WARNING: THIS CHAPTER GETS VERY DARK.
IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF GORE / BLOOD, & VIOLENT CONTENT, I HEAVILY ADVISE NOT READING THIS CHAPTER.
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Atlesian trucks race across the snowy heaps of Solitas. Inside the driver's seat was an Atlesian Knight, autopiloting the vehicle towards the launch site. Seen sitting next to the Knight though, were Apollo and Heath, as the two boys peer out through the glass windows.
A few days have passed since the 1st day of missions. The group was still getting accustomed to their new jobs and responsibilities as huntsmen, clearly evident from the massive eyebags underneath Heath's eyes. The boy, although possessing vast amounts of energy, he still has his moments.
But for Apollo, this was his first official assigned mission since becoming a Huntsman. Yet, the prospect didn't feel foreign to him. He wasn't nervous.
He, alongside Team RNJR, had been doing missions during their travels through Mistral, anyway. They'd rest up at a village, the villagers would recognize them as huntsmen, they'd ask for favors, and they'd do said favors and receive rewards to help them on their travels.
However, as much of an opportunity as this was, he didn't seem too pleased. He had other priorities in mind he'd like to take care of, preferably over missions.
...
"You look down in the dumps."
He turns to Heath. The pyromaniac was grinning from ear to ear.
Apollo: Heh, you're one to talk. Did you check your reflection this morning?
Heath: That's-!
He stops himself from yelling.
Heath: That's because of yesterday's mission. It went longer than estimated...
He lets out a yawn, causing Apollo to snicker.
Apollo: Don't fall asleep on the job on me, man.
Heath: Easy for you to say! You haven't gone on any missions at all since we became huntsmen!
Apollo sighs and nods.
Apollo: Yeah yeah, I know. Sorry for that.
Apollo falls silent and turns to peer out the window once again. Heath glances at him with a sketchy look.
Heath: I... know you've been taking care of something personal, but could it really hurt you to tell us what it is?
Apollo remained silent.
Heath: Like, I get it, personal stuff. But... it's starting to get worrying.
Apollo faces Heath.
Apollo: How so?
Heath: It's just... I don't know what's going through that head of yours these days. I don't like that.
Heath shuffles back and leans on the door.
Heath: It's like something's changed with you, man. It's not just me who feels this, either. The rest of the gang does, too.
Apollo pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.
Apollo: ... I'm well aware. And again, I'm sorry.
Apollo glances away from Heath's gaze once again.
Heath: That won't solve anything if you keep apologizing and not tell me. You're only worrying me more.
Heath looks at his friend solemnly.
Heath: Then again... you're full of secrets. You hid your identity from Jaune and the others until-
Apollo: Until you told them? Without my consent?
Heath was taken aback at Apollo's sudden, strict tone.
Heath: Well I... I didn't know...
Apollo: I know you didn't, and again I've told you, I should've told them way earlier on. I'm not upset with you about it.
Heath: Then why do you sound upset? I'm sorry if I ticked you off, I just...
Apollo faces Heath blandly.
Heath: I'm... worried about you, man. We all are.
He continues to stare at Heath, but he eventually lets out a sigh and breaks eye contact.
Apollo: You don't have to worry about me. I'm not doing anything life-threatening.
Heath sighs in relief.
Heath: That's good to know, at least. Finally, some information.
Apollo continues to look out through the glass window, the launch site slowly coming into view.
Apollo: Heath, there are reasons why I keep stuff hidden from you and the rest of the group. It's not that I don't trust you guys, because I do, I just don't think it's necessary.
Heath: Necessary? I think it's necessary, considering you keep us in the dark and ghost on us.
Apollo: Okay, now you're trying to rile me up.
He shakes his head, calming his emotions.
Apollo: Just... don't overthink about what I'm doing, please. It's not worth your time and effort.
Heath hums under his breath as he peers out the window.
Apollo: Let's focus on the mission. We're here.
On cue, the truck stops a ways away from the launch site. As the pair hops out of the truck, multiple Atlesian Knights are already seen carrying resources and materials toward the mine. Amity Tower was not in sight, presumably to avoid suspicion from anyone who spotted it.
Apollo: I take it that we're just meant to stand guard here for today?
Heath: I think so. It's my first time doing this, too.
Suddenly, the earpiece peaks. Apollo and Heath put their fingers up to their communicator.
Clover: Hey, this is Clover. I hope the two of you have been receiving my messages.
Apollo: Y/N here. We've just arrived at the launch site.
Heath: Affirmative, we've been receiving your messages, sir!
Clover: Great. As mentioned in the debrief before, the two of you are tasked to secure the launch site today. Radars show that multiple Grimm are lurking around the area, so make sure to exterminate them as far away as possible from the mines. Multiple other huntsmen have been deployed around the area to support today's mission, so stick to your posts and roles.
Apollo: Understood.
Heath: Got it!
Clover: I like the sound of that. Best of luck, you two.
Clover shuts off the communicator. Apollo and Heath turn to each other and nod.
Apollo: Guess that answers the question.
Heath: Sure does. Alright, let's get patrollin'!
Heath whips out his Will O Wisps in their shotgun form, while Apollo brandishes Skyfall. The two then start their patrol around the mine, watching as Atlesian Knights continue to bring supplies into the mines and other huntsmen patrol around the area.
Time slowly passes by. Apollo had circled the area multiple times, but nothing noteworthy was to be said. All he's seen so far has been the same thing since starting his patrol.
Glancing to his right, Heath fidgets with his fingers, a clear bored expression resting on his face. He lets out a long yawn and looks up to scan the area before continuing to fidget with his fingers.
One of the huntsmen around the area walks up to Apollo and hands him a bottle filled with hot coffee. He complies and thanks the huntsman. Today's weather was colder than usual to the point that Apollo could feel the chill breathing down his neck.
However, as he takes a sip from his coffee, a gunshot can be heard from afar. Alert, he puts the bottle in his pocket and springs into action, watching as multiple huntsmen gun down a small horde of Beowolves and Sabyr Grimm. They all go down without much of a fight and the huntsmen return to their posts.
However, much to Apollo's shock, Heath suddenly springs from behind, a crazed look in his eyes as he frantically scans the area.
"GRIMM!? WHERE!? Finally, some ACTION-"
"They're already dead, Heath."
This causes Heath to droop disheartedly, much to Apollo's amusement.
...
More time continues to pass by. It was now past afternoon.
The aforementioned Grimm Clover warned the pair about having all been supposedly taken out, so currently, Apollo was having lunch with the huntsmen in the area. Other than himself and Heath, 4 other huntsmen have joined them for today's mission.
They were all fully grown adults, so they were shocked upon hearing that Apollo and Heath were young teens who had graduated early. "Ironwood must be that desperate to get extra help, huh?" they joke. However, Apollo and Heath didn't find such a joke as amusing.
They then ask Apollo and Heath why they had decided to attend a perimeter defense mission when they looked capable enough to apply for other missions that would fit their skill sets. Apollo fires the question right back at them, to which they all say, "For the money." This causes Heath to sweatdrop.
One of the huntsmen was a huntress from Vacuo, working missions in Atlas as they gave the most profit. Upon hearing the word Vacuo, Heath glances away in dismay, clearly missing his old friend.
The other three were male Atlesian natives, choosing to work as huntsmen instead of serving in the military. When Apollo asked them why, they collectively said, "Because it's lame and boring." The 3 Atlesian huntsmen then proceeded to talk about how the staff at Atlas Academy would pressure new graduates into serving in the military, which unnerved them quite a bit. When the three of them realized they shared the same feelings, they quickly became close friends.
When it was Apollo's turn to tell his story, he stumbled on his words a bit, trying to summarize his story the best he could to avoid talking about his heritage and past. He mentions how he took part as a dice student in the Vytal Festival, in which they all collectively resound their sympathy towards the fallen from that day.
Before they could ask him about his last name, however, Heath butts in to talk about his background. He winks at Apollo, gesturing to him that he owes him one. As he talks, the huntress from Vacuo pipes up, saying that she's heard about Heath from his last name. He was in awe, not knowing how much influence the Slater family name runs within the huntsmen society.
As lunch break ends, the squad returns back to their posts, all except Heath, who asked for permission to take a power nap inside one of the shelters. This causes the huntsmen to laugh at him, completely understanding his exhaustion as a brand-new huntsman. They comply, so Heath heads into one of the shelters and falls asleep.
Apollo leans on one of the shelter's walls and surveys the area. Once again, there were no Grimm in sight, nor anything noteworthy for the matter. He chuffs as he opens his scroll, trying to take his mind away from the prospect of boredom. He opens the file that Ironwood had given him, analyzing the map of the city of Atlas once more.
Suddenly, the communicator in Apollo's ear piques. He picks it up.
"Clover speaking. We've picked up signals that more Grimm have started appearing around the area once again. Eyes up."
Apollo pushes himself off the wall and brandishes Skyfall. Just as he does, he spots a pair of Sabyr running around the terrain over multiple snowy hills. He switches Skyfall to the newly named Halcyon and takes aim, firing at the ready. One of his arrows cleanly pierces through the Sabyr, killing it in an instant. The other one stops in its tracks, startled at the death of its comrade. Apollo uses this time to line up another shot, and once again, it cleanly pierces through the Sabyr.
"Clean shots."
Apollo turns to the Vacuan Huntress as she approaches him. She had brown skin and wavy black hair tied into a ponytail. Huge gold earrings hung off her ears as she wore multiple layers of clothes and thick, long pants. She also wore thick, yellow sunglasses.
"Oh, thanks."
She pats Apollo on the back.
"My hubby back home uses a bow, too. But, I don't think he would've been able to land those shots." She admits.
"Aww, t-thank you," Apollo rubs the back of his neck as he chuckles embarrassed. "Well, I'm used to firing arrows on differing landscapes. It's been quite a while since I've used my bow, though. I'm quite surprised I can hit those shots."
"Oh, really?" She raises her brow impressed.
"Yeah." Apollo nods as he shows off his bow, transfiguring it back to Skyfall. "Brand new weapon I got after graduating. My old weapon broke, so I had to make do with a temporary one that didn't really suit my style."
"I see, I see." She muses to herself. "Well, keep up the good work, youngster. Holler if you find any more of them creatures."
Apollo nods as she turns to walk back to her post.
The day continues to pass by. The sun remained high in the sky, but evening was soon approaching, meaning the end of the shift. Several other Grimm have popped up, such as Manticores, Beowolves, and Sabyrs, all rogue Grimm that could be found anywhere in the land of Solitas.
Apollo lets out a sharp exhale as he slashes a Beowolf to ashes. He was thankful that there weren't any Grimm as strong as the Cenitaur he faced in the mines from the other day. That could've posed problems if Grimm of that strength came in magnitudes.
Apollo pulls out his scroll and checks his aura level. It displayed he was on 85% whereas Heath's was at 96%, the pyromaniac still asleep inside the shelter. Talk about sleeping on the job.
The sun now started to set. It was almost time for Apollo and Heath to head back to the academy to wrap up today's shift of guarding the launch site.
Apollo, standing by his post, watches monotonously as Atlesian Knights continue to shovel in resources inside the mines. God knows how many materials it'll take to restore the tower to the sky.
"Actually, where do all of these resources come from? Fruits of hard work?"
"Supposedly so, boy." Xevel responds.
This brings a thought. "Was Solitas like this during your time, Xevel?"
"Far from it. Solitas used to be desolate, and the floating city you know as Atlas never existed. Truth be told, I'm not sure about how its landscape once was. I've never stepped outside of our kingdom for recreational reasons."
"Interesting." Apollo remarks.
Glancing at the clock on his scroll, he pushes himself off his post and heads into the direction of the shelter Heath was resting inside.
When suddenly, his communicator piques once again, and he stops in his tracks to pick up the call.
"Y/N and Heath, are you two present!? This is Harriet speaking!"
...
An unnerved expression crosses Apollo's face. Harriet's tone was bridled with stress and panic.
"Y/N here. What's up, Harriet?"
"The radars have suddenly picked up numerous readings heading towards the launch site! It's a massive horde of Grimm!"
Apollo grits his teeth. His job today seemed far from over.
"By massive, how much are we-?"
"We're heading towards the launch site NOW, so stay put and try to stall as much as you can! We'll be there as fast as we can!"
...
"The Ace Ops are coming? W-Wait..."
Apollo clicks on his earpiece.
"Hello, Harriet? Harriet!? How dire is the situation!? Harriet!"
However, no response. Apollo's stomach started to sink, he had a bad feeling about this.
He quickly rushes into Heath's shelter, finding the boy laid out on the floor. He kneels to the floor and shakes him. The pyromaniac slowly stirs awake as his eyes open narrowly.
"Whuh...? W-What...?"
"Heath, get up. Grimm are on the way." Apollo states.
However, Heath rolls back to his side. "The other hunstmen can take care of it... I'm sleepy..."
Apollo grumbles. He aggressively shakes Heath again, and the pyromaniac sits up, though with an unpleasant expression.
"What!? Can't a man get some shut-eye!?" He yells, but he's quickly brought down to reality with Apollo's glare.
"A massive horde of Grimm are on the way, Heath. Even the Ace Ops are on their way."
Heath's eyes widen. "For real? Is it that bad?"
Apollo nods.
"Crap." He utters, as he grabs his twin axes and heads out the shelter.
Upon exiting the shelter, sounds of gunfire and yells could already be heard from the distance. Apollo and Heath quickly dash towards the sound of the commotion. They run up a snowy hill, and upon looking down, a pale expression crawls on Apollo's face.
Beneath them, it was almost as if a sea of endless black dots were approaching them. It was Grimm of all kinds, ranging from Beowolves, Ursai, Sabyr, and Manticores, to airborne Grimm such as Razorwing's, Sphinxes, and Teryx's.
However, something was off. Apollo was sure that none of them were exhibiting any negative emotions, so where did all of this Grimm come from? Why were they specifically heading towards them?
Why were they heading towards the launch si-
...
It hits.
"EVERYONE, FALL BACK! WE NEED TO STAND GUARD BY THE LAUNCH SITE!"
The squad looks up at Apollo. They hesitate momentarily, glancing back at the Grimm approaching them, but they eventually comply.
"What's up? Did you think of something?" Heath asks.
Apollo faces him. "Salem could be involved in this."
This causes Heath to freeze up.
"W-What? But... w-would that mean that she's aware of the General's plan?"
Apollo shakes his head.
"It's a definite possibility. We'll need to report this to the General as soon as we get back. Right now though, we should focus on - WATCH OUT!"
Within milliseconds of the call-out, Heath jumps into the air and flips, cleanly cutting an approaching Manticore into pieces. He lands on the ground and widens his stance.
"Great call-out. Thank you." He remarks.
However, Apollo shakes his head. "Thank me once this is all said and done."
As Apollo brandishes Skyfall, the rest of the huntsmen have arrived up the hill and stood next to him, all with questioning glances on their faces.
"What's wrong, youngster? Why'd you call us back?" The Vacuan huntress asks.
Apollo turns to face her. "Their target isn't us, but it's the launch site."
One of the Atlesian huntsmen rubs their head confused. "But that doesn't make any sense! Grimm targets negativity, right? They don't target anything else!"
"That's the point. It doesn't make sense." Apollo nods. "None of us are exhibiting negativity. Their goal isn't us; it's the launch site."
Then, it clicks for the huntsman. He quickly nods at Apollo's explanation.
"Understood. Then, let's stand by the mine!"
With that command, the squadron retreated to stand by the launch site. Not shortly after that, the massive Grimm wave slowly approaches the group, coming into view from afar.
It was more threatening to watch on equal footing as it was on differing landscapes. Apollo brushes that thought aside and transfigures his sword to Halcyon, firing shot after shot towards the massive Grimm horde. His arrows sunk into the frontlines, taking them out with each shot, but one Grimm out of what could be nearing two to three hundred was nothing.
Heath takes off his shoes and dives in alongside two of the Atlesian huntsmen, meeting the Grimm wave with up-close combat. Apollo, the Vacuan huntress, and the other Atlesian huntsman stood back and rained projectiles on the horde. He watches as Heath cleaves through the horde, activating his Semblance periodically to create a fiery spectacle. He was handling about three to four Grimm at a time, managing to destroy them all with brute force.
Heath's fighting style was one that Apollo knew all too well. It was violent and aggressive, and it was further established against a massive horde of this size. He couldn't help but watch in awe.
Heath was truly a one-of-a-kind talent.
But, he was also reckless. And, one day, that would cost him dearly.
With each cleave, slash, smash, and dash, Heath looked as if he was the predator and the Grimm were his prey. But, as much as he did, the horde of Grimm remained endless.
Apollo takes a deep breath to calm his nerves as he continues to rain arrows onto the horde. The Ace Ops were to arrive in at least a few minutes. All they had to do was to just stall for time.
However, Heath was suddenly sent back as he was tackled by a Sabyr. He rolls on the snow, recovering to his feet next to Apollo. But, he looks on with fear as the two Atlesian huntsmen let out cries of agony, swallowed up by the horde of Grimm.
"NO!" The ranged Atlesian huntsman cries out loud, watching as his two close friends get ripped and torn to shreds by the Grimm.
There was no question - those two huntsmen were not surviving after that.
The Vacuan Huntress then jumps high into the air, splitting her rifle into a set of dual tonfas. Jumping into where the 2 Atlesian Huntsmen were, she gets to work and starts slashing, cutting a Beowolf's body in half and stabbing a Sabyr through its stomach as it leaps at her. She weaves through multiple clawed attacks from a Manticore, jumping on top of the Grimm and slashing downwards to cut it in half.
Apollo jumps into the fray as well, as he stabs a Sabyr through the body and throws its corpse to another incoming Sabyr. He slashes at a Beowolf leaping at him, then jumps on top of one of the shelter's roofs to create distance. Opening his pouch, he pours in powdered dust of fire, earth, and ice into the dust canister inside Skyfall. Putting the capsules inside his pouch, he swings his sword, and it suddenly emits light from the elements mixed within the sword.
Jumping back into the fray, he stands beside Heath as he sends out powerful waves of fire, cleaving through packs of Grimm. He then smashes the ground, causing a rupture to break from the ground, sending all land-form'd Grimm high into the air. Heath then throws his axe and it slashes through 3 Beowolves at once, and activating a trigger on his other axe's hilt, the thrown axe is sent back towards Heath, cutting through a Lancer.
However, with the now-alone Atlesian Huntsman, he scurries towards the bodies of his comrades. He kneels down and holds one of his friends's hands, whose body is bloodied and torn apart, some of the skin ripped into massive, gaping wounds. However, his pulse was slowly fading away, and it soon disappears, causing the Atlesian Huntsman to weep with tears in his eyes.
However, the negativity spewing from the Atlesian Huntsman has attracted lots of the Grimm, as most of the creatures redirected their attention toward him. But, before he could meet the same fate as his comrades, Heath and the Vacuan Huntress step in to cover for him.
The Vacuan Huntress chops off the head of a Razorwing and carries the Atlesian Huntsman away from his fallen comrade. Meanwhile, Heath jumps high into the air and slices the wings of a Teryx. He rides the back of the Teryx down to the ground, where he slices off its neck and flips off it.
Apollo runs over to the Vacuan Huntress and the Atlesian Huntsman, the latter with tears streaming down his face, clearly shaken by the loss of his friends. She turns to face him and nods.
"He's attracting the Grimm towards him. As far as I'm concerned youngster, he's dragging us down."
Apollo raises a brow at her words. They were harsh, but they were true. The more he attracted the Grimm, the more they'd have to cover for him, and that would cause problems.
"I'll take him to the shelter. You carry on fighting, I'll be there with you guys soon. Just hold out for now."
The Vacuan Huntress nods and merges her tonfas into a rifle, letting bullets rain down on the Grimm horde. Apollo turns back to the weeping Atlesian Hunstman, slinging his arm around his shoulder and carrying him to the shelter.
"They're dead... they're dead.... they're dead.... they're dead," the huntsman mouths to himself. It took every ounce of willpower for Apollo to ignore his words, this wasn't the time to mourn and grieve.
Apollo arrives at a different shelter and docks off the huntsman inside. "Stay here for now and rest up," he says sympathetically. "We'll be done with the horde soon."
However, the huntsman paid no mind to him, continuing to stare off into nothingness. He was broken. Apollo glances away from him and shuts the door to the shelter, then runs back towards the fray.
However, as he arrives, Heath and the Vacuan Huntress are suddenly thrown back in his direction. Apollo had to dodge out of the way as the two rolled to a stop in the snow. He then looks ahead and immediately scopes out the major threats, as Cenitaurs, Teryx's, and Sphinx's are now starting to approach the launch site.
A Cenitaur was hard enough to handle alone, let alone a Sphinx. Apollo hasn't fought a Teryx before, but he could only assume that it was just as strong, with its large bone-like spine, massive translucent wings, and sharp beak and claws.
Those were bad enough to deal with by himself, but a whole wave of them was a whole other issue. He has never seen a Grimm horde this strong and this many of this magnitude, it would give even the best of the best Huntsmen runs for their money.
But, it only begged the question.
"Why does Salem want this launch site down so much?"
He only had enough time to think of that one, singular question.
He bends down to a stance, and with a deep breath, he lets out a cry and swings his sword horizontally, creating a massive barrier of ice that stops the Grimm in their tracks. The front line of the Grimm horde bounces off the barrier and freezes into a block of ice. This was exactly what they needed; to stall out the horde as much as possible.
In no world could they take out the horde all by themselves, even with Apollo's power.
His power...
...
Apollo glances at the huntress. She was dealing with a share of her Grimm, as she kicked, slashed, and cut through most of the frontline. He then faces Heath and nods, and he nods back.
They were both thinking the same thing. Let the huntress deal with the frontline, and they'll come for the biggest threats.
Wasting no time, Heath pops his Semblance and Apollo activates his power, the orange hue and glow around him ever brighter due to the dark sky. They cleave their way straight through the frontline and into the middle of the horde, stopping in front of multiple Cenitaurs who prepared to fire off a blast of acid. Heath and Apollo dodge to the side and got up close, cutting down a Cenitaur's body within a second.
However, the two of them were soon separated as they were sent back by the blades of the other Cenitaurs. It rapidly strikes Apollo, barely missing his head and arms. He puts his sword up and blocks the strikes before whirling around the Cenitaur, but as it turns its body around, Apollo jumps into the air and hooks his sword around its blades, vaulting himself to the now vulnerable, exposed stomach of the Grimm. With a cry, he sends his sword straight through its stomach and jumps back as it spews out acid before disappearing.
Over on Heath's end, he blocks the Cenitaur twice before parrying its attack, sending its blades high into the air. He quickly shifts his twin axes to its twin shotguns and blasts the Cenitaur's jaw, causing it to cry in pain and reel back. Heath doesn't waste this opportunity to cut through its neck. Then, he quickly turns around to block a Sphinx's fireball, dashing towards it at blinding speeds to cut through its exposed body.
The two boys continue their mad dance of death, their orange and red auras glowing like beacons. It catches the attention of the Vacuan Huntress, as she slashes a Beowolf and stops to watch the two, awing at the spectacle.
"Heh, youth." She chuckles to herself, as she opens fire to more of the frontline Grimm.
However, the horde continued to rage on. Some of them got close to entering the mines, which would force the Vacuan Huntress to fall back and take care of them. With how far forward Apollo and Heath were, it only opened up holes in their defense.
Yet, she knew damn well that calling them back would be futile. They were too engrossed in their massacre.
However, it was evident that the two boys were starting to feel the exhaustion. A full day of patrolling and feeling the cold, brittle air of Solitas would do that to any huntsman. Apollo's attacks were wavering in power, while Heath's movements were starting to slow down.
As Apollo and Heath coordinate a team attack to cut through a Teryx, the Ignatius opens his scroll and checks their aura levels. His eyes widened upon seeing that he was nearing orange, while Heath's was entering a dark yellow.
They've been hit three of four times, yes, but the fact that they've lost so much aura due to the weather in itself is brutal. They can't afford another hit, that would force them to retreat.
But, they couldn't retreat. They were the only line of defense.
And where were the Ace Ops? It's felt like ages since Harriet warned him about the Grimm horde.
Apollo checks his scroll. It's only been 5 minutes.
...
"The General better reward us with something crazy after this..."
Apollo shakes his head as he puts his scroll away, but he's suddenly lunged at by a Teryx. He gets knocked and pinned down to the ground, but as the Teryx opens its jaw to bite him, Apollo quickly blasts it away with his power. He then gets to his feet and starts firing off multiple blasts with his power, eradicating most of the backline to ashes.
7 minutes since the warning.
Apollo and Heath had fallen back to stand with the Vacuan Huntress. The two boys were clearly exhausted, and any more fighting against stronger Grimm would result in serious danger.
9 minutes since the warning.
The ice barrier formed earlier had now shattered, allowing more of the swarm to advance.
The Vacuan Huntress was lunged at by a Sabyr, causing her to bounce off the wall of a shelter. It continues to pursue her, but she quickly recovers and moves out of the way as the Sabyr hits the wall of the shelter. She then slashes its exposed flesh, then kicks it to nothingness.
But suddenly, she falls to her knees, panting heavily as her aura flickers. Apollo's eyes widen, but this distraction costs him dearly as a Razorwing strikes him with its talons. He grits his teeth and counter-attacks, cutting the Razorwing's talons before blasting it away with his power. He runs towards the Vacuan Huntress and lends out a hand, to which she quickly accepts.
"S-Sorry youngster... you'll need to hold it down without me." She begrudgingly admits.
Apollo shakes his head. "Leave it to me and Heath. You should rest up."
She nods, but as Apollo takes her to a shelter, Heath lets out a cry of pain. He quickly darts back to the pyromaniac and his eyes widen as his aura shimmers, thanks to an Ursa that had snuck up on him. Apollo runs towards the Ursa and rapidly slashes at it, spinning around for one final strike. He then faces Heath, but he holds his hand up as he gets to his feet.
"Don't you dare tell me to retreat now." He says aggressively. "I'm fine."
However, Apollo shakes his head. He pulls out his scroll to monitor aura levels, displaying that Heath's aura was deep in the red. It was bound to crack at any moment, and he'd then be exposed to the cold air of Solitas, which could severely hurt him.
"Heath. Fall back and recover. Now." He commands.
But, Heath shakes his head. He gets into a stance.
"Heath."
But, Heath ignores him and lunges at multiple Centinels. Although he was managing to cleave through them, it was evident that he was pushing his absolute limit. Apollo shakes his head and draws alongside him, assisting in clearing out the horde.
He transforms Skyfall into Halcyon and fires a fire-dust embued arrow into the Centinel pack, causing them to reel back, which allows Heath to finish them off. Apollo looks ahead, and although they have cleared out a massive chunk of the horde, it was mostly the front line, as most of the strong, threatening Grimm were still present at the backline, waiting for their moment to strike.
It was a miracle that none of the Grimm had entered the mine just yet. The squadron had done a great job in protecting the area, that's for sure.
But, as Apollo fights off more of the front line, he's suddenly struck hard in the back by a Centinel that had dug underneath him. The Grimm then coils itself around Apollo's body, ensnaring him in its grasp. He struggles to move around, feeling the air in his lungs slowly disappear, his vision starting to blur.
But, his resolve and will won't break so easily. He drops his sword and lets out a cry, incinerating the Grimm as he further strengthens his power. Breaking free from the hold, he retrieves his sword and throws it, slashing cleanly through a Sabyr. He then creates twin swords conjured from his power and starts cleaving through the frontline once again, who is dangerously getting close to the entrance of the mine.
All supplies and resources were inside there. If any Grimm were to break into the entrance, that would set the plan back by strides.
Chopping off the head of a Teryx, burning a pair of Beowolves to ashes, parrying a lunge from a Sabyr, incinerating a burrowing Centinel before it could even pop out from the ground, Apollo was pushing himself to his absolute limit, praying that the Ace Ops would come at any moment. For the first time in a long while, he had free reign to fight with his power as hard as he could, and he was making great use of it.
Apollo looks up to see that the stronger Grimm were starting to approach the mine as well. He was forced to dodge a blast of acid from a Cenitaur and fireballs from a Sphinx as he fought, disorienting his rhythm and causing him to stumble. A Sabyr takes this chance to jump at him, but Apollo quickly creates a spherical prison around him and jumps away, trapping the Sabyr inside and causing a mini-explosion. This explosion blasts the other surrounding Grimm as well.
But, as he lands, he finds it extremely hard to move. It was almost as if his legs were rooted to the ground.
Then, he falls over. His legs had given out on him.
"Damn it...!" He chastises.
Heath, who was still managing to fend off his share of the horde, turns around and gasps in fear at Apollo's frozen state. However, he was too far away to help, as he's forced back into the fight by a lunge from a Razorwing.
"I... guess I have no other choice...!"
As a last-ditch effort, Apollo quickly grabs into his pouch and pours a capsule of powdered gravity dust inside his sword. He transfigures it to Halcyon and fires an arrow, causing a shockwave that sends him airborne, en route towards the middle of the pack.
If he fails, he's dead. There's no possible escape that he could somehow pull off if he doesn't succeed.
...
To hell with that thought! He still has so much he wants to know before he dies.
He'll only rest in peace once his questions are answered. That's what he's pushed for his whole life, that's why he moves forward.
That's why he's here today.
Mustering as much power as he possibly can, he creates a massive sphere around him conjured by his power, trapping a massive portion of the Grimm horde inside. This was reminiscent of Beacon Academy's Initiation program, when he trapped a giant Nevermore inside this exact sphere.
However, this was a sphere he could not pour as much of his power into. He was rapidly descending to the ground, he had to time this to perfection.
One second passes. He was still in the air.
Two seconds pass. Heath looks up and his jaw drops.
Three seconds. A Sphinx was narrowing its flight towards Apollo, mere centimeters away from making contact with him.
Four...
...
Five.
Apollo pulls the trigger, and a massive explosion envelopes the area.
...
...
...
Debris, snow, and rubble rise from the ground. The Grimm horde trapped inside the sphere was now silent.
A second ago, chaos had ensued. A second later, it was all too quiet.
A cloud of white smoke and ash envelops the area. It slowly billows away, and soon, a massive crate is revealed in front of the launch site, a dent formed in the snowy landscape.
And, seen inside the crater was Apollo, the boy knelt down and his head hung low, his clothes ripped and torn to pieces.
...
Then, his aura cracks, and he falls to the ground.
From the shelter, the Vacuan Huntress and Heath rush over to his side. Thankfully, the boy was somehow still conscious, but only barely.
"Hey, can you hear me? Are you alright?" The Vacuan Huntress asks. "What did you just do? Did you make that explosion? What the hell was that?"
"Y/N! Y/N! Say something! Wake up!" Heath asks hysterically. But, his panicked expression soon fades as Apollo turns to face him.
"I-I'm... f-fine... I-I'm just... t-tired..." He says in a hushed, ashy voice.
Heath rubs his eyes and inhales deeply. The Vacuan Huntress and Heath then sling Apollo's arms around their shoulders, giving him support.
"Let's take you to the shelter. You're the one that needs the most rest out of all of us, youngster." The Vacuan Huntress says, and Heath nods in agreement.
When all of a sudden, the earth started to shake underneath them.
...
The sounds of tremors grew closer and closer.
From where they stood, Heath could judge that they were currently running up the slope of the snowy hill.
It was rapidly approaching. It was almost as if whatever was coming to them was incensed.
Something was coming up. A bone fragment, a set of tusks, then a mask with two pairs of eyes.
It was a Megoliath. And, it wasn't alone.
It was another swarm. Another horde.
"You've... got to be kidding me..." The Vacuan Huntress breathes.
There was no time to get Apollo to shelter. The Megoliath was running at full speed towards them, charging like a predator possessed.
Apollo notices Heath's body twitch. His left leg pulls back, his arms tense.
Apollo's eyes widen, realizing what Heath is about to do.
"Heath. No."
...
No response. The pyromaniac takes a deep breath.
"Heath. HEATH."
He transfigures his twin axes into twin shotguns.
"Heath Slater, listen to me! Don't do this, you'll die!"
Then, he pops ablaze his Semblance.
It was too late to reach through him.
"HEATH! NO! DON'T DO THIS! HEA-"
And, in the blink of an eye, Heath bursts from where he stood, leaving a trail of flames in his wake. His target was clear, he was heading for the Megoliath.
...
Time had seemingly slowed down for the Ignatius. He was watching a tragedy unfold in front of his eyes.
A second passes by. His breath hitched in his throat as Heath and the Megoliath drew ever closer.
Two seconds pass. His legs have suddenly started functioning once again.
But, it was too late to do anything about it.
Three. Four...
Five.
And, all Apollo could do was watch...
As Heath leaps into the air, letting out a cry as he twists his body...
And was impaled straight through the chest by the Megoliath's tusks.
...
...
...
...
...
Heath's body dangled from the tusk of the Megoliath.
His blood poured down its tusks, dripping down to the snowy ground.
His body twitches. His grip on his twin axes remained firm.
He was fighting hard to stay conscious.
But suddenly, he loses grip of his twin axes.
Then... his body goes limp, and his head droops.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Apollo wanted to scream.
Rage, grief, and guilt gnawed down his throat.
He wanted to sprint towards the Megoliath, recover Heath's body, and blast the horde into nothingness.
But... nothing. Nothing came out.
He couldn't scream, and he couldn't move.
He was frozen still... and his body slumped to the ground once again.
...
His ears rang. The cold wind of Solitas brushed him. His teeth chatter, his skin crawled.
He couldn't even recognize the sounds of footsteps landing beside him, nor did he hear the sounds of weapons clashing.
Everything was numb to him. He couldn't feel anything.
Reality was starting to distort around him.
...
But, suddenly, his shoulder was shaken aggressively.
And, through the tears that streamed down his face, he slowly looks up to face...
...
"Answer me! Are you okay!?"
It was Grace, donned in her Ace Op attire.
"What the hell happened to you!? Are you hurt anywhere!?"
But, Apollo remained motionless. Grace grits her teeth, but she notices Apollo's arm slowly rise and point towards the Megoliath.
She lets out a gasp. The Megoliath's tusks were coated in blood, and Heath's limp, lifeless, bloodied body was being carried by Elm towards an aircraft.
It didn't take more than a second for Grace to realize the events that had just transpired. She quickly rushes over to Elm as she drops Heath's body. She monitors Heath's massive hole in his stomach, taking every ounce of willpower within her to not look away.
Using her Semblance, she ices Heath's wound and taking a deep breath, she puts her fingers slightly above Heath's puncture, putting her ice powers inside the boy to further stop the blood loss. A pair of Atlesian medics holding a stretcher then come to Heath's side, and gently, Grace and Elm place the unconscious boy onto it, and the medics rush away to the aircraft.
However, as Elm turns to face the horde, she looks back and notices Grace's gaze locked onto Heath's body and Apollo's vegetative state.
"Grace? Hey, Grace."
Grace shakes her head to snap back to reality. She faces and nods at Elm, but it is clear that she, too, was affected by Heath and Apollo's condition. Despite her best efforts to stay strong and remain firm, her eyes were puffy and her lips were trembling.
So, Elm lets out a sigh and shakes her head. Grace was not fit to assist in tonight's emergency mission.
"Go back with those two to the academy. I think they can use the company."
Grace takes a step back. Elm wasn't the type to be sympathetic.
But, before she could change her mind, Grace bows down and nods.
"I'm sorry, Elm. I'm sorry to the rest of the Ace Ops, too. I'll make it up to you guys."
Elm looks down at Grace and shakes her head. She then rubs her head as she faces the horde of Grimm, watching her fellow Ace Op mates disassemble the swarm.
"You've got nothing to apologize about, Grace. Now, go."
And so she does, as she holsters her pistols and runs towards Apollo. The Vacuan Huntress and Atlesian Huntsman were also being taken back via the aircraft, but Apollo remained motionless and stationary, as he stared off into nothingness.
The scene kept replaying in his head. The sound of flesh shredding, the blood pouring down, Heath's body going limp, the-
"Hey."
Apollo tilts his head up slightly to face Grace.
"Let's go back. They'll take care of the rest."
Apollo's mouth slowly opened to speak, but nothing came out. Grace then notices his body shiver. He was cold, and if he continued to stay out here with his ripped clothes, he would freeze to death.
So, putting her pride aside, she slings Apollo's arm around her and carries his sword in her other hand. She then carries him to the aircraft, glancing at him every so often worriedly.
But, his gaze remained at the Megoliath and the pool of blood that stained the snowy grounds, all the way until the ramp of the aircraft closed shut.
Thus, this ends Apollo's first day of missions...
And what could potentially be... his last day.
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Next time on The Ashes of The Phoenix:
The Start Of Arrowfell (Volume 7 Chapter 8)