Weiss twisted away, dancing under a sword aimed for her head. With a practiced flick, she stabbed and disarmed the raging Faunus. Lunging and sliding her elegant blade into his flesh, the man howled as Myrtenaster punched though soft tissue and nerve clusters. Finally, finishing her move, she stabbed at the man's chest. The thin blade slipped through the man's ribs, bypassing flesh and blood, and straight into his heart.
Weiss did not wait to see if Aura saved the man. Summoning her glyph, she cannoned the masked man away, over the heads of his charging comrades.
She was having a really bad day. Having the mission go haywire was bad enough. Sky- Monty rest his soul- was killed in an ambush. She did not know the condition Blake nor Yang, and Ruby was injured and now separated from each other.
Not only that, Weiss nearly avoided being crushed under a train. Had she not used her semblance, she very well might have ended up as red paste on the wrong side of the carriage. Now to top it all off, she was met by a squad of White Fang, baying for her blood.
She was sure they recognized her, how could they not recognize a Schnee?. Had she not erected a domed barrier around herself, she would have been cut to bits by the snipers. Weiss had been lucky they had stopped shooting and decided to come into melee, for each shot against the barrier drained her Aura. Judging by the ferocity and commitment of their attacks, they really wanted her dead. There was probably already a nice prize for whoever claimed the head of Schnee.
A lesser man might have given up. When faced with such odds, some will curl up and accept their fate. But Weiss was no lesser man. Her will was iron, her resolve unwavering. She will face the threat head on.
They came, more than a dozen of them, baying her blood as they charged the lone girl. Once the barrier was dispelled, they were expecting a dainty little lamb ready for the inevitable slaughter. Instead, they found a Beowolf ready to tear their throats out.
Myrtenaster clicked as it cycled to its Ice Dust chamber. Her weapon was a magnificent dueling blade. One on one, she could change her direction of attack in a blink, have the reach and speed that would give her the edge against any single opponent.
However, against a mob of angry Fanus- No, monsters,- brandishing swords and guns, her advantage was slightly….lessened. However, she would damn well kill and maim as much as she humanly could before they…
She did not want to think about it. Weiss will bite off her own tongue instead of allowing herself to be captured alive. She will not suffer the humiliation, nor will she allow them the satisfaction.
The Faunus at the front shot his pistol and lunged at her, swinging his sword up with his left hand. Myrtenaster batted the whizzing slug away and flew directly into her opponent's throat.
The Faunus stumbled back, chocking and gurgling as a block of ice cut off his windpipe. The next person simply leapt past her comrade, firing wildly as she prepared to swing her blade. Weiss grunted as a bullet smashed into her chest, spinning her back and leaving a shallow bloody hole in her uniform. Riding with the momentum, Weiss thrusted. The blade went straight into the barrel of the weapon, shearing it in two and cut a bloody swath into the Faunus's arm. She howled as the ice cold blade froze her torn muscles and bone, and with a flick of Myrtenaster, her arm shattered into hail of frozen flesh.
She dropped to the ground, the shock of the wound silencing her forever.
Undeterred, the Faunus swarmed Weiss, hacking and slashing wildly. She deflected and parried each blow, countering with lightning fast jabs that rend flesh and froze blood. However, slowly but surely, she was being forced back.
Weiss snarled as she deflected a thrust and parried two more attacks. Her opportunity to attack lessened considerably against such odds. Ganged up and outnumbered, the only thing saving Weiss was the lack of skill each Faunus displayed. Weiss was small, but her training had made her nimble. Her opponents had no technique, but their ferocity and robbed her of any advantages she may have.
At this range, at this ferocity, Weiss was unable to bring her semblance to bear. A single misstep earned her a deep gash across her sword arm. A moment's lapse in focus embedded a dagger in her shoulder. Though her Aura made it negligible by her standards, it would not be long before her wounds stopped healing altogether.
Her blade was smashed aside, leaving her wide open to another attack. Her thin weapon quivered from the impact but Myrtrnaster's steel was strong. Weiss summoned a glyph directly below her attacker, and launched him high in the sky. Gravity will take care of the rest.
Weiss snapped sideways, and delivered a quick blow into her opponent's exposed flank, freezing the man's organs as her blade punched deep into his gut. Before she could pull out the blade, Weiss blacked out briefly as a blow to her head shook her world. Snarling with contempt, she deflected the follow up blow with a flick of her aura and- with strength that belied her size, smashed the man still skewered to her blade into the attacker.
None of the blows she received went unanswered. The screaming and howling lay amongst the silent, a trail of eight bodies leading to the furious melee. Four got up to rejoin the fight, wounded but alive, the other four lay in the red leaves, motionless or nursing forever damaged limbs.
Weiss dodged and parried, thrust and jabbed. Her form remained perfect despite the various cuts she received. Her aim remained true despite the blood in her eyes. Wounds of which she did not remember receiving dribbled freely with blood as she fought on. Her uniform, now soaked in her own blood, became heavy and awkward.
Another thrust, this time through the eye slits of a mask. The Faunus went limp without a sound. In return, Weiss felt a blade hack into her ribs, only to clash off her ribcage. She disengaged by instinct, jumping back to avoid any follow up attacks.
But her back bumped against the weatherproof metal of the train.
She was cornered, no where to run, no where to hide.
End of the line.
Not long now. She could sense it. They could feel it. Fatigue gnawed at her bones and lactic acid burned in her muscles. Fire screamed in her wounds and blood clouded her vision. Myrtenaster slipped through the defenses of another Faunus, encasing the woman's kneecap in ice. A vicious sideways tear ensure she would not walk for life. Her attack allowed another blow to slip through, but this time, it nearly took her arm entirely.
Weiss fell to her knees silently, clutching her bloodied arm. She would not scream, even as tears flowed freely from her eyes. The remaining Faunus howled in victory, as they began mercilessly hacking at her fallen form. Her Aura was already dangerously low, further usage carries the risk of death. But at this point, she was dead anyway.
Snarling, Weiss projected her Aura outwards. Although she had not nearly as proficient with the technique as Lie Ren, it would save her from a few more blows. The force of her Aura pushed her attackers back slightly.
They would not get the satisfaction of her screams. Weiss fought to stand, refusing to die on her knees. She would face her enemies- the monsters that had caused her family so much pain and grief- on her feet. She would stand proud like a Schnee, even in the face of defeat. Her body burned with wounds, and her soul felt like it was being torn out of her body. Such was the price of overextending her Aura.
A kick struck against her knees, and Weiss was forced down to the ground once again. Weiss was yanked forwards, and she did the best she could to shield herself from the rain of kicks and stamps.
The animals cheered and jeered as they lay into Weiss, years of hate against the Schnee Dust Company unleashed upon her defenseless form. Bones broke, flesh bruised, and blood flowed. Weiss was curled up in a fetal position, her wounds painfully obvious against her pale skin. She did even let out a squeak.
Finally, she was yanked up by her injured arm, and forced to kneel. She snarled as her head was pulled back by her hair, and she felt the cold touch of a blade around her throat.
Biting through the pain, she spat out words she had long wished to say. It was unladylike and brutish, but right now, she saw little use in courtesy.
'Fuck you.'
The Faunus smiled savagely, exposing sharp fangs belonging to a carnivore.
'Burn in hell, bi-'
He did not get to finish the sentence.
There was boom, deafeningly loud, and her executioner was pulled back. He shrieked and cursed as he collided with the train, but was cut short when his head impacted against the metal. He tried to pull back, but was smashed against the surface once again, denting the area.
Gong
Gong
Gong
Three more impacts, and the man fell limp. His body slid down like a puppet with its strings cut, leaving a massive trail of blood and brain matter. A fist sized hole adorned the surface of the train, lighting into the dark interior. A pair of eyes, the glowing crimson, glared out at the crowd of Faunus.
Weiss allowed herself a smile and a rare chuckle, before slumping to the ground. The red leaves embraced her as she relaxed into the ground. The kids gloves are off, albeit a little bit late.
Weiss knew who stood behind her, and she took comfort in the fact that no matter how seriously she was injured. It would not compare to the world of hurt Yang Xiao Long had in store.
….
Break them.
Yang Xiao Long was an easy woman to anger. Her explosive temper was only matched by her explosive semblance, but Yang was not unreasonable except when it came to a few things.
1) Her hair.
2) Her family.
3) Her friends.
The White Fang had just pressed two out of three berserk buttons and proceeded to mash the buttons until they were broken. These Grimmspawn have just signed their own death warrant, and it was not going to be pretty. Before she felt fear and uncertainty when facing Adam, but now she only felt fury. Her previous wounds seemed to vanish, and her fatigue evaporated. She did not care that her Aura was not even half full. Against scum like these, she did not need it. Rage was one hell of an anesthetic.
Nora swung her hammer, blowing the train wide open. Yang was out a split second later, emerging through smoke and fire, and living up to her name, her glowing red eyes leaving a trail as she thundered out and into the dumbstruck enemy.
Dragon.
To the surprised Faunus, it looked like a demon had tore through the fabrics of reality. Red eyed, flaming and breathing smoke and fire, Yang smashed into the stunned crowd, Ember Celia roaring.
She planted a foot into the white mask, feeling it crunch and shatter under the impact. Driving the screaming figure straight into the ground, Yang lash out, left and right, breaking ribs and shattering jaws. Those who's Aura had been depleted beforehand, were killed outright as entire chunks were blown out of their bodies.
Yang took a bullet willingly, feelings it crease the side of her cheek, to land a blow of her own. Hers was more telling. The unfortunate Faunus's jaw was crushed in the direct impact, going straight into his face. Yang tried to pull her fist out, but it was adhered into the man's remaining face. A shot from Ember Celia send the now headless body flying overhead. Her aura screamed inside her, and Yang instinctively dropped low, just as a blade flew across the where her head had been. She felt it slightly brush against her hair.
Reason left her completely.
Grabbing hold of the sword hand, Yang yanked the Faunus into her punch, shotgun going off again and again point blank as she held the doomed man in place.
By the second punch, Yang threw a severed arm away as she lay into the squirming Faunus. By the fifth, half his body was gone. Yang did not avoid the blood splattering over her body. She did not even feel the sword slash across her back, tearing through her Aura and splitting open her flesh.
With a roar, Yang spun around, her fists connected with the blade coming in for another strike. The blade snapped in two.
The Faunus backed away, disbelief etched onto her face when she realized how much she fucked up. Yang would have laughed if she was not so intent on the destruction of her foes.
There was a blur of silver, and the Faunus simply vanished.
Yang blinked, briefly snapped out of her blood fueled rage, for even the little sun dragon was awed at the wrath of the Valkyrie. Nora flew in, Magnhild smashing away people like they were bowling pins. Broken bodies flew, flung up into the air by the violent impacts. A halo of pink light surrounded her as Nora laughed, lost in the joy of battle.
'Off with their heads!' She shrilled, her hammer spun and twirled. Crushed and smashed. This was beyond a normal desperate fight. This was beyond simply taking the enemy's life. This was retribution.
None of these people had developed their Auras, unlike the man she faced with Ren. The enemy reeled from the sudden and relentless assault. They were but a handful against two of the most promising Hunters in training the Beacons's first years had to offer. The fight was over before it even began.
It was a massacre. They slew the enemies with fire and explosions as the, two avatars of destruction turned the tide of battle. Less than a handful remained, the rest were wiped out in a span of seconds.
Morale broken and losses suffered beyond belief, the White Fang ran. The two girls did not give chase.
They did not get far.
A storm of lead tore into their backs, whittling down their feeble aura at a ferocious rate.
Lie Ren strolled in casually, Stormflower blazing in his hands. Though not as awe inspiring as the two ladies, the precision and cold efficiency displayed was unnerving. When one gun clicks dry, the other keeps firing. Mechanically, he moved his sights onto the next target, delivering an accurate and constant stream of fire into the back of the Faunus. No prisoners, no survivors. Ren's face remained unchanged as he slaughtered running men and women without blinking.
'Rest in fucking pieces.' Yang spat.
The silence afterwards, was deafening. Nora fell back into her grass, sighing in exhaustion. Ren ran over to Nora, checking for any wounds she might have suffered in her rampage.
However she felt about the situation beforehand, Yang could not shake the sick feeling in her gut.
Not because it felt wrong, but it felt so right.
…..
'Holy shit.' Russel muttered.
Holy shit did not even cover it. Jaune thought, surveying the scene in front of him. He felt Blake gasp weakly on his back as she saw the scene too. A bloody but alive Weiss sat, leaned against the overturned train with a motionless Ruby laying on her lap. Nora, Yang and Ren had formed a lazy half circle around the two, and Nora whistled as soon as she saw them.
Bodies, over a dozen of them, lay strewn across the red field. Motionless, and torn to pieces. Blood mingled with the red leaves of Forever Fall, staining the earth further red. Yet there was a stark beauty in an otherwise haunting scenery.
Jaune was utterly shocked by the massacre that took place. The blood, the smell, it was worse than motion sickness. On the other hand, he felt angry. Weiss was injured, and Ruby looked like she was dead. The only signs that Ruby was alive was the fact that she stirred a little bit as Weiss brushed her hair aside. He felt relief. Relief of seeing his friends again, and deep down inside, relieved to know this was an act of self defense. But, there was a bitter aftertaste lingering in his mouth that he just could not get rid of.
Or that could be his bile rising.
Jaune forced it down, and made his way to the group.
'Monty, what on remnant happened to you guys?' Dove asked, and Jaune took a moment to register just how wounded they were.
'Ren, report!' Jaune called out as he strode towards his team.
Nora wore a toothy smile, despite the massive shoulder wound. Yang was covered in blood, though upon further inspection it did not seem to belong to her. She frowned at the sight if Blake on Jaune's back, and opened her mouth to ask. But she was too slow.
'Oh shit, Ren!' Jaune gasped, 'Your eye!'
'You alright?' Russel asked, before he could stop. Russel slapped his forehead when he realized it was a very stupid question. Of course he wasn't. He's one eye short, for Oum's sake.
The black haired man grimaced, subconsciously touching his ruined eye at the statement. He didn't say anything for a moment but managed a 'I'll live.'
'Tactful.' Weiss snorted from her seated position.
'Glad to see you are still healthy enough to run your mouth, Ice princess.'
'Stuff it, Winchester.' Weiss snapped, but she had a slight smile on her face. 'Glad to see some of us is having a better day than others.'
Her eyes fell on Blake. 'Blake? Oh Dust what did they do to you?'
'Blake here seems to be paralyzed, at least temporarily.' Cardin said quickly when Team RWBY began to pale, 'Otherwise she's better than most of you.'
Judging by the multiple faint scars present on Weiss, and the tears in her uniform, she might as well have been rolling in glass. But it did not detract from her looks, in fact, it made her look more dangerous.
'What happened to Ruby?' Dove asked, and Jaune felt Blake tense on his back.
'Heavily wounded, but still breathing.' Ren informed, 'transferred some of my Aura to her, so she's stable.'
His face darkened, 'But we need to get out of here. Ruby is strong but I do not know how long she will last without proper attention.'
'She will be fine.' Weiss said, her usual arrogance lacking, 'As you said, she is strong.'
'She should have woke up by now,' Nora sighed, 'she must have taken a lot of bullets.'
Weiss just nodded silently, as she wrapped Ruby's cloak around her partner, a makeshift blanket. Her uniform was ripped and torn with bullet holes and blade wounds. 'Give her some time.'
'Our injuries seem to be superficial, nothing Aura cannot heal over time.' Russel said as he scratched his half ear, 'Well, maybe apart for this.'
'And this.' Ren smiled slightly, tapping under his eye.
'Show off.' Russel laughed, though it was strained with awkwardness.
Nora frowned, scanning the group.
'What is wrong, Nora?' Ren asked.
'W-where is Sky?'
There was a moments silence, and team CDRL tensed at the question.
Dove started, though he seemed unsure of how to say it, 'Larks…he…'
'He is dead.' Cardin said flatly, though his expression was anything but.
There was a moments silence as the words sank in. Nora's smile fell, and an uncharacteristic sadness took over her face. Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but closed it a moment later as there was nothing to say without it sounding meaningless and empty. Ren, stoic as ever, but his lips and nodded, offering a silent prayer for his acquaintances's soul. Yang looked away, blinking rapidly.
'Shit, sorry guys.' She muttered.
'Not your fault. And besides,' Cardin gestured to the fallen Faunus, 'you have avenged him tenfold.'
Dove and Russel glanced at each other uneasily, but Cardin did not seem to take notice. Jaune gave Blake a squeeze, and he felt her nudge him a little bit though he was not sure what she meant.
In any case, they have not reported in for the last god knows how long. Perhaps someone will notice and send help. The system was simple. Every 30 or so minutes they are to report in via their scrolls back to Beacon. If they failed to do so, Beacon will assume something is wrong and send a team to their last known location.
They did not have the chance to radio for help, so they probably just need to sit it out.
And take the burn if the incoming Grimm horde or the fury of the White Fang reinforcements. Neither of which sounded great.
'Alright guys,' Jaune started, 'let's get back into the carriage. We need to form defensive perimeter ASAP.'
'Hold on a minute, why are we still doing this?' Russel asked, bewildered at Jaune.
'Where do you want to run to, Thrush?' Ren asked, 'We have nowhere to go.'
Cardin sighed, and hefted his mace. 'Trapped and cut off. Day keeps getting better.'
'They will have to notice us missing anyway.' Nora agreed, 'Ozzypin would send help.'
Jaune felt Blake move, but it was not just position adjustment. She thrashed and turned to the best of her abilities, and Jaune was forced to ask despite knowing she couldn't answer. It was like she was agitated. Her ears were twitching rapidly.
'Blake?'
'Oh come on,' Yang threw Blake a frown, 'What's the worst that could happen?'
'I dunno,' Dove began, 'Throw in some Grimm and a few gunships and we'll be good to go.'
'Dove I fucking swear if you say shit like that…' Russel began, waving his blades at his friend, 'I'll fucking…'
He didn't get to finish before his ears picked up something. Jaune heard it too, a distant whirring that was almost drowned out by the mild winds. They were like a distant thunder rolling in.
This could mean two things. Either Beacon has dispatched teams to pick them up, or the White Fang has some serious firepower. It was way to early for Beacon to reach them in time, therefore it could only mean one thing.
'Gunships.' Ren murmured, his eyes widened as he scanned the skies.
'Oh you HAVE to be joking!' Dove roared, while Russel threw him a look that could have blasted a hole through him.
They scrambled for cover, Yang hoisting up Ruby's limp form while Ren helped Weiss up much to her complaints. Jaune sighed, and briefly considered picking up a gun and shooting himself in the head. Least that would save Monty the trouble of trying to kill him.
There was a flash, and Jaune's world disappeared in a storm of dust and fire.
Those who controlled the skies controlled the battlefield. Nora remembered reading that somewhere. Ren probably said it a few times, being the bookworm he is.
As of right now, she certainly could see why.
For all their training against dealing with the likes of Nevermores and other airborne Grimm, it did not really compare to a few metal beasts spitting down red hot death on you and your friends.
The train offered little cover, as the massive dust filled bullets made Swiss cheese out of the metal carriage. Monty preserve them. She now knew what it will be like facing down the wrong end of Coco's minigun.
There was a howl, and her blood ran cold. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dove Bronzewing get hit. For a split second, time slowed down.
Nora saw with perfect clarity, the moment Dove died. It would be burned into her memory forever. The first shot hit him in the arm, and the severed limb spun away, a trail of blood squirting as it went. Dove's eyes widened, as much as it would physically allow, unable to comprehend what happened. The second shot gutted him from behind, his entrails visibly torn from the body before soil and leaves kicked up from the impact covered the gory view. He turned his head, and Nora caught his gaze. Dove opened his mouth to say something or to scream. But it never came.
The rest of the shots tore into Dove mercilessly, and there was little of him left when the final shreds of the body hit the ground. Even at his best, Dove's Aura could not have withstood that.
'DOVE!' Cardin shrieked, stopping in his tracks. Nora slammed into Cardin and had to physically drag him back to prevent him from going to the aid of his deceased teammate. Russel slowed down too, too shocked at the violent demise of his comrade to heed the oncoming firestorm heading in his general direction. Ren pulled Russel out of the way, scant seconds before the ground where he stood went up in a cloud of dirt and stone.
Having stopped Cardin's initial suicidal reaction, Nora charged back into the kill zone. Running in zigzags, she slid down next to Weiss who had been dropped unceremoniously by Ren.
'Men,' Nora grinned as she carried Weiss up bridal style, 'can't do anything right.'
Weiss did not reply, her face was pale from pain. A few of her wounds had reopened, but it did not seem like she blamed Ren though. He had saved Russel after all.
Monty above these Faunus really wanted them dead.
She jumped into the train, and dropped Weiss to the ground. Pulling her behind as many boxes and physically possible, Nora hoped it would be enough to stop the bullets from tearing them apart. Weiss who was oddly silent throughout the entire ordeal, silently cycled the chambers of her weapon, as if she was going to fight the Bullhead head on.
Nora looked up from her cover and did a head count. Someone was missing.
Wait, where is…?
'Jaune!' Cardin roared.
Risking a glance, Nora's blood froze at the sight. Jaune was crouched over Blake, his shield deployed. Nora doubted it could hold up to the fury of twi linked chain guns, but his situation was clear. He was not abandoning Blake.
Aw. Pancakes.
'Yang?' She heard Weiss whisper.
'What is it?'
'Freezerburn.'
Rot Blackthorn switched off the Bullhead's thermal imaging. The black and white world vanished for a few seconds as the cameras powered down. The cockpit lit up as sunlight flooded back in through the armoured glass. The targets were out in the open, and he liked to see things detonate with his own eyes. The men and women in black uniforms scrambled for the safety of the train like rats when the Bullheads approached.
'Targets,' Blackthorn radioed to the other Bullheads, the din of the engines muffled by his earphones, 'firing cannons.'
The aircraft juddered violently as the cannons roared. The man vanished in a cloud of dust as the bullets chewed him to bits. Poor sod.
Sorry kid, this is the battlefield.
He did not wait for the dust to clear before swiveling his cannons to the others, huddled behind a train carriage. Not that it will do them much good.
'Targets behind carriage. Firing.'
The Bullhead juddered once again. The carriage crumpled under the relentless assault. The heavy bullets chewing through the metal hull like it was paper. He felt no joy, no elation when he squeezed the trigger. To Blackthorn, this monotonous task was just another day in the office. Bullheads are the angels if the sky, and without any anti-air capabilities, he was virtually untouchable.
'Hold fire, Blackthorn.' A voice, distorted by the radio snarled into his ear.
'Holding.'
The voice, although distorted by the radio, was recognizably Adam's.
'Package is in the carriage. Do not fire upon the carriage. We need the package in one piece.'
'Acknowledged.'
Blackthorn broke off in search of a new target. The other two Bullheads accompanying him banked down, their engines hissing and growling as red leaves swirled around. Unlike Blackthorn's Bullhead, they were not equipped with his lethal turrets. Instead, the entire midsections were hollowed out, magnetic clamps ready to lift and transport anything.
Which meant Blackthorn got to have all the fun.
There.
A man had dropped his female companion from his back. He was now shielding her with a….a shield?
Blackthorn smirked. Not much good that will do for the poor sod. He was out in the open and unmoving- such an easy target. Such idiocy begged for a few bullets in his body.
He aligned his aim, and began to squeeze the trigger.
Suddenly, the targets before him went up in a cloud of smoke.
What the-?
The train was now covered in thick smoke, obscuring his vision. The targetters went haywire as the computers searched desperately for a target.
Clever little sods. He had no idea how they did it, but it was impressive nonetheless. The engines were already blowing away the smoke, or was it fog?
Blackthorn grumbled, and switched on thermal imaging. The screen blinked black for a few seconds as the imaging powered up. The world in front of him was awash in white. White representing heat, and black, cold. Except there was little to no black on his screen.
Wait, what?
His aircraft juddered violently as the Bullhead jerked violently to the right. His camera refused to show anything but white. A glitch? An electronic weapon?
'Hit! I'm hit!' Blackthorn yelled into the mic. What the hell is happening?
He dismissed the camera. He needed to see with his own eyes what the situation was. Even if he did not see his targets, he knew their general location. He his cannons would rip them up and he would go back to the village and drink himself silly. That was the plan, until he saw the sight in front of him.
Blackthorn's heart stopped.
A massive man, barely into his adult years, was clinging to the front of his aircraft. His piercing blue eyes had a certain madness swirling them and his face was locked in a feral snarl. His brown hair blew wildly in the wind, and in that moment, Blackthorn knew he was fucked.
Cardin glared into the face of a particularly startled Faunus. The man had picked a bad time to untint his windows.
It was not his brightest plan, but he had seen Ruby do something similar. After all, who had not seen her decapitate a Nevermore in midair during initiation. But this time, it was Cardin's turn to hunt a bird of his own. Weiss's aim has been perfect. Say what you want about that snobbish bitch, the girl had skill.
He did not exactly think the plan through, and now he was clinging on for dear life on a gunship veering to throw him off.
Thank Monty for one of Russel's daggers, else he would have nothing to hold onto. His mace was magnetically clamped to his waist, and Cardin fully planned to use it to bring this aircraft down, one way or another. These fuckers killed two if his teammates, two of his friends. They injured his allies, and although he was not close to either teams, this ordeal has made him care about them. After all, they were in this together.
The White Fang will pay in blood.
He nearly lost his grip when the gunship spun, and it was only through sheer strength did Cardin keep his grip on the ship. The Bullhead twisted and turned, banked and rose as the pilot tried desperately to shake him off. He grinned at the panicked look on the pilot's face, and he unlatched his mace from his magnetic clamp.
Thumbing the activation of his weapon's power core, Cardin felt the familiar thrum as his weapon powered up.
He let out a savage laugh. Someone is about to have a very bad day.
The Bullhead's cockpit exploded in a shower of armoured glass and broken metal. Cardin felt his face burn as glass and several wet pieces of bone and flesh cut into his skin.
Pilotless, the aircraft veered off to the right, spinning out of control as it began its fast descent to its demise. Cardin was thrown like a rag doll into the air, several meters above the ground.
It was then Cardin realized a fatal flaw in his plan. He knew how to get up.
But he has no idea how to get down.
He was not keen on making a landing strategy as he was spinning like a top through the air off in a random direction. Perhaps a few fractured bones would remind the future Cardin of his idiocy, but for now, he is going to settle with screaming.
Ah shit. This is going to suck.
Of all the things Jaune thought he would be doing, being sent flying through the air by Weiss was not far down the list. He had admittedly been a pain the the girl's delicate backside for a very long time, so he was ready for the time when she snapped.
However, trying to catch his former bully in midair was not what he had in mind at all. Perhaps that was his semblance: the ability to hit and catch midair targets with the aid of physics and misfortune. First Ruby during her less than graceful disembarkation off and angry Nevermore. Then it was Weiss during her slightly more graceful disembarkation off an angry Nevermore. By some cruel twist of fate, this time it was Cardin's turn. It may not be a Nevermore but it was close enough. It's big, it's flying and it's ugly.
'J-Jaune?' Cardin gasped in disbelief as Jaune caught him neatly in midair with both his arms.
Despite being airborne, he sighed. With the voice of a defeated man, he replied. 'Don't mind me, just dropping in.'
'Oh you have to be fucking kidd-'
The rest was cut off as they plummeted towards the ground, and his words were replaced by screams.
At this point, Jaune did not even care. He had survived too many falls from high places thanks to unfortunate circumstances, he was certain this would not kill him.
However, the man weighing almost twice as much as he is might break his arms. Or legs. Or back, depending on where he landed.
He really didn't think this plan through.
Ren tore his eye away from the doomed men when the sounds of massive engines roared. The two remaining Bullheads were undeterred from the demise of their comrade.
Perhaps they thought nothing could harm them, or they just did not care. The pair banked down above the train, and felt the entire carriage juddered as the Bullhead's drew close.
He did not see, but rather heard and felt the impact of two magnetic clamps that adhered itself on the rooftop. Two metallic gongs, and his world started to shift. His balance was thrown off, and he landed painfully onto his bottom. Looking outside, he realized why. They were slowly being lifted off the ground.
They are taking the compartment. Ren realized. The White Fang could not drive them off the train, to take the package. So now they are taking the entire compartment instead.
Russel, having just dragged the barely moving Blake next to Weiss, was shaking. His eyes were akin to a cornered animal. He looked around, panic oozing off him, enough to make Ren gag. Weiss, Yang and even Nora looked unsettled and unsure. The same questions rand through their minds.
Where are they taking them? Should they jump off? What is going to happen to them?
'Fuck it.' He heard Russel say, 'I'm going to find Cardin and Jaune. I can't leave them like that.'
And just like that, he stepped off before anyone could stop him.
Ren swallowed, anger rising. They have three incapacitated people here and he decides to jump off? No doubt when they landed the White Fang is going to be over them like flies to shit, and Ren really doubted surrender is an option.
'Looks like it's just us.' Yang grumbled as she hugged the unconscious form of Ruby tightly. She swept the stray strands of hair off her sister's face, and sighed.
'Three incapacitated and three wounded,' Nora said, a slight shake in her voice. She did her best to look positive, and managed a weak smile, 'Now it's a fair fight?'
No one responded. Despite her efforts, the mood was heavy. Nora's huffed, her expression downcast.
Where ever they are going, they are probably not going to make it back. No doubt the Grimm are converging on Jaune and Cardin's position, Russel being there might elevate the pressure for them a little bit, but it is highly unlikely they will survive. The amount of negative energy surrounding the place must be astounding, so Ren would not be surprised if a huge group of Grimm showed up.
He felt Nora wrap her fingers around his. He squeezed her hand, and she returned to gesture. He was shaking. He was afraid. Nora was too, and he was sure so is everyone in this carriage.
Blake was already moving, albeit weak sluggishly. She was trying to sit herself up, but was failing miserably. Her Aura was already fighting back whatever affected her, and she was probably the least wounded out of them all. Ren himself could feel the fatigue gnawing at his bones, and his depth perception was utterly ruined. Nora probably could not swing her hammer as well as she could, and Weiss definitely needed a few hours for all the knife wounds to heal. Yang, though beaten a bloody, was the most powerful and active thanks to her semblance. Ruby was healing very fast, though not quickly enough. Her Aura is limited, but it seems it regenerates at a very fast rate, similar to her sister's. Her wounds had closed, and he could see some bones in her hips had healed. Give her a few hours and she would be up and fighting soon enough.
Problem is they did not have a few hours.
In their current state, they could fend off the less trained and less skillful White Fang grunts. But if any of the more senior members appeared, like Adam, they stood little chance.
He glanced over to the package. Whatever is inside, they wanted. Their mission was to guard the package.
If they were going to die, the last thing he was going to do is to deny them that objective. He made his way towards the metal box, stumbling as the carriage swayed and rocked in midair.
'Ren?' Nora asked.
He did not answer her. He began and shift the heavy box, his wounds sang as he exerted himself. Gritting his teeth, Ren pushed, edging the heavy metal box closer to the gap in the compartment.
If the White Fang were willing to commit such manpower to capture the contents of this box. It is vital to their operations and plans. The mission brief stated nothing on what was inside it, so it could be anything from irreplaceable technology to high yield explosives. Either ways, if it causes the White Fang any level of inconvenience, it should be done.
With one final heave, he pushed the box out of the carriage, and watched it plummet into the red trees below. He had a feeling he just threw away their only ticket out of the place.
'What now?' Yang asked, uncharacteristically quiet.
Ren did not have an answer.
….
Jaune groaned as he tried to sit up. His back hurt, his body ached, and it felt like the world weighed on him at this very moment. Pressing his hands to the floor, he pushed himself up, only to realize his body did not cooperate.
Oh no, had his luck finally run out? Did his many airborne shenanigans finally offend Monty as to finally punish him with crippling injury? He knew he played a dangerous game but the consequences is too much to swallow. He was paralyzed waist down!
'My hero.' Came a snide voice above, and the weight lifted from his body.
Or it could just be Cardin sitting on him. Jaune mentally kicked himself for jumping to conclusions. He nearly gave himself a heart attack.
Dense idiot.
Jaune sat up, and glared at Cardin. 'A 'thank you' would have been nice.'
'Thanks for saving my ass, Arc. Now don't let it get to you.'
'Suppose that's the best I could hope for.' Jaune snorted, 'anyways…'
'Anyway indeed.' Cardin looked around, as if just noticing he is in the middle of Forever Falls. The mild wind blew, sweeping up torrents of red leaves ever so slightly. For that moment, the world around did not exist. It was a moment of serenity.
A moment broken by a loud thud behind them.
The two boys turned, weapons drawn and at the ready.
'Wow wow wow! Friendly!' Russel waved his hands frantically as the weapons came within inches if his face.
'Russel? Where are the others?' Cardin asked, lowering his weapon.
Russel pointed up. The boys followed his finger, past the thick canopy of red leaves and into the sky. Two Bullheads, high up in the air, towed the train compartment along with powerful magnetic clamps. They were flying away, off into the mountains.
'You…left them?' Jaune asked cautiously.
'Couldn't leave you guys be, and besides,' Russel held out a hand to Cardin, 'my weapon.'
Cardin tossed the dagger, and Russel caught, a frown on his face. The dagger was slightly bent, and there was obvious damage on the edge. Russel did not comment. After all, it had punched through a Bullhead's armoured hull.
He sheathed his daggers, and with an extravagant flourish, he gestured towards the general direction of the Bullhead, 'Shall we?'
They started into the general direction of the Bullheads. The machines were already out of sight, obstructed by the thick branches and ever falling red leaves. However the engines could still be heard.
'I do not know where they are heading, though.' Russel confessed, 'Should they change their course, I won't know how to track them.'
'Cardin.' Jaune started, 'remember when we were flying through the air?'
'Which time?'
Jaune blinked, confused for a brief moment before catching Cardin's grin. Jaune chuckled, 'First time, when Weiss launched us.'
'What about it?'
'We saw a settlement of some sort, right?'
'And several dozen Grimm.' Cardin confirmed, 'You think they are heading there?'
Jaune nodded vigorously.
'Least we know what to expect.'
he village is most likely White Fang territory and is under their control, but that gave the more reason to go instead.
With half the surviving members injured and incapacitated, Jaune was not about to abandon them. Russel obviously jumped ship, and though Jaune was slightly angry at him for abandoning the others, he was glad. He doubted he can hold off as many Grimm as Cardin could.
'Why are you here, Russel?' Cardin asked, 'You should have stayed with the others. They definitely need you more than us.'
'Not happy to see me, boss? I'm hurt.'
'Just answer me, Russ.' Cardin sighed, wearily.
'Couldn't be separated from my 'dear leader' now can I?' He grunted, and strained a smile. Without waiting for a response, Russel jogged on ahead of Cardin and Jaune.
For a brief moment, Jaune wondered what had gotten into the mohawked man. He turned to Cardin for some enlightenment, but he found his answer as soon as he laid eyes on the big man's red rimmed eyes. Cardin shook his head and muttered, 'Thrush, you bastard,' and chased after his teammate.
His only surviving teammate.
The realization hit him like a truck. Blake and Ruby may yet recover, and Ren is at least still breathing. But the same could not be said for his former bullies. Jaune had always believed in karma, and during his time being kicked around by team CDRL he had often wished retribution on them one way or another. He had did not feel the slightest hint of guilt when Phyrra utterly decimated them during combat training.
But this? If karma is such a cruel mistress, he wished it did not exist at all. No one deserves such treatment. Especially not them.
Realizing he was falling slightly behind, Jaune quickened his pace, his heart heavier than it was a few moments ago.
...
AN: WELL. Yea I vanished for a while. Things happened back home, and stuff and stuff. But I'm back now, right? Anyway, comment, critic, suggestion, anything! You get the drill!
