Chapter 1 Vacuo
Jaune rolled out of the way of the jet black Jackalope's charge, kicking coarse desert sand into the air behind his wake. He gave a quick scan around his surroundings for the rest of team JRNE, but the sandstorm had arrived faster than expected. He could not see anything moving except for the Jackalope's glowing red eyes. Though the Grimm Jackalope failed to land any strike against him, Jaune was filled with worry. He was in the worst position any Huntsman could be in: separated, and effectively blinded. What was supposed to be a quick, rapid reaction rescue mission was quickly turning out to be a losing battle.
The Grimm Jackalope's head spun around quickly, though it's feet failed to find purchase on the shifting sands, as it righted itself for another charge. Just like his steed Juniper, Jaune could see that the Jackalope had herculean strength behind its long hindlegs, and sturdy antlers atop its brow. He knew full well what Juniper was capable of, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of this Grimm doppelganger's attack.
Can't fight this thing head-on, or from behind, he thought.
Past the Jackalope's growling, Jaune heard the sound of Nora's grenade launcher's thump and Ren's automatic weapons behind the Jackalope, striking targets shrouded by the sandstorm. He gritted his teeth, realizing that this Jackalope was intelligent enough to separate him from his team.
He kicked his own legs into action and began running parallel to it, his eyes watching for it to the tell-tale sign of another charge. He kept his shield facing away from him as he ran, exposing his body as a target to the Jackalope. Sure enough, the Jackalope rushed forward, head bent low and its jagged antlers poised to gore the knight as he ran.
The Jackalope closed the distance and came within a foot of Jaune, the knight's reflection gleaming in the monstrous Grimm's eyes. Jaune squeezed the gravity dust trigger on his shield, angling it behind him. The double moon emblem pulsed, shooting a burst of raw energy that swept Jaune out of the Jackalope's way at the last second. Its black fur brushed his pauldron as it cut the air between them. Wasting no time, Jaune crouched, angled his shield upwards and pulled the trigger on his shield. Another pulse of gravity dust ejected energy straight into the Jackalope's side, sending it flying through the air, legs flailing.
Jaune's eyes locked onto the airborne Jackalope. He sprinted forward, drawing Crocea Mors from his shield's scabbard with a loud rasp. Jaune leaped into the air, and pointed his shield downwards. Using another finely tuned burst of gravdust, he propelled himself upwards to reengage the helpless, airborne Jackalope.
Raw, golden aura permeated his sword arm, washing across Crocea Mors in a tide of light. Jaune swung his sword in a mighty moon-shaped arc above his head, biting deep into the Jackalope's exposed underbelly. He cleaved the Jackalope into two, its hide splitting as easily as a blade of grass, a testament to the knight's honed experience. The Grimm fiend dissolved immediately into black ichor that evaporated into the aether, wisping away completely the moment Jaune's feet were back on terra firma.
Had he been the boy he was before, he would have been beaming over such a small victory.
But Jaune was no longer the boy he still resembled, and the taste of empty triumph had grown stale to his tongue. The Rusted Knight continued onward through the surging sandstorm, towards the sound of battle. A blue hued hardlight projection extended past the edges of his shield, covering his eyes from the storm and allowing him to see further into the flying sand.
Ren's distorted voice began to crackle from Jaune's short-range Slate. Thi…rch and rescue team JRNE… Cardin loca…ting assist…Grimm sighted…ssible casualties…Reaction Request…
"Where are they?" Ren muttered, deactivating Cardin's Aura-powered Slate. Using it was a risk; Grimm were attracted to Aura, after all. But his Semblance was starting to weaken from the drain it was taking on his Aura, and Jaune and Nora still have not returned. He couldn't keep onto it forever, and with the state they found Cardin's team in, extraction on foot would not be an option.
Just as he feared, Ren heard the hungry growl of two Jackals from across the plains of sand cresting a far away ridge, and immediately dropped the Slate attached to Cardin's body.
The jackals began their mad, hungry dash towards him. He raised one of his Stormflowers at the closest Jackal, and held down the trigger as he dragged Cardin's body out of the sand. Fire Dust-infused bullets exploded on contact, perforating the Jackal. It began to lose its balance and toppled over, sliding across the sand and slamming into Ren at full speed.
The blow sent Ren careening into a sand bar, trapping him under the Jackal's disintegrating body. He coughed and flailed instinctively, trying to protect himself before realizing the Jackal on top of him was dead and dissipating amidst the wisping sand. As soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, a shadow loomed above him. Ren turned his eyes up in shock as the second Jackal had begun to descend from the sky, maw wide open. Ren clenched his eyes shut. He barely had time to think of Nora one last time before he was to be engulfed by the Grimm's jaws.
"Hands off, you overgrown mutt!" Nora cried out from above, barreling at the Jackal from behind with blinding speed, lightning arcing out of Magnhild and her body. The air crackled from her semblance's potency. Like a force of nature, Nora bludgoned the Jackal with her mighty hammer, ripping a jagged chunk out of the Jackal's head with sheer blunt force. Decapitated, the Jackal fell to the desert below, limp and lifeless as it began to decay away.
Nora landed with a stylish slide in front of Ren, ready to defend him as he dug himself out of the sand. The sandstorm around them cleared for a moment thanks to her swift attack, allowing Ren a moment to behold his partner's from behind.
It would prove to be a big mistake. Nora turned her head around for a moment just in time to catch Ren in a brief moment of weakness.
"Enjoying the show, Renny?" she teased him, smirking in her tandem victory.
"I'd like a better seat next time," he sighed, taking Nora's hand and pulling himself out of the sand. Nora saved his life, so he allowed himself to live a little and indulge her. "Thanks."
"For the save, or…"
But not too much indulging. "Not the time, Nora. Where's Jaune and Emerald?" he asked as he dragged Cardin, finally reactivating his Semblance.
"We managed to get the rest of team CRDL to Emerald's LZ. She's hiding them now. But along the way, Jackals and a Jackalope ambushed us. The Jackalope took on Jaune, but the Jackals ran off here, towards you. I got scared that you turned your Semblance off, so I got here as fast as I could!" She said, helping Ren with Cardin. "He feels like dead weight."
"No. Not yet. He still has his Aura. But we can't drag him and the rest of his team across the desert like this. I used his Slate to radio for evac. At the very least, we can save him."
"Guys! Are you all right?" Jaune called out from the top of the sandbar, eyes scanning to the horizon for his team. "Ren! Nora!"
"Over here, fearless leader! We are a-okay!" Nora replied from below the ridge, dragging Cardin along with Ren.
Jaune slid down the sand to meet his team. He placed his hand on the straining Ren, whose brow was sodden from straining his Aura in the Vacuan desert. "Ren, you okay?"
Ren let out a relaxed breath, his Aura regenerating at an astronomical pace. "Doing better now. Had a close call, but my partner seems to always have my back," he said.
"That's two people I got to save, today," Nora boasted. "That was too close to call safe. Those Grimm shouldn't have been able to have a plan to separate us like that. They completely ignored Jaune and went straight to scouting out the area until they found you, Ren."
"They were just regular Grimm,not even Elder Grimm. And nothing like the Hound," Ren pointed out. "Elder Grimm may have strategy when actively hunting, but if the Jackals broke off from the Jackalope like Nora said, that isn't strategy. Those are pre-planned tactics. That needs practice, training," Ren surmised. "A little help, Jaune?" he asked, motioning to Cardin.
Jaune nodded. He took hold of Cardin's legs and lifted him off the sand with Ren and glad as Jaune was to do his duty as a Huntsman, it was still odd to pick up your old school bully to save his life. An unsettling thought popped into his mind. "It was almost as if they were hunting something down. Like they knew there were more Hunters around."
The implication that Grimm could possibly think ahead of the need to feed worried Nora. "If those Grimm are planning, then they're talking with each other. Or, maybe not with each other, but with something."
None of these thoughts were helping the empath focus. Ren fixated on marching ahead, towards the direction of an particularly inconspicuous rock. His brow furrowed as he strained to strengthen his Semblance. "Maybe we should save the doom and gloom for when we are back in Vacuo. They are all worthwhile thoughts to explore, but we can not afford to attract any more Grimm."
Silence befell the trio, save for Cardin's pained groaning. "He's coming around," Jaune said. "Cardin," he called out. "Don't move. You're hurt bad," he told him. He focused part of his Semblance on Cardin. His Aura was paper thin, and Jaune's semblance could only do so much with so little.
"What…huh? Jauney boy, is that you?" Cardin moaned in pain. "Where's my team?"
"Focus on breathing, Cardin," Ren said. "Close your eyes and just breath. We are going to bring you back to Vacuo, but you need to restore your Aura," he said. The cruelty of it all was not lost on Ren, but they couldn't afford to let Cardin know his team's fate. Not until they were within the walls of Vacuo.
"I didn't ask you for a yoga lesson," Cardin coughed. "I asked you where my team was!" he screamed out.
"Cardin, I told you to not to move," Jaune warned him. "Stop moving, close your eyes, or we'll do it for you."
"You ain't a police officer, now let go of me! I gotta find my team!"
"Nora," Jaune sighed as he dropped Cardin from his grasp, along with Ren. Nora nodded, her hand still tight on Cardin's arm. Cardin reached out angrily at Nora, still barking demands at the team. His hand never touched her before Cardin spasmed and sputtered. Electricity flowed from Nora's hand into his body, jolting him enough to knock him out. Cardin went limp onto the sand, breathing, but unmoving.
The three Hunters resumed their haul across the desert, towards their designated point, the cleverly placed rock. Jaune whistled a tell-tale tune in its direction. Immediately, the air around the rock shimmered and warped against the desert sands until a Huntress with emerald colored hair appeared, next to three bodies.
Emerald took Cardin by the collar and assisted Ren and Nora in positioning him next to his comrades. Her somber gaze gave way to a sigh of relief when she felt Cardin's pulse.
"Emerald, how are they looking?" Jaune asked, immediately resuming his aura boosting. The strain of boosting both himself, Ren, and the auras of four hunters on death's door was starting to wear on the knight's strength.
"Not good, chief," Emerald replied, shaking her head. "We were playing for time when we went back for Cardin. I kept them hidden as well as I could from a pack of Jackals, but I couldn't radio you on the Slate without them homing in on me. Even with your boosts, it might not be enough to save them now," she regretfully said.
But I have to save them. It's why I was meant to have this Semblance. To save them.
"Let's see if that's the case," Jaune said.
The deep gashes on team CRDL's bodies were healing thanks to the knight, but not quick enough. Unlike before, his semblance struggled to take effect on the team. It felt like he was trying to squeeze what little aura he had left through a crack in a wall. No matter what form or shape he tried, it was becoming more difficult to heal them. The protracted battles they fought just to find the team didn't help either.
The searing sun beat down on Team JRNE as they struggled through the Vacuan Desert, dragging the unconscious members of Team CRDL behind them. The sandstorm had finally abated, but now the unforgiving desert had revealed a new danger. A flock of Grimm Gulls circled overhead, their screeches echoing through the air like a prelude to disaster.
Jaune was near the limit of his Semblance, his aura flickering as he continued to amp the auras of the unconscious members of Team CRDL and his teammates. Sweat poured down his face, and his breath came in labored gasps. He could feel his strength waning, but he couldn't afford to stop. Not now.
"Where's the evac? We needed them yesterday!" Nora said. "Oh, is that it over there?" she said, pointing to their west.
Ren's eyes narrowed across the horizon. His eyes began to track what appeared to be small, black flying dots in the distance, like a flock of birds. "Gulls," he alerted the team. "Three quarters left, 200 meters. Heading straight for us." he continued.
"Sighted!" Nora confirmed, positioning herself in front of Ren. She flung Magnhild around her body, reverting it back into the grenade launcher form and readied it in the direction of the Gulls. Emerald took a position next to her, aiming her Respites as well.
Jaune blinked as if he was slapped by a fish. None of what Ren said made sense, and Nora somehow understanding it made even less sense. "What?" he asked dumbfoundedly.
"Uh, sorry Jaune," Nora apologized. "Mandatory Vacuan military cross-training. We kept busy while you were dead. I mean, gone! I mean, missing!" she stammered.
Static began to play from the slate on Jaune's chest before a man began to speak in a calm, collected voice. "~peat, this is Oasis-4. En route to team JRNE Rapid Reaction request. Confirmation of coordinates and status requested, over."
Jaune took the Slate in his hand. It was an archaic design reminiscent of the Scroll he used to use, except it was more of a slab of metal with buttons and a green and red light next to them. He tried to fling his finger against the buttons and the face of the Slate, but to no avail.
"Left button! Near the green light, press it!" Nora told him.
"Oh, right. Uh, this is Jaune Arc-"
"No, you have to use the team team over the Slate," Ren reminded.
"I mean, team JRNE, confirming our status for immediate medevac," Jaune finished. The rest of the team stared at him in confusion until he realized his mistake. "Oh, right. Over."
"Oasis-4 requesting LZ coordinates for immediate dustoff. Over,"
"Uhh, coordinates?" Jaune sputtered. The only coordinates he knew about were used in a boardgame Battleairship and Ruby played a few times in Beacon, and even he knew those were probably not the coordinates Oasis was asking for.
Emerald groaned in annoyance. "Here, let me," she said as she loaded a flare round into her weapon. She pulled the trigger, shooting off a beam of green Aura that lingered in the air. The cacophony of the winged Grimm grew louder. "The Gulls are gonna spot us anyway," she reasoned. "May as well make this part faster."
A few seconds passed before a response came through the Slate. "Oasis-4 copies. LZ sighted and confirmed. Be advised, long range scanners show a concentration of Grimm heading your way. Cool the LZ down before I get there. ETA 3 minutes to dustoff. Over."
"I…copy, Oasis," Jaune dejectedly replied. "Why does it feel like I need to go back to school to re-earn my license?"
"Eh, don't sweat it. Vacuo does things differently than Atlas," Nora assured him.
The Gulls flew rapidly within eyeshot of team JRNE, their ashen wings darkening the sky. Individually, they were smaller than Nora's hand, but rarely did they flock in such large numbers. "They shouldn't have been able to sense us in the first place," Emerald said. "Ren, don't you have your Semblance up?"
"Of course I have it up, Emerald," Ren snapped. "This isn't normal. Grimm scout around for food and Aura, but they're making a beeline straight for us!"
Ren, Nora, and Emerald formed a defensive perimeter around Jaune and the fallen Huntsmen, their weapons at the ready. The Grimm Gulls swooped down in relentless waves, their sharp beaks and talons aimed at the vulnerable team.
"If they're hungry, then I'll give them something to eat. Shrapnel!" Nora declared, pulling back the hammer of her grenade launcher. She pulled the trigger back, popping off pink grenades as fast as she could fire into the cloud of bird-like Grimm. "Keep healing, Jaune!"
Ren and Emerald fired their weapons into the swarm where that Nora's grenades could not reach. Ren's Stormflower pistols fired with precision, taking down several Gulls with each burst.
The Gull's ranks scattered away with each cluster killed by team JRNE.
Meanwhile, Jaune kept concentrating on healing CRDL. Precision and finesse were never Jaune's strong point, and his difficulty in winding his semblance into the closed off, fading aura channels of team CRDL's boys only reminded him of that.
But I'm the only one that can do this. I can do this. Nothing's going to get in the way.
Nora didn't bother to reload Magnhild, flicking it with ease into its hammer form. Nora swung Magnhild with a ferocity that matched the desperation of the situation, smashing any Grimm that came too close. Soon, there were more Gulls at Ren and Emerald's feet than there were in the air. "We're wasting 'em all!" she yelled victoriously.
"Quit jinxing us, Nora!" Emerald replied. She slammed another magazine into her weapon before firing off short bursts at the retreating Grimm. "We can celebrate when we're planted firmly on the Medevac."
As if in answer to her plea, a low hum began to fill the air. Jaune looked up and saw the silhouette of Oasis-4 appearing on the horizon, its massive form a beacon of hope in the desolate landscape.
"There it is!" Nora cried out, her face lighting up with relief. "We just need to hold on a little longer!"
Ren, however, lowered his weapons, and shifted his focus into the waning sandstorm before them. "This isn't right," he muttered.
"Of course it isn't," Emerald groaned. "Can't ever have anything easy. What is it?"
Ren opened his mouth to reply. But before he could utter any words, a flash of red, black, and yellow manifested from behind the waning flock of Gulls. A familiar figure emerged, her presence exuding malice and power. It was a scarred woman with a Grimm arm, her burning eyes filled with hatred. Jaune's heart sank as he recognized her.
"Cinder," Jaune whispered.
Cinder Fall gracefully hovered before them, her Grimm arm flexing as she surveyed the scene with a cruel smile. The Grimm Gulls seemed to respond to her presence, parting like a sea in her wake.
"Well, isn't this a pitiful sight," Cinder taunted, her voice dripping with venom. "A group of lost Huntsmen, lost in the desert. And Emerald, too. Did you really think you could escape so easily?"
Jaune, with a quick flick of his hand, activated his Slate, the precursor to the more advanced Scroll, and connected to Oasis-4. He spoke into the device, his voice taut with urgency. "Oasis-4, LZ is not secure! I repeat, LZ is not secure! Pull back and wait for further instructions!" Jaune commanded.
The radio crackled with a response. "Copy that, team JRNE. We'll circle back and await your signal. Oasis-4 out."
As the transport veered away, Cinder's confident smirk twisted into a scowl. Her burning eyes locked onto Jaune, and she seemed to seethe with newfound rage. "Jaune Arc... I was told you and Team RWBY were dead. There was a memorial for you all just days ago."
Jaune's grip tightened on his sword. "Looks like your intel was wrong."
Her eyes narrowed, and with a roar of anger, she launched herself at Jaune, her Grimm arm crackling with dark energy. Jaune barely had time to react, throwing up his shield to deflect the initial blow. The force of the impact sent him staggering backward, but he managed to stay on his feet, focused on protecting the unconscious members of Team CRDL.
Cinder's assault was relentless, her movements a blur of lethal precision. But before she could land another strike on Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Emerald were there, forming a protective barrier around their leader.
"Back off, Cinder!" Ren shouted, firing a barrage of shots from his Stormflower pistols, slowing her down as she tried to shield herself from the needling hits.
Nora swung Magnhild with a furious roar, the hammer crashing into the ground and sending a shockwave toward Cinder, forcing her to leap back.
Emerald's eyes burned with a mix of anger and resolve as she stepped forward, her sickles gleaming menacingly. "You always underestimated us, Cinder. You always thought you were better than everyone. Well, look where that got you. Alone, in the middle of a desert."
Cinder sneered, her Grimm arm pulsing with dark energy. "You should have stayed loyal, Emerald. Now you'll die with the rest of them."
Emerald's response was swift and fierce. "I chose the winning side, Cinder. The side that fights for more than just power."
Cinder's attacks grew more frenzied, her rage fueling each strike. Jaune focused on stabilizing Team CRDL, his aura flickering dangerously as he pushed his Semblance to its limits. "Just a little longer," he whispered to himself. "Just hold on a little longer."
Ren, Nora, and Emerald fought with everything they had, their movements synchronized in a dance of defiance and protection. Ren's precise shots, Nora's devastating hammer swings, and Emerald's swift, cutting strikes kept Cinder at bay, but the battle was straining their abilities.
Cinder's eyes flashed with malevolence as she lunged toward Jaune once more, but this time, it was Emerald who intercepted her, their weapons clashing with a resounding crash. "You don't get to touch any of them!" Emerald spat, pushing Cinder back with surprising force.
The scorching heat of the Vacuan Desert seemed to intensify as Cinder Fall's rage grew. Despite their best efforts, Team JRNE found themselves being pushed back by Cinder's relentless assault. Her attacks were precise, fueled by anger and malice, and one by one, she repelled Ren, Nora, and Emerald's attempts to fend her off.
With a triumphant sneer, Cinder seized the opening she made raised her superheated glass swords raised for a mortal strike. Jaune's heart pounded in his chest as he saw her coming, his mind racing for a solution. He felt his aura flicker low, and knew he had only one chance.
Shield up.
Acting on instinct, Jaune swung his shield up with all his might, parrying the strike. The impact caused one of Cinder's superheated glass swords to bite into the reinforced steel, lodging it. The force of the blow sent a shockwave up Jaune's arm, but he held firm, refusing to give in.
Grip tight.
He expended the last of his Gravity Dust through his shield, shattering the glass sword in Cinder's hands. Cinder's eyes widened in shock as her weapon disintegrated. Before Jaune could move his weapons, she slashed at him with her remaining sword, aiming to unbalance him.
Don't forget to put your front foot forward.
Jaune's body moved on its own, driven by a combination of adrenaline and muscle memory. Tucking his shield in, he lunged forward towards Cinder. Raw heat radiated in an arc under Cinder's slash, singing a hair as he dodged her strike.
Ready? Begin.
With a swift, fluid motion, he counterattacked with his sword, the blade sliding against her orange aura flare. He aimed for the vulnerable Grimm arm, slicing cleanly through and severing her hand.
Cinder screamed in pain, her Grimm arm recoiling as black ichor oozed from the wound. She jumped backwards to avoid another blow, clutching her injured arm, her eyes blazing with fury and shock.
"You... how dare you!" she hissed, her voice filled with venom.
Jaune stood his ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "You won't hurt my friends," he said, his voice steady despite his exhaustion. "Not today."
Cinder finally lost all control, ejecting fire from her mouth and feet. Her eyes burned with the power of the Fall Maiden. "Burn, you maggots!" With a primal roar, she fired a powerful jet of magical flame, and swept the battlefield. The huntsmen hastily rolled in the sand, ducking low to avoid Cinder's fire. The flames scorched the sand, instantly turning it into glass. Her eyes focused on Jaune yet again. He could feel the scorching heat of Cinder Fall's gaze, her eyes blazing with the intensity of the flames she commanded.
"You're resilient, I'll give you that!" Cinder sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. She took a step forward, the ground beneath her feet sizzling from the latent heat of her power. "But this ends now."
Another jet of blue flame erupted from Cinder's mouth, a searing torrent of destruction aimed directly at him. He raised his shield instinctively, his muscles screaming in protest from the effort. The flames crashed against the metal, the heat radiating through his arm, but something unexpected happened. The shield didn't just deflect the fire—it absorbed it.
Or rather, he seemed to be absorbing it Jaune's eyes widened in shock as he felt a surge of energy coursing through him, an unfamiliar but potent force that seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. The flames snaked around the edges of his shield, curling and twisting as if seeking purchase, but they were drawn into the metal, disappearing in a brilliant flash of light.
Cinder's expression shifted from triumph to bewilderment. "What...?"
Jaune staggered back, the power still humming through him. He glanced at his shield, seeing the faint glow that now emanated from it, and then at his hands, which tingled with residual energy. "I don't know how... but..."
"Jaune, focus!" Ren's voice cut through the haze of confusion, bringing him back to the immediate danger. Ren, Nora, and Emerald had taken their positions, weapons at the ready, forming a line of defense around the fallen team CRDL.
Cinder's shock morphed into fury. She raised her hands, summoning another wave of fire, her eyes blazing with renewed intensity. "You can't win!"
Jaune tightened his grip on his shield, feeling the strange new power within him. "We don't have to win," he said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "We just have to protect them."
Nora gave a fierce grin, her hammer crackling with electricity. "And we'll do it together, like always. We're not afraid of you, Cinder. We never were."
Ren, Nora, and Emerald quickly regrouped, forming a protective barrier around Jaune. Emerald's eyes blazed with a mix of defiance and satisfaction as she glared at her former leader. "You underestimated us, Cinder. Just like you always did."
Cinder Fall's eyes burned with fury as she stood, clutching her severed Grimm arm. She was outnumbered and outmatched. Her frustration boiled over, and with a scream of rage, she began to channel her full Maiden powers. Fire and lightning crackled around her, the air itself seeming to tremble under the weight of her magic.
But before she could unleash her full wrath, the Grimm arm reacted violently. A searing pain shot through her, doubling her over and causing her to gasp in agony. She fell to her knees, the dark ichor oozing from the wound on her Grimm arm sizzling as it hit the sand.
Cinder gritted her teeth, realizing with a cold dread that Salem was punishing her. The pain intensified, each pulse a reminder that she was defying her master's orders by indulging in her personal vendettas. Salem's will was clear: Cinder had other tasks to complete, and this was a warning to stay on course.
"Damn you, Salem!" Cinder hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes blazing with hatred and frustration. She knew she couldn't continue this fight, not with Salem's grip tightening around her. Cinder's eyes widened with realization as the distant hum of the transport grew louder. "This isn't over!" she hissed.
"No," Jaune replied, his voice steady. "It's just beginning."
With a final, venomous glare at Jaune and his team, Cinder ignited the air around her, her body lifting off the ground as her Maiden powers propelled her into the sky. She soared away, disappearing into the vast expanse of the desert, her defeat stinging more than the pain in her arm.
Jaune watched her retreat, his body tense and ready for another attack that never came. He quickly turned his attention to the injured members of Team CRDL, his face set with determination.
"Emerald, Ren, Nora, let's get them ready," Jaune ordered, activating his Slate. He spoke urgently into the device, his voice steady despite the exhaustion. "Oasis-4, this is JRNE. The LZ is secure. We need immediate medevac for four critically injured Huntsmen. Over."
The Slate crackled to life with a response. "Copy that, Jaune. We're inbound for extraction. ETA two minutes. Hold tight."
As the hum of Oasis-4's engines grew louder, Jaune allowed himself a moment of relief. Jaune's legs nearly gave out from under him, but Ren and Nora were there, supporting him on either side. "We did it," Jaune said, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and triumph.
Ren nodded, his eyes softening. "Yeah, we did. Together."
Ren, Nora, and Emerald worked quickly to stabilize Lark, Dove, Russell, and Cardin, preparing them for transport. The massive transport descended from the sky and settling onto the sand with practiced precision. Medics poured out of the transport, swiftly taking over the care of the injured Huntsmen. Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Emerald helped load them onto stretchers, ensuring they were safely secured for the flight back to safety.
As the last of Team CRDL was loaded onto the transport, Jaune took a moment to look at his team. They were battered and exhausted, but their eyes were filled with a fierce determination. They had faced down one of their greatest enemies and had come out stronger for it.
"Let's get out of here," Jaune said, his voice filled with relief and resolve. They boarded the transport, the doors closing behind them as Oasis-4 lifted off, leaving the treacherous desert behind.
As they flew towards safety, Jaune couldn't shake the image of Cinder's retreating form. This battle was over, but the war was far from won.