Oho! Title drop!


Roars rocked the planet as the massive blob of darkness propelled into the sky.

The relic hunters were beaded with sweat. Their lungs burned for oxygen.

The demon was more of a problem than they'd thought.

They didn't have time for this!

As the team stood on the frosty grass, the demon was wreaking havoc by knocking over innocent trees. All the while, never straying too far from Cinder's side.

It was obvious that Goodwitch and Ozpin were on their last legs. Wanda was beginning to twitch uncontrollably as the broom carried the professors. Poor Wanda was at its limit as well. From the looks of it, Glynda was having a hard time steering and dodging swings from the beast.

From the sidelines, team RWBY watched as they gathered themselves.

"Come on, team," Ruby encouraged, striving to stay cheerful. "We can do this."

Yang nodded firmly. "I messed up its insides."

From the reminder, Blake's cat ears twitched. "You're right. It hasn't breathed fire since you shot out."

"I probably tasted like curry to him," Yang said, proud that she rid one of the most dangerous traits of the beast. "How he's flying is beyond me."

Before the relic hunters could aid the guardians, Ozpin hopped off the broom in one giant leap. With great force, he slammed his cane into the dragon's back. A resounding thud and screech rang out as he used the full force of his momentum to drag the monster to the ground. Green sparks flew from the clash and it looked like a viridescent meteor was barreling toward Earth.

When the opponents finally crashed into the ground, the planet trembled. No one kept their balance in the aftermath. The trees shook, and the fiery temple collapsed instantly on impact.

The headmaster expertly pinned the beast down. Except the wings were free, so when Ozpin attempted to hop away, his torso was slammed by a translucent red wing. Since it was such a quick maneuver, he had no time to react and took the full brunt of the blow.

Unceremoniously, he tumbled to the side.

"Oz!" Yang shouted.

The demon recovered quickly. Too quickly. Unfortunately, it looked like Ozpin's mid-air tackle didn't do much damage. The team wanted to make sure that the beast won't get up again and took offensive stances.

"Go!" Ruby yelped hastily.

Luckily, the demon was struggling to stand. The legs were twitching. They were the first appendages to careen into the ground, so they must've taken the most damage. The red wings were flawlessly flapping, so they were going to prevent it from taking off.

Without hesitation, team RWBY fearlessly darted to the beast. Although, the ensuing bellow was intimidating, that didn't stop their rapid movements. To make them move faster, three separate trails of glyphs propelled them forward. The lines of dazzling glyphs shimmered under the faint sky.

While sprinting, Yang slammed her fists together. The action was filled with vigor, although her hair didn't ignite as usual. Like the others, her body was worn out from the previous fights. Despite that, she charged in like she was at full power. It was like her entire form was a blazing inferno even though it was covered in dirt and slashes.

With a grin, Yang eagerly strode along the dazzling white path and soared at the screeching grimm. Like a pesky mosquito, the brawler connected her fist with the beast's broad, sturdy snout. It felt like punching a brick wall. Yang would've recoiled, but she'd jabbed surfaces much harder.

The monster was about to roar, but she clamped it shut. From the impact alone, a few of the dragon's razor-sharp teeth shattered.

Yang's triumphant grin was cut short. Her body was more drained than she'd originally thought. When she noticed a wing to the side of her vision, she knew she'd be too slow to dodge and braced herself.

"Agh!"

It was like a train ramming into a soda can. A cough ripped from her lungs as some blood leaked over. A few cracks rang out as the lethal wing ravaged her.

As she flew backward, Yang noticed the stars for the first time that night. They looked pretty and glimmered in the now lighter sky. She enjoyed the nice constellations before her vision went dark. The black consumed her world. She wasn't awake to feel the harsh impact of the ground. She'd been shaken to the core and was rattled into unconsciousness.

All the team could do was watch as Yang crashed and finally tumbled to a stop, lying motionless.

"Weiss!" Ruby called desperately. "Go to her! Me and Blake will distract him!"

Instead of replying, Weiss darted to her girlfriend. She didn't need to be told that. Her body moved on instinct. She would have used her glyphs to reach her faster, but she was out of breath just from moving.

It felt like forever by the time the priestess finally reached her. Yang's eyes were closed and she was on her back like she was stargazing. Her body had carved a long trail in the ground until she skidded to a halt.

"Yang!" Weiss called, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Yang!? Can you hear me?"

The brawler's face didn't even flinch. Yang's mouth was slightly parted as her limbs were sprawled out. Weiss had never seen her look so defenseless and vulnerable.

Quickly, Weiss knelt next to her and coddled her in her arms. She was careful not to move her too much to prevent strain. When a pale hand slid under Yang's back, she felt a heartbeat. It was faint, but strong enough for her to tell that it was there.

"Please… my dragon…" Weiss whimpered. "Please be okay…"

Normally, Yang wouldn't take this long to wake up. Which led Weiss to believe that she'd been hit in the head.

A concussion, the priestess deduced. The last one didn't turn out so well.

Worry shot through her being. Weiss had never seen Yang be knocked down so many notches. Especially in the midst of combat. The once blazing inferno was covered in ashes, an overall dull gray.

While Weiss held back her tears, she brushed her hands through the messy blonde mane. She was meticulous with the motions as roars bellowed in the background.

Unable to help herself, Weiss pecked the top of her head. Like that would make Yang feel better.

The sounds of battle echoed. Blobs of red, black, green, and dark yellow collided with the darkness. It was lighter outside, so it was easier to see what happening.

The temple stopped burning and smoke no longer loomed in the atmosphere. An eerie gray was left in ashes from the debris.

"Ugh…"

The small groan caused Weiss to stop the soothing circle motions.

"Yang?" Weiss called out softly, trying to coax her awake. When her girlfriend's face flinched a couple of times, she leaned down by her ear. "You can do it. I am here."

Yang awoke with a grimace before those hazy lilac pools were revealed. The first thing Yang tried to do was move, but Weiss prevented her from doing so by keeping a firm grip around her waist.

"Slow movements," Weiss advised softly. "Where does it hurt?"

"Agh…" Yang seethed through grit teeth. "I haven't felt like this in a while."

Her head throbbed, but those feather-like touches made her feel better, if only a little.

"You may have a concussion," the priestess delivered the bad news. "You took a really hard hit."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Yang didn't sound happy. At all. Although, she did feel better when she gazed into those azure orbs.

"Because of you," Weiss said in a bargaining tone. "Ruby and Blake got in a few solid hits as well. That demon is the biggest pest. It refuses to stay down."

"Looks like we're gonna have to force it to."

Slowly, Yang sat up. Weiss was there to make sure she didn't strain herself. Of course, there was a round of throbs. Yang squeezed her eyes shut from the pain and got upright.

"Easy," the priestess murmured.

Yang looked at her girlfriend. "I want to stand."

"Are you sure?" Weiss looked skeptical from that. She thought it'd take her a bit longer to gain her bearings.

"Yeah," the blonde confirmed. "We don't have time to lay around."

Weiss looked troubled by that, but knew it was true. She was about to retort, but saw the determination swimming in those lilac eyes.

"Okay," Weiss admitted defeat. "We'll take it slow."

With resolve, Weiss acted as a crutch and wrapped one of her girlfriend's arms around her shoulders. Weiss kept a firm grip around Yang's waist to keep her from stumbling.

In a daze, Yang looked down to notice that Weiss had absorbed most of her weight. "Thanks, princess."

It was true she was smaller than the taller girl, but that didn't faze her. Yang needed support and she was going to get it.

"Are you okay? Does it still hurt?" the priestess asked, then bit her lip.

Stupid questions.

Of course she wasn't okay. But Yang would definitely act like she was when it was obvious she wasn't.

Yang frowned from having all the attention focused on her when it should be elsewhere. It didn't matter to her that she was injured, so long as her friends were safe. She could fight through any pain if it meant she could protect her team.

"Enough about me," Yang said. "We gotta help Blake and Ruby-"

Their attention was stolen in the form of a yelp. On cue, a red blur streaked across the sky like a jet line.

"Ruby!"

Just after Ruby was knocked out of the sky, Blake gave chase. The demon didn't expect her to abandon the fight and sent a menacing roar after her. The vibrations almost caused the faunus to stumble, but she always kept her footing.

Ruby tumbled roughly into the ground as she let out several anguished grunts. The grip on her gun was forced open as the weapon skidded to a halt. It was like Ruby was falling down several flights of stairs. Like she wouldn't stop. Her aura was exhausted, so it didn't do much to protect her.

When Ruby finally came to a stop, she was panting harshly like it was hard to breathe. A hand was over her ribs as she clutched them in pain. The adrenaline was no doubt masking most of the pain.

To Blake's surprise, Ruby got on her feet rather quickly. Although a grimace ensued.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Blake asked hastily, standing next to her in case she needed support. "That was-"

"I'm fine," Ruby insisted as she inhaled sharply. "Winded, but fi- agh..."

Blake took one look at her and frowned. It was like a kid was insisting that she was fine after wiping out on a bike. Not buying it, Blake gently pulled Ruby's hand away from her ribs. Not wanting to fight her, Ruby allowed it as she took a few deep breaths.

Slowly, Blake pulled up Ruby's shirt to examine her ribcage. Just as she thought. The skin over them was dark red. It'd definitely become a nasty black in time.

"Ruby…" Blake whimpered.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Ruby said as she gazed at her surroundings. "We have other things to worry about."

A few dozen feet away, Ruby was relieved to see that Yang was standing with help from her girlfriend. She was alive, which compelled Ruby to end this once and for all. That damned demon needed to go down.

In one fell swoop, the demon knocked Ozpin and Goodwitch off Wanda. When the professors landed, they were motionless in a tangle of limbs.

They were at their limit.

Before the beast could gobble up the unconscious guardians, Yang pointed at the beast and used a stern tone.

"I'm the dragon!"

She didn't have red eyes, but she sounded determined. Ruby noticed her visibly flinch after announcing that.

In response, the dragon whirled around to face her with its multiple yellow eyes. Good. At least their professors were no longer the main target.

Sensing her injured sister had some fight left in her, Ruby smiled. If her sister could still fight in her condition, the rest of them could.

"Pollination!" Ruby announced.

For a brief moment, Blake and Weiss hesitated and looked to the sisters. They only followed when Ruby and Yang charged.

"You bunch of dolts are insane!" Weiss shouted, directly behind her girlfriend.

As if to agree, the dragon roared menacingly. The air vibrated as the dragon leaped forward.

With her semblance, Ruby was able to dart herself and her sister to the side. It was sudden, so Yang received some head poudings, but persevered.

After dodging a wing, Ruby shot a bullet into one of its eight yellow eyes. From the recoil, her ribs throbbed in agony. The pain was worth it when a pop rang out. The yellow eye popped like bubble wrap. That seemed to do enough damage because the beast recoiled and squeezed the other eyes shut.

Before it could roar, Yang careened a harsh right cross into the eye that popped. This punched served to make it cave in. Her aim was almost off thanks to the pain in her head. Some yellow liquid plopped onto her fist from impact and she cringed in disgust.

"Gross..."

Her head may have been pounding, but the eye liquid was grotesque.

Yang was so focused on the grossness that she didn't notice the dragon go in for another blow. Before it could, Blake pushed Yang out of the way to safety. Luckily, Blake was able to dodge the incisors by jumping off one of them.

Due to Yang's injury, she battled to open her eyes, just trying to stay awake.

Directly after, Blake carried Yang a safe distance away.

"I got you," Blake whispered reassuringly down to her.

To stop the beast from giving chase, Weiss raised her rapier. The light connected with the tip of her weapon to the demon. Her tiara, bangle, and locket glowed a blindingly white light. A white beam enshrouded the legs of the beast. The air dropped a few octaves from impact as the white slowly engulfed the shrieking dragon.

Now, she was free to purify because the curse was broken. Purifying alone would have been difficult, but with her team dealing more damage, purifying the massive demon was possible.

Gradually, the whiteness trickled its way to the rest of the massive body. This depleted a lot of energy, so Weiss took several sharp inhales to focus. The beast shrieked while trying to break free of the white light. The priestess strained to hold the white. It was like trying to contain a lion in a cage. Her body screamed in protest as her life force drained.

After the white light fully engulfed the darkness, Blake summoned several clones with the remains of her energy.

During this, Ruby hailed bullets with her sniper rifle, grimacing from every recoil. Every single eye was blown out. Ruby's pain became too much and she fell hardly on her side, gasping for air.

With the help of her shadows, Blake was able to leap above the flailing dragon.

"Agh!"

She screamed in determination. Her resolve wasn't to kill, but to protect her teammates. She'd do it even if it killed her.

With all her might, she sliced through one of its red, translucent wings. The demon shrieked in agony as a heavy wing thumped on the grass. The moment it detached from its body, the white light surrounding it forced it to wither away.

Blake could hear the bellows of the beast and harsh pants from Weiss behind her. But she didn't have the energy to look around. Not enough to even stand, and fell.

At last, the beast collapsed as it succumbed to the white light. The legs gave out as the attached wing twitched spastically.

By this point, it was harder for Weiss to keep purifying. A demon this massive stole so much energy. It felt like an eternity when it finally happened. The dragon ceased movement completely, and began to dissipate. Black specks drifted to the dimly lit sky and swirled.

When Weiss was sure the beast was dead, she allowed herself to crumple. She had no energy left to spare, and it didn't take long for the darkness to drag her into the abyss.

There was peaceful silence as snow began to drizzle from the calm sky.


Obviously, this chapter is named after the song called White Light. "Now it's time to rise as one. I wanna be the white, 'white light.'" The relic hunters rose as one to defeat the *mermaid man from spongebob* EEEEEVIIIL!

Yang said in the beginning "I am here" to Weiss when the adventure started. Now, Weiss said it, instead of saying "I'm here." It's a reference to the song "Here" by The Ancient Magus' Bride.

*pokemon narrator voice* The big bad monster has been defeated! What awaits our heroes? Find out next week!

Stay dandy,

~Toto