As The Crow Flies: Chapter 25...
Next chapter coming out, trying to wind this fic down to a close now as I keep getting pulled away from writing it and it isn't fair to keep people waiting for new chapters! Here's the next one :)
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The wind whipped at my hair, and Qrow held my waist tightly, keeping us both steady on the back of the dragon. Ruby flew with us on the back of her Pegasus, giggling as it bucked and circled, its high pitched whinnies echoing through the sky. Ezra played along, nudging and nipping at the horse with happy snuffles, careful not to hurt it. It seemed entirely at odds with the battle raging below.
"There, look," Qrow said into my ear, pointing to where the Wyvern unleashed a barrage of black fire into the city. Ezra heard and adjusted his flight path, issuing a challenging roar at the Grimm. The Wyvern heard and turned its bony head, shrieking back at us.
"Okay buddy, we can do this," I called, and Ezra unleashed a jet of flame into the air. I felt Qrow shift behind me and draw his sword. I turned to see him standing on Ezra's back, his knees bent to steady himself as the wind tore at his tattered cloak. His hair was pushed off his forehead and his eyes reflected the light of the fires raging on the ground.
"See you on the other side," he winked, before leaping from Ezra as we passed over the Wyvern. He landed on its shoulders, plunging his sword through the bony plates. The Wyvern bucked and writhed and Qrow leapt again, shifting into his bird form before my eyes. I jumped from the dragon as well, using my magic to suspend myself in the air as I fired a jet of energy at the red eye staring at me. It hit and the Grimm screamed, turning in the air and whipping its tail at me. Ezra collided with it before it could hit me, and Ruby fired repeatedly, her bullets exploding as they hit the plates of bone and shattered them, one after another.
The giant Grimm rammed its head into Ezra's shoulder, forcing the white dragon to back off as Qrow jumped back into the fight, narrowly avoiding the black fire. He landed a punch that could crack concrete as he flew past the Wyvern's face, before shifting back to his bird form and heading straight up towards the stars. I drew Sypher and twisted it into its bow form, loosing three dust arrows in quick succession. They struck the creature's wing and exploded, freezing on contact. The Wyvern started to drop, and Ruby opened several deep slashes along its back just as Qrow unfurled his scythe, appearing again out of nowhere to strike at the soft underbelly. Ezra slammed his huge claws into the Wyvern's shoulders and forced it down towards the ground.
The Wyvern struggled and snapped and belched black fire, but its wing was incapacitated and it was leaking life from too many wounds. As Ezra drove it to the ground in an earth shattering crash, the Grimm died screaming. I lowered myself down carefully, letting myself drop the last meter just as Qrow landed on two legs. Ruby trotted up beside us a second later.
"Well done, beauty," I said to the dragon softly. Ezra lowered his head and purred, pleased with himself. Qrow chuckled in amazement.
"We sure could have used the staff last time we faced Salem. You would have come in handy buddy," he said, patting the dragon on his neck. Ezra responded by nudging the Hunter with his nose. Ruby leapt from her winged horse and threw her arms around the dragon's neck as best she could.
"You're so cool!"
"That's the Wyvern dealt with, now we need to find Tyrion." Qrow stopped the nearest soldier. "Radio through to Winter. The Wyvern is down and we are going after the Relic." The soldier nodded and sent the information through quickly. "Have your troops sighted Tyrion or Salem?"
"Salem is staying back. She's on the cliffs by Forever Fall Forest watching us. Tyrion is a few streets over." Qrow thanked the soldier and let him continue with what he was doing.
"You heard him. Tyrion is close. Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," I nodded.
"Not quite," Ruby answered, a wide grin on her face. "But we'll be combat ready in no time!" As she said the words Qrow's eyebrows arched, and then he too started smiling.
"What? What have I missed?" I looked back and forth between them but they said nothing. And they didn't need to. A green light streaked across the sky towards us.
"Looks like Winter sent us reinforcements," Qrow grinned. The green light got closer and closer, and a girl with rockets in her feet and flowing ginger hair landed in front of me. It was the protector of Atlas.
"Penny!" Ruby let go of the dragon and threw herself at the newcomer.
"Salutations!" Penny hugged her back, beaming. "It is good to see you Ruby! The acting General has sent me to help with retrieving the Relic."
"Hey Penny. It's good to see you, kid." Qrow greeted her warmly. "We should get going before Tyrion moves again."
"Affirmative!" Penny rose into the air in a blast of green light, heading off towards the monster. By the time we reached them she was already engaged in heavy battle, cutting down scores of Grimm and single-handedly holding back the scorpion monster, though he matched her blow for blow. In his injured state he was weakened, but not stupid. I ran forwards before he could swipe her out of the air and cracked the staff across his head, forcing him to cover up. Qrow was right behind me, fighting like a man possessed.
"You and I still have a score to settle," he snarled, swiping and swinging his blade across every part of Tyrion he could reach. "We settle it today."
"With pleasure," Tyrion giggled, and he punched Qrow so hard the Hunter's aura crackled on contact. Ezra roared in anger and Tyrion's beady black eyes widened at the sight of the white dragon bounding towards him with its teeth bared. He let loose a jet of flame that hit Tyrion head on, singeing his already burnt flesh even further. Tyrion screamed and hopped back before lashing out with his tail. Ezra dodged it, but not the kick that came afterwards and struck him across the jaw. He retreated, snarling.
A flurry of red petals shot past as Ruby appeared and slammed the staff of her scythe into Tyrion's stomach. She followed it immediately with a kick, and then spun the scythe with expert hands and shot him with an explosive bullet. Penny sent a barrage of blades at him. Most bounced off of him but one or two stuck, enraging him. He swatted Ruby away, but Qrow was back on his feet and diving in. They clashed like thunder, trading blows with equal rage as they tore chunks out of one another. I'd never seen Qrow fight this way. His fists were bloodied from striking Tyrion repeatedly, his eyes blazing as he ducked under the next swing. He drew his sword as he ducked, dragging the sharp blade across his enemy's stomach.
Tyrion roared and drew the Relic at last, and I saw my chance. We just needed to distract him until the ship got here with the others. I gathered my power in my hands and fired it, focusing on Tyrion's wrist as he moved to stab Qrow. The Hunter dodged the killing blow with ease, unfurling Harbinger and swinging it at the same wrist I was aiming for. He opened a deep slash, and my attack hit a second later, sizzling the opened skin. The Relic fell from Tyrion's hand.
He snarled and stepped over it, shielding it from us with his body as he cradled his injured wrist to his chest. The pin pricks of red in the centre of his eyes flickered between the dragon that was advancing again, the girl surrounded by green fire as she hovered in the air, and the three Hunters advancing on him. The street behind him was blocked several feet high with rubble, and he was too injured to climb. There was nowhere to go.
"My Queen will rule and you will all die!" he spat, backing up and stooping to grab the Relic as he did. Qrow cursed as the monster's large fingers closed around its hilt. Tyrion opened his mouth to speak again, and was hit with a ball of fire so bright it almost blinded us. Val dropped from the airship as it hovered overhead, her red hair glowing like Yang's when her semblance activated. She stalked forwards and fired another ball of hot light at the monster, causing him to drop the blade again. Jaune and Ren dropped down on our left, with Nora on the right. Yang, Blake and Weiss followed. Tyrion showed fear for the first time.
"Give me my Relic, you big, ugly bastard," Val warned.
"You will all perish! My goddess will tear your eyes from your skulls!" Jaune put his hands on my shoulders, amplifying my magic. In no time at all my skin was glowing, crackling with energy as Ren worked hard to shield both me and Ruby from his view. Ruby ran forwards and hacked and slashed however she could, aided by Blake and Yang to distract Tyrion from her phantom attacks. Weiss spun and pushed the tip of her rapier into the ground, a large glyph blinking to life around Tyrion's feet. He was stuck. Nora brandished her hammer, protecting Weiss from any attacks that might come from someone watching. She dispatched the few Grimm attracted to our battle with ease, working with Ezra to keep us safe.
Penny dropped down beside us and turned to Qrow as he prepared to attack, placing a hand on his arm. He turned to look at her, some of his anger leaving him as he addressed the red haired girl.
"Hazel Rainart is down, and the Children of Salem have been defeated. Winter has just informed me. We now stand against Tyrion, Salem and the Grimm. We can do this." Qrow nodded, and leapt at the scorpion monster, continuing the fight. Him and Ruby twisted around one another as though they were dancing, slipping into an easy routine after years of fighting. Tyrion staggered and roared, confused by the attacks from all sides.
"I'm ready," I told Jaune. He nodded and let go. My whole body crackled with energy as Val stepped forwards beside me. Ruby saw us move positions and nodded. Qrow and the others continued their attacks to keep Tyrion distracted as Ruby unleashed the Inner Light of her silver eyes. Tyrion's cries warped as the glow made his skin bubble, and the others stepped back to let Val and I work.
She launched me into the air, hooking her hands under my foot and throwing me as high as she could. I couldn't waste energy on flying. The sound of her fiery magic assaulting the creature started up as soon as I was in the air. As I reached the apex of my flight, I closed my eyes for a second, concentrating on the sensation of falling before opening them and twisting my body, ensuring I landed the right way.
As Ruby's Inner Light faded, I saw Tyrion was still standing as expected. He was so strong. I shook my head to dispel my doubt as the monster and the ground rushed up to meet me. My fists collided with Tyrion's shoulders, as they had with the Devoratrix, and I unleashed every ounce of power I'd built up with Jaune. It thundered out of me and through the creature beneath my fists, sizzling and burning him. I felt him drop to his knees, screaming, and the bone shuddering impact of my landing rocked through me. Barely managing to keep my footing, I jumped off of him, kicking the Relic out of his hand as I did.
"I've got it!" Val called, brandishing the blade.
"And I've got him," Qrow answered. Tyrion was on his knees, wounded and bleeding, backing away from the Hunter with his jagged teeth bared. He reached the piled rubble blocking the street and stopped. "There's nowhere left to go. Time to settle." Qrow's cape fluttered in the wind, his eyes were dark and his face was calm. Tyrion hollered and screamed and swiped at him. I noticed at the last second that his tail was poised to strike. My heart stopped as the blade of his stinger shot towards Qrow's throat.
A red blur flashed past and Tyrion screamed in agony, the end of his tail once again severed by the girl in red. Qrow stepped up in front of the wailing Grimm, unruffled by his brush with death. He didn't say anything as Tyrion howled and shrieked. His scythe unfurled again as he walked, and I watched with baited breath.
"You will die," Tyrion snarled. "I will kill you."
"No," the Hunter said quietly. "You won't." His scythe flashed faster than I've ever seen him move, and Tyrion's head hit the ground with a thud. His hulking body disappeared in a cloud of acrid black smoke, and Qrow dropped to his knees, the scythe clattering to the floor. Ruby groaned in relief and sat on the ground beside her uncle, leaning against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, ruffling her hair. The belt around my heart released and I sucked in a breath as Jaune cheered loudly.
"We got the Relic," I said softly.
"We did. Because we did it together." Ren's hand on my shoulder was comforting as he smiled. Nora slammed into him, throwing her arms around his neck with a giggle, and Ezra butted my elbow with his nose. I scratched under his big white chin, knowing the relief was only temporary, but happy all the same. Qrow got to his feet slowly, stowing his weapon on his back. He kept his arm around his niece as they walked back over to us.
"We got the Relic," he said, addressing the group. "But that isn't the end. We're vulnerable here. All of Salem's followers are dead, which means she's got to do the job herself. We need to get back to the academy now."
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Ezra carried Qrow and I back to the school quickly, with Ruby following on her Pegasus and Penny above us, dispatching Grimm from the sky with ease. I marvelled at the array of weapons she carried again, thanking the Gods yet again for the incredible Atlas technology at our disposal. It amazed me that the girl was such a powerful weapon, and yet she was capable of sentience and genuine emotion at the same time.
As we touched down, Ezra shuffled off to the trees outside the campus, curling up under them to sleep. Ruby's Pegasus followed him and began grazing at the grass. Qrow took my hand and led me back inside to where Ozpin waited in the war room. He smiled when he saw us.
"I am glad to see nobody was seriously harmed." He addressed the rest of us sincerely, his voice silencing the chatter. "We have the Relics in our hands, and our friends by our sides. This is the closest I have ever come to being ready to face Salem. And it is each of you that have helped bring us to this point." His eyes lingered on Qrow for a second. "Some of you have sacrificed everything. I have asked a lot from you all. I have not always done the right thing, nor have I acted in the best interests of each of you. I am sorry." He laid his hands over the top of his cane. "We go into this battle together. I will no longer divide us. We stand our best chance fighting side by side. We each have immense power, and above all, we have something Salem does not. We have each other. No matter what happens, we have done our best. I believe in all of you, and it is my great privilege to have known each and every one of you."
"Nice speech," Qrow said, but his smile was soft and a chuckle floated around the people in the room. Ozpin crossed the space to stand beside his friend as the rest broke into hushed chatter.
"I have done so many things wrong, old friend. But nothing more so than treating you like a chess piece on my board. I am sorry for that."
"Oz...uh..." Qrow rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. Ozpin put his arms around his friend and the Hunter froze, his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. After a moment he thawed, returning the hug and patting Ozpin on the back. "It's alright, Oz. I, uh...I guess it isn't easy being you."
"That never gave me the right to make it hard being you," the Headmaster replied, straightening up again. "If we live through this, you are free, Qrow. The burden of Remnant should never have rested on your shoulders." He smiled. "I hope I have left you plenty of time for a normal life." Qrow stared, wide-eyed, as Ozpin retreated.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"He...he said sorry." Qrow frowned, looking at his feet. "Ah, dammit. Now I feel bad."
"What?" My shock could be heard in my voice. "Why?"
"I knew what I was getting myself into." He sighed. "Oz!" The Headmaster turned, surprised. "I signed up for this. While Remnant needs help, I'll be here to help it. You can count on that." Ozpin watched him for a moment, before smiling. He nodded his head and turned away again.
"Aww, I'm glad you're friends again," I beamed sweetly.
"Idiot," Qrow grinned.
"Professor Ozpin!" Winter burst through the door with an urgent look on her face, silencing our chatter and wiping the grin from Qrow's lips. Ozpin's face turned grave, knowing what she was going to say. "It's time. Salem is attacking the academy!"
oO0 CYANIDE 0Oo