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I will be posting four chapters daily on this site until it catches up with other sites.
The west gate of Celdic,
Jaune
A Nevermore swept down and grabbed a couple of screaming men in its cws, before flying away, dodging the returning gunfire from the defenders. Jaune hurriedly sliced his foe, a Beowulf that had scaled the walls, and pulled out his gun, firing three accurate shots at the avian Grimm from its blind spot. The Nevermore screeched in pain, but Jaune gritted his teeth as the bird clenched its cws, causing the two men to scream in agony before their bones were crushed with a sickening sound that, even through the battle, was heard.
He will grieve for them ter.
Besides him, Megan Scartina opened fire on another approaching Nevermore with her machine gun, perforating it before it could do more harm. The rabbit-faunus still had her camera recording, as she did her best to kill the Grimm while keeping the men's spirits up.
“Just keep shooting, ddies, and remember to smile at the camera. Any of you who die is a hero, but don’t rush to death before you take a dozen Grimm with you.” The woman had an unhinged smile on her face, but Jaune could tell it was all a mask. She was as terrified as the men on the wall.
The fighting had been going on for nearly two hours now. Despite their pn and trap working wonderfully, it was still a toil to beat the seemingly endless horde back. The choke point was not as perfect as the gorge in the quarry, as many gaps had formed and some Grimm were too tough for the fmes to harm them. The fmes still burned brightly; the grass, homes, and the crops fueling it to a feverish degree, and the smell of sulfur and blood permeated the air. In fact, there was a bit of worry that the fmes would spread to town, which was why some of the townsfolk were on hand with water pumps and the only firetruck in town. Yet, the Grimm still mindlessly assaulted the walls, heedless of the veritable rain of lead and fire mowing them down.
The men on the walls held steadfast against the relentless assault, yet the casualties were rising. Already, Jaune had seen a dozen dead and nearly a hundred wounded on his section of the wall alone. He will grieve for them ter, especially as more men constantly joined the carnage, with rotations for the injured. He and Meg had been responsible for stopping more than one rout, as the simple vilgers had no taste for combat yet he knew if the walls were breached, mass panic would ensue.
Speaking of the rabbit-faunus, “are you sure I can't convince you to seek shelter? Your aura is getting low.”
“Too te for that, boyo. Everyone has to do their part, and my acting lessons have finally paid dividends! Even Lizzie and little Anita are doing well with the recording.” The older woman smiled as she pointed at the drone, which now that he noticed, was being piloted blind. Meg had expined that it had a communication feature, but due to the bckout, the girls were controlling it from the rooftop of the town’s water tower, the tallest building in town.
How the three women met and coordinated all of this, he didn't know nor care. So long as the faunus woman was doing her part in defending the walls, he would accommodate her little quirks.
“Very well, keep up the good work everyone, we will see the dawn yet.”
Sara had already gone to the ground to support the dragoons in fighting off a rge herd of Goliaths trying to batter down the gate. She had insisted he save his aura in case of an emergency, much to his annoyance. Jaune had held the tower and walls well for the most part, the Grimm unable to destroy the solid stone walls, but agile enough to scale them. The Nevermores, however, were another story, as despite their low numbers and Fie killing their leader, they had proved to be a true nuisance with their speed and agility.
If it wasn't for Meg’s presence, they would have shredded the defenders. Yet, that was still not enough, as evidenced by the prior attack.
Megan shot another of the flying pests down, as he unloaded his revolver at an especially bold Beringel trying to scale the walls, blowing its head off. The rhythm of combat had taken over, and Jaune mindlessly shot, reloaded, sliced and killed any monstrous foe until he simply ran out of enemies to kill.
A look around him had him realize that the fighting had nearly ceased on their side of the walls. The men warily looked for more foes, finding none and looking at him strangely. No, not strangely. They looked to him for orders, and it felt surreal that these men, who barely knew him, would so eagerly look to him for guidance.
“Take a break, men. Grab some water or first aid if you’re injured, but don't let your guard down. The Grimm are still beyond the fire wall, and I don’t know why they have ceased their attacks, but they will certainly attack again.”
The men gave tired cheers as they rested, and some of them kept a vigint gaze outwards. Jaune looked at the town behind him, and frowned at the devastation inflicted. Despite their best efforts, there were destroyed homes from Grimm throwing rocks and boulders over the walls, or the downed Nevermores crashing into buildings before evaporating. A field hospital was established in the market square, right in the center of town; many dead littered the streets and were pced in body bags, but even more were injured as they y in cots with missing limbs or bleeding out from evaporating pinions. The wailing of the women and children as they discovered the death of a family member would haunt him in his dreams, and never had Jaune felt more helpless than tonight. It didn’t help that the negativity will produce a feedback loop that would give the Grimm more reason to attack.
He will grieve for them ter.
“Jaune…” Meg pced a hesitant hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
He had the power to heal those people, yet the knight in gray was constrained by their own fragile constitutions. Only those with unlocked aura could have a chance in handling his potent energy, and even those were still limited, as he discovered when he tried healing one of the rare few guardsmen with aura. The man had screamed in agony when Jaune channeled some of his aura into him, and only his panicked use of Second Wind saved the guard’s life. Jaune had worried that using the ability on someone else would deny him the usage for himself, but thankfully that was not to be.
A figure nded next to him, causing him to flinch out of his thoughts, but a gnce at the purplish hair had him rex.
“Is our blonde wunderkind moping again?” His team leader grinned at the rabbit-faunus who smiled genially.
“He's still a spring chicken, he'll get better.” The two women had never met before, as far as he knew, yet they instantly hit it off. Jaune remembered his grandfather mentioning how the best kind of friends are those formed in the crucible of battle.
“Sara? How's the situation on the ground?”
The Dust-using warrior looked worse for wear, with her disheveled hair, grimy clothes, and aura sitting at a little over a third, but she still had an easy grin and did not seem badly injured. “The gates are clear, though damaged, and whatever remains of the Grimm, destroyed. Brocket and his men did well with their feint and retreat tactics, allowing me to go all out with Searing Fsh, as you so eloquently called it.” Despite the woman’s cheery attitude, his Arcus link with her told him that she felt as devastated as he was at all the death and destruction. Her will and determination to not show it was admirable, as the surrounding men cheered up at her report.
Jaune was embarrassed to say that he thought she was the one to name her skills, but apparently that was Krystal’s doing. At least she liked the name he gave it.
“Although the man himself got blindsided by a Creep.” Sara continued, and he turned to her in surprise. “He's alright, just had his aura shattered and his right hand broken.” The older woman hurriedly added as she noticed his worrying expression.
“Any idea why the Grimm aren't attack–”
Something subtle brushed on his senses, freezing him. It was distracting, but Jaune had his aura sense active to the maximum in order to keep an eye on all aura users in town, which was the only reason he noticed. He could sense Fie in the inn and, thanks to the Arcus link, he could tell that she was sleeping. He could also sense Rory fussing over the Lieutenant while Duncan and Montgomery oversaw the repairs by the gatehouse.
None of that mattered, however. Jaune nearly cricked his neck as he looked up into the dark skies, searching for that weak aura that he sensed before the attack began.
There! By the eastern gate, the same sleek aircraft flew over the town, the broken yet bright moon that even now invigorated him, showing its presence. Jaune focused like never before on the pne, using Search and his Aura Sense, until he identified four people on it. Three of them felt nasty, as if their souls were tainted by sin, which surprised Jaune as he never realized he could sense that. The st one, however, was like a beacon of negativity. Inadvertently, Jaune focused on him and nearly puked from the sheer hatred and terror radiating from him.
“Jaune! Are you alright?” Sara held his shoulder worriedly, as he stumbled and grabbed his head from the sense of nausea.
“It's that bullhead. The one with the bait, the Grimm Bait.” Jaune shook his head, breathing heavily as he gred at the skies where the aircraft hovered tauntingly over the town. “It came from the east, the mountains. We need to shore up defenses on the eastern walls, I bet my sword there's a simir horde to the one we just fought heading there.”
His voice was not low, and too te, the men on the walls whispered in worry. Jaune clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning to Sara for guidance.
For her part, the older woman thoughtfully bit her thumb. “Brocket is recovering right now, I would suggest healing him If he accepts your aura. But first, we got company.”
They stared out at the burning fields where the Grimm, who had stopped attacking only a few minutes earlier, were resuming their attacks. If Jaune had to wager, it had to do with the Grimm Bait hovering over the town.
“I'll hold the walls here with Meg, you go check on the dragoons and see what you can do on the Eastern walls.” Sara patted his shoulder before grabbing Meg away.
“Sara, Megan. Wait.” He grabbed Sara’s shoulder and transferred as much of his aura as her body could hold, which turned out to be quite a lot, as she had the most time to acclimate to his aura. Then he used Second Wind on Meg, causing her to blink in awe as she stood straight and shouldered her gun easier. Jaune handed Sara the st of his ground Dust, all he had were a few of the rger chunks that would need more precise cutting machines than the town could offer. “There. Now you can go all out.”
The older adventurer shivered, and in the shadows caused by the burning fields, her flushed face took on a vicious grin as she inspected the Dust. “You too, Blondie. You're my secret weapon, and I say I've held you back for long enough. Go wild!”
Jaune tried to mirror her grin, but it felt fake on his face. He jumped down to the clearing in front of the gatehouse, his aura easily cushioning his fall, and found the dragoons on their horses at the ready, and as Sara said, Brocket was having his arm tied in a splint. Montgomery was also nearby with one of the armored vehicles. They all looked at him in attention, and dare he say it? Respect.
“Alright men, I have ill news.” Jaune didn't beat around the bush, and told them of his suspicions. The men's faces fell with dismay, but it quickly turned into grim determination.
“It would take too long to traverse the crowded streets to reach the east gate. We will have to send a fnking group to circle outside the walls while another group rallies the men to the walls.” Montgomery rubbed his scruffy beard as they strategized over their dilemma.
Meanwhile, Jaune tried healing the lieutenant with limited success. The man's body could not handle his aura, so he used Second Wind on him to max it, which would help in the healing process. Unfortunately, his dominant hand will still be out of commission for at least a day, even with the clean break. Jaune sighed inwardly at how fragile humans were; even with aura, if one doesn't have a lot of it, it will merely make you stronger than average. Donovan Brocket barely had two-thirds of Fie’s aura levels, despite being fifty.
The heavens were truly unfair.
“Thanks, son. I don’t think I will be of much use with my sword arm in a splint.” The lieutenant sighed tiredly before turning to Duncan. “You will be in command of the men, and take Arc with you. Ride fast and ride hard for the east gate, clearing any Grimm you find on the way. I'll keep Rory and two squads here for emergencies.”
“Yes sir!” Duncan gestured for his horse, and Jaune smiled as Arthur trotted to him in full barding.
“Ready for war, boy?”
The horse neighed challengingly, causing the other horses to do the same. Just as he hopped on the horse’s back, a runner arrived on one of the spare horses. It was Sonny, the minuteman who guided him earlier.
“S-sir, the east gate.” The man was struggling for breath, but everyone could guess from the look on his face what he was going to say. “The Grimm were sighted at the east gate. Old Baha has gone mad! He pns to blow up the gatehouse if he thinks it's going to fall. Sheriff Greaves was already ordering bombs to be pnted when he sent me over. What are your orders?!”
Everyone turned to Montgomery, who himself turned to Brocket, before realizing the gazes aimed at him. “Ah, ehm…” he coughed once before straightening his back. “Right, tell the Sheriff that we are on our way with reinforcements. He is to hold the walls by whatever means necessary, preferably without blowing them up.”
No sooner had the captain given his orders, did they hear a loud explosion coming from the East gate. For a moment, everyone looked shocked, thinking the sheriff blew up the gate anyway, before rexing. Even with the sound of battle behind them, and the lightning discharges from Sara, the cannons were distinctive and loud enough to be recognized a mile away.
“Better hurry now. I'll load the trucks and APCs with as many men and equipment as possible. Expect us there in twenty minutes at the test.” As Montgomery turned around to gather his men, Jaune noticed the ck of his ‘advisors’.
“Looking for his hedonistic tagalongs?” Jaune turned to Rory as they were about to leave. “Turns out those were the morons who bought Old Baha’s truck and ran off to Vale. Fucking cowards abandoned their posts.”
The young dragoon had a dozen other dragoons with him, and Jaune was surprised to notice that all of them were actually younger than Rory, only a few years older than himself. They must have been the group he had missed, or were out scouting. A few of them were hugging some of the older dragoons, and Jaune realized they must be family. It was strange that the two squads staying with Brocket had the youngest of the soldiers, but Jaune figured that their assignment needed the best of the lot to strike the Grimm hard.
“Forget about them. Rory, I need you to…” Jaune tuned out the Lieutenant as he heard Duncan calling for the gates to be opened. He filed in line, as the battered gate opened enough for them to squeeze through single file and within a minute, they were riding outside the walls for the eastern ramparts. The men on the walls intensified their fire at the encroaching Grimm and a gnce at the chokepoint showed Sara was going all out with the lightning strikes.
“Keep your ears sharp and your eyes peeled, men.” Duncan called out as they cantered away. They shot the occasional Grimm that was foolish enough to attack them, but did not waste time stopping to engage.
Jaune gazed at the burning fields, and a hint of guilt washed upon him. It was his idea to burn the livelihood of this town, yet it turned out to be in vain. The Grimm still attacked from the opposite side of town, where there weren't as many fields. Whether they survived this onsught or not, the town of Celdic would never be the same.
“Watch out!”
A snake Grimm, a King Taijitu, burst out of the grass in front of them, its fangs poised to bite his head off. Jaune was so distracted that he barely had time to flinch before Duncan's sword stabbed deeply into the snake's maw. Unfortunately, the snake Grimm bit hard onto the man's arm, causing him to grunt in pain as his aura got dangerously low.
The blonde knight swiftly boosted his STR then grabbed the snake's jaws and ripped them apart with his bare hands, allowing Duncan to retract his arm. The horses bumped into each other as the snake colpsed between them, and the rest of the dragoons circled them protectively, looking for its other head and shooting it once they found it. Checking on their leader's arm, Jaune found two small puncture wounds that must have pierced through his aura.
“Damn it, Arc, pay attention to your surroundings.” Duncan gritted his teeth as Jaune transferred his aura, aiding in the healing process. The snake Grimm’s venom was not fatal, but it would certainly affect their commander’s combat effectiveness. Aura should be enough to heal from it, hopefully.
“Sorry, won’t happen again.” Jaune kicked himself inwardly as he forgot to boost his perception. He had been hesitant to use any of his boosts, as he didn't feel he needed them. Too costly and boosting his stats too much was difficult to control. He required a lot more training before he felt confident in boosting himself to the levels he did in the mountains, which was a miracle he survived it. Jaune's PER, however, always needed boosting, and with a thought, he boosted it up to eighty.
“Make sure it doesn't, you are both our healer and heavy hitter. We cannot afford for you to get hurt or incapacitated.”
“Well, to be fair, I can assure you the Grimm would have shattered its fangs on my aura.” Jaune grinned at the older man as he finished healing his arm and then used Second Wind to max his aura. This had quickly turned to be his most reliable method to heal people.
“… Didn’t want to risk it, but you’re probably right. What a monstrous child you are.” Duncan sighed in amusement as he flexed his hand and sheathed his sword. “Alright, men, let’s keep moving.”
They continued to ride around the wall, even as the sound of gunfire and the retorts of the cannons got louder. Jaune could feel the trepidation in the air as they turned a final bend and froze at the scene in front of them.
The spotlights on the walls and the fmes on the grounds illuminated a depressing sight. A sea of bck figures with white masks were assaulting the walls, with a seemingly endless horde flowing down the mountains. In one gnce, Jaune could tell that this horde was much more numerous than the previous one.
The eastern ramparts did not have the luxury of the preparations they made on the southern wall; no fire walls, no dragoons, no Sara or himself to plug any gaps. Just militia, a few mortars, the two cannons, and the occasional machine gun. Old Baha and the Sheriff were the only experienced aura users but they were both ancient men who should be in retirement homes, not on the battlefield.
The hordes of Grimm could be seen from the Fire-Dust infused mortar rounds that rained on the rocky terrain, which hindered and slowed down the Grimm but also provided cover from the rifle fire from the walls. Many Grimm attempted to climb the ramparts, but the defenders held firm, showering them with lead and fire. Whether they would be able to hold for longer would be the question, as the assault had barely started and there were already too many casualties than Jaune liked.
He shut his eyes at the sight, he will grieve for them ter.
A couple of Beringels broke apart rocks from the ground and used them as projectiles at the walls, with gruesome results when they hit the occasional defender. Thankfully, the cannons were too high up to be harmed and their crews took accurate shots at one of the ape-like Grimm, blowing it to mist.
But the most dangerous element of the horde was the massive Creep with molten rock sticking out of its body. Its enormous head was shaped like a battering ram, and its powerful legs allowed it to smash at the nearly destroyed gate. It was surrounded by hundreds of its brethren acting as guardians; more Creeps, Ursas, Beowulfs and other Grimm weathered the relentless onsught of the defenders, while the leader of the Grimm horde backed up for another charge at the gate.
“We need to take that Creep down.” Duncan locked his gun into FDRs and so did his men. Jaune however, had a different idea.
“Everyone, the situation is grim, but it can be overcome. I just need you to trust me in this.” All the dragoons stared at him in confusion as well as a little impatience. He ignored them in favor of focusing on his Arcus ability.
“Don't resist,” was his only warning before he sent the threads of aura at his companions.
Thankfully, the dragoons trusted him enough to allow him to form the connections. Once he was sure that everyone was connected, he checked their aura levels. All of them were intact, which would make sense considering they only used aura for simple physical augmentation, and a failsafe in case they get hit. That none of them were injured meant they still had their aura mostly at maximum.
Jaune did not waste time and used Boost combined with Empower to increase every one of the dragoons’ stats by a quarter. Normally, even he would have drained his massive reserves for such a boost to thirty people, which was why he used the dragoons’ aura instead, something he discovered was possible when he boosted Fie earlier. Once they were all boosted up, he used Second Wind on them to give them back their aura. Everyone was suddenly marginally stronger than they were a minute ago with their full aura to boot, with Jaune boosting Duncan from his own aura reserves, as a thank you for the earlier save.
“Damn, son! I feel so… powerful.” One of the eldest dragoons flexed his arms, his muscles visibly bulging.
“I thought your sembnce allowed you to store things, not empower people?” Duncan and the rest of the dragoons looked at him in awe.
“I'll expin ter, this boost should st you an hour. Use it well, and know that I will not be able to refill your aura like this again.”
“Right, from up!” Duncan called and formed all thirty of the riders into two lines that spread out into a flying wedge formation. They urged their horses into a canter as they rode to the thick of the fighting, the dragoons’ carbines roaring as they used FDRs liberally.
“Duncan, your fire rounds will do nothing against that Grimm.” Jaune called out as he noticed one of the defenders using a fmethrower at the clear leader of the Grimm horde, only for its bone armor to drink the fmes like a tonic. “Let me handle it while you take care of its minions. Here, take these and go wild on their lines.”
Their ptoon commander grimaced at the wretched truth before he nodded and accepted the belts of grenades that Jaune withdrew from his storage, passing it to the rest of his men. “Go, we will follow your lead.”
Jaune nodded and urged Arthur towards the Lava Creep, as Duncan and the dragoons followed him. The boss Grimm’s minions noticed and charged at them. Jaune ignored them as he had eyes only for the massive Creep, but Duncan and the men lured the fodder away from their leader, using the grenades that Fie made extensively.
Jaune infused Crocea Mors with as much aura as he could, and urged his horse into a gallop. The Lava Creep stomped on the ground a couple of times before charging at the gate with more speed than he expected, causing Jaune to panic as he had barely started the infusion process. With the choice taken out of his hand, the gray knight sent a Crescent Wave at the monstrous Grimm, hoping it would stop it before it brought the gates down.
It was not to be, as the Grimm simply shrugged off the underpowered aura strike and crashed into the rotted wooden gates – bsting it off its hinges, causing the defenders behind the gate to scream as they were hit by the debris. The men on the walls and the Grimm on the ground froze at the sight. The Lava Creep dislodged itself from the gates and took a few steps backwards, preparing another charge to shatter the supports of the stone gate. Jaune could see the dismay and terror on the men's faces, while the Grimm looked ready to charge in glee at the breach.
The aspiring huntsman scowled and checked his aura, finding it nearly full. He had barely used it over the past hour and it took less than ten percent of his maximum to top off Sara’s reserves, and any usage was recovered thanks to the moon. Jaune gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes in resolve before fring his aura mightily, looking like a shining beacon at night, grabbing the Grimm’s attention to him.
In hindsight, Sara was right in telling him to control his aura, as the sheer amount he now had would functionally designate him as Grimm Bait. The fact that ten thousand Grimm had suddenly abandoned the walls and gred at him venomously, was proof enough.
For a moment, Jaune was tempted to run and lure them away from town, but he scrapped that idea. Neither he nor Arthur were fast enough to escape them and even if he boosted his stats, the terrain would not be in their favor. Then there were the dragoons following his lead, there was no way Jaune would betray their trust like this.
It will have to be a melee, and Jaune felt a feral grin bloom on his face as he flooded Crocea Mors with aura and urged his steed into full throttle, causing Arthur to pant heavily. Like a shining spearhead with the dragoons behind him in a wedge formation, they rode silently for victory…or death.
The Grimm had abandoned the walls and charged at them, even as the Lava Creep gathered what it could control of its brethren and turned to the gates. Jaune clicked his tongue in annoyance as the elder Grimm ignored him in favor of the town, but it wouldn't matter.
A gnce at the top of the destroyed gates found that old codger Baha with a few men as they lit a long fuse along the walls. The man had more aura than Sara, and considering his old age, it would make sense. He must have grown up with limited aura and had to rely heavily on tools and trickery to beat his foes. It was unfortunate that when he finally had more aura than he could dream of, his body failed him. The only reason Old Baha could stand on his one leg was due to his aura control.
Jaune shook his head as he charged the flood of Grimm, his aura intensifying and covering Arthur, with more of it spreading to the riders behind, his Arcus links helping in transferring their momentum to him. Within a few seconds, they crashed into the leading Grimm… and continued on, stabbing his sword that had an energy bde five times its size growing from it from the extreme amount of aura he had trapped in it. It was more of a nce now, rather than a sword.
Arthur neighed angrily as he trampled Creeps and Beowulfs underfoot, his armored form making him a veritable tank while Jaune stabbed and sshed at anything within ten feet ahead of him to ash. He could see Duncan on his left shooting his carbine with one hand and sshing his sword with another. The sounds of explosions told him that the rest of the riders were using their grenades to devastating effects.
Once he was in the thick of the horde, and the charge was losing momentum, he pushed onwards away from the dragoons. This way he would have all the space he needed to ssh and kill all the monstrosities in his way without having to worry about accidentally hurting his comrades. Jaune could feel the dragoons through his Arcus links doing well against the stunned or surviving Grimm he missed. He continued to ssh and trample Ursas, Beowulfs, Burbatusks and all kinds of young and reckless Grimm until a shockwave reverberated across the fields. The gate house had chosen that moment to explode spectacurly, right as the Lava Creep smashed its head on the supporting columns.
“To the gates!” Jaune didn't hesitate and urged his horse to the colpsed Lava Creep. He could feel the dragoons following him, their emotions high from demolishing a thousand Grimm in one charge, with more to come. Jaune could tell that they would not survive a simir charge, as many of them had low aura with a couple of them shattered. He used Second Wind on all of them again, but just as it did for him in the mountain cave, it only gave a quarter of their maximum back.
“This is truly the st time I can boost your aura. Check your defenses, and watch where you throw that grenade.” The armored knight called out as one of the dragoons threw a cluster of grenades a bit too close to their path, yet incinerating a pack of Beowulfs.
“Don't worry about us, youngling. We are all ready to die anyway, focus on the enemies ahead.”
Jaune gnced at Duncan's smirk and it only occurred to him now that nearly all the dragoons with him were old men. The youngest of them was actually Duncan at nearly forty, while the oldest one was a white-haired man in his sixties. He was sure he had met younger members earlier, and he realized why Brocket kept Rory and the youngest members with him.
These men were ready to die, but they wanted their order to live on in the younger generation. Jaune gritted his teeth in annoyance, fucking old farts seeking a pce to die with honor. Well, he won't let them. He had seen enough death tonight to st him a lifetime.
The Lava Creep had managed to recover, just in time for Jaune to jump off his horse and stab his sword deep into the beast’s back. The rest of the dragoons covered him while he repeatedly stabbed deeper and deeper, all the while enduring the unbearable heat coming from the va. With a grunt of effort, he finally reached the hilt of his sword, and immediately had all the aura trapped in Crocea Mors released inside the Grimm.
The effect was instantaneous, the monster's thick hide and pting acted as a seant for the aura to wreck its insides to shreds as a muffled explosion reverberated inside it. Unfortunately, it had one st trick, as its humongous head split open, showing a shocking sight.
An evil looking eye connected to a dark tentacle that glowed with a malicious purple color. It swiveled to look at him and narrowed its lids for a moment before turning back to the breach into the town. Jaune watched in muted horror as hundreds of people; refugees, vilgers and militiamen, were in the streets helping the defenders with supplies but did not have the time to escape the wrecked gatehouse. They all turned to them at the sound of an ominous buzzing, and too te it was coming from the tentacled eye, which was vibrating and glowing.
“Get out of there! It's gonna blow!!”
It was instinct, or perhaps his perception, that saved him, when Jaune ripped out his sword and jumped just in time for all the va crystals on the Grimm to burst open, flooding its back and its surroundings with the molten liquid. Then, the eye exploded into a ser beam. His st second warning was enough for the unlikeliest of saviors to jump in the way of the beam, holding it back with his immense aura for a few precious seconds that allowed many of its targets to flee.
It wasn't enough, as with the sound of shattering gss, the beam punctured through the man's aura, burning his torso and exploding into a multitude of fme balls that incinerated everything within a hundred yards of the gate.
Jaune jumped to his feet, sshing at an opportunistic Beowulf. He turned to the scene of utter destruction inside the town, and his eyes found the old, smiling face of Baha. The old codger couldn't even give a final witty quip as half his torso was melted through. Jaune’s gaze went past him to the burning buildings and bckened corpses of people he had just seen alive.
“We will grieve for them ter, d!” Duncan roared over the din of battle. “We need to hold off that horde until reinforcements arrive.” The older man was dangerously low on aura, and had long ran out of ammo, dual wielding his saber with a combat knife, his blue eyes wild with bloodlust as he charged into the fray.
Jaune turned around, noticing that in his moment of distraction, the rest of the dragoons had picked up the sck in protecting him from the attacking Grimm. Even as he watched, he felt a couple of links getting severed as two of the eldest dragoons y dead on the ground with their horses. A couple more were sporting severe burns from being too close to the boss Grimm when it exploded, yet they didn’t seem to care and fought like demons.
He looked around for his horse only to freeze at the sight of Arthur limping to him with a broken leg. The horse whinnied sadly, and Jaune could see the dissipating remains of a Boarbatusk that must have struck the horse when he jumped off his back. The valiant steed had crushed the monster’s head at the cost of its limb… and a tusk stuck in its unprotected belly.
“Arthur…” Jaune croaked out as the horse colpsed on the ground next to him. The sound of combat brought him back to his senses, he could not afford to be distracted. He knew what needed to be done.
Jaune will grieve ter.
It was the same mantra he kept telling himself for hours, even as silent tears flowed down his cheeks. He could do nothing but hold on and grieve ter.
“I'm sorry, my friend.” Arthur neighed weakly as Jaune watched the life leave its eyes, and gritted his teeth before plunging his sword through the horse’s heart. He watched resolutely as his steed's final breath gave out, and he hoped he appreciated going out in battle at least. A hand settled on his shoulder, and Jaune turned his head tiredly at the grim face of Duncan, who returned with a cut on his cheek.
“We need to fall back to the town, there are too many of them.” He noticed that the man held his bleeding side with his other hand, his aura clearly shattered, and the remains of his saber on the ground. He was also on foot, as were the majority of the dragoons, and he would rather not imagine why. Jaune felt an exhaustion he had never felt before in his life settle on his soul, even as he acknowledged that a few more links were severed, their st thoughts and regrets echoing out in his mind.
He will grieve for them… no. He could do more than grieve.
Jaune was sick of grieving.
“… you go ahead. I have something I need to do.” The blonde knight shrugged off the hand and stood up to his full height. Jaune gazed at the scene before him, before taking a deep shuddering breath that stank of death and decay, a smell he had gotten used to over the past few days. The sounds of combat around him were ignored, even as the dragoons sent the st of the explosives at the Grimm and retreated into town, more of their brothers lying dead on the ground. Jaune exhaled and gred at the advancing Grimm with a hatred he had never thought he was capable of feeling.
Aura burst out of his body in massive droves, wave after wave of the golden light bsted the debris and dust around him as the panicking civilians and monstrous Grimm stared at him. It was the second time it happened, but this time, he was a sun in comparison to the fireworks dispy from earlier. The Grimm shied way from it, but most importantly, Jaune felt hope bloom in the people behind him.
The Grimm roared at Jaune in hatred, and charged at him… only to be met with a Crescent Wave of golden light, dozens of feet wide, as he sshed Crocea Mors. The wave swept away hundreds of the Grimm in its path and continued for a few thousand feet until it cut a deep gorge into the nearest mountain.
It might not have killed as many of the Grimm as he hoped, but it had done its purpose. The monsters were in disarray and Jaune stabbed his sword into the ground as he grabbed a fallen carbine. He turned and looked at the civilians and survivors of the night so far, and held it aloft.
“Here we stand. None shall pass. Dawn shall come!” They were simple words, and Jaune was never one for flowery speeches. It was enough, as the crowds roared in determination and echoed him back.
“Here we stand!”
“None of the fuckers will pass, I got my kids back there!”
“We fight till Dawn, help will surely arrive.”
“Well said, ddie.” A sudden voice shouted from the walls as the cracking of a rifle dropped a charging Beowulf dead. “Your friend and the good captain are here.”
Jaune turned to the speaker, finding it was the sheriff, Cyrus Greaves, before turning to the road going further into town. Several APCs and trucks were rolling in at speed, and on one of them was Fie, who flickered before appearing next to him.
“Sorry, I napped for too long.”
“You came in just in time.” Jaune couldn't help but choke out a rasping chuckle as he patted the girl's head and topped her nearly full aura. She smiled back, and they both turned to face the now recovered Grimm.
“None shall pass!” He repeated, and like a signal, everyone opened fire.
Jaune smiled as he aimed his carbine, but it turned into a frown as he felt the aura in the sky move. He gnced at where the aircraft was hovering, only to find it fleeing southwards. Focusing his Aura Sense, Jaune memorized the aura signatures, and vowed to hunt down those bastards to the ends of Remnant if he had to.
He swore it!
The broken moon shined brighter at the carnage afield.
T*A*M*S
On the burning fields by the western walls,
Sara finished off the st of the Grimm on the fields, and gnced at the walls behind her. The two squads of dragoons were screening the fnks down the walls, while she could see Brocket by the slightly open gate. On the walls, the number of defenders had steadily dwindled until there were hardly a few dozen from the thousand of an hour ago, as all forces were transferred to the eastern walls. The rabbit woman, Meg, waved at her with her camera, the rising sun barely visible through the distant mountains, and Sara unconsciously smiled at the woman. The sheer guts to film such a disaster yet also participate in it was admirable.
It’s been over an hour since Jaune left for the eastern walls, and she worried about his situation. The earlier explosion did not bode well, but whenever Brocket sent a runner, they returned with hollow eyes and requested more reinforcements. Brocket was sorely tempted to send her over, but Sara could feel Jaune and Fie with Search holding their own, and the horde here was still not fully decimated.
That was an hour ago, and with that st dead Grimm, Sara could see no more adversaries. The heat from the fires were steadily affecting her, and she stank of sweat and grime. Fire squads steadily left the safety of the town to fight off any uncontrolled fire that got a bit too close to the wall for comfort.
The adventurer sighed as she walked back to the walls. She was tired, the past week had been a never-ending grind as her abilities were in high demand. Her earlier injuries, while healed, still left her fatigued and lethargic. Tonight had been a true test of her endurance. Sara could feel every bone and muscle in her body protesting and her aura was in the red from the amount of rge attacks she made.
Sara wanted to sleep for a whole week, then drink herself to a stupor for another. She didn’t remember when she st had a solid eight hours of sleep, yesterday didn’t count as Jaune’s aura gave her an adrenaline boost that ended up tiring her more than allowing her to rest.
The gmorous woman shook her head as her thoughts went to the many lives she saw extinguished tonight. The death and destruction weighed heavily on her soul, and Sara grieved for all the brave dead and wounded. Yet, such was life in the bordernds. She looked back to the walls and frowned as Meg was still waving at her, but now she had her machine gun aimed at something behind her. The woman was trying to load a belt of ammo, and Sara finally realized through her tired vision that she was warning her.
Jumping forward, she barely dodged the pinions of yet another Nevermore, and aimed Joker at it, shooting it down, only for Beowulfs to attack her on the ground. Dammit, she was out of Dust, and she could see a few more Nevermores circling her. Sara mented her arrogance at thinking the horde was destroyed and letting her guard down, as she battled an Alpha Beowulf and its pack, while their flying friends tried to catch her off guard.
The cssical Wolf-Raven combo, also known as Wolfbird onsught in these parts. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She was forced to block a vicious swipe from a Beowulf with her arm, breaking through her aura, but she managed to blow the Grimm’s head with Joker. It wasn’t the first time she lost her aura mid-fight, and Sara was far too experienced to allow the sudden loss of strength and energy to affect her combat effectiveness.
Still, the adventurer was in deep trouble if this continued. The Grimm were relentless, and she barely managed to dodge a hail of pinions, the ck of aura making her slow and lethargic. Meg had opened fire on the Nevermores, yet she was too far away to get an accurate–
The sound of the Nevermores getting shredded followed by gunfire caused the Grimm to falter, and for Sara to gawk. That wasn’t regur machine gun fire. The exhausted warrior cut a Beowulf in her way, and scrambled backwards as a speeding bullhead flew overhead, dropping a figure in white wielding a massive scythe on the Alpha Beowulf.
Sara gawked at the older man who sliced apart the Grimm and its pack, before finishing off one st Nevermore with a shotgun bst, and then mechashifted his weapon into an oversized butcher’s knife. The man hung it behind his waist before grabbing what she could smell was a fsk of whiskey, and took a swig as he smirked at her.
“Yo, I am a bit lost here, girlie. Looking for a town called Celdic, you wouldn’t happen to know where to find it?”
The husky and smokey voice sent shivers down Sara’s spine, and she unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of the prime piece of man in front of her. All thoughts of the conflict and exhaustion fled her eyes as she filled her mental checklist.
Tall, dark and handsome? Check.
Older than her by a good margin? Check.
Likes his drink? Check.
Powerful? Judging by her fledgling aura sense, that told her this man easily had as much aura as her maximum, double check!
Jackpot!
Sara Valestien had spent years searching for the perfect man, and she was not ashamed to say she had saved herself for that mythical man. She wiped away a bit of drool as she leered at the man, who looked raised an eyebrow at her.
“You’re in the right pce, handsome. Sara Valestein, a pleasure to meet you.” She gave a mock curtsy, more to show off her cleavage than anything, and grinned as she saw the man checking her out with interest. “Why don’t you and I go grab a beer, kill some Grimm, and maybe tell me your name?”
The tall man’s smirk widened as his red eyes glinted with interest. “I like the sound of that. Qrow Branwen, the pleasure is all mine.”
And done! Quite the long chapter. Qrow finally arrives on the scene, though he’s kinda te for the party. Keep in mind that he has been fighting his own war the st week, so give him a break.
At least Sara gets to enjoy her dream man for a change. I will be writing Qrow as he was supposed to be portrayed, the cool and fun uncle who is a bonafide badass. Not the boring shit he devolved into in the ter seasons.
