A Semblance of Emotion 004 (Patreon)

Jaune and Nora heard them well before they saw them.

“I didn’t need your help,” a familiar voice said, and it wasn’t said happily. While Jaune wouldn’t describe it as venomous, it surely had bite to it. “I had everything perfectly under control.”

“Yes, I’m sure you did,” came the haughty reply. “I certainly enjoyed your strategy of crawling around in the dirt. Were you trying to lure them in by playing possum? I believe it worked a little too well.”

“You are the most insufferable person I have ever met.”

“And you are rude and ungrateful,” there was a moment of silence before she continued, “So now that we are partners, we should learn to coexist.”

Jaune was just passing through a bush when Blake scoffed, her expression cold.

“If you hadn’t stepped in when you weren’t needed, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Blake turned away, arms crossed like a petulant child.

Weiss flicked her hair, rolling her eyes. “So I should have let the Grimm overwhelm you?”

“They weren’t overwhelming me!”

Weiss noticed him first, straightening up and fixing him with a piercing stare. Blake hadn’t noticed seeing as she was facing away and nearly screamed when Nora announced herself in a way only Nora could, leaping in front of her and waving wildly.

“Hi~! I’m Nora. What’s your name?”

Blake looked around wildly, finally spotting him.

“Hey Blake,” he greeted in amusement. “Hey Weiss – I take it you guys are partners?”

Weiss sighed. “Unfortunately – but I couldn’t leave this one to die, now could I?”

“I was fine,” Blake fired back instantly. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Isn’t it clear by now that I don’t believe you?” Weiss shook her head. “Honestly – some people just have no manners.”

He saw what Weiss meant about Blake crawling around in the dirt. The entire front side of her clothes was covered in smeared soil and various other forest debris; leaves, small sticks and other unknowable objects. It looked like she had been dragged behind a horse.

“You’re a mess,” Nora supplied unhelpfully, plucking a leaf out of Blake’s hair. “What happened?”

Blake scowled and looked away. “Nothing.”

“She was careless,” Weiss was more than happy to tell, her expression smug. “She didn’t take stock of her surroundings and she was taken by surprise from behind. An Ursa dragged her through the mud. It really was quite funny.”

“Woah, okay,” Jaune raised his voice, attempting to de-escalate. Blake looked moments away from clawing out Weiss’ eyes. “We are all on the same side here, right? There is no reason for us to be fighting.”

Blake huffed. “If she would stop being a bitch, then everything would be fine.”

“Excuse me?” Weiss snapped. “What did you call me?”

Jaune sighed as they began bickering once again, sharing a long suffering look with Nora. He expected this behavior from Weiss; he had already seen her prickly demeanor in action. Blake was a bit of a surprise. She had struck him as quite a level headed person. Apparently she could get quite emotional.

“We really lucked out,” he said to her.

“Showing you my panties was definitely much better than this, I agree,” she nodded sagely. “We bonded even closer over underwear.”

Jaune made a cutting motion across his throat, whispering, “Not so loud!”

Luckily the other girls were too consumed in their argument to hear Nora’s words. That was the last thing Jaune needed. It wasn’t his fault that he had seen! But the way Nora phrased it made him sound like a giant pervert, as if he had been waiting for the perfect chance to sneak a peek.

She giggled. He suspected that Nora knew exactly what she was doing.

“What should we do about these two?” he asked.

Nora shrugged.

“Leave ‘em behind?” she suggested.

It was a pretty compelling suggestion, he wasn’t going to lie – but in the end, he wasn’t the type of person to leave people in a hostile area while they threw a tantrum. They were clearly capable Huntresses-in-training. The surrounding area bore the markings of an intense fight. But if they kept going like they were, their negativity could potentially draw in a lot more Grimm than they could handle. They didn’t deserve to die just because they were being brats.

Stepping in between two arguing girls wasn’t his idea of a good time, though. Especially when these girls were capable fighters and drop dead gorgeous.

He cleared his throat loudly but they ignored him. Nora snorted and when he glanced her way, she egged him on with a shooing gesture.

“Thanks, partner,” he said dryly.

“Anytime, partner,” she teased.

Sighing, he walked over and perhaps against his better judgment, he placed a hand on Blake’s shoulder. He picked Blake because even though she was the more emotional one, he knew her a little better. He had a pretty good feeling that touching Weiss without permission was a sure fire way to pain city.

Blake jumped at the contact and Jaune quickly pulled his hand back, holding it up and showing that meant nothing more than to get her attention.

“We really should get moving,” he said, and when Weiss opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off. “If you guys keep going like this, you’re going to attract even more Grimm.”

The expression the heiress wore was an interesting one; a mixture of outrage at being interrupted and a clear consideration of his words. It looked a little like she was sucking a lemon. In the end, her face smoothed out and she sighed, conceding the point.

“You are right, of course,” she said, sounding annoyed by it but accepting it nonetheless. “This isn’t the time for us to be airing our grievances. We will have time afterwards to settle any differences.”

Blake huffed but looked ashamed, meeting his eyes briefly before looking away.

“Yeah,” she said, suddenly a woman of few words.

“Cool,” he said lamely, surprised that it had been that easy. “Awesome – okay, uh – we should stick together. Strength in numbers, right?”

“That sounds agreeable,” Weiss consented. Her eyes swept up and down his body, and suddenly he felt nervous.

“Weiss?”

“You appear much more competent than my original assessment suggested,” she offered without hesitation. “I had dismissed you as a hopeless case. My apologies.”

How was he meant to react to that? He tried for a joke.

“Don’t be too hasty, you haven’t seen me fight yet.”

A thin white eyebrow arched and Jaune grimaced internally.

“Oh, don’t you worry about this guy,” Nora slung an arm across his shoulders and pulled him down into a headlock. Instinctively he attempted to pull away but found that Nora was strong; really, really strong. It would take quite some effort to escape her hold. “He can fight, trust me. When I found him, he was fighting a super big Grimm and kicking its ass.”

When she squeezed him against her side, his cheek pressed into the side of her considerable boob. Jaune froze at feeling the soft, pliable flesh against his face. Nora either didn’t notice or didn’t care, squirming as she tightened her hold.

“Nora, was it?” Blake said before pointing out, “I think you are going to suffocate him.”

It was true he wasn’t breathing but it wasn’t because he couldn’t, it was just that being mashed against her breasts, all he could smell was her. Whatever perfume she was wearing was slightly sweet with an undercurrent of spice, a warm scent that went straight to his cheeks – and other places.

When she finally released him, he prayed to whatever deities existed that they couldn’t see how hot his face was. He was relieved to see that they didn’t. While Nora introduced herself to Weiss and they exchanged greetings, Blake nudged him in the side.

“What’s up?”

“I see you’ve gained an interesting partner,” she observed the hyperactive girl.

“Yeah,” he watched as Weiss grew increasingly stressed as Nora bombarded her with questions, asking everything from if her hair was naturally white to wanting to see her weapon. “Nora is definitely an experience. You’ve got a pretty interesting partner yourself.”

Blake pulled a face.

“That isn’t funny. She is the last person I wanted to be paired with.”

Jaune shot her curious look. “Why is that? I mean, yeah – she can be pretty intense and needs to learn to chill out a little, but have you two met before? Why do you dislike her so much?”

Blake grimaced. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

Jaune blinked. “Oh, uh – right. Sorry.”

What was that about? It only made him even more curious but he wasn’t going to pry.

“I was actually looking for you,” she continued. “Before I was set upon by the Grimm.”

“Me?”

Amber eyes met blue, and she smirked. It made her look cheeky. “I thought we would make pretty good partners.”

Blake had been one of his choices, one of the few people he had exchanged more than a couple of words with. He was surprised that she felt the same way as he did, though.

“Even with my onesie?”

Her smirk turned into a more genuine grin. “Yeah, even with that silly thing.”

“Are you two done flirting?” Weiss deadpanned.

Red bloomed across the bridge of Blake’s nose and across her cheeks. “We aren’t flirting,” she snapped.

Jaune thought it was better if he didn’t try and say anything, in case he stumbled over his words and made a fool of himself. They hadn’t been flirting; right?

“Right,” Weiss considered Jaune, ignoring Blake’s glare as Nora snickered behind her hand. “Do you know where the temple is? I did my best to search for it as I landed but I was unable to locate it.”

Jaune shook his head. “I didn’t see it but Ozpin mentioned the northern section of the forest, so I’ve been following my compass.”

He waved his scroll.

Weiss nodded. “Good thinking. Shall we?”

Jaune took the lead with Weiss taking a spot by his side, leaving Blake and Nora to bring up the rear. Nora was now focusing all of her attention on Blake, and a quick glance over his shoulder showed the raven haired girl struggling to keep up with his partner’s high energy. Weiss followed his line of sight and smirked, no doubt amused at how frazzled Blake looked.

“Have you seen anyone else?” Jaune asked, drawing her attention away from the spectacle behind them.

Weiss shook her head. “No. I thought I heard another person nearby after I landed but when I checked, there was no one there. It was strange, though.”

“Strange?” he questioned.

“The ground was covered in rose petals,” Weiss looked confused.

Jaune frowned. “Rose petals?”

“And I can assure you, there were no such flowers present.”

That was a little odd.

They walked for nearly an hour without coming across anyone else. No people, and no Grimm. They could all hear the sounds of battle erupting around them in the forest but it was far away, outside of their area and so they moved uninterrupted. At some point, even Nora had run out of questions to pester Blake with and instead was whistling a jaunty tune to keep herself occupied and entertained. Despite their rocky beginning, Jaune found that Weiss was sticking rather close to his side and when she offered a hand, he had unconsciously reached out and took it, helping her climb over the trunk of a fallen tree and down a rocky slope on the other side.

“Thank you,” she said as she daintily hopped down and resumed walking, poise unbroken. Jaune tried to ignore how soft and warm her hand had felt in his own, how small and slender her fingers were.

“Oh, oh – do me,” Nora leapt off the trunk without warning and Jaune caught her bridal-style. She kicked her legs excitedly. “Thanks~!”

Jaune set her down.

Blake simply jumped and landed with the grace of a cat.

It wasn’t long after that they emerged in a clearing and were confronted with a large ruin. It looked less like a temple and more like a castle, fallen into serious disrepair. Gray stone was cracked and covered in overgrown vines and moss, the structure crumbling under the weight of its history. Fallen pillars littered the pathway to a stone bridge that crossed a ravine, the other side ringed by a damaged curtain wall that surrounded the main structure or what was left of it. One of the drum towers had completely collapsed while the other was still standing, though missing half of its roof.

“Are we in the right place?” Blake asked, looking around. Then she pointed further along. “Wait, I think it’s over there.”

On their side of the ravine was a building that more resembled a temple, a ring of stone held up by a series columns set around what once may have been a public square of some type. A yellow figure stood out starkly against the drab stone and when they approached, Jaune saw that it was Yang.

She spotted them pretty quickly, waving out.

“Hey,” she greeted, giving them a toothy grin. “What’s up?”

A series of pedestals stood erected in a semicircle, each one holding a black or gold chess piece. Before he could answer her, Nora darted forward and snatched one of the chess pieces up and spun, holding it high above her head.

“A castle for a queen,” she crowed.

“Hey,” Jaune said. “You here alone?”

A red blur appeared in a rush, showering them in a cascade of rose petals. Ruby Rose hopped up and down, a horse piece clutched in her hand.

“Yang, I picked – oh,” she noticed they were no longer alone. “Uh, hello?”

Jaune grinned. “Hey Ruby.”

Weiss leaned over and plucked one of the rose petals off the ground, rubbing it between her fingers. A light bulb went off in his head and he was sure Weiss had the same thought, as she glanced at Ruby and then sighed in relief. Then she paused, looking between Blake and Ruby as if she was weighing them up.

She caught him watching her.

“What?” she asked rather sharply, her pale cheeks pinking slightly.

“Nothing,” he looked away. “So – anyone else here?”

“Just us,” Yang revealed. “There was a pissed off bird but it flew that way,” she pointed towards the mountains. “Not sure what had it so riled up.”

They all tensed as the ground shook. For a moment, Jaune thought another one of those snake Grimm was about to attack and got ready to move, but when nothing else happened, they all relaxed. Sharing a few nervous smiles, Weiss strode over to one of the pedestals and plucked up one of the rooks.

Nora gasped and reeled her in, hugging Weiss against her side as she compared their pieces. “Look – we match~!”

“U-Unhand me at once!” Weiss struggled, squirming in Nora’s iron hold. “Do you not understand personal space!”

“Hmm,” Nora made a show of thinking about it. “Nope.”

Blake smothered a laugh as Weiss became increasingly irate. A laugh that died when the ground shuddered again, much stronger this time, almost enough to knock them off their feet.

“What the hell is that?” Yang asked, glancing around uncertainly.

“Oh – someone is coming!” Ruby pointed towards the decrepit castle. Jaune recognized that hair instantly.

“That’s Pyrrha.”

Someone in green moved behind her, sprinting to keep up.

Nora made a sound of recognition. “Ah – Renny, over here!” she shouted.

That was when everything went to shit.

One moment the bridge existed – the next, it erupted in a shower of ruptured stone and a jet of red hot flame. It was hot enough that rock was reduced to molten slag, popping and hissing as it flew in wide arcs across the ground, igniting grass and starting spot fires. Pyrrha and Ren ran even faster, and the panicked looks on their faces as they got closer did not bode well.

“Run!” Ren yelled – and it was so surprising to actually hear Ren raise his voice that Jaune took a few seconds to register his words, the fear he heard in the other boy’s voice cutting him to the core.

“Right, I think we should leave,” he urged.

The ground shook again and something large crawled up out of the ravine. Long serpentine heads rose into the air but it wasn’t the snake Grimm from earlier. There were five in total, their necks thick and covered in shiny black scales, spotted with white bone plating that led up to wide, triangular heads. Large fins encircled the base of their heads and bone masks encased the tops of their skulls, though Jaune was surprised to see that each head had different colored etchings; one was red, another was blue, and then there was yellow, green and finally black. Each neck was connected to one large body, wide and muscular and covered in spikes protruding from white bone plates protecting much of its body. Four powerful legs propelled it forward and it moved much faster than its odd shape and size warranted, and with a feeling of dread, he realized it was going to catch them.

“They aren’t going to make it,” he said, tearing his sword free of his sheathe. Deploying his shield, instead of sprinting away, he ran towards them without hesitation.

He didn’t think. He just did.

“Wait,” Weiss said but he ignored her, boots pounding against stone as his aura ignited and his semblance activated. Speed and strength amplified, he moved like the wind. That familiar feeling of power rushed through his veins but that wasn’t all. His fear was also amplified, alongside his focus and a feeling of recklessness as he pushed his semblance further than he usually did. The world moved slower – or rather, his mind moved faster.

He clamped down on his fear and thought furiously.

This was not a foe he could take on his own.

But he wouldn’t have to.

Pink grenades launched above his head, flying by Pyrrha and Ren and striking the Grimm on the chest. Even with how big it was, it stumbled as they exploded in flashes of pink light, the force rocking it back on its heels. Crocea Mors slammed through thick scales and buried itself to the hilt, and the Grimm roared and struck, the red marked head attempting to devour him. He kicked off at the last second, wrenching his sword free as he retreated, carried further by his amplified strength but it was a near miss, the ground sinking where it struck.

Jaune’s boots skidded against dirt and stone as he regained stable footing.

Nora appeared by his side, hammer ready.

“Nora,” Ren sounded relieved to see her, panting as he caught his breath.

“Jaune,” Pyrrha greeted, not even winded. “Thank you.”

“We aren’t out of the woods yet,” he readied his shield as the rest of their group assembled. “I don’t think we can outrun this thing.”

Weiss flourished her sword, the chamber spinning and settling on blue. “Then we kill it.”

The five heads bellowed in challenge and fire poured from the maw with the red markings, scorching the ground in a wreath of flame. That was followed up by a green mist from the green marked head, the cloud instantly reducing any vegetation it touched to a withered husk.

“Great, thanks for the jinx, Ice Queen,” Yang quipped. She punched the air and deployed her weapons; a pair of yellow gauntlets that encircled her wrists and hands. “Want to trigger any death flags or are you good?”

Weiss shot her an annoyed look. “Death flags? What are you talking about?”

“No time,” Ruby snapped, the younger girl taking charge. The red rectangular object on her back suddenly unfurled into a massive scythe, and she planted in the end of the blade deep into the dirt. “I’ll keep it distracted with my speed. Yang, don’t get close unless you have a clear shot and can retreat.”

Yang pulled a face but didn’t argue with her little sister, nodding. “Right.”

“Nora, how many grenades do you have,” Jaune asked, putting aside his shock at the sight of Ruby’s weapon.

“Four in the chamber, six more in here,” she replied, patting her satchel.

“Weiss, you use dust, right?”

“Naturally.”

“Do you have anything that can immobilize it?”

She grinned. “I do.”

“On my signal, keep it in place.”

Jaune was expecting some push back on being ordered around but there was none. She simply nodded with a determined look on her face.

“I don’t know what skills everyone has but gather around, I can help,” he wasn’t sure if this was wise, attempting it on so many people. “My semblance can amplify aura. This will make you stronger.”

But the Grimm was done giving them anytime, roaring once again before charging. Pyrrha darted forward to engage, Yang dashing by her side while Jaune reached out and grabbed Ruby’s hand. She squeaked at the sudden contact.

“Sorry, I need contact,” he hastily explained before pumping his aura into her.

Ruby had very unique eyes, a silver hue he had never seen in another person before. Those eyes widened as his semblance activated and flooded her with aura, her mouth falling open in a gasp as power surged.

“Ah~!” she bit her lip, trembling. “O-Oh – wow! That feels really good!”

Her own aura bloomed to life around her body, a shroud of red to match her hooded cloak. When he was done, he pulled his hand away but it took some effort, her fingers having clamped down rather firmly. Ruby vibrated with repressed energy, looking fit to burst.

“I – I’ve never felt anything like this before,” she said, voice strong despite her stutter. “I feel like I could beat this thing on my own.”

“You can’t,” he warned. “Even if you are stronger now, you aren’t invincible so be careful.”

She gave him a toothy grin. “Thanks, Jaune~!”

Then she literally exploded in a hail of rose petals.

Despite having started running first, Pyrrha was overtaken by Ruby within the blink of an eye, a red stream barreling at the large Hydra. Another stream of fire lanced out but Ruby was much too fast, weaving around it and striking at the body with a cleaving slash. Dark blood flew as the Grimm shrieked, the black head turning and firing a stream of black tar. Even with her impressive speed, it almost hit her, Ruby banking sharply and avoiding it by a matter of inches.

“That’s my sister you are spitting at,” Yang roared, slamming her right fist into the armored chest. The Hydra barely shifted and Yang hastily dodged, the blue head freezing the ground around it. Pyrrha’s sword shifted into a rifle and she took shots at the heads, irritating them into a frenzy.

“Blake,” he offered his hand. “Quickly.”

She laced their fingers without hesitation and jolted as his semblance flooded her system, a startled moan passing her lips. Weiss gave her an unimpressed look.

“I will assist the others,” the heiress said.

“Wait,” and then Jaune stabbed his sword into the ground so he could touch Weiss on the shoulder, charging them both at the same time. She stiffened under his touch, a squeak not unlike Ruby escaping her pursed lips.

Now it was Blake’s turn, arching her eyebrow mockingly.

“Nice sound,” she said.

Weiss scoffed. “Do shut up.”

When he was done, Blake flexed her fingers, hands shaking a little. “I – Ruby wasn’t kidding. I feel... it is difficult to describe.”

“Less talk, more killing,” Weiss said, though her cheeks were a little flushed. Twirling her blade, they watched as a massive black symbol appeared in front of the Grimm, blocking its next attack. It acted like a wall, the yellow head slamming into it and recoiling, allowing Yang to slither in close and deliver punishing blows before retreating. Ruby flew in from the side and ran circles around the heads, drawing their attention with her speedy antics.

“Go,” Jaune urged and Blake surged forward, Ren taking her place.

“I can make it difficult for the Grimm to sense us with my semblance,” he said.

Jaune nodded and grabbed his shoulder, focusing his semblance. He was beginning to feel the drain, fatigue settling upon him; not of the body but a different kind. When Ren was ready, he darted off to help, leaving Jaune with Nora and Weiss.

“Just a moment,” he said, feeling a little unsettled. He had never used his semblance so many times on so many different people before. Concentrating, he felt his own aura begin to recover rapidly. It wouldn’t be long.

“Aren’t you just full of surprises,” Nora quipped. “When can I smash?”

Jaune chose to interpret that as when could she smash the Grimm to pieces and not something else, especially when she began waving her hammer back and forth. Now wasn’t the time for his hormones to misunderstand.

“Be selective with using your grenades,” he said. “We are going to need every bit of hitting power that we have and you are the best bet. Aim for weak spots – the joints of its legs, or the base of the necks.”

“Got it,” she gave him a thumbs up – and then made a sound of joy when he grabbed her hand, his aura pumping into her. “Ohohohoho~! This feels amazing. Almost like when I absorb lightning.”

Weiss summoned another symbol, this time golden in color and Jaune saw Pyrrha suddenly accelerate. The crimson haired girl didn’t falter at the sudden burst in speed in the slightest, avoiding a lunge before morphing her rifle into a spear, tearing a long wound into one of the necks before flipping away expertly.

“What do you mean absorb lightning?” Weiss queried, momentarily glancing at Nora before focusing on the fight.

“My semblance,” Nora said proudly, voice tinged with a touch of hysteria. Jaune quickly let go. “Awww – damn, I could get used to this. Anyway – I can absorb lightning and use it to increase my strength several times over.”

Jaune blinked and shared a look with Weiss.

“I have an idea,” Weiss spun the chamber on her rapier to yellow and pointed it at Nora. “Hold still.”

“What---Aaaahhhh~!” Nora shrieked in surprise as lightning dust discharged directly into her chest. Jaune hastily stepped back as Nora absorbed the bright arcs of lightning as if they were nothing, shuddering in what looked like ecstasy. “Ahhh – Weiss, you ninny. Give me more of a warning next time!”

Nora’s voice had taken on a tinny quality, almost like a double-voice. Her eyes blazed with suppressed power and hoisting her hammer, she cackled manically.

“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” Weiss said, a little unnerved.

The ground cracked as Nora vanished, juiced up on his semblance and an abundance of lightning dust.

“Get out of the way~!” she roared.

Several copies of Blake suddenly appeared from thin air, running in different directions and pulling the attention of the Hydra every which way. Ruby slashed a pound of flesh off the blue headed neck while Ren dashed in without being seen, unloading a full magazine into its underbelly. When it tried to crush him, a black ribbon hauled him away.

Nora then struck like a comet, an unstoppable force. The head of her hammer hit thick bone and it crumbled under the assault, shattering with a booming crack. The Hydra shrieked as it was blasted back with incredible force, claws ripping great rends into the earth as it flew back several dozen feet. The softer flesh beneath the chest plate ruptured, bleeding thick, dark blood as red eyes blazed with fury.

“Nora!” Ren yelled.

She avoided the first attack, the stream of fire destroying several of Blake’s clones. Nora slammed the green head away as it darted into to devour her whole, several teeth cracking as she swung with all her might. The swing left her open, though – and a stream of highly pressurized sand spewed from the yellow head, plowing into Nora and blasting through her aura in an instant, pink motes of light filling the air. She sailed away and tumbled across the ground, a scream of pain passing her lips.

Yang let out a battle cry and uppercut the yellow head, blasting it beneath the jaw with a shotgun blast. It rocked back but before she could capitalize, she was swatted aside with a massive claw, her body digging up the ground for several meters.

Ren made it to Nora and hauled her back as Pyrrha defended their retreat, though the Grimm seemingly didn’t see them, instead making a beeline for the downed Yang. Weiss darted from Jaune’s side and attacked, fire blooming from her sword and scorching the Hydra’s side. It returned fire with that green mist, keeping her back as it towered over Yang.

Ruby appeared in a shower of petals and unloaded a half dozen rounds into its chest in a futile attempt at halting its advance. All five heads came together and opened their maws, power gathering deep in their throats.

A figure shrouded in flame erupted from the ground and Jaune realized with a start that it was Yang, her blonde locks literally aflame. Much like Nora before her, she slammed into the chest of the Grimm with tremendous force, blowing it back as her arm sank deeply into its flesh. The Hydra flailed, the black head spewing thick tar across her body.

“Arrgggh~!” Yang screamed, struggling with all her might. She was almost completely enveloped, her movements becoming labored as she tried to get free. “I – I can’t move!”

“Jaune, can you help her?” Ren asked desperately as he set Nora down gently by his feet. Jaune nodded and crouched by her side, wincing at the cuts and abrasions that covered her skin. A particularly nasty gash was settled above her right eye, leaving her face a crimson mask.

Jaune quickly summoned his semblance and began feeding her aura, and Ren watched as slowly but surely, Nora’s wounds began stitching themselves back together. Pyrrha and Blake were doing their best at occupying the Grimm and keeping it away from Yang as Weiss and Ruby desperately tried to free her, but Blake was quickly running out of clones.

Nora shifted, groaning groggily as her eyes blinked blearily at the pair of them.

“Whahappn,” she mumbled, still out of it.

Ren sighed in relief. “Your semblance is amazing.”

Pyrrha was weaving in and out of attacks, her javelin floating by her side. It shot out and drilled through two of the necks, sharp as a needle before spinning and piercing them again, and again, and again. Jaune wasn’t sure how she was doing it but he thought he could make out a strange black glow around it.

“How are we going to kill this thing,” Jaune muttered before glancing down at Nora’s satchel. He contemplated it for a second. “Ruby!”

She appeared instantly at the summons. “Jaune?”

He opened Nora’s bag and pulled out her spare grenades, “When Weiss immobilizes the Grimm, I want you and the others to draw it into using those breath attacks it is so fond of using – when that happens, take these grenades and--”

“—stuff them down their throats,” Ruby finished, catching on. “Got it.”

Ruby took the grenades and vanished while Jaune yelled, “Weiss, do it now!”

She covered Yang with one of her black symbols as protection before darting away, dust chamber spinning wildly. Coming to a stop, she spun her rapier and a larger pure white snow flake appeared beneath the Hydra, rotating quickly as it flared with blue light. Within the blink of an eye, the lower half of its body was engulfed in a sheet of ice.

Blake twirled through the air, tossing her weapon in a great sweeping arc. It spun upon the length of ribbon, just long enough to encircle all five necks and meet again. When she caught it, she flipped, tightening the ribbon and forcing the heads together. It thrashed madly, the ice cracking but holding, the ribbon straining and threatening to tear, Huntsman-grade tensile strength be damned. Giving up, it directed its malicious gaze at the protected Yang and made its decision.

All five mouths opened as one.

“Now!” Ruby screamed, having passed off a few of the grenades to Blake and Pyrrha. Ruby burst into motion, a streak of red as she got close enough to lob her payload in. Blake followed close behind, covered in a confusing mass of clones. Pyrrha simply used her power to fire them with pin point accuracy.

The grenades touched upon their gathering breaths – and exploded with a hair raising boom, their throats expanding and rupturing in a shower of gore. The necks flailed uselessly, beheaded and spraying blood everywhere as the girls were doused completely. Fragments of bone and fried flesh landed all around them as the body sagged, defeated at last.

They had won.