Chapter 33.
Cassiel POV
I hid in the SR for a while. Ruby and I were asked to meet with Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood and discuss the events of last night. I convinced her to lie, say I couldn't attend because of diarrhea, which she did reluctantly. I heard plenty. So, someone has infiltrated Beacon, who and why, no one knows specifically. The fact they want Ruby to keep quiet about this is even more reason not to trust them. Ruby did something that could've easily back fired and changed the story, mentioning a hideout in the southeast. Unfortunately, I didn't get anything else from Ozpin and the rest besides them adding a new mission for the "field trip", so I returned to our room to find Yang holding a tube she got from her father in the mail. She shook it a little and another tube slid out, a tube that somehow unrolled itself into a dog.
So I spent longer than otherwise necessary on processing what I just saw. Ruby and Yang were enjoying their reunion with their dog, Zwei, Weiss did a complete 180° after calling him mangy, and Blake was acting like an actual cat and doing her best to avoid the dog. I had a mixture of confusion and amusement on my face as I watched the whole thing. We heard Glynda call all first year students to the amphitheater, and Yang nearly caused my brain to need a reboot. That tube had like, 30+ cans of dog food, each can was thicker than the tube, and a can opener. I only had 1 thing to say about this.
"Ruby, Yang. I know this is filthy rich coming from me, but what unholy black magic has your father unleashed upon us?" I asked, horrified at the many, MANY laws of physics alone that he broke. I know they no longer apply to many things anymore, but I can't help it.
I didn't get an answer. I followed them to the amphitheater where Ozpin basically just gave a speech about unity, then told us we would be shadowing a professional Huntsman on whatever assignment. Ruby found a "search and destroy" mission in the southeast, but was unavailable to first year students because of the large concentration of Grimm. I was immediately calling bull shit because I've killed more Grimm on my first day here than most, if not everyone here since school started! It was then that Ozpin gave me another reason to not trust him. "Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" He said and allowed access to us, though not before commenting on how well I appear considering me essentially being trapped in the bathroom.
Moving on, we grabbed whatever we needed, though Ruby decided to bring Zwei. I was expecting anyone but Oobleck or Port. Who do we get? Not Glynda, Ruby's uncle or hers and Yang's father, or any huntsman I'd call for a "search and destroy" mission. No. Much worse.
"Why hello students! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Oobleck asked excitedly. They had similar reactions, but I took it a step further.
"Ruby, Yang, Blake. Forgive me if this sounds like an odd question, but those guns of yours wouldn't happen to be loaded would they?" I asked.
"If they aren't, now's the perfect time girls!" He said, then I stopped listening after he started going on a rant or something.
Now, under any other circumstance, I probably wouldn't mind Oobleck, but he always seems to be working on a gallon of coffee and five 5 hour energy drinks, doesn't help he's somehow faster than Ruby when her speed is enhanced by Weiss. On the aircraft, the others were listening to him debrief us on the mission.
"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves. Gut, it is also home to one of the kingdom's greatest failures." Oobleck explained.
"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said, catching his attention.
"That's right, it was an expansion of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the city." Yang added.
"Correct! And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder." Oobleck said.
"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake added.
"Precisely."
"Before we land, there is one detail you should know. I'm basically a Grimm magnet. While I do have 1, maybe 2 ways around that, I won't be able to interact physically or verbally in anyway with the one I know will work. That means the best I can do if you want to avoid Grimm is stay away from the team and scout out the area, or lure them to a better defensive point." I explained, getting concerned looks from the others.
"And why didn't you tell us sooner?" He asked.
"Did I have a chance?" I answered with another question.
"Fair enough. Stay with the group."
"Did yo-"
"I did, Cassiel."
We landed without any trouble, though Oobleck did discover Zwei and, like Weiss, did a complete 180° before going on about how this is beneficial to us. When it looked like he was done, Blake asked what his orders were.
"Ah! Yes! Straight to the chase, I like it!" He dropped Zwei. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this kind of behavior. One of which being, Grimm."
"Come again?" I asked, not exactly understanding what I just heard.
"Grimm, a creature of Grimm approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment." He clarified.
"What?" Yang said, surprised. Turning around, we saw a lone Beowolf, though I was surprised about something else for what should be obvious reasons. The others readied their weapons, but I didn't.
"Stop." He ordered.
"Huh?" Blake asked.
"There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent." He explained, though I'm confused about how we haven't been noticed yet. I'm right fucking here.
"So, what now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait, we track, if the specimen leads us to it's pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.
"It's uncertain, hours, days, weeks, why lone Grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack." I don't know if I attracted them this time.
"What?" Weiss asked.
"And now they've seen us."
"What?!" She asked again.
"And now they've seen us!!" He shouted. I stepped forward with Dawn in hand. "Cassiel!" I ignored him and activated my armor to try something. I used a shotlock, sending swirling blades of darkness at all but one, this one would be my little test subject. I brought out my darkness, I could feel the power, and it felt good to use it again after several months of not tapping into it. The last Beowolf slowed down to a halt, it started backing up.
"Barrier!" I trapped it. Once I was close enough, I reached out, my hand on it's head, it kept trying to back away, gut couldn't. I lowered the barrier. "This will be the only time I let you live." I told it. It seemed to understand me and run away. I deactivated my armor and walked back to the others, all of whom were shocked at what they just saw.
"What was that?"
"Where did you get cool armor like that from?"
"Did you just scare off a Grimm?"
"Did you learn your Semblance and not tell us?" Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss asked at the same time.
"Cassiel! As much of an amazing display that might have been, that will be the last time you disobey my orders again!" Oobleck said.
"'kay." Was my response.
(Later)
"Why do you want to become a Huntsman, Cassiel?" Oobleck asked as I was stabbing a Beowolf through it's chest.
"I don't care about being a Huntsman. I only accepted Ozpin's offer into Beacon to open up another path on my 'Mark of Mastery' exam my master is having me tour the world for until she deems me ready." I answered.
"So you were enrolled into Beacon despite not having any interest in the profession it's training you for?"
"There are five reasons why people sign up for jobs like this:
- Revenge.
- Power.
- Fun.
- Wealth/ fame and glory.
- Because they are genuinely good people who want to make the world a better, safer place.
I have no quarrel with Grimm, I don't find it fun to kill them, this job won't make me much stronger if at all, I have no desire for wealth and fame, and I couldn't care less about other people. There's only a few people I actually care about, almost everyone else can die a slow and painful death for all I care."
"And what of your team then?"
"Yang acts like the big sister, scares the Hell out of me when she's angry. Weiss can be a good person when she can swallow that pride of hers. I would say Ruby is like the little sister, but she's a year older than me, and I'd say the world needs more people like her. Blake? I don't know why, but I feel... Comfortable around her. Another person that wants to make the world a better place, despite the world having a different definition of 'better'. I'd say that they're probably the closest I'll get to another family, with that said, I'd have no better motivation to kill anyone or anything that tries to hurt them. I'm not losing another one."
"You would lay down your life for them?"
"They're not dying while I'm around, certainly not before I do."
(That night)
We set up camp in a tall building, high enough to get a good view of the surrounding area, and offer protection from Grimm. I'm in the SR right now, I told them I'd be around if they need me. I don't know why though, but I wanted to reach for Blake, but decided against it.
"Blake? Are you awake?" Yang asked, she was probably unable to sleep.
"Yeah." Blake too probably.
"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like... What was he trying to say?" Yang wondered. So he asked them too then?
"Maybe he was just curious." Blake guessed.
"Ya think?"
"No."
"Weiss? Are you awake?"
"Of course I'm awake!" Weiss answered. "You two are talking. And I think he... When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... Moral grey area." Yeah... 'Grey area'.
"That's putting it lightly." Blake commented.
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right! If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of the family name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."
"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right." Blake started on another life story. "I had a partner... Named Adam. More of a mentor, actually." Oh, shit. He was with HER? "He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be... Not perfect for everyone else." I think I know who the martyr will be. "I joined the academy because I knew Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the academy... What will I-? How can I undo so many years of hate?" She asked.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Yang tried to comfort her. "You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake."
"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran. When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my... Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away." Not the way I'd look at it, Blake.
"At least you two have something that drives you." Yang commented. "I've just kinda always gone with the flow, you know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress... Not really because I wanna be a hero. But because I want the adventure. I want a life where I don't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing." Yang, you will be eating those words one of these days, I can almost guarantee it. "Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping the people and saving the day and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."
"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss commented.
"She's only two years younger." Blake said.
"And I'm three years younger, what's your point?" I asked as I exited the SR.
"We're all kids."
"Age is just a number, I'm living proof of that. Besides, we're all in the middle of a war zone with small arsenals at our disposal. This is the job, the life you chose. The second you chose this life, you swore an oath to protect the people, not just from Grimm, but any that would live up to the title of 'monster'." I said.
"And what about you? Why do you want to become a Huntsman?" Yang asked.
"I don't. My master wants me to 'tour the world' and prepare for my 'Mark of Mastery' exam. I only accepted being enrolled into Beacon because it was an opportunity to prepare for it." I removed my mask. "Of the five reasons why someone would sign up for this, I don't fit any of them. The closest I can get to those reasons is not letting anything happen to the few people I care about."
"You haven't told us anything about your 'master'."
"She's probably the closest anyone can get to a Goddess of Darkness, but without all the hate and whatever else you would expect. Great first impressions, she tried to kill me, better than her sister though. Even if her Light counterpart actually can revive the dead and rewrite memories, that's still a 'no'."
"She tried to kill you??!!" Weiss asked, shocked.
"This was during a time when I believed death was an act of mercy, an act of kindness. After I survived the Heartless she sent after me, I became her student. Apparently I caught her eye because the other two weapons I use usually choose people, siblings if possible, that often try to kill each other. I'm the second to wield Way to Dawn and Path towards Nightfall."
"Heartless? And what?!" Yang asked.
"Think of Grimm, but potentially worse. I doubt a Darkside is the worst, but it's the most dangerous I fought at that time. Normal weapons did nothing, Dust gave some results, and apparently only the keyblade, weapons born, not forged, born of pure light and dark can actually kill them. She could probably control or influence Grimm like I did, but Grimm aren't anywhere near home. Anyway, she took me in as her student and on top of the training, she's gifted me a few things as well. The armor and those portals being two of them."
"She still tried to kill you though." Blake said.
"If she wanted me dead, I wouldn't be here. The Heartless she sent were essentially bottom feeders, it was more of a test to see if I was worth it than an attempt on my life. Truth be told, I'm kind of glad she did."
"Why?" Weiss asked.
"If she hadn't, I would still have no one, nothing, and no place to call home." I summoned Dawn and stared into the eye. "I'd still be the one who for no other reason than 'not my problem' would watch an entire town be destroyed unless I was angry and wanted to kill something to vent it out. I hated everyone, I hated- still hate myself. Life was meaningless, worthless, I had nothing to life for and nothing to lose. All that awaited me was more meaningless suffering and no compensation for it. She put me along the way out of that despair. She didn't do anything herself in that regard, but I was able to meet a few people who were worth the effort, and my time with them, then you, has helped a lot." I dismissed Dawn and leaned against a pillar.
"I still don't like her first impression." Yang said.
"Doesn't matter. Moving on, I heard everything you said. Weiss, fix that company before I'm given a reason to burn it to the ground. Yang, it would be in your best interest to plan a future, I can almost guarantee you'll be eating your words from earlier, especially in this profession. Blake, there wasn't anything you could do regarding Adam, besides, he'll probably be that martyr I spoke of from that one night. Your Semblance? You have more chances to figure out your opponent than most, run and live to fight another day, that's your Semblance. 'By definition, only the coward is capable of the highest heroism'. I fight despite not having any valid reason to under most circumstances, you fight because you actually care. That makes you more of a hero than me." Yang got a mischievous smile on her face.
"Again Cassiel? You're putting the moves on her now of all times?" She asked. Blake blushed a little I think, hard to tell with the low light, I just looked at her unamused.
"I wouldn't consider giving my standpoint on her story that, besides, she could do better anyway. At least that person will probably put in the effort to make the world better. Anyway, it's time I call it a night. See you in the morning."
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I was thinking “dark command” or something like that. Being able to tell the Grimm what to do like an alpha or sailem.
Or ‘Dark Override’ considering how the Grimm are.
10083853
Agreed, something like that suits him perfectly.
So I have two ideas for Cassiel's semblance , inspired by Shadow of War
1.
Commanding/dominating the mind of Grimm and similar creatures like Heartless
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/middleearthshadowofmordor7723/images/5/5a/Dominate2.gif/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20140713001942
smgrissom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Brand.gif
media1.giphy.com/media/lRA49rwQD2PQY/source.gif
2.
A wraith, shadow clone
Something like that, so it would fit Blake semblance
Example