I've fixed the double post. Apologies.
6
"Look out!" Taiyang yelled, throwing himself in a direction. Just rolling would not have worked as the tail that slammed down where he and Qrow were standing mere moments ago flattened a dozen trees near the shoreline of the island. With a tremendous crash the tail swept in his direction forcing the father of two, well three now, to jump and leap up the tail's side, just barely clearing it.
None of the three hunters had drawn their weapons, what weapon could harm a Grimm of this size? Also something about peace, but that was Carmine's problem, he had his hands full just surviving.
"Please stop this. Jormungandr! I need to speak with you!" A red blur sped past Taiyang's head, coalescing into his newest daughter who was also the eldest.
I have no need of the words of insects, child of light. The voice rumbled in their heads and Carmine sped down and onto the tail next to her father. A bird flapped and suddenly transformed into his partner, Qrow.
Seriously, life was unfair, he actually had to dodge the giant Grimm!
"What's the plan?" Qrow asked.
Carmine paused for a second, "Survive." Qrow palmed his face, "I need enough time to stun him. I think I can get him to listen. Can you guys distract him?"
"Can? Maybe. Survive?... Also maybe" Taiyang rolled his eyes at the other man. If someone told him he'd be fighting against a giant Grimm that was older than known history he'd have laughed in their face. Now he was just wishing he could hold his daughters one last time.
The tail rumbled after stopping it's sweep and started being pulled into the water. Carmine disappeared into the treeline. Taiyang hopped off as Qrow flipped onto the ground next to him, they nodded to each other. Jormungandr loomed in front of them, the two once again taking stock of the massive Grimm.
You stand before Jormungandr, I commend you for not running and hiding like the child. To simply kill you would be a shame, though. How about a game: How long can you last before you fall?
Globs of dark mass coalesced underneath it's chin, dropping down like saliva. It was no saliva, however, as the black liquid splashed onto the beach. It bubble and hissed before coagulating into an undulating mass, snakelike heads emerging from the goo. A dozen King Taijitu stared down the huntsman pair.
"Seriously? Talk about playing with your food."
"Shut up Qrow." Taiyang smashed his fists into each other, his aura sparking as it took on a bright orange glow around his arms.
The Grimm surged forwards towards the two and were met with a volley of buckshot from Qrow's weapon as Taiyang closed the distance. An orange first smashed upwards into the jaw of the lead Taijitu, crushing bone and flesh. With a kick he sent the shattered head away from him and into a nearby Grimm as he turned to deal with the other head. With a lightning quick strike the white head flashed forward but was deftly dodged by the huntsman who grabbed it's mouth, pulling the jaws apart with a snap. Letting the Grimm fall to the ground he delivered the final blow with his fist, flattening it against the ground and causing cracks to spiderweb out from the point of impact. A scythe flashed passed his head and bisected one that had lunged for Taiyang, causing it to burst into black smoke.
In an instant he was chambering his fist to take on the next Grimm while keeping an eye on the titanic Grimm who seemed content watching. Qrow was making short work of the King Taijitu, his scythe a blur as he danced in between them. Taiyang relied on a more forceful method, shattering bones with each blow and even breaking fangs and using them as impromptu weapons. Together the two made short work of the dozen Grimm Jormungandr had spawned and a low, rumbling laugh reverberated inside of their heads.
Strong, for humans. Much stronger than the last time I was awake. How entertaining. Show me more. Perhaps if the child were to be smoked out of her hiding hole?
Taiyang didn't like the sound of that and suddenly felt his hair stand on end and spared a worried glance at Jormungandr. What he saw made his eyes widen as he grabbed Qrow's shoulder.
"Run!" He shouted.
The great serpent's maw hung wide open, it's hundreds of razor sharp teeth on full display. What looked like electricity arced from tooth to tooth, occasionally lancing to the growing orb of energy centered in it's mouth. The ball of pure energy glowed brightly, making the huntsman squick to see it.
The pair ran for their lives, Qrow turning into a bird and taking the lead. Behind him, Taiyang could hear the crackling of the energy building up into a crescendo before it was suddenly released and it felt like the world was ending.
The air tore in twain, deafening him as a massive wave of roiling heat washed over him, throwing him to the ground. Gritting through the pain, even though his aura protected him from the worst, he turned his head to see the devastation wrought by the Grimm.
The soil of the beach was vitrified and a massive swath cut through the island's trees. There was nothing left standing for a hundred feet with trees ablaze on the edges. Smoke and steam billowed into the air as an ominous rumbling sounded in the distance, a floating island falling out of the sky in pieces.
"Carmine!" He shouted into the small receiver attached to his neck.
The reply was heavily interrupted with bursts of static that hurt his eardrums, "...fine, Dad. It…..me… ready. I need...springboard….. …...his face."
Crushing relief turned into action and he spotted Qrow nodding to him as he changed stances to get ready, scythe behind him and knees bent.
"We're ready for you, kiddo." Qrow replied.
Carmine took in a deep breath and let it out. The blazing trees burned at a distance that was far too close to comfort. The attack Jormungandr had used had been powerful, powerful enough to tear through Vale's wall like it was made of cardboard. The sight of the walls bursting and exploding from being super-heated floated up to the fore of her mind and she pushed it back down.
The thunderous wave of energy crashed against the back of her forehead, straining against her eyes to be let out. In the shade of the trees her silver eye shone like a lone mirror as the power of creation surged within it. Carmine held it in check, ready to be released at a moment's notice.
"We're ready…...…., kiddo." Qrow's voice was distorted and distant over the static caused by the beam attack.
Instantly Carmine leapt into action, her semblance activating as she burst into rose petals, blurring through and around the trees. In a few seconds the treeline was left behind and Jormungandr loomed ahead. Her father waited behind Qrow with an outstretched hand and in a moment she knew what they wanted. Her hand slapped into his palm and they closed around each other, Carmine pulling Taiyang into her semblance, red twirling with yellow as they hopped onto the edge of Qrow's scythe.
The second their feet hit the metal, Harbinger barked, Qrow using the momentum of the shotgun blast to initiate his swing, grunting with the effort. With her semblance assisting the throw, the father-daughter duo hurtled towards Jormungandr. Midways through their flight, their momentum lagged and Carmine released her semblance for a moment.
Taiyang brought his feet up and she brought the bottoms of hers to the bottoms of his. They pushed off of each other and Carmine activated her semblance once again, gaining a burst of speed to complete her journey.
So you've finally shown yourself, child of light! Jormungandr crowed in triumph, his mouth hinged open and electricity started building up once more.
Instead of answering, Carmine released her semblance, spread eagle and face to face with the primordial. Finally she released her power and a wave of bright, white light that flooded the area like a second sun.
Argh! Accursed eyes! The serpent flinched back, his mouth snapping shut, and Carmine took her chance to burst into petals again, landing heavily on his head, her boots skidding against his bone plating.
"Will you shut the hell up and listen to me?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. For whatever reason the Grimm stilled, whether out of shock that a powerless insect would yell at him in such a way, or if he was, in fact, listening to her. She didn't wait to find out and just continued before she lost her chance, "I came her to warn you! Salem's gonna come and mind control you!"
She finished, chest heaving, and her voice echoing across the lake. Jormungandr was still and the silence stretched on until he finally replied.
You woke me for such a ridiculous reason, child? I am Jormungandr of the Firstborn. There is not a mortal on this planet that could control me!
Carmine winced at the volume of his mental shout, "She's not mortal. The God of Light made her immortal a long time ago." She didn't feel the need to shout anymore, having gotten his attention for the moment.
You speak of the pretender?
"You know of Salem?" Carmine asked, surprised.
Of course I do, child. He scoffed, The self stylized ruler of the Grimm, a pretender to the throne. Deceiver. Usurper.
"Exactly!" Carmine felt a small amount of hope blossom, "She's going to cast a spell to control you. It's why I came to warn you!"
Her magic cannot affect me so, I am firstborn and my magic runs deep.
She needed to convince him, fast, "Look you may think that. And maybe that was true until now. But she's found a way to control the Firstborn. I've seen it."
A torrential gout of hot air rushed out of the serpent's nostrils, You've seen this magic? On which of my siblings?
He sounded skeptical but he was listening, that was good, "It was actually on you. I…" It was time for the biggest gamble, he would either accept it or dismiss it, "I came from the future. My silver eyes freed you from her spell."
What you say is impossible, whelp. Only the Makers had such power. In the distance Carmine heard a crashing sound as Jormungandr flicked his tail in the water.
"It was their power I used. The God of Light left behind relics with his power in it. It was those that sent me back."
I cannot trust you, human.
Despite the negative answer, it still inspired hope in Carmine due to one, small, slip that Jorm had made. He had called her human. It may have not been a large change from child but it was an important distinction. It meant he was considering her, actually thinking about what she said. The matter, as he said, was about trust.
"There must be some way to make you believe me. What reason could I have for risking my life and the lives of others to deceive you."
Though Jormungandr was Grimm, the silence that befell seemed thoughtful, There is one way.
"I'll do anything!" She was feeling desperate, a possible way appeared before her and she leapt at it.
Open your mind to me, Child of Light.
Open…. Her mind? Carmine was confused, some kind of mind reading?
Did you think that communicating in this manner was all that I could do? My power is great, little one. I speak to you through my mind like the sun touches grass, though it is possible for a… deeper connection if you open your mind to me.
"I…" Despite the pressure, she hesitated. Carmine was willing to do anything to prevent the future that she had experienced but this was something entirely different. This was letting a Grimm touch me mind. The very thing that made her who she was. Her memories and her thoughts. She would be presenting her entire being to Jormungandr, who knew what he could do to her.
The memories she tried so hard to keep at bay came flooding in. The news of Weiss death and coming the wreckage of her room for evidence. Anything to find the culprit and her breaking down in the bombed out, blackened place.
Her scroll which contained the last video message Yang had sent her, right before she and Blake had been overrun on Vale's walls. She'd recorded the call, the recording didn't pick up until she had realized that she was seeing her sister's last moments. She'd watched it so many times she could recite it from memory.
The faces of her team, of the people she'd loved and lost, appeared before her, younger and so full of vitality. Carmine couldn't take the losses anymore. She would not lose anyone anymore. She would protect them all until her body was battered and broken and even then she would not give up.
"I'll do it."
Open you mind to me, warrior of light.
It was a strange sensation, she thought as she closed her eyes, and one that was almost indescribable. If she had to say, it was like an inky black, cold, tentacle brushing up against her mind. She instinctively wanted to recoil away from it but instead forced her body to relax and let the tendril of consciousness proceed further inside of her, diving deeper than just her surface thoughts. It rummaged through her mind, pulling up memory after memory as it searched for the right one. Carmine recalled when they had first met, the memory coming easily. The tendril seized it in an iron grip.
The wall was lost to the Grimm. A titanic serpent had risen over the forest and let for a challenging, bestial roar that shook the foundations of Vale. Sparks danced across it's black skin as it's mouth opened and cries from all over the wall could be heard. The fear was palpable.
The discharge was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The bright light was blinding as it lanced out from the beast and struck the wall. In a valiant effort the wall of Vale held for a few moments before it bulged out and exploded into hundreds of thousands of white hot shards of molten rock and metal.
Ruby watched in horror as Grimm surged through the gap created by the blast, Hunters rushing to fill the gap but being swallowed one by one by the wave of black and white, flesh and bone. She sped to the gap, Crescent Rose flashing in the pale moonlight as fast as she could, a red and silver blur of death carving a path through the Grimm. She danced between the creatures with her scythe as her partner, beautiful and deadly arcs of crimson tore through the Grimm tide. A burst of light emanated from her, annihilating all the Grimm in the gap, revealing some hunters who had yet to fall to the tide. The serpent that had destroyed the wall loomed before her, even larger than before as she craned her head to glare at the mindless red eyes staring down at her.
The huntress closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them once more.
The world went white.
Carmine tore herself from reliving the memory and felt Jormungandr sifting through it. She knew what he would find. The final light she'd let loose had freed him from Salem's control and he'd taken his 'd watched him slither off through the forest and began thinking that it was going to be okay, that they'd win.
That thought lasted until she got a call from Yang.
You speak the truth. Jorm's voice sounded impressed as he continued through more of her memories, Carmine now starting to adjust to the feeling. She'd even started sending her own thoughts the other direction and could sense his unfathomable mind just at the edge of her consciousness. Like a deep pit at the bottom of the ocean it extended ahead of her and it felt like she was slipping down into it. Before she could explore any further, the contact receded, leaving her with the odd feeling that her mind had been tossed upside down.
A low rumble caused her to open her eyes and realize that the vibration came from the Grimm himself. A sibilant growl thundered across the waters as his body writhed in agitation making Carmine drop to one knee, Bloom and Scatter digging into the bone plate she was standing on, not that Jorm felt it, in an effort to not fall off of his head.
Unacceptable. A mere usurper? Manipulating me? It shall not stand. I will vaporize her! Not even ash shall remain! The volume of the thoughts caused her to wince as it bounced inside her mind. The mental voice was numbing and she struggled to grip her weapons.
"We have a plan to defeat her but if she gets any of the other Primordials on her side we won't stand a chance." Carmine gasped out as he finally came to a stop.
Then we will destroy her together.
The huntress almost could believe it and she felt her mouth hang open, "Really?" She asked.
I refuse to bend to the machinations of the usurper. The only being who can control me is my maker. This sin must be punished.
Her stomach flipped as Jormugandr began to lower his head until his chin touched the vitrified soil of the island. Even with it resting on the ground Carmine still needed to hop down a few storey's worth of distance before her boots crunched on the glassed surface. She could still feel the warmth from the extreme heat in her soles.
You say that she has been granted immortality, do you not? She is beyond you capabilities to slay.
"Salem tainted herself in the pools of Grimm. Our plan was to take advantage of that to petrify her using my eyes and then use the relics to imprison her in a pocket dimension." Carmine explained, craning her head to look up into Jormungandr's eyes as she did so, "In the time I came from we desperately tried to do it but.."
You were sent here instead. Jorm fell silent for a moment, no doubt mulling over the memories he had obtained from her, It has merit. You are not yet ready to to enact it?
"We aren't ready yet."
Then until you are ready I must warn my brother Tarasque. He and I were among the first to enter hibernation. I only know the location of two other siblings, Cusith and Bast. I will give you their location but be warned. Though Bast is more friendly than I towards you humans, Cusith does not share the same outlook. If he sees you he will kill you. Bast will be able to tell you of more of our siblings, should you be able to convince her. The last part was said with a hint of mirth. Jormungandr's eyes glowed and even brighter red and Carmine felt that now familiar mental touch.
I shall grant you this boon in return for the warning, he whispered into her mind. She doubted the others could hear him, This shall link us across any distance. Should you need me then concentrate on the symbol and I will hear you.
A searing feeling on the back of her left hand had her wincing and looking at the appendage. A bright red light was etching itself upon her skin like a brand and when it was done a dark shape remained in the shape of a dragon's head with curling horns. Something else exploded into her mind, information being shoved into her memories none too gently. It gave her an instant migraine as an instinctive idea of the two other Grimm's locations popped into her head.
Warn my sister of this danger and she will most likely assist you. I must take my leave and warn my brother.
Without any other preamble the enormous serpent turned and headed through the water towards the northwest. With his long body it took him minutes to disappear, his tail sliding into the water as a faint humming sound reached their ears. Their bullhead sailed into view and kicked up dust as it landed near them.
"Holy shit, you guys are actually alive!" The pilot exclaimed as they walked up the boarding ramp. The woman was shouting out of the small cockpit attached to the fuselage, "That was the biggest Grimm I ever saw. I was fixin' to come pull your asses outta the fire and then it just leaves! The hell'd you do?"
"Convinced it to leave." Carmine answered simply.
"Hmph alright, keep your secrets. Y'all are crazy. No wonder ol' Oz wanted me to taxi you guys." The pilot harrumphed and started flicking switches as the boarding ramp closed.
"We're crazy? You're the one who wanted to do a combat retrieval with that thing." Qrow accused the pilot.
"Ha! Any pilot that flies for huntsmen have to be a little crazy and you're looking at the craziest. You can call me Foehammer." She said as the aircraft lifted off, "We'll probably be seeing a lot more of each other."
"Heh, pleasure. I'm Qrow, that's Carmine, and this is Taiyang." The huntsman slumped into a flight harness across from his partner. Carmine could feel the sway in the aircraft as it took off and speed to the horizon but the acceleration was gentle and practised.
"Oz told me. But it's nice to formally meet you. Here's to hoping there's be plenty more flights to go!" Foehammer cheered.
"You gonna sit down Carmine?" Her father asked from right next to her. She wasn't paying attention to him but rather was looking outside as their bullhead gained altitude. There was a smoking scar on the island they left behind, some floating rubble from what was formerly an island was still sailing gently through the air. But what had her eye wasn't the devastation caused by Jormungandr's attack but rather the trail he had left. To the northwest was a massive, twisting trail of crushed trees that he left behind as he relocated and at the head of it his long body could be seen moving from side to side, it had to be at least two miles long. Taiyang let out a low whistle as he found what she was looking at.
"Really puts it into perspective how big he is. Think the other's'll be a similar size?"
Carmine shook her head, "Oz said the one he fought a few thousand years ago wasn't all that big, just tough as hell."
"Guess we're gonna find out, huh?" Qrow asked.
"Y-" She was interrupted as something gave way from inside her jacket and clunked to the deck in a heap. When all three eyes looked down they saw it was her concealed holsters that had fallen. On closer inspection it looked like a buckle had given way.
"Sorry." Qrow said sheepishly.
"It's fine." She said putting the weapons and their holsters and the seat next to her as she sat down next to her father, "I made these things in a rush. I should probably get some professional ones made."
Now the adrenaline was fading and leaving her tired, her muscles quivering from the exertion and the tension. The pounding in her head returned full force and made her close her eyes, the back of her head resting on the cushion. The relief she felt and the years of going from battle to battle had her falling asleep within moments of her head hitting the headrest, neck letting her head loll to the side to rest on her father's shoulder. As the unconsciousness took her she barely felt her father reach over to ruffle her hair.
A/N: Here's the new displaced. Personally this might just be my favorite story to write so far. Carmine's a lot of fun.
Now we're set up for the next part of Carmine's Quest.