So, dad had two strokes this week, both within hours of each other. He's okay for the most part; his left hand is numb and he's weak, but considering it all he's okay. Just wanted to share to stress that, if you've still got your folks around, give them a call. Say hi, hug them. I realize I'm probably being sentimental because of the scare but be sure your parents you know love them, guys and girls.
The Charybdis kept coming.
For being as big as an estate it swam with the deftness of a Thresher. Left as hapless as a dandelion seed in a gale storm, Weiss and the others aboard Ship could only hang on as they were tossed side to side, launched from the ocean only to come crashing back down.
They fought back. Their collective, panicked desire to survive prevented anyone from laying on the deck and accepting their fate.
Cannon fire did nothing to it. Spells charred blackened flesh at most. Although the massive Grimm had yet to ram them headlong Weiss felt certain everything would be over once it did. The ship would explode, bodies would be thrown, and they would be left adrift, ripe for the taking.
Stubborn refusal to yield meant more attacks. More spells. Her rapier took on a light glow whenever she casted a spell. Magic channeled through its blade, refined and focused, and when she drew a rune it seemed to vibrate in its intensity. Had she time to appreciate what her weapon was doing for her. If she'd only had the foresight to grab Merlot's spellbook to further better her magic.
Ice shattered. Flames raked across the Charybdis, snuffed out when it submerged itself. Earth shattered. Black leashes snapped as easily as blades of grass. Wind? Ineffective. Electricity? Mildly annoying.
The Ship pivoted and a row of cannons fired as one. Cannonballs crashed against the Charybdis' chitin and left black marks but failed to break through. Through sweat-addled eyes Weiss watched the Grimm rear up and roar, slamming itself down mere yards from the Ship. The waves lifted them high and only a panicked water spell kept them from toppling over.
Her feet slid across a deck slick with saltwater, hands grasping at sodden ropes to remain upright. One of the cannons wrenched free of its bearings and nearly killed a Varuna crewsman as it catapulted off deck.
"None of this is working!" As if she needed to point that out. Everyone aboard could see their efforts were futile. The Charybdis came again and raised a webbed hand high above the ship, its shadow cleaving it in two. Its claws would have done the same had Yang not leapt to meet it, half her body contorted by black flesh and flames pouring off it.
The claw and Yang met and the resulting impact pushed the boat into the water, deep enough that waves fell over the rails. Through the deluge of water Yang screamed, flames erupting as she tried to drive the leviathan back. Towering or not the beast had some sense of self-preservation and withdrew. Except it didn't disappear; not the fog nor the ocean itself could fully obscure the Charybdis. Its mountainous form swam beneath the ship and for a moment Weiss feared it would surface beneath them, shattering the ship and sending them flying.
But it didn't. Instead it emerged some ways off and turned, opening its maw and reeling back.
"Blake!"
Weiss erected a wall of ice. She conjured stone and packed it as solidly as she could. Then another sheet of ice. Strappings of shadow leashed around the outermost layer and criss-crossed, binding the layers together and, Weiss hoped, added more to their defense. She and Blake shared a silent, terrified look before a geyser struck.
Even if it was just steam it still eviscerated Blake's shadows and shattered the first layer of ice. Rock cracked but held, and steam jettisoned into the sky, around the walls and formed another dense cloud of hissing fog. Through it all Weiss saw the Charybdis rear up again, glowing red streaks painting its body and eyes never leaving them. It lifted itself from the water before throwing itself back down, sending them careening hazardously as waves tossed the ship once more.
They needed something stronger to bring it down, but what? What was stronger than magic? Weiss could concentrate her spells more but then she'd only be left exhausted; Yang's potent flames had no effect on the Charybdis either.
Around her the crew scrambled to keep the ship moving. At the helm Naranča worked to steer them clear of the raging whirlpool. Others fought to keep the sails in working order, even as one flapped uselessly in the wind, shorn from its bindings. Weiss looked for Ruby and found her pushing a crate with two Varuna, taking a step forward only to be cut off by Yang. She recoiled at the sight of her friend, eyes red and white bony spires protruding from the right side of her body. Her gloriously blonde hair had been left streaked black and small trails of blood leaked from cracked skin along her neck and face.
"Plan?"
Weiss swallowed hard and looked down at Yang's malformed hand. It tried to clench into an awkward fist, but its talon-like claws prevented it.
A more human hand grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Weiss. Plan." Yang strained to speak, gritting her teeth and trembling.
Right. Plan. Some way to kill the beast. Weiss shook her head and licked cracked lips. Somewhere in the fog the Charybdis howled, content for the moment to circle them. And why not? What threat did they pose to it? Spells did nothing. Cannon fire hardly phased it. She shrugged her shoulders uselessly and smiled.
Their survival was not solely on her, thank goodness, as Qrow jogged up and grabbed Yang's shoulder a moment later. He uttered a quick apology and Yang's face fell as magic was sapped. She growled at the no doubt unpleasant invasion and righted herself, then bristled and batted Qrow's hand away. Seeming rejuvenated for the moment - although Weiss couldn't imagine what Qrow had even done thus far - he pried his greatsword from the strappings on his back.
"Blunt attacks don't do anything to it, we have to pierce its skin. Find a weak point in the armor." The ship groaned beneath them and they all planted their feet as it shook. "If I can get closer, I can open up some wounds, give you girls openings for your spells. It'll be just like Ambrosia; kill it from inside out."
Except the last time they'd done that it had left Ruby incapable of using magic. That much miasma would be lethal from a beast this size. Yang could survive it perhaps but only her, and nearby, Blake's look of disdain for the plan made her thoughts on that clear.
"Can you girls restrain it?"
"As if we haven't been trying!" Weiss shouted as water swelled, crashing over the ship. She covered her head with one arm and spat seawater along with a curse. "Godsdamnit! I hate this thing!"
Qrow shook hair from his eyes and coughed. "Yang, can you slow it?"
"Hit it with fire," Yang answered simply.
"Great. Make it happen!"
Weiss grabbed for Qrow's tattered cloak and stared after the man as he ran to the helm. That was it? That was the plan? Were they just supposed to hit it harder? Weiss almost succumbed to a paroxysm of laughter had the Charybdis' reappearance not scared it out of her.
Yang took off before they had a chance to try and solidify… Anything. Blake shrugged, giving something between a hysteric smile and look of resignation.
"Ready to fight?"
No, not even remotely. Weiss nodded, her own manic smile appearing. While Blake planted herself and began to dredge up shadows she rushed to the edge of the ship and ran her fingers along the rapier's blade, focusing on her runes even as her heart ran wild.
This couldn't be typical. It wasn't that Weiss thought the idea of the Charybdis was absurd; the oceans were vast, plenty large enough to harbor beasts of that size. What had struck her as peculiar was more the fact it had attacked them. The oceans covered most of Remnant and ships crossed its wide expanse frequently, ferrying cargo and people from shore to shore. Most survived the voyage just fine which meant that sailors either knew where Grimm were concentrated or knew how to defend against them.
Their own ship, with its armored hull and cannons, was proof of that. The Varuna were acquainted with Threshers and other aquatic variants enough to build up even their modest merchant vessel.
But how did you plan for something like the Charybdis? More than just a creature it was a force of nature. The ocean seemed like a puddle in its wake, the ship a leaf skirting across the surface.
Why them? What possible reason could the monster have for attacking them?
One explanation went streaking across the deck of the ship in flames, her howls drowned out by the deafening roars of her spells. Yang left the ocean boiling and the Charybdis cut its hulking frame sharply, sending waves slamming against the ship as it shied away from the onslaught.
Could Yang be attracting it? But they hadn't used magic until attacked!
Weiss staggered and fell to her hands and knees when the ship rocked violently. A massive wave sent the Ship spinning. A cannon fired, ropes snapped, and Weiss realized that a mast had broken seconds before she shadow engulfed her. A mad scramble spared her being flattened and she wheezed, coughing up dust and smoke as the mast smashed through the deck, snapping and disappearing overboard in the waves. One rope caught an unfortunate Varuna and she watched as Blake's shadows missed their grasping hands, paling as they vanished beneath the surf.
Fight. They had to fight. Weiss had a rune ready before she'd gotten to her feet, and as cannons fired off, she threw shards of ice in the volley. For all the good it did. Rounds exploded against the carapace, her ice embedded itself in flesh, but hardly phased the beast.
We have to stop it! Slow it down, expose it somehow.
Another cannon fired to the sound of hissing, stone grating on stone, and a sudden burst of wind that threatened to tear Weiss' wet clothes from her shivering frame. A blast of red and yellow interspersed with brown, green, and blue struck the Charybdis and erupted. Ice shards spread, stone exploded, and fire and wind swirled together, melting away flesh. The Grimm let out a bellowing howl and dove, leaving a swirling stream of black blood in its wake.
Ruby cheered and celebrated with the two Varuna, elated despite having a cannon split open and peeled back, hard iron curling like a withering rose. She gave Weiss a fleeting but beaming smile before pushing a crate of Dust to the next cannon and shoving crystals down its throat.
An unexpected but not unwelcome surprise. For a moment the ship erupted in cheers as they landed their first successful blow against the Charybdis. Nowhere near enough to be fatal but proof it could be injured, and as the old saying went, "If it bleeds it can be killed."
Except Grimm didn't bleed, and as the hulking behemoth surged from the water and dove at the ship, jaws agape, Weiss sincerely doubted they had any hope of slaying it.
Yang's fire pelted its side, but the Grimm continued undeterred, jaw splitting until it reached halfway down its body, rows upon rows of jagged teeth glistening with brine. By some fleeting miracle a rogue wave knocked them aside, although not before its mouth clamped down on the port and shredded the wood.
There was no resistance to the bite. The ship tore as easily as wet paper and water surged into the hull, pulling the ship forward as the Charybdis' tail smacked it sideways. Through ocean spray Weiss wove a rune of ice in desperation and planted it on the deck, pushing magic into the spell. Ice sprouted from shattered wood and grew until it covered the now broken hull, light enough to lift the ship back up even with water sloshing around inside of it. Boards and bodies floated among the waves and although her friends weren't among them Weiss still felt wretched bile fill her throat. An ear-splitting blast sent her stumbling, covering her ears as tears stung at her eyes and another cannon tore itself apart. Flesh ripped from the Charybdis floated listlessly among the waves.
"Below deck! Bail water! Out! Remove! Or sink!" Naranča shouted orders over the fervor and a trio of Varuna raced below deck, buckets in hand. His wide eyes caught Weiss' and he gestured frantically to his head. It meant nothing to her, and she shrugged it off, scouring the mist for traces of the enemy instead.
The fog had grown denser, thick enough that she struggled to see the tip of her nose. Her vision blurred and her face warmed, and what she thought was more steaming mist engulfing them dripped onto the deck. One of her eyes went dark and she blinked, hissing as pain erupted from her face. The hand that clamped over her left eye came back bloodied.
"Ready the fucking cannons!" Qrow screamed. The man stalked past Weiss dripping from a score of wounds and favoring his right arm and leg. "Ruby! Load them!"
"On it!"
Blake sat near the helm and held one hand over an ear, blood seeping through her fingers, the other working to try and stymie a bleeding Varuna. Yang lifted the remains of their second mast off another crewmember and launched it overboard, snarling as she tore a chunk of wood from her shoulder.
Their half-broken ship began to turn suddenly, and the rushing of water sent Weiss into a panic. The whirlpool! They had been so preoccupied with the Charybdis, and rightly so, that they had ignored how close they were to it. The crew realized it too and began scrambling to try and do anything to redirect their path, but without sails they were at the mercy of the water. Weiss knew it was bad, but to see Yang paler and wide-eyed sent home just how thoroughly screwed they were.
That was before Weiss realized the whirlpool wasn't what was dragging them in. The Grimm had resurfaced, and its mouth hung open to reveal a nigh bottomless, fleshy cavern within. Water fell into its maw by the gallons and the current it created dragged the ship closer and closer. Invisible grasping arms tugged at them and no amount of frantic steering could redirect their course.
The ship spun again and the cannons along the port side came to face the beast. Ruby chambered another handful of crystals and scrambled back as fuses were lit.
Arching blasts screeched through the air and pelted the Charybdis. One cluster split its lips and ripped flesh and teeth from its mouth. Another sailed high, striking its dorsal fin and shredding it. The final blast sailed over its mouth and into one of its eyes.
Blood and mist spewed from the eye socket. A fountain of black matter spilled into the sea and nightmarish smoke mixed with the fog. It worked in stopping the Charybdis' attempt to devour them whole. It also succeeded in sending it into a trashing frenzy. Tossing its head side to side it clawed at the water and fired off concentrated blasts of boiling water, water which left the air around them hot enough that breathing became difficult. Through a coughing fit she watched the leviathan dive once more, streaking the water in an inky haze.
One cannon remained and Weiss knew it wouldn't be enough to kill the creature. Ruby and her crew of bombadiers knew it too as they lingered by it, handfuls of Dust ready to be loaded.
They needed more firepower. More than Yang's all-consuming flames and more than the meager Dust reserves left. More magic, stronger magic. Half their party was incapable of fighting back and the other had yet to score a decisive blow.
Her sword had somehow been mitigating the costs of spellcasting, Weiss understood that now, but it did nothing to bolster her strength. Only she could do that, but could she handle it? If she pushed herself too hard over the edge, she could end up killing herself, and that was provided the spell didn't just fail outright. Through her good eye she searched the ocean and saw a blackened body rising from the surf, growing larger as it raced towards them. Qrow called for the remaining cannon to be primed and Yang placed herself at the fore, hands engulfed in flames. Blake backed her and shadows lapped at her feet, ready to prove wholly ineffective yet again.
"Do you need more magic?"
Weiss gasped and stilled.
"I can give you what you need, girl. Let me help."
The voice was inside of her head, rattling around with her panicked thoughts. She licked her lips and spat blood from them with a grimace, then braced as the ship bounced beneath her.
"Who are you?!"
"I'd suggest accepting my help unless you'd like to die."
The fog parted in the Charybdis' wake, the wind breaking around it and screeching. Or maybe that was the terrified cries of the crew, and Weiss' voice was probably among them. Her fingers ground against the grip of her rapier and she grit her teeth.
"You can save my friends?"
"Only if you let me in."
Before she could ask her mark began to burn. Nothing too terrible and more of a muted heat than a searing pain but noticeable enough. The warmth waxed and waned from the spell and she swallowed bile and blood, shuddering uneasily. She could almost imagine the disembodied voice smiling at her as she walked towards the edge with an unnatural calmness. The sounds of water, combat, and frantic shouts became muted and she affixed her right eye on the oncoming monster.
Magi knew how to regulate their mindset, if not their emotions, and built up walls to protect themselves, to focus on magic and spellcasting. She let those walls crumble and gave herself to the Warden's Mark, bracing for whatever was to follow.
The sudden surge of magic erased her thoughts and left her blank. Her body felt both weightless and leaden, every nerve screaming out. Magic swirled into her at alarming speeds, gathering and gathering, a storm of pure, unfiltered energy. A soundless scream erupted from her bloodied lips and she somehow brought her trembling hand up, vision blurring as she wove a single rune of ice. Her ears rang and she gagged, hairs standing on end. Her breath came out in a cold mist and her fingertips went red.
The Charybdis bellowed and lifted its body from the water, blotting out the dulled sunlight. Both arms lifted and six talons poised to shred the ship carrying them glistened like bone-white guillotines.
Magic left her with a strangled scream. Her rune exploded and ice erupted from the ship, freezing waves in their wake and turning the surface of the ocean to glass. It shot upward as it ran, rising higher and higher, sparkling as it captured saltwater. The Charybdis roared and its towering body descended, turning midday to night as its fathomless, pitched body came to bear.
Ice caught it and held firm. It cracked, shards larger than Weiss herself crashed to the ocean, but it held. The Grimm was left dangling awkwardly above them, arms clawing and body writhing as it tried to break free.
Weiss had three runes drawn before she realized what she was doing. Another blast of ice reinforced the first, and a vortex of wind and flame slammed into the Charybdis' underside, burrowing into flesh. The ice creaked as it continued to writhe and the final cannon fired off, following into the wound and erupting within. Stone and ice spewed from the injury as flames roared, consuming everything it could in an instantaneous flash. Lightning crackled from the wound and the ice holding the Charybdis finally gave, although not before the ship was able to drift just out of reach. The resulting wave lifted them to its eye level and above, and a final wind rune cushioned their fall as they slammed back into the ocean.
Injured but not dead the Grimm snarled, mouth opening and steam swirling. Yang flew from the deck and used floating ice to race towards it, leaping from chunk to chunk, up onto the Grimm. Qrow followed suit, propelled by Blake's magic until he dug his greatsword in for purchase and scrambled up the Charybdis' side.
Yang's claws bit in first and dragged through the Grimm's flesh. Qrow found a gap in the bony plates along its head and carved out a cavernous chunk. Steam inside its mouth seeped through the wounds and the Charybdis howled. Weiss didn't know if Grimm could feel pain, but she'd believe it in that moment, watching as it clawed fruitlessly at its tiny assailants. Qrow drove his sword in again and raked across its face, leaving its snout together by tenuous, sinewy threads, and Yang did the courtesy of removing its other eye with a point-blank fireball.
Weiss collapsed on her rear, breathless and feeling violated but, to her imminent shock, no worse for wear. Even as the disembodied voice seemed to applaud her she felt well enough to rise again if needed.
Except the leviathan crashed into the ocean and rolled onto its side, belting out a warbling, echoing cry. Its one visible arm swiped lazily at Yang as she was pulled away by Qrow, aimless by its lack of sight. They landed with help from Blake and the Grimm howled again, trying to right itself and flailing haplessly in the process. Without feeling an ounce of pity for the beast she felt content to watch its body slowly begin to evaporate, black plumes filling the sky.
Was it really dead? She waited for it to rise again. Blinding it was one thing, sure, but had that slain it? The beast's cries grew silent and more of its body faded, black clouds the ocean. Steam continued to pour from the wounds in its flesh and the creature looked to burn apart under its own power, sizzling and boiling as it left the world.
Ruby crashed against her side and embraced her, the smile she bore waning when she noticed Weiss' face. "Oh gods… Weiss! Your eye!"
That bad? Weiss cracked open her left eye and felt relief at being able to see. Blurry, sure, and it hurt like hell, but she could see. Offering a smile, she patted Ruby's side, letting out a wheezy laugh.
"It's fine, Ruby. I'm fine."
"You're covered in blood!"
Oh, well maybe she was less than fine. Considering she wasn't passing out though it couldn't be that bad; adrenaline only did so much, right? The sobering thought that it wasn't all her own made her shudder, but she pushed that aside for now, drawing Ruby in for a one armed embrace.
Qrow and Yang landed back on the deck and parted as the former collapsed against the rails. Whatever magic he'd siphoned had run dry and he was left sickly pale, hanging his head as his chest heaved. Yang's malformations began to fade and she staggered forward, sparing Blake a grateful look as the Faunus caught her before she could fall.
"We… We killed it?" Yang rasped.
Blake coughed and nodded. If it was good enough for Yang to cheer then it was for Weiss too. She fell back as Ruby hugged her tighter, patting her partner's back and rolling her eyes, then wincing.
Bad idea with an injured eye.
They had, somehow, killed a Grimm larger than any beast had any right to be. Unless they hadn't. Weiss waited for alarmed cries from the crew, for a reverberating roar to shake them to their cores. Still expecting one final attack. Still anticipating the need to fight.
Nothing came. From her prone position she watched as black mist, like a smokestack spewing filth, rose into the sky. The fog began to clear now too and even the whirlpool appeared to be waning, it pull a fraction of what it was.
A Grimm that could form whirlpools… How was that fair?
Laughter bubbled through her lips and Ruby giggled atop her, muffled by her chest. After patting her partner's head, she ushered Ruby off herself and sat. No nausea. No crippling pain, fatigue, nothing. After a display of magic like that she should be unconscious.
"Weiss?" Ruby's silver eyes searched her curiously, a wavering smile on her face. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, Ruby. We're all safe."
Stranded, sure, and worn down from combat but safe.
The concern didn't leave Ruby's face but her smile widened a bit, throwing her arms around Weiss' neck. "Great! You were incredible; that was so much magic!"
"And you weren't? Stuffing cannons full of Dust like that." Weiss shook her head. "You're lucky it didn't explode on ignition, you know. That was reckless."
"It worked though, didn't it?"
"Setting fire to a house to get rid of rats works, Ruby. That doesn't make it a good idea."
Ruby giggled and buried her face in Weiss' neck, then pulled away and sprang to her feet. Around them the crew had already sprang into action and began to assess the damage, coming to the same realization that they were in fact stranded. As Weiss was helped to her feet she scooped her rapier up and inspected it; could she help them? If she could keep performing magic like she had with no limitations…
"Awfully bold of you to assume I'll give this freely?"
Letting out a startled gasp she looked around, momentarily forgetting the voice in her head. Her fingers reached up to trace the Warden's mark on her neck; warm, active, but not painful. No delirium or loss of control like before.
"I'm your ally, girl, be at ease. I'm not going to harm you."
As if I can trust you. Forgive me if I'm skeptical of a voice invading my mind, she snapped back.
"Why would I waste energy conversing like this if I wanted something more?" To earn her trust? To lull her into a false state of complacency? "Neither of those. I cannot grant you more magic, Weiss, but your mark will mitigate the cost of your spells earlier. A gift."
You may leave now, she bristled, fingers digging into her neck. Unless you're here to stay?
"I'm always here, child. If you have need of my help in the future you only need to ask."
Fat chance of that. Weiss felt the mark cool down beneath her fingertips and ran them over it again just to be sure. Slick with seawater but inactive.
"Weiss? Is your mark acting up?"
Weiss smiled for Ruby and dropped her hand. "I was expecting it to but no, it wasn't."
Ruby took that without so much as a remark, nodding and beaming. "That's a relief!"
Ignoring the immediate guilt, she reached out and brushed water and soot from Ruby's cheek. Flecks of red and yellow, purple, and green dotted her tunic. She brushed those off too, licked her thumb, and cleaned more debris from Ruby's face.
"Weiss, cut it out!"
"You're filthy."
"What are you?" Ruby giggled and skipped back, almost stumbling on the slick wood. "My mom?"
"I sure hope not, otherwise that makes you two makin' out really gross."
"Yang, ew! That's disgusting!"
"I know, that's what I'm saying!" Yang grinned and sauntered over. Limped, favoring one leg and leaning against an even more drained looking Blake. She winked at Weiss, swiping dripping hair from her face and chuckling. "That was a hell of a show, Weiss-cream. Been holding out on us?"
Technically, yes. Actually? Yes again. "It was thanks to this." She held up her rapier. "It's strange, it felt like I drew magic from it."
"Well, you did that with the spellbook, didn't you?" Ruby asked.
"I did, but I didn't expect it to work the same way." Liar. Weiss' breath wavered and she laughed, combing fingers through her hair. "We're fortunate it did though, I suppose. Otherwise we might be in quite the predicament."
What else could she say? Oh, I'm hearing voices in my head, but it's okay! It let me use that magic, and I'm sure there are no repercussions. Hells, for all she knew it really had been her sword and she'd imagined the voice entirely. She almost wished it would come back in the moment. To hear its genderless, slightly sarcastic tone would at least reaffirm that she wasn't going insane.
No quips. No reassurances that her mind wasn't fracturing. Weiss forced a smile and relaxed slightly when Yang stumbled to Ruby and began checking her for injuries. While the sisters bickered over one another she thought to inspect the still breached hull - who knew how long her ice would hold - and try to come up with a plan to move them along.
Blake's eyes held her in place however, unflinching amber that seemed to stare through her. The look alone was enough to know the question, the slight arch of an eyebrow accentuating it. Weiss shook her head and mouthed 'no', and thankfully it was left at that.
Ship was in about as poor a state as Weiss had expected. With both masts gone, one disappeared entirely and the other hanging over the edge, they had no chance of catching wind. The deck had been smashed in a few spots, revealing the levels below. Water trickled down into what she was positive was her and Ruby's room and she huffed, balling her hands into fists and throwing a glare at the gap; one final insult from the Charybdis.
Stupid Grimm. Stupid water soaking her bed.
The ice was holding up so that was a plus. Weiss admired her own hasty work, noting how the ice covered the broken ship and curled inward to create a water-tight seal.
They were still stranded, and the ice would melt eventually but for the moment they were safe. As safe as a ship lost at sea could be.
No more help? No suggestions? Weiss tried and failed to goad the voice into returning, growling as she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. Losing my mind then, wonderful. Just what we need.
Pain. Her eye still hurt. Snapping at her own mindlessness she wiped her hand on her shirt and folded her arms to keep from prodding her eye further.
What they needed was for her to find a way to move them along. None of her friends could do it. Yang might be able to propel them with her fire but that was iffy at best. Then there was the matter of attracting more Grimm; their vessel wouldn't survive another encounter, even with something as small as a Thresher.
At least the crew worked to try and get themselves moving again. Qrow helped the Varuna shove the broken mast from the deck and the ship bounced up, freed from the weight. Still immobile though. Naranča looked busy trying to steer them, but with no wind or even a current all they did was pivot in place.
"Alright everyone, take five. Check for the wounded, take stock of our supplies." Qrow limped from the railings and began waving crewmembers off. "Girls, how you doing?"
"Fine, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby chirped.
"Peachy," Yang drawled.
Blake looked at Weiss again and inclined her head. Weiss shook hers and the Faunus sighed. "Fine."
"I'm well," Weiss agreed, rejoining them at the center of the ship. "Do you have anything in mind for getting us moving again?"
"Depends, how do you feel about paddling?" When no one jumped to volunteer Qrow snorted. "Figured not. Then no, I got nothin'. We'll have to try something though."
"Well obviously," Weiss quipped, rolling her eyes.
"Think you can pull off another stunner like that, Schnee? Maybe we can ride a tsunami into shore."
"Okay, as awesome as that sounds I doubt we'd make it."
"I was joking, firecracker," Qrow laughed, knuckling Yang's head and grinning as she whined. His face turned more somber and he sighed, rubbing at his jaw. "We do need a plan though. Probably gonna have to use magic. Later," he added when Weiss groaned. "Take a chance to catch your breath. It's not like we're going anywhere."
And what were they meant to do in the interim? None of them were healers so they couldn't help the wounded, not in any meaningful way. Weiss supposed they could offer their basic knowledge of medicine, although that didn't cover the burns that those injured suffered from.
Still, it was something. Anything to distract from the fact that they were adrift and she was likely their only hope of reaching shore. That Weiss herself was, once again, central to fixing all of their problems.
No pressure. None at all. She grimaced and approached the nearest pair at work, one Varuna holding another up as the second applied a gel to a third's burns. She smiled politely and knelt with them, taking the rolls of bandages and trying not to retch at the boiled, blistering skin on the sailor's leg and arm.
If they survived this, she was never going on a boat again.
/+/+/+/+/+/
One hour elapsed. Those with burns who were not in dire straits were tended to, given salves to soothe and drinks to fortify. Alcohol, Weiss noted by the pungent odor as a container was pried open. Anything to dull the pain. Anyone who suffered wounds fatal, of which there was only one, were kept company below deck until their time came.
Naranča had gone below deck personally and remained there for the entire hour. When he returned he didn't say a word to anyone, taking his place at the useless helm, idly touching the wheel that could spin but bring them no closer to shore.
The second hour came and went unremarkably. Magic was still their only option, but they continued to explore alternatives. Paddling, which Qrow had mentioned as a joke, could be viable. It would take every able-bodied soul to move their ship, but it might work. Halved as it was there wouldn't be nearly as much vessel to push through the water, although the flat front of the ship could pose problems.
They needed an answer though. Some method of travel. Some way to keep moving forward.
Beneath the stifling sun they tried to rig up a makeshift sail with sheets tied together. The wind blew it apart and threw the blankets into the sea. At the ocean's mercy they had drifted and no longer could see the broken masts. Maybe they had sunk. Maybe they'd drifted so far they were specks on the horizon.
Weiss had tried to not pay too much mind to their predicament.
The voice didn't return. Weiss sought solitude in an empty room and tried to ask for its aid, then pleaded, begged. She offered a sliver of her willpower if it meant securing them safe passage, yet her thoughts remained unanswered, the only voice echoing in her mind her own.
By late afternoon they had failed to come up with an alternative. Over a meal of soggy bread and bruised fruit Weiss resigned herself to using magic. It would have to be in bursts to avoid Grimm. Without the voice offering succor she did not know how long she might hold out for; spellcast sickness couldn't be avoided forever. Her rapier might help in some way, sure, but she had yet to figure out how to utilize it.
They knew weapons could bolster spells. They had seen proof-of-concept in Raven, which was why they had accepted her excuse that her rapier had helped her, she assumed. All except Blake who even now Weiss was sure suspected something was amiss.
Bread crumbled between her lips and she grimaced. The texture was awful, the flavor off-putting, but they were hungry and made due. She passed up the waterskin - the bread was wet enough - and bit into a browning apple instead.
When were they going to talk about that anyways? If they could each fashion weapons to alleviate spellcasting then they should. They could search for a blacksmith in Mistral who knew how to fashion them. Roderick had known, and granted, the man was a smith used almost exclusively by Hunters, but the technique had to be known to others. If Roman had known to get her a weapon like it then surely someone actually in the trade would be familiar, right?
Weiss scoffed and bit into her apple, grimacing as she cracked the core. Seeds were spit and she wiped her mouth, turning it over and biting again. Ruby bit into the heel of the loaf, the only dry part, and gasped as crumbs littered her pants and shirt.
Fancy weapons wouldn't matter if they didn't reach shore. Three days of supplies sounded like a lot until they considered it could take weeks to reach land again. One day away if they could sail. Weeks without it. If magic was their only recourse, then she'd give it all to move them along. She might collapse, she'd certainly get sick, but she'd do it all again the moment she felt well enough to try.
That was the idea anyways. Halfway through her limp slice of bread she glanced up when the cook began smacking two pans together, running back and forth on the deck. He looked giddy, borderline manic, and Weiss figured their situation must be finally getting to the crew…
"Ships! Ships! We're saved!"
Weiss let her food fall to the deck and raced over to the railings. Yang collided against her back and she almost went overboard, growling at her friend.
Staying angry was difficult with salvation drawing closer however, and Weiss joined in the chorus of cheers and idiotic jigs spotting five ships approaching them. A convoy, possibly merchant vessels and their escorts. From the distance it was impossible to tell what kinds of ships they were, not that Weiss would know, she admitted; she still didn't know her aft from starboard. They were seaworthy though and that was all she cared about.
No magic. She wouldn't have to use magic to save them. Their future wouldn't rest solely in her hands! Weiss' shoulders sagged and she smiled, laying her head against the railing and closing her eyes.
Closer came the ships and they could glean some details now. The foremost vessel was the largest by far, its midnight black hull carving effortlessly through the waves. The four with it, using the path carved by the leader to travel, sported similarly dark hulls. Only the foremost bore flags atop its masts however. Twin daggers of crimson imposed upon a fluttering sheet of white. Not Mistral's crest. A private company paid to escort merchant vessels then? Even better. That meant Magi and armaments, which meant less threat of Grimm.
Weiss didn't know what they could offer for aid but she was ready to give whatever she could to get off the floating coffin. Ruby bounced excitedly beside her, clapping her hands and grinning. Qrow let out a short laugh, hanging and shaking his head in disbelief.
The cook began to bang his pots and pans again.
"Pirates! Pirates! Run for your lives! Flee! Swim! Run!"
"What?!" Weiss balked, looking at the now panicking crew and approaching ships. "They're kidding, right?"
"I mean, black ships do seem a bit ominous," Blake mumbled.
Yang groaned. "Not helping, Blake!"
What were they supposed to do then? Flee? Fight? Their ship wasn't moving anywhere unless the waves let them. While they'd had time to recover from their earlier bout she wasn't confident on defending against a whole platoon of pirates. Not on a stationary, sinkable platform.
Not that it mattered. The vessels came upon them with surprising speed and, only once they were within a hundred yards, did Weiss understand why. The low hum of blades whirring and the trails of steam leaking out the back of the ships gave it away first. The sun caught the hulls and reflected with glaring clarity; wood didn't reflect light like that. The hulls were metal plated, the ships propelled by wind and Dust powered engines both.
Atlas-designed ships, but clearly not Atlesian. Stolen, reoutfitted. Definitely pirates.
While the smaller ships slowed to a halt the lead craft continued forward, aimed straight for them. Someone squealed in fright, Naranča apparently, and the Varuna began to run around the scream louder than before.
Three hundred yards out and it continued to race towards them. Two hundred and water sprayed high into the air, turning to mist and making tauntingly beautiful rainbows. A hundred yards away and something heavy struck the water, bulky enough that the crash echoed over the roaring surf. The ship twisted and, in a maneuver that defied logic, swiveled and slid sidelong towards them. Weiss felt herself joining in the frightened shouts as she shielded her head with her arms.
Water surged over the rails in a deluge and soaked them thoroughly, sending Varuna sliding across the deck. Barely managing to stay on her feet Weiss gripped the rails until the water subsided, left panting and dripping heavily.
And I was just finished drying, you bastards! Weiss spat and grimaced, peeling back her hair to glower up at the deck. Laughter erupted from above and some of the crew came to the edge to point down at them, in case their mockery wasn't obvious enough. Scores of snide, grinning faces all having a jolly time at their expense. I will savor freezing every single one of you!
In the crowds a tall, lean boy pushed his way to the rails and leaned on it lazily. His perfectly punchable face split with a sardonic grin and he waggled his eyebrows. "Wow, I managed to stop just in time. Lucky you!"
Beside him a girl with shocking green hair leaned over the railing, tilting her head and smirking. "A bunch of Varuna and some stowaways? Man, you all look pathetic."
"Yeah? Come down here and say that to our faces!" Yang shouted back. Her bangs fell back in her face and the crew erupted in laughter again. "I'll come up there! Don't test me, assholes!"
"Ooooh, easy there, blondie. We're just having a friendly laugh. Besides, how're you gonna get up here? Jump?"
Yang looked ready to try it, squatting and sneering. Blake's hand stayed her though and she punched the rail, cracking it.
"Relax, it's not like we killed you." The green-haired girl laughed. She smiled at them again then looked past them. "Orders, ma'am?"
Ma'am? Who was she -
"Hm. They seem on edge." Weiss nearly jumped overboard in fright. Her rapier left its holder in record time and she leveled it at the woman behind them. Qrow's greatsword joined it and the woman merely smiled, single amber eye narrowing. "My, aren't you dangerous?" she teased, sensuous lips curling up. "Are you in any position to be threatening anyone?"
"You have two seconds to get the hell off our ship," Qrow snarled, making the woman laugh.
"Your ship? If that's what you wish. I thought I'd offer a helping hand, but clearly you have things under control." The ice keeping the ship cracked, and Weiss swore she heard the sizzling of magic. Smiling innocently, the woman shrugged. "If you'd like to be left to your fates then so be it."
Weiss didn't fancy being left to drown but accepting help from obnoxious pirates seemed worse. Somehow. At least they could die with their dignity intact. Or she could seal the ship again, a ship now beginning to sink, and try to get them to shore herself.
Ropes came down from above and the Varuna wasted no time in scrambling for them, webbed digits clawing as they made a mad dash for more stable footing.
"You've got to be kidding me," Blake groaned.
Part of the deck cracked, the hull snapping as water continued to flood inside. The woman smirked and sauntered over to the ropes, then forwent the ropes and leaped to the deck above. She landed with grace and turned, putting a hand on her hip and curling a finger at them.
Okay, maybe Weiss could swallow her dignity just this once. Even if it meant losing all of their belongings still below deck. Her fingers wrenched around the coarse rope and her feet slammed against the hull, grunting as she began to haul herself up. Ruby's scythe, Blake's weapons, food, camping supplies, spare clothing. Merlot's journal…
"The journal!" Weiss made to drop back to the deck but stopped. Ship creaked beneath them and the hull cracked down the center, splintering apart and twisting. Boards wrenched and water flooded the captain's cabin, dragging the craft further and further into the waves.
Her fingers ached as she clenched them, grinding her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. No helping it now. Forcing one foot ahead of the other she clambered up to the ship, shrugging off helping hands and laughter as she staggered onto the ship. While the Varuna took no time in changing their tune, going from terror to celebration, Weiss and the rest of the group stood by the rails.
Nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and wholly at the mercy of the pirates.
Next chapter is largely done and edited, as is the following one. Barring work becoming crazy busy, which it has a tendency to do, tentatively expect chapters 74 and 75 a week apart, rather than the usual-biweekly release.