The wind howled from atop of Beacon Cliff, my hands pressed against the cold metal of the piston. Glancing around, no words were muttered as the eyes of the school of Beacon glanced down at Emerald Forest. Its trees rested at what seemed like hundreds of feet below, no method to acquire a safe landing.
"We will be doing a live mission today, as you can only do so much in the classroom." Glynda said, her hair blowing in the wind. A slight tinge of fear pressed against my heart as my hand rested against Crescent Rose.
"This will be an individual exercise. As important as it is to practice your teamwork and strengthen your bonds, you must also learn to be individuals. As I'm sure you heard, the Vale military recently repelled a massive hoard of grimm coming from the south. However, this pack has come around and is headed back for the city. They are currently straight east of us, and we think they are planning to wrap around and attack from the north. I have decided instead of sparing as originally planned we will save the military some time and intercept this hoard.
You will be fired randomly throughout the forest with the objective of search and destroy. I have already informed your other teachers, so you will be excused from your classes for today, provided you are out in the woods. Class ends in an hour, so you are only required to be in the forest for the timeframe of class if you wish to return to Beacon.
The grimm are all low level, mostly beowolves and the occasional ursa. So I expect none of you will have any trouble with this assignment," Her eyes falling on Jaune, who was tugging the straps of a parachute till they were nice and tight, "When you wish to call it a day just activate the homing Beacon on your scroll and we'll have a Bullhead pick you up. You still have classes tomorrow so be responsible and don't be out all night." Her gaze falling on Yang this time.
I narrowed my eyes, planning my landing strategy to the best of my ability. The launch pad wouldn't fire straight, as much as I wished it did.
"And, begin." She said, tapping a spot on her scroll. The spring beside me thrust upwards, launching Jaune into the air. His scream turned progressively more feminine as he flew away from us, visibly grabbing at his parachute. A slight smile grew on my face when I noticed him pull off the string, the parachute still tightly closed.
Without warning, I was violently launched forward as my own pad activated; launching me far north and slightly to the west. My stomach threw a small fit, as it struggled to catch up with the sudden movement. The wind howled against me, my cape sporadically flapping in the passing gale. I tore Crescent Rose out from my hip, sliding it open into rifle mode and placing it forwards, pulling the heavy bolt and pulling the trigger. The weapon kicked back, the winds instantly slowing as my stomach lurched backwards, my forward momentum nearly extinguished.
Glancing down at the tall spires of trees, I flipped open the scythe and pulled the bolt, ejecting the heavy empty bullet. A tree grew closer ready to impale me atop its upper branches, but I guided myself to the side just enough to avoid the potentially lethal point. Crescent Rose cut into the trunk as I fell, the gradually thickening wood helping to slowly my fall. It was a smooth glide down, till a branch got in the way. It stopped me for a moment, sending a spike of pain in my feet to my head. The branch broke soon after, but I had already lost my center of balance and was thrown for a loop during my fall. My grip slipped, and I lost my hold on my precious, before going face first into the next branch. Another hit my back as I spun about, then another, then another.
"Gwaahh! Ouch! Ow! Gwaaaowch!" I yelped, finally crashing into a soft bush directly below. Stars rolled around my head, as I struggled to collect myself..
"I really need to stick with what works..." I said to myself; shaking my head to finally clear my vision.
Grrgrgrgrgrrrr...
I stiffened, my eyes flinging wide open as I slowly turned to the source of the noise. Before me towered an Ursa of massive proportions, its fur almost completely covered in armor of bone.
"Just my luck..." I sighed, the Grimm howling its challenge to me.
It slashed its paw horizontally. Knocking me away with enough force to skip me along the ground like a stone on water. Grumbling and brushing back my hair as I pushed myself upwards, my eyes settled on the Ursa. It roared again as it charged, my eyes narrowing as I subtlely bit my lip. Charging straight forward, I leapt from the ground, my foot leading the way as I planted my foot into the head of the Ursa; unfortunately not doing any real damage to the armored tank. I landed a safe distance away and took a moment to look for my baby, Crescent Rose. I spotted it's red frame in the tall grass behind the attacking grimm.
The mentioned beast reared up, roaring once more in anger. Taking the opportunity, I dived low, slipping between it's legs as the weight of the creature came down behind me.
Grabbing the scythe and rolling back onto my feet, I performed a few extra backflips till my momentum couldn't carry me any further. The Ursa Major jumped slightly presenting a broadside of spikes to keep me from attacking its exposed flank. I ran forward, a different target in mind. The ursa saw me run forward still, and did another jump this time bringing itself forward. It was surprisingly fast for its size and managed to bring up a claw for an upwards slash. With intense focus and practiced reflexes, I planted my foot against the paw and flipped upwards, Crescent Rose's blade folded up to become less unwieldy while to took aim at the now vulnerable limb. Pulling the trigger, the gun shot upwards, piercing the soft paw; but being stopped by the armor plate on the otherside.
The monster howled as it reared back, my hands twirling the scythe around my hip. Folding the blade back out in an upwards motion. The polearm became a spinning blur, twisting around me in a cyclone of red steel. The tip tore into the soft belly of the bipedal standing bear, causing streaks of crimson to be carved in its thick fur. It growled and thrust its head downwards, its sharp teeth exposed. Dodging to the right, I flipped Crescent Rose and jammed the blade by its head, pulling the trigger.
The rifle kicked as the bullet pounded into the armor, throwing the Grimm forward and flinging me back. I rammed my feet into the ground, turning up dirt as I slowed to a halt. The Ursa howled at its pain, charging forward and attacking. I ducked beneath its good paw, grabbing onto a spike on its back and thrusting myself upwards. It howled and arched its back, giving me the perfect opening. Standing up on the spikes of bone from its spine, I swung my scythe. the blade reached over the ursa, stabbing into its chest. It bucked in pain, throwing me forward. Wincing, I managed to keep a good grip on Crescent Rose and pull it out of the grimm as I fell. Turning around, I stabbed the scythe into the ground and fired the rifle directly at its chest.
The Grimm growled as it hit the tree, giving me time to leap back and further the distance between us. Stumbling, chunks of its armor fell into the ground, cracking beneath its large paw.
"I'm going to run out of time at this rate! If I don't get the most amount of kills, I'll lose my bet with Weiss..." I said with a frown. "That means no cookies!"
The creature howled, sprinting forward.
"You never learn, do you?" I asked, charging forth. I performed the same maneuver from before, jumping from the bone breaking power of it's teeth, and brought down my boot against the armored top of its head, using it as a stepping stone and leaping into the air. Rolling midair, I placed the blade of the scythe beneath its exposed neck and pulled the trigger. Firing directly upwards, the head of the Grimm came off in one clean cut as the blade carefully passed through the kinks in its neck armor.
With skill, I landed a few meters away from the now evaporating corpse. I folded my scythe up and returned to my hip.
"One down, the rest to go." I said, sighing and taking a step through the bush, "I wonder if Majors are extra points?" A small yelp escaped me as the black expanse of a crevice greeted me. It went into the ground, my foot hovering just above it. Had I been a second later, I would have sli-
The stone crumbled away beneath my feet, causing my to collapse and fall down the inclined plain of rock, tumbling into the depths.
"Ahh!" I screamed, adding in the occasional 'ouch'. The roll continued for what felt like minutes, my body finally collapsing against the flat ground. Blackness surrounded me, nothing but the expanse of nothingness, as far as I could tell.
"H-Hello...?" I muttered, still rubbing my now sore bottom.
Glancing around the darkness I fail to see any light, but inclined to call out anyways, "Anyone there?"
Standing up, I stumbled forward. Unable to see anything, I nearly tripped against the elevated slab of stone. As my boot fell onto the slab, it instantly sunk back into the ground. Thousands of intricate carvings lit up in a brilliant aquamarine glow, illuminating the expanse. It wasn't a room, but rather a chasm, the ceiling almost too high to see.
"That...can't be good." I said weakly. A rumble echoed throughout the expanse as several slabs folded opened, howls escaping from their openings. I readied my scythe as the Grimm slowly crawled from the openings, letting out a low pitched grumble.
Nemeans, huh? This should be interesting.
I pulled out Crescent Rose, glancing at the three beasts. Black manes sprouted from their white skulls, their black bodies slowly lurking closer. The lions growled, baring their teeth in the cyan light. I smirked, raising two fingers and motioning towards me.
The middle one roared, charging forward. Demonstrating great strength the beast punched forward from 15 feet away. Its claws leading the way in it's quest to tear into my body. I easily sidestepped out of the attack while twisting Crescent Rose around to strike it's flank as it came past.
The attack landed in the grimm's far flank, but I missed slightly, causing the edge of a bone plate intercepted the hit. It caused my attack to merely leave a large cut along it's side and belly instead of cutting it in half like I planned. The Nemean landed on all fours, but the cut was enough to cause it to fall right after. Taking the moment I had, before the other two could follow, I came forward and making and sliced into it's exposed belly. I finished the swing just in time to duck below the second Nemeans, and bring my scythe down on the shoulder blades of the third as it ran up to me. It growled in pain, but I could feel through my scythe that it hadn't taken any serious damage. It thrashed about trying to free itself from my blade. I pulled the tip from the beast, leaving a gash along it's neck to turn to the one behind me charging forward and opening its mouth like the third one just did.
I brought my blade around to quickly and the grimm had a moment to stop and let my scythe pass in front of it. I looped Crescent Rose around and made another strike like the first. The grimm didn't charge me though, instead pouncing at my blade. I winced in surprised as it bit into the blade of my scythe, the tip of it peircing the beast's cheek. I reached for my trigger, but it clawed at my hand forcing me to take a step back.
The two rolled onto their feet, snarling at each other whenever one touched the other. I twisted Crescent Rose around, I brought the tip into the ground and took aim at the closer of the two. It roared at me, before being silenced by a heavy round striking it in the head. I fired a second round, then a third knocking the grimm to the ground. The other lion roared as it charged forward, pouncing at me again. I could predict the attack now, and leaned back onto the tip of my scythe. I ripped the blade's tip from the ground scoring a hit right on the bottom jaw of the beast as it passed over me. It landed with a hard thud, and before it could start to stand I came around again, this time bringing my scythe down on it's neck. It struggled for a moment, before I pulled the blade through the soft skin leaving it to a quick death.
I turned to the remaining grimm, who rested its head against the ground. A whimper escaped as it weakly attempted to push itself away on its side.
"I'm not 5 anymore, you can't fool me with your helpless act." I said, holding the scythe above my head. With no hesitation, I brought the scythe down, the blade stabbing into its spine. The grimm gave one final yelp before falling limp, the corpse already starting to evaporate..
The room reacted to its death, the glowing lights increasing in luminosity even more. The room shifted, floor plates sliding around. I squinted, watching as a large stone cage rose from the ground, a large bull resting in it.
A Perillos?
I glanced at the bull, its four large alabaster horns jutting out from its head curving around it's head to also provide some protection. The monster let out a loud moo, lowering its head and slamming into the cage, severely damaging the stone bars. It gave one final ram, breaking through the bars and glaring at me. I hesitantly glanced down at my outfit, feeling my cloak.
my red cloak.
"You have got to be kidding me."
I shouted, and as if planned, the bars to the cage started to slowly descend back into the floor. The bull stood patiently, waiting for the path to clear; stomping its foot on the ground in preparation. I started running away from the powerful grimm, letting out a yelp as I fell onto a moving floor tile. The floor had become a puzzle, moving randomly and occasionally leaving a hole in the floor. With a sigh, I leaped from the sliding tile, the bull started it's charge, heading right for me, full speed. A golden ring hung from its rose, grabbing my attention. Snapping out of it, I ran towards it and slid beneath it, its powerful hooves pounding into the ground beside me.
I stood up, standing straight. Stepping backwards, my boot caught on a moving plate, causing me to tumble down. I hit the ground hard, my head slamming into the stone. The air flew out of me with a quick and silent gasp. Before I could recover, another plate lifted, shifting up into place, pinning Crescent Rose between the two stone slabs. to fall into the black abyss below. I desperately tried to pull it out, but the stones were too heavy. The perillos had managed to turn around and was just starting to make a second charge for me. With no choice I released my sweetheart, to avoid the deadly horns. In that moment the slab under crescent rose sank down into the ground slightly before shifting underneath the one next to it; causing crescent rose to fly down into the pit.
"No!" I shouted, running to the hole. Before I could move, the tile slid back, covering it up. The bull moo'ed in anger, charging forward once more. Adrenaline hit my system as I leaped up, turning to the beast. It thrust its head downwards, charging toward me. With a deep breath, I burst forward, wrapping my hands around the two horns. I thrust myself over the bull, flipping midair and over the beast. It roared, falling slightly as it attempted to turn.
It snorted in anger, stomping its foot. With a smile, I thrust my arm in the air, tapping on the ground twice and taking my cape in hand. It roared at the sight of the red fabric, sprinting forward. I thrust my cape upwards just as the bull was about to run into it, causing it to fly past me.
"Toro!" I shouted, tapping my foot on the ground again. The floor tiles slid back and forth, my eyes falling to a stone pillar raising and falling in the tunnel. I turned, running forward and leaping over the pit. The bull sprinted in pursuit, its hooves clattering on the stone floor. Dodging to the right, I ran to the pillar, holding out my cape.
It let out a terrifying moo, lowering its head and charging forward. With a grin, I dodged to the right and thrust my cape up.
"Toro!" I shouted, the bull slamming its skull against the pillar. The stone cracked, the pillar falling over under its own weight and slamming into the wall. The bull growled, stumbling backwards. The bone of its armored skull crumbled away, revealing its fuzzy forehead. I glanced around, the stone tiles sliding.
The red of my crescent rose peeked out, sending lightning from my body. I sprinted forward, reaching into the hole and grabbing my scythe, twirling it around my body.
The bull let out a moo of rage, charging forward. Taking my scythe and slamming it into the stone, I grabbed the bolt of the rifle and wrapped my finger around the trigger, pulling it. The rifle exploded, sending a bullet directly into the exposed skull. With a tumble, the mighty bull came crashing down, slowly disintegrating.
With a sigh, I put away my scythe and glanced up at the fallen pillar. It had formed a staircase of sorts to the wall above the opening, which had since collapsed. Light glowed from the opening, illuminating the room with a white light. I carefully balanced myself as I climbed up the pillar, holding each of my arms up away from me.
Before me stood a pedestal, a small crystal resting on it. A grinding sound tore my attention to the hole behind me, which sealed with a loud clatter. With a sigh of annoyance, I walked up to the crystal, glancing around. There were three mirrors around me, each with a small girl. She looked extremely familiar...
Oh, right. That's me.
I wrapped my fingers around the stone, pulling it away. The stone instantly glowed with a bright aquamarine light, shining to a blinding light. Suddenly, my head went fuzzy as the world lurched back and forth. My fear felt so real that it could leap out of me. No...fear wasn't the word. Confidence was. I winced as I felt my soul get dissected, pieces of my soul falling off. My emotions, such as boredom, spite, and pride, all fell off in one clean swoop. Even so, I still felt the same.
And then the light died.
Revealing my reflections, each a different color.
A/N:
Thanks for reading! This will be a shorter fanfiction dealing with each of the Rubys from the game called Grim Eclipse. Its currently in pre-alpha and only was available for sponsors, unfortunately. I personally never got to play... In the game, as it is multiplayer, each person is assigned one of four Rubys. Black, gray, yellow, or red. This is a fic about those girls!
Thank you to Leivve for co-writing and editing it :)
Hope you guys enjoy!