[h1]FREAKING EVERYBODY, PART 2: Relics[/h1]

As the octet of initiates crowd into the temple, observing and deliberating relics, a rumbling sound can be heard in the distance, accompanied by the sound of a tree crashing to the earth. In the distance, an especially sharp eyed individual might just be able to discern a multi legged form moving about in the treetops, between the temple and the cliff.

Continuing her meander towards the temple after the hooligans had disappeared, Cereza absently flexed the blades of Llaw Du. Her heels clacked slightly on the old stones as she focused on the relics arrayed on the pedestals. The inhuman roars coming from the forest behind the blonde made her turn back to the forest, hefting her polearm into a ready position, but when no immediate threats appeared, she turned back to the task at hand; choosing a relic.

The hacker stepped around a violet and a red-head talking about something - did the red-head just stick her finger in a water snake? - and turned to glance over at her partner, who was slotting more ammunition into her weapon. Cereza’s eye caught sight of a cavalry saber, contrasting brightly with the dull grey pedestal, and she almost cooed over the spring steel it was made of. It’s matching kevlar sheath was excellent too, with just the right amount of high tech detailing to make her interested in the otherwise simplistic and basic weapons.

The tall girl turned back to see where her partner had disappeared to in the crowd of students, and spotted her on the other side of a silver-haired boy and the violet girl Cereza had stepped around before, looking over a shorter blade appreciatively. [i][colour=2c75ff]’They certainly gave wannabe-Hunters good relics to pick from. Something we’re all interested in; weapons.’[/colour][/i] She looked back at the blade in front of her, before sighing. Tierra was her partner, as odd as the thought was to Cereza, which meant that they really should reach a decision together.

Casting another glance back at the sabre and matching sheath, she strode over to her partner as the light-haired duo - who looked like a fairytale knight and witch, to be honest - picked up the sword Tierra had been looking at. As Cereza drew near to the shorter girl, she asked, [colour=2c75ff]“I saw a cavalry sabre and sheath on the other side of the temple, which looked pretty nice. Anything in particular catch your eye?”[/colour]

She came to a stop next to the gladius sheath, and tilted her head as she looked at it. It looked new but there was something off about it…[i][colour=2c75ff]’Ah. There, old blood stains in the stitching and a slight discolouration. The blade may be new, but the sheath has seen combat.’[/colour][/i]

[colour=2c75ff]“I did see you looking over the gladius too. What about taking the sheath?”[/colour] She held up said object, not really having any personal qualms about taking a bloodstained relic as while her own past wasn’t filled with blood and death, it hadn’t been a foreign concept to her since she was young.


Paying no mind the the sounds coming from a distance, as they were too far and too vague to raise any suspicion, Viola's eyes instead chose to focus on the relics, their varied designs contrasting with the pedestals so hard she had to fight the urge to use Lis to wash some of them.

Blades on the left, sheaths on the right, Viola’s body faced the relic she thought best to pick until her eyes noticed a rapier sheath that she couldn’t help but stare at. It was polished and well kept, colored metallic grey, it’s simple design was there to highlight its most striking feature...swirling black etchings that spiraled around in a language she couldn’t place, but with letters that were sharp and precise; not one of them farther apart from the other. It was as far as she could see, perfect. 

After realizing she was staring, she took a moment to compose herself, and with a barely contained sigh, walked towards the pedestal containing a short blade, a Gladius to be precise, her eyes taking glances at the sheath every chance she had. Once she was ready to pick up the blade a thought struck her, and with the slightest hint of embarrassment, she turned to her temporary forgotten partner while twirling the aura threads inside Lis with her right hand [color=00aeef]“Is it fine if we take this...short sword with us? I may have some use for it later.”[/color] 

As Viola examined the relics Argent listened to the sounds from the forest, they were clearly from something large crashing through the trees, and though Argent had an overwhelming tendency to throw himself into danger for other people the other seven initiates in the clearing were all capable of protecting themselves, and whatever was crashing it’s way towards them was clearly large enough to knock a tree down, that meant that it was large enough that the silver haired knight had no real desire to be here when it arrived. Argent shifted his grip on his sword hilt and turned as Viola held a sturdy gladius up for his approval and asked his opinion. [color=8493ca]“That’s fine, when initiation is over I’ll help you train with it if you want, I’ve got experience with fighting using two weapons.”[/color]. 

[color=00aeef]“That sounds wonderful,”[/color]  replied Viola, casting a final glance at the rapier before placing the gladius in between her belt and dress, using her left hand to make sure it would stay in place as best she could. 

[i][color=forestgreen] “That does not sound good.”[/color][/i] Tierra thought when the rumble went through the woods. The cheetah faunus inserted more air dust into Sola and Luna while she scanned around for the creator of the sound. As the noirette scanned around, her eyes rested for a closer examination of the relics. The katana was broken and seemingly useless as well as its sheath. The broadsword was worn but still serviceable. The cutlass with the sea creature seemed like it would fit Nor more if he was picking it instead of the white tiger faunus who she assumed was his partner. The rapier and estoc were the most ornate which while beautiful didn’t really sit with her well as good swords. The scimitar and sabre were just not her type of sword, she didn’t like the curves that much. 

Then the tawny-clothed girl’s eyes were caught by the gladius. It was simple and new, seemingly unblooded and ready for action. It was the kind of sword she had at first thought of using after she had decided to base her weapon on a sword. But the witch-like girl grabbed that before she could suggest it to Cereza. [i][color=forestgreen] “Drats, well the sheath would also be good, unless Cereza really wants a blade.”[/color][/i] So the swordswoman sighed and went back to watching for whatever had made that sound, not really hearing what her partner first said. Then her ears perked up when she heard her partner ask, [colour=2c75ff]“I did see you looking over the gladius too. What about taking the sheath?”[/colour] The cheetah faunus did a 180 turn and saw her blonde partner holding up and examining the gladius sheath. The noirette then exclaimed, [color=forestgreen] “Really? You would choose the sheath? I don’t know how…”[/color] Then the conflicted cheetah cleared her throat to calm herself down and said, [color=forestgreen] “ I mean, I would be delighted if you choose that relic for us. But if you would prefer another, I won’t mind.”[/color] The golden-green eyed faunus hung her head and thought to herself, [color=forestgreen][i]“Much.”[/i][/color]

Cereza glanced up at the noirette, before turning back to studying the sheath. The shorter girl was obviously very interested in the gladius blade, while Cereza hadn’t really taken much interest in swords before. She was happy with Llaw Du, after all. Cereza’s main reasons for looking over the cavalry sabre had been more interest in how the crafter had made a basic weapon look high-tech and modern than anything else.

Plus, the blonde had read about teamwork after Midas had told her Beacon student operated in teams, and everything she had read seemed to suggest that teamwork was about working together and how sometimes compromises were made. The hacker didn’t have anything against the gladius sheath, so she saw no real reason not to pick it if her partner liked it so much. [colour=2c75ff]“Sure. Not a problem.”[/colour]

Cereza hooked the sheath on the back of her belt, where Llaw Du usually sat.

Tierra looked up and and smiled, [color=forestgreen] “Thank you.”[/color] Then the noise of the creature grew louder. The swordswoman readied her weapons and said, [color=forestgreen] “Here I’m going to check it out. Are you joining?” [/color] Then the cheetah faunus approached the woods where two others were. 

Cereza frowned as the noise grew louder, and scanned the area they were in, trying to see if there was a good spot for defensive tactics in the clearing.

With a short cry of triumph, Nor's head raised from the weapon, sweat visible on his face as he pulled the slightly melted battery from the guts of the weapon, gingerly holding the item between his forefinger and thumb. The outlet for the battery within Jet Stream was a mess itself, and would probably need to be replaced, but at least the battery wouldn't be causing anymore damage. It was a simple enough process to pull out the remaining battery, quickly putting another one with a green glow in its place, before the head snapped, the lines along the weapon turning a bright blue as the weapon came back to life, dieing back down to a slow pulse of light.

Nor spared a moment's glance to the forest, but disregarded the commotion, assuming it might be another group dealing with yet another herd of Grimm. The sharp-toothed faunus observed the group that had gathered around, giving them a once over as he studied them. It was a rather...eclectic group to say the least, their apparel and weaponry running from one end of the spectrum and back. It was rather enjoyable to see such an assortment of mechanical wonders strapped to the various hunters. A little bit of their personality could be gleaned from most of them.

One going the old sword and board technique, wanting to defend while he could also punish his assailant. Another seemed to prefer an elegant grace, melding weapon with a personal ability in a harmonious blend. Nor smiled as he looked at these weapons, so many moving bits and pieces, so much crafting techniques passed down from one teacher to the next, trying to perfect the craft. Best of all, each of their workings could be understood, with enough observation and study. With every bolt and nut seen, one could begin to underst-

Nor's line of thought broke off as the sound in distance continued to grow closer, standing up as he took a guarded stance. Whatever it was seemed to be  coming straight for them, and with his luck today he doubted they'd be changing course anytime soon.

As the Lan parts ways with the violet witch, the lemur prepares to approach her partner, however a particular relic catches the red haired girls eye [color=crimson][i]”Ooh, shiny!”[/i][/color] she whistles in her head, stepping towards the crystal hilted rapier. The young huntress examines the intricate patterns on the basket, reaching out and brushing a finger along the carved, wing-like pattern. [color=crimson][i]”No, bad Lan. can’t just take the shiniest thing.”[/i][/color] She berates herself, stepping away from it and towards the next item in the line, a worn old broadsword. [color=crimson]”Boring…”[/color] the girl says, moving along to a highly ornate estoc, [color=crimson]”Hey, Russ, got any preference for relics?”[/color] She shouts to the dark haired teen, picking up the blade to look at it closer. [color=crimson]”From dust we come, huh? Where have I heard that line before?”[/color] The red-head shrugs, setting the sword back down for a moment to glance around at the other students to see watch the other relics being selected. Seeing a gladius and sheath taken by what she could only assume was now a team, Lan goes back to staring intensely at the Estoc, taking in the details of the pommel and clean, sharp lines of the inscription.

[color=crimson]”I kind of like this thing.”[/color] She says just as much to herself as she does to her partner while shifting her gaze to the somewhat pale girl, eyes locking onto her face. [color=crimson][i]”Come to think, she’s pretty cute."[/i][/color]no The spade wielding lemur thinks idly as she awaits a response, [color=crimson][i]”A little rough, but something in her face…[/i][/color] She trails off, trying to envision Russ in a slightly less ragged light.

Tsuki's ears swiveled towards an incoming sound as her back straightened up. She heard horseshoes rapidly pounding into the ground. There had to be 8 separate hooves, and whatever was attached to them had to weigh more than the average horse. The creature was approaching the ruins at a rapid rate. It would be best to grab a relic and eject out as soon as possible. Tsuki mentally cursed herself for not noticing the noise sooner. So, the pale female started to scan the weapons.

The swords and sheaths were a pretty neat idea for relics. Preferably the faunus girl would have taken a sword, but she was pretty picky when it came to designs. That's why she didn't have a sword as a weapon, the feline could never find affordable materials that matched her high standards. While observing the relics, the gold stitching of a sheath caught her eye. With danger quickly approaching, the hunter-in-training grabbed the dark leather sheath. [color=808080]"You good with this one? 'Cause we need to get back ASAP."[/color]

Nor nodded silently in response, hardly looking away from the forest, Jet Stream held at the ready for whatever was coming.

Russ found herself perusing the relics as well alongside her partner, though her interest was quicker to wane away. They were pretty, sure, and the ones that weren’t were at least interesting, but to be honest she wouldn’t have even considered taking any of them into a fight. One of the weapons was flat out broken, others were battle-worn, and she didn’t trust anything that looked cushy and unused. But she supposed it didn’t matter, they all had weapons, these must’ve just been calling cards of some sort. Would it really matter [i]which[/i] one they took? 

Either way, it seemed as though Lan had settled on the estoc. Nice weapon, solid choice if not a tad cumbersome. 

[color=a0410d]”Yeah sure,”[/color] Russ said, going over to inspect the blade as a whole. A sudden spark in her gut reminded her that even if these things weren’t exactly battle-optimal, they were for the most part expertly crafted. Sure Hunters and Huntresses might not take serious interest in them, but there were plenty of impulsive folks who wanted something sharp to strap to their hip, whether it would stand against a Grimm or not. Some of the more finely-detailed pieces would have sold for more than she saw in her whole damn childhood. 

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Dammit, stop it Russ. No stealing [i]anything[/i] at Beacon. Her attention turned back to Lan, and she forced a smile on her face with just enough poise to avoid looking fake.

[color=a0410d]”Well, looks like we’re set then. Good choice.”[/color]

The lemur nods in recognition, picking up the weapon and tucking it into her belt, alongside Shu Dao. [color=crimson]”So, time to head back, then?[/color] she inquires, looking back towards the cliff and the sound of rumbling, [color=crimson]”Although we may have to deal with… whatever is making that racket.”[/color]

Russ turned towards the sound Lan had brought to her attention. Oh great, one giant monster wasn’t enough, no no, and there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that whatever this was it was going to exponentially more terrifying than the centipede had been. With a heavy breath she brought a hand to the Daughter’s handle, though she was more ready to run than she was to stick around and duke it out.

[color=a0410d]”One bridge at a time, we oughta find a way out of here. Killing Grimm won’t help us pass the test.”[/color] she said. [color=a0410d]”And I’m sure dying to one would do even [i]less[/i] for our scores.”[/color]

Lan sighs. [color=crimson]”I mean, yeah, if you want to be all [b]logical[/b] about it.”[/color] she agrees reluctantly [color=crimson]”But whatever that thing is, it’s between us and the cliff,”[/color] the red haired girl adds, taking a step towards the edge of the clearing, where some of the others had gathered, seeming to discuss the impending threat.

With the relic out of the way, the perceptive postulant princess’ focus shifted towards her partner, his eyes in particular. Much like hers he seemed to be glancing to the side, unlike hers, his shifted towards the forest. [color=00aeef]“Something troubling you Sir Roan?”[/color] 

[color=8493ca]“Something very large is heading our way, and I don’t like it.”[/color] Argent replied.

[color=forestgreen] “I don’t like it either.”[/color] Tierra said as she approached the duo, also examining the woods. [color=forestgreen]“I could try for a bird’s eye view if you’d like, but I’m not sure how close it is and if I could spot it.” [/color]

[color=00aeef]“It’s better than nothing, darling. I can send Lis,”[/color] she raised her left arm to highlight her creation, [color=00aeef]“in it’s path so i can tell how close it is, but it does not have eyes nor a method to tell me what it is we are dealing with.”[/color]

Argent’s pale blue eyes fixed in the direction of the noise. [color=8493ca]“It’s probably a good idea to try Tierra, if you could see what this thing is that would probably help alot.”[/color] The silver haired knight then glanced at his partner before directing his words to her. [color=8493ca]“Viola, Tierra and I met on the airship, though she only gave me a first name.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]“Pleasure to meet you, my name is Viola Lis Marsilea,”[/color]said the witch, ‘how many times have i said that today, I wonder...’ 

The cheetah faunus responded [color=forestgreen]“Blerta. Tierra Blerta.”[/color] and shot herself up to a nearby tree branch with Sola and Luna. From there, she jumped from branch to branch until her claws were enough to take her the rest of the way up.

Argent waited a few minutes as Tierra looked out into the trees from her high vantage point. [color=8493ca]“See anything up there?”[/color] The silver knight called up to the Faunus girl.

Tierra looked out and tried to penetrate the cloud of dust formed from the monster’s movements. [color=forestgreen] “The trees are taller than the creature, but it somehow looks horse-like with a flaming mane even with the two horns.” [/color] She responded to the silver knight’s inquiry, [color=forestgreen]“Yet it seems there are more legs than horses usually have.”[/color]

Argent recognized the description from one of his Father’s lessons on various Grimm types. [color=8493ca]“That sounds like a Nightmare, this is not good, they generally run in herds, how many can you see, and how far away are they?”[/color]

[color=forestgreen] “I only see one.” [/color] The cheetah faunus replied. [color=forestgreen] “And it’s about 100 stone throws away and closing.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]“It won’t stay alone for long if it makes to much of a ruckus. It’s pack can’t be too far off...what could have caused it to stray from it’s pack in the first place though, I wonder?”[/color]

[color=8493ca]“We should all work together for this, we aren’t going to outrun a Nightmare that’s this close, but we should be able to take it down together.”[/color] Argent raised his voice so everyone could hear him as he’d spoken those words.

Cereza stepped over as the silver-haired knight spoke, shaking her head. [colour=2c75ff]“There’s nothing defensible about this spot. If we’re going to face this thing, even as a group, we’ll have to find somewhere better.”[/colour] She held up a hand to stall any protests. [colour=2c75ff]“I’m not suggesting running blindly away - though really, if we could get away it’d be good - but we need to move to a more defensible position or it’s just going to trample us in here. We’re nothing more than adware in front of a firewall here.”[/colour]

[color=00aeef]“It does have far too much room to move in this clearing, I agree. It’s probably best we fight it somewhere inside the forest and use the trees to slow it down,”[/color] said Viola, siding with…[color=00aeef]”Viola Lis Marsilea,”[/color] she did a quick curtsy, [color=00aeef]“May I have your name?”[/color]

[colour=2c75ff]“Cereza.”[/colour] Cereza nodded to the violet witch as she spoke. [colour=2c75ff]“Or we could find a defensible ruin - if the temple is here, there must be more.”[/colour]

Argent stepped back from the tall blonde with a slight smile as the beginnings of a battle light in his eyes. [color=8493ca]“Then lead the way Cereza, I’m Argent Roan, by the way.”[/color]

[color=forestgreen]“Well, do you want me to spot a position up here or do you want to blindly run around and find one? Looks like there’s a ring of ruins on top of that hill that might work, off to the south-west.”[/color]

[colour=2c75ff]“Sounds like a plan. Tierra, you be our eyes in the trees, keep an eye out for any Grimm we may encounter.”[/colour] She hefted Llaw Du into a ready position.

[color=forestgreen]“Alright, tree jumping here I go.”[/color] 

[color=00aeef]“…Guess I can forget about saving dust during initiation…”[/color] she muttered to no one in particular.
 
[color=crimson]“What’s the big deal with wasting dust?”[/color] 

[color=00aeef]“What’s the...?! Are you monstrously well off financially or trying to mock me? The dust price got raised by point three percent in the last week! Why, if i were more paranoid I’d say someone timed it so my expenses du...”[/color] Viola decided to glance behind her. Sure enough, Lan was there, appearing behind Viola to resume poking at the aquatic serpent.

[color=crimson]”Professor Smith at Signal uses dust for everything, he never seemed worried about conserving it.”[/color] the lemur replies, patting the phantasmal water creature on the head absentmindedly, a slight grin on her face

[color=00aeef]“...hello again Miss Lan.”[/color]

[color=crimson]”Nice to see you again, Viola, Lis.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]“Mind if i ask how long have you been here?”[/color] said the witch.

[color=crimson]”Depends on what you mean by [i]here[/i]”[/color] she replies, turning to face the ever growing rumble in the forest.

Noticing the rumble as well, Viola decided to skip to the point, “We want to try and lure the approaching grimm somewhere where it’s movement will be hampered.”

The young huntress thinks a moment, resting a hand under her chin [color=crimson]“Like one of the older ruins lying around the forest, right?”[/color]

[color=00aeef]“Precisely. Miss Blerta has located one such set and the four of us are ready to depart, but with you still here it might choose to not follow us. Would you join us please?”[/color] said Viola,[color=00aeef] ” Eight hunters to be are better than two groups of four,”[/color] she added for good measure, a small hint of worry could be noticed in her tone.

Lan turns around, observing her teammates a moment before cupping both hands around her mouth, [color=crimson]“Hey, Russ, we should get moving. These guys have a plan!”[/color]


[color=6ecff6]"Alright, we've got a relic, and I have to say I agree with Blade Runner over here,"[/color] Nor said referring to Cereza, turning back to Tsuki and the rest of his fellow students, strapping Jet Stream to his back as he got ready to leave, [color=6ecff6]"I'd rather not be in the kill zone when whatever's making that noise gets here,"[/color] he told them as he put the rest of his tools away, [color=6ecff6]"You going to have any trouble carrying the sheathe if we have to fight Tsuki?"[/color] he asked as he made a last second check, ready to leave the "temple" behind him.

[color=808080]"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll tell you if it gets in the way too much."[/color] Tsuki replied. She looked around at her resources before taking Shuo off of it's magnetic chain. The tiger faunus then created a loop with the chain to keep the sheath in. It may not be a solid place to keep it, but it would have to do.

[color=8493ca]“Viola, you should go too, I’ll wait until everyone else has gotten out and guard the rear.”[/color] Argent suggested to his partner.

[color=00aeef]“Forgive me,”[/color] said Viola in a distinctly unapologetic tone, [color=00aeef]“but unless i missed a memo I am not the one missing a sizable percentage of their aura, so either you get in front with me or we are both staying in the back.”[/color]

[color=2c75ff]"We'll need you at the front, Argent."[/color] Cereza interjected. [color=2c75ff]"Tierra is our eyes in the trees, but you have the only weapon that's really suitable for sudden close range combat as well as a shield."[/color] The blonde gestured to Nor. [color=2c75ff]" You've got a big mace - Viola, can you leave your little snake thing to follow along behind at a distance and let him know if it catches up? The rest of us have pole weapons - we should pick someone with a short range weapon and back them up."[/color]

[color=2c75ff]"Tierra!"[/color] She called up to her partner, who Cereza could only imagine was growing impatient with the delay. [color=2c75ff]"If you have any trouble up there, drop down and we can deal with it as a group."[/color]

Russ wasted no time in hurrying over to the others. A plan sounded good, it was more than she had to offer anyway. As long as Lan had their relic and they made it out in once piece, she didn’t care how things turned out. 

[color=a0410d]”Let’s get this shit done,”[/color] she said, figuring enough time had been wasted. If she’d missed anything crucial, well, she’d cross that bridge when it presented itself.