Chapter 10: Up the hill we go
After a call from Ray on Wave's scroll, telling him she's managing to keep Sky busy with requests for her to build machines and other tools as well as equipment for Ray, Wave and Claus were in the clear.
The two of them were sat besides each other on a boulder in front of a stone path outside Vale that leads up a small mountain littered with other rocks and a few trees.
"Alright, the flower field is in a specific place in the valley opposite this mountain, are you ready?" Wave asked Claus, getting up, having his weapon out and armed.
Claus just finished looking at his tonfa's and looked up at Wave.
"Sure, let's go." He hopped off the rock and walked ahead.
Eventually the two got to the top of the path and the view in front of them was breath-taking.
It was a huge valley, rich in green with mountains lining each side to create this huge bowl like valley, there was so many trees that grew there, in the middle of the place was lake with several small islands inside it but it was hard to make out what was there from where the two were stood.
"We have to somehow make it to the bottom where the lake is, that's where the flowers are usually found." Wave pointed to the lake, it was a considerable distance to walk but Wave was determined to reach it.
"And in the past, you had to walk that distance with Anabelle just to see them?" Claus questions him from looking at the valley.
"There was another patch where the flowers were found but I'd rather not return where my former home was." Wave answered him, taking the first few steps down into the valley.
"Hey, wait for me!" Claus called out as he followed Wave down.
Much time later and now Wave, and Claus were surrounded by trees and rocks with the sounds of birds chirping and rustling echoing around them.
Claus doubted this was going to work since it was only getting a bunch of flowers but at the same time, he never understood the feelings on others, so he would not normally try asking too many questions, he will only try to ask what's necessary.
"So, these flowers… they will help, right?"
"I believe they will, that's what I'm hoping."
"What if they don't?"
"Then back to square one."
Wave only answered in short bursts as he was busy keeping his eye out for Grimm while he has his weapon drawn in bow form while having an arrow with a red tip in his other hand.
They came into a clearing in the trees with some picnic benches and a fence dotted around the clearing.
"A picnic spot, here?" Claus said to himself.
"Hikers come here often despite the threat of Grimm, I ran into one and that's how I know about the flowers here." Wave said while looking around.
Snapping sticks reached Wave's ear as he quickly turned in the direction of where the sound came from with his bow drawn as he waited.
"So, the Grimm used this place as a trap this time? Claus, get ready for a fight."
Claus took out his tonfa's and faced Wave's direction in a position, ready to strike.
"You shoot, and I follow, yes?" Claus asked with a smile over finally getting some action.
"That's the plan."
More sticks and twigs snapped and even a falling branch was heard, whatever was coming was big, but they were ready.
Out of the trees and bushes, a large Ursa Major appeared but not as they'd expect it, it flopped to the ground like it was just defeated as it let out it's dying roar.
This made Wave and Claus lower their weapons as they stared at the Grimm in confusion until they realised something was at their necks.
There was a blade with multiple little teeth, perfect for grinding resting against Wave's neck while a pistol was pointed at Claus's head.
"So, can you two explain to me what you're doing?" The voice of a woman demanded, a very familiar voice.
As Wave slowly turned his neck to see who it was, he was shocked.
It was Sky, her face probably being the scariest it has ever been since he had met her since she was not happy, at all while wearing a large backpack, she was angry but a calm type of angry, enough to put a shiver down the boy's spines as they gulped.
"W-we were going to collect some flowers for Wave's sister… but in order to get the- "Claus began to explain but mid-sentence, Sky pressed the gun right against his head.
"And?"
"We had to take quite a walk to get them and well… we didn't want to get you all involved." Claus finished his explanation, his voice slightly trembling.
Sky's angered face clearly unchanged as she glared at Wave, looking for his take on the subject.
"L-like you've done… so m-much for me, I-I didn't want to burden you any- "
"Silence." Sky stopped him, pushed Claus away with her gun and focusing on Wave.
Wave's breathing became rapid and uneven as he feels like he's gonna burst again like last time but Sky just booped his nose and drew closer to him.
"Remember I am the leader of this team, if you can't handle something like this then stay at Beacon, plus it's my job to get involved with team members and help them, isn't that was a team is supposed to do? Support each other to help one another? Yet you just left me out of this very important situation without even talking to me." Her words cut deep into Wave as he calmed down but felt like breaking into tears with the rush of emotions going through him.
Wave dropped to his knees again as tears streamed down his face, dropping his weapon and grabbing his face.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry." He sobbed while constantly apologising until Sky put down her weapons and hugged him.
"I think I went a bit too far, but you see, I'm always here to help you, no matter what so when something like this happens, you have to talk to me too, please don't leave me out, it makes me sad too." She tells him, breaking the hug and picking up her weapons but putting the pistol into a pouch she put on her leg.
"Sky, what the hell was that? And how did you find out?!" Claus yelled at her which wasn't a smart thing to do.
"I'm still mad, don't push it we are going to get this over and done with and then it's your turn." Sky stares down at him, revving the grind-blade as a warning to him.
Ray appeared from the bushes, panting with some weird dome helmet on her head.
"Claus, Wave, I'm sorry, Sky set up a trap and forced me to confess everything, I couldn't do anything to stop her it felt like my life would be in danger if I lied to her." She apologises through her hard breaths and looks up to see the situation that unfolded and proceeds to keep quiet.
Sky reaches into her backpack and brings out 4 boxes with some flower art designs on the sides and then sat at one of the benches with them.
"Come sit, you two must be hungry, let's eat together."
Sky's face softened back to her usually positive self, Claus and Wave looked up and joined in without question along with Ray as they sat down and looked at the lunch Sky made.
It had a cheese and ham sandwich cut in half to represent triangles along with an apple and an orange along with a thick flapjack and a water bottle, it was random, but the others appreciated the food as they dug in to eat.
After eating and a full explanation from Wave when he calmed down, Sky was up to speed and nodded to it all while thinking.
"Illuminating dance flowers, I've heard of them, I read about them in a book." She said, putting all the boxes away and putting the backpack on her shoulders.
"And that's what I plan to use them for, to help the both of us…" Wave added.
"Well let's not waste any time, let's go." Sky hopped from her seat and took off, leaving everyone else to scramble after her.
"So, Sky you're not angry anymore?" Ray asked out of concern for her own safety.
"No, but do something like this again without good reason and I'll not hold back." She replied with an innocent wink.
"Don't go scaring me like that!" Ray raised her voice as they walked down the path.
Suddenly footsteps were heard and a Beowolf jumped out of the trees at Wave, he ducked, managing to dodge it, the Grimm spun itself to face the others as it growled at them.
"Wave, your bow!" Sky called out, startling Wave, he brought out his weapon and drew his bow with the same arrow as before.
The Beowolf studied the group slowly as more eyes appeared from the bushes behind it to reveal 3 more.
Wave released the arrow, the Grimm jumping back to dodge it, but it was caught in the explosion produced from the arrow, startling the other Grimm but giving the rest of the team time to get their weapons out.
"Red arrows are explosions! Now you know." Sky giggled as she ran to engage one of the Beowolves while Ray got her swords into gun form and started to provide cover fire.
"I wish you told me that earlier!" Wave retaliated back while pointing his next arrow at the same Grimm while the other pounced for him, but Claus struck it with the tonfa and set off an explosion from the weapon into the Grimm, instantly making it evaporate.
The last Beowolf swung its arm at Sky but instead of dodging it, Sky turns on the grinder and saws it's arm off with a lazy swing before dealing a fatal blow through the Grimm's skull by splitting it in two with Sky's second strike.
"So, lead the way Wave." She gave him a smile while slinging her weapon on her shoulders.
"Right… okay, follow me." Wave took the lead as they walked down the mud path, passing by some rocks and trees with the sun rays beaming through the cracks between the leaves, for the rest of the way down it was quiet, strangely quiet.
The trail carried on until the team eventually got to near the lake where it was an open field around it as the team came to the clearing.
The trees surrounded the lake leaving paces for plains of grass to thrive in which the lake itself was huge and blue like the sky where there are 3 green areas on the lake which are the islands that Wave noticed back to when he got his full view of the valley.
"So, the flowers are supposed to be on that Island." Wave told the group and Ray let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, we can get this over and done with, my legs are killing."
"Don't be insensitive Ray, this is for Wave after all." Claus scolded her and looked over to Wave.
"It's okay, this is something I didn't want to burden you all with…" Wave said, looking at the islands.
"Well we are a team after all, we are to help each other out." Sky patted Wave on the shoulder and smiled. "So, tell me, which island?"
"I don't know, let's go find out."
The team walks towards the lake with Ray lagging behind with a bored expression on her face as she looks at her surroundings and notices some red eyes from the trees and starts running over.
"H-hey guys?"
"So how do we cross over?"
"I can use my semblance to make a boat."
"But where do we get the material?"
"Hey don't ignore me!" Ray yelled at them and Wave jumped in which Ray apologies soon after.
"What's…. wrong?" Wave asked shyly.
"There's some Grimm watching us I think…" Ray pointed over at the trees to show that some Grimm were waiting at the borderline.
"We can take care of them." Claus told her, not worrying in the slightest.
As soon as he said that, more and more Grimm appeared from the trees where their numbers were now too high to count and included beowolves, Creeps and deep crawlers.
"You spoke too soon Claus…" Sky sighed as she reloaded her weapon.
"It's strange how they're not attacking us straight away." Wave added.
"They are probably being controlled by another Grimm… We don't know for certain, but I've got a bad feeling." Sky said, looking at her surroundings as she knew she was in for a large battle and it won't be easy.
The rest of the team got into their fighting positions with Ray looking nervous and scared at the Grimm as she never expected to see so many while Claus attempted a brave face but was sweating while Wave stood ready for them as this is going to be a hard battle for they are now backed into a corner with little chance to escape.
haven't got much after content today due to working on a few things in future so I hoped you liked this chapter as much as I did writing it.