Destiny No More

Chapter 18

Pyrrha coughed and struggled to breathe, the air having been forced from her lungs. She'd been unable to control her landing, the fall being too quick and too sudden for her to fully process what was happening. Dust filled the air, making every breath that she tried to take hazardous, and making it difficult to regain her barings. She could hear Qrow to her side doing much the same, laid out on his back groaning as he too struggled for air.

As things gradually returned to normal, she became aware of their surroundings. Aside from them, the warehouse had fallen completely silent likely due to their unexpected entrance.

Pyrrha sat up as quickly as she could manage in an attempt to struggle to her feet, only for a hand to be forced into her face. Qrow tried to smirk as he pulled her up but it was clearly forced. As she gained her footing, Pyrrha looked around the building. The White Fang hadn't said anything yet, but they had taken up defensive positions and were taking aim with what guns they had.

"So about that plan..." Pyrrha sighed as her hand fell to her side, checking to make sure her temporary weapon was still attached to her hip.

"Shut up." Qrow groaned. "It's not my fault that... shut up."

A voice rang out from somewhere. "Who are you?!" She couldn't tell which of the masked terrorists had asked it but the question helped her focus on the new threat. She did a quick scan of the area to get a better idea of the situation they had fallen into. There were a number of containers not too far to her left and there didn't appear to be anyone waiting there, so it would offer good cover from their guns as long as the containers didn't contain anything volatile in them. A number of terrorists had taken positions on the walkways above them, overlooking most of the floor level.

"How did yo-" The voice was cut off as Qrow drew his weapon. "Hunters! Shoot them!"

Pyrrha drew her own weapon and dashed to her left, just as she heard the sound of bullets hitting the concrete floor where she had been standing. She spared a quick glance back to see that Qrow had gone in the opposite direction, moving in the direction of the stairs that lead up to the walkway.

She wrapped around the first container just as another hail of bullets flew by, a few managing to knick her arm but her aura stopped any real damage. There were a few more audible sounds of shots pinging off of the container before she heard someone yell out over the building. "Stop shooting! There's dust in there!"

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she realized the cover she was currently using was more akin to a bomb waiting to go off. It was only sheer luck that it hadn't done so yet. The gunfire aimed at her stopped and for a moment she waited and listened. A few seconds later she heard the telltale sound of boots hitting the ground as a mask clad faunus rounded the corner.

He didn't have much time to act however, as Pyrrha shoved her hand-guard into his mask. His head snapped back and the crowbar he used as a weapon clattered to the floor as he stumbled back. Another man came around the corner, crashing into his ally as they both toppled to the floor. A third and forth came around and stepped over their downed companions, brandishing their own makeshift weapons as they attempted to attack her.

She stepped back from the first attack, an overhead strike with a metal pipe, the weapon missing her and leaving its wielder exposed. Pyrrha brought the hilt of her sword down on the back of his head, forcing her attacker to the ground. Her next opponent hesitated, allowing Pyrrha to take the initiative. She brought her sword around from the side in a feint, her opponent fell for it and brought his weapon up to block her strike.

As her sword made contact, Pyrrha pushed forward to hit her opponent's chin with an uppercut, sending him stumbling back. He tripped over his downed comrades, striking his head on the ground. He didn't make any moves to get up, in fact, he didn't move at all. The second man to have shown up, the one currently buried under two of his friends, made a sound somewhere between a shout and a scream just before her metal boot struck his face.