Vagabond Spectre
Seven Thousand Club
Inside the luscious green forests, tall trees roofing overhead, steady bushes, and paths paved by previous feet that walked. A lone young girl remains wary of her environment, it was nearly dead silent. Apart from the occasional gunfire from the distance which did not help her ease. She could barely hear the sound of even the smallest of forest insects.
"No Grimm... So far."
She told to herself, sweeping and pointing her lit gun in front, covering almost all angles face on. Anything can be hiding from the bushes, treetops, and even plain sight if she fails to be aware. She already took 2 turns left and a right turn just moments ago. Each turn emerged with a swift entry to catch any Grimm quickly. It was getting lonely in this labyrinth of nature, anxiety only grew with a thought.
"Has somebody been here? No, if they were they would be close, these are long paths. Trees here are too close to each other. I wonder if someone tried to pierce through the trees just to find those Totems faster? I haven't found Grimm decaying around either."
Begging to notice the tree branches hanging overhead, letting little rays of sunlight blind her through her glasses. Looking backward behind her she thought of marking her tracks to prevent entering the same path twice. Looking around again she tried to look for something to use to mark her current location. She found three rocks on the ground, noticeable on the ground since it is on the pathway itself. Trying to pick up a stone, at first she thought the stone was just stuck deeply into the ground but now with both hands trying to pry it out. It's like it's cemented into the ground completely. Giving up to pick up the stones, she stood back up and only notice that from her angle it looks like an obtuse triangle if connected together. Tracing the shape of a triangle with her quarterstaff.
"I can see why Felicia uses a short sword back in Signal... *Sigh*"
Finishing with a double stamp of her quarterstaff's tip which has a hex bolt screw-like design with a line in the middle. Creating an X mark that the eye could easily catch. It was just a small mark but at least it can be something that counts as a mark. Unfortunately, this mark is something she would never see again as the rotation of the forest maze shifts again minutes after she took a left turn ahead. She felt like she was at least steps closer to one of the totems. There was now a difference in brightness around her, it was slightly shiny from the leaking sunlight from above the branches. Whilst checking her phone, perhaps checking for locations of the totem. She immediately points her pistol at a nearby shrub that rustled. A sense of dread flows in her blood.
"H-hello? Anyone there?"
Asking whoever is hiding the bush to come out, the answer came to her instantaneously. A dark motion blur bursts out of the bushes with its eyes red with malice. Despite the speed of this thing, Nula instantly knew what she is up against. With an upward sweep of her free hand. A thin black hole rips in front of her, shielding against the fast-paced attacker just in time. The thin gaseous hole swallows them and came out just 10 feet away from Nula, its face smashed against a tree trunk at its own speed. With a quick follow-up, a gun pointed towards her attacker, there was no mistaking it. For a brief moment, she identified them. It's the Creatures of Grimm, vicious creatures that roam Remnant, the very foe all students of Beacon have to face eventually. One almost took a nice chunk of her face. Beowolf-Lower class variety.
Just as when she was about to pull the trigger towards the Beowolf. Ambush from behind from another Beowolf, pouncing to chomp off a shoulder. She failed to take at least a wounding shot to the first one. Rolling out of the way with a dive first to the side. The Beowolf completely missed her by a few inches. She feels more alert now.
"T-two Beowolves!? I have to finish this quickly! Before I become lunch!"
She is lucky to dodge the second one. The ambushing Beowolf jolts its head back to its armed prey, angered by their slip up. Began charging at her at all fours. Sending Nula to take back a few steps backward. It's way too aggressive to aim for its head. Too late now it already closed its distance. Swiping its razor-sharp claws to the left which she dodged to the left. It followed up then with a bite attack, catching Nula's pistol in its teeth. In a panic, she lets go of her weapon.
"Eat this instead!"
She cried out drawing her yellow-blue quarterstaff, split in two currently, a combat baton at this state. The beast roars at her which effectively made her slightly nervous but with a fighting spirit, she jammed one of her batons towards the Grimm's throat the moment it tries to bite her again. A successful attempt as the Beowolf is now choking at the baton-quarterstaff piece as it tried to harm Nula. Now trying to vomit out the baton, while trying to get a lucky swipe towards the girl who was passing by them quickly to retrieve her gun back. Shooting back at the Beowolf. Shooting him only twice one from the lower left rib and one at the throat. It dropped dead on the ground with her Baton still on its throat. The Beowolf she warped earlier came back to its senses and now roaring back at her. She looked back to the previously eliminated Grimm on the ground and looked back to the Beowolf.
"You-- You want t-to end up like your friend here!?"
The Grimm not capable of understanding the concept of verbal intimidation, answered back to the only thing it know how to do, attack. Now rushing down her. A volley of plasma orbs shot back to the Beowolf. Some rounds missed the creature but most of it landed against it, each shot slowing it down until it laid dead on her very footing. She looked back to her gun, checking the ammo. A lit meter bar on her magazine now indicating low ammo.
"Two shots left. I think... I... Gotta bit... Noisy. This one goes out for you, Auntie."
Trying to catch her breath from the sudden ambush. Just as soon as she mentions noise. She could hear howling from a distance, multiple in fact. Must be more Grimm coming this way. No point in staying any longer, she needs to go now. Picking up her weapons back, she heads down the path ahead of her, a rather long path at that. Before she could go any further, she looked back at the scene which had 3 or more Beowolves sniffing around before all of them looked in her direction which where she was no longer there and took a turn on the nearby turn on the left side.
Several moments later...
"Four Totems in the dark tunnel... Waterfall... Hmm. Looks like this could be..."
Looking back into her scroll again. To check her objectives, mumbling quietly to herself. Visible frustrated as she feels like she's been walking and avoiding danger all day. She is noticing the difference in her area around her. It's nothing like before.
"Aww... Feels like I'm going around nowhe--"
Her groans ceased at the sudden glimpse of something in her eye. Something that's moving in the trees. Drawing out her gun in her hands, keeping it on the down for now. She is not foolish enough. To call out anyone again. It was in between the trees, it was unusually sunny in her view angle, she could only see movement in the tree shadows. Now losing track of looking for the totem. She silently followed the shadows animating from the sunlight to the trees.
At some point she could have sworn she saw a figure, not that of a Grimm, it was more familiar. Silently keeping her distance and out of sight, creeping from tree to tree. She can't see them, they can see her until she spots the figure a bit more clearly. Blonde hair shone through, almost glistening in the light.
"Was that...?"
Keeping her gun and head low, moving silent across the woods and rocks, up and low. Despite her sneaky approach, it seems she never gets any closer to them. Until she saw them clear from an upper hill. It was a girl. Almost ethereal in beauty. Her eyes widened from her appearance and the weapon she wields. As she stalked her a little more trying to go downhill for closer observation. An exposed root from a nearby tree on her left blew her cover. A sound of a twig snap and a girl's grunts tumbling down a hill is heard. Bushes, leaves, and dust move out of the way of the rolling girl. Rolling her to the student huntress before her.
"Huh! I-- Uhhhh... I-i ugh. I didn't, I was just... I didn't mean to!"
"I'm Just uhh... Looking for a totem!"
She raised her hands up with her pistol still holding onto her left hand. She appears to be sweating as if the one before her is worse than any Grimm that lurks in the forest. She remained seated on the dirt road.
