Ruby cried out as she was knocked back, falling to her stomach and skidding along the ground a few feet before coming to a stop. She rolled over, getting quickly to her feet as the Ursa charged her again. She fired her weapon off to the side, firing again to propel herself into the air. She fired once more and sent herself spinning towards the beast, slashing into its neck with her scythe. The Ursa's head rolled away as its body fell to the ground, and Ruby quickly moved onto the next threat, There are just too many of them. She thought as a group of Beowolves came loping towards her. She fired behind her, sending herself flying at them. She slashed one in half as she zipped through the group, quickly spinning around as she ended up behind them, We're gonna be overrun soon. She swung her scythe in a deadly arc, cleaving one of the beasts in half before firing into the gut of another one. Their blood stained the cobblestone beneath her feet, and she looked up to see her partner finishing off an Ursa.
She put her head on a swivel, trying desperately to find Yang and Blake above the carnage of the battlefield. Hunters, huntresses and Grimm were locked in a desperate struggle against each other, and the ground was running red with the blood of both sides. Ruby fired her weapon beneath her, sending her flying into the air. She managed to see a flash of yellow before she landed, so she concluded the two must still be alright. She didn't have much time before a screech ripped across the battlefield. Her eyes looked skyward to see a flock of Nevermores descending towards the conflict. Ruby launched herself into the air again as one of the smaller ones passed nearby. She twisted, bringing her scythe down on the creature's neck. She fired, removing the Nevermore's head from its body.
She landed, rolling to avoid shattering her knees. As she came up, she saw a number of Hunters lifted up into the Nevermore's talons. She switched her weapon to rifle form, but was unable to get a shot off before another Ursa came lumbering up to her. She loosed a shot at the Ursa, blowing a sizable hole in its shoulder. She fired again, this time taking off half of the beast's skull. She was about to try and go after the Nevermores before a voice buzzed in her ear, "All teams, fall back to the doors. They are closing in one minute." Ruby cursed, looking up to see her partner approaching her. A beowolf got in between them, but the beast didn't live long enough to regret the decision.
"Ruby, we have to go." Weiss said, sending a wave of ice at an approaching Ursa.
Ruby nodded, then pressed a hand to her ear, "Blake, Yang, meet us at the fountain." She said, and the pair began running back towards the large building behind the battlefield. She caught sight of Yang and Blake off to their right, also running back, away from the blood-stained battlefield. Ruby looked around, seeing very few hunters and huntresses actually retreating with them, We lost so many… She thought, And we have nothing but defeat to show for it. They reached the fountain, meeting up with Yang and Blake.
They didn't say a word, but they saw the doors beginning to close behind them, "Let's go!" Ruby called out, hearing a horde approaching fast on their heels. The four took off, sprinting towards the doors. Ruby spun around, her feet sliding on the cobblestone, and loosed four shots into the pursuing horde of Grimm. She continued to slide, but hit a bump and fell to her back. She watched as her team made it through the doors, and quickly hopped to her feet, continuing to run, I might not make it. She thought. She fired her weapon behind her again, sending her sailing towards the doors. She twisted, barely making it through before the large doors closed behind her.
Her chest heaved with exertion, and she looked towards the massive doors. The horde of monsters behind them smashed into the doors, causing them to buckle slightly, but they held. Ruby stood, putting her weapon away on her back. She lifted her head, seeing the precious few hunters that had made it inside. We'd better hope those doors hold, She thought, I don't think we can stop them if they make it inside. She looked towards the doors again, but they looked solid for the moment.
She looked around. The survivors were now holed up in a fairly large chamber with a number of defensive structures in place. They had at least been prepared for this attack, and a makeshift barricade stood between the doors and the rest of the chamber. She passed through the barricade, nodding to the men and women with weapons trained on the door. The barricade was one layer in a multi-dimensional defense that the staff had set up. Behind the barricade, towards the back of the room, a row of machine-guns were set up in the event that the barricade was broken. They were guarding a much smaller door, behind which was another barricade to protect the entrance to the interior of the building.
She heard someone yelling further back, crying desperately for them to open the doors back up. Ruby frowned for a moment before shaking her head, I hope that isn't who I think it is.
As she walked further back, she saw a number of injured being taken further into the building. Many of them were seriously injured, and unfortunately Ruby knew that they didn't have the facilities to save them. The less serious injuries were being patched up and set back to work, as they simply couldn't afford any more casualties. Their manpower was seriously low, and Ruby doubted they could hold this first chamber if the horde broke through.
She walked over to her team, seeing the grim expressions they all wore. They stood for a moment in silence, all tired from the battle they had just fought. Blake was the first to speak up, "Looks like we're in for a siege." She said, taking a seat on the floor.
Weiss nodded, "The Siege of Beacon, then."
The team again fell silent, contemplating what Weiss had said. It was then that Jaune came over, and they immediately knew something was wrong. Tears fell to the ground as he said, "Ruby…"
Ruby turned to face him, her brow creased in concern, "Jaune! What's wrong?" Her face fell even more as Nora and Ren walked up to them as well, devastated looks on their faces, "Where's Pyrrha?!"
Jaune sniffed, bringing his forearm to his eyes, "Pyrrha….She didn't make it inside." His voice cracked and he fell to his knees, face in his hands, "S-she tossed me through the doors...b-but they closed before she could make it in too." He broke down, his tears staining the floor, "It's my fault! It's all my fault!" He cried, "If I wasn't so weak!" He punched the ground, his nails biting into his palm hard enough to draw blood, "Dammit!"
Ruby just stood there, stunned into silence. She looked at the door, which still beat with the pounding of the Grimm against it. She clenched her fist, and couldn't help but ask herself one question, Is there even any hope for us?