Chapter 32

The horrid fusion of Grimm screeched at them. Ruby clutched her head as her brain rattled around in her head. The creature began to March towards them, it's four long legs easily taking it across the cracked flagstone.

Ruby turned and grabbed Qrow. With some effort, she pulled him up and pulled them both into her Semblance. A burst of red and black petals flew from the tree over to a nearby house. Ruby took a deep breath as they landed next to an open door and looked back.

Her blood ran cold as it turned to follow her. Why!? Damn it, of course. I let out a lot of negativity didn't I? Her mind raced, searching for an answer. But then she felt a little calmer as a wave of grey washed over her. The monster seemed confused, until a pink grenade exploded on the humanoids' back.

It turned to screech at Nora only to receive another to the face before it could even try. Jaune charged it and slashed at its legs. He grunted as it's strange arms lashed out, hitting him solidly in the chest and throwing him back. Ruby rushed to hide Qrow in a nearby house while the others engaged the monstrosity.

As Ruby rushed back out, sniper in hand, the area began to change. A strong breeze made its way through the courtyard as Pyrrha walked out of an alleyway. The wind began to intensify and focus in on Pyrrha herself, causing her to float off of the ground. The Grimm launched its stretchy arms at her, but a barrier of wind formed around her, shredding the arms and causing it to wail in pain.

Ruby looked over at Jaune and nodded. She ran for one arm, he the other. In unison they used their blades and speared the arms, forcing them down and pinning them to the ground. As it tried to resist Pyrrha launched a bolt of lightning into the horses' chest. It screamed as it's chest bubbled and popped.

The monster collapsed, breathing heavily as it tried to recover. That was when Ren walked up, dagger in hand. "For all the people you've murdered!" He severed an arm. "For my mother!" He severed the other. "For my father!" He cut off the horse-like head. "For the life you took from me!" He roared and cut the Grimm's head from its shoulders.

Ren panted as it turned into a plume of black smoke, more than any the group had seen before. Pyrrha slowly floated down and collapsed to the floor, tired. Ruby rushed back and pulled her uncle from the house. He had stopped muttering. Ruby felt cold.

Nora was standing next to Ren when she returned while Jaune helped Pyrrha to stand. Ruby looked to the plume of black smoke. It looked so terrifying… But it didn't really stand a chance, I guess this is what happens when you have a Maiden on your team. Ruby looked to Pyrrha. It was in many ways a terrifying display. With but one attack she had reduced the monster to from a life-threatening beast, to something less frightening than a simple Beowolf.

Ruby gulped. If I had that kind of power…

The sound of an engine reached them as they were recovering. Weapons were drawn as a pair of Mistralian airships appeared over the mountains. Men in standard-issue armour waved from the open holds as they landed nearby. One jumped out and walked over, his hands in the air.

"Hey! You guys okay?! We're from Mistral! We saw the smoke and came to investigate!" He called over the sounds of the engines.

The group looked amongst themselves for a moment. Ruby stepped forward. "My Uncle was poisoned and needs medical treatment!" Ruby called back.

"Understood! Bring him on board! Well call ahead and head to the hospital!"

Jaune ran and grabbed the stretcher and with help from the Mistral soldiers they brought Qrow on board. Within moments they were off, heading towards the city of Mistral.

"You kids were lucky we were on patrol. Wouldn't have seen it otherwise. Speaking of, the only Grimm around here that could have caused that smoke was a horrid beast. How'd you kill it?" The soldier asked as they passed over the mountains.

"Excessive use of Dust." Ruby responded. He seemed to accept the answer. The truth was of course far stranger.

Ruby sat on the edge and wrapped her cloak around herself. She took in the air and sighed.

They had finally made it.

"Sorry man, they aren't here. They moved on a while ago." Mikan the blacksmith said with a shrug.

Taiyang sighed and nodded. "Thanks." He left a few Lien and exited the building.

"Bork!" Zwei looked up at him.

"I don't think I'm going to catch up at this rate. With my luck, they'll leave Mistral before I get there."

"Woof?"

"The best way to catch up…" Tai sighed again. "I don't want to, but Qrow should be with them. Quickest way to get there would be going through her."

"Woof."

"Yeah. I need to catch up, even if I have to talk with her. I don't want to, but this is far more important. I suppose it's time for a visit. Knowing her she'll be within a few days travel to as many towns as possible." Tai pulled out his map and scanned it for a while.

"I think I know where to start looking. Come on Zwei. It's time to check in on my ex."

"Woof!"

The city of Mistral was beautiful, it was hard to deny that, especially from their new manor house. Their latest residence funded by Pyrrha's bank account, the manor was built pretty far up the mountain the city was constructed on. At the bottom were the poorer areas, including the slums, while at the top was where the rich lived, close to Haven Academy.

It had been a few days since their arrival. They were waiting on Qrow to get better before heading to meet with Headmaster Lionheart. Thanks to some timely intervention, all Qrow needed was bed rest now. Everyone was enjoying a moment to rest and recover.

All except Ruby.

It was difficult to relax after the last few months. Even with everyone safe and sound, she found herself worrying constantly. Tyrian had found them on the road in the middle of nowhere, now that they were in one of the major population centres of the world how long before he came back?

That was why she was sitting in Qrow's room, unsure of what she should do. With her uncle unconscious, she didn't have anyone to talk to unless she left the room.

That was why she found the paper and pen and sat at the desk. She sat there staring at it, thinking of what to write. Eventually, it came to her.

Dear Yang, Weiss and Blake

I made it to Mistral! It took a lot longer than I expected of course but, well, we made it!

It was tougher than I thought too. We were attacked by a madman named Tyrian Callows. And we faced some tough Grimm along the way.

I learned a lot though. The biggest part is knowing who caused your deaths. Cinder is but a pawn of someone far worse. I don't know how or why a Grimm Queen exists but I'm going to find a way to take her down. I have to. For you and for the rest of the world. That's what I always wanted right? To be a heroine and save the world from evil.

I wish you guys were here. I'd give anything for you to be here with me. But you can't. I promised that I would take you with me though. Ember Emortus was just the start. When I go to fight Salem, I'm going to bring the full might of team RWBY, even if you aren't here.

I love you always

Ruby

She sighed and dropped the pen. It was… something. That was for sure. She opened the drawer and retrieved an envelope. She folded the paper neatly and put it in. She sealed it and drew a large number one on the front. Ruby then put it into a pouch and clipped it onto her belt.

As she finished Qrow began to stir. She stood and walked over to his bed. "Hey kiddo…" He mumbled.

"Hey, uncle Qrow. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been drinking for a month and forgot to keep going…" He groaned.

"Well, get some more sleep. It should only be a couple more days before you're back on your feet."

"Yeah? That's good…" He trailed off, falling asleep once more. Ruby smiled and tucked him in.

She stood and, after some hesitation, decided she had to stop hiding in here. Jaune was right. They are there for me when I need them. We are a team now. We all want Cinder dead.

It wasn't turning back on her previous decision. She would still be the one walking that dark path, killing their foes to keep her friends in the light. But that didn't mean she couldn't be close to them, couldn't open up to them. Maybe she didn't need to stray as far from the light as she thought she did.

Maybe, just maybe, at the end of all this, she could still be with them. She took a deep breath and left the room.

The house was mostly quiet, but for the sound of distant laughter. As she made her way closer she could see them all. Pyrrha and Nora were setting the dining table, mainly Pyrrha stopping Nora from causing chaos with the various utensils, while Ren and Jaune bustled around the kitchen cooking.

Jaune was the first to notice her and gave her a big grin. "Hey, Ruby! You like curry?" He asked happily.

"Curry? Yeah…" She answered cautiously.

"I'm making my mom's recipe! Or trying to." He shrugged. "How spicy do you like yours?"

"Uhhh. Medium I guess."

"Sweet! It'll be ready in a few. So relax or you can help out. Either or."

"There isn't much room in the kitchen. Try helping them." Ren said, pointing to the dining room. Ruby nodded and moved to make sure Nora didn't break anything.

Soon enough Ren and Jaune brought out the curry and rice. The five of them sat around the table, taking it easy after their months-long road trip.

As Jaune passed Ruby her curry he gave her a big grin. She took it with her own smile.

When she looked at that smile her heart beat just a little bit faster.

Flames burst from her hand, reducing the illusion to nothing more than ashes. Cinder allowed a smile to crawl onto her face. Her power had returned to what it had been before the Fall of Beacon. It should be more. Salem looked unimpressed.

As Emerald began to weave the illusion again they heard crying and whimpering. The trio turned to see Tyrian stumble into the training room. His head was covered in old, bloody bandages. Though some didn't look quite normal.

"Goddess! I'm sorry! Branwen interrupted me! I didn't manage to catch either the girl or the Maiden!" He whined, falling prone at Salem's feet.

"I see." Salem responded coldly. She began to leave the room. "I'm very disappointed in you Tyrian."

Tyrian's eyes bulged as Salem left, ignoring all attempts to get her attention. "Aaaaaaaaaagh!" He screamed. A Beowolf entered the room and was instantly pounced on and torn apart by Tyrian's blades. Screaming and crying turned into twisted laughing.

Cinder cringed at the horrid sight and quickly made her way out of the room. So even he couldn't catch her. He said Branwen interfered but is that true?

Either way, Cinder was now far more likely to join the assault on Haven.

She hoped that Tyrian would be left behind. After all, Ruby Rose was hers to deal with.

A/N: And so Volume 4 comes to a close with a bit of an anti-climax. Maidens are just beasts in battle. But they arrive safely and Ruby makes an addendum to her previous decision. She needn't shoulder her burdens alone, even if she will be the killer for good. There is one thing that some might be annoyed at: Romance. Obviously, it's not a tag. That's because it's not a major part of the plot. More like a D or E plot if anything. It will show up at times, but it's not a core part of the plot. It's more focused on endgame than anything and I didn't set any in stone. People might get together but they might not. It will affect a couple of character relationships obviously, but if you aren't a fan then hopefully you can live with it showing up once in a blue moon.

I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!