Enclosed
"It feels like we have been here for a while now…" Weiss sighs as her heels drag on the fine sand of the tunnel.
"I'm hungry…" Erin quietly whines squeezing Weiss' hand as they begin to slow the entire group down.
Yang and Nora slow their stride, "Erin would you like for me to carry you?" Yang offers noticing that Erin's feet draw deep lines in the sand.
"I…." Erin loosen her grip on the Princess' hand. "She is FINE." Weiss barks, yanking the young girl's hand causing Erin to snap her head back to Weiss.
Yang watches Erin groggily continue to drag her feet, "ooookay. Princess, would you instead like to take advantage of the offer?" Yang smirks.
Weiss scoffs, as she continues to pull the young girl along with her. Ruby smiles as Yang sticks her tongue out at the cranky Princess.
Pyrrha grimaces as the torch in her hand begins to grow dim. Not yet...The torch's light went from a thriving flame illuminating a few feet in front of the group to almost nothing but a glowing ember. Before the torch goes out Pyrrha lights the last remaining torch reculantedly.
"That's the last torch...isn't it?" Ruby sighs loudly. Ren pats Erin as she drops her head and turns to the man. This time Wiess makes no attempt to stop the young girl from letting go.
"Shhh. It will be fine Erin." Ren soothes the young girl, picking her up without a second thought. Instantly Erin feels a sense of relief and calm as Ren continues forward. "Thank you." the young girl whispers as she falls asleep in his arms.
Pyrrha nods once not breaking stride as she continues forward. The redhead in a moment of anger lobs the burnt out torch at the wall beside her. An explosion of spark and embers light up a small pile of decaying wood and iron.
Nora notices in the moment that a miner's pack was among the rotting items. "Pyrrha WAIT!" She excitedly shouts dashing to the pile covered in warm coals.
Yang quickly jogs in front of Pyrrha, "Hey there might be something back there can you bring the torch so we can check it out?" Pyrrha stops looking directly into lilac eyes, she turns her head to see that Erin is sleeping, Weiss groggy and could use a moment of rest.
"Ruby?" Pyrrha calls, the young leader is at their side before they can blink, "yes?" Before Pyrrha could explain the situation, Yang takes the torch and goes to Nora.
"I'll bring this right back…" Yang's voice echoes as Ren and Weiss watch the fiery woman leave with the only light source.
Nora fumbles in the darkness with the miner's pack closing her eyes and focusing on how the items feel. Mmmmm her calloused hands feel over long rotted food, a small piece of parchment that turns to dust at the slightest touch and wood? Nora opens her eyes right as Yang arrives with the torch.
"Find anything useful?" The blonde yelps in excitement. Nora grins, "I hope this is what I think it is." Nora yanks out the wooden object, revealing another torch. Yang laughs and Nora giggles, the pair return to the rest of the group.
"Do you think it will light?" Yang asks, Nora shrugs her shoulders. "It's better than not having one." She replies.
The Princess perched atop an overturned cart with her posture impeccable as always. Pyrrha and Ruby both stand guard as Ren still soothes the sleeping girl in his arms.
"I hope that little stunt you pulled was worth it." Weiss rolls her eyes as she stands dusting off her backside. Yang smirks walking past the Princess as if not hearing her comment and hands Pyrrha the torch back.
"Thanks. Did you two find anything useful?" Ruby asks as Pyrrha turns towards the never ending tunnel, sighing at the idea of their only light source now depleted.
"Well just this," Yang half turns so that the Princess can see the fruit of her stunt. Nora walks up and hands Ruby the torch she found in the miner's pack.
"There wasn't much left that we could use." Nora sighs as she continues to scour the walkway. "I wonder how long this place has been abandoned?"
Weiss watches Ruby examine the torch that Nora found. "Is something wrong?" Weiss questions noticing that the young leader is standing completely still.
"Mmm? Oh uhhh nothing, it's just that…." Ruby mumbles something as she brings the torch closer to her eyes in the dim lighting.
Weiss sighs while rolling her eyes, "Uhh ahem…" The Princess coughs, Yang nudges the Princess, "Can I help you? Yang!" Weiss retorts in an annoyed tone.
"If she is that focused you would have to hit her on the back of her head to get her attention." Yang smirks tilting her head at her sister.
Weiss crinkles her nose at the idea of striking Ruby in such a manner.
"Ruby!" Pyrrha calls "we have to keep moving, there is only so much time left…before we will be in total darkness..." Everyone turns towards the redhead, the sheer thought of wandering the mines without any way to see or navigate has everyone looking at one another.
Ruby snaps out of her trance like state, tucking the torch into her belt. For a moment the gash on her leg sends a sharp pain throughout her body. "SSSS." Ruby hisses, her hand grasps just above the healing wound. Why now? Maybe it's time to change the wrapping… Just as suddenly as it arrived the pain fades, Yang notices that Ruby is glancing down at her wound.
"You okay Rubes? Feeling any pain?" Yang asks louder than she was anticipating. Weiss quickly takes the torch from Pyrrha's hands and turns to Ruby.
The young leader releases her leg and nervously scratches the back of her neck, "I am fine, the wound just...it's… healing you know?" Her foolish attempts to remain calm even with her leg injury was not taken well by the rest of the group.
"Let me look at it." Weiss demands, crouching down beside the young leader.
"We really need to keep moving..." Ruby turns her injured leg away from the Princess. "Beside you are the future Queen of Stuab my injuries are not for you to concern yourself with." Ruby begins to limp forward.
Nora scoops up the leader in her arms, "WOAH there Ruby. Here this way you won't leave drag marks for people to follow." As Nora adjusts her arms, Yang takes the massive scythe from the leader.
"Thanks Yang, carrying Ruby will be much easier without that strapped to her back." Nora snorts as she adjusts the young leader in her arms.
The Princess' blood boils at the sight, even her usually pale ears are bright red. "Yes well….let us continue." Weiss huffs angrily, practically throwing the torch back into Pyrrha's hands causing Yang to chuckle.
"Hey Nora, want me to carry her? I am used to carrying her." Yang turns her head slightly noticing that now the Princess walks beside Pyrrha not her eyes trained forward.
"Do I not get a say in this matter?!" Ruby pouts trying to wriggle out of Nora's grip but with her injured leg she is unable to escape. The young leader accepts her current circumstances, calming down quickly watching as Erin begins to stir in Ren's arms.
"Ngnnnhhhh…." Erin groans as her eyes slowly open, "are we home yet?" the young girl mumbles.
Ren gently hugs the young girl, "no, not quite yet." Erin motions to the man, "why is Nora carrying Ruby?" she quietly mutters.
"Nora is carrying her to make sure that the tracks we leave behind don't let people know that we have an injured member." Ren mentions as a matter a fact.
Erin nods and slides out of the man's arms to run to Yang, "Yang! Yang!" Erin yelps as she jumps up and down her side. The blonde pretends to not even notice the young girl.
"Pyrrha do you hear something?" Yang places her right hand over her ear and pretends to hear something over the young girl. The group continued to keep stride with the never ending tunnel and the limited torch light. Pyrrha chuckled at the sight, the young girl happily giggles trying to get Yang's attention. "Hmm I do believe that there is someone trying to get your attention." The redhead points downward at the young girl.
"Yes! YES!" Erin excitedly hops along the pair. Yang and Pyrrha both laugh, the Princess rolls her eyes keeping her eyes forward to ignore the scandalous sight of her Captain being carried by another member of her guard.
Nora grins, seeing the care each of her companions share as Ren soothes Erin and Yang easily carries Ruby's weapon as if it was second nature. Ruby groans, "Nora, I am fine please you can put me down now…" Nora's face doesn't change a bit as she shakes her head no.
"Yang! Pyrrha! Help me out here…I don't need to be carried like some sort of child" Ruby begins to whine, Ren places his hand on her head.
"Be still Ruby, for now this is best if we do have to fight, we will need you fully rested." Ren calmly reassures the leader.
Weiss even with her eyes steadfast on the path before them, her ears are still carefully listening for the leaders pleas.
Yang and Pyrrha exchange worrying looks, "he's right Ruby…" Pyrrha adds looking over at Weiss to see her grit her teeth. "Yang, can you carry Erin for now" she mentions to her companion, Yang swiftly places Ruby's beloved scythe onto her back.
Yang looks nods and gently scoops up the young girl. "Well hello there, young lass." to which the young girl giggles "I don't need to be carried I am fine." Just as Erin finishes her the sound of something falling and hitting the moist ground can be heard echoing towards them.
Everyone stops dead in their tracks, Yang places her hand over Erin's mouth to stop her from making any more noise, quickly motioning to the young girl to stay behind her as she places her on the ground.
Ruby instantly leaps from Nora's arms and Yang swiftly spins her scythe to her. "Did you hear that?" Ruby whispers as everyone positions themselves so that Wiess and Erin are protected from any possible angle or threat.
"Erin without speaking do you know if anyone else comes in here…" Ruby whispers into the girl's ear to which she shakes her head no.
Ruby grits her teeth, taking the torch from Pyrrha and throwing it down the mineshaft towards where the noise came from.
For a moment an elongated figure cloaked in complete darkness quickly dodges the light. The Princess gasps at the sight of the creature, Yang and Pyrrha both step in front of the injured leader.
"What are you two doing…?" Ruby snaps, "I can fight!" she raises her voice momentarily but quickly dampens her words. The young leader feels her knuckles burn, then for a brief moment the throbbing from her leg causes her to shift the weight off of her wounded leg.
"This is not the time to argue Ruby, Yang and I will scout ahead." Pyrrha's eyes focus on the shadows near the torch, the group now surrounded by the infinite possibilities that the darkness brings. "We need that torch back, at least then we can see even if it gives our position away."
Yang dashes forward, snatching the torch off the damp ground. As the blonde attempts to change direction back to bring the only source of light back to the group, her boot gives to the moist ground. The entire left side of her body gets smeared in the soggy grit and grime, even a warrior commonly used to being covered in blood and dirt gags at the smell now emitting from her. As she gets up Yang quickly uses her right hand to wipe as much of slime on her as possible as she returns to her friends.
"Yang-" Ruby starts softly as her sister hands the torch to her.
"NOT a word…" Yang snaps back as she takes the cloth out of her belt and wipes more of the grit away, and regrettably drops the rag on the ground.
Erin squeezes Weiss' hand tight as she sees a shadow nearby move just past the dim light of the torch. "Shhhhh…." Nora whispers to the young girl.
"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh…."
Pyrrha slowly looks behind her as everyone's mind wonders the same question... Who...or what is that….
"We can't wait here, we have to keep moving…" Ruby takes hold of the torch and moves forward. "We only have so much torch light left, we must find a way out of here"
Just outside the torch light an abnormal figure stalks the group as they cautiously venture deeper into the mineshaft. Ruby takes the lead looking for any signs of the creature that the group saw only moments before. Yang and Pyrrha bring up the rear as Nora holds Erin close, even the Princess keeps her hand hovered over her rapier. As they past the area where Yang fell, all anyone could see is the giant smear on the ground and ground clawed apart by Yang as she hurried to get up.
A gentle whistle comes from a distant mineshaft. Ruby hears the faint whistling and instantly stops throwing her hand up signalling everyone to hold position. Pyrrha turns to face the breeze, "fresh air…" she whispers as the breeze cools the sweat on her brows.
Erin takes off down the mineshaft where the breeze whisps towards the group. "ERIN!" Ren shouts as the girl leaps out of his arms.
Yang's eyes widen as she watches the young girl without fear sprints into the darkness. "Ruby!" Ruby twists her body causing her wound to tear open. The young leader bites her lip to dampen her yelp as she chases after the young girl.
Weiss' eyes widen as red pools trail behind the dim light pursuing after Erin. Like moths to the flame everyone follows the dying light of the torch, the slight breeze becomes a strong gust of wind. FWOOSHH the wind wafts everyone's hair back.
"We are almost there!" Pyrrha happily shouts before running into something, "uhpooof…" Pyrrha looks down and see Ruby staring blankly with Erin in her arms.
"Ruby… what...is…." Ruby shoots her hand up to her mouth and throws the torch forward causing dozens of lanky humanoids to scatter.
Nora, Yang and Ren watch in horror as the torch dies, emaciated hands all reaching for the dying flames. "What are they…" Weiss' voice goes hoarse as she pushes forward.
"I...i… don't know…." Ruby mumbles as she fumbles to remove the only other torch from her belt. The sound of hundreds of wet footsteps rushing towards the group causes Ruby to become frantic. Come on….her fingers quickly grasp the wooden handle of the torch oh yes...almost….
"...uby…" The young leader grits her teeth as she places the torch between her legs, her flint and steel momentarily show flashes of the ghoulish Grimm coming closer. "RUBY!" Nora and Pyrrha snap Yang as well as Ren out of their daze.
"Anytime now Ruby?!" The Princess shouts as she stands surrounded by the rest of the guard with Erin next to her.
The brunette continues to shower the torch in sparks but none seem to take on the ancient torch. Ruby realizes that her frantic breathing is not helping the infant embers take hold and grow into a flame. Calm down if i don't get this torch lite soon we will all perish here…
Then without a second thought the torch ignites, the sound of a roaring flame gives the leader a small boost of confidence. This should keep the Grimm at bay until we can get out of here. Ruby quickly rejoins everyone who all release a sigh of relief.
"We can follow the breeze until…" Ruby begins noticing that everyone's eyes seemed to be fixated on something behind her? "What are you all staring at?" The leader turns around to catch a glimpse of a rotting yellowing mask towering above her that leans down and extinguishes the torch.
A/N Hello Travelers, as always it is good to see you all. I hope your New Year started off right and I can't wait for another great year! The past year has been full of changes and realizing that doing what makes you happy is one way to keep your own head and soul at peace. For me writing has been a great outlet. I love this story and hope that everyone that is still reading still enjoys the story. I know it has been a long journey but this story is something that I want to write and I plan on continuing until it is completed the way I imagined and have dreamed it should be. I can't wait for you all to finish this journey with me but until then I will see you in the next chapter! /o,.,o/
