Chapter 62

The Branwen Tribe were idiots. Roman had kept tabs on them for a long time, and Neo knew exactly where they were stationed. They liked to think they were smart by teleporting in to the places they raid with their bitch bosses semblance. But in the end, they were just dumb hicks that rarely if ever changed the location of their base camp.

Neo knew exactly where the trash was based at.

She left the Spider Gang bar behind and moved at a rapid click, blurring by civilians around the huge city so fast that they probably never even saw her.

With her speed, it didn't take Neo very long at all to reach the entrance of the city. She could have easily stolen an air ship, but if she took one of them they'd see her coming. It would take a few hours to reach her destination on foot, but that didn't matter.

She sped through the entrance of the city and burst out a few moments later into the massive forest outside in. She made to jump into the trees and hop along their branches up and out of the way of the land based grimm when something blurred into view, slamming into a position in front of her and cutting her off.

Neo dug her boots into the grass and ground to a halt, and raised an eyebrow in confusion when she saw what blocked her fully.

It was a grimm. A tiny little grimm the size of a house cat. It had leathery wings on its bag, and a long furry black tail that had what looked like a Death Stalker stinger attached at the end.

It was like no Grimm she'd ever seen before. Like a combination of a death Stalker, Manticore and some other grimm she didn't recognise.

Neo flinched though when she saw its eyes. They looked almost hauntingly familiar. One an emerald green, the other a crimson red.

"So it was someone I knew all along," it spoke! Neo's mouth dropped in shock, "If it isn't my favourite sexy short stack."

...Sexy short stack. There was only one person who called her that.

She jerked back, a snarl on her lips as she looked around. This had to be an illusion! Which meant that fat ass bitch Emerald was somewhere around here.

She settled into her stance, waiting, getting ready. She couldn't see them, but she could just as easily go invisible with her own semblance and they wouldn't be able to see her either!

"Man that outfit looks really hot on you," the grimm continued speaking to her, "Did your tits get even bigger or is just that top." and the voice, it was exactly like his, and talked just like him!

She bared her teeth and jerked her umbrella blade out and lunged at the little thing in a blur of speed.

Aura surged into existence around it, and trails of red and green energy-like flames formed around its eyes as it surged backwards avoiding her attack. "Jeez Neo, you got even faster!" it laughed, "Though, what's with the cold reception here?"

She called on her semblance around her and altered herself to look invisible. Then she circled around it in a blur and aimed for its blind spot with a rapid lunge. Just as she did though, it turned to look at her and raised a paw, catching her blade!

How did it see her!?

"You're surprised huh?" Cobalt's voice mused coming from the grim, "And angry really angry. But so sad too. Whole lot of disbelief on top of that. Hmm, you don't actually think I'm me huh?"

She ignored it, she couldn't let herself be taken in by its words! She jerked her blade with all her considerable strength, but it didn't even budge! So she let go and sprung back in a cartwheel, settling down to face it. Hand to hand wasn't her forte, but she was no slouch in it either.

"I can't see you Neo, but I can sense your emotions, I'm a Grimm now Neo." it continued speaking.

She bit her lips. No, that was impossible.

"There's so much going on that you don't know about Neo," he continued those twin coloured eyes staring at her despite being currently invisible, "At least I think so. If you aren't here with Cinder-Bitch, and attacking at the first sign, then I'm betting you aren't on her side."

Cinder-Bitch.

She hesitated. Emerald was so far up Cinder's flat bony ass, she'd never have an illusion she made say that.

...And Cinder shouldn't even know Neo was out to get her currently. Still, this couldn't be real, could it? It was impossible!

"I'll come out and say it Neo, I died," the grimm somehow managed to casually shrug, "But there's things out there beyond just grimm and aura it turns out. Magic is real to and it was the entire reason Cinder-Bitch was at Beacon Academy, to get hands on the magic power of one of four maidens from that old bed time story."

Magic, maidens and now turning into grimm. Had she just finally gone around the bend with grief and anger?

"You know my semblance right? Aura Absorption," it asked, continuing on as she hesitated, "Cinder already had some of that magic power when she did me in. But my semblance ended up evolving before I died. I absorbed some of that magic power, and some power from a grimm of all things, some ugly ass worm thing she had inside her arm."

..That thing she saw in the burner scroll video!? And..those fire powers. She and Roman had never been able to figure out what they were, it wasn't a semblance that was for sure. Hell if it was a semblance Cobalt wouldn't have gotten hurt in that video she saw either, he'd have absorbed it!

...This was real....wasn't it?

With a sound like cracking glass, the illusion of invisibility dropped from around her form revealing her to the little grim with the twin coloured gaze. "There's that pretty face." the grimm, Cobalt somehow managed to grin at her.

She took a hesitant step forward, then a second, and a moment later she was blurring forward and top speed and swooping him up, feeling the warm fur between her fingers and bringing him tightly against her chest in a tight hug.

...Who cares that he was a Grimm? All she cared about was that he was alive.

"Whoo! Neo's tits for the win!" he cheered, and Neo felt herself beginning to smile the first genuine smile she had in months.