If one stood atop the walls of Vale and gazed intently into the forest outside, they'd spot the flashes of flame as Yang fired into the pack of oncoming Grimm. Her hair was ablaze and her heart was racing. One Ursa managed to break through the barrage of fire and swing at her. She stopped the blow with one hand, grinned viciously at the monster, and destroyed its upper body with a single blow.
As the disembodied legs toppled to the ground and began to fade away, Yang renewed her assault on the oncoming Grimm. The ones in front died quickly, but the pack approached regardless. Within seconds, they were right on top of her.
She flipped backwards, gaining what little ground she could, took a breath, and leapt into the fray. Roars tore through the air and claws raked down tree trunks. Clots of dirt flew everywhere as the monster dashed around her. The roars gradually turned to cries of pain as Yang landed her first blow.
The flames around her grew hotter as the fight dragged on. There was so many Grimm that Yang didn't even consider trying to block every strike. She just took the energy from each blow they landed, poured it into her semblance, and unleashed it right back at them.
A surge of hope filled her as she spotted tree through the lines of monsters; they were beginning to thin out. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps now. The sight of the monster's numbers thinning was all it took to renew her vigour. Roars cut off as Ember Celica crushed skulls and shattered jaws.
An instant after the last monster fell, a howl echoed through the trees. The Huntress glanced around, searching for the source, but saw nothing but trees. A twig snapped behind her, and she spun towards the sound.
Her companion stood next to a tree, frowning down at the twig he'd stood on. The shirtless, axe-wielding mercenary straightened and hefted his pitch-black, double-bladed battle axe onto his shoulder.
"Having any trouble?" Something about his smug smile as he asked the question infuriated Yang to no end.
She turned away with a grunt. "Nothing I couldn't handle. You look like you took a beating though."
Raud glanced down at his chest, where a trio of claw-shaped gashes were slowly healing over. "What, this? I've cut myself worse shaving."
Yang rolled her eyes as she searched the trees. "You're supposed to shave with a razor, you know? Not your axe."
The mercenary laughed, but didn't reply.
Another howl echoed through the trees, followed by a loud rattle. Yang narrowed her eyes and searched the gloom with more intensity. The howl wasn't an issue; she could deal with a pack of Beowolves in her sleep. The rattle though… That was a Deathstalker. And given how loud it was, it had to be big. And it could be anywhere around them.
"Still think coming out here was a good idea?" Raud asked, a hint of worry in his voice. So even he knew when danger was around; he wasn't entirely stupid.
Yang didn't reply however. Something about the man made her refuse to admit he was right. But right he was: it had proven to be a fruitless search. Blake had been against it from the start, but Yang had been stubbornly determined to go.
"There might be something outside the walls," she'd said, hours ago. "If they're trying to sneak Dust into the city, then we should at least check it out."
If she was being completely honest, she hadn't expected to find anything. It was just an excuse to get out for a while, to burn off some pent up energy. After spending the last few days trying to find where the caves outside of Vale broke into the city, and finding nothing, Yang had needed to get out for a while.
"Are we going to look for it?" Raud asked, snapping Yang back to the present. "Or do you want to pull back?"
Yang pursed her lips. One Deathstalker they could handle; the only problem would be if it had other Grimm around it. The monster was still out of sight, hidden behind the wall of trees around them. There were no other sounds reaching them, which could mean it had moved on. Or it could mean that it was about to attack.
Yang reached a decision. "Let's head back—"
There was a painfully loud snap, and something crashed to the ground behind her. Yang spun to face the noise and found herself face-to-face with a giant Deathstalker. The beast's body was as tall as Yang, and its tail, with the vicious stinger, towered over her. The scorpion locked eyes with her and rattled once again.
The stinger darted forwards, and Yang threw herself to the side. She rolled over and regained her footing quickly. Ember Celica roared as she fired into the beast's flank. Most of the shots skittered off its armour, but some struck solidly, cracking the white carapace that protected the monster.
The Deathstalker turned to face her and another gun roared. Yang glanced to her left and saw Raud approaching the monster, gouts of fire bursting out of the end of this axe. His shots proved no more effective than Yang's however, and he soon swung his axe up, ready to strike, rather than shoot.
A claw swung towards him, which he easily dodged. While he was recovering, the beast charged at Yang. The Huntress leapt to the side again, and grunted in pain as she felt a claw slam into her side. She hit the ground with a painful thud and tore up the grass as she slid for a few metres before coming to a stop near the base of a tree.
The monster was now standing directly in between Yang and Raud, facing Yang. She couldn't work out what she'd done to piss the thing off, but it only seemed to be focussing on her. Raud met her gaze and a moment of understanding passed through them. Yang nodded towards the monster and unleashed a barrage of fire.
The shots slammed into the Deathstalker's crossed claws as it hunkered down to protect itself. It took a few short steps towards her as she fired, but Raud ran up behind it a lot faster. With a blood-curdling roar, the mercenary leapt upwards and hacked clean through the monster's tail, near the stinger. The sting fell the ground and the scorpion let out a high-pitched screech of agony.
Then, unexpectedly, it charged. Yang, still firing, barely had time to cross her gauntlets in front of her and bolster her aura before the monster crashed into her and slammed her into the tree behind her. The trunk cracked and Yang cried out in pain. The claws of the giant scorpion were crushing into her abdomen, and Yang could feel her ribs bending inwards.
She pushed against the monster and sucked in a breath of air as the pressure was relieved, but it pushed back even harder and drove that breath from her lungs. Yang grimaced and poured the energy from the monsters crushing into her semblance. Flames sprung up around her, and Yang pushed back again. The claws lifted away from her. The Deathstalker rattled again, but it sounded like it carried a hint of confusion.
Yang pulled her legs up, planted her feet against the tree trunk and pushed with her whole body. The scorpion backed away slowly, and Yang pulled back on fist before firing into its vulnerable eyes.
The monster pulled away with a cry of pain and scraped both claws at its face. Yang grinned as flames raged around her shoulders. Before the beast had a chance to recover, Yang lunged towards it. She slipped under and inside its guard and threw a series of semblance-enhanced punches into its eyes. Before the claws could grab at her again, she danced backwards, letting out a laugh as she avoided the monster's mindless flailing.
The ground trembled under the monster's frantic footsteps as it thrashed in pain. Yang took the moment to reload Ember Celica, the new belt of shells sliding smoothly into place as the old ones were ejected.
The Deathstalker recovered as she prepared to strike again, lowering its claws and casting its gaze around the small clearing. It noticed Yang and rattled again before rushing at her. The Huntress ran towards the oncoming monster and jumped. One of the scorpions claws rose to swat her from the air, but she slammed a fist into the offending claw and sailed over the beast's back.
The monster's tail, now rendered harmless by Raud's axe, was laying limp and pathetic on the ground. Yang angled herself so that she landed next to it, one of her feet slamming into the wounded end of the tail. The Deathstalker screeched in pain and Yang stepped back; the monster spun to face her, yanking its severed tail back.
Yang cast a quick glance around, but didn't see Raud anywhere. She frowned to herself as she refocussed on the monster. Coward, she thought. Finally facing a proper monster, and what does he do? She clicked her tongue in annoyance and raised her fists, ready to continue the fight.
The Huntress and the Grimm faced each other, neither one making the first move. A twig snapped to Yang's right, and she instinctively glanced to the side. From the corner of her eye, she saw the hulking monster burst into action, rushing her. Yang swore and threw herself to the side before dashing towards a nearby tree.
The scuttling sound of pursuit reached her ears and Yang leapt at the tree's trunk, took a few steps up and jumped backwards. She flipped through the air gracefully and saw the Deathstalker directly below her. With a grin, Yang began to descend and cocked a fist.
Her aura-enhanced punch crashed into the monster's shell in the centre of its back. It wasn't enough to kill the thing, but it put a large crack in its armour and sent it sprawling on its stomach. The wind picked up as Yang vaulted off the monster's back; her hair danced on the breeze and the flames rose higher.
It took a second for the creature to regain its footing, the stick-like legs scrambling frantically for a footing. The wounded tail lashed out, catching Yang off-guard, and swept her off her feet. The Huntress grunted as she slammed into the ground. The Deathstalker bore down on her and Yang rolled backwards. She used the momentum of her roll to flip herself up and cocked a fist. She focussed her semblance and poured everything she had into the punch she was about to throw.
She looked up at a sudden swish, and then winced at the following crack.
Raud stood on top of the now-dead Deathstalker, his axe embedded in the dirt beneath the monster. The monster let out another pained rattle as it front and back halves separated and toppled to the ground. The mercenary yanked his axe up and slung it over his back. The black vapour the Grimm dissolved into rose off the blade and the monster's blood faded away, along with the beast itself.
He hopped off the gradually fading monster and cast a look her way. Yang eyed him in return, saying nothing for a moment.
"I could've handled it," she said eventually.
Raud laughed and shook his head. "Not even a 'thank you'," he said with wry amusement. "You just don't have it in you, do you?"
Yang didn't reply. She looked up and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun that shone down on them. It was just a little after noon, by the look of it. The exact time didn't matter, but she knew that they'd need to head back in a few hours. Blake would want to know if they found anything—as unlikely as that was—by the end of the day.
With a sigh, Yang glanced behind her, in the direction of Vale. "Come on," she said. "Let's head back to the wall." Better at least have a look while we're here, she added silently.
Raud didn't reply, but fell into step alongside her as she started through the trees. Yang glanced at him now and then as they walked. The mercenary was constantly alert, his gaze searching the gloom around them, darting from tree to tree. Yang did the same, if a little less intently, and searched for any nearby Grimm with her aura. She'd never been the best at detection, but it'd give her a few seconds warning at least. But she found nothing. The Grimm seemed to have all pulled back. Guess they're not entirely stupid, she thought.
The sun was hidden behind a cloud when they reached the man-made clearing between the trees surrounding Vale and the walls of the kingdom. The area was cast in a dull, grey gloom that had nothing to do with the plain stone of the wall, though that did add to the effect.
"Where to now?" Raud asked, his eyes still focussed on the tree line.
Yang pictured a map of the kingdom and its surrounding area, and put a small red dot where they were. She pointed to the left—west—and dashed the image from her mind. "That way. We need to get closer to where the caves line up with the wall."
They walked on in silence, but for the subtle sounds of footsteps on the grass and the clanking of weapons. A few minutes later, Yang came to a stop and checked her mental map again.
"I think this is it," she said, glancing up at the top of the wall. "The caves are out that way." She pointed directly away from the wall, into the forest. "So, assuming they run in more or less straight lines, the tunnels into the city should be right under us."
"And…?" Raud looked at her, uncomprehending. "What does that do for us?"
"I…" I don't know. But she couldn't say that. Not to him of all people. "Just look around, okay? You never know."
The mercenary shrugged and turned away, looking around the tree line for any signs of… anything. Yang hadn't expected to find anything, not really, but she didn't want him rubbing that fact in her face either. She turned towards the wall with a huff and knelt down near the base of it, searching the ground for… she had no idea what.
What am I doing? she asked herself. We're not going to find anything. There's no point in pretending I'm trying to be constructive here. She shot a glance at Raud, who was now barely visible between the trees. Why does what he thinks matter? He's a mercenary!
As loathe as Yang was to admit it, even to herself, she knew why. Ever since she'd met him, she'd told herself she could take him, that she was better. And finding out he was a mercenary only reinforced that. She was a Huntress! She had to be better than him. And she wanted him to know that too. As petty as it was…
Gah! Yang shook her head and focussed on her menial searching. Screw him.
As she searched, trying to force any thoughts from her head, Yang came across a few small shards of grey stone in the grass. With a frown, she looked up at the wall. After searching for a minute, and finding nothing, she looked down with a sigh of frustration.
Something at the base of the wall caught her eye. A chunk of stone—no bigger than her thumb—had come out of the wall, right at the base. Upon inspection, Yang also noticed a thin crack running up the wall from that chunk. She followed it up until she lost sight of it, but something told her that the crack was running up the entire height of the wall.
Yang heard something. Not a sound; more of a hint of a sound. The almost-sound of something slicing through the air at a vicious speed. She cocked Ember Celica as she spun, pulling a fist back.
Then she blinked and pressed herself against the wall as Raud's axe embedded itself in the stone, splitting the head of a young Beowolf that had apparently been right behind her. Yang stepped away from the beast as it shuddered and whimpered out its last breath before its body slumped to the ground. Half of the monster's head looked like it was going to sit neatly on the axe-blade, but it too slid to the ground.
Yang cried out in disgust and cast her gaze around. Raud was standing ten metres away, eyeing the corpse. He walked to the body and yanked his axe out of the wall without saying a word, then headed back to the trees. Yang watched him go without a word, raging at her herself all the while.
How did I miss that? she scolded herself. Come on, Yang. Pull yourself together!
She returned to her inspection, making sure to keep an eye and an ear on her surroundings. After finding nothing else of consequence, her gaze found its way back to the Beowolf Raud had killed. It was fading away quickly, but she could still see that it was a small creature; thin and sickly. Its limbs looked frail and she could see ribs through the thin hide. Some part of her felt a little sorry for it.
She looked at Raud once more. He was at the edge of the tree line now, glancing her way now and then as he searched. Yang sighed in frustration. She couldn't work out what annoyed her more: the fact that the Beowolf had gotten the drop on her, or the fact that Raud had saved her.
Something rippled through Yang's aura, snapping her out of her thoughts, and she glanced back the way they'd come. An Ursa was emerging from the forest, twenty metres away, sniffing at the ground. Yang hissed Raud's name and pointed. The mercenary nodded and readied his axe before sneaking towards the beast, using the trees as cover.
Yang waited until he was out of sight, and then whistled as loud as she could. The monster raised its head and looked around before narrowing its gaze on her. It charged with a roar and Yang fired two shots at it. The shot slowed it down briefly, but didn't stop it. As the monster neared, Yang stepped forward and swung a heavy punch. Her fist slammed into the beast's head and knocked it back.
The monster floundered on its back for a moment, and began to right itself, but before it could, Raud leapt from the tree and hacked through the Ursa's neck. Yang turned away as the beast began to dissolve and leaned against wall, breathing a heavy sigh.
"Everything alright?" Raud asked as he leant against the wall next to her. His eyes never stopped searching the forest.
After a moment of silence, "Why am I always the one getting attacked, while you get to hide?" Yang asked.
The mercenary laughed. "You don't last long in my kind of work if you throw yourself into the front lines all the time. You learn to pick your moments to strike."
The Huntress grunted and pushed off the wall, dusting off the backs of her legs. "Come on. We should head back."
Raud nodded and joined her as she walked. "So did you find anything?"
She glanced back at the crack in the wall for a moment before replying. "Not really. It's probably nothing." She'd get some guards to check it out when they got back. It probably just needed to be patched up.
Raud sent her a concerned look for an instant, then quickly shrugged and looked ahead. "So how far are we from the gate?" he asked.
Yang shrugged and looked up at the sky, interlocking her fingers behind her head. "Not sure. Half an hour or so."
"Are you sure you can put up with another half an hour of my company?" The man was clearly trying to joke, but Yang could hear the trace of bitterness in his voice.
She shot him a glance and frowned. He ignored her look. Eventually, she looked away with a sigh. "Hey, about that Beowolf back there…" Yang trailed off for a moment. "Thanks."
Raud looked at her as if an Ursa had just offered him a jar of honey. Then he have her an almost sad smile. "Don't mention it," he said quietly.
Yang returned the smile, albeit with more cheer, and patted him on the shoulder. Maybe he isn't so bad… she thought. He can hold his own in a fight, I'll give him that. Feeling somewhat less animosity towards the mercenary, Yang walked on towards home.
They'd been walking for twenty minutes in near silence—only exchanging a few words here and there—and were getting close to the gates when Yang's scrolled buzzed. She pulled it out, smiled at seeing Blake's name on the screen, and answered the call.
"Hey, hun, we're heading back now. Shouldn't be more than another half an hour, if that."
There was nothing but silence on the other end, until Yang thought she heard Blake suck in a breath.
"Yang… Ruby's back."
Yang burst into a grin. "Already? It's only been a couple of days! Has she made up with the Ice Queen already?"
"No… Not exactly…"
The Huntress frowned. "What do you mean? Did Weiss not come with her? Did they have another fight?"
"Ruby and Neptune are here…"
Something was wrong. Yang could hear the hesitation, the sadness, and the fear in Blake's voice. Before she could ask what was going on, Blake beat her to it.
"Yang… Weiss is dead."
The massive gate into Vale was just coming into sight. Yang started running.
A/N: So I feel like I should address a couple of things after all the... uh... passionate feedback I got after last week's chapter. My regrets to anyone who felt offended or upset, or even cheated, by last week's events; in retrospect, I probably should have put a character death warning somewhere. That was a mistake on my part, and it has been corrected.
However, I won't apologise for what I wrote, and, as you can no doubt see from the above chapter, I'm not going to change my mind. If you wanted a safe, fluffy, happy-go-lucky story, then as much as I'd like to accommodate you, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. I'm going to tell the story I wanted to tell from the beginning, and that story might not be what a lot of you are looking for. It's not going to be pretty. It's not going to be safe. And, unfortunately, it's not going to be happy all the time. Like all stories, it'll have its moments, but a happy ending has no meaning if the rest of the story is just as happy.
So, I offer my regrets in advance for anyone who gets similarly offended or upset as this story continues. More characters are going to die as we go on, and not just the bad guys. If you don't want to read that, then I'll be sorry to see you go. I won't begrudge anyone their taste, but I won't change mine just to suit other people's.
For those of you who choose to stay, and see this story through, just know that—as sad as things may get at times—it'll all be worth it in the end. I'll make it all come good.
I promise.