Disclaimer:
The works of Rooster-Teeth and their characters are their own and that of the mighty Oum. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Oum Damn It!
Date Published: 8th June 2021
Chapter Title: Hammertime Part 3 (Ending)
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Scene 1
Glynda let out a frustrated hum as she flicked her riding crop at the pack of Beowulf wanting to blind-side one of the students, sending them high into the air to intercept the flock of Nevermore about to fire off their feathers, blocking their shots and driving them to the ground at once for the other students to direct their own attacks at them.
It had been a hectic month to say the least. All the publicity surrounding Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester was something that Glynda thought she was prepared for and made gravely mistaken with how many people looked up to Pyrrha Nikos. She honestly underestimated how much of a fanatic people could be for the red-haired Spartan, and there had been a few times she had to intervene to ensure Cardin and his team did not get ambushed by people to do harm. There were a few attacks that were a touch too lethal for her liking and the attackers had to be temporarily sent into their equivalent of the detention centre to monitor them.
And then there was the issue where the council were either on them like sharks to blood, or trying to make sense of the situation. On one side were the partners or allies to Beaufort Winchester either through legislations, policies or money. On the other side, people who were against Beaufort but not big fans of Ozpin either. And then the neutrals whom Ozpin admitted to be a touch worried of since they held considerable weight in voting power despite their smaller numbers, since they were the ones who worked directly with the people and the academy to some extent.
Beaufort's people had been trying to get into Beacon's matters for as long as she could remember, and they were hoping that this would give them a foot into the door. They were the type of people that Glynda was sorely tempted to fire them off the cliff side like the prospective students had to do, except she would be the one to launch them with her Semblance with extra prejudice. (Something that much to her embarrassment, Ozpin and the others heartily agreed and would pay her to do it. James Ironwood himself had asked with a serious tone if she could do the same for his council). It was not just because of their policies on 'better selection' which basically excludes a fair number of Faunus and those of poorer families, it was their views on the female students that made her want to go on a rampage to destroy them.
She was not the stereotypical 'dumb blonde' that many of them would have liked her to be. She knew how the female students and huntresses liked to dress as a way of identifying themselves as Huntsmen, even in Atlas for those who had graduated at least, and that some were quite daring in their dressing. (A certain blonde bomber sneezed at the point before dodging the fangs aimed at her) She herself was arguably more conservative in her dressing but knew that there were plenty of males, both students and adults, who would fantasize a lot about her. And those of Beaufort's camp were a lot more… 'rude' to say the least. Considering how their eyes kept undressing her each time they met and the words they used around her or the students, they were misogynist of the highest order who wanted to put her 'in her place beneath them'.
Or more likely, beneath them in the bed.
Ozpin was more than understandable when he gave her the training room as a place to at least 'dissuade' the male students of that notion. And on his part, Ozpin made himself a shield to those of the council to ensure they do not have any thoughts of said action, along with Peter and Bartholomew.
But she was digressing.
The council kept an eye on both Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc, and while Cardin was getting the blunt end of the hammer, Jaune was getting scrutinized for his actions and his partnership with Pyrrha Nikos. It was all she could do to not send a few of the members face-first into a wall as she listened to some of the disdainful comments about 'a commoner reaching for the touch of a goddess' or how 'the boys were seduced by a succubus' or whatever nonsense they sprouted from their mouths. And it was also with some effort along with Oobleck to stop Peter from going after them with his battle-axe, what with the portly man being very protective of Jaune. But at the least Jaune was safe for the most part, what with Ozpin being adamant about keeping his file hidden via non-electronic methods, and it was to some reluctance that she allowed him to do so.
The man was going to be so smug for a while, she just knew it.
In any case, Glynda would not be surprised if this latest incursion was due to all the bloody controversy going on in Vale, although this was a rather unusual incursion to say the least. On the surface, the Grimm were behaving as they normally would in their attacks, but as she provided cover for the students, she noted the odd manner they focused on certain groups. Specifically, they appeared to be sniffing at certain members before turning away and leaving the students to the other Grimm to attack them. And rather worryingly, those particular ones began to move further into the forest where the other students were supposedly still in.
Specifically, the part of the forest Team JNPR, RWBY and CRDL had gone to and have yet to return.
Glynda decided to err on caution and activated the emergency override to summon the students' weapons lockers and several Dust canisters transports to get their much-needed ammunition and equipment. This was supposed to be a simple assignment so none of them would be packing that much on them, aside from those like Jaune Arc who focused solely or heavily on melee attacks.
Ozpin had better hurry with those reinforcements soon or there would be hell to pay.
Scene 2
Jaune grunted as he leaped around the corner of a rock formation, wincing from both the impact he took from hitting the ground and from the rocks that hit him as one of the heads from the eight-headed Grimm smashed its way through the formation in an attempt to eat him. Ignoring the pain as his side, Jaune reached out and swung the blade at the neck, cutting it about an inch in before he had to pull back as the head twisted and turn in agitation. He went back a few feet to catch his breath and reassess the situation.
They have been at this for around 15 minutes, and the situation was not getting any better. For one, the Cerberus Grimm decided to not play along with the make-shift plans and went into hiding after ordering the others to attack them. The serpents hissed as one before they descended on the teams, forcing them to split up and deal with the individual Grimm while the Cerberus gave off a sound like a dark chuckle and disappeared within the trees. Team RWBY managed to lure theirs to the canyon while CRDL got theirs down another part of the forest, leaving Jaune's team to deal with the third Grimm that has been taking bites out of them for quite some time. Needless to say, they have not been as successful as they liked to be in dealing with the Grimm.
At the very least, Jaune figured out that the eight-headed serpent had some flaws. The heads were now bulkier with the added mass and armor, and while it appeared to have increased intelligence from the combination, it also came with heightened aggression. He barely nicked it earlier and ended up high-tailing to the rocks to avoid three heads descending on him at once. The glass jars containing the tree sap had worked in distracting them to a certain extent, but the added heads meant that there was at least one looking out to ensure they would not be caught unaware.
Bummer.
"You guys alive?!" Jaune called out as he gripped his sword.
"Doing fine!" Pyrrha called out from wherever.
"I am having lots of fun, Fearless Leader!" Nora yelled cheerfully among the loud explosions.
"... I need a vacation." No need to guess who said that.
"Right, fall back to the rocks!" Jaune called out and jumped out in time to avoid another head bearing down on him. Jaune used the momentum to slide across the ground and turned around the corner, using the bigger portions of the hill to hide him. Going a bit further on, Jaune was relieved to find his team waiting for him.
"Hey guys, how's it hanging?" Jaune tried to dispel the situation with very awkward words upon reaching their spot.
"Oh, you know, the usual." Pyrrha replied in good humor. "Just trying to survive an incursion and what appears to be some mutated Grimm on the side."
"This is great, nothing like some Grimm stomping to get the blood flowing and my appetite growing!" Nora cheerfully lifted her hammer. "I am expecting pancakes after this, with the red syrup we have collected!"
"Oh dear~" Jaune felt for Ren as he cradled his head one hand. A hyperactive Nora was a dangerous thing to deal with.
"Okay then, how are you doing with your ammunition?" Jaune got back into serious matters as he turned to check on their surroundings.
"We have been focusing more on heavy attacks, but that armor is too thick." Pyrrha answered while checking her weapons. "We may have done a lot better if we have Team RWBY helping out. I did not carry as much ammunition as I normally would for this assignment, it was supposed to be a normal syrup extraction."
"That could be a problem considering Team RWBY have one of their own." Ren added on his end. "And these Grimm fusions seemed to gain intelligence from the numbers."
"Too bad we can't get together, maybe the two Grimm can hit each other and let me hammer their heads in." Nora dropped her shoulders dramatically before shrugging. Jaune was about to comment on that when he paused at her words.
"Mind saying that again?"
"Too bad we can't get together, maybe the two Grimm can hit each other and let me hammer their heads in." Nora repeated her words and actions in the exact manner.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha looked at her leader as he looked thoughtful. "What are you thinking?"
"Something crazy." Jaune muttered while taking out his scroll. He quickly selected Ruby's number and called her scroll, which got answered almost immediately.
"Hi Jaune! Not that I don't appreciate the call, but now is not a good time!" Ruby chimed cheerfully with the undertone of stress.
"Ruby, where are you right now?" Jaune asked while the others checked the area for the Grimm.
"Currently at the bottom of the canyon down south!" Ruby yelped and the scroll went through a blur of images before her face came back. "We are not doing too good, we barely got one head taken out and we are running low on Dust! Not to mention, it is really angry at us!"
"Ruby, I might have a crazy idea." Jaune told her as Ren signaled to him that their Grimm was coming to their end. "It is a long shot, but we could try to take out two of these Grimm at the same time. Think you can hang on until then?"
"Well, we could use the help!" Yang's voice called out from the scroll with the sounds of gunshots echoing with hissing.
"What she said." Ruby remarked easily. Jaune nodded as he checked his team once more.
"Okay, we are going to head to your end. See if you can give us an exact location with your scrolls and anything else to mark your location. Hold on." Jaune ended the call-in time as the sound of hissing filled the area. "Incoming!" Jaune threw himself forward as the rock crumbled behind and the glimpse of a forked tongue flicked about in the spot he was before disappearing. "Move, Move, Move!" Jaune scrambled after the others and made their way into the trees as the eight-headed Grimm raised their heads and searched for them.
"Jaune, mind filling us in on the plan?" Ren slowed slightly to let his leader keep up. "Because I am not sure if basing a plan on Nora's idea is that sound."
"Hey!"
"In this case, it might actually be the best shot we have." Jaune explained while ignoring a pouting Nora. "These new Grimm are smart, but they have increased aggression. And with how much we have been pissing this one off, we might make them agitated enough to target themselves briefly to allow us to counterattack."
"But I do not think that would work well enough." Pyrrha pointed out the flaw in the plan. "They could just attack us first before attacking one another. Not to mention the lack of firepower we have, even if we combined ours with RWBY's."
"Not if we collapse the rocks on them by the canyon." Jaune pointed to where the sight of a red flare appeared near the pinged location of Team RWBY. "There is their location."
"Better move it then." Ren looked up with narrowed eyes. "A storm is coming." Indeed, in the time of their little tussle, the clouds started gathering around above the forest, the sky quickly turning dark with the wind howling and the hints of thunder and lightning in the distance. Yet as they were moving further to the canyon, Jaune felt something else along with the fear and frustration.
Excitement of an impending fight.
Elation at the promise of power.
A possible taste of a fight to the death, as did the old warriors of the past.
Jaune was not sure how to feel about the last part, not helped when they were moving, his vision kept switching between his team moving between trees and rocks, and the image of another group of people dressed in armor and fur moving past ice shards and snow, with a certain figure running next to him that screamed at familiarity.
He would think about the vision later.
'BOOM!'
"I think we found them." Pyrrha stated as a matter of fact from the explosion that came around the corner. It was then confirmed with a familiar roar from Yang.
"Why! Don't! You! Stay! Down! Damn it!" That was followed shortly by the sounds of angry hissing and the rocks coming down on them.
"Yup, it's them all right!" Nora cheered happily.
"All right, quick instructions. Ren, take Nora and get one of the others' attention so that they can prepare. Pyrrha and I will deal with ours briefly until you guys are ready." Jaune gave his instructions as he prepared Crocea Mors.
"What exactly is the plan?" Ren's question made Jaune point to a ravine in the distance, with a particularly big ridge above it.
"It is a long shot, but if we can drive the two Grimm over there, we can collapse the ridge above them." Jaune explained the rough idea he had. "Part of the idea is that if we can piss them off enough to attack, they might damage the ridge enough that we do not need too much Dust on it. At the least, even if they are not dead, they would be immobilized enough that we can get away to warn Miss Goodwitch."
"I do not know if what we have would be enough to knock that down." Pyrrha winced at the size of the rock formation.
"I could knock it down hard if I can get high enough!" Nora banished her hammer with a very dangerous smile.
"We will think about it when we get the others together." Ren grabbed her collar and pulled her away with the ease of one having done it multiple times. Pyrrha turned back to Jaune who was taking a few deep breaths to center himself. "I don't suppose you have a Plan B if it does not work?"
"I will have to think about Plan B when we get there." Jaune grimaced at that. "I don't think any of us are properly equipped to deal with combining Grimm creatures of all things. I am just trying to keep up as it is!" Pyrrha offered a grimace of her own.
"Well, we have best to get moving, that storm is getting closer." She tightened the grip on her shield before moving forth with Jaune following suit, him taking a brief glance at the skies above before continuing.
They made to the ridge in quick time, which was good considering the sounds of the Grimm Serpents were getting louder and closer than expected. Jaune looked about the area with a sinking stomach; the ridge was certainly a lot bigger than initially thought, which was good and bad at the same time. Good being that the mass was possible to eliminate or at least hinder those Grimm, but bad in the fact that nothing in their arsenal would be enough to get it down!
"Erm? Jaune…" Pyrrha looked about with a grimace and agreeing with his thoughts. "I don't think I have enough to even chip the ridge."
"We will need Nora's hammer or something of the equivalent." Jaune stiffened as he heard a growl and turned to find a pack of Beowulf snarling at them. "Ah come on!" The Grimm let out a sound that appeared to be a cross between a roar and a laugh before launching forward, prompting him to use his shield to take the blows as Pyrrha cut them down.
"Jaune, we might need to rethink this!" Pyrrha called out as she blocked with her shield. Jaune cursed as he readied his shield, his eyes on the advancing Grimm. At the rate they were going, they would need a damn miracle.
'What would I give for one lightning bolt to hit the Grimm before me!' Jaune yelled in his mind as one of the Beowulf leaped at him with its mouth wide open.
'BBOOOM!'
A sudden flash of light and a loud clap of thunder descended upon them, making Jaune close his eyes instinctively to block the glare and from the sharp sound. After a few seconds, Jaune dared to open his eyes to find a black patch on the ground with the scent of ozone present around.
"What just happened?" Jaune blinked as he noted the other Grimm holding back from the two of them.
"I might be tempted to say dumb luck." Pyrrha looked up with a frown. "Then again, I could be mistaken." Jaune chanced a look to the skies and saw an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight to behold. The dark clouds that had been gathering above the forest was now congregating where they were and swirling around in a vortex like manner. In the center of the storm, a big ball of electricity was building in size and power, just the glance alone raised the hair on his neck. And somehow, he felt it familiar for some strange reason.
"Well, I don't think we can rely on that again." Jaune looked back to the Grimm which were now coming forward. "I mean, we can only be so lucky…"
'BBOOMM!'
Jaune and Pyrrha jumped as another bolt of lightning hit the nearest Grimm, incinerating it instantly and shocking the ones next to it enough to get their bodies disappearing as well. Pyrrha looked at the new patch on the ground before slowly turning her head to Jaune with a raised eyebrow. Jaune blinked before stammering out. "...Erm… Okay, so lightning can strike twice in a row, but not multiple times…"
'BBOOMM!'
'BBOOMM!'
'BBOOMM!'
As though the storm was mocking him, lightning bolts began peppering the area with accuracy that was almost supernatural, destroying the pack of Beowulf that was attacking the duo in no time at all. By the end of it, there was nothing left of the area for the two humans to fight or even hide behind, all were reduced to blackened rubble.
"... Okay, pardon my language, but I am so calling bullshit on this!" Jaune blurted out. "There is no way we can be that lucky with lightning not hitting us at all! Not that I am complaining, but!"
"Agreed." Pyrrha looked about them in a daze before looking back at the ridge. "But at least that had helped with our problem to bring the ridge down." Indeed, all of the lightning strikes had served a better purpose of weakening the ridge that they wanted to collapse on the Grimm, now sporting a fair number of deep cracks that tore up a fair bit of the rock. It looked ready to be toppled with one good hit by Nora or Yang at this point.
"Well, that is really helpful." Jaune looked up to see the ball of electricity in the sky. "What is that, it really saved our bacon?" As though in reply, the ball of electricity seemed to pulse before descending to their level quickly, stopping before Jaune as the electricity seemed to be sucked from the inside. It took a moment to see the shape of the object within.
"Wait, isn't that the war hammer you brought back for Doctor Oobleck?" Pyrrha came closer to look at the hammer hovering near them with arcs of electricity coming off it. "How is it here?"
"No clue, but I am not complaining." The knight looked at the hammer with the odd feeling appearing again in his chest, before sheathing his sword and slowly raising a hand to the handle.
"Wait!" Pyrrha grabbed his arm as his fingers were a few inches away. "You don't find this a little weird that it happens to appear when we are in danger?"
"Of course! This sounds way too much like a Deus ex Machina moment." Jaune answered. "But as weird as it sounds, I think the hammer is here to help." With that, Jaune finished the action to grab the hammer by the handle. The reaction was instantaneous as it glowed brightly and electricity gathered around his arm quickly, yet he did not feel any pain. Rather, it was acceptance and the odd feeling like an old friend greeting him after so long.
"Jaune, I hope you guys are ready!" Ruby's voice broke his thoughts and drew their attention to the incoming party that was fast reaching them. In response to the increasing grip, the hammer seemed to hum in kind. Jaune looked at it one more time before nodding.
"Well then, time to knock down some rocks." Jaune gripped the new weapon tightly. It did not take long for the others to appear at the bottom, with the two serpent Grimm bearing down on them with visible damage to the bone armor and clear fury at the all attacks aimed at them. It was clear that the idea was baring fruit as both Grimm were snapping at each other as they chased their friends down the ravine.
The others looked to be heavily banged-up from their struggles; Yang in particular looked like she would have a wardrobe malfunction in any moment with her clothes shredded quite a bit to the point that it was a miracle her clothes held on from all the movement she was doing to escape the attacks; Weiss's clothes were tarnished and stained from all the fighting; Blake's were quite roughed up, and Ruby looked like she took a tumble in the concrete mixer and spat out a chimney. Compared to them, Ren and Nora barely looked that bad, even if the former looked ready to hit the bed when it was all over.
"Get them down here! We are about to collapse this ridge!" Jaune yelled as Pyrrha took up position to target the Grimm. The others moved immediately with the Grimm following suit, the tight quarters helping to contain the Grimm while agitating them enough that they started to bite each other more frequently. It got crazier when Nora used one of her rounds to destroy the walls behind them, effectively trapping the Grimm there while the others moved out of the way.
"Jaune, better do something!" Ruby called out as one of the snake's heads got a little too close for her liking.
"Okay, you have helped me out earlier. Now would be a good time to call forth a big bolt of lightning to strike this bit down." Jaune had no idea what he was doing and just talked to the hammer for some reason, and as though it answered him, the symbols on the hammer started to glow brightly with more electricity building around it while the clouds rumbled above him. Feeling something guiding Jaune, he decided to pull a leaf out of Nora's book and lifted the hammer into the air just as a lightning bolt descended from the heavens and struck the hammer dead on. The feeling of power surged through Jaune and almost making him drop the hammer from the shock of it going through his veins. He gritted his teeth and leaped up, going further than he planned before dropping to the ground and slamming the hammer hard on the ground, the electricity exploding from the epic-center and destroying the rocks in an instant, causing the ground beneath to rumble and shift as the ridge started to tilt downward. It was only thanks to Pyrrha using her polarity on him that Jaune got off the crumbling feature and onto solid ground as the rock face cracked and broke off along with the ridge, sending the debris down on the Grimm, alerting them finally to the impending doom. The last thing Jaune saw was their eyes widening before the ridge crashed on them followed shortly by the rest of the debris, throwing out enough dirt to cover the area and create a miniature dust cloud that appeared above Jaune and Pyrrha. The ground shook for some time before it died off, leaving behind a silence that was deafening in its own manner. The dust cloud started to disperse and settled, leaving behind a devastation that normally would be associated with Nora or Yang.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha came round and hugged him tightly before looking at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Jaune let out a breath at the adrenaline in his body before looking down the rock wall where the pile of rubble was. "Do you think that did it?" Before Pyrrha could answer, the rubble below started to shift and one of the heads of the Grimm came out looking worse for wear. "Ah come on!"
"These are very resilient to say the least." The amazon paused as she looked at the head. "But I think the plan worked, it does not look like it can move." As though to prove her point, the head let out a pained hiss before slamming down on the ground, the bone armor breaking and turning into dust along with the head. As the head dissolved, the rubble shifted and rumbled until it no longer resembled a small hill without the body beneath it.
"Oh, thank the brothers!" Jaune dropped on his bum and let out a tired sigh. "I am so not doing that again."
"That makes two of us, Jaune." Pyrrha steadied herself on her spear. "But at least your idea worked."
"Lucky for us that the hammer was around to help us. Two down, two to go." Jaune's reply made Pyrrha pause before she groaned at the reminder, mildly giving Jaune a glare at that as he gave a nervous chuckle. "Come on, let's find the others."
"Jaune!"
"Never mind." Jaune let loose a tired smile as a red missile came at them with rose petals trailing behind and smashed into Jaune, causing him to hit the ground with an 'Oof!' Once the petals settled, one Ruby Rose was seen babbling and hugging Jaune tightly.
"Oh my god! That plan was crazy! All the heads were trying to eat us and Yang almost got her head cut off! Weiss had to break one of her vials and Blake almost got eaten, and then Nora comes along and went Boom! And Whoosh! And then Ren went Hiya! With his weapons, and then that weird lightning storm started coming around and!" Ruby was speaking so fast that the others who had caught up were wondering where did she get the lung capacity or whether she was even breathing.
"Okay Ruby, I think they got it." Weiss rolled her eyes at the scene. "You might want to get off Jaune though." That stopped Ruby talking and got her to notice her position. There was a squeak, and then Jaune got a mouthful of petals from the gust of wind that came from Ruby running away and behind Yang who chuckled at her reaction.
"Aww~ Ruby, that is so funny!" Yang teased Ruby who whined at the attention and hid herself further in her hood. She then turned and raised an eye at Jaune who was looking away with a red face. "Don't worry Jaune, it was just some light teasing."
"That is one thing, but Yang…" Jaune stammered while maintaining his position, leaving Pyrrha to explain with a bit of tone in her words.
"Yang, you might want to get your clothes fixed." Pyrrha's eye twitched at the remains of Yang's clothes, which upon closer inspection was practically hanging by the threads and one good shake away from falling apart. Her very notable pair of assets in particular was barely keeping any modesty with a single strip of cloth that looked ready to rip itself, explaining Jaune's reaction and Nora's action of covering Ren's eyes with a very big glint in her eyes. Weiss and Ruby though looked down at their chests and sighed in misery as one, while Blake rolled her eyes in exasperation of the moment.
"Oh P-money, it would be nice but since I have no extra clothes or needles and thread to work with, you have to endure me in this state for some time." Yang quipped in good nature while bending over to tease Jaune with the view of her chest "Besides, I think Jaune would not mind the view that much~"
"Yang!" Ruby and Weiss spoke out in scandalized tones. Before any others voiced their opinions (with Pyrrha looking oddly stab happy), the sounds of rockets echoed in the area prompting them to look up to the origins.
"Incoming!" Blake grabbed Weiss and pulled her away, and the others scrabbling in time to avoid the weapons lockers crashing into the ground hard where they once stood, throwing up a bit of dust in the process. After a while the group came back to find their weapons lockers waiting for their input. For a moment, they stared in stupor at the lockers until Weiss broke the silence.
"I totally forgot about the lockers!" Weiss groaned while introducing a palm to her face loudly. "We did not have to worry so much on conserving the Dust, we could have just summoned them!"
"Well, on the bright side, we got rid of the Grimm on our end." Ruby tried to look on the positive side as she went to her locker and begin reloading her weapon. "And now that we have fresh ammunition, we can get back to Professor Goodwitch."
"True." Yang went to her locker to grab a bag and made her way to the trees, pausing to give Pyrrha a teasing smirk. "And at least I now have some spare clothes to change to, so you need not worry too much not P-money. Although I do not mind Jaune peeking~"
"Damn it, Yang." Blake pushed her partner to the trees while rolling her eyes. "Just get on with it." Yang merely smiled in good nature as she went through the bushes while Blake kept watch around the area, giving Jaune a chance to breathe properly while he made his way to his own locker. He was getting a handle on Grimm and the whole huntsmen routine, but super-hot women with tight or destroyed clothing would be his downfall one day.
His thoughts paused as he noted the big gash on the metal before opening it to find it a mess and slightly charred. "What the? Where is Crimson Blitz?"
"Hey Jaune! Isn't this your blade?" Yang's voice called out from behind the bushes before a hand wrapped in the tethers of her old clothes appeared from it wielding the aforementioned sword. "Think your locker got busted from the impact. It made quite a trench in its path."
"Err, thanks?" Jaune was wondering whether he should walk over to grab it when Pyrrha reached out with her semblance to grab the blade and bring it to him. "Thank you, Pyrrha."
"No problem, Jaune." The male teen nodded as he adjusted his weapons, not noticing Pyrrha glaring at a smirking Yang peeking out of the bushes, or Blake face-palming at their interaction.
"Right, now that we have all replenished our ammunition, I suggest we leave now." Weiss walked away from her locker with a belt full of Dust Cartridges, a fully loaded Myrester, and a really big frown.
"I agree." Blake sheathed her blade. "Let's get going."
"What about CRDL?" Ruby's question caused them to look at each other with a grimace.
"I say we should just leave them." Yang now properly dressed gripped her fists tightly while her eyes narrowed. "Those douche-bags attacked you and Pyrrha, and that blasted Winchester nearly!" Blake elbowed her in the stomach while Weiss stomped hard on her foot, and Ruby glared while lightly gesturing at the amazon who unconsciously drew herself in and wrapped her arms around herself, with Nora coming over to wrap her arms around her gently. Yang winced at her reaction which honestly hurt her more than the attacks from her own teammates. "Crap. Sorry Pyrrha."
"It is okay." None of them decided to remark that she was definitely not okay based on the tightening of her hands or the stutter in her voice. "We should just get moving, and if we do meet them on the way, then we get away together."
"Right." Jaune gave a light squeeze on her hand before looking to his scroll. "Extraction point is that way by the hillside, but since the Grimm had trashed the old paths, we would need to go through the open plains to get to the point. It is faster, but it is too open for my liking. If they are smart, CRDL would be doing the same with the lockers having reached them."
"I do not think we have much of a choice anyway." Blake looked about with a frown, and Jaune was not sure if he was imagining the bow twitching like ears when she was turning. "I have been hearing the sounds of other Grimm in the area while we were dealing with these ones, and something tells me that Professor Goodwitch may have trouble on her end if she had to send out the lockers."
"In any case, we need to warn the others about those… 'Fusion Grimm'?" Ren waved his hand. "Since we do not have signal coverage, we will need to hustle."
"Let's go then, we are wasting time and daylight right now." Weiss placed her hands on her hips and looked at them with pursed lips. The others checked their equipment once more before setting forth for the exit point in question, keeping an eye out for more Grimm on the way. Aside from a couple of Boarbatusks and Beowulfs, they were not getting stopped that many times, which only increased the uncertainty they were feeling despite making good progress on the way without encountering any tough opponents. It felt too easy in their opinion, but they had to take the chance if they wanted to get back to Professor Goodwitch quicker.
And so, after ten minutes worth of moving through the woods quickly, the two teams finally broke the tree line and made it to the plains.
"Okay, we are on the homestretch now, people." Ruby chimed cheerfully. "After this, we can get back to the Bulkhead and then to our beds in Beacon!" Nora and Yang gave a cheer of their own while the others merely smiled tensely. Jaune gave a rather lame cheer of his own while nervously looking about the area, the hair at the back of his neck rising without warning. He did not want to jinx the chance they were having to leave the area…
"AAAAAAHHH! Run for it!"
Never-mind.
Everyone turned to find Dove rushing out of the trees, followed shortly by the rest of his team. That was then accompanied by the last eight-headed serpent Grimm that burrowed out of the trees and crashing after them, a good five of the heads mangled beyond reason while the remainder were clearly angry at Team CRDL with the amount of jaw snapping at them.
"Oh goodie, here they come." Yang slammed her fists together with a smile that sent chills down Jaune's spine, and he was not certain if she was looking at the Grimm or CRDL with those crimson eyes. "I need to vent right now."
"As much as I hate them, we need numbers." Blake sighed as she gripped her weapon.
"Right then, let's!"
'RRRRROROOOOOOAAARR!'
The whole area shook from the roar and the sudden impact on the serpent that cracked the ground, letting CRDL get closer to them. When the dust settled, they found to their mounting frustration the three-headed Beowulf Grimm standing on top of the serpent and snarling at them.
"Right, I actually forgot about that one." Jaune let out a weak grumble at the sight of the Grimm before pausing. "Er guys, is it just me or is it bigger than earlier?" The others paused at that and looked at the three-headed hound in question, noting with dread that what he said was true; it looked to have gained another three feet in height and was sporting more bone-armor down the spine and upper joint regions. The middle head in particular was now sporting a crown-like decoration that made one think of a cruel king ready to smite his enemies down, not helped with the oddly human-like leer directed at them.
"That thing can eat Grimm!" The two teams turned to Dove who appeared to have calmed down enough to face them. "That thing had summoned a few Grimm earlier with its roar, and when we took them down, it just sucked the black powder into it and started growing like a weed!" Before they could react to that, a loud crunching sound drew them back to the Grimm and they watched with growing horror as the Cerberus proceeded to demonstrate what Dove meant by ripping off two of the damaged heads easily and swallowing with no issues, the red lines on the mask glowing as the Grimm grew in bulk and height. The less damaged heads attempted to get it off only for the Cerberus to stomp on the main body harder and rip off another damaged head. Jaune could hear someone emptying their stomachs again and did not blame them one bit; there was something horrifying hypnotic at the sight of a three-headed wolf Grimm biting down on an eight headed serpent like it was nothing but a snack.
And for some odd reason, he had the feeling that the middle head was looking right at him as the other two heads chewed on the remainder, its eyes supposedly burning his image into its memory.
"Guys, might I suggest we move the fuck on, like now?!" Yang grabbed Ruby by the cloak, hoisted her on her shoulder fireman style, and ran while ignoring her sister protesting her current position. That yell knocked them out of their fears and made them run like the hell-hounds was on their tails, somewhat appropriate given the Cerberus had let out a roar that sounded like a dark chuckle before pouncing off the remains of its meal and bounded after them with fervor. Weiss and Nora attempted to slow it down as much as they could with their Dust or explosives, but the Grimm shrug them off with ease and with a few good leaps, scattered them in all directions before slamming to a halt. Then it let out a howl that sent chills down their spines, with the storm seemingly adding to the dreadful moment.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Ren gripped his guns tighter as the sounds of other Grimm roaring answered the call. "Damn it, I hate it when I am right."
"Ren, not really the moment." Nora remarked with a strained smile as she readied her hammer.
"Incoming from the west!" Russel called out from his side as a pack of Beowulfs started to come out of the woods and making their way to them.
"We got more on the east!" Dove paled as he spotted a few King Taijitu coming out of the ground, with a few Boarbatusk entering the area.
"We have some in the air as well!" Weiss was trying to consider the amount of Dust she had as Nevermores came forth from the sky. This was getting really serious.
"That three-headed hound is calling for them!" Jaune looked at the Grimm. "We are not going to last long with that constantly in our paths! Best we focus on leaving the area!"
"Less talking, more fighting then!" Yang flung her arm back and shot off from the force of her shotgun-gauntlets with a roar at the closest group of Grimm, scattering them upon impact while she grabbed two Beowulfs and rammed their heads together, pulverizing them instantly. The others went about picking their targets, leaving Jaune and Dove standing next to each other awkwardly as they watched their teammates killing their prey quickly and ruthlessly.
"Erm, shall we move on?" Jaune turned to Dove who shrugged in reply before they let out a yell and ran towards some Boarbatusks. The duo managed to make quick work of them before Yang came along to kill-steal their side of Grimm and moved on, leaving them hanging with their weapons in mid strike.
"This… is awkward."
"Indeed." The two of them looked at each other before chuckling nervously, the weirdness of the situation a touch too much for the two.
"OUI! Stop spacing out and start killing!" Yang streaked past them to punch another King Tajitu.
"Sorry!" Jaune and Dove split up, with Jaune looking at the Grimm... well, grimly. There were a little too many for his liking and while the others were getting through their own sets, the numbers appeared to be never-ending unlike their stamina. And even if they managed to get rid of them all, there was still the Cerberus Grimm that was watching over them in a manner that it was learning what to do around them. They could not stick around for too long.
"Guys, head for the rock path!" Jaune pointed to the path that was shielded on both sides with rocks. "We can collapse the boulders to buy us some time to get back to Goodwitch!"
"He has a point there!" Weiss dodged before delivering ice spikes at a pack of Beowulfs. "We will only be wasting our Dust at this rate!"
"Nora, smokescreen!" The hammer queen nodded and launched a few cannisters to the air, said items exploding to cover the area and providing the teams cover to move. Sky Lark added his own distractions by throwing a few Fire Dust Crystals as they moved, ensuring it kept the ground-based Grimm occupied. Everyone made their way to the path as Jaune switched weapons and held Mjolnir tightly, something about it making him feel his blood sing with anticipation of a good fight for some reason. Jaune pushed it to the back of his head as he turned to Ruby who had ran ahead first and was now taking shots at the Nevermore trying to come near them.
"Ruby, keep those Grimm off us as long as possible. Once we are ready, better get to cover. This is going to be loud." Jaune then turned to address Weiss, Yang, and much to his consternation, Cardin. "We need to collapse the sides to block the path. It won't hold them back for long, but it should be enough to buy some time to get closer to the evacuation point."
"Who made you the boss?" Cardin scowled angrily. "I say we attack those creatures head on."
"Right now, the rest of us prefer listening to Jaune." Yang gave one back at him. "At least his plans managed to get rid of both of those fusion Grimm at once without getting us killed, while yours was still alive and kicking. Not to mention your idea would get us eaten."
"We had ours under control." Cardin gripped his mace tightly.
"Oh yeah, under control indeed."
"Enough!" Weiss snapped at the both of them "The two of you can measure your egos and tempers later, right now we need to get away from this place. You may not like us, and the feeling is mutual, but can we get your help to at least deal with the Grimm?" Cardin growled before moving to the wall nearest to him with his mace primed. That was answer enough to get Yang to move, with a bit of pushing from Weiss to help. Jaune ignored them and focused on the Grimm coming while thinking about the hammer in his hand.
'Okay, I am about to be a believer, maybe a touch more lightning might help with that?' In response, the hammer started to spark again and gave the feeling of assurance by the odd energy flowing through him. Jaune took a deep breath and raised the hammer above him. "Okay Ruby, move!" The young girl nodded and sped away with her Semblance, giving them a chance to knock down all the walls to bring about a landslide of rocks down on the path to block it and more importantly, keep the Grimm at the other side. Nora added her own by firing another round right a little further back to bring about more debris to block off the access, and it helped once the smoke cleared to reveal the choke-hold developed.
"Okay, that works. Now let's move!" The others agreed and moved up the path as quickly as they could, but a roar indicated that their exit would not be easy. The ground rumbled before some old friends of Jaune's and Pyrrha's appeared in the form of the Centipede Grimm protruding out of the ground. "Seriously, these bastards again!"
"Err, guys!" They turned to Dove pointing his weapon back where they left the Grimm trying to get past the blockade. Further back were a swarm of King Taijitu that came together and started doing something very familiar to them. "They are doing that combining thing again!" Dove called out as the mass of serpents came together to form the familiar eight-headed hybrid that let out a terrifying hiss. In front of them, the centipedes hissed loudly as though to mock them for their efforts. "We need something to hold them off!"
"I agree." Somehow, Cardin saying that calmly did not assure Jaune, rather it made the hair on his neck stand up in alarm. "And I got an idea for that."
'Boom!'
Jaune's ears were ringing as he tried to comprehend what just happened. For whatever reason, Cardin swung his club to the ground to detonate it, sending chunks of earth into air to tear through the Centipede Grimm while scattering Team RWBY and JNPR apart in the process. Said explosion forced him to lose his grip the war-hammer, getting it flung into the air and caught by the lightning, drawing it back to the storm. As Jaune tried to gather his bearings, a yell brought his groggy attention to Cardin who was lifting Ruby by the back of her collar, her weapon having been pried from her hands and thrown to the side.
"Let me go, you jerk!" Ruby tried to kick at Cardin while using her hands to remove his grip, but her short stature accompanied by Cardin's long arms meant that she was just wasting her energy.
"All of you are getting on my nerves, always acting so high and mighty just because you can get rid of some Frankenstein Grimm." Cardin growled before yelping in pain when Ruby got lucky with her kick to his nose. He glared at her with a bloody nose and crazed eyes.
"You want me to let you go? No problem, brat!" With that, Cardin drew back his arm and with a roar, threw her high into the air… right at the pile of Grimm trying to get past the barricade of rocks. It felt like time was slowing down as Jaune watched his friend sailed through the air, shock evident on her face as she tried to orientate herself in the air to no success. He was trying to wrap his head around the fact that Cardin had actually committed what amounted to be treason and potential murder of a fellow comrade in front of them all, including his own team, when his vision got replaced by another one of those random hallucinations; in Ruby's place was another young girl of her, while a man dressed in those fur coats that he saw in his other vision took the place of Cardin, with a smirk on his face as he watched the girl descend into a pit of wolves raving to eat her alive.
Jaune did not hesitate.
He poured whatever Aura he could muster into his legs, and took the leap.
"Jaune!" The moment Jaune wrapped his arms around the girl, the hallucination ended to reveal a surprised Ruby as they flew pas the barricade and were about to hit a small patch of ground soon to be surrounded by the Grimm. Jaune gritted his teeth as he tucked Ruby into his arms and dropped into a roll, his Aura taking a hit from the fall. He did not let it stop him for long and use the momentum to get on his feet, dodging in time to avoid a swipe from a Beowulf.
"Ruby, I know this is not Crescent Rose, but I hope you can use this!" Jaune grabbed Crimson Blitz off his back and pushed it into Ruby's hands, pausing to block a blow from the wolf Grimm and allowing Ruby to get her bearings and slice the Grimm's head off the body.
"Okay, no pressure!" Ruby tried to be calm only to lose it. "I can't believe what that jerk did to me, I hope Yang gives it to him!" Several shotgun blasts and some yelling were her answer. "Good!"
"Ruby!" Jaune pulled out his sword and cut down the Boarbatusk that nearly slammed into her.
"Oops, sorry!" Ruby yelped as another Grimm came forward, using her semblance to speed around it and the others quickly while slicing them with the sword. It was after she stopped that the Grimm appeared to pause mid-movement before they fell to pieces and dispersed into black dust. "Whoa, definitely not Crescent Rose but it cuts really well!" Ruby looked at the weapon in her hand with a touch of interest before pouting "But I want my high-powered rifle!"
"Survive this and we can get your weapon back!" Jaune cut down another Grimm before noting the group surrounding them. Glancing back at Ruby, Jaune had a very crazy idea in his head. "Ruby, when I give the signal, I want you to spin on the spot as fast you can while pouring your Aura into Crimson Blitz!"
"What will that do?" Ruby gripped the weapon as the Grimm got closer.
"Something really awesome if it works." Jaune gripped the shield and got on one knee. "Now!" Ruby took a deep breath before using her semblance to spin like a top, rose petals issuing from her like a tornado of flowers. Soon the telltale signs of Crimson Blitz lighting up came forth and Jaune had enough time to push back one Grimm before turning to block the onslaught of energy blades that got spat out of the tornado and went slicing through the Grimm around them, cutting them like hot knifes through butter. Jaune gritted his teeth as his arm screamed from the constant hits his shield had to endure from the 'energy blades of doom' as Nora would put it. After a while the barrage stopped and Jaune took the moment to look around to find the Grimm had been cut down into very messy bits that just started to decay to ash.
At least he found one thing that could withstand Crimson Blitz. He would never diss Crocea Mors anytime soon!
"Whoa…" Ruby came to his side with a hint of disbelief in her tone as she looked at Crimson Blitz in her hand. "That was insane…"
"No kidding." Jaune shook himself before getting back to his face. "We can think about the awesomeness of my weapon later, we got to get going." The sounds of the dreaded Fusion Grimm helped to knock Ruby out of her curiosity on the sword and they quickly made their way to where the others had managed to clear out a fair of rocks for them to make it true. But Fate seemed to have an axe to grind against them as a few Grimm appeared between them. "Ah come on!"
"We have more from behind!" Ruby's shout directed him to the direction where the Grimm had regrouped and were now heading their way. Jaune's grip almost slackened at the numbers coming upon them, his mind trying to find some way to get past this predicament. The problem was how to get past the Grimm before them, and all the ideas he had only allowed one person to be free while the other stayed behind. He looked to Ruby gripping Crimson Blitz tightly before taking a breath.
So be it.
"Ruby." The girl turned to face her friend. "I have an idea, and I can definitely get you to Yang safely." Jaune paused before continuing in a tired tone "I just hope you forgive me for this."
"What?"
Jaune answered in the only way possible. Stabbing the sword into the ground, Jaune grabbed Ruby the collar and spun around quickly, then with a roar and a generous application of Aura, threw Ruby hard in the direction of the others, his Aura somehow creating a barrier around her to blast past the Grimm standing in her way. Without stopping, Jaune spun to grab his sword to cut down the Beowulf aiming for his head in time before bashing another in the head.
"Jaune! What are you doing?!"
"GO!" Jaune yelled as he dodged another Grimm. "The Bullhead is in that direction, just go!" Jaune stumbled as a Boarbatusk rammed into his shield, but managed to stand long enough to take it down with a strike. He knew that this was a suicide mission, but if the others could get away, then he would be content. The Grimm seemed to sense this and roared to challenge him, likely hoping to make him fear them.
It only served to piss him off.
"Come on! You want a piece of me!" Jaune banged his sword against the shield to grab their attention. "I'm right here!" The Grimm took that as a challenge and charged forward at him, prompting him to hightail his way to a spot that he could handle them better and more importantly well away from his friends. Jaune kept on going even if his heart was hurting from hearing the others call out to him.
He did not get very far when a Boarbastusk slammed into his back, sending him crashing to the ground. Before Jaune could orientate himself, he yelled in pain as a Beowulf took the advantage to bite onto his sword arm and try to pull it out of his socket. Jaune gritted his teeth and stabbed the sharp end of his shield into the eye socket of the Grimm, causing it to roar out in pain and releasing him, allowing him to swing to decapitate it. Jaune grunted in pain as he got to one knee, looking at the blood staining his sleeve from the open wound. The fact that it was doing that meant his Aura had just ran out. The young man looked up to find the Grimm surrounding him with bright glowing eyes, the Alpha Beowulf before him letting out a howl to chill his heart, while in the distance the Cerberus Grimm looked upon the scene with 3 mouth's worth of leers. Jaune gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, glaring at it in general.
If he was going to die, he was at least going to go down fighting.
A Boarbatusk trying its luck to hit him from behind got knocked into the other Grimm for its trouble as Jaune turned at the last second to angle his shield, using his sword to pivot himself. Using the momentum, Jaune went low and cut down the Beowulf trying to bite off his head, making it fall and stab its own neck against the sharp rock next to him. Jaune did not care about it and just kept on swinging, his body screaming for it to be over as his life drained out of his bleeding wounds.
His luck went out when a Boarbastusk got a lucky hit and knocked off his sword, leaving him with a shield to stop a charge from an Ursa Major that sent him flying off his feet, leaving him vulnerable to the Beowulf Alpha that had leaped into the air and slammed its arm into him, sending him crashing into the ground and losing his grip on his shield. Jaune coughed out blood as whatever strength he had left went away, leaving him at the mercy of the Grimm coming closer to tear him apart.
'I hope that the others can make it out.' Jaune thought even as he could hear his partner's pleas in the distance. 'I am sorry, guys. I am not strong enough to help. At least, they can be safe…'
His eyes tiredly looked at the lone Beowulf that was coming closer to him, its mouth wide open and salivating at the likely scent of his fear. Jaune felt a touch defiant and moved his head as much as he could to the sky to deny it the satisfaction of his fear, setting his sights on the ball of lightning that was in the sky. And in that moment, he saw another vision…
The scene of a man wielding a war hammer while surrounded by what appeared to be an entire legion of Grimm set to take him down…
The towering figure of a metallic creature walking towards the man with a brilliant red seeming burning from the eye-gap of its helm, before swiping its arm to throw the man off his feet and crashing to the ground…
The man panting in pain as his head turned to look at Jaune in the eye as one Beowlf approached him…
'Whosoever wields Mjolnir…'
The Beowulf pounced hard off the ground and into the air, its eye gleaming at the anticipation of eating him…
'If he be proven worthy…'
The man on the ground raised his hand to the sky as the foul creature came closer to them…
'Shall possess the power…'
Jaune's hand twitched as the sound of thunder filled his ears and the hair on his limbs standing upright…
'Of Thor!'
"BBBBBBBOOOOMMM!"
Scene 3
"JAUNE!" Pyrrha called out as the Grimm descended on her partner with the intent to tear him to shreds, not caring that the others were holding her and Ruby back, or the fact that a bloodied Cardin was on the ground cradling an arm and his leg from his rightful punishment. "Let me go, damn it!"
"Pyrrha, we can't help him!" Weiss called out to her as she and Blake grabbed her arms to stop her going forward.
"No, we can get to him!" Ruby screamed on her part while Yang held her tighter in her arms even as her crimson eyes were leaking tears and the group of Grimm were splitting off, a few moving into their direction having been drawn to their despair, something that appeared to be reflected by the gathering clouds above them with bolts of lightning appearing in the sky around the floating hammer. Pyrrha did not care about that or the Grimm.
She had to go and save him, she had to!
She could not lose the one person who considered her as Pyrrha Nikos and not the Invincible Girl.
She could not lose the one person who did not care about her achievements.
She could not lose another person who looked at her with a genuine smile on his face.
She could not lose another friend again because of her powerlessness.
She could not be left alone again because of her carelessness.
She could not lose again!
She needed to save him, damn it!
"JAUNE!"
"Incoming!"
Nora's yell called out just as the lightning seemingly gathered into one cluster in the clouds and rushed down with the wrath of God, striking the ground where Jaune was, blinding all in the clearing and sending them back a few feet from the pressure alone while obliterating the Grimm that was on top of him and a good number that were in the area. It took a few moments and some Aura application to get the eyes blinking and seeing again, but when they turned back to where Jaune was, a few were questioning if the lightning had fried their brains instead.
Standing in the middle of charred earth, Jaune was now standing tall and straight with electricity running all over his body, his wounds healing before their eyes at a rate that could be considered inhuman even with Aura working at full power. His clothes however were undergoing an unusual change in which the tears and burns were getting fixed before having bits of metal covering them like a second skin, creating what looked to be a chain-mesh armor that replaced Jaune's previous armor and looking a lot tougher yet flexible for movements. Most notably, his hair had grown a bit longer with trails of white mixed with his blond and his eyes were literally glowing with power alternating with a bright blue and a fiery white, the same colors as the arcs of electricity radiating out from Mjolnir in his hand.
The others were stunned cold at the sight of Jaune standing there looking like some god that had descended from above to smite them down with his wrath, but the Grimm themselves shook off their shock and proceeded to charge forward to get a bite out of him. Before they could call out to him or lift their weapons, Jaune raised the hammer and slammed it into the ground, unleashing what could only be described as a torrent of electricity that rushed forward and slammed into the Grimm, shocking them briefly before disintegrating them completely. Without stopping, Jaune leaped from his position into the air and raised his weapon again, only for the hammer to actually pull him further up into air and towards a flock of Nevermore coming to their side. With a war cry, Jaune landed on one of them and swung the hammer right at the head, destroying it instantly and causing the body to plummet to the ground as it crumbled into dust. Not bothering to give it a thought, Jaune leaped again to the next Nevermore, only this time he swung the hammer by the leather strap to gain momentum before letting it go at the rest of the aerial Grimm, the arcs of lightning hitting them in its wake with the occasional hole for those hindering its trajectory. Then he opened his hand to somehow call it back to him and with a quick hit, slammed the last Grimm he was on straight into the ground, killing it instantly from the impact alone.
That barely slowed him down as he leaped high into the air again to avoid the Taijitu head wanting to take a bite out of him. Performing a flip out of Nora's textbook, he slammed the hammer hard on the head and buried it deep in the dirt while making the others twitch in pain. Running along the neck of the head, he leaped over another that tried to bite him and directed a hammer blow to the third that rammed itself into the mouth of the fourth. The remaining four heads held back hissing in anger while Jaune looked at them in the eye defiantly, the hammer glowing bright with arcs of electricity coming off it. Letting go of the handle to grab the strap, Jaune swung it around to build momentum before releasing it as the four heads shot forward in an attempt to eat him whole. That merely gave the hammer a bigger target as it barreled right into them and burst out of the other side with the lightning destroying the body and more importantly the Tentacle Grimm conjoining the heads, eliminating the creation quickly. Having accomplished its job, the hammer swung around and flew back into Jaune's waiting hands.
"What the..." Weiss gaped at the scene before her.
"I know." Yang nodded her head while trying to wrap her head around the situation. She figured the hammer had something to do with this new and improved Jaune (and if the situation was not so serious, she might enjoy the view more), but this was way too much, could it be his semblance? All she knew was Jaune now had the power to really kick some Grimm ass.
"BRING ME WINCHESTER!"
That, and he was now officially pissed.
Cardin whimpered on the ground as Jaune directed his glare at him, and then screamed rather girlishly as the blonde seemed to flicker to his spot in the blink of an eye and raising the hammer with more lightning appearing at the head. Before the others could move to stop him, Jaune swung hard and directed the lightning at the incoming Grimm that were sneaking from behind the others, devastating their numbers dramatically. Jaune did not care that he had decimated the Grimm and continued glaring at Cardin with extreme prejudice, making the bully whimper as a dark stain appeared on his pants and on the ground.
"As much as I want to mess you up, we have bigger issues to deal with." Jaune did not raise his voice but the manner in which he growled those words out made it clear to all that he was barely withholding his rage, aided by the glowing eyes that went brighter. "Since your weapons are out of commission and one leg is broken, you won't be fighting. I suggest that you head back to the extraction point and pray that I am in a better mood when I come back for you." Cardin clearly wanted to say something but withheld it when the hammer let loose several arcs of lightning with one coming extremely close for comfort between his legs.
"Good." He turned to Dove who was clearly shocked but holding it together enough to work, certainly a lot better than the other two members who were practically shitting their pants and someone he could work along with. "Can you get this fellow back to Miss Goodwitch? We will hold the rest of the Grimm off until you get back." As though to illustrate that statement, Jaune gripped the hammer tighter and gave it a swing, firing off a giant bolt of lightning that tore through a Death Stalker easily and continued on to the pack of Beowulf a few feet behind it. Dove stared at the carnage before turning back and nodding his head like a bobbing head in vehicles. He did not wait for the others and just grabbed Cardin by the arms, dragged him up and proceeded to move as fast as he could towards the extraction point with the amount of weight on him.
With that sorted, Jaune turned back to his team and Team RWBY, with them staring at him with open mouths. Well, at least the females, Ren being the cool cucumber he was merely raised an eyebrow in response. "What?"
"What do you mean 'what'?!" Weiss exploded as her stare turned into a glare and she placed both hands on her hips. "Do you have any idea how much you frighten us with that stunt you pulled! Not to mention coming back to life after having your Aura shattered like some goddamn zombie with the two weapons you got back from that dig site and start firing off lightning bolts at the Grimm! Pardon my language, but what the flying fucking heck is going on here!" Her teammates and Pyrrha were nodding in agreement, Ren's raised eyebrow went higher, and Nora...
"Oh~ Jaune-Jaune is in trouble~ May I borrow the hammer again while they are at it?" Everyone looked to her with disbelief on their faces for a while until Jaune shrugged, flipped the hammer to hold the head and handed the handle to her, after which he got Crimson Blitz back from Ruby. Nora crackled like a mad witch as the lightning fed her semblance and the sensation of power threatened to overtake her mind. With a twirl of the hammer's strap, she briefly flew in the air from the inertia and slammed down into the ground a few feet away, blasting away the eight-headed King Taijitu that had been giving them problems earlier. "HAHA! I am Queen of the Hammers! Bow before the might of your queen, Nora!"
"Jaune, why~" Ren looked to Jaune with a pained expression, completely nonplussed at the exuberant Nora destroying everything in her path.
"Would you rather she used the hammer in Beacon, without anything to destroy?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. "At least here she gets it out of her system, and if you are right about her Semblance, chances are good that she would crash after this is over. Think about it." Jaune smiled mischievously "You get to sleep longer hours after this." That certainly perked Ren up and got him motivated enough to go after some of the Grimm sneaking up on them.
"Jaune, are you sure you are okay?" Pyrrha asked as she got closer with Crocea Mors which she collected with her Semblance, her eyes and her hands looking all over him to find any wounds. "You did take a big hit and your Aura was in the red."
"I actually feel fine." Jaune rotated his shoulders while grabbing his scroll to check his readings. "As for my Aura, it is coming back up. But I would think we ought to wrap this up."
"Well in that case." Pyrrha slapped him hard on his cheek, briefly shocking the rest in the group. "Don't do that stunt again! My heart cannot take it!"
"Sorry, Pyrrha." Jaune barely apologized when Pyrrha grabbed him and pulled him into a hug that threatened to break his Aura.
"You better be." The quiver in her voice made it clear of the amount of stress she had undergone. "I thought I lost you."
"Well, I did want to make sure you guys are safe." Jaune patted her back consolingly. "Can't do that if I am dead."
"You got that done right." Pyrrha let go and briefly smile at him, before raising her gun and reloaded a clip on her rifle with a burning glare at the Cerberus Grimm. "Now if you excuse me, I have a score to settle with that one, and some bullets to shoot it with."
"Agreed. But remember to target that tentacle Grimm if you could get a shot." Jaune took back Crocea Mors and unsheathed the blade, dual wielding it with Crimson Blitz. "We may end up fighting more Grimm but at least they would be the weaker variations, unless you can take them all out with one shot."
"We can do that, but one thing." Ruby pointed a finger with a determined pout that did not match the situation. "When this is over, I will be beating you to a pulp for making me worry, and then I want to study the weapons to upgrade Crescent Rose!" Jaune could only nod while smiling, Ruby was just too adorable to say no.
"Let's kick some Grimm ass!" Yang slammed her fists together before rushing forward with a battle war cry and proceeding to take down the lesser Grimm in her path, leaving Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss to deal with the Cerberus. Weiss proceeded to freeze the ground to lock the Grimm in place while Pyrrha took shots at the creature's eyes, giving Jaune the chance to attempt and cut down the head. Not an easy feat as the Cerberus took that moment to reveal a new ability in the form of fire bellowing out of their mouths that pushed him back and melted the ice restraining it.
"Perfect, just perfect. Of course, the damn thing can breathe fire!" Yang yelled out in frustration, not helped when the Grimm looked at her at an angle that gave the impression it was mocking her. "This is so not fair damn it!" The Grimm answered her remark by doing its usual hit-and-run tactics, forcing them to take cover as the two heads by the sides spewed out fire to drive them away while it crashed its way forward.
"But it does need to inhale to do that, meaning if we target the mouths or throats enough, we can stop that ability." Jaune turned to face Weiss and Ruby "Can the two of you take out their mouths, or at least shut them up so that we can continue hitting them?"
"You bet we can." Ruby did her favourite gun reloading trick while giving a smile that should not belong on a girl wielding a giant scythe. "Don't mind if we take out one of the heads before you." Weiss rolled her eyes at that statement but reloaded her dust chambers in an oddly showy manner.
"By all means, do so. Less of a hassle for us." Jaune turned to Pyrrha and Blake who just came back from her escort mission. "We would need to keep those heads from targeting the two ladies, and if you can spot that weird mask Grimm, that would be very good." The red-haired spartan and dark-haired ninja girl nodded before rushing forward to intercept the Grimm with Weiss and Ruby going in the opposite direction a few feet away to start taking shots at the weak spots. Jaune gripped both swords tightly and looked to them with narrowed eyes.
"I do not know what the heck is going on, but I will get to the bottom of this." He spoke with a bit more emphasis on Crimson Blitz. "I would definitely try to get answers from you when this is over." As though in response to his words, the blade in question vibrated slightly while glowing briefly. Jaune could only let out an exasperated breath before looking back to the Grimm. He would think about the weapons later.
In the short time he had been thinking of the weapon, the girls had managed to box it in with their remaining Earth Dust and started making short work of the Cerberus in record time. Ruby and Weiss were able to hit the heads and throats enough times that one of the heads was more or less rendered useless without its lower jaw while another had its throat completely shredded by a mix of ice shards and bullets. Pyrrha and Blake were excellent in distracting the heads enough for the sharp-shooters to deal out the damage, while Yang had taken her time to break one of the legs of the Cerberus to render it immobile. It was still able to breathe fire out of the middle head, and it was clear that it did not appreciate the attacks on it as it took a deep breath and let loose a roar that forced everyone to cover their ears.
"We just ran out of Dust here! Better find that damn Grimm quick!" Weiss yelled as she parried a paw aimed at her. Yang managed to tank the blow for her but yelped in pain as her Aura glowed brightly before letting out a shattering sound to indicate it broken. "Hurry!"
"Found it!" Blake called out to Jaune. "Back of the neck, middle head!"
"Might want to revise that!" Pyrrha interjected as she dodged a paw attack from the beast. "It seems to be moving a fair bit, but it is staying around the neck region, likely to hold the heads together!"
"Right!" Jaune gripped both swords and rushed forward with speeds that he certainly did not have before, reaching the legs in no time and cutting the tendons quickly. Using the moment when the Grimm was falling to its knees, Jaune rushed up the limb and jumped higher than he anticipated, giving him a bird's eye view above the Grimm and seeing the skull-like creature with its tentacles seemingly embedding themselves into the flesh of the Cerberus. While it did not change expressions, the odd glow and widening of the eyes made it clear it did not expect him there so suddenly.
Too bad.
Giving out a war cry, Jaune swung Crimson Blitz hard to unleash the biggest beam of crimson lightning he had given right at the Grimm, taking down all but one head of the Cerberus while the Tentacle Grimm somehow managed to dodge it at the last second by moving its head to the center of the body. Not deterred, Jaune used the momentum in his swinging to twist around and threw Crocea Mors like a spear with all the strength he could muster, allowing him to pierce the Grimm right between the eyes, keeping it in one spot and dealing a big blow to the Cerberus as it was certainly showing signs of its body wanting to come apart in a nightmarish manner.
"Nora, I need the hammer!" Jaune called out to her while still in the air.
"Got it!" Nora gave one last swing of the hammer to wipe out her area of the Grimm, with the momentum keeping her spinning fast and hard enough to throw the war hammer back at him while he was coming down. On instinct, Jaune raised his hand and mentally called it out to him, making Mjolnir fly to his hand and channeling lightning into his body. With a roar, he dropped down on the Grimm and slammed the hammer into the pommel of Crocea Mors, bifurcating the Tentacle Grimm and demolishing the body of the Cerberus at the same time with a loud roar of thunder and a huge crater to match the destruction, throwing up a dust cloud that shot up into the sky and rained debris all over everyone. The Cerberus appeared to give one last sigh before it turned to dust, covering the area with black soot.
With that one attack, everything seemed to have gone to a standstill with the others and the remaining Grimm staring at him as one. Then with a motion, the Grimm turned around and ran away down south, away from them and certainly making their escape from Jaune in the process. It did not take long for them to disappear, leaving behind a trail of destroyed trees in their stampede.
"Yeah, you better run!" Ruby called out as she slumped on the ground with a tired sigh, Weiss following suit in a manner that would likely have her father chastising for inappropriate standing.
"WOO-HOO! That was awesome!" Nora almost body-slammed Jaune into the ground as she collided into him with a big hug that threatened to crush his ribs. "Jaune-Jaune is more than just Fearless Leader, he is A GODLY Fearless Leader!"
"Kick-ass god type!" Yang nodded while giving a tired but victorious smile and wincing with pain.
"That's great Nora, but can you ease up a bit?" Jaune gasped and turned blue slightly. "I am having a hard time breathing!"
"Oops~ Sorry Jaune." She let go of him which caused him to crumble to the ground like a collapsing house of cards. "Are you okay?"
"Actually, no." Jaune was not ashamed to admit that he was close to whining. "I think I pushed my Aura too far, now I can barely move my limbs and I don't even have the strength to even lift a finger."
"And no wonder." Ren came along with his scroll out. "Your Aura is shot back in the red, it would appear that you had been running on fumes for the last part of the fight."
"Joy~" Jaune slurred before his head hit the ground. "Oh man, the sky looks so pretty~"
"I believe Jaune Arc has completely drained himself." Weiss crossed her arms while raising an eyebrow at his state. "That or he had inhaled some mushroom pores and decided to lose his mind."
"Hang on Jaune, we got you." Pyrrha and Ren came forward to pick him up while Ruby got her team and Nora to act as guards with Blake as the scout. Thankfully they did not need to go too far for help as the sounds of bushes moving made them pause only to sag in relief at the sight of the seniors coming through.
"Hey, we found the teams!" One of them called out while the others came forward to check on them and assist with their injuries. "Hang on, we got you." With that said, the entire group made their way back to the extraction point, thankfully without getting waylaid by any Grimm, to find what appeared to be the lot of third-years and fourth-years coming to assist with evacuation. What did attract Jaune and the others was the sight of Dove being restrained by two of the older students as he tried to plant his fist into Cardin's face while said person was on the ground looking mutinous with a black eye, and one concerned Glynda Goodwitch descending on them.
"Is everyone all right?" Glynda did not wait for their reply and immediately scanned them with her own eyes, each time looking at a tear of their clothes or the blood staining them. When she laid eyes on Jaune being supported between his two friends, her lips thinned before she pointed her riding crop at him, her Semblance activating to hold Jaune upright and giving the two a chance to move away from him. "Mister Arc, how injured are you, why do you have those two weapons, and where on Remnant did you get those clothes?"
"I am healed from my physical injuries, but my Aura is shot. As for the clothes and weapons..." Jaune chuckled weakly and nervously. "That is a long story that is hard to believe. We experienced it, and I still don't believe my eyes."
"In that case, we should get you back to Beacon for a night in the hospital wing, and debriefing." She paused with a stern frown. "We are going to need to understand the different sides of the story that Mister Dove and Mister Winchester have been telling me regarding some sap thrown at you." A stern glare cut off Nora and Yang who were about to argue. Jaune could only nod tiredly before closing his eyes and letting the darkness take him. Hopefully this issue would be over soon.
With them boarding the Bullhead, Miss Goodwitch finally gave the order to the pilot to return to Beacon. As they left the area while the reinforcements began their own departure, a certain Grimm appeared out of the shadows of the trees, its tentacles swaying in the wind as it watched the vehicle pick up speed and flew away post haste. Briefly, the mirror-like reflection of the orb head flickered to reveal a pale face with red eyes and dark lines around them before the Grimm slicked back into the shadows, making its way back to where its mistress was.
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I'm ALIVE!
Hope you enjoy this chapter, apologies for the late entry. Covid is really messing up my work life, since I have to work harder to not get pulled out of the job. It sucks!
This chapter was really hard to pin down. I know I wanted this to be the final part of the Forever Fall period, I know how the chapter should start and end, but the middle portion was really hard to get it down properly. I had to rewrite this a total of 16 times just to get this final revision done nicely. I just hope it is to your liking.
Please rate and review, and hope I can get more chapters out soon in the middle of this stupid Covid situation.
Until then, I put my pen down for now...