Apocrypha: Into Shadow's Maw

The rolling scenery of trees began to grow sparse as the greenery began to fade into rocky greys and brown. Rocky outcrops and hills ran along cliffs the colour of dull rust. Nora whistled a pleasant tune as she held the wheel of her car. the road was slightly bumpy, causing a little ruckus in the back from all of their gear jiggling in place. She caught sight of some kind of pole in the distance and with a focused squint, she made out a directional sign. She slowed down as they approached and her suspicion came to fruition. She stopped in front of the sign, leaning on the wheel. The signpost was an old metal pole with fibreglass signs that pointed in the directions of nearby or important locations. Jaune enumerated the names on the post.

"Mistral, Higanbana, Kuchinashi..." he paused.

A crow landed on the last sign, cawing softly as his beak pointed in the same direction as the defaced fibreglass plaque.

Kuroyuri.

Jaune and Nora shared a look before nodding, the latter turning the wheel towards where the last sign pointed. Jaune turned around, the rest of the group looking back at JNPR's head honcho.

"We'll be in Kuroyuri soon," he announced. "Get your stuff ready."

He smiled defiantly.

"We've got a monster to put down."

Pyrrha and Ruby nodded, the latter clutching her weapon close. She unfurled the blade of her scythe, almost expecting it to be still dripping with blood and venom but it was as clean as it always was. She sighed as she shook her head, a determined scowl on her brow.

'Alright.' she thought. 'I'm back in my element.'

Ren quietly held out his StormFlowers, sharpening their blades with a nervous expression. He wasn't alone, like last time, nor was he the weak child he once was. But even still, he couldn't help but feel like he still wasn't ready. He felt a calloused hand hold his shoulder and saw Pyrrha put on a reassuring smile.

"You're not alone anymore."

Ren smiled, holding his friend's hand on his shoulder.

"Indeed, I'm not."

Back to the front, Nora smiled at her boo, her eyes drifting from the rearview mirror back to the road ahead. Jaune gripped his sword's sheath, his teeth gritted with an anxious drive. His heart squeezed with shame as he remembered the utter humiliation he had suffered yesterday. He bit on his thumb's nail as the shame turned to determined anger.

'No, not this time.' he promised to himself. 'I refuse to be useless again!'

The crow lagged behind as Nora put the pedal to the metal. He cawed softly, an ominous feeling in the air made his little heart uneasy beneath his feathery breast. The crow picked up the pace as he overtook the van, the ominous sensation strengthening as they came closer and closer to their destination.

'Something's fishy... Better go ahead, just in case.'

...

Nora's van screeched to a halt as they arrived in front of a large Tori-style gate. Her and Ren were the first out to the vehicle, their shared grieving frown aimed up at the entrance to the place they had abandoned so long ago. The rest of the group joined the pair, standing behind them with weapons at the ready.

"This the place?" Jaune asked rhetorically, a hand on his sword.

Ren nodded silently as his aim lowered through the gate, towards his lost childhood hometown. He took hold of his Stormflowers with an uneasy breath.

"Best to not keep it waiting any longer." he beckoned quietly.

Jaune smiled before walking next to his friend and teammate.

"On your mark."

Pyrrha and Ruby stood on the other side of the Wuxia, smiling supportively. Next to him, his beloved took hold of his hand, intertwining their fingers together. Ren smiled as she brought their joined hand to her lips for a kiss.

"Let's go kick its monstrous ass." she encouraged with a big grin.

Ren smiled.

"Yeah." he untangled their hands, gripping his pistols with sure hands. "Let's."

Beyond the gates lay the burned-out ruins of what was once a thriving town. Above-ground gas mains gouged outwards from intense pressure and heat detonating the volatile fumes within. The cracked brickwork and fallen walls of countless buildings betrayed the sight of an old out-of-control fire that torched the town down. Hundreds of skeletons lay in the streets, picked clean and sun-bleached as they rested on top of old bloodstains. The sight was harrowing indeed but for Ren, it was a waking nightmare. he bit his lip as he walked slowly forward, towards the town square. The Wuxia's friends stood guard by him as his head turned occasionally as he recognized old buildings. He stopped in front of an old store, looking into the lobby where a bunch of steamers lined the back.

"This place used to sell the best damned steamed buns in all of Anima," Ren commented nostalgically.

Nora joined his side.

"Yeah... I remember." she smiled. "He always gave me some of the buns he couldn't sell. Momma always made sure to 'thank' him for his generosity."

The emphasis made the rest of the group suspicious but chose to not comment on it. Ren sighed.

"Yeah... He was kind of a sleaze bag."

Nora's smile soured.

"Wasn't the only one... At least we got to eat every day, even after Dad lost his hands on that hunt..."

Ren brought her close.

"It's in the past now."

She scoffed in amusement.

"You're the one who lives in the past, Renny. I'm looking forward to the future."

She winked suggestively.

"And you better do so too."

Ren blushed as he snorted.

"Noted."

Nora walked into the store with a soft spring to her step, as opposed to her usual excited exuberance. She checked behind the counter and noticed a splayed-out skeleton clutching an old shotgun. She smiled sadly.

"Hello, old man Shen."

She squatted down, her hands on her knees with Ren not far behind.

"Must have died defending his home and business."

"Probably." Nora agreed.

She joined her hands together in prayer.

"Thank you for your buns and your words of wisdom, Mister Shen." she praised. "May you be recognized in the Land Over Yonder as the king of buns."

Ren snorted.

"What wisdom?" Ren jived. "All he did was shout about how his food was the best."

"Was he wrong?" Nora jived back. "Besides, he was a great philosopher! After all, a man who's never eaten a pork bun is never a whole man!"

He smiled.

"I guess he wasn't."

Ren dropped to a knee and prayed with his girlfriends. They closed their eyes as they gave their farewells.

"Rest in peace, Mister Shen." they prayed in unison. "May you find your Happily Everafter."

The pair left the shop and like it before, they made many stops to pay their respects to the men and women who gave their lives to protect what was dearest to them and those who tried to escape the nightmare they had gone through. Their friends followed closely behind, standing guards as they gave their respects to the departed. Despite the quiet, something felt awfully off about the lack of Grimm.

"That's weird," Jaune noted.

"Indeed," Pyrrha agreed. "Not even a creep in sight."

Ruby couldn't help but feel something was deeply wrong about this place. A noise made her pause and she stopped in her tracks. She closed her eyes and focused on the noise.

A soft, pained wail of anguish.

Her eyes shot open and she glared in the general direction of the noise. She clutched her scythe close as she walked towards what seemed to be the town square. Ren and Nora paused their prayers to join back with their team as they followed their sister team's big cheese. The town square was a mostly vacant area, a large wooden platform stood alone on the lot. A pole ran up the platform, once flying the town's own flag...

Now, it flew a much grimmer decoration.

Qrow hung from his wrists, swinging in the wind atop the pole by old chains as his sword laid bellow him uselessly. Ruby's eyes widened once she recognized her uncle and flew on a cloud of rose petals to him. She clung to the top of the pole before slicing the chain apart and quickly catching the older man, landing on her feet with a loud crash against the wood. Her friends ran up to the platform as she dropped her scythe and checked her beaten family.

"Uncle Qrow!" She beckoned with a few gentle slaps to the face. "Please tell me you're alive!"

Qrow, thankfully, groaned in pain.

"R-Ruby..." he croaked.

Ruby teared up as she hugged her uncle.

"Oh, thank god! What happened?!"

A low growl answered in Qrow's stead. The man looked into the shadows fearfully as Grimms emerged from the darkness. The group flinched as they realized that there was something incredibly strange about those Grimms. They had no red markings and their mien lacked the animalistic and savage belligerence so typical of the Creatures of Darkness.

No, Their markings were Blue and White, their attitude one of collected calm but their eyes betrayed their unusual intelligence and the sporting arrogance of an overconfident game hunter.

They stalked out of the dark, surrounding the group slowly and ensuring no escape was available. JNPR and Ruby stood back to back in a circle, their eyes wide in bewilderment.

"What the hell is wrong with these Grimms?" Jaune asked worriedly. "Why are they... Blue?"

Nora braced her hammer.

"Not a clue!" She exclaimed. "But what I do know is that they're all going to die!"

To everyone's continued surprise, the Grimms chuckled lowly at the threat.

"Did..." Pyrrha exclaimed in shock. "Did they just... Laugh?"

Before any more questions could be raised, the rattle of chains heralded the coming of a dreadful sight. The Grimm parted, standing aside like royal guards letting their liege through. A red Nuckelavee stumbled into view, its form scarred and miserable as its eyeless Rider moaned and wailed in suffering. A tightly screwed-on metal collar linked both the Nightmare and the Rider to the one being who was truly in control.

A form, seemingly humanoid in nature, the 9-foot (2.75-meter) tall monstrosity stood on top of the Nuckelavee as it held its chain like a master leashing a tortured pet. Its pitch-like black flesh was partially covered in its own bone, almost as if a human skeleton had been twisted and corrupted into some sort of profane armour. Its head was a strange amalgamation of different Grimms. Its skull had a faint resemblance to that of a Beowolf but its snout had considerably flattened, looking almost like a Gheist mask with slight wolven features. A seem broke up the flats of its lower face, probably an opening for its mouth. A darkly majestic set of antler-like protrusions crowned its head as its intricately patterned mask bore five blue eyes all set on the Huntsmen-in-Training. It looked like a monstrous knight, mounting its tortured mount in a disdainful facsimile of the Human nobility of old.

The Beast squinted at those who trespassed upon its territory, a callous and disinterested air in his stare. It scoffed, holding up its hand to wave dismissively. Suddenly, it froze. It began sniffing the air and its eyes laid square on Ruby. Its hand turned from a wave to a pointer as he singled out the Red Reaper. Ruby let go of her uncle, taking hold of her scythe with a defiant glare. A demanding growl left the seem in the Beast's mask, revealing its mouth and teeth. Its front teeth were sharp like razors to cut through meat with ease while its molars were square, as if they were meant for proper mastication of food. It was odd for a Grimm to have teeth that made sense for a living, omnivorous entity considering they existed solely to bring pain and death and had no need to actually feed. Once more, it was as if its form was meant to reflect that of a human, if corrupted into some sort of hyper-predatory version. The nearby Grimms let off an acknowledging bark in response as they began their slow advance, closing in on the group.

"What in the world is going on?!" Jaune exclaimed. "What is with that thing on the Nuckelavee?!"

Qrow got back on his feet, taking hold of his sword.

"That's the scary part, kid. I have no clue."

"What?!"

"I've never seen a Grimm like this," he explained with a pained grunt. "It's definitely their Alpha but beyond that, I'm as much in the dark as you guys."

A few Grimms broke rank, earning a disapproving groan from the Alpha as they charged recklessly forward. The first charged Jaune as another flanked him but Pyrrha covered him with a well-time shot from her Milo, killing the charger and giving Jaune the breathing room to dispatch the flanker with ease. Pandemonium followed as the Beast shook its head and ordered a general charge to compensate for those two idiots ruining the illusion of a single-minded intelligent force. The fighting was tense but the huntsmen quickly realized that they were not only outnumbered but outmatched. the idiots who ran in first were cut down quickly but all that left were the smarter ones who knew not to overextend, to retreat when the odds weren't looking good and to cover the ones who had to back away. what would normally be a slugfest against a force of savage brutes charging in like animals turned out to be a war of attrition against a force that was, at the very least, smart enough to use flanking maneuvers and small squad tactics. Compared to a typical horde of Red Grimms, the three dozen or so Blue Grimms were far scarier to fight.

Jaune lifted his leg to avoid a hit meant to sever his hamstring, stomping down on the claw that tried to maim him. The Beowolf ripped its hand back with an amused snort, mocking Jaune on his whiff. The paladin growled angrily, his feeling of inadequacy mounting.

"This is bad..." he admitted. "We need to deal with the alpha."

Ren shot at a Boarbatusk, who used its spinning ability to dodge the gunfire.

"You think they'll scatter if the head of the Beast is off its shoulders?" The questioned. "Not to be a downer, but I somehow think that won't work."

"Got a better idea? It's worth the shot."

Ren nodded as he backed away towards Jaune.

"I don't, but let's not be away too long. I'd rather not leave the girls alone too long."

Jaune gritted his teeth as he witnessed Pyrrha get flanked, only for Ruby to dash and drag her to safety.

"You and me both!"

Jaune glanced at the Alpha, the two exchanging a glare.

"Any idea how to get to the bastard?"

Ren nodded.

"I do have a trick up my sleeve."

Ren holstered one of his Stormflowers and took hold of Jaune's shoulder. For a moment, Jaune didn't notice anything until all colour drained from his clothes and body. He and Ren became greyscaled, fussy silhouettes that almost melded into the background. The Beast atop the Nuckelavee shot to attention, looking around in confusion as it witnessed the two humans suddenly disappear. Jaune held his hands before his face, almost seeing through them.

"What in the world? Is that your Semblance?"

Ren nodded.

"It saved my life and Nora's many times. It's a sort of camouflage that allows me to go unnoticed."

"Really?"

"It's not perfect. If you try really hard to look for me, you'll eventually notice where I am. At least, if I'm not moving. I have an easier time not being found if I'm moving, like a blurry afterimage in the dark."

"But won't Grimms still find you with their emotional sense?"

Jaune heard Ren smile despite not being able to differentiate his head from his torso.

"That's the best part, it hides my emotions too. So unless I lose control of my emotions, they'll never find me."

Jaune smiled fussily.

"Oh, we are so pulling this off!"

The pair slipped away unnoticed in the chaos of combat. Nora glanced at her love's last location and moved to better cover Ruby and Pyrrha as they defended Qrow. Pyrrha glanced around, her heart filled with panic at having lost sight of Jaune. Nora smashed a Beowolf that tried to take advantage of Pyrrha's worry.

"Chill out, Renny and Jauney are fine," she reassured easily.

"You know where they went?"

She smirked as she looked at the Alpha.

"I have a pretty good guess."

Ren and Jaune sneaked around the Nuckelavee, its pained groans creeping the pair out.

"How can it do this to its own kind?" Ren questioned. "It's so strange."

"Well, if they're so keen on hurting and killing each other, I'd say it's good for us."

"Good point."

Ren put himself behind the Nightmare, joining his hands together before helping boost Jaune up. With a small jump, Jaune landed on the back of the Nuckelavee. The Grimm tried to thrash but the Beast angrily pulled on the chain holding the Nuckelavee hostage. The Beast glanced around nervously, clutching the chain tightly. It had been a while since it felt that awful trepidation, of not knowing what would come next. A cold wind blew, chilling its bones and warning it that danger was near. Suddenly, a hard blade's edge ground against its bones and with a shocked gasp, the Beast fell halfway off the Nuckelavee. It clung dearly on the chain, pulling the Nuckelavee's Rider down with it. The Red Grimm roared in pain and rage as it began thrashing around like the maddened beast it was. Jaune fell off the Nuckelavee in a clumsy tumble, his armour clattering loudly against the hard ground. The Beast growled furiously as it dangled halfway off his mount. With elegance and grace, the Aplpha furious clawed its way back upon its mount. Its sharp claws dug into the Nuckelavee, earning a pained roar as black smoke bled from the wounds. The Alpha took hold of the Rider's head furiously before punching it with enough force to crack its mask. The Beast screamed in the Nuckelavee's face in a profane and incomprehensible language before continuously bashing its face back into subservience. It glanced around with a head full of hate and eyes full of anger. Those two are still around, it just couldn't see them. It closed its eyes and tuned out the sound of the distant fighting. the yellow one, he wore metal plates that clattered.

Metal... Clattering...

Cling, clang, cling.

A quick backward swipe led to the loud clattering of metal against the floor as a grey, fussy being flew through the air and landed in a heap. The grey mass began to bleed its drab tone and turned into the Yellow Paladin that had previously disappeared.

"JAUNE!" Ren shouted in a panic, unwittingly dropping his semblance.

The Beast clutched its damaged ribcage, feeling the crack yielding under its fingertips. It groaned in pain before shaking its head with a sigh. an order left its mouth in that foul language and half of its forces returned to finish the out-of-position Wuxia and the downed knight. A flash of bronze and a loud cloud of pink parted the darkness, tossing them aside as a furious pair of Huntswomen-to-be rushed to their respective lovers' sides. While Nora's explosive-powered jump just sent her over and behind the Grimms, Pyrrha's shield charge bulldozed the Grimms. Her shining bronze Aura covered her hands as she aimed them in the general direction of the monster responsible for her crush's injury. The chains in its hand began to rattle and move on their own, ringing alarm bells in its head just as they slapped it in the face. it didn't know how she could accomplish such a feat, moving the chains without touching them, but all it cared about was that she could. Before the Gladiatrix could cause any real damage, the Beast tore the chain and collar asunder and tossed aside. Sensing its bondage no longer restraining it, the Nuckelavee immediately tried to attack anything in its vicinity. The Beast thought of screaming and beating it some more for its disobedience but at that point, it had become too bothersome to care. it was nothing more than...

A witless drooling beast.

With a tired sigh, the Alpha just jumped off and quickly barked an order to its compatriot. With a determined nod, the Grimms all maneuvered around the Huntsmen, making sure they covered every exit and forcing the humans apart. So far, the Red one was alone as she covered her wounded kin, while the other four were further divided. The Alpha barked orders once more, redirecting his forces towards the Yellow one and the Red ones, leaving the Green one to the violent ragings of the Nuckelavee.

Pyrrha quickly helped Jaune to his feet, only for the Grimm's assault to start. Jaune barely got back up and he was already neck-deep in trouble. Were it not for his shield and his partner's raw skills, he'd have been swarmed and wiped out in minutes. Ruby and Qrow weren't in a much better position, themselves surrounded. Qrow's wounds slowly steamed as his Aura healed him but it would still be some time until he was back to full fighting form. The older man groaned as he rolled his sore shoulders.

"Positioning's fucking terrible." he cursed quietly. "We need to regroup."

Ruby nodded as she racked the bolt of her Crescent Rose. She pointed and fired at a Beowolf, blowing its arm off and forcing it to retreat with a pained yip.

"I don't think they're too keen on the idea, though."

"Classic battle strategies, Ruby. Divide and conquer."

Qrow glared at the Alpha.

"It shouldn't even know what a strategy is, besides drowning the enemies in bodies."

The Alpha scoffed risibly, clearly mocking Qrow.

"...Or understand what I'm saying for that matter," Qrow commented.

The Alpha snorted but as it did, that same scent from before hit its hidden nose. Its eyes narrowed towards the Silver-Eyed Warrior before cocking with confusion, and a questioning word too quiet to hear left its mouth. As the Blue cadre took on the other huntsmen, Ren and Nora were stuck with the beast that ravaged their homes. Despite its lack of eyes and tortured appearance, the monstrous Grimm was still a force to be reckoned with. What it lacked in sight, it made up for with aggression and savagery. It swung its large clawed hands like spiked clubs, tearing apart the old burned-out houses. Ren stood still, his eyes trembling, as he realized he was alone again. He watched in silent horror as the destroyed remnants of his hometown were reduced to rubble once more. He took a deep breath and took out his Stormflowers. He racked the slides but as he did, the Nuckelavee's head shot to him. Ren froze and soon enough, the beast of his nightmares approached with a dark howl. The Wuxia activated his Semblance unconsciously, holding his breath as he quaked in terror. The Red Grimm craned its head over, sniffing the air and glaring at him through empty eyesockets devoid of any colour save pure black. Once more, Ren felt like the terrified child he was back then, hiding in plain sight and afraid of the monster that he knew was after him. He felt a soft scared sob escape his throat and his semblance faltered.

The Nuckelavee sniffed again and smelled his fear.

The monster swung wide and with a scared yelp, Ren hit the deck and ran as far as his legs could take him. He dived into the ruins of an old house and held his knees as he panted in a tight corner.

"I-I can't..." he whimpered. "I still can't!"

He held his head as the memory of his father's brutal, awful last moments returned like acid reflux. Ren held his mouth as he heard the beast that took away his family rampage outside. He held his breath and tried to concentrate on his semblance but his heart was far too unstable, the grey of his power waning and waxing in waves over his green Aura. As he waited, the sound of the Nuckelavee died down. He didn't dare let go of his breath but even then, the silence only made him more on edge. Then the wall disappeared in a cacophony of torn masonry and old wood panelling, the Nuckelavee towering over him like he did so long ago. It raised its arms high with a shriek of hate as Ren cowered on the ground.

A flash of pink, orange and a cartoon cat's face filled his vision as Nora blast-jumped over and fly-kicked the Nuckelavee in the face.

The beast tumbled down messily into a heap as Nora's sudden drop in momentum made her fall on her ass. She held her aching tailbone in one hand as she held down her skirt with the other, her face red as could be despite her playful smile.

"D-did you see it?" she tried to play off.

Ren blinked, his panic and terror replaced by shock.

"... You still wear those cat panties?"

Nora's face became even more red as she flailed around on her knees.

"S-shush up! All my sexy undies're back in Beacon and all my normal ones are in the wash!"

She made an embarrassed squeal.

"Please, no one else saw that!"

In the nearby distance, Pyrrha chuckled.

"I have!" she managed to yell as she cut a deep gash in a Beringel's thigh.

Jaune blocked an Ursa's paw with a grunt, looking back at an amused Pyrrha as he pushed the lumbering monster back and nearly decapitated it, only cutting into its shoulder.

"Have what?" Jaunee asked through a pant.

Pyrrha backflipped away from a Boarbatusk's rolling charge, landing on it and delivering a killing blow through the space between its back and head armour. She sighed as she smiled teasingly at the distant Nora, even though she saw her loading high-explosive shells into her grenade launcher.

"Oh, just that Nora still wears childish-"

An entire cylinder of six 40mm grenades flew through the air around the other half of Team JNPR, forcing the Grimms to back away to not get hit and giving Pyrrha and Jaune enough breathing room to reposition. As the pair ran, Pyrrha gave Nora a thumbs up with the same smile as earlier, earning herself a middle finger and a red pout from Nora.

"Geez," Nora sighed. "Since when did she become such a tease?"

Ren managed to chuckle.

"I think she never got the chance to show it off."

Nora smiled at seeing Ren somewhat back to his normal self. Her smile was interrupted by another pout as she painfully slugged him in the arm.

"O-ow!" Ren complained.

"Next time, wait for me instead of panicking."

Her pout turned into a worrisome frown.

"I'm here for you, remember?"

Ren blinked, his face twisting into an apologetic grimace.

"Right, sorry..."

Nora smiled once more, leaning up on her tip-toes to give her lover a soft kiss. Ren brought her close as he prolonged the kiss. The two separated with a mild blush and wide smiles.

"You're not alone." Nora reminded.

"I know," Ren confirmed.

A shriek ruined the moment as the battered Nuckelavee got back up, its mask cracked and falling apart. Ren felt a cold chill but Nora's hand entwined with his. He looked back at her, all smiling.

"Let's avenge our home."

She brought their joined hand to her lips for a kiss.

"Let's send that fucker back to whatever abyss spawned it!"

Ren nodded as he and Nora reached for their weapons. The Beast howled once more as its equine steed racked the ground with its hoove, preparing for a charge. Nora grinned and she and Ren braced themselves.

"BRING IT!" She challenged.

Jaune was not a smart man, not really. He was average at best in most fields but he was diligent even at the worst of times. What he lacked in natural talent, he made up for with efforts. Beacon had been a testament to that. He got in through fraudulent means but worked himself to the bone to prove that he was worthy of being at one of the most prestigious Huntsmen schools in all of Remnant. A daunting task for a man who hadn't as much has been in a schoolyard fight before. Yet somehow, he had managed to prove himself.

All of that was thanks to those who had believed in him.

Hope, the man whom he admired like an older brother, someone Jaune desperately hoped to one day be even half as cool as he was. Ruby, his second friend after Hope and a fellow team leader. Ren and Nora, the inseparable couple who have had his back ever since he became their boss. Pyrrha, his mentor, his partner... Someone precious to him, even if he himself wasn't sure what those feelings in his chest really were.

So it's safe to assume that any harm that came to the Gladiatrix would boil his blood.

It happened in a flash and took both of them off guard. One moment, they were running to reposition and the next, a bull-like Grimm charged the pair.

"PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed, having seen the monster first. "MINOS!"

Pyrrha's attention flicked to the bull Grimm but just before she lifted her shield to block the massive goring horns of the beast, Jaune made a countercharge of his own. With a yell, Jaune met the bull and threw his whole weight into his shield as he bashed forward, stopping the monster in its tracks and sending the both of them tumbling to the floor.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed as she went to help him up.

Blinded by worry, she didn't see the Beringel barreling towards her. Its thick arm and rock-hard fist made contact with her head and sent her flying through one of the ruined building's walls. Rubble flew as she destroyed the withered concreate with her body before landing in a heap. Pyrrha held her head as it spun, feeling something viscous under her gloved hand. She already knew she was bleeding, she had felt something metallic inside the concrete hit her head as she went through the wall. The world spun and her head hurt like heck. She wanted to throw up but she managed to fight down the nausea. She tried to stand up but her concussion put her right back on her ass.

"Gods..." she whimpered. "Not... now..."

Suddenly, another wall exploded and Jaune landed next to her. Unlike her, he shot right back to his feet, a pale sheen colouring his Aura. He glanced at her and his face palled.

"Pyrr, you're bleeding!" He constated in deep worry.

She nodded dizzily.

"I know..." She whined as she held her head. "Everything spinning so much... I think I'm gonna hurl..."

Minos and Boarbatusks burst through the rubble belligerently, followed closely by Beowolves and Beringels while imps and creeps hid in the shadows with eyes set malevolently on the cornered pair. Jaune stood over Pyrrha defensively with shield aloft. Claws bore the front of the assault on the Paladin's bulwark, until a spinning spiked back forced the shield backwards. Jaune groaned in pain as he swiped away at the darkness with his sword, his arms aching and feeling like they were wreathed in fire. A Minos charged as Jaune threw back his arm for a strike, catching his family heirloom by the guard with its horns. Jaune was thrown back to the floor next to a still-shell-shocked Pyrrha. A Beowolf stood behind her, its descending claws aimed at her exposed nape. Not thinking and acting purely on instinct and reflex, Jaune picked up the closest thing his free hand had access to and swung it at the Beowolf.

His hand landed on Akouo, Pyrrha's shield.

The wide reflective bronze shield easily blocked the assault of the Beowolf and even as other Grimms charged, Jaune entered autopilot mode and kept blocking every strike that came his and Pyrrha's way. When an Ursa or Minos tried to crush the pair, He would charge himself, using Akouo's larger surface area to better redirect the beasts' stampede. Any form of higher thoughts that Jaune would usually have was completely gone, utterly replaced by the urgent need to keep Pyrrha safe. Even as his body was begging for him to take a single moment to breathe, he didn't bother. Even as his lungs burned, he refused to stop.

Not until Pyrrha was either back on her feet or in a safe place.

The Gladiatrix was in a miserable state, her head feeling like it was splitting in two and the blood flow from her head not stopping. Her entire face was now caked in her own ichor and her fingers discovered a worrying split that had formed on her scalp.

She could feel her skull bone, and the new crack she earned when she hit the reinforced concrete.

She blinked slowly, the wooziness worsening as did her parlour. Her normally gently bronzed skin looked closer to Hope's own light olive tones. She has had concussions before but skull fractures were new to her, let alone ones so bad that maybe her skull's visceral fluids were seeping through. The world didn't look so dim before but for some reason, the shadows at the edge of her vision grew closer and closer. She swivelled her head towards Jaune, his movements so fast as he blocked every strike that came their way. It was quick enough that her nausea grew worse from trying to keep up with her beloved Paladin. He looked so drained and tired...

Suddenly, a cold breeze hit her neck and a chill shooed the darkness in her vision away.

'No...' she thought. 'Let's not drift to sleep just yet.'

Pyrrha lifted her hand and waved them around, her vision so messed up from the blood loss that she was seeing afterimages of her own sluggish movements. Her Aura wrapped her hands and she felt around for any form of magnetic field she could use. The faint creaking of metal and cracking of concrete reached her ears.

Rebar inside reinforced concrete.

If she could bring the whole building down, she might be able to get rid of all the Grimms, assuming they gathered around a strong enough support beam to shield them from any collapsing debris. She metaphorically grabbed the surrounding rebar as she literally grasped at them, only feeling a slight tension as the treads of her Semblance wrapped around the steel inside the building.

'Not enough... Need more...'

She felt the wound on her head spurt more blood, drenching her face and back with a fresh coat of crimson. The rebar began to creak and the concrete cracked further.

"More..."

Jaune noticed the building began to creak and lean inward and looked at Pyrrha for a split second. He saw her Aura wrapping her hands and the blood on her head and immediately understood what she was trying to do. He blocked a Beringel's brutal punch as his eyes shot around for any form of shelter when the building would collapse.

Loud cracks reinforced his desperate search, as the ceiling began caving in.

'Damnit!' he cursed in his mind. 'Think, Jaune, think! Where should you go-'

An old lesson from when he was young suddenly played in his mind, flying on a cold breeze.

In case of an earthquake, immediately seek a door frame.

His eyes shot to the entrance of a nearby room and his feet followed soon, scooping up Pyrrha in a firefighter carry as he went. As Pyrrha was taken, her hands wrenched down and forced the ceiling to finally give. He held her shield in front of him as he charged through the darkness and toward the only place that might be able to shelter them. The building creaked and whined until the weight of ages, disrepair and Pyrrha's Sempblance finally finished it off. In a puff of dust and rubble, the building was no more.

A deep sigh escaped the cloud, as did the pained wailing of a dozen Blue Grimms trapped or crushed under the rubble.

"that could have gone better..." Jaune complained as the door frame cartoonishly stood firm despite the building's fate.

"Urg..." Pyrrha gurgled before her stomach evacuated all over the back of Jaune's shoes.

Jaune immediately put Pyrrha down, ignoring her warm vomit dribbling down his pant sleeve.

"Ah shit." he cussed, closely examining her head. "Oh man, this is really not good!"

Pyrrha blinked one eye at a time before collapsing backward, her head spared another shock by the Paladin's quick hands.

"Whoa there! C'mon, Pyrrha, stay with me!"

His words didn't reach her and fear and panic rose in his heart. he wiped the blood off of her face with his sleeve and tried to think of a way to help his obviously dying partner.

"Nonono, Not again!" He pleaded, his eyes watering. "Not again!"

He held his hand over her nape and felt her blood flow slow down. He held his ear to her chest and, yes, her heartbeat was becoming irregular.

"NO, NO, NO!" He panicked.

Jaune began hyperventilating as he inspected her head wound. His mind raced but he knew what was going to happen.

They would need immediate medical aid, a luxury of luck they did not have.

His eyes flooded with tears as the vision of Hope's temporary death resurged.

Lightbulb.

His eyes widened as he remembered the bright shining light that he had created then, the very same that healed everyone in the tent save Hope. Those who had Auras. He looked down at Pyrrha, then at his hand.

"How..." he muttered. "How did I do it then..."

He tried to remember that instance, that single moment when he thought Hope had left this world. He closed his eyes as that same feeling washed him over in a tide of pain. The feeling of loss, of a void forming in the pit of his stomach, of a friend gone with the wind. He felt his heart squeeze and in his mind, he begged and prayed.

"I can't... Lose you..."

His eyes opened as his hands began to shine. For a moment, it looked like his concentration broke and the light went along with it, but he seized that feeling and didn't let go. His fears turned to hope as his expression became determined.

"I won't let you go."

He let his energies drain as the light went from his hands into Pyrrha, coating her Aura in an off-white shell. Her wounds hissed and steamed at a rapid rate and Pyrrha groaned, her now-supercharged Aura stitching her body back to maximum function. Her eyes flickered back to consciousness and her cross-eyed stare became focused on her saviour. Her body felt light, whether it was because of the fluttering in her chest or the fact she had lost a lot of blood was up for debate. She lifted her hand and held his cheek, wiping away a remaining tear.

"Am I in the Everafter?" she asked, possibly still delirious. "I didn't think that there were any knights left in Remnants anymore..."

Jaune struggled to laugh, his eyes still wet with tears at the thought of Pyrrha departing before her time.

"Gods, I hope not. Things would be awful without you around."

Pyrrha smiled warmly.

"I think you did fine just now."

Jaune shook his head, feeling a bit self-conscious now that the adrenaline was calming down.

"I... Nah, you would have done better without me around to slow you down and- you know-"

She held a finger to his mouth, shushing him.

"One more word putting yourself down, and I'll kiss you on the mouth to shut you up."

Jaune took a second to register until his cheeks became a soft pink.

"Could- Could you repeat that?"

Pyrrha's head became a chimney, as steam evacuated from the top of her head. For a split second, she almost choked out an excuse, that she was joking or that she was still delirious. But as she looked into his eyes, she could see a sort of hopefulness, that she had meant it. She took her courage with both hands and pouted, her face as red as her hair.

"I-I, I know what I said, Jaune Arc." She scolded lightly. "Don't make a lady repeat something that embarrassing."

Jaune blanked out, his own skin becoming redder and redder. He nodded sheepishly.

"I... I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"Y-yeah..." She agreed.

The two sat, in the mire of their own feelings as the steam emanating from their head and ears unwittingly melded and dissipated in a heart-like pattern.

A pair of scythes cut through the air, their edges singing as they flew through empty space. Teeth gritted, The little red reaping hood flew through the air using the recoil of her rifle to kill a Razorwing that had been throwing rocks at her and her uncle. The flying pest cried out pathetically as it was sliced in half. Ruby strained out a smile until another rock hit her head. Above her, a few more Razorwings giggled like a bunch of hooligans as they kept harassing the red reaper and raining on her parade. A tick mark appeared on her head but before she could give chase, a Boarbatusk charged her and shredded her Aura with a spin attack aimed right at her back. She cried out in pain as the hit sent her flying back down and she cratted on the ruined asphalt. A rough pair of hands brought her back up to her feet before setting her back against theirs. A winded Qrow groaned in pain, himself even more battered than earlier.

"This isn't looking any better than before," he commented as a small trickle of blood descended his forehead.

Ruby groped her back, feeling something stuck in her skin. Sure enough, one of the Boarbatusk's bristles was stuck but with a quick pull, it was dislodged with an immediate sensation of relief.

"I noticed," Ruby complained. "but we keep getting pushed back every time we try to break through."

Qrow managed to kill a Beowolf who got cocky and charged the seemingly inattentive Huntsman.

"Well, unless your friends come help then I have no idea how we can get out of this mess in one piece."

Niece and Uncle kept fighting on as the Beast in Chief stared at the Silver-Eyed Warrior. It watched noiselessly as she fought on, determined to survive and escape with everyone. Her hopes and gritty determination landed on its tongue like the first snow of winter. To a lesser Grimm, this appetizer was a bitter and detestable taste but It had tasted something like it before.

The taste was unforgettable, almost addicting in quality.

But as it savoured her hopes, its nose kept itching under its mask. That smell...

What was it? So metallic, like blood but different. Why was it so...

Familiar?

TO BE CONCLUDED...