Darkest Nights: a RWBY Story

Chapter 19: Stranded

Jason was falling. A harsh wind whistled in his ears. He kept his eyes closed as he plummeted downwards. Then, wham! He slammed into something hard.
He slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground in what appeared to be a forest clearing. Shifting his head a little, he saw the spear. It had impaled itself, point first in the ground, several feet away. Rolling over on his side, he saw Blake sprawled on the ground next to him.
She sat up slowly, turning to look around her.
"Where are we?"
She said, casting a glance around the clearing.
Somewhere in the distance, Jason heard the destinct sound of waves lapping on a beach.
"I don't know."
He said, standing up and walking over to retrieve the spear from the ground.
"Last thing I remember, we were in that office and then– nothing."
Blake stood up and looked around.
"I don't recognize this place. It doesn't look like any place in Remnant I've ever seen."
She touched the bark of one of the trees. It was spiky yet brittle.
"These are taraman oaks. They only grow in deserts but,"
She pauses to listen to the sound of the waves.
"This clearly isn't a desert."
Jason nodded. He had his eyes closed, Blackest Night clutched in one hand.
He felt the aura of the surroundings flow through him, dark and tainted.
He opened his eyes and turned to Blake.
"That's because I don't think we're even in Remnanat anymore. Whatever this place is, wherever this spear has brought us, it was created by Salem. I can feel her power everywhere, almost like her power is what's holding this whole place together."
The two were silent for a moment, letting the impact of Jason's words wash over them.
After a moment, Blake spoke, the shock clear in her voice.
"She put a curse on that spear didn't she."
Jason nodded.
"She must have known the Guardian would go looking for it."
He looked at Blake.
"You were still touching the spear at the time, meaning you just got brought along for the ride."
Blake nodded grimly.
The sun was starting to sink past the halfway point in the sky,
"We need to find shelter."
She said.
"If this really is Salem's world than this place is bound to be crawling with grimm soon."
Blake picked up Gambol shroud from where it lay in the dirt and the two headed off into the forest, towards the sound of the waves.
Progress was slow. The forest was overgrown and covered in tangles of vines. They wove their way through it as best they could, weapons drawn, ready to strike at the first sign of movement in the trees.
After twenty minutes, the trees began to thin out and, after a few more minutes of pushing through the undergrowth, they emerged onto a beach. Dazzling white sand stretched off into the distance, bordered on one side by the first of trees and on the other by an expanse of blue ocean that stretched off to the horizon.
Jason put out a hand to signal for Blake to stop walking.
Less than 200 feet away, in the shade of a tree, was an ursa. Large and fierce, large white spike protruding out of its back. It hadn't noticed them... yet.
Blake flicked back the safety catch on Gambol Shroud and took aim. Jason shook his head and whispered, "We don't know how long we're going to be here. Save your dust."
Blake nodded as Jason raised the spear and pointed it at the grimm.
"Time to see if the myths were right about this thing."
He concentrated as hard as he could, focusing on channeling the Guardian's power into the spear. The tip of the spear began to glow with a fierce, black light. Then, down the beach, the ursa let out a howl of pain. One by one, each surrounded in glowing black aura, the spikes on the beast's back shot downwards into its body, ripping the creature in half.
Blake let out a low whistle as Jason lowered the spear.
"I can see why Salem didn't want you getting ahold of that thing."
Jason nodded.
"Come on, Ursa travel in packs. We better get out of here before the rest show up."
They continued their way down the beach, looking for anything they could use as shelter.
The sun was low on the horizon when Blake stopped, pointing upwards. On a cliff, 30 feet above the ground and next to a small plateau was the opening to a small cave.
"What about that?"
She said, peering up at the cave's opening.
"High of the ground, easy to defend, that could work."
Jason said.
He drew the spear, holding it in his right hand and holding Blake's hand with his left.
The tip of the spear glowed blue as Jason took aim, and threw. Blackest Night sailed through the air, embedding itself in the rock next to the cave's opening.
Upon contact, there was the same loud cracking sound they had heard back in Oobleck's office and Jason and Blake disappeared, reappearing where the spear had landed at the mouth of the cave.
"That's gonna take some getting used to." Blake said as a slight tingling sensation swept through her body.
Jason nodded.
"And I can't do it all the time, it's a serious drain on my power. But at least we made it.
Stooping slightly, they entered the cave.
The beam of light provided by the flashlight on Jason's Scroll swept over the walls. It was a small cave, maybe 20 feet long and 15 feet wide but, most importantly, it was empty.
"This should work."
said.
Blake placed Gambol Shroud, along with her Scroll, in one corner before helping Jason to roll a small bolder in front of the entrance to act as a door, leaving a crack large enough for air to get in.
By this time, night had fallen in earnest.
Sitting down on the cave floor, Blake reached into a small ouch on her belt and pulled out a handful of dried berries, her emergency food supply.
She was suddenly aware that she hadn't eaten since they left the house that morning... or was it even the same day? That house, those pancakes, had never been a part of this world... Salem's world.
Jason sank into a sitting position next to her, his back against the wall of the cave.
Blake offered him a few of the dried berries.
He accepted them gratefully.
"Thank you Blake."
He seas, and she could heat the tone of gratitude in his voice.
She nodded.
"I've only got enough to last us until tomorrow morning, possibly lunchtime."
Jason nodded.
"We'll have to find some food tomorrow. But still, thank you."
After their small meal of berries and water from Jason's flask, they settled down for the night. Jason took off his long cloak and draped it over them as a blanket. She cuddled close to Jason, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and settled in for the night.
After a few minutes, she felt Jason's chest shaking slightly. At first she thought he was shivering in the cool air of the cave, but then she opened her eyes and saw the glistening trails on his cheeks. He was crying, silently, with tears spilling down his cheeks.
Blake sat up, wiping gist tears away.
"What's wrong?"
Her voice was soft and calming. She hadn't seen him cry in years.
Jason opened his eyes and looked at her.
"What if we don't make it back? What if we're stuck here for the rest of our lives. I'm terrified Blake. For the first time in a long time, I really don't know what to do and that scares me."
Blake looked at him, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes.
"Jason Creek."
She said, her voice strong and powerful.
"You are the bravest, kindest, most loyal and most loving person I have ever met."
She gave him a soft smile as she ran a finger over her marks at the base of his neck.
"After all, I chose you, remember? Together, I know we can get through this, and we will make it out of here."
He smiled a little.
"You're right. I'm... I'm just so glad you're here with me."
In the darkness of the cave, Blake leaned in a and kissed him. He kissed back, soft and deep. It was comforting, a touch of normalcy in this strange, new world.
When she finally pulled back, Jason ran a hand through her hair.
"I love you."
He said, his voice little more than a whisper.
"I love you too."
Blake replied, settling down once again, her head on his chest.
After a few moments, Jason's slow breathing told her he was asleep. Hugging him a little tighter, Blake closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.