I love all 50 of y'all who are following this story and am honored by the 20 of you who have favorited my work here. This lights a fire in my gut to crank out more chapters for you all, but aside from a handful of you I don't have a clue what you all actually think of what I'm building here. Seriously, throw some reviews my way, I wanna know what's bouncing around your heads when you're done reading my work.
"This way!" Pyrrha shouted as the others burst from the crevice, then dove under the ground to scout for sure footing, a hand the size of a house bursting from the ground a mere arrow's flight away…
…
Jaune's mind was empty of any thought, save for his gratitude at Pyrrha's safety…
…
As Pyrrha burst from under the soil, she watched as another hand tore free of the relics of the pit, both hands scraping at the prison of debris that trapped whatever horror they belonged to. It may have only been the dirt, but the hands seemed painted to match a mountainside…
…
"This way!" Oobleck suddenly tore down an alleyway towards an odd-looking wagon, whose wheels where wrapped with enormous belts on either side. "This will be faster than on foot, if the power core still works." He opened a panel and slipped his obsidian slab into a slot, shouting, "Ursa, activate!"
…
Thank the Ancestress for Oobleck's odd wagon, which screamed along at a pace a galloping horse would covet. As she looked between mounds of rubble, her heart shattered at the sight of the headless monstrosity that sat up from the pit, rubble shaking free, as its shoulders turned towards them, the ground shaking as the monstrosity tore its legs free and rolled onto its hands and knees, crawling after them at a pace far slower than theirs, save it's not being hindered by rubble.
Looking ahead, she saw the terrible distance between them and the open ground outside the pit and looked to Jaune. "We'll be alright, Oobleck's wagon is faster than that."
"Provided he can maintain the pace." He replied grimly, then sighed. "Either way, stay vanished until we know the danger has passed."
"You could just say the L-word." Pyrrha said lightly.
"It's on my mind." Sparks bloomed in Pyrrha's heart at the small smile Jaune graced her with.
"When we're done here," Blake teased, "be sure to pick up some sap at the market, you just used our stock.", then yelped as Pyrrha darted a moistened finger into her ear.
…
Glad as he was to finally test the Ursa's ability, Oobleck felt his heart shatter with every resounding crash from whatever was chasing them, knowing full well its every movement removed any hope of studying whatever artifacts had been crushed. Still, by the looks of things, his years of bliss where over as soon as he'd laid eyes on that stone…
He snapped himself back to the present and the two lives (he'd no idea where Pyrrha was) in the box on the back of the Ursa. If nothing else, a life was worth every treasure in the pit, and he was glad to be saving two.
…
Jaune looked back to the great beast that was chasing them and snarled to see as it rose to its enormous feet, its pace more than doubled by the prodigious stride. "Oobleck! Faster! Pyrrha, is there anything you can do?" Jaune looked where he's last heard her voice. "Pyrrha?"
"I'd say she's already working." Blake replied, looking to the monstrosity.
…
Pyrrha leapt off the wagon and sank into the ground, looking for whatever spark of life this monstrosity housed. Seeing six, she swam through the rubble into a foot as it landed with a resounding crash, then began swimming and climbing through the clockwork toward a small cavern within its thigh, then paused, rubbing her hands together until a new wisp sprung into being, whispering, "Eat whatever you can, as fast as you can, melt what you can't." Then kissed the wisps forehead, causing her to swell to the size of a small child. "Now, go."
…
A fiery blast tore a section from the monstrosity's leg, staggering it and slowing its pace by a third. It was still gaining, but now they had time. "That's my lass."
…
As she passed through the last wall between her and the people within the monstrosity, Pyrrha noted how five of them sat in chairs with odd belts holding the trunks of their bodies in place and one stood within a harness, each movement, she saw through the massive window, matched by the monstrosity. One of them spoke, "Hah! Those Huntsmen are nothing against the Paladin! Right as always, Adam."
"Reign your joy, Fennec. You felt the explosion in the leg as much as I. After we kill the Huntsmen, we're doing a thorough diagnostic of the entire construct. It won't do at all for the Paladin to self-destruct when we face Beacon for real." The man that had spoken returned to the odd lights on the sphere in front of him.
Pyrrha couldn't help herself, saying aloud, "I'm afraid I've been somewhat isolated, why are we killing these people?" As the people controlling the monstrosity screamed in shock and terror, she wasn't sure how she managed not to laugh…
…
The monstrosity's entire body shook, missed a step and ground to a halt. "That woman. You can slow your pace, Oobleck, that monstrosity has stopped."
"Understood, but I'm still getting us out of here."
…
Somehow, someway, Pyrrha kept silent as the blubbering men scrambled to explain and fell hilariously short of anything a sane mind could sort out. I love being a menace.
"SILENCE!" One of them suddenly roared, the others falling silent. He looked towards the top of the chamber, saying, "Lady of the Paladin, I am Adam. It is my birthright to rule these lands, and Beacon stands in the way of my rightful rule. With your aid, I would mend that."
"Why would you want to rule? People manage themselves well enough when left be."
"Because, milady, people need direction, leadership, purpose. I intend to provide that." This Adam explained, as if to a child.
"Last I checked, a person needed to find that for themselves for it to benefit them." All mirth had gone. "Why is your will superior to their own?"
"Because, milady, I am superior." He really seemed to mean it. The way he held his head, his puffed-out chest, he really meant it. Pyrrha took a step towards him, then reached out, her fingers passing through his brow like smoke.
"You would use me as a weapon, then abandon me like a broken sword. Why should I help you?" Judging by the way his face twitched, this Adam didn't care to debate.
"Milady, you were built as a weapon of war, I am merely restoring your purpose."
"What if I wished to build? Or pick pretty trees as you would flowers?" She bristled at Adam's scoff.
"You're a weapon of war. You do not perceive beauty."
"I perceive, that the man you would have me kill pleases my sight more than you." Adam turned white as snow with rage.
"It heartens me, then, that we've a manual override for your cheek." He looked to the man in the harness, "Corsac, resume pursuit, double your pace, and turn her petty man's face into a red stain under her foot."
"Move and I kill you." Weavers, when vanished, are harmless. Except, however, for the small copper medallion they keep tied into their hair, enchanted to vanish when they did. Pyrrha freed hers, clutching it between her fingers.
"Please, you're only a voice to warn against malfunction, it's the pilot that has the true authority here. Corsac, move."
"Malfunction this." Pyrrha stepped to Corsac and held the medallion between his neck bones, then released it for a moment, the medallion becoming solid again, snatching it back as Corsac died instantly from the wound within his spine…
…
Suddenly, the monstrosity collapsed, the earth quaking beneath them on impact. "She's done it!" Jaune snatched Blake in an embrace, both laughing madly in triumph. Suddenly, with an earsplitting blast they were thrown against the front of the box of Oobleck's wagon, and watched as he and the rest of the wagon tumbled into a sinkhole, as they skidded to a stop just short of the edge…
…
As he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, Oobleck looked to the sky and saw a cloud. Tears flowed freely, and his heart soared… as all… faded… to black…