Chapter 15
Tag(s): Oral, Facial, Voyeurism.
Girl(s): Pyrrha, Ruby.
Words: 10,279
If anyone ever told Jaune that spite toward an okay cereal brand would one day get his dick sucked…he would have believed them. Mostly because he had been young and an idiot and would have likely believed anything so long as it hinted toward a girl one day touching his penis. And as he felt his pants come undone and the warm palm of his first wife's hand close around his quickly hardening cock, Jaune took a moment to think back on that naive, awkward boy and smiled with the comfort of knowing where all his mistakes would one day lead.
Heck, the blond didn't even care that this was the start of every horror movie in the world. Two young, sexy teenagers played by twenty-year-olds branch off from the group to canoodle in a forest knowingly infested with Grimm. It would be all hearts and kisses until the badly CGI'd Beowulf happened to sneak up on the pair and rend the guy's head off just before his belt opens, raining the beautiful actress in a waterfall of red food dye mixed with a gallon of corn syrup.
Fortunately for Jaune, it would take more than one swing to take his head off in any kind of surprise. Also, neither of the sexy teenagers were usually huntsmen or had their weapons on them. And taking these preventatives in mind, he decided that it was worth the risk. Especially as he looked down to see his wife's emerald gaze already peering up at him through her dark lashes, waiting for his attention before she allowed her full lips to close around his swollen head.
Jaune groaned, conscious of how his voice carried through the open air of the quiet forest. They'd walked a fair bit away from everyone else, but that didn't change the lack of walls to disguise the sexual act. Anyone could see them if they walked by. But that was the whole point. That was what Pyrrha was looking for: the enticing thrill of being caught and the danger of acting out.
And to think, this was the same girl who had gaped at the mere thought of them using their mouths on each other. However, that proved how hard she'd worked to distance herself from the woman she had been at the start of the year.
She attacked him without any of her previous hesitation, washing the head of his cock with her pursed lips. And when the bright red tip was slick with her spit, she allowed herself to press forward, bobbing her head half an inch at a time. And while he sank into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth, the tiny shape of her tongue made its appearance, flicking and licking at the sensitive underside until Jaune thought he might tear a hunk of bark off the tree at his back with his bare hands.
But his wife wasn't completely cruel. And for every second of teasing, she blessed him with the same amount of tender friction as her cheeks hollowed and she sucked against his length, filling the quiet forest with the sound of wet slurping. The vulgarity of it was enough to make Jaune's cheeks flush. But Pyrrha soldiered on, either uncaring or excited by her behavior.
It felt a thousand times better than the inexperienced exploration that afternoon before Glynda's class. So when Pyrrha's motions deepened, and he felt his tip brush the narrow start of her throat, Jaune half expected to feel his wife back off and start a pleasurable retreat.
She didn't retreat, however. Instead, Jaune's knees shook at the tight sensation and delightful boldness when her brow wrinkled in concentration and strained her face forward. The narrow tip of her nose managed to tickle against the blonde curls above Jaune's cock, as she lodged the shape against the back of her throat, swallowing around him.
"F-Fuck," Jaune cursed, audibly shuttering. His eyes threatened to roll toward the back of his head. But Pyrrha didn't stop there, fighting her gag reflex long enough to reach up with her free hand and find the sensitive sack still hidden inside Jaune's boxers. Suddenly, Jaune felt an additional assault against his senses as the warm leather of her gloved fingers caressed and massaged his balls.
Sweat started to bubble through his pores underneath his sweatshirt. Pyrrha swallowed twice more before air became a priority, and she was forced to lean off him. And even then, she didn't stop, returning her focus to her tongue as it lapped at the buildup of saliva that had pooled around him.
"Guess I'm not the only one who's been training hard lately," Jaune acknowledged with more awe than amusement as his breath struggled to catch up. "Glynda must have gotten around to that trip to the market, huh?" But Pyrrha didn't answer him, didn't pause long enough to use her mouth for anything but his pleasure. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on his so he could see the proud arousal glittering back at him before breathing through her nose and filling her lungs so she could descend a second time.
This attempt was less successful. Despite her best efforts, Jaune could see her shoulders hitch with the gag. But Pyrrha's determination was not to be doubted, and she pushed past the sensation without a wince. Her eyes didn't even water as she began rocking him against her esophagus with small but insistent bobs punctuated with an echoing swallow.
Her fingers continued kneading, and Jaune was delighted when her tongue ground against the underside of what she couldn't fit past her tonsils. The statuesque redhead was doing her best to coax his seed free, and even Jaune's practiced control faltered beneath her insistence, feeling his entire body relax as all his built-up stress began floating away.
Brothers, he'd needed this. But he hadn't known how much until Pyrrha had started on him. It wasn't like he was lacking sex lately, but semblance training meant he and his brides had to wake up one hour earlier than they already had been for his normal training. And after that, they all still had a full day of classes and homework before they were free to retire for the day. By the time night eventually fell and he and Pyrrha were ready for bed, both were usually too tired for more than a soft cuddle. Especially when they remembered that they needed to be awake bright and early to go through it again the next morning.
That's not to say they never got to fool around anymore. They were both still seventeen, and that kind of youthful energy had its benefits. Likewise, his lunches with Glynda were a big help in taking the edge off throughout the week. But Glynda hadn't been available that afternoon, or the one before that, which meant he had an abundance of buildup he needed to release.
Thankfully, Pyrrha's newfound practice felt determined to relieve him of his surplus. After a few more minutes of her tender ministrations, Jaune decided he wouldn't bother trying to hold it back.
Jaune leaned back, breaking eye contact to rest his head against the tree. Focusing on the sensation constantly enveloping his dick, Pyrrha did a good job of mixing it up. She'd learned more than just how to take him deep, leaning back to swirl her tongue around his tip while her fist pumped against his slick shaft.
The sound of her tongue and lips returned, loud enough in the mix of wind and birds that he almost missed the sound of a branch snapping in the distance. And Pyrrha did miss it, continuing oblivious to their newfound company.
Jaune's eyes flashed open, half expecting his earlier prediction to come true. It hadn't sounded close, but Jaune wasn't exactly a tracker, so who was he to judge? Rather than distance, he decided to worry about if it was another student. Grimm or not, each brought their own host of difficulties.
If he was lucky, whatever it was would wander off before they caught them. Unfortunately, the sound repeated, followed by an inexplicable "eep" that was too familiar not to recognize.
It wasn't that hard to find her. In her cloak and combat attire, she should have blended right in. But there was no disguising the pale complexion peeping at them from around a black trunk, her wide silver eyes standing out like a dot of white amidst a sea of red. However, every second that passed helped her blend in as red began infecting her cheeks until the upper half of her face resembled another bushel of red leaves growing out of the tree's side.
Jaune immediately felt his own embarrassment flare, realizing the younger girl must have gotten tired of waiting for him and his wife to return and had set out to find them. Well, she'd succeeded, but she couldn't have known what she would find.
This was when Jaune expected her to scamper off and hide underneath her bed for the next year, horrified and vaguely scarred by the experience. So it was easy to imagine his surprise when the younger girl remained, seemingly stuck to her spot.
Clearly, she hadn't seen that Jaune had caught her, too busy staring at his crotch to think about his face. From her position, she had the perfect view to see his blond curls and pale shaft disappear into Pyrrha's lips over and over. She might even be close enough to hear the moist sounds of his wife's tongue and throat suckling like she was starving for what he could provide.
Who knew Ruby had it in her? Jaune would have been impressed if it wasn't his dick that she was peaking at. He never would have suspected the sweet younger girl to be the type to secretly spy on her friend's intimate moment. Then again, she was at that age. It was hard to blame her for being curious. But that didn't mean he was comfortable giving his friend a free show, especially at Pyrrha's expense. His wife might have thought it would be fun to play around where they could be caught, but he doubted she would be as happy about it really happening.
"Pyrrha," he breathed, quiet as a whisper as his hand found the top of her head. But she didn't listen, hearing her name on his lips and redoubling her effort, likely expecting the consequence of all the throbbing she had been feeling beat against her flexible tongue. Jaune almost forgot about Ruby right then and there. But he couldn't ignore the sensation of the younger girl's eyes burning into his side and forced himself to repeat his wife's name with slightly more urgency.
It worked. That and the firm grip he placed on his wife's ponytail to keep her from descending. Her eyes immediately sought his, worry drawing the thin lines of her eyebrows together. He dissuaded her fears as covertly as he could manage, purposefully glancing in their voyeur's direction as a warning.
She blinked at the news, turning her head without taking his penis out. When she also spotted the younger girl, Jaune had expected her to immediately detach from him and compose herself, blushing with that beautiful flush he loved so dearly. But while her cheeks did darken, Pyrrha remained unusually unbothered, slowly shifting her attention back toward her husband. Only then did she let his cock fall from her lips, leisurely pumping her fist around his glistening erection.
It felt…better than he thought it would. Smooth but textured in a way that he wasn't used to feeling against the sensitive bulb of his tip. It was almost enough to distract him from her voice as she whispered back, "Should we let her watch?"
It was Jaune's turn to blink as he stared down at his wife. Pumpkin Pete would have been very disappointed if they could see their mascot now. A moment passed before the young man realized Ruby could likely see quite a bit more of him without his wife's mouth in the way. However, he was surprised when the thought didn't bother him as much as it should have.
Then again, why should he care? Two women saw him naked on almost a daily basis. What was one more in the grand scheme of things? That it was Ruby watching…and that she wanted to look lingered more than the exposure itself.
"I don't mind if you don't," Pyrrha reassured, proving her bravery with another smoldering kiss against the side of his tip, flicking her tongue out so their friend could see the pink shape curl around his swollen gland. Another poorly muffled gasp echoed from their right, but neither teenager paid it any attention.
In the end, Jaune decided to roll with it. He might not of made the same decision if his blood wasn't running so hot, but he'd been so close to blowing his load before his friend's interruption and the thought of stopping now was physically painful. If Pyrrha really didn't mind and Ruby wanted a peep at a married couple's adult activities, he wouldn't deny them.
"If you're sure," he double-checked to ensure Pyrrha didn't feel pressured to keep going. But that illusion was shattered by the smile she shot up at him, her delighted expression partially hidden by the girth of his shaft. And while he couldn't be sure, part of him swore that he could feel her putting more motion into her actions than before, almost like she was putting on a display for their little voyeur.
His confusion lasted for another handful of seconds before he found himself distracted. His hand never left his wife's ponytail, and he allowed himself the privilege of maintaining his grip without controlling her pace, appreciating the silken strands against his palm. Soon, any thoughts of Ruby were consumed by soft lips and moist tongue and the thrilling pressure of his wife's throat wrapping around his tip. Unfortunately, the blissful ignorance didn't last as the young man felt his pleasure get interrupted by another noisy footstep.
Jaune's eyes opened. And to his disbelief, Ruby had gotten bolder, peaking around a tree that was much closer than the original. She must have snuck forward for a better look while he'd been distracted, likely close enough to make out the bulging veins that ran along the length of his shaft. And if she was close enough to see that much, she was close enough for him to see the face she was making.
Ruby's eyes had always been her most striking feature, and not just because of their unusual color. But also because of their size, so big on her small face, making the short woman appear even younger than her fifteen years. And now those wide, innocent eyes were drinking in the sight of her best friend receiving oral sex, refusing to so much as blink and miss a second of his pleasure.
Jaune felt himself throb as her blown pupils followed Pyrrha's pace, bobbing against him. Luckily for Ruby, her friend couldn't see everything she was up to. Curled around the trunk of a tree, most of her body was still hidden from Jaune's attention. Otherwise, he would have been able to catch the way her young hips had started to wiggle and her plump, soft thighs rubbed against each other in reaction to the curious pressure that had started building at their apex.
If she was a little older, a little more experienced, a little more trained at answering her body's needs, she might have thought to answer the itch in her panties with a hand as she continued enjoying the unexpected scene. But as she was, Ruby found her nails biting into the unlucky bark as muscles she'd never exercised squirmed and clenched against the strange warmth pooling against her lower tummy.
Funnily enough, Jaune was feeling something very similar as Pyrrha's hand returned to stroking his balls, except he knew exactly what it meant. And being the gentleman that he is, he made sure to warn his partner before he made the same mistake as last time.
Thankfully, Pyrrha didn't look like she was going to insist on tasting him this time around. She had other plans. Plans that forced her to release Jaune's cock so that her hand could finish the job. The smooth sensation of her glove worked better than either of them could have expected, and a few more pumps were all it took for the young blond to spend himself.
Jaune didn't bother holding back. He didn't stop to think about where his cum would go. Surely, Pyrrha would aim him off to the side so he could spill himself harmlessly into the grass. But as the first volley of cum erupted from his swollen head, Jaune's lidded gaze exploded as he watched it splash across his wife's placid expression.
Eyes closed and lips pinched, it caught her across the forehead, splashing on her bangs from the force of his release. The second wasn't as dramatic, painting a line of white from the tip of her nose across her freckled cheek. And the third and last burst was weak and small enough to color her pale lips in his essence, dripping down her chin.
There was more of it than Jaune had been expecting. After being tested three weekends in a row, it looked like his body was finally adjusting to the constant demand and had upped its supply as a result. And without any sex the previous night or this afternoon, he'd practically flooded Pyrrha's fair features with his pearly seed.
But Pyrrha didn't look upset by the impromptu facial. Instead, she kept her hand pumping against him throughout, milking the last of his dregs until they dribbled over her gloved hand. Seeing the lack of outrage or displeasure, Jaune had no choice but to believe that this had been her intention.
Jaune's concern lingered, but not enough that he couldn't appreciate the picture he'd created. Still on her knees and angled to face him, the excess of his release had already started to dissolve against her pale skin, dripping in clear lines that traced his wife's soft and hard angles. And as he watched, he was amazed when the one eye that wasn't caked in cum opened to look up at him, matched by a shy but still very much excited smile.
"What do you think?" Pyrrha coquetted, careful not to taste any of the pale remnants that neared her mouth. "I wonder how Pumpkin Pete would feel about putting this face on their cereal box." She giggled at the idea, delighted despite how she must look.
But Jaune didn't laugh with her, shrugging his shoulders as he swiped his thumb across her face to clear the eye that hadn't been spared. "Maybe if they ever launch a frosted variety." And suddenly, he couldn't stop himself from grinning back, picturing his wife's glazed features dominating the breakfast aisle all across Remnant. "I'd definitely be willing to give it a try." Who could say no to a face like that?
Pyrrha's eyes crinkled, clearly enjoying his attention. But her amusement was cut short after a pause. Suddenly serious, her eyes flickered back toward their peeping tom. "Is she still watching?"
Instead of answering right away, Jaune's blood-depraved brain took a few moments to remember who she was. And by the time he looked over, his eyebrows rose when he found that Ruby was nowhere to be seen. Turning back to Pyrrha, he realized that her impromptu facial likely had as much to do with showing off for Ruby as it had been for him.
"Is there a reason you're so inclined to give our friend a show?" Jaune asked, still wondering what had gotten into his wife. Maybe he was lucky it had been Ruby who happened by. But Pyrrha just gave him a smile, reaching to one of her side pockets.
"Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about right now," she brushed the issue aside. And Jaune would have argued…if she hadn't finished draining his balls a few seconds ago. But in his current state, he was sated, happy, and too willing to accept the cryptic explanation at face value. Yeah, one of their friends had watched him get blown into next Tuesday, big whoop! "Would you mind helping me clean up?" Pyrrha asked, distracting her husband completely.
Jaune agreed. He didn't have much of a choice considering he was responsible for the sticky mess. Thankfully, Pyrrha had brought more of the wet wipes before they'd left, ever the responsible wife. Taking his time, Jaune let some of his tenderness show through his actions as he mirrored the gentle motions Pyrrha had shown their sudo-daughter, except instead of strawberry jam, it looked like his wife had taken a face full of her coconut pudding.
It took more time and tissues than Jaune had thought, but eventually Pyrrha returned to her radiant self. And checking her reflection in her scroll's camera, she seemed satisfied with his effort, rewarding him with a brief kiss against his cheek. "Thank you, Sweetheart. We should probably start getting back."
Jaune nodded, remembering they might have forgotten to tap their second tree before getting distracted. But as he turned to start toward the rest of the class, a sinking feeling closed around his gut at the familiar shades of red and black stretching out in every direction. "Right, yes. Good idea…do you remember where 'back' is?"
Pyrrha didn't stop her amused grin, but she never got a chance to answer. Opening her mouth, a scream sounded from the other direction. Both teenagers immediately turned, wondering if someone was in trouble. A second yell echoed soon after, confirming their suspicions. Jaune didn't get the chance to ask if they should take a look before Sky Lark suddenly appeared, bursting through a thicket of red foliage and charging right at them.
Jaune was ashamed to realize his first instinct turned toward suspicion, glancing around to see if the rest of his team were lurking nearby. Only Pyrrha's gasp warned him of the seriousness of the situation. Taking a closer look, it was clear that the panic on the other boy's face couldn't be faked, and the dark stain along his side wasn't sap. The poor young man was bleeding from a long cut along his abdomen, doing his best to keep the blood from spilling out as he ran for his life.
Pyrrha reacted before her husband, charging forward to catch the boy before he could fall on his face. Laying him on his back, the dark-haired teenager stared up at them pale, panting, and struggling to force his voice to speak up. "Ursa," he gasped, wincing. "Too big. Had to run. My team!"
"Shhh," Pyrrha consoled him, showing a remarkable level of calm. In contrast, Jaune felt like his heart would start galloping out of his chest, and he was just watching. "Calm down," she instructed. "Take a moment to catch your breath. I'm going to take a look at your wound, okay?" And while Sky's frustration was evident, he still nodded and made a noticeable effort to even out his breath.
Pyrrha shifted his hand out of the way. The two could finally see the four jagged rends etched into his flesh above his hip. Without the pressure, blood immediately bubbled over the edge of his flesh to disappear into the ominously matched grass beneath them.
It took a second to understand what Jaune was seeing. Sky was a huntsman. He had aura. How could he have been hurt? The answer was obvious. Jaune just couldn't see it right away. Because for one of his classmates to be this injured, something must have been strong enough to break through his aura. Maybe Cardin's entire team, by the sound of it.
'What on Remnant was strong enough to take on a full team of Beacon students?' Jaune worried, trying to picture it. Sure, CRDL wasn't the best of the first years, but they still passed initiation like everyone else. But that wasn't enough. They weren't enough. And the situation was bad enough for one of them to get hurt to this extent…
"This is going to need stitches," Pyrrha grimaced, reaching into her pouch with her now bloody fingers to pull out a needle and thread from a striking white bundle. Other items could be found within: gauze, scissors, a needle, and a small white bottle that rattled when she tossed it aside. Jaune stared in awe as she got to work, pinching the ragged edges together so she could force the needle through living tissue.
Jaune stomach flipped, feeling his apple pie about to make a surprise reappearance. Sky merely grit his teeth, too focused on the fear still coursing through his veins to think about the pinprick of pain. "Forget about me," he insisted, pointing a bloody finger back in the direction he'd come from. "We split up to get away, but that thing is still chasing my team. You guys need to go help them."
"Can you call Glynda?" Pyrrha didn't so much as glance in Jaune's direction. The blond still scrambled to comply, nearly dropping his scroll twice before it clicked open. Unfortunately, the call didn't bother trying to ring before it closed, forcing Jaune to notice the lack of bars taunting him at the top right of the screen.
"I think we're too far from the CCT," he winced, trying two more times to be sure.
Pyrrha fell silent at the news, forcing her fingers to keep stitching. This time, she had to look at him before asking, "Do you have any first aid training?" But the look he returned told her everything she needed to know.
Guilt immediately flooded through the young man at his ineptitude. He'd been so impressed that Pyrrha knew first aid, but he shouldn't have been. Rather, he was the outlier for not knowing what the rest of their class had learned years ago. He would even bet Lien that he was the only one in the whole school who couldn't be helpful in this situation. And because he was here, instead of someone who'd actually studied how to be a huntsman, someone could die.
He needed to fix this. That this was for Cardin and his band of jerks didn't register. Sneaking into Beacon had always been a selfish decision. He hadn't cared about stealing another student's spot, but this was worse, and all Jaune could think about was how his actions might hurt others and what he could do to stop that.
"Take him and find Goodwitch," Jaune decided, even if he wanted to scream at himself for saying the words.
Pyrrha's focused expression cracked open, "Jaune?"
"I don't know first aid, and I can't help Sky like you can. Also, we both know you can run faster and longer than I can, even if I wasn't carrying literal dead weight. Either way, you'll reach Glynda and the rest of the class way before I could. The only thing I'm good for right now is maybe being a meat shield long enough for Glynda to come and hopefully save our sorry butts."
Jaune could see the battle playing behind Pyrrha's gaze as she stared at him, lips pursed in displeasure. But as much as she didn't want to put him in danger, she had enough field experience to recognize that he was right. That doesn't mean she didn't hesitate long enough for Jaune to grin reassuringly at the wrinkle between her eyebrows.
"Come on," he stressed, "remember how much aura I have?" And to his relief, the reminder did help. Jaune's original aura capacity might have been enough to take a few blows from an Ursa, but it wouldn't have lasted long against the impossible strength of the monster. But adding in hers and Glynda's? Jaune might last long enough to survive without losing his head. And more importantly, Pyrrha knew she needed to trust her husband's capabilities rather than stifle him.
"Whatever you do, try and stay mobile." Pyrrha wasn't given the privilege to pause for long, cutting to any advice she thought might help him survive. "Your shield will protect you from its claws, but an Ursa's weight and strength are considerable, and you'll save more energy by simply getting out of the way." Her fingers pushed another loop through Sky's flesh, pulling it back together.
"Dodge. Don't try and tank the hits. I can do that," Jaune nodded, burning the message into his raisin of a brain.
"Ursa are also heavily armored. Far more than any Beowolves you've encountered. But it's usually focused around the head, neck, and shoulders, exposing its hindquarters. I'm not telling you to attack. Your focus should be on protecting yourself and our classmates. But if you have to, try and get inside its reach and aim for joints. Your best chance to take it down is by immobilizing it and slipping your weapon between its armor-plating when it can't move."
"Don't attack," Jaune repeated, far more comfortable with that direction. Cardin and the rest of the school could keep calling him a turtle as much as they liked. Survival was more important than dying trying to act like a badass. "Got it."
"And…" Pyrrha faltered, wishing she could stand up and kiss him. But her hands were soaked in blood, and she'd only finished stitching the first cut. Starting on the second, she controlled her tone and refused to show her husband her fear. "Stay strong. I'll bring Glynda as soon as I can."
Jaune nodded, looking far more confident than he felt. He charged away without another word in the direction Sky had pointed, and it wasn't long at all before Pyrrha's hair disappeared into the scarlet forest surrounding them.
He was utterly alone in a few seconds as the weight of the forest's silence closed around him. There were no animals, no people, just the wind that shook the trees above him and the realization of what he was charging into.
XxX
"Come on!" Cardin's yell filled the clearing as he swung his mace, feeling his overtaxed muscled burn with exhaustion. Unfortunately, his battle cry wasn't the taunt he had wanted it to be, sounding more petulant than goading. And as he felt the metal in his hands crash against the bony plate of the bear analog's shoulder, the simmering pot of frustration welling inside his chest threatened to boil over when his attack glanced harmlessly to the side.
He saw the retaliatory claw coming from a mile away. Sucking in a breath, he urged his body to move out of the way. But if his arms were screaming with pain, his legs felt numb. He had no choice but to take the four claws to his chest, gritting his teeth at the sensation of his thinning aura fracturing another percent closer to empty.
But he did not fall. Digging his heels into the soft earth, he felt his boots dig into the grass and dirt beneath him before he skidded to a stop. He couldn't fall. And not because he thought he needed to prove his strength. Even he wasn't that stupid. For all his muscles, for all Cardin's power, it was nothing compared to the wall of darkness and bones that had ambushed his team. One blow from its mighty paw had shown him what it felt like to be weak, tiny, and defenseless against a greater force. And no, the irony of his likely death did not go unnoticed. But he wasn't allowed to die yet.
"G-Get out of here, man! Forget about me and run," a voice called out behind the ginger giant. One Cardin staunchly ignored as he braced his mace in his other hand, taking the next attack on its hilt. The sensation nearly tore his arms from their sockets, but Cardin's wide, crazed eyes bore the pain without complaint, remembering that he was all that stood between this muzzle-faced bitch and one of his men.
"How many times do I need to tell you to shut the hell up?" Cardin barked, spending oxygen he didn't have to spare to bite back at his teammate.
When he realized none of his team's weapons were fit to fell the Grimm, he'd had no choice but to order his group to split up. "Get a teacher," he'd told them. "Get anyone with something long and pointy and who could get underneath the thing's stupid armor." But what he hadn't mentioned was how the Ursa was undoubtedly faster than any of them. And running would have inevitably meant someone being sacrificed at the Grimm's whim.
It was supposed to have picked him. Cardin was the biggest, he was the slowest, and he'd been planning on it. If only to give the rest of his team a chance to escape. But the stupid fucker had picked Dove instead. And by the time Cardin realized he wasn't being followed, the monster had already managed to savage his teammate enough to shatter his aura. Now the white-haired boy couldn't so much as stand up, and if Cardin moved from between his partner and the Ursa, the poor bastard wouldn't last more than a few seconds.
"Come on!" Cardin roared as he took another fruitless swing. This was his team, damn it! His team and his men. Rage stole his senses, suppressing the pain and exhaustion as he put everything into the head of his mace, pressing the button on his hilt. And for his efforts, he was rewarded when the fire dust tucked at the center of his weapon's fringes ignited. The sound of a crack replaced the dull thud all his other attacks had managed until that point, followed by a roaring flame hot enough to scorch the top of his fist.
Hope surged inside of him for a moment. Long enough for the young man to be completely caught off guard when the dimmed eyes inside of the skull face suddenly illuminated. The Grimm gave its own roar in answer as it lashed out, and this time, there was nothing he could do to keep his feet on the ground. Barely catching the sharp edge of its claws on his weapon, Cardin still felt his impressive bulk lift off the ground before being thrown aside like a children's toy.
He might have been able to crack the armor, but there was still enough thick muscle and dense fur to make his killing blow feel like a pillow fight. Dazed and weakened, the sweat burning against his lidded gaze was the only thing that kept him conscious.
Fuck, he was tired. Surely it couldn't hurt to lay down for a few minutes, right? What was so important that he needed to stand up that very second?
His answer came in the form of a startled yelp, "Cardin!"
Eyes snapping open, reason returned with a second roar. His friend, his teammate! He needed to stand up. But he should have saved his breath, feeling his body refused to yield to his will. Trying to lift his weapon, he couldn't so much as raise a hand, too tired to move. Which left the young man with no choice but to lay there and watch as the dark lumbering shape lazily wandered toward his partner to eat him alive. And he had no one to blame for his position but himself.
Step by step, the massive creature closed in on the fallen young man. Tall and thin, Dove didn't have his partner's ridiculous strength to defend himself. His fighting style relied on speed and a pair of handguns that had long since run dry. And while bladed on their grips, the sharp edges weren't nearly long enough to reach anything vital on the Grimm's biology.
That didn't stop him from lashing out. Any huntsman training or finesse was forgotten as he swung one of his guns back and forth in a helpless attempt at dissuading the beast from gorging itself on his flesh.
"Get up," Cardin growled at himself, digging his fingers deep enough into the soft grass to collect a handful of red turf. He just needed to last a little longer. Protect Dove a little longer. One of the other guys must have found someone by now. He only needed to last a few more minutes, a few more seconds, and everything would be fine. "Get up," Cardin commanded. But his body couldn't be bullied into submission like the rest of his victims. Instead, he felt his chest grow hollow at the sight of the Grimm closing in. Close enough that his teammate flinched at the exhale of rotten breath washing across his face.
Cardin froze, horrified as he waited for the claw that would claim his partner's life. Instead, the monster opened its massive jaws wide enough to fit the young man's head between its terrifying rows of teeth. Dove didn't even have a helmet to protect him. And without his aura, it would be as easy as biting a grape. Just as juicy, too.
The Ursa never got the chance. Before Cardin could believe it, a flash of yellow and black burst through the nearby brush, screaming at the top of his lungs. His dynamic entry was shocking enough to drag Cardin's gaze away from his partner's fate. Heck, it was enough to make Dove turn and stare. And it was lucky for all of them that Jaune's entrance had also made enough of a racket to attract the Grimm's attention, who turned its massive head to measure the threat of the new arrival.
To his credit, Jaune used every second of his surprise to his advantage, not giving the Grimm a second to respond. With no time to think, his eyes focused on a tuft of black fur peeking between two plates of bone where the creature's neck met its shoulders, aiming the tip of his drawn sword in front of him to run the beast through.
No one was more surprised than him when he hit. Surging forward, the narrow steel tip bit into the junction of the creature's armor, sinking past the dark fur and flesh hidden underneath. Jaune threw himself into the motion, a grin springing to life as he used the momentum and his whole body weight against the hilt, hoping to stab the walking nightmare before it could retaliate.
His sword stopped after four inches.
Another roar filled the clearing once the beast registered the pain. But it wasn't enough to bring it down. Not even close. Instead, it looked like Jaune had angered the monster more than anything else, which meant it didn't hold back as it swung its arm to the side, casting Jaune away like a plastic bag that had blown across its path. Jaune took the brunt of the blow without his shield deployed, feeling his chest and legs fold around the hammer-like limb before he was also sent flying back.
When Jaune landed, he realized he couldn't breathe. Living such a soft and relatively cushy civilian life up until this point, it wasn't surprising that this was the first time he'd ever got the wind knocked out of him. Not surprising to anyone but him, that is. Panic immediately surged and he didn't have the training to rein that adrenalin in. He was immediately reduced to a gasping fish, hands folded over his throat like that would help let the air in.
He failed to notice how his actions and fear attracted the monster, not until it walked over to him and it was Jaune's turn to feel the usually cold express of rotten air against his face. The odor reeked of death. His only solace was that he couldn't suck in enough air to smell it.
A paw raised, and this time, there was no suicidal idiot to swoop in and save him. Jaune took the blow full on, throwing him into a rolling tumble that ended with him on his stomach and his limbs thrown out at odd angles. None were broken, thankfully. But Jaune was learning firsthand that just because his aura protected his flesh from being torn to ribbons, it couldn't stop sheer strength from blowing through him. Even three people's aura wasn't enough to stand up against this monster, and Jaune couldn't help questioning how he'd talked himself into this mess.
The Grimm didn't give him a chance to ruminate for long, charging after him as soon as its glowing red eyes confirmed its prey was still moving. Blinking in fear, Jaune didn't even notice when his panicked breath managed to fill his lungs. He was too busy scrambling for his belt, fighting to deploy his shield before the Ursa could reach him.
He failed. Instead, he instinctively threw his hands over his face a moment before two large paws reared up to crush him under the monster's weight.
"Stand the fuck up, Arc!" a voice demanded. Jaune opened his eyes in time to watch a newly risen Cardin standing, swinging his mace in the perfect arc to catch the Grimm on its unprotected knee. The blunt impact cracked against the thinner skin, rewarding the pair with a pained yelp. The limb instantly buckled, saving Jaune from his fate.
The evil bear recovered faster than either would have liked. To his credit, Jaune finally succeeded in deploying his shield, reaching for his sword afterward. That was when he realized he wasn't holding his weapon anymore.
'Did it get knocked away when I was thrown?' Jaune panicked, too nervous to look away from the monster to search for it. But the glint of metal at the creature's side drew Jaune's attention, exposing his family's sword lodged against the Ursa's throat, pinned between the two bony plates as its large body flexed and moved. 'Okay, not ideal.'
"What the hell are you doing here, Arc?" Cardin demanded around his panting breath. Jaune's distraction gave him just enough time to recover his energy and stand, but that wasn't much. A strong breeze was as likely to topple him as any Grimm. Luckily, the Ursa appeared content enough to focus on the literal pain in its neck and continued concentrating on the blond once its leg stopped quivering.
"Saving you!" Jaune answered, dodging a sweep aimed at his head. The wind rushed over him, and it felt like he'd ducked underneath a speeding bullhead. "Isn't that obvious?"
Cardin's teeth clenched hard enough that they should have cracked. Instead, he fueled his raging indignation into his arms, attempting another sweep against the Grimm. The dense muscle of the creature's thigh greeted him, about as effective as everything else he'd accomplished so far. However, he did manage to draw the Grimm's attention in his direction.
The Ursa turned with a growl, following the taller boy's sudden retreat with staggering speed. Cardin was fast enough, but the monster was so big and its limbs so long that he still almost got nicked by its next swipe. He cleared the attack but wasn't allowed to celebrate for long.
Jaune didn't waste the opening. Tracking his sword lodged in the Ursa's shoulder, he used the moment to pounce, wrapping his hands around the leather hilt. He tried to yank it out, desperate to free the polished steel from stony bone and flesh. But either he wasn't worthy, or he wasn't strong enough, since the weapon refused to yield to his grasp.
His weapon's grip was jerked out of his fingers after several seconds of futile struggle. And worse, his efforts had flipped the monster's attention back on him, and he wasn't nearly as nimble as even Cardin's hulking frame. Thankfully, he had his shield to hide behind this time, feeling his entire skeleton rattle beneath the hammering blow that should have folded the thirty-two inches of metal like tissue paper. But huntsmen's weapons were made to withstand exactly this kind of punishment, and instead, the young man found himself tumbling backward, his shield marked but otherwise whole against his quivering limbs.
"Yeah," Cardin answered with a glare, "I can see that." The Grimm took two more swipes at the blond before the ginger acted, taking yet another ineffectual swing at its rear leg. He wasn't so stubborn that he didn't see the futility of his efforts, but if he attacked the same spot enough times, he was hoping he could hobble the mighty beast. But the Ursa was learning. And instead of turning to confront the second combatant, its rear paw snapped back, nearly taking out his opponent's kneecap with a single attack.
Cardin dodged, but barely. The rage on the young man's face twisted ever so slightly at the fear he'd been fighting this entire time. One wrong move. That was all it took, and everything would be over. But rather than let the unease consume him, the larger boy fed his emotions, allowing his temper to control him until there wasn't any room for anything else. "Hell," he cursed, "can't believe I'm stuck with your useless ass. You couldn't have sent your wife instead?"
Jaune ducked out of the way of two more claws before taking the third on his shield. Jumping this time, the blond actually smiled around the pain as he used the attack to gain some much-needed distance. Despite everything going on, he had heard his classmate's remark. And throwing up his hands in the universal sign of 'what do you want from me,' he answered, "Which one?"
Cardin didn't laugh, however. The bear looked between the two boys for only a slight pause before recognizing the weaker of the two. Charging in the redhead's direction, the boy didn't have a shield or any aura to protect himself, forcing him to catch the attack on his weapon. He managed to deflect four times before his arms started to numb, forcing him to yelp out, "Arc!"
Jaune didn't hesitate, aiming with the edge of his shield against the bear's shoulder. The blond thought it looked pretty heroic. Unfortunately, the punch wasn't strong enough to earn a response as the monster continued its assault against Cardin. Jaune had to repeat himself twice before the Grimm noticed the gnat nipping at its haunches. But swinging out its arm, Jaune had been expecting the attack and had no trouble ducking out of its reach.
The problem was that the Grimm didn't seem to tire, allowing it to follow up with another and then another. Its lumbering limbs were slow but powerful, and Jaune couldn't avoid it forever. "Dove was hurt!" Jaune finally answered, jumping backward and out of the way. "Pyrrha had to patch him up. Sent me ahead to help. Glynda will find us as soon as she gets back to the rest of the class."
Cardin's expression hardened at the news, reading between the lines. They didn't have to kill this monster. They only had to last long enough for help to arrive. It was just the news Cardin needed to bolster his courage. Dove was okay, and help was on the way. Jaune might be as useful as a wet paper bag, but that turtle shell of his might be the thing that kept both of them breathing. And even though it killed him to work with the simpering weakling, he wasn't dumb enough to slap the hand that had pulled his head above water.
"Got it," Cardin huffed, gripping his mace with both hands. "Don't die. I think I can manage that."
Jaune smothered his nervous flinch. Fuck, he wished he was half as sure.
Cardin was still beaten and exhausted, but having two people to distract the Ursa meant he had access to small, small breaks in between bouts to catch his breath. It wasn't enough to regain any real strength, but they kept him standing. And when it looked like Jaune was about to be overwhelmed by the large creature, he stepped in to pull its aggression, giving the same young man the few seconds he needed to regain his footing and return the favor.
It was an incredibly dangerous dance that the two young men did not immediately adjust to. And there was plenty of cursing, followed by the other man's name when they didn't react to a situation fast enough.
Jaune was admittedly worse at it, still not used to the rhythm of battle. But he obeyed Cardin's instructions without argument, willing to forget their petty squabbles in the face of their mortality.
The other issue was their mismatched gear. Cardin was doing his best to survive without a shield and Jaune was facing a similar barrier without his sword. That meant while Jaune could protect himself, he couldn't do anything to impede the immovable beast. And while Cardin's attacks finally managed to slow the creature's movement to some degree, he was all but helpless as soon as the Ursa turned to face him.
But the two managed despite all of these limitations. At least until the Grimm reached its limit. Because while Grimm didn't tire or feel exhaustion, it appeared they could feel frustration. Frustration and certainly anger. And after two minutes of being juggled between the two huntsmen, hatred transformed its glowing red eyes from smoldering embers into a raging inferno.
A roar was the only hint that something had changed. As the Grimm's current focus, Jaune acted instinctually, raising his shield to protect himself. But panic made him misjudge the placement in front of him, blocking his vision. That meant he could only hear what happened next when Cardin screamed his name. His actual name.
"Jaune!"
Jaune knew that tone and didn't think twice before launching himself forward, stabbing the edge of his shield into the thick muscle and bone of the Ursa's flank. Three quick jabs followed before he jumped back, preparing to face the Grimm's retaliation just like the ten other times he'd repeated that feat. Except this time, the Grimm didn't seem to so much as acknowledge his love bites. And instead of turning, it continued its assault against Cardin, falling on all fours to consume what little space the ginger student had been trying to create between them.
"Jaune!" Cardin repeated, his tone pitching with fear. "Fucking, Turtle! Do something!" And Jaune did. Or at least, he tried. But as he jumped back into the fight, hammering his shield into the monster, it was clear that his feeble strength wasn't enough to leave a mark against the Ursa's bone and fur. And worst of all, it almost seemed like the monster could see that now.
But that didn't stop Jaune from trying. Again and again, he ran with the Grimm as it chased Cardin down, landing blows as they went. But without his sword, there was only so much he could accomplish.
As if to mock him, his weapon stood there, mere inches away, still trapped in the monster's body. He had no choice but to reach for his blade in a desperate bid, hoping adrenaline and desperation would give him the strength his twiggy arms clearly lacked. But the sword refused to yield even as he heard Cardin's climbing panic in the background.
The most he accomplished was a slight wiggle, leveraging the tall pommel against the creature's tensile flesh. And while Jaune didn't succeed in recovering his gear, the pain of steel digging into its body did force the Grimm to confront him. It was too bad that Jaune didn't notice, so absorbed in his weapon that he didn't realize it when the monster reared back on its hind legs to rise to his full height. Not until he suddenly found his arms stretched over his head, nearly out of reach.
He understood what it intended seconds too late. He couldn't move out of the way in time. And to make matters worse, he might as well be on the thing's back, using his feet to push against its fur. And that meant that when the Ursa simply allowed itself to fall backward onto its back, there was nothing in the world to keep Jaune from falling underneath its mass.
In a strange twist of fate, the spikes on the monster's back ended up saving the idiotic blond. Pressing against his aura like a giant spear trying to run him through, Jaune almost blacked out from the pain, even with his protection absorbing most of the impact. And since the bone couldn't find purchase, the weight behind the sharp edge had no choice but to glance off the young man, sinking harmlessly into the grass at his side. Jaune ended up pinned between its deadly defense as a result, nearly smothered by the weight he could feel bearing down on him like a dust mining drill sitting on his chest.
He would have suffocated if the monster chose to stay like that for long. Unable to breathe, unable to move, no amount of aura could stop the burning in his lungs. But the Grimm didn't appear to be the type to remain idle when prey was near, rolling off its victim with a thrumming growl.
Sunlight washed across Jaune's face, but he didn't move to stand. He couldn't, staring up into the cloudless sky with the existential horror of how close he'd come to losing his life. He couldn't get an accurate measurement of how much aura he'd lost without his scroll, but he could still feel the drain and exhaustion that came with spending his soul's protection. And after a short inventory, he was confident that he had less than half of his reserves remaining.
Half…half of three people's aura. And while he knew they didn't all provide the same amount to their shared pool, Jaune still recognized that, without his semblance, he wouldn't have had anything left to protect him after that attack. He would have been turned into a pincushion. Impaled. Disemboweled and left to bleed out on the red fauna around him.
'This was a mistake.' the thought rose from the dark pit of his mind, which was still reeling at his close call. 'I'm not a real hero. Not like Pyrrha. Not like Glynda. What the fuck am I doing here? I'm not strong enough for this!' And what was he risking his life for, Cardin Winchester? The biggest piece of shit he'd ever met, before or at Beacon. The one guy everyone pretty much universally hated.
'Fuck,' Jaune swallowed against his dry throat, feeling sweat sting the edge of his vision. 'I should have just stayed with Pyrrha.' The day had been going so goddamned well, too. He'd never seen her as beautiful as when they'd walked through the black and red forest.
And she was still out there, waiting for him. Glynda too. What if he died here? What would happen to them? What would happen to his semblance? Would the rings make them mourn him, or would they finally be free? Free to be horrified at what he'd done to them.
Which consequence was he more afraid of?
Unfortunately, Jaune wasn't allowed to lament his fate for long. The sound of a scream interrupted his panic, forcing him outside of his thoughts. With his chest moving up and down like a rodent, Jaune looked to the side just in time to see Cardin flying to his left, his trusty weapon finally relinquished as the last of his aura faltered, and the ginger boy took the full brunt of the bear's claws against his flesh.
Numbness spread through the blond as he watched the other boy fall. He wasn't dead, right? Jaune hadn't just watched someone die. He couldn't have. It was a trick, like the movies. Red food coloring and corn syrup. Surely, that couldn't have been real blood. Even Cardin…no one deserved to go out like that. Hell, he'd just been trying to protect one of his teammates.
But Jaune didn't have time to worry about someone else's death. Because the Grimm still remembered the second nuisance it had been juggling and swiftly turned to regard the fallen huntsman. And as it started to slowly lumber toward him, taking its time as it approached, Jaune happened to recall one of the few scraps of huntsmen knowledge he'd been able to pick up since school started.
Grimm could sense fear. And right now, his pitiful figure must have been screaming out like a beacon of unadulterated terror.
Jaune tried to stand up or back away, but the fall must have hurt him more than he'd thought. Even if the spikes hadn't pierced him, they must have cracked a rib because Jaune suddenly felt the area radiate with burning pain.
Gasping a hissing breath, he ran out of time and found his pain doubled when a cold paw pressed down on his chest, pinning him to the grass. It was all Jaune could do to look up into its cruel mask, oddly dumbfounded as the first attack landed across his face, nearly tearing his head from his shoulders through sheer strength and power.
It felt like being punched by a professional boxer, knocking his brain against the inside of his skull. Another thing aura couldn't do anything to protect. Blinking, he didn't get the chance to recover before he felt another crack against the side of his face. And then another. All from the same direction while the other paw kept him from rolling out of its deadly grasp. Instead, Jaune had no choice but to lay there, crying out each time he felt the impossible strength try and break through his useless defenses.
It was a matter of time. He couldn't dodge, couldn't block. He could only throw his aura up between him and the Grimm, feeling his fragile control splinter and crack with every pass. Forty percent. Thirty. Twenty. Even three peoples' aura wasn't enough to hold the Ursa back for long. Jaune couldn't have more than a few seconds before it finally broke through and he was dead.
Maybe it was the inevitability of it all, or maybe it was a concussion. Either way, Jaune felt a sense of peace steadily drape itself across his body as he accepted his fate.
To be fair, he should have died during initiation. Without Pyrrha, he would have fallen to his death. And even if he'd survived the impact, he would have had a much harder time fending off a forest of Grimm with two broken legs and no aura.
He would never have unlocked his semblance. Never would have married Pyrrha. Never would have felt her warmth in bed. Never learned to love his partner and understand what it meant to be a husband.
He would have never gotten to know Glynda either, but their relationship was still too new, too early to understand what he would have missed out on if he'd died that day. Instead, he found his thoughts lingering on his redheaded wife. And how, from the very first day, she'd been this bubble of unconditional love. Nurturing, soothing, and tender. She'd only ever asked for the simplest things in life, yet when he gave them to her, she still acted like they meant the world.
The smile she always generously offered in those moments…Jaune decided that was what he wanted to focus on. If he really was going to die, he didn't want it to be when he was afraid or begging. He wanted to think of Pyrrha, and how the best thing he did with his life was earn her smile in the short month they knew each other.
If the Ursa savaging the blond had any consciousness beyond its need to kill, its paw might have paused at the curious smile that slowly bloomed across its prey's face seconds from its doom. But it couldn't, so it didn't, the sound of claws racking against stone echoing through the forest as Jaune's aura was torn away, chunk by chunk.
This meant it paid equal attention to the green glow that had already started to swell on Jaune's finger. A light that only grew brighter as Jaune immersed himself in thoughts of his wife.
Accepting his fate, Jaune didn't notice either, focusing on Pyrrha and the way she made him feel. Unconsciously, his semblance reached out to the young woman through the empathetic connection he used to read her emotions and pleasure in bed. Giving him a taste of her terror and anxiety as she likely raced through the forest, searching for Glynda to rescue him.
However, the connection felt…different than normal. Deeper. Stronger. And while Jaune couldn't quite see how his ring was reacting, the dazed part of his brain did notice a change in his perspective. Nothing that he understood, just a strange pulling sensation. Or was it a push? No, it was both at the same time, hovering above him.
It was pleasant, he decided. And the more he focused on that strange sensation, the stronger he could feel Pyrrha's presence inside of him. He felt her love. Her understanding. Her patience. And the comfort those sensations brought made him feel like a drowning man given one last breath of precious oxygen.
He clung to the impression, unconsciously strengthening the pull he felt in a desperate effort to bring the presence toward him. And it worked. The harder he focused, the more of Pyrrha he could feel, and the stronger the pulling sensation became. So, he doubled down, smothering himself in his wife's spirit until the forest was gone, the Grimm was gone, he was gone, and there was only Pyrrha.
There was only pull.
One final crash exploded somewhere that sounded far away. And then there was nothing.
A/N: Sorry for the later upload. Thanksgiving stole some of my editing time and this was a longer chapter. I thought about splitting it up to save time but I promised action and action and hopefully you all enjoyed both scenes. A lot happened in this chapter and I'm eager to hear what you have to say. Both about the fight scene and the actions that took place in the first half.
And I hope you guys enjoyed a different side to Cardin. He's a jerk and a bully but he always struck me as the type who would at least defend his teammates when it mattered. I understand why they did it but Roosterteeth turning his entire team into comic relief for Jaune to get an impressive moment was kind of wasteful. I'll do my best to expand on them a little more as the story permits. They're not going to disappear after forever fall.
Next update we'll get a little more development from Cardin and you guys will get some more information about Jaune's semblance and how he access his wives' semblances. See you all in two weeks.