A/N: Yes. I'm still alive. I apologize deeply for this extended hiatus, but February turned out to be an extremely rough month from which I am still recovering. Some time was needed to get my life back on track, but now I am more or less stable. No health issues, just other ones. As such, I made sure to make this chapter longer than my usual submissions. I hope it's to your liking.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
Raine fired an ocular energy beam against the Elder One that had answered Adam's call, the titanic beast shrieking with pain as the divine energies burned into its chest. Despite this, it continued to barrel forward, flapping its wings with mighty strokes against the Caelesti's assault. He dropped back down to earth with a huff and narrowly escaping a gaping maw as the beast crossed his path, all the while with Adam watching from atop a ruined building with crossed arms and a smirk adorning his face.
"Damn it, this thing just keeps absorbing everything I throw at it," Raine growled as his hands gripped tightly at his swords. "It's got to have a weakness of some kind."
Within moments, the ancient Grimm had circled around for another pass, and in the depths of its throat Raine could spy the soft glow of flame bubbling to the surface. The Wyvern swooped low and from its maw erupted a brilliant display of dark flames, completely engulfing the courtyard. Yelling with exertion, Raine crossed his blades together in a guard and extended his aura into a protective bubble just as the flames washed over him. Sweat dripped down his brow as the intense heat licked across his skin. He could feel his aura wavering under the assault. Roaring, he reached out with his Semblance, spinning the flames with a torrent of wind, twisting them into a mighty tornado. One last push outwards banished the inferno, scattering the embers in a brilliant display. Stray flames fanned out around him in a corkscrew, the earth flash heated into a molten spiral.
"Impressive," Adam complimented with a clap. "Most impressive."
"Bastard..." Raine growled as he prepared to rush the villain, only to halt when the Wyvern landed directly in front of him.
"Out of my way!" Raine bellowed as he brought his blades to bear.
The beast lunged forward with snapping jaws, missing its prey by inches. Raine twisted in response and struck back, slicing into its face with a shining blade and leaving a faint cut along its cheek. In anger, it reared up a clawed hand at the center of its wing and brought it crashing down upon the sickly, charred earth. Raine rolled to the side, evading the Wyvern's swipe and leaped forward with a spin. He carved into the beast's flank with a sizzling sear, and yet its hide continued to hold fast. In its thrashing, the Wyvern swiped at him once more with a clawed wing, but he avoided this as well as he jumped high into the air. Falling with a somersault, he landed on the mighty Grimm's back and buried his swords to their hilts between its shoulder-blades.
The Wyvern roared in pain and thrashed about, spewing random flames into the air as it craned its neck desperately in a vain attempt at snatching Raine up in its jaws. The Caelesti could do little more than hang on as his still searing blades sent the beast into a frenzy, forcing it to rampage throughout the ruined campus. One last and mighty lurch finally bucked the Caelesti from the Grimm's back, his grip slackened from his glowing blades. The Wyvern bellowed angrily as it spun in place, swinging its tail into Raine's tumbling form and smacking him into the Headmaster's tower. Pleased that its prey was now at its mercy, the Wyvern pumped a powerful beat with its wings, lifting itself from the ground and hovering in place. A baritone, growling rumble preceded the up-welling of flames deep within the beast's throat, all too eager to incinerate the insect that dared to stand against an Elder One in defiance.
Raine struggled to free himself from the crater his body had dug into the side of the tower, the soft and orange glow of fire overtaking him. He had to move... he had to move! To his great surprise, the inferno never came. Instead, the Wyvern was jolted aside as an emerald beam of plasma collided into its head. Roaring in pain and anger, it took to the sky, the great beast sufficiently cowed for a much needed moment.
Prying himself free, Raine floated to the ground in confusion, searching for the source of the sudden attack that very well had saved his life.
"Salutations friend Raine!"
His jaw dropped in shock.
"Penny...?" he asked incredulously as the android girl cheerfully walked up to him. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to help," she answered nod.
"We?"
The familiar sound of high caliber rounds firing drew his attention back to the Wyvern that had been pummeling him. In the darkness, his silver eyes could pick out the form of a red blur flashing about in a harassing manner, stopping occasionally to fire off a few rounds before blurring out of sight once more. A single rose petal fluttered across his vision, the assailant becoming abundantly clear.
"Ruby!" he said in a panic, his wings spreading behind him as the Caelesti took off to rejoin the battle.
Penny followed, the hidden jets in her blades propelling her forward like a rocket. Together, they hastened their way back to the young rose currently dueling the Elder One.
"Come on you ugly, overgrown lizard!" Ruby yelled as she extended Crescent Rose into its scythe form.
Hanging in midair briefly, she fired a round behind her and barreled forward, holding the mighty weapon to aloft for a swing. Silver eyes glowing, she buried her blade into the Wyvern's side. It screeched in pain as Crescent Rose dug deep, forcing it to lurch to the side as it frantically flapped its wings. It careened sideways and crashed into the tower, tearing massive chunks out of the structure's side. Unfortunately, the impact knocked Crescent Rose loose, and a second jolt from the Wyvern knocked heavily into her. All of a sudden, Ruby found herself in a tumbling free-fall.
Panicking, she fumbled with her weapon as she struggled to right herself and slow her descent, but the world was spinning too much for her. As every rotation brought the ground ever closer, she closed her eyes and pooled her aura, preparing for the inevitable impact. It never came as instead she was cradled in warm arms. Her stomach lurching from the abrupt change in direction, Ruby looked up into the eyes of her savior.
"Raine..." she said softly, her gaze drawn to the magnificent wings that carried her to safety.
He touched down softly onto a roof, setting Ruby on her feet. She immediately dropped Crescent Rose and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a forceful and desperate kiss. He took it in stride, but quickly broke off the contact.
"Why did you come back?" he asked her with a shaky voice.
"I won't leave you," she answered with conviction. "Not anymore. Blake is safe, and so is everyone else. Everyone except you."
He swallowed the lump in his throat, his gaze glancing apprehensively towards the distant yet dark and pronounced form of Adam waiting patiently for him to finish off the Elder One currently circling overhead.
"If he steps into this fight again, we'll be in big trouble," he said seriously.
"So what?" Ruby shot back lightly. "We'll just deck him in the schnoz!"
"We'll... what?" Raine asked dumbstruck. "Ruby, this isn't a joke. I'm being serious here!"
"So am I," she said with a straight face as she retrieved Crescent Rose. "Now come on, we still have a lizard to kill."
Penny chose that moment to rejoin her friends, the android touching down lightly beside them.
"I've analyzed the Wyvern's attack patterns and capabilities. It prefers sweeping passes over direct combat, spawning Grimm from its biomass to saturate the land below," Penny stated, her eyes lighting up with a myriad of flashes and symbols.
"Spawning Grimm...?" Ruby asked with a wide-eyed shudder.
"Yes," Penny said simply as she lifted a finger towards the circling monstrosity.
The Wyvern let out a roar as it made another pass, large globules of mass dripping from its body. Ruby watched in disgusted horror as the tar-like substance morphed into individual Grimm. A monster like that could probably overrun the entire kingdom on its own. Narrowing her eyes with her mind made up, she hefted Crescent Rose in a combat stance.
"How about a weakness?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, though its hide and armor seems weakest at its joint areas," Penny answered.
"Penny, how strong is your energy cannon?" Raine inquired as he stepped forward.
Penny looked at him curiously.
"It depends on how long I have to charge up. Do you have an idea?"
"In a manner of speaking. If it can regenerate, we'll just have to hit it with enough firepower to overcome that healing factor. How much time do you think you'll need?"
Penny put on a thoughtful look for a moment.
"Can you give me five minutes?" she asked as her eyes lit up with determination. "That should be sufficient time to charge up to 100%."
"We can do that," Raine agreed. "Ready team?"
Ruby smiled confidently.
"Ready."
"Combat ready!" Penny declared cheerfully.
"Alright. Let's get to work!"
On his order, the three young hunters launched into action. As Ruby and Penny jumped down to the ground, Raine took flight towards the mighty Grimm they had been tasked with slaying. The beast roared at his challenge as he closed the distance, rearing back to unleash a torrent of flame upon him. Anticipating the attack and seeing a rare opportunity of using his opponent's attack against him, Raine called upon his Semblance. As a concentrated stream of fire bore down upon him, he let loose his own gale of winds, both enhancing and redirecting the hellish inferno back upon the Wyvern.
The Wyvern's hide glowed and cracked under the intense heat, choking back the stream as it yelped in pain. Immediately Raine was upon him, slashing furiously at its now weakened hide and slicing deep. He circled the beast quickly, aiming for every crack and soft-spot his silver eyes could discern, all the while skillfully evading the beast's thrashing and manic attempts at swatting him out of the sky. As its jaws came down to snap him in two, Raine phased out of sight and reappeared from above, his eyes glowing furiously with power. This time, Raine focused the budding power beneath his irises, seizing control of the stream for a far more concentrated attack. Eyes narrowing, Raine yelled out as the intense ocular beams struck the Wyvern between its wings. The force of the attack sent it plummeting back down to earth in a screaming fit, and yet it managed to recover with the spreading of its wings; the dogfight continued.
With Raine acting as a decoy for the source, Ruby set to work cleaning up the thralls. With every swing of Crescent Rose, she struck down scores of creeps as they swarmed her and Penny in a frenzy. She spun the mighty scythe in a flourish, hooking another pair with the tip and, with a second swing, flung them into the onrushing crowd. She phased in and out of sight as she made liberal use of her Semblance, crossing entire swaths of ground within the blink of an eye. Errant rose petals scattered through the wind as she continued to mop up the never-ending tide.
As for Penny, she stood towards the back, knees bent and arms stretched outwards to her sides. Deep breaths filled her lungs as she drew upon the aura pumping throughout her artificial body. She could feel it building, welling up inside of her, emerald sparks discharging from her form. As the power grew, so did the discomfort and pain it caused. She grit her teeth as she willfully demanded more energy than she had ever before expended. Warning alarms rang in her ears, her vision was littered with status alerts courtesy of her internal processors, incessantly demanding she cease her actions before a system overload occurred. And yet, despite all these safety measures carrying out their programming to salvage the entire mainframe as a whole, a far different part of her subconscious ignored all of that, specifically telling her this was the right thing to do. It felt odd, out of place, foreign, and yet... familiar. She couldn't quite put a finger on the feeling and yet it was hardly alien, having always been a part of her sitting in the furthest reaches of her thoughts.
Touching upon it brought fleeting images and sensations; a little girl's laughter, a father's warm embrace, the peck of a mother's goodnight kiss upon her forehead. Where did these memories come from? Was this her? That shouldn't be possible. She had no memory of this, not that she could place anyway. All she could say now was that she wanted desperately to learn more, to find the origin of these thoughts, thoughts that an android girl such as her shouldn't have.
Redoubling her efforts, she yelled out as a surge of energy coursed through her. So potent and violent these bursts were that a single tendril reduced a stray Creep to ash. The bolts drew Ruby's gaze, her eyes widening at the energy Penny was exuding as well as the clear strain seen in her body. Memories of Raine's duel with her uncle came rushing back to her as well as the same worry. She shoved those feelings aside, focusing instead on her mission as she bisected another Beowolf. A flourish of her scythe struck down two more.
"Ruby! I can't hold it much longer! Hurry!" Penny yelled out against the din of battle.
She gave her friend a nod as she swung Crescent Rose to dispatch the straggling Grimm, then turned her attention to Wyvern high above the campus. Her silver eyes lit up with power, fueling her Semblance beyond normal constraints. She vanished from the spot in a flurry of rose petals, propelling herself higher and higher into the air to meet the great beast in battle. She slammed into the Grimm broadside, smiling as the force of her swing sent in tumbling into the tower, an act that brought Raine flying up alongside her.
"Is she ready?" he asked as he glanced down to Penny.
"Yeah. Let's end this thing," Ruby answered with a determined nod.
The two Caelesti grasped each other by the forearms and together, combined into a single spinning mass of rose petals, a dark red flashing with silvery light. With a downward push, they evaded the angry Wyvern's jaws, gaining altitude as they went and surpassing the highest point of Beacon Tower. As the momentum from Ruby's Semblance died down, they split back into their separate forms, the Red Rose Reaper hefting Crescent Rose in a reverse grip, ready for a mighty swing.
Gripping tightly at the shaft near the blade's edge was Raine, a single sword in his free hand glowing menacingly with silver energy, and a grim smirk on his face.
"Think you can make the shot?" he asked her playfully.
"Can I?" Ruby responded in a tone eerily reminiscent of her partner. "Deja vu."
She then swung, spinning once, twice, thrice, each pass propelling them with ever increasing momentum until finally, with a roar, she swung one final time and sending Raine plummeting down towards their target. Gusts of wind whipped around his body, turning him into winged missile surrounded by razor sharp air currents. Sword raised, he slammed into the Wyvern's exposed chest with a thunderclap, burying his blade as deeply as it could reach. A shockwave rippled out across the campus as the great beast was brought low and into the earth with a mighty crash, directly into Penny's line of fire.
"Do it!" Raine bellowed as he yanked his blade free and took to the air once more.
For good measure, he let loose a powerful ocular beam that seared into the Wyvern's body, pinning it to the ground and eliciting a bone chilling screech from the beast's maw.
Taking their chance, Penny growled and thrust her hands forward, her laser array letting loose an incredible emerald beam of energy powerful enough to rip apart the ground. She felt her arms trembling from the blast, her sensors giving a searing, almost numbing sensation as her aura rushed out of her, but the effect it had on their foe was desired. The blast barreled into the ancient Grimm, pinning it against Beacon Tower with an earth-shaking force. It thrashed and flailed against Penny's relentless assault, it's hide peeling away under the intense heat. What followed was muscle, tendons, and even bone as the mighty Grimm was steadily reduced to ashes, but it refused to lay back and perish.
It turned against the astounding pressure and, with a deep roar, let loose a massive gout of flame that pushed back against Penny's attack. The counter force drove the android girl to her knees, her internal processors going haywire in her head. She felt her own reserves dwindling as she pulled upon far more aura than she ever thought possible. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself back to her feet, but the lapse in energy was showing strong, and as the Wyvern fought back, it was able to gain enough ground to allow its healing factor to kick back in.
"Penny!" came Ruby's voice as the two Caelesti touched down beside her. "We'll help too!"
"Ruby? Raine?" she asked through the strain as they stood alongside her, Raine with his left arm outstretched with an open palm.
Her scanners could detect a gathering of aura in the center, a massive rushing of energy to rival her own. There was still hope.
"This is it!" he encouraged her. "Give it everything you have!"
With his own roar, a silver beam of aura erupted from his gloved palm, the energy mixing with Penny's blast and lighting up the campus with a brilliant display. Slowly but surely, this new power pushed back against the Wyvern's stream and soon enough, they were just upon the cusp of victory.
"Just... a bit... more!" he growled as he dug deeper.
"I've got almost nothing left!" Penny gasped out her response, her beam beginning to falter and with it, her resolve.
"Look past your fear, Penny. You can do it!" Raine pushed. "Do you really want this thing to destroy the city?!"
Penny released the internal fail-safe protocols that were designed to protect her body, shutting down all of the warning sirens and notifications that assaulted her cybernetic mind. For a moment, the silence was liberating, empowering even as she now had more access to her aura than ever before, but with it came a very real, very human sensation if there was a specific word she could use, of exhaustion the likes of which she could hardly even comprehend... as if she was dying... and it was absolutely terrifying.
"Don't give up!" came Ruby's voice.
The young rose placed an encouraging hand on Penny's shoulder, and in that moment she felt strength come rushing into her. Was this aura transfer she heard her friends talk about? Was that even possible with an android like her despite her artificial nature? With awe in her eyes, she turned to face her friend, her first real friend, and as green eyes met brilliant silver, she knew she had to win here, no matter what the cost.
"Ruby... thank you," she said with emotion thick in her voice.
As the struggle continued, Adam watched on with cool appreciation. They might actually have a chance to pull through. Arms crossed and smirk adorning his face, the Umbrani watched with rapt attention, curious of the outcome of this battle.
Unbeknownst to all present, the tower itself was showing worrying signs of collapse after the night's punishment. Long, jagged cracks could be seen clearly in the fight's glow, the spider web of damage spreading upon along the tower's body. Pieces of rubble chipped away here and there, raining down around the ruined campus as an early warning for anyone present to move, and move fast. Nobody paid attention... until a sizeable chunk came plunging down and landing heavily onto the Wyvern's neck. In an instant, its flames were stymied.
"Together!" bellowed Raine as he rallied the two girls at his side.
He grasped his left wrist with his right hand, and with a collective roar, the three poured all of their aura into this one, final attack. The energy barreled through what was left of the Wyvern's flamethrower and struck savagely. Its cries of screeching pain were drowned out by the rolling hum of a combined assault never before seen in Remnant's history. At last, the final remains of the Elder One were burned away, pinned against Beacon Tower, and as a final nail in the coffin, the once brilliant spire came undone and collapsed, crumbling beneath its own weight with a rumbling boom.
As dust enveloped the three warriors, Raine and Penny collapsed to their knees, the pair gasping for breath from the ordeal their bodies had both endured. Ruby was little less worse for wear, having still experienced a drain by linking her aura to Penny's, but was overall still ready for battle. She needed to be, as a faint clapping could be heard echoing through the darkness.
"Bravo, bravo!" praised Adam as he touched down in front of them, his violet wings shining brightly through the haze. "I honestly didn't think you would survive the encounter, let alone triumph."
Raine sneered as he struggled back to his feet, his footsteps heavy.
"And I have more than enough to finish you off as well," he growled as he formed a shining broadsword in his hand.
Unfortunately to his great dismay, the blade fizzled and died, along with much of Raine's power. With horror in his eyes, his wings vanished, as did the blinding light coming from his eyes.
"Im-impossible... not like this..." he gasped as the full weight of his exhaustion struck him down.
"Raine!" Ruby cried out as she rushed to his side, all the while beneath Adam's menacing gaze.
His smile grew wider.
"It appears you've reached your limit," Adam declared, giving voice to the thought nobody wanted to entertain. "Such a pity, and you had such promise as well. You should've ended me with that blast, not the lizard. What would two more deaths really mean if it meant putting me down for good? What happened to all of that rage and anger that nearly drove me to the brink? Then again... you've been fighting futilely against a God among Men. To have come so close only to let absolute victory slip through your fingers... now you will pay the ultimate price, and it starts... with her."
His message was clear about which her he spoke of. He drew Thorn with a deliberate delay, wanting to savor the moment; Ruby's fear, Raine's frustration, Penny's helplessness. The brave little android fought as valiantly as any real Huntress would, but she too had nothing left to give, having barely managed to remain conscious. Sacrificing one of his Mistress' most powerful servants was indeed a heavy blow, but in the end he would still have his prize. Only one more still stood between him and absolute victory.
"Ruby..." Raine wheezed. "Please... leave now. I can't... I can't lose you too."
She stood defiantly in front of the self-proclaimed God, Crescent Rose planted in the ground. She took a deep breath as she prepared to face down one of the most dangerous men in the world.
"I don't..." she began, quelling the tremors in her voice. "I can't understand what turned you into this, Adam. I want to, but I know I can't."
Her voice, timid and small as it was, still gave the man pause. His grip on Thorn became a bit tighter, but he didn't retort, not yet.
"But I know this wasn't always you," she continued. "Raine looked up to you, chased after you, drove himself to catch up to you so he could stand alongside you. He spoke so highly of you when he talked about those memories. And Blake... she idolized you. You were everything she wanted to be. Strong, confident, and a driving hope for your people. She told me you inspired the White Fang when many wanted to quit. You were that hero they wanted... and now... when I look at you like this, when I look at what you've done in spite of all those praises, I feel so much sadness... so much hurt... and I can't even explain why."
Adam felt his throat constrict at her audacity.
"You know nothing of the world..." he spoke lowly, dangerously.
"You're right, I don't," she admitted. "But what I do know is this. There are so many people in the world hurting right now, too many for me to help all at once. All I can do is try to help them one at a time, one day after another. I might not be able to save the whole world, but if I can at least help one person in theirs, then that's enough. I don't want to fight you, Adam. I wish today never had happened, and I know Raine and many others have every right to hate you for what you've done... but I can't bring myself to do the same because... I think you're hurting too, and I want to help you."
If his grip on Thorn could get any tighter, it would. Ruby's words had cut into him deep, exposing him in ways he didn't think possible. Now, more than ever, he wanted to kill this girl for making him feel this way, but at the very least he would make this death quick. He would grant her that much.
"You are a fool Ruby Rose... a naive little fool," he growled. "You are far too innocent for this world, so killing you here will be a mercy. Know this in your final moments; you either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain. For that, I shall grant you a hero's death."
She sighed sadly as she readied Crescent Rose.
"I will do what I have to."
Thorn raised, Adam rushed forward to snuff the life out of her, but she was prepared and brought Crescent Rose to bear, the mighty scythe clanging loudly with the glowing katana. He pushed forward with a snarl, exposing her as he broke through her guard and lunged forward, intent on cutting her in half. To his surprise, she burst into rose petals, his blade passing harmlessly through the cloud. From his flanks, she struck back, swinging heavily with her scythe and clashing against his hastily raised block. Her eyes were now alight with silver power, and she bore down upon him relentlessly, reminding him that she too was a warrior.
Adam was immediately forced on the defensive as he backpedaled under her assault. Such a massive weapon like her scythe fell with more weight than he could ever imagine possible, especially in the hands of a girl as small as her. His simple unfamiliarity of battling against such a unique weapon was costing him dearly. She spun and twirled in an intricate display, lashing out with lethal precision. Every passing arc of her blade scattered the ashes beneath their feet, kicking up an irritating haze that drifted into his senses. He would not be made a fool of a second time.
He flash stepped backwards, Thorn sheathed as he lowered into his most lethal stance, his pose causing Raine to panic, remembering the strike that killed Cyan, only this time the shadow in his mind's eye was that of Ruby. Furiously, he commanded his body to move, his muscles trembling pitifully in response. He couldn't let him kill her too!
Fortunately, Ruby had recognized that pose as well, her mind flashing back to one of the numerous training sessions she had with Raine shortly before the tournament, and with that hindsight, she was thankful that they had that conversation.
"Hey Raine?" Ruby asked as she glanced up from her water bottle. "What's Adam's Semblance?"
He gave her an odd look.
"Where's this coming from?"
"I got to thinking about it one day, ya know, since Mountain Glenn. What if we end up fighting him?"
Raine's lips narrowed into a thin line as he turned away, resting his head against the tree they had decided to rest under.
"I'm... not sure," he answered truthfully. "He never told me while we trained together, but there's at least one technique he knows that might be it. He calls it Moonslice."
Ruby perked up at the name.
"That sounds cool," she said with a little smile.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"Not as cool as you think. I don't know when he created it, and while it certainly could be used against Grimm, he designed it with only one goal in mind; to kill Hunters."
Her face went pale.
"Just for killing Hunters?" she repeated for clarification.
He nodded.
"Throughout a battle, he uses his aura to absorb excess energy into his sword, stockpiling it over time so that it can all be unleashed into a single attack. Think like your sister's Semblance but condensed. He typically does this with a quick draw and is always dramatic about it, and when he finally strikes, that energy is strong enough to reduce his target to ashes. If a fight goes on long enough, he can even cut through a person's aura, no matter how strong they are."
"That's horrible!" Ruby said with shock. "Why would he even make something like that?"
Raine looked to her sadly.
"He's in a dark place, Ruby. A very dark place. I hope you never have to fight him."
Of course that hope had been tossed to the wayside as she now faced off against Adam in a life or death battle, but this was something she had trained for tirelessly. Adam may have been fast, but she was faster, and she drove home that point when she vanished into thin air moments before his quick draw could land. The Umbrani looked on in confusion as the girl effortlessly evaded one of his fastest attacks, his glowing, violet eyes sweeping the battlefield for any trace of the young reaper, the only evidence of her passing being an errant rose petal fluttering in the wind.
"Over here," he suddenly heard her call from his flank.
He rounded to face her with another swing of his blade, the edge discharging a deadly crescent of energy, but was once again met with a light cloud of rose petals. Growling, his eyes rapidly scanned the surrounding area until he caught the barest glimpse of the young reaper flashing from sight as she promptly swung down upon him with her scythe. He managed to block the strike, but with incredible speed came natural power, and the blow sent him careening into the ruined remains of the Memorial Statue. Spittle came spewing from his mouth as the impact sent him reeling, though it served little in terms of lasting damage and merely angered him further.
"You won't dodge this!" he roared as he lowered into a quick-draw stance.
With malice coursing through his veins, he let loose a rapid series of quick-draws, banking on Thorn's supernatural reach to strike her down.
Eyes alight with silver power, Ruby's perception of time seemed to slow to a crawl, her vision absorbing even the faintest of details in the battlefield, from the minuscule embers floating through the wind to the ash beneath her feet. The strike began as the faintest flash of light materializing out of thin air, red in color with ever increasing velocity that bore down upon her, yet this too moved at a snail's pace and thus was effortlessly avoided. It was followed by a second, then a third, each one evaded with practiced grace.
"I can see it," she thought with wonder as her body seemed to move on its own. "I can see everything."
She didn't expect to gain this much progress since that day on Beacon Cliff when she had just first started seeing the world with her Caelesti eyes, but standing here now she was nothing but grateful. It was time for her to take advantage of that talent.
As yet another cut came down upon her head, she moved with her Semblance once more, drawing upon it subconsciously and closing the gap between her and Adam within the blink of an eye. Her counter attack came immediately, swinging Crescent Rose in a sweeping upper cut that tore across Adam's chest. His eyes widened at her sudden appearance realizing too little too late as he felt her scythe tear through his skin, showering the pair with blood as it struck with enough force to penetrate his aura.
As the maddened Umbrani stumbled backwards in shock, Ruby shifted her grip and with a flourish, brought Crescent Rose down like an executioner. In that moment, Adam felt a twinge of fear, true fear as the young girl standing before him shifted into a bloody red visage of the Grim Reaper, having come to personally collect his soul. It never came as the mighty scythe's edge came to a halt at his neck, causing his breath to hitch. Ruby looked down upon him with sorrow, unable to follow through with the deed.
"I don't want to kill you Adam," she admitted with a tremble in her voice, her eyes having lost their silvery glow. "Please come back to us."
"Why didn't you do it?" he asked with barely a whisper.
She closed her eyes sadly.
"Because I want to help you," she answered softly, earning her a sneer.
"You're going to regret those words, Ruby Rose," he spat. "You're going to regret not taking my head off when you had the chance."
Taken aback by the hate in his voice, Ruby was ill prepared when his eyes burst with dark power, an ocular beam striking her dead center in the chest.
"Ruby!" Raine screamed as she was sent careening backwards in a smoking heap, her body sparking with a shattered aura.
Adrenaline rushed through his body, forcing his overtaxed muscles to move as he ran forward and caught her in his arms. Tears streamed down his face, terrified that the girl he loved, his other half, had been taken from him for good. Thankfully, as he forced his eyes to gaze upon her, his vision was met with the pristine fabric of her blouse. Her aura, though now broken, had held strong and absorbed the entirety of the blast.
"Why?!" he gasped out through choked sobs. "Why did you do that?!"
She coughed through her smile, sheepishly apologetic of her act of mercy.
"Because we're not killers. Huntsmen and Huntresses save people."
He couldn't help but laugh in spite of their predicament, shaking his head in disbelief at her innocence.
"I don't know if I should love you or hate you right now."
She blushed and prodded her fingers together.
"Can't you just love me...?" she asked meekly.
"Enough!" screeched Adam as he let his aura flare wildly. "I will not be humiliated any further by the likes of either of you! Everyone dies tonight!"
His body lit up in a brilliant display of violet energy, his aura rolling from him in waves. His wings spread even wider in all of their magnificence, the maddened Umbrani drawing upon all of his power for one final assault. With a demonic roar, his aura completely enshrouded him with dark energy with only his eyes, now completely featureless, shining through the shadows. Eerily enough, the tell-tale bone armor of Grimm formed along his body, the ghostly white plates encasing his arms, legs, and torso, but most prominently of all was the large bull skull and horns that masked his face complete with massive jaws hanging over his mouth, his eyes glowing menacingly through the sockets. His new, Minotaur-esque form had nearly doubled him in size, allowing this half-man half-Grimm hybrid to tower over his victims. His glare sent a shudder of fear down Ruby's spine as she climbed back to her feet, Raine flanking her.
"Uhm... Raine...?" she asked uncertainly as the oppressive feeling of Grimm settled upon her, willing her aura to restore itself as quickly as she could muster. "You can still fight right? I really don't want to fight that thing on my own."
The Caelesti gripped tightly at the sapphire around his neck, his trump card and final reserve of aura, a reserve he promptly drained completely. With his strength at least partially restored, he dug deep and grasped upon the anger he harbored for Adam, forcing his body to undergo ascension once more. His aura flared around him, the courtyard lighting up spectacularly with the return of his wings. Bright, silver eyes met Adam's violet unflinchingly.
"We'll have to finish this quickly. I'm not sure how much longer I can maintain this form," he admitted.
Ruby nodded and activated her own eyes, the wispy tendrils fanning out from her irises.
"It's a good thing we're the fastest fighters in Beacon," she commented with a small smile. "How does that saying go? When you mess with the bull?"
He snorted.
"You get the horns."
Their banter seemed to have further provoked the humanoid Grimm standing before them as it let loose an earsplitting roar. The force of the sound-waves blasted into the two Caelesti with the strength of a hurricane, their cloaks flapping violently in the wind as they struggled to maintain their footing. Without warning, Adam lunged forward upon all fours in a berserker rage, having completely disregarded his blade in favor of pummeling his adversaries into the ground.
A wild fist came for Raine first, a blatantly choreographed move which he evaded with little issue. What he hadn't counted on was the spinning hook kick that followed, a strike that landed heavily into his guard and sent him flying backwards. He could feel his arms go numb from the blow.
Bringing Crescent Rose to bear, Ruby swung down at the Umbrani as it rounded on her, the scythe bouncing harmlessly against his armor. Her eyes went wide as Adam knocked aside her beloved scythe with his forearm. Swinging wildly with his head, she was forced to evade with her Semblance, the razor sharp tips of his horns tearing into her blouse. She could feel the prick of her skin tearing, her aura unfortunately not fully restored. One wrong move and it really would be over for her.
As she made her retreat, Raine rejoined the fray, a single sword grasped in his hands. With a roar he lunged forward and swung, sparks bursting from the blade's point of impact against Adam's armor but this did little to deter him. He let loose a flurry of blows, his usual finesse disregarded in favor of sheer power. With every subsequent strike, the bone armor slowly chipped away. Had Adam retained his sanity, the master swordsman would easily turn this wild thrashing against him, but as a Grimm, cognitive thought was completely overwhelmed with raw instinct and Raine fully intended to take advantage of this weakness.
He jumped into the air with a roar, his blade held high over his head in a full power chop, but as the stroke came down upon Adam's skull, the Minotaur shifted ever so slightly and parried away the attack with one of his horns. That same horn slid across the blade and, with gravity doing the work for him, he impaled Raine in the shoulder. The Caelesti choked back a scream of pain as the pale white bone ran him through. He struggled to get free, swinging with his sword with his free arm down upon Adam's crown over and over again, but these too were just glancing blows. A guttural bellow bubbled up from the Minotaur's throat as he tossed Raine aside like a rag-doll.
Hearing her beloved's cry of pain, Ruby moved in from the flank towards Adam's blind-spot, yelling out as she swung Crescent Rose with all of her might. This time, she made sure to aim for the gap between the floating ribs of Adam's bone chest-plate. The scythe's tip struck deeply, ripping a roar of pain from the maddened Umbrani's throat. In a rage, he reached forward and grasped her by the arms with both hands, his massive fingers completely wrapping around her tender flesh with room to spare.
Caught in his grip, Ruby screamed out in pain as he squeezed, her bones protesting against the crushing force threatening to snap them to pieces. Desperate to get free, the young rose subconsciously sent aura rushing through her irises and let loose a wild yet powerful beam that drilled through the gap in Adam's mask. The blow was enough to force his grip to lessen, allowing her to muscle free and yank Crescent Rose out of his side.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her bones, Ruby pressed forward with her own assault, swinging her scythe in rapid arcs as she took advantage of his feeble defense. This time, every swing from Crescent Rose struck home, leaving a new carving in his aura, but just as quickly as the damage was done, it disappeared as the shadows reformed themselves. As she readied another swing, Adam reared his fist back with the intent to slam her into the ground. Shifting her grip, Ruby fired a round from Crescent Rose and used the recoil to dodge to safety, his hammer strike landing heavily in the dirt. She rolled with her landing and came side by side with Raine who clutched at the blood red spot pooling from his shoulder.
"Are you going to be ok?" she asked worriedly as she eyed his wound.
"I'll be fine, just focus on him," he answered with a grunt.
"This is crazy," she said panting. "No matter how many times I cut him, he just shrugs it off and keeps going."
"Well... we still have that one move," Raine suggested as Adam turned to face them once more.
Ruby gave him a look of surprise.
"You sure about that? Even with your shoulder like that?" she asked uncertainly. "The last time we did the thing, we could barely stand afterwords. We'll only have one shot at it."
"Just don't twist my guts inside out and we'll manage," Raine assured her.
She giggled lightly.
"No promises."
She took his hand in hers. Side by side, they stood against Adam Taurus as a gust of wind whipped around them. Ruby activated her Semblance, taking Raine with her as they burst into a mass of rose petals. The swirling cloud quickly surrounded Adam in a storm, the combination of Ruby's speed and Raine's wind engulfing the Minotaur utterly. Alone she was already a formidable warrior with her Semblance, but together the attack gained an entirely new level of power.
Razor sharp wind currents accompanied the petals, allowing them to cut sharply into Adam's aura, steadily draining away his second skin. He swung about wildly with his arms, desperate to catch his assailants; it was a fruitless effort. As he floundered about helplessly, the duo resumed their assault personally, blurring in and out of sight as they cut across the storm's eye. Tendrils of shadow and blood were left in the wake of their weapons as they criss-crossed in a tag team attack that would completely carve a normal Grimm to ribbons, all the while with Raine's Semblance intensifying the cyclone beyond the limits of a natural storm.
Adam's mind raced as he stumbled about in the cyclone, screaming in pain and anger as his aura was finally broken, the shadows receding along with their bone armor. This time, he could acutely feel every cut that riddled his body. This wasn't happening, this shouldn't be happening! He was superior to these children in every aspect! So why were they winning?! Where did they get all of this power?! He was given little time to contemplate further as Raine and Ruby moved in for the final blow. They approached from opposite flanks and kicked him into the air... hard. The gusts of the cyclone carried him even higher as he spun head over heels, his eyes widening as he spotted them both waiting to receive him. Their silhouettes were framed by the shattered moon as they came down upon him as one.
"Crimson Storm!" they bellowed as they fell, Crescent Rose cutting across Adam's chest and an ethereal Tempest carving into his back.
They struck in the blink of an eye, too fast for the Minotaur to react. Blood trailed from the blades that tore into him, these cuts digging deeper than all the others. The red mist enshrouded him as they were whipped about by the churning winds that gave the attack its namesake, his limp body tumbling back down to earth and landing in a mangled heap on his back. A gasp tore from his throat as he hit the ground, the once imposing Minotaur reverting back to his Faunus form, beaten and broken. The swirling mass of the cyclone faded away, leaving the courtyard empty and silent aside from the broken Umbrani, the exhausted Caelesti, and the young android who bore witness to the battle's climactic end.
Penny had no words for what had just transpired, watching in awe as the power faded from the eyes and bodies of the two young warriors, and while she was happy for their victory, she still couldn't help but worry for their well-being. Never before had she seen somebody press their limits in battle, herself included as her systems remained slow to reboot. Even speaking was proving difficult as she crawled her way over to her two closest and, in retrospect, only friends.
Raine gasped for breath as his wings faded away, the swordsman doubling over onto his hands and knees. His lungs heaved for breath, each sucking inhale accompanied by a spike of pain radiating from the shoulder that had been pierced by Adam's horn. Blurry eyes spun in and out of focus as he shifted his gaze to the exhausted Ruby Rose laying next to him. She was teetering upon the brink of unconsciousness, a fortunate thing considering what she had attempted to do with Adam and what he was planning to do in her stead. He loved her dearly, but this was something far too personal to forgive.
With trembling muscles, he forced himself back to his feet and trudged forward, his heart beating heavily in his ears as he took step after arduous step towards the now crippled Adam. He felt hate, genuine hate for this man who murdered his team, and wanted nothing more than to snuff out his life. His intent became all the clearer as he bent down and grabbed Thorn, forgotten by its owner, and brought it to bear. He stood there looming over the self-proclaimed Umbrani, clothing in tatters and body riddled with wounds, glaring with malice in his eyes.
Adam leaned up weakly as he stared into those silver orbs that bore down upon him, the Umbrani struggling to back away in a vain attempt to escape. He didn't get very far as Raine planted his boot upon his chest, pinning him in place.
"I am going to end this once and for all," Raine declared as he lifted Thorn above his head. "This is for Cyan, Arianna, Urdin, and all of the other lives you have selfishly taken."
As he brought the blood red blade to finish the deed, a meek voice cried out to him.
"Raine, please don't do it," Ruby called out weakly.
His swing halted mere inches from Adam's neck.
"He can't hurt anyone, not anymore. It's over," she continued to beg as she struggled in vain to climb to her feet. "Please, don't turn into him."
Raine swallowed down the anger bumbling in his throat as he turned to face her.
"How can you say that Ruby? How can you say that after everything he's done?!" he cried as tears brewed in his eyes. "He murdered Cyan, he murdered Arianna, he murdered the only father I've ever had!"
He glared hatefully back down to the man at his mercy.
"The only way this will end is with his life," he snarled. "If he gets away now, he'll only heal and come back stronger than ever! He'll keep killing, he won't stop. He deserves this, he deserves the justice he so constantly preaches!"
"And he will, but not like this," she plead. "You're not a killer Raine, and I know you're hurting so much right now, but revenge isn't the way. Revenge is how he started, isn't it? Revenge for his people, revenge for something that tipped him over the edge. Please don't let this be the moment that tips you too."
"Touching... how sickeningly touching indeed," came a voice from the shadows that echoed across the courtyard.
Raine froze at this new presence, his eyes straining into the darkness to find the speaker. He suddenly felt cold, a dark chill that settled upon the courtyard. He felt his breath hitch in his throat as a creeping, seizing fear took hold of him. He couldn't move, he couldn't even speak, only watch in mounting terror as the shadows were given form.
What stood before him was a woman, regal in her poise with skin a deathly white pallor. Violet veins ran across the exposed flesh of her arms and face, the vessels framing black eyes with red irises. Her hair was tied back in a large bun with six offshoots, three on each side and each of them were adorned with black, hanging ornaments. She was clothed in a very long, flowing robe as dark as the shadows that surrounded her that trailed across the ground with every step forward she took. A small smile adorned her face as she gazed upon the literally petrified Caelesti.
"Put that knife down, little boy. You will no longer have use of it," she commanded in a soft yet imposing tone.
Raine couldn't bring himself to disobey, allowing Thorn to slip from his fingers. It hit the ground with a clatter.
"Now... be a dear and kindly remove yourself from my servant."
He obeyed once more, lifting his foot from Adam's chest and stepping back. He couldn't explain it how a woman so beautiful and yet so terrifying could force him to submission with the mere whisper of her voice. He wanted to run, and yet couldn't. It was as if he was caught in a waking night terror. She had him in her thrall, his mind trapped within his own body.
"My mistress..." Adam feebly called out to her, gaining only a glance of indifference from this sinister woman.
"Lie there and be silent my bull. I shall have words with this young man who has bested you not once but twice," she stated, taking smooth steps as she slowly circled the cowed Caelesti.
"Raine Zaffre... son of Strohm Zaffre and Amber Fall, the child of a Caelesti and a Maiden," she spoke with honeyed words. "My have you come a long way."
She paused in her pacing, looking him over like a potential buyer inspecting a slave.
"You interest me, young man," she continued. "Adam is one of my greatest champions and yet you still have brought him so low. Even a... spawn like you shouldn't have this much power at such a young age."
"Who are you?" Raine managed to say, his gaze unable to meet this woman who looked upon him bemused at his question.
"I think you already know who I am," she answered smoothly as she leaned closer to him, her presence sending chills down his spine. "But I suppose it's a name that you seek? Continue to impress me in my inquries and I just might give it. For now though, I shall be doing the speaking until you are asked."
She folded her hands together and strode away, her robe displaying a large, red eye upon the back.
"It's no small feat to gain my attention in this manner, as much of this world disinterests me. Still, this was a night even I couldn't ignore; the death of dear Ozpin, the awakening of a Caelesti, as well as the sudden silence from another of my most trusted servants. Throughout all of this, Vale still stands and one of my most powerful Grimm was snuffed out like a candle. I was naturally curious as to why my servants were failing me so I came to investigate only to find you here. How did you, just one boy, do it?"
She faced him once more, her question hanging in the air as she patiently waited for an answer. His eyes betrayed him, flitting to Adam who lay there still breathing. A gentle look of understanding then dawned upon this Lady of Grimm's face.
"Ah, I see now. Adam was the one who enraged you so. I'll apologize for that as I am still trying to teach him to reign in that ego of his under control. He has a nasty habit of playing with his victims at the most unnecessary times."
She gazed down upon the broken warrior with judgmental pity.
"Unfortunately, I can't allow you to kill this one just yet as I still have need of him. Despite his failures, he is still too valuable of an asset. I've lost too many servants tonight and now I must salvage what I can of this debacle."
"Thank you my mistress..." Adam whispered quietly, to which she only frowned.
"Do not thank me for this, Adam Taurus," she lectured. "It is clear that you are still too weak to triumph over our greatest enemies, and that is unacceptable. We shall be correcting those weaknesses when I return. Now... sleep."
She gently raised a hand, Adam's eyes fluttering closed as shadows enveloped him. They pulled him into the ground and he vanished from sight, his blade disappearing with him and leaving the Queen with her unwilling subjects.
"Of course now I'm left with a puzzling decision to make," she stated thoughtfully as she approached him once more. "Normally I would just kill anybody who has committed transgressions against me much like you have, and yet I remain far too curious to see just how you'll develop. I can feel it radiating from you, Raine Zaffre. Beneath the terror you are exuding right now, I can still feel it. Your hate... your anger... a darkness clawing its way out of your heart that you so desperately try to shove back down. It's so... enriching to watch a people as self-righteous as yours give in to such emotions."
She lifted a finger to trace his jaw, discerning him and taking pleasure in his obvious discomfort.
"What is the light that remains in your life that keeps you grounded even now? What's stopping you from becoming what Adam has become?"
He couldn't answer, he refused to answer, but she didn't need such an answer as her gaze lifted to the two girls cowering behind him. The android was of little concern to her, the ginger-haired Huntress but another tool of Atlas. Instead, it was the second pair of silver eyes quivering in fear that gave her all the answers she needed.
"Of course..." she said with a smile. "Love... young love... the brightest of all lights."
She turned away from Raine and strode towards Ruby, making the young rose shiver even more. Raine struggled to stop her, anger bubbling up once more yet he still couldn't move a muscle as she pressed her aura down upon him even more. Even as an android, Penny too could feel the oppressive power radiating from this woman, an aura far too dark for any normal human to possess. Her sensors gave her a worrying classification that should've been impossible; Grimm. Pushing herself to her feet, Penny stood protectively in front of Ruby, arms outstretched in defiance.
"You won't take another step closer," she declared, earning her an amused expression from the dark woman.
"Penny..." Ruby squeaked out.
"Really? And why should I obey you, you who is more machine than girl?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
"Because Ruby is my friend," Penny answered. "I won't let you hurt her."
The woman chuckled darkly as a smile grew upon her face.
"Hurt her? Oh no little girl, you misunderstand. What kind of queen would I be if I didn't first mold my subjects? Caelesti are far more valuable alive than dead, and this one..."
Her eyes settled upon Ruby cowering in front of her.
"This one looks so familiar, so much like another young woman whom I've broken."
She allowed that statement to hang in the air before turning her attention to the android standing in front of her.
"Kneel," she commanded as she set upon Penny with her aura.
The android felt a terrible weight suddenly press down upon her shoulders, too great for her to resist. Legs trembling, she was finally forced to her knees, eyes wide in shock at the woman's power.
"I may even have use for you as well Penny Polendina, even if you are just a fake girl turned into the likeness of her creator's daughter. You, who have witnessed tonight's events, shall be my messenger back to General Ironwood in Atlas. Tell him that this is how the world ends. Tell him that I am watching. Tell him... that Salem, the Lady of Grimm, shall bring him to heel. As for these two, you shall take them back to the city to rest and heal. I have plans for them as well."
She turned away and left Penny kneeling there like an obedient servant.
"Ruby Rose and Raine Zaffre..." she continued as she made to take her leave. "I shall be watching the both of you with great interest. Grow strong, see this world for what it is and learn the truth, and when you do, you shall come to me, and I will grant you salvation. After all, no Caelesti, no matter how strong or how pure, can resist the darkness in their hearts forever. Until then... sleep."
Salem's voice was law as their weariness became impossible to ignore. Ruby was the first to pass out, collapsing upon her back and lying still. Raine, despite his exhaustion, struggled to stay awake but that resolve was quickly crumbling away. Like every other command she had given him, this too brought him to obey. As he fell forward, his vision fading with every passing second, his last thoughts were of the Lady of Grimm gazing down upon him with a knowing smile.
A/N: I'm not going to go into my usual headcanons in the author's note this time, so I'll be asking questions as they come either as reviews or PMs. This chapter was the absolute hardest to write because it was going to determine the stage for the sequels. As of right now, I'm just glad it's finally done. This arc has reached its conclusion and the remaining few chapters will be wrapping up the story. The end is near!
Big thank you to everyone still here after this extremely long hiatus. You're the reason why I keep writing this story. As always, favorite and follow the story if you haven't already, and leave your reviews if you want to comment on today's submission. Good night everybody, and see you next time!
