Chapter Text
Smooth seas and clear skies didn't last forever. A couple of weeks later, the heavens opened up. The Ember Celica was facing the roughest seas she’d ever encountered, barely managing to stay upright as rough waves battered the hull. All passengers were being rocked with her, battling the elements to lock down and secure any of the cargo that remained on the deck.
Anyone at the wheel wasn't faring so well. They’d been fighting the waves for nearly an hour, having to turn the ship back and forth to keep it from toppling over with the waves, but also to keep it on course. The wind was too strong for the sails, so had to be locked them in place. The boat was relying only on the waves to power them forward. It was an incredibly difficult task.
Yang was still helping out on the deck. She didn't have the strength to hold the wheel in these winds, so she helped in other ways. Anything on the deck was being secured by her, and a few who took shifts to help out. But it was proving quite the challenge on its own. The waves were tossing everyone around who couldn’t hold on, threatening to toss them overboard. This far out to sea with the ocean so deep below, anyone who was thrown wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving.
The weather was just as cruel as the ocean. Small hailstones battered the passengers at high speeds. There was no mercy given to those on deck, and the icy cold winds made the pain sting the skin and chill their very bones. It was the most intense storm Yang had ever witnessed in her career across the seas.
There were times when Yang hung onto the railing she closed her eyes tight, swearing at any moment she’d be thrown from the ships into the depths below. There’s no way her life could end like this, getting so far in finding a more meaningful path only to drown in the middle of the sea. She was determined to stay on board, determined to make it to see Vacuo.
But when she opened her eyes again, she was shocked. As though someone had flipped a switch, the weather had drastically changed.
The ocean had calmed right down. There was barely even a tiny wave pushing the boat at all, nor any wind to send those icy chills. Even the hail had vanished, turning into a gentle pitter-patter of rain that could barely hurt a fly. Just as soon as it looked like all hope was lost, luck had turned to their favor. Each and every one of the passengers took a moment to look at one another, all sharing in their confusion.
But when they began to cheer with their success, Yang didn’t share in their celebrations. She’d learned enough about the seas from the tales she’d heard and the things she’d seen first hand to know this wasn’t the time. Her reaction was completely the opposite in fact. It was fear.
Letting go of the railing, Yang quickly scanned the oceans ahead for any possible signs of danger. Once on the port side, then dashing across the check to check the starboard side. But in the dark, her eyes were useless. There was no way she’d be able to see any threats coming until it was too late. The only other method was to listen for it. Not something she could do with everyone cheering one another. Despite all her efforts, she couldn’t focus.
“Could you ple-” She was cut off mid-speech by another cheer, quickly scrambling to a more open area. “Everyone listen-” Cut off again. Each second that passed she was growing more desperate, but no matter what no one was listening. They were too caught up in their own joy to notice the imminent danger she did.
There was only one possible way she would get their attention to warn them, and knew already they wouldn’t like it.
She dashed to the closest Faunus possible, grabbing the pistol from their belt and holding it up into the air.
BANG!
The celebrations very quickly cut off. Instead, they were replaced with concerned looks and some rather angry muttering. Just as she feared, any and all of the trust they’d just built could have just vanished. It didn’t take long at all for Ghira to investigate the disturbance, who immediately glared when seeing Yang holding the smoking gun.
“Tch, I should have known,” He bellowed. “And after you gave your word! I knew we could never trust a hum-”
“Just shut up and listen!”
The desperate plea brought the angered voices to a halt. The anger they had for Yang soon vanished when they listened with her.
Among the rain was the distant clapping of thunder, the gentle waves lapping the ship, but there was a more unsettling sound among it. What could only be described as a low toned hissing mixed with bubbling water was coming from below them. It was continuous, sometimes louder and quieter, as though it was coming from multiple sources. It was impossible it could originate from anyone on the ship.
“Grimm…” Yang muttered under her breath, before calling out. “Keep away from the rails, we got company!”
As asked, everyone prepared themselves for a possible fight. Even if they had no idea what was about to happen, they understood her reaction couldn’t have been faked. Something very real, and very dangerous was coming.
With the next crash of thunder, it revealed itself. A louder hissing sounded from above them, and when Yang turned to face its source, she was confronted with a large, bulky monster leaping toward her. At first glance, it looked like a shark in shape, but its four muscular legs and bone plates coating its body showed it to be something far different.
She fired, hitting the beast in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground of a ship with a loud thud. Unlike anything she’d heard from the tales, the black beast instantly began to smoke, fading away with the wind and leaving no body behind. But there was no time to wonder why or how, not when the growls were moving and got louder.
The floodgates opened. More of the creatures leaped forth from the seas and onto the ship. Each came in different shapes and sizes, all appearing as twisted forms of common sea life. Twisted and corrupt, with their only goal to kill anything in their sight. Each had deadly advantages, from large sets of jaws and teeth to spiked fins and strong muscles, all being dangerous threats in their own way. But their foes were just as deadly.
The Faunus didn't hold back in their defense. What they lacked in brute strength they made up for in their skill and numbers. The swords and guns made short work of most of the smaller creatures, larger ones requiring at least two people to take down. But each was skilled in combat, capable of handling themselves rather easily. No wonder they were so easily able to take the boat when the time came.
Yang’s skill was significantly less. While she could fire a pistol, in close combat she was at a disadvantage. No sword, nothing to pierce the thick hide, she had to do her best by throwing as hard punches as she could, both with her real and her metal hand. Not that the strength of a fourteen-year-old amputee could do much. All it really did was buy her time until someone finished the job, or until she could put a bullet in them.
After taking down one beast, she heard a loud hissing directly behind her, turning just in time to see a much larger hammer-head creature make a swipe for her with its fins-
SLASH
The hit never managed to hand. In that second Yang thought she was doomed, a blade had swiped across the fin in time, slicing it clean from the creature’s body. The finishing blow was delivered when a Faunus boy who plunged two swords into its chest, watching as the beast smoked and faded away around them.
“Now we’re even."
The voice was familiar. When Yang looked to who it was, it was the same blonde tail and hair she’d gotten used to over the weeks. Sun! The smile that gave her only grew when he turned to her, tossing a sword for her to grab. She had a bit more of an edge, at last, taking down more of the creatures at a faster pace. Finally, she could fight by their side, be an asset to the very people she promised to help. The first step to earning their trust.
Another crash of thunder sounded. And another, and another, all in quick succession. The rain began to get heavier once more. The remaining Grimm on the ship immediately ceased their attacks and instead looked up to the sky together, watching as lightning continued to illuminate it. Then without another sound or any more violence, they did something even stranger. They hastily crawled away, each leaping off back into the ocean.
It gave the confused passengers time to recover, including Yang and Sun, who both ended up standing back to back after the attack. It seemed this time, however, they’d learned from their mistakes. Rather than celebrate too soon, there was an important question.
“Is that it?” Sun asked, keeping his sword at the ready. “Is there any more?”
Catching her breath, Yang scanned the boat and out to sea again. There were still no waves in sight, but the storm was getting heavier. The lightning continued to crash, lighting up the night sky over and over again. This was a signal. “No, it's not over. Something else is coming.”
“Something else?!” Sun couldn’t help his frustration but didn’t let it lower his guard. “What could possibly be worse than those Grimm things? ”
Continuing to scan the area, but to no avail, Yang finally realized somewhere she hadn’t looked. From the tales she’d heard, any sailors that weren’t wiped out by the Grimm were finished off by something else. A being that struck from where it was least expected. Above.
When she looked up to the masts, her worst fears were realized. Stood on the topmasts was a hooded figure on each. Both wore large capes, obscuring their shapes and size from the foes below. One red, the other green. The only visible thing about them was their weapons of choice. The being wearing red was clearly holding a large scythe, glinting in the faint light whenever the skies were illuminated. The other held two sickles, both appearing sharp and deadly.
Yang scowled, stepping back and raising her sword ready. “Reapers.”
The red reaper stepped forward, falling from the mast with their scythe held back at the ready. A few feet off the ground, it swung for Yang at blinding speed.
Which was barely countered by Yang’s sword. Even when she’d been ready, the being’s speed was unlike anything she’d ever seen. They didn’t stop there. Over and over it swung the scythe, each blow barely being evaded or parried by Yang’s sword. They left no opportunity for a counter attack, leaving Yang no choice but to defend herself again and again.
Even barely a foot away from her, Yang couldn’t identify what this thing was. It couldn’t be a Grimm. It was far too smart, seeming to run on carefully planned tactics rather than a primal need to kill. That was leaving out the fact it was wielding a weapon. But whatever it was surely couldn’t be human either. Nothing could function at such speeds and attack with such velocity, surely? Nor could it appear out of nowhere in the thunderstorms or control the weather.
Whatever it was, its face was always obscured in darkness by the hood, most of its body by the cape. She could make out that it was human in shape only, but its behavior and skill just made no sense. Either way, it was just as relentless as the Grimm. They both were.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yang could see the second. The green figure had targeted the others. Even when vastly outnumbered by the Faunus passengers, the being held its own easily, striking with the two sickles at anyone in their way, managing to inflict some small injuries on some before others distracted them away before the damage got too severe. So far, no kills. And that changed its tactics. It instead went for a target that had its back turned.
She spotted it moving backward and changing its target for someone smaller.
“Sun, watch out!”
Yang’s call had Sun turning around, quickly blocking a strike from the being before he resorted to parrying and evading just as she did.
But the warning came with a sacrifice. When her guard was lowered, the red reaper hooked their scythe around the sword, giving a firm pull to yank it out of her hands. Seizing the opportunity, the being then swung it back, preparing for a final swipe against a now defenseless Yang.
CLANG!
She wasn’t as defenseless as the reaper had thought. The scythe clashed with her metal arm, blocking the blow with a few sparks as it slid down the length of it just as the sword did before. Holding the arm tense, Yang braced herself for whatever strike could come next, getting ready to move the arm away and use it to defend herself once again…
But it was never needed.
The being stopped still, holding the scythe in its position. Up until this point, it had been merciless toward her, even taking the advantage of having her back turned to try and destroy the target. But once the metal hand became the focus, it froze solid. Whatever the creature was, it seemed to be… examining it.
When it tilted its head, a portion of its face became visible in the light. A small enough portion for Yang to make out the being had a very human face. But the expression she could see was different, it almost seemed like it recognized something about her arm...
The feeling of recognition was mutual. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but it felt like she’d seen this being before. Not just heard of it in legend, actually met it. But that was impossible…
She gradually lowered her arm, watching as the creature’s eyes seemed to follow it, lowering the scythe with it. She attempted to make eye contact with it, gently asking; “Who are you?”
The voice snapped the being back to reality. What once looked like a confused expression snapped back to the blank slate they’d seen before. The flash of silver in its eyes vanished when it stood upright again, hood once again masking its face from view. It threw the scythe back once more, this time not missing the mark when it swung across.
The swing cut straight through the thin material of both her coat and her shirt, leaving a deep wound across her chest from left to right, rendering Yang powerless to do anything other than gasp in shock. It wasn’t until she looked down to the cut that she felt the pain surging through her body at unimaginable heights, taking all the energy she had left away.
Barely managing to look back up at her attacker, Yang stumbled backward slowly, until she lost her footing and fell flat on her back. The wound hadn’t been deep enough to cause severe damage, but the pain was making it impossible to think, impossible to move. It didn’t matter anyway, the creature wasn’t going to show mercy just because it inflicted a heavy wound. If anything, she’d just made its job easier by fainting.
As her consciousness faded, she practically welcomed it. At least if it happened when she was out cold, death would be painless.