Trapped
Chapter 2: Grimm
By Lightningstrxu
*skitter skitter*
Weiss's eye popped open. All she could see was darkness. She strained her eyes trying to look into the void around her but couldn't see anything.
She craned her neck to listen but could hear nothing but Jaune's breathing as he slept.
"I could have sworn." She whispered
She shook her head and snuggled back to Jaune, who was a surprisingly comfy pillow, her eyes slowly started to shut.
*Skitter Skitter*
Her eyes flew open again. She was sure she heard something this time, and it was louder than before.
She gripped onto Jaune, not louder she realized closer.
She felt Jaune's grip around her tighten.
"You hear that too?" Jaune whispered
"How could I not?"
She reached over to her side grabbing hold of her rapier.
Jaune's hand went to Crocea Mors.
"Weiss, can you stand?"
She flexed he ankle, a twinge of pain shot up her spine, but nowhere near as bad as it had been.
"I should be able to, it will hurt, but I can deal with it."
He nodded. Gripping onto Weiss, he slowly stood up helping her find her footing.
She faltered a moment but managed to take a step forward.
*SKITTER SKITTER*
That sound again, even louder this time, she closed her eyes trying to concentrate on the noise, no noises, multiple sources all around them, were they surrounded.
She opened her eyes staring out into the darkness, why was it so dark the cave was small enough that some moonlight would get through. Her eyes focused where she knew the entrance to be, tiny rays of light still filtered through, but the opening was blocked by some creature. She could vaguely see the outline of a long segmented body and many jointed legs.
"No!" her blood ran cold.
It couldn't be one of those; this was just a nightmare, right?
"Weiss, what is it?"
"Shhh!" she placed her hand over his mouth.
She listened intently, trying to determine the direction the skittering sound was coming from, but it came from everywhere, all around them, the echoes of the cave only adding to mask its presence.
Weiss's fingers delicately hit the switch on Myrtenaster's hilt causing the barrel to rotate and click into position. A large glyph appeared on the ground, casting a bright light piercing through the darkness of the cave.
Weiss's heart sank.
Jaune drew Crocea Mors and expanded his shield.
Before them was a massive Grimm its body wrapped around the interior of the cave several times. It looked like a giant centipede with a bone white exoskeleton, giving it the unnerving appearance of an animate human spine with ribs jutting off to the side acting as its legs. The front-most set of legs were more devoloped than the others shaped like huge grasping claws.
Weiss's grip tightened around Myrtenaster's hilt. This Grimm was almost a fairy tale to her; a story told to her as a child to keep her from wandering too far off into the snow. It was The boogeyman of the Atlesian wastes, the polar worm, the skittering dread.
"Remorhaz." She whispered.
As those words left her lips, the Grimm ceased its skittering movement its many eyes focused on the pair of young hunters.
*click click click*
Its mandibles slammed together as she watched its long body begin to tense.
"Weiss, you know what this thing's called?" Jaune asked his eyes never leaving the Grimm. "How do you fight it?"
"You run." She glanced back at the blocked entrance. "But I guess that isn't an option here."
With one last twitch of its body the Remorhaz thrust outward with surprising speed directly at Weiss, it had singled her out as the weaker target.
Jaune leaped in front of her blocking the attack with his shield, and he was nearly knocked off his feet.
The Grimm skittered to the side hardly losing momentum; it crawled up the wall over its own immense body before turning around for another strike, once again singling out Weiss as its target.
Her eyes narrowed this was bad; it wasn't a mindless Grimm, it knew she was the weaker target. Casting a glyph beneath her, she leaped out of the way however she faltered slightly on the landing, her right leg nearly giving out.
The Grimm would not allow this moment of weakness to pass unpunished. It jerked wildly crawling over itself once more it lunged.
"Ahhh!" Jaune screamed
He sheathed Crocea Mors, and the shield shifted around the sword transforming it into a mighty claymore. He swung with all of his might cutting into its side.
It cried out in pain, before reeling back to strike at Jaune, it raised its claws ready to slash.
"No, you don't." Weiss growled
She swung her rapier sending out a wave of ice and cold at the monstrous centipede, encasing part of it in ice. She rushed forward casting a glyph beneath her to compensate for her decreased mobility and thrust her rapier forward to strike her foe several times.
Her strikes did little more than annoy it; the Grimm flexed its serpentine body shattering the ice it turned its eyes seemed to narrow in annoyance at Weiss. It's bladed arm bearing down on her.
Weiss took a step back, once again stumbling unable to dodge in time.
"Weiss!"
Jaune threw himself in between the heiress and the Grimm.
The blade caught him in the side, his aura shimmering as it struck before shattering from the immense force of the blow. He was knocked aside slamming into the walls of the cave with a sickening crack. He fell to the ground a motionless heap.
"Jaune?!" her eyes widened in terror. "JAUNE!"
The Remorhaz trilled with contentment at having taken out one of its opponents; it turned its attention back to Weiss.
"No, no, no." she shook her head repeating the word a few more times.
She grits her teeth a glyph forming behind her. Her eyes filled with righteous fury, she charged the Grimm.
The Remorhaz seemed almost pleased with this action; it knew this one's strikes could not harm it. It was injured, weak and now it would be reckless. It would be all too easy.
The centipede surged forward to meet its foolish foe. It would be over in an instant.
From the glyph behind Weiss, a giant armored arm emerged wielding an equally giant sized sword, and with one mighty slash cleaved the Remorhaz's head from its body.
Weiss fell to her knees plunging the tip of Myrtenaster into the ground for support. The giant's arm and Remorhaz's body slowly dissolving around her.
She panted winded from the ordeal but forced herself to her feet. She limped her way to her fallen comrade.
"Jaune?"
She knelt down next to him as she examined him with tear filled eyes.
He lay there motionless, a small amount of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His breath was coming out in short, shallow gasps.
"He's alive." Weiss choked out, making a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
She could feel her heart soar as relief washed over her, but that feeling soon passed. He was alive, but he would die if he stayed here.
She stood and pointed her rapier at the ground, a glowing glyph appearing on the ground, from it emerged a Boarbatusk.
"Help me please." She pets the creature's snout.
She wasn't sure why she asked for its aid, she controlled it, and she didn't need its consent. But it felt right to ask.
She waved her rapier around again a glyph appearing beneath Jaune. She closed her eyes and concentrated forming a stretcher of ice underneath his body with two loops of ice on either side of it. The summoned Grimm walked over and hooked its tusks in the loops of ice lifting it off the ground.
"Jaune just hold on."
She placed her hand on his.
"You've saved my life twice now. Both times it was my own stupid fault in the first place."
She rather ungracefully climbed onto the back of her summon.
"But this time." She gripped onto the beast fur. "I will save you!"
The beast set forth at a fast clip out of the cave and into the cold night air.
The night was calm the sky clear the moon high above.
Weiss rode as fast as she felt she could safely carry Jaune, frantically searching for both the safest and correct way down the mountain.
"Please, anything that would help."
She scanned the horizon looking for any kind of sign. Her eyes widened.
"Are those lights?" she strained her eyes trying to better see off into the distance.
It was better than nothing she stayed her course heading towards the lights until reaching an almost sheer drop down the cliff face. She looked around and could see no other paths down.
"It could take hours to find a proper way down."
Her eyes narrowed, and she drew Myrtenaster. She formed a series of glyphs down the mountainside to act as stepping stones. Of course, there was always the Schnee path, the most proper way down of all.
Carefully she jumped to the first glyph, unable to move at her usual breakneck pace due to the injuries of her charge.
She reached the bottom, her breath now coming in ragged pants and despite the cold, she was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She had never maintained a summoned Grimm for this long before, her aura reserves struggling to support it.
"Just a little longer." She scratched the summons head. "For me please."
The Boarbatusk seemed to appreciate the gesture and sped off towards the village.
But even with renewed vigor, the beasts pace began to slow, pieces of it started falling away.
"No please!" she cried out her voice desperate. "It's only a few more miles."
She focused everything she had into the summon trying to maintain it desperately, but it didn't matter. With one last command, she had it set Jaune down on the ground before it shattered and she fell roughly to the ground.
"No!" Tears fell from her eyes.
She had been so close, she could have saved him, and she crawled along the ground to reach him.
"I'm sorry!" she could barely see her vision blurred by tears and exhaustion.
She pointed her rapier to the sky; she had one last desperate plan. The barrel on the sword clicked as it rotated into place.
She shot several streaks of bright red flame into the sky before Myrtenaster slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground and rolled away.
"Someone please see it."
She crawled closer to him, grabbing and squeezing his hand.
"I can do this for you at least."
She got as close as she could to him in vain attempt to shield him from the cold.
Her body gave out just as the snow began to fall and darkness took her.
######
Weiss's thoughts swam as consciousness slowly returned to her.
Strange noises surrounded her, the beeps and boops of various pieces of machinery.
She shifted in her bed snuggling with her pillow hoping the sounds would stop. Wait a minute, bed?
Her eyes popped open she was indeed in bed. She sat up becoming dizzy for a moment.
"I was in the snow." She shook her head memories still fuzzy.
"Finally awake I see."
Weiss jumped at the sound, absentmindedly noting that the beeping noise increased. She glanced over to the side.
"Blake?"
The cat faunus sat in a chair off to her right. Her amber eyes were looking at Weiss over the top of her book.
"That is my name, last time I checked at least." She closed her book and smiled. "Welcome back Weiss."
"Welcome back? I was…Jaune!" the shout came unbidden to her lips.
"Is he alright?" she started to try and get out of bed. "I have to make sure he's safe."
"Weiss!"
Blake grabbed her shoulder.
"He's safe." Blake said sternly and calmly. "And you're not going anywhere at the moment anyway if you haven't noticed."
Weiss was unsure of what she meant. She took a moment to calm herself down and take in the situation. She was in a hospital bed; an IV hooked into her right arm. Her right leg felt itchy, a quick check under the covers revealed it had been wrapped in a cast.
Weiss took a deep breath and sighed.
"What happened?"
Blake returned to her seat.
"You're in Atlas right now. You were both airlifted here after we found you." Blake stated in a very matter of fact tone.
"You've been out for three days Weiss; you were suffering from severe aura exhaustion and early stages of hypothermia. Not to mention a fractured ankle."
Blake's eyes shut as her cat ears drooped.
"If we had been an hour later…"
"Hey don't worry about it, I'm alive aren't I?" She gave Blake a small smile.
"You have no idea how much we were all worried about you. I bet by now Ruby has worn a hole in the floor of her bunk through pacing."
Weiss laughed that did sound like Ruby.
"What about Jaune? How is he?"
"He hasn't woken up yet, but he is in stable condition."
Weiss's breath hitched as a lump formed in her throat.
"I see." She bit her lip as tears began to form in her eyes. "The extent of his injuries?"
"Weiss you don't need to hear this right now." Blake shook her head. "Just focus on getting better, he's safe."
"Blake." Weiss looked Blake in the eyes. "Please."
Blake was taken aback slightly she had never seen the heiress so earnest and concerned.
"Alright." Blake sighed.
"If I am remembering what the doctor said correctly, Jaune sustained three cracked ribs as well as severe bruising to his spinal column and a dislocated right shoulder."
Weiss's grip tightened on the blanket her knuckles white.
"He took all that for me?" her voice was barely above a whisper.
Weiss's body began to shake.
"That stupid idiot!" she practically sobbed out, not even caring about the oxymoronic nature of her statement. "It was my mistake, I tripped, and I should have been the one to take the hit from that Grimm."
"Weiss!" Blake placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder. "If that Grimm hurt Jaune this badly then you would be dead if it managed a clean hit against you."
"Mirror, mirror tell me something, who's the frailest of all." Weiss whispered with a sarcastic tone.
Is that what everyone thought of her? When Jaune said that to her she thought it was just a joke to bring her out of her misery. But now here was Blake saying she was just as frail. The nerve of them
"I'm not some fragile snowflake Blake."
"But you aren't a wall of aura like Jaune." Blake countered.
"Can I see him?" She looked to Blake with hopeful eyes.
"It's late Weiss." She said with a shake of her head. "Though only reason I'm here is so Ruby will get some sleep instead of waiting by your bedside."
Blake leaned back in her chair.
"Technically I should have called the moment you woke up, but I figured Ruby would be a little too…"
"Too much like Ruby for me to handle right now."
"Exactly." Blake nodded in agreement. "Try and get some sleep, Weiss. You can check on Jaune in the morning. Everybody else will want to see you as well."
"I don't suppose I could convince you to let me get up at all."
"I'll call a nurse to sedate you." Blake deadpanned
"Sleeping now." She said with a nervous laugh before laying down trying to find a comfortable position.
"A wise choice." Blake replied going back to her book.
Of all the thoughts going through Weiss's head as she fell asleep one in particular stuck out to her. This pillow wasn't as comfy as the last pillow she had.
######
A red blur zoomed down the hallway of the Atlesian hospital, rose petals following in its wake.
Ruby Rose was on a mission her partner…no her BFF was finally awake, and no force on Remnant was going to stop her from attempting to brighten up Weiss's day.
"Weeeeiiiss!" Ruby squealed excitedly as she nearly broke down the door to Weiss's hospital room with the sheer velocity of her sprint.
Weiss barely registered what was happening before being pounced upon by the younger girl in a maneuver that could only be described as a tackle hug combination.
"Good Morning Ruby." Weiss said with a resigned sigh.
She should have expected it Blake had only left around ten minutes beforehand stating her 'watch was done' or so to speak.
"Hi!" Ruby smiled practically radiating positive energy.
Despite being so rudely jumped upon Weiss couldn't help but smile back.
"It's good to see you too Ruby." Weiss said softly, returning the hug.
"Oh my gosh Weiss you have no idea how worried we all were. Are you feeling okay? What even happened? Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"
Each frantic question from the young scythe wielder was punctuated by a flurry of motion and rose petals.
"Ruby calm down."
Weiss couldn't help but laugh at seeing her partner's worried flailing.
"I'm fine." She paused. "Well as fine as I could be given the circumstances."
The door to the room burst open.
"Ruby…" Panted out a very winded and red-faced Yang. "Please stop sprinting everywhere!"
The blonde promptly collapsed into a chair.
"So how ya doin Weiss." Yang asked after finally regaining her breath.
"I am well Yang, but perhaps you should be the one in here." Weiss replied
"Oh me, nah I'm fine. Ruby just thought it was okay to semblance her way across half of Atlas to reach here."
"Five blocks is not half of Atlas Yang." Ruby stuck her tongue out at her older sister.
"Where are all of staying anyway?"
"Oh, Ole Iron Jim set us up with some spare rooms at Atlas Academy, as a way of thanking us for helping that border town with its Grimm problem."
"Yang do not refer to General Ironwood in that manner; it's just disrespectful especially after we…" Weiss paused. "Helped that border town."
Weiss stopped as she remembered that disaster of a mission.
"How are you all not mad at me?"
"Why would we be mad at you?" Ruby asked silver eyes filled with confusion.
"For causing the avalanche, for putting you all in danger, how did you all even come out unscathed anyway?"
"You caused it? I thought Nora did; she was launching grenades like no one's business." Yang looked to Ruby.
"I thought it was me; Crescent Rose isn't exactly a quiet weapon." Ruby shrugged
"Besides, even if it was your fault do you think we would be mad at you? We're too relieved you're okay to be mad."
"But Jaune it's my fault he's hurt he…"
"Wait!" Yang interjected. "Before we continue this pity party why don't you just tell us what happened, and then we can judge you."
"Okay." Weiss nodded.
Weiss recounted her experience on the mountain. From waking up in the snow, spending two nights in the cave, the attack of the Remorhaz and her desperate flight down the mountainside to save Jaune. She told them everything. Well almost everything, the fact that Jaune saw her topless would very much stay between the two of them.
"Well, it sounds like he got hurt protecting you, Weiss." Ruby stated when the story concluded.
"It wasn't anybody's fault."
"I mean I can't say understand how you feel. But I do know how Jaune feels." Yang said holding up her mechanical arm.
"I'm not saying I don't miss my arm, but I don't regret losing it either. I'd gladly lose my other arm or any limb for that matter if it meant saving the life someone I cared about. Jaune chose to protect you don't belittle it by feeling sorry for yourself."
"While I appreciate the advice you've both given me." Weiss sighed "That doesn't make me feel better."
Weiss lay back on the bed.
"Do you think I'd be allowed to see Jaune?"
"I don't see why you wouldn't be able to." Said Yang
"Just a moment." Ruby zipped off a shower of petals in her wake.
Ruby returned moments later pushing a wheelchair in front of her.
"The doctor said a few minutes should be fine."
"I don't suppose you could have gotten me a pair of crutches?" Weiss eyed the wheelchair with a small amount of disdain.
"Nope."
Weiss sighed as she made the transfer from bed to chair, making sure to properly hang IV on the metal pole on the back of the chair.
Ruby started pushing the chair forward.
"Can you at least let me wheel myself?"
"Nope."
"Yang?" Weiss asked pleading for the older sister's interference.
"Nope." Yang shook her head with a smirk.
Weiss groaned in frustration.
It was only a short walk down the hallway; Yang walked ahead and held the door open, so Ruby could wheel Weiss inside.
Weiss was surprised to find the room empty, save for Jaune himself.
"Where are Ren and Nora?" said Weiss. "I assumed they would be here."
"They were asked this morning by Ironwood to handle a small Grimm problem in another village." Ruby replied. "Nora didn't want to leave, but Ren knew Jaune would want them to go, and well where Ren goes Nora follows."
"Well, here we are." Ruby maneuvered Weiss in front of Jaune's bed.
Weiss felt like her heart froze upon seeing him.
Jaune laid on the bed his right arm in a cast; she could see signs of even more bandaging underneath his hospital gown.
Weiss started to reach out her hand to touch his but held it there hesitating, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, Ruby." Yang broke the silence in the room. "Can you come with me for a moment? I need your help with that thing."
"What thing?" Ruby looked at her sister with a confused look.
"You know the Thing."
"Oh!" Ruby's eyes opened in realization. "Yeah, the thing."
Ruby walked around and hugged Weiss.
"We'll be back in a few minutes okay." Ruby walked over to the door to join her sister.
Weiss looked over to them, Yang giving her a wink before the two sisters exited.
Weiss smiled, she would need to thank Yang later.
She looked back to Jaune and hesitantly placed her hand on his. She sat in silence for a few, unsure of even what to say to him.
"Hey, Jaune." She whispered.
"You're an idiot you know that." She sniffled a little, tears streaming down her cheek. "A simpleton who didn't think his actions through, you just acted on instinct and hoped for the best."
She wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Well is this the best then? Both of us injured and useless in a hospital." She choked back a sob.
"You shouldn't have had to save me Jaune; everything that happened up there it was my fault. I should be the one who's hurt not you."
She squeezed his hand a little tighter.
"You've saved my life twice now, and I doubt I could ever repay you but, thank you for everything, and I'm sorry for everything."
Weiss continued to hold his hand crying in silence for several minutes.
"Hey Weiss…" a weak voice called startling her; she looked at Jaune to see his eyes cracked, only just barely open.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
It took every ounce of willpower Weiss had not to leap out of her chair to hug him; she doubted it would be good for him.
"Nothing's wrong Jaune, not anymore at least."
She couldn't help but smile at him. Only Jaune could come out of a coma and be immediately more concerned with her wellbeing rather than his own.
"Good." He nodded before shutting his eyes again.
Weiss felt a little sad that here fell back asleep so quickly, but was elated that he at least woken up at all.
"Welcome back Jaune." She said as her lips curled into a smile.
Well that's another chapter down, a little bit shorter but I'd rather end a chapter at a good point than trying to artificially extend it to an arbitrary word count/page limit.
Next chapter is already in progress so it should hopefully be out within a week.
I would also like to thank everyone for all the favorites and follows I've received as well as all the reviews. I was shocked by the numbers I was receiving and was part of a White Night community within an hour of up loading it. Thank you all my adoring fans.
Side note: One of my reviewers requested fanart of a particular scene, but sadly that is beyond my skill. But to any and all who want to you have my full permission to draw till your hearts content.