There was a growing tension in the air. The young Branwen bandits felt it, Ren felt it, Nora felt it and Yin for sure felt it. They had been walking to the town's center but it was quiet. There ought to be Bandits yelling, shooting, fucking, looting.. But it was silent as they walked the main street. Yin glanced at the rows of homes they were passing, her eyes gleaming in recognition.
"They know we're here. Keep an eye on the houses." Yin stated, almost hearing Ren and Nora shudder.
Soon enough, they came upon a strange sight. The town's center, yet everything had been smashed, burned and otherwise ruined. A dozen or so of the Beormir were waiting there for them, all of them surrounding one man, who was sitting on a mound of corpses and drenched in blood. He was calmly eating an apple, though he seemed bored, as if he was waiting for something fun to happen. There were a few captured townspeople in cages nearby that looked to Yin's group with hope-filled eyes.
"So. The Branwen sends a couple of kids over to take our prize? I was expecting the Butcher, Marksman or, better yet, Raven herself. These pathetic townies barely put up a decent fight, so I was sticking around for you. Gods.. how disappointing." The seated man complained before tossing the half eaten apple at a captured woman's head.
"Aunt Irina..!" Ren whispered aloud, attempting to run to the woman before being pulled back by Reia.
"Don't make any stupid moves, kid..! That guy gives off a dangerous vibe. Probably got his aura unlocked.." Reia whispered, calming Ren down as he swallowed a bitter lump in his throat.
Yin was quietly observing the man. Not only was his stature impressive, he looked to be well trained. Nordic tattoos covered his muscular body, running all the way up to his head. His dirty blond hair tied behind his head, likely as to not impede his sight when he fought. He wore a mix animal furs and tempered steel. He looked much like a Viking would. Except for the fact that he had a mechashift greataxe that transformed into some kind of firearm, by the look of what Yin could tell was a magazine slot on the side of the weapon.
"Not gonna say anything? No screams of mercy? Kill all the fun, why don't ya?" He grumbled, motioning the Beormir bandits to stay back while he started to walk toward Yin.
[Observe]
[Modi Beormir- Lv: 35 Age: 23 Race: Human
------------
HP: 2000/2000 MP: 0/0 Aura class: C
Strength: 120 Vitality: 40 Agility: 40 Perception: 25 Intelligence: 30]
Modi hoisted his axe on his shoulder and looked down at Yin condescendingly. "If you wanna blame someone for your death, blame your chief. Modi Beormir, second son of Chief Thorfin Beormir. I'll mail a letter so your Chief knows what to write on your tombstone." With a violent swing, Modi slammed the blade of his axe down at Yin.
[Accelerate: Lv-6 activated] Yin quickly moved away from the trajectory of the blade and swiped her blades at Modi's exposed waist, scraping against his aura before he could block.
Modi's expression quickly shifted from bored and condescending to one of interest and amusement. Licking his lips, he began to assess her. Yin now had his full attention. Despite her looking like a prepubescent kid, she was fast. Strong too, but not even half as strong as himself.
"It seems I judged too soon. You've got your aura huh? Well then, let's kick it up a notch!" Modi's grin looked absolutely psychotic as he sprinted forth and swung his axe in an arc, the reach easily able to catch Yin.
Yin ducked the savage swing and quickly leapt over another. The stone street easily slashed and smashed by the raw power Modi was displaying. Modi spun his axe and once more swung at Yin, the axe spinning and slicing up the ground, making stone shrapnel fly at Yin.
'He's stronger and faster than the Zombie Lords, that's for sure..' Yin grinned, ducking away from the shrapnel and moving away from the charging Modi and opening fire on him with her pistol.
"Come on! That little pea-shooter isn't gonna kill me, Branwen!!" Modi shouted, only frowning when two bullets hit his aura.
That gun was strong. Modi grinned and changed his tactics. Grabbing his greataxe with two hands, he quickly changed modes. The blades folded back and a large glowing barrel aimed at Yin as he took a knee and lined up his shot. Seeing the rather large rifle aimed at her, Yin used accelerate again, feeling a heat pass right by her before a crashing noise echoed behind her.
CRASH!
The wooden house behind her now had a large hole where the doorway used to be. Yin furrowed her brows and looked at the red glowing barrel that caused the damage.
'Anti-Materiel rifle.. Explosive dust shot? That son of a bitch is carrying around and swinging a tank-buster' Yin watched as Modi cackled and fired again, clearly testing her capabilities.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three more deafening shots fired out, intent on making a tennis-ball sized hole in Yin. But she never stopped moving for long, utilizing accelerate, she slowly began to close in on him. After the third shot, she holstered her pistol and used accelerate again to close in. Unsurprisingly, Modi was ready, having his weapon in axe mode in front of him to block. Yin stopped right in front of him, both blades reared back to strike, only to use his knee as a stepping stone to jump over his head and slash down at his head and shoulder while flipping over him.
"AHAHA!! To hit me on two instances.. One I may attribute to myself holding back significantly. But the second time? State your name, Branwen. I would like to remember it when I revel after killing you." Modi showed an almost feral grin as he cocked his neck to the side.
"Yin. You're a tall bastard.. I wonder how you'd look on your knees?" Yin replied, both of them staring the other down.
The tension surrounding the two grew. The dozen Beormir bandits all staring Yin's group down with their hands firmly on their weapons. Reia protectively stood in front of Ren and Nora, while Keita and Brandon stood in front of her.
"Hah.. Nobody gets in the way. You idiots fire at them before they fire or I kill the girl? I'll use your skulls as a fucking chamber pot. Am I understood?" Modi asked, not even turning to the bandits behind him.
""Yes..!"" The Beormir replied, quite a few of them relaxing.
"Don't get involved. Reia, take care of Ren and Nora. Keita, Brandon, cover her but don't start anything until I give the okay." Yin spoke next, hearing Brandon scoff and Reia reply.
"Understood."
"Now that we have that settled.. We can go all out." Modi's smile nearly streched from ear to ear as he reared his weapon back and prepared himself for a real fight.
Yin took three steps forward before activating her accelerate skill, becoming a short black blur that quickly approached Modi. Modi bellowed and swung his axe at the approaching Yin. The strike met nothing but air as Yin leapt up and swung Onikiri and Ubadachi down at him, only to meet the hard surface of the Greataxe's metal throat. Modi had been quick enough to raise his weapon and smart enough not to overextend in his swing.
In the brief moment when the two had clashed, both of them had a ravenous grin etched on their faces.
CLANG!
Modi moved his axe, pushing Yin off and smacking the knob into her, which she had managed to block only with both swords. Yin quickly regained her footing and struck out at him, only to be met with the belly of his axe, rebounding Yin's blades.
"HRAAAH!" Modi charged forth and aggressively swung at Yin with short yet quick jabs of the axe's knob, which had Yin packpedaling to parry.
With one last and powerful jab to Yin's guard, he swung the blade of the axe at her to catch her off guard. Yin's eyes widened before taking a half step back and backflipping over a nearby park bench. Modi's axe severed a light post and tore up the ground once more before quickly returning to his other hand, ready to continue his aggressive attack until a park bench flew in his face, smashed to splinters by the force and toughness of his body.
"Cheeky- Augh!" Modi grunted as four shots from the Malorian arms pistol hit his bulky arms.
Modi felt two more hits to his aura as Onikiri amd Ubadachi quickly cut into his sides. Yin once again blurring with the incredible boost in speed. Modi smashed the Axe's knob into the ground, shaking the immediate area and giving him the perfect opportunity to strike when Yin's footing faltered.
'SHIT!' Yin cursed internally as Modi grabbed her by the face with one hand and smashed her head into the belly of his axe before leaping up three meters and smashing her into the wooden roof of a nearby house.
CREAAAAK!
Yin grunted as she quickly stood up, seeing Modi running at her, in mid-swing of his fist. Yin held her blades up to guard, her body lifted and shot back across the roof from the sheer strength. Yin's body smashed into the neighboring house, skidding across the rough wooden roof before coming to a stop just in time to move away from Modi's violent landing which collapsed the house.
"Hah! You're a nimble kinda fighter aye? Well sorry to say.."- CLANG! "That you're not beatin' me" Modi smirked, his body gleaming as if he were made of metal.
He then caught Yin by the arm and smashed her body into the ruined bedframe, wardrobes and doors before tossing her up and kicking her across the plaza. Her body smacking into the stone three times before she stopped in front of the young Branwen Bandits. Her aura flickered but didn't break.
"Like my Semblance? I call it Iron Body. Not very creative for a name but it just fits so well." Modi snorted, seeing Yin pick herself up.
Modi picked up his axe and raised his brow in confusion when he saw her leave her blades on the ground. "You're not givin' up already are ya? I was considering taking you as a wife. If you're this capable so young.. Imagine the power of our children!"
"Hah.. First that woman, now you? I'm gonna send you to Chris Handsen.." Yin scoffed, spitting on the ground in disgust before cracking her knuckles.
"Who-" CRACK! "And by Chris Handsen, I mean God." Yin replied, seemingly appearing in front of him with blue flames coating her body, her elbow violently driven into Modi's nose, making him stumble back with a sputter.
"Good.. I WAS AFRAID YOU'D DIE TOO FAST!!" Modi laughed maniacally before leaping forward, raising his greataxe and slamming it down at Yin, pulverizing the immediate area of five meters and causing the stone streets to erupt violently.
[Accelerate: Lv-6 activated]
Modi barely just saw her blur moments before his attack landed, jumping at the right moment before spinning and kicking him in the face, landing on the belly of his axe and throwing her fist at his face. Seeing the blazing fist coming straight at him, Modi quickly pulled out a fire dust crystal and met her punch with his own.
BOOOOOM!
A large explosion shook the town's center, destroying the surrounding houses and setting the wooden structures on fire. The Bandits on both sides quickly moving away from the devastation. Blue and Orange flames battling to incinerate more than the other.
Yin flew across the stone streets, smashing into the pulverized stone until finally coming to a stop, grimacing as she felt her aura reach a critical level. Her arm was burned, yet not too severely and her body had quite a few bruises and cuts. While Modi remained standing, though he was not unscathed. His gleaming body smoking and slightly warped by the heat. His left arm, which held the Fire Dust was burned black, despite his aura. His grin had faded when he saw that his enemy hadn't been incapacitated. Far from it, she had the look of a hungry predator.
The two stood as flames rose around them. Yin stomped her right foot on the ground in front of her and planted her hands on the ground, taking a sprinter's stance. Modi held his axe up, changing it into rifle mode and aiming at Yin.
"No more holding back.." Modi muttered, lining up his sights.
-Ren and Nora-
After the explosion rocked the center of Kuroyuri, Ren and Nora were rushed inside a stone house across the street, to get away from the intense flames. Thankfully, they ran the opposite way of the Beormir Bandits, who took the captured townspeople away with them, so they couldn't get to them through the quickly spreading inferno.
"Fucking Huntsmen, man.." Ren heard the teenage male bandit curse while punching the nearest wall.
"Is that jealousy I hear?" The other male bandit, Keita asked, watching the fight resume through a window.
"They're not huntsman level.." Ren muttered, listening to the shaking of the ground and the breaking of stone and wood.
"What..?" Reia looked at him incredulously as she got Nora to sit down on a couch nearby.
"They're not.. Huntsman level. Not yet." Ren answered, shaking his head.
"Do you fucking hear the neighborhood coming down or are you having a mental breakdown, kid?" Brandon sneered.
"The Bandit guy. He's not stronger than my Dad. Or my Mom. They were ranked Huntsmen. C class." Ren replied, watching another house collapse.
"So you're saying they could beat that guy?" Keita asked, uncertainty in his voice.
"Yeah.. They could've. Huntsmen go from D rank to S rank.. I think? I asked my Father if there were stronger Huntsmen but he deflected." Ren said, making Brandon furrow his brows.
"Ren..." Nora called out, taking Ren's hand, which was clenched so tight his knuckled whitened.
"It's okay, Nora... I'm.. okay. I'm just.. amazed is all. How is someone our age the level of a Huntsman trainee..?" Ren asked, looking at the silhouette of a young girl surrounded by blue flames.
-Yin-
CRACK!
Yin's fist drove into Modi's ribs for the third time, successfully breaking his ribs despite his Semblance's added layer of protection. Modi growled and backhanded her through the wall of the stone house they were fighting in. Yin landed in the bathroom before quickly getting up and wiping the blood off her nose and lip. Yin ducked under the powerful swing of his axe that smashed through the wall and doorframe before being caught in the stone wall. Yin grabbed the handle of the axe and forcefully pulled Modi in the bathroom with it.
BANG! BANG!
"OAAGH!" Modi grunted in pain as Yin shot his legs, causing him to trip face first into the ceramic toilet, breaking his nose.
Jumping up, Yin capitalized on his position and curb stomped his head into the hard ceramic, shattering it and enraging Modi further. Modi cursed and kicked Yin into the ceiling before catching her by the head and trying to slam her face into the sink. Yin grit her teeth, feeling her ribs crack from the kick. She quickly pulled the Malorian Arms pistol out once more, activating its miniature flame thrower and spraying Modi's eyes with it before he managed to smash her face into the hard ceramic sink.
"FUCK!! You little BITC-" Modi was cut off when Yin punched him in the jaw and made him bite his tongue.
Thanks to that, he dropped her and brought his hand up to his face, only to have his beard grabbed before his face was smashed into the ceramic sink. Then Yin shot her pistol into his armored head three times before she was angrily tackled through thee houses before Modi ran out of steam and they both fell onto the burning stone streets.
"Kuh.. Y-You're... sSs-still breathing...?" Modi groaned, feeling his semblance begin to fail him as his aura shattered.
"No... kid'sposed to be this..." Modi slurred his words, holding his concussed and bloody head as he looked at Yinz who slowly stood to her feet.
"F-Fffucking kid.." He dragged his axe in front of him, mechashifting it into rifle form and aiming at the girl in front of him.
Then he stopped, eyes widening. Whether it was because of his concussion, growing fear or some kind of trick, he did not know. But when he looked at his enemy, instead of the little girl he had been fighting until now, in her place stood some creature from the pits of Hell. Scales of the deepest black, shining with a dark purple energy he failed to recognize. Long, razor sharp teeth that could easily shred his body to pieces, even if he pushed his Semblance to its limits. Claws longer than swords and black, skyward horns that made it look almost like a King. The last thing he saw was its eyes. Its black sclera surrounding an angry yellow/purple slitted orb that hurt to stare directly at.
CRAACK!!
A loud snapping noise followed a fleshy slam. Yin's fist caving in the bones that make up his nose. Modi's eyes watered as his head whipped back, smashing into the stone street. In agony, he tried to reach for his Axe, which was no longer next to him. Blindly reaching for his weapon which had just been picked up by his enemy.
"N..Bbh.. goh..dda... pick... id.. up.." Modi wheezed, blood filling his mouth.
SCHLICK
Modi's hands kept patting the ground until he felt himself falling. It was strange.. seeing his body hunched over like that, still searching. Then he realized.
'Why... is my body.... without a hea...d...' The light in his eyes fading as he took in the sight of the girl standing atop his body with her eyes shadowed over by her hair.
"Thanks for the meal." Yin muttered, putting the axe in her inventory and leaving the corpse of her enemy behind.
[LEVEL UP! x4]
Yin snorted in amusement as she walked out of the burning town center, watching as Reia, Brandon, Keita, Ren and Nora came running out of the stone house.
"That was.. incredible." Ren complimented, staring intently at the girl who saved him and Nora.
"What he said.." Keita sucked cold air in through his teeth at her bloody visage.
"Alright let's not suck my imaginary dick here.. We have to meet up with Vernal's team before continuing to Shay. And get the captured Townspeople out of here." Yin coughed to herself, ignoring the strange gaze Ren was giving her and the envious pout Nora was glaring at her with.
"OH YEAAAAH! IT'S VIOLENCE TIIIIME!" Yin heard a familiar tomboy yell out as she ran over to them, several bandits lagging behind her.
"Boss! I'm ready to fuck shit u-" "You're late, dumbass. I already killed him. We're going to meet up with Shay." Yin cut her off with disappointing news.
"...Aww man.. Fine.. But if we run into another aura user, I get dibs!" Vernal demanded.
"If you can handle them, sure. Let's get moving. I just hope Shay hasn't fucked up somehow.." Yin sighed before heading Westward, toward the Beormir's vehicles.
[AN: Sorry about these two weeks. Schedule issues plus I'm working with Lily, Rey and Geo on Pantheon snippets. It's where we're putting our ideas out there. Mainly to just do whatever the hell we think is funny. We're actually working on a Hellsing Abridged sequel. The one I did in RWBY Omniversal Chatroom's sequel, to be exact. Also! Expect some Commissioned Yin artwork this week sometime!]