RWBYFanon v5
RPG World of Remnant => The Vale Region => Beacon Academy => Topic started by: Flooberoid on February 10, 2017, 07:54:39 PM
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Carnation marched the tranquil gravel path through the Emerald Forest with sword and shield hanging at her sides, drawn but not ready. A warm, comforting light of midday sun penetrated the sparse canopy, illuminating the spacious pathway. What little threat this area posed- the occasional Creep and some miniature Nevermores above- dared not strike out against Cara and her newly appointed team. Besides, their radiant positivity kept the dangers at bay, as Cara insisted on saying. There was indeed nothing to fear on this portion of the journey.
If only the entire forest could be like this. Every resident of Vale- well, the still living ones at least- knew the dangers that lurked deep within the forest. It was indeed typical for huntsmen and huntresses to be sent into the wilderness to best these horrors for the sake of their people. Even so, on occasion certain beasts had been known to evade detection, or to triumph over their assailants, and be given time to grow. They grew bigger, stronger, faster, smarter than any others of their species, until finally they were deemed a high priority target by the kingdoms of the world. It was one of these Grimm that Cara, with the help of her freshman team, was to exterminate on this mission. Why a freshman team? Beg the headmaster hard enough, and any mission can be yours!
Knowing the feeling of security would not last into the deeper parts of the forest, Cara took this time to chat with her new friends. "So... lovely day, isn't it? Everyone excited to cut some Grimm down to size?"
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Helena walked slowly besides her team leader, a large, honest smile plastered accross her face. The Sun was shining through the trees, a slight, cool breeze making the leaves sway in a beautiful melody. The weather was, of course, a good reason for her to be feeling so good, but it was most probably due to the fact that she was walking with friends.
She was a bit bummed that she couldn't possibly bring Kari along on a mission, but oh well. She'd have the opportunity to have her lazing about on her later. Plus, look! There were all kinds of cute critters everywhere! She'd seen at least three curious squirrels so far, had two chickadees come stand on her hand for a bit and even spied an absolutely adorable bunny in the tall grass besides the path. Everything was just so pretty, she was almost giddy with joy.
When her team leader spoke, she turned her head to face her, her hair regretfully following the movement. "It really is a wonderful day! I can't wait to snipe a Grimm with Artemis!", she said as her smile grew even brighter.
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"They won't know what hit them," Eamon cheerily agreed. He walked through the radiant forest with his polearm across the back of his neck, supporting his two arms stretched over its length. The entire arrangement looked like nothing less than a shoulder yoke, a relaxed posture for the slow amble that the beginning of the mission permitted.
As he walked, he flexed his Aura, barely-noticeable patches of power appearing over his body. It would be good to get a real workout, flex out some of the kinks, he reflected. Speaking of which... "Remind me exactly what our mark is, again," he asked, flushing a bit at forgetting the very premise of the job.
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Shiro put her hands behind her neck and leaned slightly back with her head as she walked with the rest of the group, enjoying the nice weather. "Yeah, its a wonderful day. Nothing beats exterminating some Grimm on a day like this!" She said as she gave a warm smile towards her team and stretched her arms out.
"As Eamon asked, it would be better to refresh our memory about our target so that we know what we're dealing with." Shiro said, but she couldn't help but add "Is it strong?" as her eyes lit up in excitement. She couldn't wait to beat some Grimm up.
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Cara enthusiastically relayed the details of their mission to her teammates. "We're hunting a King Taijitu, and yeah, it's strong. A couple of huntsmen before us have tried to fight it and barely escaped with their lives.
"The weird thing is, every report of our target so far says that the huntsmen were holding up okay before they were unexpectedly blindsided. It seems like this beastie is fast, even able to shake the watchful eye of experienced professionals." There was really no encouraging way of saying that, so Cara added, "But hey, between all of us there are eight eyes to go around, eh? I think we can count on each other to watch our backs!"
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With a large smile still on her face, Helena said "Yeah! And I'll be covering from afar, so it'd be even harder for it to take us by surprise!"
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"Hmm..." Eamon mused. "I suppose it would be interesting to fight a Grimm that can surprise even trained Huntsmen." He unlevered his weapon from his shoulders, giving it an flamboyant spin, before bringing it down to the ground in a loud thump.
"I'm looking forward to it," he confessed, eagerness tinting his voice. "Snakeskin wallets for everyone!"
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"If you need someone to cover you, I've got your back!" Shiro said as she pointed at herself and puffed out her chest. Remembering that she doesn't know where the King Taijitu is located, she turned towards Carnation and asked, "So when do we get there?"
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"Well, we were given a general area to search..." Temporarily sheathing her sword, Cara pulled out the map that had been prepared for them. "We're over here..." She pointed to the path they were on, flecked with points of light green. "...and we're headed to this area, in the big red circle." She gestured to a reasonably large region, colored almost entirely with deep shades of green. On the far west side of this region was an outcropping of exposed rock, depicted as standing high above the surrounding foliage.
While they were looking at the map, Cara suddenly felt that the ground beneath her had changed. She looked up, embarrassed to find that she had absentmindedly walked off the end of the gravel path. "Uh, end of the road, guys! Hope everyone brought good hiking boots- it's nature's pathways from here on out!" Apparently the artificial path had given up by this point, as the bushes and trees of the Emerald Forest finally brought their A-game. Though it was still midday, the lights gradually dimmed ahead of them, impeded by the dense canopy. Rustling sounds around and above them revealed that the creatures in this region would not be so timid. Cara confirmed their location once more before putting the map away in favor of her weapon.
Spooky... I guess we're on the right track!
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Helena couldn't help but giggle at Eamon's statement. It was entirely ridiculous.
She did, however, stop alongside her leader and read the map she took out over her shoulder. Wow, that seemed like some dense forest. Helena briefly pointed at the rocky outcrop that was pictured. "That spot seems like a great place to snipe from, but seeing as the foliage seems rather dense and how it would take me kind of far from you guys, I guess I should stick around?"
When Cara stopped and warned everybody about the fact that they were now entering the deep wilds, Helena's smile returned in earnest. "Great!", she said as she took Artemis off of her and into her hands.
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Eamon gave the ground beyond the gravel trail a few hard stomps. "At least it's not muddy," he said, looking on the bright side. "Could be worse!"
He stole a glance at the map before Cara put it away. "Rocky outcropping, huh? That shouldn't be too hard to find. It could make for a good staging ground if we get separated, since we could see it from just about anywhere if we climb a tree."
It was a great tactical thought and not at all an excuse to climb one of the ancient, gnarled arboreal playgrounds around them. Even though that would be fun and cool.
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Shiro took a quick peek at the map Cara was holding while she explained where they are, and their destination. "That's it!" Shiro said out loud after Eamor's statement on the rocky outcropping. "I believe it would be a good idea to make our way to the outcropping and scan through the forest, see if we can find any major movement or anything that screams 'King Taijitu'." She looked around and saw that the shadows of the trees were longer and longer with every minute passing and heard the sound of cracking leaves and sticks in the underbrush. She signed and added, "Ooor we could camp there if nothing else...?"
Shiro got ready to advance through the forest and equipped her dual pistols that were hanging from her belt during the journey in their usual box form.
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"Alright then. We'll locate that outcropping and search the area east of it. If we need to regroup or camp out, we'll meet up there. Everyone understand?" Cara was a little dismayed that on her first mission as leader, it was everyone but her that made the plan. Still, listening to one's teammates and incorporating their best ideas is a key part of leadership as well, right?
Hearing the tone of Eamon's voice, Cara decided to encourage him a bit. "Hm... Pretty sure I know where we are, but... I dunno, anyone wanna climb a tree and verify where we're going?" It would be reassuring to have someone see their destination with their own eyes, even if Cara was almost certain of her sense of direction.
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Helena answered Cara with a bright "Yep! Completely!"
When she then suggested to have somebody climb a tree, Helena simply smiled. She hadn't missed Eamon's not-so-subtle ploy. Even though she would've been able to walk straight to the outcropping without it, this was nicer.
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"Oh, well. I guess I could climb a tree, if that's what you think is best." Eamon said, his aura of perfectly innocent obedience contrasting with his inner megalomaniac, who was cackling and eating potato chips. "I'll just hop on up..."
Seizing a low hanging bough, Eamon heaved himself up, onto it, the loud *CLONK* and sudden pain from his back reminding him to sheathe his weapon first. On his second attempt, he carefully navigated his way through the twisted wood, his passage marked by scuffed bark and broken twigs.
Poking his head up from the foliage and spitting out a few leaves, Eamon peered around from the top of the tree he'd chosen. Since it was fairly high, he had a decent view of the surrounding area. While nothing appeared to be too out of the ordinary -- surely those Nevermore in the distance were irrelevant -- he couldn't miss the outcropping that had been mentioned.
"Scouting mission complete," he reported, dropping down to the forest floor once again. "Looks good, boss. We're right on track." He began brushing off the splintered bark and loose leaves that now clung to his clothes. "Not that we ever doubted you, of course."
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"Got it." Shiro said as she gave a reassuring smile to Cara.
Shiro stood next to the tree Eamon climbed up on and assumed a wide stance while she was waiting for instructions and fiddled with her guns.
Nothing much for Shiro to do at the moment.
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Cara gave Eamon a hearty pat on the back and marched, almost skipped, merrily along. At this rate, they would be at their destination in half an hour or less. Team morale was certainly high enough to last several times that long, and in Cara's eyes that was all they needed.
The group continued on until they reached an open clearing, nearly 20 meters in diameter. A shallow stream ran through the far side, obstructing the way forward. When Cara reached the edge of the clearing, she immediately signaled the party to stop. A large Ursa stood with its back to them, hunched over as if drinking from the stream. When Cara scanned the area, she could see no other threats. In a low whisper, she decided to consult with her teammates. "There's a lone Ursa ahead," she started. "We could certainly take it in a fight if need be, but it hasn't noticed us yet. If you want, I bet we could sneak around..."
Then again, I've heard that riding an Ursa can be mighty fun... I bet it could take us across that stream, too... Why this thought crossed Cara's mind, she did not know, but it deeply disturbed her.
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Helena stopped when her signaled for it. Ooooh, an Ursa.
After listening, she said in a hushed tone "I think we could easily do whatever we want about it, but I'll go with what you guys decide upon., accompanied by a large grin. She was ready to put Artemis to use, her right hand hovering in front of her in case she needed to nock an arrow.
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Eamon sized up the large ursine creature from their vantage point. "Unnecessary fights are bad for risk management, but if we run into something just past it, we'll be surrounded," he noted. Breaking his weapon down into its easier-to-manage gun form, he looked to Cara.
"Either way has its pros and cons. We'll follow your lead, fearless commander!" He saluted with his rifle, a cheery grin on his face.
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When their leader signalled to stop, Shiro looked in the direction of the Ursa and readied her pistols.
"It's up to you Cara!" Shiro said while she looked at Carnation with a supportive smile after listening to her.
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They said that, but... every single one of them was clearly itching to put those weapons to use. "Well then, how about we use this as a practice round? Cover me, I'm going for it! Cara charged forward, keeping herself on the Ursa's left so as to protect herself with her raised shield. Moments after she stepped into the clearing, a mid-sized Nevermore dove toward her from behind. The bird's screech caught Cara off-guard and alerted the previously unaware Ursa, which turned to face her. Surrounded, Cara called to her teammates for help. "Woah! Take down that bird for me, yeah?"
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Helena, in an almost instinctive fashion, immediately drew Artemis to its maximum power and sent an arrow flying straight at the now-turned Ursa, aiming at the unprotected sections in its chest. It was that, or aiming a longbow at something even closer, which sounded dumb. Er.
Right after that, she slung her bow back on and unsheathed both of her daggers, ready to take on the new arrival with her teammates. Cara had asked for cover at first, but then asked for the Nevermore to be taken down, and Helena wasn't going to let her leader down.
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Eamon had Bretwalda's barrel aimed straight at the Ursa, after he jumped to the monster's right as Cara approached, ready to support his leader by knocking the massive Grimm off balance with a well-placed shot. He was possessed of precisely the type of single-minded concentration that gets you startled by a sudden appearance of Jonathan Crane's worst nightmare.
With a deep, manly shriek, he shifted his aim to the newly arrived corvid, firing both barrels of the shotgun ammo at the wings in pure reflex. "Call your targets," he gasped, when he had recovered. "I'm on the bird!"
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Shiro followed Cara and Eamon's dash towards the Ursa at first, positioning herself between the two so she can have a clear shot but was cut off by the Nevermore as she was a bit further behind them. She instinctively shot the Nevermore with her guns while rolling to the side so she can get a grasp of the situation.
"I'll get the bird!" She said as she pointed her guns at the Grimm.
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The shots from Eamon took all the thunder out of the Nevermore's divebomb. It clawed wildly at the ground while shakily sprinting in Cara's general direction. Unsure of which way to dodge, Cara shifted right and got lucky, just getting out of the Nevermore's way. The Ursa's claw came down and nearly made contact with Cara's upraised shield, but the shot from Helena threw it and Cara off rhythm somewhat. The Ursa lost balance and nearly tumbled over Cara, who fell backwards in response.
"Ack! Leave the bear to me, yeah?" Cara shouted to her teammates, particularly Helena, as she scrambled back into ready position before the beast's next attack.
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Helena waited only for the word. "Alright! Bird it is!", she yelled happily.
Seeing the aforementioned birdy run away/towards somebody who was in the opposite direction, she quickly switched weapons again and, after briefly ensuring her aim was true, fired an arrow shot at the Nevermore's throat. Oh well, she was better at this sort of thing anyway.
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Now that the Nevermore was lower, Eamon snapped his weapon back into its polearm configuration. Dashing to the ground, he lunged forward, spearpoint extended. "I'll waste you to paste, debased wastrel!" he cried.
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Shiro shot the Nevermore with both of her pistols multiple times in rapid succession, aiming at its upper half and neck area. She didn't want to waste her special ammo on the first enemies they encountered. "You alright there Cara?" She shouted.
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"Just fine, thanks!" As the Ursa made another attempt with its right arm, Cara parried it with her shield. As the shield went back, Cara thrust her sword inside of it, combining the two into a massive edge which she brought forward in a lethal upper slash. The Ursa lost its arm and fell to the ground, starting to dissolve.
The Nevermore had already collapsed by the time Helena's arrow and Shiro's bullets landed, but hey, it probably wouldn't be fully dissolved before Eamon reached it? Cara giggled. Maybe sending all three of them after one weak target wasn't so necessary after all. Still, no matter how weak the opponent, she shouldn't have been caught off guard like that.
Cara looked at the dissolving Ursa, then at the stream... She felt a little let down that she didn't get a chance to ride it across.
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Seeing the two opponents start to dissolve, Helena trudged forward, picking up her arrows from the within the wisps of pitch black... Grimm stuff evaporating? Smoke? Mist? Anyway, her set was complete again.
"That was kinda fun! Although, a bit too short-lived to be truly enjoyable. Oh well, guess we'll have other occasions!"
Striding closer to Cara with a slightly worried look on her face, she said "Are you okay? Sorry for the arrow, I was still trying to cover you and almost made it worse..."
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"I think... that that goes for all of us," Eamon said, watching the corpses of their foes disappear. His shots might have hindered the Nevermore, but he had been unable to provide a finishing blow.
"I can't believe we got blindsided. Maybe in the future, we should always have one person watching the sky!" he suggested, his need to cover all bases momentarily surfacing. "Wait, no... that makes no sense." He shrugged, muttering to himself. "Should we carry a birdhouse with us? No, too tacky. Pet Nevermore? Too angsty." He finally snapped his fingers. "I'll have to add an armored umbrella attachment to Wry Bretwalda," he concluded, his face utterly serious.
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After seeing that the battle was over, Shiro assumed a more relaxed stance, reloaded her guns and put them on her belt in their box form. She went over to her teammates and said, "At least it was a nice warm-up exercise!" with a smile on her face. Sure it was a little short, but fun nevertheless.
She chuckled slightly at Eamon's remark. "I don't think that's necessary, big guy." She said as she patted Eamon's shoulder, still giggling a bit.
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Cara smiled warmly at Helena and spoke in an encouraging tone. "It's alright. We can't expect to work perfectly as a team on our first mission. Better these things happen now than when we could really get hurt, you know?" After seeing everyone fight, Cara took note to prioritize defense in the upcoming battle. With everyone but her focusing on ranged attacks, she would have to be ready to take a beating in melee combat.
Eamon was right, regardless of how goofy he sounded, that they needed to keep watch all around them. Cara had carelessly (Caralessly?) allowed herself to be caught off guard by an average, everyday Grimm. If the real deal got around her defenses, well... her first real mission could be her last.
She would have to address that with the team eventually... but it was better to save that for later. Let them celebrate their small victory here for now. With that, she started wading across the creek.
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Helena's worried face turned into a large, warm smile at Cara's response, soon replaced by an amused one when Eamon started spouting inane solutions to the Nevermore outta nowhere problem. She couldn't help but giggle.
When Cara started wading accross the stream, Helena started by looking around the exposed part of the water flow, trying to find the easiest spot to cross. Sure enough, at the edge of the clearing to her left, the stream had a few rocks going through it. Looked traversable enough. "Umm, Cara, I think there's a spot on the left that's easier to cross."
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Eamon, hearing the suggestion from Helena, leaned out over the water to test the rocks with his weight. "Seems stable," he called, sliding his shoes around on the dark-stained rocks. "Just a little slippery."
He shot a grin at the rest of the team. "Unless you were all hoping to cool off?"
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Following her team, Shiro went over to the creek and glanced over the water to see how deep it is. It didn't look uncrossable, deep parts here-and-there but mostly safe as long as you watch where you step. She went over to where Eamon stood and proceeded to cross the stream. "That wouldn't be such a bad idea actually." Shiro said in reply to Eamor with a half grinning half smiling expression. If she wasn't on a mission today she would probably be neck-deep in the water already, this warm weather was just asking for it.
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Cara looked at the rocks on which Eamon stood, dismayed at her own ineptitude. "Ehehehe... Where's your... sense of adventure? You, uh, never know what you might find wading through a creek!" Something slimy wrapped itself around her leg and made her speed up.
Eventually, Cara did manage to make it across the creek despite her poor choice of crossing point. At the other side she found a sunbeam and lay down, hoping to dry off as much as possible before the others reached her.
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The thought of lightly shoving Eamon, just to make him struggle to retain balance, crossed Helena's mind for a split second. She, however, decided against it in the end, deeming it too mischievous & inappropriate for the current situation.
When her turn came, she rapidly jumped from rock to rock with a deft foot, landind on the other side of the creek entirely dry, save for the slight splashes from the running water. She then walked towards where Cara was enjoying the Sun, taking her time to enjoy the surroundings.
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"Wow, that's our leader," Eamon crowed in admiration. "Always on the lookout for a new challenge." He dipped one foot into the water, shivering at the relatively cold temperature. "I'll... um, leave you to it. Wouldn't want to, uh, steal your thunder. Yeah. That's it."
Once he'd finished crossing the path of rocks, he plunked himself down next to Cara and Helena, taking the time to inspect his shoes. The rocks, it turned out, had a slimy film over them, which even left faint tracks in the grass behind him. The sole male of the team looked at the marks, then at his shoes with his lip curled in distaste. "Why does nature have to be gross?" he wondered aloud.
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Shiro crossed the stream just after Helena. When she saw that Eamon's shoes were covered in slime she cleaned the goo off her boots in the grass. She went over to her teammates and energetically said, "When! That was refreshing!. She sat down where the others were and laid back while also supporting herself with her arms behind her.
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"Could be worse," Cara told Eamon, and she meant it. Not that it seemed important to admit her mistake; the grimy, soggy clothes on her lower body were evidence enough of that. Frankly, her drive to rush this mission to its conclusion had been quashed somewhat by the whole ordeal. At the moment, she just wanted to bask in the sunbeam awhile before marching back into the dreary forest proper.
Still, it was her duty as leader to be at least as motivated as her comrades, preferably more. At the very least, they must reach the target zone by nightfall. Referencing the creek and clearing on the map, Cara was able to determine that they were well on pace to meet that goal. She spread the map out on the ground to show everyone what she meant. "Hey guys, check this out. We're making really good progress! Should be at the rocks by evening."
"Of course, there's no rush. No need to push ourselves if, you know, we need to camp out tonight. Or something," she hinted none too subtly.
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Helena took the opportunity that all her teammates were lazily basking in the sunlight to walk right outside the pool of light and enjoy her surroundings, again, a slight smile floating on her lips. This was really a great day. At Eamon's complaint about the nature of nature, she was almost tempted to remind everybody that nature isn't gross ini itself but thought better of it and let everyone enjoy the break.
When Cara spoke up again after a small while, Helena turned towards her and stepped closer, entering the sunlight - which seemed to make her hair almost literally glow. When Cara mentioned camping, however, it was her face that lit up. "Ooooh, camping!
...Wait. Who has camping gear with them?", she added while looking at her comrades with a slightly puzzled look.
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"I mean... I brought my stuff," Eamon replied, shifting the backpack that he'd packed especially for the trip, knowing that he'd be part of a long-distance overnight hunt. He splayed the pack on the ground, inventorying its contents. "Let's see... some dried rations, a stocked medical kit, a couple of pans - in case we found eggs - a kettle, some firestarters, two flares, a compass, a map of the area around Beacon, a bedroll, and a smallish tent."
He met the eyes of his teammates. "Bivouacking is serious business," he clarified.
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Shiro took a quick look at the map when Cara showed them where they were. She chuckled slightly when Eamon 'explained' why he was so thorough with what he brought.
Shiro flashed her backpack when camping became the focus of the conversation ."Camping huh?" she thought aloud. She was really happy that she brought her sleeping bag with her. "I packed some rations too as well as a first aid kit and a sleeping bag. Camping is not a bad idea, the weather is exceptional, we all could use some rest before fighting our target and how are we supposed to find the King Taijitu if we can't see in the dark?" She said enthusiastically. Her voice seemed to shift pitch to a higher and cuter one as she continued, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and interlocked her fingers. It would be totally awesome if Shiro could camp together with her new teammates at night. We could tell stories and get to know each other, and, like, Shiro and her teammates could totally be best friends forever! Then just like that we'll go to where the Taijitu is and we'll, like, beat up that meany Grimm that bullied the huntsmen! With the assignment complete we'll return to Beacon and we'll be totally praised!" She said with a huge smile on her face, still lost in her thoughts.
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"Uhhh... right. What Shiro said." Cara gave her quirky teammates a long, bewildered stare. I was just gonna grab some firewood and find a nice bit of rock to sleep on... Camping is more complex than I imagined... she thought.
Folding and putting away the map, Cara finally rose to her feet. "Anyway, we can't waste too much time if we wanna get to the rocks and set up camp before dark. Let's make tracks." She clapped her hands loudly in front of Shiro's face before leading the way out of the clearing.
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Helena listened to her teammates state just how prepared they were - well, except Cara, who seemed mildly stunned more than anything. Oh, and Shiro'd gotten really energetic all of a sudden! That genuinely, actually completely made up for the fact that Helena had brought sweet eff-all with herself camping-wise. Although her smile had faltered into a straight, neutral face beforehand, something incredibly rare and dramatic coming from the grey-eyed blonde, it returned in full force, seemingly lighting up the clearing alongside Shiro's enthusiasm and the Sun itself.
"Lead the way!", she responded to her leader in a joyous tone before following in her stride.
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"Wha- H- hey!" Eamon stammered, struggling to repack all his gear in the order he'd had it in. Was it alphabetical, Dewey Decimal, or what he thought he'd need first on top? "Wait up!"
Hustling to catch up to the rest of the team, Eamon left his worries behind, relaxing in the upbeat atmosphere that the group seemed to naturally fall into. Thinking about the team's dynamics, however, brought one concern he'd had ever since the official formation.
"Hey... girls?" Eamon hesitantly asked. "We're, um, Team CHES, right?" He scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly while looking sheepish. "Can any of you actually play chess? I know there's a horse piece, and pawns, and a king, but..."
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Shiro nervously coughed after she realized what she just said and went back to her usual voice. "R-Right... We better get going then." She answered to Cara. She quickly stood up and followed her team.
Thankfully Eamon said something off-topic, perfect opportunity to derail the conversation. "Well I never got to play chess," She explained. "-but since there is a king piece, shouldn't there be a queen piece as well?"
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"That's 'knight,' not 'horse piece,' Eamon. And yes, there's a queen too," Cara clarified (Carafied?). "I learned to play Chess when I was a little kid... and always sucked at it. Really badly. My dad used to have a set, but he pawned it off." Cara chuckled at her own joke.
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Helena unintentionally accompanied Cara's chuckle by a giggle of her own before adressing everyone. "Yes, Shiro, there is a queen piece. It may be, in fact, the single most powerful piece in the game, apart from the knights, depending on the situation. The rules - at least, the basic ones - are actually very simple. What makes chess so complex is the sheer amount of possibilities a single move can lead to."
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"Thank goodness at least half of us know our stuff," Eamon said in relief. "Imagine if one of the other teams sparred with us, and started making chess puns. We'd have no way to know how to come back!"
Straightening his vest as he adjusted his bag, he continued, "Now we can just have Cara and Helena on high alert for board game-based trash talk." He could practically hear it now...
('Your team is pawnbelievably bad!' 'We were obviously going easy on you bishops.' 'Yeah. Shut the rook up.')
Eamon smiled widely as he imagined further insults to be tossed, his eyes clouding over as his team's mental representations cut down their hypothetical foes with withering retorts. "Checkmate," he said aloud, snapping out of his reverie.
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"Oh, makes sense." Shiro made sure to remember what Helena said just in case they ever get into a situation like what Eamon mentioned. She laughed when Eamon suddenly said "Checkmate!" and jokingly replied, "Say, why not make that our catchphrase or something? Sounds pretty cool to me!"
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"I'll, uh, keep an ear open. Trash talk isn't really my thing though." As much as she hated to admit it, Cara didn't think she knew nearly enough about chess to fulfill Eamon's expectations. Sure, she knew what the pieces were, how they moved, and what a player had to do to win... but anything with regards to advanced tactics and the terminology thereof eluded her.
As they marched, the sun reached a low point in the sky, partially eclipsed by a rock spire in the near distance. The team would reach their destination shortly, and not a moment too soon.
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Helena simply enjoyed the chatter of her companions, smiling at Eamon's remark about 'game-based trash talk', which wasn't really her type.
...This really was a great day.
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It seemed like most of his team wasn't in the business of trading quips pre-battle, which actually suited Eamon just fine. It was still better to be ready, though - preparations you didn't use were just hobbies.
Soon, their travel took them into the shade created by the crag intersecting the sunlight. Given the angle of the sun's descent, the huge shadow stretched far, drawing a slash across the section of the forest that they were in. For a landmark, it was tough to do better.
"We should hurry to set up camp," Eamon said as the group began the final stretch separating them from their destination. His tone was focused once more, rather than the lighthearted banter from earlier, and his eyes roved suspiciously over the terrain. "I'd hate to have to fight something we know is clever in the dark without getting a chance to know the lay of the land beforehand."
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"Yeah, lets find a good place to set up our camp before the sun goes down." She said as she looked around for any potential spots while also keeping an eye out for danger. "Maybe we could go towards the rocky formation and set up camp at the base of it? In that way we will be protected on one side from Grimm, better than staying in the open."
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"I agree with rocks. Provides some protection without allowing anything to sneak up on us. Should get by alright if we post one lookout at a time." Though she talked tactics, honestly something about the image of spending the night among the rocks just seemed nicer than spending it in the spooky forest. With bugs.
It wasn't long before they found a nice spot to settle down. Just at the edge of the rocky section was an overhang about three Caras high, cast over a smooth, rocky floor about the area of an average living room. The wall caved into interesting shapes in the back, some of which formed charming little makeshift seats. The whole area seemed relatively secluded, the overhang of rock and the foliage of the forest making it invisible at any sort of distance from nearly every angle; it was rather lucky for team CHES to have found this place at all.
Along the way to the campsite, Cara had gathered some bits of dry wood that she figured would be good to start a fire. With any luck, she could roast some marshmallows from her pack during her shift on guard without anyone noticing. Her mouth watered a bit just thinking about it.
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Helena just sort of... stood there. She didn't really have any idea as to what to do, short of just going to stand watch on top of the rock formation by repeatedly stabbing it. She therefore did the only other thing she could think of. "Can I, um, help with anything?"
-
Eamon relinquished his pack with an agonized sigh, rubbing the shoulders that had supported its weight all day. Yawning hugely, he busied himself setting up the tent, and gathering rocks for a firepit. "Oh, um, if you aren't too busy otherwise, Helena, you could grab some water. We can boil it to make it safe, then make a stew or something." He himself began to look for the necessary ingredients to make the cooking fire in the first place.
As he was carting some smaller kindling back to the area he'd designated for the campfire, he paused to examine the walls of the outcropping. "It certainly is convenient," he murmured, noting the smooth walls. "Hey, guys, do you think that this place was manmade?"
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Shiro sat down on one of the conveniently shaped rocks at the back and lazily unpacked her supplies, all that travelling made her legs a little stiff and she could finally rest for a bit. "I suppose I'll go and see if I can find any food, maybe I could shoot down a bird or two.". She said as she stood up and walked away from the overhang. She turned around, raised her hand and smiled back at her teammates before leaving and added, "I'll be back before sunset!" before disappearing into the forest.
(I'll skip my next turn since it would take time for Shiro to actually find anything and I got assignments piling up so I don't know when I will be able to post.)
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((Sure thing, Malus. Personally I don't mind waiting as long as we need to, though.))
Manmade? This place certainly was well hidden and well protected... Maybe it was carved out by pre-dust man? Maybe this was the one safe haven for the ancestors of all mankind?? "...I dunno..." was all Cara could say.
Though she wanted to be helpful, Cara really didn't know much about survival and hadn't particularly planned around their camping venture. She certainly didn't trust herself with something important, like the food or the fire. "Hey, uh, I can't help much with setting up camp, but... I'll keep watch? And I'll take last pick for night watch shift. Is that alright?" That was one thing she could do: No Grimm would get into camp unnoticed while she was on guard.
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"Alright!, Helena said cheerily. She took a large, empty metal... Container? Pot? From Eamon before striding off to the North, North-East, where she remembered the presence of a small river. It'd probably take a while, though.
Which didn't stop her from smiling. At all.
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"Sure, sounds like a plan!" Eamon said, easily agreeing with his team leader. He rummaged around in his pack, securing small items that he'd need to set up the tents and other camping necessities. As he hammered down the pegs, he waved Helena off on her journey to find water, already planning out the temporary base's layout.
"Tent here, firepit there, lavatory hole off to the side..." He muttered to himself as he constructed what his team would use as lodgings.
-
With confirmation from campmaster Eamon, Cara took off to ensure the security of the area. She had planned to investigate an arbitrary radius around the campsite (that is, as far as she intuitively felt was adequate) to determine which directions they were most likely to be attacked from. This was to be quite the task, and it wouldn't be until after camp was completely set up that she would return with a report.
The forest side of camp was quiet, Cara's footsteps upon the twigs and leaves of the ground being the most action that area would see. Whether to escape the eerie silence, the shadowy canopy, or the endless unknown corners about all the trees, Cara chose not to explore too deep into this region. Instead she assured herself that the forest itself naturally hid their camp from hostile presence. Any wildlife that could pose a threat at this time of night would likely be headed away from the rocky region anyway, toward water, nests, burrows, or whatever else in the forest.
Upon the rocky side, Cara stopped and took a moment to gaze into the sky. She rarely left the city limits at night, and was always awestruck by the stars whenever she did. She sat there much longer than she had meant to, viewing the dazzling points of light, counting them, seeing both named constellations and patterns of her own... By the time she became tired of this, Cara realized she had been stargazing for nearly 45 minutes! Hastily resuming her search, she tried in vain to make out her surroundings. Oh, how I wish I were a faunus right now... she thought to herself.
Regardless of time, Cara felt obligated to complete her survey. She knew which way camp was, and as her eyes adjusted she started to make out some faint rock formations in the distance. One in particular was an open cave mouth, not more than 200 meters from their camp, which Cara decided to investigate in more detail. Much to her dismay, the inside of this cave was so utterly pitch black that no matter how close she came, she couldn't make out a single thing. You are NOT likely to be eaten by a Grue... she chanted in her mind while nervously approaching the opening. Step after step became slower and slower as the darkness became palpable and started weighing on her body. Finally, she caught a glimpse of something. Something... white? She squinted. It was long and white, and as she traced what she could see a curve started to form. It wasn't long before she put the pieces together, and seeing the head confirmed it. Just as she realized what she was looking at, Cara started to feel eyes focusing in behind her. Slowly and carefully, she turned around and was relieved to find nothing. She sighed with relief, and snapped her mouth shut upon hearing the sound. Peering back at the snake, which thankfully hadn't moved an inch, Cara realized this could not go unreported.
But first she had to get the hell out of there. Quickly and quietly.
Cara finally made it back to camp, trying to keep her cool. Regardless, what she had found was written all over her face. Without a word, she sat down upon one of the seat-like structures in the rear and waited for someone to ask what had happened.
-
Seeing Cara back from her scouting trip, Eamon went to get her. By this point, the camp was mostly set up, and so he was eager to see what she had seen in the surrounding area.
"Hey, Cara, what's u- oh, hell, what happened?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
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((Sorry for the delay, I was vomiting up internal organs))
"A snake, Eamon. I saw a snake." Cara scanned the treeline for signs of the others, her face going pale. "If you know where Shiro and Helena went, now's the time to bring them back. We're safe here at camp, but out there..." She didn't feel the need to finish that thought. The point was across.
-
(I actually missed that post, somehow. My bad.)
Helena had just started coming back after picking up water. Sure, she'd found a sufficiently large stream to fill the container with, but holy *dam* was it far.
-
Shiro wandered the forest, hunting for animals and looking out for anything edible. She stumbled on a pond which happened to be a nesting area for geese. She managed to shoot a goose down from a distance before they saw her, she also gathered a couple eggs from the nests. Jackpot! She thought as she happily grabbed the goose by its legs.
It took her quite some time to find the pond and by the time she was considering to head back it was getting darker and darker already. She fastened her pace and started moving towards the place where her team set up the camp. She was also hoping that the gunshot didn't alarm any Grimm that might be lurking nearby.
[hc]
(Sorry for the late post. >.<)
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((OOC: Ha ha, you're fine, Malus. ^^ Does seem that our post order got rather out of whack, though. I'll post now, then Vwyx, then Nathan and finally Malus, and we'll carry on like that from here on out. That work for everyone?))
Hearing the gunshot, Cara immediately stood up. "That would be... Shiro, probably!" Cara realized, remembering that Helena was using a bow. "I've got to go make sure she's not in trouble. Eamon, I'm trusting you to keep our camp secure." With that she dashed off in the direction of the shot.
Along the way, Cara nearly collided with Helena. In her astonishment, it took her a few seconds to get her words out. "Get back to camp, now! I'll be right behind you!" She told Helena before again dashing off without leaving time for reply.
Finally Cara came across Shiro, who was marching casually in the direction of camp. She slowed down, both in movement and in speech. In the blackness of night, it took a few seconds to register that Shiro was unharmed. "Shiro! You're... perfectly fine? What in Remnant was that shot about?"
-
Eamon's head snapped around at the gunshot, and then met Cara's base as they both instantly realized the potential implications. "Got it," he affirmed, his weapon smoothly sliding into his hands as he put his back to a wall that afforded him sightlines across the camp. "Good luck."
Of course, nearly as soon as Cara left, Helena arrived. Looking down the barrels of his gun, he recognized his teammate, hastily lowering Wry Bretwalda. "Helena!" he exclaimed. " You're OK! Did you see Shiro out there?"
-
Helena was still walking through the woods, enjoying her surroundings as per usual, when she heard what sounded just like a gunshot. She instantly stopped while her smile dropped, listening intently for further auditory information. Nothing apart from the usual sounds of the night. Not a hint of struggle, no subsequent gunshots, no pained or panicked screaming. The only conlusion she could come to was that somebody was hunting nearby - which was kinda unusual, but whatever. She restarted her trek at her normal pace, her small smile returning to her lips.
A few minutes later, the sound of something quickly approaching her from the front made her stop again. Judging by the rythm, how loud it was and the fact that there weren't any red glowing spots or roaring, thrashing or growling clearly indicated - in her eyes, anyway - that that something was human, not Grimm, and probably didn't mean harm. No, what showed up in the first ray of dim moonlight was Cara's slightly panicked face, which nearly collided with her own. Said person then expressed some distress and urged Helena to get back to camp before rushing further into the forest. Helena strated walking again, but faster and, this time, without a smile.
She rather quickly came into view of the camp, which was pretty much all set up, and was soon greeted by Eamon, who seemed worried as well. Frowning a bit sue to the bizarre situation, she said "Hey, Eamon. Of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be? And no, I didn't see Shiro. Oh, here's the water, by the way!", she added with a big smile while handing the self-designated cook a bucket of water that was quite literally filled to the brim and had remained like this during Helena's entire journey.
-
I wonder if the others already came back to camp... Shiro thought as she marched through the forest. Suddenly, she heard something approaching swiftly towards her. That something, or someone, as she later realised was Cara who seemed to have just gone through an emotional roller coaster.
"Oh, that? " She said as she held out her hand to around chest high so that Cara would be able to see the goose clearly. She smirked as she continued, "Look what I got for us! Isn't it just awesome? Oh! And I managed to find some eggs as well!" She said energetically. Though... If Cara heard the shot then its probably best to be careful... She looked around, not that it mattered much since she probably wouldn't be able to see Grimm in such darkness anyways.
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"Uh, yeah, it's... great! Really cool. We should definitely show it off back at camp... right now..." Why had they sent a gunner out hunting in the Grimm-infested woods at night when there was a perfectly good archer on hand?! Cara gestured back in the direction of camp. On hearing some rustling behind them, she started walking while pushing Shiro's back in encouragement.
-
"Uh, thanks, Helena," Eamon said, accepting the water awkwardly, leaning his weapon's barrel against his shoulder with his other hand. "It's just that we heard some gunshots and thought that there might be trouble." He shrugged helplessly. "We probably should have specified melee weapons only, and paired up. This isn't a horror movie!"
Sighing and leaning back against the outcropping wall, he frowned a bit. "I guess we aren't really used to the little things that Hunters have to learn eventually." He brightened up a bit, though, as he looked on the more positive side. "On the other hand, if you're here, and Cara's getting Shiro, then we'll all be set! It's a good thing nothing bad happened while we were separated!"
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"You're very welcome!", Helena responded before sitting down nearby. She giggled at his mention of a horror movie and listened to him as he went on, her usual slight smile on her lips.
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((Treat this as a GM post, not a Flooberoid post. I'll still post for Cara after Malus posts for Shiro, and then we'll carry on with the order we were on.))
A few minutes later, Cara and Shiro entered the campgrounds, Shiro still holding on to her goose while Cara was just behind her.
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"Hey! We're back!" Shiro happily shouted (or at least as loud as she dared) and energetically marched towards the campfire so the others can see what she was holding on to. She quickly added, "Sorry I made you worry guys." when she stopped.
Her expression slowly changed to a smirk as she continued. "It was totally worth it though! Look at what I found. Isn't it super awesome?" She was really proud that she managed to get her hands on all that since Shiro was rather skeptical when she left the campsite in search of food.
-
Cara quietly followed after Shiro and took a seat next to her. She couldn't help but crack a smile at Shiro's enthusiasm, despite her reckless behavior. The snake was out there, sure... but it wasn't after them now. They would worry about that in the morning.
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Eamon eased his grip on his weapon as his posture relaxed. "Well, that's good news, at least," he said, slumping down by the nascent campfire. "Here I thought your goose was cooked, but actually, it's..." Retrieving a camping pan from his bag, he carefully balanced it over the flame. "Time to cook the goose," he deadpanned.