"YANG!"
That was the last word Yang heard as she fell further into the dark void below. She saw how the bright pathways got smaller and smaller as the darkness swallowed her vision whole. Various memories and emotions surfaced from her heart: the fear of losing Ruby and everyone, her regret of not telling Blake how much she liked her, her hatred for Salem and her cronies, her frustration of not being strong enough to stay with her team, and her concern for her friends and the civilians. Each of them swirled in her heart like a maelstrom.
Yet none of this compared to the primal fear of the unknown. The fear of death gripped on her heart as she miserably tried and failed to move within the confines of the darkness. It doesn't matter how much she cursed, raged, and wailed. She can't do anything.
Finally, Yang closed her eyes one final time, muttering a silent wish for her loved ones. "It's all up to you guys…"
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.
.
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"Gah!"
A flash of light and the sensation of cold water woke Yang up as she fell into salty water. Thankfully, her aura has recovered enough to protect her from the crude impact. In panic, she flailed her arms around until she floated upwards and got a good glimpse of the surrounding area. She's in the sea and the beach is a few meters away from her.
Yang did not hesitate and swam towards the shore. After a few seconds, she crawled out of the water and laid down on the sandy shore. She let out a hearty laugh before a few tears flowed out of her eyes.
She's alive. It doesn't matter how, but she's alive and well.
The brief celebration turned into a worry towards her friends. She shot up from the ground and took a good look at her surroundings.
A few large tortoises stared at her blankly from the distance, with their dull yet strangely adorable faces. Once she deemed the animals to be docile, Yang turned her attention to the surrounding area. The oppressive heat, sandstone cliffs and sandy plateaus indicated that she's on a shore near the desert. Is she in Vacuo perhaps?
Yang's thoughts switched quickly as the breeze from the sea mingled with her wet clothes. Chills ran to her entire body.
Once she placed her clothes out to dry, she made herself comfortable on a nearby rock under a shade and checked her weapon and arm. They are still functional, thank goodness. But some of the ammo in her possession is too wet to function. With a heavy sigh, she realized that she would conserve the few ones she has.
She then grabbed the scroll on her side and checked it. Almost no battery, but hey, at least it's not damaged from the salt water. Thank goodness for Atlas technology, she supposed.
Once she felt dry, she stood up and looked at the tortoises. "Hey, did any of you know where Shade academy is?"
"..."
Yang shrugged. It didn't hurt to try. She took her now dry clothes and wore them before moving in a random direction.
The cliffs are quite tedious to scale but it didn't matter to her. To Yang, the first priority is to find a settlement and ask for directions there. Since this is near the sea, she is sure some people will be staying here. They have to be.
After almost an hour, a campfire smoke from afar perked her spirits up. Finally, an actual camp with food and a bed. The sun is about to set in a few hours, and she really doesn't want to sleep in the cold desert with a bunch of tortoises. No offense to those guys.
Still, she didn't get her hopes up as she crept closer to the camp. It never hurts to be safe, a lesson she learned the hard way after the past few years. As she peered from over the cliff, her lilac eyes widened at the bewildering sight.
Crude and barbaric design of the "houses" aside, what got Yang intrigued was the ones in the middle. A whole group of creatures hanging around the strange fire (that spewed some weird purple runes). Two of them danced with glee and excitement.
The void dark surface and inhuman physique indicated that they are not human. Two dancers have wiry frames and long ears above their mane while the large one is a mixture of a bull and a large man complete with a big horn protruding from its head. Combine that with the bone white, yet decorated masks. As if the Grimm somehow gained sentience and formed primitive customs. Maybe they did gain sentience here in Vacuo?
Yang watched intently at the bizarre sight in front of her. She failed to realize one of them stumbled upon her.
"Yaya ika!"
Yang turned around and blocked the crossbow bolt that's about to hit her face. They can use crossbows now!
The entire camp was alerted, brandishing their weapons and shouting war cries in a language Yang could not understand.
Instead of panicking, Yang charged at the one that shot her and punched it in the gut. The force was enough to send it flying to the rock wall and disappeared in a mist of black smoke. She smiled and readied both her prosthetic arm and Ember Celica. Yang turned around and jumped from the cliff and landed in front of the monsters. She immediately assumed her battle posture and smiled in front of them.
"Bring it on!"
The first one charged at her with a wooden stick. Yang just smirked at the attempt and backhanded the creature away, sending it face first in the dirt. The next one is a bit smarter, with a wooden shield protecting it, but before Yang could punch it, the large muscular one overtook its smaller companion and jumped at Yang with a large axe.
Smirk turned to a frown as Yang jumped out of the way. The slam is strong enough to crack the ground below them. Once she saw the axe was on the ground, Yang charged quickly and used the axe as a springboard. Using the momentum, Yang lunged at the creature and punched it on its face with her prosthetic. She made sure to unload a bullet as she punched the creature, further damaging it.
The large one stumbled back while the shielded one took over its place. Yang blocked the club with her right arm and delivered an uppercut on using her left. Her strength is enough to break the shield and deliver her blow to the monster's jaw. Sending it flying to the magic bonfire and destroying it.
"Score." Yang smirked. But her celebration was cut short when the big one threw a gelatinous ball at her. Yang only punched it away.
"What? Ready for round two?"
The big one gripped its blazing axe hard as it glared at Yang behind its cracked mask. With a guttural roar, it jumped high up the air again for another slam.
Yang already predicted its move and jumped back like usual. However, she did not expect that the flaming axe would also erupt a wave of fire once it hit the ground. The unexpected searing force sent Yang flying to the nearest crate.
"Ughhh," Yang clutched her head. Her last fight on the central location and walking in the desert have sapped her of her usual energy. She gritted her teeth and stood up. Golden light enveloped her as she activated her semblance.
The big one continued its attack with a flurry of swings. The much nimbler Yang used her footwork to weave against the slow yet heavy swings of the monster. Finally, one of the monster's reckless swings has opened an obvious weak spot. Taking her chance, Yang ducked and moved closer to the monster. Yang's right jab in the abdomen with her semblance plus a shotgun shell is enough to stagger the monster and lose its momentum. This gave Yang enough time to punch it again and again and again. Each blow broke the monster further and further until it kneeled down and disappeared in a black smoke.
Yang breathed heavily and wiped the sweat off her brow. After checking the environment for any more enemies, Yang rummaged the crates and barrels for anything good. A bunch of meat, some cabbages, and a radish. Yang made a makeshift bindle and stored the goods away. Taking the cooking pot and a jar of water with her, she moved to the beach once again. Staying on the enemy camp any longer is too dangerous for her. Back on the beach, the tortoises still stayed in their position and hid under their spiked shells as the sun began to set. At least she still had company, even if they were asleep.
Yang made a simple stew and ate to her heart's content, or at least based on the amount of ingredients she took. After a hearty meal, Yang looked up at the sky to ponder her next move. Her eyes widened once again.
The moon is full. The moon is full and intact.
...
...
...
"What the hell!?"