[hr] [img]https://i.imgur.com/Zf4y13n.png[/img] [hr] [i][color=0076a3]2 Weeks Prior[/color][/i] The sound of a pen on paper, and the occasional turning of a page, were the only noises to be heard in the library. Even the Librarian, who was normally doing his rounds and glaring at anyone who looked like they were up to no good, was absent, the day was considered an off day for all members of the Atlas Academy. Of course, such things didn't keep everyone away and relaxing, as one Sep Felder was sitting at a table, several stacks of books loosely organized by subject and whether they had been perused or not yet surrounding him at the table, a rather thick notebook full of barely legible scrawl in front of him, also the subject to his ink based assaults on legibility and language. Sep was studying Grimm at the moment, having had a curious question posed during one of the discussions in an advanced class on Grimm, which covered as much how to fight them, as to the why and how behind them. A classic approach of knowing thy enemy before going to war with them. Covered half the problems, the young trainee mused, the other half being equally difficult. The class was a theoretical one as much as practical, and as such was voluntary, an experiment into the elective courses, but it had enough people to warrant its continued existence for now, something that Sep was grateful for. The sound of rigid, carefully measured out footsteps announced the arrival of someone else, which was curious to the Atlas student. He had the spare key, having watched the librarian hide it away on a day he had forgotten his main key, and the manner of walking did not at all match that of the Librarian, who had a far faster, more irritated pace in his stride. Looking back over his shoulder, a brief look of surprise was no doubt on his face when the Headmaster of Atlas Academy turned the corner, a rare, but feint, smile on her face as she approached Sep as he turned back to his notes. [color=0076a3]"Ma'am. Shouldn't you be elsewhere, not in this half academy, half construction site?"[/color] The irony of this statement, considering he was the one sitting in a library, on a rather nice day for the normally chilly Mantle, nose in his books and scratching away notes, theories, musings, and other observations as he saw fit. It was a rather headache inducing thing for others to read, owing to a complete lack of organization, but he digressed. The headmistress walked past him, reaching up to a shelf on geographical texts, picking out a specific book before seating herself opposite of Sep. [color=aba000]"I could say the same, Mr. Felder. How much do you know about Vytal Island?"[/color] The mention of that island brought Sep's pen to a stop as he looked up at the Headmistress sitting across from him, a book on the island resting comfortably open in her hands. [color=0076a3]"More than some, not as much as I would like though. Island south of this continent, where the treaties ending the War were signed, and where the idea for the Academies was agreed upon. One for each continent. Rumor mill has it that something happened there."[/color] A soft laugh, chiding though it may have been, was the first response that Sep got from the headmistress. Her response was dead accurate, unsurprising really given her status and knowledge of the entire student body. [color=aba000]"Rumor mill, or military espionage? Regardless, your volunteer application reached my desk. It shouldn't have, considering this isn't public knowledge, but I will overlook that as well, this time. What we discuss, since this is technically too early to act, doesn't leave this room."[/color] A nod from Sep, and she continued, opening the book on Vytal and pushing it across to Sep who took it and looked at the page. Recent additions, considering recent history, and he glanced up at the Headmistress as she continued. [color=aba000]"All contact has been lost with the island of Vytal. We suspect Grimm are involved, due to their unchecked reign of the island even during the treaties discussions. Each Academy has been asked to send two hunters or huntresses to Vytal, to investigate, and to retrieve artifacts promised to each Academy for safe keeping. You are being assigned to field duty. Head to the town of Garen's Well. From there, meet the other Academy's Hunters and investigate. Retrieve the Artifacts if possible, all of them preferably. Otherwise mark them for other teams to collect. Questions?"[/color] The Hunter student considered the information given, looking through the book quietly as he mused over what was covered. Each Academy was to have an artifact, yet she specifically mentioned collecting all of them. It made sense, really, considering the advantage it would give Atlas Academy over the others. They still had to think for themselves, doubly so with how tense things still were post War, despite the Grimm's surge in activity. [color=0076a3]"One question only, the rest I can research before departing. Who is the second student going?"[/color] The Headmistress rose up, knowing full well how uncomfortable with unknowns he was at the best of times, giving him a knowing smile before turning to leave the Library. [color=aba000]"You have two weeks to be there, Mr. Felder. As you know, I am not a believer in things like luck. So accomplish the mission, and report back to me to resume your courses here at the Academy."[/color] With that, she was gone, and Sep looked back down at the book on Vytal in his hands. It would take nearly a week, by boat, to reach Vytal if he were to go there directly, which he wasn't. So a week to reach the mainland past it, and... Blast it, he needed a map. Standing up, he walked to find a chart on the geographical layout of Remnant. There was a lot of preparatory work to do, and nowhere near enough time. He wouldn't know everything he needed for this, but he would get as much down as possible, and transcribe the rest to travel notes. It was going to be a long two weeks, and by whatever Gods existed did he hate boats. Too little control over what happened at sea, damn things were death traps as far as he was concerned. There had to be a better way at traveling in the works, he might look into it during some free time after returning here... [hr] Present Day [hr] [color=0076a3]"Why are we stopped, driver?"[/color] Sep was standing next to a coach, the horse clearly uncomfortable and antsy while the siren blared in the town itself. He was almost in the town itself when the alarm sounded, bringing them to a rather sudden halt. It was an unforseen complication, though he was close enough that. The coach driver glared at the young man, clearly having pinned him for being a Mantle native and, understandably, having some rather bad memories of the people of Mantle fresh in his memory. [b]"Alarm means Grimm. Ye don't got the money to get me to ride this coach in there brazenly, or quietly for that matter. If ye ain't ridin' back with me, yer on yer own. It's a bloody deathtrap in there, I'm telling ye."[/b] Sep glanced up at the Coach driver, meeting his glaring gaze evenly before responding briefly. [color=0076a3]"Never quite understood death traps. Capturing the already dead serves no purpose at all."[/color] Ignoring the baffled look on the driver's face, Sep took off at a brisk run, he had places to be, people to find, Grimm to put down. Once he was moving into the town properly, he skulked from alleyway to alleyway, reminded of his times ducking and running the streets, when stationed in cities with his mother, avoiding fights and failing to do so more often than not. Now he was doing just like he used to, except he was looking for a fight now, rather than trying to avoid one. Perhaps he would completely fail to find the Grimm somehow, he idly mused while ducking from cover to cover as he skulked forward. He was taking the environment into account, the wet rain and muck would create trouble moving fast, he would have to compensate for that if the time came. When, he reminded himself, as he finally laid eyes on the Grimm in question. Big, he didn't recognize the type from his studies, not off the top of his head either. Unknown capabilities, walked like a human. Or Faunus, he supposed with mild distaste, but that was neither here nor there. It hadn't noticed him yet, focused as it seemed to be on stomping about and causing trouble, but what also caught his eye was something across the way from him, diagonal if one used the Grimm as reference. Some young woman was peering out at the Grimm as well, the why eluding him at this distance, but he had his suspicion. Huntress probably, given she wasn't just running. Sep produced his own weapon, set in ranged mode currently since engaging that thing in close quarters, in this mud, would be a royal pain to have to deal with. Taking into account its size, the way it moved in the muck versus how he had, and the size of its natural weapons pretty much meant that a ranged takedown would be preferable. Between the two of them, if he had a way to communicate, they could put the thing in a nasty crossfire, force it to split its attention. Whoever it didn't go after, would keep firing, and the unfortunate targeted would have to keep its attention in melee while it was peppered with enough rounds to put it down for good. Simple plan, certainly, but it left little to go wrong. While the Grimm wasn't looking his way, he briefly waved his weapon, aiming it at the Grimm to indicate that they should open fire at the same time. They really couldn't afford to wait too long, longer that thing stomped about, the more likely it would do more damage than it already had. He had a plan, the bodies to execute it technically, all that needed to happen was the execution. Shame he came in on the wrong end of town or communicating his plan might have been easier. Assuming she understood him at all, which was completely up in the air as well.