Caverns

The Games We Play

Caverns

​

Credit where credit was due, my father had been a Hunter for decades and, in that time, had seen some shit. As such, he recovered quickly, cracking his neck once before nodding firmly and taking charge.

"Keppel, Carmine, go check what we talked about, just in case," He said. "Onyx, if you would?"

"You got it," He said, kneeling to play a hand on the ground. As he closed his eyes, my father took a step towards me, his eyes serious.

"Are you sure, Jaune?" He asked. I wasn't certain if he was asking about if I sensed the tunnels or if I was sure about the extent of them, but either way, I nodded.

"As sure as I can be without checking it out myself," I said. "You know my senses are good."

He exhaled slowly through his nose.

"I do that," He muttered. "Onyx?"

"The kid's not wrong," Onyx said, opening his eyes. "I can definitely feel tunnels and they extend all the way out of my range. There's motion, too, though I can't tell what from here—but if your son says they're Grimm, I'd believe it. Was this why I was sent along?"

"If it was, Oz forgot to mention it," My father grunted, frowning before nodding to himself. "Nothing for it, though. I trust both of you; you tell me there's Grimm, there's Grimm. The question is 'Why?' And is this recent or has this been going on all along? And if so, what drew the Grimm to attack now of all times?"

"Good questions, Jack," Onyx said. "If you're expecting an answer, though, be advised I've got no fucking clue. Kid?"

I shook my head before tilting it to the side.

"I could figure out some of it," I mused. "I'd need some dirt samples from the tunnels, but if I had that, I could probably determine how recently the tunnels were dug."

"Yeah?" Onyx lifted an eyebrow.

"He's got good eyes," My father answered, crouching. "Okay, that should be doable. The safety of this town comes first, but if there's a massive mobilization of Grimm beneath the surface…we need to know why, what they're doing, where they're going, and if this is a singular thing. You said the tunnel extend beyond either of your ranges? Then it's possible that this is just something small, relatively speaking; a kilometer down, they could escape a lot of notice and if they could do this here…"

"They came up under Mr. Marrowy's house," Ren interjected, drawing our attention. "Could they have done that elsewhere, too? Under other houses?"

We all exchanged glances.

"Maybe," My father said honestly. "Onyx, Jaune, could you tell?"

"If I look," I nodded. "It could take a while, though; it's possible the Marrowy tunnel was just the first to be completed. To be safe, I'd want to look at least a fourth of a kilometer under each house. Should I get started?"

"In a minute," My father said, looking around. "You and Ren can check the rest of the village to make sure it's safe. Is there anything else you can tell us about the tunnels?"

I considered that for a moment, frowning slightly.

"I could draw you a map, I think," I mused. "At least of what I can sense. There are a few tunnels that stand out because of how big they are and several…chambers, I guess, large enough for a lot of Grimm to gather in. The tunnel that led to the surface was tiny in comparison, an offshoot of one of the higher passages. I can't tell which direction the tunnels are going, but…there are a few that get relatively close to the surface. And some of them are pretty huge."

"Onyx, see what else you can learn from the tunnels nearby," My father said, accepting my words. "Ren, if you could get some paper?"

Both man and boy inclined their heads and were quickly gone, leaving my father and I alone.

After a moment, my dad sighed again, shaking his head.

"What's the plan now?" I asked.

"We try not to fuck this up, mainly," He snorted before looking down at me in concern. "Situations like this are the worst. With the Grimm this close by…"

"We can't evacuate, can we?" I murmured.

"No," He said. "You don't evacuate a town because something good is happening, which means people get worried when it happens and then they start getting scared—especially when Hunters do it. It carries the notion that we can't handle the problem and if we can't, what are they supposed to do? But that fear just makes things worse; a call to evacuate might be enough to provoke the Grimm to attack. We have to make it seem like things are under control."

"Even when they totally aren't."

"Even when they totally aren't," He agreed. "Especially then. You'd be shocked how often something nearly goes catastrophically wrong while we all swear up and down that everything's okay."

"I really wouldn't be," I said, looking down. I considered my words carefully for a moment, pondering an idea before speaking. "If there are no other paths to the surface, I could set Sanctum Sanctorum up over the hole. At the very least, it should give us an edge if we need to stand our ground. I could do it with one of the bigger houses, too, but…if we herded all the civilians in and locked them up, they'd probably end up drawing more and more Grimm until it was too much to handle. Might work as a last resort if we had to try and wait until help arrived, but…"

He nodded.

"Don't want to do that unless we really have to," He said. "And if we have to…"

He sighed slowly, looking up at the sky.

"We should call for reinforcements anyway, though," He murmured. "Something on this scale…the mere implications are terrifying. We need to make such Ozpin knows what's going on, get people on standby if things go as badly as they could, and get some help out here. If it was your mother and I…"

"Yeah," I said. "You want me to make the call or…?"

"No, I'll do it," He said. "Besides Ozpin, there are a few people who need to be told of something like this and they…well, they wouldn't recognize you. It's best they see my face to make sure there are no unnecessary delays—with something like this, we have to move fast and act intelligently."

"Okay," I nodded. "What should I do, then?"

He eyed me again and pursed his lips.

"Can you get an Earth Elemental?" He finally asked. "You have all of the basic four, but you also have Metal, so…"

I understood and waggled a hand.

"It should definitely be possible," I said. "Shouldn't even be a problem for an Element like that, but…every time I get an Elemental, it knocks me out for about six hours for this whole dream vision thing. At first I thought it was just because the ritual was exhausting, but it happened three times and I made some pretty huge improvements in-between the first and second. Instead…I think it's really more of a part of the ritual itself then just a side effect. I can go do it right now, but I'd be worried…"

I shrugged.

"I get it," He grunted. "No way of knowing what might happen in six hours when you have an army of Grimm at your doorstep—or under your ass, as the case may be. I suppose it doesn't matter, since we have Onyx, it's just…well, I wouldn't mind having the earth on my side if it came to a fight underground."

"Having the forces of nature back you up is pretty awesome," I agreed, smiling when he rolled his eyes. "I can send my other Elementals down, if you need them. Maintaining them is pretty trivial now, though they'll be pushing my range; they could cause their fair share of havoc. It's just…"

I looked down at the ground.

"I don't know how many are down there," I admitted quietly. "The tunnels go in every direction—including down. I told you about the chambers? Well, there are some that are big enough and deep enough, I can't feel the bottom. If a sudden attack provokes a response…"

"You think they'll strike at the surface?" He asked. "That they'd recognize there was a human somewhere behind your Elementals?"

"I don't know," I half-shrugged, smiling bleakly. "That's more intelligence then I'd expect from most of the Grimm, but…"

I thought of the Goliath and of Ozpin's story.

"…That's been going around lately," I finished, looking away. "And these tunnels…if they are new, if they aren't some massive work in progress—and I honestly don't know which I think is worse—then I can't help but think that I know of a few Grimm that could do something like this. Like the Cruach."

My father sighed deeply.

"The thought occurred to me, as well," He said. "But those Grimm shouldn't be here."

"Yeah," I bobbed my head to the side. "But then, that's been going around, too."

He huffed out a slight laugh, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I suppose it has," He acknowledged. "I'm going to take Onyx and go check out the tunnels. We need more information before we do anything else."

"Should I come along?" I asked. "My senses are the best out of all of us; whatever's there, I'm most likely to find it."

"You are," He nodded, sighing again. "Unfortunately, you're so useful I need you doing other stuff. If there's another attack, you're the most likely to notice and be able to respond. If anyone's injured, you're the only healer. If the worst happens, you're the only one with a chance of actually evacuating the town. Your eyes, your elementals, your barriers, your…everything; this village is still our priority for the moment and you're the one best equipped to defend it. I could use you down there—but I need you up here."

"Yes, sir," I nodded, a bit disappointed and just a tad worried. "I'll keep it safe."

"I'll have Keppel and Carmine stay back, too," My father continued. "Both of their powers…well, they wouldn't enjoy using them in the tunnels and neither would I. I'll tell them to trust your senses."

"Got it," I said and peered at him carefully. "You're not just doing this to keep me safe, are you?"

He ruffled my hair, laughing.

"Are you kidding?" He said with a wide grin. "I just know that if your mother gets here and finds out I brought you down into the tunnels with me, I wouldn't come back up."

"What a selfish motivation," I sighed, shaking my head ruefully. "I was really touched for a minute there, but then you had to go and ruin it."

"It's what I do, kid," He put his other hand in my hair and made a complete and utter me of it with a laugh. I waited patiently for him to stop and then used a basic application of my Disguise ability to smooth it in a few second, casting him a superior look when he frowned. "Anyway, you handle things up here until your mother arrives, okay? I have to go make that call and then I'll go."

"Wait," I stopped him, catching his wrist. "Before you leave, let me do something; I'll find Onyx in a minute, too. This'll only last half an hour, but…it should help some. Find me again before you go and I'll freshen it up, too."

I took a deep breath, guiding my Aura.

"Haste," I said. "Regeneration, Feather Fall, Firepower, Mountain's Strength, Unbroken Steel. There, that should be enough."

"Oh?" My dad said, lifting his hand as I let go of his wrist. "You told me about these, yeah, but…this is kind of neat. It's not gonna cost you, is it?"

"Please," I snorted. "It only costs thirty MP. Even if I buff both of you, I regenerate more MP than that in half a minute. I guess I'll buff everyone else, too; there's no reason not to. Keppel, Carmine, Ren, and Hui…that's nothing."

"It is nice having someone like you along for these missions," My dad smiled, flexing his fingers. "Half an hour, you said? After we finish up here, we'll see what ground we can cover before these wear off, then; just top me off before I head down."

"Okay," I shrugged. "Just let me find Ren and I'll make you that map. If you move quickly, you should be able to get through a lot of it."

XxXXxX

Finding Ren wasn't a problem and he'd gotten a pen and paper as requested. I sat down and drew out the parts of the tunnel system I'd seen, drawing the map on several different pages to indicate the deeper levels. I marked the different tunnels to show approximately how long they were and sized them as accurately as I could. I also circled the ones where I'd sensed high Grimm activity and then outlined in blue all of the tunnels that connected to the one that led to the surface, drawing a series of paths across all the pages. With that, as long as they could figure out the right tunnels, they should be able to get back to the surface.

My dad ruffled my hair again as I handed him the pages, flipping through them quickly with a smile and a nod.

"You and Ren make sure the rest of the town is clear," He said. "Onyx and I will see what we can do. As big as this all looks, we'll need to be careful, but we should be able to get some idea of what's going on. You just hold down the fort and wait for your mother, okay?"

"Okay," I said, by head slightly bowed as his hand pushed it down. "Good hunting."

"You, too," He smiled, traces of worry in his face. "Top us off before we go?"

I reached up to grab his wrist and reapplied all my buffs as I removed his hand from my head. Reaching over, I set them all on Onyx, as well.

"Not gonna lie, kid," Onyx cracked his neck to the side as he flexed his massively armored right hand. The black armor made him look odd, making it seem as through his arms were several times too big for his body, but I was sure the size of his weapons gave him plenty of room to stash all sorts of tricks. "I could get used to having you around. Don't suppose you could boost my own power?"

I shook my head slightly.

"I haven't figured out how to do that, yet, sadly," I answered with a slightly regretful sigh. That between the White Whale thing, the attack on the Dust mine, and the whole fuss with Ziz, people had gotten a little worried about the future and there'd been a bit of a Dust run. Nothing major—at least, not after a few months—but it was still enough to jack up prices and make the rarer types a bit harder to come by, and I'd decided to just wait for them to come back down and build up my wallet before just buying a bunch of everything. But now…in many ways, I suppose I reap what I sow.

"A shame," He shrugged. "But I guess I'm just getting spoiled, now. A healer and long-range sensor who can also strengthen me? Well, why can't you do everything else, too, huh?"

He smirked down at me and then looked at my father.

"We better go, though; make the most of the time we've got," He said. "Any luck and we'll be back before it even wears off. If not…"

"I'll be able to sense that you're alive," I said.

Onyx laughed a little bit, glancing my way again.

"I am gonna get spoiled." He smirked. "Keep an eye on us, then, kid. I'll go open the way, Jack."

My father gave him a nod and looked at me as silence lingered for a bit.

"If I have to, I'll lead a search party down, when mom arrives," I told him quietly. "She'll be really upset if you make her come rescue you, though."

At those words, he smiled.

"Can't have that, now can we?" He mused. "I'll make sure to come back fine, then. Really, though, who do you think you're talking to, Jaune?"

"The guy I inherited my ability to get into trouble from," I answered swiftly and he put a hand over his heart.

"Ouch," He said. "That hurts, son. What if this is the last thing you ever say to me?"

"Then your eulogy is gonna go something like 'We are gathered here today because this one asshole couldn't stay alive,'" I replied, making sure my face was completely serious.

He turned away slightly, leaning back as he laughed loudly, and then threw an arm over my shoulders and pulled me close.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," My father said. "But I'll still come back, okay?"

"Okay," I answered quietly. "Be safe."

"Mm," He hummed as he let me go and walked away.

I watched him go in silence, Ren by my side. The other boy had been quiet as we said our goodbyes, probably out of respect, but as my father left, he muttered something low enough that only I could here.

"Your father seems like a good man."

"He is," I replied the same way. "Here."

I set a hand on his shoulder and layered all of my buffs over him, shooting his Aura through with curling bands of bright colors. He took a sudden breath and then slowly exhaled, nodding his thanks at me.

"Your mother is coming?" He asked, changing the topic. "You come from a family of Hunters, then?"

"Yup," I answered. "Mom, Dad, seven sisters, and now me. And you? Do you come from a hunting family, as well?"

He tilted his head slightly and nodded.

"I suppose I do," He mused aloud, shaking his head. "It's not something I usually think about."

I nodded, pretty sure I understood but not wanting to pry.

"My dad said Mom would be here soon, along with her team," I said. "That's eight Hunters and when my parents work together, they're a very powerful team. Depending on what my father finds and what Ozpin and the Council decide, even more might be on their way, but…"

I trailed off. I wanted to promise that his village would be safe, but we both knew there was no way of really knowing if that was true. If something happened, if there were enough Grimm down there, if…

But Ren just nodded, accepting the words despite how bad I was with reassurances.

"We should check the rest of the village, then," He said. "If it's just a matter of defending against single point of attack, we'd be vastly better off, but if they've been tunneling up under houses…"

Then this town way well already be lost.

I didn't say that out loud, but I didn't have to.

"Yeah," I said. "Better to find out now, right?"

XxXXxX

​

The good news was that our search didn't turn up anything huge. A few tunnels extended high enough to make we wary, but even the nearest was a good two hundred meters below the surface. All told, it could have been a lot worse, even though it was definitely something we needed to keep an eye on—but for now, at least, it didn't seem like anything would spring up underneath one of the houses and murder everyone inside. How long it would take to change that if they had Cruach down there was anyone's guess, but there was not an immediate danger. Once this was all over, though, those tunnels…something would need to be done about them. They led right under the village, out to some place where Grimm could obviously get into them, and there were a bunch of people on top of it all just waiting to have a bad day. Once I had more time and an Earth Elemental…

But anyway, nothing was currently in the process of tearing off our faces and eating them. That was the good news.

The bad news was, Onyx and my father hadn't come back. As I said before, I could sense them and knew they were alive, but though it had taken several hours to check the whole town, they hadn't returned. Which meant they'd either found something or, worse case scenario, something had found them.

I wasn't too worried, because I knew my father's strength and could roughly keep an eye on him thanks to my ability to sense life. The way I saw it, if something was trying to kill him, he'd probably be running a hell of a lot fast then he was right now, so I chose to take his delay as good news.

But I set a Safe Haven over the hole, just in case things went wrong, and sat down to wait for their return. Ren left to check on the villagers one last time, as well as to speak to a friend, but then came to join me, bringing a pair of lawn chairs and some water bottles to make it a tad more comfortable. Then we just sat down to wait and see what crawled out.

For several hours. It wasn't very exciting but we both made do—and at least it gave me a chance to keep track of my father's progress through the tunnels. Still, I was left wondering when—

"Ren!" A voice suddenly called, making my attention shift. The voice was bright, energetic, lively and…well, it stood out, given the atmosphere. "There's another airship coming!"

In the Wake of the Storm

LV40

Nora Valkyrie

I looked her over once—orange hair, pale complexion, clothes that would have made her stand out even if her level hadn't, and a weapon that my Observe said would transform into either a Warhammer or grenade launcher—and then looked up at the sky. Sure enough, there was an airship a ways off and quick shift in perception was all it took to know that my mother was on it.

"Nora," Ren replied, glancing at me. I gave him a small nod as I returned to watching the tunnel. "Those must be the other Hunters I told you about. Could you bring them here when they arrive?"

"Okay, Ren!" She nearly sang, looking at me with interest. "And you're the healer, right?"

"That's me," I said. "You need something healed?"

"Nope," She shook her head with a smile. "I just heard about you from Ren. Whatcha doing?"

"Waiting for my parents," I said honestly. "Dad's down in the tunnels. Mom's up on that airship. Not much to do but wait right now. You?"

"Just guarding the wall while Ren's busy," She said before pausing. "Well, not right now. But I saw the airship and wanted to tell you. Anything interesting? Watching the wall's pretty boring."

"Can't say watching a hole in the ground is much better, but someone's gotta make sure the forces of darkness stay put, right?" I answered before poking her shoulder. "Here, just in case."

She oohed as I settled my power over her, giving her strength. With a gesture, she drew and unfolded her Warhammer and then twirled it like a baton excitedly.

"Magnhild's so light," She said, pleased. "How'd you do that?"

"I'm pretty good at making people stronger," I shrugged and she tilted her head, catching her hammer and resting it against her shoulder.

"Well," She said. "I'm pretty good at being strong."

I had to smile at that answer.

"We should get along well, then," I said before glancing past her. "And it looks like my mom and her team have landed. Could you—"

I paused, looking down. As all four members of my mother's team landed, I felt something shift beneath me, like a stone had been tossed into a still pond. All at once, things began to move, too sudden to have been anything but a reaction. But how? How could they possibly…and what did this mean? Had they been waiting for this, somehow? But why? What could possibly make them want this?

There was no way of knowing—but I did know what I had to do.

"Nora," I whispered. "I need you to get my mother, right now. My father's coming."

I looked up at both of them and took a breath.

"And so are all the Grimm."

XxXXxX