Fandom Grimm Hunter Part 2: Twin Tendency

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Keep them ready... Because it feels like something is here....." He said as he got ready as the Rhino hopped down, and ruffled a Child's head. "Wow! So cool! Mr. Rhino is so big!" the small boy said out of excitement as the beastly machine stood up. He then flexed, making some of the children laugh, and others gasp in amazement.

"She really knows how to act the part." Sonora said sarcastically as she crossed her arms, unimpressed. She then looked at Kin, who was talking about the operator girl who went back inside her frame. "I doubt she wants to use Egon with a frame like that. Very slow, but very bulky."

"Boys.... Please don't fight...." Koni said as she held onto Aslan's arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

Midori had a hand on her Heather, but she didn't move a muscle; truth be told, she had no idea what to expect. She rose an eyebrow as she saw Rhino flexing to the kids; she didn't quite expect a war machine to flaunt its body like that, but then again, their controller was still only human. She overheard Sonora commenting about the warframe and said: "I'd take Egon over that dumb piece of muscle any day of the week."
"Aren't you a little biased, sis?" Verde asked her, giggling. "Even if I agree wtih you 100%, you can't deny that much."
Was she being biased? She'd never see herself alongside that Rhino Warframe. The mere act of looking at it felt a tad... Off to her, and she shared some of Egon's worries about what was about to happen. As it turns out, they weren't so far off.

Sini

The moment Sini saw Aslan making his stubborn expression, she was already preparing for trouble; she was quite surprised when she saw Koni's touch soften him up almost instantly. He glanced at Koni, then at Kin, and said:
"...Alright. But I wanna talk about it later." Kin nodded and replied:
"As you wish." Sini stared at Aslan, remembering all the fights he had gotten into simply out of his stubborness... Seing Koni help him grow like that made her smile. But it only lasted a moment; she glanced behind the team and saw the last thing she expected at a moment like this. Could the boys have attracted it? Either way, she put Shame on and said:
"Egon was right! F$#%ing Grimm are on the way, so strap up."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon ripped off his disguise, and bullet jumped next to the rhino, and the two nodded as as they ran towards the grimm, with Rhino putting up his iron skin, now shining a glossy gold. Rhino roared, creating a wave of energy that boosts himself and Egon by about 10% in terms of damage dealing. With his Boltor Prime equipped, Rhino opened fire as Egon did with his Braton prime. The small grim where shredded by bolts and bullets, as the larger grim took more abuse.

Sonora Jr. Was amazed by the Rhino so far, but regained her focus and started fighting the grimm with Egon and Rhino, witht he Mcclouds, And Koni joining the fight.


"General! Would you like me to-" "Negative! Those two warframes, and the huntsmen are just fine. Now get out there and provide backup! Winter! Give them backup as well!" Ironwood ordered as Winter nodded, and then charged into the fray.

Koni felt a surge of rage flow throw her, as she relived the horrors of that night, the night that the Darkness had consumed her tribe. Her eyes glowed a bright turquoise, and began to chant: "Spirits of my Ancestors, hear my plea! Aid me in this battle, and claim victory over my foes!” then 2 turquoise animals rose out of the ground, a massive wolf, and a very large bear. "KILL. PURGE THE DARKNESS FROM THIS LAND!" Koni ordered as the spirit animals go to work, tearing apart borbatusks, Beowulves, and other small grimm with relative ease. The Ursai, were a different story. The bear had trouble, and required the wolf's aid, but the wolf was smacked away, enraging the bear spirit. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

Before I even touch Pride, I take a good look around to see where they're coming from; seems like it was clever of them to make the presentation so close to the outer edge of the city like this. Almost... Too clever I'd say. While everyone's unsheathing I open my arms and push the people away from the grimm, saying:
"Get back, people! We're hunstsmen in training, we'll keep you safe." After I'm sure that everyone is nice and rounded up, I pick up Pride and head out to help the others; there are a lot of Grimm, but seeing the two warframes together is enough for me to understand why Mantle believed they could turn the tide of the great war; just those two together are pulling a lot of their weight. I let out some air into Pride's grooves to boost myself forward and i get a stab on the first beowulf in my way. Great, now I just have to do that a hundred more times; I should probably get to it.

Kin

"Kin's eyes widened when he saw Egon jump out of his disguise, but he simply shook his head and opened his reserves of Earth Dust; he jumped forward and landed on a stone platform, which started to propel forward while leaving a stone wall in its wake. He made a lap around a bunch of beowulves, trapping them inside the wall, and then jumped up, picking up some fire Dust next. It formed an orange sphere at his hand, which he threw at the Grimm pit, cleaning it up with a large explosion. He noticed Aslan rounding up the civilians and nodded satisfied. Despite disagreeing with his ideas, he couldn't deny the lion faunus had his heart in the right place.

Verde

"E-Egon! What are you doing! Oh, bother... Wait for us!" After calling out for Egon, Verde activated her Sunflower in gauntlet mode and smacked a beowulf across the face, Midori impaling another Grimm silently just beside her. Sini jumped in near the Warframes and was tearing the Ursas alongside Koni's bear spirit. Verde glanced worringly at Ironwood, but he didn't seem worried about them at the time, so she simply focused on the fight ahead: "Don't let any of them get past us! We're the last line of defense for those civilians."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon kept fighting alongside the Rhino, and then was blindsided by an ursa, slapping him with its claws, and taking a chunk of his helmet off. His eye visible, and glared at the grimm as he opened fire on it, and sliced its gut with a single swing, bringing down the grimm. Egon was furious, and began to fire and slash his way through, rapidly thinning down the crowd as Rhino stomped, levitating the grimm in place as Egon ended them.

Sonora Jr. Kept fighting, and saw as the massive horde thinned out. "It'a thinning out! Keep going!" She exclaimed as she then activated her semblance, and unloaded her bullets as they punctured the incoming beowulves.

Koni was slamming and tearing apart a Boarbatusk with her warclubs as her spirit animals defended against an ursa and an Alpha beowulf, with success. "Seek them out! And eviscerate! Maim! Kill!" She exclaimed in the language of her people, she was going to make sure that the grimm were afraid of her, like she once was of them.

Ironwood fired his pistol at some beowulves as Winter cut down an ursa. "General! The horde is thinning!" She exclaimed as ironwood reloaded. "Keep it up! We need to eradicate them!"

Tristan and Noctis locked arms as their auras were boosted by each other, and nodded. "Freezing Fire! "Freezing Fire!" They yelled as a spire of fire and ice twirled in place, and disappated in an explosion of very hot scalding hot steam, with ice shards in all directions inpaling grimm.
CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Sini

Sini slammed an Ursa into the ground and crunched it to death with her aura claw, then stopped to look around; it seemed like the last of the Grimm had been taken down without any civilians being lost. Sini couldn't help but burst out in happiness after the success:
"Hell yes! Good job fo-"
She was interrupted by the sound of guns cocking. As soon as the Grimm were done for, all the Atlesian soldiers turned their guns to the group who was just helping them, roudning up Sini and her friends as they slowly surrounded them. At the center of it all were the two Warframes, or as Sini liked to call it, 'one Warframe too many for the reveal'. Still, she would never expect to have guns pointed at them for trying to protect others, and her brother seemed even more shocked by the sudent shift in events.
"...Just as I feared." Kin added grimly.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"You thought you could escape us, Excalibur Umbra? Or should I say, Egon Amrillo?" General Ironwood said as he walked into the center with Winter. "I know about your history, a very honorable one at that. Earned many medals for honor, bravery, and for duty. So tell me, why did you murder my men? And why did you spare one of my soldiers?" "I spared her because I realized that I am no longer in Mantle... And I also realized that Mantle no longer exists. Those men that were slain, they were of Atlas... And in the heat of the moment of confusion, mistook them for Mantle grunts." Ironwood took this in, and smiled. "Then why not join us?" Egon shook his head, that was when Rhino stepped in front of Egon, and out came Kyla.

"General... I cannot let you do that. Our job is to protect the people, not force men like Egon into something he has been before... And I would know. As a little girl, I was forced into the war, stuck in a place that gave me power. But instead of murder, I wanted to protect. Today we had done just that, but you turn on us, just because of a tortured soul." The general was infuriated by this defiance. "Move Kyla. Now." "No. I will not. There are more important matters than Umbra. Let him go, and he can protect the people alongside us." Kyla sighed as she looked at Ironwood dead in the eye. "You are just like the Mantle army, always hungry for power, and heartless."

Sonora, Koni, And the Mcclouds gasped as Egon stood next to Kyla, and looked at Ironwood, then at Winter. "There are much bigger things than me right now, and they are coming. If you take me in, you will have doomed everyone in this kingdom, maybe even the world." CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Kin

"Kyla..."
Kin stared blankly at her old friend as she stepped in to stand for Egon's freedom. It didn't make sense in his head. If she disagreed with the way Atlas did things, why didn't she rebel? Could she be against her will in the army, or brainwashed in some way? Either way, seeing her acting like that, added to Egon's ominous statement at the end, left him at a state of unease. He was left at an impasse, unsure of what to say or even to do... Up until he heard a screech up in the sky.
"Scout!" Kin shouted, holding out his arm. The bird of pray landed clumsly on his arm, one of its wings seared by some sort of projectile. "I can't believe they got to you... Is it that bad?" Scout screeched again, shifted its footing on Kin's arm and leaned under his chin as if it were cover. Kin gulped and added: "Get ready people, seems like our troubles are far from over." Last time he saw Scout having that reaction, the Stray Hounds lost half of its members... It better not happen like that again.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

The group got ready, with Kyla going back onto Rhino, readying her Akbolto Prime pistols. "We should win this easy peasy." "No victory is ever easy.... So do not underestimate the enemy." Koni was weary from the grimm before, and cautious about what happens next.

Egon loaded his Twin Grakatas, then switched to his Braton Prime, and saw a void fissure open up, with a tenno walking out. Kyal exited her warframe, and gasped. "You... You're a tenno..... We aren't the only ones left, Kin!" She exclaimed as she took a void blast to the chest, she then dematerialized, and went straight back into Rhino, her Transference saving her life from a lethal blow. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

It satarted with the fissure. It was a small crack in reality, like someone ripped the fabric of the air itself and some of its ugly, dark stuffing was leaking out into the world. The first person, a brown-haired man in glasses in a black and white Kimono, attacks Kyla behind her back and she barely makes out of it alive. The rift behind him is only getting bigger each second as more of the dark stuff flows out of it and into the atmosphere, with several other men dressed just like him stepping out into our world:

The old man in the center seems to be the leader of the bunch. He slams his walking stick into the floor and I see a shockwave take over the whole area, silencing the crowd instantly. Who even are these guys? Could this be what Kin and Kayla were talking about? And in that case... Where is she ? Either way, one quick look at them makes it clear that they mean business. After he was sure he had the attention of all, the old man spoke, his voice like a roaring thunder:
"This is the end of the line, Atlas! Your abominable attempts at abusing the energy of Vor cannot be tolerated anymore! Turn in the Warframe and the Tenno immediately or face anihilation." Ironwood obviously didn't seem to like that very much, he starts walking forward with the angriest face I've ever seen, shouting back:
"The Atlesian army bows to no one, Void scum! Your terms are unnacceptable. Men, prepare the-"
Before he can even finish, the old man raises his hand and out of it comes a gigantic ball of fire; it hits right in the middle of the security squad, sending scorched Paladins in every direction. I didn't even have the chance to react to that; if he picked us to kill, would we even be able to survive it? Just how strong are these Void people? I can see that everyone seems a little tense about the whole situation. Kin is now staring at Ironwood with a pleading look, and the Atlesian general tells all the soldiers to let us go with a weave. We're free to go, technically... But we can't just back down now, and everyone knows that. I walk straight in the the way between the invaders and Ironwood and say:
"This is enough! If you want to fight over the Warframes, that's fine. But leave the people out of this! They have nothing to do wi-"
And then my lights went out for a second.

Sini

Sini tried to hold off Aslan as he walked into the fray, but at times like these he could rarely be reasoned with. She was at least happy to see him trying to talk it over with the invaders, but she realized way too late that it wouldn't work; one of the men in Kimonos, a white-haired one with a twisted grin, pointed his sword towards her brother and uttered a command; what used to be a rather small sword increased in lenght at an absurd speed, hitting Aslan and launching him into a nearby building. Sini yelled:
"Aslan!!!" And then stared instantly at the the culprit, who seemed amused by the whole situation.
Seeing her As getting attacked without provocation like that made her lost all sense. She made a straight path towards the man with her Shame out and ready, but was cut off by another of the invaders, the tallest one who looked like some sort of extreme fox faunus. He held her by the head and slammed her into the ground probably hoping to end the fight in one blow; well then, better show him just who he's dealing with, Sini thought to her herself, still intact thanks to her aura.
"You motherf#$%ers..." She said, getting up to hit the giant fox man with a claw attack. He backed up from the blow and drew his sword, still stoic. "So you want trouble, huh? Well shit, you just got it! Team, spread up and keep them busy while the people flee the scene. Be careful with them!"
"Your bravery is admirable, young girl." The fox faunus said. "But you are delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later, all of Atlas will join the Void. Our clashing of claws is merely a formality at this point."
"Well, guess what, you furry f%$#er?" Sini replied, punching her palm and cracking her neck. "I hate formalities, so I'll get over with you quick."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Sonora was just about to help Sini, until she was cut off by a woman with a katana, who looked at her with a blank expression. "My, such a sweet little girl, fighting a battle she knows nothing about! I guess it is time for you to die, for the Void and its avatar, Vor!" the woman said as Sonora barely managed to get her shield up to block the onslaught of blows. She then smacked the woman away, and stayed on the defensive, blocking and dodging every single strike, learning patterns and looking for openings. "Sorry, chicky. But today is not my day to bite the dust, not today!" She exclaimed as she began to swing her blade at the woman, who seemed to block every hit. "Atlas will fall, and we will corrupt it with the Void's grace." This pissed Sonora off further, it was one thing for atlas to be power hungry, but if people from a place she never heard of threatens any kingdom of Remnant, then there will be issues. She activated her semblance, and began to go all out.

"Aslan!! Hold on!" Koni charged the assailant, only to be cut off by a man with a straw hat, and a pink and white kimono. "Sorry cutie, can't let you do that." "Move out of my way at once! Or suffer the wrath of my ancestors!" "To think you could not get any more adorable! Where are they, exactly? 6 feet underground? Or perhaps rotting in the seas?" Koni's pupils shrunk as rage built up within, this man had just insulted her whole ancestry in some way, and she was not going to let that stand. "If you aren't going to move..." She got out her Warclubs, and took an offensive stance. "THEN I WILL MAKE YOU!!" Koni charged in with a flurry of strikes, using the bladed part of her clubs as she swung. The mysterious man had a smile on his as he dodged the hits, and then used his hilt to hit her. "Not very smart, are you? You know, you should have handed over the warframes and the tenno, and we would have spared you." The man said as Koni muttered a chant under her breath, on the cold, hard ground, then her body began to glow as she got up. "What's this?" he asked as Keezheekoni let out the roar as proud and mighty as a lion. "I told you to move..... AND NOW YOU WILL DIE!" She charged the man with blinding speed, and began to swing.

Tristan and Noctis were faced with a man with brown hair, glasses, and a white kimono. "Two little boys going up against me? This should be easy!" He said as the twins charged him, with them going in at different angles. However, he targeted Tristan mainly, due to his Switch Axe being a problem. "Such a big weapon, let's see how good you are when you are dead." the man charged, with hin recieving a fireball to the side. Noctis was not going to let tristan die, not on his watch. His arms combusted as his emotions flared up. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!!" He shouted as he charged with his Energy Sword out, this time with an Ice battery loaded. He swung his blade, blocked by the swordsman, then Tristan charged, and swung his axe in sword mode, where the man dodged, and used Noctis as a springboard.

then a woman with daggers on her index fingers approached Rhino (with Kyla inside) and Egon. "Well, well, well. And Excalibur Umbra, and a Rhino Prime. Never thought I would see the wolf working with a tenno brute." Egon clenched his fists as he stared the girl down, with Rhino activating Iron Skin. "For a brute, you are smarter than you look. But Umbra is the one we want." she charged Egon, with his Skiajiati blade drawn, and began to swing as he blocked each blow, he then began to quickly swing his blade as the Rhino roared, giving a boost to himself as well as Egon. The woman knew this was bad, since the warframes were working together. She then stabbed Egon in the chest successfully with his own blade, and brought him down to his knees. "Sleep tight, sweet prince." she said as Egon went limp, and stayed in a kneeling position. She then targetted rhino, with his gauntlets ready to roll. The two began to clash, with both landing hits, but unlike Rhino, the woman did not have a protective skin. Once it ran out, she knocked him down, and began to slice though his shields, and started stabbing Rhino with her sword.

Egon reagained his consciousness, and then looked at his blade, which he tore out of his chest, and put it in its scabbard. He then conjured his Exalted Blade, which causes the woman to turn around, in shock and disbelief. "No! No! You should be dead!" Rhino landed a punch to the face, knocking her off. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Verde

Even though Kin warned, it was still very much a surprise to see the main void force barge in right in the middle of the day; regardless of what the result was, this was definitely making a statement. As the fight broke on, Verde’s first thought was to make sure people was reasonably matched. Aslan just got tossed around, but being him, that doesn’t mean much… She did notice Koni was facing a particularly strong opponent, so she decided to even things out:
“Cherry, Koni needs some help! Can you butt in?”
“On it!” She agreed, readying her hatchets in revolver stance as she circled around the Stray hat man. Next up after her was Egon, and she wasn’t very happy with what she found.
“Stop that right now!” Midori said before Verde could. “Do you have any idea how much sweat and blood went into upgrading that armor?”
Verde glanced at Midori and gave her a nod, then both of them prepared to charge in and help. On their way there, however, something their eyes didn’t catch got on the way of their feet and tripped them onto the floor. As they got up, they were greeted by a loud, creepy laugh coming from the man with the odd hat accessory as he walked closer.
“Ah, how disappointing.” The man gloated between his cackles. “You two struck me as the brains of this team, yet you charge into the battle, and into my trap, without even thinking twice! Let it be written in the annals of history that it was the reason why you fell in this battle. Now, die!”
As he said that, a cage of purple void energy popped from the trap and surrounded both girls, slowly sliding in as it made a move to crush them whole. A quick strike from their weapons proved that it was too strong for them to fight directly. The villain grinned in response, watching greedily for his plan to come to fruition.

Kin

Having expected the brawl long before it happened, Kin went directly to pick a fight without hesitation – the sooner he took a fighter out, she sooner he could assist the others should they be in trouble. He made a ball of fire with his Dust and shot at the nearest target, a dark-skinned man with mirrored glasses, as a means to gauge his reactions. As soon as the fireball reached range, the man swung his sword away with blinding speed, splitting it in half.
“Those who play games in the battlefield are short lived.” It’s all that he said.
“Who’s playing games here?” Kin replied. “I’d be stupid to pull out my trump card at the first opportunity.”
“Allow me to show why that is not the case. Memorize this face, it shall be the last one you’ll ever see.”
Just as he said that, all the world around Kim went black. All the sounds and smells were gone too. To the outside viewer, nothing big seemed to be happening with Kin, unless you stared really close: his one good eye had its usual appearance replaced a foggy darkness as he awaited helplessly for his opponent to come to him and end the battle before it even started.

Sini

After threatening the fox man, Sini went for another bout with him. She extended her claws and swung, getting met with a different surface than a sword this time. The fox man put his arm ahead of him in a defensive stance and a copy of said arm made of void energy materialized ahead of it, taking the scratching attack with little problem; after that, he pushed the limb away, knocking over Sini to her feet. She barely had enough time to get up and dodge before he slammed the energy arm onto the ground she landed on.
“So you’ve got one of those too, huh?” She asked. “Let’s see just how much can this bitch take!”
Sini aimed with her arm and shot a blast of concentrated aura forward hitting the arm and covering the two in the bright lights of the blast. Despite the amount of force displayed, that fight was still a long way from ending.

Aslan

I really, really need to stop letting my guard down.
It takes a while, but I did manage to get out of the rubble I made with my own body. My aura’s been getting a little stronger. A blow like that could have taken me out before for sure. I can thank Koni’s training for that. I get up and stumble to the guy who sent me there. He seems a bit surprised I wasn’t dead, and I don’t really blame him.
“Don’t you know when to call it quits, kid?” He asked. “I’m clearly the stronger one of the two here.”
“With all due respect, sir.” I say back, readying my sword. “This isn’t the first time I get my ass handed to me. You could even say I’m a bit of a specialist at that.” His answer was a giggle, then the words:
“I like you, boy. Can’t wait to hear you scream!”
And then he fired off again.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

As Sonora Jr. attacked with all she had, the woman blocked every strike she could dish out. "You are the next generation of protectors? More like next generation of Failures!" The lady cackled as Sonora's ears dropped down, and her pupils began to grow smaller as her heart raced. "Oh that is it. NOW YOU ARE DEAD!" Sonora said as she then began to relentlessly swing her sword around with all her might, causing the lady to back up as she took the heavy blows, before taking a shield to the face and being knocked back "My, you are spirited! And to think you were weak!" she chuckled as she stood there as the angry girl stared her down. "Come at me. Bitch." She said as the woman charged, her hand on her blade's hilt, but little did she know, Sonora was waiting for it. So as soon as the blade came out, she ducked, and stabbed the woman in the chest. She then dematerialized just as Kyla did when she took the void beam to the chest. "Tell Vor to go F!@ck himself with a knife."

Koni was having a tough time against her foe, being smacked around by her foe's sword hilt, until she was knocked back. The man chuckled. "All that fire, and no burn. Pity, really. Your ancestors must be very disappointed in a failure like yourself. They must be wondering why you even fight for them when you are so weak and so frail." He said, Koni's confidence completely shattered as tears welled up in her eyes, her eyes flashed, then a Bear appeared right in front of her, fighting viciously for her as the man struggled to block the heavy hits. "They still fight for a weakling like you?! Do they not know that they are wasting their energy!?" He shouted as he cut the spirit down.

Tristan and Noctis were working on their foe, trying to open up an opportunity to attack. Tristan used a morphing attack from sword mode to axe mode on the man, and managed to graze his head. The foe reeled back at the attack, gripping the top of his head as Noctis launched fireball after fireball at him. "Burn in hell!! Roast in the flames of my wrath!!" Noctis shouted with such emotion that Tristan froze his arm, and ran up to him, and past him, landing a knee into the man's face.

Egon walked slowly as his Exalted Blade was gripped by his furious hand. The woman shot a burst of energy at his head, and broke off a piece of his helmet, revealing mutilated and deformed flesh with his eye in a furious expression. The woman backed up in horror as she readied her blades. Egon then did a blade dash, using some of his energy to make a perfect horizontal energy wave hurtling towards her, she dodged, with her arms being grazed. "WHAT ARE YOU?!" she exclaimed as Egon felt energy dance around his body as a sphere of light formed in front of his head, then a loud howl was heard as the light ball burst, blinding her and the other assailants in the area. He then puts his hands at both ends of his blade, and slid them towards each other, making the blade disappear as he grabbed Skijiati, and did a blade dash again, this time making a perfect diagonal abdominal slice, she began to bleed and struggle for breath, as soon as he sheathed his blade, the two halves split, and she disappeared as the Void called back to her. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

Despite the apparently dire situation the twins had been set in, they didn't seem to be fazed at all by the villain as he began to gloat and explain all the many powers his void trap had. They were much more interested in talking it with themselves:
"This villain talks a lot." Midori commented.
"He does, doesn't he? I dozed off in like 3 seconds."
"It's annoying. Let's finish this quickly."
"Hey!" The villain protested. "Listen to me when I'm explaining my powers to you!"
"Nuh uh." They both answered in unison.
After that, Verde sprouted a few Hoppes to keep the evil Tenno distracted as they combined their weapons into their signature drill. Midori created a portal and they both jumped right through it, surprising the villain from behind as the ice Dust from the spear and the fire Dust from the shield spun around in interlacing spirals, forming a massive drill headed straight to their foe's terrified face:
"Take that! Hot 'n Cold drill!"

Kin

Bam!
Kin tumbled back for the third time, having been hit by the hilt of the enemy Tenno's sword each time with little hopes of defending himself. Every single one of his senses except for tact had been completely shut down, but he still got up every time and offered the same taunting smirk, which was clearly bothering his foe:
"It's futile to resist. If you lay still on the ground I can give you a painless death." After he said that, Kin's Falcon Scout flew to his shoulder and began to peck at his head. "See? Even your own animal pleads for you to give up."
But Kin didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Instead, he reached out for his pockets hurled earth Dust to the sides of himself and the Tenno, using his quirk to completely surround the two before activating it, surrounding the two combatants in a tight cage of rocks. Kin got up and recieved another peck from Scout, reaching out to pet iin response.
"Good boy. Since this fellow insists on keeping me in the dark, then you'll be my eyes and ears. Are you ready for round two, mr Tenno?" He asked, putting up his Staff in a fighting stance. "I'd recommend leaving Scout alone if you value your life."

Sini

Massive pillars of dirt and sust formed with each impact as the two fighters tossed each other into the scenery at blinding speeds, Each seeming midly fazed by the blows that'd easily kill a common citizen instantly. And although it seemed like the fight was dead tied, there was definitely more to it than just that. Sini eventually got launched and tumbled a few times into the rim of the woods surrounding the Atlesian city, followed closesy by the Fox Tenno. Her regular aura flickered and then went away, indicating the protection was gone.
"A warrior of your caliber could easily be of use in our ranks." The Fox man said as he neared her. "We could arrange your ensured survival for your services, or the survival of your friends, even."
"...Yeah, here should be enough."
"Beg you pardon?" Sini pulled herself back up and spat a bit of blood. Despite her bruises, she was still smiling as she said:
"I wanted to make sure I didn't kill any innoccent people back there." She explained. "Now, over here, I can go all out. Say your prayers."
Sini reached out for Noctis' charm and ripped it off from her neck. Then, from deep within Sini, her semblance's electric aura began to crackle and sparkle lighting her entire body up in blue lightning and scorcthing the ground beneath her. She screamed, bot in pain and as a battlecry, as she took her footing again and sprinted at her foe with all the might of a speeding train. Presented with such a daunting sight, he had litte to do but to form his sturdiest defenses and hope for the best.

Cherry

Cherry saw Koni being beaten down and tried shooting as soon as she could; he swung his blade with grace and speed, chopping away all the bullets with ease. She jumped onto him to try and swung at his head, but he reached out with his free hand and held her up by her neck. Due to the man's larger stature, she swung everywhere but couldn't reach him.
"Let Koni go! You don't know her!" Cherry protested. "She's a lot stronger than you think!"
"How lovely, two weaklings ganging up on me together. It's useless to try and fight when you are this pityful! Just sit and cry while we take everything away from you, it's what you're best for." Cherry wanted to use her semblance at him, but with his hands around her neck, it wasn't possible. Could it be the end for the two of them, at the hands of such a pathetic opponent? Cherry was still trying to come up with a plan when a voice called the attention of all three:
"HEY YOU!"
It was Aslan, making his way towards the Tenno and the two girls after being sent towards a building for the second time. The white-haired Tenno with the creepy smile fired off his extensible sword once more, but Aslan took a stel back, grabbed the sword as it passed by him and flipped it downwards, slamming its wieder straight into the ground. Cherry recognized that look in his face, the breeze building up around him slowly, and her face lit up immediately.
"I can't let you say things like that about my wife and my friend. Let them go. Right now."
"Or what? You're going to cry for them when they die?"
"B-bad call, mr. villain." Cherry managed to say.
A split second later, Aslan activated his semblance on his sword and darted towards the Tenno clashing swords with him and breaking him away from Koni and Cherry. They both were hurled away and tumbled into the ground a few times, leaving the Tenno surrounded by Aslan, Koni and Cherry.
"Koni, are you alright?" Alsan asked as he got back up. "Stay strong, girls! We're going to take him down together!"
Although Cherry wanted to share Alsan's excitement, something didn't feel right about the whole situation. She tilted her head and looked for Koni with a concerned look:
"Koni..."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Tristan and Noctis stood together, looking at the downed man as he got up. "Vicious little shits, aren't you? Brothers, yes? Guess I will have to end you both then…" He said as he drew his blade, Noctis ready to fight. "Noctis, wait." Tristan held out his arm to his flaming brother. "He is expecting you to use your semblance, let me handle this, and wait for my signal!" He ordered as Noctis growled.


Tristan charged at his opponent, and then grabbed his switch axe out, and did a sideways chop in axe mode, blocked by the assailant. "So predictable, and to think you had a bigger brain than tha-?" The assailant was cut off with a snowball to the face, followed by an icicle to the leg. "NOW!!!" Noctis' body combusted, a scream of fury and hate echoed throughout the area. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME AND MY BROTHER! NOW DIE!!!" He ordered as he then put both of his hands together, and cupped them. A stream of intense flame escaped his hands, and utterly fried their opponent, leaving nothing but a charred corpse that soon melted down into void energy, being called back. Once the battle was over, Noctis ran off to look for sini, still fired up, and extremely volatile. "WAIT, NOCTIS!!!" but it was no use. Tristan then went to find Cherry.


Koni looked at Aslan, and then at cherry. "I couldn't do it… I couldn't beat him… The strongest of the Qal Quai… reduced to sadness and self hatred… I couldn't save them… He is right. I am weak… they are wasting their energy on me…" She thought as the tears ran down as she stared at cherry. "I'm sorry…." was all she could muster before she puts her face in her hands, and silently cried. She did not want her family to see her at her most vulnerable, but that emotional blow was the hit that shattered her confidence and respect for herself. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Kin

Staff and sword clashed time and again with deadly precision and relentless speed as the two fighters were forced to stay at arm’s length by the stones around them. Scout’s reaction time to each of the Tenno’s attacks was especially out of the norm, allowing Kin to keep up with his attacks despite still being deprived of his senses. Whatever the kid lacked in sheer strength or speed, he made up for my manipulating the Dust in his staff; but even that Dust had a limit to it.
“Enough!” A particularly powerful blow from the Tenno shattered Kin’s staff, after which he pointed the blade at the boy’s neck. “Your tricks got you far, but it’s all useless. The void will reign supreme. Now, di-“
“So tell me” Kin said, much calmer. From inside the rocks, nobody from the team could hear him. “How’s mom doing? Has she talked about me lately?” The Tenno was startled by the sudden shift in topic, but decided to indulge the kid in his last words:
“You’re still her one blunder in her eyes. Nothing will please her more than seeing you dead.”
“Well, it’s a feeling that we share. Send her my regards.”
After those words, Kin put forth his arm and activated the Earth dust imbued in his jacket: the Dust exploded outwards before the Tenno could react, impaling him with spikes of rock. The Tenno faded away into void energy, and Kin finally sat down for a breather. He took a look at his hand and said:
“Looks like the effects of his powers are fading, Scout. Thank you for the help.” He reached out for his pockets and gave Scout a piece of jerky, which the bird eagerly accepted. Kin laughed it off and awaited for his sight to return. Hopefully, the others could finish this without his help.

Sini

Flashes of light bright enough to be seen from outside the city followed in quick succession as Sini struck time and again at the Tenno’s defenses, getting sent flying on each hit fast enough to tear apart any pine trunks on his path. In this state, Sini felt each blow she delivered almost as hard in her own body, the electric current coursing unimpeded and searing the ends of her hair and bits of her skin.
Thankfully for Sini, her attacks were forming significant cracks on the Fox man’s void armor. Pressed to win before her Semblance before she got taken out by it herself, she pressed on with her attack with little consideration for anything around her, her lightning aura growing enough to blind her to everything around her. Sini’s attacks began to merge into another as she lost all control and perception of what she was doing, nothing but blood, screams and thunder in her mind in one brutal and bright climax to her fight.
When it was finally over, Sini was standing over the charred remains of the Tenno, heaving and burnt herself, her knees shaking just to keep her standing. The job was done… But something felt dead wrong. During that last outburst of hers, she could have swore she heard a familiar scream. She glanced around for a few moments before finding the source, her eyes widening in horror:
“N-NOCTIS!”

Aslan

How could I be so insensitive? I thought that Koni’s physical health was my main concern, but Cherry saw through the true reason for worry when I couldn’t. The Tenno’s disgusting mind games got through Koni and I hadn’t the slightest idea of how bad it was. If only I hadn’t lost so much time with that other stupid Tenno… But regrets could come later. I slowly walked to the side until I was between her and the enemy.
The Tenno seemed to be done talking this time, and instead just headed straight for me; his swings weren’t as brutal as the other guy I was fighting, but they were even harder to block. Worse even, not only was he doing a number on be, but he was also handling Cherry attacking at his back like it was nothing. What sort of monster was he? Before I know he had me down with my back on the ground, fending off his attacks with my Pride, but with nowhere to escape. Not too far back, I heard Cherry talking:
“Tristan, please! If we don’t do something soon, As is gonna…!”

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Noctis had just walked into an electric explosion as Sini used her semblance to finish her foe after a flurry of attacks building up this electric killzone. He screamed as loud as he could, pain shutting his flame down as he danced in the electric field, unable to move. After the static shock faded, he collapsed onto the ground, laying on his side as he looked at Sini, unaware of what had just happened. It wasn't until she turned back that she saw who the scream belonged to, and shouted his name, "N-NOCTIS!" he heard as she ran up to him, a horrified look on her face as she got on her knees, and stared at him. "Hey Sini, didja miss me?" He joked, trying to somewhat calm her down. "I'm fine, I have taken worse from a Kirin when I hunted with mom once *cough cough*." he said with a raspy voice, he was hurting all over, but numb at the same time. He could move his limbs and the rest of his body, but could not feel. He tried to play tough, despite his condition.


Tristan nodded. "Tend to Koni, Cherry! I am helping Aslan!" he then charged the man Aslan was fighting, freezing his arm into a glacial spike that he stabbed into the assailant's leg."GET AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!!" He screamed as he then took the spear out, and sliced through his sword in Sword mode as the assailant tried to block. The man reeled back, in pain and frustration as he threw down the hilt of his sword to the ground. "You little brat! I will kill you all!" he exclaimed as Tristan took an offensive stance, and took a deep breath. "Bring it then, show me how hot you really are." Tristan looked at his foe calmly, but intently.

 

[CapRock]

Sini

Sini's hands hovered over Noctis' body, eager to touch him but knowing that it couldn't be helped. Seeing the man she loved in that state made her heart skip a beat. A multitude of feelings were welling up inside of her at the moment and the first one to make itself known was anger:
"Noctis, what the hell? Why did you come here? You risked you life just to protect me? I-"
Sini stopped talking, however, as soon as she realized exactly what she had just said. As if it wasn't enough that she had put him through hell for coming in to help her, he was also trying to play it tough just so she wouldn't feel as bad about it; sadly, it had the opposite effect. Her hands fell to the sides of her body and clenched as she realized exactly what was going on and then finally turned her scowl onto hopeless guilt as she made a motion to flee the scene, saying:
"G-get away from me! I'm sorry!"

Aslan

Tristan's arrival was exactly what we needed to turn the tables on the Tenno. When his attack sliced the sword clean, I almost couldn't believe my own eyes! The straw hat man was clearly cornered and running out of options and Tristan seemed to have this in the bag. Doesn't mean I could just watch, though.
"That's it!" Exclaimed the Tenno, bringing his palms up as a powerful pink aura formed around him. "I am going to show you exactly how powerful the void can be! Prepare your-"
*roar*
*shank*
"...Huh?"
I didn't even think twice about it; as soon as the man started to gloat to Tristan, I sneaked behind him and ejected all my semblance into the sword, propelling myself into his back. Pride stabbed through the kimono and popped out of his chest just as he readied to fire, and now he stared at the sword in disbelief.
"I got him pinned!" I yelled to Tristan. "Finish him off for me"
Cherry
Cherry nodded at her boyfriend and made her way to Koni. She carefully reached out for her hand and shoulder, taking the former into hers to give it a tight grip as she said:
"Koni, I need you to be strong. The bad man's almost gone now, so whatever it is, I promise it'll be over soon! Come here." And then she pulled Koni in for a hug.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

With Sini trying to run away, Noctis grabbed her hand with what little strength he had left. "DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!" He exclaimed in a pained tone, tears rolling down his face, the sting of hs injuries intensify as he looked at her. "I DO NOT CARE IF I GET HURT PROTECTING YOU, BUT I WILL NOT HAVE YOU RUN WHEN I NEED YOU MOST. NO MATTER WHAT." This was the most passionate he ever felt about her, and he looked her dead and the eyes, and spoke, "I love you Sini... And I will do whatever it takes to make you happy and safe… Even if it kills me…" He said with the most sincerity he could muster as he looked at her, with pain and sadness in his eyes.


Tristan sheathed his weapon, and his arms became frozen, he then froze the Tenno's legs, all the way to his head, hearing his foe scream before being petrified in ice. "Have an ICE day, you foul cur!" he exclaimed as he formed a sphere of ice over his hand, and landed a punch to the chest, shattering the statue into little pieces, that then disappeared into the void.


Keezheekoni did not know what to do when she was pulled into the hug, and hesitated. But she eventually hugged back as tightly as she could, soaking her shoulder with tears as she tried to calm down. She really hated this feeling of dread, sadness, self doubt and loathing, but was what the villain said true? She wanted to deny it, but the feeling was there and couldn't be shaken off. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Sini

Sini stood speechless, terrified even, as Noctis lacthed on to ver hand and Commander her to stay. As nonsensical as It seemed, there was a part of her that expected a scolding for her actions and feared it. What she got instead was far more powerful, mailing her feel as It her heart was twisting on itself. She felt awful for having thought about running away bit, at the same time, great for being so loved.
"Even after all this, you're still saying things like that... That last lightning must have fried your damn brain." She said, tears flowing from her eyes and into a smile. She kissed his lips softly and gently leaned over him, two exhausted fighters sharing warmth after the storm. "I love you too, Noctis. I promise I'll never try to run again. You watch my back, and I'll watch yours. Deal?"

Aslan

The world grinds to a halt as Tristan finishes off the Tenno, spouting words I would beber expect to se leaving his mouth. Could that sad excuse for a one-liner count as personal growth for Mr. Deadpan there? I let my sword fall loose by my side as I stare at him in disbelief, only capable of saying this:
"...Really?"
But as much as I'd like to stick around and hear his response there até far more important matters to attend. After hugging Koni, Cherry managed to hold on for a few more Second before breaking into tears herself, yelling:
"Koni is sad and I don't know whyyyy!!!"
As silly as that seemed, I can relate to that a lot. I reached out my hand for Koni, but pull It back right after, scared of making a mistake at such a crucial moment. Instead, all I can do is stare at her,my eyes pleading for her: Tell me what's going on!

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Nah, it wasn't the lightning. But it was my hot and flaming heart. I'd go to bat for you and my family any day of the weak. So cuddle up, before I *cough* cool down…" he said with a light chuckle before Sini kissed him, which caused him to pull her on top of him with the strongest hug he could offer. "Deal, but let's lay here for a bit… before everyone else starts lookin' for us." He said as he sighed out of content, though the physical pain was unbearable, the feelings he got from Sini were all worth it.


Koni felt Cherry break away from her, and watched as she started crying. Koni backed away as he eyes met Aslan's. She did not know what to say, or what to do. She felt her heart shattered as she shook her head, and ran off into the city. She needed to be alone for a while, but WHERE to be alone was another question entirely.


"Shall I have my men go after her?" Winter asked as Ironwood watched her run. "Negative. She needs time to calm down and think." he said as he looked at the others who were just recovering from their battle. "Get them to the infirmary, make a sweep for any of the others, Goodwitch will not be happy to hear Atlas is not taking care of her students if she hears about this." and without missing a beat, the soldiers helped the students up, and loaded them into vehicles. With Ironwood wanting Egon and Kyla to stay behind. "I need to speak with the both of you. And it is regarding your... Speech, Ms. Azura." he said as kyla's heart dropped. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

Seeing Koni backing away and shaking her head to me was,without shadow of a doubt, one of the hardest things I ever had to go through. I felt absolutely powerless about it, like an abyss had opened between us, but I still tried to run after her. Sadly for me, the adrenaline from the fight was wearing out, and do was my ability to ignore my wounds.
"Aslan!" I heard Cherry scream as my world turned upside down and I found myself kissing the harsh concrete of the ground. "Please, don't push yourself... She's going to be back, I'm sure." She picked me up since I barely had it in me to wipe the blood in my lips.
"Just... What happened to her?" I managed to ask.
"I wish I knew. We'll just have to ask her later..."

Verde

One loud explosion later, Verde and her sister were calmly shaking off the dirt that got in them as the enemy turned into void energy. Despite all the chaos, seemed as though the atlesian's priorities were to ensure their safety, so they decided to help out:
"Where's Noctis and Sini? Should we go after them?" Midori asked.
"Nah, they're our strongest, they should be fine. Something tells me we should let them be for now." Verde added with an amused smirk.
"Fair enough. What about Kin?"
"You're right. Where did that one-eyed charlatan go?"
"Over here!" A muffled voice called out for them. They followed the sound and found a big slab of Dust stone, sealed on all sides. "...It seems that I have gotten myself slightly stuck."

Kin

A few minutes later, the team was travelling on the trucks, but the Russet twins hadn't finished giggling over Kin's situation; hearing about Tristan's pun certainly didn't help either. Cherry seemed anxious and worried about those left behind and Aslan had gone dead silent, staring at his interlocked hands and all bandaged up from his wounds. This left him Sonora Jr. and Tristan to talk to:
"We may have survived the first attack, but I'm sure they will be back for more." He leaned in to whispe: "And it seems like Atlas is still too worried about petty differences with people like Kyla and me to face the real threat. Don't be fooled here people, your- I mean our only allies here are our family." Kin was still trying to get used to being part of the group, but he was determined to accomplish it. And the reason for it was, of course none other than his love.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Well at this point, who would we trust more?" Sonora Jr. Muttered aggressively as she was still riled up from the battle, blood staining her clothes and face. "And them coming back will only mean more annoyances to rip apart into dust." She then sighed, but… Some of us did not fare as well as the others… And I nearly died after hearing about Tristan and his stupid one liner."


"Come on! I thought it was a good one!" Tristan retorted as he then looked at Cherry. "Anyways, what happened to Koni…? Did she run off?" he asked, knowing something about the fight was bothering her badly. And same with Aslan. Whatever it was, he wanted to help any way he could.


About 10 minutes later, everyone was at the hospital, either in a bed, or right next to one. Tristan and Cherry were sitting next to Aslan, making sure he was alright before he walked out to check on the others. That was, until he saw Sini and Noctis rolled in on stretchers, rushed to treatment. "Oh no…" He said before sprinting after them. He kept in stride with the paramedics, and could not believe what he saw. "Noctis!? What the hell happened?!" he yelled as noctis smiled and gave a labored chuckle. "Hey bro… I got into a bit of a… Shock...." Was all Noctis said before coughing some more.


"I walked right into Sini's attack… she fried that fox guy… I just… I just wanted to make sure she got out alive. But if my dumb a$$ would have paid attention…" He said as he looked at Tristan with pain and sadness. "Noctis, do not talk like that! You are not dumb! You did what you thought was right, but you know what? I am glad you are alive. I would not know what to tell mom if she found out you died on my watch… I may be hard and pushy with you… but I do it because I want you to be your best, and so does mom and dad. And you putting your life on the line for Sini shows me that you are at your best." he said as he grabbed his brother's charred hand, and gripped it tightly, then looked at Sini, and let go. "You take care of him… you hear me?" was all he could whisper before a tear rolled down his face. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Sini

Sini wasn't much better off than Noctis, the nature of her Semblance causing it to be almost as dangerous to her as it was the one she was figthing when applied at full force. She was biting her lip during the whole exhcange between the brothers, her eyes wet as she stared in silence from her bed up until she was mentioned. Seeing Tristan open up that made the whole moment that much more important. Things were moving on beyond just taking care of herself now; she had a partner, someone else to take care of besides her own problems. Responsibilities like that were always terrifing, but just as much exciting. She nodded to Tristan and said:
"I'll never let this happen again. It's a promise." She then turned to Noctis and added: "After all, you're my biggest treasure now. I wouldn't know what to do if something happened."

Cherry

Cherry overheard Tristan's words and latched on to his arm as he did it, staring wide-eyed at his softer side showing out. She'd only seen very tiny bits of him like that before, and that was more than most people could say. He never ceased to surprise and impress her, and it made her feel all fuzzy inside to see how much he cared for his brother. Looking up to him with a giddy smile, she said:
"Look at my Tristan go! You deserve a smooch for that one, you surprise softy!" She gave him a peck in the lips and kept staring at him until something seemed to suddenly bother her. "Hey... You guys feeling a breeze in here?"
"A breeze inside the hospital room?" Verde asked. "But we left the window closed... Didn't we?"
Everyone turned their attention to the window of the room which happened to be just beside Aslan's bed. The window had been shut open, and the was no sign of Aslan.
"Ho boy." Said Kin.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Tristan blushed heavily as Cherry pecked him on the lips, and brought up a draft in the room. "Draft? The window is… oh crap…" He said as he walked into the room, and saw Aslan's bed being empty. "We have two options here, he either Jumped out to find Koni, or he was taken. I vote for the former." Tristan said as Sonora Jr. Came in, and saw his bed was empty.

"Where is he? Where the f!#k is he?" she asked in an aggressive tone as tristan put his hands up to her. "Easy there, feisty pants. We don't know… what are you doing?" he asked as Sonora began to sniff around.

"Don't you know that I can track his clumsy a$$ down with smell? I am a wolf faunus afterall." She added in a condescending tone as she sniffed his bed. "Nobody else's scent in here. He jumped." She said as she looked at the others. "Stay here, and do not follow. I need to concentrate on finding him without anyone else's stench masking his."


And with that, she jumps out the window, and began her search as she moved around the city. Alleys, streets, even shops, she looked all over. She began to lose hope until she picked up his scent again 20 minutes later, this time stronger than before. "There you are, you clumsy cat." She muttered as she sprinted towards the source. CapRock