The two were falling.
Falling into the darkness without an end.
Yang and Weiss were screaming bloody murder.
This drop had to have an end. The chasm had to have a bottom. It couldn't stretch for eternity. They had to hit the ground at some point. They were plummeting too fast to land safely. When they reached the bottom, they were going to die.
With her adrenaline pumping, Yang erupted into flames to prevent that from happening. She didn't care about their odds. She'd be damned if she gave up so easily. A frenzy of emotion exploded within her soul. It felt so right at this moment. Now, her cries and grunts were of sheer, unyielding determination.
With the flames as her guide, Yang was able to spot Weiss just a few feet to the left. Maybe if she could get to her, everything would be okay. She always felt invincible when Weiss was by her side. With her, Yang could soar beyond any boundary.
Rapidly, Yang sprawled her arms out like a bird, letting the wind connect with her body, slowing her just a bit. Easily, she was able to glide over to Weiss as the ball of heat engulfed them both.
Yang wrapped her arms tightly around the smaller girl, clinging to her even as she screamed. The moment she made contact with her, Weiss composed herself as the flames consumed her vision. The darkness was replaced by a burning yellow inferno that roared brilliantly.
Yang didn't care what happened to herself, as long as Weiss was okay.
I'll protect you even if it kills me! Yang thought. Even if my strength isn't enough, I'll make it work!
With that in mind, Yang whipped her princess in front of her, making sure her own back was lined up with the ground. Instinctively, Weiss curled into Yang, her hands covering the back of the blonde's head.
The reassurance was comforting. Again, Weiss found herself in her protective arms. That gave her a sense of safety and assurance that things would be alright if they worked together.
However, they were still falling.
Wishful thinking aside, they had to act fast.
The wind violently whipped through their forms. The bangle bracelet around Weiss' wrist glowed a white light. The yellow flames and white fog swirled together, creating a burning meteor.
With all her might, Yang braced her aura and channeled it around their forms. The yellow outlined her and her partner protectively. Yang could feel Weiss doing the same. Her solid, chilling white energy burst and overran their forms.
For a moment, Yang thought she was hallucinating. Since her back was facing the bottom, she couldn't see properly. She could've sworn that she saw a few white sigils. However, they faded as soon as she fell through them. Her body felt like it was slowing down.
Yang could feel the girl in her arms squirming, striving for a better hold to protect Yang's head.
A second later, Yang slammed into the ground, absorbing the brutal force of both hers and Weiss' momentum. It was like the Earth devoured and chewed on them with sharp teeth.
Jagged stone and dust spewed in all directions.
The shock was more than enough to smother the white and yellow flames and knock them out.
"Uh, Blake?" Ruby called. "I think I know where they went."
From Ruby's tone, she was concerned and frightened. It was a daunting mix. Confused as ever, Blake joined her side and lowered her head to see what was below.
And her jaw dropped.
Just below them, there was an abyss. A gaping hole in the planet split apart and ate their friends. The sheer size of the hole was staggering. Give or take a half a mile wide.
One misstep and Ruby and Blake would fall in the unrelenting darkness. Even the sun's rays didn't- couldn't- pierce through the blackness. The dark overpowered the light, almost suffocating the rays.
Beads of sweat rolled down their faces as amber and silver examined the death trap.
"T-they have to be down there, right?" Ruby asked, unable to stop from stuttering, tears threatening to fall. "Where else would they go?"
Blake tried to wrap her mind around the events. Ruby was right. Where else would her friends disappear to? The sky?
After a gulp, crouched lower to the ground. "How far down is it?"
"I-I don't know," Ruby shakily replied as she knelt next to her. "Looks like it goes pretty far. Ohmygoshthisisinsane."
Even with Blake's night vision, the bottom of the pit was unseeable. It was like the darkness interfered with her specialized pupils.
"I guess we should find out," the faunus said as she gazed knowingly at the worried Ruby.
Taking the hint, Ruby conjured a spit wad. When she was little, Yang used to tease and torment her with this childlish prank. Yang would accumulate a wad of spit and mercilessly dangled it above her face as she pinned the smaller girl down. Ruby always squealed and yelped, calling for her father.
Most of the time, Yang was just playing around and never intended to allow the grossness to plop on her face. Ah, those were fond memories Ruby recalled as she flung the biggest wad of spit and spewed it down the hole.
The noises Ruby made during the process caused Blake to cringe and almost ask her why. Ask if the cringe-worthy sounds were necessary. But she sucked it up and let it happen, hoping it would be a dense saliva ball so she could hear properly whenever it plopped on the bottom.
Intently, Blake leaned over with her cat ears perked up and alert. Ruby joined her and listened as the two poked their heads over the hole. It was a good thing the surrounding forest was leveled. Otherwise, the previous insects' chirpings would prove difficult to ignore and hone in on the inevitable sound of landing.
About half a minute went by and Ruby was growing frustrated. She didn't hear a thing. At last, Blake's cat ear flickered. There was the faintest plop like the spit tapped on water.
"Did you hear it?" Ruby asked.
"Good news, there's a bottom."
"That's a long drop," Ruby stated. "If they really fell then they can't be okay after that, can they?"
"It's hard to say," Blake replied. "You saw for yourself. They're tough. They fought whatever that thing was with flames and a rapier and brass knuckles. Maybe this fall isn't much of a challenge for them."
Ruby liked the possibility. Her sister and friend were certainly something. Definitely not people she'd want to pick a fight with. Not that she would before, but definitely not now. Not after what she saw what they were capable of the last couple of days.
"Either way," Ruby began. "We have to go after them."
Blake smirked and nodded firmly. "Glad we're on the same page."
Together, Ruby and Blake could think of a solid strategy. The sooner they could think of something, the sooner they'd know if their friends were okay.
"We're the best team," Ruby stared at Blake sternly. "Let's form a plan, partner."
Despite Ruby speaking with determination, Blake could tell she was immensely worried. To ease her nerves, Blake softly grasped the girl's hand, which elicited a blush as red as Ruby's name.
"I'd like nothing more."
The first thing her body struggled to do was groan.
Lilac eyes blearily opened, only to receive darkness and floating debris.
Her body was glued into the dented ground as she struggled to lift her head. Slowly, her skull tore away from the rocks and protested the movement. Another groan slipped out of her lungs as she tried to loosen her stiff body.
Yang was extremely confused. Why was it so dark? Where was she?
To get answers, Yang tried to sit up, only to plop back down from the creeping pain. Every joint in her body ached and loudly protested.
Why was she in pain?
To prepare herself, Yang grit her teeth. Slowly, she turned her head to check herself over. Good, just a few scratches and some big bruises. Nothing looked broken or out of place. Her clothing was torn apart and dirt scoured every inch of her form, but otherwise she was fine.
Hesitantly, Yang set her hand on her forehead to ease the ache. She felt like a train rammed into her full force. The meteor-like hole she was in the center of reminded her of what happened. Maybe a train would've been the better option.
She fell. She fell a long way.
The feeling of falling registered in her brain. On instinct, her adrenaline began to pump as she glanced around. This was the bottom of the abyss, huh? Below the opening, there wasn't even the slightest speck of sunlight. She guessed this was what she'd expect of an abyss. There was nothing down here.
Except-
"Weiss!"
Instantly, Yang shot up like a rocket. Even faster than the speed of her falling. Just the thought of Weiss crumbled somewhere in the darkness was enough for Yang to ignore the pain. Luckily, she still had some aura left, so she flared it to look for her partner, and to place a band aid over her entire body.
Hastily, Yang glanced around, pleasantly noticing that she was able to walk properly. Maybe the combination of both of their auras acted as a steel-like barrier and lessened the brunt of the blow. The yellow flames gradually eased her pain as she looked for Weiss.
A few feet away, she spotted Weiss. She was covered and dirt and was camouflaged with the jagged pieces that she was propped up against. From the looks of it, she was okay. None of her limbs were horribly bent, and she was in one piece.
With her adrenaline still fueling, Yang headed over. She knelt in front of the girl as the surrounding flames emitted a calm ember like the sun.
"Weiss? Weiss, hey…"
Calling out to her didn't work, so Yang set a gentle hand on her shoulder. Like lava, her warm aura flowed and washed over the unconscious priestess. Seconds later, Weiss' eyebrows knit together as her face flinched.
Yang leaned in closely, coaxing her to wake by channeling more aura into her.
"Y-Yang…?" Weiss rasped out weakly.
"I'm here," Yang stated softly.
From the tranquil flames, Weiss quickly shut her eyes. That was almost blinding after just waking up. Yang whispered an apology as she gained her bearings. When she was ready, Weiss opened her pale blue eyes again, relieved to see Yang seemed okay.
"Are you okay?" Yang asked. "Does anything hurt?"
"My entire body," Weiss grimaced as she experimentally moved her arm.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Yang gave her a small smile.
"Yeah, same. We fell for that one, huh?"
"You brute," Weiss murmured. "Waking up to one of your puns is a nightmare in itself."
"There she is," Yang lightly chuckled. If the first thing Weiss did was throw the sass after waking up, she was fine. Probably just sore. "Here," Yang offered her hand and Weiss accepted the gesture.
Together, the two stood firmly. Surprisingly, neither wobbled nor needed extra help. The combined aura strategy certainly spared them a lot of pain, or even more, a literal lifesaver.
"Are you okay?" Weiss asked. Her partner was scraped up, but she wanted to be sure.
"I'm all good," Yang stated. "Somethin' like that can't take me down."
Another annoyed groan.
"That was even better!" Yang exclaimed. "Don't pretend you didn't like it."
"That was a real knee slapper," Weiss said sarcastically. "Ignoring you doesn't sound so bad."
"Good luck with that," Yang huffed. "Our voices bounce off the walls down here."
The priestess lightly sighed. "It's impossible to ignore you either way."
"Glad you understand that," Yang practically sang.
After Yang sent her a grin, the two looked around. Since Yang was a bright torch, they were able to really grasp the situation and the scene. All around, there were stone walls, as to be expected. Spikes dangled from the ceiling and protruded from the walls on all sides. There was plenty of space and multiple paths they could take.
As Yang and Weiss ventured down the middle, they were careful not to ram into any spikes. It was silent besides their footsteps and few water drops in the distance.
There were no hints of habitation whatsoever. Which was extremely lucky for them.
Thanks to Yang's natural light, Weiss found her blue bag and Yang's yellow one. She briskly went over to grab both.
"Thanks, princess."
Instantly, Yang reached in hers and grabbed the flashlight.
"Save your aura," Weiss recommended. "We don't know what's down here. It looks vacant, but we could have company."
"Yep," Yang replied, popping the 'p.'
With that, Yang deactivated her aura and flicked on the switch. With the small limited beam as their guide, the two investigated the chasm. Since it was full of the unknown, the partners were cautious as they rounded a corner.
When it was safe, Weiss spoke. "What'd you do to cause us to fall for what felt like miles?"
"It probably was a few miles," Yang commented. "I love how you know it was my fault. I pressed on the tree trunk and bam, we became birds. The rowdiest bunch, might I add."
Weiss gave her an annoyed look.
"Hey, don't gimme that! How was I supposed to know that we'd be swallowed whole?!"
"I suppose this is a blessing in disguise," Weiss replied. "The relic must be down here."
"You think so?"
Yang was baffled from the suggestion. Then again, the last relic piece was in a cave similar to this.
"I know so," Weiss stated confidently. "Why would there be a hidden trap? Whatever or whoever hid the relic obviously doesn't want us to find it. Be ready for a fight."
"I'm always ready to kick some butt," Yang punched her fists together for emphasis.
Weiss gave her a knowing smirk. If there was one thing that riled up her partner, it was the thrill of combat. Even when they were in this underground cave, her confidence shined so brightly it was infectious.
As the two ventured deeper within the abyss, there was more silence.
Jokingly, Yang cupped her hands over her mouth. "Echo, echo!"
The sudden loudness caused Weiss to flinch, startled.
"You brute!"
"Aw, did I scare ya? I was just checkin' for grimm!" Yang beamed mischievously. "It doesn't look like anything's here, so that's good."
"That doesn't-"
Accidentally, Weiss stepped on what felt like a panel. Compared to the dirt she'd been walking on, the surface felt like metal. The questionable surface sank under her right foot and she hastily yanked away.
"W-what is-"
A loud rumble. Like a stomach was growling from being neglected.
"Are you kidding me?!" Yang threw her arms up. "Another trap?!"
"My bad."
"Looks like we're even now."
The ground shook, but not forcefully. Protectively, they scooted close to each other to prepare for what was to come.
To the left of the pair, the stone walls split apart in layers. Hastily, Weiss poised her rapier and Yang lifted her fists, both lowering to the ground in defensive positions.
Weiss seethed through grit teeth. "There can only be so many traps in one day."
"Let's hope this is the last one."
Tension was high as several moments of silence passed. They glared into the new abyss, but saw nothing until Yang angled the flashlight on the area.
An ear-piercing screech ensued and several bats flew out of the newly formed entrance. Qucikly, the partners to ducked to avoid the wild animals.
"Ah!" Weiss shrieked. "So gross!"
"They're just bats!" Yang yelled over the swarm. "At least they didn't poop on you!"
Eventually, the swarm faded in the distance and past the two without incident. To be sure nothing else was in there, Yang shined the flashlight on the abyss.
Another screech. It was so loud that the air vibrated and rumbled.
"W-what's in there!?" Weiss yelped as she clung to Yang.
Yang kept the light firmly on the darkness, waiting for the slightest hint of movement.
The creature responsible for the shattering shrieks crawled out from the depths like some demon spawn. It had a jet-black exoskeleton underneath several white bone-like plates upon its back, which was adorned with red markings. There were ten burning red eyes instead of the normal two. The most prominent attribute was the glowing golden stinger on its tail.
This sent shivers down their spines. That stinger was as sharp as a butcher knife.
The scorpion creature also had a pair of pincers that slammed into the nearby wall in its haste. Judging by the moss on its back, it'd lain dormant for a long time. Until Weiss stepped on the trigger and Yang gave it a nasty awakening.
Despite the intimidating beast, the two remained focused.
The yellow stinger and the multiple red ominous eyes glowed in the surrounding darkness. The stinger emitted a yellow color, but there was also a glimmer of white in the center. As Weiss narrowed her eyes, she realized a shard was embedded in the stinger.
This didn't go missed by Yang, who cracked her knuckles.
"Looks like the relic came to us."
The lyrics mentioned in this chappy are from the song I'm a Believer by Amalee. Each of these quotes referred to the fall. There was nooooo way they'd die from that and their determination definitely paid off.
"'I don't care about our odds' - I'm a dreamer! Yeah, I'm a believer!"
"'What's this frenzy of emotion? It feels so right in this moment.'"
"You'll never hear me say, 'I think I'm at my limit.' No, 'I'll soar beyond that boundary.'"
Also mentioned was Cross the Line: "To protect the people I love even when the strength I have is not enough."
Stay dandy,
~Toto