The Chaser saga : Prologue chapter [Ask to join]

Calm wind floods the fields and scatters the blue from the trees, the morning dew glistening on the grass as Roux dropped from a branch, thudding heavily against the dirt, a mechanical screeching sound starting above him. Earlier in the week, he had promised a novice zoologist that he’d aid his study of night-time habits of grimm in Finnek Forest. To that end, he had spent the past few mornings setting up surveillance cameras all over the forest. Putting both hand together around his mouth, he breathes in deep…

“Hey, Francis, that should be the last of them! Anything else you need me to do?”

The camera pauses a moment, focusing on Roux returning the stare before creaking quickly from side to side. Nodding his acknowledgement at the camera, he sets off to find a new job to handle as the camera resumes its screeching. Roux’s ears pricked up and his eyes sharpened as a distant howl echoed through the forest, sending startled birds flying off overhead. Planting his feet squarely into the dirt, he reaches back for his sword, priming to strike at whatever Grimm dared approach. A moment passed, then three, nothing coming of it beyond the occasional screech and the smell of smoke. Wait, smoke? It was only then that Roux notices that the roar had not died down, but is actually getting louder, as if to be quickly approaching, punctuating with a scrap of metal spinning into the ground, nearly skewering through him. His gaze went wild, zipping around to locate the source, finally looking overhead to see the pearly white airship crashing down to the ground, two of its turbines burst into flame. An explosion came as Roux prepared to take flight, sending larger chunks and pieces crashing towards the ground; one such chunk happened to be one of the passengers, limply plummeted down, wrapped in a fading trail of smoke. Crap baskets, need to move!

Roux leaps forth, a pair of flaming wings sprouting onto his back before he bursts through the height of the forest, dodging over, under, and around the incoming debris. Tracking the passenger’s fall, Roux descends lower and lower until he started to graze then brush the forest again. Catching his target just before his wings go out, the two of them cannonball through the twigs and branches into a small clearing, trailing heavily into the mud before rolling off the excess momentum. Pained groans and dizzied steps are all that come from Roux the next while as he struggles to regain his footing, checking his sword and his helmet for scratches, finding three on the side and the glass cracked all throughout.

“Galloping goliaths, that’s going to hurt next week. Hey, are you alright?”

Shaking pain and stagger from her mind, she stood, unfastening her helmet, letting flow the long locks of glittery cyan hair, immediately smelling of lavender covering up a faint trace of alcohol and vomit. For a moment, she pondered his query, eyeing him warily before bursting forth with a face part way through anger and terror, appearing almost comical with all the mud slathered across her form.

"Alright!? I just got tackled into the woods after falling from the sky after having my plane"  Leaning in low, she hushes her tone, as if speaking to a toddler. “So, when you ask me ‘are you alright?’ my only response to you, considering all that, is ‘OF COURSE I’M NOT BLOODY ALRIGHT, YA SODDIN’ DOLT!”

Her voice echoed fast and far through the forest, silencing the wildlife and bringing a look of confusion to Roux’s face. Tilting his head aside, he quietly stepped around her, scanning up and down for any debilitations or incinerations, anything that could hamper her advance to Bellmuse, finding none. Beneath the mud, she donned a dull orange cotton cardigan atop a brown plain T-shirt, lightly scorched but not burnt through. Beneath, a thick pair of navy blue denim jeans rolled halfway up her shin, making way for her rope-laced black leather boots.

“Hmm…you look alright to me. A bit roughed up, maybe, but you’ll live.” She throws her arms up at that, turning around to mumble something or other to herself as her hands found her forehead and hip. “Fine, whatever. Just…stop talking and take me to Bellmuse. I’ll call my father…have him send Rocco pick me up…get some drinks to pass time.” Her hands move with the highs and lows of her voice, a mellow tune dying in the wind. Still confused about the situation, Roux rustles about, scratching the back of his head, making a show of his soon to be query.

“Look, I’m not too keen on staying her any longer than I need to, either, but I’m still pretty lost on what just happened. Maybe clue me in first?” A scowl came across her face as sharpened eyes shot at him with spiteful impatience. The two stay like that a while, neither budging more than a muscle before a long sigh leaves her, a hint of understanding bubbling beneath the surface of her impatience. Straightening up, her hand finds itself lightly touching at her chest, statuesque as if out of a painting….a comically muddy painting. “I’m Blair. Blair Bleusung. I was in my seat, minding my own business when some crazed hoodlums start causing a ruckus, trying to hijack the ship. Then, some guy tries making a break for it and everyone starts shooting. Must have hit the engine or something cuz everything started going boom. In the confusion, I managed to lock myself in the bathroom. Next thing I know, I’m freefalling down to earth and a flying bird man is asking me to recap the second most traumatic experience in my life.” Roux’s brow piques at that, only barely able to keep his focus from running with the thought. “So, if you’re satisfied, I would very much like it if we could go to Bellmuse now.”

Keeping a mental note to ask about the most traumatic event she’d experienced later, Roux looks up to the trees, spotting one of the cameras he’d previously installed. Walking up to it, he held his hands up again, coning them around his mouth. “Hey, Francis! Which way is Bellmuse from here?” The camera stalls a moment, then turns hard to the left, pointing presumably to where Bellmuse was. “Great. Thanks, buddy. Hey, stay on the feeds; we might get lost on our way back.” The camera makes a quick nod then continues its regular motion.

“Alright, I guess it’s that way.” A childish smile happens across his face as he points off towards Bellmuse, Blair shrugging off a heavy sigh before trailing behind him. “Oh, by the way, I’m Roux. Roux Lanj.” The two set off, navigating through the forest, the day only just begun.

The sky ran red with day’s last light as Roux pushed out from the bush and back onto the crackled mud of the beaten path. With a breath more bored than exhausted, he looked along the road, seeing Blair idling lazily on the log he’d cut down for her, too preoccupied mumbling to herself about something or order to notice him. Less than an hour before dusk. Well, at least we’re almost there. Undoing the straps, he removes his helm, placing it atop his pommel before gazing over to Bellmuse over the horizon before returning his gaze to Blair. “Hey, we should get moving. There’s not much light left, but I think we can still make it before dusk if we hurry.” Thoughts interrupted, her nostrils flare as her brows furrow, her scowl averted only by the words she would speak as she bee lined towards him. “Well it’s about time. You said we’d be there hours ago.” Biting deeply into his tongue, blood and saliva pooling in his mouth, it was all he could do to keep from going insane as a silent scream echoed in his head, a twitch in one eye. Refusing to answer, he walked off behind the log, pulling from it three large luggage bags, dragging them along while Blair followed. Only a half hour later, they stop again, Blair going off about her feet hurting again to Roux’s dismay.

It was well into the evening when they arrived in Bellmuse, heading directly to the local police station to call for her father. Relief rushing into and through Roux, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he slackened onto waiting room bench, sword screeching against the ground. He didn’t care. As far as Roux was concerned, the world owed him this moment of selfishness after what it put him through. Galloping goliaths, I never thought I’d find myself not wanting to help a person as much as I don’t right now. Wait, is that a double negative? Eh, I don’t care anymore. Eager to get home and just laze for a while, Roux springs to his feet, refastening Bas on his back. “What do you mean ‘You can’t get here until next week’, ya useless ape!? Just take the…and where am I supposed to stay!?” Pushing her words from his mind, he smiles widely, continuing to the door. “I don’t have any cash, Rocco; the plane blew up, remember?!” Nearly at the door, sweat began forming on his temple as the words ‘nope nope nope nope’ mumbled from his lips. Just as his fingers touch the door knob, the chief of police bursts out of his office gripping some junior staffer by the collar. “The ENTIRE facility is flooded with sewage!? How!?” The junior holds his hands up, shaking for his life. “I-I-I called up the sewage facility, they said they were supposed to have some Faunus kid clear the pipeline this afternoon but he never showed up!”

Dread slithered all across him as he considered the situation, still holding onto the doorknob before releasing it along with a silent groan. With languid steps he approached, Blair having just hung up the phone with a panicky look wrinkling her visage. “Hey, couldn’t help but overhear. You need a place to stay for the week, right?”