Chapter 11: The Dragon
Boom.
A brilliant blue explosion rocked the Sea Feilong, stalling the towering grimm's dive. It recoiled away, massive skull turning out over the ocean. Lance loaded another shot into Iron Maw, slightly guilty expression finding its way to his companions. "...I wanna take this opportunity to begin my three-step apology."
Daria held her ringblades high, looking between the swordsman and the recovering dragon. "Tell me why and make it quick."
"I might have tested the universe. And now the universe is getting back at me."
"Heads up!" Oracle called, whistling out to draw the six huntsmen's attention back. The Feilong's eyes- red, gold, and hateful- drew back to the warriors, its long body coiling under itself in the choppy, dark waters below. It snapped to attention- and dove under the surface, dashing like a bullet towards the sloop.
"Hang on!" Gail screamed out, as the engine roared to life. The boat began to dash forwards, its bow rising with the sudden burst of momentum. The crashing of waves heralded the dragon exploding out from the sea on the portside of the sloop. With ridiculous speed, the beast dove back down, bringing its hulking form down onto the stern of the ship.
The world went sideways as the boat was dragged to an increasingly vertical position, the planks of the deck splintering with the heavy impact. As they careened upwards, four of the warriors jammed blades into the deck of the sloop- Daria catching Oracle's hand before the gunslinger could fall into the dark waters below.
Ulysses, though- his eyes washing over the situation with a dawning realization- simply pushed heavy boots into the prow of the ship- and then leapt off, hurtling down to the surf. The impact stalled the momentum of the sloop's yawning flip, and sent him straight into the serpentine body coiled around the boat. The giant impacted hard with the Feilong, Avenger coming down onto the black scales of the dragon- it let loose a roar from the depths of the sea, and uncoiled from the sloop, slinking away quickly-
With Ulysses still attached, thick fingers digging in and holding onto the inky scales of the beast as it dragged him underwater.
The sloop came crashing back down to the surface with a deafening smack, sending the remaining huntsmen sprawling across the deck. Gail was the first to her feet, scrambling her way towards the railing. "Ulysses!" She screamed, her eyes wide in shock.
Daria was to her side a moment later, following her gaze. "Where is he? …Gail! Where is he?!"
"The- the dragon, it- it pulled him-"
The Mistrali huntress grasped her friend by the arm sternly, pulling her away. "Go call for help- Shinai! Help her. Lance, Oracle, we've gotta find Ul."
Gail hesitantly stepped away, falling in line with the samurai on their way back to the cockpit. The greatswordsman and the gunslinger joined their leader at the edge of the ship, staring out over the endless blue. "Alright," Oracle said. "So, what in the hell do we do?"
"I..." Daria began, before faltering. "I- I don't know, we have to- find Ulysses, that's- that's the goal."
Lance leaned over the railing, shaking his head. "How the fuck are we supposed to-"
The ocean blasted upwards with an explosion of sea spray, the black form of the Feilong stretching out high into the sky. The beast's ascent was accompanied by violent, though triumphant roaring- on the grimm's side was the form of Ulysses, still clinging to its inky flesh with one hand, Avenger repeatedly coming down against the grimm.
The dragon let out a roar of pain at the impact, shuddering as it writhed wildly against its rider, trying desperately to lose the giant. Lance took a step back, flicking out Iron Maw, its blue light glowing. "I'm comin', bud!" He called, before leaping-
The cannon fired out with a raucous bang, and the blond warrior careened away from the sloop in a blur of red. He crashed into the grimm, his blade digging deep enough into the dragon's scales to find purchase, the impact sending the Feilong writhing and bucking in pain.
"What are you doing?!" Daria screamed out, raising her blades high. "What is he doing?!"
Oracle shook her head with a shrug, loading her revolvers, gold energy washing over her. "Boys." She raised her guns and began unloading into the beast, glowing shots arcing over the surf.
Lance flung himself upwards, perching atop the wide blade of his sword, hand resting against the thrashing beast. "Ulysses!" The hulking huntsman looked down to him, with eyes of solid black, his features baring no sign of recognition for the swordsman. "Dude! Get off of that thing!"
The giant proceeded by turning back up towards the dragon's head- its own eyes turning down to the two huntsmen atop it- and braced himself, before vaulting upwards, scaling meters closer to the beast's skull. It let out a roar of anger, and then dove back down towards the water, giving Lance only a moment to shout- "Dude!"- before they disappeared back into the depths.
Daria looked up as Shinai joined her, wrapping his hand tightly around Shi En's handle. "Communications are down." He said lowly, tensing gaze washing the beast drag the huntsmen under.
She let out a growl of frustration, turning to where Oracle had strafed while shooting, her revolvers raised. "...Alright, alright... just... just let me think for a second..." She dropped her head, face twisting into a thoughtful grimace. "...Okay, okay... we need them both back down here. Gail- try and find something, anything that might let someone know we're here. Oracle, Shinai, we'll... I don't know, try and bring it closer so we can get those idiots back.
The archer nodded, turning to dash back into the cockpit, leaving the remaining trio standing at the railing. Oracle raised her gun, looking over the bullets remaining in its cylinder. "...Might wanna cover your ears."
She fired out with a thunderous blast, the energy around her tunneling into the gun and into the bullet, as a supernova-like shot ripped through the surface of the water, barreling towards the writhing dragon like a glowing torpedo.
Boom.
The shot exploded off of the side of the Feilong, its roar of pain echoing through the water, ripples emanating from it across the ocean's surface. The creature rolled around itself, before breaching the surface again, eyes searching frenetically for the source of the shot; red and gold gaze finally finding the sloop again.
Lance gasped in a long breath, hands desperately gripping onto the handle of Iron Maw. His face twisted from relieved to furious, shifting to press his boots against the dragon's black scales, his greatsword shifting back into its cannon form. "Ul!" He barked, looking to the water-logged berserker barely hanging onto the dragon's neck, gasping for air himself. "We are gettin' off this fuckin' ride!"
The dragon turned down towards him, letting out a furious growl, lightning glowing in its mouth again- before it could fire, Gail dashed from the cockpit and raised a gun high- higher than the Feilong, and fired. With a hiss, the flare bolted up into the evening sky, glowing brilliantly red- upwards, and upwards, high above the cliffs.
The dragon's gaze shot from the offending swordsman to the glowing shot arcing past its head, reflexively recoiling away from it. The flare lingered in the sky for a moment, before going dark, falling back down to the sea harmlessly.
As the Feilong began to turn its gaze back to its two riders- Lance fired, and Ulysses bashed Avenger against the dragon's side, heavy boots pushing hard off of it.
The two impacts rocked the great beast, a shrill roar of agony piercing the air as it dove away from the huntsmen. As it disappeared under the waves, it dashed frantically back from where it had come, its dark form bolting off towards the darkening horizon.
Lance crashed hard against the planks of the sloop, bouncing as he did, Iron Maw falling from his grasp. Ulysses fell short of the boat- his hand lashing out to grasp onto the metal railing at the last moment, a growl rumbling from his throat as he slowly pulled himself upwards, clearing the railing to fall to the deck below.
"...Fuckin' ow..." Lance muttered, shifting onto his hands and knees with a pained grumble.
Oracle quickly strode over between the duo, kneeling low, rolling her shoulder out as smoke rose off of it. "You're a buncha idiots."
"Yeah, yeah..." The swordsman muttered, dragging Iron Maw back towards him.
Shinai's gaze fell to the recovering huntsmen; to Oracle, kneeling by their sides, checking on them; Gail and Daria, their attentions turning to the Feilong dashing through the waves; first away from them, then wheeling back around, its red fins rising from the wake, quickly clearing the distance it had made.
His teeth grit together, eyes going hard, before turning on his heel, marching back towards the trio on the ground. "New plan. Oracle," He said, voice firm. "Are they alright?"
"Yeah, they're fine, what's-"
"I need you and Lance on the cliff," He said, pointing towards the mountains bordering them off their portside bow. "Take shots at it, wear it down. Carmine, pace yourself, don't let yourself burn through all of your aura. Lance-" The swordsman looked up to him, eyebrows furrowing in distaste. "...Stay wide, don't clump up. Your shots can rock it- when it tries to fire lightning, keep its aim off target."
The two swordsmen stared off for a moment- the blond apprehensive, the samurai stalwart. Lance finally broke the contact, pulling himself to his feet. "Come on, O, I'll get us up there."
"Promises, promises." She muttered, stepping towards him. He wrapped an arm around her, his gaze meeting Shinai's once more- before he turned and leapt, a cannon shot propelling the duo high up the cliffside, quickly scaling the rest of the way.
Shinai turned back to Ulysses, the hulking warrior huffing, barely cognizant of the samurai before him. Shinai stepped forwards, placing a hand on his chest. "Ulysses- focus. Do you hear me?" The giant shook his head for a moment, his breathing centering- before giving a single nod, half-black eyes settling onto his former leader. "...Keep hitting it. Don't stop moving. Don't let it get comfortable. Understood?" Ulysses nodded again with a grunt. "Good. Stay at the prow of the ship. Wait for it to come to us."
Daria and Gail stared out at the quickly approaching grimm, the former turning to Shinai. "What about us?"
The samurai stared around, looking between them and the approaching dragon. He took a steadying breath, swallowing hard. "...Alright. Daria- get to the cockpit, get the engine running and get us moving again. Gail, stay on the deck, do not stop firing. Distract it, hurt it, do whatever you need to. I... I don't know if we can kill it, so our best bet is reaching somebody to come help. Buy time, hope someone saw your flare," He nodded to himself, taking another deep breath. "Go. We don't have much time."
The expedition's leader nodded turning to march back into the cockpit, her hands beginning to fly across the control board, fighting to reignite the stalled engine. Gail and Shinai took up stalwart positions at the railing; the archer knocking an arrow; the samurai gripping his sword's handle in a white-knuckle grip, jaw clenching tightly.
Gail took a breath, raising her bow to the stars above, firing her arrow high into the sky, a small explosion going off as it reached its apex.
As if on cue, the Feilong ripped itself out of the water, drawing its gargantuan form high above the sloop, serpentine mouth opening wide in a roar, its claws coming up to grasp the edge of the sloop tightly- metal rending and wood shattering under its grasp. Before it could act, though, a blue explosion rocked against its head, the beast recoiling hard from the impact, shifting away from the boat. A gauntlet of golden shots followed, pelting its scales and bone plates, every shot forcing it to flinch away.
It drew its gaze up to the cliffs, where the duo were crouched low, reloading their weapons. The dragon looked between them and the boat below, a roar of frustration bellowing out of its body-
Avenger crashed hard into its side, serpentine form bending under the blow, the beast's eyes going wide, while Ulysses drew his flail back towards himself. Shinai looked to the archer out of the corner of his eye. "Get its attention."
Gail nodded, her hand going to her quiver, quickly drawing a trio of white arrows, raising her weapon back towards the dragon. One after another, she loosed the bolts in rapid fire fashion; as they flew, their white light illuminated brightly, gale force winds whipping wildly around them. The trio of missiles raced past the beast, cleaving through the Feilong's form, carving inches deep divots across its scales.
The creature let out an furious, though agonized roar, drawing itself back to its full height, gaze falling to the sloop. The samurai nodded. "Eye."
"Can do." She whispered, her hand rapidly finding a light blue arrow. The dragon roared down at the duo, its claws shouting out to latch onto the boat's railing again, moving to pull the sloop down into the depths. The archer dug her heels in, bracing herself against the swiftly inverting deck, and fired.
The arrow flew true, carving through the air to bury itself into the beast's eye- and explode into a wicked nest of ice shards, jutting wildly out from the Feilong's socket. A harrowed shriek split the air as the dragon recoiled from the blow, its massive frame falling backwards through the water, sending colossal waves rocking towards the sloop. The Feilong spun in its place, head lowering down to the wake below, preparing to dive under.
Golden shots rang out down from the cliff, clattering against its scales before it could submerge, the grimm flinching away with each impact; until a blue explosion rang out against it, throwing the beast meters through the water, displacing gallons of the sea as it did.
The dragon's head fell under, leaving only a section of its back floating above the waves, red fins bared to the night air, and it went still. The ocean went quiet, leaving only the sound of waves lapping against the boat and sloop.
Finally, Shinai let out a tense breath, his rigid muscles relaxing, jaw unclenching. A relieved laugh escaped from the Mo'alauan archer. her gaze meet the samurai's; and he gave her a small smile of his own in return, hand falling from Shi En's sheathe.
"Holy shit!" Lance called from the cliff, Iron Maw raised high. "Hell yeah! Take that, you Udon noodle motherfucker!" Oracle let out a laugh and a cheer beside him, both huntsmen's faces splitting with beaming grins.
The waves under the ship went white with foam, as its engine roared back to life, ripples floating out through the water, and Daria's cackling, triumphant laughter echoed out over it. "She lives!" She called, stepping out through the cockpit door. "It's actually dead? Nice work, everyone!"
Gail nodded, turning to her leader with her bright smile, stepping forwards to pull the shorter huntress into a relieved embrace. Shinai watched them reunite for a moment, smile softening- before his gaze turned back to the water.
And the gently writhing black scales poking out of it.
The sound of flesh tearing began to echo out through the night air; the red fins of the dragon quivered frantically, shaking from side to side; and slowly, they began to elongate, pushing outward from the black mass of the dragon, the tearing sound growing louder and louder, drowning out the sounds of celebration, all eyes turning back to the beast.
The fins shook with more intensity, straining against themselves for a moment- before they flew outwards with a spray of blood and the rending of flesh.
A pair of massive red wings spread out wide over the dark waters, large enough to eclipse the horizon and stars above, magnitudes larger than the sloop. Whoosh. They beat down hard against the air, pushing the water out from under them.
Whoosh, whoosh. The beats began to come quicker, picking up with velocity, as the quartet on the boat backed away from the edge, drawing their weapons back into their hands.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Daria whispered, and the Feilong ripped itself free from the ocean.
The waves rocked out over the sloop, as the massive grimm began to rise quickly from the depths, its body wiggling along with the beating of its massive wings. More and more of the serpentine beast rose from the surf, towering higher and higher over the huntsmen.
The Feilong let out a roar, and a thunderous beam of electricity burst from its jaws, barreling towards the sloop below. The blast arced over their heads, ripping through the main mast with ease, sending it crashing down- narrowly missing Shinai and Ulysses as they dodged away from it, the beam smashing into the deck before slinking down into the dark waters below.
The beast took flight, pulling the last length of its body out of the sea, taking flight up and away from the sloop towards the cliffs beyond. Lance and Oracle shot to their feet in dual panics as the dragon raced towards them- the gunslinger lashing out quickly with both cylinders, burying her bullets harmlessly into its skull-plate, the swordsman firing out a cannon shot that went wide, sailing past the dragon.
Its throat lit up with brilliant gold again, and the ray of lightning fired out towards them, the beast's roar echoing out atop the storm-like crackling. The blast carved up the side of the cliffs, tearing through stone with ease, and over the edge, splitting between the two warriors as they quickly scattered.
Shinai hissed in a breath as the quartet watched the beast disappear out of view, charging back over the mainland. "Ulysses!" He barked. "Get up there, quick. Daria, get back to the wheel, get us moving. Gail, get ready to fire," He looked over the other huntsmen. "Go!"
Daria and Gail nodded, the former rushing back to the cockpit, the latter, pulling another trio of arrows, holding them at the ready. Ulysses back up to the starboard bow- and stormed back across the deck, leaping high above, and passed the waves, his dark form smashing into the cliffside, digging fingers and boots into the stone. He began to scale upwards, dragging himself quickly towards the apex.
Oracle and Lance turned and watched as the Feilong raced passed them toward the horizon, before beginning to turn, one eyed gaze locking back onto the two warriors as it rushed back towards them. The gunslinger quickly began to reload her revolvers, hissing in a breath of irritation. "Lance, hon, I'm runnin' out of ideas here."
He loaded a fresh bullet into his gun, sharing her grimace. "Yeah, and I'm runnin' out of bullets!" He spat back, raising Iron Maw and fired- going wide as the Feilong tilted away from them, letting the blue shot fly harmlessly under it.
The grimm's wings shot out ahead of it, its body falling back into a vertical position as it suddenly came to a stop, mighty wings beating at the air as its gaze turned towards the swordsman- baring the golden energy already glowing vividly in its throat.
"Oh shit." He whispered.
The dragon reared back and let loose with a wicked blast of lightning, racing towards the flat-footed warrior. He watched the golden, crackling ray near closer and closer, blue eyes widening in shock, a bullet falling from his hand.
Oracle dove, throwing her body into his with all of her weight, bodily throwing the swordsman aside-
And putting herself directly into the beam of lightning.
The blast enveloped her, hurling her meters away, carrying her along its path until the beam dissipated, leaving her crashing down into the rock and dirt limply; her clothes torn, ragged, and burned, heavy smoke rising off of her body. She twitched and spasmed, electricity coursing over her. Red aura flickered across her form, before disappearing.
Lance brought his gaze up, eyes rising to her for a moment, breath leaving his lungs, his heart skipping a beat as his mind began to process what it was witnessing.
The gunslinger laid there, motionless; her chest far, far too still.
"...Oracle," He said quietly, shakenly rising to his feet. "Oracle!" He took off at a sprint, eyes widening with realization and horror. "ORACLE!"
The dragon roared, jerking forwards as it propelled itself towards the charging swordsman and fallen gunslinger, its fangs bared wide.
"ORACLE!" He screamed, dropping Iron Maw, attention flitting between the huntress and the dragon. "ORACLE, GET UP!"
The Feilong dove towards them-
Ulysses met it in the air- a leaping blur of black, smoke rising from his body like a bonfire, a cracking roar ripping itself free from his chest. He smashed into the side of the Feilong's head, tearing it out of the sky and down towards the cliff below.
Both huntsman and grimm collided hard with the ground; dirt and stone ripping free from the impact, flying wildly around them. Ulysses dug boots deep into the earth, eyes wide as his face twisted with boundless rage, his scream still echoing out through the night air. His hands raised one after another, mighty blows cracking down onto the grimm's bone-plating, cracks spiderwebbing across the dragon's skull.
Lance fell into a slide as he reached Oracle, lifting her limp form into his lap. "O, talk to me, O, talk to me..." The gunslinger didn't respond, didn't move, didn't breathe. His expression of horror faded until only realization remained, eyebrows furrowing, his breath coming quicker and quicker. "Come on, talk to me, O, talk to me..." He pleaded through clenched teeth, tears welling in his eyes, his throat tightening. He schooled his expression back into a neutral one, setting her back down onto the ground. "Come on!" He hissed, pressing his hands to her chest- and began pushing. "Come on!"
He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, blowing, before returning to his frantic pushing. "You do not get to die on me, you stupid fucking woman! Come on!" Another breath of air, pushing into her lungs. Tears began to fall onto her unmoving face, the swordsman's white knuckle grip pushing against her chest. "...Please, O- don't go, don't go, don't go," A breath, a set of pushes. "Please, please, please. I can't lose you."
He leaned down again- and the barest, lightest hint of breath washed over his lips.
Oracle's chest began to rise in short, shallow gasps, her form still limp and unmoving. Lance let out a sobbing laugh, picking the gunslinger up into his lap again, wrapping her in a tight, desperate hug, burying his head into her shoulder, tears soaking into the ruined fabric of her shirt.
Ulysses attention shifted at the swordsman's jubilance, wide eyes turning to the duo, his face twisting with shock- and the Feilong lashed out, fangs enveloping the bottom half of the huntsman, ripping him off of his feet. The dragon surged back to life, raising its head and body from the cliff, frenziedly shaking the captured warrior around- side to side, up and down- before finally whipping its head to the away , sending him hurtling down the cliffside.
It shook its head again, unfocused eye sharpening with clarity, spindly arms pushing itself up. It dragged its massive body to the edge of the cliff, and flung itself away, great wings beginning to pound against the breeze, taking back off into the evening sky, a victorious roar echoing out around itself.
Daria leaned out of the cockpit as the beast came back into view, frowning. "Course they didn't kill it, that would've been too easy. It's comin' back around!" The dragon turned its attention back to the sloop, lightning spilling from its jaws as it flew back towards the other trio- letting out a vicious blast as it did, drawing it along the ocean like a crop-duster as it soared overhead. "Hold on!" Daria barked, turning the wheel hard, moving to pull the sloop out of the line of fire-
Before she could finish the turn, though, it whipped past them, its beam of electricity catching the stern at the corner, carving a small section of the boat away.
"We're taking on water! Stay left side, keep the left side of the stern up!" Gail called, her bow lowering. She looked to Shinai, their gazes meeting. "...I've got a... really bad idea... catch me if I fall." She flicked her bow out into its great form, burying its blade into the planks below, drawing an elongated, glowing red arrow from her quiver.
The Feilong turned back towards the cliffs, and Oracle and Lance atop them, its fangs baring in fury. It let out a roar, its wings flapping hard- and dove towards them like a bullet, its throat beginning to glow golden-
Thwip. Boom.
A massive arrow collided with its side, throwing its course off, the serpentine beast starting to roll away from the duo-
And a deep blue arrow collided with a small explosion of light of its own. Gail dug her heels into the planks of the ship, her gaze flitting to her blue copy beside her. They both turned upwards to the beast, its hateful gaze turning to the archers.
She grimaced as its wings began flapping again, moving away from the gunslinger and swordsman below it entirely, leaving the fallen warriors be- its gullet glowed brilliantly, lightning beginning to arc from its mouth.
The archer's face twisted from a grimace to one of determination, teeth gritting together; and all along the portside bow of the ship, blue archers began to appear- two, three, four, six, a dozen. They nocked their bows, while the grimm's mouth began to widen, energy pooling amidst the gaping maw-
Ulysses leapt with a roar, his shoulder driving into the beast with all the force the berserking warrior could muster- it was enough, the Feilong's head turning out to the horizon from the impact as its lightning blast fired, arcing out harmlessly towards the water.
Gail loosed her shot. The first arrow found its mark against the beast, small explosion rocking it.
The other twelve followed immediately after- blue arrows raining down from the sky, most of the volley finding their marks against the serpentine grimm; a brilliant array of shattering light filled the dusk sky, battering the dragon away with each collision.
The archer huffed in exhaustion, sweat beginning to pour down her face. She readied her great bow again, great arrow pulling back against the string- even as her arm trembled, struggling to draw the mighty weapon. Shinai looked to her with a frown, eyebrows furrowing. Daria peered through the cockpit's window, similarly filled with concern. "Gail-"
"I've got it," She whispered, dark eyes hard with determination. "I've got it."
Thwip.
The cavalcade of arrows flew from the sloop, raining down around the beast with a shower of deep blue, the force and fury of the impacts ripping the grimm from the sky, the small explosives ripping through its wings until they no longer held the dragon aloft. The beast fell around Lance and Oracle, the swordsman jolting as its serpentine form narrowly missed the duo, winding its way across the cliff. He let out a snarl as he lifted the gunslinger from the ground, throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, pushing himself to his feet.
Gail stared up with hazy eyes at the fallen grimm, her hair stuck to her sweat soaked skin. She raised her stooped body back to a standing base, shifting her legs apart again, a hand taking up the string of Sunsinger. She began to draw back again, her body shaking with the effort- before her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
Her body went limp, falling lifelessly to the side, careening over the side, falling to the surf below.
"GAIL!" Daria screamed, dashing from the cockpit after her.
Poof.
Shinai crashed hard against the surface of the water, wrapping an arm around the unconscious archer tightly- his other hand lashed out as they fell, the bottom half of Shi En burying into the side of the sloop up to the hilt. A shout of pain ripped free from his lips, his body caught between their stopped momentum, and the momentum of the boat driving forwards through the waves.
He wrenched his eyes tightly shut, a grimace of concentration claiming his face.
Poof. Both huntsmen rolled hard against the decks of the sloop, Gail falling away from the samurai limply. Shinai came to a stop with a hiss of pain, pushing his water-logged self to his hands and knees, shaking excess seawater from his head.
Daria dashed to Gail, sliding to her knees. "Gail- Gail, speak to me"
There was a beat of silence, before the archer let out a quiet groan, face twisting in pain, though her eyes remained closed. "...I'm good." She whispered.
The Mistrali let out a sigh of relief, wrapping her partner's arm over her shoulder, heaving them both to their feet. "Shinai- you alright?"
The samurai gave her a shallow, unconcerned nod, slowly pushing himself to a standing base, swaying slightly with a wince. "Her?"
"Still alive," Daria muttered, dragging the archer to the cockpit. "I'll keep an eye on her- you get the rest of those idiots down here."
"Ul!" Lance barked, wheeling around, trying to catch a glimpse of the huntsman around the fallen form of the Feilong. "Ul! We gotta go, buddy!" He shifted Oracle across his shoulders, wincing as he took off at a jog towards the edge of the cliff. "Come on, dude! …Gods, how the hell do I get..."
The sound of something dragging across the grass hissed out over the cliffs, the hairs on the back of his neck rose on end, and he came to a stop, hand tightening around Iron Maw's handle.
The swordsman spun on his heel, turning back towards the Feilong- his gaze meeting its one eyed red and gold, its cracked and shattered plated head turned directly towards him. Its clawed hands slowly pushed itself upwards, the beast rising above the warriors again. Lance hissed in a breath, staring the beast down, legs sliding and bending as he took up a combat stance again. "Just fuckin' die, already." He spat.
The Feilong roared, and lunged towards him, massive jaws raised wide open, fangs bared; Lance raised his greatsword towards it, digging his heels into the dirt-
Ulysses charged across the cliffs towards them with a roar; leaping, and bashing against the dragon's skull, cutting the beast's descent off at the last moment, both combatants hurtling away from Lance and Oracle. The berserking huntsman landed hard, pushing the dragon's skull back into the dirt with a two handed blow. He lashed out again, massive fist burying into its jaw.
Suddenly, his gaze snapped back to the duo, his lips turning up in a snarl, body trembling with rage and exertion. "GO!" He managed to howl through his rage, before bringing his attention back to the Feilong, both hands pressing down against it, holding it flush to the cliff- its slithering form writhing behind it wildly.
Lance backed the rest of the way to the edge, eyes wide, and nodding. "...I'm comin' back, Ul- hold tight!" He took a moment, breathing in and out as he readied himself; and leapt, free falling back toward the ocean's surface, Iron Maw coming up as he did so- a few meters above the surf, he thrust forwards, digging his blade's hook deep into the cliffside, carving through the stone.
His and Oracle's weight carried him further and further down, his boots digging into the cliff to further stall their momentum, a scowl crossing his face with the effort- the duo jerked to a stop just above the sea, the waves reaching up to lap against his heels.
"Lance!" Daria called, engine coming to life, the sloop beginning to arc towards the duo.
The swordsman peered over his shoulder as they approached, taking a moment to brace himself, and with one great push, he pried himself free from the cliff, leaping back with all his might towards the sloop.
He crashed hard against the planks, letting out a yelp of pain, brilliant blue aura cracking against his form; Oracle rolled limply from his grip, coming to a stop just before Daria. Lance immediately sprung to his hands and knees, finding his way to her side, pulling the gunslinger back into his lap, the tension draining from his body, a relieved breath crossing his lips.
"Oh my gods..." Daria whispered, her hand going to her mouth in shock.
Shinai crouched low beside them, purple eyes wide. "Is she-"
"-Alive," Lance nodded, eyes wrenching shut as he held her close to him. "...So is it, and Ulysses is still up there." His gaze turned back up to the cliff.
Ulysses turned back to where his partner had been, a satisfied grunt leaving him, before he turned his attention back to the dragon, snarl reclaiming his face. He raised his hands high, preparing to bring them back down. The Feilong's clawed hands lashed out first, catching hold of the huntsman's legs. The beast lunged, throwing its immense weight forwards as it hurled Ulysses away, sending him rolling across the clifftop.
The giant came to a stop, laying limply for a moment with a pained growl, before moving to push himself to his feet, black gaze rising to meet the grimm's own. The dragon raised itself upwards, serpentine form rising high above the warrior, glaring him down; its torn and tattered wings lay limply around the winding body beast.
The creature trembled, jaws opening wide, and it let out a ear-shattering roar, bearing down on the berserker. Ulysses dug his boots into the dirt, letting out a furious bellow of his own- and as the dragon's gaping mouth began to glow golden, he charged forwards, bonfire-like smoke curling off of his body. The dragon reared back, lightning spilling out of its maw; Ulysses picked up his speed, preparing to lunge directly towards the beast.
Neither made it.
The cliffs exploded with the sound of gunfire, a flurry of bullets, dozens and dozens per second rained down around the duo, huge shells ripping through the black mass of the beast, drawing a short pained scream from it. Ulysses crouched low, an arm raised against the onslaught falling around him, dual pools of black raising towards the sky in confusion, eyebrows furrowing.
The huntsman's gaze found its way onto a half-dozen airships soaring in from further inland- wooden in design, only slightly larger than the sloop. Small hot-air balloons burned atop the ships, and propellors whirred behind, carrying them forwards.
Brilliant orange flags flapped noisily in the breeze behind them- emblazoned proudly on the banners was the three swords of the Vacuoan sigil. As the ships spread out around the cliff, two machine guns on either side of the crafts unleashed a downpour of bullets onto the dragon- the creature's form, again rising into the air, was pushed back down to the cliff, its head lolling brokenly to the side.
The beast seized, its serpentine coils thrashing- and then its death throes went still, gold and red gaze falling to stare down at Ulysses vacantly.
One of the ships lowered down beside the huntsman and grimm, its occupant throwing open a swinging door and stepping out, a spear held aloft; the man was dressed sparingly, clad in loose whites and warm leathers, a helmet held under his arm. His skin was Vacuoan dark, tattoos swirling across his arms; dark hair pulled into long, flowing braids. He looked from the grimm, over to Ulysses- and the giant stiffened, head lowering with a growl.
The man held his hand up abatingly; lowered his spear, and spoke in an Eastern Vacuoan accent. "Easy, easy- I don't mean any harm. Easy there, amalaqah. We're all soldiers here. Are you a huntsman?" Ulysses' gaze shot from him to the dragon, though said nothing else. "Alright, fair enough-"
"Captain!" A voice called from one of the other ships, hovering over the sea. "We've got more down here! They're in pretty rough shape!"
The man looked back to Ulysses, an eyebrow raising. "They yours?" The giant grunted, form slowly relaxing, leaning back distrustfully from the man. The smoke curling off of him began to thin, the whites of his eyes slowly returning. "Alright, then, friend. Let's get you and yours to safety, then; shall we?"
Lance hefted Oracle's limp form up, holding her tight to himself as the airship lowered down to the ocean. The man inside extended his arms. "Let me take her." The swordsman stalled for a moment, face falling in hesitation- and then handed her off, quickly climbing into the airship after them. He turned and bent low, grabbing onto Gail's arm and taking the barely conscious huntress from Daria-
The archer groaned as she was hefted up into the ship, her head falling back, face twisting with a wince. "...Did we win?" She muttered.
Lance and Daria exchanged glances as she climbed in after them. "...Yeah, I think we did." She said, eyes flitting over to Oracle.
"...Oh... good."
The swordsman gave his leader an affirming nod, and a tight smile. "...She's still kicking."
Two of the soldiers gently nudged the others away from the gunslinger as they placed her down onto a mat, setting down a motley of supplies beside her; the woman looking up to them, warm visage comforting. "...We'll keep her stable until we can get her to a hospital. She'll make it." She said softly, voice the familiar lilting Western Vacuoan accent.
Lance stared down at them for a moment, swallowing hard as his gaze washed over his teammate. "...Thanks," He managed to whisper. A moment later, his gaze turned back to the entrance and he extended his arm, making Shinai jolt in surprise. The two swordsmen locked eyes for a beat of silence, before the samurai took the extended limb, letting the larger warrior help him up into the airship. Lance looked him up and down, eyebrow raised. "You alright, Kyani?"
"I... I'm good. Thank you."
"...Good," The duo stood silently for a moment, before the greatswordsman gave him a small sigh. "...Nice work tonight."
Shinai said nothing, gaze falling away from the blond warrior. The pilot of the airship looked back to them from his position at the front of the deck, peering through dark shaded glasses. "You kids might want to take a seat, the ride may be bumpy."
After a moment, the trio of still standing huntsmen acquiesced to the request- Daria sitting by the barely conscious Gail; Lance by the unconscious Oracle, the soldiers placing a blanket over her and an oxygen mask over her face, the crew falling into silence. The flames of the blimp bellowed louder, the propellors whirred quicker, and the airship began to ascend, rocketing up quickly towards the cliff. It slowed down again as they reached its apex. The still conscious huntsmen looked over the Vacuoan coast, and the cliffs that rose alongside it- cliffs that were now strewn with the dissipating serpentine corpse of the massive Sea Feilong, smoke slowly curling off of its form. Around the beast was a half dozen soldiers; some of them around its head, making sure it stayed dead, others walking along its body, looking the grimm up and down.
Ulysses looked up from his position amidst the hubbub as the ship neared, and gave the Captain waiting beside him a nod, quietly stepping towards the approaching ship. Lance and Daria threw the gate open, extending hands to the giant, and helped pull him up into the ship- Daria stumbling back as he set his boots down, shaking her hand out.
Lance, though, didn't release Ulysses's hand- instead, squeezing it tighter, his jaw clenching, expression twisting in gratitude- and the swordsman pulled his partner into a tight hug, bumping his back with a fist. The berserker jolted at the touch, looking down to the smaller warrior with a surprised look.
When his gaze rose again, they met those angry, dark eyes set deep within an angry, dark face, twisted in scorn and disapproval. Ulysses stifled a growl, and reached up to pat Lance's shoulder, brusquely separating the two. The swordsman nodded with a slightly disappointed, though understanding expression, making his way back to where Oracle had been laid down, sitting by her side.
Daria watched the two partners separate with a sad smile, as the airships began to rise, one after another, turning away from the coast and back towards the mainland.
The other soldier inhabiting their ship not currently seeing to the gunslinger looked back to the other huntsmen, leaning back. "... So what are you all doing out here?" He asked, arms crossing over his chest.
The party's leader sighed, copying his gesture as she retook her own seat. "...You know …trying to sail up to Al-Tijarah."
"Tijarah? What've you six got going on up there that's worth all this? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
Daria looked to her team, giving a slight shrug. "Road to Vacuo City. We're Vale- we came from Beacon. Just... trying to make it to Shade."
The two soldiers stopped, looking to each other. The woman raised an eyebrow. "...I'm alright if you are."
The man nodded, his gaze turning back to the huntsmen. "We're headed for Al-Tijarah- but if you want it, we'd be happy to take you to VC."
Daria's face lit up in shock, mouth going agape. "...Wait- you're kidding me, right?"
"You're huntsmen from Beacon, you said? It's the least we can do. Road from Tijarah to VC's not as bad as whatever you all've been through, but it's still got its problems. Least we can do to give you a hand would be flying you into Shade."
"We're just militia," The woman cut in, inclining her head with a warm grin. "It'd be an honor to give you all a hand."
"We'll stop at Tijarah on the way in, call it in, and fly you the rest of the way..." He nodded again. "Like she said. It would be an honor."
The woman looked over them, gaze hesitating on Gail and Oracle, her bright expression fading slightly. "...Sorry it took us so long. We had to call in the emergency flare," The archer's face split with a satisfied smile at that. "...You all look like you've been through hell."
Daria gave a small smile of her own. "...Yeah. Something like that."
The man took a seat, looking out over the night sky, the shattered moon beaming down at them. "...It'll be a couple hour flight to VC. If you don't mind; you guys are huntsmen, hearing your guys' story sounds a whole lot more interesting than Arrón's mixtape for the eighth time."
"Cállate." She muttered back to him, bemused smile playing at her lips.
The Mistrali huntress looked around at her team; those still conscious beaten, bruised, and exhausted; Gail and Oracle laying, the former dozing off into sleep, the latter tucked tightly in a blanket, her breathing beginning to calm and center.
Her small smile warmed, looking back up to the Vacuoan soldiers. "...Alright. I think we've got a story or two."
The near dozen ships began to propel themselves through the night, arcing over the dark desert below and back to across the mainland; leaving the shattered, sinking sloop and the slowly disappearing body of the lifeless Sea Feilong.