The Beowolf roared in pain as Yang's punch, combined with a blast from Ember Celica, blew off its arm. Yang grinned and swung another fist into its now unprotected chest, blowing a fist-sized hole in the middle of it. The roar cut off suddenly, and the Beowolf toppled back.
Yang cracked her knuckles and cast her gaze over the battlefield. The light of the shattered half-moon illuminated the area well enough to see, but the circling Beowolves were still difficult to make out—they seemed to blend right into the darkness. All she could make out clearly at this distance was the white of their armour, and the glowing eyes.
None of them approached; they just circled warily. Yang cast her gaze around. There were eleven, all encircling her. She grinned. This ought to be fun. There was roar in the distance, outside the ring of Beowolves. An Ursa. Yang spun towards the noise, but couldn't see the monster through the darkness.
She clicked her tongue. An Ursa would've made this at least a little bit of a challenge. She rolled her neck, cracking it, and sighed. Oh well. She punched her fists together and a gout of flame flared behind her. As the light of the fire faded, Yang charged.
Two Beowolves roared as she approached and swung at her, their claws glinting in the pale moonlight. Yang fired Ember Celica at one, blowing off its arm, and tucked her shoulder towards the other. The second Beowolf's blow landed and her aura took the brunt of it—the claws didn't even cut her. She took the force of the blow and poured it into her semblance—her hair began to shimmer—and used the change in momentum to spin in between the two.
The Beowolf who'd lost an arm roared in pain, but lunged forward anyway, slashing at her with its remaining arm. Yang ducked the blow with a laugh—Grimm had never been good at boxing—and sent an uppercut slamming into its jaw. She fired an instant after her fist struck and blew the monster's head apart.
The other Beowolf lunged, half a second behind the first one, and Yang smoothly transitioned the uppercut into a jump. She soared over the blow and twisted in the air. The Beowolf growled as it looked up at her. Yang grinned as she cocked a fist and began to fall. Before the Beowolf had a chance to recover from its own swing, Yang's fist crashed into its head. Its armour cracked from the force of the punch alone, and a blast from Ember Celica turned its head into a red spray.
Something struck her from behind and knocked her forwards. She rolled with the blow—pouring the energy into her semblance again—and spun to face the new enemy as she rolled to her feet. Three Beowolves replaced the two she'd defeated, all lunging at once. Yang charged at them and jumped toward them.
She fired at the ground as she jumped, sending her higher and into a tight spin. She spiralled over the monsters and fired another shot the back of one of them as she passed. The one she shot staggered, but the other two spun quickly to face her. Knowing that there were more coming from behind, Yang threw herself forward.
She ducked their swipes and straightened when she stood in between the two Beowolves. She faced one of them and fired. It staggered back from the force. Before Yang could spin to the other one, it slammed a taloned hand into her back—just as planned. Smoke rose from her hair as she poured even more energy into her semblance and she used the force of the blow to lunge towards the staggered Beowolf even faster.
She threw two punches into its ribs and heard two crunches of shattered bones. The beast whimpered, clearly in agony. Yang put it out of its misery.
As it fell to the ground, Yang faced the other Beowolf. The third one had recovered and was standing with it. Light was flickering around them. Flames were dancing along Yang's hair, brightening the area more than the moon did. The Beowolves hesitated, and Yang struck.
The Grimm lashed out at her, but too late. Yang had already lunged well inside their guard and delivered a pair of bone-shattering, semblance-enhanced blows to each of their chests. Two identical holes appeared in each of the Beowolves' chests and they toppled backwards. Neither of them even had time to make a sound before they died.
Yang spun to face her remaining enemies and danced backwards, bringing her fists up. The area illuminated by her flames had shrunk slightly—her last two punches had leeched some of the energy from her semblance—and the Beowolves stalked back and forth on the edge of the circle of golden light. Yang glanced across their line quickly, counting.
Five down, six to go. Yang grinned. She stood on her toes, shifting her weight back and forth, ready to strike. She waited. They were all in front of her; none could hit her from behind. She could afford to catch her breath.
One of the Beowolves apparently had a surge of courage, because it lunged at Yang from the left end of the line with no warning. Yang shifted her weight to her back foot and threw herself to the left. She was moving towards the monster, but it had attacked from enough of an angle in front of her that she wasn't moving directly towards it.
She twisted in the air and lashed out with her right foot. Her leg managed to slip between the Beowolf's gnashing teeth and slashing claws—missing the Beowolf completely. Once her foot was poised in the air above the monster's right shoulder, Yang swung it back and hooked her ankle on the back of its neck. She grabbed the monster's paw as it crashed into her chest, poured the energy into her semblance, and twisted to the right, bringing her foot down.
The Beowolf slammed into the ground face first and Yang heard a crack and a whimper. Yang pushed down on its neck and flicked herself into a spin. She landed lightly and used the momentum of her rapid spin to slam a foot into the monster's head. It's head jerked to the side and there was a loud crack as its neck snapped.
Yang looked up, her smile growing wider. One more down. And that was awesome! The remaining Beowolves hesitated, perhaps frightened by her manic grin. Can't blame them. I'd be scared if I had to fight someone as badass as me.
The Ursa roared again, closer this time, from behind the Beowolves. Yang glanced over them, but still couldn't see it through the darkness. One of the beasts to her right glanced behind it as well, and Yang took her opportunity.
The blow she'd taken from the last Beowolf had fuelled her semblance quite well and Yang transferred a portion of that energy and put it behind the next blow. She fired Ember Celica as she struck and the monster's torso vanished, leaving a confused looking wolf head atop a pair of legs.
Four.
Yang lunged straight into another attack, ducked a swipe of dagger-sharp claws, and sent a thundering punch into the attacker's knee. The Beowolf howled and Yang cut its cry short with a quick uppercut to the jaw—combined with a shot from Ember Celica.
Three.
One of them hit her from behind. Yang rolled forward, leeching the energy of the blow. The Ursa roared again, its roar now overpowering the growls of the Beowolves. Yang spun towards the noise and saw the hulking shape through the gloom. It wasn't clear, but she could make out its general outline in the moonlight.
Disregarding it for now, Yang fired two rounds at the nearest Beowolf. The monster, distracted too by the rapidly approaching Ursa, took both hits in the side and staggered away with a howl. Another one leapt over the wounded Beowolf's head, using his injured comrade as a platform to lunge at Yang.
Yang stepped to the left as the beast approached and turned with it as it passed. She ducked its swipe but stayed close enough to it that she could send a semblance-enhanced punch around its arm and into its head with her right hand. The monster hit the ground, and stayed there.
Two.
The Ursa burst into the circle of firelight, its arms flailing madly. It clubbed both remaining Beowolves away and reared, roaring an angry challenge. Yang looked up at it, raising an eyebrow. It was big. Had to be an Ursa Major, and an old one, for it be so huge. It was at least twice Yang's height when it reared up.
The Ursa lurched towards one of the Beowolves and Yang could see the spikes of the armour on its back, jutting at least a metre out. The Ursa roared once again and a blurry shape seemed to jump off its back.
Yang stood, hands on her hips, as a burst of pink light exploded against the Ursa's back and it toppled forwards, crushing the Beowolf in front of it as it died. There was a sound of sliding metal and shifting gears. Pink light flashed once again as a hammer slammed into the chest of the last Beowolf. The figure, standing on the edge of Yang's circle of dwindling firelight, swung its hammer up and rested the weapon on its shoulder.
Yang grinned. "Hey Nora."
Nora stepped into the light. Her orange hair looked like a patch of fire in the yellow light, light that glinted in her turquoise eyes. She folded Magnhild into its launcher form and hung it on her back as she looked around. Her face was a mask of disappointment.
"Aww…" she groaned. "I missed out on all the fun."
"Don't worry," Yang said with a laugh. "There'll be more fun to have." The last of the flames in her hair faded away. "I was just… getting warmed up."
Nora looked around at the corpses of the Beowolves, looking more upset with each one she saw. Yang waited for a few seconds, hoping Nora would get the joke, then frowned and turned away when she realised it had gone over her head.
Yang stood in the moonlight and looked at her feet as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. Once she could make out the blades of grass under her boots, she looked up. In the distance, she could see a small village. There were some lights shining from within windows; not enough for her to see it clearly, but enough to see where it was.
Smart, she thought. Keep the lights low; make it harder for Grimm to find you.
"So what happened?" Yang called out, glancing over her shoulder. Nora was kicking idly at the corpse of the Ursa and raised her head at Yang's question. She walked over and stood next to Yang, looking down at the village.
"None of the villagers seem to know anything," Nora said, scratching idly behind one ear. "They said that one of them was acting funny, though. Apparently he has a hunting cabin around here, so I figured I'd come grab you before I went there; thought you'd want to join in the fun."
"Oh, definitely." Yang grinned hungrily. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Nora grinned and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "So we're going in now?"
"Absolutely."
Nora cried out in excitement and jumped into the air. "Alright! Let's go. I know where the cabin is. Follow me!"
Nora suddenly launched into a run and disappeared into the darkness. Yang jerked into a chase, surprised by Nora's sudden departure. She caught up within a few seconds, running slightly behind Nora so that the orange-haired woman could lead the way.
Within minutes, they came to a slow stop. There was hunting cabin visible at the top of hill in front of them, near the edge of a small forest. Yang glanced towards the village, and back towards the hill where she'd fought the Beowolves.
"Do you think they'd have heard us?" she asked, more to herself than to Nora.
"Who cares?" Nora said. Her voice was dripping with excitement. "Let's go!"
Yang took a moment to inspect the cabin. It was small, likely just one room; isolated, there were no other structures in sight—other than the village in the distance; and lit from within, though she couldn't see any signs of movement through the window.
Nora was nearly jumping out of her skin in anticipation. "Can we go in? Come on, I want to hit something!" It was a testament to the energetic woman's innocent nature that Yang didn't even feel slightly disturbed by her outburst, she just chuckled and shook her head.
"We'll go in," Yang said. Nora started to cry out in excitement. "Slowly," Yang added, cutting Nora's celebration short. "And quietly. We want to make sure they're in there before we start destroying the poor man's house."
"And if they're in there?"
"Then he's clearly working with them and his house can go to hell."
Nora grinned evilly.
Yang shook her head again. Nothing got Nora more excited than the prospect of destroying something—at least as far as Yang knew. She'd have to remember to ask Ren when they got back to Vale.
Yang jogged quietly up the hill, Nora following close behind. They ran to the side of the building and leant against the wall. Nora swung Magnhild off her shoulder and shifted it into its hammer form. Yang pressed an ear to the wooden wall and closed her eyes, straining to hear anything happening inside, but couldn't make anything out. Either the wall was too thick, they knew the Huntresses were outside and were trying to be quiet, or they weren't there.
She could live with the first two, but the third one worried her. Yang had been chasing this crew down for weeks, tracing leads and going on a damn wild goose chase around half of Remnant. They were clever; they knew how to cover their tracks, but she'd found them a few days ago. Apparently they'd fled to a small village a few miles south of Atlas.
Not willing to give them the chance to slip away again, Yang had asked Nora to accompany her. The orange-topped ball of exuberance had been somewhat reluctant at first—she almost always went on missions with Ren, and usually Jaune and Pyrrha as well. Though the teams had technically been disbanded after graduation, most of them tended to stick together. Years spent gelling together and learning how each other fought helped immensely on the battlefield, but the official disbandment of the teams meant that Hunters and Huntresses were allowed to take on missions alone, or with other companions, if they desired.
So Yang had asked Nora, knowing that her instinct for finding a fight would make sure Yang's quarry didn't get away again. Ren had spoken to Nora—told her that he couldn't come due to 'prior engagements' but that she should go anyway—and her reluctance had vanished almost immediately. Though they still hadn't meshed together entirely, still weren't quite sure how to complement each other best in a battle, Yang was grateful for Nora's company.
"They're in there!" Nora hissed, snapping Yang out of her thoughts. "I can smell them!"
Yang glanced back at her, raising a worried eyebrow. The more time she spent with Nora, the stranger the woman seemed. Yang couldn't help but feel a little glad Nora hadn't been on her team at Beacon. The thought of having to hold her reins, to keep her from going crazy while on a mission, seemed like a terrifying ordeal. Yang suddenly gained a newfound respect for Ren.
"Okay," Yang whispered. She pulled a fresh bandolier of shells from her belt and reloaded Ember Celica, dropping the unused shells from the previous bandolier into a small pouch. "We're going to go in as quiet as we can. If we can take them silently, all the better. If they fire on us, we give 'em hell."
Nora squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on Magnhild. "Please fire on us. Please fire on us. Please fire on us!" she prayed quietly. Yang grinned. She had to admit: she was hoping for a fight too. After chasing these guys for the last few weeks, Yang wanted to break some bones before she locked them away.
Yang crept around the side of the house, to the front door. She held a hand out to Nora, signalling her to stop, and pointed at the door.
Wait til I go in, she mouthed. Jump through once it starts.
Nora nodded with another grin and held Magnhild at the ready. Yang put a hand on the doorknob, blinked in surprise when she realised it unlocked, and pushed the door open. The door squeaked as it swung open; Yang winced at the noise. She stepped quickly into the room, and raised her fists, ready to attack.
The room was empty. There was a lit candle sitting alone on the table, its flame flickering in the draught that blew through the open door. There was one bed, against the wall, and a rack of hunting tools and weapons on the other side of the room.
Yang lowered her hands and swore. Not here either. Where the hell are they? Nora followed her into the room and looked around curiously. She jumped up and down on the floor, eyes glued to her feet.
There was a creak.
Yang's eyes shot to the floor. Nora was standing on a rug, large enough to cover most of the floor. They shared a grin and heaved the rug aside. There was a small trapdoor in the floor. Relief flooded through Yang. Not a failure yet.
They lifted the trapdoor and revealed a staircase, descending into darkness. There was a hint of dim light at the bottom of the stairs, though not enough to see by.
There was a loud crash from below them, followed by the sound of angry cursing.
"You idiot!" a voice hissed. "What if someone hears us?"
"Oh calm down," another voice replied calmly. "No one but my uncle ever goes near here, and there's no way that Huntress will find us here. She should be looking for us somewhere in Menagerie by now!"
Yang raised an eyebrow. Is that right? She glanced back at Nora—who was grinning wider than ever—and began down the stairs.
She stopped when a step squeaked under her weight, but there was no reaction from below, so she continued. She saw a closed door as she reached the bottom, with light shining through the crack at the bottom.
She straightened and walked towards the door. They had nowhere to go now; there was no need to be subtle. She lifted a foot and got ready to kick the door in, then hesitated. She lowered her leg and glanced at Nora.
With a grin, Yang stepped to the side, gesturing towards the door. "Would you do the honours?" she asked.
Nora bounced forward, swung Magnhild back and sent it thundering into the door. The door didn't smash inwards, it just broke into pieces. Nora followed the shattered pieces of wood into the room, screaming in delight, and Yang dove in after her.
There were two men in the room, both frozen in terror, facing the door. Yang recognised them both: the faces of the men she'd been hunting. One of them—Yang couldn't tell if he was the smarter one, or the dumber one—snatched a gun off the table and swung it towards her.
Yang readied herself to dodge and counterattack but, before the man could fire, Magnhild crashed into his arms, snapping them both with hideous crack. The man screamed and dropped to the floor.
The second man, following the first's lead apparently, aimed his own gun at Nora. This time Yang stepped in and slugged him across the jaw before he could fire. He dropped the gun and toppled over. Yang caught his sleeve and hoisted him up, pushing her face into his.
"Who's helping you?" she shouted into his face.
The pair had been small-time criminals in Vale: muggings, the odd petty burglary, nothing major. Then, one day, they'd murdered a couple on the street and vanished. Yang had read their criminal records, their psych profiles. Neither of these men were smart. They wouldn't know how to begin to disappear the way they had; which meant someone had helped them. Someone smart, and well-funded.
"Who are you working for?" Yang screamed.
The man's head slumped back. Looked like her punch had knocked him out immediately. Yang often forgot how strong her punches were; she was used to fighting—or sparring—with people who had active auras.
She dropped him to the floor with a resigned sigh. Nora was standing over the other, incapacitated man, who looked like he'd just passed out from the pain of his shattered arms. Great, Yang thought. Now neither of them can talk.
She sighed again. Oh well, they're not going anywhere now. She turned towards the door.
"Nora, can you watch them? I'm going to go call for extraction." Nora nodded, folded Magnhild in a launcher and stood between the two men, glancing between them every few seconds.
Yang climbed the staircase, crossed the cabin's room and stepped outside. She pulled out her scroll and open the comm channel to her airship pilot.
"This is Yang Xaio Long. We're ready for pick up."
There was a pause, and then: "Roger that, Yang. We're on our way."
"ETA?"
"Within the hour. Are you in trouble?"
"No, no. Everything's fine. We're happy to wait."
"See you soon, Yang."
The channel clicked off and Yang tucked her scroll back into its padded pouch in her belt.
Yang looked out towards the village, and the horizon beyond it. She could see the line of the horizon, the sky above it was beginning to lighten. The sun would be up soon.
With one last glance up at the stars, Yang turned and walked back inside.
Neither of the men had moved in the time Yang had been gone, and Nora had apparently gotten bored. The apparently very impatient women had swung Magnhild onto her back, handcuffed both unconscious men, and was now perusing a stack of shelves against the wall.
Probably a good idea, Yang realised. There might be something on their employer in here.
She turned to another shelf and began flicking through it, searching for anything interesting. There was nothing. Most of it was related to hunting, both Grimm and animal, and anything else was entirely innocent. Yang glanced over at Nora from time to time, wondering if she'd found anything, and checked the men, though neither of them seemed to have woken up.
The sound of engines outside caught Yang's attention. Their pick-up had arrived. She and Nora picked up one of the men each and carried them outside. The sun was creeping over the horizon now, the top of yellow disk just visible, and Yang could see around her clearly.
The small airship had landed just outside the cabin, and Yang and Nora jumped in. It was a smaller airship, one used to fly around kingdoms and the surrounding areas; they had a larger, long distance airship, waiting for them just outside Atlas. They sat their prisoners against the back wall of the cabin, and grabbed hold of the rail across from them.
"Back to the ship?" the pilot shouted over the engines.
"Yeah!" Yang shouted back.
"Are we heading back to Vale straight away, Ma'am? I'll have to send a message ahead if we are; to tell the crew to refuel before we get back."
"No, not straight away! We'll head back tonight!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Nora raised an eyebrow at Yang. "Tonight?" she asked.
Yang nodded. "Tonight. I need to make a trip into Atlas while we're here."
Nora eyed her for a few seconds. "You're going to visit Weiss, aren't you?"
Yang hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Nora's other eyebrow joined the first, then she looked away, towards the prisoners.
Yang sighed. Even Nora could tell…
This wasn't going to be a fun visit.