Hello everyone, back again. Here is the next chapter, please enjoy.
Blake flinched as yet another huge explosion occurred behind her, she felt the pressure wave seconds later and knew that even more Grimm were following them now. This was getting beyond control. Even if somehow they managed to stop the train, something which if she was honest she didn't know if they could do, the question still remained as to whether or not they would be able to kill all of the Grimm that were currently following the train... and there were a lot.
The constant skirmishes with the White Fang had begun to take their toll, Blake's arms were beginning to feel heavier and heavier as it became more difficult to react in time to block various attacks. As a result, her aura was taking more and more of the brunt and she was depleting at an ever increasing rate. They had been fighting for what had felt like days but had only been a couple of hours. In the gloom of the disused tunnels, time had no real presence it was just one long drawn out battle as enemy after enemy stepped up to face them and were cast down.
To make matters worse, Blake's hearing had yet to return properly. While the ringing had faded, everything sounded far away and diminished as though someone had turned down the volume on the world around her. She had to strain to hear anything that her comrades were saying which, in their situation, was not the best of things. She could feel the dried blood from her ears cracking with every sudden movement and fresh trickles of her very life essence flowing down her head.
The game was about to change however as they leapt onto the roof of yet another train car. Only a little way ahead of them was the engine itself, their goal, the one place that they would be able to end this madness once and for all. It seemed to be a clear shot and so Team BRNY stepped up their pace, closing the distance. To Blake it seemed like they might have made it, until she saw a large figure climb up in front of them and block their passage completely. He was a gargantuan, standing well above six feet tall and rippling with muscle. His jersey had no sleeves, them seemingly have been removed to make room for his huge shoulders. His mask was decorated in red tribal patterns and had a large chunk ripped out in front of his bright crimson left eye. Seeing him made Blake's heart sink to her feet.
Their new foe reached up and over his left shoulder revealing a long and crooked scar running from the underside of his wrist up his arm and right up to his shoulder. Things only got worse as he drew his weapon. At first it appeared to be a long and double edged sword, but as the engine started up Blake realised that it was not everything it appeared to be. The edges of the blade began to move, spin. With a feeling of pure dread she realised that it was a chain-sword. Before she could take note of any more of his appearance he began walking towards them, slowly, his boots clacking loudly against the metal roof of the train car. Yet what really frightened Blake, truly chilling her to the core, was that he was laughing. An odd gargling chuckle came from him as though he were choking and laughing all at once, as though the world were just one big joke and only he could see the punchline.
The moment he drew within range he struck with surprising speed, bringing his chain-sword round in a wide arc. Team BRNY hardly had time to react as they were forced to leap back and out of the way of his weapon's deadly bite. Its blade met with the train car's roof in a shower of brilliant orange sparks as it rent a jagged hole straight through the metal. Blake's entire team staggered back in surprise, shooting glances around to one another with fear clear to see in their eyes. It was only Oobleck whom reacted, levelling his Thermos-staff at the mysterious hulking faunus. Before any of them knew quite what was happening, Oobleck smirked and a huge bolt of flame shot out from his weapon and smote the monstrous figure before them.
The flames fully engulfed their foe and for a moment, it seemed as though he might have been destroyed. But when the smoke cleared, the same shadowy figure emerged, his weapon held before him in a block, a large section of it blackened and scorched. Blake took one look around at her team and saw their fear, even Nora was trembling, her usually rock solid grip on her hammer beginning to falter. In a rash moment she sprinted forward and launched herself at their huge foe. He seemed genuinely surprised at her actions, perhaps this was the first time that anyone had ever rushed out to faced him head-on. The surprised expression on his face soon turned to a sneer as he swung his weapon to meet the dashing faunus. Blake waited until the last possible moment before activating her semblance, leaving a clone to take the hit, she leapt clear out of the way and continued her mad dash. In only a few short strides she closed the gap and engaged, splitting Gambol Shroud into its two blades she attacked in a frenzy. Her team watched on in shock before they too dashed in, taking advantage of their enemy's now distracted state.
Up, down, left, right, parry, attack and dodge. This was a pattern which Blake soon adopted, she was acting on instinct, contorting her body in ways that she didn't know were possible as she fought to avoid the deadly bite of his chain-sword. She became vaguely aware of a flash of movement off to the side as her team dashed in to aid their leader, what she wasn't expecting was the ferocity with which they did. Nora was the first to strike, catching the faunus off-guard as she brought Magnhild around in a powerful swing to the back of his leg which sent him flying up into the air. Ren was ready as he leapt up to follow and delivered an aura-charged spin kick which sent him careening back into the train car, leaving a sizeable body shaped dent. Yet it seemed to have no effect as he leapt back to his feet. Before Blake could fully react, he had crossed the gap and plowed a fist straight into her jaw. Her weapons flew from her hands, clattering helplessly a short way away.
"Traitor! You're nothing but a filthy traitor to your own kind!" He spat.
Blake's eyes swam with pain, stars dancing before her. It felt as though she had just collided face first with the very train that they were fighting on top of. Her aura immediately got to work to dull the pain and repair the damage but she was still staggered. Their giant foe grabbed her by the throat, cocking back his hand to deliver another blow. The RN of BRNY launched themselves at him but he was ready this time, dodging their blows and knocking them back with several powerful kicks. Blake flailed against his grip, fighting to restore the flow of oxygen to her body by releasing the constriction on her airway. Yet against him, all of her attempts were futile. He laughed evilly as he cocked back his arm again, preparing to deliver what may well have been a killing blow. Tears filled Blake's eyes as she clamped them shut. Yet as she did there was a ferocious battle cry.
Opening her eyes, Blake saw the monstrous faunus' head snap to the side, locating the source of such a sound. The cry was unlike any other and resonated with pure rage and blood lust. Off to one side was yang, her hair aflame and her eyes redder than the deepest depths of hell. She trembled with barely suppressed rage as her semblance took over and she was overcome by her anger. For a brief moment, Blake could have sworn that she saw a flash of genuine fear in his eyes as he released her. She dropped to the roof of the train, gasping and drawing in lungfuls of sweet air. Struggling to stay on her feet, she swayed and collapsed to her knees, panting softly.
The clacking of their enemy's boots were heard as he turned to face this new, and by far the most dangerous threat. Blake had seen this look on Yang's face before... only once before. It was during initiation right before she punched a giant Nevermore to death. A shiver ran up her spine at the memory and she even felt slight pity for the faunus. He had no idea what he had inadvertently let himself in for. Yang stood stock still, glaring straight at him with malicious intent, her hands locked into tight fists at her side. Nora and Ren took up positions on either side of her but she turned her glare onto them.
"No! Don't you even think about getting involved! This one is mine." Her voice was cold, lacking any forms of empathy or pity. Blake recognised it as the voice of death. Nora and Ren seemed similarly surprised but backed off, deeming it their wisest course of action so as to avoid bringing the brawler's rage onto themselves. Turning her eyes back to her target, Yang took slow and deliberate steps forward until she was toe to toe with him and glaring up at him.
"You do realise... that you just signed your own death warrant by laying a finger on my best friend, don't you? If I were you I'd pick that chain-sword up again." She uttered in a low voice. Her threat was packed with rage and hatred. Yet if the big faunus was frightened or intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead he laughed,
"Whatever you say princess." he replied. That was it, Yang exploded. The flames in her hair flared up as she plowed her fist straight into his gut. He doubled over in pain but managed to dodge her follow up right hook. Dancing back he spat and went on the offensive. He launched a flurry of punches and kicks so fast that even Blake had trouble following them. Yet Yang didn't even seem phased. She simply swept herself out of the way of each and every one, before retaliating in kind. The two fought ferociously back and forth across the train car, locked in intense battle as the final train car before theirs disconnected and exploded. Knowing that they were next, both fighters disengaged and leapt onto the next one along.
"The first thing I'm going to do, is break your arm." Yang shouted, an evil grin on her face. The faunus looked at her as though this were all a dream and she couldn't possibly be real. No-one had ever spoken to him like that and lived yet here was this blonde, not even an adult yet and able to go toe to toe with him. How was it even possible?
With a roar, Yang leapt forward again and plowed her fist straight into his jaw. His head snapped back with a loud crack as the bones connected. He staggered back, clutching at his jawline and hissing angrily in pain but the blonde brawler didn't let up. Pressing her attack, Yang swung again and again to his gut, doubling him over as he coughed up thick globules of blood. A testament to just how hard the brawler was pummelling him. As he was coughing, she swept his legs and grabbed his wrist, using it as an anchor point she locked his arm as he fell. He struggled weakly, every move he made, Yang would tweak his arm. She seemed to savour every moment of pain that she could cause him.
"Do you remember what I said? The first thing I said I would do is..." With a chuckle she brought her foot in to meet his elbow. A series of loud snaps rang out, mixed in with the huge faunus' cries of pain as the bone and all the ligaments and tendons snapped. He howled, thrashing around on top of the train car. Yang released his wrist and the whole arm crumpled and fell limp at his side. With a trembling hand he reached out to loosely grab at it, looking with wide eyes at the damage that she had wrought to his once serviceable limb. His cries grew hoarse before long as he glared up at her.
"You little fu-" he was cut off as the brawler slammed her boot down on his ruined arm, irking another scream out of him.
"No-one touches my kitty-cat..." She growled, just loud enough for her foe to hear. Before she had the opportunity to say more, the train car that they were on drifted loose. Yang's eyes faded back to their original lilac as she dashed over to her leader and hefted Blake up onto her shoulder. She sprinted for the end of the train car and leapt the gap to the next one, followed closely by both Ren, Nora and Oobleck, the latter of whom had retrieved Blake's beloved Gambol Shroud.
The five of them turned briefly just in time to see the train car carrying the hulking Faunus explode. Yang gave a nod of finality and the five of them carried on unimpeded to the trains engine. They dropped into the compartment just behind Torchwick and the driver. The orange haired criminal seemed on edge as he stared out the front windows, seemingly oblivious to all else. In an instant, Oobleck stepped forward and pressed the barrel of his Thermos-staff onto Torchwick's shoulder, the flames flickering ominously as if goading the criminal to make even the slightest move and grant its wielder a reason.
"In the name of the kingdom of Vale I demand that you stop this train at once!" The historian commanded, his tone cold and unforgiving.
"Sorry bout that but no can do. You see I had a feeling that someone would try and stop us so I kinda... took steps to prevent that possibility." He replied in a suave tone. Extending a hand he gestured to a section of the control panel which sparked ominously. As the labels suggested, it was the controls for the braking system which had been destroyed
"Its too late anyway. This is the end of the line." He smirked, pointing out the window. Five sets of eyes looked ahead to see a large concrete wall blocking the tunnel. The final seal before they hit Vale. Blake's eyes widened with fear as she beheld it, they were all about to die. Die, trapped in a mess of twisted steel and tattered bodies. It was far from the way that she had planned on going. Oobleck took one look and pulled the entirety of team BRNY in close. Drawing in his weapon, he slammed the base of the haft into the floor of the engine house. From the end erupted a gigantic tirade of fire which formed a searing hot dome around them even as they drew near to the seal. To Blake's wonderment it solidified forming a solid shield around them. The train hit the seal with the screech of tearing steel, and all went black.
The return flight had been pretty much silent the whole way back with little more than the constant, hypnotic hum of the aircraft's engines to break it. Port had barely spoken a word since his revelation about his childhood horrors, Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby were all soundly asleep leaving Jaune to find ways of entertaining himself. At first he had tried counting the number of rivets but after losing count for the fifth time he quickly abandoned the idea. He sank back into his uncomfortable metal seat and closed his eyes hoping that his motion sickness wouldn't kick in. The flight had thankfully been mercifully smooth thus far but even so he was still a little on edge. However, after two hours his motion sickness still hadn't reared its ugly head and he allowed himself to relax. The flight was so calm and the hum of the engines so calming that he was almost about to drift off to sleep when he heard them. It was faint at first but as he strained his hearing it grew clearer and clearer. It was the sound of the Grimm sirens.
His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, unsure if whether or not he could actually hear them or if it had been the beginnings of a bad dream. But the more he listened the louder it became. He looked over at Port across the cabin who nodded and climbed to his feet, dashing over to the cockpit to order the pilots to increase their speed. Jaune set about rousing his teammates, gently shaking each of them awake and giving them all the same story as they came to.
"Get ready! Something's happened in Vale, the alarms have been sounded!" He explained. The three girls all took to the news the same way, their faces cycling through surprise and shock before setting in an expression of steely determination. They each climbed to their feet and drew their weapons, save for Ruby who's weapon was too big for the cabin. Just as Jaune drew Crocea Mors and slipped a hand through the straps dangling from the ceiling, he felt their aircraft accelerate and rocket off straight towards Vale. His mind ran at a million miles a minute as he tried to work out just what could have happened. Grimm attacks were a regular occurrence in the more remote territories but it was highly unusual for them to occur on the capital. Something wasn't quite right.
When Blake finally came to, the first thing that she became aware of was an abundance of natural light, that and an absolutely pounding headache. Harsh sirens rang out all around them the likes of which she had never heard growing up in Menagerie. Turning her head weakly she took in her surroundings. She was laying in the middle of the twisted wreckage of the train, in the middle of a town square in what appeared to be down town Vale. The engine that they had been in had broken up through the tunnel roof seemingly and had burst through to the surface in a tattered mass of shredded steel. Looking around she quickly identified her four companions, laid out around her. Even as she watched, they returned to consciousness and staggered to their feet. Blake made to follow, her head pounding. Her vision swam and she became dizzy, collapsing back to one knee until it passed before standing up. Her golden eyes scanned the wreckage for any sign of Torchwick but found nothing beyond his bent cane and torn hat. The faunus who had been driving the train lay by his control panel in two halves with a large jagged piece of metal in between his torso and legs. The metal was slick with blood, Blake looked away as a bitter taste filled her mouth. Once again she was revisited by her feelings from within the tunnel, regret at what was such a senseless waste of life. Many of the White Fang weren't inherently evil, many were just misguided young faunus whom were angry at the prejudices of the world and looking for a way to strike back against their oppressors. They didn't deserve such a fate as being dismembered and blown apart far from their loved ones in an abandoned train tunnel.
"Well... That was a thing..." Yang groaned beside her, it was a relief to hear her voice clearly again, the ringing from the explosions having finally faded away and her hearing having returned... in her human ears at least. Nora helped to drag her partner up, dusting off his tailcoat and hefting Magnhild up and over one shoulder. Ren himself drew his twin bladed pistols and checked his ammunition just as the blonde brawler stepped over to her faunus partner and handed her Gambol Shroud. Yet something wasn't right... She couldn't escape the feeling that somehow she had forgotten something but just what it was that she had forgotten was a mystery. All of her team and Oobleck were all in one piece, perhaps a little bruised but otherwise alright.
The whole ground shook violently as out from the gaping hole in the ground spewed hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm of every different variety discovered. There were Death-Stalkers, Beowolves, Ursai and King Taijitus. So that was what she had forgotten, it was a major thing to have forgotten.. With a grimace, she drew her weapon and readied herself as her team formed up around her, Oobleck taking a stance right behind her. Adjusting and readjusting her grip on Gambol Shroud Blake readied herself for the fight to come. Undoubtedly it would be one of the most desperate that she had ever been in. Their primary concern was to defend the lives of the innocents nearby whom were still dashing to and fro to lock themselves into the nearest available buildings.
"BRNY... Prepare to defend yourselves. This is where the real work begins. We must defend these people until support arrives. These sirens will alert all nearby hunters, huntresses and soldiers as to our peril but we must hold out until then!" Oobleck shouted his orders to their team even as the tidal wave of Grimm ran straight for them. Team BRNY charged and the two immovable forces clashed in a cacophony of harsh roars, gunfire and rasping steel. The battle had begun.
The side doors of the bullhead hissed as they slid open to reveal the carnage below. A huge column of smoke was rising from a large plaza in down town Vale, the cumulation of numerous smaller fires and burning buildings. Jaune's fist clenched around the hilt of his sword as their aircraft began its descent. The lower they got the more Grimm that Jaune could see, they seemed to have formed a large circle in the centre of the plaza surrounding what appeared to be four figures. The sea of black seethed and writhed as the numerous monsters fought to have their chance at attacking the fighters trapped within. Jaune's eyes widened slightly in fear as he realised that the four fighters were their friends and sister team. The blonde knight slowly drew his sword, the steel of his blade rasping against the sides of his sheath. Around him his companions did the same, the rattle of weapons on armour, the clicking of a dust revolver and the cocking of a blunderbuss all rose as they readied for battle.
The bullhead swooped in through the gap between two sky scrapers and dropped down to street level as it flew a pass over the plaza. Jaune didn't wait for it to touch down as he leapt out the door followed closely by his team. The moment he touched down he set off at a run for the densely packed Grimm, drawing and expanding his shield. Pyrrha and Weiss closed up around him, followed in short order by Ruby whose monstrous scythe finally unfurled. There came a loud crack as her sniper rifle spat one of its colossal rounds, accelerating her petite frame ever faster towards their foes. The tiny rose rocketed past them and straight into the press of Grimm, the blade of her scythe gleamed with savage delight as she brought it round in a long swing, rending limbs and head from bodies that got in its way. The Grimm around her only then came to notice the new threat, but by then it was too late and team JSPR were upon them.
Five voices all cried out at once in a savage cry of battle as they cut a swathe through the monsters' ranks, heading unerringly straight for their surrounded companions. The sounds of steel rending flesh and pained roars were the only warning of their approach. Jaune brought his shield up and bashed a Beowolf under its chin creating an opening for his sword as he swung and decapitated the beast. Looking around he found his team all dispatching their opponents with similar ease, their blades all stained black as pitch with the life essences of the monsters around them. Off to his left he caught sight of Port, the hunter presenting himself as a formidable foe, his axe ripping through his enemies like a hot knife through butter. Even as he watched, the moustachioed wonder pulled the trigger on his blunderbuss, turning a once mighty Beowolf Alpha into little more than black mist and tattered strips of flesh hanging in the air. Seeing such ferocity and brutality in battle got the blonde swordsman thinking that perhaps all of his grand tales had some truth to them after all. Port certainly seemed to have no trouble in slaughtering the Grimm in front of them by their tens.
On and on the five of them fought until at last they burst through the Grimm and into the killing zone of the encircled team BRNY. Faster than the eye could follow, Ruby zipped over to her older sister and wrapped her in a tight hug. It was a fast action and only lasted a mere moment but Jaune could certainly sense the emotion behind it. The knight himself chuckled and lightly jogged over to Blake with Pyrrha at his side and took up a back-to-back triangular formation with the faunus leader.
"What... took you guys... so long?" She asked between hurried breaths, a relieved smile playing about her lips.
"Oh you know... We stopped off, got some coffee." Jaune retorted with a playful laugh as he decapitated another Grimm, its still twitching corpse falling to the floor and beginning to dissolve.
"Did you guys get us some too?"
"No sorry, we thought you guys wouldn't want any I mean can you imagine Nora on caffeine?"
"Well I don't know, that might come in handy right now!" She cried, slicing an Ursa Minor from shoulder to hip, the two halves slowly sliding apart as it fell backwards.
"Just how did you get into this mess in the first place?" Pyrrha interjected as she juggled two opponents at once with her usual frightening grace.
"That Pyrrha... Is a very long... story!" The stoical leader responded as her blade pierced the heart of yet another monster whom dared to come too close.
"You'll have to tell us when all this is over!"
Those were the last words to flow between the three of them, the Grimm pressing harder and taking their full concentration to repel. Seconds of survival dragged on into minutes and then hours as the tide of Grimm never seemed to abate. For every one that they killed there always seemed to be another to take its place. Hundreds fell yet thousands remained to continue the fight. The ten hunters and huntresses did their best to rest in the brief lulls between attacks but they could never truly get their breath back. Before long their whole bodies became numb, driven on instinct and impulse alone as they fought to stay alive. Blake repeatedly cast her eyes up to the sky, frantically searching for any sign of the reinforcements that Oobleck had told them would come, her hopes fading with each and every passing second.
It was as the Grimm closed in for one final attack, when everything seemed lost that the air filled with the harsh thrum of engines. From above the clouds dropped several battleships, their mighty guns spitting a deadly barrage down on the Grimm below and utterly decimating their force. Out from the battleships came a whole fleet of smaller drop ships which flew to building height. Hundreds of figures dropped down from them, as they landed Jaune could just make out that they were a mixture of human and machine, the promised hunters had arrived with military support. Every one of them armed to the teeth. The air was filled with the sounds of gunfire as the Grimm were fought back, their numbers stretched too thin to defend against so many new threats. One by one they were killed and pushed back to the train tunnels in one big push. Out from the ranks of the hunters and huntresses came a visage that every one of the students knew well. Glynda Goodwitch. She strode forward, mere flicks of her riding crop dispatching any creatures bold enough to try their luck with her. It was a wholly terrifying sight to see as she stormed towards the train wreckage with a glare that send chills down the blonde knight's back.
Even as Blake watched, the disciplinarian Professor stopped and raised her arms, the gigantic chunks or ruined stone raised from their resting places and formed into a whirlwind, spinning faster and faster as more of the debris was whipped up into it. She moved her arms as if conducting some kind of masterful symphony, the pieces fell back into their original places, the ruined steel train shrieked as it slid back down into the train tunnel and the stone pieces covered over the hole again, made whole once more seemingly due to her sheer force of will.
"I swear... If I have to fix one more mess like this there will be hell to pay..." The Professor sighed and turned towards the two teams and their teachers. Her viridian eyes paused on each of them one by one as though checking for any signs of physical injury. They lingered the longest on Blake, no doubt identifying the dried blood on her bow, an oddly concerned expression on her face. Blake returned her gaze for as long as possible before another wave of dizziness hit her, she staggered and fell as the world around her grew dark, the sheer fatigue of the past few hours all crashing to meet her. Though she wasn't met with the cold stone as she had been expecting, rather she felt several pairs of hands catch her and lower her down to the ground. Then she knew no more.
There is another one down. Goodwitch doesn't sound too happy. I hop you all enjoyed this, if you did, please favourite, follow and review. Every review helps me improve the story and gives me ideas of where I should take it. Thank you all very much for reading and as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.