The tension in the air bumped up several levels before Isaac got to actually see the threat and before even he got to hear it. Perhaps it was the unnatural tension of the Beowolves or perhaps it was the unease they had upon seeing a single hunter. Sure, he had killed the pack leader, but some of them should surely have attacked him.
The noise that echoed afterwards was enough to have Isaac tense and on the defensive. His training had been…extensive. He could identify a Beowolf from its distinctive roar. He could navigate a forest blindfold by the sound of an ursa’s claws scraping on wood. He could tell the distinct markings of a Deathstalker’s hunting grounds. Every conventional Grimm was something he could identify by the smallest of indicators: indicators a normal hunter-neophyte would miss.
This was no ordinary Grimm.
Before it came into view, Isaac unravelled the right hand WALTER wires and planted the bayonets attached to them into the side of a nearby rock-face. They could be used as an escape, at least.
When it came into view, Isaac’s tense muscles clenched into a state of unfamiliar feelings; feelings he had long since abandoned. The beast was huge in size and maintained a pristine appearance; all but a single chip in its horn marred it. The beast was covered in gore: someone else’s gore, and it was now setting its sights on Isaac himself.
“Shit…Where is that blood-hungry bastard when I need him?”
Isaac had about enough time to curse Rygar’s non-presence when the beast unleashed its whirlwind attack. Every battle-instinct that Isaac possessed screamed for him to not be touched by whatever attack the Unicorn could muster, and from the rope and limb hanging uselessly from the Beast’s own horn close-ness was not safe-ness.
That left only one choice. Isaac set to work with his semblance, reeling in the motor of the WALTER unit and reeling himself away from the beast as fast as he could. As he catapulted through the air, away from the Unicorn, Isaac watched various boulders be lifted into the air and shredded by the viciousness of the torrential whirlwind.
“What kind of monster is this!?”
Isaac reached the initially grabbed rock-face and quickly lashed onto another; Isaac was sure that he would not be able to win until he understood just what he was against. The whirlwind was relentless, but surely no Grimm could keep up a destructive force like that…Right?
No, thinking wouldn’t help at this point. Instinct and action would be Isaac’s weapons of choice. He couldn’t get in close enough yet, and his long range attack options were non-existent. The options were either wait out the whirlwind or find the eye of the storm.
Isaac kept flinging himself through the air, further and further away from the Unicorn when the mountainside started to shift. His eyes widened as the entirety of the Unicorn’s hunting ground, of which he was seemingly the only form of prey, began to slide down the face of the mountain and towards who-knows where. Isaac was focused on finding more shelter, and none was presenting itself. He settled for finding the biggest bit of sturdy mountain rock he could press himself behind and did just that. He waited for the whirlwind to stop, but at the same time, he listened for any sign of the Unicorn charging. It had been aggressive so far, it was unlikely the beast wouldn’t act the same way, now that Isaac had seemingly found a reprieve. His ears listened for anything: A roar, the charging of its footsteps, even the sound of its breathing. Anything that might give him the seconds he needed to dodge.
Orion looked back at Arara and sighed, before giving himself one last big gulp of fresh air before he started to dive into the water. The clearness of the water made the lake seem serene and beautiful. Were Orion’s thoughts not so focused on the task at hand, he might have taken a moment longer to take in the surroundings.
Instead, Orion surged on with powerful kicks. He was only using his natural strength, hoping to reserve his aura reserves for later. If he was a master at using his aura, like his adopted mother, he might have been able to make the equivalent of an air-helmet using his aura. As it stood, his lungs would have to suffice.
Swimming through the lake was surprisingly uneventful. Every so often, Orion thought he could see something in his peripheral vision, but each time he tried to focus on it: he saw nothing. Every so often he checked the WATCH and saw that he was steadily getting closer to the blip that represented the data cache.
Orion spotted something in the dark of the lake that seemed promising; a cavern that was buried inside the island. He would have grinned, were he not holding his breath so carefully. He started to pour some of his aura into his semblance and his muscles started to feel a new energy overtake them. Each kick rocketed him through the water at a much faster pace, and he was upon the cavern entrance within moments. Orion had expected to have been attacked by now, yet still nothing. It was odd; had the cache really been moved by the current alone?
Orion’s head surfaced above the break of the water’s edge, and he spotted the cache on the shore instantly. It stood out by its inorganic-ness, and the prospect of such an easy victory made Orion just a little foolish. He climbed onto the shore and gripped the cache in one hand; feeling triumphant in his lucky victory. He had to admit, he was a little saddened to see that his fighting skills would go untested.
He tapped at the WATCH on his wrist, and decided to send Arara a message. Best tell her he’d been successful.
“Arara, I’ve got the cache in my hand. Just going to catch my breath, then I’ll be with y…”
Orion stopped speaking for a second: something seeming deathly off. He quickly pocketed the cache and clenched his fist, tension filling his every muscle over seemingly nothing. His grip on Epsilon Delta tightened. Something was here…
”Careful what you wish for, Orion.”
