Revised on: June 25, 2018


Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations coexisted in harmony. Together, they stood against the forces of Grimm, creatures of nightmare hailing from another world.

Only the Avatar could master all four elements. Only he could banish the Grimm. But when the world needed him most… he vanished.

Remnant learned to truly fear the Grimm. And just as it seemed like things couldn't get any worse… The Fire Nation attacked.

Fifteen years have passed since chaos descended upon Remnant, but now a new Avatar awakens: my daughter, a young airbender named Ruby. And although her airbending skills are great, she still has a lot to learn before she's able to save anyone.

But I believe that Ruby can save the world.


Book Two: Earth

Chapter Nine: The Rift


"Now, over your head… forward, low… and spread!"

Ruby grunted, thrusting her arms to her sides, and the boulder she was bending parted into two pieces. She closed her hands, struggling to keep the now separate rocks floating.

Earthbending was different from the arts she was already proficient at. Unlike the air, the earth was a physical element, and unlike the water, it had real weight to it. It took bodily effort to earthbend. She now understood just why Pyrrha was so strong and fit.

"Nice work," Pyrrha said, applauding modestly. "However, you are still using more strength than is necessary. Let yourself relax, and the control you need will become second nature."

"Ugh… that's easy for you to say, Miss I earthbended my way out of my crib," Ruby said through gritted teeth. "Sorry. This is just really difficult."

"No offense taken." Pyrrha walked to her. "You're progressing wonderfully, Ruby!"

She patted Ruby on the back, inadvertently causing her to lose focus and drop the rocks, which shattered on impact with the ground. Ruby groaned, collapsing on her back.

"Oops," Pyrrha blinked. "Sorry. If you want to take a break, I'll go fetch us some-"

She stopped talking suddenly, her back straightening and arms tensing. Not speaking a word, Pyrrha turned around gracefully, taking her shield from her back in the same motion and throwing it.

At the edge of their makeshift training grounds, metal collided against metal, and the shield came flying back to Pyrrha. Ruby sat up and turned to look, her eyes widening as she beheld their unexpected visitor.

"You always greet your allies like this?" Qrow asked, hanging his scythe on his shoulder. "Because if you do… good job."

"Qrow!" Ruby jumped to her feet. She looked at Pyrrha, gesturing for her to put down her shield. "He's a friend."

"Oh!" Pyrrha inspected Qrow from head to toe. "I'm so sorry! You caught me off-guard - I almost didn't feel you coming."

"Almost? I must be slacking off." Qrow sighed dramatically. "So you're earthbending now, kiddo? Already done with waterbending?"

"Uh, no, not really. I'm pretty good with waterbending, but there's still a lot I need to learn," Ruby said. "And I've barely started with earthbending…"

"Well, I'd still say you're a force to be reckoned with. I've heard lots of different accounts of the Siege of the North Pole, but all of them included how the Avatar turned away the Fire Nation almost single-handedly." Qrow put down his scythe, leaning against it. "That's good. Very, very good…"

Ruby lowered her head, not knowing what to say. She didn't know Qrow well at all, but she figured he wasn't the type to compliment people easily.

"Anyway. I didn't track you down all the way here just to feed your ego," Qrow said, his voice and face becoming much more serious. "We have a lot to talk about, Avatar."


The lush landscape of the eastern Earth Kingdom was littered by gray, black and red. The first two colors came from the monstrous machines that advanced on steadily, passing over and destroying the vegetation without reserve. The latter came from the banners of the Fire Nation, held high by the scout units at the front of the army.

It was a quiet advance, but that only made it all the more terrifying.

Blake went down on one knee, looking over the edge of the mount they had camped on. Behind her, Yang also watched, equally as taciturn.

"Tell me you know the reason behind all this," Blake said, looking back at Yang.

"I don't." Yang kept her eyes away from her newfound friend, a fact Blake did not fail to notice. "Well, maybe I do."

"Maybe?" Blake repeated. "Is the motive really so complex that even the Fire Lord's daughter can't sure of it?"

"That's not… I think I know why, but I'm hoping I'm wrong," Yang explained quickly. "That's why we're here, anyway. To get some answers."

"Personally, I always preferred getting my answers from books."

Blake didn't speak another word about the matter. She already understood that when Yang set her mind about something, especially something as serious as this, there was no convincing her to change course.

"You know, you can always leave," Yang said. "It's not too late. If you're quick, you might be able to evade the invasion yet…"

"I know. The thought's crossed my mind a couple times." Blake shrugged. "I'm staying."

"…Thanks, Blake."


"Alright, listen up. I know this is sudden and that you weren't expecting me, or anyone for that matter, to drop by and starting ordering you all around…" Qrow said. "But you're gonna listen to me, because it's in your best interest – and by that, I mean the world's best interest."

Ruby nodded eagerly, sitting down in front of him at the center of their camp. Jaune followed her example, looking perfectly serious. Weiss took a while longer to comply, not being fond of anyone talking to her that way. Pyrrha remained standing, but was nonetheless agreeable to the makeshift meeting.

"Everyone's in understanding? Yes? Good." Qrow took a deep breath. "I'm not going to pull my punches, folks. Nobody was expecting the Fire Nation to invade the Earth Kingdom, not to this scale, and certainly not with the Fire Lord herself leading the charge. I pride myself in my work, but even I didn't know until they were here."

"The truth is, I was hoping they would turn tail sooner or later. Just the thought of conquering the Earth Kingdom is taxing. Actually doing it? You'd have to be mad to try." Qrow threw his hands up helplessly. "My sister's always had a way of surprising me, for better or worse."

"The Fire Nation is not going to stop. They are going to keep going, and going, and going, until the last of their troops is defeated. And frankly… things are not going to turn out that way. The Earth Kingdom is not strong enough to hold them off. Vale will fall," he paused. "That's why the Avatar needs to get into the fight right now, before it's too late."

Ruby shuddered, her face becoming pale. She grasped the edge of her cloak and twisted it around her fingers, feeling herself start to shake. Beside her, Jaune drew closer and passed an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you serious? You can't expect…" Weiss started to say, but her voice trailed off. She shook her head, regathering her thoughts. "Ruby is not ready to fight the Fire Nation. She hasn't mastered the four elements yet."

"That's true, but she's a master airbender, a proficient waterbender, and she understands at least the basics of earthbending. If you're keeping note, that's two more elements than the usual bender," Qrow said. "The Avatar's mastering of the four elements is just a tradition, or a guideline. It would be better for Ruby to complete her training, yes, but considering the circumstances…"

"Considering the circumstances, it's okay to throw her at an army half-prepared, because you're desperate," Weiss said, a cold edge to her voice. "You realize you're asking her to go to war?"

"I understand your concerns. Trust me, if there was any other way to go about things, if there was a way to slow down the Fire Nation and give Ruby the time she needs to complete her training, I would fight for that," Qrow said. "But we live in the real world, where we have to make do with what we're given, not what we want."

Weiss stood up, clenching her fists. "You can try to justify this any way you want, but it won't change anything. I see it for what it is."

Qrow huffed, for the first time appearing truly frustrated, but whether it was because of Weiss or himself, Ruby couldn't tell. She looked between the two of them, hoping the argument would end at that, but she knew that was expecting too much.

To her surprise, it wasn't either of them who reignited the discussion, but Jaune. "You know, I see your point, Weiss, and I really wanna agree with you, but…" he spoke hesitantly. "Ruby is super powerful. We've been there since the beginning, we know what she's capable of. In the North Pole…"

"What happened in the North Pole was a fraction of the battle that's going to happen here," Weiss said. "And might I remind you that the only reason Ruby broke the siege was because she accessed the Avatar State? A power we know virtually nothing about?"

"Yeah, well…" Jaune bowed his head. "She always pulls through."

"Until she doesn't." Weiss' eyes narrowed. "Honestly, Jaune. You of all people should be on my side."

"Really? I would think otherwise," Qrow spoke suddenly. "As the only non-bender in your group, Jaune has a unique perspective on things. When he looks at Ruby, I would imagine he sees her for the amazingly powerful Avatar she is… and not a fragile child to be protected."

Weiss whipped around to face him. "Excuse me? What are you trying to imply?"

"Come on. You're a clever girl," Qrow smiled dryly. "You shouldn't need the implication spelled out for you."

Ruby winced, watching as Weiss tensed up, one of the princess' hands – the one closer to the waterskin she kept at her waist – opening and closing repeatedly. Qrow's smile only grew.

"Well, then," he said. "Message received? Are we on the same level, princess?"

"Oh, that's it," Weiss hissed. "Get out, or I'm dragging you out inside of a bubble."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Guys, come on," Jaune butted in. "Let's simmer down and talk like reasonable people, okay?"

"Jaune, the only reasonable action I'm inclined to take right now is to toss you into that lake."

"Now that's just unfair."

"According to Qrow over here, the world is unfair, so tough luck."

"Princess, you are as delicate as your sister, and about twice as insufferable."

Ruby leaned forward, feeling the beginnings of a headache. She wanted nothing more than to shout at everyone to stop talking, but it seemed like she had lost her voice all of a sudden. And even if she could get them to listen, what would she say? Which side was she supposed to take?

She looked up, immediately crossing eyes with Pyrrha. Ruby didn't say a word, but after a few seconds, Pyrrha seemed to be in complete understanding of what she was going through. Without a moment's hesitation, the earthbender stomped on the ground with one foot, causing a small rumble.

"That's enough, everyone," she said, her voice perfectly even. "I think if anyone deserves a chance to speak right now, that person is Ruby. Can we agree on that, at least?"

Silence reigned. Jaune took his arm off of Ruby's shoulders and looked away, ashamed. Qrow slumped backwards, losing his smile. After a moment, Weiss sat back down.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. We were all out of line," Weiss muttered. "Speak."

Ruby took a deep breath, barely able to stay still. She knew this feeling of anxiousness well. It was a constant factor every time she fought the Grimm and the Fire Nation. But without a battle raging around her, the feeling was much worse. There was a finality to this moment. Whatever she said next, she could never take back.

"I… I'm going to be honest right now. This whole thing sounds scary, and I'm not sure I understand everything you guys are arguing about, but…" She paused, giving Weiss a quick, nervous glance. "The one thing that I'm sure of is that I want to help people. I want to be the Avatar everyone needs me to be. And if that means fighting the Fire Nation before I'm fully prepared… that's what I'll do."

"Ruby..." Weiss said hesitantly. "If that's what you want, then I'll support you. But you shouldn't feel pressured to make this decision. You might be the Avatar, but that doesn't mean you have to put yourself in such danger every time."

"I think it does mean that, actually," Ruby said. "Better me than anyone else, right?"

Weiss frowned, as if she didn't know what to make of that statement.

"Well, then, if that's settled," Qrow said, getting up and stretching a little. "We should get going."

"Going where?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"We're going to meet with the Earth army, loathe as I am to say it," Qrow huffed. "You guys ever heard of the Rift?"


The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the cave, echoing again and again in regularly-timed periods. The back of the cave was cold and moist, but as it got closer to the entrance, the temperature rose steeply. The smell of diluted metal permeated the air.

Emerald sat up and rubbed her eyes in frustration, wishing she could do as Mercury and just sleep. Despite the noise and the place they were in, he seemed to have no problem spending half the day asleep, sprawled on the ground and snoring.

On the other hand, Emerald, a self-declared sane person, couldn't keep her eyes closed for more than a couple of minutes. It wasn't that she could only sleep in fluffy beds with four walls and a roof around her – she had had to settle for the worst more often than not in her life – but that something was bothering her deeply, some feeling she couldn't put to words, and it was keeping her awake. It could be fear, but what could she be afraid of, in the company she was in?

Realizing that trying to sleep once again would only get her in a worse mood, Emerald got up and walked to the front of the cave. Cinder was sat there, empty quiver to the side and two piles of arrows before her – the sharp ones, and the ones yet to be sharpened. Emerald couldn't tell which was which.

"Emerald," Cinder said, not even looking at her. She turned the arrow in her hand and dragged the blade of her knife along its head. "Am I bothering you with the noise?"

"No," Emerald replied in reflex. "Not at all."

"Emerald, Emerald. How can you expect me to trust you when you lie about something so trivial?" Cinder smirked. "Just ask me kindly, and I'll stop."

Emerald bit her lip, afraid this was some kind of test. She wouldn't put it past Cinder to question her ability to stand up for herself, only to punish her for doing so. But she could also very well punish her for not standing up.

Not for the first time, and surely not the last, Emerald regretted not having the guts to refuse to help Cinder back at Atlas. It would have saved her so much grief…

"Could you… leave that for later, then?" Emerald asked, bracing herself for the answer.

"Of course." Cinder put down the arrow and finally looked up at her. For a moment, Emerald could swear she saw some playfulness in her eyes. "You thought this was a test, didn't you?"

"N-no!"

Cinder sighed. "What did I just tell you about lying?" She shook her head. "Don't worry. I was just teasing you, believe it or not. Now, sit down and ask me about that thing that's been irking you all day."

Emerald really should not have been surprised by that statement. Cinder was disturbingly perceptive about everything and everyone around her, which Emerald supposed was why she was so good at her job.

Still a bit apprehensive, but trying not to show it – which she knew was a futile effort - Emerald sat down beside Cinder. "I didn't realize I had something to ask."

"Yes, well, you are so afraid I'll summon a Grimm and have it eat you in your sleep, you can't even think straight anymore," Cinder said. "You are wondering what we are waiting for in this disgusting cave. Correct?"

"I guess." Emerald frowned. "What are we waiting for, Cinder?"

"War," the huntress replied simply. "But why?, you think. Shouldn't we be hunting the Avatar? We are. You see, the problem that old Roman Torchwick had, besides being an utter fool of a man, is that he had no patience. He chased the Avatar like they were kids on a playground, always trailing behind her, trying to grab her by the cape." She clucked her tongue. "No subtlety. Not only did he tire himself out, he let her know all his flaws and competences ahead of time."

"Isn't that what you did with the princess, though?" Emerald asked.

Cinder fixed her with a glare. "And I paid dearly for that mistake. But I am not Roman Torchwick. He was arrogant. Granted, I would not call myself humble… but I have the power to back it up." She paused. "My point is, why chase after someone when you know exactly where they are going?"

"Ah. I see," Emerald nodded. "And where is the Avatar going?"

Cinder snapped her fingers, conjuring a tiny flame between them, and grabbed an arrow. She set the fire below its head, slowly tempering the iron.

"Pay attention, Emerald," Cinder said. "She's going to war."


Guided by Qrow, the group traveled for two days, headed northwest, for a few hours seeing Atlas in the horizon before it once again faded in the distance. By noon of the third day, the Rift Qrow had mentioned showed up before their eyes as they reached the top of a hill.

From a point they couldn't yet locate, the earth split and widened into a chasm the size of a small city. It originated somewhere west, went east, then took a steep turn north and disappeared from sight. At no point did the chasm become any narrower. The only way to travel from one side to the other were stone bridges scattered throughout its length.

"It's said that long ago existed two neighboring cities which, in their prime, were the richest and most powerful in the Earth Kingdom," Qrow told the group. "For centuries they coexisted peacefully. When they worked together, the most wonderful of inventions were created. Once every year, they'd throw a festival celebrating their friendship, and people from all around the world would come."

"But that all ended when they went to war against each other. Nobody truly knows why, but they fought, and the Earth Kingdom was split between those who supported one city, or the other. It was the biggest civil war in known History."

"The Avatar of that age tried to mend the conflict between the two cities, but she was met with no success. Every year, the war got worse. Realizing that neither people were even considering giving up, the Avatar finally decided to take ultimate action."

"Using all the power she had in her, the Avatar split the ground between the two cities, ending the war. The peoples of the city couldn't as much as see each other anymore. It was then that they realized how foolish they had been to fight their own neighbors, but it was too late. No amount of regret could ever close the rift they had opened."

A sense of dread overwhelmed Ruby as she contemplated Qrow's story.

"But… look! They made bridges!" she said. "There's that, at least."

"There is." Qrow shrugged. "But all bridges burn eventually."

He gave her a sad smile and kept walking.


They crossed the Rift using one of the stone bridges, which was a scary experience for everyone, even Ruby, who with her airbending could have certainly recovered from an unfortunate fall. It was during that moment that they realized just how big the Rift was, and they weren't even at its widest point.

After two more days of travel, they arrived at their destination, a small town which had been turned into an impromptu Earth army camp after its locals were evacuated. There were hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers there, and double the number of weapons lying around.

The town was not distant at all from the Rift. They could see soldiers standing guard at either side of it, and civilians coming in masses through the bridges. Seeing how hurried and scared they were, Ruby was now certain she had made the right choice.

Qrow took them directly to the main tent, where they found a familiar man with graying hair and frightening stature, wearing a traditional army uniform, standing behind a strategy table. Ruby wondered who he was for a while, until she remembered his name: James Ironwood, the General who had helped her in Atlas when Yang had tried to capture her for the fifteenth time.

Huh. Times certainly had changed…

The general looked up, his face puzzled. "Hello. How can I-" He cut himself short. "Qrow!" he exclaimed, becoming visibly angry. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"I walked?" Qrow snorted. "I'm here to make a delivery."

He shoved Ruby forward lightly. The Avatar stumbled a little, then threw him a mild glare over her shoulder.

"The Avatar? A delivery?" Ironwood said in disbelief. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I thought she would be a great help to your plans and took it upon myself to recruit her," Qrow explained. "You can thank me later."

"My plans? I never told you my plans."

Qrow tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Ironwood sighed, seemingly accepting defeat.

"I suppose it would be useless to order you to leave," he said.

"Yep." Qrow grinned. "I'm here whether you like it or not, General."

"Wait, I thought you were allies with the Earth army?" Weiss piped up.

"Did I give that impression? Sorry, but I'm an ally of good - thank you very much." Qrow made a little flourish, much to Ironwood's chagrin.

The General rubbed his temple for a moment, then looked at Ruby. She gave him a big smile, which he replied to with a nod.

"Avatar Ruby. It's an honor to see you again," he said. "I take it you are here of your own accord?"

"Yep. We all made sure of that before we got here!" Ruby replied.

"I suppose I have no qualm with accepting your help, then," Ironwood said. "I must admit I hadn't considered it before, but you might indeed be exactly what we need to pull this off…"

He tapped his hand on the table before him, drawing everyone's attention to a map which portrayed the area between Atlas and Vale. The Rift was a major eye-catcher, spanning from the upper west of Atlas, almost reaching the south of Vale.

"The Fire Nation army is approaching fast from the east, as I'm sure you know," Ironwood said. "Our scouts calculate that, at their current pace, they will reach the Rift in three days' time. However, they are likely to pick up more speed when they reach plainer terrain, so we are considering their arrival to be in two days."

"And when they get here, what's the plan?" Weiss asked. "I imagine they would not try crossing the Rift. That would be suicide. We could just collapse the bridges with them on it."

"Yes. They will turn at the Rift, most likely south. From there, it's a shorter march to the capital," Ironwood said. "Our response will be to accompany their advance from our side of the Rift and wither them down, collapsing the bridges behind us as we leave them, so as to keep them from crossing and attacking us from the back."

"That's brilliant!" Jaune exclaimed. "By the time they get to the end of the Rift, they'll be much weaker. We'll be able to fight on better terms!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. The Fire Nation army is larger than ours, and its soldiers are just as powerful," Ironwood interjected. "But, yes, without this tactic, we might as well hand over the kingdom to them."

"Where do I come in?" Ruby asked.

"Our army will be separated in two groups. The vast majority of our soldiers will stay on this side, preparing for the actual battle and helping as they can," Ironwood said. "The remaining soldiers will be arranged in small groups at the other side, stationed at the feet of each bridge, where they'll do the most damage. They'll also be responsible for collapsing them when the time comes."

A heavy silence followed as Ruby and her friends went over his words again and again. Qrow crossed his arms and shook his head, like someone who had heard something they didn't like, but knew they couldn't argue with it.

"But that means…" Ruby said. "That means they won't be able to come back. They'll likely be captured, or…"

"Yes. That is the price we'll have to pay for a chance at victory." Ironwood bowed his head solemnly. "You are the Avatar. You may choose your place on the battlefield as you like."

Ruby looked at her friends. Their dismayed expressions were almost funny. They already knew her answer far in advance.


"I still say, of all of your stupid, bonehead ideas, this one is easily the worst."

Ruby sighed, poking the campfire once more with her staff to get the embers going faster. She tried to ignore Weiss' scathing look from the other side of the fire, but it was impossible.

"I agree," Jaune said, after swallowing a big piece of leopard-buffalo meat.

"Thank you!" Weiss clapped her hands. "See, when even Jaune says that you are being dumb, you have to reconsider things."

"I know, right?" Jaune picked up another piece of meat with his fork and almost brought it to his mouth, stopping just short of it. "Wait, what?"

"You are the Avatar!" Weiss insisted. "It's not just your personal safety, Ruby – which already is reason enough not to go through with it - the fate of the Earth Kingdom and the whole world is at stake here!"

"Hmm, yes, steak." Jaune promptly forgot how he had been slighted and bit into the meat.

"Please reconsider," Weiss begged. "I'll give you as many hugs as you want for the rest of our days."

The offer was tempting, but Ruby remained steadfast in her decision. Weiss looked at Pyrrha for help, but she just shrugged. If Ruby's oldest friends couldn't change her mind, she would have no chance either.

"You could at least let us go with you," Weiss said, and this time the tone of her voice really got to Ruby.

"No," Ruby replied quietly. "You are also important. You need to go to Vale and arrange the alliance between the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe. If the war is to end, we're gonna need that."

Ruby did not mention that was the least of her reasons for rejecting Weiss' help. Supporting her decisions with her emotions would only make her a hypocrite.

"What about me?" Jaune spoke up. "I'm not a princess. I don't need to arrange any alliances."

"Yeah, but I need you to protect Weiss," Ruby said.

"Excuse me, I'm not some defenseless dolt to be-" Weiss paused, looking at Jaune. "…Yes, if I'm not going, you should stay with me."

"You know, this is very insulting and very heartwarming at the same time," Jaune stated. "I guess that's all of my relationships in a nutshell. I still want to come with Ruby, though."

"Monkey-feathers." Ruby groaned. "Why can't you guys be more like Pyrrha and agree with everything I say? Right, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah. Pyrrha's awesome, see?" Ruby smiled.

"She's barely been with us and she's already usurped me as the favorite." Weiss huffed.

Jaune looked at her dubiously. "I thought I was the favorite?"

"As if!" Weiss scoffed. "Ruby, tell Jaune I'm your favorite. Or used to be, anyway." She fixed Pyrrha with a glare.

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha offered reluctantly.

Ruby shook her head and walked away, leaving them to their discussion.

She wandered through the camp for a while, observing the soldiers from afar. It was strange to think that these people who were now laughing and joking with each other would soon be fighting a battle for their kingdom. Some of them recognized her as the Avatar and cheered. Ruby waved at them shyly and kept on her way.

Eventually, she found herself at the edge of the Rift, looking down at the darkness of it. She picked up a rock and dropped it, but couldn't hear anything, nor feel any tremors even after a whole minute had passed. Just how deep had her predecessor split the earth? And who had she been? She decided to consult Ozpin later and ask him if he remembered.

She looked at the horizon and spotted the flames of the Fire Nation, far, far away, bright in the night. Were they resting? Were they joking and laughing too? What about the Fire Lord?

She felt an arm snake around her shoulders and a hand pass through her hair, ruffling it up a bit.

"Hey, kiddo," Qrow said. "You scared?"

Ruby had lied to her friends, said that she wasn't too worried about the mission, that whatever side of the Rift she was during the battle didn't matter. She had had to do that, or they would have tied her down in a chair to keep her from going, or something like that.

But Qrow wasn't her friend. Well, he was, but in a different way. He belonged to a part of her life which she had been out of touch with for far too long. Besides, even if she lied, he wouldn't believe her.

"I'm really, really scared…"

"Well, you're right to be. War is a scary thing. I'm scared," Qrow said. "All the violence and loss… It's such an unnecessary thing." His eyes narrowed as they scanned the horizon. "Damn my sister for forcing it on us."

"That's… not all I'm scared about," Ruby looked away. "I'm scared of letting everyone down. The whole world is counting on me."

"That's true. You have a lot of responsibility resting on your shoulders, and you have to try and fulfill it with all you got. I can't sugarcoat that." Qrow patted her on the shoulder. "But take it from me, the cynical old man who betrayed his own country and family…" He smiled. "I believe in you."

Ruby hugged him, squeezing him around the stomach so hard he gasped and bent down to catch his breath. She squeaked and jumped away, covering her mouth with her hands.

"I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I don't know my own strength!"

Qrow stood up with some effort. "Eh, you're actually pretty weak," he said. "But you took me by surprise."

"Hey, I'm not weak! I'm the Avatar!" Ruby flexed her muscles. Qrow just stared impassively. "Yeah, being the Avatar doesn't come with muscles..."

Qrow smiled, his eyes twinkling with some emotion Ruby had not yet seen from him. Ruby joined her hands behind her back and bowed her head, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Hey… uh, Qrow," she said in a small voice. "Did you know you're my… uncle… kind of?"

"Hmm?" Qrow did a double take. "Oh, yeah, I guess I am!"

Ruby jumped and smacking him in the shoulder. "What do you mean you guess?! You're a spy, you know everything!"

"Well, I didn't have to be a spy to know about that."

Ruby grumbled under her breath. So this kind of thing was why General Ironwood didn't like Qrow? Yeah, she could kinda see where he was coming from now.

"How did you find out?" he asked. "Did Taiyang tell you?"

"No, my spirt was in turmoil because Avatar Ozpin knew, but I didn't know, which was really confusing and caused me an actual headache. So we went through some memories of his and through that I realized who my father was, and also that Yang is my sister."

Qrow blinked a few times, then crossed his arms. "Huh. That really puts my spy work to shame."

"Never mind that!" Ruby threw her arms up. "Where are they? Yang and her – my dad? I wanna talk to them."

"They're around." Qrow shrugged. "Yang's doing her thing, and Taiyang's dealing with it. I'm sure you'll find them sometime."

Ruby nodded. She was sure Qrow knew more, but she didn't want to bother him with these questions.

"This was a nice chat, kiddo, but I gotta go rest up," he said. "We can talk more about this tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ruby repeated, thinking he had made a mistake.

"Yeah. I'll be right beside you the whole way." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "What, you think I'm an irresponsible uncle or something?"


"Do you hear that?" Blake asked, hanging her sheathed sword around her torso. "I think this is it."

Yang stepped past with her eyes close, focusing on the sounds around her. It started low, but gradually grew louder and louder, until it was impossible to ignore.

War drums.

"Yeah, today's the day," Yang said. "You still with me?"

"As long as you make sure I don't end up fried by the end of the day." Blake nodded. "Let's go find the Fire Lord."


Mercury was woken very rudely by a kick to the stomach. He doubled on the ground and looked up, preparing to curse out at whoever had dared do that do him – which, of course, was Emerald.

"Get up, you lazy slug," she said. "We're going right now."

The news made him forget the pain. He almost thanked Emerald. Almost.

"Finally?" He jumped to his feet. "It's about time."

"I wouldn't complain so loudly if I were you," Emerald warned.

"Oh, let him be, Emerald," Cinder's voice came from outside the cave. "Even I was getting bored of waiting."

She strut back inside, having ditched her 'borrowed' Earth Kingdom dress. She now wore a brown vest with a short undershirt beneath it, skintight grey pants and a pair of combat boots. Her eyes seemed to glow in the relative darkness of the cave.

"I like the look!" Mercury said, giving her two thumbs-up.

"Of course you do." Cinder smirked. "Now, my friends… Are you ready to make history?"


Ruby closed her eyes. She didn't need her sight to know the Fire Nation army was approaching. She was still a novice in sensing through the earth, but right now, she felt like she was in a never-ending earthquake.

She had left early in the morning, before the others had woken up. She knew saying goodbye to them would only end in them either following her despite her wishes, or finally convincing her to stay. As much as it hurt her, leaving in the sly had been the best choice.

General Ironwood directed her to the fifth bridge going south, which would be one of the first to get to engage the Fire Nation, if everything went as planned. There were a dozen earthbenders alongside her. They had built some fortification over the past weeks, which would help them immensely in the coming fight.

Qrow arrived a little later, carrying his scythe on his shoulder. "Heya, kiddo," he said. "Ready to show them who's boss?"

"You can bet on it!" Ruby exclaimed.

"That's good," another person said beside her. "So am I."

Ruby turned to look and almost threw herself at the Rift when she saw Pyrrha, grinning guiltily

"But you…" Ruby rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "Pyrrha, you can't be here! We talked about this!"

"Did we?" Pyrrha tapped her fingers on her chin. "I can't seem to remember agreeing to anything…"

"Come on, Pyrrha, this is serious." Ruby frowned. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Ruby, the Earth Kingdom is my homeland. I'm not going to run away when it needs me most," Pyrrha said. "But, if you want me to go… move me. Consider it a test. If you pass, I'll go. If you don't, you're stuck with me."

She spread her arms out. Ruby eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then shoved her with all her might. Pyrrha didn't budge an inch.

"This is very unfair," Ruby muttered.

"The solution was to move the earth beneath me," Pyrrha said. "See? You still need me."

"Hah!" Qrow chortled. "I like her style."

Ruby groaned. "Pyrrha, I want you to know that Weiss was wrong about you being my favorite."

Pyrrha shrugged. Upsetting Ruby was a small price to pay if it meant protecting her and the people of the Earth Kingdom.

The group waited in silence, even as the Fire Nation grew closer and closer, the details on their banners and their soldiers' armors becoming noticeably. Through the hills and the plains, they swarmed in like ants, followed by gray rolling machines that spewed smoke and fire.

Thirty minutes to the clash. Fifteen. Ten. Five. Soon, the exchange of fire and earth would begin, and later, iron would ring against iron.

Or not. The war drums stopped at the same time the Fire army did. Silence reigned in the battlefield as the two sides stared at each other.

"Why have they stopped?" Ruby whispered. "Qrow? …Uncle?"

She pulled on his hand, but he didn't reply. Ruby realized something was very wrong when she saw the absolute confusion in his always-confident gaze.

And suddenly, the earth shook. If before she had felt she had been in an earthquake, now it was like the world itself was breaking to pieces. Pyrrha gasped, sensing something Ruby hadn't yet. The earth shook again and again and again, each tremor worse than the last. And then she saw it.

A Grimm unlike any she had seen before, a gigantic turtle-like creature marching through the ranks of the Fire Nation, forcing the soldiers to dodge its house-sized feet. Its torso was protected by a shell which was round at the bottom, and perfectly flat at the top. It reared out its head, roared, and continued forward. Its stomps shook Ruby to her core. When it got close, it blotted out the sun, casting a shadow over them.

It stopped, then slowly lowered itself, its limbs bending under its weight, shell almost touching the ground…

"Oooh, crap…" Qrow said.

The Grimm jumped forward, shattering the earth where it had launched from. Ruby screamed, at first in horror when she thought it would land at the other side of the Rift and wreak havoc, then in relief when she realized it wouldn't make the distance and fall straight into the abyss.

But it didn't. Its length was just enough so that it would fall the first meters from the top of the Rift, then stop, stretching itself between the two sides. Its shell ended up just above ground level.

And just like that, in an area equivalent to fifty bridges combined, the Rift was closed. The war drums started again, and the Fire Nation sprinted forward.


SURPRISE GIANT TURTLE GRIMM! SHOULDA ACCOUNTED FOR THAT, JAMES!

Fun fact: the original plan for the Grimm to be a Goliath, but I really couldn't figure out how to make the Fire Nation's plan to work with a giant elephant. I'm glad I changed that to a giant turtle. Taking a mythical beast from the Avatar lore and turning it into a Grimm was a concept I really, really liked.

I don't have much more to say, which is a little odd with how big the chapter was. The next one, of course, will be the continuation, depicting the battle between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, some heartwarming family reunion, and Cinder being a total sweetheart to Ruby. (at least one of those is true)

Hope you guys enjoyed the read! See you next chapter!

-Zeroan