Welcome back!
So, there is more to this chapter, I'll be the first to say it. I'm throwing some finishing touches on it now. I had made this one big super chapter, but was informed that, unfortunately, 8000+ words is way too much for one chapter. So, as a result, I cut it down into two parts.
Now, I must apologize. This took way too long to bring out, regardless of what anyone says. End of school led to an increase at work and it was tough for me to figure out a way to schedule in everything, but now, after a month or two, I have found a way to properly schedule my work, writing and, albeit nonexistent, social life.
Anyway, now that all of that is out of the way, I can finally say that I'm proud to bring you the fourth chapter of Downed!
Enjoy.
Yang shot out, striking a Crok head on. The massive beast bounced back, hit a tree, but still got up and began moving back towards the team.
Ruby was trying to cut down as many as she could without wasting ammo. She knew she was already low enough as is; shooting these things wouldn't help. She'd have to use them in an emergency.
Blake was close by to her leader, providing as much support as possible. Using her shadows, Blake was able to bounce in and around these beasts, cutting them up quickly and accurately. However, their iron-like skin makes dealing any kind of damage very difficult. Bullets and shells seemed to bounce off of them, while cutting them down was difficult and dangerous.
Something the girls noticed was that as the Crok's got close, they stood on their back legs, giving themselves a huge size advantage. This, however, did leave them exposed, as their bellies weren't armored. But they could still take a couple of hits. Crok's were very well built.
Yang made a shot, punching one that dared stand in its gut. It recoiled for a moment, but then turned an angry eye towards the brawler. Before it could lunge at Yang, a gust of wind could be felt. Before Yang realized it, her younger sister had come to the rescue, utilizing her speed semblance to decapitate the beast. Ruby did a flip before landing next to Yang. The sisters silently nodded then went back in.
Blake had been using the trees to give herself a boost. Using her cat-like reflexes, she prowled above the Crok's that were still on their feet. Those were her targets. She jumped down, quickly slashing and stabbing whatever she could.
She weakened them greatly, but they wouldn't die yet.
Choosing that she didn't care about her ammo anymore, Blake pumped a few rounds into each beast. Five fell. But others still emerged from the swamp.
"Ruby! Yang!" Blake called, "There's too many! We have to fall back!"
"To where?!" Yang responded, "To the cave? We'll be cornered there!"
"Well we can't fight here," Ruby defended Blake, "Weiss would be a great deal of help too!" She took a breath, "Ok! We're going back to the cave!"
They all ran back to the cave. Ruby using Crescent Rose to cut down a many trees as possible, blocking the Crok's for a moment. It was still better than nothing.
Once they got back to the cave, the trio took a moment to catch their breaths. Weiss, who had stayed back in the cave per Yang's request, was confused. "What happened out there?" She asked, "Was it-?"
"Croks!" Ruby almost yelled, trying to steady her breathing, "So many! Like... Wow was that a lot of Croks!"
"I only wish you were joking..." Weiss spoke meekly, "How many is a lot?"
"Enough to give us trouble." Yang said blankly. "Listen up! Ruby gave us some time by taking those trees down but we don't have much longer here! We can either move to another area or stand and fight."
All three looked at each other, pondering their options. Up until Weiss decided to speak, "Ok, allow me to be the voice of reason here. Ahem, we have few supplies, probably low an ammo, we're backed into a cave and our ride out of here is just over forty-five minutes away. Running may not seem like a good idea, but it gives us the best chance for survival. If we stay here then once we run out of ammo we're dead."
Ruby and Blake looked at Weiss, then each other, then to Yang. Ruby stood up, "I... I think Weiss is right here. We can go out, find another place that won't leave us backed into a corner and fight there. Any amount of time we can burn until the evac comes is a plus. I say we book it."
Blake sighed, "I hate to admit it, but running for now sounds good."
Yang nodded and clapped her hands together, "So it's settled?" Everyone nodded, "Good. Let's get going." Picking up the radio, Yang was the first to step out of the cave. She didn't even take more than two steps before stopping and sighing. The rest of the team joined her outside and gasped.
The Crokolisks had climbed above and moved around the trees Ruby had taken down. The young leader's shoulder slumped, "Man. Can't catch a break today."
"No." Blake said, drawing Gambol Shroud, "No we cannot."
"Nobody said it'd be easy." Weiss commented, turning Myrtenaster toward the Grimm.
"Well, if we're gonna go down, I'd say let's give 'em hell!" Yang cried, her gauntlets activating. She dropped the radio behind her and took a stance, "Let's go!"
The entire team joined her in a brutal war cry, charging in.
"Hey... Pyrrha?"
"Yes, Jaune?"
"Wasn't Team RWBY supposed to be home, like, an hour ago from their mission?"
"They probably got caught up in some weather or something." Pyrrha said.
"Maybe their flight got cancelled?" Nora inquired, "You can never trust airlines these days."
"I don't think it works like that, Nora." Ren stated, not even looking up from his book. "Beacon would provide the transportation to and from."
Jaune looked out from his team's dorm room. Team RWBY had been sent on a mission in the southern territories to assist a dig site. Said dig site was run by the Schnee Dust Company and was running into some problems with Grimm running around the area. Ozpin recommended a third or fourth year team or two, but Weiss' father insisted it would be his daughter's team. They performed perfectly, keeping Grimm at bay until the SDC was able to build a proper wall around the site.
The mission wasn't set to last more than two days. Even if they got held over for some reason, one of the members of RWBY would tell someone in JNPR.
That's why Jaune was worried.
Still, he knew lack of communication between teams is part of the job and passed it off as an emergency or something. Or maybe they did get caught in some weather.
He sighed, closing the door. Looking into his teams' dorm, Jaune announced, "Ok... Anyone have any suggestions on what to do next?"
"OH!" Nora cried, "I know! We can go raid Team RWBY's room again!"
"Nora," Pyrrha chastised, "We already set up some pranks in there. If we open the door it'll blow up in our face..."
"Literally!" Jaune added.
Nora became slightly flustered and sat back down, "Oh yeah... I forgot." Just as she sat, her stomach rumbled, catching both hers and Ren's attention. "Oh! I got it, now! Let's go get dinner!"
Jaune and Pyrrha shared a glance; Pyrrha smirked while Jaune sighed. "Alright, I guess we can go get some food." The leader gave in, earning a loud cheer from the hammer wielder.
The team departed from their dorm. It had been a long day for them, and there wasn't really much to do (not that they really put much thought into it). Dinner would definitely give them a chance to recharge a bit and figure out something to do.
Entering the cafeteria, they were almost instantly greeted by team CFVY, who had entered moments before them. "Hey there!" Coco called, "How's it going?"
"Slow day." Pyrrha responded as her team went for dinner. "If it wasn't for Nora we'd still be in our dorm doing nothing." She and the rest of team CFVY followed the rest of JNPR's lead and went up for their food. "Hey, since I've got you all, have any of you seen team RWBY? I'm not sure if they got back from their last mission..."
Velvet turned to her questioningly, "Oh? They never got back?"
"Ah!" Coco waved them both off, "They probably got caught up in Ozpin's web of after-action reports, debriefing and mission review." She composed herself, picking up a tray and filling it with food, "I'm sure they're fine."
"Yeah," Pyrrha sighed, continuing her quest for dinner, "You're probably right."
"Of course I'm right! Now come on, let's go eat!"
Both teams nodded in agreement and took their seats. The teams chatted amongst each other, topics varying from different points, depending on who you listened in on. Pyrrha, Jaune and Velvet held a conversation on their school work; Ren and Nora mindlessly babbled (Nora did most of the babbling, Ren corrected her) while Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi all listened. Well, Fox and Yatsuhashi jumped in and out of the conversation, while holding their own at times.
Every now and again, though, Jaune would break temporarily and glance towards the cafeteria entrance, hoping to see RWBY walk through the doors. Alas, though, nothing. His hopes were dashed whenever he saw another team enter or leave when the door opened. Coco noticed this and sighed.
"Ya know, they're not gonna walk in just because you keep looking at the door."
Jaune looked to her, "I know. Thing is, they were supposed to be back hours ago. Even if they had paperwork to do, it shouldn't have taken this long."
"Eh, clear out missions take a while. You could be leaving two days early or staying a week late. It happens." The older girl said, taking a bite out of her meal, "If I were you, I'd concern yourself with something a little bit more important... Like your History grade."
"H-Hey!"
Coco snickered at the leaders reaction, "I'm joking. And I'm telling you, they're fine, so don't worry."
"Are you so sure about that, Miss Adel?" A voice called from the end of the table, causing both teams to do a double take.
"WOAH!" Coco flinched, dropping her sandwich, "Damnit... Oh, uh... Hi, Professor Ozpin."
"Hello." He greeted, "I was hoping I'd find you all together."
"What's wrong, Professor?" Velvet asked.
"I'm sure you've noticed, by now, the absence of a certain team." All present nodded, "I'm sure you've been wondering where they are presently at. Please, come with me. We have precious time."
Both teams looked to one another and shrugged, but did as the headmaster asked and followed him out of the cafeteria. After a short walk, they found themselves on their way to the schools armory. "Um, headmaster, I don't mean to be nosey, but what's going on?" Pyrrha asked.
"All will be explained soon." Ozpin said, stopping just outside of the armory. "Grab your weapons, students, and meet me at the hanger. Be quick." All present nodded and rushed inside whilst Ozpin departed for the hanger.
It had been less than twenty minutes since Glynda informed him that they found team RWBY, alive and well, but down in a dangerous area. The swamp they were in was more of a basin, surrounded by mountains. Past those natural borders however were lush, greener plains. Ozpin chuckled to himself, "It must be their luck that put them in that swamp, rather than the plains." Glynda didn't share his humor, but that didn't matter to him.
Ozpin made it to the hanger and found Glynda preparing both Bullheads. One was for the pickup, which would have medical supplies on board, while the other was for support, which was currently stocking itself with weapons.
That particular swamp area was known to house many Crokolisks. Too dangerous to clear out, topped with the fact that there was no interest in that area in the first place, gave hunters no reason to clear it out. Too much danger, not enough reward.
Still, Ozpin did have deep regrets of agreeing to Mr. Schnee's requests in only sending in his daughter's team. Ozpin wished he had sent in at the very least team CFVY. Even JNPR would have been some help in their current situation. 'Still,' he thought, 'Preparation for the world of hunting I suppose.'
"Glynda," He called. Professor Goodwitch snapped to attention, "Are all of the bullheads ready?"
"A-almost, sir. We're finishing loading the ammo now."
"Good." Ozpin nodded. Looking out to the entrance of the hanger, he awaited teams CFVY and JNPR's arrival. Explaining what happened and what their job will be is going to be the easy part, executing the plan will be difficult, only because of the ever present Grimm there.
Ozpin didn't wait long as both teams entered with their weapons in hand. "Ok, Ozpin," Coco declared, "What's going on?"
"Well, Miss Adel, since you're so anxious I'll explain." Ozpin sighed, stopping Glynda from scolding the younger women, "At approximately three o'clock this afternoon we lost contact team RWBY's bullhead over a swampy basin, surrounded by the Waldrike Mountain range. for almost an hour and a half we attempted to re-establish contact, until we received a hail from the emergency radio from the craft.
The GPS on said radio is still active, though we are unable to establish a satellite link at this time to see how they are doing. Unfortunately, they haven't responded to our more recent hails, which concerns us greatly."
Professor Goodwitch stepped in, "Your mission is a search and Rescue for them. Team CFVY, we thought you would be more willing to go if you had some... larger weapons at your disposal." Coco's eyes shined, "You will be providing cover, while Team JNPR will be doing the actual rescue."
"We will explain more into your mission as you make your way there. In the mean time, load up. Every second we waste is a second closer to death for Team RWBY." Ozpin said, voice as level as ever. Both teams nodded and went to their respective crafts. After loading up, the pilots raised their altitude and flew off.
"How long until they make it?"
"Hopefully, within twenty minutes, if the pilots punch it."
"Well then, Professor Goodwitch, let's hope you're correct."
With a fiery blast Yang knocked back another Crok. The fight had been going as well as one could expect. That meaning that they were all holding their own. Weiss needed more help than usual, but that was mainly because her injury was getting worse. It wasn't swelling as much, but it was bruising, very badly. She was slower and had to watch herself, as any wrong move would lead to more pain.
The sheer number of Crokolisk's that currently surrounded the group was mind boggling small. Just a few dozen. In terms of normal Grimm that wouldn't be much, but in terms of theses beasts only one dozen are as dangerous as a few packs of Ursa Majors.
Distance is key when fighting these beasts, but when you're running out of ammo fast, that little tidbit goes out the window.
Luckily, though, Weiss worked best at a distance. Her glyphs, along with her weapon itself, made ranged fighting easy. Using most of her ice dust, she managed to impale a few Crok's by stabbing her blade into the ground, causing the water to freeze and rise up, piercing through their undersides. Those that weren't killed instantly would hang there until they died.
Yang glanced over towards Blake, watching her work. Her faunus teammate was holding her own, mainly because of her semblance. She could dodge the massive chomps of the Crokolisks easily, but flat out killing them was tough. The undersides weren't as armored, but it was tough to reach there without getting bit in half.
"Yang, watch out!"
Before Yang could react she was smacked hard by what could only be described as a small train. Looking up, she saw a Crok, standing on its back legs, staring down on her. Stunned, be it by the force of the hit or the fear she felt, all Yang did (or could do) was stare as the beast slowly opened its massive jaws, revealing a dark maw of death.
Accepting her fate and bracing for the worst, Yang closed her eyes, when in a flash of red the beast in front of her had lost its head. Opening her eyes Yang saw a flurry of rose petals fall around her, revealing a figure oddly similar to her sister...
Wait...
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Ruby shook her head, "Yang Xiao Long, I can't leave you alone for two minutes without you getting into trouble, can I?" She extended a hand to Yang.
Yang chuckled, smiling lightly, "What can I say? It tends to follow me." She claimed, accepting her sister's help. In a flash, once again, Ruby was gone. It was very clear that she was out of ammo, or at least close to being. She was using her speed as momentum to cut the Grimm up, something that she had done often whenever she found herself strapped for bullets.
Yang jumped back, getting a better view of the battleground. They were losing and she knew it. It took far too much to kill one of these things, and it was only a matter of time before the Crok's got a clue and begin to overwhelm them. She looked up at the trees that surrounded them. Very large oak trees, with flat canopies as the branches stretched out...
Flat canopies...
"Oh duh." Yang smacked her face with her hand, internally kicking herself too, "Ruby! Treetops!" The aforementioned leader looked up and saw exactly what Yang saw. She too smacked herself. "Blake, Weiss! Follow us!"
Instead of waiting for the two, Yang and Ruby both picked up their respective partners and rushed up the closest tree. After making a quick ascent, all four took a seat upon the flat-top of the tree and looked below them. The Crok's were circling the very oak tree the team found themselves in, most with mouths open indicating they were ready for their meal.
"Well," Yang spoke, out of breath, "I think we found our place to hide!"
The top of the tree wasn't entirely spacious, but it would due as a place to rest for a few minutes. Weiss was trying to get settled, clearly not enjoying the small space of the canopy. "Ruby!" She called, "Will you move over!?"
"Where?" Ruby asked, looking down, "I move anywhere and I fall. And I don't wanna fall."
"Weiss just bring your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around them. Boom, problem solved." Yang said, doing exactly as she instructed Weiss to do. The heiress was more reluctant to do that, considering her stomach. It was visible to the others that she was still in pain, regardless of how much she denied it.
"I think I'll pass, thanks."
"Still hurting?" Blake inquired.
"Not pain, more discomfort. It's tough to move, too. I think sore would be the best word for it."
"Let me take another look." Blake climbed over both Yang and Ruby, who were both sitting between her and the white haired heiress. Blake sat to Weiss' left whilst Ruby moved next to Yang in order to give her faunus teammate more room.
Blake began her examination, feeling her teammates abdomen and watching for a reaction of any kind. The area in question was still bruised, but it wasn't worse than it was earlier. It appeared that Weiss' aura had stopped whatever it was, but didn't heal it completely. Whether or not it was because of low aura overall wasn't a concern; Blake's main concern was whether or not it was severe. "Does any of that hurt?" She asked as she pressed down on the bruise. Weiss shook her head, but her facial expression told Blake that it was definitely uncomfortable.
Blake sat back furrowed her brow, "I have no idea. It could be a ruptured organ, or just a popped blood vessel. But it's not any worse than it was earlier and apparently it's not hurting anymore. We'll just have to wait and see what the doctors say."
Ruby and Yang looked to each other, nodded, then to Weiss. She covered her stomach once again and nodded, understanding that she would have to wait for actual medical professionals to get answers. "Hey Blake..." Ruby called. Blake turned her attention to her young leader as she sat back on a branch. "Where did you learn medical training?"
"We had to know a few things about medicine in the White Fang." Blake said easily, "Just in case something happens."
"I'm going to take your current bluntness as you being tired right now?"
"Yes, Weiss. At this point I just don't care. I just want to go home."
"Don't we all." Ruby said, leaning back on a large branch. She wasn't putting her full weight on it, in case her seat of choice wasn't as strong as it appeared. Yang noticed this and pulled her sister to her side, sharing her seat. "So... How long do you think we have? U-until our rescue gets here?"
Weiss sat up, cupping her hand under her chin, "I don't know, Ruby. Maybe... Ten minutes? I suppose I could ask, I have the radio right here." She pulled the Emergency Radio to the center of the canopy and turned it on. As she began to speak into the microphone, Blake allowed her eyes to wonder.
She looked around from her elevated position. Crok's were everywhere, ranging in size. They were just, staring up at the team, some even able to stand on their back legs. Menacing would be a word to describe it.
Blake looked down, only to see some of these beasts attempt to climb the tree. Some made it a good distance, but ultimately failed. This allowed the faunus to breathe a sigh of relief. She turned to Ruby, who had also been watching bellow. The two shared a concerned glance, but shrugged. It didn't appear that the Crok's could get up to them.
Blake zoned back in to the end of the conversation between Weiss and... Whoever was on the other end. It sounded like professor Goodwitch, but she just didn't know. "Well," Weiss sighed, putting the radio down, "She said fifteen minutes. They're going as fast as possible though."
"That's good, right?" Ruby asked. Everyone nodded, to which she physically relaxed. "Good..." She looked down and squinted, trying to determine if what she was seeing was true...
The Grimm were trying to eat away the tree. "Hey, guys... Uh, How well do you think A Crokolisk could eat a tree?"
"Could you repeat the question?" Weiss asked, "It sounded like you said 'eat a tree'!"
Yang looked down, seeing what her sister saw. The Crok's, mouths agape, had begun to take bites out of the massive oak tree's trunk. The tree shook with each bite taken. "Woah... You gotta be kidding me, right?!" She yelled as she jumped away from the end. "They're actually eating the tree! What the hell is this!?"
"Someone doesn't want us getting out of here!" Ruby yelled, "I think it's time we abandoned ship!"
Just as she finished her sentence, the tree began to fall...
Well... That's a thing.
This is where I contemplated finishing the first time, but said 'Nah, you're good, chief.' Next thing I know I'm about 7k words in saying 'Maybe I'm not that good...'
Oi, about halfway through this chapter I realized I have a very, VERY, simplistic writing style. I'm gonna try and fix that.
So what did you think? I know, not enough. But I'm not sure if I'd be able to hold your attention for 8k words. Splitting was the best possible outcome for me and for you in the long run. I'll be finishing the next chapter overnight and should have it up and ready tomorrow. There'll be another chapter after that for the epilogue.
Now, when I say these next few words, I mean it. I don't want a "cool story" or a "Nice chapter". No. I want a review. I want to know how you feel. Do you agree with what I said about my writing style? Do I suck? Am I ok? Let me know! I want an actual review!
TWO WORDS DOESN'T HELP ME, PEOPLE!
With that, I'm off. I hope you all enjoyed.
Until Next Time.