[Kaliot]

Pyre pinballed off the surprise body and into a tree, tumbling the rest of the way down the gentle slope into the calm stream below. Face-down, the cool water swept briefly over her face briefly before she jolted up to her hands and knees, the front of her clothes now soaked and dripping. and wet strands of hair dangling down in front of her face. Her breaths were quick and sharp as Pyre took a moment to regain her composure.

[nathan67003]

Nathan came to a stop splayed and facing upwards, water cooling his head and back. He briefly thanked the very concept of Aura for preventing having the wind knocked out of him and clambered to his feet ASAP, looking to where he'd just rolled down from and holding Ergia in a defensive posture. He quickly scanned the area to locate the black figure and managed to do so as it jumped to standing position off to his left. He couldn't even tell anything about it with how quick he'd taken a look, but that was far from being something that mattered at the moment - it was person-shaped and that was enough.

"You okay?", he asked in an unnervingly neutral tone as he slowly stepped closer to what was ostensibly his newly-assigned partner, eyes still trained on the slope above.

[Aethon Shaan]

Cyrus was a little taken back as Tina so clearly stating where Grimm might be and not be. The giant frowned as possibilities crossed his mind, Tina lying or just trying to show off seemed most likely but Cyrus knew some people had weird abilities.

'Let's see if we can chase down some more Grimm, they are probably hunting other students so maybe we will find what we are both looking for.' Cyrus responded drawing his weapons as he headed leftwards, the second direction Tina pointed out.

'Just give me a yell if I get too far ahead, I might have a little habit of rushing off and I'm not that used to working in a team.' Cyrus remarked apologetically as the pair set off. The Peacock Faunus thought about trying to maintain a conversation with Tina as the pair moved but decided against it, she seemed timid enough already and there would be time for that sort of stuff later.

Normally Cyrus would take to the skies but he wanted to stay closer to Tina with Grimm around, the giant looked obviously tense at being half trapped on the ground as he set about his task of cutting through the undergrowth. The monotonous but still physical work kept Cyrus's mind focused and it wasn't long until growling could be heard coming from all around the pair. It sounded like a large pack but they weren't engaging right away, seemingly happy to keep at a distance. Almost herding the students.

Not long after the growling first was heard the pair cut their way through into a small riverside clearing and came across another pair of students kneeling in the river.

[MonsterManic]

Give you a yell? Sure, easy for you to say when you're this large and confident... Tina internally sulked, but nodded to show that she heard and agreed. Thankfully, the giant seemed to get the hint and didn't try to start any conversations with her for now. Part of her wanted to make the excuse that speaking less would draw less attention to them by virtue of making less noise, but the more rational half just scolded her for being antisocial. Besides, Cyrus was making a hell of a lot of noise just pushing his way through smaller bushes and brushing past low-hanging branches that the smaller girl would have just slipped past silently, so even that was out of the question.

While Cyrus busied himself with bushwhacking a path, Tina stayed on alert and pulsed her radar every so often now that she wasn't alone. Despite the noise, it somehow seemed that the Grimm weren't attracted by the noise, or they didn't hear it? Instead, the dots encircled the pair at a reasonably safe distance...not attacking, but not content to let them roam in whichever direction they pleased either. Since the growling from the pack was fairly obvious at that point, she didn't feel the need to alert Cyrus or draw her weapons - yet. But with their numbers, it was imperative that they find other Hunters, whether Tina liked it or not.

It didn't come as a surprise to Tina to see two students half lying, half standing in the river - she'd observed the irregular movement long before she actually laid eyes on them, one girl - Praise be, I won't be surrounded by only males for the next few years! - and one boy, black pole raised defensively and staring in their opposite direction. In a flash her own revolvers were out and trained at the same slope. The other male's senses must have been sharp, for a pair of beady red eyes poked over the edge. Then two more, and two more, two more - with a razor-sharp, amber yellow stinger dangling overhead. Without a word, Tina opened fire on the Deathstalker, aiming to blind at least an eye or two and possibly deter it from attacking the closer duo on the streambed. Obviously this would draw the attention of the pack behind them, but better Beowolves than a Deathstalker.

Combat Stats: ShowHide

● Aura: [██████████] 100%
● Targets: Deathstalker - 6 regular rounds fired at eyes
● Ammo: Sunrise - 9/12, Nightfall - 9/12

[Kaliot]

Regaining her composure, Pyre made her way back onto her two feet. Taking advantage of this brief reprieve, she took a gander at her fellow student, now made partner. Pyre gave him an energetic thumps-up, but before she could introduce herself, a Deathstalker reared its ugly face over the ever-so-slight ridge overlooking the stream. Pyre prepared her weapon but was caught off-guard as the beast reared back, pelted by sudden volley of gunfire. Pyre turned her head just enough to catch a glimpse of a giant, eye-catching man and a short woman, two guns in hand. A smirk flashed across her face.

Pyre turned back to the Deathstalker and watched as it started making its way down the slope. Her eyes darted side to side scanning the ridge-line, but her brows scrunched as she wondered where the pack of Beowolves had gone. Were they scared off by the Deathstalker? They seemed intent in catching her so surely not, but it was impossible to tell. Pyre let off a soft hum before she made up her mind. She turned to her partner and pointed toward the sky.

"Hey, I'm going up."

Pyre gave herself a running start along the shore of the stream before activating her weapon and shooting up through the break in the canopy directly above the water, a bellowing flame trailing behind her.

[nathan67003]

Nathan had barely registered the movement off to his left - a... thumbs up? Possibly? - when his concentration aimed towards the front intensified, several close-set red eyes appearing above the slope's edge. Of course he hadn't gotten away from the deathstalker. And if it was there, where the hell did the beowolves who'd been chasing his brand-new partner go?

He was ready to roll right out of the way of its likely charge when gunfire erupted behind him, making a sound not too dissimilar from hail smashing up on a rock. He guessed the likely target was the thing's eyes, but with their pinpoint size that was easier said than done. Didn't feter it much from its target either, judging by how it made its way down the slope. Nathan backed up towards his partner, keeping Ergia solidly held between himself - the likely target of the deathstalker - and the aforementioned arthropoid abomination.

As he was about to ask his partner for a plan, any plan, to tackle this, he heard the decidedly feminine voice announce it was 'going up', followed by the roar of flames and their heat. Splitting his brain between the scorpion as wide as the shallow river in front of him and his partner's possible intentions, he determined she was likely going to attempt and dive-bomb the deathstalker into oblivion. That was his best guess, anyway.

Since there'd been gunfire coming from behind him moments before, he assumed someone else had joined the party and shouted to their intention. "Take care of the beowolves! This guy's after me, I'm gonna keep 'im busy 'til she comes back down!"

[MonsterManic]

Grimly observing the Deathstalker back off slightly before continuing its slow advance down the slope, which could only mean her bullets didn't hit their mark, Tina would have continued raining lead on the oversized scorpion had the girl on the streambed not rocketed off like...well, like a rocket. She stared in wonder as the girl swiftly soared out of line of sight from her position, and could only assume that it wasn't her beating a hasty retreat. Given that her bullets would do little against the Deathstalker's thick carapace, she would be more than happy if Rocket Girl was gonna sort out the big critter for them.

"Take care of the beowolves! This guy's after me, I'm gonna keep 'im busy 'til she comes back down!"

Oh right, the Beowolves. Tina scarcely had time to turn around fully before one lunged from the thick bushes, pitch-black throat growling gutturally and razor-sharp fangs dripping with drool. She threw herself backwards, still getting clawed across the right shoulder for her troubles but double-tapping the Beowolf in the head in retaliation. Now with two large holes through its brain, the Grimm's corpse tottered and slumped across Tina's prone body and legs, making her kick and flail her way out from under the slowly dissipating darkness.

"Cyrus, they're coming!" She shouted, somewhat pointlessly. "Two on your left first, then two on your right, and one straggler that's lagging behind!" Scrambling to her feet, she took up a position behind the guitar-wielding giant with guns trained on the treeline, sparing nary a glance at the man brandishing his pole in front of him.

Combat Stats: ShowHide

● Aura: [█████████▄] 94% -6% Beowolf Claw
● Ammo: Sunrise - 8/12, Nightfall - 8/12

[Aethon Shaan]

'Huh, another fire bird. What are the chances?' Cyrus muttered to himself as Pyre launched herself into the air.

Cyrus gave Nathan a nod as he volunteered himself as the distraction for the Deathstalker then turned to face the on coming pack. Leaving such a powerful foe behind him was difficult for the giant but if these people where going to be his team he would have to trust them. Reacting quickly to Tina's call outs Cyrus swung around his guitar and let loose a quick riff which activated the guitar's dust emitters. Gravity dust blasted out at the two Beowolves slowing them down, causing them to miss their charge and end up floating harmlessly at least for a time.

'I'll set them up...' Cyrus began as he left Tina to finish off the partially disabled Beowolves left in his wake.

With one flank secure for now Cyrus turned his attention to his right, swapping his weapons into their sword form the Peacock Faunus met the Grimm's snarls with a roar of his own. One of the Beowolves lunged high and Cyrus was able to catch the beast's underside in a clean upswing, severing the beast in two. The other went wider and it's jaw latched onto Cyrus's wing. The giant bit back a howl of pain and tried to bat the Grimm away, the Beowulf however kept it's footing and it's distance and bit down even harder.

[nathan67003]

His feet solidly planted in the stream in evident defiance, Nathan's mind went into overdrive. He consciously made an effort to process information outside the centre of his field of view, in an attempt to register any kind of anticipation to the deathstalker's movements. At the same time, he examined his options. His partner was above the canopy. To his right, the rest of his fledgling team was dealing with one, or perhaps several, pack(s) of beowolves. He could not back down and survival was the top priority, while his actual goal was forcing the giant, fake arachnid of a Grimm in front of him to focus its entire attention, aggression and intellect onto himself.

Turns out he would be using that plan after all.

Patiently, he waited in the same defensive stance as before, not moving back or to the side from the predator. The latter very obviously found this insulting, as it hissed and snapped its immense claws in an attempt to intimidate him - with no result. He was too focused to even register threat displays as actual threats. The deathstalker, however, did not share his patience and soon lunged at him, claws open for a shredding.

The entirety of Nathan's plan unfolded within the next second. Retracting his legs towards his body as fast as he could while bending down and using Ergia as a pushrod, he dropped down and forwards, the scorpion's claws swiping at air as it barrelled right past him. As fast as he could, Nathan shoved his staff through a gap between two of the beast's right legs and, using one of his hands, hoisted himself on top of the bony plates. He immediately rammed one end of Ergia in the articulation between two large plates and laid flat, back towards the ground, while holding the staff with both hands.

The shrill was decidedly painful to Nathan as the deathstalker raged against both the pain of having plates forced apart and the humiliation of a human deciding to ride it. It frantically trashed around, slamming against the ground, spinning left and right, anything to attempt to dislodge the pest on its back, out of reach of its claws.

[Kaliot]

Pyre circled above the trees, stalling for time as she watched the battlefield unfold beneath her. The other pair skirmished with the Beowolves that were once chasing her and her partner faced the Deathstalker alone--a clear signal that they were expected her to do something. Almost as soon as that thought entered her head, it was leaving again as a soft giggle. Pyre had taken to the air to survey the area and then strike where needed, and it looked like it was needed on the Deathstalker.

She continued to watch as her partner masterfully damaged the beast's playing. Unfortunately, it was at the cost of it being an easy target as it thrashed about as it attempted to unseat him. Finding the opening she was waiting for, Pyre activated her semblance, engulfing herself and her weapon, and rocketed toward the Deathstalker, approaching the weakened side at a 45 degree angle.

""Get ready!" Pyre shouted. A rare occurrence to be sure.

[MonsterManic]

The way the Beowolves floated by was almost comical, their arms flailing and swiping at thin air as they drifted harmlessly over Tina's head. A bullet to their very exposed noggin sorted both weightless Grimm out and Tina turned back to see Cyrus dealing with another that decided it wanted a course of chicken wings. She winced in sympathy, taking careful aim not to put two holes in Cyrus's already injured wing, before firing through the Grimm's neck with both revolvers. Hopefully, severing its spinal cord would instantly relieve some of the jaw's pressure before the head would fully disintegrate.

Still fully aware that there was one Grimm left on her radar, Tina beckoned with one revolver-grasping hand for Cyrus to come closer to her, away from the treeline so that she'd have more time to nail whatever decided to emerge instead of being jumped on like they previously had been. Behind her, the Deathstalker screeched in displeasure, prompting her to turn around and look. She wasn't expecting the other Hunter to be riding it like a rodeo bull at an arcade, but it seemed to be a pretty good distraction while Rocket Girl did her thing.

Speaking of, her new position afforded her a prime position of the other girl falling like a meteor, fully encased in flames and all. So, a giant with an equally large guitar, a Deathstaker-mounting hunter, and a burning girl with a rocket-propelled...broom? She couldn't tell from this angle, but it was a stick with a bulbous end - broom was the first thing that came to mind. In spite of everything happening around her, Tina sighed deeply. Why couldn't I have found people that aren't as loud and boisterous...

Combat Stats: ShowHide

● Aura: [█████████▄] 94%
● Ammo: Sunrise - 6/12, Nightfall - 6/12

[Aethon Shaan]

Cyrus gave a nod of thanks to Tina as she shot through the Beowulf attached to his wings, stabbed one of his swords into the earth and ripped the now loose Grimm head from his wing. Juggling the dissolving head a few times Cyrus turned to face the last Beowulf before throwing it at the charging beast and knocked it off balance. Picking back up his second sword Cyrus plunged both into sprawled out Grimm finishing off the last of that pack.

'Anymore? Other than... you know that one.' Cyrus asked Tina as he pointed and at the Deathstalker.

'So do you think you guys have that deathstalker under control or do you need help?' Cyrus yelled out, transforming his weapons back into their guitar form.

 

[nathan67003]

Still laying flat on his back against the deathstalker's armour plates and relying almost solely on the staff firmly lodged into the articulation between two of the aforementioned plates, Nathan was spending most of his thinking power on not getting thrown off by the increasingly wild bucking combined with keeping an eye on the golden glow of the beast's stinger. He was entirely reliant on his partner coming down sooner or later for the moment - though if this kept up, he'd have to go with his original, solo plan sooner or later.

Through this and the scorpion's frantic, infuriated screeching, he barely even understood the last words someone shouted nearby - "need help?" A few seconds later, his brain had managed to process the information enough for him to generate a reply. Yelling a bit to try and be heard over the rampaging Grimm, he said "Nah, we're fine, just uh, give it a bit!"

No sooner had he finished his sentence that a far more pressing yell reached his ears from on high. Luckily, he was already looking up and therefore had absolutely no issue spotting the speeding fireball heading towards him. He only gave it a scant few seconds, to get better timing, then swung around Ergia, firmly planting his feet on the white, bonelike plates and pulling with all his might in an attempt to dislodge the black weapon from the equally black creature. A particularly violent attempt by the deathstalker to get him off of its back gave Nathan the help he needed, the black tube coming out of its lodging with a mix of suction and a loud crack. Half furious from the injury and half invigorated by having at last sent him flying off, the black monster turned its red eyes to face Nathan as he rapidly got up from the stream's bed and screeched with all its might.

[Kaliot]

Pyre adjusted her flight path, constantly keeping an angle on the kink in the Deathstalker's armor. Although this made difficult by the Grimm's erratic behavior and the thicker tree lines alongside the stream, she managed to stay zoned in. As she closed in, Pyre seamlessly switched off the thrust of her weapon and kicked out her back-foot to flip the weapon handle up into her hands. She took in one last breath and held it in as she smashed her mace into the right side of the Deathstalker.

A sharp, sickly cracking sound reverberating through the forest and Pyre's flames flashed from purple to near white before immediately extinguishing. Her body was flung from the impact side, landing near the shore and loosely tumbling for a couple of seconds before coming to a rest. Working back, the Deathstalker lay with a large chunk missing from its body. Further beyond that, in the opposite direction of Pyre, was her mace sticking up from the ground, the head of each was deeply entrenched in the earth.

[Aethon Shaan]

Cyrus looked over at Tina waiting for a response to his question but when it became clear none was coming the giant simply sat down on the grassy floor and watched the fight against the Deathstalker continue. Even going so far to applaud when Nathan and Pyre's blows connected, particularly Pyre's whose aerial acrobatics combined style and brutality in a way the punk appreciated.

Thinking about aerial acrobatics brought Cyrus's attention back to his bitten wing, luckily he aura had held so no tissue damage had been done but it still thrummed painfully. Absentmindedly the Peacock Faunus groomed his wings while he waited for his new team mates to finish their kill on the Grimm.