A/N: let the fun begin!
Summer Rose, Urumi unfurled and at the ready, stalked out into the dunes of the wasteland of Vacuo. The heat rose off the chilling undulations of sand in waves. It wasn't the first time she wondered how her partner managed to look practically tepid in his huntsman gear. Meanwhile, sweat had begun to accumulate under her cloak, gathering at her hairline and beginning to drip down her back.
The town's primitive lighting started to fade behind her as she pressed on in to the North, meeting no resistance. Nervously, she checked over her shoulder repeatedly, keeping an attentive ear to the noises from the town. Now would have been a perfect advantage for the Grimm to attack while it's temporary guardians were away. She knew Qrow was keeping a keener eye on the town than she, but even still the concern gnawed at her, the further she went from it with no resistance.
Glancing up at the sky, a single small dark figure circled above, and she smiled. Damn, it felt good to be out here again, working. Especially, she thought,with Qrow.
Inattentively, she crested a larger dune, lost in thought, only to be startled by a non threatening growl. Below her, sat multiple full packs of Beowulfs encircling a deep depression in the sand. She quickly and stealthily retraced her tracks back over the brow of the dune, only to use it as a vantage point. Fortune had smiled on her that none of the Grimm had spotted her as she had blithely wandered in.
Sparing a glance, she noticed that the figure in the sky now passed in strafes across the newly found location.
Deep into the recess, an orange glow emanated, spilling out into the darkness. The moon shone full, casting its white-blue light over everything else. As the huntress watched on, she could make out the figures of humans and Faunus alike, burdened and doggedly moving in and out of the orange glow.
Despite the rustle beside her, she didn't move her eyes from the scene unfolding before her.
"What did you see up there, Legs?"
He huffed while settling down on to the warm sand.
"Did I ever mention how much I hate sand?"
She rolled her eyes toward him. "Love," she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head towards the valley, "what did you see?"
Sighing, he started.
"Looks like there's a singular leader- big burly guy. Couldn't get the right angle to figure out if he has a weapon or what it could be. There's definitely something deep in that hole. The Grimm appear to be border patrol- keeping the prisoners in."
She nodded.
"So what's in the hole?"
He shrugged, "Couldn't see. But it is interesting that the Grimm seem to be controlled here. Almost like..."
"Pets."
"Yeah."
"More and more it's sounding like..."
Nodding, he turned to her. "We should call Oz."
"Agreed, but I'm worried we'll miss an opportunity here."
She paused, an idea coming to mind.
"Qrow, you're faster than me-
"No."
"You can fly into town-"
"No."
"Call Oz,-"
"No."
"And get back here."
"No."
"This is one of the best options," she tried to reason with him, "because we can keep an eye on what's going on, and contact Oz immediately."
He grabbed her arm tightly and she really looked at him. "Tell me, Summer: if you saw a Faunus about to be killed by a Grimm, could you stay behind the dune and not do anything about it?"
"Qrow, I know how to handle myself."
His eyes grew hard. "That's not an answer."
She sighed. "I'll stay behind this dune, no matter what. Deal?"
"And you'll head straight back into town if your cover is blown?"
"Immediately, screaming your name the whole way."
"Smartass."
She winked. "Love you, too."
"There's just no winning with you, is there?"
"I'm surprised you keep trying."
He sighed and released his grip, and the young woman turned her eyes back to the dig site.
"I'll be back soon, Short Stack."
She nodded, but was surprised when he laid a peck on her temple. Turning, all she saw was a flutter of black feathers, her love fading into the horizon.
Determinedly, she forced her attention back to her mission, even as a smile tugged at her lips.
Despite all of his intentions, by the time he reemerged from the Inn, the navy of the night sky was beginning to purple at the horizon. Panic started to set in, and as he changed form, his mind was solely on the safety of Summer.
He released a deep sigh even as he spotted her form on the edge of the dune. A quick glance towards the worksite showed an empty space, save for the depression in the sand.
Changing form as his foot touched ground, he kept his profile low as crept up beside her. Her posture ever watchful, she turned slightly to him as he neared.
"They're gone?"
"All of them, as far as I can tell. One moment, it was the quiet, steady pace of a dig site, next, the Beowolves were howling and the prisoners were rounded up and shuffled off. Couldn't account for all parties, but it's been about an hour without any sound. Only that orange glow from deep in there."
She jerked a thumb at the depression in he ground.
"Ozpin give us any info? Or direction?"
Qrow nodded, eyes steadily scanning the valley.
"Said that there's an old tomb, long empty, out here, that used to hold some relic that was removed when the they built the school in Vacuo." He rolled his eyes towards Summer, "Another legend. Half the reason he kept me on the CCT. Long story short: the relic's not here, but they're not sure if the tomb is completely empty."
Summer sighed, long-suffering.
"Getting really tired of these legends. So what was his direction?"
"Keep an eye on it. If there's movement, handle it. Otherwise, wait for reinforcements."
"And that's going to take... how long?"
"A day, he said."
"Or...?"
A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
He gestured with his hand and bowed his head slightly. "Lead the way, Short Stack."
Pausing at the entrance, Summer threw a quick glance into the depths. A straight passageway, with no turnoffs for a good hundred feet , steadily sloped downward into the earth before emptying into an indiscernible room, from where the gold glow emanated. She turned back to her companion.
"No vantage points." She mouthed.
Shrugging, he rounded the corner before her and into the mouth of the tomb. Silently, they slipped down together, Summer a half-step behind him. Proceeding down the hallway quickly and deftly,they met no resistance as they emerged into a cavernous room, tiered down to a centered level ground, shaped similarly to a reversed pyramid.
In the center or peak, a sunken sarcophagus laid empty, its lid moved carefully aside, but its contents nowhere to be seen. The room flowed with brilliantly colored hieroglyphics and tarnished gold, silver and copper inlay. The orange glow seen from above was easy to identify as firelight reflecting off the faceted surfaces. Various jars, furniture, and statues laid discarded into piles by type.
At the sarcophagus, their backs turned to the entrance that the Huntsmen were entering from, a burly, broad man in huntsman-like garb and a tall, thin, dark and regally-clad woman discussed something in hushed tones.
Instantly, Qrow stopped his forward motion. Summer was grateful for the many months around toddlers at that moment, for her reflexes were quicker than previously. She stopped mere centimeters behind his shoulder. Cocking her head to see around him, she spotted what stopped the Huntsman's forward motion. Eyes wide, she looked up to him and they made eye contact. Both nodding slowly, together, they moved stealthily to press their backs against the wall just on the outer edge of the walkway.
"It's enough, Hazel." The thin woman spoke, and her words were like velvet.
"But, Your Majesty, it's merely a scrap!"
"It's enough to locate it. It has the scent of Neferkaptah. We will find where Setne has hidden it."
Qrow threw a perplexed look towards his partner, and she shrugged. Hearing all there was to hear, and concerned that they were swiftly running out of time to escape unnoticed, he jerked his head back up the corridor they had just arrived through. Summer nodded eagerly, and they both made their way as silently and rapidly as they could.
Along the wall the huntsman had leaned, a small piece of masonry sat perched precariously. As he had removed himself from the wall, it started to rock ever so slightly in its place. A few seconds later, once the huntsman was too far to hear it, the masonry, caught a random kink in the wall, and its momentum, cast it over the brink, and it tumbled to the floor of the antechamber.
The warming air of the Vacuo sands greeted the pair as they emerged from the tomb. Summer paused for a breath, then followed Qrow's dogged march up to the dune edge.
"Hey!" She cried after him, struggling to maintain his long-legged pace. "Why are we marching? I get speed, but, babe, I can't walk as fast as you."
Instead of responding, he stopped entirely, pulling and extending his broadsword at his side. Looking sideways at her, he finally spoke.
"Summer, you need to go. Now."
She scoffed. "Not without you, I'm not. What's going on?"
"I felt that familiar old tingle. Something's either gone wrong or it's about to. Either way- get out of here and I'll meet you in to-"
Interrupted by a chorus of raspy growls, both turned to the dune ridge that surrounded the tomb. Lining the top Beowolves and a King Taijitu awaited them.
"Well, Legs, looks like you were right. So, plan B?"
He sighed. "Hope you oiled the Urumi."
With the whisper of metal gliding across itself, he heard the coils release from her hips.
"Taijitu, first?"
"Good call."
Without a physical sign or sound, both began their trot towards the massive Grimm. Choosing his target, he twisted his broadsword in hand, his nervous habit showing itself once more. Knowing he had telegraphed his timing, he paused a half second longer than what would have been anticipated. Summer's Urumi had embedded an end into the opposite head's nasal passage, and she had used her momentum to swing herself under the jaw and over again to land squarely on the cranial ridge.
Qrow launched himself up and forward, swinging with might across the fang bearing down on him. His half step pause gave him the opportunity to strike once the Taijitu was already committed to a motion, while Summer was constantly reacting.
On the ridge, Summer aimed her handle, as a hum started raising in volume. A single trigger pull, and the rail gun blast flung her off, along with her dislodging her Urumi. The head dropped down under the weight of her blast at the back of its head. With a flick of her wrist, her weapon whipped out and around the Taijitu's neck. A small dash of her semblance, and the metal bands garroted. The creature released a strangled noise before the bands tightened and cut deep, removing the head with a final tug.
Meanwhile, Qrow's original swing grabbed deep into the fang, altering his angle of attack. In mid motion, as the blade finally slipped free, the huntsman triggered his blade's transformation. Throwing his weight reversed, he used his extended Scythe to swing counterweighted deep into the soft jowls of the remaining Taijitu head. Twisting, he planted his feet on the belly of the arched snake's body, gathered them up under himself. With an explosive jump, he dug the scythe in deeper, catching it at the front joint of the jaw. With the snake fully engaged on his scythe, he flung his weapon with all his might into the hardened sand bed beneath. Landing next to the disoriented head, he pulled his scythe from its wound, and with a swift swing, finished off what lay before him.
As he turned, the huntsman caught the view of Summer in full motion, her second Urumi joining the fight against a pack of Beowolves. The misleading whisper and whistle of the metal blades through the air was punctuated by the gathering rail gun blasts. As he turned to join her a growl drew his attention behind him. An Alpha Beowolf stood at attention, staring him down. A familiar gouge out of its boney parts- one he had left a few nights prior.
Qrow smirked. Game on.