Hey, It didn't take months to update this time. That's an improvement. I really wanted to write this chapter after the finale, which utterly destroyed me. I would've written about it in the lat chapter since I had written that one after I watched Volume 8 Episode 14, but I puplished that chapter at like 1:00 in the morning. So uh, spoilers for Volume 8 in the next paragraph.
That ending was so sad. I don't have any big critisisms or problems with it, but I can understand were some people are coming from when they say they didn't like it. But I did. It made me cry. I'm actually listening to Friend right now, so I'm reliving all those emotions.
Also, last chapter marked 150,000 words, which is a pretty big milestone. Here's to 150,000 more.
Anyways, here's the new chapter. I liked writing this one, even if there are a number of problems with it. Again, there is no Beta Reader, so bear with me. That was a stupid pun. Anyways, I hope you enjoy Chapter 27:
Weiss hurtled helplessly through the air, limbs flailing about as she was flung backwards and onto the rough ground of the harbor. Yet Blake was already moving to intercept her landing, sprinting forward with catlike agility and catching her with a dive before her head could crack open on the floor. As she slid to a stop near the edge of the harbor, she gingerly placed two fingers on Weiss's neck.
A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she felt a pulse beneath her fingertips. Weiss's breathing was ragged and raspy, but she was still alive. Blake shifted her body to help support Weiss's weight on her shoulder, before turning to give a nod to Yang, Jaune, Oscar. They, too, let out relieved sighs when they saw Weiss was still alive, before turning their attention back to Roman.
Blake paid no heed to the criminal as she tended to Weiss's wounds, only absentmindedly listening with her cat ears. The raven-haired woman performed a cursory glance across Weiss's body, looking for any injuries. Her arms were scorched, but the enchanted armor she wore had protected her from the brunt of the blast. They would be fine after a few days of rest.
She had a small gash along the edge of her forehead that was bleeding, but it didn't seem too serious. Regardless, Blake put her hand atop the wound and gently applied pressure to try and prevent further blood loss. Weiss's armor really was something; it had absorbed much of the magic and reduced what would be a lethal explosion to a normal soldier to a minor injury. The ex-heiress was out of it, but she would probably be fine in a few minutes.
"What was the point of all of this?" She distantly heard Port cry out in anger. She heard the shuffling of weapons as the semicircle of soldiers closed in even tighter around Torchwick. "Why? Why go after Weiss? Why work with the White Fang? Why have you been stealing so much Dust and weaponry?"
Torchwick just growled like a cornered wolf. "I did what anyone would do in my position. I did what it took to survive!"
Yang stepped forward with her sword drawn and had to be pulled back by Jaune and Oscar. "What you had to? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The blonde roared angrily. "You've been nothing but a pain in everyone's side for the past several years and your excuse was that you had to? What kind of bullshit is that?"
Jaune tugged Yang back into formation before turning to Torchwick with a scowl. "I don't understand you, Roman. For years, no one dared oppose you. The guard considered it not worth arresting you and leaving a power vacuum. You had nothing to fear. But you gave that all up when you started this little operation. What point did it serve? Was it greed? Lust for power?"
The orange-haired thief shook his head and gave an empty smile. "Y'know, I used to think I was the biggest fish in the pond. No one could threaten me. Sure, the other fish could team up on me and bring me down, but they were just little guppies. As long as I kept them in line, I had nothing to be worried about."
His grip on his cane tightened as he gripped it hard enough that Blake could hear it begin creaking from the strain. "But when I found out the small pond I lived in was actually a great ocean, I realized being a big fish isn't always a good thing. Sometimes, being a big fish just means you look all the more appetizing to the sharks," Torchwick's analogy was odd, but simple enough to understand.
"So someone forced you into this? But who? Who has that much power?" Oscar pondered aloud, drawing Torchwick's attention.
"Another one? I swear, you kids just spring up when I'm not looking," He mumbled to himself with a shake of his head before answering. "I don't really feel like telling you that. She's already going to be mad enough with me as is, and if I ruin her 'master plan' I doubt I'll live very long."
Blake quirked an eyebrow. "She? Could he be talking about Sienna Khan? No, she'd never work with a human. But who has authority over the White Fang and would be willing to work with a man like Torchwick?" An answer came to her in the image of a familiar red-haired man, but Blake shook that thought off. No. Roman had mentioned a woman. Adam was distinctly male.
Port let out a humorless chuckle. "Well, that sure sounds interesting. Why don't we talk about it some more back in the dungeons of Beacon? I assure you no one, neither allies nor assassins, will be able to reach you in the cell we have reserved for you," As he spoke, he slightly stepped forward, gradually shrinking the space Torchwick had. In response, the thief and his two companions backed up.
As Blake watched this happen, she caught sight of movement out in the water. "Look, out there!" She called out with a point, drawing attention to two dark shapes that cut through the water. The soldiers, all human, strained their eyes to try and see what Blake had pointed out, and upon finally noticing it, began to grip their weapons tighter.
Coming up alongside the dock was a large cargo ship with a deck full of large crates, each easily over seven feet tall. The ship had a bare-bones crew, with only three or so sailors on the upper deck. Blak was willing to wager that there were few to none on the lower decks, so it wasn't like the ship's arrival would turn the tides of battle in Torchwick's favor.
"So that's your plan, huh? Escape by boat?" Yang taunted. "But did you actually think this through? Goodwitch will mobilize the entire Valean fleet and catch up to you in about an hour, tops. Give it up, Roman. Don't make this harder for us," As the blonde spoke, Weiss's eyes began to flutter open. This drew Blake's attention back to her, and the faunus quickly shifted her into an upright position.
"Hey, try not to move around too much. You took a pretty bad hit back there," Blake advised, but Weiss just looked around disorientedly. Yang, Jaune, and Oscar all were staring directly at her, and Neo and Roman were glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes.
"W-where am I? What happened?" Weiss asked weakly. Blake hesitated to speak, but quickly realized she had to answer in some way.
"Still here at the harbor. What's the last thing you remember?" Blake asked, mentally preparing herself for the worst. One could never be too sure about head injuries. What she had believed to be a minor scratch could turn out to have caused massive damage to the brain and memory loss. Or it could be that Weiss was just discombobulated. There was truly no way of knowing which; at least, not here.
"I... I remember jumping out after the... book," Weiss spoke, her face growing paler and paler as she spoke. Roman gained a feral grin as she said the word 'book', chuckling to himself. "No. No no no no! This... this can't be real! This isn't happening!" Weiss panicked, shooting up with a wild look in her eyes and devastation evident on her face.
Blake was caught off guard, to say the least. Weiss looked like she'd just been told that she was going to be executed. She knew that the book was important to Weiss after she'd gone through so much effort to retrieve it from Mountain Glenn, but she'd always figured Weiss's reaction to losing it to Neo had just been her being spoiled. The faunus began to re-evaluate that thought when she saw the genuine despair on the Schnee's face.
Sharing a look with Yang, the stealthy cat faunus turned her attention to Torchwick, who began to cackle madly. "Oh, that's nice! It stings, doesn't it? To have come so close, only for things to quite literally blow up in your face? To have everything you've worked toward come crashing down on you in just a single moment? Consider this payback."
Weiss's eyes narrowed as she let out an enraged hiss. "Payback? You were the instigator in this conflict and you dare place the blame on me for the consequences you faced? No, everything you are facing was caused by your own doing! I never would've even thought to raid your compound if you hadn't stolen that book from me!" She ranted, her face red from anger.
Torchwick just let out a cruel laugh. "Geez, Princess. There's no need to get so worked up about a silly little book," He goaded. Blake and Yang stiffened, recalling they had said something similar to Weiss after Neo had stolen the translator tome. Had they known how she would react, they likely would have acted differently.
"Just a book? Just a book? That book was everything! I needed that book!" Weiss roared out, trying shakily to rise to her feet but stumbling to the ground. Blake darted forward and caught her, but Weiss pushed her back. "And if I can't have that book, then I'll have your head!"
At that threat, Neo stepped in front of Roman and let out a soundless snarl. The soldiers responded by raising their spears and beginning to march forward, but Roman gave a sharp cry that froze them in their tracks.
"Take another step and I'll kill us all!" He warned, clutching a small leather satchel in his right hand. Common sense told the soldiers that it was likely a bluff, but when someone's life is put on the line they are rarely willing to call that bluff.
"Y'know, I'm getting real sick of you all telling me there's no hope of escape. You keep telling me that my luck's run out, that Goodwitch is going to catch me any second now. But here's the thing about me; I make my own luck!" Roman cried out as he reached his hand into the satchel. As he spoke, the ship pulled up right along the dock.
None of the soldiers moved, all too cautious to risk approaching. Even the normally reckless Yang took up a defensive stance between Torchwick and Blake and Weiss, ready to shield them from any attack he might try. Jaune stood right next to her, and Oscar behind them. Many soldiers began to back away, but one man just let out a loud guffaw at Torchwick's actions.
"You really think that bluff's gonna work long, Roman?" Junior laughed loudly. "What, do you have a Dust crystal in there or something? I know you lost all your 'toys' when you fought Goodwitch, but even then you never had anything that could get you out of this kind of situation."
Roman didn't bother gracing Junior a response, instead drawing something out of the satchel with a flourish. Blake stared at the strange object he now held in his hands curiously. It was honestly unlike anything she'd ever seen, but one thing was obvious. It was magical in origin.
The object in question resembled a crown, similar to the one she'd expect King Ozpin to wear. It was made of gold and some indeterminable blue substance that seemed to simply radiate power. It wasn't particularly ornate, not bearing any fancy designs or carvings. But even from where she stood, several yards away from Torchwick, she could feel the intense power it possessed.
"What the hell is that thing?" Jaune asked in shock. Yang simply grit her teeth, and Oscar took a few steps back in surprise. It seemed they were able to sense how powerful it was. But Weiss just stared at it with a vague look of recognition, as though she was trying to remember if she'd ever seen it before.
"Why, I'm glad you asked! This little trinket is something I picked up a few years ago, before this whole fiasco happened," Torchwick began to explain with a cocky tone. "Some rich Atlesian noble offered quite the sum for me to nab this thing right out of the Royal Vaults. It wasn't exactly easy, so you can imagine my anger when the deal fell through and I was stuck with this thing."
Neo nodded along, a devious look of understanding now on her face. She likely knew what this thing did. "And what's worse was that I couldn't figure out how to use it. I mean, it's obviously powerful. Anyone who knows anything about Aura and magic can tell you that. But No matter who activated it, I just couldn't seem to figure out what it was supposed to do."
A cruel smirk graced Torchwick's features, and a mad glint appeared in his eye. "But that isn't to say I never found a use for it. See, while I never found out what it was supposed to do, I was able to figure out that it had some... side effects."
"Side effects? What do you mean?" Yang asked with a threatening growl, pointing her sword outwards toward Torchwick, who simply raised the crown. Yang wisely lowered her blade, not willing to risk it.
"Well, for whatever reason, the Creatures of Grimm just absolutely hate this thing. Like, despise it. More than humans. It sends 'em flying into a rage, and they don't calm down 'till they're dead," Roman explained with a mad gleam in his eyes.
"Well that sounds pretty unpleasant, but I don't see how that helps you?" Port taunted. "After all, we aren't exactly in the middle of Forever Fall. This is the Residential District of Vale. There aren't any Grimm here," The boisterous old man spoke, yet there was a nervousness in his voice that there hadn't been before. He understood how dangerous it was.
"I'm getting to that!" Torchwick snapped before running a hand through his hair with a sigh. In his other hand, he clutched both his cane and the crown tightly. "Neo and I weren't sure what to do with it at first. Sure, we could use it to bait out Grimm and have them deal with any assassins or guards giving us trouble, but we had to be close by when it happened. And I don't want to end up in a Griffon's stomach, thank you very much."
Neo and Junior both looked around warily, but Roman continued unperturbed. "But I realized something recently. It doesn't just piss Grimm off, it scares them. Terrifies them, even. I can use this little toy to direct them away from me and towards, say, a bunch of meddling morons who never learned to keep their nose out of other people's business!"
Blake recoiled at his words. Controlling the Creatures of Grimm in any capacity was nigh impossible. She'd heard legends of ancient necromancers being able to control them once, but the legend usually ended with said necromancers being devoured by them after their control slipped. A relic that could alter Grimm behavior was unheard of and extremely dangerous.
"That still doesn't explain where you're going to get the Grimm from. I don't see anywhere around here, do you?" She goaded. Neo began to look unsure, and Junior had a baffled expression on his face. The soldiers all chuckled at her words, and even Jaune and Oscar let out uneasy chuckles. Torchwick merely continued to smirk.
"...oat?" She heard Weiss mumble next to her. What was she talking about? Oats? Had she hit her head harder than Blake had thought? Suddenly, the white-haired girl's eyes widened and she shot upward. Everyone turned to face her and she screamed out a warning before anyone could do anything else.
"It's the boat! He brought Grimm here on the boat!" As soon as she said that, all blood drained from the faces of the soldiers. Jaune and Yang both looked horrified, and even the veteran Commander Port seemed paler than usual. Blake saw that even Neo and Junior were looking at Roman in shock and fear, but the thief only stared at Weiss with a crazed look.
"Finally, someone figures it out! So, what'd ya think? Pretty good plan, huh? Sic the Grimm on you all while we sail away into the sunset, leaving you to fend for yourselves. You'll be too buy mopping up this mess to send even a single ship after me, and by the time you do I'll be long gone."
"H-how? How'd you even get these Grimm?" Junior asked with a nervous glance back toward the ship. As he turned his attention away, a few soldiers tried to advance, but Roman cut them off by holding up the crown, which began to glow. The crates on the ship began to shake slightly, and the soldiers wisely backed off. As Torchwick lowered the crown, the shaking stopped.
"Stay back. This thing only needs a second to activate, and you won't even have the chance to stop me before it does," He warned, shifting his eyes across the crowd of soldiers. "Now, as to how I got them is a long story. But to summarize it I'll ask a question. Did you know that you can drug a Grimm? I didn't, but once I found that out I knew what I had to do. I finally had a use for all those warehouses full of drugs I "inherited" when I took over the crime families."
"So you've been drugging the Grimm, keeping them asleep just so you could release them into the most crowded part of Vale? Are you insane?" Oscar asked before Yang and Jaune pushed him back behind them. "How long have you been planning this?"
"You're giving me too much credit. I only just came up with this plan a few months ago when I realized I needed a way to give you all the slip. I've already almost completely run out of my... stock, and this plan absolutely hemorrhages lien. But I'm glad I made this plan. It always pays to have an escape route planned!"
Junior shook his head in shock. "Roman, what the hell? Our people are out there! The people who've followed you loyally for years! And this is how you plan on repaying them? Leaving them to be eaten by Grimm?" The large man ranted, but Torchwick swung his elbow into his gut and sent him to the floor.
"Shut up, Junior. You're a criminal, and you've been one for years. Now's not the time to grow a conscience!"
Junior just growled. "What happened to the Roman who destroyed the slave trade because he didn't think it was right? The Roman who toppled the drug empires because he was morally against it?"
"That Roman wasn't strong enough to make it in the real world. The real world doesn't give a rat's ass about your morals, or your beliefs, or what you think is right! All that matters is survival! And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure Neo and I survive!"
"Even kill your own men?" Blake asked, horrified. Even Adam, awful as he was, never went this far. But Torchwick turned to her and Blake was able to see his emerald eyes. She saw the fear and desperation in them and she understood. He truly felt like he had no choice. They'd backed him into a corner, and were now surprised when he was lashing out.
"Is that even a question? I don't owe them anything! They're worthless to me!"
"You have to realize that what you're doing is wrong, right Torchwick? You can't really believe this!" Jaune yelled out, trying to distract Torchwick before he could activate the crown. But the orange-haired man just gave a fierce snarl and raised the crown into the air. A soft blue light began to emanate from it and the air began to hum with power.
"Enough! I'm sick of you all! I don't owe anybody anything! I couldn't care less about you all!" He roared in desperation. What happened next was a blur, even to the normally perceptive Blake.
"I won't let you do this!" Junior cried out as he leapt toward Torchwick, knife in hand. With a cry of rage, he planted the blade firmly into Roman's shoulder. The man let out a cry of pain and slumped over. Junior tried to grab the crown, but a pink, white, and brown streak shot forward into Junior. The man let out a grunt of pain as Neo's stiletto flashed in and out of his stomach, blood flying everywhere.
Blake thrust a hand forward to try and help Junior. Darkness swirled around in the palm of her hand before elongating to form a needle-like shape that she flung outwards. The needle tore through the air and struck Neo in the back, tearing straight through her as though she was paper. The multi-colored girl let out a silent scream of pain before dropping limp to the floor, blood pooling beneath her.
But she had been too late. Junior was clearly dead, with multiple stab wounds littering his torso. Even if he was alive, there was no way he'd be able to make it. She may not have liked the man, but he had been trying to do the right thing, and certainly didn't deserve to die because of it. Blake tried to run forward and grab the crown, but Roman shot up.
"Gah! You bastard! What the hell?" Roaman cried out as he backed away. Turning his attention to where Junior had been standing a moment ago, his eyes widened. "Neo! No no no no!" He cried as he ran to her side, picking her up and cradling her. He put two fingers on her neck and began to grow pale. "T-this can't be... no... NEO!" A cry of anguish rang out across the dock.
As he turned her body over, Blake saw the blood dripping from the corners of her mouth and the glazed look in her eyes. The feline faunus was experienced enough to know that she had died quickly, with very little pain. The needle had cleanly shot through her heart, and the small girl died before she even hit the ground. But that didn't matter. There was no point rationalizing it by saying how little she suffered. She'd still killed someone. Even after all this time, she was the same girl she'd been back in the White Fang.
Blake felt a bit guilty using Torchwick's grief as an opening, but he was too dangerous to be left alone. She ran forward and raised her sword, preparing to knock him out with a swift blow from the hilt. But before he could, Roman let out a cry of emotion and raised the crown. The sudden wave of energy forced Blake to take a step back, and several soldiers rushed past her.
"Wait, stop!" Jaune cried out as he reached forward as though to stop them, but it was too late. The deck of the ship shook violently as the crates containing Grimm began to strain. Their occupants now awake, trying desperately to get out of their wooden prisons. Shards of wood flew out as they ripped holes through the containers, and now that she could see into the crates Blake felt her blood run cold.
The Grimm broke free from their wooden prisons and leapt from the ship, red eyes burning with malice. There were at least a dozen Beowolves, and half that number of Ursai. There several Boarbatusks, and one crate even contained a flock of small Nevermore. Yet the ship continued to creak and groan, as something on the lower decks strained to break free.
The guards who had rushed Torchwick were killed in seconds. They were tackled to the ground by Beowolves and mauled to death before Blake or anyone else could help them. Torchwick himself was about to be devoured by an Ursa when the top half of the ship exploded, sending a shower of splinters down into the water. The Ursa was sent flying away as a massive tail lashed through the air.
A massive Deathstalker stood on the destroyed upper deck, its legs each bound with chains that had snapped as it strained to break free. Roman said nothing, simply bearing an empty look in his eyes as he reached out an arm and pointed his cane at Blake and Weiss. He spoke two words in a soft, hollow voice that was utterly devoid of emotion.
"Kill them."
The Deathstalker didn't seem particularly interested in following Torchwick's command, however. It reached over with its huge pincer and gripped Torchwick's arm, crushing it. The man let out a scream of pain as the Grimm flung him toward the harbor and crawled off the ship after him. Its tail swung rhythmically through the air as it scuttled toward the downed thief.
Torchwick struggled to his feet with a groan and let out a gasp of fear when he saw the Deathstalker on its way to him. He hissed in pain as he accidentally put too much weight on his injured arm. The Deathstalker raised a pincer to rip off his head, but froze when Torchwick desperately swung his arm outwards. The relic glowed with an intense light, and the Grimm let out a screech before scuttling away. Tochwick pushed himself to his feet and began to slink away in retreat.
Blake drew her swords and prepared to go after him, but Port stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. "Leave him, Ms. Belladonna. He won't get far. And we need you here more," He firmly ordered. Blake gave a nod in response as Yang ran over, slicing through a Beowolf that had come too close to them.
"What are supposed to do?" Jaune asked as he pressed his back against Yang's, both of them raising their shields as they did so. Blake rolled out of the way as a Boarbatusk charged towards her, lashing out with her smaller tantō as she did so. The creature let out a squeal of pain as she made a long horizontal slash across its body before using her longer sword to slice out its throat.
"There's a perimeter set up a few streets away from here. It's meant to keep Torchwick from escaping, but they can handle the stragglers. For now, we need to focus on keeping the Grimm busy and away from the civilians. But the real problem is that thing," He gestured toward the Deathstalker, currently destroying a section of the wall. "The only ones who stand a chance against it are you three. Schnee's out of commission, and I'm no spring chicken. I need you three to keep it distracted while we deal with the others. Got it!"
"Yes sir!" Blake, Jaune, and Yang all cried out in unison. They made no complaint as Port charged into the fray, lashing out at Beowolves with his axe. But as they turned to face the massive Deathstalker, Blake felt a creeping feeling of doubt. This Grimm was huge, and unlike the Nevermore they'd fought before, armored. Deathstalkers were notoriously difficult to kill, and this one was easily twice the size of a normal one.
But Blake knew that Port was right. The members of the city guard were no match for a Grimm of this size, and Port himself was too old to be of much help in direct combat. It was better to leave this one to the knights-in-training and their faunus friend. Blake wasn't being arrogant when she said that the three of them were the strongest people there, Weiss notwithstanding.
"You've got to be kidding me. How are we supposed to actually kill that thing?" Jaune asked despondently to himself, but Yang just put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"We don't have to kill it; just hold it off long enough for Port to evacuate the civilians and soldiers and call for reinforcements. But if we fall, that thing's gonna smash right through the perimeter we set up and rampage through Vale. So let's get going!" She boisterously shouted out.
"Yang, wait! We need a plan!" Jaune cried out, but Yang either didn't hear him or was ignoring him. He turned to Blake with a helpless look. "Please tell me you have a plan?"
Blake nodded seriously. "Yeah. Survive," She gave a cry and surged forward into battle, both blades drawn and gleaming in the moonlight.
"That's not a plan! That's an objective!" Jaune cried out as he charged in right behind her. Yang's shouting had drawn the Deathstalker's attention, and the massive Grimm turned around right as she swung her sword at it. The silver blade bounced harmlessly of its armored pincer, which quickly shot forward to try and crush Yang.
The blonde girl was able to roll out of the way in time, but a sudden lunge from the creature's stinger forced her to dance away before she could strike again. The Grimm made a few more attempts to grab at Yang, but each time only grasped empty air. Not to say that the knight-in-training was doing much better; each time she tried to attack it shifted to block it with its armored pincers and carapace.
As Yang dodged its latest attack, Blake darted past her with a shout and attempted to thrust her blades into the Deathstalker's eyes. Unfortunately, the creature was able to block her attack with a claw, following up with a counter by swinging its arm outwards in an arc. Blake pushed her Aura into her legs and backflipped over the claw and out of danger, but also too far to take advantage of the lapse in the creature's guard.
Jaune tried a different strategy by running to the side of the creature, attempting to attack from there. But each strike only hit the carapace or the segmented legs. He didn't have time to continue his assault, as the Grimm swung its tail at him. He was able to bring his shield up at an angle that caused the stinger to slide away from his body, but the force of the attack caused him to fall.
The Grimm turned to face Jaune and raised a single pincer to crush him, but Yang gave a cry and slammed into it with her shield, knocking it back slightly. The Deathstalker turned to regard her, which was all the time Blake needed. Slipping under its gaze, she thrust her blades into its armored underbelly. It felt like trying to stab through pure muscle. She strained to pull her swords out as the Grimm gave a vile screech of pain.
As the creature was distracted, Jaune took the opportunity to swipe his sword across its side. Blake could tell it was only a shallow cut, but the Grimm hissed in pain regardless and began to scuttle away. Yang saw it trying to flee and shouted.
"Hey ugly! Where do you think you're going?" As she said this, she ran after the monster with her sword held out to her side. Blake's eyes widened when she noticed the creature's tail begin to sway slightly.
"Yang, look out!" As she cried out a warning, the Deathstalker swung its tail backwards, using the momentum of the swing to spin itself around to face Yang. The lilac-eyed woman fell to her knees and ducked under the swipe, sliding along the ground as she did so. Once the tail had passed over her, she continued her reckless charge, swinging her blade with a cry.
The Grimm caught her blade between its pincers, gripping it tightly. Yang's eyes went wide as the other arm lashed out slamming into her stomach and sending her rolling across the ground. As she slid away from the creature, it carelessly tossed the sword behind itself. Yang's silver blade, Ember Celica, twirled through the air before embedding itself into the ground.
"Damn it! This thing's faster than it looks!" Yang cursed, and Jaune sent her a worried look.
"Are you okay? That looked like a pretty nasty hit," The blue-eyed boy fretted, but Yang waved off his concerns.
"I'm fine. More importantly, we need to figure out how we're supposed to fight this thing. It's not as slow as I expected, and it's able to react fast enough to block most of my attacks."
"Its armor isn't anything to scoff at, either. My blades didn't even leave a scratch. And even trying to cut the unarmored parts feels like you're trying to cut through tanned leather," Blake put her own two lien in.
"And watch out for its tail. It may seem obvious, but that thing is strong, and the stinger is sharp enough to rip through our armor," Jaune warned.
"Attacking it head-on doesn't work, its pincers are in the way. Attacking it from the side means the legs get in the way. And trying to attack it from behind means dealing with the tail. Damn it. Of course things wouldn't be easy," Yang complained. "Well, regardless of all that, I doubt I'll be much help without my sword. Mind helping me get it back?"
"Of course," Blake said while Jaune gave a determined nod. With a grin, Yang ran forward to draw its attention away from them. The creature let out a loud screech at the sight of her and began to stomp towards her. Jaune and Blake sprinted to reach Ember Celica, but the creature noticed them when they were about halfway to it.
"Jaune, watch out!" Blake warned as the Deathstalker once again swung its tail at them. Blake flipped through the air and landed in a crouch, while Jaune simply threw himself to the ground to avoid the attack. "Keep going! I'll distract it!" She cried out to him as she charged forward, sheathing her tantō and gathering magic around her hand.
A small, condensed ball of smoke began to swirl in the palm of her left hand. As the Grimm rushed forward to meet her, she flung the ball forward. An explosion of fog blinded the creature and concealed Blake from its sight. She darted through the fog, curling her fingers as she did so. The air around her swirled as several copies of her appeared in the fog.
The shadow clones darted around through the fog, taunting the Grimm. A massive claw ripped through the fog and tried to crush Blake, only for it to tear through an empty clone. The Deathstalker made a confused chittering sound, only for the real Blake to jump up onto its pincer and run down its arm.
Drawing her tantō once again, she plunged the blade into one of the creature's many red eyes. The Grimm screeched and writhed in pain, jerking around and throwing Blake off of it. It raised a pincer to crush her, but she rolled backwards to avoid the attack. She made a fist, and several ribbons of darkness shot out of her shadow and wrapped around its arm, pulling it down.
Before the creature could even realize what had happened, Jaune slammed into its face with his shield, further disorienting it. Blake rushed forward, creating and throwing needles of solid air at its face. The Grimm recoiled, but quickly recovered. It pulled its arm free from the ribbons Blake had made, which only held for a second before snapping, and swung at her.
Yang was at her side in a second, shield raised and sword in hand. The pincer slammed into her and caused her to slide back a few feet, but she stayed upright. With a cocky smirk, Yang activated the enchantments on her sword and enveloped her blade in golden flames. With a roar, she charged forward and let loose a barrage of sword swings.
The Deathstalker held out its pincers to protect itself, but Yang continued her assault. With a fierce cry, she thrust her sword forward, between the creature's arms. With a twist, she separated them and broke through its guard. She struck out at the unarmored part of its left arm and left a deep gash, but was forced to roll backwards when the monster's stinger shot forward and stabbed the spot she'd just been standing in.
"Damn, you weren't kidding. This thing's hide is tough," Yang acknowledged as she took a cautious step back. The Grimm's claws were covered in long scorch marks, but there didn't appear to be any particularly deep scratch marks on it. And the spot on its arm that Yang had struck was deep, but not nearly deep enough to debilitate the monster.
"This thing has to be ancient. How did Torchwick even manage to capture this?" Jaune asked as they all ducked under a swipe from its til. They each took off in different directions and began trying to overwhelm the Deathstalker. Jaune was slashing at its tail while Yang struck its pincers. Blake was quickly sheathing, drawing, and resheathing her blades to try and slice through its legs. Despite this, none of their attacks seemed to be very effective against it.
"Talk later. Fight now!" Yang cried out as she narrowly avoided being grabbed by the Deathstalker. As Blake rolled to avoid being stomped on by its legs, she tried to think of a plan to help take this thing down. Their current strategy of splitting its focus wasn't very effective, and they had to be worried about their stamina. In a war of attrition, the tireless Grimm would always win.
It was around now that Blake seriously began to miss Weiss. The three of them lacked the firepower needed to hurt this creature. Sure, Yang could use her sword's enchantments to deal a devastating attack, but that was a once-a-battle kind of thing, and it wouldn't do much help against the armored carapace. Blake herself could only create illusions and tricks to help her dodge the creatures' attacks; what little offensive magic she knew was too weak to do anything more than agitate it.
The cat faunus needed a new strategy. Quickly drawing one of the few glyphs she knew on the floor around her, she pushed her aura into it. It was a very simple glyph, but it would do for now. Once it activated, the glyph began to pull the Deathstalker's legs towards the center, quickly throwing the creature off balance.
Blake took this opportunity to run towards its uninjured arm and unleash a flurry of slashes, jumping over its predictable counterattack. As she flipped through the air, Blake thrust out a hand towards its face. Streaks of light shot from her fingertips before exploding in a bright flash in front of the Deathstalker's eyes. The amber-eyed woman landed in front of it, but it was too blinded to notice her.
She sheathed her wakizashi and began to channel her aura through the blade, activating the enchantments lining her sheath. It was a technique he had taught her. With an explosion of movement, she drew her sword and sent a wave of magical energy hurtling straight into the Grimm's face. As it let out a screech of pain, Blake saw that a long scratch appeared along the front of its carapace.
The monster tried to grab her, but she shot into the air and left a shadow clone behind to distract it. But as Blake soared through the air, its other arm lashed out and slammed her into the ground. She struggled to get on her feet, but the claw lunged forward and knocked her down again. Yang noticed this and let out a panicked shout.
"Blake! Hold on! I'm coming!" She charged forward, but the creature's other pincer slammed into the ground to stop her. Jaune was busy dodging the random, erratic tail swipes it was making behind itself, and thus wouldn't be able to help Blake. Yang tried once again to reach her, but the pincer swung out and pushed her back.
Blake tried to get out of the way, but she was helpless to do anything but watch as the massive black and white pincer shot toward her, ready to crush her skull in an instant. She had no chance of surviving this. Yang and Jaune cried out to her as she did nothing but watch as death hurtled toward her.
"Despite everything, it was a good life. At least, the later years were. I'm glad I got to meet them all," Blake thought to herself as she faintly heard both Yang's anguished shout and the Deathstalker's triumphant chittering. But just before the claw could snuff out her life, a white blur shot past her and the world exploded in silver light.
"You are an idiot, Blake Belladonna!"
As Grimm exploded out of the ship and poured out onto the docks, Weiss had only one thought on her mind. She'd failed. She failed to recover the translator tome. Without it, she'd never be able to cross-reference the two ancient languages she'd found on the stone tablet back in Atlas. That was her only hope of deciphering the ancient tome that would help her find a way to revive Ruby. She'd failed her first friend.
"Ms. Schnee! Snap out of it!" Weiss blinked as a pudgy hand snapped its fingers right in front of her eyes. Port was standing in front of her with a worried expression on his weathered face. "Thank the Brothers! I'd thought you'd gone into shock! Now, as dire as things look here, I need you to leave. You're too injured to be of much help!" He ordered.
"W-wait, I can still..." She tried to say, but was cut off when the older man barked out an order.
"Bronzewing! Lark! You two are in charge of the evacuations! Get all the prisoners and civilians on this side of the perimeter to safety. We'll try and keep the Grimm in the harbor, but some might still slip through, so you need to be careful!" As he shouted out to a pair of young-looking soldiers, an Ursa came up behind him. Weiss tried to call out a warning, but she didn't need to.
Port let out a cocky and triumphant cry as he twirled his axe behind him without even looking, severing the Ursa Minor's arm as it had been swiping at him. With speed that seemed impossible for someone his age, he spun around and decapitated the creature in one smooth motion. When he turned to see Weiss and the two soldiers still staring at him, he let out an angry shout.
"Get going! We'll hold them here as long as possible!" The two soldiers saluted and took off, calling out orders to several other soldiers and directing evacuations. Both she and Oscar were pushed along with several of Junior's captured thugs as they were led away from the harbor. Soldiers ran about in different directions, knocking on doors and gathering up citizens and sending them deeper into the city, past the guard perimeter they'd set up.
Ruby soared above the chaos, her gaze torn between keeping an eye out for anything that might threaten Weiss and watching her friends and family face off against the Deathstalker. Weiss met her gaze before turning to watch the fight, frowning as she did so. The Deathstalker's hard armor and thick hide was proving tricky for their weapons, and its natural weapons kept them on the back foot.
"Weiss? Are you okay?" Oscar asked, causing Weiss to flinch. She had forgotten that he was still here. This was hardly the place for a young boy to be, but he had come here to help her out. If he was injured, or worse, killed, trying to help her, she would never be able to live with herself.
"I... I don't know. I don't exactly have time to sort out my thoughts right now," She said as a Beowolf charged the small crowd they'd formed. Two soldiers rushed out to meet it, impaling the snarling creature on their pikes. The Grimm let out a whimper as it began to dissolve into black smoke, but another quickly took its place, rushing them.
It was clear to the onlookers that the soldiers were losing. They weren't trained or equipped to fight Grimm. Without enchanted weaponry, even the most common Grimm's hide was as thick as leather. The soldiers had to strain to cut through the layers of muscle and bone to even injure them, let alone kill them. Add onto that the fact that they were trained to deal with thugs and miscreants, not monsters, and you had a bad situation that was quickly spiraling more and more out of control.
Yang, Blake, and Jaune could all theoretically kill these Grimm easily enough. They were training to be knights, and killing Grimm was a major part of their job. But they were distracted by the huge Deathstalker that, given its size, had to be at least a century old. Blake and Jaune both had very simple enchantments on their weapons, meaning they were struggling to make any cuts that weren't skin-deep.
Yang's sword, Ember Celica, was certainly capable of slicing through the creature's flesh, but actually hitting it was another problem. The Grimm was wary of her and tended to keep her in front of her so it could block her strikes with its massive claws. Her sword may be strong, but even it couldn't cleave through Grimm bone.
They needed some way of killing it before the growing negativity drew its attention away from them to the civilians. If it reached the defensive perimeter that stood a few streets away, then it would tear right through. Already, several groups of Grimm were beginning to flee from the harbor deeper into the city, and the distant shouts of the guards told her that they were struggling to fend them off.
A cry of pain tore her attention forward again as she saw a guard fall in front of her, blood flowing from his chest. A Beowolf towered above him, blood dripping from its claws that flashed out towards her. She pivoted to avoid the attack, and three guards rushed it from behind, knocking it off its feet and stabbing the creature while it was downed.
"This way! Head straight down this street for about three hundred feet before turning right. There should be a perimeter checkpoint there. We'll cover your retreat, so don't worry. Try not to push each other too much, and remain calm!" A soldier ordered the cluster of people Weiss and Oscar were among.
"Weiss, come on. Let's go," Oscar said fearfully as he gently tugged on Weiss's hand. The white-haired girl said nothing, simply staring out into the crowd of screaming soldiers and roaring Grimm. The city guard struggled and fought and bled to hold the Grimm back, but they were clearly losing. The perimeter set up a few streets away likely contained at least a few knights, and Lady Goodwitch would be there soon.
"Weiss, what are you doing? We need to get out of here!" Oscar yelled out to her. The blue-eyed girl knew he was right. She had spent up all of her aura, and with her injuries she'd just be a liability. But she couldn't get her legs to move. She was frozen as she watched Jaune, Blake, and Yang fight a hopeless battle against the Deathstalker.
"Oscar's right! You need to leave!" Ruby told her, floating down beside her. The swordswoman acknowledged her friend with a nod, but made no move to retreat. She felt as though... she shouldn't. Something deep within her was telling her that leaving was a bad idea. So instead she continued to watch. Even as soldiers began to look at her in confusion and call out to her, she did nothing but watch.
But when she saw Blake foolishly try to attack the creature head-on and fail, she broke out into a sprint. Just like when she took off after the translator tome, she didn't feel any hesitation or doubt. But something felt... different as she ran forward. As she spotted Myrtenaster laying on the ground slightly out of her path, she reoriented herself to grab it.
She dimly heard the shouts of "Come back!" and "What is she doing?" from the guards, but she paid them no heed. All that mattered was reaching Blake before the creature's pincer did. And as she sprinted towards the faunus, she met Ruby's silver-eyed gaze. Within her radiant eyes was the same determination that she felt deep within her. Weiss didn't know why, but she reached out her hand to her ghostly friend, and the action mimicked. And then Weiss's world exploded into silver light.
For a moment, it felt as though she were being ripped apart as she felt Ruby's aura combine with her own. Power coursed through Weiss's body, shooting out from her right hand all the way to her left foot. The wave of energy that washed over Weiss almost sent her sprawling to the ground, but Weiss grit her teeth and remained standing.
The ex-heiress became acutely aware of what Ruby was feeling, the emotions that were driving her at that moment. It was the same determination that had spurred Weiss into action. The lines between what was Ruby and what was Weiss began to blur as silver flames began to harmlessly crackle of her skin, illuminating her surroundings in the same gentle light she'd seen every day for the past year.
But the flames were different this time. Unlike every other time she'd seen them, they seemed more... solid. As though they actually were. Weiss didn't waste much time thinking about that, however. Instead, she willed the energy coursing through her body into her blade as though it were aura. It was a strange feeling, similar enough to using enhancement magic but just different enough to feel off.
Mrytenaster's blade was engulfed in a radiant silver flame the same color as Ruby's aura. The white-haired girl charged forward at the Deathstalker right as its claw began to close around Blake and swung her rapier. Weiss didn't feel like she was in control of the power, merely suggesting what it should do and hoping it followed.
Fortunately, the silver energy followed her wishes. Myrtenaster ripped through the Deathstalker's arm like a hot knife through warm butter, severing it completely with all the ease of slicing bread. The monster let out a screech of pain and chittered fearfully, cowering away from the dim silver flames that now covered the sword. Weiss mentally noted that the light seemed much dimmer now, and the energy flowing through her seemed to have lessened quite dramatically.
Turning to face Blake, who gaped up at her in surprise, she spoke in an irritated tone.
"You are an idiot, Blake Belladonna!" If the raven-haired girl had been shocked before, then she was flabbergasted now. She tried to form a coherent response, but was only able to let out a confused 'huh?' in response.
"You all are idiots, to be honest," Weiss spat out, shooting a glare at Jaune and Yang as she did so. "You simply waved your swords around and expected the Grimm to die. You didn't try to come up with any meaningful strategy, and instead continued to uselessly beat your weapons against it," She criticized. Yang's shocked expression morphed into one of anger as she spat back.
"Well, what would you have had us do? We didn't exactly expect you to come in with some kind of crazy silver fire that cuts right through Grimm. What should we have done instead, oh great and wise Weiss?" She snarked as Jaune gave a helpless shrug. The mage just blinked in surprise. They could... see the silver light? All of them? That was... new.
"Well, there were many things you could've done," Weiss spoke to hide how shocked she was that they could see. "You could've tried luring it close to the ocean and knocking it in to sink it. You could've tried baiting it into knocking down the walls of crates. You could've even tried getting it to break its own armor with its stinger. Hell, you could've tried inviting it out for a nice cup of tea; anything but do the exact same thing over and over again then act surprised when it doesn't work!" Weiss ranted, raising a finger with each idea she came up with.
"And you!" The noble whirled around to face Blake. "How dare you? Did the White Fang not teach you how to open your mouth and communicate during battle? How was Yang supposed to know what you were doing? You didn't give her any cues, verbal or non-verbal!" She chastised the faunus, who bashfully held one arm and lowered her ears. "You and I need to have a conversation, but we can't talk if you're dead!"
As Blake's eyes widened at her words, Weiss's eyes widened when she felt a familiar voice speak to her from deep within her head. "Weiss, calm down. You've made your point. There's no need to continue screaming at them," Ruby's voice seemed to echo from within her mind. The girl sounded almost tired, but the fond exasperation was clear.
Weiss's eyebrows narrowed. "Ruby? What is this? Are you reading my thoughts? And what's with this light? Is this your aura?" As she asked the question, the mental image of Ruby shrugging came to mind.
"I'm as lost as you are. I don't think I'm reading your thoughts, though. It's like I'm... choosing what thoughts to share with you. And yeah, that's my aura. I don't know how it happened, but our aura's... combined, in a way. I'm powering you up, but it's not exactly easy. That one attack took up most of my aura, and I've never been lacking when it came to that. This is wearing both of us out fast."
"Weiss, what's up with this light?" Jaune asked, returning Weiss's thoughts to reality. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you ask, the conversation had to be put on hold as the crippled Deathstalker shook off its fear and let out a series of enraged chitters. The one-armed Grimm stalked towards them, tail swishing through the air.
"Talk later. For now, we need to deal with that!" Weiss barked out.
"Can't you just cut off its other arm? That fire of yours seems pretty strong," Yang offered, but Weiss shook her head regretfully.
"I'm just about dead on my feet. I only have enough strength left in me for one attack, and not one nearly as big as that last one," Weiss explained with a grimace. Ruby's aura was badly depleted after that one attack, and her own was practically all gone after her fight with Torchwick.
"What do we do then?" Jaune asked worriedly. Weiss cast him a glance, then flicked her gaze over to Yang and Blake, who stood in fighting stances, then back down to her own sword.
"Blake, if I create a glyph, can you activate it?"
The faunus had an almost offended look on her face. "Of course I can."
Weiss nodded. "Alright. I'll draw up the glyph. Blake, you need to lure it into attacking it with its tail, then activate the glyph. Jaune and I will distract the other claw. Yang, you deal the killing blow," She ordered.
"And how am I supposed to do that? All my attacks just bounce off its armor, and even if I use up the enchantment on my sword to try and destroy the armor, it'll still be too tough to cut through."
Weiss just smirked. "Stab it through the eye first. The explosion your sword creates should be enough to take it out," The blonde's frown grew into a smirk at her words.
"Got it! Let's move!" Yang called out as the massive Grimm charged through the spot they'd been standing in. Weiss slid backwards a few feet before reaching into a small pouch on her waist and withdrawing a piece of chalk. Ordinarily, she'd have used her own aura to draw her glyphs with Myrtenaster. But since she didn't have much to spare and she didn't know how using Ruby's would work, she had to make do with this.
The chalk was mixed with ground-up Dust crystals, making it very magically conductive. But it was also much easier to disable or mess up a glyph like this since all one had to do was smear the chalk to interrupt the flow of magic. Which is why Weiss took extra care when drawing the large but simple glyph on the floor while Blake and Jaune baited out the creature's attacks.
The glyph was similar to the one she'd used earlier to immobilize two of Junior's thugs, using gravity Dust to draw something into the center of the glyph. A complex pattern of intersecting lines was drawn in the center, and an extra layer was added to the glyph with long swirly lines on the outer edge to strengthen its effect.
"Now!" Weiss cried out to Blake, who nodded and sprinted towards the glyph, sliding to a stop just in front of it. The faunus gathered magic into her hands and thrust her arm outwards. Bright sparks shot from her fingers, irritating the Grimm and drawing its ire towards her. The Deathstalker let out a series of low chitters before tensing up its tail and lunging forward.
Blake waited until the last possible second to backflip out of the way, landing on the opposite side of the glyph and slamming her palms into it. The Deathstalker's stinger was embedded into the ground in the center, struggling to dislodge itself. As the gravity dust within the chalk began to glow black and pull the stinger into place, the creature shrieked in fear and began to thrash about and struggle more.
The glyph was straining to hold the stinger in place, and it was becoming obvious that the Deathstalker would free itself in a matter of seconds. But its struggling slowed down when Blake threw her arms out to the side and formed ribbons of darkness that flew out from her shadow and restrained the tail. Four, then eight, then twelve, then finally sixteen total ribbons tethered the limb in place as Blake strained against the might of the Grimm.
"Jaune, Weiss, now!" She called out. The ex-heiress and knight-in-training nodded and charged forward. The Deathstalker let out an annoyed hiss as they approached and opened its claw to seize them in its grasp. As the claw shot outwards, Weiss and Jaune went back to back and began to push against the different halves of the claw, struggling to keep it open.
Ruby's aura circulated through Weiss's muscles as she braced her sword with both hands to ward off the claw. The complex enchantments in Myrtenaster allowed her to make the blade as flexible or rigid as she needed it to be, so the blade held steady and she pushed against it with both hands. Jaune's shield groaned in protest but held up as he did the same.
"Yang, now!" Jaune called out. The lilac-eyed woman let out a whoop as she charged forward, tossing her shield aside in favor of more maneuverability. The creature realized too late what they were planning and began to try and back away, but Yang was too fast. With a cry and a flourish, she plunged her sword into the largest eye of the creature, causing it to shriek in pain once again.
"See ya!" She snarked as she activated the enchantment in her blade. The golden flames that had been covering it exploded outwards, eviscerating the Deathstalker's insides as she was flung backwards, rolling along the ground. The arm went limp and the tail stopped thrashing, allowing Weiss, Jaune, and Blake to step away and watch as the ancient Grimm began to dissolve into black mist.
Weiss felt a shudder run through her body as Ruby's aura separated from her, falling to her knees as a wave of exhaustion overtook her. Her spectral friend was in the same position as her, struggling to catch her breath as their friends rushed to her side.
"Weiss, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Blake asked while Jaune supported her weight on. Yang was the only one out of the three who didn't know any first-aid, and thus simply rubbed Weiss's back sympathetically.
"I-I'm fine," Weiss struggled to say. "Just... backlash. From using that power. It's just exhausting, that's all."
The three shared a look before Yang spoke up. "Yeah. Speaking of that. What exactly was that? I've never seen anything like it. It wasn't enchantments on your sword, that's for sure. Mind explaining yourself?"
Weiss just raised her head to look at Ruby, who had shakily risen to her feet and was looking around at the battlefield. Most of the Grimm had either been killed or fled deeper into the city. Many injured guards groaned in pain throughout the harbor, and a disturbing number of still, unmoving forms dotted the area. But the horror left her eyes when she met Weiss's gaze, shifting into a mix between relief and affection.
"It was... a gift. From a friend."
This was something I've had suggested to me several times, and I have been planning this since the beginning. Ruby being able to give her aura to Weiss does more than just give them a cool power-up and help them take down Grimm, it helps Ruby be more than just a MacGuffin. That's been a problem in the earlier chapters, were Ruby din't really do much. That's why I've done some things to give her more agency as a character and not just Weiss's motivation, such as letting Oscar see her or allowing her to help Weiss fight. This idea will obviously be expanded upon in the future.
I swear I didn't just kill Neo because I was mad at her after the Volume 8 finale. That was not the reason she died. It just made writing her death so much sweeter. I know Neo has a bunch of fans, but I've never really understood that. I don't hate her, but I don't like her. I feel nothing for her. Which is why I was afraid of the reception this chapter would receive. But after Volume 8, I officially hate Neo and hope she gets eaten by a Grimm like her... Dad? Lover? Older Brother? Friend? What even is Torchwick and Neo's relationship? In this fic they're adopted family, but the show doesn't make it clear.
Anyways, this arc is finally winding down. We've got only like one more chapter before we move onto the part I'm most excited for. This chapter definately had its faults; the dialogue feels off, the fights are somewhat repetative, and some parts feel very rushed. But I needed to get this chapter out now to prevent myself from going an another hiatus.
I feel like one thing I did well with this chapter was set up future plot points. Some of them are pretty obvious (I wonder who the mysterious woman from Mistral Torchwick is working for) and some of them won't be revealed for a while (Why did Torchwick have the Relic of Choice and what does it do in this universe?)
As for Torchwick, I haven't forgotten about him. His fate will be revealed soon. Expect the next chapter within the next week and a half. I've been cramming out chapters recently and don't want to lose my streak.
Happy Easter to all my Readers who celebrate it, and a nice day to all the rest of you. Please feel free to leave a review, regardless of if it is constructive or not. Constructive criticism is how I grow as a writer, but I can take insults too. Just please make them more then two words because when I get excited to read a review only to see it just says "You cunt" I get really confused.