AN: And here is chapter 2. I am trying to stop my habit at making 1k words and going to 2k normally. Want to end on at least 4k per chapter by the end of the story


Yang was actually quite interested in how the inside of the train looked, as it was one of the vehicles that were rarely used, except for the train from Mistral to Argus... and this station. As Atan walked into the cabin, he opened multiple glass cases and began flipping switches. Slowly, she could hear the hum of the engine starting up as the lights began to turn on and the air conditioning kicked in.

"Preliminary checks are all clear. You can find a spot to sit somewhere on the train. We'll be on our way in five minutes," Atan said, waving her away again. Yet, Yang could still feel his eyes on her, as if he was pretending until she left the cabin. For his peace of mind—and to get his eyes off her—Yang left the cabin to explore the train and find a place to sit.

The first three train cars after the locomotive were strange. Unlike what she expected, they had rooms in them, as if they were made for people to stay in overnight. What was even stranger, however, was the fourth train car, which had the same layout as the first three, but instead of rooms, it looked like it had jail cells. From the scratches on the walls, it appeared to have been used. Yang decided to let it go for now and ask Atan about this strange car later.

"These seats are surprisingly good. Might even be better than those at Junior's," Yang groaned as she felt the soft cushion beneath her. Honestly, it kind of felt like her bed at Beacon. Sadly, though, she knew she couldn't fall asleep here. She didn't know if Atan would even bother waking her up, so during what felt like the most comfortable—and first—train ride of her life, she would just sit and wait.

She could do that—just sit and wait.

Nothing wrong with that.

Just for a few ho—No, who was she kidding? She had an entire train to explore. While the jail car was unusual, maybe there were other special carriages to check out. With a slightly reluctant sigh, she got up from the soft chair and continued walking through the train, unaware that it had surveillance cameras.

[]

Atan was watching the camera feed as he took a quick glance at the tracks ahead. He nodded when he saw the upcoming turn and adjusted a dial. Slowly but steadily, the train's speed decreased to take the turn more smoothly. Yet, even though the drive was going well, he still couldn't get his mind off the one thing he was watching on the cameras.

Or rather, the one person: Yang Xiao Long.

"Now, what makes ya special, lass? Did ya finish the scan, 500?" Atan said, cracking his neck. A screen popped out from the frame of the train, seemingly responding to his command as it began loading the results of the supposed scan.

"Positive. Individual Yang Xiao Long exhibits abnormalities in her soul, but not enough to classify her as a lingering or Hellbound. Additionally, she retains her physical form. However, there is currently a Hellbound soul on the train," the computer reported. At this, the cigarette fell from Alan's mouth. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. No, no, no—that was far worse than he had expected. Far worse.

"So it's not her, but the Hellbound is already on the train… 500, scan the train RIGHT NOW. I need to know where they both are," Atan commanded once again. He could feel the pit in his stomach growing. He had never made a blunder of this level before.

"Currently, Yang Xiao Long is walking through passenger car number 3. It seems she is about to enter the dining car next. In addition, the Hellbound is currently in the dining car," the computer replied. The moment it finished, Atan jumped out of his seat and ran to the door. He realized immediately what was happening.

"500, OPEN ALL DOORS TO THE DINING CAR. I NEED TO GET THERE QUICK!" Atan yelled as he sprinted through the cars. He hoped Yang would just be traumatized and not dead.

[]

Yang entered the dining car and was surprised to see an entire kitchen set up, with a robot behind the bar. It had no lower body; instead, it hung from the ceiling and reached down. It even had a chef's hat on its head. Her eyes scanned the carriage further before something else came into view that surprised her even more than the kitchen.

There was a pale man sitting at the bar. His messy black hair covered his ears, but from the way he looked from the side, he seemed happy with the drink he had. Slowly, Yang tried to approach him, only for him to turn his head slightly in her direction. His smile dropped for a moment before returning with a slight laugh.

"Anything bothering you, girl?" he asked. His voice made him sound much younger than he looked, as if it matched that of a boy her age, yet he appeared to be as old as Dr. Oobleck. Either way, she sighed and sat at the bar too, keeping one seat between them. She could feel the man looking at the empty seat before shrugging.

"Drink preference?" the machine in front of her asked as she finally sat down and looked at it. The chef's hat seemed to be the only striking feature; everything else appeared almost painfully plain in her eyes.

"Hmmm, I could use a strawberry sunrise," she said with a grin. She liked that drink when Junior made it. Maybe the machine could make something similar or even something better; she didn't have her hopes set too high, however.

"Scanning... Scanned as age 17. Virgin strawberry sunrise coming up," the computer said, and then her small hopes were shattered. It wasn't even going to have real liquor. She sighed and rested her head against the bar, waiting for the machine to make her drink. She could vaguely hear the man laughing; it sounded strange, distant, but also right over her shoulder.

As she heard the glass hit the bar softly, she looked to her side and felt her entire being start to sweat. The man was sitting in the chair next to her. She didn't even hear him move or the faintest footfalls. She tried to calm herself down, but she was definitely keeping her guard up now.

"Never been on a train before. What about you?" His smooth voice sounded strange to her now. Slowly, Yang reached for her glass and took a sip of the strawberry sunrise. Huh, it was surprisingly good—sweet but balanced, with the strawberry flavor lingering just right. Maybe it was even better than Junior's.

"Same here. I thought the conductor and I were the only ones here," she replied, hoping to gauge how he would react—or if he would react at all. Luckily or not, the man laughed at her statement. He seemed to find a lot of what she did amusing.

"Oh, I went through the doors straight into this carriage. It might've been hard to spot me entering," he said, his tone somehow devoid of emotion. He didn't even try to force it out—just nothing. Yang wanted to turn to him to finally ask what his deal was when she heard the door to the car open. She turned toward the door and looked through the doorway. She could see Atan… running toward her, yelling something.

She wanted to get up and listen closer, but something was holding her down. She looked at her feet and saw a sort of black sludge restraining her. She couldn't even turn before she felt the man's hand on her shoulder. She completely froze. She didn't know why, but she just did. Slowly, she felt her head involuntarily move, giving her a slight view of the man's face right next to her. Gone was his long, messy hair, leaving a pale, bald dome; gone were his eyes, leaving seemingly infinite nothingness; and gone were his upper lip and nose, exposing his upper teeth and a fleshy patch where skin was now missing.

Yang could feel movement slowly returning to her limbs. Her fear seemed to dissipate partially as the man placed his mouth next to her ear, ensuring that she would hear him.

"Run"

Immediately, Yang jumped forward out of his grasp, even if it meant hurting her foot a bit, as the tentacle made her physically rip her feet out of her shoe to escape. In mid-air, she managed to turn and deploy Ember Silica. As she hit the ground, she started to move toward the man—no, the creature—and began launching a barrage of strikes.

With each strike she launched, the air filled with the smell of smoke and cracked rock, while the walls became riddled with bullet holes. Strange tentacles, made of pure darkness and dripping a strange liquid that disappeared into the shadows, deflected bullets left and right. Finally, the barrage of lead and Fire Dust ceased as Yang engaged in close combat with the creature.

Every time her fists got close to the creature, the tentacles would push her off course or block her strikes. Quickly, her fear was overtaken by irritation. She wasn't on Pyrrha Nikos' level of strength, but she was still the second-strongest first-year.

The creature still looked at her with that damned, disturbing smile. It made her want to beat it up even harder. Left hook—blocked. Right uppercut—pushed off course. Each time the tentacles made contact with her Ember Celica, she could hear the sick squelching noise. She didn't let that distract her, however. Quickly, she was forming a plan.

Shadow met fist again—metal against whatever the creature used to create the tentacles. Finally, Yang saw her opening. After another failed right hook, she went in for her left. A tentacle rose to block, but instead of following through with the punch, she fired a bullet, rapidly changing her momentum, and aimed her other hand at the creature's face before a tentacle could rise to block again.

BANG

The bullet ripped through the air and struck the creature's cheek. It staggered backward as its head snapped back from the impact. Yet she wasn't done. Using the momentum she'd gained, she spun and lifted her leg, ready to kick its head clean off. Her leg came within centimeters, but then...

One of the creature's arms shot up and grabbed her leg. She was surprised by its speed and how quickly it had recovered. Slowly, it looked at her, its grin still on its face as she could see the holes her bullets had made in its cheek. It held her leg in one hand and reached back with the other before its fist launched forward and punched her right in the crotch.

"Brothers, why there?" Yang wheezed as all the air left her lungs. With shaky breaths, she looked up at the creature. It was far from finished as it reeled its arm back. Instead of balling its hand into a fist, its fingers were spread, poised as if ready to grab something.

It grabbed her hair and released her foot. Quickly, it pulled her close as a tentacle emerged from the ceiling and slammed her down hard onto the floor. While her aura absorbed the damage, she still groaned from the sharp pain. She wasn't allowed to breathe, feeling a foot pressing against her face before she rolled across the ground for a moment.

"Oh, you damn freak! How does a creature like you know how to fight?!" Yang yelled as she got up. The creature's dress shoes signaled that it had decided to approach her. Her hair ignited as the damage she absorbed only made her stronger. Her semblance flowed through her body like her blood was being supercharged by her aura. "This isn't gonna be pretty when I'm done with you."

Yet before she could launch herself at the creature, a large tentacle rocketed toward her head. She tried to push her aura toward her head for protection, wanting to ensure her head wouldn't be knocked back like she had done to the creature. Fortunately, the hit never came.

A butterfly knife was attached to a chain that was launched from Atan's coat pocket. Somehow, it managed to stay entirely taut while the other side remained untouched by the man's hand. Instead, his right hand gripped Yang's shoulder while his left held a Glock 21 aimed directly at the creature's face.

"IGNIS!" Atan yelled as his chain suddenly began to glow red and was coated in flames. In a flash, a giant pillar of fire engulfed the creature. Yet, in a seemingly spiteful move, the creature quickly formed another tentacle and grabbed Yang's leg, pulling her right into the flames as she began to scream.


AN: I am very bad at fight scenes even if I love watching and reading about fights