Not Even Aura Can Heal All Wounds
By wildstraydog
Beta: Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Chapter Thirteen: A cold whisper
So in unrelated news to this particular story, The Victim has gained majority votes to retool it, which I am glad is the outcome. I will probably dish out the first chapter of Dating the Professor's son before the revamp of Victim comes out however. Also my profile has been updated to show an estimated timeline of what stories will be next when one series finishes. The Heat probably will go for 30 to 35 chapters with how everything has been planned out.
Now this wasn't my best chapter, I'm still working on fight scenes and juggling some grammar issues. That and I was busy with work, etc.
Not Even Aura is probably going to go on for a while, I have several events planned out for this story so, strap in and prepare for that. Once The Heat is finished, Test-Run, a Nora and Jaune story will take its place. The Revamp of When a Man Meets a Robot is still going to happen as well, I haven't forgotten it! And One Track Mind... I still haven't decided, I don't want to overwhelm myself.
Synopsis: During the patrol outside the village gates, Blake and the others are surrounded by flames until she is rescued by Weiss. The gang is introduced to a strange female that is able to stand in front of the Grimm as if they were pets.
"Children back away!" Professor Goodwitch commanded.
Jaune didn't hesitate, tugging Yang's left arm and forcing her back with him behind Professor Goodwitch. Blake and Weiss did the same, allowing them enough space between the Grimm and the mysterious woman. The Grimm that surrounded them didn't move, only their red beady orbs following every step. Professor Goodwitch used her semblance and tore chunks of dirt and rock from the ground, flinging several pieces toward some of the larger Ursa behind the woman. Some were crushed by the weight of the boulders, guts splattering onto the field.
Yet she and the other Grimm didn't move.
"Was that supposed to impress us...? They won't attack unless I command them to do so." She let out a soft chuckle and flicked back a strand of tinted orange hair.
He tried to discern what the weapon attached to the back of her waist was, the metal glistening off the bright sun. But how could she command the Grimm? That was impossible... at least from what he read. There was never any record of an individual in the history of Remnant that could bend the will of the Grimm to their deeds. Jaune glanced over to Blake to make sure she was okay, her fists tightening around Gambol Shroud's hilt. She was probably just as confused by the statement.
"Who are you?" Professor Goodwitch demanded, slapping the riding crop into her open palm.
"Sherry, like the wine." She cooed.
The girl, now known as Sherry, reached behind her waist and unfolded her weapon. The sound of gears turning felt like music to his ears, and with awe he watched as the blade shifted into the form of a glaive. The shaft was wrapped in a web of thorns, and the blade was curved forward much longer than usual. At the end of the pommel was a short chain, with two blades dancing against the wind. Jaune was positive that Sherry was around their age based on her bright and healthy complexion. He wouldn't lie to himself and say the girl wasn't attractive, especially if she dropped that sneering glare.
"Do you like what you see?" Sherry taunted. He dropped his gaze and blushed, imagining Blake's look of admonishment from afar.
"Sherry is it?" Professor Goodwitch questioned. "You claim to have the ability to control Grimm... so why are you stalling?" Sherry's glare vanished, replaced in an instant with a grin that split open her face.
"Touché Professor Goodwitch," Jaune wasn't the only person that caught that – Sherry, this girl, knew Professor Goodwitch by name.
Now, most people would have balked at that little assumption. Professor Goodwitch was a decorated Huntress with a plethora of accolades. However she wasn't one for the public spotlight, leaving public affairs to Headmaster Ozpin or Doctor Oobleck. Still, her name was known throughout Vale. No, he was uneasy because of how Sherry looked at him. She knew who all of them were, at least that was what he believed... maybe it was a stretch. The bigger question; who was she stalling for?
"You know who we are, don't you?" He decided to ask.
Sherry's eyes lit up in surprise, giggling at the sudden question. "Our reports were right about you Mr. Arc, very cunning indeed." He was right, which meant they knew all along they would head down this route.
"Children be at ease, Professor Peach is more than capable of protecting that village." Professor Goodwitch assured. He wanted to believe it, but there was no telling how many were out there, or if they all possessed the same ability as Sherry. Was it really possible to control the Grimm?
"Don't be so surprised," Sherry barked. "Of course we checked you guys out, you rushed into our nest without permission." She continued to pout.
"That means you're the one responsible for the increase in Grimm activity." Blake stated, moving up a few inches. Her amber eyes narrowed at the glaive.
"Ding, ding, one point for Miss Belladonna!" Blake grimaced at the childish response.
He didn't know much about mental health, it wasn't really a field he pursued in school. But Sherry appeared unstable; the off-key remarks and disregard for her surroundings, and of course the lack of empathy. Still, he wasn't a professional so most of his conjecture was just that.
"So if we take you down, the Grimm will be a cinch to defeat." Yang retorted, slamming her fists together. Ruby added a cheer in agreement.
"Hmm, you're all so boring. I'll take on Jaune, I'm most curious about him!" Sherry declared in glee, extending her left arm into the air.
He felt both Weiss and Blake direct their attention to him, the heiress darting over to his side as Sherry snapped her fingers. The Grimm around them went rigid, freezing in place like a model for a lavish portrait. Nothing made a single sound in the clearing, the chirping of any insects going silent from the tension. Jaune made an audible gulp and stepped back, crunching a leave under his shoes. Sherry dropped all emotion from her giddy personality, her eyes becoming dead like a fish. Her lips parted and a low whistle sounded, then becoming a screeching echo that ripped through his eardrums.
The Beowulfs charged forward with a ferocious growl, lining up in pairs to ambush Ruby. The young scythe wielder used her semblance and cut through the pack, hacking off heads and limbs within seconds. More appeared in their place, overwhelming Ruby with their numbers.
Yang launched over to assist her sister until she was interrupted by hordes of Creeps diving underground and launching up to attack her. Ember Celica quickly disposed of the first wave, but like her sister, they wouldn't let up, keeping her distracted from Jaune and the others. She fired a couple more shells at the ground, but the Creeps kept moving at such a pace that she would have to engage them physically.
Professor Goodwitch raised her crop and focused her semblance to create a wall of dirt around Jaune and Blake. It wouldn't act much as shielding, but it gave her enough time to draw away Sherry and her Grimm. Weiss followed up by directing a mist of ice onto the protective wall, hardening the patches. Several Beowulf and Creeps attempted to penetrate the surface, only to be tossed away by the professor with ease. Sherry didn't flinch from the display of her power, casually walking forward past the charging Grimm that Goodwitch continued to dispose of. Her opponent was difficult to read, a child with an unlimited supply of monsters at her command.
"No, No, this won't do," Sherry complained. "You're in my way old hag!" Goodwitch dodged to the right, her cape shredded by the enormous stinger of a Death Stalker that materialized from the shadows.
"If you think a single Death Stalker can stop me!" Goodwitch yelled, taking hold of the Grimm's stinger with her semblance and thrusting it through the beast's back.
"Who said anything about just one?"
The ground shook from the stomps of an Ursa Major that crawled up from behind, the Grimm letting out a loud bloodthirsty roar, drool seeping from its razor sharp fangs. Lesser Ursa joined its side in the chorus, and from the other side she could hear the pittering of insect-like legs from more Death Stalkers. This girl knew that simple Grimm would be no match against her abilities, so she planned to overwhelm her like the students. A flawed yet intelligent tactic. Goodwitch jumped in the air and used a mound of dirt to give her proper footing, flipping over the Ursai with ease.
She would have to trust her students to fight off the Grimm and survive.
Weiss knew exactly what Sherry intended, to pick off their weakest member and distract them. So far it was working, but she ensured that Blake and Jaune would be protected in the shell Professor Goodwitch created. She was still on edge, bothered by the fact that none of the Grimm were advancing on her position, all of them too busy with the others to care. Only this girl – Sherry, crept toward her. She observed her subtle movements; the way she positioned her palm on the shaft to twirl it above her shoulders.
She bent her knees and leveled the tip of Myrtenaster at her opponent's chest. Her enemy would have a long reach, so straight thrusts would be problematic, and there was no way of her predicting Sherry's speed. Sadly, Weiss knew she would have to make the first move to gauge the girl's strength. The bitch was cocky enough anyway, so it would only be fair to knock her down a peg or two. She took one last glance at where Jaune and Blake were and dug in her heels into the dirt, activating a glyph to increase her speed.
Another Glyph circled around Myrtenaster, and she released a flurry of icicles at Sherry to see how the girl would react. With grace the girl deflected each shot with barely any effort, releasing a bored sigh. Weiss stabbed the rapier into the ground and froze it, creating a slippery trail for the girl across from her. Sherry Guffawed at the attempt, but she wasn't done. With Ruby too busy, she pulled out a vial of red Dust and tossed it onto the frozen ground. The materials reacted and produced a large mist that rose into the clearing, spreading all the way to the forest.
"Another parlor trick?" Sherry's tone became sharper.
The mist was more than just for her benefit. While it might not sustain for long, it might give the others enough time to dispose of the Grimm in the confusion. Unlike Blake's uncanny ability to see in the dark, her vision was offset by the thick fog. She closed her eyes and concentrated, listening for the faintest of noises even against the shouting and gunshots from her team. Winter always taught her to leave distractions in the back of her mind and focus on the enemy in front of you. This girl did not scare her, and she was confident that Jaune could hold his own if it came down to it.
The chain attached to the pommel of Sherry's glaive rattled to her left, allowing her to jumped back and watch as the air cut in front of her. She caught the glint of the blade and thrust forward, only hitting the mist. Weiss kicked her left leg back and made impact with metal, the Glaive nicking some exposed skin. She retreated back and checked the wound to see it was barely a cut. But how did that girl know where she was? Was she making some noise she was unaware of? The chain swung again in the distance, as if Sherry was taunting her.
"Quit hiding Bitch." Sherry hissed.
Something was wrong, Weiss couldn't place it, perhaps the venom in the girl's voice. She looked down and noticed the grass and frozen leaves on the ground... they made noise when she crushed them. Yet how was she supposed to fight without her heels on - like some barbarian?
"Weiss, are you there?!" Ruby called out in the mist, fire ringing alongside her partner's childlike shout. "I can't see anything!" That was the point doofus... Weiss thought to herself. She was beginning to think the mist was working against her desired plan.
A chill air encompassed her face as the mist blew past her, the area becoming visible again. She darted her eyes to the sky and caught sight of a Nevermore above, the Grimm flapping its wings to make the clearing spotless. Her observation was cut short by the charging form of Sherry, the glaive coming down hard. She parried the strike and riposted only for her thrust to miss its mark.
Sherry's feet skidded against the dirt, mud flying past her glossy hair. "Don't think you can all hide from me." Sherry said in a mumble.
Weiss dodged the aerial projectiles that sprung from the Nevermore's wings, one of the feathers ripping her jacket. She was too distracted to notice Sherry close in, the pommel of her glaive smashing into her abdomen. She felt her body fling like a puppet across the ground and land next to the shell, the aura taking most of the damage. Weiss quickly clambered to her feet and blocked another thrust from the glaive, the blade inching toward her left cheekbone.
"I haven't even used my semblance yet." Sherry bragged with a glower, her face eerily devoid of any emotion. Weiss kneed her in the stomach and activate a blue glyph, launching a blast of ice into Sherry directly.
"Same here," Weiss answered with a pant, ice spreading across Sherry's body, "You shouldn't have underestimated me." The Nevermore above was her next target. She noticed the shell that encased Jaune and Blake was slightly cracked, but she could reinforce it.
Her breath hitched, and Weiss found her entire body frozen in place. She knew her mouth was open, but her lips wouldn't move know no matter how much her brain screamed for them to do so. The sound of ice shattering caused a shiver even if she couldn't move, knowing that Sherry escaped.
"Can't move... that's because I flashed my eyes," Sherry brushed off chips of ice from her shoulders and walked up to Weiss' rigid body. "My semblance, it allows me to freeze my opponent in place when my eyes change color for a second. You looked at me before you turned around."
Sherry pulled out a knife from her right foot and juggled it, placing the tip against her palm. "Since you can't speak right now, I want give you a taste of what I'll do to your friends inside." Weiss tried to look away, but her eyes remained focus on the blade.
Whatever demented personality she had, it caused her to press the blade into her skin and cut across the palm. Blood dripped across her fingers, and with a laugh she licked it up, savoring the taste.
Who knew how many times he pounded against the dirt and ice in the darkness, pleading to escape and help the others. Blake just sat on the other side of the so-called prison with Gambol Shroud still unsheathed. That girl was just trying to scare them, to cause panic and separate them, and it was working. She probably bore no actual interest in him – with them both trapped inside, she reduced their numbers and chances against the Grimm outside. But he also knew that wearing out his knuckles would get them nowhere fast.
A girl who talk to Grimm... he still couldn't believe it. Wasn't this just supposed to be a routine patrol mission? He released a sigh and looked over to where he thought Blake was sitting. Jaune couldn't fathom how she remained calm while her friends were outside fighting for their lives. His armor clanked as he sat down on the grass, the sound of Blake's light breathing filling the darkness with sound. He was amazed by how much sound could be muffled from within, only hearing some occasional pops outside.
"It's okay to be nervous." Blake said, finally breaking the ice.
"Really, because I think its selfish to just seal us in like a bunch of children." Blake said nothing, yet he knew how hypocritical that sounded.
"Your frustration is noted, but we're stuck in here."
"I just... want to help," Jaune hesitated, "But I'm more concerned about that Grimm-talking girl." Blake shifted.
"Do you think it's her semblance?" Semblance... it was possible maybe, but Grimm didn't have aura, so how would the two correlate?
"No, something like that would have been widely recorded." Blake mumbled in agreement.
A crack spread on the wall opposite of Jaune, a web-like arc leading into the ceiling. Light trickled into the prison and allowed him to see Blake's stoic expression, the Faunus standing up to examine the crack. Jaune peeked over her shoulder, watching a torrent of dust fall from the crack like a waterfall. Whatever force was being applied, the shell wouldn't maintain much longer, at least not from his strength. He gently pushed Blake aside and dug the end of his shield into the wall, using it like a crowbar to peel off layers.
"That will take hours." Blake stated.
"I'm not doing anything else."
She released a sigh and grabbed him by the shoulder with a rough grip, twisting him around so he was forced to look at her. "I can get us out of here." Jaune lifted his shield from the wall and blinked a few times.
"You can, then let's go." Could she have let them out this whole time? That look in her eyes gave it away, she was scared to let him fight.
"Yes... but Jaune, I don't know if you're prepared for this. I never trained you, hell, Weiss never intended for you to fight another person so soon. Do you honestly believe you can kill someone?" His grip on the hilt loosened. She wasn't talking about his readiness to kill Grimm.
"I don't know," He rapidly answered. "Maybe I can't, it's not in me to hurt someone... but I won't sit in the dark contemplating right or wrong while my friends are outside fighting for their lives." Jaune couldn't see it in the darkness, but a grin tugged at Blake's lips.
"Step aside then."
Jaune stepped back and watch Blake's weapon shift into its pistol form. She aimed at the center of the crack and fired several shots, the dirt around the central point falling apart. When dust and smoke faded, she kicked the wall, making a sizable hole for them to exit from. He would have smiled in satisfaction but Blake's amber eyes widened in fear. She became a blur and rushed forward, her sheath blocking a thrust from a knife that Sherry held. Both girls were pushing against each other in front of Weiss' frozen body.
"Weiss, are you okay?" She collapsed into his arms, breathing heavily from the strain it took on her body. He could feel the sweat on her clammy arms and glanced over to see Blake push the girl back.
"There's too many of you!" Sherry yelled.
"Sherry, enough dawdling, the others needs you." Sherry grunted in disapproval, but returned a subtle acknowledgment in the transceiver – Dr. Merlot was not very patient.
The Nevermore that blanketed the sky flew away, leaving a trail of feathers. Some of the Grimm around them twitched, hesitating as they were cut down by Ruby and Professor Goodwitch. They were reacting to the girl, whose face twisted in anger and revulsion. Her glaive collapsed back into its original form, Sherry placing it onto her waist and turning away from Blake with lost interest.
"Where are you going?!" Blake had no intention of letting her escape.
She threw Gambol Shroud and held on to the ribbon, the ballistic chain scythe missing Sherry by a few inches. The blade ripped the top of her outfit and exposed some of her skin, revealing a strange parasite on the front of her neck that writhed. Sherry's face was overcome with rage, covering the insect with her right arm and escaping into the forest, her route aided by a group of Ursa that appeared.
There was no point in pursuing any further, and Blake glanced back to catch Jaune staring down a lone Beowulf. She watched in heated anticipation, his footwork balanced as Weiss instructed earlier in the day. Blake caught the beads of sweat trailing down his brow and the faint breathing – he was nervous, though if she helped, Jaune would never learn. The Beowulf charged forward, swiping its left paw at Jaune. He lifted the shield and blocked it, thrusting forward with his rapier and stabbing the Grimm in its neck in one clean motion.
"I... I did it." He whispered, looking down at the dissipating corpse.
Blake shot another Beowulf that jumped from behind, saving him at the last second. "Just check your surroundings, don't ever let your guard down... but good job." He nodded in excitement. Still... that thing on Sherry's neck, what the hell was it? Some type of Grimm? Blake mulled.
"Where's Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss asked.
An explosion occurred several feet from where they stood, and from the smoke Goodwitch appeared unfazed. Jaune only caught a few scratches around her face, not that he would ever call her out on it. Once Sherry had left most of the Grimm receded, the rest taken out by Ruby and Yang in a few minutes. The biggest threats were taken care of by the Professor, which according to Yang was the most badass event she ever witnessed. His mother always told him that Glynda was quite formidable.
"That's the last of them." Yang let out a whistle and collapsed on the partially burnt grass.
"Who was that," Ruby mused aloud, "I saw you talk to her Blake." Weiss walked over to Jaune and examined his rapier, letting out a hum of approval.
"She called herself Sherry," Weiss said. "Other than that, we know nothing, except that she somehow controls the Grimm around her.
"No I have a theory." Jaune looked over at Blake.
"I always knew you would make a great detective Blakey, of course you could never solve anything without so much curiosity... you could even say-"
"Don't even finish that joke." Weiss interrupted.
"Miss Belladonna, did you notice something about that girl?"
She pointed to the top of her neck, trailing her collarbone slowly. "Before she escaped there was some... insect-type creature attached to her neck. I don't know how else to describe it." Professor Goodwitch nodded, though her eyes widened a bit at the description.
"Do we continue our patrol, Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss asked.
"No, we should return to the village and make our report. I believe we have an idea now of why so many Grimm are gathering in this region." Jaune looked over to Blake to see her observing some metal piece on the ground.
"Did you find something?"
"I'm not sure, it has some insignia on it..." She twisted the piece around her fingers, looking closer at the symbol: A cube with three points and what looked like the letter M in the middle.
"Professor Goodwitch, I think Blake found something." Blake stood from the ground and handed the metal piece over to the professor, immediately noticing her expression scrunch up in distaste.
"Merlot Industries..."