Shamrock finds his cot, checking the things lying there. He flicks through one of the books without paying much attention, taking more interest in the scroll. After a bit of poking around the device his attention shifts to the uniform and one detail immediately catches his attention. "Ugh, hate ties."
He notices Beoh changing into the uniform.
"Unless you want to sleep in it, we'll have to wear it tomorrow anyway."
Tana shrugs off her bracers and set them down heavily next to her pack on her cot. Wringing her wrists out, she stretches for a moment, surveying the room before falling into a forward leaning rest and starting to crank out pushups, breathing steadily with every rep. At the top of the fortieth, she stops, her gaze coming directly in line with Beoh slipping his thumbs into the waistband of his pants across the room. She takes a heavy breath in through her nose, flushing red and descending on her next rep very slowly and watching.
Tora awkwardly helps Onxyia with her things before settling down with her own belonging at her cot. She tosses her duffle bag down in the corner of the room and unstraps her weapon from her back, gently placing it against the wall. Searching through her duffle bag, she pulls her night clothes out and a small worn blanket, laying it out on the cot.
She then goes off to change in private, taking off her hat to reveal the ears of a faunus. From there, she simply changes her clothes into a light blouse and pajama pants, adorning her head with her hat again, it bearing the symbol of two claw marks and a sword crossing each other. She then goes back to her cot and struggles to read the books given to her.
Beoh turns at Shamrock's comment and says "Are we expected to sleep in clothing here?"
"Um, I dunno, maybe in pajamas?.." he looks around, unsure. "I was just... never mind."
Carmine will glance over at Beoh. "Uhh... Bathrooms are over there if you want to change." he offers. "In case... you know, you don't want to mentally scar everyone in the room with your-is that a bone sticking out of your side?!"
Sorzar watched as Onyxia was dragged along into the long and wordy speech of Professor Port's his own achievements. He would give her two thumbs-up when she looked around the crowd for a lifeline, she was doing so well getting to know the teachers! Here he thought he was the only guy that was interested in conversation with them. The moment would pass though as Oobleck seemed to finally get them back on course, leading them away from the fountain and into the ballroom. The young fox ran ahead, moving down along the cots until he found the one with his own name and then checked to see who would be the ones sleeping next to him. He would sit down with a flop upon his bed for the night before looking around at his fellow students. He really took this time to watch them though, to study what it was that they were doing, how they were acting, who was going to make the grade here at the Academy.
Beoh and Onyxia began to talk just a little bit, pleasantries being exchanged, while the rest of the recruits filtered into the room. Some began to pull out their trinkets from home and set them down. The beaten suitcase would open and out would come a little ragdoll of a rabbit. A faint smile spread across Sorzar's face as he gave it the once over, laying it beside the pillow and kicking off his footwear. His eyes turned towards Shamrock, the first victim, whose cot seemed to be on Sorzar's left. The uniform was mostly ignored at the moment, as he gave a nod.
"Yeah, ties do suck. They can look quite...dashing...though." The words would be exaggerated with the waggling of Sorzar's eyebrows. It was only till he noticed Beoh almost fully stripping down.
"Beoh! Do what he says and get changed in the bathroom! Sheesh!" He was half-tempted to try and throw his pillow at the man but he wasn't sure if he would get it back in the same, usable condition. Bare feet would move along the ground as he nodded. "C'mon, lets get change. No need to give the ladies a free show."
When Sorzar returned from the men's bathroom, he would be dressed in a pair of shorts and a tanktop that clung to him. While not a rippling epitome of muscles and masculinity as Beoh, he was in decent shape with lean and toned muscles. He moved back to his bed and smiled down at his weapon leaning against the ground. It was only then that his smile seemed to stop. He looked down upon the bed, his eyes widening, as he tossed his pillow off. With panicked, frenzied movements, he slipped through the sheets before murmuring to himself.
"Whereisit? Whereisit?" He would search only for a moment longer before standing up on his bed, the added height making him more visible. "Has anyone seen a little stuffed rabbit? Who took Captain Fluff?"
"Who's captain fluff?" Carmine asks, looking around.
He thinks he sees it under the bed, but doesn't want to make a big deal about the bunny plushy, so he makes a somewhat subtle gesture with his hand and concentrates.
The bunny plush, having fallen to the floor, pops up into the air hard enough to upend the bed and bounce off the ceiling before falling onto Sorzar's head. Carmine, wide-eyed, shoves his face back into the book he's reading and pretends nothing happened.
There is a moment of confusion upon Sorzar's face as he looks around frantically. There is no way he could've lost it already? He had only just arrived, he can't lose it now! He was looking over the others throughout the room, studying and trying to get an idea of all his fellow recruits. There were quite a few of them after all and only a few did he really get a chance to talk to.
He would quickly study every person, maybe catching Carbine's semblance activating but he really wasn't looking for that. It would maybe help though in the next moment, as the bed would seem to explode out from underneath him.
He tumbles down off of the bed with a hard thump, looking up at whatever shot right up and over the bed, it seemed. The rabbit would fall down on his head and Sorzar would stay still for just a moment.
"Thank you!" He shouted, getting back up on his feet and moving to grab the bed and start getting it back in place. Looking around had showed him a few things, interesting details to keep in mind.
As people around him started to act odd by his undressing, Beoh stopped and put his shirt back on. "My apologies, I did not know that Humans were shamed by nudity." In response to Carmine's comment about the Grimm fragment sticking out of his skin, Beoh will say with unmistakable pride "Yes, that is the mark from my first kill. He was an Ursa over 12' tall. I nearly soiled myself when he charged me, but then I remembered who I was. Although I was severely wounded, I managed to triumph." Beoh pauses for a moment, then adds "Among the hunters of my people, when someone kills their first Grimm, a piece of the creature is placed in one of the wounds it gave the hunter and then allowed to heal. It is a reminder that all beings are mortal, and how precious life is."
"I don't mind!" Tora shouts from across the room.
After quickly finishing up her weapon maintenance Onyxia will Lay back on her bed and just relax a moment before picking up the new Scroll and tinkering with it's features. As Beoh comes back or if he just stayed he will notice a message from Onyxia "I completely agree sleeping in cloths is very restricting but public nudity is frowned upon even if you aren't embarrassed. I recommend just keeping your spare set by your bed and change under the covers." She will then continue playing with the scroll for a little while setting up music, videos, photos. She will go around and ask what each person's favorite song is and set it as their ringtone and ask if she can get a picture for the contact information. She doesn't seem to nervous now that every one is doing their own thing and all eyes aren't on her.
"Very well then, I will go elsewhere to change. My apologies." and with that, Beoh grabs his new uniforms and exits the room.
Azure finds a cot on the girls' side of the room, gives the items on it a quick once-over, unpacks her bag to get a pair of plain pajamas, which she also places on the bed, then proceeds to clean her oversized scythe. Once that's done (and taking note of Beoh's faux pax with a little smile of amusement, but not reacting otherwise), she takes her PJ's to the bathroom and comes out a few minutes later wearing them. She then proceeds to settle in on her bed, familiarizing herself with the new scroll, which is much better than her old model.
"That's actually a nice idea."
Shamrock takes out his sweatpants and T-shirt and quickly changes under the blanket. "A-ha. No need to go anywhere."
When Onyxia comes to him, he even poses for a photo. After that, he finishes making his cot and lies down, relaxing after a flight and the following walk. He talks with anyone who wants to talk, but bit by bit he starts to doze off, and finally falls asleep.
"Thank you for your suggestion, but I that seems to overly restrict movement. I will leave and return shortly."
"...Me neither," Tana quietly mutters to Tora, smirking. Then, a minute later, as Beoh leaves, she mutters "Too bad." She dips low, resuming her pushups at full-force for another thirty seconds before standing and windmilling her arm as she holds her shoulder, wincing slightly. She undoes the latch on top of her duffel bag with an audible pop, and reaches in, digging around until she finds a set of pajamas and heads over to change as well.
The night passes, though not without you learning in graphic detail which of your classmates snore. The early morning is punctuated by the sound of a microphone feeding back, and then the echoing audio of a cough. "Good morning students," says a bored-sounding man through the loudspeaker. "This is Professor Ozpin. Breakfast will be served in ten minutes. Afterwards, please report immediately to Glynda Goodwitch. Do not wear your uniform. The coordinates have been sent to your scrolls. Good day."
Breakfast is taken in the ballroom. Professor Port explains in a surprisingly concise manner that the dining room won't actually open yet--if all goes according to plan, you'll take lunch there once the initiation is complete. The food is plain Vale fare, with just enough selection to hit all the major food groups. Once you've all bolted down some breakfast, Port escorts you out onto the grounds. He seems somewhat on edge, far from his usually locquacious self. "Today, you'll start your journey towards becoming huntsmen and huntresses. It will be a long morning for you, I'm afraid." He says, twisting his mustache as you cross the edge of the grounds, into some tall trees that skirt the edge of the Academy. "But it will be fine as long as you remember your training and trust your better judgment."
Glynda waits, along with Ozpin, on the edge of a cliff, both unsmiling. The headmaster nods to her, and she clears her throat. "Children," she says, nodding to all of you, her arms behind her back in a near-parade-rest. "Today will mark your initiation. You have a very simple mission. Once you land in the forest, you will have to find the stone altar. Take one artifact, only one, and proceed to the top of Satellite Hill to await further instruction."
"Simple," says Ozpin heavily, before taking a sip of his coffee. "Does not mean easy. The danger involved is very real. The verdant forest is still a hotspot for immature Grimm. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path. We will be monitoring your progress, but the faculty will not intervene unless there are extremely extenuating circumstances."
"Please stand on these markers," says Glynda, gesturing to a set of grey squares set not far from the edge of the cliff. "Take a moment to prepare your landing strategy." She breathes in and adjusts her glasses, glancing down over the Verdant Forest below. "We will begin in three... Two..."
He also doesn't wake up immediately. Once he finally wakes up, he takes a long time to actually get going. He seems to be groggy all the way through breakfast, and only barely is awake by the time they're all taken out to the cliff. He was so groggy he almost forgot his weapon, for crying out loud.
"Stone altar, one artifact, satellite hill, got it... landing strategy?" he asks, taking his place on the farthest left marker. "Why would we need a lan-"
"Oh," is all Shamrock manages to say before he is catapulted into the forest. He immediately transforms Twilight Whisper into the ranged form and waits for an opportunity to slow down.
Onyxia will wake up and get dressed under her sheets as she slept with the sides and bottom tucked in and just in her underwear snuggled with her Shamoo body pillow. After adjusting her cloths and doing a quick brush, blush, flush, and fluff she will barely make it to breakfast as it is being served. She will take 2 plates and take them directly to the cliff and eat there with her feet dangling over the edge listening to the songs that her classmates wanted as ringtones. When the first person arrives she will take one earpiece out to listen if they want to talk but she seems pretty absorbed into the scenery. When every one is there and after being told to get to the hill and await further instructions she will immediately raise her hand and give excited ooh oh pick me noises. she will settle down when further instructions are given then resume raising her hand after he stops talking she quickly rattles out her questions loudly. "Are there any extra credit assignments for this first mission!? I figure since this is likely being graded I want to be sure that I meet all criteria. Is it a bell curve where some people will fail or should we work together or should we go solo to show our individual merits. Should we aim for speed, style, or most Grim kills?" If she receives a response she will quickly thank whoever answers and get even more excited. If no response is given and she is just launched even mid sentence she will shout out "That's not a Nnnooooo!!!!!"
She will be going the distance, she will be going for speed. All along ..... trying to propel herself further while keeping air time and getting a view of the area. when she gets to the treeline she will switch her weapons to tonfa to brace her arms as she will crash through a few smaller branches before starting to catch her footing and jump off the thicker higher branches down to the next tree a little lower till she on the lowest branches where she will flip her grip to hold on to the end of long section to have the handle hook the branch doing a flip around it and landing. she will geek out over her landing for half a second before remembering she was on mission and running off in the direction she thinks she saw some stone shapes.
After he slows down, Shamrock teleports onto the grass, and tries to understand where he is. Failing to do that, he just starts running in the random direction in hope of finding anyone.
After returning from the restroom, Beoh will be wearing the clothing he arrived with, with his uniforms cradled haphazardly in his arms and mumbling something about nooses. He will then store them under his cot, along with the untouched scroll and books. He will then lay down and sleep.
In the early hours of the morning, Beoh will waken and slip out of the ballroom, do a quick run, and then head for the roof of the building. There he will get a lay of the land as well as watch the sunrise. After that, he will shower and then return to the ballroom, where he will put the books and uniforms on his cot and slip the scroll untouched into his back pocket. He will don his jacket and await the trials.
Listening to the briefing, Beoh will pull out his scroll then glance around the room to see how others are using theirs and will mimic what they do. Once he has eaten a plate of meat, he will head out immediately to the trial area. Once there, he will stretch and look over the edge of the cliff, clearing looking for handholds down the side of the cliff. As Glenda gives her speech, Beoh realizes that they have a different means of getting people down, and he smiles a predatory smile. He stands on the marker and then crouches down like a coiled spring. As he is launched through the air, Beoh extends Talon so that the metal bracelets that he wears will slide over his hands with a smaller band now going around his hands, centered in the middle of his palm with 2' long claws emerging from the areas between his knuckles. He will also leap as he is catapulted, intent on increasing the distance of his flight.
Beoh leaps at the top of the launch and goes flying into the forest. As he is descending, he uses his claws clear branches in his trajectory, but mainly to slow his descent by slashing into the trees on either side of him. He ends with a tuck and roll. He then takes a moment to look around and try to get his bearings.
Not noticing any immediate danger, he will begin looking for signs of passage both Grimm and human.
Azure wakes up immediately upon hearing the feedback squeal, and is the first one into the girls' bathroom. After eating a hearty meal, she listens to her teachers' raptly, as if trying to absorb every word, including the answers (if any) to Onyxia's questions.
Watching Beoh crouch on the gray plate, she thinks she knows what he's going to do, and will attempt the same :
= 9, a Success and a Raise!
At the peak of her flight, she spends several seconds looking down at the forest below, trying to spot stone objects :
But only sees treetops for as far as the eye can see.
As she falls down thru the trees, she uses her scythe to cut smaller branches, and uses its tip to score down the trunks, in order to slow her fall.
Looking around on the ground, for anything interesting/important :
= 7, a Success
And activating her Semblance, heads off in that direction, having spotted some stones in the distance.
= 4, a Success
Anyone nearby her would see her running at at least twice what is humanly possible.
For Tora, the morning was some what uneventful. Other than cramming everything she could into her breakfast plate in the morning and eating it in the near blink of an eye, there wasn't really much else. After hearing the announcement, she geared up in her clothes she wore yesterday and followed the instructions given.
After standing in the ready position, Tora readied herself until the count down where she had the gull to ask, "Wait, you are doing what now...." she says before being launched into the air.
As she hurtles through the sky, Tora activates her semblance just in the nick of time. Zooming forward quickly as she got to the ground.
"Too close, she says in a huff, "Too freaking close," she then begins to walk outward toward the believed direction of the objective.
Carmine slaps one hand to his face as he's propelled up and out, keeping his glasses from flying off in the process. His other hand clutches Gravitas and he remembers he should have bought a strap for his lenses.
As he's soaring through the air, Carmine decides that coming down is not in the best interest. Instead, a faint black and red aura outline his body as he achieves incredible air time, remaining high in the sky even as those launched after him finally hit the ground. He scans the ground beneath him as he slowly descends, looking for the stone altar.
Finding the site he believes to be the location, he twirls Gravitas as it transforms into a pair of automatic pistols. Using the kick, he guides his fall to land safely right at the altar.
Above everyone's heads, they hear him shouting:
"Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."
As Beoh watches Carmine go flying overhead all he can think is someone wants to fight some Grimm today!
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Sorzar sleeps like the dead, wide-spread out and with a dreamy smile upon his face. They were simple cots but compared to home, they were some of the most comfortable things he had slept on.
When morning comes and the speakers roar to life, the Faunus leaps out of bed and lands with an almost cautious, scared look for a moment. He relaxes a moment later, standing up and moving towards the bathroom. It the first time anyone has seen the small Faunus slightly nude and while his body is not rippled with muscles like his purple-eyed friend, it is a tone and lithe form of an dexterous man. He washes up and gets dressed, a simple vest and carge pants with the armored padding he had arrived with the day before.
Breakfast is a smorgasborg, Sorzar eating as much as he could with a content sigh as he followed the seemingly nervous Professor Port. He followed the man towards where Professor Glynda and Headmaster Ozpin waited with grim faces. His hand grips along Shimmer Mirage for a moment before he gave a little nod, understanding the terms. Unless you were guaranteed to die, they weren't coming in to save you, no matter what. Following Glynda's instructions, he moved to the grey squares upon the ground and looked out across the forest.
The first thing he did was remember which way the sun was rising, to make sure he had a direction orientation of the most basic measures. Second thing he would do would be look out into the forest and see if he could catch sight of this stone altar.
Not catching sight of it, he planned to at least keep moving away from the Academy when he finally landed. Whether he was expecting such a bolting launch, no one would ever know as Sorzar flailed through the air.
The wind rustled through his shaggy, orange hair and a grin spread across his face. It felt almost natural to be catapulted through the air like this, nice even.
"Alright. Time to not die." Sorzar focused for a moment, drawing upon his semblance.
Out of his aura seems to be a glittering trail of sand, sand that manifests itself into another Sorzar. They turn towards one another and grab on, trying to right themselves so their feet are aiming towards the ground. With that done, the clone begin to help Sorzar spin, faster and faster.
Sorzar spins like a top, the world a blur around him but his hands move with experienced ease. There is the sudden sound, like a chainsaw going off, and those would could see him would see the chakram extend on a chain. The sharp, serrated edges would spin like a chainsaw's blades, unbelievably sharp and terrible. The loud-mouthed Faunus was spin with the blade out, cutting through debris and using his strike to slow himself down.
He would tear through tree branches, using the ribbing blades to act as almost a whip on the thicker branches. Once he had slowed down enough, he would try to to catch himself on one of the thick, heavy branches.
Catching onto a branch and spinning himself, once, twice, thrice, he would swing down onto the ground with an "Oomph. For a moment, he tried to stand up and instead wavered about, his vision rocking like a ship at sea.
"Heh...heheh...that was dumb... Sorzar murmured to himself, waiting for his vision to clear. His instincts took over though, as he began to move quietly, bouncing with incredible force through the forest while keeping an ear out for any approaching Grimm or his fellow recruits in need.
As the students are brought down to the edges of the cliff, she tries to look off into the distance but can't see much. She observes Ozpin and Glynda sharply, her hands behind her back in full parade rest.
"Right into it, then," mutters Tana, flipping the safeties on her bracers and crouching into a low southpaw stance. As she goes flying into the air, she starts to snap punches that activate the bolt of her weapons, spraying a three-round burst into the trees to slow her fall.
Once she lands, she tries for a moment to get her bearings, looking around for the altar and trying not to be distracted by the sounds of gunshots in the distance.
Tana can't see much, and shakes her head to clear it before crouching down low, putting her weapons into melee mode, and starting to activate her semblance. Her muscles tense, her eyes sharpen, and the very faint glowing outline of an Atlesian uniform begins to take shape on top of her regular clothes.
"...One!"
Half of the metal squares catapult upward, sending students flying. The others give out from under your feet, sending you down a sliding ramp before arcing up again. The intent seems to be to fling you all in as many directions as possible. Behind you, on the cliff, Ozpin quietly sips his coffee and watches your trajectories.
Azure:
=y
Beoh:
=y
Carmine:
=n
Onyxia:
=Very yes
Shamrock:
=y
Sorzar:
=n
Tora:
=n
Tana:
=y
Azure lands a fair distance away from the altar on a downhill slope. Between the slope and her Semblance, she's able to start rapidly closing the distance. However, she can faintly hear growls and snarls from the forest around her. With her speed, maybe the Grimm won't catch up.
Beoh lands in a copse of trees. He can't see much, but is able to identify tracks on the ground. Most are Grimm paws, predominately Beowolves with a few larger tracks that indicate Ursa. He also sees at least one human trail with a heavy set of footprints from a landing. It might not be a direct route, but a student's shoes would have to eventually lead him on the right path.
Carmine is able to use his semblance and weaponry in tandem to put himself right where he needs to be. Glancing around, he can see the artifacts are uneven half-spheres with symbols carved into them. Tana isn't far from him, though she's on the ground concentrating hard and activating her semblance. She doesn't seem to notice an approaching Ursa Major lumbering through the trees toward her.
Onyxia and Tora land only a few dozen feet or so away from each other. In the distance, the altar looms next to a tall hill. Onyxia takes off toward it, only to have an outstretched paw swung directly at her head.
But she's able to bring Gild up and around, spinning it and throwing the claws off course. Of course, she still has a Beowolf in melee range to contend with. The sounds of growls and snarls from the forest seem to surround her and Tora.
Shamrock lands in an unfamiliar patch of woods. The trees are thick and dense, unable to give him a good vantage point. After walking in his random direction for a moment, he comes to the side of a tall hill, with a large, dark tunnel, almost ten feet in diameter, boring into the landscape. A faint shiver runs up his spine, as if he's being watched.
Sorzar lands in a nice, open clearing, but soon takes to weaving between trees and staying out of sight. Without a good direction to turn in, he begins to cover ground through the forest, whisking past Grimm easily without being noticed.
Tana lands only a dozen feet from the altar, but doesn't seem to realize how close she is. Instead, she starts to activate her semblance, not noticing the growls until the Grimm are already closing in on her.
NOPE!!!
Carmine, not a coward, tries his best to cover the unaware student.
He fires a burst off with the gun in his left hand, the targeting systems turning on so he can compensate for the unexpected kick. The shots whip over Tana's head by inches.
Sorzar hears the sounds of combat and gunfire echoing through the woods, joined by the chorus of snarls and growls of the immature Grimm infesting the woods. He moved quicker now, leaping and kicking off of tree after tree to keep himself moving forwards.
His aura, manifest as bits of beautiful sand that seem to ripple every time he kicks off of the trees, maintains its composure. The fox ears twitch in every direction, trying to guide the Faunus towards his comrades in need.
"This has to be the way!" The unusually serious Sorzar thinks to himself, propelling himself through the canopy and hopefully launching a surprise assault on whatever Grimm dared tried to hurt someone he likes!
(fighting/shooting stay d10 and any rolls against me Critically botch on 1 and 2)
Onyxia will spin a few steps away then reorient after the close block that she parried and regain her bearings and see if any more Grimm are around
She will pull at her ribbon on her back/wait causing the ribbon and the long section of her dress that was covering her legs to fall as she saunters two steps toward the grim revealing a black cat tail poking out from under a mini skirt. With a great grin on her face she will twirl Rose and Gild rapidly a few times as the leg coverings and ribbon slowly falls down her waist and legs completely fall off she leap/sprints the last step at the Grimm. Rose coming down on it's left neck/collar bone Gild coming straight up into it's right armpit her arm's scissoring together.
Shamrock enters the tunnel, walking slowly and listening closely. He keeps Twilight Whisper in ranged mode, ready to fire a burst into any Grimm that attacks him.
Azure hears shots off in the distance, but too far away for her to get there in time to help. Instead, she continues to close on the altar.
After a fairly uneasy landing, Tora hears the sounds of advancing Grimm approaching, surrounding her. Pulling out her shotgun Dancer, she charges toward her objective trying to shoot the first grim she sees.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Azure continues to sprint, rapidly closing the distance. Down the hill you're able to see Carmine blasting bullets into the Grimm closing in on Tana. As you start to close in you feel the ground rumbling beneath your feet. Not enough to throw you off balance, but enough you start to plant your feet a little more surely.
Beoh is able to navigate much closer with the aid of tracks. Before long you crest the top of a hill looking down to a series of stone pillars. You're able to hear gunshots from that direction, and you can distantly see someone fighting Grimm along the path. As you start to head down the hill, the ground rumbles beneath you, as if in a faint earthquake.
Carmine sprays lead downrange at the Beowolf that clears the trees. Bullets from Gravitas ping across the Grimm's mask before one catches it in the eye, stopping it dead. Its arm swings down towards Tana, scattering in the wind as it turns to ash before the shot lands. Your feet tremble as the ground rumbles beneath you.
Onyxia spins Gild up, but is blocked by the Bewolf's raised arm. It leans in, roaring and aiming a bite at her neck, but Rose bashes through its jaw, spinning it all the way around before it dusts and blows away. As you draw your weapons back to your regular fighting stance, the ground rumbles beneath your feet, and you can hear more growls. Three more Beowolves start to step through the trees, though they're still somewhat distant from you.
Faintly, you feel the same rumble as everyone else.
Tora lands safely in time to see Onyxia dust a Grimm and feel the ground rumble. The growls around you start to close in. As the first of three more Beowolves step through the trees, you blast one hard enough that it skids backward into a tree before evaporating. The ground rumbles beneath your feet, threatening to throw you off balance.
Carmine shouts, adjusting his glasses before looking around.
He gives his pistols a shake once he knows it is clear, the mechanisms whirring as they go through a quick-clearing cycle. The metal orb remains interposed between the pistols no matter how he moves them. That was terrible! 'Red Pawns' mode still needs work... Should I switch to Red Queen? he ponders, but then shakes his head. Nah, the performance rate wasn't so bad, I should be able to compensate. I should make due with 'Red Pawns' for now, and gather this useful live combat data for later.