The first thing that hit Tidus after the fall was the stench. He had been planning to concede his defeat and just lie there in the pit. Maybe take a little nap. But the stench was just too much. He sat up from the ground, his whole body throbbing with pain and his nose burning as he looked around. A chill ran down his spine when he realised the source of the stench. Scattered all around the pit were corpses at various levels of decomposing. Most of the bodies were beyond recognition, but the fact the desert was rather void of any large animals made it clear what species most of these belonged to. The human skull peeking through some sand may have also been a bit of a giveaway. It was a distressing sight but unfortunately common for Vacuo. They weren't called sudden demise for nothing after all.

Not content with sitting in the miasma of rot any longer, Tidus stood up and took in the rest of the pit. In the center, he found the twisted wreckage of the buggy. Jett still dangling limply in the driver's seat and Ash out cold on the ground nearby. He muttered a small curse under his breath before he tried to wake Jett up first. The man's temper may not have been the best, but he trusted he would be a bit more level-headed about the situation.

"Hey you still alive?" Tidus reached in and shook the man's shoulder.

There was a moment of stirring as Jett blinked a few times before groaning. The blonde seemed fine at first until his amber eyes bulged and he covered his mouth. Jett threw himself out of the buggy, letting out a cry of agony.

"Holy shit, are you alright?" A stupid question on Tidus' half, considering the situation. Jett writhed on the floor, clutching his face. Dry heaving every time he tried to take in a breath.

He finally managed a few strangled words. "The…smell…stop." Tidus panicked when he pieced the words together. Jett was obviously a Faunus. His wolf like ears made that much clear. But Tidus hadn't realised his wolf like traits didn't just affect his ears and hearing but his nose and smell too. It probably amplified the horrifying stench of this place tenfold for the guy. Tears were reaching the Jett's eyes and Tidus was still at a loss for what to do. The scratching of dirt behind him changed Tidus' focus as Ash awakened from the commotion.

"What the… Oh, what is that smell?!" Ash said, his fingers brought up to pinch his nose as he took in the surroundings.

"Listen, I know it stinks, but Jett is losing it over here so I could use your help right now." Ash nodded as he came over to kneel with Tidus next to Jett's struggling figure. "You've known him longer. Is there anyway to help him?"

Ash thought for a second before suggesting his solution. "We could break his nose? You know, to stop him from smelling."

Jett's response was to glare at Ash and let out a series of muffled swears. "It could work. But we'd have to beat him up for a while to break his aura first."

"Yeah, probably not the best idea." Ash went back to thinking before throwing his hands up. "I've got it. Jett, do you remember you have that one technique? You used to use it to block your senses."

Jett calmed a bit at the memory. He closed his eyes before his aura glowed a deep blue around his body. It rippled around him like water before concentrating on his face. The glow settled on his nose, allowing Jett to open his mouth and take in successful gasps of air.

With Jett's breathing issues solved, they spent the next ten minutes examining the hole they were in. Over fifty metres deep with a pulpy clay wall, there was no hope of escape from the way they dropped in. Ash proved that when he fell from the wall for a third time after only making it a few meters. The malleable clay was too soft to withstand any proper weight. That left the only other option, a tunnel just as wide as the hole that lead into an inky darkness. Jett paced back and forth, kicking at random bones and rocks, complaining to himself. His rage filled visage may have been intimidating if not for the blue glow continuously emanating from his nose caused by his sensory block. "Fuck sake, just my luck to be stuck down here with likes of you two."

"Last time I checked, we're down here because someone couldn't keep his eyes on the road." Jett scowled at Tidus' not-so-subtle dig.

"Yeah? Well, if there wasn't an enormous hole in the windscreen, I would have been able to see better." Tidus didn't bother to engage any further with the hot headed blonde. He was too tired to get into an argument right now. In fact, he'd just about given up. A tunnel to most likely nowhere and an unclimbable pit had brought out the defeatist in him. Ash was on the opposite end of the spectrum.

"I will admit that climbing out is not possible." Ash said as he stared at the clay wall.

"No shit sherlock."

Ash ignored Jett's comment and continued. "So ominous tunnel it is."

"I don't think that's the play. This place is a blind worm tunnel for sure, so you can guess what's waiting at the end."

Jett nodded in agreement with Tidus' observation. The pit they found themselves in was obviously the work of a blind worm. Nasty creatures. They caused most of the sinkholes in the desert. Burrowing and sitting an inch below the sand, they would wait for vibrations and sense auras from above. When the time was right, emerging and attacking their victims. The little ones posed a minor threat. They could only gnaw at your feet. But big ones could swallow an entire party of people whole. Just by judging the dimensions of the pit they were in and the number of corpses the one in these tunnels could be disastrous in scale.

Ash either didn't care about the facts or he didn't know them.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. That tunnel is going towards the mines and with a little luck, they could connect." Ash left no time to dispute, already starting towards the murky darkness.

Tidus turned and watched. "So we're just relying on dumb luck now?"

Jett gave Tidus a pat on the shoulder as he moved to follow Ash. "How do you think we got this far?"

Ash didn't make it very far in the tunnel before he stopped. It was dark. Eerily dark. When he looked down, he already couldn't see his feet or body. Ash didn't fear the dark, but it would be foolish to continue like this. He got out his scroll to use the flashlight, but no matter how many times he tried to open it, the device failed to cooperate. It was only when a faint blue glow approached from behind that he saw the state of disrepair the many falls of the day had left it in. Ash turned to ask Jett for his flashlight but couldn't help but fall into a fit of laughter. Jett's sensory suppression technique was still going strong and now, in the dark, his nose was literally glowing. Jett just let his rage simmer under the surface at the man's laughter.

Recovering from his laughing fit, Ash finally asked for Jett's flashlight. But like Ash's, Jett's scroll turned on and lasted only a second before turning off. Jett's anger only bubbled closer to his boiling point.

"Your kidding me? I'm out of power." He gave the scroll a few slaps before conceding defeat. "Tidus, does your flashlight work?"

Tidus rooted around in his coat pocket before pulling his scroll out. After a few seconds of browsing through settings, however, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Seems like mine doesn't have a flashlight."

"What! You're fucking with me. Hand it over." Tidus reluctantly handed the scroll to Jett, who examined the object. The glow from his nose highlighting the intense focus on his face. After a while, he threw it back to Tidus and gave in to the outburst that had been building.

"Why the Fuck does your scroll not have a flashlight?! How is that even possible?!" Jett's shouts echoed through the tunnels. The light from his nose cast frantic shadows when he shook his head in frustration.

Tidus gave a shrug and a sheepish grin. "I don't know. I just never really noticed it before."

"How? How can you not notice?! Where the fuck did you buy that ancient brick?"

"Ummm, I think it was in the shopping district…"

"No wonder! You bought that piece of shit from Vacuo. I built my scroll, and I even thought to incorporate a flashlight. Next time, order one from Vale or Atlus. Not this backwater shithole." Jett let out a few ragged breaths as he finally calmed down from his tantrum.

Ash had been stifling his laughter while watching. Jett's nose light had made his exaggerated complaining all the funnier. "Well, we still have Jett's nose light. So lead the way and light our path, Rudolph."

Jett didn't find the new name funny. But he bit his tongue and lead the way. "Just be glad that my eyes see well in the dark."

The long walk through the tunnel was voiceless. The echoes of their footfalls and the clinking of the chains at Jett's hip were the only noise. Everyman very aware that any moment the blind worm that made the tunnel could be back or hear the vibrations their voices generated. Jett still lead them stalwart through the twists and turns of the tunnels. The light on his nose had dimmed, letting his amber eyes appear luminous in the dark. Soon, they came to a point where the tunnel opened up. The stagnant air they had been breathing became lighter as the tunnel entered a massive ravine. Jett's eyes peered through the veil of darkness. With the ups, downs, twists and turns of the tunnel, it was unclear of how deep they were or what direction they had gone. It didn't last long, however, when his gaze fell on a staircase leading to a large metal door on the far side of the ravine.

Jett felt a second wind hit him at the sight of it. Lady luck had truly blessed him today. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I just found us a way out." The words bounced off the walls of the cavern, followed by sighs of relief as all three of them picked up the pace. Tidus just wanted to get out of here before the constant darkness fucked his sense of time.

They soon came to a stop at a sheer wall to high and flat to scale. Jett scoured the edge for a way up till he found some rope. Rope? No, it was black and leathery would have been a weird rope if it was. A cable? Jett shrugged it off. The allure of freedom interested him far more than the mystery cable.

Back on flat ground, their fast walk turned to a light jog. But with the blinding dark around them, a rise in the ground caused Ash to trip. It was only for a second and he was straight back up, but he was certain that he glimpsed another black chord. He forgot about it and kept going to keep up as the terrain changed. More and more they were stepping over these weird cable looking things. The massive ravine almost seemed to close in like a labyrinth. They were being surrounded by elevated walls that shared the black leather texture. At one point, when they climbed over one, Ash's curiosity got the better of him.

"Umm guys. These cables or whatever, aren't they weird? Like, what are they for?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's keep going." Jett turned, eager to get out, but Tidus stopped him. The penny had finally dropped.

"Weren't we supposed to be on the lookout for a blind worm?"

Straight after the words left his mouth, everything shook. The entire ravine felt like it was shifting, with the walls around them moving. No. Slithering. It forced Ash off the thing he had been standing on as the creature (creatures?) started moving around them. The three had their backs to each other in a triangle, watching as everything changed around them.

"What do we…" Jett's shushing quieted Ash.

"We stay silent and stay still. Don't even think about fighting these things if we can't see their heads." Jett's words came out in a whisper as their triangle shifted to avoid touching the Grimm surrounding them.

The quakes subsided as the movement around them came to a halt. Wordlessly, the group started shuffling after Jett towards the exit. It was only a little further, the outline of the stairs barely visible in the cave's darkness. It was right there, a clear shot… Just as they were about to make a break for it, a segment of blind worm dropped in front of them and reignited the chaos. Jett wasn't waiting around this time. He ploughed forward, making a break for the stairs. Tidus and Ash followed out of necessity. Jett's nose being the only guiding light in the cavern's murk. All around them, the blind worm's bodies were flailing against the walls and floors of the cave. Each hit threatening to collapse the surrounding gorge. It was like witnessing a ball of wires explode from the inside. The blind worms continued to grow more sporadic. Worm bodies fell from the ceiling, flew up from the ground, swung from the side. It was pure pandemonium.

Jett lead the way, weaving in and out of the flying appendages. He dived forward into a roll over the top of one that swept for his legs. In front of him, five bodies slowed enough that he could climb them like a staircase. The door was in sight. He lept to his right onto one leather surface, then across to another. His last jump aimed towards the metal door. He poised himself, launching Reaper above his head. The sickle wedged itself in a low hanging rock that he used to swing himself to safety. Expectantly, he turned, looking for his allies. Ash was the only one visible to him.

Ash stood on the body of a blind worm that hung limply between two rocks. An idea brewing in his head. He struck with an aura infused blow to the Grimm's body, causing the muscle to go taut. The sudden rigid nature acting as a sling shot catapulting him through the air towards the door. To finish, his red aura surfaced again, burning as a short plume of fire slowed his descent. Jett almost shit his pants when the second of light spread over the ravine, revealing the full extent of how many blind worms there could be.

He pushed that out of his mind now. The only thing important right now was escaping this hell and to do that, they needed the door open. He gave it a solid push, to no avail. 'Shit, Shit, Shit. Think Jett think.' His haphazard thought process availed him no strategies, instead joining Ash in trying to pry the door open with just their hands. They could really do with some muscle power right now, but the big guy was nowhere to be found.

Said big guy was closing in. The maze of worms had turned Tidus around, but Ash's brief fire show had guided him back to the right path. He dodged left and right, climbing over and sliding under the writhing forms. Just as he reached the stairs, a large body portion fell on him. He braced himself and caught it, straining under the weight to keep himself from being crushed. With the combined effort from brawny arms and long legs, he exploded out from his crouching position. Launching the limb into enough air time for him to dart out from underneath. He reached the top to witness the other two pulling at the door with futility.

"Move!" Ash and Jett stopped struggling with the door at his command. Now taking over door duty, he wedged his halberd into the gap in order to use the long weapon as a lever to pry the door open. The door let out a groan audible over the chaos behind them and a trickle of air escaped as it opened. With more to grip, Jett and Ash moved back in to help, grabbing one door and opening it fully. The three men ran inside, collapsing in the corridor to catch their breaths as the noise from the ravine died down.

Jett took to looking around whilst the other two caught their breath. Not that they had a choice, considering his nose light was gone, and he was the only one who could see. Fortune kept up its fickle ways, it seemed. Giving him a wind wielder to borrow from to slow his fall. But then giving him Ash as a travelling companion. Giving him a buggy. Then giving him a flock of Nevermore. Give them the first relics, then drop them in a pit. And after giving them hell on Remnant, the gift of the lantern he had found seemed a bit underwhelming.. The engineer in him stirred as he picked the object up and opened up the bottom to repair it. Before long, new light flickered into it, allowing everybody to get a look at their surroundings.

The corridor itself was nothing to write home about, constructed out of bricks carved out of the wall with basic lights hanging from the ceiling. The group was more interested in checking the Ravine they came from. There was no genuine risk posed by the blind worms anymore. Since blind worms were… well… blind, after all. Not like they would spot the light. That didn't matter, as Tidus learned.

"Oh, fuck."

"Dude, keep it down. The worms might hear us." Jett spoke quietly again as he approached the door.

"There are no worms. Just A worm." Sure enough, when Jett and Ash looked out through the door with Tidus, there was not a single blind worm head visible. No. Instead, there was just one body that grew in width as it snaked across the floor and walls until it disappeared into an opening in the wall.

"Fuck me, that's one blind worm. Where's its head?" Tidus and Jett shuddered at the thought of running into the Grimm's head.

"Lets not worry about it. We finally hit the mines, so let's keep pushing on." Ash's words of encouragement fell flat on Tidus. As much as he wanted this over, the blind worm's body disappeared into a tunnel that was in the same direction as the corridor. No doubt they would run into it again soon.

Soon may have been too soon. As they pushed deeper, several corridors with broken walls gave way to more of the worm's body. They undulated in the walls with the creature's every breath. Any movement causing a small rumble and silt to fall from cracks in the roof. It seemed no matter where they went; the worm was already there, a permanent addition to the mine. After a while, they spotted some light in the distance. They picked up the pace at the sight, but Jett slowed them with an outstretched hand.

His ears flickered for a second before he said, "I hear fighting up ahead." The effect on Ash was instant. Tidus and Jett didn't know what the guy's obsession with combat was, but the word fight had literally flicked a switch in his head. He turned to give Jett a crazed grin before he took off down the corridor. Jett held his head in his hands and Tidus just sighed. Both knew that letting Ash charge to his inevitable death was the easiest option. Even then, they still followed the reckless charge with weapons drawn.

As they drew closer, the sounds of talking and combat replaced the echo of their footsteps in the corridor.

"We need to run! Ravagers were one thing, but we can't kill that!" More muffled talking followed before the dominant voice spoke again. "You're insane. If you want to stay here and die, that's on you. I'm out of here."

Jett, Tidus and Ash rounded the corner in time to spot a figure fleeing up an opposite stair case. The room they entered was a large scale hall. Electric lights dimly hung from the walls and the roof stood high in a prominent arch far above their heads. In the center was the last relic they needed sat on a box. But that wasn't what they saw first. The attention grabber was instead the massive blind worm head that emerged from the back wall of the room. Every breath the beast took was like a vacuum drawing objects in the room towards it.

A man with striking silver hair clad in purple armour stood in front of the blind worm with a sword brandished. Around him, the scattered bodies of ravagers faded into nothing. While Jett rushed to grab the relic and Ash charged to fight the worm, Tidus took notice of the man. If he wasn't mistaken, he was the same guy from this morning. Suddenly Jett grabbed his shoulder.

"I've got the relic. Let's forget about the blind worm and get out of here."

"What about Ash and that guy?" Tidus said, gesturing to the two men who had attacked the Grimm from all angles. Jett just stared at Tidus and the two men in disbelief.

"What about them? You heard the other guy their insane. There's no way to kill that thing. We should just leave."

Tidus considered it for a second before wiping it from his mind. As much as he hated to say it, he owed Kai for the earlier save. Not only that, but he couldn't rightfully stand by when people's lives were at stake. No matter how stupid they were.

"Sorry Jett, but I owe them one." With that, Tidus joined the other two in their assault of the behemoth. Jett just seethed as he ran to the stairs. This day was really testing his patience. Contrary to his actions, he wasn't always this irritable. But with this being such an important event, he was on edge. Especially with people like these. How stupid did they have to be? There was no chance to kill that thing and they all knew it, yet all three rushed to their deaths just to fight it. Jett turned to give one last look at the fighting trio. He had hoped that his leaving would bring them to their senses, but still they threw themselves at the beast. Cursing his luck one last time, Jett gave up his escape and turned back to join the fight.

The fight itself wasn't going anywhere fast. For a few minutes, all four men gave the Grimm their all. Its colossal size and the small confines of the hole limited its mobility, allowing for their all out assault to continue without resistance. But even then, the thick hide that had formed from years of growth was completely unpenetrable. The fight had ended up in a stalemate, with the worm too slow and large to form efficient attacks but with defence too solid to pierce. The room stopped rumbling when the four men pulled back and the worm calmed a bit.

"Don't you see now? This is useless. We can't kill it. Let's leave and report this to the academy. They can send someone qualified to deal with this."

Kai, who had been mute during the fight, spoke up. "As huntsmen, we cannot let a Grimm like that live. It is our duty to seek threats like this and stop them before they can hurt innocents."

Jett could feel himself becoming exasperated with the newcomer. "Listen, I don't know what your big deal is, but we aren't huntsmen. Hell, we ain't even in the academy that teaches huntsmen yet. So let's cut our losses and leave. No person in their right mind is coming here."

Jett's harsh words struck Kai. His face became stony as he glared at Jett. Tidus cut in before morale could drop any further. "I can't help but agree with Jett here. We're achieving nothing but tiring ourselves in this fight. There's a fine line between idiocy and bravery. But right now we are far in the idiocy."

Ash chimed in now to coming to Kai's defence. "There is no way we can leave knowing this thing is down here. I know we can beat it."

"If we stay and fight, then we need a plan. That is the only way this works." Tidus' last remarks brought the debate to a stop as all four thought of ways to get the upper hand.

Kai's resolve to slay the Grimm was strong, and he was glad that the three had come to his aid. His last companion had thought his idea to fight the blind worm over zealous, but with four of them now, they stood a chance. He watched the creature with concentrated precision. All his training and research should have prepared him for this, but he never accounted for an anomaly like this. From what he could gather, it was so massive that it had become unable to move the entirety of its over scaled body. The lack of mobility left it vulnerable, but to what? He looked down at his ringed sabre. Falcon Edge couldn't cut it, and neither could any of the other men. Even if they could, it would mean slicing the entire head off and the copious amounts of acid blood would corrode their auras before they were done. He let out a deep breath and looked up. The words of his instructor entered his head.

'When in a fight, your eyes should watch one of two places. Your opponent or skyward so you can pray to the maidens for inspiration.'

Of course, his instructor had just been joking with the latter part and there was no sky to stare at, just a roof. A rocky roof with the solution. Kai was back to business when he spoke to the others. His level voice carrying authority. "I have a plan. Above us is a large stalactite around ten meters in diameter." The three looked up to spot it. "If we can bring the worm out roughly twenty meters, we can drop the stalactite and use that to pierce its head."

A small smile formed on Jett's face as he nodded his head. "Alright, alright, that doesn't sound half bad. But that thing hasn't moved further out the entire time we fought it. How are we supposed to coax it out?"

Tidus stepped forward, his usual impassive look unable to hide the trace amount of smug confidence he now possessed. "I think I have just the thing. Jett, come and help me."

"In that case, I'll help…" Ash looked at the new member of the group.

"Kai Blackwood at your service." The man gave a performative bow.

"I'll help Kai drop the rock. All right team, let's do this!" Ash but his hand out in the middle waiting for the others to join his hand stack. "Come on guys, on me!" Kai put his hand in, but Tidus and Jett met Ash with vacant expressions.

"No shot buddy" Jett just gave him a pat on the back as he and Tidus moved towards the Grimm.

"Well, at least I got you, Kai. Victory on 3. 1, 2, 3 Victory!" Kai followed with his own flat victory before they positioned themselves under the stalactite.

As Tidus and Jett approached, the worm shook. From its body, a black tar like substance fell to the floor, forming small puddles. The tar pools bubbled before small Ravagers emerged, made from the ooze.

"So Tidus, what's this technique? Going to blow my socks off?"

Tidus gave a cocky grin. "Just sit back and wait for my signal." He was more stoked at the prospect of showing off his semblance than he thought he would be. In that second, he felt it. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt energy flow into his veins. It felt like he was in direct connection with a live wire. Outwardly, his yellow aura glowed and small sparks of yellow lightning surrounded his form. Before long, a shroud of lightning cocooned him, letting out a low hum and causing his hair to tousle, as if influenced by a constant breeze.

Jett gave a whistle of appreciation. "Damn, I have to admit you look pretty sick. But how is this supposed…"

Before he could finish his question, Tidus had blasted forward. He was far faster than before, covering the distance with ease. The newly formed baby Ravagers didn't stand a chance. Just being in range of the lightning cloak was enough to disintegrate the tiny bat like creatures. He crushed one under foot before launching himself into a soaring vertical jump. With his target in reach, he thrust Sky Piercer forward. This time the worm's armour couldn't withstand the force. Now that the halberd had breached the threshold, the blade moved far easier, deeper into the rest of the Grimm. Tidus gave the weapon a twist when it was deep enough, intending to cause as much damage as possible when removing his halberd. Planting his feet on either side, he pulled Sky Piercer out and launched backward. The weapon left with a disturbing sound of flesh ripping, a large portion of viscera leaving with it. Vapour covering Sky Piercer's tip and wisps left Tidus' body as the acid blood burned against his aura.

"Now Jett! We're going to pull this thing out."

Jett, who finished cutting down a small swarm of Ravagers, turned to face him. Understanding flashed in his eyes. He spun Reaper by the chain before swinging it out and burying the sickle into the newly opened wound. Then he stopped. How was he going to pull this thing out? The Grimm now moved with the sudden pain. The entire mine rumbled, and Jett struggled to keep his feet planted. Tidus joined him, returning from the worm to grab the chain and help pull. Jett hadn't thought it possible, but with a few tugs they brought the Grimm forward. Whatever happened to Tidus had made him into a one-man army.

With the Grimm in place, Kai and Ash executed their plan. Kai activated his semblance. His teal green aura glowed as he made a broad swing with Falcon Edge. Wind built up beneath Ash's body and when he jumped, it rushed behind him, extending his leap to the base of the stalactite. On the way up, Ash's aura also glowed and flames gathered at the end of Fury. He timed his strike, releasing a shotgun blast directly into the rock face. The mix of fire and bullets in proximity creating an explosion that was enough to bring the rock loose.

The stalactite came crashing down with the point penetrating the top of the worm's head. All four men stood at the ready until the Grimm flaked away at the edges. They dropped their combat stances, letting out sighs of relief.

"Hell yeah! Another legendary victory!" Ash wrapped his arms around Kai and Tidus' necks. "Kai coming in clutch with the strategy and Tidus showing us up with some crazy power."

"Yeah, what was that about? Have you been hiding that ability from us this entire time?"

Tidus nervously scratched his cheek before talking. "It is pretty strong, but it sort of has a mind of its own. From experience, it only activates after I've been fighting for a while." Jett gave a nod of interest before the entire room shook again. All four looked around in confusion, preparing for another fight.

"There aren't anymore worms, right?" Ash looked at the other three for an answer.

"I swear it was just the one. We saw it all the way over here. It might as well have been part of the mine."

Kai looked at Jett in skepticism. "Part of the mine?"

"Yeah, the thing was all over the place, every wall we passed, the thing was there it…" Jett's voice trailed off when he understood what was happening. "Oh shit, we need to leave. The whole place is going to collapse!" The stone slabs on the far side of the room fell away, revealing nothing but an empty darkness. Awareness of the situation then spread through the group. That Grimm had been so huge and immobile for so long that the entire structure of the mine had become reliant on its body to not sink into the desert. And now the Grimm was dead… There was no more time for hesitation. Lead by Kai, the group began hotfooting it to the exit.

All around them, sand seeped in through the carved rock walls and the lights flickered with each shake. Every step they took threatened to cause the floor to give way beneath them. Half way to the exit, part of the ceiling collapsed, burying Ash underneath. Both Tidus and Kai were quick to turn around, attempting to shift the largest piece of rubble that buried Ash. Jett only turned for a second before continuing to the exit.

"Jett, come back and help!" Tidus' call fell on deaf ears. He didn't understand what had suddenly got into the blonde to just ditch them all here after everything they had just done. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on helping Kai with the rubble. When they freed Ash at last, it was already too late. They only made it a few more steps before more of the roof caved in, sand flowing in after it. Their steps slackened as more sand filled the room. Every step felt like they were trudging through dense mud. Soon the sand climbed too high to continue, forcing them to climb above instead. If they thought going forward was hard, going up was even harder. The sand constantly beating down was more akin to hail, and the silk like surface offered no purchase.

The sight of sunlight through the falling sand spurred them forward. It was just a little further. As they continued to stumble up the steep sand cliff, Tidus felt a sudden burst of wind from below. He already knew Kai was the one who provided it, so he used it to leap further up, the promise of freedom so close. But when a sizeable chunk of sand fell away, a concealed rock slab followed, knocking Ash off and collecting the other two. The bottom had risen as more sand had settled, but it was still the bottom. The very bottom.

And there, lying in the sand, he realised something.

Vacuo sucked ass.

The precious time lost was enough for the sand to catch up to them. Ash's aura burned around him, an even deeper crimson than before. Tidus could feel the heat from the fire Ash was trying to use, but the sand smothered his flames. Kai was in much the same scenario, his teal aura glowing, but with the use of his hands impeded, he could only blow the surface level sand about. Tidus' sullen mood soon changed to anger, rationalising that the only reason he was in this situation was because of these two. If he hadn't stayed to help these idiots, he would be in the homestretch. If Jett wasn't such a little bitch, maybe they could have got Ash free quicker. The sand had encased his body up to his neck now. His height at least gave him a better shot than Kai and Ash, who were almost drowning at this point.

A sickle on a chain landed in front of Tidus' face. "Grab on!"

Tidus didn't need to be told twice. Both his arms shot out of the sand with flickers of lightning around them. He grabbed the chain, and with Jett pulling from the top, rose from the sand. With a bit more space to work with, he reached for Kai's head, awkwardly pulling him further out as well. Ash freed his own hands and grabbed the chain to get pulled out by Jett. Now in a workable position, Kai blasted wind from below them. The haphazard attempt launched them all straight up, flying far above Jett before landing behind him.

From his new position on an arid floor, Tidus didn't know if he should laugh, thank Jett for the help or tell the man to go die in a ditch. So he just settled on lying there taking deep breaths.

"My man! I knew you wouldn't abandon us." Ash ran to hug Jett. Jett wasn't at all pleased with the gesture, pushing Ash away.

"I am glad you returned to save us. For that, I am in your debt." Kai offered a bow to Jett with an arm across his chest. "However, I can not help but wonder why you left us to begin with."

"Because you were all being stupid. Ash was probably in the safest place, with all those rocks acting like a makeshift hut. We could have left and his father would have drafted an entire excavation project to come dig him out. Plus, if you didn't get out, at least one of us needed to get back to break the news to your families."

"Wow, thank you so much Jett for the splendid service of telling my mother that her favourite son was buried alive in the desert." Jett could hear the sarcasm dripping from Tidus' words.

"Hope you realise that sarcasm you're using also extends to the 'favourite son' part of that statement."

Tidus just let out a snort before standing. Stopping for a second as he shook his whole body. "Dammit, I'm going to be cleaning sand out of my clothes for at least a month."

After the brief shake, he took in the surroundings. The tunnels had taken them far, with the hardened ground and small shrubs revealing a more savannah like environment. Behind them all that remained of the mines was a massive sinkhole with part of the savannah crumbling inside.

"We should move fast. Judging from sun's position we aren't far off a Dust Cloud." Kai already had his map out plotting the course. And with the pink shades in the sky from the setting sun, they were all in agreement to get back soon.

"Speaking of Dust Clouds, there's a pretty angry one over there I think we should avoid." Tidus pointed off into the distance, where a vicious sand storm was brewing. This entire ordeal would have been ten times worse if this had taken place in sandstorm season.

Having a plan in place and the finish line so close left Ash feeling giddy. "Alright guys, let's roll out." He started walking, but then turned. "By the way, we're grabbing burgers before we go back to Shade. I'm hungry."

Back at Shade, current events had left Violet Mirage in a sour mood. One minute she was gloating her chosen team's dominance over Rumpole's head, then she was lamenting their death. Well, they weren't necessarily dead yet. But they had done this same song and dance every year. They register participants who failed missing. Then either they found their way back to Vacuo on their own or, by getting lucky with a wandering group, saving them. If not, the Academy announced them dead after a week. Even after the same series of events every year, it never got easier. Especially at the loss of potential talent. They had lost many young prodigies to the desert.

She sighed while idly pushing around the food on her plate. She would get over it, she always did. Although this time around, she would have the unfortunate job of breaking the news of Tidus' death to Cole. That was a textbook example of why to never mix business with pleasure.

The heavy hand of Mr Rosco moved to rub her back. "Violet, that dour face doesn't suit ya. I know it's hard to see potential go to waste, but that's just how life goes out here. We need to live in the present rather than the past."

Mirage couldn't help but find it funny that the old veteran Rosco was telling her to forget about the past. But despite that, it was sound advice. She gave the man a smile to ease him of his worries. "Thank you, Rory, but you don't need to worry. I guess I still have more to master with being a professor."

Mirage tried to push the negative thoughts away for the moment. Better to enjoy the end of the celebration meal like Rory had suggested than ponder on what could have been. Before she could stand and get another drink, the doors to the mess hall opened, revealing four disheveled boys. Her eyes widened at the familiar faces. They were alive?

Silence spread across the room as all eyes moved to the new arrivals. Jett turned and whispered to the other three. "I think we might be late." Tidus gave a nod in agreement.

Ash, who had been finishing his burger, spoke up after licking some sauce off his fingers. "We have completed your task and returned with the relics!" From his pocket, he pulled an ornate golden key.

Theodore stood from the main table and eyed the boys as they all presented their relics. He let out a hearty laugh before speaking. "Well, I am surprised. This may have been the longest it has ever taken for this many people to return successful. We were rather certain you had met an untimely end in the desert."

"Please, it would take far more than whatever that lousy desert could muster to put an end to the likes of us," Ash said.

Rumpole now rose from the table to stand by Theodore. "While I am glad to see you young men have returned safely, I am afraid you are too late. The time limit has run out and we have already assigned teams."

Jett gave a scoff of disbelief. "No offence lady, but we didn't go through all the effort of killing that massive blind worm in the mine just to be told we're out of time."

The returning stare from Rumpole was scathing. Despite her stature putting her shorter than everyone else in the room, the look she gave was enough to change the room's entire mood. Before she could speak up, Theodore cut in.

"A giant blind worm in the mine?"

"Yeah. Thing was massive spraying this tar stuff that made more Grimm." Tidus said.

"So big that when we killed it caused the entire mine to collapse. Left a massive crater behind as well." Ash added.

Conversation spread across the room. The bold claims had split opinions on whether the group had been telling the truth. Mirage now joined on the opposite side of Theodore.

"If these claims are true, then we have no choice but to accept them. For someone to have killed a Grimm of that scale…"

On his other side, Rumpole spoke as well. "I am afraid the rules are clear, regardless if their claims are real or not. They ran out of time and therefore failed the initiation."

Theodore raised his hand, silencing both professors. He had decided on the fate of the four young men. "Although these are rather unusual circumstances. We have never enforced the time restraints before and, therefore, failed to tell you about it. Also, with four of you here and after observing what we could off your performance, I see no reason we should not admit you."

The four released their held breaths. Theodore continued. "Asher Novis, Jett Masters, Kai Blackwood, and Tidus Raijin. I am proud to welcome you into Shade Academy as the last team formed during this initiation. From this day forth till the time you leave, you will be team AMBT. Asher will lead as team captain."

Exhausted by the myriad of challenges they had faced that day, the newly formed AMBT could only manage a few high fives and fist bumps in celebration. Tidus and Jett were even too tired to dispute Ash being the appointed team captain.

"Also, I must ask we received no word from the hangar of your arrival. Where is the Dust Cloud?"

The four nervously chuckled.

30 minutes earlier

"Jett! Do you know how to fly this thing?!" Tidus asked as Jett's flying threw him from one side of the vehicle's interior to another.

"No!"

"Then why are you flying?!"

"I don't know! You all assumed I could fly!"

"I thought if you could drive, you could fly as well!" Ash said as the vehicle launched him into the cockpit.

"That is not how this works at all!"

Present time

"I… uh… well… you see…" Jett could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"Jett crashed it outside the city limits," Kai said. The man was far too honest for his own good.

Jett shot him a glare before turning back to the professors. "I think he means I had to make an emergency landing."

There was more awkward silence as they waited for Theodore's rage to follow, but the man only laughed. "Now that sounds like a tale to be told. But for another day." There were a series of beeps on their scrolls. "Welcome to Shade Academy gentlemen."

Soon after, the professors dismissed all the newly formed teams from the mess hall and escorted them to their new rooms in the dormitories. Upon opening their door, they found all their luggage neatly piled in the middle of a hundred square foot room. The walls were a bland beige, with a bunk bed on either side. A singular desk sat next to a window at the back wall.

"Damn, new digs are certainly…"

"Cramped?" Ash finished Tidus' statement before walking to the luggage to organise it. Each bag having one of their emblems printed on. "Purple falcon?"

Kai raised his hand

"Red tiger? wait that's mine and blue wolf is Jett's. So yellow dragon.."

"Mine."

"Oh, and this cactus."

"Also mine."

With the belongings divvied out, the boys unpacked their belongings. They only got as far as hanging their weapons on the wall before arguments started over the limited storage space the small room provided. In the end, they settled on the only desk in the room being shared between Jett and Kai while Tidus' cactus could sit on the windowsill.

With rest on his mind, Tidus removed his coat, hanging it on the door before he dug into his bag and pulled out his headphones. He slipped them onto his ears before lying down on one of the bottom bunks and closing his eyes.

"You know guys, I have a terrific feeling about this year."

"That's brilliant buddy. Now, how about you shut the fuck up and sleep?" Jett said as he climbed onto the bunk above Tidus.

"Come on, I still have energy! We have so much to learn about each other like what…" A large banging on the wall interrupted Ash.

"Team captain Ash, I believe it may be best that we turn in for the night to preserve healthy relations with our neighbours."

Ash gave a sigh. "I guess you are right. Good night Kai."

"Good night team captain." Kai turned to take the bottom bunk of the free bed.

"Night Tidus."

Tidus' snores were the only response.

"Night…"

"Ash, go to sleep or I'm going to rip your fucking tongue out."

Ash lay down on the opposite top bunk and let out a content sigh. The second his head hit the pillow, his eyelids got heavy. Seems like he was more tired than he first thought. As he drifted off, there was one thought on his mind. He had a good feeling about this team.