START OF CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Three weeks later, on the Dragon Continent...
Gilgamesh looked off into the distance, ash flowing down like snow as the moon hung overhead. He ran his gloved fingers over the makeshift ramparts' railing, eyes trained on the horizon. He could feel the Dark massing from all around them. Salem was getting nervous if this many forces were being rallied against them. He turned around, looking at his troops. They had been fighting hard for the past three weeks, and now victory was almost at hand. Gilgamesh, Katie, and the rest of his ragtag army of broken revenge-seekers had carved a bloody swath through the Dragon Continent, headed deep for it's heart, where Salem and her forces waited for the moment to strike. The resistance had been overwhelming, but that was what Exterminators were made to deal with. As a result, they had only lost two of the three hundred men that he had taken with him on this crusade. Salem would have to come up with something much worse than a few hundred Beowulves to kill them off.
"Bru?" Gilgamesh looked to his left, Katie leaning against the railing.
"Yes, love?"
"You think we can win this?"
"I'm not concerned about a few unwilling Creatures of Grimm."
"I'm talking about Salem."
"Then in that case, I don't know. I'd like to say yes, but that's how you end up with all your men dead and lying in a pool of your own blood." He replied, Katie nodding her head.
"Well, whatever happens, I'll be with you till the end." She said, gripping his hand tightly.
"I know," Gilgi smiled, before frowning as he felt Dark massing around their encampment. "Men, prepare for battle!"
He could feel Grimm converging on their location, and they'd be here soon. His men readied their weapons, the sounds of blades being sharpened and drawn filling the air. Rising over it were the sounds of howls and roars, Grimm cresting over the snowy hills and crashing down on their encampment. A thousand in total rushed them, and as soon as the Grimm broke through the first of the defenses they were met with hails of dust-infused graphene rounds, punching holes the size of dinner-plates in their ranks. Hundreds of Grimm fell as the Exterminators raked their weapons across the battlefield, stopping momentarily to focus on bigger threats like Belluas and Goliaths. After a good fifteen minutes of fighting and ten casualties, the Grimm retreated while the Exterminators licked their wounds.
"Good job men, we've driven them back!" Katie cheered, raising her slab of iron into the air, ignoring the Dark dripping from its blade. The men cheered with her, but beside her Gilgamesh frowned. Grimm never retreated, not without good reason. And while they had given them a hearty pounding, the Grimm would simply regenerate faster than they could kill them up here. He peered at the mountains around them before his eyes widened. Red lights were flashing at the tops. He knew that type of tech; detonators, which meant explosives. Someone had placed them while the fighting had gone on. And whoever had placed them certainly wasn't on their side.
"Katie! Vasques! Follow me! We need to get out of this valley. There are bombs placed on the tops of those mountains. We need to go, now-"
Explosions lined the tops of the mountains, snow falling down in tons. Gilgi and Katie, along with the rest of the men, scrambled out of the valley as shards of ice and snow rained down upon the valley, shattering encampments and men alike. The shards kicked up clouds of snow, obscuring the vision of the rest of the Exterminators. The mad dash that followed led them through hordes of Grimm and right up to Salem's doorstep, the group stopping to catch their breath. What remained of the group was Katie, Gilgamesh, Vasques, and three others, the rest having been reduced to bloody chunks by the ice or Grimm.
"Katie, Vasques, who's left?" Gilgamesh asked, looking at the group.
"If you're looking for help, you'll find none here," A large, brutish hulk of a man said, dropping two Exterminators, their necks snapped under his thick tanned fingers. Scars like pitchforks ran horizontally across his arms, the rest of his body covered in a heavy black and green overcoat. His hazel eyes peered at them, a calm resonating within them.
"And I believe you would be...Hazel, correct?" Gilgamesh inquired, brushing off the death of his men with a heavy heart. It was a necessary sacrifice. They were broken, revenge-driven individuals. Their lives had been full of pain, and peace was not in their hearts. He knew they would not stop until every Grimm was dead. As a result, their deaths were required for the world to move on.
"Correct." Hazel Rainart replied, folding his arms.
"You can walk away," Gilgamesh replied, putting his weapon away. Hazel shook his head.
"You could too."
"We both know we can't do that."
"Then why waste time talking?" Hazel said, his fists clenching. Katie put her hand on the grip of her sword. Vasques drew his sword and caestus combo. Gilgamesh gripped the knife on his belt, rolling his shoulder blades.
"If this is truly the path you want to go on, then you leave me no choice." Gilgi responded, his fingers tightening around his knife's grip like fangs into skin.
"Hazel, did you really think to start the party without me-" Gilgamesh drew no hesitation, rushing forward before the eye could blink and sinking his knife through Hazel's skull. Hazel slumped to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"I have seen your reasons, but I will not fail in my mission. Salem will be dead by the end of the day, and I have no time for her lackeys." Gilgamesh stated, drawing his knife and wiping it down with a white handkerchief. Laughter echoed behind him, and Gilgi turned around to face a man in a brown trench coat, a crazed look in what little he could see of his yellow eyes as he hunched over with laughter. "And you must be...?"
Wiping the tears from his eyes, the stranger straightened out, rising to his full height. "My name is irrelevant in service to the Goddess. But I do appreciate your..." He looked at Hazel's corpse and smirked, placing his hands on his hips. "Hospitality."
"Will you stand in our way or will you take your leave?" Gilgi inquired, bringing forth the locker filled with armaments on his hip.
Tyrian didn't respond, simply shrugging and jumping into the air, landing in the middle of the group. He struck at Katie and Vasques, but the two drew their weapons in time to avert the attack. The only reason why Tyrian still had hands was because his blades were what made contact with the weapons, not his skin. The last remaining soldier swung his sword at the servant, but Tyrian cackled and tackled him, dragging him out into the blizzard. Vasques made to go after them but Gilgi stopped him, hand placed on his shoulder.
"With luck, he'll come back." Gilgi replied, his locker opening as he sifted through his selection of weaponry, eventually settling on a giant, two-sided sword. He took it out and rested it on his shoulder, the sound of steel ringing against steel filling the air for a short while, the experienced combatants slowly whittled down the others' Aura. Grunts followed suit before a cry rang out, a scorpion tail flying at them.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Tyrian cried, a cry following suit as he ran his weapons through the soldier.
"Heh, you're not too bad for a traitor," The soldier said, blood dribbling down his lip. The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the valley. "But I play for keeps."
"Janks! What's your status?"
"Hostile eliminated sir!"
"Fine work Janks," Gilgi stated, crouching down and feeling for his Aura in the blizzard. He frowned when he felt it. He doubted the Exterminator would last for even a few minutes more. "If I had a medal I'd give you one, but for now accept my gratitude."
He didn't get a response back. Gilgamesh felt out and found...nothing. Not even residual traces of Janks' life energy. That didn't make any sense, if it were Grimm he would have sensed them. Instead, he simply felt an absence of reality.
"What is that...?" Katie whispered, the Dark in her veins buzzing at the odd turn of events. Shadows started peering out of the whiteout, grotesque beings of charred and scarred flesh. Gilgi raised his firearm, pouring out dust until he had to reload. He threw the weapon down, concern growing on his features. His attack had done nothing to the beings. He tried using his Semblance on the creatures but merely came up with nothing.
"Fall back, we're retreating!" He said, pushing his two remaining comrades towards the fortress' front door. Grimm started pouring from the woodwork, falling before the three Exterminators as they rushed towards the entrance.
"Gilgi, what are those things?" Katie asked aloud, ramming her blade through several dozen Grimm.
"I don't know. My Semblance isn't working on them. But I don't think they're from our world."
"Aliens? Are you kidding me?" Vasques hissed, driving his sword into a Bellua Ursa's skull.
"It's not that odd when you consider the circumstances of our world." Gilgi reasoned, huffing as he made it to the door. He ran his fingers over it, feeling for hollow spots that he could break through. Katie and Vasques held off the waves of Grimm, behind them the mind-tearing creatures from some other existence. Finally he found an opening and coated his hand in fire, burning through the thick chitin.
"Bru, those things have started attacking the Grimm." Katie stated, firing off a blast from her cannon arm.
"And that's our problem because?" He inquired, trying to focus on burning a hole through the door.
"They're tearing through them like tissue paper."
He swore under his breath. He hadn't thought about it before, but maybe those things were the Und Tiemers Xeñoirê had told him about. If so, that was a massive cause for concern; those things had nearly killed his teacher and his clone with minimal effort. At best they'd last a few minutes, but ultimately they'd end up half-dead in Sanctuary, and that was if they were lucky. Salem was a minor issue compared to them. The simple thought of it made his blood go cold.
He shook his head, melting an opening through the door. Katie ran inside, but Vasques was no where to be seen. Gilgamesh looked around, before spotting him off in the distance; those things, those Und Tiemers were upon him, tearing him apart. Their bones tore through his flesh like it wasn't even there. Gilgi shut his eyes and walked through the opening, sealing it shut behind him. There would be time for grieving later, right now they had to focus on...
"Christ." He muttered. The inside was arguably worse than the outside; Und Tiemers were cutting swaths in the Grimm numbers. He wasn't even sure if Salem was still alive-
"Look out!" Katie said, pushing him out of the way and intercepting an Und Tiemer's femur with her slab of iron that she called a weapon. Gilgamesh struck at the soldier's back, his blow glancing off. He swore, jumping on its back and wrapping his fingers around its neck. After a few minutes of holding on the Und Tiemer slumped over, unconscious, if they even had what most considered a consciousness.
"That wasn't so bad." He huffed, getting up and helping Katie to her feet. A door up ahead burst open, Dark pouring out like a tsunami. Riding on top of it was Salem, hoping to drown the otherworldly invaders.
"Leave this place!" Salem roared, Dark flowing around her as she attempted to slice them apart with her control of the life essence of Grimmkind. It ripped them in half, but it didn't kill them. In fact, the Und Tiemers simply started crawling towards her. Salem frowned and opened a wall of portals between her and them, transporting them to different continents and cities. With all of them gone, she relaxed, only for a curved knife to dig into her back and tear out Azeroyth's Rage, Gilgamesh throwing the shard of his diety into a current of Dark that appeared behind him, the Rage being drawn up towards Pantheon.
"Salem, it seems we finally meet," Gilgamesh said, leaning down and drawing his sword, placing it against Salem's neck. "However, it appears that something bigger than you or I has arrived on this world. Something that could kill us all. I-"
The wall in front of them exploded, a Bullhead hovering over them. At the pilot seat was Petunia and Claudette, gesturing for the two to get aboard, and quickly. Nielsen dropped them a ladder, the two operatives climbing up it and leaving Salem to her fate. Before they could climb in, Salem started to laugh.
"What are you laughing about, slaver?" Gilgi demanded.
"You think me powerless without His Rage. But you are wrong," The dark mistress stated, her hands up and yanking the two Exterminators back into her palace. They landed in heaps before rising up, Katie with her sword out and Gilgi with his locker in hand. As they prepared to charge Salem, they screamed out, hunching over. "You are oh so very wrong."
"What are you doing?!" Gilgi inquired, struggling to get the words out as he felt his body along with Katie's being drawn towards the slaver.
"I control the Dark in your veins just as easily as you control fire. You pose no threat to me." Salem replied with a devils' smile on her face. They let out renewed screams as she pulled the Dark in their veins out through their pores, gathering it around herself as the two Exterminators collapsed to the floor in comatose states from the pain of having their Dark ripped out. She leveled her gaze at the Bullhead above them, flinging Dark at the meddling craft before lightning clashed against it, the Bullhead flying off as Nielsen dropped down from the aircraft.
"You will leave my children alone." Nielsen stated, electricity crackling around the silver knight as he rolled his shoulders and drew his wooden zanbato. Salem frowned; this wasn't how she expected it to go. She threw Dark at him, seeking cracks in his armor before the electricity around him repelled it, blowing holes in her palace walls. "Don't try to look for any weakness. I've come up with a full contingency."
"Very well then, human. Let us-" Before the words even left her mouth she drew up a line to protect herself from the knight's sword, Dark clashing with wood. Salem backed away, trying to keep out of range of the boy's massive sword while also trying to pin him down. He rebuked by always staying on the move, even if it meant moving away from her. He just needed to get a hit in.
Nielsen looked at his hud in his helmet as a low long beep sounded. The two Exterminators vitals had flat lined; draining all the Dark out of the two individuals had killed them, permanently. At least, that was if they didn't have Xeñ's tech to help them out. But that was for later, he had to focus on the now and killing Salem.
"You fight well, human! But I have tired of these games. Azeroyth, I seek your aid!" Salem cried, Nielsen feeling his movement slowing against his will. He couldn't even blink as time slowed to a crawl, his mind staying in regular speed. "The best part about being a one of Azeroyth's children is that daddy loves all of his children equally. And as such," She walked over to him, removing his helmet with ease even as the locks tried to keep it in place. "Even I can stop time at will."
Salem smiled as she drew her hand back, fingers gathered in a point aimed at Nielsen's forehead. At such close range, a hit like that would tear his head in half. As she thrust it forward, a silhouette stopped her, a face of a thousand daggers appearing in her vision.
"No! NO!" She cried, trying to step back before Azeroyth practically exuded a radiant smile, snapping her arm like a twig. She screamed out before he grabbed her by the throat, staring her down.
"I have never been more disappointed in my children than I am right now. Legion, I understood, was driven insane by the amount of Dark in his veins. Lilith, she wanted peace between my murderers and my children. But you?" The Time God stated, throwing her against a wall as time resumed, Nielsen balancing on his sword as he gasped for breath. "You did all this out of malice. How many lives taken!? How many have suffered all because you never stopped with your senseless need for violence!? Too many! I end this here, and now. Salem, Child of Dark, Enslaver of Grimm, and my failure, I strip you of your power! You are mortal!"
She cried out as Dark bled from her, flowing into Azeroyth's form as he watched her skin turn even whiter, the dark veins in her cheeks vanishing from sight. He turned back to Nielsen, who stared at him with fear.
"I am sorry I could not save you from your past." He said, bowing to the knight.
"You don't need to be sorry. I saved myself." Nielsen replied back, raising his sword and leveling it at the crippled slaver. "This ends here and now!"
Salem barely had enough time to blink before he had driven his blade down into her shoulder, what little Dark she had left flowing out of her body. She coughed, ichor painting his armor as he drew back his sword and swung again, this time nearly cutting her in half at the waist. The knight yanked his sword from her body, bringing it up as she keeled over, her neck cleanly exposed. He brought it down with all of his enhanced might, the force turning her neck into bloody mist as her head flew one way and her body another, the palace shaking from the blow.
"Is it over?" He asked, turning to the God. Azeroyth shook his head as her body and head slowly started to gravitate back together, only stopped by Nielsen's sword. Salem gasped for air, her body spasming as it tried to reconnect with her body.
"Burn her. Clean the earth barren of her."
"With pleasure." Nielsen replied, dark clouds gathering over Salem's palace as he called on his Semblance. Salem looked at him, fear for once in her eyes. He met them with no mercy, lightning striking the palace and blowing holes in the ceiling as Nielsen turned into a Tesla coil, electricity sparking off of his armor like rainfall. He gathered all the electricity his cybernetic form could handle before delivering it down into Salem's body, the area turning as bright as the sun before it faded out. Only ashes of ashes remained of the foul witch, her form turned to dust. Nielsen let out a shudder, collapsing to his knees from how much energy he had taken in. Azeroyth walked over to the two fallen Exterminators, Dark flowing out of his form and into their bodies. The Time God smiled to Nielsen before vanishing, leaving the knight alone.
"This is Petunia, Nielsen, do you read?" The soft voice sounded like a master violin to his ears.
"I read." He said softly, gathering up his helmet and the two Exterminators. "Salem's dead. Standing by for pick up."
"I hear ya. We'll be down soon. Had to back off of that lightning storm." He turned red, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Sorry about that." He said, watching as the Bullhead lowered to where he could climb aboard without using the ladder. He set down the Exterminators on the cargo bay floor, walking past his children as Indiana gave him a concerned look.
"You okay?" She asked, placing a hand on his pauldron. He looked at her and after a few seconds, smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I guess you are."
"I guess I am too." Nielsen replied, relief in his tone as he entered the cockpit. "Where to next gals?"
"Mistral. We have to make a quick pickup before we head for Sanctuary." Claudette responded, checking the Bullhead's readouts. Nielsen nodded his head as they took off, Und Tiemers milling below them. He gave a resignated sigh, looking back at his children. You can't save everyone, he thought, eyes turning to Indiana.
"See if we can stop at Beacon too."
Above in the night...
Felicity cooled herself in the communal pool, Dark sowing through her fingertips. Salem and her Grimm would have been defeated by now, so, celebration was at hand. She smiled as she saw her children swimming through the thorns, their laughter in the air. Everything was right, but she felt tense. No amount of heated Dark would relieve that tension, or the buzzing in her veins. A tap on her shoulder brought her from her unease, her ruby red eyes flitting up.
"We have a problem," Summer stated, concern on her features.
"What is it?"
"Persephone's getting readings from beyond the brink. They aren't like anything we've seen before."
"You think it's them?" Felicity asked quietly, not wanting to scare her children.
"Whatever it is, we're not sticking around to find out. Persephone's called for a full-scale evacuation. We're on the next jump down to planet-side." Summer said, her cape billowing in some unseen breeze. "Get the kids. We're leaving."
"Okay," Felicity replied, getting out of her seat and rushing over to her kids. "Hey my munchkins,"
"Hi ma!" They replied, swimming up to the edge of the pool.
"I don't want to scare you, but we have to leave."
"Okay!" All five of the twins responded, climbing out of the pool as Summer spread the word around the room, her Semblance helping in the effort dramatically.
The Grimm woman took a towel and started drying them off one by one, sending them towards the corridor that lead to the transporter. She stood to follow them when the ceiling caved in, the dark reaches of space showing through the cracks in the moon. She felt the air being pulled out as objects started to float, gravity starting to fail. She saw Summer speeding around the room and she would have laughed at the amount of people in her arms if she could breath. Felicity pulsed Dark from her arms, the motion sending her towards the door where Summer was waiting for her as shadows fell on the room. She didn't look back as the air behind her heated up, fire licking her skin like a baying dog. Summer grabbed her hands as she got close, slamming the door shut as the Grimm woman hunched over, oxygen returning to the Beowulf's lungs.
"We need...to leave." Felicity stated, gathering up her children in her arms as wails echoed off the walls of the palace. They ran and ran, shadows trailing them as they headed for the Throne room. They stopped at a blockade of Grimm, shields up and raised as Und Tiemers poured over the soldiers like fire to wood, burning through them and coming for Summer and the children. They were thrown against the wall as the warriors reformed, swords clashing and screaming once more as the fleeing denizens fled towards the transporter. On the way Persephone met up with them, and together they rushed for an exit. There were multiple transporters on Pantheon, not just one.
Felicity grimaced as they stopped suddenly, Und Tiemers flowing out of the adjacent hallways like molten rock, blades up before the Essence in Persephone's hands pulsed black, power bursting outwards like a dam had been broken. The monsters flew back, being crushed as the orb pulsed again and crushed them between Pantheon's hallways. Persephone was stunned for a moment but shook her head and shouted back for the rest of what remained of Pantheon's forces to head towards the transporter, the orb in her grip pulsing happily. The High Mistress gritted her teeth as Summer came up beside her, offering the Pthula Grimm a knowing glance. The Grimm woman shook her head, taking Summer's hand as they ran and currents of Dark enveloped them.
In the far reaches of Mistral...
The dust washed around the two traveler's shoes, dirt kicking up as they walked into town. Most of the villagers ignored them; this was a small trading outpost in the wilds of Mistral, and a few unfamiliar faces would barely catch an eye. Brafez looked around, thinking about how the village reminded him of home. He thought back to his days in Mithreal. He had failed them, all of his neighbors. The blue monk choked back his shame as he shook his head.
"B? What's the matter Love?" Ariad asked, worry in her voice.
"Just...thinking about home." He muttered, running his hands over the golden scales of his gauntlets. Regret sang in his voice.
"We both know it was my-" She started to say before he snapped his head up at her, rage in his eyes.
"Shut it, Ari." He hissed. "Torchwick's men would have found Mithreal anyways. I couldn't protect my friends. I'm to blame. Not you. Never you."
"...I'm sorry, Brafez. I didn't mean to..." She trailed off. Brafez smiled and sauntered over to his beloved, putting an arm around her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek. She cracked a smile, a hint of white between her cream-colored lips.
"Ari, I love you. But don't you ever take the blame for what happened." Brafez stated, trailing a finger down her cheek. "I failed them. Their deaths are on my head. The guilt's mine to shoulder."
"Next time I see the smarmy asshole I'm putting a dust round between his eyes." Ariad declared. Brafez tisked. The last time he had given into his emotions he nearly killed a man. Of course, that man had been Roman Torchwick, and that guy was an asshole, but still.
"I'd rather lock him away for good."
"He'd escape."
"It's better to be civil than barbaric." He countered, sauntering with her over to the tavern.
The doors to the tavern swung open, depositing the two world weary travelers into the room. The one in blue gave a content sigh, the other wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"Besides all that reverie, how are you feeling? Better?" Ariad asked her boyfriend.
"Much. I feel like I'm in control again." He replied, feeling at ease with himself. The two of them had gone off the radar, searching for inner-peace. And now that they had found it, they were ready to rejoin the world. However, it seemed as if every time they went off on an adventure of their own, something went horribly wrong.
"What's that?" Ariad muttered, looking at the screen in the back of the room near the bar. On it read "Vale up in flames!" with an overhead view of Vale, and a stock photo of a Beowolf off to the side.
"Vale's under attack? I thought all the Grimm were focused on keeping Gilgamesh away from Salem?" Brafez questioned, anger lacing his voice as the tips of his fingers started to smoke.
"I guess not." Ariad muttered, taking out her new weapon and revving the engine. Of course that didn't mean much when she couldn't do anything about the attack. The noise of the engine died off as a purple-black haze gathered in the middle of the city, where the smoke was heaviest. Cries of terror were heard as a massive Grimm popped into view, easily three blocks wide and long, standing thirty feet tall. It stood on countless stubby legs, with dozens upon dozens of Taijitu heads boring out from underneath its shell.
"What the hell is that?!" One patron cried, the two hunters shivering.
"A Hydra." Brafez muttered, fear in his voice as he noticed four colored blurs take cover in ruined buildings, the Hydra firing off pitch-black beams that vaporized pedestrians with ease. Screams echoed from outside the tavern, and the two rushed outside. Tearing apart the villagers were Und Tiemers, rendering the remaining civilians paralyzed with fear.
The sounds of a Bullhead roared overhead, the aircraft firing off concussive blasts that sent abominations and pedestrians flying alike. One of the doors opened up, and a ladder rolled out in front of them. Nielsen stuck his head out of the door, waving to them with urgency.
"Get your asses up here!"
"Niel, what's happening?" Ariad demanded, putting her foot on the first rung.
"It's just like Xeñ said; the world's ending." He said, helping her into the cargo bay. Brafez looked over at the civilians, fists clenched. He had to do something.
"Brafez, get up here!" Ariad said, looking down at him with worry. He looked back at her, helplessness in his eyes. It was happening all over again; another village he couldn't protect. "We can't do anything. I'm not going to lose you again."
"We can't just..." He looked away from the carnage, hands clenching around Fenrir. He couldn't just let this happen again. But he knew that he couldn't do anything to those damned monsters. Sorrow and shame overcame him as he started to climb, the Bullhead's door closing as they helped him in. Ariad hugged him, tears rolling into the fabric of his poncho as the rest of the adults sat down with somber faces and tried to comfort the children. He tried not to notice his progenitor and his lover in a heap on the floor. The world really was ending, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Sanctuary...
"Xeñoirê?" Iota whispered drawing me from my distant musings. The large, curved window at the center of Sanctuary's control room pointed towards space, and what that vast emptiness held.
"Yes?" I asked, my voice hollowed with despair.
"It's okay. I've been through the same thing, countless times. You just get used to it." She said, holding her arms to herself as she sat down next to me.
"They're my friends, my family. I won't let them be slaughtered like animals." I said in turn, fists balled. She choked back a sob and held me. I shook in her embrace, desperately trying to figure out how I could save them from their fate. A terrible idea came to the forefront of my mind. I shook it away. There was other ideas. There had to be.
"What can we do?"
"I don't know. I don't know. All I know is that I am not losing anyone else to those damned fiends." I took the shard of my nightmare tower from my pea coat's pocket, running my thumb across it's surface. A dull reflection gazed back at me. I couldn't tell who it was.
In Vale, following team RWBY...
Ruby gasped for air as she dodged another attack from the mystery Grimm. She'd been doing this death-dance for several minutes, her limbs aching and tired from the abuse. But she couldn't stop. She'd seen what those beams had done; vaporizing people in the blink of an eye. She felt so useless. Any attack she made simply bounced right off of the Grimm's outer shell, and with the little ammunition and Aura she had left, she wouldn't be able to continue fighting for long. The rest of RWBY were trying to keep it annoyed so that as many civilians could get away as they could. Yes, it was a death-sentence, but what other choice did they have?
"Attention all Hunters." Welsha screamed over their scrolls, terror wracking her voice. "Abandon the city immediately. Vale is lost. The Hydra has shown itself."
Ruby gunned for cover, hyperventilating as terror raced through her mind. Vale, lost? To a single Grimm? Her new home, destroyed? All because of this one Grimm? No, she wouldn't have that. Not to one. Not a thousand.
"Team RWBY! I am not losing Vale! Fight with everything you've got left! We're bringing this beast down!" She cried, loading her last magazine into Cresent Rose as she broke cover, putting all her Aura into one final burst of speed as she angled herself at the Hydra, flying towards it and flinging herself between necks, heads, and gaping maws as she severed all the heads of the Hydra from its body, Yang flying in after her and cauterising the wounds with Ember Celia. The sound of a Bullhead roared overhead, Ruby's Scroll blinking.
"Sorry that we're late to the party." Olivia said over the communications, taking aim at the Hydra with a mounted anti-material Gatling rifle and letting loose, the thick rounds punching through the Hydra's shell. Black viscous liquid poured from the wounds, the Hydra letting out a cry of pain.
"Didn't want you taking all the glory." Pandora remarked, aiming at the Grimm with her gauss rifle and pelting away. In the cargo bay was team JNPR, all of them using what weapons they could to deal damage to the Grimm that had been focused on destroying their home. Olivia handed Jaune a bow, stating that "A bow would suite you." With their combined effort, and a hell of a lot of bullets, the teams brought the monstrosity to it's knees.
Weiss threw the last of her ice dust capsules at the Grimm and shot Myrtenaster's blade at them, encasing the Grimm in ice. Yang came in and blasted the frozen Grimm into bloody burnt frozen chunks. The four girls huddled together as the Grimm let out a final death screech, dissipating into a thousand black rose petals as the girls looked on in awe and shock. Olivia said something over the radio but they couldn't hear it, hearts too filled with pride from their accomplishment.
"Did we just..." Yang muttered, looking at the rest of her team.
"I think we did." Weiss replied, letting out an exhausted breath.
"Guys..." Blake stated aloud, fear in her voice.
"Oh no." Ruby cried, pointing to the sky. The rest of team RWBY followed her gaze, each sharing similar reactions. In the sky above Vale, the rose petals had gathered into a massive swirling mass, Dark spewing from it. The mass flashed, and then the sky above Vale turned pitch-black, shadow falling upon the city as Grimm fell from the sky. Thousands of Grimm, maybe even tens of thousands fell into the city streets, tearing apart citizens and buildings alike. Team RWBY looked at each other, fear in their hearts.
"Guys...I just want to say I'm proud to call you my friends." Weiss stated, resignation in her throat.
"What are you saying Weiss?! We can't just give up!" Ruby declared, planting her scythe into the ground to steady herself.
"What are we going to do Ruby!? There are thousands of Grimm pouring into the city every second! We can't hope to kill them all!" The heiress cried back, faced with overwhelming forces.
"We have to try!" Ruby shouted back.
"What we should do is cut our losses and run. There's no way we can win this fight." Blake stated, looking at the darkened sky. Ruby looked at her, and then at Yang.
"Sis?"
"Ruby...as much as I hate to admit it, we've lost. This fight is over. We need to retreat and-"
"What's that in the sky?" Weiss muttered, looking up. The rest of RWBY followed her gaze, shock overcoming their features. Remnant's moon hung overhead, but dark rings surrounded it, coalescing into a growing ball of dark energy at the front of the moon. "What's wrong with the moon?!"
The ball shrank, before the moon shattered into even further, revealing a fleet of starships behind it. From one particular chunk a dark beam lanced across the night, towards Remnant's surface. Breaking the atmosphere, the beam struck the space in front of team RWBY. Out of the beam stepped hundreds of warriors, all wearing pitch-black obsidian armor and wielding a mass collection of weaponry, yet all of them appeared to be in a state of shock and disarray. At their front stood Persephone Ragnarök, accompanied by Summer and Felicity, all three of them heavily wounded.
"Xeñoirê! The Und Tiemers! They've come for us!" Persephone cried, panic and terror in her voice. In her hands she clutched the essence of Azeroyth. Above Vale appeared Sanctuary, the floating fortress landing in front of the crowd. As the city touched down, a ramp opened at the bottom. I ran out, waving to the crowd.
"Everyone! Get aboard now!" I screeched, pointing back into Sanctuary.
"Xeñ! What's going on?" Ruby asked. With so many belief-shattering events happening at once, surely she would have some questions. Sadly, I only had time to answer one.
"The end of the world."
Up above, a mass spread from the front most starship, covering the stars as Und Tiemers descended upon the whole of Remnant. Like a swarm of locusts they clouded the sky, landing all over the world. As several foot soldiers started coming out of alleyways I barked for the group of refugees to get aboard Sanctuary, all of them racing aboard. But teams RWBY and JNPR stood their ground, weapons at the ready. I tried to reach out to them, to throw them on board, but as the Und Tiemers came in swaths, my powers faded in kind. I no longer held any sway over the world of Remnant. That power lied in the invaders' hands.
The Und Tiemers rushed them. Jaune was the first to go, losing his arm as a broken bone punched through his shield and the flesh beneath it, severing the appendage before two more punctured his frame. Blood and spittle flew from his mouth as he gasped for air, a silent cry on his face as the three arms flew in different directions, severing his upper half from his lower. Pyrhha was the second, desperately trying to reach the wreck of her beloved before she too was cut down without mercy. Ren and Nora followed suit, dying in each others arms. Only RWBY was left.
A lieutenant fired his cannon-arm from afar, blowing a hole in Ruby's chest. She collapsed in a heap, her shuddering frame heaving as she forced her lungs to cooperate. Yang went after her, knocking away Und Tiemers with her gauntlets and giving her a path towards her barely breathing sister. I couldn't move, couldn't close my eyes. All I could do was watch. Everyone on board Sanctuary was dealing with the same thing I was; none of them could do a damned thing. Summer was crying; she didn't want to watch her daughters die. A force of nature bowled into the Und Tiemers, scattering them for miles. Olivia shook with rage, the head of her hammer dented by the blow. It didn't make any sense, she shouldn't have been able to move. Olivia huffed and gathered RWBY up in her arms, putting them down inside Sanctuary and closing the ramp after dragging me inside.
"Olivia, how are you able to move?" I asked, grief and confusion in my voice. She tilted her head at me, equally confused.
"Can none of you guys move? RWBY was able to move. Why not you guys?" Olive inquired, turning to look at the rest of her people.
"When people are in Sanctuary, they are under my influence. If my influence is affected by an outside source, so are they. But you were able to move. How is that possible?" I muttered, before a hand placed itself on my shoulder. I turned to see Iota at my side, a small smile on her face.
"She's my Oliva, not yours. As a result she's under my influence. And since this isn't my world, well... you know the rest." She explained, Olivia shrugging. "I sent her in after taking the one that your sent from another dimension, and then sent mine into this one. Oh, Olive, please turn on the station-wide healing, we'll need it. "
"Yepperooni." Olive replied, running off to turn on the medical systems that reached throughout the city-ship.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It didn't seem important at the time." She shrugged, stiffening as she took reign over my world. Green waves of energy traveled the length of the station, regenerating wounds as the survivors of Remnant struggled to stand. Before anyone could speak the bay doors were pried off, Und Tiemers with their bones at the ready. I glared at them, animalistic rage taking over my body.
"You have taken enough from me!" I cried, grabbing the shard of Ideanian metal from my pocket and throwing myself at the monsters, hacking my way through them as they rushed for my characters. "Brafez, take the controls and put us in the air!"
He nodded, running off to the control center, Ariad following him. I swung again, throwing the monsters from the station with brute force. After a few minutes, the station shuddered, rising into the air as the few remaining Und Tiemers made their retreat. I didn't let them; I drove that shard through their bodies until only gore remained, staining my coat with blood and chunks of flesh. I flashed my hand at the entrance, a new door appearing in place of the old. I shook my shoulders, gore flying off as I went over to the crowd. Summer and Yang held a silent Ruby, the hole in her chest slowly healing. Persephone held her daughter in her arms, tears in her eyes. One thing was off, however. I didn't see the essence of Aezeroyth anywhere. I couldn't sense him at all. I turned back to the now-sealed bulkhead, wondering what the former-god was up to. I clenched the leaking hole in my side, fist glowing cyan as I picked the shards of bone out. Whatever Aezeroyth was doing, it couldn't be good.
With Gilgamesh's former spirit...
He held himself against what remained Pantheon's surface, the gravity of Remnant sending the chunk of moon into an orbit around the planet. Whatever body his spirit controlled now wasn't his own. He barely remembered who he was. He had woken up in a ruined throne, his form transparent. So imagine his surprise when he accidentally entered another body just with his thoughts. But once the rigor mortis in the corpse passed, he found it easy enough to control. There were dead bodies all over the place, most floating in the vacuum of space. He was glad he didn't need to breath anymore. And the fact that he had both arms now was quite thrilling for him, though he wasn't entirely sure why. It must of had something to do with left-over memories from his...former mind? He wasn't quite sure about anything anymore. Well, he would need a name for now. Wej sounded nice to him for the moment.
He looked up as the makeshift fleet tore towards the planet, and all he could do was shudder in terror. A great plague had been unleashed upon the unwilling people of the planet below, and he doubted many of them would survive. From his viewpoint he could see the rusted and scorched hulls of the ancient fleet as they descended into the atmosphere like eels swimming down into the depths of the ocean. They were long and circular, numbering about eight ships in total, spokes poking out from the middles of the starships, yet what purpose they served he could not tell. A ship tore off from the main fleet, heading towards what comprised the biggest chunk of Pantheon. Two green trails of what appeared to be fire-like projectiles shot out of the top spokes, impacting the chunk and setting it ablaze. Fire rippled across the surface, explosions popping silently as pockets of atmosphere erupted, scattering whatever denizens remained to the cold reaches of space.
The ship flew off towards the rest of the chunks, repeating the same torment it had inflicted upon the survivors of Pantheon's destruction over and over until there few habitable chunks of the moon left. Wej watched with equal-parts anticipation and fear as the ship maneuvered towards the chunk closest to his, his leg muscles tensing up as he prepared to jump from his perch into the cold depths of space. The floor beneath his feet rumbled, setting him off balance. The ship appeared overhead, able to be seen through the skylight overhead. Two flames split off from the main spoke, rocking the floor beneath his feet. He took up a fallen guardsman's spear and threw it at the skylight, puncturing the glass easily before kicking against the ground, sending him rocketing into space. He grabbed the spear as flames licked at his feet, barely missing him as he flew off towards the Und Tiemer ship. The space between the two closed violently, Wej barely having enough time to react as the ship's hull rushed to meet him.
He bent his knees as he crashed against the metallic hull, the rusted metal keeping up surprisingly well. The spirit maneuvered his body as he searched for an opening into the ship, not having to wait long as a hatch opened up a few feet in front of him. He readied his spear, throwing it as the Und Tiemer foot soldier peered out at him. The spear did little-to-no damage, but held the foot soldier in-place for a few vital seconds. That time was all he needed, Wej running forward and grabbing the foot-soldier's weapon, using the captured weapon to behead the invader. Kicking the body back down into the ship, he followed after it, stripping it of it's crude and ragged armor and wearing it as his own. Two more foot soldiers rounded the corner, and he readied himself. He raised the sword, flakes of either rust or blood falling off as he blocked one attack, capitalizing on the first Und Tiemer's misstep and thrusting forwards, piercing it's heart and showering the corridor in gore as he jumped back, parrying the second's swing and lopping off it's head, kicking it through the hallway and killing another foot-soldier via decapitation.
One down, however many left to go.
He thought grimly, walking down the corridor and collecting armor as he went, fusing the scarps together with torches he found along the walls, their heat easily melting both the weapons and armor along with his corpse's fingers. Anything to further his chances of survival. He barely knew what he was up against. Wej stopped, forcing open a rusted door and entering the room. A small candle hung in a lantern in the middle of the dark room. He walked forwards and lit the candle with a still-burning finger, lighting up the room and fighting back the shadows. Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, he stepped back out into the hallway, immediately being punctured by several swords at once, his sight fading away as the foot-soldiers withdrew their swords. Wej felt his spirit fly back to the lamp, disoriented.
So no more using lamps, got it.
He thought, walking over to his desecrated corpse and sighing. How was he supposed to fight these creatures now? Then a very bad idea came to him. Wej reached out with his spirit, tendrils of power wrapping around one of the guards outside. Suddenly he felt himself pulled into the creature, overriding it's consciousness. Wej looked around at the two other creatures, eager to get a close-up look. As one of them passed by he studied it's marred and scarred skin, eyeless face and gaping maw with wonder and horror. Bones poked out of it's skin at random points, the torso and legs covered by a rusted iron cuirass and greaves, the arms left loose. He shook his helmeted head and drew his sword from his scabbard, taking the sword and running it through the guard that had passed him. The guard next to him drew its sword, Wej pointing his arm at his opponent and letting a few shards of bone fly, putting a hole in the Und Tiemer's skull. He chuckled and dragged the bodies back into the room with the lantern, taking the armor and forging himself a shield, along with lengthening the blade of his sword for a longer reach.
Wej sighed, running his hands down the length of the blade, his body's hand shedding blood like rain.
So easily do we return to war. Never an end in sight except on bloodied grounds.
Back down on Remnant...
The sky was burning. The world was being bombarded. Cities were consumed by blackness. In the center of it all stood a shadowy shape, eyes like daggers, and arms as long as the horizon. Aezeroyth looked around him. He knew what he could do. He reached inside himself and expanded, growing to massive proportions. He planted his shadow-feet in the ocean, claws reaching down into the soil as he strengthened the foundations of Vale. His fingers split apart in the ground, bursting into the streets and flinging Und Tiemers into the air. Pulling one arm out, he swatted them away like pebbles, dashing their bodies to the mountainside as he tore Vale from it's earthly shackles. Lifting the city up to chest-height, the former-god peered into the streets, dazed Creatures of Grimm and citizens looking up at their protector. The Time God lifted the city up, placing it on his head as a demented crown, the Und Tiemer ships shooting at him with their fire. He grabbed all the Grimm in the city and threw them like flechettes, the Dark in their veins punching holes in ship hulls as the biological components let out screeches of pain and anger. They spun and turned away from the God, eager to flee before they sustained too much damage. Aezeroyth turned to watch Sanctuary fly off towards Menagerie, his fingers itching in anticipation. His plan was finally coming together.
In Sanctuary...
I rested against the bulkhead, most of my characters joining me in states of exhaustion and panic. I felt the ship move off course, confusion running through my core as I stood, passing by the comatose form of Ruby and avoiding Summer's gaze. I had failed her. I had promised to keep them safe and now...the world was ending. I shook off my thoughts like a ragged coat, stepping into the cockpit where Brafez and Ariad were.
"Where are we heading?" I inquired, my powers diminished to the point of where I couldn't even tell their thoughts.
"Menagarie. I'm not leaving my family to die on this hellhole." Ariad snapped, her knuckles white as Brafez steered the ship towards the nation-state.
"Okay. Then we'll go." I said, slumping against the doorway. Nielsen walked up beside me, grief in his eyes. They hadn't been able to reach Beacon before we had departed.
"Hey Bro. Heard you killed the Wicked Witch. How'd that go?" The lynx asked, turning to face her brother.
"Almost got killed, but, what can you do. Got an assist by Aezeroyth, so that was nice."
"Aezeroyth saved you?" I asked, looking at him.
"Yeah. Saved Gilgi and Katie too. They were dead."
I frowned, getting up and walking back towards the cargo bay. As I entered, Persephone looked up at me from beside Summer. I nodded my head towards the door, the High Mistress walking outside and meeting me.
"What's wrong?" She asked, eyes lit with worry.
"Nielsen said that Aezeroyth saved him when he fought Salem. You know anything?"
"No. I never thought in my wildest dreams that he would return to a corporeal form. Yes, Salem was the worst of us, but I never thought..." Her eyes went unfocused, confusion in them.
"What is it?"
"I can feel him. He is alive and... Vale is safe."
"What in the hell are you talking about?" I asked, my voice and body too exhausted to raise it into a shout.
"Aezeroyth is on Remnant, and so is...Legion? I though my daughter killed him."
"Son of a bitch..." I muttered, walking into the hanger bay and opening the door, the wind rushing in as I spotted a large black humanoid holding Vale up. I focused on the humanoid and took a step back. Aezeroyth was a Deserved?! "Sinderra, come here."
The white giant appeared at my side.
"Did you know?"
"Yes. He told me a few weeks ago." Sinderra's voice graveled out. I briefly kept back my rage as I turned to him, hate in my eyes.
"Did he cause this? The Und Tiemer invasion?"
"...Yes." I felt my hate flare, turning white hot.
"Why?" I hissed, my voice like steam.
"He too has had enough. He wants to end the threat once and for all. Aezeroyth believes he can end it over the next thousand years."
"How will he keep the Und Tiemers here for that long? On Remnant?"
"You're seeing it. The first part of his plan." Sinderra pointed towards Vale, my eyes following his finger.
"A beacon. Of hope, of life. The best bait for a life-destroying race. But how many bodies will it take?" I thought aloud, my eyes glowing dimly.
"How many lives will it save?" Sinderra rumbled back.
"Ariad, how far away are we from Menagerie?" I asked into the communicator at my neck.
"About an hour out. But we'll be in communications range within the next five minutes." Her voice was like water, a reminder that not all was lost.
"Good. I'll assemble a team and get them ready for retrieval. When you get in range, see about the Belladonna's and your family. I have cells in the city. They'll get your family to extract and then we'll pick them up."
"Okay. Thank you, Xeñ." Ariad replied, her voice clipped and grateful.
"For?" I asked, core perplexed.
"Saving who you could." I gave a small smile and the sigh of a dead man in response.
In an inn in Mistral...
"Why do the stars keep on shining..." Grey held Innocence's hand close, her eyes up and aware. Innocence was too enthralled by the singer's voice to be paying attention to their surroundings, but something just seemed...off to her. It felt like a hard knot in her stomach.
"Grey, are you paying attention?" The diminutive form on her knee asked, looking up at her with those bright grey eyes.
"No." She replied, her ears twitching and her muscles tense. Innocence pouted, obviously trying to elicit a response from the former-assassin. "What?"
"Isn't the music pretty?"
"She's lip-syncing. Her actual voice is 3 octaves too high." Grey replied in turn, trying not to fight the warmth in her chest as Innocence looked back at the singer in astonishment. As the faunus tried to stand, Grey's nerves buzzed, and she pushed her sister to the ground, fire erupting in her stomach as the walls blew in and white stakes crisscrossed the room.
"Grey!" Her sister's voice was fuzzy, the assassin grasping at the...bone-shard? "Grey!"
"We need to move." The former assassin slurred, her vision dimming as her knees buckled, dark shapes prowling through the inn. Innocence was at her side, taking an arm and struggling to get her moving.
Grey felt heat in her belly, one that swarmed her and suffused her in it's warmth. She felt her mouth dry up and her tongue turning into a slug, anger lacing her veins. She needed to fight back. She needed to protect her sister! Grey reached for the sickle in her grey folds, hands turning slick as they brushed her stomach. Innocence clasped her wrist in her hand, hiding her under a table as dark forms closed in around them. Innocence took the sickle from her cloaks, standing up and facing the forms. Grey felt her grip on consciousness go limp, and she faded out, black on black filling her vision. She didn't know how long she was out, but Grey awoke to Innocence shaking her shoulder. She opened blurry eyes to see the gore-covered girl taking her shoulder and picking her up, dragging her across slick floorboards and riddled bodies.
"Grey? You okay?" Innocence asked with a solidness in her tone, like a knot had formed in her throat. All the former assassin could do was rasp and grunt in response.
"-Okay?" The lynx faunus asked, turning her head towards her sister. She didn't get answer, but the scarred forms impaled with each others bones gave her enough of an explanation. "Don't feel bad-"
"Save your strength. I managed to sew that wound shut in your stomach, but I didn't have time to disinfect it." Innocence replied, her voice hard and strained.
"Ino," Grey muttered, emotion growing in her heart. She growled at her lack of knowledge and shivered as the two sisters exited the Mistrali inn and headed out into a snow covered street. The town was silent, bodies puncturing the ground and taking up space in the snow. There were more of those forms laying on the ground, beady eyes vacant and mouths lolling open.
"Please, don't talk. We need to get somewhere safe, and I need you alive." The smaller faunus mewed, her left arm limp at her side. She huffed as she shifted Grey into a more comfortable position, trying to keep her listing eyes open before they could snap shut forever. The snow tracks behind them were pink, two bloodied sisters fighting the end of the world.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY NINE