Combat could had been done much better, we know.

Slight brutality in this chapter.

Pardon our grammar.

EDIT: Revised a word. Thank you RoachVit.


Chapter 8:

Music quivered the forest. The air seems to fluctuate, rippling through the Grimm like a hurricane; pushing and pulling them together. The Creatures of Grimm yelped and snarled as they struggled to hold their ground.

"I got the little guys!" Jaune shouted, "Keep your eyes on the Deathstalker and Nevermore!" He jumped down from the temple and started shredding his guitar. "Hold your position!"

The grass underneath them uprooted, twisting into the air. Thousands of green vegetations were ripped from the ground, circling around the battlefield, intensifying as the wind swirled them faster and faster. It was as if a miniature storm has made landfall on this sunny day.

"They're moving!" Yang shouted.

The giant avian Grimm was not going to stay put in the makeshift storm and dove straight towards them. The Deathstalker also wasn't sitting idly, charging straight towards Jaune along with a handful of Grimm by its side.

"Got it!"

Jaune needed to take down as much Grimm as he can here. The tune changed drastically, strengthening the twirling grass and leaves, condensing them into spikes. He let his guitar rip, turning the battlefield into a flechette storm, shredding the weaker Grimm.

The weaker Grimm were easily dealt with, but it was far from over. The stronger and lucky ones got off with a few cuts and shrapnel. As for the Deathstalker and Nevermore, they were unhindered by the attack.

The Deathstalker shielded its weak spots with its armored claws and carapace while the Nevermore swung its wings heavily, scattering most of the spikes away from its body.

Nonetheless, the odds were in their favor now, maybe.

"So cool!" Ruby squealed.

"Nice job!" Nora gave a thumbs up and cocked her hammer, "But I can do better."

The Creatures of Grimm let out a shrill shriek and surged towards the hunters-in-training. The Deathstalker, however, seems to have other ideas and scooped up a handful of its weaker brethren with its massive tail.

Ruby frowned, "What's it doing?"

"Watch out!" Jaune shouted, knowing what the Deathstalker intends to do.

With a flick of its tail, the Deathstalker launched several Ursai and Beowolves towards the group. The Grimm snarled in protest but tired to make the best of their situation, lunging towards the cadets.

"It's throwing Grimm at us?!" Yang yelped as she punched an Ursa, returning it back to its sender.

"This is fun!" Nora laughed and battered four flying Grimm. "Batter up!"

"The Nevermore is coming back!"

A large shadow loomed over the group as the Nevermore descended with its talons outstretched. Everyone leaped out of the way, narrowly dodging its deathly grasp. It soared back to the skies and sharply turned, launching a volley of large sharp feathers at them.

Jaune grunted and constructed a large but fragile barrier to absorb most of its feather flechette.

Realizing that it won't be able to hit them as long as the odd blonde human was in its way, the Nevermore shrieked something at the Deathstalker, who promptly roared back in agreement. The giant scorpion Grimm stomped forward, using its pincers and tail to grab several more Grimm from the ground. It seems that its target is Jaune.

"Talk about bad teamwork. These Grimm are just terrible teammates aren't they?" Jaune asked his partner. He formed an orange barrier by plucking a series of strings, letting the Grimm slam into the solid barrier.

"Do you have a plan?" Pyrrha slid to his side and fired at the Deathstalker, letting Jaune handle the flying Grimm thrown their way.

The Nevermore circling above them sent down another volley of sharp feathers on the group. It was raining giant spiked feathers and Grimm. Even with the Grimm having their numbers severely reduced, their attacks were still enough to overwhelm them.

"I do." They jumped back as the Deathstalker took a swiped at them, shattering the barrier. "Nora, Yang! You guys deal with the Deathstalker!" They were the heavy hitters of this group while their partners were more agile fighters. "Ruby, Ren! Try to cripple its tail and joints! Blake, Pyrrha, Weiss, and I will handle the Nevermore!"

"On it!"

"You got it!"

Yang and Nora shot off from the ground with their weapons, letting out a battle cry as they came rushing towards the Deathstalker. Understanding that it's in danger, the Deathstalker raised its pincers, going on the defensive as the heavy impact of their weapons vibrated through its exoskeleton.

Ren and Ruby assisted them by flanking its side, blurring through the remaining hordes of Grimm, picking off the weaker ones before joining their partners in their assault against the Deathstalker.

With a team handling the Deathstalker, that simply leaves the Nevermore. Jaune stared at the giant avian Grimm flying overhead and turned towards his partner and temporary teammates.

"How would you guys like to fly?"

"What?" They stared at him.

/-/

In order to reach the Nevermore in a timely fashion, Jaune took his teammates on a short, but fast flight by calling out to the preternatural winds. He found it enjoyable, but his teammates didn't seem to like it. Jaune guessed people weren't really made to fly without machines or wings.

Of course, there are people who can't ice skate or swim, so Jaune can't really be judgmental about that.

"Isn't this fun?" Jaune laughed as he felt the wind ripple through his body.

Everyone else seemed to think otherwise.

"I am now officially afraid of heights!" Blake cried out as she tried to strangle the giant Nevermore with her black bow.

"Why didn't you use this to help everyone escape!?" Weiss stabbed her rapier into the Nevermore's wing, trying very hard not to look down. She yelped when she felt her body lurch down. "The ground is coming up fast!"

The Nevermore shrieked, well… Choked in pain as it came spiraling down towards the forest.

"What do we do, Jaune?!" Pyrrha asked her partner, having just crippled the Nevermore's other wing.

"Soft landing. Everyone let go of the Nevermore!" He jumped first with the others reluctantly follow suit. "So, you guys don't like flying?" Jaune asked. The gentle melody from his guitar swayed the wind to his side, slowing their fall till they floated down like feathers. "It's like ice skating and swimming."

Back to the giant Nevermore – It crashed headfirst into the earth, sending chunks of dirt and grass into the air. It is most likely dead.

The girls breathed out a sigh of relief and shakily collapsed to their knees. The broody Blake fell flat on her face with her arms outstretched.

"I'll never leave the ground again." Blake's voice was barely audible since the grass muffled it.

Weiss shakily pointed her fingers at Jaune, "How was all of that ice skating?!"

"Or swimming for that matter," Pyrrha mumbled.

"Well… When you're in the flying in the sky being guided by winds, you have to swim with or against the air current. And for ice skating, you skate across the frozen floor, right? It's the same only you're 'skating' on air. Like skating up and down a hill."

"That explanation makes no sense! What you just said was nonsensical!"

Jaune thought about it for a second, "I suppose you're right. How would you guys explain it?"

There was an awful crunching sound coming from the crater where the Nevermore has fallen. The four hunters-in-training turned to look.

The Nevermore was still alive! Well… It was partially alive. Its mask was fractured, neck hung loosely; likely broken, and its wings were crooked. It struggled to straighten its neck for several seconds before successfully snapping it back in place. Once it did, it opened its peak and shrieked in anger.

Then its head shattered into a million pieces by a blast from Jaune's guitar.

The three girls stared numbly as the headless Nevermore's body collapsed into the ground, slowly disintegrating. They then turned towards Jaune.

He looked at them confusingly, "Something wrong?"

"Why… Didn't you do that earlier instead of flying all of us to the Nevermore?" Blake asked, with a stupefied expression.

"Oh, that. I managed to take it out because it was severely weakened." He could also try petrifying the Nevermore with his silver chord, but he hasn't mastered it yet. Silver chord has a long wind up that can't be rushed, and its petrification effects aren't guaranteed for the stronger ones.

"Makes sense," Weiss grumbled.

Jaune walked over and help pull Pyrrha to her feet. "I still hear fighting. Let's check up on others."


Pardon our grammar.