Ragnarok 40
Arc awoke abruptly, His heart pounding as he sluggishly looked cat his gaze at his surroundings. His eyes fell on a girl in Jeans and a red jacket, her hair tied in a ponytail. She sat on the ground with her legs crossed, her hands resting on her lap.
"Glad you're finally up. Had a good nap?" The girl chirped in a familiar voice.
"Ruby?" he asked. His mind was still racing to catch up. He shifted, grimacing as the pain in his head returned. He groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Be careful, Raven says you probably have a concussion, Ren and Nora weren't holding back when they knocked you out."
That got Arc's attention. He grunted as he dug through his memory. The flash of Black and pink hair, the magenta eyes. It all came flooding back to him. Arc grit his teeth, wanting to scream but knowing it wouldn't help.
"Where are they?" He asked, an undertone of anger and betrayal in his voice.
"We don't know. They got away," Ruby said as she reached out and gently pushed Arc back to the ground from his sitting position, "you need rest, there'll be plenty of time to talk about it later. And Qrow has an interesting theory about why they're working with Fenrir."
"They're working with Fenrir?" Jaune asked, the information causing his heart to pound once again.
Ruby shrugged. "They're working with a pretty scary woman, we think she's Fenrir."
"But you're not sure?"
Ruby shook her head, "she called herself Salem. But that's probably an alias." She stood dusting off her jeans.
"Get some rest, I'll come back later." She said. Arc nodded, not saying a word as his friend left. He closed his eyes, and sleep quickly claimed him.
Ruby closed the door behind her. They were above ground in mountain Glenn now, stowed in a building near the fountain which had been their intended meeting point. It was a defensible place, tall, with a winding staircase which could be easily held. As long as they kept someone on watch to make sure the Grimm didn't start scaling the walls, Arc and Belladonna could get their much needed rest.
"And fuck you too!" A voice, clearly Yang, snapped as a door slammed shut. Ruby glanced up, judging the voice came from a few floors above her. She sighed shaking her head as she did so. She walked up the stairs, passing by Yang, who stomped downstairs, the wooden staircase creaking beneath her feet with every step. Ruby gave her a pitying glance, before silently continuing her way up. She'd ask Yin to talk to Yang later. Ruby was had bigger concerns than Yang's abandonment problem, but leaving that mess unsettled was a good way to make it into something much worse. She preferred having a roof over her head thank you very much.
She hopped over a missing step and landed on wooden floorboards, a quick turn led to a hallway where she and Yin slept, their makeshift beds still unmade from the morning. Ruby approached the room at the end of the hall. She went to open the door before pausing, deciding better of it, she knocked first. The door opened quickly, her sister's mane of hair blocking the rest of the room, darkened as it was.
"Hey Rubes, we were just talking about you!" Yin said, the cheerfulness in her voice a little forced.
Ruby did her best to give a genuine smile. She wanted to run, leave the room an never return, never see the red eyes that would bore into her the minute she entered.
She stepped in. And Yin shut the door behind her.
"Hey Blake." Ruby said her voice quiet and a little shy.
"Hello Ruby." Belladonna said, her lips turned into a smile, "it's been awhile."
Ruby nodded, slumping in a nearby chair. She rubbed her forehead.
"Yeah it has." She mumbled.
Yin glanced back and forth between the two. Her eyes showing concern, but also a hint of relief. Clearly there wouldn't be an execution today.
"Well, at least we're not fighting this time." Yin said, trying to add some levity to the situation.
Ruby's mood darkened. Her expression hardened as she looked Blake in the eyes. "Why did you run? Why did you break out?" She asked.
"You're mother asked me to." Belladonna replied.
Ruby's mouth dropped open, as Yang stared at Blake dumbfounded.
"There is no way that the Head-Commander would be able to release you without Ozpin's authorization," Ruby said firmly.
"She hacked the security systems in my prison cell, then left me some clothes and Gambol Shroud." Blake said with a shrug, as if that explained everything that had happened.
Ruby groaned "Even if that is true, you tried to escape; step foot in Vytal and they'll kill you."
"I know." Belladonna said with a nod.
"Then why the hell did you do it?" Yin asked quietly. Her body shuddering as she asked, in sadness or rage she didn't know. She felt unsteady, barely able to contain a scream.
Belladonna turned to look at her, her face was blank, as if the answer should have been supremely obvious.
"You're my family. I'm not going to let you go after Fenrir alone."
Silence reigned as Yang walked over to Belladonna and wrapped her in a bear hug. She shuddered as she let out a sob. Yin clung tightly to Belladonna, who in turn wrapped her arms around Yin. Ruby watched silently for a few moments.
Quietly, Ruby stood. "Let's talk later. I think I need some air." She said quickly. Yin didn't react but Belladonna nodded in understanding as she stroked Yin's hair.
Ruby quietly left, closing the door behind her. Only after the door had closed din yin glance at Belladonna.
"Do you think…"
"I think she needs some time, it's nothing bad." Belladonna comforted.
Yin glanced down, and sighed. "I've missed this." She admitted, "I've missed us."
Belladonna gave her a quick peck on the lips, gazing up into lilac eyes, she smiled.
"I've missed us too."
Ruby exited the group's hideout without a word. She headed down the ruined streets, observing the crumbling structures around her. It reminded her of Valhalla. She had only been to Valhalla twice, once with her mother, and once as part of a school field trip. Valhalla was a reminder of what would happen to other world's if the gods failed to act, and reminder that they were not infallible, omnipotent beings. More powerful than most, yes, but invincible? Not at all.
It was not long before she ran across her first Grimm. The arcing blade of her scythe struck down quickly, the Ursa collapsing, its life draining from it without any understanding of what had happened. Ruby grimaced, the Ursa was weak, she needed a bigger challenge.
She thought back to Belladonna, rage boiling inside her. She screamed, slamming a foot into the wall of a building. The wall cracked and crumbled beneath the force of her blow.
It's not fair! Why does Blake have to be treated this way! It's clear that she's not insane.
Ruby blamed herself. She imprisoned Belladonna after she was supposedly corrupted, she made sure Belladonna stayed there. She was the one who thought Belladonna was under Fenrir's control. It was clear that wasn't the case. Summer Rose wouldn't have released her if it was.
"Why didn't she tell me?" Ruby wondered as she slammed a fist into the wall, causing more of the building to begin to buckle.
"I'm her daughter, and yet she doesn't trust me in the slightest." Another blow caused the building to start to give way. The small house collapsed on itself. The sound hopefully attracting plethora of Grimm.
But if she had told me Blake was fine, that she could have been released, would I have believed her? Ruby wondered.
After Weiss died she had been a stickler for the rules. She had rationalized it, thought it was keeping her team safe. Instead, Ruby had used it as a crutch to stop herself from making decisions. "Hard choices? What does the Rulebook say?" It had caused friction in her team. Friction which had led to Belladonna being alone when Yang should have been with her. Belladonna had been corrupted as a result. And indirectly, that was Ruby's fault too.
Ruby let out a wail. The sound echoing far and wide, drowned out only by a horde of Grimm charging to their deaths. Ruby watched the oncoming horde, reading her scythe. She leapt into the thick of the pack without a word.
Ruby returned after dark had fallen. Arc was still sleeping, but Yin and Belladonna were waiting for her. Blake gazed at her, the deep frightening red eyes glowed in the darkness, but the expression was one of concern.
"Did you find an answer?" She asked. Ruby shook her head.
"I wasn't looking for one."
Yin opened her mouth to speak, but Belladonna placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yin, could you give me and Ruby some time?" She asked. Yin nodded.
"I'll be upstairs." She said, marching up the stairs quickly.
Blake turned back to Ruby. "So, what were you looking for?"
Ruby paused taking a deep breath. "Just a way to forget, forget the mess I've created for a little while."
Belladonna cocked an eyebrow. "And what mess would that be?"
Ruby practically let out a strangled laugh. Her calm demeanor rapidly crumbling.
"Everything I've done, everything, was to keep my family safe. Keep Yin safe, keep JNPR safe, keep you safe. By the rules, that was supposed to be the best way to keep everyone alive. Instead, I drive away JNPR, I hurt my sister and I lock you up in prison!" Ruby could feel the tears drip down her eyes.
"I… I thought I had things sorted. But now, now I don't know. Everything is going wrong. Then Fenrir, or Salem or whatever she is called showed up. The first thing I thought was, Is that Weiss? But of course, it wasn't. And then I thought if that is what you would eventually look like, what you would act like. And then we met again and you were just like you always have been."
Ruby slumped against a wall. "I just don't know what to do, and I'm afraid, and I'm sorry for what I did to you."
Belladonna, a small smile on her face, walked over and wrapped Ruby in a hug.
"You did what you thought was best, nobody can blame you for that. You were in pain, Weiss was your closest friend, and she died in the worst possible way. But that wasn't your fault. You didn't call off the search, you didn't abandon her. And you didn't abandon me." She said, comforting her leader.
"But I-"
"Put me in prison because you knew what they did to those who had been corrupted, you saved my life. I'm here now because of what you did."
She released the hug and wiped away Ruby's tears.
"See? You haven't changed that much, you still are the kindest person I know, even if you tried to hide it underneath a cold shell."
Ruby sighed. "Sorry for the emotional crap. It's been a busy few days."
Blake laughed. "Don't worry, Yang went from sobbing to laughing several times, somehow she also was able to blubber rout that people are calling her Yin now." Blake said. She cocked an eyebrow, "I'm guessing that is a pun?"
Ruby gave a weak laugh. "I think so" She said.
"Want to go to talk to your sis?" Blake asked. Ruby nodded. Blake wrapped an arm around ruby, drawing her close. Ruby did not resist, leaning into the crook of her teammate's neck. The duo quietly walked up the stairs, only the sound of their footsteps on old floorboards breaking the silence of the peaceful house.
Salem and Neo appeared back at Salem's palace, air around them shattering as they appeared. Salem strode forward easily as Neo fell into lockstep behind her. Salem's gaze fell on Lie and Valkyrie. Lie was struggling to remain standing, one arm slung over a concerned Valkyrie, who was far less injured.
"Ren," Salem began in a clipped tone, the anger seemingly absent from her voice as she approached the young man, "how badly are you hurt?"
Lie looked up, his face was bloodied and bruised, his nose bent at a awkward angle, has two black eyes and dried blood caked his lips.
"I'll be fine in a day." He said.
Salem's eyes narrowed, even as she gritted her teeth.
"Neo, leave us." She ordered, Neo practically rushing to comply.
She followed Neo with her eyes until the girl vanished, returning her cold gaze back to Lie and Valkyrie.
"What were you thinking?" She hissed as she walked up to the two of them, "I told you to retreat if things got too dangerous."
"We had things-" Valkyrie began, only to be silenced by a finger.
"Under control? You call that situation under control?" Salem seethed, "Cinder incapacitated, Mercury likely dead under all that rubble, not to mention Ren basically unconscious and you out of ammunition?" She paused, staring straight into Valkyrie's eyes. Salem watched as the fight faded from them, Valkyrie looked away guiltily.
"If that was under control, I wonder what your definition of out of control is? Does Fenrir have to come knocking?" Salem finished.
"Look, we're sorry things went wrong-"
Salem let out a laugh, "Things went wrong alright, but nothing that can't be rectified in time. We just strike again when we see the opportunity." She explained, turning towards the vast staircase before them. Salem motioned for the two of them to follow her.
She ascended the stairs slowly, leading the two gods up towards a balcony overlooking the grimmlands. As the reached the top she paused. Turning back to them.
"This will spread all over Anima, all over Remnant. It is a matter of time, our failure simply delays it, nothing more." She drank in the look in Valkyrie and Lie's eyes, the mixture of fascination and shock.
"We also have several advantages that will become more pronounced with time. The light of Yggdrasil does not reach Remnant, and so neither does its power. Unless it has a vessel."
"Like you?" Lie asked. Salem nodded.
"I hold a fragment of Yggdrasil's power, a power which the gods need to maintain themselves."
"I don't understand." Valkyrie said, with Lie nodding in agreement.
"Yggdrasil is like the sun, nourishing life in all its forms. Those on Remnant do not need such nourishment, Remnant is not directly connected to Yggdrasil and the people here grew in a way that they never needed it's energy, their power comes from themselves. Their aura replenishes quickly on its own. But as a consequence, they are by far the weakest species."
"So how did you not subjugate them almost immediately?" Valkyrie asked
"I am but one person. I possibly could have destroyed them all, but don't forget we need them alive to feed Yggdrasil." She reminded them, "However, if species needing Yggdrasil's power is cut off from it…"
"They'll weaken in time." Valkyrie whispered, the pieces starting to fall into place.
Salem nodded, "unless they are around a vessel of Yggdrasil's power, they will slowly weaken, their aura will rejuvenate at a snail's pace. Their strength will fade, and eventually, they will become no stronger than the mortals that reside here."
"So, since we are near you-"
"You will not face the effects, at least, not as quickly nor as severely as the others." Salem smiled apologetically "My presence delays and reduces the severity of the effects, but it does not stop them from happening."
"But the others will!"
Salem nodded. "and that is why it is important that I arrange the occasional meeting with them. Just to make sure it doesn't get too severe."
She turned to face the two, the view behind her adding a sinister air to her command: "I want you two to capture the Branwens. Our plan would have likely succeeded had they gods not been present."
Lie and Valkyrie nodded.
"Now get some rest, you clearly need it." She said, much more kindly, Valkyrie and Lie nodded, before turning, and limping back down the stairs.
Salem thought of trying to help them, but decided against it, the two needed their time to talk, and, if memory served, they always seemed to do it after a fight, interrupting that was a poor idea.
Instead, she turned and gazed out at the wasteland before her, allowing her mind to drift. She thought of Ruby, and wondered if she knew Salem's true identity, wondered how she would react to the revelation. But that could come later.
Salem smiled. "Well, at least she seems to be doing well." She muttered, before turning and heading to her throne room. She had plans to plot, and pawns to move. They were still in the midgame after all, and she had to prepare for the endgame.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I had family over for a little over a week, big vacation trip. exhausting, but tons of fun.
Anyway, onto story stuff. This Arc: Hunt for Raven is basically over. We'll have a mini arc with everyone's favorite champion next. With any luck, the Mini Arc won't take too long, Hirshja is helping with the outline for it which I am eternally grateful for.
Releases will be biweekly for the time being, mostly because real life is making it hard to carve out time to write. It's a bit of a hundred words here, two hundred there, rather than sitting down and slamming out a draft in a three hour block over a weekend. I miss free time.
Also, 10,000 views, YAY! It's the little things that brighten my day.
Have a great week, until next time!
DeamonHunter