RWBYond Vale
AN: So those last two chapters have been pretty intense. This chapter is going to be more on the cooler side of things for the most part. With a couple bits at the end. Three more chapters left in this arc and next arc is going to be a little more all over the place. A lot of stuff got cut from this arc that is going to be dropped like a bomb next chapter. Just to give you a hint: The Vale part of the title may be dropped.
Chapter 50: Where have you been?
Yang could barely move. She was beaten, broken, couldn't even stand. But she could see and hear just fine even if there was an incessant ringing in her ears, and a trail of blood in her eye. But Rio was standing in front of her, his blade holding back Ao's weapon trying to push doen on him but Rio wasn't budging.
"Where have you been?" Rubrum said.
"Oh you should have been there. There was an ancient temple, some monsters, a couple of clown, a beautiful princess." Rio joked.
"Rio." Rubrum snarled.
"Besides, everyone knows a hero arrives to the battle late to save the day."
"Do you have any idea what we've…"
"Rubrum." Rio said in a serious tone. "You've done well. You've come a long way since Beacon but I'm here now. And I'm going to win. Because you're the smartest on the team but brains will only take you so far. I'm the strongest on our team so together this guy shouldn't stand a chance."
"What makes you think you can do any better than the three of them?" Ao taunted.
"Easy, they're just kids. Barely completed their first year at Beacon. Me on the other hand," Rio pulsed with energy as he flung Ao's weapon out of the way. "I'm the greatest sea huntsman around." Both combatants disappeared as they began to fight. The two dashed in and out of Yang's vision at blinding speeds. The only sound was the clashing of metal and the only sight was their images at the point they would intersect. Yang's jaw dropped as she realized, Ao could have moved like this the entire time and she wouldn't have stood a chance. Blake put a hand on her shoulder and Yang could see her eyes moving back and forth rapidly.
"I'm having trouble keeping up too." Blake said. "They aren't as fast as Adam or August but they are more mobile; dashing in and out to intersect each other. They are still sizing each other up." The two came in sight and clashed blades in a long sequence, neither one giving ground anymore. Rio fought like Qrow when Qrow would use his sword. Whereas Ao swung more wildly like he was swatting a fly. Rio flipped around, sword still swing as he landed several hits against Ao. Ao returned the favor as he parried one of Rio's blows and landed a swing against Rio's head. Ao knocked Rio skyward and tried an air juggle, landing several hits. Yang then noticed a small stream of dark water coming from Rio's back. The water moved to create a platform for Rio as he reversed the fight and smacked Ao down with a crash.
"Aquakinesis huh…" Ao said but the stream hit him with tremendous force, knocking him back. Rio turned the stream into several long, needle-like constructs and sent them flying towards Ao. Ao blocked some of them but the others hit, one of them even tearing his robe. Ao chuckled. "Like a cool glass of water. That's what your aura tastes like."
"Of course it does." Rio responded. Rio and Ao kept taking swings at each other, both refusing to give ground despite how many hits they were taking. Ao stepped on Rio's sword, forcing it to the ground. Rio hit him with a heavy water stream as Ao smashed him across the chest. Rio smirked and instead of budging let the blow carry him off the cliff and onto the mast of the ship. Ao followed, sending moon beams that were intercepted by Rio's own moon beams. Ao's were much stronger requiring two of Rio's to counter one of Ao's. Ao smashed Rio down and the two disappeared beneath the cliff.
Yang and Blake limped their way to the cliff edge to watch as they heard numerous explosions, screams, and clashes. Both combatants were in the water, or rather on it. "Ao's a shark Faunas." Blake said. "He might not be able to breath underwater but he can swim really fast."
"He's swimming at 30 mph." Rubrum said. "And he's not showing any sign of slowing down."
"But Rio has the advantage right?" Yang said.
"Against any other opponent, Rio would have pulverized him the second he touched water. I can use my goggles to measure Rio's aura. I made them that way years ago. But you can tell by the slightly darker coloration of the water. One of those explosions earlier was Rio changing the density of the water. Anybody else would have been crushed but this Ao guy; it looks like he took the hit and is still coming."
"Rio can really do all that?" Blake said.
"It's actually the entire basis of his semblance. He changes water density to create it's forms and is able to move them." Ao smashed Rio against the cliff and jumped on the ship.
"If you care so much about this ship, I think I'll break it and be done with it." Ao said. Rio was gasping for breath.
"Rio's hurt." Rubrum said drawing his weapon. "His aura is in the yellow and he's exhausted from using his semblance to walk on water." Yang cocked her elbow back, she needed to create a distraction. "If you go down there you'll only get in the way." Rubrum said, grabbing Yang's hand.
"But you drew your weapon."
"I know what I'm doing." Rubrum's eyes squinted. "Come on Rio do it." He whispered. "Just like you did to August to beat him." Ao raised his sword to smash the ship and Rio threw his hand forward. Ao stopped and began coughing as his body froze up. Rubrum fired a lightning ball and hit Ao. Ao screamed out in pain as he dropped to his knees but didn't go down. "Rio can even use his opponents sweat against them when he focuses. It freezes them up and I strike them with lightning. I shouldn't have to explain the rest."
"Go Rio!" Yang cheered.
"Oh man you are going to love what happens next. He almost did this on the way here, against the mobius." Rubrum said. Rio waved his arms in a circle as a massive water construct surround him. It took the form of the front half of a horse but with the legs of an arthropod.
"FIST OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS!" Rio shouted as the horse half charged Ao. Connecting the horse construct to Rio was a massive serpent body made out of water. The Horse hit Ao and Ao furiously swung at it but it swallowed him up and took off towards the sky. Rio continued thrusting his fist as the serpent body got longer and longer and Ao got further and further in the air. Until with one final thrust Rio threw the entire thing skyward, Ao and all, until it disappeared above the clouds.
Rubrum scrambled into his pouch and pulled out a net caster and fired it at Rio, catching him as before he fell face first in the water. Yang Rubrum and Blake pulled him back up the cliff together. "I saw three ships." Rio mumbled in a singsong voice. "Come sailing in, come sailing in. I saw three ships come sailing in on…" Rubrum nudged him with his foot causing Rio to jerk up suddenly. "I'm up. I'm up."
"Rio, what was that?"
"Fist of the Hippocampus." Rubrum said.
"Azul, family technique." Rio said. "I'm still not really good with it. Usually I would want to ride it, but without anyone in my family here to help me stabilize it; I can only use it as a one-shot projectile." Rio yawned. "So I think I'm going to stay here and watch the ship you guys get the others. Did you find Ozpin?"
"Boy do we have a story for you." Yang said. "But right now, I have to go get Ruby."
"Suit yourself." Rio said. "One more thing. Don't count this as a victory, I merely pushed him into the storm but I seriously doubt we've seen the last of him. I'm going to have to train to get stronger because even with your help, he had plenty of aura left when I launched him." Yang would have been shocked had she not felt his power first hand.
"Come on." Yang motioned towards Blake. The two set off back towards the alter. They swung by the hospital to get Jaune and trade him out for Blake, who wasn't going to last much longer. Nora and Ren were concerned about Yang's condition.
"Let us go get Ruby." Nora said. "You two look like crap. You should really rest."
"No. I'm fine." Yang said. "Blake isn't going to be able to walk much for a while but I can still go. I have to go. So are any of you coming with me?"
"Yes." Jaune said. "Nora, Ren, get Ozpin to the ship. Rubrum, you look after Blake."
"Sure thing." Rubrum said. As they left the hospital and made a run for the alter they ran into the rest of the group. Weiss was barely conscious and August was fighting with a broken arm. But there weren't many Grimm left and Sun was wrapping things up.
"August." Yang said. "We found Rio, ships safe and the island is secure."
"Good." August answered.
"Any word on Ruby?"
"There was a flashing green light a minute ago. Penny, Sun, you two are still in good condition. Go with them, the rest of us are going to make our way back to the hospital before going to the ship." So Penny, Sun, Yang and Jaune continued to the alter.
The alter was in sight but it was dead silent. That pit in Yang's heart returned as crippling dread consumed her body. Her heart was racing and tears threatened to drown her eyes as she climbed to the alter and saw them. The sun set behind the tree lines on it's descent into darkness. The whole world began growing darker. Ruby was standing limp, held up by a combination of her scythe and…the sword blade running her through and stuck in the stone.
"RUBY!" Yang called out but there wasn't an answer. Yang saw Akagi, limp against Ruby's body, with the scythe blade sticking out of her back. Yang threw Akagi's body to the ground and cradled her younger sisters body.
"Ruby." The others said in unison.
"She's breathing." Yang said softly. Tears ran from her eyes. "But it's weak." Yang took Ruby's cape and pulled the sword out of her sister. She wrapped the hood around the younger girls midsection as Jaune frantically applied first aid. Bandages, gauze, anything that he grabbed from the hospital. Penny took a needle and a thread and quickly, calmly, crudely stiched up the wounds.
"That'll stop the bleeding but she has internal injuries." Penny reported.
"Come on Ruby." Jaune cried out as his aura began glowing. "You can pull through; I know you can."
"Ruby," Yang said weakly. "I need you to wake up. "I need you to tell me everything is all right. I need you to sing Red Like Roses off key. I need to hear you cheer in victory. Remember when you were little, right after mom died. You didn't want daddy or uncle Qrow to read you a story. You wanted mom. You kept on screaming, 'I want mom' over and over again until dad left crying. But then you calmed down when I tucked you in. It was because they wouldn't do the silly voices like mom would. Remember how I would let you do some of those silly voices." Yang pressed Ruby's head into her breasts. "I need to hear the voice you used for the hunter when I would read 'The Hunter and the Goddess of Spring.' It would really make my day."
"Yang." Jaune said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Go away Jaune, unless you can help her!" She screamed at him, all she saw was red.
"She's stabilizing." Penny said. "But she's comatose. Her aura is beyond gone."
"It's just like at Beacon when she went unconscious." Jaune said.
"But that time she didn't…" Yang choked back tears. "she didn't…have a whole in her stomach. What if it was her chest?"
"Then there would be nothing we can do. But that isn't what happened. We need to get her real medical attention." Jaune said.
"Sage can reverse the damage if we get her to him fast enough." Sun said. "We should have plenty of time." Yang shook her head yes as she handed Ruby to Penny.
"You'd get her there the quickest." Yang said. "I can barely walk as it is. I need…I need a moment." And so Penny sprinted off with super human agility towards the hospital. Yang stood over the body of Akagi Tsuki. Akagi's eyes were still open. Funny, she has an uncanny resemblance to mom…Raven rather. Yang stared into those panicked red eyes. "Was it worth it?" She asked the lifeless body but didn't receive an answer. She grabbed Ruby's scythe and arranged the ruble to make a makeshift grave for the assassin.
"You know." Jaune said. "This is likely going to change her. Ruby I mean."
"Ruby's tough. She'll bare this pain on the outside and let it manifest in combat. But in her everyday life she'll act like her normal crazy self."
"But if it's an act is it a good thing?"
"Act like you have fun and you'll have some by accident. It's just like with her mother…maybe…I hope."
"I do to Yang." Jaune said as he started walking away. Yang stood there a minute longer and pondered the purpose of these events. Why was this Akagi so fixated on Ruby? Wasn't she supposed to be guarding Ozpin? There were still questions that needed to be answered. She knew someone who could answer it. Qrow, Ozpin, Raven, Glas, these Arbiters of Truth, they had the answers and Yang was going to find them. She doubted that this was the last assassin that would come for Ruby and Yang needed to be ready for whatever else may come their way.
AN: Hippocampus is a mythological creature that was half horse, half water serpent. They are also the first sub-boss in God of War 3 which was the inspiration of Rio's ultimate move. Next chapter is going to take place sometime later as a couple bombs are dropped on our heroes. Namely, Ruby wakes up to a world that is very different from how she left it at the beginning of this arc. The next two chapters are going to establish what a post Isle of Storms status quo is and how it will feed into the remaining arcs of this story. I also wanted to establish a bit of a motivator for Yang because she's going to be doing something in a latter arc that follows this final line of thought.
