Chapter 25
The Emerald Ruins (3)

"So... what do I need to do?" Blake couldn't help but be cautious. Sure, she had volunteered for... whatever Hall was going to do, but it doesn't change the fact that he was tampering with Aura. This was something that no one did, and she honestly had no idea what to expect. As well as safety concerns, there were also the ethical concerns to consider, but the way the Hall monitor waved it off suppressed some of Blake's worries.

"Nothing, really. Just hold still."

The faunus girl nodded, keeping one eye on the man, trying to follow along with whatever it was he was planning on doing. She wasn't the most adept at reading Aura, and though her senses give her an advantage when compared with the average person, Blake still had no idea what to look out for. Would it feel any different from normal aura depletion? Or would she be subjected to the same chilling sensation she felt back when she heard the mysterious man speak for the first time?

Her amber eyes fell on the young man, and for the first time, she had a proper look at the Hall monitor. He had an odd combination of pale green hair and red eyes, which was unusual to say the least. Wrapped around his neck was a fox pelt scarf, that seemed to flutter independently of the wind. Sorta like the sleeves on his cloth bracers, defying gravity the same way her ribbon did. It was distracting how the fabric twisted in the air, as if following some complicated dance that-

"And we're done."

"...What?" Apparently, she felt nothing. That, or she missed the sensation entirely, having been completely distracted by Hall's outfit. Honestly, Blake didn't feel any different, nor did her scroll indicate any change in aura levels. In fact, the only difference between now and a few moments ago was a sensation of fatigue, similar to the nights where she eschewed sleep for reading. "Are you sure you did it correctly?"

"Yep."

For some reason, the Hall monitor was convinced of this, and as much as Blake would've like to argue otherwise, she had no chance to voice her concerns. A loud scraping noise drew the group's attention, and the girl in black quickly turned to the source, watching as the Ancient Deathstalker's stinger drove into the Bloody Knight's shield. The same shield that withstood Ruby's enchanted shot with a single scratch now had a gaping hole torn into it, and the massive knight staggered for just a moment.

That moment was all the Deathstalker needed, wrenching the shield from the armour's grip with both of its claws, throwing it aside as the massive plate sailed through the air, finally landing on an Ursa major. The Deathstalker cared little for the friendly fire, its eyes never leaving the Bloody Knight, even as the animate armour changed its stance, gripping its massive blade with both hands. Neither opponent felt fear or distress, and waited for the other to make a move.

The first to move was Hall, drawing more dust from his bag, pouring his newly acquired spiritual power into the catalyst as he invoked his spell. The Bloody Knight was the next to move, feeling elemental wind wrap around its blade. Rather than question it, the armour acted with it in mind, driving its sword forward, cutting through the air with a howl as it slashed at the Deathstalker's tail. The chitin of its tail broke, revealing the black carapace underneath, drawing out an angered cry from the scorpion beast.

With surprising speed, the Deathstalker pedaled backwards, withdrawing before the Bloody Knight could complete another swing, returning to the sea of grimm. Beowolves and Boarbatusks charged forward in a concerted stampede, each monster hungry for violence. This rush didn't deter the animate armours, as another commanding howl roared from the Bloody Knight. The first line of Raydrics advanced, moving in formation as they met the rampaging grimm. Within moments, the ancient ruins had turned into a bloodless melee.

"You okay, Blake?" Ruby Rose turned her attention away from the battle, quickly running over to her teammate. The rest of Team RWBY followed, worried about the girl's condition. While she seemed okay, it was better to err on the safe side, especially when dealing with unknown aura-manipulation from another world.

"Yeah... I'm just feeling a bit tired."

"Do you have any idea what he did?" Weiss pulled out her Scroll, scanning Blake's aura levels with a frown. Weiss had been watching the entire exchange, and besides seeing the Hall monitor's clothes flap about, she couldn't detect anything. This was in spite of the fact that the heiress had studied far longer than her peers; surely she would've noticed something. And yet, the lady in white had no answers either.

"Hey, Hall! What exactly did you do to Blake?" Ruby turned to the Scholar, curiosity in her voice as she approached him. She was a bit surprised to see the man sitting down, pulling out some cookies from his bag as though they were on a picnic. Just as surprising was that he was eating them with the same careless abandon she would've had if, you know, they weren't in the middle of a fight. "... And why are you eating cookies right now?"

"I borrowed a bit of her Aura." He shrugged, not really answering the question as he watched the battle fight. The man was taking his time consuming this particular cookie, savouring it as he tried to catch his metaphorical breath. "And cookies are good for you. Helps recouperate Spiritual Power faster. Also, they're tasty."

"What's spiritual pow-"

"Ruby, now is really not the time." Yang interrupted her sister before they could turn this little break into a question and answer session. The blonde stood herself right in between Ruby and the Scholar, cutting off any potential for more conversation. Instead, she turned to Hall, half wondering why he had decided to just take a seat. "We need to help those metal guys out. Now c'mon, Sparkles, let's go."

"... Sparkles?"

"Hey, you keep bringing up magic, you're getting the sparkles that comes with it." Yang waved her hand dismissively, before grabbing the guy, pulling him back up onto his feet. "Besides, according to our scrolls, your Aura level's fine. That means you're good for some more fight, right?" She pumped her fist, cocking Ember Celica in one smooth motion as she smirked at the Scholar.

"What are you talking about? The aura display just tracks Health. I'm a mage, and need Spiritual Power to fight." He mimed Yang's dismissive hand wave, sitting back down as he turned his attention to the battle once more. Of course, his explanation didn't actually explain anything, so Hall rephrased his statements. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back to tossing icicles. Or fireballs, if you want."

"We don't have a few minutes." Weiss caught up with the conversation this time, giving the man a stern look. "The sooner we finish this battle, the sooner you can get to your investigation, or whatever you were supposed to be doing out here."

"Well, since you don't approve of plan C, plan B is to let me borrow some more Spiritual Power." Technically, the Scholar could just drain some aura from the local environment, but nearly all the animals had retreated from the surrounding area, and trees simply didn't have the same amount of Spiritual Power that living beings had. Though... He could drain some from the Raydrics. Either they're friendly and he could just ask, or they're still hostile and he could take advantage of their distraction to siphon some anyways. Nodding to himself, Hall came to a conclusion on his own, hopping back up to his feet as he made his way to one of the Raydric archers.

"... Did he always do that?" The heiress's voice was tired as she turned back to her team, exasperation with an undertone of annoyance. "Just drop the conversation at his leisure?"

The rest of the girls could only shrug.

Ozpin had questions.

Of course, people could understand that, since he had just witnessed a complete defiance of expectations when the animate armours decided to stop attacking the students. But, his questions extended beyond living metal from another world; Just what did Hall do to think he could absorb Aura? If the Scroll displays said that Aura levels were unchanged, what had he absorbed instead? Why was he approaching one of those animated armours?

... And why was it trying to shoot him?

"Oh dear. That's not good." It seems that their ceasefire attempt had failed before it could even start, and the armours were simply ignoring them in favour of the larger threat. The headmaster quickly turned his attention to his colleagues, who were still en-route to the Ruins via Bullhead. "Glynda, please advise the pilot to be covert in his entry. Our 'friends' are still hostile, so we should avoid making ourselves a bigger target than the grimm."

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Ozpin." Glynda's expression was solemn as she tilted her Scroll, pointing it out of the Bullhead. Out in the distance, the headmaster could clearly see a large, black bird, flying over the mountains, making its way to the Ruins. "It would be more prudent for us to hurry up and assist the students."

"... I can see your point. In that case, do whatever needs to be done. Just be sure to neutralize any large grimm you see on the way there." The Headmaster didn't really need to say that, as he could see Bartholomew and Peter in the background, firing their weapons into the forests below. "And try not to fire on the... armours in the Ruins. They're hostile, but currently occupied with the grimm. Only retaliate if they attack first."

"I'll inform Bart and Peter. How are the students faring?" The female teacher had a tinge of worry in her voice, the only crack in her armour as she kept her composure. "Will they need medical assistance?"

"They're okay for now." He turned his attention back to the Ruin's feed, giving Glynda a play-by-play update. Of course, she had access to the same feeds, but she was currently focused on attacking from the Bullhead. And it's not like Ozpin was doing anything useful. "They're still situated on the hill southwest of the Ruins. The girls have taken a defensive posture, and are currently bombarding the grimm coming in from the east. Our very own hall monitor attempted to parley with one of the armours, but was unsuccessful.

"He managed to escape before conflict escalated, however, and the armours have mostly lost interest in their pursuit. A manageable group is still chasing him, but the rest have chosen to bolster the eastern side, with archers firing from within the ruins." There were a few other details, such as the odd skirmish in the woods, but Ozpin had relayed all the relevant tactical data he could see to Glynda. Well, except for the large knight armour, but that was currently... "Oh. And the largest of the armours is currently engaging with your Deathstalker."

"You mean your Deathstalker. You're the one who wanted to bring over, remember?"

"Let's not assign blame, Glynda. We both have more important things to worry about at the moment." Ozpin's face was expressionless as he took another sip from his mug.

"I'm sure... Is there anything else you neglected to mention?"

"No, that's about it." The headmaster gave one final nod, before turning his attention to the Ruins once again. Maybe he should mention the numbers, but... hundreds of grimm and Raydrics wouldn't be a problem, right?

"Hey sis... I don't think they're accepting our gesture of goodwill." Yang was the first to notice the Raydric squad chasing after Hall. It had been a small detachment, only two swordsmen and an archer, but it was more than enough to make the living armours' intentions clear. "We should really think about this."

"What? B-but why? Don't we want the same thing?" Ruby was torn. She had just assumed they all wanted to fight grimm, so there wasn't any reason from them to fight each other, right? After all, it seemed like the big guy was appreciative of their involvement. Why weren't the other armours? She just had to know, and without another word, she poofed in a puff of rose petals.

Understandably, her team was confused for a moment. However, worry replaced that emotion the moment Yang spotted her little sister approaching the Raydric squad.

Hall had the same worry the moment he saw Ruby appear, signaled by an explosion of petals. He stopped for just a moment as he gave the girl a stare. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"We have to try and talk with them, Hall!"

"I tried. They weren't happy with me the moment I approached them." There was a sigh as Hall stopped running, turning around to face the three Raydrics. He would've continued running, but the Scholar could clearly see that Ruby was not backing down. Instead, he burned some dust, casting a Safety Wall on himself and Ruby. They recognised this motion, immediately taking their own stances as the archer drew its bow.

"W-wait! We don't have to fight!" Ruby's voice was frantic as she waved her arms in protest, trying to get the armours to stop their attacks. "L-look! We're not attacking you guys, so you don't have to either! I mean, aren't we both trying to fend against the grimm?" As if to accentuate her point, Ruby made an exaggerated motion towards the eastern mountain, which now had Ursa Majors added into the waves.

Waitwhat.

"We really don't have time to fight!" The girl was all but pleading now, employing every single tactic she knew, from her diminutive stance to her signature puppy-dog eyes. The Raydric archer held its fire, leaving the bow fixed on the Scholar as its helmet turned to the girl. After a few moments of silence, it finally spoke up, the voice eerily monotone as it echoed through metal.

"Give us the puppet, and we'll leave you alone."