Chapter 32: Huntress Killers
AN: Holy hell you guys are lucky I like you all. The amount of work it took me to get this ready for you guys while having all my crap ready… I'm not looking forward to any repeats of that. Excuse me while I go forget that technology exists after I'm done with this chapter. At least the author's note is a reasonable length this time.
Speaking of which, apparently people REALLY liked the Saturday upload, which shattered the record for most views and most visitors in a day, and Sunday did the same thing. As such, I'm gonna take this opportunity to test Saturday/Tuesday uploads. Which schedule do you guys prefer, Saturday/Tuesday or the original Sunday/Wednesday? Or maybe something else?
Alright, enough talking. ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?!
(Perspective: Kassidy)
Well, they do say that no plan survives contact with the enemy. Tonight sure went to hell in a handbasket quickly. Kassidy spared a few moments to look at the scene evolving around her. Behind and to her left was Weiss, holding Myrtenaster curled under her chin in the guard that had come to be her signature. The slight tremble and choppy breathing revealed that the normally calm heiress was, to put it mildly, not comfortable with their current situation. Behind and to her right, Yang bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, staying loose and readying herself for the fight. Blonde hair flowed out and tickled Kassidy's arm, while the shallow but even breaths painted a picture opposite of Weiss'. Surrounding them, three Hunter-Killers stalked around their prey, apparently trying to decide how best to approach the trio of Huntresses.
Yang spoke in a hushed manner, "If anyone has a plan, I'm open to suggestions."
One could almost hear Weiss' scowl. "We need to, uh…" Weiss, normally composed, was currently having a minor breakdown as to how to handle their current situation. Kassidy couldn't blame her, though: as someone used to relying on her aura for everything, Weiss was new to a situation where her greatest strength in battle was now her most glaring weakness.
Kassidy noted, with a minor degree of surprise, that only three seconds had passed by this point. Yang had said those words nearly instantly whenever they got circled, when she had just begun her observations. It only took Kassidy another four seconds to consider facts and come up with a half-baked plan. Okay, facts. These things absorb aura and are a complete bitch to fight when you let them power up. Weiss can't take a hit worth a damn, she needs to be kept safe and out of the fight. Yang can probably go toe-to-toe with one of them. Get out of the kill box, get Weiss out of the line of fire, cut one off from the others and take it down fast. Weiss keeps the other two from joining in, me and Yang pulverize the target, rinse and repeat. Easy, right? Seven seconds had now passed from when they had gotten surrounded. It still sometimes surprised Kassidy just how fast she could think when she wanted to.
"Um, anyone?" Yang was definitely sounding worried now. Yes, that's how I want to do this. Assuming Weiss doesn't freeze me to the ground… again… we can probably blitz one of the Hunter-Killer's down before the other two can respond.
Without Ruby to coordinate grand strategy, Kassidy took this opportunity to step up to the plate. "Freezerburn!"
The response took half a second. After recognizing what was just asked, Weiss and Yang sprang into action. Weiss flourished, spinning Myrtenaster's dial to ice Dust, before burying it in the ground and letting a thin sheet of ice coat the grass. Meanwhile, Yang leapt up, cocked her fist back, and dove back down to punch the earth. Between the fire Dust, Yang's strength, and her fiery Semblance, the frost evaporated into a flash of steam and smoke. On demand smoke screens tended to be quite useful to the whole staying alive business, and it was Kassidy that had suggested this idea.
"Weiss, get out to the sides and try to pin them down with your glyphs. Yang, we're taking the southern Hunter-Killer. Let's soften it up a bit before we go for the kill. Ruby, please say something."
Weiss used a glyph to backflip out of the smoke-filled fighting area, then starting firing Dust barrages at where the Grimm were the last time she had seen them. Yang and Kassidy could both barely make out the form of another Hunter-Killer, and opened up. Between Ember Celica and the Garand's explosive ammo, the Grimm in question disappeared in a series of explosions large enough to put an Ursa Major down. If only killing it would be that easy.
Meanwhile, it was taking Ruby a distressing amount of time to respond to the request. After what seemed like forever, but in reality only took another five seconds, the team leader replied. Not by talking over her earpiece, oh no. Instead, Ruby decided to respond by flying right over their heads and impacting face first into a tree trunk. A growl off to the side of the main fighting area caught Kassidy's attention, and its source was none other than the fourth Hunter-Killer. As it leapt through the air after Ruby, Kassidy could notice that it was emitting a black smoke from… somewhere, and that it was a good deal faster than its brethren. The last two explosive rounds in her current clip made sure that the newest arrival missed its leap onto Ruby.
"Kassidy, duck!" Ruby's panicked shout was all the excuse Kassidy needed to throw herself on the ground as a quartet of claws sailed through the air where her head used to be. Thank god for that warning. I have zero intention of finding out if straight up decapitation would be lethal. Leaving her rifle on the ground, she pulled her sword from out of its sheath on her back and brought it around in a rising diagonal slash across the Hunter-Killer's torso. Unfortunately, all it really did was scratch its bony armor. However, that proved to be of little issue. As it growled and made to swipe at her again, a red blur shot over her head and the blade of Crescent Rose impacted with the creature's neck. Metal fought bone, but in the end it was the Grimm's balance that was defeated as it was swiftly drug behind Ruby.
Kassidy took stock of her surroundings. Weiss was using a combination of her glyphs and a generous amount of ice Dust to prevent the other two Hunter-Killers from joining the fight. Ruby had taken one somewhere, though it wasn't really clear where somewhere was. Yang was currently fighting in the heavyweight boxing championship match with a Hunter-Killer emanating so much smoke it was difficult to tell where the creature itself was. For her part, Yang's Semblance had started to kick in also, small licks of flame beginning to dance in her hair.
After a few more punches, a devastating backhand knocked Yang backwards a good twenty feet. Now's a better time than any. "Yang, blacksmith on your guy!" The blonde brawler blinked and looked in her direction, before giving an authoritative nod and started firing high explosive shells at the Hunter-Killer in front of her. As it raised its forearms to block the barrage, Kassidy shrugged her backpack off and left it next to a tree, hoping that none of these guys were smart enough to realize she kind of liked having it around. She closed the gap, got her sword in a two-handed grip, and started slashing like a mad woman at the Grimm.
Without the shells from Ember Celica giving it a reason to shield its front, the Hunter-Killer instantly turned its attention to the annoying, scraggly girl scratching its armor with a metal stick. Lightning fast claws were barely ducked in time, a vicious chomp met nothing but air, and the metal stick found its way to the back of its neck, sinking a half inch into the bone before its momentum was arrested and it was removed.
Kassidy did not like the fact that she could do little more than tickle this guy. Being forced to backpedal from more swipes, she took a second to look at just where its armor was damaged. Cracks mostly on the forearms. See if we can't chop off those claws it has. Ducking under a haymaker intent on taking her head off, she planted her feet and threw her entire body behind a rising slice that impacted with a jarring force. For the briefest of moments, Kassidy was afraid that her sword was going to snap in twain, but it was instead the monster's body that gave. Burying itself an inch, then two inches, then further, the sword plowed through bone, punched through and started separating muscle fibers, and finally came to a stop after running into the bone plate that covered the other side of its arm.
The sword was violently – and literally – punched through the rest of the arm as Yang came flying in with a straight that obliterated what was left of the Hunter-Killer's right forearm and continued on to leave a spider's web of cracks splintering across its chest. The Grimm went flying back as the two blondes regrouped next to each other. It was Yang who spoke up with an idea. "The armor on its legs doesn't seem to be as thick as on its arms. See if you can't get to work on cutting its hamstrings or something. I'll focus on finishing the job I started on its chest."
"Yang! Kassidy! Take this!" Weiss' call made them look back as the heiress fired a dull gold string at them, landing on the ground in the form of a ticking clock. As the glyph took effect, Kassidy started seeing the world in slow motion, and not a moment too soon. Yang had shot off at the Hunter-Killer the instant the effects manifested themselves, and the Grimm was already growing in power. The extra speed from the time dilation glyph would be absolutely necessary if she wanted to keep up with the monster's further increasing strength and speed.
For its part, the Hunter-Killer was putting up a very respectable defense, considering that not only was Yang hasted, but it was also missing a forearm. Still, even with its continuing rise in power, it was just barely maintaining a stalemate, and it would only take a small bit to shove the fight into Yang's favor. Kassidy sprinted behind the Grimm and emptied her pistol into its back before hacking away at its armor. The distraction was all that Yang needed. As the Grimm made to slash Yang while using the momentum to swipe at Kassidy also, Yang quite literally beat it to the punch and finally broke its guard. Devastating punches too fast for the eye to track rained on its torso, with the seventh blow shattering its armor as the fist buried itself in the monster. The smoke cleared, its eyes glazed over, and it toppled over before slowly dissolving.
The two blondes took a moment to catch their breath, before Kassidy tapped her earpiece. "Kassidy to team. One down, three to go." She and Yang shared a quick high five before moving to get back in the fight.
"Hope you blonde dunces are ready for more. I'm bringing two to you." True to her word, Weiss used a glyph to speed up to them, dashing past and digging her heels in to keep from overshooting too far. The pair of Hunter-Killers she had been squaring off against skidded to a stop in front of the three Huntresses. They exchanged glances at each other, then started circling around either side. Weiss stepped next to Kassidy and Yang, leaning heavily on Myrtenaster and panting from the exertion of using her Semblance so much in so short a time frame.
Knocking her fists together, Yang ran after the one closest to her, fist reared back in a punch that met an equal blow from the Hunter-Killer. Meanwhile, Kassidy emptied another pistol magazine at the second to get its attention, before holstering it, grabbing her sword in a two handed grip, and slowly stalking her way over. In an unprecedented and unexpected move, the Grimm stopped and cocked its head at her, as though trying to determine what the girl walking to her was. The curious gesture didn't last long, however, as it licked its lips and dropped to all fours in a more ready stance. Bewilderingly, it seemed content to let Kassidy make the first move. She couldn't decide whether the Hunter-Killer's stance was borne out of respect, curiosity, or overconfidence… or, what was more likely, she was looking far deeper into its motives than necessary.
Nevertheless, Kassidy decided that straight up obliging the Grimm could only end poorly. She circled around it, being slow and patient as the Hunter-Killer before her did the same. It must not realize I'm going for my rifle. Fine by me. After a solid thirty seconds, she finally reached her firearm. One last glance at her opponent, and she dropped her sword, while simultaneously snatching her rifle from the grass and grabbing a clip of ice ammo to shove in. As she knelt to retrieve her weapon, the monster seemed to have gotten tired of waiting, and it pounced at her.
Rolling under the white mass snapping at her head, Kassidy completed the reload on her way up and sent shots flying after the Hunter-Killer. In her haste, she missed the first shot. The second shot connected with its right elbow, and the third with its right shoulder. The next four shots covered its torso in ice, and the eighth and final shot exploded on its face. It reared back and tried to scrape the ice from its body, but she didn't let up on her attack. Swapping weapons again, she ran forward and started swinging at what parts of its torso wasn't covered in ice.
You know… its times like these that can make someone think about what all they're thankful for. And right now, I'm thankful for a few things. Such as Glynda's friend for hooking me up with a weapon that can actually hurt these guys. Or Glynda and Weiss training me in how to use a sword so I don't chop my own arm off. Or Nora helping me with strength training, so that I'm capable of doing damage with this thing. And I am really, truly thankful for not having an aura, because this guy is a complete bitch to fight without any nearby aura making him stronger as it is.
Kassidy backpedaled from a swipe, got a few feet of space between her and her opponent, and brought her sword up in a mimic of Weiss' guard. Hey, if it's good enough for Ice Queen, then it's good enough for me. The Hunter-Killer in front of her had mostly freed itself from the ice she had covered it in, but gouges in its armor showed that it was worse for the wear. Kassidy was about to be impressed that – dare she say – she was making this look manageable. That hope was swiftly dashed, however, as she realized that the right arm that had been frozen was now back in the fight with a renewed vengeance. As quickly as she had gotten the upper hand on the Grimm, so did it gain the upper hand on her. Alright, this is bad, very bad. I need an out, and fast.
It was Weiss that provided that out. "Kassidy, bring it to me. I've got enough aura left for one last burst, it should be enough to put it down." Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kassidy dodged back from a lunge, then promptly returned to the time honored tactic of running away. Looking for her teammate, she saw Weiss bracing herself against a tree, Myrtenaster pointed out as the last of her aura pooled into one final glyph. A turn of the revolver, a quick dive to the side, and Weiss lunged out, sending what could be best described as a small iceberg towards the Hunter-Killer in hot pursuit.
Weiss collapsed against the tree from the effort, barely being able to remain upright. Kassidy returned to the scene of the crime, finding that the half ton block of ice was indeed enough to finish off the Hunter-Killer. Sighing happily and exhaustedly, she picked up her rifle and went to rejoin Weiss. "Kassidy to team. Two down, two to go." She grimaced after peeking over Weiss' shoulder at the Scroll showing her current lack of an aura level. "Weiss only has one percent aura left, she needs to stay out."
Weiss and Kassidy perked up at the sound of a loud report, with screaming following it. Turning around to try and find the source of the noise, Kassidy had something plow into her back and knock her over. Grumbling about how unfair this world was to her poor back, she looked up to find Ruby face down in the dirt, with Crescent Rose a good ten feet away from either of them. She had a minor panic attack before the team leader coughed a bit and rose to her hands and knees.
The group had worse problems to deal with, however. Weiss cried for help, and Kassidy shot to her feet just in time to watch the Hunter-Killer chasing Ruby take an interest in the heiress. Weiss tried her best to fend off the beast, but at this point her best amounted to little more to getting Myrtenaster swatted away before she got backhanded into a tree. She tried to get up, but only managed to cry in pain at the fact that her left leg had been snapped from the impact, in addition to probably having some broken ribs. Kassidy shot at it to get its attention, but all that did at this point was piss it off more.
"Ruby? K? Weiss! GET AWAY FROM THEM YOU MONSTER!" Yang's guttural roar could have probably been heard for miles, as the forest around the blonde brawler was immediately incinerated. The Hunter-Killer she had been fighting, already gravely wounded, was blasted back before getting straight up turned into roadkill by dint of being between Yang and her team.
Now, after six years of having two different planets at this point trying to kill her, Kassidy did not scare easily. Sure, there was the whole paranoia deal. But true, bowel-voiding fear? Kassidy thought she felt that when she saw Yang with a full powered Semblance screaming across the forest floor towards the last remaining Hunter-Killer. And with a multitude of large gashes in its armor no doubt caused by Crescent Rose, it wouldn't take more than a good punch or two from Yang's current state to turn it to gibs.
No, Kassidy felt true fear not when she saw Yang moving to finish the fight. She felt it when an ear-splitting roar filled the forest. Similar to the Hunter-Killers', but deeper. Yang's battle cry had issued a challenge, and, as though answering the challenge, a fifth Hunter-Killer came tearing out of the brush to engage her. Kassidy felt her jaw hit the forest floor. Damn near the size of an Ursa, covered in spikes, and eyes shining with a malevolent intelligence… this was an Alpha.
Yang, in her enraged state, thought of no other possibility than facing this new threat head on. Rearing back with a punch, Yang swung at the Alpha Hunter-Killer for all she was worth. Seeming to absorb aura faster than its smaller kin, the newly arrived Grimm responded in kind. The fists colliding sent a shockwave that splintered the nearby trees and released a sound that made it seem as though the world would split apart from those two punches. As the dust cleared, the three Huntresses watched as Yang fell to her hands and knees, aura shattering. They brought their hands to their mouths in shock and horror as the Alpha pulled back the bloody stump that used to be its arm only to swipe a massive paw at her, claws scraping deep gouges into her back and sending her flying towards the group.
Kassidy threatened to shut down. Her partner, for all intents and purposes torn to bloody ribbons, was face down in the dirt a few feet away and unmoving. Weiss' leg was snapped, and she didn't have any aura left. Looking to her right, she saw Ruby… poor Ruby. The team's leader had a look of pure shock and anger at the scene before her. So much, in fact, that for the briefest of moments, it appeared like those strange silver eyes of hers started glowing. Shaking her head, Kassidy attributed it to reflected light before thinking about how to salvage what was left of this situation.
It turns out she didn't need to, as the two Hunter-Killers – including the Alpha that should definitely not be here – let out startled yelps, turned around, and tore through the forest with their tails literally between their legs. Ruby and Kassidy shared brief looks, and the pain in Ruby's eyes told all. Ruby's too shocked to deal with this. Alright, time for a reset. Survival in a forest. I know this, I've done it for six damn years. Kassidy shakily made her way over to her partner, hoping for the best but fully expecting the worst. Weak pulse and shallow breathing. She's alive. Barely. Barely is good enough for now.
Weiss snapped back to reality at this point. "What do we do now?" Ruby did her best impression of a fish as tears continued to stream down her eyes. The heiress scowled in thought for a moment, before her face lit up. "Kassidy, get Ozpin on the line. He'll be able to help us, right?"
Leave it to Bob to be the bearer of bad news. "No can do, Princess. My transmitter got damaged in that fight, so I don't have a way of directly connecting with Beacon Academy. We don't have Scroll signal this deep into the forest, either."
Ruby looked up. "Does that mean…?"
"We're on our own," Kassidy finished. "Ruby, grab Weiss. I'll get my stuff and drag Yang along. We can't stay here."
Between hauling around a fifty pound backpack and dragging a bleeding, muscle-bound blonde – Yang was too heavy and awkward to carry – to call the short trip arduous would be putting it lightly. To be honest, Kassidy didn't know what she was looking for. All she knew was to not be where they just were. She and Ruby were a couple minutes into their travel when the sudden absence of something became immediately obvious. Panicking, she checked to make sure before dropping her pack. "Ruby, stop! Stop!"
"What is it?"
"Yang's not breathing."
AN 2: Holy crap. Because I wasn't frazzled enough Monday evening, I decided that having this chapter being one giant fight scene couldn't possibly be that bad an idea, could it? It was pretty darn hard to write a 3700 word long fight scene from one person's perspective without getting lethally boring. Tomorrow is proofreading and editing to check that it isn't boring and actually reads well. At least Discrete Math and Theater exams won't be too hard. Time to apply Murphy's Law to my own life here for a moment: What's the worst that can happen?
Alright, I've got sleep to get, an exam to take, homework to do, programs to finish up, and a chapter to reread. I'm writing these reviewer responses and then hitting the sack.
James: Thank you my man, I shall endeavor to do so.
Chilltexan: Do not worry my friend, all that and more shall be taken care of next chapter.
Iron-ninja: Shit balls indeed. Especially when we have a major character on the verge of death here.
Baconlord53: Glad you enjoyed it, I was actually pretty concerned about the idea of Hunter-Killers. Dunno, it seemed to be a bit too convenient from the Grimm's side of things. But, if the readers are enjoying it, then apparently I did something right.
Matt Cyr: You're right! On both counts! And yes, something did indeed give this chapter.