Matt chokes back a slight gasp of fear as he began his advance forward. That monster had to be one of the most terrifying things he'd ever beheld, a true engine of death and destruction. There wasn't a single doubt in his mind that he stood nearly no chance against it - at least alone. Hell, even hardened veteran hunters avoided fighting them one-on-one at all costs, if the stories he read were true.
And he was running towards it. Somebody had to, after all. It might as well be him - he'd always joked that the only thing he was good for taking a beating. He just hoped he could withstand this particular beating - he doubted it, but he had to try. Maybe he could distract it long enough for Schwarz and the other to slip by without incident, before running himself? Mentally, he shook his head. That was unlikely - at least the part where he'd be able to get away himself. It could probably outpace him at a trot, let alone a full sprint.
He lands from his prevous perch with a thud, sliding into a practiced defensive stance with staff at the ready. His grip on Irdenkrieg tightens as its three heads swivel around and its malignant gaze comes to rest on him.
It tightens further when each head pulls back into a sneer, baring their fangs loosing a hiss, howl, or roar. Though his trembling had by now steadied, his heart was still racing, kept only in check by his carefully regulated breathing. This was it - sink or swim. Fall or fly. Fight... or die.
"THUNDERING SLASH!"
A streak of blue tears across his vision, striking the wolf head with immense force before disengaging. It looses a mighty screech of rage in response, shaking the very grains of sand at Matt's feet. A tiny trickle of ichor can be seen issue forth from the impact site - but if the head was phased, it didn't show it. Rather, its attention comes to rest at the source of the aggression.
"Hey guys! Having fun?"
"Elva!?" A torrent of emotions flood through him - relief at finding her alive, shock at her sudden appearance. But most of all, a mote of terror - she was here, which meant she faced the same dilemma he did. Fight this monster... or die to the Horde.
And he'd be damned if he let ANYTHING touch a hair on her head. "You need to get out of-" He trails off as the edge of his vision catches the monster rearing back, ready to charge - aiming right for his sister.
His breath catches. Time slows to a crawl.
Unbidden, his body flies to her side with a speed that would have normally shocked him and, with a single motion, he pushes her aside. Just in time, too - he barely has the time to turn about and ready Irdenkrieg before the Tartarus's bull head connects with his braced form, a terrifying roar issuing from its maw. Its horns lock with his staff, and with a mighty grunt, Matt digs in, refusing to give the beast an inch. He hears groans and cracks as his feet are driven deep into the bedrock, a small crater forming from the force of the impact. He dimly registers something he assumes to be pain racing across every joint in his body, but he pushes it aside. He had other things to worry about - namely the other two heads, now eyeing his exposed flanks with a mixture of malice and cruelty.
With another grunt, he pushes the bull head back, barely managing to use the action's recoil to move out of the way of a snap from the wolf head. The snake head, however, seems to account for this movement, as its maneuver loops around to the back, striking with fangs bared. In response, Matt twists his body to the side, and the monster's fangs tear across the side of his armor, the majority of their impact deflected and dulled. Displeased that it failed to outright capture him, the snake head attempts to rear back for another strike...
But unfortunately, Matt had other plans. Lashing out with his free hand, he grips one of the head's massive fangs, before rushing forward, slamming into its cranium with as much force as he could muster. It topples to the ground, stunned, and Matt seizes the opportunity to strike in return with a mighty arc from Irdenkrieg. A crack echoes through the valley as it connects, followed by an enraged hiss as the snake head regains its faculties and it rears back, ready to strike once again.
"Come now, Abah. You can't honestly tell me that base couldn't use medical support." Professor duPrince's face contorted into a smug smile, directed at his colleague. "All you need to do is scramble me a Bullhead and I'll be on my merry way - and out of your hair."
Abah shook her head, gripping the bridge of her nose with her still-human hand. "No, DuPrince, and that's final. You will drop this - NOW." He only scoffs in response, turning away with a sneer. "Oh? Last I checked, Miss Abah, Blanc was the Headmaster, not you. I hardly see where you get off ordering me arou-" A cutting glare from his irate coworker cuts him off, and he wisely decides to drop that line of discussion. The sneer, however, remains - perhaps even intensifying. Abah releases an exasperated sigh - must he always be difficult?
"You mean to tell me that you're willing to risk the lives of everyone in that forward outpost by keeping me here, then? And for what? Blanc's ego?" He gives a dramatic flourish with his hands, and they begin to glow an iridescent gold. "I'm only offering to put myself in harm's way for
the wellbeing of my fellow man! Surely, you can-"
If looks could kill, duPrince would be dead many times over from Abah's eyes alone. He stops dead in his speech, his eyes locked to Abah's in silent fear. "I'd have thought you'd know better than to lie to me by now, boy." He trails off for a moment, before responding with a curt nod.
"To answer your question, it wasn't my order. Blanc made it very clear he was going to handle this incident himself - at least out in the field." She turns away, but keeps as sidelong glance in his direction, impassive and cutting. "If you truly have an problem, then, you'd best be willing to justify it to him." Her eyes narrow, their gaze sharpening even further. "In person."
Abah wasn't surprised to see his sneer drop for a fraction of an instant, before being replaced by an impassive frown. DuPrince's arrogance was only surpassed by his cowardice - and if there was one thing Blanc Barca refused to suffer, it was a coward. "...Fine. I suppose my prestigious talents are best put to use elsewhere." He scoffs and strides from the room, trying to keep what little dignity he had left intact. "I'll be in the medbay, if I'm needed. Something tells me we're going to be seeing a rather large influx of injured."
'You should've never left, you moron.' Abah rolled her eyes and went back to sifting through the many video feeds. Shortly after he had departed, Blanc had sent her a message ordering her to keep a particularly close watch over any students stuck in the Horde's path in the wake of the flare - both to monitor their progress and to determine any possible connection between them and the incident. Eight in particular stood out, several of whom she recognized as being troublemakers on the airship.
'They've all demonstrated at least passing competence in fighting the creatures of Grimm... but if mere talent at arms made a Hunter, the Grimm would be extinct by now.' Her eyes sweep over the screens, the gaze cold and judging. 'I suppose we'll see in due time whether they're truly worthy... of...' Her thought trails off as one of her feeds - monitoring one 'Mathias Steele' - panned up to reveal a sight surprising and foreboding in equal measure.
'A... a Tartarus? How did...' She stares dumbly at the screen for an instant, before a shocked gasp pulls her from her stupor. "A Tartarus?! Oh no no no no, this will not do at all! We've been culling the Horde for weeks to prevent exactly this from happening!" Professor Wink pulls at his beard, distress evident in his features. "Blanc must be warned of this immediately! This is much more dire than we feared!"
It takes an instant for Abah to regain her faculties, but once she does, her composure is once again unflappable, the shock in her features replaced with an expression of grim determination. She flips over to her Scroll's messaging function and punches in a quick message - 'Tartarus has manifested. Prospectives in kill zone. Intervene?'
A moment passes before the response comes. 'No. Sink or swim, Abah - you know that as well as I.'
She grits her teeth. At times, even she had a hard time understanding Blanc's adherence to Lodestar's ideology - what good were dead students? It was absurd to assume that even a group of Lodestar candidates could handle a Tartarus on their own.
But, perhaps, the assumption wasn't there at all. Lodestar only accepted the best, after all, and if they could kill or evade a Tartarus, they'd certainly earn that moniker. Still, it made her uneasy, throwing such a patently infeasable challenge their way.
But, alas, Blanc was the Headmaster, and his word was final. She casts a glance at Professor Wink, whose expression seems to deflate when he reads a message from his own Scroll - likely Blanc reaffirming his order to stand down. Their hands were truly tied, as much as they hated to admit it.
Her eyes flit back to the feeds, just in time to see the goat faunus from the airship grab the girl next to her... and throw her with enough force to kill a weaker man, right at the Tartarus. Wink seems to catch that too, as he whoops with joy and shouts something about a 'Fastball special.'
She allows herself a rare smile at the tactic's results - drawing first blood against the beast's wolf head. Impressive for a mere candidate, to say the least. The smile drops, however, when she sees the girl fail to follow up on the strike, instead doubling back to a barely defensible position. 'Bravado is all well and good... but failure to follow up could cost lives.' Her fears are confirmed the beast rears back, ready to charge the exposed girl.
What happens next, however, is most certainly something she did NOT expect - the girl being shoved out of harm's way by the cowardly brute from earlier. But that, on its own, doesn't terribly surprise her - it's the boy's followup. Her mouth opens slightly in shock.
"...Did...did he just stop a Tartarus's charge on a dime?" Her mouth is slightly agape for a moment before she closes it, remembering her composure. Wink whoops again, joy painting his elderly features. "Ooh, good show, lad! Teach that mangy fleabag what for!"
What surprised her the most, she supposed, was not the boy's strength. She had seen plenty of strongmen pass through Lodestar's gates, after all. It was the look in his eyes - glinting with barely restrained terror. If she didn't know any better, she'd expect the owner of such eyes would be running for their life, seeking shelter, avoiding danger. And yet, here Mathias Steele was, facing down one of the most dangerous Grimm in the known world.
She allows herself another rare smile. It wasn't often she was wrong.
It was even rarer she was glad to be wrong.
And he was running towards it. Somebody had to, after all. It might as well be him - he'd always joked that the only thing he was good for taking a beating. He just hoped he could withstand this particular beating - he doubted it, but he had to try. Maybe he could distract it long enough for Schwarz and the other to slip by without incident, before running himself? Mentally, he shook his head. That was unlikely - at least the part where he'd be able to get away himself. It could probably outpace him at a trot, let alone a full sprint.
He lands from his prevous perch with a thud, sliding into a practiced defensive stance with staff at the ready. His grip on Irdenkrieg tightens as its three heads swivel around and its malignant gaze comes to rest on him.
It tightens further when each head pulls back into a sneer, baring their fangs loosing a hiss, howl, or roar. Though his trembling had by now steadied, his heart was still racing, kept only in check by his carefully regulated breathing. This was it - sink or swim. Fall or fly. Fight... or die.
"THUNDERING SLASH!"
A streak of blue tears across his vision, striking the wolf head with immense force before disengaging. It looses a mighty screech of rage in response, shaking the very grains of sand at Matt's feet. A tiny trickle of ichor can be seen issue forth from the impact site - but if the head was phased, it didn't show it. Rather, its attention comes to rest at the source of the aggression.
"Hey guys! Having fun?"
"Elva!?" A torrent of emotions flood through him - relief at finding her alive, shock at her sudden appearance. But most of all, a mote of terror - she was here, which meant she faced the same dilemma he did. Fight this monster... or die to the Horde.
And he'd be damned if he let ANYTHING touch a hair on her head. "You need to get out of-" He trails off as the edge of his vision catches the monster rearing back, ready to charge - aiming right for his sister.
His breath catches. Time slows to a crawl.
Unbidden, his body flies to her side with a speed that would have normally shocked him and, with a single motion, he pushes her aside. Just in time, too - he barely has the time to turn about and ready Irdenkrieg before the Tartarus's bull head connects with his braced form, a terrifying roar issuing from its maw. Its horns lock with his staff, and with a mighty grunt, Matt digs in, refusing to give the beast an inch. He hears groans and cracks as his feet are driven deep into the bedrock, a small crater forming from the force of the impact. He dimly registers something he assumes to be pain racing across every joint in his body, but he pushes it aside. He had other things to worry about - namely the other two heads, now eyeing his exposed flanks with a mixture of malice and cruelty.
With another grunt, he pushes the bull head back, barely managing to use the action's recoil to move out of the way of a snap from the wolf head. The snake head, however, seems to account for this movement, as its maneuver loops around to the back, striking with fangs bared. In response, Matt twists his body to the side, and the monster's fangs tear across the side of his armor, the majority of their impact deflected and dulled. Displeased that it failed to outright capture him, the snake head attempts to rear back for another strike...
But unfortunately, Matt had other plans. Lashing out with his free hand, he grips one of the head's massive fangs, before rushing forward, slamming into its cranium with as much force as he could muster. It topples to the ground, stunned, and Matt seizes the opportunity to strike in return with a mighty arc from Irdenkrieg. A crack echoes through the valley as it connects, followed by an enraged hiss as the snake head regains its faculties and it rears back, ready to strike once again.
----ELSEWHERE----
"Come now, Abah. You can't honestly tell me that base couldn't use medical support." Professor duPrince's face contorted into a smug smile, directed at his colleague. "All you need to do is scramble me a Bullhead and I'll be on my merry way - and out of your hair."
Abah shook her head, gripping the bridge of her nose with her still-human hand. "No, DuPrince, and that's final. You will drop this - NOW." He only scoffs in response, turning away with a sneer. "Oh? Last I checked, Miss Abah, Blanc was the Headmaster, not you. I hardly see where you get off ordering me arou-" A cutting glare from his irate coworker cuts him off, and he wisely decides to drop that line of discussion. The sneer, however, remains - perhaps even intensifying. Abah releases an exasperated sigh - must he always be difficult?
"You mean to tell me that you're willing to risk the lives of everyone in that forward outpost by keeping me here, then? And for what? Blanc's ego?" He gives a dramatic flourish with his hands, and they begin to glow an iridescent gold. "I'm only offering to put myself in harm's way for
the wellbeing of my fellow man! Surely, you can-"
If looks could kill, duPrince would be dead many times over from Abah's eyes alone. He stops dead in his speech, his eyes locked to Abah's in silent fear. "I'd have thought you'd know better than to lie to me by now, boy." He trails off for a moment, before responding with a curt nod.
"To answer your question, it wasn't my order. Blanc made it very clear he was going to handle this incident himself - at least out in the field." She turns away, but keeps as sidelong glance in his direction, impassive and cutting. "If you truly have an problem, then, you'd best be willing to justify it to him." Her eyes narrow, their gaze sharpening even further. "In person."
Abah wasn't surprised to see his sneer drop for a fraction of an instant, before being replaced by an impassive frown. DuPrince's arrogance was only surpassed by his cowardice - and if there was one thing Blanc Barca refused to suffer, it was a coward. "...Fine. I suppose my prestigious talents are best put to use elsewhere." He scoffs and strides from the room, trying to keep what little dignity he had left intact. "I'll be in the medbay, if I'm needed. Something tells me we're going to be seeing a rather large influx of injured."
'You should've never left, you moron.' Abah rolled her eyes and went back to sifting through the many video feeds. Shortly after he had departed, Blanc had sent her a message ordering her to keep a particularly close watch over any students stuck in the Horde's path in the wake of the flare - both to monitor their progress and to determine any possible connection between them and the incident. Eight in particular stood out, several of whom she recognized as being troublemakers on the airship.
'They've all demonstrated at least passing competence in fighting the creatures of Grimm... but if mere talent at arms made a Hunter, the Grimm would be extinct by now.' Her eyes sweep over the screens, the gaze cold and judging. 'I suppose we'll see in due time whether they're truly worthy... of...' Her thought trails off as one of her feeds - monitoring one 'Mathias Steele' - panned up to reveal a sight surprising and foreboding in equal measure.
'A... a Tartarus? How did...' She stares dumbly at the screen for an instant, before a shocked gasp pulls her from her stupor. "A Tartarus?! Oh no no no no, this will not do at all! We've been culling the Horde for weeks to prevent exactly this from happening!" Professor Wink pulls at his beard, distress evident in his features. "Blanc must be warned of this immediately! This is much more dire than we feared!"
It takes an instant for Abah to regain her faculties, but once she does, her composure is once again unflappable, the shock in her features replaced with an expression of grim determination. She flips over to her Scroll's messaging function and punches in a quick message - 'Tartarus has manifested. Prospectives in kill zone. Intervene?'
A moment passes before the response comes. 'No. Sink or swim, Abah - you know that as well as I.'
She grits her teeth. At times, even she had a hard time understanding Blanc's adherence to Lodestar's ideology - what good were dead students? It was absurd to assume that even a group of Lodestar candidates could handle a Tartarus on their own.
But, perhaps, the assumption wasn't there at all. Lodestar only accepted the best, after all, and if they could kill or evade a Tartarus, they'd certainly earn that moniker. Still, it made her uneasy, throwing such a patently infeasable challenge their way.
But, alas, Blanc was the Headmaster, and his word was final. She casts a glance at Professor Wink, whose expression seems to deflate when he reads a message from his own Scroll - likely Blanc reaffirming his order to stand down. Their hands were truly tied, as much as they hated to admit it.
Her eyes flit back to the feeds, just in time to see the goat faunus from the airship grab the girl next to her... and throw her with enough force to kill a weaker man, right at the Tartarus. Wink seems to catch that too, as he whoops with joy and shouts something about a 'Fastball special.'
She allows herself a rare smile at the tactic's results - drawing first blood against the beast's wolf head. Impressive for a mere candidate, to say the least. The smile drops, however, when she sees the girl fail to follow up on the strike, instead doubling back to a barely defensible position. 'Bravado is all well and good... but failure to follow up could cost lives.' Her fears are confirmed the beast rears back, ready to charge the exposed girl.
What happens next, however, is most certainly something she did NOT expect - the girl being shoved out of harm's way by the cowardly brute from earlier. But that, on its own, doesn't terribly surprise her - it's the boy's followup. Her mouth opens slightly in shock.
"...Did...did he just stop a Tartarus's charge on a dime?" Her mouth is slightly agape for a moment before she closes it, remembering her composure. Wink whoops again, joy painting his elderly features. "Ooh, good show, lad! Teach that mangy fleabag what for!"
What surprised her the most, she supposed, was not the boy's strength. She had seen plenty of strongmen pass through Lodestar's gates, after all. It was the look in his eyes - glinting with barely restrained terror. If she didn't know any better, she'd expect the owner of such eyes would be running for their life, seeking shelter, avoiding danger. And yet, here Mathias Steele was, facing down one of the most dangerous Grimm in the known world.
She allows herself another rare smile. It wasn't often she was wrong.
It was even rarer she was glad to be wrong.
The wolf head has taken 2 stress damage and the snake head 3. The bull head is unharmed. Matt has taken 4 stress and 2 stress from the bull and snake heads respectively.
