(Time to pick up from the cliff hanger. Oh! Oh it's genius! *starts walking away* IT'S GENIUS!)
...Into the Inferno
"ink he's ok?"
"He's bleeding out, his chest was cut open, cold to the touch, and he's unconscious. What do you think Jaune?"
Well this a way to start my climb back into consciousness, coming back I could hear those two people speaking. Slowly opening my eyes I groan out as figures start forming out: Weiss and Jaune standing in front of one another, Nora standing guard at the mouth of this place...a cave from the looks of it, Ren sitting by a fire and Blake sitting cross-legged beside me.
"Guys. He's waking up." I can hear her say however faintly, I can see people's attention being turned my way. As my hearing manages to finally clear up I can hear Weiss sigh as she makes her way to me. Putting a hand on my head she gives a relaxed smile
"Thank goodness you're awake now." She says relieved, I give her a weak smile. "Glad to be back in the land of the living." Looking around I actually notice some people aren't here:
Silas, Roy, Pyrrha, Uriah, not even Yang or Ruby. Something is wrong.
"Where's everyone else? What happened?"
"After our skydive we all met up...except for you." Ren said in his usual plain tone, "We all agreed to go out and search. As you can see myself, Nora, Jaune, Weiss and Blake went together. While Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby and your team went with one another."
"We found you drifting on a log down the river...by the time we got you out you were freezing and soaking wet." Jaune added in while taking a seat with Ren at the fire, "You also had a nasty cut going along your chest. Thankfully Blake patched you up good."
I stare at him for a moment before taking off my shirt and jacket to see a sterile white bandage wrapped across my chest. Touching it I felt a stinging, burning pain that made me hiss.
"Where are the others?" I ask looking to everyone, Nora comes back. With Ren swapping places with her.
"No idea." She says, "We tried searching for them, but we found nothin'."
"What the hell do you mean tried searching?" I ask a bit worried, "Haven't you tired-"
"The comms have been dead for them. And with the Ferrodillo out there...who knows what happened to them." Blake soothed, I wasn't soothed at all. I was feeling terrified.
They're out there with a living tank on the loose and out for blood...our blood.
I put my shirt and jacket back up and stand up, spotting Cerberus leaning in the corner I walk over and put it on my back. Rolling my shoulders and taking in a deep breath I look to my friends, "You guys wanna go and find them?"
They look to one another for a moment before looking back at me sadly, "We're sorry but..." Jaune starts up, not able to say the words. "We don't even know if they're dead or alive right now. It could very well be pointless." Blake finishes for him
I'm not giving up that easily.
"We are going to find them: I swear it." Hope my words give some inspiration, I can see their faces slowly light up. Making a stand, at this moment we were not students. At the moment we were huntsmen and huntresses and we had two goals:
Find out friends and our comrades.
And murder the shit out of a Grimm
A buzzing in my ear caused me to flinch, I start adjusting it and start to hear voices
"Ight've...nd Axel yet?"
"Ho...so. Come on let's...ing."
"...Weiss is ok. Oh...ck you Silas! It's...e that and you know it!"
"Roy! At yo...t!"
"Anyone got a...we can all...ly ever after?!"
"Keep...shing!"
Oh my god it's them!
"Guys! Anyone there?! Silas? Roy? Uriah? Pyrrha? Yang? Ruby?"
"Boss! You're alive! Where are you man?!" Uriah, glad to hear you buddy.
"I'm with Weiss, Jaune, Blake, Nora and Ren. Where are you all at?"
"Oh you know! Just dealing wi- oh you motherfuRAAAAAAA!-" the line goes dead.
"Uriah?"
"Uriah?"
I take a look to everyone else and give a nod, let's get going. We all rush from the cave, grabbing our gear all the while. As we run we keep our eyes and ears open for anything.
"Come on! Where could they be at?" Jaune hisses, to answer that an explosion is heard. Looking toward the direction of where the sound came from and see a mushroom cloud rise up.
"ALRIGHT! BURN DUST GRENADES ARE THE HYPEST!" I hear Silas cheer out
To there! We rush to there as fast as we can and see the fight happening, Silas, Uriah and Ruby firing at the Ferrodillo while Yang, Pyrrha and Roy get up close and personal with it. I can feel adrenaline pump right through my veins, hairs standing on end, and I can only smile as I pull out Cerberus.
Bloodlust is taking me over
"OUT OF THE WAAAAAAAY!"
I see yellow speeding towards me and smacks me, rolling me over onto my back. Looking up I see Yang lying right ontop of me with her face buried right in my chest...no little Axel, no.
She groans and looks up to see me, a goofy and lopsided grin on her face. "Hey Axie...glad you could join us."
"Hey uh, Yang?"
"Mhmm?"
"Mind uh...m-m-mind getting off?" I stutter out, she quickly stands up and brushes herself off. Me doing the same thing
"GLAD TO SEE YOU GUYS BACK TOGETHER! BUT MIND HELPING OUT?!" Silas barks out, looking back everyone is trying their best to bring down the Ferrodillo. Time to get to work.
"Everyone! Throw your water Dust grenades! I have an idea!" Roy yells out
I reach into my coat and pull out a water Dust grenade, pulling the pin I throw it under it's stomach with everyone else's following suiteA moment later a blast of water rushes up into the Grimm's gut to no effect, but washing away Uriah and Silas.
No good.
It roars and shakes off everyone who was on it. Scattering them. And not a moment later a there's a crash of thunder and a bolt of shining lighting blasts it, sending the Grimm tumbling back. Looking around I can see Roy crackling with electricity arcing on his armor
Lighting semblance.
"Shocking isn't it?" He quips, well I'm glad to see a bit of me and a bit of Yang is rubbing off on him. The Grimm charges to Roy, he starts letting out a stream of lighting to slow it down however slowly. Unfortunately the thing body checks Roy into a near by tree, however the Grimm is smoking and from the looks of it: significantly weaker.
"Come on big guy! Let's see what you got!" Yang boasts before rushing to the behemoth with her gunlets extended out and ready to pound the thing into oblivion. Damn it Axel get in the game!
I switch Cerberus into a rocket launcher and fire a shot at the thing before Yang gets to it. The blast does absolutely nothing, this thing's armor is like steel times ten! "Axel!" Uriah yells out, I take a look at him
"What is it?!"
"I'm going to go for the eyes!" He shouts out before speeding toward the Ferrodillo like a bullet. His revolvers transforming into long and curved knives. Once he get's batted back by it's tail sending him speeding toward me, I plant Cerberus into the ground and hold on tight. Catching Uriah in one arm I end up having to slam him into the ground
He seems dazed
"You injured?"
Uriah only grins, "A few bumps and nicks. Nothing to it man."
Turning back to the fight it's my turn to get in there close, pulling out Cerberus I get rushed by a rocket-propelled strike which glances off the Ferrodillo's leg. Which moves up ready to smash me, rolling out of the way I get to see Nora taking her hammer and start smashing the thing's face in...to a bit of effect
"C'MON UGLY! LET'S FIX YOUR MUG RIIIIGHT UP!" She taunts the thing with a psychotic smile on her face, I grab on to the leg of it and climb onto the Grimm's back and keep my blade wedged in. Too bad I can't shove anymore of the blade in
Hearing a battle cry I see Jaune rush on with sword and shield in hand before getting smashed right through a tree.
"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cries out and rushing toward her leader, Nora and I getting launched off. With myself going through the same as Jaune.
"None of this is working!" I hiss to myself in a mix of anger and pain
Hey Cain! Wanna help out here!
Everything has a weakness, you need to find that out Axel Lind.
This isn't the time for cryptic advice asshole! Gotta find a way to kill this thing else we end up as Grimm-chow!
If something has so much defense on the outside: what of the inside?
Wait a minute.
Heavy plating all around it's body.
Everywhere on the outside.
Cain I love you man!
Another rocket-propelled strike and I stand in front of the beast. It roars out and stares at me with a look full of hate,
"COME ON YOU DAMN RAT! TAKE A BITE! HELL! EAT ME WHOLE YOU GLUTTONOUS SHIT!" Come on let this thing be stupid enough to know it's being taunted, it spews out it's tendrils from it's mouth and they start to rush toward me like snakes chasing a mouse through holes.
Yes! It worked! Just when I'm about to get taken by it I get blindsided by someone, time seems to slow down as I look to see Yang is the one tackling me. It all snaps back into motion as we stumble out of the tendril's reach
She looks down at me, eyes flashing red and full of fury. "What the hell is wrong with you Axel?!" She angrily snaps at me, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" She stands back up. I growl and scuttle back up and look her in the eye
"I have a plan Yang! You just gotta-"
"NO! You nearly got killed twice today! And you almost bit the big one during initiation! Can't you just think before you act?!"
"Look around Yang! We've been fighting this goddamn thing for ages now! Just trust me when I say-"
"I SAID NO!" She snaps, her hair lighting up like a golden wildfire. "I'm not letting you do this!"
I look at her and back at the Ferrodillo, I look at her and can only whisper. "I'm so sorry.." with that I rush off to try and get eaten again, and before the thing's jaws snap me up I get blindsided again by Yang.
"Yang!"
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" She snaps yet again, this time her voice breaking. Tears starting to slide down her face...she's crying. "I'm not going to let you kill yourself over some dumb idea." She begs her heart out, clenching the bridge of her nose and trying to hold back a river of tears bursting out.
You made her cry Axel, you fucking monster you. Fix. This.
I give her a hug and she freezes up, I feel ready to tear up myself from this. "Yang: if you, Ruby or anyone here died...I could never forgive myself for it." I whisper, "If there is even the slightest chance to keep every one of you safe. I'll gladly take it."
Yang is dead silent before she wraps her arms around my waist and hugs, burying her face into my shoulder. Not a backbreaker: but a firm and soft one, I can feel my heart racing a million miles a second.
Does she?..
She sniffs and stops hugging and looks at me with a usual grin, eyes a bit puffy from crying. "You better not die. Or else I'm going to beat the shit out of you." She says chuckling with a tear sliding down her face, I can only smile and put my thumb to her cheek and wipe it off.
"And you better not die or else I'm going to be like Qrow for the rest of my life." I pat her shoulder, "Get on the horn and tell everyone about the plan."
"You got it."
With that I rush off towards the fray again, seeing Nora coming to run next to me it's time for the plan to start. "Nora, break the thing's jaw. When you're done wish me luck." She doesn't even look as she gives a deranged grin before heading to Roy.
Wait what?
She seems to be grabbing on to Roy and starts getting...electrocuted.
What is- I don't even-, wait a minute: she's not even getting hurt. If anything she seems to be getting stronger from the looks of it, Nora cries out and blasts right to the Ferrodillo and smacks the thing right in the jaw. A crunch can be heard the the Grimm's mouth goes limp and wide open
"Good luck Axel!" Nora cheers out, Jaune you have some badass ladies on your team my friend. A rocket propelled blast and I get blasted right into the beast, and get stuck right in it's throat
It's a bit hard to move inside of it: damp, warm and sticky. And it smells like as bad as Cardin's own ego in here, ten seconds past and I can hear shouting.
I'm not dying here. Not like this, that'd be too easy.
I use all my strength and stab Cerberus right in a squishy spot, and moving the blade to the left a cut starts getting made and light coming through. And with a primal shout I send the damn thing's head flying off it's body and onto the ground, panting like a dog I step out and lean on it's head.
"Alas. Poor Ferrodillo, I knew him well." I say in between pants, "Well...not really." I dryly finish, I end up getting tackled again. This time I'm not knocked to the ground, and like last time it was Yang who tackled me
"Thank God you're alright! Thought we lost you and..." She starts up, I chuckle a bit and give her a tight hug. "I thought so too. Thankfully it's soft as butter on the inside."
She pulls back and gives a smile, and sniffs before groaning and covering her nose. "You smell awful!" She says disgusted, everyone else seems confused and sniffs. And then everyone starts groaning and moaning
I even smell myself: I smell like rotten eggs drenched in sweat, piss and vinegar. I nearly hurl smelling myself.
"You need a bath Axel. Now"
"I know Weiss...anyone have soap?"
One wash and cleaning later
Having cleaned up Roy called me over to the mouth of the cave, getting lead by him I see everyone standing around a mound of the Dust grenades: with a vine looping through the pins and leading into Nora's hands
"Guess this is our signal?" I ask
"Yep!...I'm a bit sad to see them go, but an inventor can always make something new and different. Or there's blueprints!" Roy perks up, heading to Nora's side and taking the vine
"Alright. 3...2...1!" He pulls the vine and the pins come undone, seconds pass by and nothing happens.
"Duds." Uriah sighs, "Well...guess we-" an earth-shattering explosion happens being blinded by light and got deafened by the explosion itself. Fifteen seconds pass by before the whiteness goes away and the ringing in my ears stop, everyone covered in black soot.
"Is anyone else having flashbacks?" Ruby curiously asks, I know who it'll be.
"Yep." Uriah quickly states
"I do remember...unfortunately." Weiss mutters
And now for my say: "I think I have some in my mouth."
Engines break the conversation, and over head there's a Bullhead. Landing right in the black mark where our little Dust bomb went off the hatch opens up.
"Let's get you kids back to Beacon. What ya say?" The pilot asks
Outside POV
Schwarz was not happy with the results here: the children killed the Ferrodillo and there are no casualties. He radios up his partner, on the other side there's moans of pain from an unfamiliar voice
"So Schwarzy, how'd it go?" Ash asks a bit chipper
"They survived unfortunately...should I finish the job?"
"Hmmm...no...let them live for now. If they survived then the stronger they get, the better sacrifices they will be. Your revenge can wait. Things are certainly starting to get...interesting."
(And another one's gone! One more chapter and Jaunedice can kick off, that one will be short and sweet I promise. So we can all get to see the Jaune, ARC...no body? Alright then.)