The Minotaur
Rain continued to stare out the window forlornly, as if she could see her son from there.
"You know obsessing over this isn't going to help anything," Alistair said, as he came over with some tea, offering some to his wife. When she didn't take it, he set on the coffee table, and sat beside her.
"Saphron and Milly said everything was going well when they left," Alistair said, putting a hand on her leg, "Have a little faith in our son."
"It's not that I don't have faith in him," Rain answered, "It's just that…." She sighed, as she shook her head slightly.
"He's grown," Alistair said, pulling his wife over to him, "He's not the little boy pestering us for training anymore."
"No," Rain said, as she leaned on him, "I guess he's not. Gods, he's got two girlfriends now."
"Think of it as twice the grandchildren," Alistair said, kissing her on the forehead, which made Rain smile slightly. That was when a tremor then vibrated the house slightly, getting the attention of the Arcs.
"Hey Saph," Violet called, "Do you always get these kinds of quakes here in Argus?"
"No," Saphron answered, "It's actually kind of weird."
(on the coast)
"I really don't know which I'd prefer," Jaune muttered, as he ran down the cliff, "Fighting a giant monster, or a giant robot." There were some words he'd never thought he'd say.
How was the group supposed to beat a giant Atlesian mech? Could they beat an Atlesian mech? If they could become dragons, maybe, but that certainly wasn't in the cards at the time. So they did what they could with the tools they had, and that wasn't much. For the time, the most they could do was run, and dodging the powerful (though slow) strikes from Cordovin in the mech.
"Drop me off!" Weiss instructed to Maria.
"You sure that's such a good idea?" Maria asked.
"Maybe not, but I'd rather do this by their side," Weiss answered. Not inclined to argue, Maria floated the Bullhead down low enough for the girl to drop off. She quickly came up next to Jaune, and kissed him on the cheek.
"I expect one of my own, later!" Ruby said in response to that.
"So, how do we bring that thing down?" Ren asked.
"We work smart, not hard," Jaune answered, "We've brought down things worse than that before."
"You could turn into dragons last time you fought a big monster," Qrow said grimly.
"All the more reason to work smart," Weiss said, as she held Myrtenaster at the ready.
"It may be a very old adage," Oz said, as he spun his cane through his fingers, "But it still rings true: the bigger they are, the harder they fall."
(in the woods)
Talos blocked a strike from Pyrrha, before catching Yang's arm, and tossing her away. He then swung up his lower right arm, sending an arc of lighting enhanced fire the red head's way. The champion managed to avoid the attack, only for Talos to rocket her way, thrusting another blade down. Pyrrha just managed to dodge the attack as the blade went straight through another tree, as the gravity enhanced ice Dust caused the tree to explode into a massive chunk of ice.
Unfortunately for the android, this also caused his blade to get stuck in the ice; fortunately, he was able to rather easily wrench his arm free, but it gave just enough pause that Yang up and decked him down the head, knocking him back. Talos ground to a halt, as he fired his finger guns, which Yang had to run to avoid. Unfortunately, the android couldn't press the attack, as he had to block another strike from Pyrrha. He then slashed another blade up, using a combination of fire and gravity Dust to create a sizable blaze. Pyrrha had to move back at that, before using her shield to block a strike from another blade. She then activated her Semblance, causing him to be knocked away.
Quick to follow up, Yang then sprung at the android, punching him in the gut. While it didn't do much real damage, it did knock him off balance, and when Yang punched him in the chin, it knocked him to the ground. She tried to punch down, but Talos easily caught the fist, and used the propulsions on his feet to boost himself up, while slamming Yang into the ground.
Before he could do anything else, though, Pyrrha actually looped her mechanical leg around his neck, and tried to get him in a chokehold. Of course, that did little against an android, but id did get him off Yang. That gave her the chance to start pummeling him in his gut. Eventually, though Talos jetted into the air, where he purposely slammed himself into a tree. This caused Pyrrha to lose her grip, and knock her to the ground. Yang tried to follow up, only for the android to swing his blade up, creating an arc of fire that made her hesitate. Talos lunged though the fire, and grabbed her by the neck. As he started choking Yang, he held up another blade, and got ready to take her head off.
"Let her go!" The android only had a moment to look up, as Pyrrha knocked him upside the head with her shield. Talos quickly recovered, though, as he held up his lower left arm, and started charging his beam weapon. However, Pyrrha moved faster, as she knocked him upside the head with her shield, catching him off-foot. The champion then thrust her blade into the crook of his elbow, penetrating into a weak point. She then wrenched her spear, unleashing her Semblance, which caused Talos to be repelled back, as his arm got torn straight off. Talos tumbled back, as he skirted to a halt. He looked down towards the sparking stump, severed at the elbow. Talos wasn't capable of feeling pain, but that didn't make seeing his own arm getting ripped off any less disconcerting.
"Organic filth," he growled, clenching his remaining fists as Yang and Pyrrha regrouped. Holding up his hand, he fired another energy burst, causing the two to split up again. He then boosted himself forward as Pyrrha then activated her Semblance, forcing him back, but to her shock, the android took a step forward, then another, and another… He was resisting Pyrrha's polarity.
"How…," Pyrrha began, but she couldn't finish, as Talos stabbed forward with his blade. Pyrrha could only just avoid it, as she felt the blade graze her cheek. That wouldn't have been a problem, save for the fact it was a fire enhanced blade, and Pyrrha let out a cry as the blade burnt her cheek.
"Pyrrha!" Yang called, as Pyrrha stumbled away, holding her cheek, which now had a second degree burn on it. Talos then grabbed her organic leg, and threw her into the ground not he others side of him, before getting ready to end it. It was then that one thing came into Yang's head: save Pyrrha.
With a cry of rage, Yang then released her Semblance in one massive strike against Talos face. The force created a shockwave that sent him careening away, shattering several trees, as he slammed against a rock. He tried to pull himself up, but he did it rather stiffly, as the two noticed electricity sparking across his body. The android looked up at the girls, as they noticed half his faceplate had broken off. Talos then looked at his hand, as he diagnosed his body. While his internal body was mostly undamaged, his armor was severely dented. Growling, Talos reached up, and ripped off what remained of his faceplate.
"I might not be intact," he said, "But I'm not broken yet." With that, he moved to press the attack, but the girls were too quick. Yang punched him in the face, knocking him down. Yang then used her mechanical arm to grab Pyrrha's mechanical leg, and threw her in Talos direction. Pyrrha thrust Milo forward, and when Talos tried to avoid it, he was too slow, and Pyrrha thrust it straight through his flank. Talos grunted at that, as he pushed. He was knocked through several trees.
"This isn't over," Talos said, "This isn't even remotely over." With that, he thrust his gravity enhanced blade into the ground, kicking up a huge amount of dust. From within the dust, Talos then rocketed up and away, creating a sonic boom as he did. Knowing they had won, both women collapsed beside each other on a rock.
"Your cheek…," Yang said, as she reached for Pyrrha's cut/burn. Pyrrha hissed at the sting, before smiling slightly.
"Nothing I think my Aura can't heal," she said, "Might leave a scar, though."
"That's too bad," Yang said, "Your face hasn't had any other blemishes up to now."
"You know what Nora would say," Pyrrha quipped, in an attempt to defuse the atmosphere.
"That the scar's going to be badass," Yang said, "And I'd think she'd be right." Both women laughed slightly at that.
"Sorry about your bike," Pyrrha commented.
"She died for a good cause," Yang answered, to which Pyrrha chuckled slightly. She then lay her head back on the rock, and stared at the sky, having a suspicion that this wouldn't be the last they saw of the android.
"Mind if I lean on you?" the blonde then asked, "I'm just really tired."
"It's okay," Pyrrha answered, to which her partner proceeded to lean her head on her shoulder, as Pyrrha then wrapped her arm around her partner's shoulder, as the two rested.
(elsewhere in the woods)
The battle between Blake, Ilia, and Adam had moved from the tower, and they were now fighting their way through the trees. Despite outnumbering him, Adam wasn't slowing down even slightly. And the way he was fighting…. Blake had seen him fight with hatred before, but this… this was different.
The cat leapt out of the way from one of Adam's strikes, with Ilia leaping down and striking with her whip, which Adam easily deflected. Blake then tried to lash his arm with the ribbon of Gambol Shroud. She succeeded, and pulled at him, only for Adam to pull right black. Blake wasn't happy to admit it, but the fact of the matter was Adam was physically stronger than both herself and Ilia. When the three all worked together, Adam provided the muscle, Ilia provided the stealth, and Blake provided the speed. Unfortunately, they were currently in a contest of strength, one Blake didn't win.
The cat was pulled towards the bull, who swung his sword. Blake just managed to lean out of the way, as Adam nicked a couple of her hairs. Ilia then came up from behind alma, as she tried to lash Adam with her whip, only for him to easily avoid the attack. That surprised the chameleon; she knew him to be quick, but he seemed much quicker than normal.
Blake then came up again, as she slashed Gambol Shroud, which Adam managed to parry with Wilt. The two traded blows for a time, with neither one initially able to get the upper hand, until Adam unleashed his Semblance. As he brought his blade down, releasing a shockwave that caused Blake to stumble away.
Ilia quickly followed up, as she lashed her whip. This time, she got a direct hit, wrapping around Adam's arm. He spasmed as the electricity coursed through his body, falling to one knee at that. Ilia allowed herself to smile, until she notice Adam start to stand up, as he grabbed the whip, and the eyes glared through his mask. He then pulled Ilia towards him, and punched her down once she was closing enough.
"Ilia!" Blake cried, but she didn't have time to check on her, as Blake looked up as Adam looked down at her.
"It's not that you hurt me," Adam said, "People hurt me long before you showed up." To demonstrate, he reached up, and removed his mask, revealing his left eye was scarred with a brand that had the letters "SDC". After he tossed it aside, the mask hit the ground, it disintegrated into smoke.
"You just left me alone," he said coldly, "After all we went through, you just ran away." Blake looked away briefly, before she looked up at the crown atop his head.
"That crown," she said, "It represents a time the Faunus have forgotten, a time that needs to remain in the past."
"What this crown represents is a time when the Faunus didn't live in fear, when we weren't slaves," Adam said, pointing to it, "You and I could've been the rulers of a world where the Faunus lived in peace, where we had the power."
"A world where the Faunus would be the oppressors," Blake finished, her glare hardening. She then rose to her feet, and Adam sprung at her again, only to go through a shadow clone. He looked up to see Blake retrieving Gambol Shroud.
"My ancestors brought the Empire down," Blake declared, "I'm not going to be the one in my family to let it come back!" Not long after she said that, Ilia dropped down next to her, as the two stood together against the man they once thought of as their friend. Adam stared at them for a time, as he began to shake slightly, before, to his surprise, he threw aside Wilt.
"I'm done playing this your way," he said, "I'm going to end this now!" He then held up his arms, as his Aura began to glow bright.
"What're you…," Blake started, before her eyes widened. The way his power was building, she recognized this…
"You're not the only who's become something more," Adam said coldly. Adam's body then began to twist and contort, as it grew. His horns grew out, as did his snout, taking on a truly animalistic appearance, like that of a bull. His clothes and shoes fell apart, as his feet turned into hooves. In Adam Taurus' place, was a minotaur, with the crown still atop its head. The beast held up its head and roared.
All the girls could do at the time was stare in horror and shock. The power Blake felt was similar to what she felt when she and her friends would turn into dragons, but this was different. This power was raw and primal, but at the same time, it felt corrupted, and twisted, like it was a mockery of her own.
The Minotaur let out another roar, before he charged forward. Ilia and Blake both leapt out of the way, as the beast brought down several trees in his charge. As one could expect, he looked towards Blake, and growled, before grabbing one of the trees he brought down, and swung it at the cat. She managed to avoid through another shadow clone, but the Minotaur was quickly on top of her again. He backhanded her, sending her careening away.
Dazed and confused, Blake weakly looked up to see the Minotaur digging his hooves into the ground, his attention completely focused on her. The beast then charged again, only giving Blake a chance to look up. The last thing she heard before everything went white was Ilia crying out.
(elsewhere in the woods)
Yang and Pyrrha hurried down towards the sound of the rumbling, where they had a feeling their friends were. Soon enough, they arrived, where they were treated to the sight of the the group fighting the Atlesian mech.
"By the gods," Pyrrha muttered.
"Not the way I'd put it," Yang answered. They then hurried to join the fight, but as they did, they saw the Lancer that had Weiss and Ruby on it's back get swatted down. They both landed on the cliffside, and looked otherwise alright, but that didn't stop Jaune from calling out to them, and running in the direction of his girlfriends.
"I don't think so!" Cordovin declared. She then slammed the mech's fist into the ground in front of Jaune, knocking him to the ground. Jaune then looked up to see the fist in the air.
"Now you shall face Atlesian justice!" Cordovin declared, as she prepared to bring the fist down. Jaune could only look up in horror.
"NO!" Ruby and Weiss both cried, as everyone instinctively reached for their friend. Right then, everything went white…
(/)
The whole of RYPJ and BRWN were suddenly in a white void, alone save for each other.
"Pyrrha?" Yang asked.
"Yang?" her partner answered.
"What's going on?" Nora asked.
"Where are we?" Jaune asked.
"Jaune!" Ruby and Weiss both called upon noticing him. The two ran up, and both all but tackled him. If not for the small statures of both girls, Jaune probably would've been knocked to the ground. Instead he just returned the hugs, as he kept looking around.
"I've… seen this place before," Jaune muttered, as his memories went back far. All the way back to when this whole adventure began….
"YOU ARE ALL DOING OTHERWISE WELL WITHOUT ME." The group all froze, as they heard that oh so familiar voice. The eight then all looked over, as Darkness loomed over them.
Note: Talos has been beaten, Adam's apparently got transformation powers, and, most importantly, Darkness has returned..
I knew I didn't want Pyrrha and Yang to use their dragon powers against Talos, since I thought it would make for a better fight if they used their normal fighting abilities against an android like him. Speaking of the metal man, he's down, but he sure as hell ain't out yet.
Being honest, I was really disinterested in the fight with the mech, where there wasn't anything to add in this story yet; so I omitted most of it, and you can assume it went (mostly) the same as it did in canon. My real interest with with the fights against Talos and Adam. That's where I can insert my own twists and ideas. To that end, I didn't bother with much direct discussion on this chapter. There just wasn't enough to do.
Be sure to review. Seriously, folks. Also, in case you missed what I said last chapter, I made small but important edits the previous chapter, along with 69 and 75. This includes how Adam now has the crown of the Wild Empire.
