, now wasn't that time. Besides, someone had to keep the aggressive one in check.

And she doubted that mister cool-and-calm Kwame or tall-and-timid David were going to be it.

Regardless. Franky was right, they were wasting time. So, with a pep to her step, Bianca silently volunteered to lead the way once again by... Simply walking off without a word.

@Yun Lee @BlueFlameNikku @LuckycoolHawk9
​

Felix Velos

As students continued to land all across the Ashea forest around Eden Academy, a large ruckus was ongoing in part of the valley. The cause of such a loud commotion was none other than Felix as she blew through the trees and large boulders in her way. The raven haired teen was running as fast as she could, punching and kicking anything in her way and leaving behind quite a mess. Felix knew making this much noise would attract a lot of attention, but she didn't really care. As long as she made it to the tokens and ultimately to the Academy, she could care less about any partner, or anyone else for that matter. With a yell of frustration, the head of the Rooks redoubled her efforts to destroy everything in her path. Nothing would stop her from reaching her goal.

@Minerva

@Schnee Corp Lawyer @Crimson Spartan

"Man... I bet my hair is a mess," a boy not too far off groaned to himself, briefly running a hand back through his silver locks with a sigh. The popcorn he'd been munching on on the ride was gone, the wind had blown his hair into a mess, and his clothes had torn slightly due to a close encounter with a tree branch during his fall. "What a pain..." he muttered to himself, brushing some leaves off of his back before shoving his hands in his pockets, setting off to explore. "Oh, well." At least he still had his charm and killer looks. Besides, people liked messy hair, right? Guys and gals both. Surely it'd be fi--

"...Woah."

Stopping in his tracks upon hearing a ruckus, Sylvester glanced to the source of the noise, one hand reaching for his weapon just in case... Only to cease upon seeing a female come tearing through the brush, destroying it without a care. "Jeez. What'd nature ever do to you?" Whether this was meant to be a joke or a serious lack of amusement with Felix's course of action was unknown.

@QuakeUPSB

@Crimson Spartan @Schnee Corp Lawyer
​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

David took a deep breath and was happy that he hadn't screwed up by talking to the man in that way. He was almost certain that he had- but it seemed that he was fine for the time being. He had to agree with the other man though. They weren't going to get anywhere by standing around. They had to find those relics and get them to the school before they were even students. He wasn't about to fail his first test. " I am behind her. I am not going to fail my first test," he said, filled with determination.

@BlueFlameNikku @Hopses @Yun Lee

 

[TyranntX]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Lilac simply nodded, not taking her eyes off the ursa before them as she stepped shoulder to shoulder with the newcomer. [/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll keep its attention[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]In the heat of the fight, all of her social anxiety had evaporated; her mind was on autopilot, racing through all of her options, evaluating each strategy she could take, considering the unknown variables, such as the stranger standing next to her. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Flank it; its armour should be weak on the stomach." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She directed. Lily stepped forward to meet the ursa stalking toward the pair, and raised her sword, clasped in both hands, in a parry as the Grimm smashed its claw down toward her. She met the blow with a reverberating clash, shifting forward and tilting her weapon so that the energy of the attack was deflected down and behind her instead of into her arms. The claw slammed ineffectively into the ground as the huntress ducked forward, releasing and deflecting the tension held in her block. Her sword whipped out in a tight motion toward the ursa's side, but the monster swung its other claw and she was forced to quick-step backward, avoiding the attack. She charged again, still wrapped in her Semblance, as she watched her fellow trainee from the corner of her eye.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]@TyranntX[/BCOLOR]

As Lilac staggered the massive Ursa, Erin took her advice and flanked to the right. "Eat my steel Smokey!" Erin would call out, as he charged the beast with an upward swing. Dragon Buster cut clean through its armor, like a hot knife through butter. But even with wound like that the beast still had more than enough power to fight on. And now the Ursa was focused on him and it didn't looks happy. "Erin, Try getting in closer and hit it in the same spot. If you can deepen the wound It should kill it." MAI would say, Erin would of course take that advice but he couldn't very well do it on the defensive. He needed to stagger it, and that's just what he planned to do. The Ursa Barreled towards him attacking with a left paw swipe, that's where Erin parried and took a leap to the right for another attack. This time how ever He would be sure to get closer to it, piratically getting a close up to it's shadowy pelt. He swung his sword up one last time, but the Ursa managed to counter back with a back-handed paw swipe. This cause Erin to get slammed int a tree trunk, "Well that didn't work out like I thought it would." He said getting back onto his feet. He had taken blows like that in the past, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Once he was on his feet he stumbled around a bit and then took up a new defensive stance, using the large blade much like a shield with the blade pointed downward. "You didn't need to be that close you know" Erin ignored the snark from MAI and called out to his ally "Hey um, can you do that thing again? I think I can finish it off if I can get close enough."

@Valentyne

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

REPLIES - Soneri Aundarya

Eshell reappeared in the tree above Soneri. "Well, that was easy," he murmured. Though he was unable to see the fight, he could hear the growls and knew that they weren't there anymore. At least, not the ones in the immediate area. "But if we plan to stay alive, I suggest we move away from here." That said, he pushed away from the trunk he was leaning against, took a step and fell to the ground with a thud. "I'm not going to get used to this..."

@Gummi Bunnies @Hospes @Ringmaster

...Well. Oops. Midna had failed to notice the approach of the two students, and was now quick to whirl to face them at the smallest sound. Only to, of course, internally groan as she saw who one of the figures was. Soneri. Great. Having zero intentions of speaking to the female- though she hardly spoke to anyone, anyways -, the cloaked blonde prepared to simply continue walking with Angus... But unluckily, the poor kid in Soneri's company appeared to be struggling, and somehow? The secret faunus had a feeling the girl wasn't going to help him.

"...Hang on," she reluctantly spoke to her partner, turning on heel. So it was quietly that she walked over, offering a hand to help him up.

Despite realizing he might not accept it, much like Angus. At least she tried.

@Gummi Bunnies @Ringmaster @Demmy

"Well, of course we have to move out! I don't plan to waste time with these mutts anyways!"

Soneri huffed and crossed her arms once she heard what Eshell had to say. It was a no-brainer that they had to go somewhere else and hopefully find something that would help them out. She wasn't going to let herself be dirtied by the forces of nature and Grimm wandering around here.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Make yourself useful and go first. I'm not going to exert myself too much if there's threats all over the place. At the very least, I ought to be ready and not tired out to show these creatures of Grimm a piece of my mind!"

The "princess" was quite the bundle of rainbows and sunshine. She didn't even bother to acknowledge the other two students that could hear her loud and clear.

@Hospes @Ringmaster @Demmy
​

REPLIES - Liliya Blednyy

Windia stopped on her tracks when Audrey decided to face the creature right then and there. Part of her wanted to berate the blonde for being so stubborn but the other part agreed that killing grimm was what they were supposed to do.

With an exasperated sigh, she gently put Liliya on the ground and stared daggers at the Nevermore.

"Fair enough. Though I must say, I was wrong about you. If anything, you're a lot more stubborn than that friend of mine I was telling you about? Haven't you heard of "advantage of terrain" ? I wasn't running out of fear, I was running to get that damned bird in a position that would benefit us the most while fighting." The girl said in her militaristic voice, practically berrating Audrey.

Casually, she aimed Zephyrus, making sure to have grappling bolts loaded as ammunition. Looking at the bird grimm with a bored expression, she fired the first Grappling bolt, targeting its right wing. The bolt whooshed past Audrey, barely missing her by mere centimeters before it hit the grimm. The bolt was so powerful it went straight through the grimm's wing bone and the tree directly behind the grimm before securely embedding the hook on the other side of the tree. With a click of the trigger, the cable was released, but as if being controlled by an unexplained force, the cable began wrapping itself around a tree that was diagonally parallel to the tree where the hook lodged itself into.

Windia repeatedly performed this action until there were now two grappling hooks impaling each of the Nevermore's wings to a tree. The Nevermore itself was now helplessly crucified to the four trees with the four grappling cables tightly wrapped on trees parallel to the hooks. It was a cruel sight to behold... the grimm helplessly screaming as it tried to free itself from its crucified state. If one were to look at Windia now, one would notice the sweat beads forming on her forehead and her glowing blue eyes, but most of all, the indifferent look she gave her captured prey.

"Enkidu: The Chains of Heaven." That was one of the techniques she had in her arsenal, developed during her time training with Ael and Ingram in order to efficiently fight grimm with ease. It was a technique modeled after a certain golden-haired anime character's own convenient technique of restraining those with high divinity, although hers was made for restraining large-sized grimm.

"I'm not really going to stop you if you want to play hero that badly... but at least try to turn the battle to your advantage first instead of charging the enemy without thinking things through. I don't want to see you needlessly hurt or killed before we reach the school. Feel free to finish it off however you like but make it quick. The sooner we get the relics and reach the school, the better." Windia nonchalantly said to Audrey as she turned away. With the Nevermore helpless, all Audrey needed to do was land a fatal hit and the grimm would dissolve to ash.

@Gummi Bunnies @C.T.

"Advantage of terrain? Heh...that's cute." Audrey stepped up to the pinned and helpless Nevermore. She appreciated the strength behind this move at least. The mindless beast straining against the binds...and when she got close enough, trying to snap with its' beak at her. With a smirk, she lashed out with a burning outburst of flame, straight down its throat. The raw heat searing through, weakening it...followed swiftly by a precise sword slice, cutting through the neck utterly. Her sword slid back into her sheath with a loud clang and she turned away.

"I don't need outside advantage. I am the advantage." She fixed a cold stare on Windia before softening after a few moments. "That said, you are right on one thing. I am stubborn. My village had a silly practice. They had avatars of many traits. Strength, cunning, bravery, speed...tradition. An exemplar of each. They thought these special individuals would save them." Audrey shook her head. "Anyways...right. Let us move on."

@Gummi Bunnies @Accelerator​

Watching as it came and ended with Audrey's actions to eliminate the Nevermore, Liliya couldn't help but flinch a bit at what she saw. No, it had nothing to do with the Grimm that they had encountered and had to take care of. It was more of the fact that the presence of flame freaked the poor girl out.

"Y-Yes... we do need to go... and find those relics..."

Stammering with her words while trying to get herself together for her group's sake, Liliya wasn't sure on where to go from here. They just had to find those relics after all.

"Um... if I may, I can take a quick look ahead. Whether it be in the guise of a swan... or through skating ahead on a trail of ice, I... I can try."

@C.T. @Accelerator​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Chapter Two: Out of the Fray

After a long day of fighting Grimm, struggling through shrubbery, and searching for relics, the students would finally manage to make it through their first trial of finding the academy. One by one, they filtered through the woods, eventually stumbling upon an incredibly beautiful sight as they did so…

...Eden Academy.

It was as large and nature-filled as the rest of the woods, but somehow? All the more beautiful. Illuminated by bulbous plants, surrounded be shimmering clear water with a grand structure at it's center. Invisible to the naked eye, lost in the woodlands that are far too treacherous for normal people to cross safely. The ideal hiding place for an academy. Though it seemed unfair, hiding such beauty from the world.

Regardless, as the students streamed in, their heads were counted and they were seated in what seemed like a large auditorium to await the others. One by one-- or, rather, two by two they came, greeted with a firm nod from awaiting staff and a congratulation on their surviva-- arrival. Eventually, all students seemed to be accounted for.

Soon after this was confirmed? The big man, the face of the academy, himself, walked into view at the center of the auditorium, a smile on his face as he regarded his soon-to-be students with something like pride. Perhaps something else as well, but there was no real time to tell before he blinked it away, finally addressing them all. "I do apologize, students. I'm certain you'd all love to be in bed right about now, or relaxing in whatever way suits your fancy," he mused. "But first, there are a few final matters that need attended to.." he trailed off, opening his arms outward to all of the students. "Welcome to Eden Academy!"

"Allow me to congratulate you all on making it here unharmed. It's a feat not many are capable of," he spoke, truthfully, turning and beginning to calmly pace. "But you've all proven yourselves. And as such, it's time to assign your teams!" he declared with flourish, moving to the side of the stage, a screen visible up and to his right. "Starlene, if you would?"

While the woman he spoke to was not in sight, it could be presumed that she complied to whatever he wished, a stern female voice ringing out over the intercoms. "Of course, sir," was the first response. Muffled, as though it weren't intended for the entire crowd, but it had reached them nonetheless. "Ahem. First off, we have… Team TPAS, consisting of Teanna Sky, Audrey Pyralis, Alcander Wilder and Shizune Shimmer. Lead by Teanna Sky." Accordingly, their names appeared on the screen, and they were sent to the stage before being dismissed.

"Next is team DARK-- David Amadeo, Bianca Armod, Franky Russo, and Kwame von Spinne, to the stage, please," the voice droned on, the process repeating. Perking up eagerly where she had been sitting, Bianca shot out of her seat, grabbing Franky's hand with enthusiasm to tug him towards the stage with Kwame and David in tow as well.

"Aelius Cedomir, Mason Moretti, Tiara Pendragon and Hazel Sterling form team AMTH. STEL is… Hm?" There was a pause in the announcement, unclear whispers in the background. Eventually, the female voice returned. "...I see. Ahem, STEL will be made up of Samantha Guinness, Vasili Thana, Erin Valix, and Lilac Azura… In addition, Aqua Dakkar, Angus Lake, and Qing You Xia are needed outside the premises. It appears some emergencies have come up and you'll be required.. elsewhere," she added. In the audience, Midna blinked with surprise, exchanging a look with her partner. For a moment, she actually hesitated, actually feeling uncomfortable with the idea of him leaving. So far, he was the only one she'd managed more than two sentences to.. But oh, well. No goodbyes were uttered, he merely left in silence.

And she let him.

"...JSMM features Duivel Jones, Joylu Sun-Shin, Mona Creum and Ming Meixiu. Felix Velos, Liliya Blednyy, Sylvester Yin and Windia Milkyway will form team FLYM. Finally, Midna Eclipse, Eshell Tyr, Soneri Aundarya, and Duke Velos will form team MEAD.. With the former and latter as partners, due to your original ones being required elsewhere."

It was a long announcement, made longer by the fact that each of these teams were formally called to the stage and dismissed, but it was worth it… Because finally, they were being dismissed from the assembly. "For tonight? That is all," the headmaster interrupted at the end, returning to center stage. "The cafeteria is filled with refreshments and delicacies. Take your picks and eat well… After, you ought to get some rest in your respective new dorms. You'll need the energy for tomorrow."

Thank goodness that was over.

Finally, the students were all dismissed from the assembly, allowed to do as they wished. Whether that was simply head to their new dorms, make chat with the other students, or head to the cafeteria to fill up and go from there. It seemed that it was up to them. But it really was probably not a bad idea to grab some food after the long day they'd had.

@Accelerator @Crimson Spartan @BlueFlameNikku @C.T. @Indolent @QuakeUPSB @Demmy @CrunchyCHEEZIT @TyranntX @LuckycoolHawk9 @york @Yun Lee @Gummi Bunnies @Schnee Corp Lawyer @Minerva @True Ending Eliza @Valentyne​