This... This became so much more than I intended it to be...
And yet, I couldn't be happier with it. In the end this chapter has 7,252 words. Contained in those 7,252 words are moments of hopelessness, helplessness, acceptance of death, a few cursing by Coco, a giant freaking king Grimm that I totally made up for my already totally made up Grimm in this story, all capping off with fire. Lots and lots of fire.
Are you ready? Good.
Enjoy.
Jaune shifted anxiously in his little corner of the Bullhead. Nerves were running high as he, and his team, had slowly begun to realize what was at stake. 'Every second we wait is a second lost...' He thought grimly. Though he tried to keep those thoughts out, he just couldn't help it.
He looked out the door at the setting sun. 'Almost night. We need to hurry.'
Before his anxiety could peak, a hand on his shoulder brought him back into reality. He peered over, meeting Pyrrha's emerald eyes. "Jaune," she said, "They'll be alright."
Her assurance made him smile slightly, "I know, Pyrrha. But I'm still going to worry, you know?"
She nodded, understanding his concern. She, too, was worried. But, she wasn't going to show it. Someone had to keep the mood and morale up. 'Though, we could be going a bit faster, could we?'
As the tree began to fall, they made a jump for it, each landing at their own individual distances. Weiss used a glyph to boost her jump, Ruby and Yang used their sheer leg strength whilst Blake utilized her semblance to bounce over a few of the beasts below. They all rose to their feet and formed up quickly, their weapons drawn, but not raised.
"Think we can fight them off?" Yang asked, attempting to catch her breath.
"I-I... I don't know..." Ruby admitted. On any other day, maybe they could fight. But she had to look at facts. Her team was busted, bruised and otherwise not one hundred percent. Not to mention their lack of ammo and overall arms and energy to fight this fight, made her seriously consider that this just might be the end. "We... We could run?"
Blake's shoulders sagged, "They'll just catch up to us. Girls, I think it's time we faced facts... This looks like it's it..."
And then it hit them; the futility of it all. No matter how hard they'd fight, the Crokolisks would just keep coming. They just could not stop them all, even if the team was properly
They each looked around and, despite the severity of their situation, began to truly admire the scenery of the swamp. Yes it was a more gloomy area, but the way the sun shone through the branches and the leaves, sparkling over the dew and the ankle-high (in some areas) water.
Blake was the first one to speak, "I've been surrounded by my enemies my entire life, forced to do the most regrettable things for a cause I no longer believed in. But here, now, I can say that I fought for something that I did believe in..." She wiped away a tear as she drew Gambol Shroud, "And I can also say that I died with my friends, too."
Now Weiss was surprised by Blake's confession. The heiress knew of Blake's repentance and personally forgave her, but never did she hear something like that...
It compelled her... "I- I'm not ready to die..." She admitted, "But it beats being the head of a company that I don't want to be a part of anymore... Ah to hell with it! Winter can take over!" She smiled cynically as she raised Myrtenaster, "She needs some responsibility anyway!"
"I think Weiss cracked, everybody." Yang quipped, earning a dirty look by the aforementioned Heiress and a slap to the shoulder by her sister. "Whatever. I'm just looking forward to going out with a-"
"Don't say it, Xiao Long!"
"Oh no..."
"Please, sis, not again!"
"Go out with a 'Yang'!" She gave a fake maniacal laugh, much to her teams discomfort.
"Sorry guys," Ruby sighed, "I tried to stop her."
Blake patted her on the shoulder, "You did you best." She realized her leader had been silent during their admissions, almost in a trance. 'She probably doesn't know what to say...' The faunus turned around, facing away from the group, looking at the Croks as they continued to surround her team. Yang and Weiss took to either of her side, creating a diamond formation.
Now, as they looked on into what appeared to be an endless maw of Crokolisk Grimm, the feeling of doom and dread didn't feel so bad. Each member of Team RWBY felt as though they knew the end was here, and wanted to welcome it.
'After all this,' Yang thought as she shifted her stance around, 'After how far we came, this is how we're going to die...' She was bummed, more than anything. She wanted to keep fighting but was just far too exhausted. Her Aura was spent long ago, as was the rest of her teams', and they were just running on fumes. It would be moments before the adrenaline would wear off and they would each drop.
A Crok in front of Ruby was first to make a move, lunging for the young reaper, only to be met with a downward swing of a scythe. The next Crok came at Blake, darting towards the faunus with its mouth agape. Blake, however, was having none of it, and sent Gambol Shrouds katana right through the Grimm's eye. It punctured out of the skull of the, now former, attacker.
Weiss was next to face a charging Crok. It had been pacing, trying to find an open time to attack. The heiress had kept a cold, unrelenting stare upon it, all while the beast seemed to smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss could see another Crok charge. 'Hmph, too easy.' She thought. This was one of the first tactics she learned about in combat training, as most did. It was very easy to counter. She put up a Glyph in front of the charging Grimm, only to notice a swift red blur and a slicing sound. Double taking, she noticed that the Crok no longer had any legs. She turned her white Glyph black, and when what was left of the Grimm made contact she turned it to the pacing Grimm and fired away, shooting both far from the group.
Yang had begun to wrestle with one of the oversized lizards, staying underneath its mouth to avoid being chomped in half. She mustered whatever strength she could, planted her feet firmly in the ground, grabbed the Grimm's chest and (what she imagined to be) it's waist, and lifted. Three hundred and fifty pounds, easy, of Crokolisk rose from the ground, it's arms flailing as it chomped away, growling all the way up. The blood-red eyes returned as Yang once again found her strength, and she threw the Grimm, overhand, right into three more.
"I'm not sure how long we can do this!" The brawler declared, trying to catch her breath. She was met, however, by an unusually familiar voice.
"We hold out until the very end, damnit!" It was Ruby who had made the bold declaration. She was still fighting, harder than anyone would imagine, considering all that had happened. Despite what she said earlier she still wasn't going to go down so easily. It brought renewed vigor and confidence in her team.
'If she can do it, we can do it!' Blake thought.
'I won't be counted out yet!' Weiss screamed at herself, demanding more out of her not-so-warn-out body.
'Atta girl, sis. You keep those spirits up.' Yang smiled. She knew her sister had the will of a warrior, a refusal to go down so easily. Whether it was determination or stubbornness would depend on the event.
The fought on, unable to relent against an equally relentless enemy. They kept coming, but Team RWBY kept fighting.
As the sounds of battle filled the air around her, Blake couldn't help but hear... Something else... It was close, but not too close. Gradually getting louder. A low hum that sounded like...
An engine!
"Guys..." The faunus called, hear cat-ears twitching as the sound grew louder and louder, "We've got company!"
Before anyone could respond, a voice came over the beaten up radio, which the team had forgotten about after the tree collapsed, "Team RWBY, this is Team CFVY, here to help!" A very familiar voice called, ringing attention to the sky, "I've got a package here with some overgrown Lizards on it, and I think I know where to drop it off!"
Ruby turned to Weiss, whose expression was one of surprise and realization. Weiss flinched, checked Myrtenaster and gave a nod. "Get close!" Ruby declared as the sound of a gun winding up was heard. The team huddled as Weiss plunged her blade into the ground, creating a small cocoon of ice. From the inside, the team could hear and feel the hail of bullets hit the ground with such force. The earth below them rumbled as the Bullhead stayed overhead.
Weiss, unable to continue with the shell, collapsed, as did the teams ice barrier. "Weiss!" Ruby yelled, checking her for vitals. Her breathing was soft and rapid, indicating her fatigue. "Yang, think we coul-"
"HIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A smash and crash was heard, interrupting Ruby before she could make a command. The team turned towards the sound of the interruption, only to find none other than Nora Valkyrie and her larger than all hammer, with a smoldering body of Grimm beneath her. "Tadaa!" She declared, striking a pose.
"Nora?!" Yang yelled in disbelief.
"The one and only! Oh, look, there's everyone else!" She pointed behind the ill-fated team before her. Just past the tree line, three figures came into view, each carrying distinct weapons. Before they could completely come into view Team RWBY knew exactly who was who.
"Well," Pyrrha started, "Nora certainly has the right attitude."
"I think she cheated." Jaune chuckled, earning a whine from the aforementioned hammer-wielder. "She found them, though, so I'm going to let it slide."
"Yay!"
"Hey!" A bark came over the radio, "Can we please get them and go?! You've got way more Grimm coming at ya!"
"I agree with Coco." Ren stated calmly, "Is she ok?" He pointed to Weiss' fallen form.
"Y-yeah, I... I think she's o-out of gas..." Ruby stuttered, "Uh... Is this actually happening?"
"You bet!" Nora jumped, turning Manghild into its Grenade Launcher form, "Now come on! We have a swamp to escape from!" She swiftly threw Weiss' unconscious body over her shoulder and skipped away, her weapon in her free hand.
Ruby, Blake and Yang were still sitting, unmoved. The trio attempting to process what just happened.
Ruby sat, wide eyed and silent, her mind a blank. The one thing that brought her back to reality was a hand in front of her face. When she looked up, she expected to see Yang, or... Even her... But was mildly surprised when she saw Pyrrha's green eyes staring back at her. "Need a hand?" Was all the young leader heard.
"I- uh... Yeah, thanks." Ruby accepted the hand, as the rest of her team rose with the help of Jaune and Ren. "I... Seriously, is this-?"
"Hey, I don't mean to be that guy or anything, but we should get going before Coco yells at us again." Jaune said, fear laced in his voice. It wasn't his current fear of where they were, rather the fear of what Coco would do if they continued to do nothing.
"Right!" Pyrrha clapped, "You three think you can walk on your own?"
Ruby, Blake and Yang all nodded, confirming Pyrrha's hope. The gladiator was not looking forward to carrying even one of the team. 'Maybe Ruby or Weiss, they seem pretty light...' She thought as the group began to make their way to the Landing Zone.
Team CFVY's Bullhead was still above, but slightly out of the way to deal with other threats. Tean JNPR's bullhead, however, was hovering over a nearby clearing. Despite their best efforts, however, the remainder of Team RWBY just had a difficult time keeping up with the fresh and ready team JNPR.
Blake and Yang wasn't as self-conscious of their current speed, but Ruby was. She was afraid she was going too slow, considering she was in the back of the group. 'I... Shouldn't be this tired, right? I didn't use that much Aura?' She thought, 'Oh who am I kidding, Yang's probably going to chew me out when we get back home!'
"You ok?" A voice called, bringing her back to reality. Once again silver eyes met emerald, though blurry. "You seem sluggish. Are you ok?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Never better!" Ruby lied. The look in her tired eyes as well as how she currently felt fooled no one. She knew everyone wanted to move faster but she just couldn't. What also didn't help her cause was her shaking legs, clearly about to give out. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, only to be met by an almost pleading look. "I'm ok, honest."
She wasn't fooled for an instant, but decided to give the reaper some space. 'Probably a pride thing.' Pyrrha thought. She decided to stay close for that moment when Ruby would finally collapse.
Needless to say she didn't have to wait long, as after a few steps the young leader's legs finally gave way.
She grunted as she dropped to her knees, struggling to get up. Yang had turned around with a tired expression, about to jump back towards her sister. The one thing that stopped her, however, was Pyrrha, having enough, lifting the smaller girl on to her shoulders and catching up with the group.
"Ready to go?" Jaune asked. He and the rest of the group had stopped when they heard Ruby's grunt.
"Yeah, I'm good." Pyrrha replied. As the rest of the group began to walk, Yang wondered how long it would be until Blake joined the other half of the team. All the while Blake wondered when Yang would drop, considering the brawler had been awake the longest of the team.
Jaune told Ren to go out ahead and to find Nora. As the latter nodded and ran ahead, Jaune turned to the others, "The clearing's about another couple hundred meters, we're almost there."
"Finally." Yang sighed, "I can't wait to get back home."
"Tell me about it." Blake said, tiredly, still keeping quiet. Yang was quick to hear her tone of voice, even though the others didn't.
"You know, I have just enough strength to give you a break, if you need?" She offered, but Blake kindly refused.
"I can make it back, you worry abo-"
Splash...
Yang stood over her partners fallen form, her face resting in the inch-high water. The blonde looked at the half of team JNPR before her and couldn't help but giggle. "I... Uh... Adrenaline?" She shrugged. Both Jaune and Pyrrha accepted the answer as Yang threw her partner over her shoulders. "She's been fighting for a while, and coming down from an adrenaline high can do that to ya."
"I suppose you know from experience?" Pyrrha asked with a smile, implying Yang's thrill-seeking ways have lead her to some knowledge.
"Maybe." The brawler lied. She and Ruby both knew a thing or two about adrenaline highs. "I do know it can leave you very tired."
Both Jaune and Pyrrha let out a 'duh', indicating that they knew that much. Yang brushed it off and walked on. She herself could feel the tired creeping up on her, but was in no capacity to fall into sleep just yet. She wasn't done, and wouldn't be until she knew her team was safe.
Ahead of them, a bright light shone through a few branches. After passing a few trees, the (conscious) trio made it to the clearing Jaune had mentioned earlier. "We're here." He said, noticing Nora and Ren by a large rock.
The clearing was very large and open, with a boulder protruding from the ground decorating the middle. Just past that, however, was all water, whereas the side the teams were currently on was dry.
Leaning against the boulder was Weiss, with Ren right next to her, making sure nothing happened. Nora was on top of the rock, throwing smaller pebbles into the water beyond. "It's very deep." She said, confirming all suspicions.
"Just like the pilot thought," Pyrrha added, setting Ruby down by the slumbering heiress. Ruby, surprisingly enough, was semi-conscious. Despite the amount of Aura she had used, it appeared that her body had tired while her mind had not. The younger thanked Pyrrha and leaned her head back against the large rock. Yang had set her partner down on the other side of her sister.
She looked to Ruby and smiled, "Keep watch over these two, alright?" She turned to Pyrrha and nodded, silently indicating that they were ready. The gladiator returned her nod and turned to Jaune.
"You wanna be the one to do this?"
"Oh, no, Pyrrha, you're on a roll with it today." Jaune passed, not taking the chance to muck up over the radio. An issue that may or may not have happened twice this mission.
Pyrrha giggled and hit the button on the radio, "Archangel this is JNPR, Package is received and ready for pickup, over."
A static-covered voice was heard, "Copy, I'm on my way back. Gun Angel, keep them covered, will ya?"
"Oh, that's our call sign?! Really!?" Coco hollered, "Jesus, I know kindergartners who can think of better names!" She sigh, still having the radio on, but not really caring for the fact. "Whatever, We'll do it." Team CFVY's engine was heard once again as it approached.
Pyrrha and Jaune, currently, were watching the swamp, making sure nothing came to attack them. Ren was watching team RWBY by the boulder; whilst Nora stood, watching the water. She had seen a few bubbles pop up, but wasn't able to tell if they were air-pockets or otherwise. She wanted to fire off a few rounds to test it, but didn't want to bring attention to them.
No matter how badly she wanted to, she knew it would be a bad idea. Team RWBY had made it so far and it was fair to endanger them again.
However, the danger still hadn't past...
Deep within the pond before her, lied another monster. Watching.
Waiting.
"Guys, it's Velvet," A voice broke, "These things don't give off a thermal reading, we can't see them! Be careful down there!"
Nora and Ren shared a look as did Jaune and Pyrrha. If their eyes in the sky couldn't see where these Grimm were with the infrared, then it's a visual game. If it's a visual game, it makes everything so much more dangerous.
Team CFVY's bullhead soared above, waiting for their counterpart to pick up the ground teams. Coco sat anxiously in her seat. They sent JNPR's craft out and away while they cleared out the rest of the Grimm, just in case something happened. The last thing they needed would be two downed craft.
"Coco, are you alright?" Velvet asked, worriedly. She had been reading Coco's expression all mission, knowing full well her team lead wasn't very happen.
"I'd be a lot better once we get out of this place." Her leader spoke, annoyance laced her voice. "This is all just... I don't know, this situation just doesn't sit right. Something's up something's going to happen... But when?"
Velvet gathered her thoughts. She, too, had a feeling of dread. Something else was out there, she could feel it. 'Maybe I can see it, too?' The faunus thought. She looked out one of the open doors of the bullhead and began to examine the environment closer.
In the background was their second bullhead, finally making his approach. On the ground, nothing. Neither Pyrrha nor Jaune had seen anything in the tree line move. and Velvet couldn't see past the thick branches. She looked towards the pond Nora was watching. Every now and again she could make out a small ripple, but just couldn't tell if it was wind causing it, their engines, or... Anything. It could be so many options, but the one that concerned her the most was the prospect of more Grimm, hiding.
As her craft began to circle around to make room for the ground teams' pickup, she got a better view of the water. It was murky, leaving her unable to see the bottom of the pond. As they dropped their speed, the engines began to point into the pond, creating more ripples.
Then she saw it.
That bone-white armor,
Those blood-red eye...
Resting just beyond the boulder which sat the resting Team RWBY...
"Guys!" Velvet yelled, "Look in the water!"
All eyes turned towards the pond. The beast knew it had been spotted and decided to make his presence known. Jumping above the water, the Crokolisk stood, taller and wider than any of the oak trees that currently surrounded them. It's roar filled the sky, deep and angry. Armor covered almost its entire body; even the underside.
Nora and Ren looked on, horrified. They each jumped, taking the two unconscious members of RWBY. Ruby, using whatever strength she had, grabbed onto Yang and launch herself off the rock, taking Yang with her.
"My god..." Jaune whispered, watching in horror as the monstrosity moved toward his team. It walked on its hind legs, dropping to all fours when it made it to land. Unleashing a massive roar, it seemed to be beckoning others to join the fight.
Velvet was shocked. She had seen massive Grimm before, had brought down many on her own, but never something like this. Crok's were rare indeed, only a few areas in the whole world held them. But for one of this size... It seemed impossible...
"Fox, Yatsu!" Coco yelled, "Get down there and help them!" Before she could finish the two had jumped, anxious to get in the fight. As they dropped, Coco opened her bag, letting her chain gun unfold. "Archangel, get out of here! We'll cover them! Pilots, start spooling your guns! Velvet-" She turned to her teammate with an almost sick smile, "Let's fuck this bitch up."
That was all Velvet needed. She unclipped her box and flipped open the top, revealing dust... A lot of dust...
Jars of assorted dust, from the basic to mixtures, it was all within that box. She was hoping she could save it for a rainy day, when she realized that it doesn't get any rainier than a giant, angry Crok! She began to remove the caps of the jars as Coco spooled up her gun, waiting on her teammate before unleashing a full hellfire assault. Finally the mage had weaved fire dust in one arm and lightning in the other; literally the two most destructive, and rose from her kneeling position. Her eyes glowed momentarily as she summoned her Aura, preparing her spells.
"Fire!" Coco declared. She and Velvet both began to unleash a furious assault upon the Crok, managing to grab its attention. The pilot weaved to avoid a swipe.
"This is our chance!" Jaune declared, "Let's get them out of here! Nora, Pyrrha, open fire. The rest of us, pick up a sleeper and-" A snap of a branch got his attention. From the tree line, more Crok's had appeared, hungry-looking as ever. "Oh come on!"
"Know our pain..." Yang huffed as she struggled to her feet. Ruby had effectively worn herself out and joined her teammates in slumber. Yang, on the other hand, was still fighting to stay awake. She wasn't go to go down until she knew her friends were safe.
She wasn't just that way with Ruby, it was with everyone she had ever known. That was the kind of person she was; contrary to popular belief. Everyone saw her as the go-go party girl-which she was that on occasion- but really she was more protective then that. When they were in grade-school, Ruby called her 'Mama bear" as a joke. But that joke would actually be the reality of it.
She shook the memory away and brought herself back to the issue at hand. Team JNPR, Yatsuhashi and Fox were in their fighting stances, standing in between RWBY and the Croks.
"Jaune, I think Crokzilla called some friends!" Nora shouted, aiming her Grenade Launcher at the forest.
"I think you're right, Nora. Cut them down!" Jaune's order was met with a resounding display of warfare, as all available guns opened on the forest. Some explosions were strong enough (thanks mostly to Nora's canon) to start fires on the trees.
Most of the Grimm within the forest never made it out. They were either blown away or fled from the fire. The ones that did, however, were dealt by Fox and Yatsuhashi, who jumped ahead to be the melee.
Yatsuhashi smashed his blade into the ground, creating a shockwave large enough to damage the Crok's outer armor. That was where Fox had his moment. He used his gauntlets to slice the now unprotected Grimm with ease. When the Grimm fell, the duo jumped back to stay with RWBY, keeping them protected; JNPR was the ones firing into the forest.
Yang watched on and was envious. She knew she had fought enough but still wanted to go a few more rounds. Ammo and Aura be damned, she wanted to give back what she and her team had taken these last few hours.
Looking behind her, she saw Crokzilla flail its arms, trying desperately to hit CFVY's bullhead. Whenever they weren't whipped around in an attempt to avoid the behemoths' hand, gun fire and magic bolts could be seen, indicating that the other half of CFVY was still putting up a fight.
"Gun Angel this is Archangel..." JNPR's pilot broke, "Is there any chance that we can make a rescue? Over?"
"Negative! It's too dangerous!" Coco hollered, "This thing could turn on them any minute, then we'd all be screwed!"
"Then let me help you out. You aren't the only one ready to fight!" Without a seconds hesitation JNPR's craft went into a hover; it's underbelly chain gun beginning to fire out. Two weapons bay doors alongside the craft opened up and a flurry of rockets and burst-missiles erupted from the craft. Crokzilla was facing away from Archangel when they opened fire, leaving its back to take the assault.
The massive Grimm roared in pain as it dropped to all fours before completely collapsing. Many roars broke out from around the forest as it began to burn. Crokzilla lay, unmoving and, by the sound of the roars around them, it appeared to be dead.
"We... We did it..." Jaune claimed, more quizzically than certainly. He and Pyrrha shared a glance before turning back to the fallen behemoth. Despite its size and appearance, it was taken down rather quickly. 'Though, with the ammo they pumped into him, I'd be surprised if he would get up again...' Jaune thought. Smoke rose from the beast, it's armor cracked and broken.
"Archangel this is Gun Angel, go ahead for the pickup." Coco called, every barrel of her gun smoked from its use. Velvet dropped to her knees, her dust storage mostly spent. she had a little of everything available, but that would still not be much. She stared out the door, tiredly, at the popularly dubbed Crokzilla. 'We put everything we had into him,' she thought, 'But that still shouldn't be enough. A creature like that with that kind of armor should not be that weak... It should not have been that easy.'
The faunus squinted to concentrate her vision. If she couldn't hear it, she hoped to at least see it.
And she did.
Archangel had landed, though keep its engines on in case of an emergency dust off. Fox and Yatsuhashi had picked up the fallen of RWBY; Fox take Blake and Yatsuhashi taking Weiss. Yang commissioned Pyrrha to handle Ruby whilst Ren and Nora helped the blonde limp towards the craft.
All of her team began to stir, which was a great sight for Yang. Fatigue from the overuse of Aura was a dangerous issue for hunters, no matter who they are. It can leave you incapacitated, or even comatose in extreme cases. Now, though, seeing her team begin to wake up made her happy that their fatigue wasn't as severe.
Jaune closed one of the open sides of the bullhead, latching the door shut. Pyrrha was the next one inside the craft behind her leader. She set Ruby down on the crafts foldaway seats, securing the harness so the young leader wouldn't fly all over the place.
Fox was the next one in, setting Blake's half-awake form next to her leader. Before Fox could fasten her in, she took the harness from his hands and began to do it herself. It wasn't to prove anything, it was just to do it.
Yatsuhashi came in next with the not-so-surprisingly asleep form of Weiss. The heiress had been in and out of consciousness now for a while, and had just slipped away once again. The large warrior set the smaller girl down on an open seat next to her faunus teammate. Blake tiredly stared as Yatsuhashi fumbled with the harness. It was evident that he didn't know how to use it, and considering his size it wasn't all that surprising. Pyrrha, deciding not to let the second year embarrass himself any longer, patted him on the shoulder and took over. She got the harness around Weiss with ease, leaving Yatsuhashi shaking his head.
Just as Nora and Ren approached with Yang, a voice cried out over the radio. It was Velvet, and she sounded horrified, "Guys! Get out of there, now!"
Before anyone could ask what was happening, Archangel began to shift. Nora, Ren and Yang being thrown to the ground to avoid being crushed by the bullhead. It didn't take long to see why...
Crokzilla stood once again, his armor cracked, his body smoking from the earlier assault. He wasn't dead yet and was, in fact, looking for a bit of payback.
Yang's heart began to race as her counterparts began to help her to her feet. Nora's general cheery face was now replaced by one of absolute fear, whilst Ren stood in shock. "We need to move!" He shouted, leading the girls into the burning swamp.
Both of the Bullheads began to open fire on the massive beast once again hoping that each bullet would be the last. Within Archangel, everyone had kept to the closed side of the bullhead, trying their hardest to not be thrown out of the aircraft mid-maneuver. To Ruby, this was all a dream. Being thrown around like a rag doll tied to a seat made her want to hurl if she had any food in her right now. She couldn't tell if the world was spinning or if she had suffered another head injury. 'Two in one mission... Huh, Uncle Qrow's got nothing on this...' She chuckled to herself.
As the red-clad girl looked around the Bullhead, she realized why they were still spinning. A lack of a blonde brawler, an orange haired hammer wielder and a lotus within the craft. It didn't take her long to connect the dots. 'They never made it on board...' She shook the dark thoughts away, trying to keep positive. She undid the harness that kept her tied to her seat, much to Pyrrha's dismay.
The gladiator tried her best to stop the younger teen from approaching the open door, fearing Ruby would fall out. She would fail, however, as Ruby's stubborn side prevailed. The reaper made it to the open door and peered out, not believing what she saw.
She wasn't awake to see Crokzilla the first time. Even now in its damaged state, she still couldn't believe what she saw. She turned away when the beast roared at the two bullheads above. Pyrrha finally got to her, wrapping her arm around Ruby's waist and grabbing hold of a nearby harness for safety with her free hand.
The red-clad girl looked desperately around at the ground, looking for her sister and friends. Eventually she found them, hiding close to flames. Crokzilla had made it to land, but was too distracted by the guns in the air to worry about three puny humans on the ground. She watched in distressed horror as her sister and friends hid, knowing full well she was helpless to do anything for them.
"Archangel, now will be your only chance! Get in there while we have his attention!"
The order came louder and clearer than anything Ruby had heard that day. It was past time they left, but this... thing, in front of them was all that stopped them. She wondered who was it that didn't want them to leave? Who above wanted them dead so badly?
Her Bullhead rode in, slipping behind Crokzilla and down to a vestige of open land. Nora and Ren helped Yang to her feet then booked it for the craft. The blonde put it into high gear, trying her hardest to build up speed. The bullhead wasn't on the ground, so she would have to jump.
The hammer wielder was the first on board, making enough height with the help of her weapon to clear the edge of the entrance. Ren had a bit more trouble than his counterpart, but with the help of Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora, he made it aboard with relative ease.
Yang wasn't so lucky. She had almost no energy left, which meant her jump just wasn't that good. She grabbed the edge of the craft, barely hanging on. The craft had begun to pull away, much to everyone else's distress. Nora hollered for them to stop, but the pilots could not. They had to get away before Crokzilla turned towards them.
Ruby grabbed her sisters hand, but was still being held back by Pyrrha. Ren took the other and together the two began to pull the blonde in.
Crokzilla had other plans, though. He had gotten bored with Coco and Velvet's craft and turned his attention towards the lower, hovering Bullhead. The pilots made notice of this and realized they had to leave, now. They banked right, causing everyone on board to trip, stumble and topple over each other. Ren lost his grip on Yang, but Ruby still hung on.
The red-clad reaper hung out of the Bullhead, being held up by Pyrrha, who was currently latched on to the girls cloak. Ruby struggled to pull Yang in, but the force of the turn had swung Yang around, making it entirely impossible to keep her grip. 'Come on.' She thought, 'You can't fail! Pull her in!'
But she just couldn't. The pilot made another maneuver to avoid a massive claw, and with it, Ruby's grip finally gave out.
"Yang!" She cried as Yang fell to the earth below. Ruby watched in agonizing horror, finally being pulled back into the craft by Pyrrha and Ren. She put up a fight, trying desperately to go back and help her sister.
"No, no..." Pyrrha soothed, keeping a the younger in a firm, yet gentle embrace. "You can't go. Don't worry, we won't leave without her..." As much as Pyrrha wanted to believe her own words, she just couldn't. Right now, the situation was dire, and it looked like there was no help in sight.
She fell from the Bullhead through the twilight sky. She thought, nay, hoped, that a fall from that height would be her end. She just wanted to rest, she just wanted it all to be over no matter how it ended. She knew her friends were safe and that's all she needed! She can die happy, right here right now!
But no. Fate had other plans for the blonde brawler.
She hit the ground with a resounding thud. Feeling the illumination of the flames in the forest behind her was all she needed to know that she was still alive. Rolling onto her front she pushed herself up, a feeling of dread moving up her spine as she rose to a standing position.
had a cynical smile on its face as it stared down at her. Yang walked backwards slowly, moving towards the flames. Her hope was that this thing in front of her world be turned off by the heat of the fires. She was so wrong.
Her shoulders slumped as she began to accept her fate. She closed her eyes and waited for the end, as the beasts mouth began to open. But before she could become Crok-food, she heard a noise.
No... She heard a voice.
"Yang!" It called. It was familiar. It was scared. It was...
...It was Ruby.
She opened her eyes, which had now turned blood-red once again. 'I... Won't... Die!' She thought, as she found her second wind. She peered up at Crokzilla, who could see the rage in the young huntress-in-training's eyes. The massive Grimm brought a big claw down upon her, which she grabbed hold of with both hands.
The resounding smack emanated throughout the forest. Pyrrha, Ruby and everyone else on board watched on in amazement as Yang fought on. 'She did it... It's gonna leave her down a while, but she rekindled that fire...' Ruby thought, as she wiped a tear from her eyes. It wasn't going to be enough, but she could still leave a fight long enough for them to get her out.
Velvet and Coco also watched on, stunned that their friend was still on her feet, let alone fighting. Coco looked to her faunus teammate as an idea popped into her head. "Velvet!" She cried, putting a hand on the mage's shoulder, "How much fire dust do you have left?!"
Velvet checked her storage, sifting through to make sure she had all of it in one spot. She held up a small jar, with barely an eighth of it full. "I only have this much..." She replied meekly.
"That may be enough..." The fashionista stood up and offered a hand. Velvet accepted but stared at her leader quizzically. "I need you to fire off a blast of fire dust at Yang." Velvet finally realized what Coco was saying, "Her aura will absorb it and she can use it to fight of this big son of bitch!" Coco turned towards the cockpit and yelled, "Get us in closer!"
"But, ma'am," The pilot began to argue, "It's too danger-"
"Look!" The brown-haired women took him by the collar and pulled him in close, "My friend is down there fighting a hand-to-hand fight against a giant Grimm. If you don't get us in close so we can give her a fighting chance I will personally throw you out the door and leave you for the Croks!" She took a breath after finishing her threat. "Now. Get. Us. Close!"
The pilot and co-pilot finally gave in to the demand, maneuvering the craft closer towards the blonde, who was currently hanging on to both of Crokzilla's claws. Velvet began to warp the dust around her hands, preparing it for the brawler below. Deep down she had hoped she wouldn't burn her friend alive. 'Ruby may never forgive me if I mess up...' She thought. 'Rightfully so... Now that I think about it...'
She shook the thoughts from her head, 'No! I have to do this right! Too much relies on this to work right!' Her eyes began to emit a soft glow as she warped the dust into a soft ball in her hands. The spell was ready, and she hoped Yang was too. 'If she rejects this, it will kill her...' She thought. 'Please, don't refuse this!'
Velvet fired away, a red ball leaving her hands. Ruby and the others watched helplessly as it happened, expecting it to be a shot meant for Crokzilla. They were shocked and surprised to find the bolt arcing downwards, towards the brawler.
Yang, keeping her attention on the beast in front of her, could feel heat rising behind her. She thought nothing of it, as she expected the fires to have grown. However, she was surprised when her strength began to return to her. She looked down as red dust swarmed around her.
It was at this point where she realized that a Bullhead was right behind her. She glanced backwards and smiled, giving a nod in thanks. 'Velvet, when I'm done here I'm going to crush you in a hug!' Yang thought. 'Now let's teach this asshole a lesson.'
Yang breathed in, her body emanating a light glow that grew brighter and brighter as she absorbed more dust. She knew she had enough power for one powerful shot, but still held back. She harnessed all of her rage, holding her punch for just a moment so her semblance could, in essence, cook her newfound power and unleash it in one go.
Crokzilla had enough games, ripping its right arm free from Yang's left, it brought down a heavy claw on the brawler. With a sickening smack, the beast launched her back into a large tree. Said tree came down, providing a bit of cover for the brawler.
No movement came from the forest where she was launched into. The glow had vanished. Crokzilla roared a mighty roar of victory as the others began to lose hope. Tears welled in Ruby's eyes. Weiss kept hers closed tight, not wanting to see more. Blake hoped to see something out of the tree line. Seconds passed. Nothing happened.
"That can't be it..." Jaune staggered, disbelief in his voice. "After all of that, she can't be-"
A bright glow interrupted him as an explosion ripped through the swamp. Brighter than a second sun, Yang had finally let herself go. Flames shot out in all directions as anyone in a mile radius was blinded.
Crokzilla wiped his eyes and refocused his vision. He brought another left hook down, but was surprised to find a hot, burning sensation around its claw. Yang had grabbed hold, and was melting away the armor by sheer contact. With her free arm, she unleashed a hellish punch, turning the entire left arm of the giant beast to ash.
Crokzilla recoiled, stepping away from the sun before it. Its armor on its chest had melted away from the prolonged exposure to the heat. Yang stepped closer, trying to incite another swipe. She got her wish as the Grimm let out a defensive chop with its good arm. Yang stepped to the right and let the arm crash into the ground. Then she jumped, bouncing off of the forearm of Crokzilla, heading for the beasts now exposed chest.
Yang mustered all of her strength into this next shot, a fire covering her entire arm. She wound back, let out a brutal roar that made Crokzilla itself look like a house cat, and slammed her fist into the Grimm's chest.
With a final explosion of hellish proportions, Yang followed through. She bounced back from force of the blast, planting her feet firmly on the ground. The glow she emitted had diminished and her eyes began to return to their lilac form. Yang watched on as Crokzilla roared in pain, grabbing its chest with its good hand. She left a gaping hole that burned the Grimm away with agonizing slowness.
She wanted to say she watched it die. She wanted to say she watched it burn. But, alas, consciousness began to abate her. Yang dropped to her knees, her shoulders sagging as she let out a final sigh of relief. It was over...
Now, she could rest.
I feel as though I did Yang some justice here. Running off the headcanon that you could absorb dust and have it temporarily replenish aura really helped this chapter, especially in the end.
I don't really know what to say, to be honest. Normally I'll have something witty or funny but not right now, I don't know why. Instead, I'm just going to ask how I did. I don't normally do fight scenes, so this was a huge step out of my comfort zone. I wanna know how I did.
One last thing before I leave: There WILL be an epilogue to this story coming out in a few days. It's going to wrap everything up nicely, so if you have any questions all you have to do is wait. The final (and this time, I mean FINAL) chapter will have all your answers.
That's it from me. Let me know how I did, please. I love hearing from you all.
Until Next Time.