Before anything else, I own nothing but the original characters, and content therein related to them. RWBY is owned by RT, and any mentioned creator's work belongs to them, and them alone. Rest in peace Monty, your vision lives on in us all.
CHAPTER 7
The forest around Team RNNJRS had slowly turned to swamp and bog, with the mountains bordering Mistral now in view expectations were high. Clayton on the other hand didn't feel so optimistic. "I need to stop." He said, before sitting down on a rock on the side of the road.
"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, knowing full well Clayton was still fighting off the scorpion faunus's venom.
"I'll be fine." Clayton said. Rot shook his head
"You took three stings from Tyrian if what Ruby tells me is correct. That's three times the lethal dose for a man even of your size." Rot said.
"My semblance is doing it's job. So long as my auras up I'll heal and resist damage until it doesn't hurt me anymore." Clayton said, before he doubled over and threw up on the ground.
"If you don't die of dehydration first. That's something you can't just shrug off in this heat." Qrow said. As the team turned to face the older huntsman, leaving Ruby to comfort her boyfriend.
"Clayton is in no condition to make it over the mountains. If he passes out again, or god forbid, falls off the side of a cliff, he's going to die." Jaune said, glancing at his teammate.
"There's a nearby village on the map, Kuroyuri, if we take him there we can get him to a doctor." Pyrrha said, looking over their route plan.
"That village was destroyed years ago." Ren said.
"He's still going to need a place to bed down, if there's one standing structure and a well we can use, he should be able to outlast the venom." Jaune offered.
"And if he doesn't? We need to get him to Mistral as soon as possible." Ren stated.
"Clayton is over 300 pounds. Are you going to be the one carrying him up the mountain?" Jaune countered.
Ren looked at the large man and frowned. "Fair point. But Kuroyuri is dangerous. I'm not going through there."
"If I might make a suggestion." Qrow butted in. "We're close enough that I can get to Mistral on my own, and get us some help, maybe a ride out of here." Qrow said.
"Well, what about Rot, can't he just teleport Clayton to a doctor?" Pyrrha asked. Rot shook his head, and Qrow shut the idea down, he himself having nearly puked for the one ride he took with Rot.
"Absolutely not, the physical strain would kill him, if the mental strain doesn't put him into a coma." Qrow said, causing Jaune to wince.
"Well, being disassembled and reassembled in two separate places doesn't exactly sound healthy." The blond thought.
"What about Kuchinashi? The city is halfway over the mountains and less than a few hours away." Ren said.
"It might take less time than Qrow going to Mistral. Your top speed is what, 40 miles per hour?" Rot asked.
"45 in a shallow dive, but Ren makes a good point. It might be faster to have someone from Kuchinashi come to him, the only issue is whatever back alley surgeon you guys bring is bound to be expecting payment upfront, and none of us are exactly weighed down with lien, and then there's the risk you'll just be robbed." Qrow said.
"So, we're splitting up?" Nora asked.
"It might be for the best." Pyrrha said.
"Ruby, Pyrrha and I can stay with Clayton in Kuroyuri, Ren and Nora can head up to Kuchinashi to find help, and Qrow can go to Mistral with Rot to get us a real doctor and a ride out of this bog." Jaune said.
"Not happening. I'm staying with Ruby, if anything happens to her, I'd be unable to live with myself." Rot said, earning a look from Jaune.
"Okay? Well if we get attacked Rot's definitely our best fighter, so it might be good to keep him around." Jaune corrected.
"See you kids soon." Qrow said, before taking off down the trail, disappearing from their sight. Jaune looked at Ren then went in for a bro hug.
"Stay safe out there." Jaune said, as Ren and Nora began jogging up the trail.
"What'd I miss?" Clayton asked, as Jaune and Pyrrha approached them.
"Change of plans, we're finding you somewhere safe to sweat out this venom." Jaune said.
"What's everyone else doing?" Ruby asked.
"Going to get help." Jaune said, looking up to see a bird flapping away in the distance.
By the time Clayton had gotten to the long since destroyed village of Kuroyuri with the remains of his team, he'd thrown up everything he could put down, and was feeling weak. He was still on his feet but just barely. They reached the center of town, and by the old and withered cherry blossom, Clayton finally collapsed. Rolling onto his back, he used the tree as support. "This was a bad idea." Clayton said, as a beowulf howled in the distance. "They can sense my pain."
Ruby knelt down beside her boyfriend and brushed a stray strand of black hair out of his eyes. "You're going to make it Clay." She said, holding either side of his face.
"I never said I wouldn't… It's just going to be a bitch and a half fighting in this place for you guys. Look around. Every building is completely un-defendable. And the village walls have holes all over…" Clayton said, before leaning to the side to dry heave.
"I've seen worse places held." Rot commented.
"Bet you weren't dying though." Clayton said with a bit of snark.
"Whatever happens, at least I'm with you." Ruby said, gently kissing Clayton's forehead, worrying more as she felt him burning up. Clayton had propped himself up into a sitting position and was trying to keep himself awake by counting his shot shells and doing the math for how many pellets were in all of them. Then from the east, like a leaf on the wind Ren and Nora came bounding down the mountain, skidding to a halt, as the group saw them.
"Ren, Nora, are you guys ok?" Jaune asked, as he and Pyrrha moved to check on them. Clayton in his semi lucid state turned his attention away from his friends, and to the sound of hooves beating on pavement in a trot.
"Oh son of a bitch." Clayton cussed, causing his friends to turn around. There before them was a nuckelavee. A grimm imp fused to the back of a horse.
Author's note.
Damn, Clayton ain't looking too hot.