Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this. Classes caught up to me and a friend whose been gracious enough to look over the chapters for any errors. I didn't get the revisions done until late last night, and at that point it was better just to wait until the next day. As I've mentioned last chapter, this is the last chapter before I put the story on temporary hiatus. I've already got more chapters waiting to be published, I just want to get a good backlog ready before I return to our regularly scheduled updates. If it's any consolation, this chapter is over 11,000 words long; easily the largest chapter I've ever written.
So without further adieu, enjoy!
"You know, when you said we'd be doing com
"You know, when you said we'd be doing combat practice, this isn't what I thought you meant!" Daniel shouted over the roaring wind.
The five of them were standing on the top of an Atlesian airship cruising over a snow-covered forest. The four older students stood upright, despite the ship going at flanking speeds. Daniel on the other hand was much more cautious, and was crouched down to hold on to a tie off mounted on the deck. The icy wind cut through the light gray parka he had been issued by the quartermaster, chilling him to the bone and making his teeth chatter. Snowflakes whipped into his exposed face, stinging his cheeks and turning his nose numb. Wincing at every strike, Daniel pulled his balaclava up over his nose and readjusted a pair of orange goggles to seal his face from the icy storm. It was good that his generator sat in his back rather than his front. He could only imagine how the already cold metal would feel like on his surrounding skin when it was also hit with the winds he was experiencing.
"What did you expect?" Ebon yelled to Daniel. "Fighting each other in a circle until someone's aura is depleted? That's sparring, not combat practice!"
"Yeah! Besides, you've only fought Grimm once! Yarrow added. "You've been missing out on the best part of being a huntsman! Guilt free genocide!"
"All right, listen up!" Greeve shouted back to them. We're a minute from the drop point. When I give the signal, jump off! As soon as everyone arrives at checkpoint alpha, we'll start clearing this sector! You will probably encounter Grimm on your way, so be prepared to defend yourselves! Is everyone's communications working?"
"Online Greeve," Rojoe's voice said over an earpiece in Daniel's right ear. "Grayed two standing by."
"Grayed Three standing by," Ebon replied.
"I don't know why we weren't using these up until now, it would save our voices-"
"Yarrow!" Rojoe shouted over the comms.
"Fine, fine. Gray fou- sorry grayed four standing by."
Temporarily letting go of his tie down, Daniel pulled his balaclava back down with one hand and pressed his earpiece with his other. "Gray five, standing by."
"Thirty seconds to the drop point," Greeve said. "Daniel, I want you to go right after me. The rest of you go by our usual pattern. Any questions?"
"Yeah, I don't think what I did the last time I was falling will work here," Daniel said as he fruitlessly scanned the forest for vines to grab on to. "Do any of you have some pointers?"
"Your Aura should cushion most of your fall," Ebon said. "Try to aim for a snow drift, but avoid the trees at all cost. Their branches are too small to hold your weight. When you land, tuck and-"
There was a beeping sound in their earpieces, sending team GREY into action. Greeve took a running start and leapt off the airships deck. As he fell, he summoned a portal beneath himself and disappeared into it. Daniel let go of his tie down and began running as well, determined to jump before his mind revolted at how crazy the idea was.
"Watch where you're jumping, watch where you're jumping!" Ebon warned.
Too late, Daniel's momentum carried him off the edge of the airship and in to the open air. As soon as his feet left the airship, Daniel saw what Ebon was warning about. A thick patch of trees rushed up towards Daniel, their branches and green needles becoming larger with each passing second.
Daniel screamed as he fell into the patch of trees. They obscured his entire vision, scratched his face with their needles, and slammed into his chest. Then his vision went completely dark, and Daniel saw no more.
At least until he pulled his head out of the snow bank. His vision was part yellow, part clear, and mostly obscured by his crooked goggles. Shaking his head free of clinging snow, Daniel pulled his goggles off long enough to shake the snow out of them and pull them back over his eyes. There were several hard rods laying underneath Daniel, and he looked down to see a bedding of freshly cut tree branches underneath him. Daniel looked up to see where they'd come from, and in doing so saw the carnage he had wrought.
The trees he had collided with were had been nearly entirely stripped of their branches in a Daniel sized hole. Their jagged ends glistened with the beginnings of sap drops. There was no way he could have survived that if he didn't have an Aura.
As Daniel viewed the carnage, he heard a commotion off in the distance. It sounded like several somethings running in his direction. In an instant, Danie's breathing quickened as he went on alert. He was in a Grimm infested area, separated from the rest of his team, and had probably attracted every Grimm in the near vicinity with his fall. He reached for his sword, but to his horror found that it had been knocked from its sheath. Desperately, he scanned the area for it, but was unable to locate it. As the sounds of footsteps got ever closer, he abandoned his search and instead yanked up one of the branches underneath his feet and pulled his pistol out. He cocked it, and the metallic sound seemed to alert whatever was making the footsteps as they quickened their pace. A shape appeared between the branches, running towards his tree grove.
Daniel waited until they were right outside his grove when he let out a war cry and burst out from the trees, swinging his impromptu weapon down at an approaching Greeve's head.
To his credit, Greeve did not try and retaliate. Instead, he created a portal to his right and sidestepped into it, avoiding Daniel's attack. His attack meeting nothing but air, Daniel landed and stumbled through the snow, losing his footing right in front of Ebon.
Ebon shouted as Daniel collided with him, and the two of them fell backwards into the snow. As they lay groaning, there was a peal of laughter from behind them. Daniel looked up to see Yarrow bending over, hands on his knees, laughing his ass off.
"Oh, my, gosh!" Yarrow gasped out. "You, jumped out of the trees with a stick and, and-"
Unable to finish the sentence, Yarrow surrendered to the laughter. After a moment, he looked up to see Daniel getting up off of Ebon, and burst out laughing once more. "Daniel! You look like a Christmas tree! Oh, oh I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"
Daniel opened his mouth to ask what Yarrow meant, then closed it as he got a look at his arm. The entirety of the parka was covered in sap and evergreen needles. If someone wrapped him in colored lights and put a star on his head, Daniel figured he would probably look exactly like the holiday decoration.
"Good. Then maybe you won't attract Grimm with your noise," Rojoe said as Daniel fruitlessly tried to brush the sticky needles off. "Are you okay Daniel?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Daniel said. "Sorry for scaring you guys."
"Next time use your compiece," Greeve said as he came out of another portal. "This incident could have been avoided if you used proper communication."
"Sorry Greeve," Daniel said sheepishly. "I didn't want the Grimm to hear me."
Greeve's face contorted in confusion before it dawned on him. "You thought that we were Grimm then. I, can see where you might think that."
"Especially with that fall," Ebon said as he accepted a hand from Rojoe and pulled himself to his feet. "I told you to watch out for the trees."
"I'll remember that," Daniel said. "I think I would've been dead without my Aura. And I lost my sword in the fall."
"Here," Greeve said, holding out Daniel's sword. "I found it on top of one of the trees."
As Daniel took the sword and sheathed it in its scabbard, Greeve turned to the rest of his team. "Okay, since we've already regrouped here, we're skipping checkpoint alpha. I want two teams, one for each half of the sector. Yarrow, you and Ebon can't be left alone so you're coming with me to the southwest half. Ro', take Ebon and Daniel to the northeast and show him the ropes. Stay close to each other and stay in radio contact. Questions?"
"Wait. Am I in charge?" Rojoe said excitedly.
Greeve considered her question for a moment before answering. "Since we usually split into pairs that don't require a chain of command, yes. Consider it leadership practice. Any other questions?"
As Rojoe jumped up and down in joy once before composing herself, Yarrow raised a hand and Greeve gritted his teeth. "Yes, Yarrow?"
"I'm just wondering, where did that portal you fell into go?" Yarrow asked with a smug grin on his face.
"It put me next to Daniel's sword," Greeve said quickly before realizing his mistake.
"Which was in a tree, right?" Yarrow continued.
Greeve sighed. "Yes Yarrow. It was on top of a tree."
"Greeve, Ebon is the resident cat here!" Yarrow admonished. "You shouldn't be taking his job like that, it's incredibly rude!"
Greeve took in a deep breath. "Yarrow, tonight you will be performing extra calisthenics. At midnight. And they will conclude the same time that morning calisthenics begin."
Dakota was getting irritated. It had been two-and-a-half minutes since his opponent had entered the ring and he was ready for a fight. The time between both fighters entering the ring and the bell tolling was usually less than thirty seconds; a minute at most. Usually the minute wait would be due to the newcomer dressing down to their shorts, or removing jewelry that would influence the fight. The bull of a man in front of him had already removed his shirt, and the only bling he sported was a nose piercing too small for Dakota to grab on to. He paced the grimy sweat-stained floor on the opposite side of the ring from Dakota, occasionally glancing up at the bell, but in no hurry to take Dakota on.
On the other side, Dakota wiped the sweat from his brow. It had been a long night, with fights ranging from easy wins to brutal battles that tested the resolve of both opponents. Dakota was beat; his Aura had to be virtually drained. Deep down, he knew he should have stopped several fights earlier. He knew this wasn't a fight he could win. This new opponent was going to wipe the floor with him, and it was going to hurt bad. One charge with those horns alone could end his night for good. The smart thing would have been to decline the match and leave the ring with his dignity shattered by the ensuing jeers, but his teeth and body in one piece. But he hadn't, and the reason was simple.
He really didn't care what happened right now.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some late breaking news to share!" the announcer's voice boomed from his box up behind the stands. "We have on our hands a tag team match!"
"What?!" Dakota said. "I didn't call for a tag team!"
Judging from the crowd's reaction however, they did want a tag team. The moment the announcer said the words tag team, the crowd erupted into cheers of excitement. Evidently, double the opponents meant double the amount of people pummeling this upstart that had destroyed everyone in his wake and was acting
"In the left corner, standing at six foot two, weighing two hundred pounds, we have for the first time ever; the Ranch-hand!"
Dakota whipped around to see Nick step through the ropes and raise his fists high to the crowd, who shouted praises and damnations at the newcomer on Dakota's side.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dakota demanded as Nick removed his hat and coat, hanging them on one of the corner poles.
"Just lendin' a hand," Nick said. He unbuckled his revolver and holster from his belt and deposited them in pocket of his coat. "You ain't lookin' too good."
"I'm fine. And I didn't ask for your help."
"Didn't reckon a teammate needs to."
Dakota groaned. "Fine. Just please tell me my second opponent isn't-"
"And in the right corner, standing at five foot eight, weighing nearly a hundred and fifty pounds, please welcome; the, Tie-dye menace?" The announcer said, confusion in his voice at the name.
From behind Dakota's opponent leapt Lewis clad only in a pair of tie-dye biker's shorts, screaming at the top of his lungs. Dakota instinctively raised a hand to cover his eyes.
"Lewis, put a shirt on!" Dakota said exasperatedly.
"Uh, would the Tie-dye menace please put on a shirt?" The announcer said over the screams of disgust from the crowd. "We allow costumes for fighters, but we do ask for some form of modesty."
Lewis stopped screaming and looked around at his audience. They seemed to be in agreement with Dakota's assessment of Lewis' state of undress. Every inch of visible skin from the neck down was covered in a dirty matt of curly blonde hairs. When he had crouched and raised his arms in a menacing posture, they could see his armpit hair; some strands longer and more numerous than the feathers on a feather duster. Bits of debris clung to his hair like ticks on the back of a Beowolf. A bright red blush broke out over Lewis' face, and he slid back underneath the ropes in search of his clothes.
With the crowd now alleviated of Lewis' impromptu exhibitionism, Nick turned back to Dakota. "Listen," with a small cough, "I got round one. You sit tight and rest."
Dakota, who was still staring into the space that Lewis had just vacated, took a moment to return to his senses. When he did and realized what Nick said, the look of horror on his face was replaced with the frown that had been a permanent fixture for the week. "Like hell you do," Dakota replied, pushing Nick backwards into the corner. "I didn't want you to do this. Just let me do my thing, and you can do whatever once I'm done."
Nick opened his mouth to retaliate when the bell finally tolled, signaling the beginning of the match. Not wanting to get kicked from the fight, Nick retreated behind the ropes, grimly preparing for the carnage that was about to ensue.
As he did so in every previous fight, Dakota immediately launched himself at his opponent. He started off with two roundhouse punches to the jaw, one with each fist. The two blows that had sent previous opponents reeling in shock barely fazed the Faunus in front of him. He retaliated and threw a punch at Dakota's side, which Dakota sloppily redirected into a grazing blow rather than a direct hit. Even so, the force behind the punch sent Dakota stumbling into the ropes. Trying to make the best of his position, Dakota threw his leg up to hit his opponent in the gut, but the Faunus caught his leg and held on tight.
Dakota growled and tried to pull his leg free, but the massive meaty appendage holding it in place was more akin to a vise than a hand. Dakota threw a few punches, but his position made them so weak that the Faunus didn't even attempt to block them.
The Faunus grinned and wrapped his other hand around Dakota's leg to toss him into the air. Dakota slammed into the ropes and almost fell through. Dakota barely held on to the ropes and was pulling himself back into the ring when he was kneed in the gut by his opponent. The ropes creaked beneath the forces, threatening to break loose from the corner poles. Trapped between the ropes and the knee, Dakota was hit again and again while the crowd cheered his assailant on. As Dakota slammed into the ropes for a sixth time, his Aura pitifully glowed to life around him before breaking up and dissipating. Any other hits he'd have to take the full force of.
"And it looks like the tank is running dry on the Alley-smasher!" the announcer cried out. "He should have stopped while he was ahead folks, he's no match for the Bastard of the Bullpen!"
Dakota's opponent, the Bastard, leered at Dakota, lining up a right hook to knock Dakota out of the fight and into next week. For a brief second however, he hesitated. Whether it was to aim the shot or to savor the moment, it was all Dakota needed.
Dakota looked up at his opponent exhaustion painted on his face. His feet however played a different tune. Dakota planted them firmly on the mat, bent his knees slightly, and waited.
The punch came whirling towards Dakota like the propeller of an airship. Dakota extended his knees and pushed back the moment before the punch was to connect. Instead of his fist connecting with Dakota's jaw, the Bastard instead found his fist meeting nothing but air. Overextending, his body twisted to the side, exposing a massive tattooed hairy side to Dakota; exactly what he wanted. Dakota launched off of the ropes and hit the Bastard in the side with his shoulder. The off-balance Faunus stumbled backwards as Dakota rolled over his opponent and onto the mat where he rolled backwards until he finally came to a stop by hitting the pole in his corner.
Despite Dakota escaping what they had expected to be the final blow, the crowd, loving a good show, cheered at his miraculous escape. On Dakota's side however, things were much less positive. His right shoulder, the one that had collided with the Bastard, felt like it was on fire. A quick glance at its awkward angle confirmed Dakota's suspicions; it was dislocated. Using his good arm, Dakota stumbled to his feet. The Bastard got up as well, shaken and surprised at the maneuver, but leering confidently at the battered teenager in front of him. Dakota was dirty, bruised, and barely able to stand in one spot and clutch his dislocated shoulder; much less put up a fight. The Bastard had gotten multiple hits in that brought Dakota to his limits, and he'd barely managed a handful of solid hits. Grimacing, Dakota prepared to pop his shoulder back in place and continue the fight when the he felt a rough hand gently tap his good shoulder.
"And the Ranch hand has signaled he's tagging in! looks like Alley-smasher's luck will hold out!"
"Nick, let it go," Dakota muttered as Nick leapt over the ropes and into the ring next to Dakota. "Once I go down, you and Lewis can go," his voice trailed off as Nick walked in front of him.
In the past several months, Dakota and Nick had sparred countless times together; mostly because they were the two members of their group that had any skill at all. It was oddly calming to go at someone with just your bare fists. No weapons, no dust, just your own two fists and feet. Combined with how they shared a room together and had seen their team shirtless on multiple occasions, it was no small wonder that Dakota had never noticed something so obvious about his friend. Nick was absolutely ripped.
As Nick took to the middle of the ring, his back muscles rippled and rolled as he stretched his arms from side to side. With every movement, his biceps seemed to strain against his skin; begging to be freed. he slammed his feet into a defensive stance and the reverberations against the ring sounded like distant cannon fire.
Nick turned and gave his teammate a smile before turning to his opponent and rasping out three words.
"You ready Bastard?"
Daniel, Rojoe, and Ebon moved carefully through the snowy brush in single file, scouting the area for Grimm. They had arrived in their assigned area several minutes ago, and had so far only come across a handful of smaller Nevermore, which they had ignored for the time being. In contrast to the slow turns of his compatriot's gazes as they scoured their surroundings, Daniel's glances were quick and darting from one point to another. It had dawned on him shortly after the two groups had split up that he became fully aware of his situation. They were deep in the middle of a snowy forest infested with Grimm that they were in charge of reducing their numbers to a more 'manageable' level. They were out of range of the CCTS, on their own, and could be overrun and eaten by Grimm without anyone even knowing until they didn't report back on time. He didn't know where the insane bravery that he had during the Emerald Forest initiation had gone, but he'd give anything right now to have it back right now.
Rojoe held up a closed fist as a signal to stop, but Daniel was looking to the side and didn't notice her until he ran into her. The collision startled him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin in fright.
"Sorry hitting you," Daniel apologized. "I wasn't paying at-"
He was stopped by Rojoe turning around and putting a hand over Daniel's mouth. "Stop saying you're sorry," she instructed. "Your mistakes are the reason we're out here. You need experience, and we're going to see that you get it. Understand?"
Daniel nodded, and Rojoe removed her hand from his mouth. "Okay listen," she said. "See the wreck in that clearing?" she pointed ahead of her, and Daniel saw that they had indeed come to the edge of the forest. Ten feet beyond them was a large clearing in the forest. The snowfall had smoothed the terrain nearly flat; save for a pair of mounds at one end of the clearing, and an ancient wooden airship directly across the clearing from the group. Its deck and masts were covered in snow and icicles, and the tattered flag of the defunct Kingdom of Mantle hung wearily from the top of the mast. Its hull was filled with gaping holes and it sat tilted to the starboard in the drifts of snow.
"A wreck like that is bound to have a Grimm nest within. We're going to go into the clearing and exposing ourselves to draw out the Grimm. Ebon, you're on overwatch until we reach the crash. Proceed with caution and follow my lead. Any questions?"
"Yeah, why do you sound like Greeve all of the sudden?" Daniel asked.
As soon as Daniel mentioned Greeve's name, what little Daniel could see of Rojoe's face flushed a bright pink as she looked away. "Because he's a capable leader and I respect him for that!" she said quickly.
"He's also an oblivious moron who has the observational qualities of a stump when it comes to emotions," Ebon chimed in. "I don't think he even notices how you act around him."
"Ebon, I swear. If you don't shut up, I'm going to-"
"Greeve to Detachment Bravo, what's your status, over?"
"D-detachment Bravo here, we're all fine totally fine, everything's fine how are you!" Rojoe shot off.
"We just finished off a colony of Ursa and are following the tracks of several beowolves. What is your sector looking like?"
"Oh it's fine, perfectly fine."
Behind Daniel, Ebon sighed and keyed his mic. "Detachment Alpha, this is Ebon. No sight of any Grimm types so far. We've come to a clearing and are about to fish for targets."
There was a pause on the other end before Greeve spoke again. "Very well Detachment Bravo, proceed with caution. If you haven't found any Grimm by next check in, leave and return to this sector."
"Confirmed, Detachment Bravo, I mean Alpha, Over and out." Rojoe said. She turned off her mic, and turned around to Ebon. The panther Faunus gazed back at her stormy glare with a visage that said, 'you know I'm right.'
"Not, one, word," Rojoe said. "Just shut up and get up a tree for overwatch."
Ebon raised an eyebrow, but chose not to further antagonize his teammate. He turned to a tree to their left and leapt into the air and floated into one of the evergreens, which he gracefully scaled on all fours. Once he was at the top, he pulled out his two pistols and leveled them at the clearing. Rojoe glanced up to ensure he was in place before carefully leading Daniel out of the forest and into the clearing.
The moment Daniel entered the clearing, his fear skyrocketed. With the fear, came a splitting headache which he responded to by rubbing his left temple. They were about halfway through the clearing when Ebon noticed his struggles.
"Ebon to Daniel, are you alright?" Ebon asked over the radio. "You look like you're nursing a hangover all of a sudden."
Daniel stopped and waved his hand back at Ebon. The headache was painful, but bearable. He'd be fine."
As if to contradict Daniel's thoughts, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble, nearly throwing Daniel and Rojoe to the ground. The two mounds Daniel had noticed began to move, as two massive metal creatures rose from fetal positions with a horrendous screech of joints that hadn't been oiled in years. By the time they rose to their full height of over fifteen feet, they were nearly as tall as many of the evergreens surrounding the clearing. Blood-red eyes burst into life behind their metal masks, and they peered down at the two students.
"Arma Gigai," Rojoe gasped. "They must have fallen out of the ship when she crashed and gotten taken over by Geists!"
"What's the plan?" Daniel asked, trying to ignore the headache that was increasing even further.
Rojoe's eyes furrowed, and she opened her mouth to issue an order, but held her tongue and glanced over at Daniel. She groaned and keyed her microphone. "Ebon, we're moving into the ship. Draw them over to your position, then meet up with us in the interior. I'll, figure something out then."
"I thought you said the airship would have a nest!" Daniel protested as Ebon began firing on the two colossi. His rounds merely pinged off of their armor, but succeeded in drawing their attention over to him. With lumbering steps, they turned and began storming over to Ebon, drawing massive swords from sheaths at their sides.
"I can handle a Grimm nest. I can't take on two Gigai while babysitting you as well," Rojoe said forcefully. She grabbed Daniel by the arm and began dragging him towards the airship.
"I don't need babysitting!"
"Yes, you do!" Rojoe said fiercely. "You are grossly untrained for a freshman at the end of his first semester, and those are two of the most challenging Grimm to defeat! Now shut up and COME ON!"
The bell dinged, and both Nick and the Bastard began circling the ring counter clockwise. The Bastard's gait was jerky as he constantly tried to fake out Nick, draw him into making a move that would spell his doom. Nick on the other hand kept his pace slow and methodical, matching the Bastard's rotation.
"You shouldn't-a come -ere cowboy," the Bastard said. "I got beef with Alley Smasher on accounts of his conduct. Step out, or I'll make ya."
"Alley-Smasher is a piece-o-work, but he's a friend," Nick rasped. "You gonna have to go through me to get him."
The Bastard gave Nick a cockeyed grin before crossing the ring in two steps and throwing a right hook at Nick with a left jab aimed wide to catch Nick in the face when he dodged. Such a blow would catch his opponent off guard and allow him free reign to pummel the teenager into submission. But contrary to expectations, Nick caught the first blow
The crowd roared in astonishment as the ensuing jab meeting no resistance threw the Bastard off balance. As the second blow sailed harmlessly over his shoulder, Nick grabbed the Bastard by one of his horns and threw him into the ropes.
As the Bastard struggled to get back up out of the ropes, Nick made a second unexpected action. Rather than take advantage of his foe's defenseless state, Nick instead took a step back and waited for him to get back up.
"Ain't too nice hitting a man when he's down," Nick said to the Bastard. "But you don't know nothin' 'bout being nice now do ya?"
Taking a step back to avoid the Bastard's furious leg sweep, Nick watched as the Bastard leapt to his feet and charged straight at him, fists winding up to deliver a flurry of blows. Nick caught both fists and stopped the Faunus in his tracks.
"Mister I've licked bulls in fights who were better than you," Nick said. "You ain't gonna win by punchin' me out."
The Bastard roared in anger and slammed his forehead into Nick's. The blow stunned Nick slightly, and he stumbled backwards, giving room for two sharp kicks to his sternum. Nick let go of the fists and ducked around the Bastard, giving himself room to clear his head.
"So, you grew up on a farm didja?" the Bastard sneered. "Whatd'ja do in your free time; screw the family hogs?"
Nick stood up straight and gave the Bastard a smile. "Not after your sis moved into the pen. She was uglier than an Ursa's backside."
Unfortunately for Nick, the Bastard had been waiting for him to give a reply. As Nick spoke, he launched himself at Nick, delivering several solid blows to his face. Nick was forced to take several steps backwards as his Aura flared underneath the incessant pummeling. Finally managing to catch one of his fists, Nick used it to shove the Bastard back enough to get his foot in. One solid kick, and the Bastard was sent tumbling over to the other side of the ring.
"So, tell me farm boy?" the Bastard said as he advanced back into the center. "What brings you -ere to the big city? Village take yer farm and ya need money to get it back? Get caught screwin too many pigs?"
The Bastard threw another punch, but Nick dodged out of the way. He had tasted the strength of the man's blows and didn't want anything to do with them whatsoever.
"Oh, wait, I got it," the Bastard said. "Pappy didn't love you enough and kicked you out as soon as he was able? I bet you ain't even allowed to step foot in town before you make a name for yourself."
Nick slowly blinked twice, his head tilting to one side. He then took two steps forward and clocked the Bastard with a roundhouse that sent shockwaves throughout the crowd. The Bastard's head snapped to the side, and Nick dodged the blind jabs to slam his palms into the Bastard's ears, perforating his eardrums. Two more jabs, and the man was up against the ropes, blood spewing from a nose that had been practically sunken into his face. Binded by the pain and the blood, the Bastard didn't see the uppercut that lifted him off the ground and over the ropes. Blissful unconsciousness swiftly followed, and he was out like a light before his body landed on top of several unfortunate members of the crowd.
"And the Bastard goes down to a furious combo from the Ranch Hand!" the announcer called out.
As Nick stood triumphantly on the ring, the crowd's reaction was mixed to say the least. A not insignificant portion of them booed at him for supporting Dakota and beating what would have been his destruction. But the rest of them were cheering loudly for the surprising turn of events.
Nick turned around to an equally astonished Dakota and reached into the duster hanging over one of the poles.
"You never sparred like that," Dakota said in as deadpan of a voice he could manage. Secretly, he was impressed by Nick's degree of skill, but did his best to keep it to himself. He didn't want to be superseded as the brawler of the group.
"Don't reckon I ever needed to," Nick said as he rummaged around in one of his pockets.
Dakota frowned at the perceived insult. He was certain he'd won at least at least a couple of their spars. "Well, I'm taking this round so move aside Ochre."
Nick opened his mouth to tell Dakota otherwise, but then reconsidered and closed it tight. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and began dabbing the dripping sweat from his brow as he ducked underneath the ropes and surrendered the corner to Dakota. As he slid underneath the ropes, the handkerchief slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground near the front row seats. Nick muttered a curse, and bent down to retrieve it, only for a hand from the crowd to thrust out and scoop it up for him.
"Thanks," Nick said as he accepted the cloth.
"Don't mention it," the man said. He was wearing a gray janitor's uniform with the name Oskar stenciled on the front of it. It looked as if he'd just come off work and had went directly to the fight club. "You're friends with the Brawler, aint'cha? Pretty brave to take on the Bastard for him."
"He's havin' a bad day," Nick said. "I'm just here to be sure he don't git hurt."
Oskar winced. "Yeesh. Girl problems?"
"Problems," Nick said simply. He finished wiping off the sweat and slid the handkerchief back into his duster pocket. By then, Lewis had reentered the ring, this time wearing his jeans and a loose fitting white tank top he'd gotten from somewhere. He was gleefully bouncing up and down in his corner, seemingly excited for the fight.
"And it seems that the Alleyway Brawler has gotten his steam back folks! But will it be enough to vanquish the newcomer in the ring? Who will win? The fresh face with a perchance for nudity, or the hard boiled veteran of tonight's fights? Alleyway vs Tie-Dye, let's get ready to rumble!"
The bell dinged, and Dakota charged his teammate, who yelped in surprise mid jump and stumbled out of the way, barely in time to miss the first punch. He fell onto his rear to the amusement of the audience.
"Come on Lewis, let me make this quick," Dakota said. "They won't let us leave without a fight, so the sooner you go down the better."
"Don't worry Dakota, you won't have to fight me," Lewis said calmly as he stood up and resumed bouncing.
"Why, because your 'spirits' told you so?"
"No man, because Nick asked me to do a big favor."
Before Dakota could ask what the big favor was, the door to the underground fighting ring was blown off of its hinges. Patrons screamed and ducked as the two heavy wooden slabs cartwheeled over their heads and embedded themselves into the floor of the ring itself. Several metal cylinders were thrown into the room and began spewing smoke, creating a cloudy haze that made it nigh on impossible to see beyond ten feet. Over the intercom, the announcer said the three words that chilled the bones of every patron of an underground fighting ring.
"It's a raid! It's a raid! Everyone get, argh!"
From the smoke emerged dozens of police officers and huntsmen, wildly swinging clubs and weapons to subdue as many of the people inside as possible. They cut a swath through the crowd and began branching out once they reached the ring, taking down anyone who attempted to resist. Which was most actually.
Dakota, having turned to look at what was going on, turned back around to see Lewis standing on the other side of the doors, beaming broadly at his teammate. It didn't take a genius to figure out how the police and huntsmen had found the place.
"You called the cops?!" Dakota asked incredulously.
As Daniel and Rojoe arrived at the wrecked airship, Rojoe practically shoved Daniel into one of the holes in its hull. Daniel slid down the snow in the interior before coming to rest on the sloped deck. Rojoe didn't follow him, and instead watched from the outside to be sure he was safe. "Are their Grimm down there? She asked."
"No," Daniel answered.
"Good," Rojoe said. "I'm going to kill the Gigai with Ebon. Stay here until I give the all clear."
"There's got to be something I can do," Daniel protested as she turned around to run into battle.
"Sweep the ship," Rojoe said, turning to back to face Daniel. "If you see Grimm, kill them. You know how to clear a room, right?"
"Uhhhhhh, kind of?" Daniel answered hesitantly.
"Gods, What the hell did they teach you at Beacon?" Rojoe said in exasperation.
"Uh, Rojoe, what happened to my help?" Ebon asked over the radio.
"I'll be right there!" Rojoe shouted. "Daniel, don't do anything stupid!" She turned around once more and ran off to join her comrade. Within seconds, the sounds of gunfire were intermixed with the sounds of Rojoe's yells and the striking of her tonfas against the armored warriors.
Grumbling, Daniel raised his sword and pistol, and began surveying the interior. It was dark, and had there not been holes in the sides, Daniel was certain that he wouldn't be able to see at all. Snow covered most of the floor before finally stopping a few feet from the other side of the ship. Crates and barrels lined the far side of the deck, suggesting that this was the cargo deck. A staircase to his right led up to the next deck of the ship, which Daniel walked over to and began climbing. The old wooden planks creaked underneath Daniel's foot with each step.
The next deck was similar to the previous deck in size, but not in layout. The deck was littered with posts, both standing and broken, from which tattered hammocks hung stiff with ice. Several lanterns hung from chains, occasionally swinging and creaking in the wind coming from the holes. A cooking range sat in the middle of the mess. The last, and most glaring difference between the two decks however, was that this one was occupied.
On the other side of the deck, a family of Ursa lay snoozing on a pile of rags, shredded hammocks, and burlap sacks. There were four of them in total, two older Usai, and two smaller that were like cubs to the older parents. The largest of them, an Ursa major, was so tall the spines on its back nearly scraped the top of the floor of the next deck up every time it inhaled. They hadn't yet noticed the commotion outside, but seemed in Daniel's eyes to be stirring and would fully wake with the slightest of provocation.
Daniel didn't dare move, didn't dare breathe. The last thing that he wanted to do was to wake these beasts up. His headache had substantially increased since he became aware of the Grimm, and now felt like jackhammers were pounding away at his skull. One part of his mind that wasn't taken up by the pain said he should warn Ebon and Rojoe, but the rest said it would distract them, or even wake up the Ursai and spell the end for Daniel. As it turned out however, Daniel didn't have to move to alert the Grimm. He had forgotten that things were different since the last time he encountered Grimm and they ignored him for the most part. This time, he was surrounded by an Aura.
The largest Ursa's glowing red eyes burst open and it lumbered to its feet. It's spines gouged furrows into the wood above, and the other three Grimm were disturbed by its movements and noise. Within seconds, the family of Ursai were up and glaring at their next meal. Low growls reverberated from their beings, and Daniel felt a chill wash over him.
"Daniel to all. There's Ursai in the ship," Daniel said, his voice quivering in fear.
The Alpha Ursa let out a thunderous roar and charged towards Daniel. Having few options and none of them particularly good, Daniel raised his pistol and began firing rounds into the thundering menace as he practically flew up the next flight of steps. The large fire dust rounds burrowed into the beast, but it would take more than just a handful of shots from a pistol to stop something so large. If anything, the rounds did more to anger the Ursa than to hurt it.
Daniel reached the next deck and slammed the hatch shut on the stairs as the Ursa below began to tear them to pieces in an attempt to get at Daniel. With nothing to lock the hatch shut, Daniel glanced around for something he could use to hold it shut. Whereas the previous two decks had been for cargo and living quarters respectively, this was clearly the gun deck of the airship. Both sides housed sixteen large brass cannons apiece, all still held in place by ropes in pullies behind closed gun ports. One such cannon on the port side was nearly lined up with the hatch. Daniel ran over to it and began hacking at the ropes with his saber, trying to free it from its place. After cutting several lines, the remaining ropes snapped, and the cannon rolled free of its position. Daniel tried to push it towards the hatch, but the massive cannon and carriage refused to roll anywhere but its seemingly predestined path. One of the wheels ran over his foot, and Daniel winced as his Aura absorbed most of the weight. The cannon continued on its path before clipping the side of the cannon opposite to it, and twisting to the side and coming to a stop. Its long barrel sat over the hatch, but the wheeled carriage that Daniel had wanted to be over the hatch was not.
"Oh come on!" Daniel yelled. He ran to the back of the cannon, and began pushing, trying to move the cannon a couple inches forward so that its front wheels at least sat on the hatch. The task, which normally took several men in peak strength to accomplish, was instead managed by the adrenaline-fueled craze that Daniel was currently in. the wooden wheels creaked and groaned, but moved forwards at a snail's pace. The front wheels were just about to cross onto the hatch, when it was thrust upwards by the snout of the Alpha Ursa.
The only thing that saved Daniel from the Ursa climbing upwards and killing him was the cannon barrel itself. While not resting directly on top of the hatch, it did hang over it, and that was enough to keep the hatch from opening high enough to let the Ursa in. As it was, the sudden appearance of the beast and its subsequent roar were enough to catch Daniel by surprise. Screaming, Daniel pulled his pistol back out and unloaded the remaining three rounds in the magazine toward the Ursa. Two struck the deck around the Ursa, and the third knocked part of a bony ridge off the Ursa's face. Casting his pistol aside, Daniel then unsheathed his saber and stabbed the Ursa in an eye. Black ooze gushed from the damaged organ, and the Ursa roared in agony. The head disappeared from the entryway, and the hatch slammed shut on Daniel's saber. Wasting no time, Daniel yanked the sword free and shoved the cannon the final feet onto the hatchway. Just in time, as blows from the Ursa thudded against the heavy wood. The hatch shuddered and jumped, but did not open.
Daniel slumped against the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief. As he caught his breath, he realized that his earpiece was practically exploding with calls from team GREY
"Grayed five, report in!"
"Daniel, are you okay?"
"I'm sorry Daniel! I should have kept you out here with us!"
Daniel took a deep breath, and keyed his mic. "Grayed Five. I, I'm all right."
"What is going on? Do you require any assistance?" the voice of Greeve asked while the other three voices shouted in relief.
"No, I think I've got it right now," Daniel said as he stood up and collected his pistol and saber. He flicked the blade clean of the black ooze from the Ursa and slid it into its sheath before dropping the empty magazine and sliding a fresh one into his pistol. "I had a scare with an Alpha Ursa I think, but I don't think it can get to me."
"Why aren't you with the rest of your team? I told you to stick with them!"
Daniel went over to the port side and pushed the recently vacated gun port open. The battle between Rojoe, Ebon, and the two Arma Gigai was still going on, and was not in the Huntsmen-in-training's favor. Ebon was sitting on the back of one of them, firing his two revolvers into the base of its neck. The Gigas reached up to squash Ebon, and Ebon flipped off the neck and floated to the ground. Rojoe was slashing at the legs of the other Grimm with her tonfas, but was achieving little more than denting the outer metal.
"Welllll," Daniel said awkwardly, "I'm here because, they sent me into the airship so they could fight the Arma Gigai." Daniel said.
"Daniel!" Rojoe shouted.
There was a pause on the radio, and Daniel could practically see Greeve rubbing his eyelids in frustration. "Team two, we're on our way. Keep it distracted for a few more minutes. Retreat to the airship if you have to, just don't let it get away."
"Grayed one, we can handle thi-OOOOF!" Rojoe said as the Gigas she was fighting got a hit in and kicked her into the air. She rocketed into one of the trees at the edge of the clearing, and slid down to the bottom, seemingly dazed.
"Grayed two, we are inbound. Do not fight the Gigai directly. Repeat, do not fight the Gigai directly. Keep it delayed."
"Wait a second," Yarrow said suspiciously. "Did I hear a plural in Daniel's report? Are you guys actually trying to fight several Arma Gigai on your own?"
"Two of them," Ebon said.
"Ebon, not you too," Rojoe protested, still dazed from her impact.
"Airship. Now." Greeve ordered.
"Wait, can you keep fighting them?" Daniel asked. An idea was forming in his mind. It wasn't a particularly good idea, but his last one was to try and steer a cannon on an incline, so today was not one for good ideas. He stuck his head back inside the hull and looked at the cannon next to him. The brass was old and tarnished, but the flintlock mechanism at the end that seemed to fire the gun looked intact. There were several rods and instruments hanging on the wall next to it, and an open box sat on the ground with a handful of balls and bags of fire Dust.
"What for Grayed five?" Greeve asked.
"I think I might have a way to take out the Gigai," Daniel said. He let go of the hatch to the gun port, and pushed the next one open. Not a good angle. He ran over to the far side of the deck and peered out of the gun port. Still not perfect, but it would have to do. The crate next to this cannon was empty, so he ran back to the cannon he had been standing next to and retrieved the partially full box. Kicking the empty crate out of the way, he set the new crate down and pulled a bag of fire Dust.
"Okay," Daniel muttered to himself as he reached up to the front of the gun and pushed the bag down the barrel. "You're about to fire a great war gun, probably not used in decades, and hope it doesn't blow up on you. Totally not a scary thought." He picked up the cannonball and, grunting from the weight, pushed it into the barrel as well. He glanced around for something to push the two to the back of the barrel, and selected a long rod with a bristly tip on the end covered with frost and ice. It took a couple of shoves, but he finally got the powder and the ball to the back of the barrel. He then moved to the back of the cannon and stared at the flintlock firing mechanism.
"Daniel to Yarrow."
"Yarrow here."
"Do you know how to use something with a flintlock?"
"Push the front part forward, add a bit of fire Dust to the pan, close it up, and pull the back part back. Why do you ask?"
"Thanks," Daniel said, too busy searching for some loose fire Dust to answer his question. He settled on slitting one of the Dust bags open and pinching some of the Dust out of the bag and sprinkling it onto the pan. He then did as Yarrow instructed and pulled both pieces back.
"Daniel, a flintlock musket isn't going to pierce their armor," Rojoe said. "You'll be lucky to even hit it at this range."
"Yep," Daniel grunted as he braced himself against the side of the ship and pulled on a piece of rope he hoped would pull the cannon forward. His hopes were rewarded, and the cannon moved through the gun port. It was tough work to move it on the incline. He slackened his grip a couple of times, and the cannon slid back precious inches. But after a minute of tugging, the gun was in place. He leaned behind the cannon and closed one eye. One of the Armored Gigai was close, extremely close to being in front of the cannon, but it wasn't quite there. All he needed was a few more meters, just a half step backwards for the giant Grimm; but the Grimm seemed intent on staying rooted in place. Daniel groaned in frustration and exertion; he couldn't hold the cannon in place much longer.
Three things happened at in quick succession, the second of which was missed by Daniel. The first thing was the splintering of wood behind Daniel as the Alpha Ursa burst from the deck below. The beast roared in triumph, and Daniel screamed in fright, unable to defend himself or escape from it. The beast's single eye glared at him in anger, and Daniel let go of the rope with his left hand to get his pistol. As he was preoccupied with the Ursa in front of him, he failed to see one of the Arma Gigai get hit in the knee by an Ebon tossed by Rojoe. It stumbled into the first, and the two took a step backwards to keep from falling.
The third thing that happened was actually unintentional. As Daniel tried to pull his pistol free form its holster, his elbow hit the release switch for the flintlock. The hammer sprung forward with grace unbefitting its age, and struck the steel in front of it. The resulting sparks landed in the fire dust below igniting the crystals and sending a burst of flame down to the Dust bag in the barrel.
There was an explosion like thunder, and the cannonball burst through a cloud of smoke and fire out of the barrel and slammed into the nearest Arma Gigas. The cannon jerked jumped backwards, straining against the ropes that held it in place. For a moment, the ropes held. But they were ancient, and had been holding the cannon in place for far too long. They snapped in quick succession, and the cannon was free to slide down the deck, running over Daniel's foot as they passed by. Daniel was still holding on to the only rope still attached to the cannon, and found himself at the mercy of physics and two tons of cannon and carriage on an incline. He didn't even have time to yell in pain when the cannon rolled over his foot once more before being yanked forwards and colliding with the side of the ship. Dazed by the blow and facing the wrong way, he didn't see the cannon lodge itself in the mouth of the roaring Ursa and send the two falling backwards. Nor did he see that the cannonball had smashed through the right arm of one of the Arma Gigai and halfway through its torso. The force of the ball sent the damaged behemoth and its companion to the ground where they struggled to free themselves.
What Daniel did notice as he peeled himself from the side of the ship was the crunching of timbers as the Ursa and cannon broke through the timber of the deck below and fell into the cargo area. There was a massive explosion from below and a column of fire burst through the holes in the deck. The last thing Daniel felt before being knocked unconscious was the heat and shockwave ripping through him and tossing him into the side of the ship once more.
"I hope that you and your teammates enjoyed yourselves, Mister Harding, because this is the last time that you will be fighting outside of this school until you graduate," Professor Goodwitch said firmly.
Dakota sat fuming in the dimly lit conference room, or interrogation, center as many students like to call it. It seemed that whenever the teachers or faculty wanted to have a chat with a student, they'd take them here. The only light in the room was that of a small overhead light hanging over the small table in the middle of the room. Lewis and Nick sat in chairs behind him, looking a bit worse for wear. When the police broke in and arrested the occupants of the club, they hadn't given the combatants time to put their clothes back on. Dakota had gone to the fight without his regular attire, so the only thing he had lost was an old t-shirt he'd taken off before fighting. Nick had also lost his shirt, but had time to pull his duster on before being pushed against the ring pole. Lewis was the worst off. He and Nick had tailed Dakota that night without the intention of actually getting into the ring and had dressed accordingly. Lewis had been wearing his favorite tie-die shirt, and a brown vest he'd worn for the occasion. In the confusion of the raid, he couldn't get off the ring in time to save them and had lost them both.
"Furthermore," Professor Goodwitch said, "all three of you will have detention every day of every weekend for a month. Mister Harding, your record forces us to place you on academic probation. If you fail any of your classes this semester, or give cause for further disciplinary action, you will be expelled." She emphasized her point with a slap of her riding crop against the table.
Lewis and Nick winced from the sharpness of the blow, but Dakota ignored it, glowering at the gray surface of the table. He had hardly said a word since the police had arrested them, only opening his mouth to answer a question from on officer. The only contact he made with his companions was to occasionally shoot an irritated glare at them, especially Lewis
"Now it is extremely late, and it is a school night. I want you three to return to your quarters and remain there until the morning. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes Professor," The three of the chorused.
"Now go," Professor Goodwitch commanded.
The three of them got up at once and made for the exit behind them. Dakota shoved past his two teammates, and got to the door before them. Practically running, he yanked the door open and stormed towards their dorms. Lewis and Nick glanced at each other before sprinting off after him.
"Dakota, wait," Nick said as loud as his voice let him.
"Why? So you can screw things up for me again?" Dakota said over his shoulder.
"Come on Dakota, we wanted to help you," Lewis said.
Dakota abruptly stopped and whirled around to face them. "Then maybe you shouldn't have jumped in that ring," he said. "I was perfectly fine with getting my ass handed to me in there. But now I'm on academic probation, and if I'm going to be honest, I'm probably not going to pass most of my classes, meaning I'm good as expelled at this point So thanks a lot you two. You somehow one-upped Glas on people who've betrayed me this year. But keep trying, because maybe you can still top Daniel."
The bruised and battered teenager went to leave his teammates, but was stopped by Nick's hand firmly placed over his shoulder. He turned around to tell his teammate to shove off, but was abruptly shoved against the wall. Nick got up in Dakota's face, and Dakota swore his eyes were steelier than those of any social worker he had to deal with since getting thrown into the system. The force Nick was applying with just one hand was tremendous. He doubted he could get free of his teammate even if he was well rested and with a load of Dust coursing through his system.
"You need, to calm down, now," Nick said. "There ain't a single person in our team that's happy at Daniel for pissin' off like he did. But bitchin' and moanin' to us ain't gonna fix a damn thing.
Dakota opened his mouth to protest, but Nick cut him off by shoving even further into the wall, practically lifting him off the ground a few inches. "I was not done talkin' yet. Now I'm getting a little tired of the attitude you've had towards everyone on the team since Daniel left. It ain't nice to take your anger out on us for somethin' we had nothin' to do with. So you're gonna stop now, you hear?"
Dakota opened his mouth once more, but Nick cut him off. "The next words you say had better be 'I hear you Nick', or I'm gonna show you what the Bastard went through before I knocked his lights out, you hear?"
Dakota took a deep breath and looked his friend in the eyes. "I hear you Nick."
"Good," Nick said, letting him go. Dakota slid down to the ground and sat there, slightly surprised having been on the business end of Nick's full strength.
Nick bent down and offered his teammate a hand. "Come on now. That floor is nasty and Goodwitch was right. This is a school night."
Dakota took the hand and was hauled back up to his feet. The two of them set off once again towards their dorm. Lewis followed slightly behind, glancing back and forth between the two teenagers, wondering what exactly had just happened.
When Daniel finally came to, he was in some sort of bed. Groaning, he shifted in place, and encountered something hard and plastic on the sides of his bed. He opened his eyes and found that he was in his least favorite bed in his least favorite place in his least favorite place in the world. A hospital bed in a hospital. Memories of his incarceration filled his mind and he instantly began panicking.
Daniel bolted up from the bed and ripped the bedsheets off himself. Throwing them to the side, he had a leg out over the side and was preparing to clamber out when several hands reached out and held him in place, keeping him from escaping.
"Get off!" he shouted. "Get away from me you psycho!"
"Daniel, calm down!" a voice demanded.
Daniel threw a punch in the direction of the voice, only for it to be grabbed before it could connect. Daniel whipped his head around to see that the restraining hands were in fact those of Greeve, Rojoe, and Ebon.
"You're in a hospital, you're okay," Ebon said. "You've been out for a couple of hours, you had us worried."
Daniel took deep breaths, struggling to contain himself. "Worried, what, what are you talking about?" he panted.
"You mean you don't remember the greatest kill of your life?" another voice said to the right of the group. Daniel looked over to see the sheets he had thrown off his bed covering someone at the foot of his bed. The someone pulled the sheets off of their head to reveal themselves to be Yarrow. "We were in a training exercise to clear some Grimm out and you blew up an airship."
Daniel blinked. "Come again?"
"Yeah, you remember an old wooden airship? You shot a cannon at an Arma Gigas and set off the rest of the ship in the process. Took out both Gigai while you were at it."
At the mentioning of the Gigai, it all came back to Daniel. The hike through the snow-covered woods, the giant metal behemoths, being sent into a crashed airship and firing its guns, cannon rolling backwards and crushing the Ursa underneath."
"There, was an Ursa," Daniel said.
"You're remembering," Greeve said. "You told us on the radio. There weren't any traces of Ursa in the wreckage, but there wasn't much wreckage left to begin with.
"No, that's not what I mean," Daniel said. "One of the Ursa broke through the deck. I accidentally fired the cannon, and it rolled into the Ursa. That's the last thing I remember."
"Hmmmm, Ursa plus two-ton cannon verses old planks," Yarrow mused. That could have set any Dust in the hold if they fell through. Those crates were designed to keep the Dust from going off if it got jostled around, but there's not much you can do when a cannon crushes it. Yeah, that's probably what happened."
"So how did I get out?" Daniel asked. He looked himself over, expecting to see bandages covering burns and lacerations, but found only a few small bandaids.
"It was your Aura Generator," Greeve said. "It's the only reason you made it out was because of your Aura Generator. You burned out half the conductors and the battery is fried, but it saved you."
"Wait, back up," Ebon said. "That cannonball crippled the Arma Gigas and knocked it's brother over. You're saying it was an accident?"
"Yeah, it hit?" Daniel asked. "I couldn't get the cannon aimed at it."
"That's not surprising," Greeve said. "Smoothbore cannons were never very accurate."
"Okay, so what happened next?" Daniel asked.
"Well, Greeve had us running to the north of you guys, but the explosion brought us in the right direction," Yarrow said. "By the time we got there, the Geist in the last Arma Gigas made a run for it. Called in an extract, and brought you here."
"So it was a bust then," Daniel said with a sigh. "Sorry I screwed things up." He put a hand to his head in embarrassment. He'd had one job to do, and he couldn't even get that right."
"You kidding? This couldn't have gone more perfect!" Yarrow said excitedly. "You took out two Arma Gigas, and a family of Ursa with a single cannon! Easily the Grim kill of the week, maybe even the month!"
"The point of this mission was for us to learn how you fight, and how skilled you are," Greeve said. "What we learned was your skills in combat or situational awareness aren't where they need to be, but you're quick to think on your feet and improvise. I think that some of us underestimated you," he added, looking over at Rojoe. Rojoe glanced awkwardly at Daniel then turned away, a red flush creeping on to her embarrassed face.
"What I think our esteemed leader with the social skills of a steel I-beam is trying to say is, welcome to the team," Ebon said.
The words hit Daniel with a burst of mixed feelings. Feelings of acceptance mixed with pangs from the recent past. He couldn't help but remember the last group that had accepted him and how he had returned their trust. He could only hope that this time things turned out for the better.
Daniel took a deep breath and put on his best happy face. "Thanks guys. I guess it's good to be on board."
ns 15.158.61.54da2
