Boom!
Jaune rolled under the massive Deathstalker—using the momentum to strengthen his slash. Taking off a chuck from its thick walking legs.
Thunk!
Crocea Mors whined as it refused to leave the Grimm's leg, it was as thick as a tree from his hometown. But he had experience with this sort of trouble, curling into himself with his legs on either side of the blade then he pulled.
With too much force, denting him rolling away—a safe distance from a crowd of Sulfurfish that pounced on his previous location.
They were quicker than he expected, one of the Sulfurfish used its friend's body to pounce at him.
He could bash it with his shield but that would leave him both defenceless and structurally compromised.
Bonk!!
He could feel its body pop like a balloon under his shield, he could feel the strap loosen up from his forearm. Pain blossomed from his back as a Ravager from the sky took a swipe, gritting his teeth as he didn't let himself fall.
How was he meant to win!!
Sidestepping the massive Deathstalker, a Sulfurfish clung to his leg burning through his pants, it hurt.
Kicking the Sulfurfish against the Deathstalker, he nearly got himself impaled as a ravager dived at him—using his raised leg to kick off the Deathstalker with a flip, he made sure to land on the small Grimm on his leg.
A shifting of sand alerted him.
these filthy beasts were ganging up at him, what cowards
Raising his shield arm, it distinctly lacked his signature shield—the young Taijitu clamped on his arm, a strange burn different from the Sulfurfish filled his arm. But it made it easy to decapitate the Grimm.
Why was he smiling so much?
A shadow blocked the moon with a more yellow moon, a stinger if you will. Oh, it was—!
Raising his arms by the thinnest margin, the pointy bit of the stinger was centimetres from his forehead. The glow made the back of his eyes feel constricted as Aura flooded his body—muscles straining, knees… quaking.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Why were they constantly going for his back! He groaned in annoyance, though his smile didn't dim in the slightest.
A small group of normal sized Deathstalkers rushed him, good…
"How infuriating." he said with mirth annoyance.
Pumping more Aura into his arms, exhaling to alleviate the pressure that was starting to strain his brain. He pushed against the stinger before letting go as he rolled to the side, rolling past many small stingers.
"kuhh!!"
A cracking and shattering rung in his ears like music, "he he".
The massive stinger got most of the small Deathstalkers but not all, grabbing the closest to him. He crushed its skull under his hands, it felt like grabbing a metal poll in winter.
Bobbing out of the way of a Ravager that tried its luck, lacking any weapon he had no way to retaliate.
It didn't look promising at all.
Dashing as to not be bulldozed by the massive pincer of the Deathstalker, it was clearly his biggest obstacle—well there was also that massive Ravager in the sky surrounded by at least seven of its brethren.
They wouldn't let him stay still to plan or even think. Having to weave past the swooping talons and the massive form of the Deathstalker to pick on the small stragglers that were more dead weight than anything.
Still, killing them did make his chest feel lighter.
After a few more kills—mostly of small Deathstalkers and for some reason a Grimm bunny. Didn't even know those existed, died all the same.
Still, he needed a plan and to stop running around like a headless chicken. His lungs were starting to ache and the trembling of his hands was getting worse but that stupid Deathstalker refused to move from Crocea Mors, as if it was guarding the weapon.
Time to reduce some variables.
He planted his feet on the ground, the Deathstalker moved first, swinging its pincer that was at least half a bullhead long
Not that he paid it much mind, not yet at least. Like clockwork, a Ravager dived for him. Letting it stab into his shoulder, he grabbed the beast and used it as a shield to tank most of the force from the pincer that smashed into him.
The bat-like body exploded against him as he was thrown into a rock, it was sturdy enough to only crack in a spiderweb manner. Which wasn't a good position to be in when he was surrounded by multiple Grimm.
Blinking away the black dots that littered his sight, some of the dots grew bigger—oh.
Letting his body droop into a roll, the Ravager that aimed for him embedded itself into the rock. It disintegrated without a sound as Jaune looked around.
Grabbing at his head as the Grimm multiplied, the rocks multiplied and even the stars multiplied—his posture deteriorated, knees nearly giving out as he forced them to lock.
This… this wasn't good.
Wearily, his droopy eyes lifted his head of lead—there weren't that many Grimm left but he's been fighting for too long, low on both Aura and Stamina. Two ravagers remained, three normal Deathstalkers and four lancers—scratch that more were coming from the rocks. More Deathstalkers, bunnies, and some he couldn't even name.
Huffing as he flexed his back, forcing himself to stand straight, he was so dead. He simply didn't have the power to win. Ha…
If only…
"Ha.. ha."
Throwing himself out of the way of talons, tiny powerful feet thumped up his arm, the beady red eyes glared at him as the tiny Grimm kicked his jaw. If he hadn't moved with the kick, it might've ripped his jaw off—escaping with only a strain on his tendons.
Using his arm in retaliation to spear the rodent through the chest… he wasn't going to think too hard about whether a rabbit is a rodent or not.
His senses picked up a shift in the winds, too cumbersome to a Ravager—tilting his neck to look over his shoulder. His eyes were blinded by the brazing blonde of the stinger.
An idea came to him.
A dangerous idea.
ya need control or ya will never control it
Talc's confusing words replayed on continuum within his brain.
All colour left his world—Talc forewarned him against using his Soul Flames due to his poor control but! That was before he had the new strange sight that gave him greater Aura control. His Soul Flames would normally kill him as it burned at his Aura itself yet it also consumed less Aura than using Shatter.
The stinger drew closer.
A centipede wrapped around his legs, nibbling at his thigh ripping through his flesh.
He was… worried? It felt strange—how his hands trembled as his mind kept tunneling to one plan. His flames were useless in dealing with all the Grimm, while they had range it was too weak to deal with massive Grimm. But he also couldn't use Shatter because the Ravagers were out of his range.
Either way, he was screwed. Having to prioritize which Grimm would be easier to fight without Aura.
A warm feeling seeped from his nose, filling him with a scent of iron.
He could lure all of the Grimm into his range—like that was even possible. He just didn't have time, the Grimm wouldn't be fast enough before the stinger turned his body from single to plural.
Why couldn't he stop smiling! His heart fluttered at the mere thought of his plan.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The stinger drew closer.
Calculating how much Aura he had left—roughly thirty percent— circulating Aura throughout his entire body—steam vapor left his body, he felt so cold before he was alight in thundering pain. The golden stinger finally reached him, tearing at his back, an internal pop told him his lung did not survive the force.
b-dm
It only made his heart beat faster, further accelerating his Aura—a short gasp left his lips. He felt stuff, like his body was going to burst—almost forgetting to apply his flames as everything went white.
boom!
The flames ate the sound itself, hungrily eating away everything both alive and dead. Filling his ears with the sweet melody of silence.
It hurt so much.
"It was a gamble, thought it would be enough too." Jaune rasped out, his mouth felt dry even breathing felt scratchy. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, he was already in a lose-lose situation. Go big or go home, a gamblers mantra—at least that's what movies showed him—but he really out did himself, combining both techniques to maximize their respective strengths.
cough
Cracking open an eye—he closed it immediately, too dry.
His techniques were perfect for each other, Soul Flames worked by burning his Aura which wasn't good because his Aura was inside his body but Shatter shoved a lot of Aura out of his body so using them at the same time would let him get the benefits of both without much of the risks. It was a real gamble, it was only really possible because of his control and attunement to Aura, he was just overflowing with talent.
"I'm such a genius." Jaune bragged to himself as a feeble hand reached for his shoulder, his ears just wouldn't stop ringing—it hurt so much. Grabbing at the talons that scratched at his bone, it gripped deeper—sending a glare at the half burnt Ravager.
His mood was at an all time high.
It glared back at him, shrieking until his ears bled. It wasn't that his grip relaxed—his hand just didn't have the strength to close his hand.
Aura filled his hand, forcing his hand to close as he pushed back, the claws tried to crack his ribs and touch his sensitive organs. Using his other hand to seize its throat before it could snack on his throat.
Clearly, he wasn't the only one who took a gamble and won—he didn't have the time to question how the Ravager survived the blast but it was hopefully the only one.
His Aura felt so fickle and fragile within his core.
So cold…
It gurgled, flexing its barbaric neck to contest his strength which wasn't very good—his arm tremored as the hot and very horrid breath of the Ravager reached his face. Even when he rushed Aura into his arm, a tearing pain in his gut quickly made him regret that.
There was just no winner ever, was there?
Gritting his teeth, the Grimm lost patience. Flapping its leathery wings as a scream tore from his burnt lunges, the grip he had on its neck lost—only being kept attached by the talons embedded in his shoulder and torso.
It was tearing him—muscle and skin separated as it rose high and higher.
It hurt!
It hurt so much!
Why did it hurt so much!
His skin wasn't tough enough—one beat of its wing and it freed a foot from his shoulder or well too most of his shoulder with it.
One of its talons trapped itself between his ribs, rubbing at whatever organ was there—jostered by its every ascension.
It hurt…
He hated how much it hurt.
It never got any better, the pain never dulled—always striking the same. Maybe that was why he never let himself forget the burning he felt years ago. Maybe it was his musing that made him forget about reality for but a moment.
Blinking as sound returned to his ears, his body descended rapidly—maybe it was his new Semblance but he felt the sand rapidly approaching him.
Or was it him approaching it?
It was strange, his senses were recovering as his body was breaking down. Could he even survive the fall?
Should he?
Would he want to?
Heh.
It was strange, so strange.
He always thought he wouldn't feel a thing in the face of death—spending his entire life marching towards it. So why? Why did a cold pit form in his stomach? why was his throat so stiff? why was he so…
Relieved?
He felt so cold yet so warm—his stomach churned but his heart thumped in a strange way that made his lips quirk.
Why was he so content to die!?
Using his good arm, he shoved it over his heart trying to grip at the protected organ.
Did his family mean nothing!
The sand drew closer!
Why was he so weak?
Closer.
To weak to be a hero
He breathed in the sand.
Radiance enveloped him.
"..."
The sand tasted nice—that wasn't what was important. The impact—why was it… so dull? Did he fall on a bed instead of rocketing to his death?
No! The impact—the fall, did it even exist? Why did he feel so strong—so steady, like he got a second wind?
Aura doesn't work like that.
you should be dead
He shouldn't have enough Aura to sustain any form of reinforcement. What saved him?
Could he have used an Aura cloak? But that shouldn't mean he should live feel so alive. Standing on his feet, his body didn't shake—why?
His hands had more life to them, still scared but not as pale as earlier. When did his body stop bleeding?
Feeling for his Aura, it was still as feeble as ever—why did it feel so strong?
deceiver!
The hair on the back of his neck tinge—rolling to the side as the Ravager's talons reached for him, it took the flesh of his shoulder again. He didn't entertain it with his wails what could he even do? reaching to grab its leg before jumping away.
"This is… unfortunate." Jaune said to whom? him the voice was so filled with emotion? So why didn't he feel them, why was it so distant?
who are you
A part of him, the more rational side afraid told him the Deathstalker survived because of its old age and thick plating that helped insulate the worst of the flames.
failure
It dragged itself across the ground, leaving deep grooves in its wake. It was missing half its legs savor its blood its face was unrecognizable like the bat from earlier run away marred under the intense flames of his soul. cry sadly it's stinger looked to work just fine laugh with the way it nearly tore him in two.
When did it get so close?
coward
Was he going to die?
liar
Why didn't he feel a thing thinking it?
hide
It's not like the odds were in his favor at all, two powerful Grimm injured and he shouldn't have the strength to live stand.
"What would you do Iris?" her blonde face, eternally youthful face smiled down at him.
"Do it."
Right kill them how could he forget his rage duty. He will tear them all kill him.
His heart was alive again.
your purpose
His body was still exhausted, his legs refused to move on their own. Aura forcing his body to move, a step and another.
The sand reverberated as the Ravager screeched, his neck refused to turn leaving him without an exact location so he trusted his instincts.
Relaxing his body into a sem-controled roll, the slicing of air told him he escaped a mortal wound, how sweet.
why was he so calm?
He couldn't stop his momentum from sending him tumbling, only really stopping when his back collided with a boulder, his body was growing weaker again. Or maybe that strange strength was only leaving him, what a let down.
rage
The force must've winded him because he had trouble catching his breath, a darkness clouded his vision. Slowly clearly away with every blink.
Why was everything so quiet again, his hearing should be perfect. Trying to stand, his arm refused to even lift a shoulder.
sorrow
"Oh…"
His entire body tensed, blood running cold as he was doubtful again why did he need to live flopping his arms to protect his body—
Light enveloped him again.
guilt
The boulder cracked but he didn't nor did the Deathstalker, the boulder looked closer to a bowl with him at the center. Jaune may be stupid but he wasn't a fool, his spine should've shattered from the force of its charge. why did he have to live?
why always him, please just let him rest
But at least he got to feel that strength again and this time he wasn't going to let go—he had to control it.
coward
He had to, it was clear that the warmth was his only saving grace but it… he may be pushing it too far. His Aura constricting his body, a faint tremble rattling his very bones as the Deathstalker pushed him further.
The boulder cracked phew
Or at least he hoped it was the boulder that cracked, it wasn't that he could see much with the Deathstalker pressed into him. More cracking vibrated in his ears, please be the boulder, please be the boulder.
"..."
It was the boulder.
Pulling himself from the debris, coughing up all the black mucus that had built up in his lungs. What was it? He didn't like being buried alive but if it killed the Grimm then he was okay with it.
No matter.
His vision blazed into the monochrome, the beautiful sky turned a dull grey yet even in his lackluster realm he couldn't feel the presence of the Grimm. But that was more of an afterthought than anything, focusing on the vibrant pure light that pulsed through his chest.
Within him an array of colours flowed; sometimes interacting—sometimes flowing past each other. A glowing orb-like object—no, phenomenon, it was present and so clear to him. It confused him, surrounded by what his mind could only understand as a concept of colour. He gave it the name of light and darkness because he couldn't truly understand what he was seeing.
They orbited the phenomenon—shifting like two magnets of the same charge. The fainter of the too—darkness was slightly smaller than the other one. Was that what Talc meant by fuel, he could tell why it was less without having any logical reason.
flame…
The phenomenon's core seemed to ooze a pale yellow smoky substance that seeped through his body—filling it. Then there was the white cloud that looked similar to the smoke but it didn't leak from the phenomenon—as if contained by it.
No.. the cloud as a barrier that separated the phenomenon from his Aura. until he willed it not too.
The white cloud enveloped his Aura.
Burning…
The longer Jaune looked—the more he pushed his eyes, the more it burned.
He knew what they meant, somewhere his mind couldn't reach but he knew, he just knew.
The beating of his heart alerted him to the quanta of cyan leaving it—flowing to his eyes, maintaining his vision.
Lost within his own metacosmic beauty, the world around him refused to stop and let him admire its glamor. The Ravager took the opportunity presented and stabbed him in the shoulder, which sadly took precedence to looking further within himself.
A shame but he got what he needed.
The Grimm wasn't done either, curling into itself, launching him into the sky.
Sucking in a breath, he was suddenly very aware about how much his body ached—blinking rapidly to deal with the dry eye. Even the quick blinks felt like scraping sandpaper against his eye, irritating.
Irritation quickly grew into agitation, his own emotions being magnified by an exuberant scale, truly a scary prospect but damn it was he mad.
"Idiot, why are you making stupid mistakes, you aren't five!" chiming himself, his body was vibrating with a burning deep in his bones. A smarter part of him would've said it was the consequences of using his Soul flames but that was stupid. Soul flames only made him grumpy, not mad.
Pulling Aura and forcing it to mix with the cloud, meshing and combining until it was completely one.
"!!!"
Aura vibrated within him; erratic and uncontrollable—uncontainable. As if a hurricane raged within him, color bleeding from his Aura as the vibrations grew stronger.
Yes, this was it!
Pouring a minute amount of excited Aura into his eyes, heavily arousing the dormant Semblance within his eyes to another level.
Time slowed around him as the flow of Aura was more apparent than ever to the blonde—exposing Aura's naked form for Jaune to ogle at, leaving only the optimization left.
Body soared higher as he finally paid attention to his surroundings which were more rocky than he expected. Towering spires of rocks, fragile at that. If he tried to catch himself on them—they'd shatter under his momentum.
Unless…
A smile graced his lips, a truly liberated smile.
"Why not, I've already gambled my life five times over." twisting his body out of the Ravagers swooping talons, he was sent off course heading directly towards two spires.
This was such a stupid plan but when did thinking ever stop him.
***
In a world filled with the creations of the deities of radiance and abundance, it only had one command imposed upon it the abundance—a command as natural as breathing. To free the world from the most vile of creatures.
Hate filled its magic filled body, flapping its wings to soar higher as the flaw that sullies the beauty of deities creations—a filthy abomination that dared to declare itself superior to their own creators, the arrogance.
Tensing its nape—raising its head as it sped towards the most vile of the malformation it has seen yet, Light and Darkness should not mix! A being of life should not contain either, it was wrong, it was arrogant, it was.. Heresy!
Yet! Those vile abominations, created through the combined efforts of both deities, the forsaken mistake, a mistake that pure beings have worked tirelessly to mend.
Hunting and slaughtering those vile creatures until Light and Darkness were once more truly separate—in perfect harmony.
Snapping its mouth with enough force and violence that its cheeks tore—bellowing its rage at the monstrosity before it.
Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!
It wished for nothing more than the death—no! The eradication of that vile disharmony!
That abomination was so tampered and flawed by the avatar of Light and the fallen Queen. Its Radiance and Abundance so profound—so hideous in its awful patchwork.
To right the wrongs!
To free the deities of their one and only shame!
To bring forth their creations!
**
A strange flapping echoed in his ears, the Ravager curled into itself, turning its linear motion into rotations motion—like a drill… diving straight at him.
Mimicking its rotation, his strained and exhausted legs were pushed into overdrive. The two connected, he never had a chance at winning but at least managed to lessen the force imparted onto him by his quick thinking.
Careening between two narrow sand buttes—his plan was set in motion, perfect. Concentrating most of his excited Aura into his hands and feet, spreading his body wide like the spider's web he once saw in his childhood on his bedroom window.
Hands and feet clipped the sand buttes and stuck to them, rattling echoed in his bones, the rocks cracked under his sudden force but his excited Aura reinforced the sand stone on contact.
His only saving grace.
The Ravarger drifted through the air, eyes looking around probably looking for another opening of which he had plenty in this precarious position.
But that wasn't what worried him—no, what did worry him was the Deathstalker, he wasn't stupid—some rocks weren't about to bring down that Grimm, after all, he survived.
The back of his neck stiffened, catching the faintest glim of red eyes. Staring at him was the Deathstalker, climbing far better than it walked—its marred body seemed to do little in inhibiting its climbing prowess.
It also looked very angry—its stinger charged back to gut him.
die
His blood cooled his heated body as the reality of his situation was about to gut him . If he had an Aura cloak he wouldn't have to worry—if he was strong he wouldn't be in this position—if he had just been better.
His eyes blazed as they twitched, calculating with the little math he did know—searching for a single angle where he wouldn't die.
There was none.
"What am I meant to do?" Jaune heard someone talk, they sounded so defeated so scared but where did it come from? that couldn't have been him, right?
He wasn't going to just let this happen, was he? yes
Move!
He couldn't should die here!
The wind tuned him into the Ravager diving for his chest, its talons ready to spear him—the Ravager at his back ready to put a hole through his back.
He had to do something…
die
let it happen
He let go.
A gutteral gagping escaped his strained throat as the stinger shredded through his back—gravity pulling the stringer and cutting through most of his back, nearly severing his shoulder from his torso.
But it didn't pierce him—was his blood always this cold?
Even as his vision started failing him, he made sure to stare at the Grimm with all the rage in his heart—he wasn't going to let them have the final laugh.
CRUNCH!!
The sound was sickening, bone shattering against the stinger as the Ravager crashed into the stinger—tearing through it like wet paper. The Ravagers' talons pierced the Deatherstalkers tiny head.
They disintegrated as they crashed into the rocks.
"hah"
***
A body honed through battle—instincts forged through extreme battle, all allowed Talc to maintain the barrier around the three as they traveled in every which way through the air, molten rubble bouncing off his Aura.
Rebounding off a boulder, his barrier shimmered before dissolving as the massive serpentine body slithered out of the massive hole in the ground. Its eyes captured his attention, its bestial eyes tracked him—it was… wary… of what?
Intelligence….?
Such a horrid concept, for a Grimm to harbor enough intelligence to distinguish between threats—who knew what else it could do or think. Glaring back at it as he heard the shuffling behind him—Opan and the kiddo were waking up.
"It's intelligent…"
"Clearly."
Opal scowled at his retort, flexing her fingers as their eyes met—blue met purple in a silent conversation.
'Fuck you'
'Bitch'
Talc broke eye contact first as he nodded, Opal slowly nodded back as they formed a plan—a dangerous plan that could cost either their lives.
3 minutes—all he had to do was last 3 minutes.
Looking at his Aura reserves, roughly 54%, it was a good level for an average person but for him with his small Aura reserves, he was in for a bad time.
Rolling his shoulder, a hissing sound spread out from him as steam rolled off his shoulders. A cyan ethereal glow flowed from his shoulders, slowly enveloping his body, an Aura cloak.
Boom!
Tearing past the wind, houses shattered as he blurred past them, crossing the village's length in an instant—shockwaves razing what remained of the ruined village. Talc was in every sense of the word—a superhuman,
He could feel his sister's Aura grow fainter as he reached closer to the serpent Grimm—with every step he grew more aware over the Aura filling the sand—it writhed around, flowing towards his sister.
Reaching the Grimm's massive body, he pulled his body through all the steps of a punch for maximum output; tensing his back, pulling back his burning shoulder, and closing his fist into a perfect punch.
All completed within a fraction of a second, a perfect attack, a technique he spent two decades perfecting, unleashed without restraint.
boom!
Bone plating splintered, flesh folded into itself before bursting, spreading black goop everywhere. A horrid screech echoed into the elder huntsman's ears as the Grimm's body recoiled from the indent on its side that was the size of Talc himself on its battle hardened body.
Not allowed even a moment to admire his work—moving from that position to grab onto the scathing hot scales as the beast flicked its body to crush him. Missing by the hair on his face, he began the ascent of the serpent.
"Hot."
Not that the Sulfurfish would let him climb in peace, rolling and slithering in an erratic manner only possible by an apex predator feeling pain for the first time. Whipping its tubular body around as it attempted to crush him—fruitless effort, climbing unimpeded.
His body was at its physical prime, burning through all of his Aura reserves to maintain the output of a transcendent, it was only because of how far he was pushing himself that he was able to evade the vomit of flames that flowed down the scales. All of the hideous eyes on the serpent's body glared at him, jumping on one of the eyes as he had no choice but to jump away lest he be burned.
But it wasn't like he was going to let it get a win on him, a little miffed at how he was being forced to show one of his only cards but from this height there should be no one who would be able to witness his incomplete technique.
Being born with a below average level of Aura reserves, no one in his hometown expected him to survive—not even his own sister. Yet he did—no, he did more than just survive, he thrived but his limited Aura always held him back. Aura projection was out of the question for someone like him.
So he forced it, maximizing the efficiency of his Aura control and barrier techniques to the point that he could do either in his sleep.
20 years of concentrated Aura training, all for his imperfect technique, his only creation—air step.
Under his feet—a thin sheet of cyan Aura rested like a blanket in the air, like a trampoline it bent under his weight before rebounding him. Hurrahling Talc through the air, a smile rested on his face as sandy long hair whipped wildly in the air, raising a foot, he rebounded once more.
Rebounding to the side, narrowly avoiding one of the loose stingers of the Sulfurfish that made up a formation B, given his speed it wouldn't bisected him.
Its eyes glowered at him—all of its concentration focused on killing him.
Good
Twinkle
odd
"This can't be right…"
Yet his eyes told him it was, ethereal green eyes illuminated a muted world, processing multiple vectors and fields to not fly off course. Around the monstrously large Grimm but far more concentrated on its gaping wound was a thin—pulsing glimmer of…
Aura.
"Did it absorb the strange Sulfurfish, damn it…"
He grumbled as his concentration slipped away from the Grimm for a brief moment—
Boom!
"Freeze" a flurry of yellow rocketed past him, erratically moving. Catching the bundle of clothes before it crashed into the combination B as it screeched to resist the restriction imposed upon it.
It wasn't as if he was exempt from the restriction but his superior control allowed him to mitigate most of the Ordain into more of a slowing effect.
He had nearly died if it wasn't for the kiddo.
"You okay..?" she croaked out—shoving her head out of the cloak, her hair was a tangle of windswept hair that shrouded most of her face.
"Good enough kiddo." Finally having a moment to breathe, the serpent shook off the shackles as the kiddo was forced to expend more Aura, her body seizing in his hold.
It wasted no time rushing them, a deep pain stabbed at his legs, his very fibers threatening to tear as he forced out another air step.
The Grimm coiled at it lurched up at him—throwing the girl to the side, he rebounded towards it in a spin.
Yet his axe kick did nothing, a light glow encompassing its form—horrifying—as its Aura protected its skull. For a Grimm of that magnitude to be protected by Aura, truly the worst fate for those who've been blessed by the soul to see.
His feet touched the ground far sooner than he expected, causing him to stumble a little. Looking up at the formation B as its massive head covered the moon—it looked very mad, the wound he inflicted upon it was gone.
"Shit…"
The Grimm's many eyes flickered away from him… was it looking at the kid?
"How… how is it still alive?" The kiddo forced out, a faint waver in her voice was the only evidence of her fear but that was enough to capture the Grimm's attention.
Formation B tensed its body—Talc lathered his legs with Aura, eyes blazing to life as…. They both moved. Legs burned as the air failed to enter his lung, the kiddo couldn't even reach as Talc reached her, tackling her into a roll—Formation B scraped his back, sending him ricocheting between buildings. Sapping away at his precious Aura.
15%
Breaking through another building, he finally stopped, coughing up all the sand in his lungs. The kiddo's cloak protected her.
14%
"Think you can use your Semblace again?" he grunted as the kiddo blinked, she probably only saw a blur. Formation B found them nearly instantly but it was cautious, coiling its body.
"Give me a moment…" taking out another bottle of throat medicine, she downed the whole thing. Talc knew that brand, it was a very bitter one but highly effective.
Thankfully, most of the eyes seemed to be once again focused on him, its intelligence still astounded and frightened him equally. "Use it when you can kiddo, I'll see how long I can hold it off."
At most he had thirty seconds going all out—no, maybe twenty. How long has it been? Was Opal ready?
Shaking his head of useless thoughts, he dashed, the eyes followed his movements, Formation B shifted its head slightly.
If it didn't have Aura, it could've used a kick to the jaw with everything he had to rattle its brain to mush.
Jumping out of the way, his leg was nicked by the serpent, crashing into the buildings as it growled at him. It dug into the ground like a worm, its head rushing towards the sky as it used its weight to try and crush him.
Getting up from the ground, although faint, he could sense the excess Aura from the monarch calling upon its full power, that was a good sign.
Boom!
Throwing himself out of its way, the displaced sand crushed him up against the wall, Aura flashing as glass tried to cut him. Formation B looked around, why was it doing that? Shouldn't it have spotted him by now, kicking away the sand it quickly spotted him.
That was…
It opened its maw, ready to eat him in a single bite.
11%
"look at me!" the kid's voice reverberated throughout the dead town, his body seized as it contorted itself to look at the kiddo. It was strange, his body—no, his soul moved on its own to follow the Ordian.
He didn't have the Aura to fight it.
8%
Forcibly breaking the Ordain, he needed to shatter its Aura. He was slower, he could feel it, his Aura was too feeble to use the same output as before.
Blood in his legs boiled—forcing his body to move faster, his bones quivered.
crack!
"!!!"
A horrid screech shattered what remained of the builds, it writhed and coiled around as the force spread throughout its entire body. The kid reached him after he crashed to the ground, she had the gal to complain over how heavy he was.
"Opal better be ready." Grunting as the pain spiked through his leg, his own Aura shattered with the kick, breaking his leg as well.
A pressure passed through him, as the sun rose in the sky. His eyes were overwhelmed by a blazing light, burning his eyes as they tried to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Ah…"
"Wha-what? What's going on?" The kiddo's panicked yelp was a trickle on his senses compared to the overwhelming Aura that razed his monochrome sight.
"Damn it, what are you doing kid?" There was only one Aura that burned this much.
The Grimm turns its head—atracted to the light, saving them from its anger and it was its greatest and final mistake.
*************
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Hello again, back to what I love writing, Jaune fighting for his life. I'll be honest, I was quite out of it while writing this. Either sleep deprived or feeling strangely distant from myself while I wrote this. Quite the out of body experience it is, I don't particularly like this feeling. It isn't much different from my normal self other than my balance being worse and my body feeling weaker
Eh, it was alright, I just had to go to the hospital for a bit. It sucked but I got through it, this chapter took a while mainly because school has been kicking my ass hard. Work got hard as they expected me to be at a level of an experienced worker when I only just joined.
Enough of my ranting, this chapter Jaune really had to fight for his life, originally he was only meant to fight like 10 Grimm and like one Ravager but it didn't really teach him that his lack of Range sucked but in my second run through of the the fight, Jaune had it too easy so I had to put even more Grimm.
Lore bit for this chapter—the Grimm absolutely hate jaune because the density of his light and darkness is higher than average and it was totally accidental.
I don't have much else to share, my brain is fried. Maybe the next one will come out in 2 months.