Ducking as Taura's attack connected with the Beowolf, Slate quickly withdrew his blades as the beast fell back and began to turn into its dust like state. Reappearing to the naked eye, Slate stared dryly at his partner, "Pretty brutal huh?" He murmured, his gaze redirecting itself to the fading creature. Shrugging he began to walk away from the short fight, calling back to Taura as he did so. "Come, I believe the ruins may be close. I hope" He finished under his breath, rubbing the cold steel wrapped around his wrist. "By the way," Slate spoke up, glancing back to Taura briefly, "I think we'll need to come up with some sort of strategy when it comes to your semblance." Unable to prevent the chuckle that left him, Slate continued, "I'm more than certain that'll end up the death of me." He wasn't joking, despite acting as aloof as usual, Slate was frightened of the power his partner showed. It wasn't flashy, but it was effective, and being able to disappear from site would not help if they became enemies.
Sighing in relief, she stumbled slightly before walking over to him. Upon hearing his remark, she suddenly remembered about her Semblence. And his knack for disappearing every now and then wasn't the best for her either, if she had to make sure not to hit him, like back then. She knows where he would be and frankly, it was to her advantage. "Right...but please no deaths now..." The shock had worn off and her reply was surprisingly void of her usual timidity. Taking a good look at her surroundings, she closed her eyes and activated her Semblence. She could faintly sense a few oncoming beings to their site. A bit paranoid at this point, she walked quickly to the direction they were headed. "Let's go."
Grunting in acknowledgement of Taura's command, Slate began to walk cautiously behind his partner, keeping an eye on their surroundings and his blades ready to unsheathe, while she led. "Sense anyone?" Slate questioned as he followed his partner, his body growing more tense as they travelled. The distant sounds of the Grimm did not help, his only comfort being the knowledge that if they were close, Taura would have known by now.
“Two somewhat familiar people heading our way, I cannot tell who is who, nor can I clearly say. Ahead are a few living beings, though it is hard to tell.” Taura tried hard to ignore the wound on her left shoulder, blood was slowly seeping into her sleeve. Taura looked nervous, but at least when it came to telling for any presences, she was sure. “If this is where I think it should be, the relics should be near.” Sure enough, she could see a white column somewhere in the distance. Her eyes lit up. “We’re close!”
Sighing in relief at his partners call, Slate found himself quickening his pace until he was beside her. "That's good." He stated curtly, his gaze focused on the tree's ahead, hoping that the relics would just appear in front of him. A chance glance at his partner, to ensure he hadn't left her behind unintentionally, he took notice of the small stain of crimson on her shoulder. "You're injured?" He questioned her, his expression tightening in annoyance, "Damn it, now we need to get the relics quick before we're found by more Grimm." "Hopefully there's another group there, tch. Otherwise we may be in trouble." He thought morosely to himself.
Readying Emerald Tempest in its rifle form he loaded it with a fresh magazine not taking any chances since that howl had meant there were other he followed his partner as they started approaching what they assumed were the ruins of their objective. Running a few feet behind his partner he still kept vigilant look to ensure something didn’t come up from behind suddenly. He spotted something further ahead to the side where the trail of broken branches and beowolf footprints should be, a few beowolves that were following the trail. He went to Rosa’s side to alert her of the grimm even if she’d probably already noticed them as she was covering the front. He pointed with his weapon in the grimm’s general direction choosing not to speak as if asking what they should do since it could end up with another fight at this point.
"Eh?" She hurriedly tried to cover it. "It's fine! I'm okay--!" Still using her usual chipper tone, she subconsciously covered her left arm, as she went on ahead. The marble columns looked more inviting then ever. She was face to face with many white columns and a few chess pieces. Looking around for her partner, she said. "Well, any piece you would like to choose?"
Rose nodded to her partner, her own weapons at the ready. Then she spotted figures close to the ruins. "Hunter, I think there are other students there. We might need to help them out in case the Grimm decide to attack them." She said to him as quietly as she could before increasing her strides and hurried towards the ruins. As she came close, she found out that she had been right. The Mistral girl and the sullen boy, Taura and Slate if she remembered correctly, were already at the ruins and seemed to be picking out something. It seemed like they had paired up. Rose had to admit that she hadn't really expected them to be a pair, but then again she hadn't expected to end up with Hunter either.
Hunter gave a grunt in agreement and picked up the pace to keep up with his partner as they approached the ruins, now able to make out the white marble columns. The people already there turned out to be the boy and girl he’d briefly talked to on the ship which surprised him slightly, he’d never gotten their names, seems like they’d gotten paired up judging by what little he’d learned about them on the ship it was an interesting combination. “Let’s get what we came for and get out of here before something shows up.” He nodded the two a quick greeting as he went up to the white columns with the relics resting on top of them, quickly snagging the nearest one shaped like a white tower piece.
Rolling his eyes at his partners response to his observation, he studied the chess pieces in front of them before taking the white rook. Handing it to his partner Slate watched the two new appearances with caution. "I concur with him, Kawashima. We should move before more Grimm find us." He told his partner, before a growl from behind him caused his eyes to shut in annoyance. "Never mind that idea then." Turning, Slate glared into the treeline were an Ursa lumbered out towards the group, its red eyes staring at them all with a smouldering gaze. "Is it just me," Slate spoke up tersely, "or is that Ursa slightly bigger than usual?"
Turning to the sound of footsteps, she confirmed that those were the presences she felt. But she didn't expect who were the presences. "Ahh! Rosa! Hunter...was it? Is everyone alrigh---" Taura's eyes lit up at the sight of them, rushing over and noticing the other rook piece in Hunter's hand. Before she could realise the same pieces picked, she heard a loud growl. Taura didn't need her Semblance to notice an Ursa that big. Huffing, she readied herself with Nami in her right hand and Kai in her left.
“No time to catch up, huh?” Rosa commented from her position on the ruin walls. She was eyeing up the Ursa and just grinned at it, one sword hanging carefully by her side and the other resting on her shoulder. Her hair moved with the wind. Then she moved. Within a flash she was airborn and sent down a volley of her fire rings through one of her wind rings, increasing their speed. “Incoming~,” she called out, before she swung her other sword and hooked on another ring to stay in the air and survey the damage done to the Ursa. She had a feeling that it wouldn’t really be enough to deal with the grimm.
The moment he noticed Rosa had launched her attack, Slate pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the Ursa revealing his blades as he did. Raising his right arm, Slate fired at the Grimm, scowling as he noticed the shots having little effect beyond getting the creatures attention. "Ah crap." Slate murmured before dropping into a slide as he reached the Ursa, dodging a wide swing of its paw as he did so. Quickly rising to his feet, Slate leaped onto its back and slammed his elbows into its spine, in the process stabbing the creature. Releasing a roar, the Ursa flailed about causing Slate to lose his grip and be thrown off. Landing in a roll, Slate activated his semblance and after disappearing from sight he once again launched an attack, this time he aimed to slash the back of the Ursa's knees in hopes of bringing the beast down. Unfortunately Slate, in his haste, forgot one key weakness of his semblance. Despite being hidden from sight, he can still be heard and smelt, something the Ursa used to its advantage. Just as Slate slashed at the creature, it swung its arm at him again but unlike last time this one made contact, the force of the blow launching Slate back towards Taura and Hunter. "That thing is strong," Slate spoke up as he shakily stood, bringing his mask down as he did so. "My aura took a real dent just from that one hit." As he finished speaking, he spat out some blood onto the ground.
Hunter eyed the ursa carefully before decided on his move after he’d seen it swipe Slate aside like it was barely any effort, that thing was indeed strong and larger than any ursa he’d ever seen before. Instead of opening fire at the grimm he changed his weapon back into its default axe form, focusing wind started gathering around his arms and ran up the axe making it hum as the wind started whipping up around it. He swung the axe in the ursa’s direction sending a wave of wind its way, it hit on in the face but barely made the beast react as it hit its head. “Crap that didn’t quite have the intended effect, well plan b then.” Hunter charged at it taking a swing at the head. The ursa deflected the attack with a swing from its paw then stood up launching a counter attack with it other; Hunter ducked but felt the wind blow as the attack flew past his head. He took a step back from the grimm before having to block a down swing grunting as the impact from the attack send a shockwave down his arms, the ursa started applying pressure using both paws, never had he encountered such a powerful grimm before and this time he didn’t have his mentor to save him when he screwed up. “Remember when I said take cover when I told you to? Now would be a good time,” He said to his partner “That goes for you two as well, take cover.” He shot at the other two as wind started to gather around him. He waited as long as he could hoping he’d gathered enough wind and that the others would listen to him before he unleashed his wind vacuum, it only staggered the ursa but that was all he needed quickly stepping back creating some distance between him and the grimm.
“Slate!” Taura cried as she looked at her fallen partner. Turning to see what she could do to assist Hunter, she dropped by Slate’s side, using both fans and combining them as a shield, it wasn’t big enough to protect the both of them, but at least she was healed thanks to her Aura. Once she witnessed Hunter’s Semblance, she was in awe. Looking for an opportunity to at least get better coverage, with what strength she has, she took the Faunus further away from the blast. She waited for another opportunity to attack.
Staring wide-eyed at what he had just witnessed, Slate growled in his head. 'What the hell are with these semblances?" He asked himself, his tail unwrapping itself as a show of his shock and minor irritation. Nodding to Taura in thanks as he rose, he stared at the Ursa that seemed mostly unfazed from the powerful attack. "We-we can't win." He declared quietly, his hands beginning to shake as the situation became apparent to himself. "Taura!" He barked at his partner, using her first name for the first time. Forgoing his usual mannerisms in his frantic actions, "We have to go now. We can't win this!" He began to walk again before glancing back at his still unmoving partner, "Let's go. Leave them, they'll run too."
Looking at Slate, while she was caught off guard when he called her by her first name, his next words were a downer. While she knew running away was a good idea, but she looked to that Ursa. The two of them, Hunter and Rosa were not going to be able to fend them off for long. She was probably the only one (was she?) who realised that Hunter picked a rook piece like Slate had...which means...Even more so they couldn’t leave them behind! Her parents, her relatives, everyone she strove to please came to mind. They hadn’t put their hopes on her for nothing...Her personal goal however, was just to live through Beacon Academy and see what happens...if she were to do that, she should at least get her place there first. Separating both her fans, she gave Slate a firm look, one her cousin often employed in their hunting ‘lessons’ together. “Sorry, but if that Ursa runs rampant, the other students will be in danger too. If I could at least do something to slow it down.” Equipping her weapons with Dust, she sprinted around, looking for an opening. If the Ursa were to follow her with its sight, she could become a distraction, and hopefully they would get the cue for attacking!
Rosa whistled as the ice shield she had thrown up at the last second shattered in front of her eye s. That was one powerful semblance, glad that she was out of reach. She was still in the air, seated on one of her rings and surveyed the damage below. Slate had gotten injured, and it didn't seem like Taura had gathered all the courage she needed to join the fight and do some damage, even if she had started running around to provide a helpful distraction. The heiress just cracked her neck before she decided to get serious. Her previous attack might not have done much, but seeing the Ursa stagger from Hunter's attack, she pounced. Diving through the air, she cast a Hollow Ring beneath the Ursa, twice her size, and turned the floor into ice. Then she cast more ice rings in her path and broke them, sending down pieces of ice raining down on the Grimm. She quickly hooked through some hollow rings and positioned herself just so in the air that she was hanging above the Ursa as her weapons lit up with a blue glow. She struck twice, her weapons leaving a trail of frost behind. Rosa didn't wait for any reaction and quickly flipped to safety, landing beside her partner. She was already charging up a new attack, as she looked at Slate with disdain in her eyes. His declaration of the fact that he was so sure that she and Hunter would run away from this fight lit a fire inside of her. "Go, you coward." She taunted him. "You are no use at all here. We will hold this beasty off until you get to safety. Might even beat it up and get extra credit while we are at it."
“Tch, then run you damn coward, not like you’ve done much anyway.” Hunter shot Slate cold glare before turning his attention back to the ursa. “We need to hinder its movement somehow so it can’t just do whatever it wants or we won’t take it down.” Hunter was thinking as just distracting it wasn’t enough this ursa was not dumb. “I think I have an idea, you think you’re able to maybe freeze its paws to the ground if we’re keeping it busy? Then it’ll be easy enough to finish off together......Hopefully.” He added the last past in a slightly lower tone as he waited for Rosa to confirmed whenever or not it was possible. He aimed multiple small vacuum waves in the grimm’s direction before transforming Emerald Tempest into rifle mode sending a series of shots at it.
Rosa took a moment to see if the request was doable and then she nodded while firing Viola at the Ursa. "I should be able to do that, but I need it sufficiently distracted. At that close of a range, it will only take on hit and I might be down for the fight." She quickly agreed to Hunter's request. "Keep it looking high and I will be sliding along. Good that I already put down a layer of ice." She grimaced as she let the ice dust flow from her weapons and coated the surface of the blades with it. "TAURA, KEEP IT FOCUSED HIGH." Rosa shouted as she gave one last nod to Hunter, completely ignored Slate, and then was off, summoning several rings of fire to start the diversion for her true attack. She just hoped the others wouldn't let her down.
