Friendwork and Teamship [Private with Forest and Melina]

[Al Ciendra]

Grimm, Grimm, Grimm and more Grimm.
That's and the blazing of her flames was all she could see at the moment, as Al was in the midst of a horde of the beasts.
She was on an exterminate mission, as Beacon had noticed a few too many Grimm getting cozy in the Emerald Forest and instead of dealing with it themselves thought it was a great idea to send a few students to handle the issue instead of letting the professors or hired huntsmen deal with it.
Al was inclined to agree, as she rarely felt so alive when her axe was cleaving through the neck of a Grimm, making its head fly a few feet away as the flailing body collapsed and fell apart into dust.

She ducked under another claw swipe, rearing around and punched the Grimm in it's ugly mug, flame coating her fist which then blew the monster's face into pieces.
Another attack, this one coming in from the side, Al leapt out of the way, yet not in time, it wounds its mark hitting her square in the chest as Al tumbled backwards.
With a flip, she got back up, whirling around as a barrage of fireballs decimated the Grimm that were now rushing her.
She was panting heavily, the piles of dust evident of her work...yet she could hear more coming, maybe she should not have ran ahead?
...who cares, those two nerds were just slowing her down!

With a fierce battle cry, Al flew deeper into the forest, ready to meet the Grimm head on!

[Forrest Waldstein]

The plan was simple: stick together. Except they didn't. Thirty minutes ago when they were discussing the plan, Al must not have been listening or paying attention, and she ran off into the thick of it. Not to mention if she started a forest fire there would be hell to pay. It didn't help that Al was the fastest of the group, leaving Forrest but more so Melina in the dust. Forrest had to stick close to Melina, his Semblance's creations able to exterminate a variety of Grimm along the way. Maintaining his Aura on a small tree or two would be beneficial, as his Semblance's creations could deter Grimm. Besides, Al could handle herself in a fight. Forrest had firsthand experience with that.

Dammit, Al... Why didn't you stay with us?... Forrest mused, rebuking Al for her rashness. He had also agreed to the mission, albeit to protect everyone nearby rather than for the sheer thrill of it all. An adept survivalist, it didn't take long for Forrest to find Al's footprints, or much more obviously, the scars of battle she left behind. The scorched remains of Grimm were hard to miss. Forrest could also hear the sounds of battle a bit further into the forest. No doubt it was their missing teammate.

"Al isn't too far ahead. Let's go." Forrest called out to Melina as he went in the direction Al had gone. He went fast enough to get to Al fairly quickly but slow enough as to not leave Melina behind.

[Melina Caedus]

Why does she have to be so impulsive about this? Melina mused as she let out a dissapointed sigh. There she was, chasing after her fiery wolf friend who was storming into the fray without a care in the world. Al was a good friend to Melina, if not her best even. So upon hearing that Beacon offered local students to take care of the increasingly growing numbers of Grimm in the Emerald Forest themselves, she knew Al was going to jump at that offer, but she seemed to have underestimated her recklessness…
She probably shouldn‘t complain, given that she herself could be as reckless in the right circumstances. With her was Forrest Waldstein, a calm boy with a nack for tactics from what she heard. The ex-military medic engaged her mask, giving chase.

“Right!“ her mechanized voice rasped out of the contraption at a mere supposed whisper and the machinery supporting her legs beneath the armor whirring to life as she ran after.
She wasn‘t as fast, if only because she couldn‘t accelerate as quickly. That did mean she was lacking behind, however that also meant once she got going she could easily keep the pace.

As was when she chased through the thicket and a large Alpha Beowolf jumped out at her. Melina raised her shield charging into it, sending it flying with ease against a tree without slowing her down.
Her shield then shifted as Melina reeled Solemn Vow back so she could crash the blunt upper end into the Grimm‘s Skull, pulverinzing it and leaving a dent in the tree. It was as if her shyness was replaced by absolute focus.
She isn‘t going to let some mere Beowolves halt her advance.

[Al Ciendra]

Al kept charging forward, tearing through more Grimm, as maniacal laughter joined the scorched surroundings and dust piles in the traces she left on her path.

It was finally when she entered a clearing that Al was stopped, a giant foot stomped down in her path, an attack that Al barely dodged as she skidded backwards, getting a good look at what had stepped in her path.
A Geist, a body formed of rock and soil stood before her, easily 30ft tall, the Grimm staring down from above, its true body encased in a makeshift helmet made from a tree stump, the stumps roots were also crawling through its frame, making the golem body extra sturdy.

The other Grimm had retreated, not wanting to get stomped by the stone goliath.
Perfect for Al, she had grown tired of hordes, she drew got into a combat stances her axes glinting in the light of the clearing as she got ready to counter the giant's slow attack and then start smashing its body to bits.
There it was!
One of the arms rose upward to sweep across the forest floor, in an attempt to wipe her off the map.
Al got ready to jump, yet as she looked up...she saw something that made her freeze up, on the shoulders of the Geist's stone body sat a Griffon, Al's breath caught in her throat as a scene from 10 years assaulted her mind, yet, she shook herself free...but a second to late, the rock arm hit her square in the chest and sent her flying backwards.
Al was winded of breath, as she tumbled across the forest floor, only finally catching herself as she managed to dig her feet into the dirt...a crack could be heard, Al looked down at herself....her ankle shouldn't bend like that.

She tried to gather her breath, as both the Geist and Griffon were charging at her, shit...maybe she had to run?
No way, she could take them!
Her flames flared up again in roaring defiance as she stood her, she'd burn these two fuckers to the ground before they could finish her!

[Forrest Waldstein]

There she was, Al was within sight by now, along with a Griffon and a Geist. Things weren't looking too good for Al considering her ankle was twisted in clearly the wrong direction, yet she was still able to stand. She must've been so full of adrenaline that the injury didn't seem painful to her. All Forrest knew was that he had to save Al.

Get away from her you BITCH! Forrest thought venomously at the Griffon as he used Sylvan Anthem, branches exploding around its body, causing it to fall to the ground squirming in a futile attempt to break free. Forrest then turned his attention to the Geist, the body of which seemed too sturdy for his own attacks. Once again, Forrest used Sylvan Anthem, this time to immobilize the Geist. The roots cascaded up its legs and down into the ground, firmly rooting its legs in place.

"I can't hold it for long, take it out Melina!" Forrest ordered, focused on keeping the Geist immobile.

[Melina Caedus]

Melina burst into the clearing shortly after Forrest and quickly saw the precarious situation Al was in and witnessed as Forrest took out the Griffon with impunity. To be fair even the calm and shy Melina, got angry at the sight of her best friend being hurt, her foot bent in an unnatural way.

You dare…!? Melina thought as her gaze was now fixed on the Geist, a troublesome type of Grimm with a fragile base form. However, give it material to posses and they can become quite bulky juggernauts with bodies composed of wood, rock or sometimes even ores and metal.
The former rescue team medic had seen a few of these back in Atlas, one even in form of a Gigas Armor… a dreadful sight.
Raw power was needed here and an enraged Melina wasn‘t going to wait for a command...

Her shield readjusted itsself again as Melina grabbed her baton and extended it into it‘s staff form to connect it with the barrel mounted on her shield. Once locked in place, the shield disconnected from her metal arm, transforming itsself into the head of a mighty poleaxe. Just as she gripped the newly formed weapon with her prosthesis she inserted gravity dust shell from her arm into the haft of her weapon, it‘s head glowing in a forboding violet light.
Melina charged at the giant and with a powerful stomp, raising her weapon above her head catapulted herself into the air at an angle that saw her crashing down at the Geist‘s body.

“Hrrrrgh!“ she grunted with gritted teeth as she came down, swinging her weapon downwards with all the might her mechanically enhanced body could muster. The blade crashed into the wooden stump, that was the golems head, splitting it without issue and going on to cleave the rocky body beneath in twain, almost entirely down the middle. What Melina clearly lacked in speed, she made up for with strength.

Now Geists are tricky creatures, Melina was aware of that. It was likely that this one was going to abandon it‘s body in favor of staying alive. Too bad for it that Melina took this into account when attacking, as the gravity dust in her weapon activated just as the Geist, tried flying off.

“You are NOT getting away!“ Melina declared as her weapon created a powerful gravity well around her that magnified gravity to a point that made both the Geist and it‘s former, now crumbling, body crash into the ground. Melina was also affected, but thanks to her graft and mechanicly enhanced body was easily able to resist the force.
At the same time she extended her left arm towards the Geist, a wall of hardlight appearing beneath it that it crashed head first into, splitting it‘s mask in two and killing it. The gravity well expires the same moment she lifts her weapon off the ground.

[Al Ciendra]

Al was a bit dazed, from getting flung around by a fist three times her size, but her aura had not cracked yet, the endurance training she was doing with her semblance must have been paying off, she was still in this fight but...did she need to be?
The small fry had retreated, for now, she could hear their footsteps just around the clearing as they were looking for an opportunity to attack the now three huntsmen, but something was deterring them, Al didn't really know what, maybe it was the gorgeous sight of Melina destroying the Geist's body with a single strike, rending its rock apart and then trapping its actual body in a gravity well to crush it as well that made them shy away.
Al herself was stunned for just a second, she would definitely hype Melina up for that one, tell her how cool she was, the shy medic would probably only reluctantly accept her compliments, but Al would give them anyway, Melina deserved them after all.
Yet, then her gaze shifted to the Griffon and her blood ran hot, her eyes saw only rage as Forest was restraining the Grimm, it was of course a good move on his part, but Al just did not want to have another thing taken from her by this guy, those damn vines took her win the tournament, and now they would take her shot at sweet sweet revenge, revenge she waited for so many years.
Al stood, as stable as she could as her flames flared up again, this time a demonic blue hue engulfed the clearing as Al was completely covered in flames.
"HE'S MINE!"
Al roared over her flames as an explosion then ripped into the dirt, Al flung herself forward, in a flash of blue light she shot through the crumbling remains of the Geist, melting any rubble that could have hit her as she crashed into the falling Griffon, she grabbed it by its throat as she flew forward and then caused another explosion, sending herself and the Grimm crashing into the Ground.
Sylvan Anthems vines had burnt away long by now as Al sat on the Griffons chest, she had it pinned as the Grimm lashed at her, she caught its wrist, gripping them tightly as she burnt through them and made claws fall to the ground.
The Grimm roared as it tried to peck at her, flashes of that beak tearing into her face entered her mind, but Al ignored them, headbutting the beak with her mask, Al cackled as her fingers then latched onto the beak's connection to its face.
"Payback time."
With her fingers digging into it's flesh melting it as she went Al reared back, ripping the Griffon's beak from its head, flinging it to the side, as with manic laughter, her flames now fading as the Grimm was left dazed, she kept tearing into the Grimm, the particles, denoting the Grimm's passing, were already coming of its body long before Al stopped tearing apart it's head.
"Haaah...catharsis."
Al said, as she got up, ignoring her twisted ankle as she used her semblance to hover in place, she knew Melina would scold her if she put too much pressure on it.
"Let's deal with the stragglers."
Al said, as the last few Beowulf's approached the clearing again.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest was glad that the three of them seemed to be clearing out the Grimm effectively. That was, until he viewed Al's raw display of power against the Griffon. It was primal, vengeful, and downright barbaric. Forrest could only stand by, stunned at what Al had just done.

"...I'm gonna go deal with the stragglers now..." Forrest spoke after shaking his head, getting a hold of himself. The Beowolves advanced into the clearing where the three of them were. Noting that, Forrest conjured up a root to wrap around one of the Beowolves. Upon being caught in the root, the Beowolf squirmed and thrashed around violently. It wasn't just struggling to break free, it despised and feared the creation that was holding it up off the ground. The other Beowolves noticed the root created by Sylvan Anthem, looking noticeably demoralized by the sight of it. They took several slow steps away from the conjured root out of fear.

"Quick! Get the rest of them!" Forrest called out to his teammates, hoping they could easily dispatch the other Beowolves while their morale was broken.