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daebakinc · 4 years

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Hero Among Thorns - Pt 5

Pairing: Hyunwoo x Reader Genre: Undercover Detective AU, Action, Romance Word Count: 2.5K Summary: When a mistaken connection results in your kidnapping by one of the city’s most notorious gangs, the undercover detective Hyunwoo has no choice but to rescue and protect you, and, most dangerously of all, fall in love with you. Warning: Mentions of violence and blood. Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4

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Even the most hobbit-like homebody has their limits. You really thought your tolerance for staying inside the apartment with no job and no bills to worry about would be high. You really did.

Hyunwoo stayed with you for a few days, then handed over the majority of his babysitting duty to a rotation of his team members, minus Minhyuk. He’s still avoiding you.

In contrast, the others have ensured you want for almost nothing. Kihyun and Hyungwon delivered what they could of your apartment, moving furniture and other items into a spare room at their shop. Those they couldn’t salvage, they replaced. Jooheon and Hoseok never seem to run out of stories of their team’s adventures and misadventures alike. Changkyun has procured a digital copy of any and every movie and television show you ask for to fill your days. When you asked if they were all legal, he’d only winked.

Despite your wheel of protectors, every night, Hyunwoo returns. Some nights, it’s so late he has to wake you up from the couch so you can go to bed. You do try to stay awake, but it doesn’t always work. As much as you like the other members of his team, it’s your time with Hyunwoo that you look forward to the most. If you spent time thinking about how much you anticipated his return, you might be embarrassed.

At first, you’d awkwardly moved around each other like two newly-assigned dance partners. Overly polite, careful of each other’s space. Eventually, you felt each other out and fell into a routine that fits the two of you. He makes dinner with your help or brings takeout, which the two of you eat while only talking to comment on some aspect of the food, sometimes followed by a movie that Hyunwoo usually sleeps through half of, before heading to your own bedrooms. Hyunwoo drops little details about his days that he spends away from you, but never too much. He tells you most of it is too boring to bother with.

That hurt a little at first, but you always remind yourself of your situation. You’re his charge, his witness. Not his girlfriend or confidant. You like to think you’re becoming friends at least. Never mind that you harbor the secret fantasy of becoming more.

Maybe that internal conflict helped contribute to the fact that it only takes two weeks before you get stir crazy. Two weeks, three days, and only God knows how many hours, minutes and seconds. You now catch yourself staring out the window, heart sour apple green with envy at the people walking down the street. Getting to do normal things like shop at whatever stores they please, feel the wind and sun whenever they want, see something other than the same gray walls and window view.

If you were in the basement of the apartment building, you’d be seriously considering pulling a Count of Monte Cristo and dig your way out with nothing more than a spoon. Or tie your bed-sheets together and rappel down the side of the building. Though both the crawling and rappelling would be hard with one arm out of commission…

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Hoseok’s voice startles you, but this time, you don’t fall off the window seat. For such a big man, he can move as quietly as a cat when he wants. Very, very slowly, you’re getting use to that.

“Can you rappel down a building with one arm?” you ask, not taking your eyes from the window.

“Technically, but I wouldn’t recommend it. One slip and you’re a pancake on the pavement if your rigging isn’t properly set up. And that’s if one arm can handle your whole body weight with gravity pulling on it,” he answers candidly. He sits on the opposite side of the window sill. “Why?”

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” you sigh, “but I’m sick of this apartment. I want fresh air.”

“Open the window then.”

By now, you know when he’s teasing and sure enough, when you look at him, that smile is on his face. You push his foot off the sill with yours. “You know what I mean. I want outside. Isn’t keeping someone in a single space for an extended amount of time a form of torture?”

He gasps dramatically, a hand over his heart. “My presence is torture?” When he grins at your giggle, you know that was his whole point.

“You know what I mean. If I have to look at these same walls for any longer … I feel like I’m going to go crazy.”

“In my defense, I did try to convince Hyunwoo we should paint the place. Make it more homey. I suggested blue, but –”

“Hoseok.”

“I know. I don’t think I could do it myself,” he admits with a sigh. Solemnly, he adds, “We’re just trying to keep you safe. Yew has been quiet since your kidnapping. That could mean he’s decided his threat worked or he’s planning something worse.”

“I know. I appreciate it, but wouldn’t Yew think it’s weird that Hyunwoo’s not letting me go anywhere? Like even if I’m a kept-woman or baby-mama or whatever gangsters are supposed to have.”

“A kept-woman?” Hoseok bursts out laughing. He puts his foot back up. “How old are you, grandma? Who says that anymore?”

“You know what I mean. That’s why I added ‘baby-mama’,” Childishly, you stick out your tongue at him. “I’ve been on an old Hollywood binge lately.”

“Still,” he says, wiping the tears that had leaked from the corner of his eyes. “Look, you kind of have a point. I don’t think Yew is going to try to get to you again as long as he believes you’re with Hyunwoo and not a witness. I’ll can talk to Hyunwoo.”

“Really?”

Hoseok holds up his hands at your ecstatic expression. “I’m not promising anything. Like I said, keeping you alive is the biggest priority next to bringing Yew down. Hyunwoo is the ultimate authority in that regard. He makes the final decisions.”

“I’ll take anything, Hoseok. Even just a walk around the block or the roof.”

A few days later, Hyunwoo doesn’t leave directly after breakfast like usual. Instead, after he rinses your cereal bowls, he stays in the kitchen.

Glancing at your arm, he asks, “Would you like to go out?”

Go out? The water you were drinking rebels, shooting down your windpipe. You splutter and cough, trying to get a hold of yourself. That’s a little difficult with Hyunwoo pounding on your back a little too hard to be really helpful. Did he really say 'do you want to go out?’ With him?

Finally gaining control, your voice hoarse, you repeat his question, “Go out?”

Hyunwoo backs away, still eyeing you worriedly. “Yes. It’d just be to the shop and back, but Hoseok said you needed to get out of the apartment. Something about the Geneva Convention.”

“Yes!” Any regret at your misinterpretation is forgotten at the prospect of breathing new air and returning in some capacity to the outside world. You have an excuse to wear real clothes, see real people! “Hell yes!”

You jump out of the chair, tripping in your hurry to get dressed. Hyunwoo steps in, saving you from falling flat on your face. Naturally, your good arm hooks itself around his waist.

He’s so warm. And solid, too. And smells like heaven on steroids. Even better than those fuzzy memories of yours. You feel your own body heat in response to the contact.

God, when did you get this easy?

“Are you okay?” Hyunwoo asks.

His words break the spell and you realize he’s stiff against you. Damn it, he’s probably thinking he never signed up to have some wounded, touch-starved woman clinging to him like a stoned koala.

In an effort to lessen the awkwardness, you turn the accidental embrace into a hug, immediately releasing him. “Yeah! I’m just really excited about going outside!” Without waiting for a response, you run out of the room.

Shimmying out of your pajamas and into a skirt is easy. Then comes the shirt. Jooheon had let you start moving your shoulder a few days ago, but you still have to be careful. With one hand, you manage to wriggle out of your tank top. You chose a clean one, but not before casting a longing look at a shirt with sleeves. Your choice proves wise though. Even lifting your arm to slide it through the top’s armhole makes the healing muscles scream at the stretch. They continue to ache as you readjust the shirt, but you ignore them. The intoxication of freedom, no matter how limited, mutes the pain.

You run back into the living room. “Ready!”

Hyunwoo nods and grabs his car keys. He opens the door for you, but catches your arm as you move past him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?” you ask, puzzled. You may not have bothered with makeup, but you haven’t since you got here. Hyunwoo’s only seen it running down your face with tears.

“You’re sweating.” He points to your forehead.

You wipe at it, instinctively using your injured arm. The pain is instant. Hoping Hyunwoo didn’t notice your wince, you shrug it off. “Getting the shirt on was more work than I thought, I guess. I’m fine.”

He looks like he wants to say something. However, he doesn’t stop you again as you walk out. Hyunwoo takes the lead down the stairs after locking the door. As you follow him down the stairwell, he says, “We’re just going to the shop, staying a few hours, then coming back. Yew’s been too quiet for me to trust any side stops. When we’re outside, stay right beside me.”

“That’s fine,” you instantly reply.

You don’t meet another soul on the stairs and the lobby is similarly abandoned. It’s not surprising given the hour though. Those who work are long gone and just as far from returning home.

At the door, Hyunwoo pauses. You assume it’s to scan the street before exiting. Instead, he turns back to you. “Yew has at least one person watching this place. We want him to keep thinking you’re my girlfriend. That will keep you safe.”

“Okay.” You’re not quite sure where he’s going with this.

A hint of pink sprouts on Hyunwoo’s cheeks. He smiles, but it’s a different smile than you’ve seen before. It’s apologetic, with a hint of embarrassment.

“We’re going to need to make it believable. So, if you agree, I think we should engage in displays of physical affection.”

You can hear the echo of your jaw hitting the floor. “What?”

“Nothing you don’t consent to,” Hyunwoo rushes to reassure you. “All professional. Just physical touch on arms, waist, and hands.

“All that and no kissing?” you blurt out. Instant regret slams into you. “I mean, wouldn’t it be weird if we didn’t?”

Luckily, Hyunwoo laughs. He shifts his weight. “Yeah, I guess… Kisses on the head, forehead and cheeks should be okay. Right?”

Your eyes fall to Hyunwoo’s lips. You can’t help but feel robbed of the opportunity to kiss him there. Before you fell punch-drunk into your fantasies, you stop yourself. You need to look at this as some kind of weird, elaborate, dance-less ballet. Hyunwoo is your dance partner, not a boyfriend. This is a professional relationship, one your life actually depends on. You can’t fuck this up.

“Right,” you say.

“Good.” With one hand, Hyunwoo pushes open the glass door of the building. The other reaches out to you, palm open and ready.

With a fortifying breath, you take it.

That breath turns out to be about as useless as gulping for air in outer space without a helmet. As you step through the door, Hyunwoo pulls you into his side, his arm encircling your shoulder. From shoulder to hip, you’re glued against him.

You feel his lips graze against the top of your head. The touch is so light you almost think you imagined it. But then Hyunwoo whispers into your hair, “Ready?”

Heart thudding wildly, you look up at him. The smile on his face is full of affection. It’s so natural, you almost believe it yourself. You can only nod and smile, belatedly remembering you have a part to play too. Dazed, you let him guide you down the steps and down the sidewalk.

Hyunwoo stops halfway down the block. He keeps his arm around you like a shield the whole time. If the air hadn’t held a crispness, you would have definitely overheated. The chirp of a car unlocking and Hyunwoo easing away from you to open the door is enough to bring you back to reality. When you actually look at the car, you immediately wonder if you’re hallucinating.

Even to someone who isn’t a car enthusiast, the car breathes class. It lacks the bulk of most modern cars, instead celebrating sleekness from its slim, rectangular nose to mirror-image tail. Yet like its driver, you know beneath all that jet black metal is pure muscle. From the outside, the only hint of this is the silver head of a supercharger sitting on the hood.

The parallel is so perfect, you can’t help but laugh.

Hyunwoo backs away from you, startled.

“Dude, you’ve got to be kidding me. This is your car? This one?”

Hyunwoo looks at the car with its open door, then back to you. “Yes. Why?” he asks when you start laughing all over again.

“It’s a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.”

Surprise is evident on Hyunwoo’s face. “Yeah. You know cars?”

“Not at all, but holy crap.” You slide into the front seat. Hyunwoo closes it behind you and circles the car to get in as well. “You don’t see why this is funny?”

“No. It’s a good car. Put your seat belt on.” He waits until you do so, then pulls away from the curb and into the street, but you can’t let it go.

“An undercover agent posing as the head of a mechanic shop that also deals with 'stolen’ cars and drives a black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T that’s been modified?” You watch his face, leaning forward so your seat belt presses into your chest. “Doesn’t sound familiar at all?”

Hyunwoo shakes his head.

“This is the exact model car driven by Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious!”

“Never seen it.”

“Shut the damn front door. You’ve never seen The Fast and the Furious? Not one?”

“There’s more than one?”

At first, not a sound comes out of your mouth, too frozen in disbelief. You’re about to launch into a full geek rant when you notice a slight curve to the corner of Hyunwoo’s mouth. He’s not looking at you, his gaze purely on the road, but it’s there.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” you say slowly.

A smile fully cracks through, broken by a low laugh that fills the car. “Of course I have. Minhyuk was obsessed with them. He made the entire team watch all of them one night after we got this assignment. I did own this car before I watched them though. It’s a good car.”

“You made it through the entire series in one sitting?” You whistle appreciatively.

“I saw the first one, but after that, they’re fuzzy,” Hyunwoo confesses. “I fell asleep.”

“Can’t blame you.” You shrug. “They’re like 16 hours altogether.”

Your bodyguard-slash-roommate nods, making a small sound in agreement.

Quiet settles between you after that. Where once it would have been tense or clumsy for you, it feels right. Comfortable. You don’t feel any need to fill the empty space in between the street noise and the engine’s sleek purr. Instead, you lean back against the leather seat and watch Hyunwoo with slight side glances.

You’re learning to read Hyunwoo’s silences. Sometimes, they can be just as articulate as if he had spoken with words.

His shoulders are relaxed beneath his dark jean jacket and his hands hold the steering wheel with the easy confidence of someone who knows they can handle the horsepower. Despite the mellowness of his body, Hyunwoo’s eyes keep a careful watch on the passing streets. They flicker left to right, then straight, then back again. Car, bus, and pedestrian get a quick threat assessment before being dismissed. He’s not very worried about an attack, but he’s not being stupid about it either.

Hyunwoo turns his head to turn down a street, facing you for a brief second. You notice suddenly that mouthed lyrics flow steadily from his lips right in time with the radio. The song is some oldie, the singer belting about freedom and fast cars. You wonder what his singing voice sounds like…

Out of nowhere, Hyunwoo says, “You should thank Minhyuk.”

“Minhyuk? Why?” you ask cautiously. Based on your last and only parting, you’re doubtful he’d give you the few seconds saying 'thank you’ would take. He’s the very last of the team you’d expect to be your advocate.

“He’s the one who finally convinced me to let you come with us.”

“Not Hoseok?”

He shakes his head. “Minhyuk,” he says with finality.

“Why?”

“Ask him yourself.”

Hyunwoo turns onto the curb and honks the horn three times. You glance out the window. The building is plain, gray concrete, a number of cracks showing its age like fine wrinkles. There’s a line of windows high in the front wall, but no sign to speak off. Nothing other than the two long, dulled and dented silver garage doors to indicate this is anything other than a warehouse.

One of the doors slides open. Hyunwoo pulls inside, the door closing just behind the car’s tail.

He only has time to turn off the car and slide the key from the ignition when Minhyuk appears at his window.

“We’ve got a problem,” he says, glancing at you.

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bunchamunchafaunus · 6 years

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The Rise of A Ventian Queen [1]: The Ghost and The Princess

“Emma!” The man’s voice pulled the Qilin’s gaze up to the two people fighting to defend her, the tone behind it sounding nearly desperate. “If you’re going to do something you either need to do it now or we need to fall back!”

The impact of the moment finally hit her, and it hit hard.

Trees were breaking beyond Peri and Umbir, so many of them creaking and crashing to the rock below. The countless noises of hundreds of Grimm growing closer by the second. A slight rumble to the canyon floor and distant unknown noises. Even the cannon fire from the NeverCondor had slowed. Everything was going wrong. Everything was at risk. She had to do something, and she had to do it now.

- Fifty Minutes Earlier -

“The trio made their way down the path, heading for the old cottage at it’s end surrounded by decorative stones. Stone walls with a wooden door and cone roof. Some smoke rising from an unseen opening in the wood atop the building suggesting a fire lit and burning within. A soft, somewhat muffled sound of a knife rapidly hitting thick wood becoming audible to the group the closer they got to it.

Eventually reaching the makeshift barrier made up of the decorative stones that circled the hut, a few things were now noticeable. First was the stones had some fine, gentle carving in them. Designs that were abstract in places while being artistic and minimalist renditions of animals at others. Plus, the top of each stone gave off a ever so subtle glow, not enough to provide light visible from a far, even in the dark, but certainly noticeable while a mere few feet away.

There was a moment of curiosity that was wordlessly shared between the Citra, Hogan, and Yew. Was the glow there for a reason? Stepping forward, Yew picked a long, flat stone from the path below her. Stretching out her hand with it she moved the stone forward more and more by the second. Head back ready for the possible recoil that would be caused if a barrier was present.

Taking in a breath as her hand drew closer to the unseen point where the two decorative stones sat parallel to-”

Incoming Call... Umbir Dew... Incoming Call... Umbir Dew... Incoming Call... Umbir Dew...

The sudden cut from the narrator of the Audio-book to the monotonous tone of her scroll’s vocal information was jarring to Emma. She had settled down with some tea in one of the recliners of the Empress Inn Foyer to take an hour or two for herself. Relax, listen to Citra’s Tale, and escape into her imagination where she could build up the world of the story, color and all. It was the closest she could get to seeing anything properly due to how her eyes are. Yet it didn’t seem she’d get to do this today.

“Answer Call.” She commanded her scroll following a sigh.

“Emma!”

The digitally corrupted voice was familiar to the Qilin. To hear the voice as distressed as it was before she could say anything worried her. Quickly sitting up and setting her tea on the coffee table to her side she responded with worry in her tone.

“U-Umbir?”

“Emma, there’s a horde of Grimm flooding into the gorge. The NeverCondor has it’s canons, but we don’t have the man power to be able to take care of the refugees and fight off the beasts. We could really use some help over here, any help you could get us.”

He spoke without pausing even once, getting his words out almost too quickly to process. She couldn’t get any word in to get her father figure to slow down and explain the situation in better detail at all. Nor could she say anything before the call was ended from his end.

There was a moment of pause after the call went silent. Emma’s mind trying to think of what she could possibly do against a horde. She remembered the fall, the horde let onto Beacon’s grounds. Plus she was recalling that ghastly Beowolf her team had encountered a while before that... Team Empress couldn’t handle that one Grimm when all four of them were available.

But her mind then turned to the thought of the Ventian people aboard the NeverCondor. The people who had run from her brother’s tyranny and hoped for a better rule from her. Who hoped she’d be there to help them, to eventually take back Ventus. Not once had she seen any of them, confronted them over their expectations of her.

She realized then that it was her self-doubt of her ability to take on the role of Queen was the cause for this. They hoped she’d be there to help them, but not once had she shown her face. Her inaction breeding a growing fear that her half-brother would get his way. It was the only reason she could think of for Grimm to be closing in on the airship, especially with it settled in such a space since there had been such a heavy presence of Grimm near the ruins of the Academy ever since the fall.

It was her fault this was happening. She had to get there and do what she could to help.

Quickly Emma rushed to her room, opening her closet and reaching in to search for her case as she vocally commanded her scroll to call her Komodo Faunus teammate. She thanked the gods that she answered quickly, hearing the woman’s voice answer the call with a casual “Yo, what up, Em’?”

“Peri!” The Princess had to pause, having found her case, she was pulling at it, grunting due to it’s weight. “Peri, I need you to fly me to the NeverCondor!”

“What? What’s going on with the NC?”

Another grunt would be the only sound from Emma’s end as she got the case free from the closet.

“Emma! What’s happening?”

“Grimm are flooding the gorge that the NeverCondor’s settled in! A whole horde of them!” While Emma was opening the case she could hear the rather vulgar reaction from the Komodo.

“I’ll be outside with Aegis!” The last thing said by her friend before the call ended.

In a rush, Emma reached to her scroll to close and pocket it before finally retrieving her weapon from within it’s case. The blades of her scythe folded down over the sides of the staff, as it was whenever not in use. Weapon in hand the Qilin ran, heading out her room down the stairs and out the door. No sight of her teammate’s red aura among the darkness she could see. She felt herself getting fidgety already.

Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long, hearing the shout of her name from the familiar voice a half minute after she had gotten outside. Behind the voice, the roar of the flames that propelled the Komodo’s shield through the air. Not long after, the sight of the Persian red woman herself approaching. Mere seconds later she even felt the rush of air of the flying shield stopping before her.

Peri didn’t need to say anything, just extending her hand for Emma to take before the Princess was atop the flat side of the shield with her, and they were speeding off.

“East mountains!” A direction being shouted out over the winds by the Royal Faunus. “They’re going to be fighting them by the time we get there so you should be able to hear their canons once we’re at the mountain range!”

“Got it!”

Fifteen agonizing minutes. Not a single word spoken between the two women, both only able to hear the wind as they rocketed through the sky, and the blaze of the flames that propelled them. Emma’s heart filled with worry for her father figure and her people all the while, and hurting oh so much without the knowledge of whether they’d be able to get to their destination in time.

Soon in their view was the edge of the mountains which Emma knew as the natural barrier between them and the NeverCondor. As the two Faunus approached the rising stone, they heard something beyond the rushing wind and the blazing jets beneath them. High pitched pops and low, heavy booms. The ship was still there, and it was fighting. This both calmed and encouraged the Qilin.

Another minute of this sound passes as the two ascend along the mountain’s slope, still unable to see their destination till the pass over the peak. Thankfully that came quick, their angled ascent coming to even out as they soar over the mountain’s top and past it. Turning their eyes down along the descent as the jet propelled shield came to a gentle stop, they saw the mentioned gorge. The new side of the mountain behind them descended into it, leading down to a narrow stone path that ran right along with the line of mountains they had passed.

What they saw within, however, horrified them.

For the aura-centric sight of the blind Princess, the natural flow of her aura’s pulsations running down the mountain would suddenly be swallowed. A massive void of pitch black darkness, darker than everything normally was to her sight, of nothing but Grimm. Where she expected her sight to catch her aura running up the other side of the ravine, it just stopped against the dark beings.

To Peri, dozens and dozens of Grimm, if not hundreds even. Beowolves, Ursa, Creeps, Stalkers, Nevermore, Boarbatusks, even Griffons and a King Taijitu, no, two of them that she could see.

Moving to descend, the two got close enough they could hear the endless sounds of blood-thirsty feral creatures beneath them. Turning to direct themselves the same direction as they were going. Thankfully being fast enough to gain a lead and move a head of the horde, even if it didn’t end for a fair bit. Though when it did, it was ending with pillars of dark smoke from defeated grim and blazing fires, and explosions of shrapnel and debris from the NeverCondor’s weaponry attempting to fend them off.

Countless Grimm slipping past the hail of canon-fire and into a wide space where they began to scatter to some degree. Peri could see flames and electricity flying about this opening, a group of people cutting down some of the Grimm that split off their direction, and an odd, silver being darting from beast to beast. To Emma, she saw the truth. Five member’s of the ship’s crew were fighting the Grimm that got past the ranged assault.

A bright bronze aura, one of a vibrant blue, another of dark orange, one a mix of red and brown, then the ever familiar rich brown aura.

Umbir was fighting.

Starting another descent, the shield-riding pair approached the ship above the gunfire. Circling around from behind the currently grounded vessel to return to the warring side above the combatants.

“Boon. Tired!” A hoarse voice sounding off a complaint.

“Just hold on, Boon! Help’s coming!” Another, that of a feminine person yelling a response.

“Caet’s right!” That of a male, though not exactly deep. “We’ve handled these things so far, we can do it just a bit longer!”

Peri’s eyes followed the voices the best they could, the first coming from the odd silver being she noticed earlier. Small humanoid, very long tail, quickly taking down Grimm after Grimm with use of said tail and what seemed to be claws, even their own teeth. Next, a woman, close in age to herself, their body seemingly surrounded with blue bolts of electricity and a sword in hand that looked capable of extending to double as a whip. However the third was harder to see, rushing between pillars of flames that surrounded them, fire encasing a round shield mounted on one arm of their’s.

All the while she kept herself and her teammate moving, closing in on the group in melee with the evil creatures. The closing proximity making it clear to her, only two people were different. One armored man, clad in chrome-looking metal with furred neck and flowing white additions along the fore-arm and the calves, large claymore in hand. The other dressed in leather armor with some metal plates, two scimitars, one to each hand, but there were multiple of him, at least ten.

“Umbir!” The smaller woman holding onto her shouted once they were close enough. This earning the attention of the armored man momentarily before he focused to an Ursa charging him.

Rushing to the beast, the man jumped forward, bringing the claymore over his head and swinging it down. The Bear-like creature of darkness swinging it’s claws to catch the man mid-air, only to get it cut down the space between it’s natural weapons by the downward swing. Recoiling with a roar as the man landed again, launching from a lowered pose to thrust his blade up through the beast’s head and pull it back quickly. The Ursa falling dead as his attention shifted to a Boarbatusk rolling straight for him, using his blade to block and redirect it up into the air where a lightning bolt shot through the creature.

“Maho!” He called, rushing back to the group of duplicates of the lighter armored man. He and his nine copies forming a somewhat loose circle around Umbir, allowing a space for the hovering pair to get closer to talk properly with him. The Komodo wasting no time in descending to the given area. and landing herself and her teammate on the ground.

Immediately the Qilin rushed to her father-figure, dropping her weapon just before she could throw her arms around him, though her staff didn’t fall to the ground. Instead it floated in place with assistance from her Semblance. The man returned the embrace post stabbing his blade to the stone ground to keep it in place.

After their few seconds of reunion, Umbir gently moved Emma back and lowered himself to a knee in front of her. Watching glazed eyes follow his general form as he did. “Emma, it’s fantastic to see you again, but forgive my rudeness in asking if it’s not just you two coming to our aid.”

“No, no, it’s okay, you’re not being rude.” The Qilin’s hands came up to hold the man’s head, though they met the smooth sides of his helm instead. “We need more than just two with what’s going on, I’m going to call someone to get their team, the rest of ours, and a friend so they can get over here. Even with more stops they should be faster than we were since they have a bullhead. At least I think it’s a bullhead.”

The combination of her uncertainty and how easily she went on her tangent to explain things in this kind of situation got a chuckle from the man. Ever the clingy little girl who spoke with such enthusiasm and excitement when she saw him during her younger years. It helped him find some calm within the storming stress and adrenaline.

“Good. Now, think you can show me how much better you’ve gotten with the scythe since joining a Huntsman Academy?”

“Yeah!” A nod from Emma before she turned to step back to her floating weapon and take hold of it again. But just before she could, she froze, Everything falling quiet to her.

Glazed white eyes turned toward the horde rushing the group and the ship behind them. Looking over the void that seemed to swallow each pulse of her aura that happened with the beats of her heart. Yet something was different, she didn’t feel fear looking into the extreme dark. She felt a sense of odd comfort as she noticed a white figure standing amidst the darkness. Un-moving, unnoticed by the beasts, just a still, white form that she felt staring back at her.

This was familiar to the Qilin, she had seen and felt this before. While she still felt the comfort from it’s presence, the memory of how she had been after her last encounter with it brought some worry.

“Emma!”

The familiar voice of her father-figure registered in her ears and getting her to turn her head to him. Immediately turning her gaze back out to the horde, the figure still present.

“What is it, Emma?” He was beside her now, kneeling with a hand at her shoulder. Though he didn’t get an answer he expected, nor the return of her attention to him.

“I... I think... I might have an idea...” Her hand idly reaching to her other side, grabbing the floating staff and bringing it in front of herself.

Standing again, Umbir returned to his own weapon, pulling it from the earth and making it retract to it’s usual straight-sword size. “Well, what’s your idea?”

“I need a path, middle of the horde, I... I think it’s about a hundred, hundred twenty feet into the Grimm?”

“What?” Emma could hear the somewhat maddened tone in his voice. “Emma, you going into that horde would be suici-!”

The sight of the Qilin’s head turned his direction again made Umbir fall silent. He saw determination in her eyes. To see anything in her hazy eyes was rare, but determination to do what she had in mind was something else entirely.

“Please.”

It didn’t feel right to let her run into such danger the way she was wanting to. Every fiber of his being shouted not to go with such an absurd plan when he knew full well how quickly she could be swarmed.

“Maho!” He got the attention of the multiplied man. “Tell Begi to direct some of the cannon fire teen feet apart along the middle of the horde and to send Sprig out here! Emma has something in mind!”

“Got it!” One of the ten versions of the man ran off toward the ship, a ramp dropping out of the side of the hull to receive and allow him in before quickly rising to close again.

What came as a surprise to Emma was how quickly she heard the whir of the canons on the airship changing their direction. Not all of them, she heard multiple still firing at the countless Grimm rushing their way, but she heard at least four of them aiming themselves as directed within the minute. Another minute later, their blasting resumed, and bit by bit she watched the sea of darkness open and allow her aura to surge through over the ground. Eventually watching as the white figure she could see became wholly visible.

“Peri.” She turned and moved back onto the shield with her friend, this time in front of her. “Get me there.” A hand rising to point as direct as she could to where the figure stood in her vision. Lifting her staff in front of her, she turned a segment within the center of it and four blades would extend out from the ends of the staff. Now forming her weapon in full, a double-ended scythe, a double-sided blade on both ends.

“Wait!” Umbir, again protesting their action. “We have someone coming out who can give you some protection along your path. Just hold on another minute.”

The thought of waiting longer bothered Emma a bit, but she agreed. Peri following her teammate’s lead to agree to hold their position for now. Though the Qilin was still getting herself ready, moving her hands along the staff of her weapon a little ways from the center to press in on separate spots with both thumb and index fingers. Doing so, the blades at the ends of her weapons came loose. A twist of it making them fall from the one side before the other. Two curved blades, a center fold now visible, now on the ground. Though a second later, they were rising to float at the sides of the two women atop the shield. Slowly beginning to spin around them, the center point which they orbited being Emma’s body.

“Take us up at least. Umbir, you should get back to the fight.” The two Emma spoke to agreed immediately. Peri making the jet-propelled shield ascend from the ground, clearing Umbir to be able to re-engage the Grimm rushing in. All while the nine remaining copies of the lightly-armored man returned to the fight themselves.

Above the action, the two teammates could only watch on as the fight continued. Waiting for the time they could make their move, anxious, but patient.

“Sprig!” The earlier hoarse voice called out suddenly over the sounds of fighting.

“Boon, cover me!” A new voice, male, coming from behind the pair atop the shield.

“Boon. Help!”

From beneath the hovering teammates, Emma saw the bronze aura of a humanoid with a long tail behind them. Watching on as it ran out toward the horde, jumping on a dark figure, seemingly biting into it before launching to another. Next she knew, the being had used it’s tail to impale a Grimm. From the look of it’s form, a Beowolf. One that collapsed dead over the odd Bronze aura’d person before they darted out from beneath it.

Following behind the Bronze humanoid in Emma’s sight, her attention was drawn to that of a light green. From the form it took, she figured it was the person that the new voice belonged to. The person running out behind their friend, dodging some attacks here and there from the foul creatures swarming them.

At least he was running, but then he went into a slide atop his knees. Pressing his hands to the ground in front of him once his movement had stopped, and suddenly the same green of his aura filled the Qilin’s sight. The green Aura flooding the ground around him and flowing down the path she had seen the canons make a moment earlier. From there she watched as the pulses of her aura began to get interrupted by trees. Dozens of trees that had grown in an instant, thick, tall trees. The earlier canon fire having ended just before the young man had reached his spot.

“Go!”

“Go, Emma!”

Both the new member of the ship’s crew and Umbir shouted out at the two Faunus. Only a second passing before the Princess felt her friend moving the shield they stood on forward. Rushing to the newly made plant life and proceeding down the path made between. It now being made clear to the aura-sighted young woman that, beyond the spot she had indicated where the white being stood, there were even trees closing the spot off. Though the sound of the wood from the fresh, tall trees beginning to creak and break against the assault of the Grimm was already filling both their ears.

Manipulating her semblance, Emma used the momentum of the already moving shield beneath and jumped ahead. Soaring through the clearing provided toward the figure that had stayed ever present. Peri abruptly slowing and forcing her shield down, landing rather roughly to keep from hitting the other from behind.

Easing her speed by making her center of gravity heavier as she got within a few feet of the white Aura, the pale young woman realized something. On top of staying around as long as it had, her approach to the odd figure was never met with it moving further away. Instead it kept firmly planted where it was through everything that had been happening.

Now here she stood, just a foot from the oddity as she stared at it. Half her view filled with a mess of near pure white because of what had happened last she met it. A few seconds passing before she felt everything around her drowned out. The initially controlled orbit of the blades from her weapon around her becoming a subconscious action, thus slowing them to a crawl ‘round her.

It was surreal being so close to this unknown presence again. Knowing that it brought her such peace among the horrors that Remnant housed confused her to no end. Yet some part of her didn’t care how odd it was. Unsure of why, she just knew that something would work out when she was with it. It felt like everything would be fine, or at least it did before a sudden chill and shiver surged through her form.

The white Aura was moving, it’s hand rising, from what she could see it seemed to be taking form to hold or caress something. As to what it’s goal was, the Qilin made sense of it rather fast, and she stepped closer. Watching the hand specifically for the moment it took before it was beside her head, and she pressed her cheek to it’s palm.

In an instant, what had been such a rigid and still being seemed to fill with life as Emma felt the thumb of the hand rubbing over her cheek. Her eyes closing as the caress began. Taking in a deep, long breath before exhaling with a sigh of comfort. A familial sense filling her heart, a thought of the Aura’s identity filling her mind, and a sense of instinct filling her body. It felt like it was telling her what she needed to do, from it’s own experience.

Then it was gone.

All the comfort that had filled Emma, the being’s confusing presence, the touch to the side of her face. So abruptly gone. The only lingering sensations being those of who it might have been, the knowledge of what might help the situation, and the ghostly sensation of it’s thumb against her cheek.

What had left her quickly being replaced by that of a shaking to her shoulders and the realization of her teammate’s place in front of her. Soon after, the sounds of the chaos around her assaulted her ear-drums once more. Yet still, she felt some degree of calm with everything happening.

“Peri, head back to the NeverCondor, get a crystal of Wind Dust and tell the Captain to aim some of their canons. One to the wall of the ravine, fifty feet ahead of me, another fifty feet ahead and a hundred up the mountain side, then a third set another fifty feet higher than that one.”

She was unable to see it, but Peri’s face had twisted to a mixture of confusion and some annoyance at being ordered so hard to do things that left her friend on her own.

“The hell do you think you’re asking me to do?!” The Komodo shouted in return. “These trees aren’t going to hold forever and if I’m not right here to defend you with myself and Aegis, you’re going to be torn apart in seconds once those trees go down!”

This bothered the shorter of the two a bit, staring at her friend as directly as she could manage, she moved the hands from her shoulders. “I’m not some defenseless princess in a tower, Peri! I have a weapon, I have training, I have a semblance that can act as protection while I fight something myself!” She didn’t drop her friend’s hands, instead she turned her own to take hold of them. Rubbing the rougher skin on the back of the hands she held as her demeanor softened. “Trust me, and help me. Please.”

Peri didn’t like when her friend did this, she never did. Always getting so gentle and comforting in tone and touch, it always helped her feels some degree calmer in any situation. She wasn’t even too sure why, it just did. Giving in, she sighed before returning the hand hold, though her hands were tight around the other’s. “Don’t you dare die on me, on us. If you do, you’re going to have hell to pay.”

Her remark earned a chuckle from Emma, her head nodding with a surprising soft smile across her lips.”I promise, Peri, I’ll be fine.”

Emma’s words were followed immediately by a crack of wood to her right that caught both her attention and Peri’s. Even the Princess herself wasn’t feeling entirely sure about her own statement. She had a plan thanks to the odd entity that had come and gone, sure, but to actually execute it she’d need to be alive and well. Plus, it had been a fair while since she had last actually fought anything herself.

The Komodo turned her attention back to the Qilin, simply looking to her a moment in thought. She knew what the young woman was capable of. She knew she could handle herself. Though in this situation even the best of Huntsmen would have little chance of surviving if they were alone.

“Emma, I’ll do as you ask, but I’m going to do it my way.” Peri began toward her Aegis. Turning partway to face her friend as she continued to it in reverse. “I’ll tell them what you told me, then I’ll be right back here and ready to kick some Grimm ass with you!” Turning to her shield again, the woman got beside it and reached down to the grips along the flat side of it.

A firm pull to the object embedded in the dirt managing to get it loose and usable once more. Quickly stepping atop it and tapping the ignition with a heel, the jets on the opposite side roared to life. The flames charring the ground beneath as it began to lift, and a simple shift of her weight urged it forward. Speeding back toward the ship and the people around it.

Watching the red aura of the Komodo grow farther away, the Qilin took a breath. Long, deep, in, out, feeling her nerves calm. Though it sadly only lasted a moment before she heard wood breaking again. Multiple times over now, once from the same spot as before, more happening across from it and even from a short ways down the path that lead back to everyone else.

Readying her staff, she only now realized the blades she had orbiting herself earlier had fallen to the ground on opposite sides of her. Catching sight of the one as she saw a pulse of her aura flow over the curved metal about four feet away from her. After quickly turning about to find the other, she spotted it, noting the location of both blades within her mind. A moment to close her eyes and breathe again allowing the Huntress to bring about her Semblance’s strength once more. Quickly returning the two objects to their orbital positions around her, she prepared herself.

Breathing, listening, paying attention to what she could hear around her. The thunderous canon fire from the ship behind her. Cracking wood and branches being broken. Thousands of leaves rustling from the wind and the force being put on the trunks of the trees they belonged to. Even the countless beasts growling and roaring around her.

Then it happened. The thick, loud break of a trunk and the following creaking of a falling tree. She heard it coming from behind her, about a hundred-and-twenty degree turn to her right. An added scraping of bone along the bark of the tree made it clear to her, a Grimm was essentially riding the tree on it’s way down. No growling though, so it wasn’t a Beowolf or Ursa, and it sounded too light to be a Stalker. It was either a Boarbatusk or Creep. Either way it was something smaller, more simple, which meant two things.

One, she could deal with it more easily.

Two, more would be following after it.

Basing her positioning relative to the crashing tree on sound, Emma moved out of the way so she wouldn’t be hit by it’s foliage. The sound of a weight hitting the ground just after the tree did alerting her to the Grimm’s presence within the wood barrier. Plus the sound it made, being unlike that of a pig or boar and more of an odd, unusual screech, made it known that the beast was a Creep specifically. Then the scraping of it’s two legs along the rough terrain warned her of it’s approach.

Reacting to it’s approach, she sped the circling of the blades around her, hearing the beast shriek after a second from the cut of it’s edge across the creature of Grimm. The quickened pace of it’s feet suggesting it was scrambling, she figured it had recoiled from the pain. Spinning herself atop her feet, to face the direction of the sounds produced by the beast.

Stepping toward it, Em’ spun the staff of her weapon ‘round herself, adjusting her hand’s position to swing the farther end ‘round and low. She felt the impact and heard the beast’s reaction, immediately hearing it screech again from another cut marking the Creep via her orbiting weaponry. Bracing her staff against her forearm as it finished it’s swing, her hand came down to grab at the opposite end and she readied herself.

Finally letting her eyes open, she caught sight of the beast’s pitch black figure swallowing a pulse of her aura as it seemed to be drawing closer. However, it didn’t stay bound to the ground. Having learned from the hits it took already. the Creep attempted to jump over her protective blades. Following it’s form the best she could with her sight, her hands angled her staff and acted the moment the creature’s descent began. The new grip on her weapon now being used to force it up, her original hold acting more as a guide now. Guiding the end of the staff up into the beast.

What was unknown to her, the end of her weapon had thrust straight into the Creep’s open maw. Combining it’s upward momentum with the downward movement and the weight of the monster, it allowed the attack to break through the neck.

Emma only became aware of this as she first felt the full weight of the dark being force her to steady her arms and legs to keep from toppling. Then suddenly feeling that same weight lighten up.

It relieved her knowing she had succeeded in beating a Grimm after so long of not being in combat, but that relief was so very short lived. Immediately following the death of the Creep, the sound of breaking wood was practically everywhere. The rest of the beasts surrounding her were trying their best to claw their way through the wooden barrier to get to her. More obvious to her was the sound of the creatures clawing at the trees on either side of the one that had already come down. It sounded like a few of them were fighting to try and be the next to try getting to her.

She was just glad she could hear the strong and booming gunfire from the NeverCondor taking care of the air-born Grimm that were part of this horde.

Easing her hold on her staff, Emma let the end embedded in the back of the Creep’s mouth fall back as she moved her one hand out of the way and let go with the other. At the cue of the dull thud from the defeated Grimm’s body impacting the rock below, she turned to grab her weapon again. The assistance of a foot against the limp jaw of the creature being needed to free it from the back of it’s throat. Taking a moment following this to breath a little as she let the speed of her orbiting blades ease up some.

Focusing herself like earlier before, she listened again. Focusing herself past the sounds of the weaponry being used against the dark horde and her own breath and beating heart. Paying close attention to what was happening immediately around her. Tuning out the excess noise that she could tell was not within her range.

Once more she could hear bone against wood, coming once again from the recently downed tree that the first Grimm had climbed over to get to her. This one sounded heavier though, and she could’ve sworn it was growling. Beowolf.

Opening her eyes immediately for this one, she could see the dark form swallowing all else in her sight right atop where she remembered the knocked over tree. It was already mid-lunge for her. The only direction Emma could think to go to avoid it’s claws lead her backwards, letting herself fall and watching the pitch black form within her vision just barely pass over her.

Among the sound of it’s mass connecting with the ground again, she heard the thick cutting sound of one of her orbiting blades actually embedding itself into the beast somewhere. This is a moment she’d mentally curse her blind eyes, if she knew where exactly the blade had cut into the creature she’d be able to utilize that weakened spot to beat it without spending as much energy to do so. Without that information, she’d have to make due.

In a short instance of instinct kicking in, Emma would roll and ascend to her knees as swung her staff wide counter to the direction her other blade would be going. Just barely feeling it click into place from the end she was holding, due to being on the complete opposite site, she quickly lifted herself to her feet in a running charge at the creature’s form. Seeing it was still in the process of getting back to it’s feet, she took advantage of it’s lowered position. Jumping over it, bringing the bladed end of her weapon beneath her feet and increasing her personal gravity to drop herself over the neck of the Beowolf.

That very instance, three things registered in her ears above all else. A strained growl from the creature beneath her as it expired, the cracking of stone as her descent stopped, and the creaking of another falling tree. Only the falling tree was just to her right this time, and looking to it revealed it was falling directly over her, and it was coming fast. It was going to be impossible for her to move out of the way with her weapon in hand, but some quick thinking to adjust it’s angle what little she could by attempting to make it circle ‘round her like she did her blades would allow her to get out from under it if she pushed herself off from the staff.

Executing this plan worked, allowing her to catch herself in a roll along the ground and out of the tree’s path. Though as she looked to it again, her heart sunk. A large abyssal form filled her aura-based sight. It took little more than it’s size to figure out the Grimm that had ridden the tree down this time was an Ursa, but the roar it let loose as she felt it’s attention fix to her confirmed it.

Her weapon was on the other side of the downed trunk from her due to how she manipulated it.

The other blade was still embedded in the evaporating Beowolf beneath the tree.

She had no available method of defense.

In that moment all she could think to do was to avoid it to the best of her ability. Thus, to start, as it lunged to her she rolled to the side. She managed to get out of it’s way, yes, but she did feel a claw break through her left pant leg and partially into her skin. Wincing from the pain due to it as her weight settled on it again after landing. A quick touch of her palm over where the pain radiated in her leg made her aware that the beast had cut deep enough to cause bleeding. Testing how well she could shift her weight to it, it relieved her knowing it didn’t go deep enough to incapacitate her.

This knowledge would quickly prove helpful as she heard the Ursa roar once more, turning to see the dark mass charging at her. Quickly using her semblance to counter the earth’s gravity as little as she could, Emma jumped. Quickly rising to clear the bear’s height, though she even ended up going above the trees surrounding the space below her as well.

Readjusting her power to keep herself afloat for a few seconds as she glanced around, she could see that some of the trees closer to the Nevercondor had been broken down and the flood of Grimm were pushing through once more. The group fighting the beasts earlier once again engaging in combat with the creatures, though this time with the red form of her teammate and friend right beside them.

Just as she began to slowly descend again, she saw one of the group getting her friend’s attention for some reason or another. Though she couldn’t exactly pay that much attention to what they were doing as another beastly sound drew her gaze down again. As helpful as it could be to be able to manipulate one’s own gravitational force to allow themselves to do what she had done, there were definitely downsides. Being stuck on a downward path straight to a hostile being was one such downside, and Emma was having to deal with that now.

Immediately her mind went into overdrive, thinking through things she could possibly do in this situation. Maybe she could mimic what she did to the Beowolf? Increase her gravitational field enough to pull her down toward the planet’s surface faster, essentially dropping feet-first atop the Ursa’s head as an attack? No, it would likely claw at her before her feet would impact with it’s head or it’d jump and bite at her feet. Neither outcome was good.

Think... Think... Think...!

“Fuck off!”

The sudden vulgar outburst broke the Qilin from her thinking just in time to see a familiar Persian red form slamming right into the monster beneath her. Only barely being able to follow the movement as it sped right past where the creature was. Now pushing it into one of the still standing trees where she watched the Komodo reel back before slamming her fist into the Ursa’s head. Knowing Peri’s weapon and Semblance, it was likely she rammed the Ursa, impaling it on the end of Aegis to the tree before activating her stone skin for a rock-hard punch to the beast’s skull.

Calming down some with her friend now present once more, Emma eased her own Semblance’s effect to lower herself to the ground carefully. Once on her feet, she ran over and gave a playful slap to the taller woman’s arm. Wincing a little upon feeling the still stone-thick skin due to the other’s power still being active. Such earned a chuckle from Peri.

“Took long enough for you to come back, you have the Dust I asked for?”

“Nah, Umbir had me come back after we saw you turn yourself into a balloon. Told me he’d throw the crystal our way when they found it.”

As she listened to the answer, the Princess made her way to the newly downed tree to retrieve her weapon. She thanked whatever the odd Aura figure from earlier was as she saw no trace of the Beowolf her one blade had been stuck in. Instead seeing her aura outline the now loose blade which lay on the ground, and her weapon with the bladed end just barely sticking out from under the trunk.

“Come help me with this before another Grimm manages to slip through the crowd!” She called out to her friend, who she now saw with the two halves of her great-shield mounted along her arms. As made evident by her pulses of aura outlining their form over the red shape of the woman’s arms.

Peri made quick work of lifting the fallen trunk to allow Emma to retrieve the rest of her weapon from beneath it. Now lowering herself to pick the idle blade from the stone beneath her and attach it back onto the staff to form the whole of the double-ended scythe she wielded once more. Thankfully being able to do this right before the loud snap of breaking wood assaulted her ear-drums yet again.

A third tree crashing down. Four, no, eight sets of bone footsteps impacting the wood after it hit the stone. It confused Emma how eight Grimm could fit through the gap now made in the absence of the third tree, but seeing a dark form stopped by Peri’s hands helped her clear things up. The enemies this time were two Boarbatusks. The second of which she caught sight of it’s odd form rolling her way.

Utilizing her lowered position, she brought her weapon in front of her. The one bladed end down close to the ground in front of her, the other above her shoulder. The Qilin braced herself, knowing this was going to hurt with what she intended to do. Though one split second was all she got to do so before it happened. The Grimm rolled right into the blade down by the ground, forcing it down against the stone and pushing Emma back atop one of her knees. Groaning as she bared the pain of the friction tearing through her pant leg and her skin, it thankfully stopped rather quickly after it started. The Boarbatusk’s spinning ended due to it’s tusks stuck against the curved blade.

“Peri! Throw it!”

Her shout was all the other Huntress needed. Still with her own Boarbatusk’s tusks in hand, the Komodo uses all her strength to heave the beast off the ground, spin with it, then let go and send it flying right into the one Emma had stopped. This knocked both of them a few feet away from the Royal, her friend quickly rushing over and pouncing to bring the bladed ends of the two halves of Aegis right down into the two Grimm before they could recover.

“Good call, you alright?” The deeper feminine voice called back to her.

“Both my legs are hurting, but I should be fine.”

“Good, cause we’ve got company, just don’t move.”

The remark confused the Princess at first, but it quickly made sense hearing a long hiss directly above her. Immediately she knew what was the cause of such a sound, even without turning her gaze up to get a look at the general shaping of whatever beast would fill her vision.

A King Taijitu.

For what felt like a whole minute, things were painfully still for the two Hunters. One watching as the massive serpent brought it’s head down into the circle within the trees, lining the outside of it for a short time. Emma only able to listen to the sliding ‘flesh’ of the creature against stone and wood while she watched Peri slowly remove Aegis’ two halves from her arms to combine them again.

She felt her friend’s eyes fix to her own, and saw the red head move slightly. A nod to ready herself. Carefully she adjusted the hold on her weapon and began to her feet again. Holding back her pained sounds as movement with her right leg would cause her knee to ache. In the final moment of pause, she could feel the chilling sting of the air blowing against both the cut along her leg and the freshly torn skin over her knee. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight even before both these injuries, but she wasn’t about to let them hold her back.

Peri made the first move, Tail smacking the ground before shouting vulgarities at the Taijitu as she broke into a sprint for the serpent’s head. This earned the monster’s attention, opening it’s mouth to hiss before beginning toward the Huntress. Closing it’s mouth, it first went to bash against the woman. She braced herself behind her great-shield, taking the hit with no issue before swinging it with her whole body to retaliate.

Emma was able to see the dark shape move out of the way of her friend’s attack, forcing the other to react as it moved to attack again. This time opening it’s maw with the aim of biting it’s prey. Yet what the Komodo did next shocked the pale young woman.

Watching on at the scene, the red form of her friend charged for the open mouth of the Taijitu and jumping to enter right into it. But she never saw it close. Confused, the Princess stood, staring with a furrowed brow at the sight. At least, she did until her friend shouted to her to act quickly.

Bursting into motion, the scythe wielder sprinted forward. Readying one bladed end of her weapon behind her as she neared the Grimm which Peri had occupied in some way. Bringing the readied end forward and up, Emma felt it slice through the creature’s body. Keeping the flow going, she flipped her weapon ‘round to that she could bring the opposite end now down along the same spot to cut deeper. Both times hearing the creature hissing in pain and spite.

“Other side, then back up!”

Peri certainly seemed to have a plan in mind. Going with the flow of her teammate’s instructions, and using her Semblance’s strengths, the Qilin jumped over the Taijitu to the opposite side of it’s body. Bringing down a blade as she landed before swiftly letting the momentum of this attack lead into a second, deeper slice just like before. Immediately afterwards finding herself backing away from the thing with a few moon-style jumps thanks to gravitational changes she decided on.

Suddenly, roaring flames and blazing heat were present in front of her, and everything clicked in her mind. Peri had lodged herself within the mouth of the Taijitu with Aegis keeping it from closing on her, and was now blazing the beast’s mouth and throat with flames from the ports on the outer side of the shield itself.

Judging by how much of the heat she could feel hitting her face even after moving away, her cuts into the serpent’s body had cut into it’s throat just enough on both sides. Thus, the injuries she inflicted on the beast acted as exhaust for the flames, which in turn seemed to catch the creature’s body and set it aflame as a result if it’s shrieks of pain were anything to go by.

One head taken care of, the second one now on a literal time limit as it’s body began to burn.

Emma quickly caught sight of the dark shape speeding towards her from the corner of her eye. It’s angered hissing growing louder by the millisecond until it was just in front of her. Yet she jumped, making the second head slam into the ground as she came back down atop of it. Quickly bringing her scythe over head before forcing it down. Immediately feeling the blade cut through the exoskeletal mask of the Grimm and sink a little into it’s body beneath as well.

“Peri, hammer it in!” She shouted to her friend as she held on whilst the head began flailing in pain.

Quickly catching Emma’s idea, the Komodo got herself out of the dead head and onto Aegis. Starting it’s jets right quick and ascending in a spiral. After rising a few seconds, she came to a hovering stop well above the horde and the clearing in the middle of the beasts. Watching for just the right moment to drop so that she’d land over her teammate’s weapon in the Taijitu’s head. This moment of opportunity would come as she watch the head begin towards some of the trees.

She merely needed to move herself to the creature’s destination and... cut the jets off. Immediately starting to plummet, Peri let her semblance activate just as she saw the second head of the King Taijitu impact with the trees. The extra weight causing her descent to speed up quite a bit to the point where she only barely saw Emma move out of the way before she hit.

A thick sound of blade tearing through the evil creature made it clear to both young women that they had succeeded. That and the heavy thud the creature’s head gave upon hitting the ground followed by the dull flop the rest of it’s body made as it fell lifeless. The two sharing a sigh in relief of what they had accomplished, even if there was still so much more to do.

Suddenly Emma and Peri would hear a loud burst of static from the direction of the airship they were to protect. Immediately following such noise, an electrically distorted voice.

“Wind Crystal found, Your Highness! We’re sending it your way!”

The two Huntresses shared a glance to each other before their attention was drawn to one of the already downed trees again with a roar. While Emma could only see the dark masses of the horde, Peri saw their next opponent clearly. A Beowolf was pulling itself through the space. At the same moment, wood was crunched beneath a heavy weight across from the Beowolf in the clearing. With the sound drawing the Komodo’s attention turns to the sight of another of the canine Grimm. Though this time she froze.

Larger, more exoskeletal formations across it’s dark body, more detailed markings. She couldn’t mistake it if she even wanted to. This Beowolf is an Alpha.

Hearing the metal of Aegis fall to the floor and hit it a few times over drew Emma’s attention back around to her friend. The red aura form of her fellow Faunus was on the ground now, worry filling her at the sight. Calling out to her friend as she moved to get to her, Emma found her view of the familiar aura being obscured by an aura-swallowing darkness. The Beowolf which had first gotten their attention had moved between them, and she could hear the constant growling of the other beast.

She didn’t have time to worry about this Grimm in front of her, she had to get to her friend and be sure she was fine. “Peri, get down!” She shouted, hoping her friend would listen and lay herself down to the canyon floor. Having no weapon, the only thing she could think to do was utilize her Semblance to draw Aegis to her. While focusing her glazed eyes watched the dark form reel back an arm to ready itself to assault it’s prey.

Falling back as she caught sight of motion being made from the thing’s arm, Emma rolled herself backward out of it’s reach. Catching herself afterward and focusing again to the creature, it had moved closer using the momentum after it’s attack. It’s positioning, Emma could only think it was about to attempt biting at her. Letting herself back again, she didn’t roll but instead kicked a leg up into it’s jaw. Forcing the beast’s maw closed and it’s head up. Next she knew was the sound of a heavy whack above her reached her ears, then she felt the weight of the creature fall atop of her. Metal hitting rock a few feet back just seconds later.

Emma felt some satisfaction knowing she pulled off what she just did. Last time she had ever attempted to manipulate her friend’s Great Shield she wan’t able to get it to move one bit. It was way too heavy to be effected by her Semblance back then. Now she managed to at least get it to move high and fast enough to hit the Beowolf threatening her life that it put it down, even if she lost control of Aegis immediately after. She wasn’t sure of whether it had decapitated the creature or just caved it’s head in, but either way it was done.

Pushing herself up under the dead weight, she looked to where she last saw the red aura earlier. Seeing it again, it was now up against one of the still standing trees. The overall form having shrunken some, telling Emma Peri was feeling fear. So, so much fear.. Over it she could see the towering dark form of the other Beowolf closing in. She had to do something immediately working to get herself out from beneath the downed Grimm.

“Peri!” She tried getting the other’s attention. She felt a pair of eyes settle on her, but the sensation from it’s gaze wasn’t friendly. It was bloodthirsty, evil, cruel. She had the attention of the Beowolf, at least for the moment, but it quickly left her. “Peri!” Another call to her friend, she didn’t hear or feel any response. Yet she heard some sort of collision, a scraping. It sounded like bone against stone, similar to how it did to hear one of the Grimm walking or running across the ground, but there was so much more force to it.

She had her upper half free now, still working to push the lifeless and evaporating Beowolf from over her legs. Looking over now and then she noticed a few times the beast was extending it’s arms to the red, curled up figure beneath it. It was attacking Peri, but by the sounds she was hearing each time it did made her aware that she was protecting herself with her stone skin Semblance. While some bit relieving to know, it brought another worry to mind. How hard was the thing hitting Peri?

Weaker hits wouldn’t matter too much. She had been told of a time a runt Beowolf had attacked the Komodo and her brother before and she was able to take every attack it tried against her without any issue. But heavier ones, each would threaten to chip Peri’s skin while in her Semblance. To break her apart bit by bit until her aura would run out and her Semblance would fail, making her completely vulnerable.

She couldn’t let that happen, but it was taking so long for her to be able to get out of the position she was in. She could try manipulating Aegis once more, but if she were to do that it wouldn’t last long enough for her to send it flying at the Beowolf attacking Peri. She had done it before, yes, but that was pulling one thing towards herself via a focused gravitational pull from her personal gravitational force. She couldn’t do that with someone else’s field.

Pushing more at the dead Beowolf, she found herself able to get one leg free. Pushing herself back, another leg. Her cut left this time, earning a pained groan from stressing it as much as she had to do so. Now she could get up, she had to get up, and she went to get up to her feet, but quickly fell to the ground once more, this time on her hands and her knee. Wincing at the pressure on her scraped right.

“Peri!” Another call, another attempt to get her friend out of whatever mental state was causing her inaction.

Then a booming crack of thunder hit her ears right as a bright flash of light shot over her. Looking up to the sky first, the scent of the air didn’t hint that it was a natural bolt of lightning. She couldn’t smell any hint of rain whatsoever. What she did begin to smell was instead burnt fur, which drew her attention down right in time to see the creature over Peri stiffen and twitch, growling all the while.

“Peri!” She had to try one more time. “Peri, we’re not in the forest! This isn’t the Grimm that attacked Roy! You can fight this one! You can do something!”

The Komodo could only barely hear the voice trying to reach her. Her mind stuck replaying the dark day they had experienced about a month before the Vytal Festival. The scene played so clearly in her head. The blur of colors that had been her brother and the still unknown beast chasing each other. Sounds of flesh hitting flesh, bone tearing skin, pained groans and growls. Her heart racing remembering the very instant her sibling had slid across the ground with the foul creature’s jaw open over his face.

Yet the scene would change in her scared moment. The thing’s face turning to look to her instead of Roy beneath it. It’s jaw unhinging and opening unnaturally wide and releasing a blood curdling screech her way. It sounded to insanely real, like the Alpha she knew was present was it’s source. But that caused some issue to the logic her mind was playing to in the moment. One that made her begin to question the scene she was reliving.

The sound it just made wasn’t that which any Beowolf would normally make. It sounded less like an animalistic roar and like more of an odd mix of an animal’s roar and a human’s scream. The image of the Alpha she had seen a moment ago returning to mind, it didn’t match. The logic made no sense whatsoever. In this moment, the one thing was real, the other was oh so very fake.

Replaying what the faint voice she heard had said, everything fell into place within her mind. Lifting her head, Peri saw the exoskeletal mask of a Beowolf, one shaking and twitching, turning different directions every other second. It was growling, such sound filling her ears and drowning all else out. At least, it was, until she heard her name from a familiar voice again. A drift of her red eyes to the left, Emma. A real, physically present Emma in a knelt position with a bloodied knee close to the stone ground and left leg propped up atop it’s foot, hand holding her shin.

Immediately, Emma could see the shrunken red aura fill the whole of her friend’s figure again. Watching a leg kick out, knocking the creature to a knee before a hand would reach to pull the thing by what she guessed was the back of the neck. From the connection she saw between the two, she was sure Peri had just headbutted the Alpha. The beast itself being affected more so, thus stumbling backward, giving the Faunus enough room to stand with the tree behind her for stability.

Watching on, Peri would kick off the tree behind her, jumping to punch at the Beowolf’s head, knocking it to the ground. Taking it’s new position to her advantage to get over it’s head and stomp in it. Doing this again, and again, and again, continuing the repeated abuse of the beast’s head, likely including the extra weight behind it because of an active Semblance.

With Peri dealing with the Alpha as brutally as she was, the Qilin glanced around. No other Grimm seemed to be managing to slip into the clearing through the spaces from the fallen trees. She was free to take the time necessary to get herself to her feet again with her injured leg and knee. Groaning and wincing as she went through the process needed. Stumbling once able to stand herself proper.

“Oh that hurts... really hate that my Aura doesn’t act like everyone else’s...” Emma whined, taking a few steps to just re-adjust herself to being on her legs. Both of them burning and stinging from the pulsating pain. Slowly she began walking to her friend. A glance to the side revealing to her that the Taijitu from earlier had disappeared entirely, leaving her weapon standing embedded within the ground and obstructing the pulses of her aura that would provide her sight of her surroundings.

Detouring to her scythe, the pale huntress would stretch out a hand to grab onto it as she got close enough. Letting her weight lean against it to breathe for a few seconds.

“Can’t decide what hurts more between this and a broken leg, but at least I can still walk, even if it hurts.” Some aloud talking to herself. When ready, the Princess straightened herself and pulled to lift her weapon. It took a few seconds before it’d budge, but once it did she stumbled again at it coming loose and forcing her back.

Shifting her hands along the staff of her weapon, she pressed in on two points of it, two separate spots from where she did earlier. This time making the blades on the ends fold inward toward the ends of the staff. Now fitting a hand in to hold at the higher end, the collapsed blade now essentially closed around her hand where she held it. Thankfully it was secure enough that she could use it as a more proper support without worrying about her hand slipping down past the metal.

Redirecting her attention to Peri once more, the sight worried her some.

The familiar red aura had dimmed, and even began flickering like a raging flame. All the while she was still stomping on the creature’s head. Likely having destroyed it entirely by now and triggered the usual dissolving that happened whenever one of such monsters were killed long ago. Beginning over, she called a few times to her friend with no reaction from what she could see. Her friend, filled with sadness and anger, just kept going despite the fact she was likely just breaking the stone beneath her now.

Emma waited to call to the Komodo again until she had gotten close enough to hear that Peri was whispering a string of vulgar curses over and over again beneath her breath. All the while sniffling and gasping between swears. She decided to take a few steps closer till she could put a hand to the woman’s shoulder before calling her name again. This time getting some pause to the other’s movements.

“Peri, it’s dead, I need you to calm down. Please.”

Her words seemed to reach, getting a turn in the red head, feeling her eyes fix on her.

“You’re alright, Peri. Just step way, take a breath, then let’s get Aegis for you so we can finish this up.”

She could hear her friend sallow before breathing in for a few seconds, then out a few longer. Removing her hand from their shoulder, she instead held it out in front of herself. It being taken quickly by one of Peri’s, she began leading the shaken Huntress toward where she last heard the shield’s metal contact with the ground. Confirming their direction was right as her eyes picked up the waves of her aura flowing over it.

Once close enough she felt the hand ‘round her own let go, watching the red aura it belonged to continue ahead of her out the corner of her eye. Well, at least that’s what it looked like. With it being to her left, half her sight was just suddenly filled with a messy pattern of Persian Red. She still wasn’t used to seeing things as messy as they were despite the months that had come to pass since the accident which caused such change.

She watched on, seeing Peri’s red figure fit her foot beneath the wide top of her shield on the ground to kick the one end up. A hand stretching out to catch it by one of the hand-holds along the backside. Seeming to stop for a short moment to breathe again before she finally heaved Aegis up with one hand, the other moving to trigger it’s separation. Quickly catching the one half as it began to fall away from the other.

Turning her attention down the pathway that had been made by one of the NeverCondor’s crew members again, Emma could just barely see her surrogate Father’s aura moving away from her. She figured he was making his way to the ship he and the other Ventian people had been living on for the past while. Though a multitude of sounds drew her focus away from the distant sight.

Two more trees creaking and crashing to the ground, a multitude of Grimm growling and roaring. This was it, the wall of trees around them was coming down and they were going to have to fight. A lot.

“Peri?” She called, looking over to her friend with a worried furrow to her brow.

“Yeah,” Peri responded, finishing adjusting the two sides of Aegis along her arms “I’m good.”

The two let their eyes meet for a moment before Emma’s turned to her own weapon again. Once more opening the blades and setting them free from the staff they were on. Her Semblance activating to catch them before they hit the floor, quickly setting them back into their orbiting pattern. Though she kept it close to herself this time, not as wide a circle as it had been before. Giving enough room that she could move freely herself, but not hinder her teammate’s motions.

“I’m gonna be blind for this, make sure to help me out as much as you can.”

“I got your back, Smoke.”

“Smoke? Been a long time since you last called me by my middle name.”

“It has been hasn’t it? Though I’ve got a feeling I’ll have to start calling you ‘Queen Emma’ soon.”

This earned a chuckle from both the women.

“Don’t start just yet, I’ve still not accepted the role.”

“But you’re going to aren’t you?” Peri stepped over, patting at Emma’s shoulder before going ahead of her. Scanning over what they had to deal with, she noticed there were just a couple Grimm. A few Boarbatusks, a Creep, the one that stood above the rest being a Stalker that had broken down four trees which it stood atop of. It’s claws snapping open and shut time and again, at one point even taking up one of the Boarbatusks in front of it and snapping the thing in two.

“Two Boarbatusks, ten-o-clock, creep ten-thirty, Creep at three heading for you right now, Boarbatusk one-o-clock, Stalker twelve.”

Taking in the words her teammate spoke, Emma’s eyes turned each respective direction she had been told. Noting the locations within her mind, focusing her attention to the Creep she had been informed was charging her afterward, and closing her eyes to breathe. Opening them again, she saw nothing. Not her own aura pulsing out from her body, not the red of her friend’s life, not even the swallowing darkness that would inform her of the body of a Grimm. However, she could hear and smell so much more.

The sound of Peri urging on the Grimm in front of her, challenging them with the fleshy slap of her tail against stone. Bone clashing against stone and growling from the various creatures both in front of her and surrounding the clearing they’re in. Quickly focusing to one single source, the huffing of the Creep closing in on her. It was moving quickly, but she knew Boarbatusks could be faster should they be allowed to roll as they were known to.

Steadying herself atop her legs so that she didn’t require the support of the staff in hand, Emma let it spin ‘round her fingers a bit. Setting it at such a pace which allowed for it’s ends to pass before and after the orbiting blades would circle past where it would be, almost like a pair of gears pushing each other around and around. Doing so as she took a step in the direction of the Creep, readying herself to act, and exhaling.

It’s huffing stops, the bone of it’s feet hitting the ground hard, nothing beyond it emitting an open-mouthed growl. It jumped. Quickly lifting her free hand to catch one side of the staff, she spun bringing it around her body for momentum before she could swing it up, feeling it impact with the beast. Keeping the momentum going, she pushed it further, turning as she began forcing it down to the ground below to slam the Grim into it. Speeding and slowing the pace of the blades spinning ‘round her as necessary to allow her to do this.

Hearing the Creep shriek it’s pain confirmed she had damaged it letting her take the next move as she figured it’d be attempting to recover and get back on it’s feet. While it was vulnerable, she brought her staff above it, waiting for it’s next shriek. Knowing it’d have to open it’s mouth, she took the opportunity to slam the one end down at such time, muffling it’s noises. Pushing the other end still in the air until hearing a crack, and a weakened growl.

Jaw broken, no chance of it biting.

A pig like squeal alerted the Qilin of a Boarbatusk approaching her as it was louder than the rest of the noises she could hear from her teammate’s fighting. Determining it’s direction, she moved ‘round the Creep under her staff to be on the opposite side of it from the soon evident rolling of the Boar Grimm. Leverage allowing her to lift the struggling Creep enough that she soon felt it hit it’s fellow Grim at the end of her weapon. The force behind it’s impact pushing her back a bit before pushing one end of her scythe’s handle to redirect the creature past her. Spinning it ‘round her again to fling the now expired beast off the end and give her more options to fend the new assailant off.

Isolating the noise of the Boarbatusk readjusting itself, she let her hearing shift to listen to her friend’s fighting. She could hear her shouting, grunting, cursing here and there. Cutting into some of the Grimm with the bladed halves of Aegis along her arms. At one point even hearing the rough and heavy crash of what she could only guess was the Stalker’s stinger slamming into the ground.

Once more her attention was focused upon the pig-like noise registering in her ears. Tuning her senses to focus on the Boarbatusk in front... no, it was to her left now, closing fast. Turning herself ‘round, she spun the staff to catch the blades like she had minutes ago. Though this time she brought it around, timing it to bring a blade around to the left in front of her in time for when the rolling creature would’ve hit her. The impact she felt alerted her that her attack connected with the Grimm.

She could hear it skidding, being forced off to the side and to stop it’s rotating. A strained noise escaping it before a squeal as she pulled her weapon back, let it spin ‘round her hand, and forced one of the blades up where she last knew the beast to be. No good, it didn’t connect, where is it? There was a moment she had to listen for it, even sniffing at the air for any sort of hint of where it had gone.

A sound, bone on stone, from behind her. But it was quiet, the Grimm Peri was caught up with. Breathing again to try and focus better, though her breath would be changed to a gasp feeling something hit the back of her right leg, forcing her to her knee with a pained groan. Immediately reacting, she brought a bladed end ‘round to retaliate, hearing another animalistic squeal revealing it was the Boarbatusk. She had embedded the blade in it’s side, deciding in a split second to pull her weapon forward, using herself as a stop for the creature. The opposing directions making it possible for the blade to force it’s way through the beast’s side toward it’s head, shrieking as it did.

The creature was struggling while she did this. Squealing some and groaning a couple seconds longer after she had pulled the scythe as far as she could. Finally feeling it slump and the sounds of the creature’s pained noises ending, she relaxed some knowing the second of the group of Grimm were dealt with on her end.

She could still hear her teammate fighting though, what sounded like another Boarbatusk dying with a squeal weakening as it was let loose. A snap of one of the Stalker’s pincers happening, another slam of it’s stinger. Some chuckling from the Komodo. That was definitely Peri alright, and she seemed to be doing just fine from how it sounded. She expected nothing else from the impenetrable wall of Team Empress. Both tough, agile, and able to switch in between whenever she needed to.

It took her some time to get back to her feet again, cursing the injuries she had suffered during this fight. Though at the same time, she felt it was worth taking the hits she did. She could’ve avoided it, sure, she’s always able to adjust her aura to be protective instead of providing her what limited sight she was allowed, but she hadn’t exactly been expecting to take those hits with how she was visually aware of things at the time.

“Hey, Peri!” The Princess called out as she steadied herself atop her feet. “Any newcomers?”

“Just-!” A pause was taken by the Komodo who grunted a couple times over the sounds of snapping claws. “Just a second!” By the sound of how things were going and with the shriek of the Stalker Peri was facing, the shield wielder had done something to the monster. By the follow up sounds, it seemed the tail had hit the ground again but not in a usual way. It wasn’t clear what happened, but she figured her teammate had brought the stinger down to the rock in some way. Possibly pinned it in place even.

“Beowolf, two of them two-o-clock looking my way, both heading for you! Switch over to your sight and lead them this way!”

Taking her friend’s instruction to mind, Emma first turned herself in the direction she had heard Peri. Listening a second, she could hear the huffs and growls of the incoming Beowolves she had been warned of. Immediately she turned and began running a different direction. Blinking with the first few steps, her sight soon filled with the view of her aura pulsing out over the world again, warning of the tree trunk straight ahead of her which she needed to jump as to not trip over.

Landing on the opposite end, she quickly turned around. Finding Peri’s aura in one direction, she saw her seemingly moving and jumping about a singular point. Every now and then appearing obscured by part of the Stalker that she had warned of earlier. Next finding the two forms of the Beowolves chasing after her. A quick shift in how her Semblance was active allowing her to take a running start in her teammate’s direction before leaping. Essentially traveling via low-gravity as if one of the space-travelers she had heard of in her audio-books.

Calling to the Komodo as she touched down again, Emma immediately shifted her personal gravity once more so she could turn and sprint for her.

“Scythe!”

Hearing the call she made, Emma tossed her weapon Peri’s way. Watching as the woman would jump to grab it, stepping back a ways from the dark shape of the Stalker. Seeing her swing the long weapon wide ‘round her red form before hearing the Grimm beast cry out from some level of pain.

“Catch!”

It was only for a split second that she noticed her property had been tossed by her friend back her way. Jumping, like her friend had to catch it before connecting with the canyon floor again. Now closer to the large Grimm and her teammate, it was made clear to her what had just occurred. Separate from the beast itself was it’s stinger, or at least what she assumed was it’s stinger. She could see now that Aegis had been embedded into the ground over it, though it appeared... bent out of shape. At least until she watched her companion’s red form run by, half the great-shield being gone just after.

Following the movement of the red aura form, it appeared to jump over one of the Scorpion Grimm’s claws. Part of her becoming obscured, but she seemed to stop in place with the pincer itself. The woman’s voice calling to her, she figured what it was she had in mind. Slowing herself, Emma looked back to find the two Beowolves still chasing her. Exactly what she needed.

Immediately she broke into another sprint, for her friend, watching for the Pincer that would be between the two of them. Once close enough she’d jump atop the bone extension of the Grimm. Feeling it move beneath her, likely attempting to snap down on her personally, she had to stabilize herself atop it. A few shuffling steps being taken on it to get closer to Peri before stopping at the thinner end that connected to it’s arm and turning to the sight of the Beowolves behind her again.

One attempted jumping at her, the pincers snapping shut around it’s legs before it could reach though. This earning a loud, pained howl from the beast. In the moment, the two Huntresses found themselves caught off guard by how the Stalker moved next. The claw the two were on being lifted and flung down to the ground quickly and repeatedly. Peri having to let go not to be beat into the ground, but Emma found herself stabbing one bladed end of her scythe into the arm of the monster to keep herself from being flung off. All while the Beowolf in it’s hold was growling and being battered against the bone clamped down around it.

“Emma, down!”

Peri’s voice caught the Royal’s attention, turning herself around she saw what the warning was for. Quickly hopping backward, pulling her D4 with her, she got off the claw right as the stump end of the Stalker’s tail swung to hit her. Saving herself from another kit, but in the process subjecting the caught Beowolf to taking another which seemed to end it judging by the snapping noise they heard from it. The second of the two Canine beasts jumping over the Qilin now that she was on Ground level again, knocking her to her back.

Not enough time to react and bring her weapon up to defend herself, especially not with the positioning of herself or her weapon relative to herself. Emma let her sight drop, focusing her aura to it’s defensive state and simply brought her arms up to cover her head. Immediately feeling the pressure of the creature’s jaw clamp down on one of her forearms and begin thrashing it’s head about.

Peri was occupied with the Stalker at the time. Jumping over a claw as it swung backward at her, rolling forward under the next attempting to grapple her. Rising to her feet just after, she’d take a swing backward with one arm, the half of Aegis she had retrieved earlier being propped on her arm allowing her to cut at that of the Scorpion, confirming the hit visually. Afterward she made a break for the other half of her great-shield, still propped against the evaporating stinger that had been cut off earlier.

Hearing the sound of the Stalker’s legs clattering against the stone, she knew it was following her. She’d have no time to get it onto her other arm properly, so she settled for grabbing it and running. Setting her path to circle the clearing with the beast behind her as she scanned around for Emma.

Initially she couldn’t see the Qilin, feeling a great deal of worry fill her at her absence. But then she noticed the Beowolf, it wasn’t moving from where it was, and it was attacking something... Then the white glow just beneath it registered in her sight. Emma, enveloped in her protective layer of Aura. She couldn’t leave her like that for long, it acted somewhat like her stone-skin would but it had a much lower durability in the long run and wouldn’t keep her safe for too long. Yet she was too far to get over there with the Stalker in the way.

Stopping, Peri adjusted her hold on the other half of her weapon before tossing it to the air. Catching sight of a pincer stretching out for her, the set up was perfect. Jumping first onto the claw, then off it higher into the air than she would have managed from the ground. A spin to her form as she took the second leap letting her take a strong kick to the wider end of the half of her great-shield that she had thrown, sending it hurtling across the clearing. Gravity pulling her down again, she laid herself out with her equipped arm held beneath her. Coming back down over the monster, sharpened shield edge first to both catch herself and injure it further.

For the pinned Qilin, she could feel her protective aura weakening with each passing second. The movements of the canine teeth pressing down on her arm scrapping at the defensive layer over and over. It was making her heart race with uncertainty as she held her breath. An instance came where, for a split second, she could’ve sworn she felt the Grimm’s teeth break through. Feel them pressing down more directly to the skin of her arm. Just afterward hearing a loud growled whimper emitting from the Beowolf that was over her, just the sound was moving to her side. The weight of the beast gone.

It took a moment to register what had happened through sound alone, but following the pained sound she could hear metal breaking stone as she had so many times already the past few minutes. Blinking a couple times, she saw her aura flowing out from her body again. Looking around, a few things became clear.

First was Peri atop the stalker off to one side, essentially riding the thing as it moved about wildly trying to get her off. Second being the Beowolf to the opposite side of her, only barely able to make out part of one half of Aegis sticking out above it’s side since most the pulses of her aura in such direction were just swallowed by it’s dark form. Third, more Grimm were coming through now, and in greater numbers.

Emma had no time to work back to her feet in ways that she had done before, that would take too long. Forcing herself up, she immediately kicked off the ground, setting herself into a sprint right away to stabilize herself on her feet. Using what strength she could manage with her Semblance to get D4 back to her hand as she ran to help Peri.

“Switch!” She called out to the other. Quickly seeing her friend make a move to get herself loose and off the Stalker’s back. Though the red aura didn’t move her way just yet, instead keeping the Grimm busy by baiting out various attempts of attacking her which she seemed to either dodge or deflect, at the very least until Emma had gotten close enough that she was able to take a swing at the arm of the Scorpion closest to her.

It was just after her hit made contact with the thing’s arm that she saw Peri’s red aura begin running the other way to retrieve the rest of her weapon. All while realizing she had severed the pincer from the rest of the beast’s body with the swing she took. Two methods of attack that the Stalker had were gone now, this gave her some confidence she could handle finishing this large Grimm on her own while Peri was arming herself.

She had been backing up from the Stalker, listening as she saw the dark form thrashing about. It was in pain, she was sure of that, but it seemed to be angry too. Much angrier than usual. She wasn’t sure what it was doing based on her sight, but from the corner of her eyes she caught movement from it’s tail closing in on her. After how she had used her aura earlier under the Beowolf, she couldn’t exactly use her Semblance as freely as she’d like, so she’d have to rely on physical capabilities.

Swinging D4 around she brought one end up, using the curve of the blade to redirect the tail over her head and past without hitting her. Stepping to turn herself, she readied to take a swing at the creature while she figured it’s back was turned to her. Though it’s form filling her sight and the sound of it’s legs still clattering against the floor told her otherwise.

Emma only had a split second to react upon noticing the shape drawing closer, swinging the lower end of her scythe up she felt it connect with what she guessed was the remaining left claw of the Scorpion. Following through with the swing to direct it above like she had done with the tail. This time was different however. She felt it drop down, only able to guess it was opening ‘round her to which she brought her weapon into a horizontal hold in front of her.

For a second she had no clue whether or not this would work, if she had placed her weapon right or if this was it for her. Closing her eyes as she waited for some sort of result, subconsciously focusing her Aura to protect her. Even if the protective layer would be thin and likely unable to keep her safe one bit if she had placed D4 wrong.

Pressure.

Between her hands.

Emma sighed heavily in relief that she wouldn’t be next in line to fall to the Stalker’s snapping like the Boarbatusk and Beowolf earlier.

Lowering herself she stepped out from between the two sides of the pincer, running a little down the path toward the airship before turning back. First thing she noticed visually was Peri’s form combating what she guessed was three, maybe four smaller Grimm. Next being the Stalker, it’s claw raised and still stuck open, rushing her way.

“Emma!”

She just barely heard a voice call her name in the distance behind her.

“Emma!”

It called again, louder this time, she knew the voice. Turning to the source, she saw the familiar and comforting earthy aura running her way down the path between the trees.

“Get down!”

Spinning herself to face the closing Grimm once more she fell back. Using her Semblance to slow her descent just enough right before she’d hit the ground as to not be hurt by the drop. For just a split second she’d hear metal cutting through the air above her before sinking into the Stalker’s ‘flesh’. She didn’t need to look to know Umbir had thrown his sword to end the Grimm that had been threatening her. Yet even with the threat gone, she didn’t get up, not yet.

Waiting where she was, she heard the footsteps of her father figure draw closer and closer to her. Turning her head up to see his form stepping up above her with what she was guessing was an outstretched hand. One which she took as support getting back to her feet, looking up at the form of his head with a small smile present.

“You’ve definitely grown, Lil’ Filly.” His voice comforting as he spoke praise, even if the nickname got a groan out of her.

“Go help Peri out already, let that be my first order as Queen.”

“So you’re taking the plunge, huh?”

The twist to her face that Umbir saw made it clear to him that she wasn’t entirely sure with the decision she seemed to be trying to make. His armored hand lifting in this moment to fix some hair behind an ear which caught the young woman’s focus.

“We’ll talk this over later, for now...”

The hand dropped to lift one of hers, his other coming around to place something in her hand. Something smooth, angled, quickly realizing it was the crystal she had requested earlier. With it’s weight in her hand, she looked to him once more. Sharing a wordless moment of comfort and support. For a moment it truly felt like they were a literal father and daughter, for both of them.

“Do what you gotta do.” He broke the momentary silence with his voiced support and a pat to her shoulder. Quickly after stepping around and past her into a run for the now evaporating Stalker to retrieve his blade before entering a full sprint to support the Komodo combating a small portion of the horde on her own.

Thus, Emma was on her own. Dust crystal in hand, the sounds of chaos from the horde and she ships canons everywhere around her. Part of her didn’t think she’d have gotten to this point, and she felt like she had accomplished something pretty big. Yet despite knowing what she was to do for all this time, now that she had gotten here, she felt confused. Unsure of how to continue on from here.

This sensation didn’t last for too long, thankfully, soon being replaced with the unnatural comfort that graced her earlier the same day.

Somewhat frantically her eyes scanned over her surroundings, unable to see the white figure that tended to accompany this sensation anywhere in front of her. Instead turning to face where she had last seen it, and finding the odd being in the same spot once more. She blinked, it was right in front of her. Blinking again, it’s hand was stretched out, palm facing up to the sky. As she stared down to it, the Qilin felt she knew what to do in the moment.

Carefully she brought both her hands to hold the Dust crystal before stepping forward. Lowering her hands into the one held out before her as her eyes rose. She could swear she felt her eyes lock with those of this presence in this moment. Feeling it stare deep into her very being as if it knew every little detail about her. But there was something more, almost like it was speaking directly to her, though she couldn’t understand it’s words.

None of this made sense, but she was beginning to know what she needed to do. Almost like, while the unheard words themselves had no reasoning in any capacity, the meaning behind them was clear in her mind. Almost unmistakably so. Her eyes closing while she listened to every single thing it had to tell her.

It felt like an hour had passed by the time it finished what it had to say. Having listened to what she understood was an explanation of who it was, of it’s own experience in a situation similar to this that it had gone through, and of how it lead it’s people. Advice for Emma. How to deal with who she is, how to fight herself and those close to her, how to lead and balance such a life with that which she currently lived.

Honestly Emma felt overwhelmed by all of it. Unsure of how to make of some of the things she now knew. Even uneasy and nauseous to a degree.

But then there was it’s touch to her cheek again, a gentle caress of a thumb along a cheek and another to the back of her hands. Why could this presence calm her so much so easily? She should know the answer to such a question now, she knew she should, but it was still such a mystery.

Almost as much of a mystery as why it would vanish so quickly and drop her right back into the chaos of everything that was happening.

Opening her eyes again, Emma could see the red of her teammate and brown of Umbir now just a couple feet from her. The two of them fending off Grimm from getting to her one after another. She could hear her name being called by them every few seconds as she watched on. Though there was a sudden moment which Emma felt almost like she was suffocating, feeling her chest begin desperately heaving for a breath of air.

A deep, heavy gasp gave her exactly what she needed. Her body suddenly feeling so limp and weak causing her to collapse to her knees while she took in breath after much needed breath.

In her moment of recovery, Emma didn’t realize that she had the crystal in hand and being held close to her chest. So very close that it almost hurt how tightly she held it. Though no matter how much she wanted to loosen the hold she had on it, she couldn’t. Almost like her arms had locked in place beyond her control. She couldn’t tell why, it confused her, but for some odd reason, it was right.

The impact of the moment finally hit her, and it hit hard.

Lowering her head again, her eyes shut as she tried to focus on the crystal she clutched at her chest. Wishing, hoping for something to happen. For the first time in years, she even found herself recite a name which she had thought she long since forgotten. A name which the Ventian people held in such high regard that it was easily mistaken for some kind of odd, foreign deity by others who didn’t know the history of Ventus.

“Giulia, help us, please...”

A bright white light, radiant, glowing, comforting. Everything it touched effected in a way. Those of the living, filled with the life essence that is Aura, feeling at ease seeing it. The dark creatures of Grimm, however, finding themselves recoiling from it.

For a few short seconds, there was a calm to the chaos that had filled the canyon. Though those few seconds came and went so fast. Yet the mess that it had pretty much put on hold didn’t start again right away. It did not, at all. Instead, a strong, powerful wind began blowing through the canyon. One which forced pretty much everything to try and secure themselves in any possible way.

All except for three faunus who sat amid the sea of dark, blood thirsty beasts.

This wind began to focus, to swirl ‘round and ‘round the three. Bit by bit beginning to pick up in speed, and strength. Though this growth would stop at a point, simply blowing loud and strong around the three Faunus who find themselves within the ‘eye of the storm’ so to say. The Grimm that had been assaulting them having been pushed back a couple feet, sure, but not being blown away.

Realization of this came to the creatures themselves, moving to attempt pushing through the howling and swirling winds to try and get to the three they had been preying on just a moment earlier. Though they’d find their movement inward on the trio slowed rather heavily. Howling, roaring, and growling angrily at the prey they found themselves unable to reach.

The other handful of Faunus, those by the airship they had been defending, found an opportunity to find safety within it’s hull. Calling for a ramp to be dropped so they may enter and relax themselves after having been locked in combat with the seemingly endless Grimm for nearly an hour. Plus they got themselves out of the changing winds that effected everything still outside that wasn’t within the metaphorical eye.

For those within the center of these winds, the two atop their feet saw the storm from a calmer perspective.

Umbir himself found his attention turning back to look to the kneeling Qilin. To the young woman who had been the closest to a daughter he had ever had, and who saw him as the closest thing to a father in her own life. The crystal she held to her chest was glowing bright with a green light just slightly obscured by her fingers. A bright white glow coming from just behind it and the fabric of her shirt, assuming it’s source being the necklace Emma had worn since the change to her eye. Her aura in it’s protective layer surrounding her form.

Peri, on the other hand, was too caught up in what was happening around them to notice what was going on with Emma.

The distraction only becoming greater as she soon heard the multitude of fresh Semblance-grown trees being torn from the ground if they had not already been broken down. Even seeing the stone ground surrounding them, weakened from canon-fire and combat, start to rise in chunks of varying sizes and shapes. Anything from mere pebbles to boulders of a fair size being pulled from the ground.

All this debris, everything that had lifted to the air around them, beginning to circle the trio. Slowly at first, a couple things impacting with what Grimm were still just feet away from the three Faunus. But it all began to speed up. Spinning faster and faster, some clockwise, others counter. But one thing kept the same for everything that was happening in this moment.

Emma was at the exact center of it.

“Holy shit...” Peri’s words were that of awe in the moment. Her red eyes wide as she spun slow in place. Her stone-skin had been active for the past few minutes of fighting, but she let it ease up so as to not use up all her available Aura during this moment. Watching the multitude of rocks and trees all circling ‘round herself and the two others, beating back any Grimm that even attempted to get close to them. Never had she seen the Qilin do anything even close to this. Part of it was undoubtedly her friend’s Semblance, there was no denying it, but the fact it was to this degree... It was both fascinating and a little scary.

Subtly scary, yes, but enough to make her jump at the sudden barrage from the Airships cannons starting up again in full force. The sound of the cannons seemed to be muffled some behind the howling winds around them, but it still caught the Komodo off guard. Though looking as best she could back to the NeverCondor, they only appeared to be firing at the Grimm closest to the ship. Steadily beginning to clear out as much as they could with those beasts fighting against the gusting winds to not be blown back.

Though the subtle sense of fear present from these events would prove nothing compared to that which filled Peri’s form upon feeling the heavy vibrations that would begin in the ground below. Strong, impactful vibrations. None of the three had any clue what could be causing them. Nothing they could see was hitting the canyon floor hard enough to cause it, and it certainly wasn’t what ever it was that Emma was currently doing. It couldn’t be.

But then they heard it, even over the cannons and the gusting winds. A cacophony of what was unmistakable Elephant-like trumpeting. Starting distant, like the vibrations had just seconds before, but quickly beginning to grow louder and closer.

Umbir recognized the source of the sounds before either of the other two.

“Goliaths.”

His call on what was coming grabbed the attention of both the Huntresses. Needless to say they were shocked. They knew of Goliaths, they understood they were slow, sure, but never had they heard of them being beaten without it taking a good dozen people or so. That was for just one of them. Judging by the tremors in the ground and the multiple trumpeting cries they heard at a time, it had to be a couple of them.

The three of them knew immediately, if they let those beasts get through, they’d be done for.

Emma herself, however, felt an odd sense of guilt now more than ever. It was already made clear to her that it was her fault there was enough negativity and despair present within the NeverCondor to draw this horde of Grimm to the airship. The thought it was enough to draw larger Grimm that could threaten not only killing all those within the ship, but ones that could break the ship apart entirely?

She felt there was nothing she could do, the weight of all those lives pressing down on her in that instant. Her breathing becoming erratic, her body shuddering, she even felt her eyes watering and tears falling from her face to the stone she was staring at below her. The doubt that had been present all these years in her ability to fill the role she was bound to by blood all culminating right in this moment. Crushing her in a sense. Screaming directly in her mind and drowning practically everything else out to little more than muffled noises.

But for one, short, split second she felt that unknown being’s touch against her cheek again. Something told her it wasn’t actually present like it had been before, but she felt it’s touch. One fleeting instance of it, but it helped her focus. Bringing to mind all it had told her earlier and reminding her all it had said in favor of her taking on the role she had in her future. The advice it had given her to help her in hopes of adapting to it quickly once she would come to accept it.

It came and went so extremely fast, but it brought that odd calming sensation she seemed to always experience with it’s presence.

“Emma!”

Umbir’s voice would suddenly register in her ears. The moment she heard him everything going on returned to her at once. Blowing winds, countless Grimm producing their hateful sounds, the canons on the NeverCondor behind her firing at the horde. Even the trumpeting from the distant Goliaths. A brief thought passed in her mind wishing she wouldn’t have to hear all this audible chaos again, but she knew that she had to right now.

Finally lifting her head, she could see the man’s form lowered, on a knee likely. His hand reaching forward to rest on her shoulder.

“You alright? We kind of lost you for a good half-minute there.”

Within Emma’s sight she saw the familiar friendly aura of her friend bring herself down beside Umbir. Seeing part of the red form rising closer to her, she soon felt her finger brushing gently beneath her damaged left eye. Some sort of fluid moving along with it. It made sense quickly that she was clearing some lingering tears that she herself hadn’t even been aware of.

“You good, Princess?” The method she used to address the Qilin earned a chuckle from both parties.

“Yeah, yeah...” The young woman sighed while nodding. “Just... so many things on my mind, but I think I’ve got this now. Just give me a second... Oh, and Papa-”

“Papa?” Peri again, chuckling a little as she looked to the armor-clad man.

“Yes, Papa, that’s what she’s called me whenever we were away from other members of the royal family. Don’t judge her for it or you’re gonna have to answer to me for upsetting her.”

“No no, it’s just unusual hearing her use such familial terms when she’s always told us she never had a real Mother or Father in her life.”

“Which I never really did, but I had people who were the closest fit and those were Harley and Umbir. But right now that’s not what matters, you can ask me whatever you want to know about me and my ‘family’ when we’re done with this.”

“Of course, of course, sorry, go ahead.”

A huff came from Emma in the moment, one that was partially laughter. Though the sudden sound of the unknown number of Goliaths crying out in the distance interrupted her. Focusing again afterward, she turned her clouded eyed to the familiar earthy color of Umbir’s form again.

“I need you to be ready to signal the NeverCondor to fire those two canons I mentioned earlier. When those Goliaths are coming around the corner, you need to call the shot once you’re able to see them completely. Judging by how severe the rumbling is, I’m pretty sure they’re in a stampede right now, and from how far away they sound, I think we maybe have a minute till they’re here.”

“I know I helped you hone your hearing, but are you sure about that time frame?”

“Give or take fifteen seconds, how about that?”

“That sounds fair.” A gauntlet clad hand rising to ruffle her hair a little from the man as he snickered a bit seeing her brow furrow in response.

After feeling his hand leave her, Emma adjusted herself. Straightening her upper half, closing her eyes once more, and breathing deeply. In. Out. Her body becoming enveloped by the near-white aura layering which usually served to protect. Though in the moment, judging by what Peri and Umbir saw happening, it was a visual of her pouring her strength into what she was doing. Both of them even noticing that the gentle light being emitted from the Qilin was melding to some degree with that from the crystal she held at her chest.

In the seconds following, they both saw and heard everything around them speeding up once more. The winds, the various rocks, boulders, trees, all of it moving faster and faster by the second. Though something else became clear, the collection of debris swirling ‘round the trio was beginning to spread out farther from them. Some pieces staying close by, yes, but others moving towards the cliff to the left and the mountain base to the right.

Watching this happen, they could see some of the larger chunks of stone and a couple of the trees actually hitting some of the struggling horde. Every couple seconds seeing a Griffon being hit after trying to get above the rest. Smaller nevermore being reduced to just a couple evaporating feathers that would be picked up by the strong winds.

At one point Peri even saw a Stalker tail rise for a second before being quickly hit by a tree trunk, getting it stuck and pulling it along with the wood as it continued it’s circling path. Eventually leading to the Grimm beast itself being hit by a chunk of stone, only to be knocked into another one going the opposite direction, effectively being crushed and torn in two. The sight earning something along the lines of a wince from the Komodo who, for a split second imagined what the Stalker must’ve felt in that instant.

Her train of thought didn’t distract Komodo enough to hear the sudden louder cries from the Goliaths though. This drawing her attention further down the canyon path, as Umbir’s did judging by his huffed breath that she heard. Pairing how loud they were with the intensified shaking in the ground, it was clear to both of them that they were going to arrive sooner than later.

“Emma, you sure about this?”

“Just trust me. Umbir, be ready”

“On it.”

While the Princess would only hear it, the Komodo watched on seeing the armored man bring his hands to both sides of his helm’, seemingly preparing to remove it, though he paused before doing so. A few seconds passing with him like this, she eventually saw the flat, blank face of the helmet begin to light up. First with a plain white light flowing up from the bottom, then from the top back down. A few more of the dark empty face once more, but then it suddenly lit up, he entire thing flashing various bright colors in rapid succession.

Seeing the man’s thumbs move, they pressed in on the helmet just behind and beneath where one’s ears would likely be under it. This caused the back of the armored head to pop outward before it folded piece by piece up to the point it could be removed without any issue. At which point he lifted it, moving it forward and away from his head before finally lowering it in front of his torso.

The face beneath actually surprised Peri to a degree. Umbir spoke and acted with experience that she could only assume possible from decades of experience, yet he looked no older than his late twenties, maybe early thirties. Scars along his cheek, forehead, nose and chin being the only real indicators of any real effect from time on his face. The hair atop his head running back and down his neck in thick, dark red hairs with blackened ends. Taking a good look at it, she could’ve sworn it was actually a thick bunch of fur instead of normal hairs.

She could see him adjust the helmet within his hands, turning the flashing face of it up and fitting one of his hands inside. All the while keeping his eyes fixed down the Canyon, watching carefully for the forms of the Goliaths they had been hearing for the past minute already. Keeping his mouth shut and breathing through his nose in a calm and collected manner. It fit the experience she felt he had under his metaphorical belt.

“Here they come.” Umbir spoke up again, nodding down the path ahead of them. This getting Peri’s gaze to match the same path as his just in time to see what he saw. Dark, long trunks flailing this way and that, the nostrils at the end flaring and shrinking repeatedly to both breathe and produce various noises. The rumbling in the ground got both of them shifting their weight to counteract it the best they could with how strong it was by now.

“Wait...” Peri, her tone a little unsure of something “they’re about two-hundred feet farther than where the canons are supposed to be aimed. You sure you gave me the right positions earlier?”

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll work.” It had to work after everything she had learned from the odd aura being.

Just a few seconds more passed, Umbir watching as each of the Goliaths came into view. Quickly the total count became clear, half a dozen. All of which were stomping their way through any of the horde that didn’t move out of their path. None of the hulking Grimm being effected by the gusting winds in the slightest. After seeing the sixth in it’s entirety, he took a step to turn himself to face the Airship behind the trio, raising the hand he had within his helmet high over his head.

Five seconds. Nothing.

Ten seconds. Two loud, booming canon shots sounding off above all else from the ship. Two-hundred feet between the Goliaths and where the ships’ canons were aimed. One-hundred and fifty feet.

Twelve seconds. Explosions, loud, thunderous, one along the canyon wall and the other up the mountain. Stone, dirt, some trees all exploding out from the two points. One-hundred and thirty feet.

Fourteen seconds. The debris from both cannon shots falling toward the bottom of the canyon over the Grimm horde. That from the mountain being joined by more stone and plants from higher portions being broken and setting free from the towering land formation. One-hundred and ten feet.

Fifteen seconds. The falling rocks and plants from both sides stop at a point, being held aloft by an unseen force. Said unseen energy beginning to spread it all wide across the width of the ravine. One-hundred and ten feet.

Eighteen seconds. The extra debris from the mountain stops, no more breaking from it’s side. Everything that had fallen joining the rest of the levitating rocks and plants. A thick layer hanging in the air. Ninety feet.

Twenty seconds. Seventy feet.

Twenty-two seconds. Fifty feet.

Twenty-four seconds. Thirty feet.

Twenty-five seconds. Twenty feet.

The collected mass of debris begins to drop, pieces falling first and quick, crushing some of the Horde beneath. Bit by bit the rest following this downward path right before the Goliaths would find themselves directly beneath. Once they did, however, was too late. The masses of stone and wood tumbling down, smashing into the heads of the first two and across the bodies of the next two.

At the same moment, the various stones and trees that had been circling around them being sent hurdling towards the giant Grimm. These forcing the big creatures leading the others back, thus slowing the six of them as a whole. In turn, crushing the back ends of the leading pair, the entirety of the two behind them, and stopping the advancements of the two in the back with what fell from above.

As a result, the three Faunus could feel the tremors in the ground calm significantly as these events unfolded. Now being something only occurring every couple seconds with their hulking forms rising atop their back feet to be seen over the stone wall now between them and the trio. A loud cry from one of the two remaining Goliaths accentuating the rumblings they caused every few times it happened.

“Holy shit... that actually worked...” Disbelief was in Peri’s voice.

At least Emma could’ve sworn it was disbelief. She couldn’t exactly hear her friend’s comment, it was muffled to her hearing. Everything was for that matter. Her head pounding, sudden shortness of breath. Opening her eyes she couldn’t see either Peri’s aura or that of Umbir’s. Aimlessly turning her eyes about unsure of what was happening.

“P-Papa...?”

The soft, rather weak voice from the Qilin quickly got the attention of both Peri and Umbir. Both of them seeing the young woman’s eyes flutter closed and her upper body begin falling forward.

“Shit, Emma!”

Both of them moved to stop her descent. Thankfully the elder man was able to get to her fast enough to catch the Princess and keep her head from hitting the ground. Though her arms finally fell free from her chest, dropping the now depleted and darkened Dust crystal she had been holding the past couple minutes. The amulet among her necklace dropping from under her top, the glow now absent from it. The air around them dying down and slowing to little more than a gentle breeze.

Setting his helmet aside to free his other hand, he turned her over carefully to began looking over her woman’s face and body. Emma had lost consciousness. He could see her chest still rising and falling, breathing, thus she was still alive. That much was obvious, and comforting to be aware off, but the fact she was in this state...

The injuries to her legs were too shallow to have caused enough blood loss to cause this. One possible cause crossed out. The protective layer of her Aura was fading, so it couldn’t have been too thick for her to breathe properly, and she was breathing fine even now. Two possible causes out. The only other thing that came to mind which made sense would be a drain of her aura. Especially after everything she had just done.

His focus was drawn away from the unconscious Emma at the sound of various Grimm letting growls loose.

“Peri-”

“Already on it!” Unseen behind her, the Komodo was joining the two halves of her shield again. Turning it ‘round and letting it fall on it’s face before stepping on the back and tapping down on the ignition with a foot to start it up. Circling once over behind the man, she eased herself beside him right as he began to stand with the Qilin in his arms. Quickly Peri readied herself to take her friend before he’d pass her off before stepping aside. She didn’t need any sort of instructions, immediately shifting her weight to get Aegis speeding toward the Airship, pressing her right heel down on a trigger that would get them ascending.

Watching the two speed away to safety over the NeverCondor, Umbir took a breath before glancing around. The remains of the Horde still on their side were beginning to realize the strong winds that had been causing them to stop had ended. Once again desiring the death of their prey. Currently, he fit that exactly. Kneeling down, being sure to keep his eyes scanning the masses of Grimm, he retrieved his helmet and placed it over his head again. Pressing in where he had done before, be back closed down locking it into place once again. Taking the short second needed to shut the flashing screen down.

He didn’t draw his weapon, he had no intention of fighting knowing he wouldn’t be able to take down the hundred or so Grimm minimum that had their eyes on him. Not alone. It bothered him a little that he had managed to make it this far without using his Semblance once, only to be forced to due to his situation. Better than using it when he didn’t need to though, at least there was that.

One more deep breath later, he focused his strength while turning himself to the Nevercondor. Lowering down into a sprinter’s starting pose, he could feel energy filling the entirety of his being. The instant he heard the Grimm surrounding him begin to close the gap, he kicked off setting him off at a pace some ground vehicles couldn’t even manage. The beasts closer to the NeverCondor had closed in the gap that was present earlier after Peri had flown by overhead seconds earlier, now acting as an obstacle he had to pass.

Coming up on the first few, a pair of Ursa and a couple Creeps, Umbir swerved and slid beneath one of the bear-like Grimm. Vaulting himself over a few of the smaller creatures just after. Seeing a Beowolf just ahead of him, it was turning to swipe for him. Instead of going under, as there were Boarbatusks and a couple Griffons just beyond, he instead jumped, clearing the arm easily and landing right atop one of the Griffon’s backs. Continuing his sprint, he ran right up it’s neck before kicking off it’s head, undoubtedly sending it face-first into the ground from the force of him jumping off it. The momentum and height he had allowing him to clear the rest of the horde easily before he’d come to a stop beside the Airship before the ramp from earlier would descend for him.

With the man finally clear from the canyon, the ramp closed to seal the Airship’s hull. The cannons that had been firing were soon joined by turrets alongside them. A couple explosions even happening atop some of the larger Grimm among the masses. With the total sum cut down as it was, the Grimm still on the same side of the canyon as the Airship itself were being thinned out much more easily now than before. Even if the focus was on those closest to the ship, those manning the smaller turrets were beginning to see the sea of blood thirsty monsters begin to clear. They were starting to see the natural stone ground once again.

While the muffled sounds of gunfire kept going off outside the Airship, Umbir rushed through to the bridge. Hand to the side of the entry way, he didn’t need to say anything as a pair within the room instructed him to the ship’s medical bay. Immediately beginning on his way after being told his destination.

It took him a good minute to get to where he needed to be, a little exhausted himself after having let his Semblance drop once he was safe. Once he arrived, he only saw the reptilian tail of the Komodo out of the corner of his eye for a split second before his sight was obscured from shedding his head-piece like before. Pretty much tossing it aside while he moved to stand at Peri’s side, seeing Emma laid atop a bed, still breathing, and with an iv stuck into her left arm. One of the crew of the NeverCondor currently tending to the cut along her leg, the scrapped knee still untouched.

Sighing with relief at her safety, he stumbled back and let himself slide to sit on the floor once he felt his back against the wall.

“So, Peri.”

Hearing her name got the worried woman’s attention drawn from her bedridden friend to the man behind her. A raised brow curious what he wanted, such only getting stronger seeing him pat at the floor beside him.

“Come tell me some stories of Team Empress while we wait for her to recover.”

Such a simple request actually got the Komodo laughing. She wasn’t sure why she had expected anything else, but for some reason it caught her off guard. It only took another glance back to the slumbering Qilin to realize they were going to have to wait for a fair while before she’d wake. They definitely had time to relax, especially given she was sure the NeverCondor would take to the skies to get away from the canyon once it could.

So she did just that. Stepping back till she felt her back eased to the wall by her tail keeping her from just outright falling against it, she found herself on the metal ground beside her friend’s father figure. Taking in a breath to relax herself as she let her shoulders drop at last. Tail curling round to fit it’s thinner end under her legs.

“Well to start, I think I gotta mention she was the most awkward person out of everyone in the room the night before our entrance exam. No lie, she just kept looking over everyone in some awestruck state for about an hour at least while people came in and out of the room.”

The two laughed some, Peri recalling the silly look that had been on Emma’s face back then, Umbir imagining it.

Knowing they were in for some fun chatter, they made themselves comfortable and began. Not too long after would they feel the engines of the NeverCondor roaring to life and the large metal vessel leaving the ground and beginning to soar.

- One Day Later -

#Emma Smoke Khromatos #Peri Gaia #Umbir Dew #The Rise of a Ventian Queen #bunchamunchafaunus

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