Sorry this is a week late everyone. I've been completing Final projects and Finals these last two weeks as I finish off the quarter. Then work started to pick up again giving me way more hours then I need and stressing me the hell out since upper management just fired half the staff causing everyone to be on the call for the next several weeks as they try to find replacements. They even fired my mentor, the guy who taught me everything about working there when I first arrived. Hell they nearly fired my partner, who only didn't get fired during this purge since he's friends with a someone up top who got him reinstated a day later. In other news I've started looking into the job market for when management loses their shit again or the company crashes into the ground. Hope all of you are having a wonderful life wherever you are.
Now would you please fasten your seatbelt. We are about to make our final approach on Patch.
"Should we have just left like that?" Weiss asked the group as they flew over a burning Vale.
"When it comes to family matters we stick together and there was no way I was going to wait for the go ahead," Yang spoke with affirmation as she looked at Ruby who nodded in agreement.
"Yang's right, besides it's not like he could stop us." Ruby paused for a moment thinking back trying to think of how Ozpin fought and drew a blank. "Well he might have been able to stop us, but we got communications backup in Vale and the Atlas army is back in action helping fight back the plague. I say we've earned the option of being selfish for once."
"Along with all the risks that running a solo operation entails," Weiss added, now that they knew Beacon wouldn't be watching their backs. With how the night had gone she had begun to wonder just how helpful the entity the school was.
"It won't be that bad. We have Penny as our emergency backup. One call and we'll have the Atlesian fleet bombarding whatever is in front of us." The smile Ruby gave off was brimming with joy over the end all be all of aerial bombardment using high explosive shells.
"Are you sure the school can take that sort of punishment?" Dunstan asked wondering just how young these kids started training to fight monsters.
"It survived Yang for 4 years and me for 2 so that has to count for something."
"I can vouch for that the firing range can handle some seriously powerful homemade Dust grenades." Weiss and Blake looked over at the brawler surprised. "What, experimentation is what all Introductory Combat Schools are about. Trying out different ratios when packing ammunition and explosives was a great learning experience for everyone involved. Even if I was never allowed back in the forge unsupervised for the rest of my time at Signal."
"Why am I not surprised you blew yourself up trying out dust mixtures. You do know there are specialized machines that can do that for you right?" Weiss wondered if her teammate had ever mastered the practice.
"You think Signal had enough machines for every student trying to find and craft their personal weapon with dust. Sure they were available later in the year, but unless you had previous experience those stations were reserved for those who utilized Dust in all their attacks."
"I got to cannibalize seven different 'do it yourself' kits and build something that could handle proper mixtures and packing without detonating. We still had to do most of it by hand, but I was hoping to get more machinery eventually and maybe a conveyer belt to carry the shells off the line," Ruby said reminiscing on one of the earlier projects in her life.
"You let your younger sister play with explosive materials?" Weiss could barely hold back her frustration at the thought.
"The kits said for ages 12 and up. Ruby was nearly 12 so what could have possibly gone wrong," Yang defended knowing that out of everyone present Ruby was probably the only one to actually take every safety precaution available before starting to work on a project.
"That's a suggestion for when you use them for what they're intended for you oaf. Even I don't load my vials by hand unless it's an emergency. One stray spark or any sudden agitation would cause the Dust to detonate along with any other Dust in range. Where did you even do all this?"
"We were going to use the garage originally, but Dad didn't want us blowing it up along with the house. In the end we moved all future projects and experiments to the shed out back and all firing tests to Signal." That along with the threat of being grounded got Yang to help clean out the ancient structure for their use.
"It was kind of necessary when I started out, Weiss. Crescent Rose didn't exactly fire the cheapest rounds and my entire style relied on having something in the chamber. Uncle Qrow even taught me how make use of the spent shells in case I didn't have access to a store." Ruby remembered her first few attempts at homemade rounds and the absolute mess they left in her beloved weapon and smiled as the memories played back in her mind.
Reusing resources was something Blake grew up on and felt a touch of familiarity with Ruby on the subject. What was the point of throwing away something after a single use if all it took was a little effort and time for it to serve its purpose once again. Not to mention with how things were she never had the opportunity to use Dust with her combat style before coming to Beacon. The fact that Weiss was the one who offered to help at the time further cemented her idea that lineage didn't determine one's life.
"Look, Ruby and I still have all our fingers so everything worked out in the end." Yang proudly displayed her hands as Ruby held hers up with a smile. The occasional accident did occur, but it never resulted in too much damage and both sisters always emerged unscathed.
"Hey, check it out. We're passing over Vale's harbor." Yang, Blake, and Weiss turned their heads to look out the window.
The harbor seemed relatively normal all things considered. Most of the warehouses still stood and the fires hadn't spread to them yet. The largest oddity they could find was the amount of ships missing from port. They imagined that most left when things turned ugly, but as they flew out over the ocean they began to see that most the ships never made it out to sea. The burning carcasses of ships could be seen either sinking or being pulled beneath the surface by black tentacles.
"How did a kraken make it past Vale's Fleet?" Weiss looked down on the carnage in fear.
"It wasn't alone." Blake said as their gaze turned further out towards the edge of Vale's harbor and saw the last two of Vale's battleships being crushed in the grasp of multiple Grimm.
"Is there anything we can do?" Ruby asked Penny wanting to save everyone possible.
"The Atlas airships weren't built for sea supremacy. Attacks would be ineffective or severely hampered by shooting into the ocean at aquatic Grimm. I would also need to divert resources away from Vales perimeter if I was to find a means to secure the channel." The knight responded as Penny went back to work puppeteering the remaining Atlas forces.
"Then focus on getting us to Patch." Ruby went back to her seat and stared at the floor trying to block out the thought of how many people were probably dying right beneath her.
"I advise all of you to return to your seats."
"What's going on?" Yang asked as the lights switched to a dark red causing Weiss to leap back to her seat and strap in an instant. Blake followed shortly after knowing that nothing good would come from ignoring the suggestion.
"Multiple missile platforms are locked onto us."
"Can you do anything to have them not locked on?" Yang suggested as she took the seat next to Blake.
"The standard Atlesian Gunship wasn't built for maneuverability. I can try to find a nice location to crash in though after our countermeasures are depleted." The cheery attitude Penny gave for their situation would have made her gawk if a nearby explosion didn't shake the craft.
"Open up the back I have a plan." Weiss unhooked herself and stood near the ramp.
"Penny, open the back." At Ruby's word the ramp lowered letting the howling wind whip about the cabin.
"I'll be back in a minute." A glow encompassed Weiss' hand as she brushed it over her heels. Taking a deep breath she took her first step out the back as her world turned upside down. The glyph beneath pulling her towards the underside of the craft while walking towards the nose of the vehicle. With each step Weiss had to counter the forces trying to pull her back and down towards the Grimm filled ocean beneath.
"You can do this. Just trust that they still want you alive." Weiss held out her gloved hand causing wisps to take shape around her. They seemed to multiply exponentially until a wall of flames were spinning around the craft.
With another volley of missiles approaching the wisps flew away from the ship at blinding speeds. Each group rushing to their destination like a man possessed. Trails of a red aura followed behind each wisp before being engulfed in an explosion. One by one the path before them was filled with light as the danger was removed with brilliant effect. From the smoke emerged several more missiles which the wisps tried to intercept. Each one destroyed would only blind Weiss further causing the remaining wisps to slow from the lack of proper direction. As she peered into the smoke with a smile of success from her efforts four missiles emerged from the cover. With so little time Weiss managed to takeout two before the others impacted on the side of the craft causing it to spin out of control.
With no means of getting back inside Weiss focused on the glyph binding her to the belly of the vehicle as they fell through the sky. The time Weiss bought during her outing was enough for them to clear the ocean as she looked down seeing a forest beneath. She could hear the faint screaming of her team still inside the vessel. With no way to slow down something so heavy she focused on surviving the crash and being under said crashing object wouldn't do her any favors. As they were about to fall beneath the tree line the Glyph deactivated and threw Weiss above the tree tops as another Glyph formed in front of her. As she hit the Glyph it moved along with her slowing her acceleration before forming a platform to stand on.
Looking over the forest she could see the smoke rising from the crash site and the hole it left in the canopy. Making her way over Weiss lowered herself onto the forest floor. The soft earth giving slightly with each step she took towards the fire in the distance. Emerging from the tree line Weiss could see Yang leaning up against a tree and Dunstan was lying on the ground with his arms wrapped around his leg. With a jolting motion Weiss herd his bone pop back into place.
"Weiss!" Ruby ran circles around the heiress creating a storm of petals before coming to a stop. "I was so worried. You were outside when we got hit and then everything started spinning. When we got out you weren't around so I started to panic and Dunstan dislocated his leg."
"Yes Ruby, I'm fine." Weiss raised one of her arms to keep the clingy leader off. "Do you know where we landed?"
"We crashed a little way from the coast in one of Patch's forests. Grimm shouldn't be a problem since Huntsman tended to do daily sweeps to keep the island safe. As long as we don't head to the north east corner of the island we shouldn't even see any Grimm."
"What happened to Penny?"
"The knight didn't exactly make it." Ruby twiddled her thumbs nervously while trying not to look behind herself.
Weiss took notice of her nervous leader and peered behind her seeing the knight lying halfway out of the cockpit with a metal frame going through its head. She was thankful that it was just a drone that had flown them out here since a person would have suffered a gruesome fate. Even looking at the wreak she Weiss was thankful that it didn't seem to damaged. It had performed an exemplary job of protecting those inside if the Team's movements were any indication.
"Any word from Penny about getting some help in reclaiming Patch?"
"She's a little busy on the borders right now. She said once the situation is more stable she will send in a few troops to help, but for now she is needed to keep the Grimm out of Vale."
"What's the matter Weiss? Scared we can't take a couple of crazy people in robes." Yang mocked, knowing they tended to prevail over all odds.
"They managed to take an entire island and have enough weaponry to hold it." Weiss pointed to their downed aircraft that was currently missing one of its wings.
"We'll just have to extra careful on our approach and get the jump on them, right Blake?" Blake leaped down from the trees and charged into the forest.
The sound of steel clashing against steel could be heard followed by the visceral sound of flesh being cut into. Ruby ran through the bushes to find Blake fighting off an oddly dressed person as others watched Each one holding very clean versions of the weapons Dunstan had let her tinker with and black robes adorned. One of the attackers had a red gash across their chest yet continued to fight as if they weren't even injured.
"A group of Huntresses." He held up his spear at the new intruder. "You're so far away from home little ones. Why come here instead of hiding under your beds for comfort?"
"We've come to stop whatever it is you all are doing at Signal," Ruby said with a smile.
"We're only having some fun before the main event though if you aren't those Church posers this shouldn't take too long." The blade of the spear was pulled beneath the staff forming a bayonet as the barrel it revealed fired a casing of metal pellets.
The pellets tore into Blake's clone causing the copy to fade when a scythe ran through the shooters chest. A splatter of blood was thrown from the sudden intrusion showing the forest floor red as Ruby let out a gasp in shock. The others all trained their gun's on her and opened fire. The flashes of light from the muzzle were blinding in the darkness for the attackers. When the fire died down they could see their fellow man riddled with bullets with their target gone.
"Spread out," one of them shouted to the others. "They have to be here somewhere."
Each one began to slowly expand their circle of search in an attempt to find where their targets had gone. Walking a little way out they came across the downed ship with smoke still spilling out of it. Forming a perimeter, they shifted through the wreak only to find the remains of a Atlesian knight. No signs of anything or anyone leaving the number of people who made it onto the island unknown.
"We might have a few more intruders. Anyone want to keep watch over this wreckage?" They looked between each other instantly coming to a decision as they scattered leaving behind a single cultist.
A few minutes after the group left a blade ran across the guard's throat as a hand was clasped round his mouth silencing any screams. Once the struggle stopped Dunstan let the body fall to the ground. With no one around the others dropped down from the trees. The body laid between them slowly cooling as Dunstan flicked his sword to get the blood off.
"They don't have any Aura," Blake commented still in shock over Ruby's kill. "Why don't they have any aura?"
"Even the White fang doesn't send out soldiers if they hadn't had their aura unlocked." Weiss turned away as the sight starting to get to her.
"It's a waste of lives and resources if a soldier can't fight back after taking a hit," Blake confirmed Weiss' statement.
"Come to think of it. Why don't you have your aura unlocked Dunstan," Ruby asked, confused to why anyone would fight without such an advantage.
"I don't have aura. Goodwitch tried to unlock mine to no effect back when I first arrived," Dunstan said.
"That shouldn't be possible. Everyone with a soul has the potential to generate aura," Weiss couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Whatever aura is my body seems to reject it."
"Is this what has been happening to Ruby?" Weiss asked as she shot a glare at Dunstan.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked confused.
"Ruby's aura reserves have been lower than normal. She could never take as much as Yang, but they've been lower and no amount of rest seems to get them back to their proper level."
"But I'm stronger than ever and I'm even quicker no with Crescent Rose."
"Which is why I think this has to do with your condition. You've been improving in leaps and bounds while your aura deteriorates. Normally aura would increase as the body improved through training, but yours seems to only get lower as your body gets stronger."
"I can still use my semblance though. Am I going to lose my soul," Ruby wailed, with tears forming around the corner of her eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous Ruby, You can't lose your soul. Something is suppressing your soul and it seems to be growing stronger with you. Dunstan is likely what an advanced case looks like with even another's soul not being enough to help ignite it. Whatever Dunstan's has its strong enough to keep Goodwitch's aura away from his soul."
"So your saying all we have to do is pump enough aura into Dunstan to make him a super soldier."
"What I'm saying is that it's like trying to refill the ocean with a hose. If Goodwitch couldn't do it no one can and even if we could, whatever is suppressing his soul wouldn't let his aura rise the surface. You need to be careful with what's giving you this power. If you go too far you might lose everything."
"I'll try to keep my visits to Miss Doll less about her tuning my body and more about conversation."
"You mean that doctor you visit is doing this to you."
"She's not exactly a doctor."
"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" Weiss nearly yelled at her partner.
"Dunstan, a little help."
"She may or may not be a being who exists between worlds sustained by the dream that gave her life. If it's any consolation her purpose is to aid Hunters by any means possible and grant them the ability to finish the hunt." If Dunstan's appearance and questionable sanity was anything to go by Weiss couldn't put too much faith in this 'person'.
As Weiss was about to speak Blake opened fire into the darkness hitting one of the men trying to get the drop on them. After the first three bullets dug into him he began deflecting the shots with a sword. He ran at her blocking every shot until he had to leap sideways to avoid a stake from Yang. A blur of motions followed the two as the fight led them deeper into the forest leaving everyone behind. The sound of steel scrapping against steel could be heard in the distance with the sparks from each clash.
"Scatter," Blake yelled to everyone.
Ruby launched herself into the tree tops with her weapon grabbing Dunstan by the arm as she flew. Blake leaped behind a tree and Weiss used a glyph to help propel her away from the epicenter as three cannon balls intersected where the team was previously standing. As they hit the ground each one erupted in an explosion scorching the earth and forest around them.
"That wasn't very nice of you to slash one of our throats," One of the men said.
"Hurt like a bitch," Another cultist added.
The three men walked into the center of the scorched ground standing back to back with a cannon in their off hand and a sword in their right. Each one had a slab of steel on their backs with a foot long handle coming out of it. The sheer weight of their gear made each step a thunderous march making the others wonder just how they managed to get so close in the first place. Ruby and Dunstan dropped down from above impaling one person each. Dunstan's blade going just behind the clavicle and impaling him through the heart. Ruby's scythe went through the other's sternum as she landed. The blow missing the heart and giving him enough time to point the cannon at the ground and fire off a shot engulfing them in an explosion.
"Ruby!" Weiss came out from her cover and towards the smoke. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she approached.
The smoke cleared showing two dead bodies one with Dunstan's sword stills ticking out of it and the other with Ruby's. As more cleared she could see Ruby's body lying over Dunstan's. He struggled under her for a moment before slowly lifting her off and setting her down to the side. Putting his head next to her mouth he could hear the slow breaths of the girl clinging to life. Weiss ran up to him grabbing a vial from his jacket and slammed it into Ruby's chest. She watched as the crimson concoction emptying into her friend and her breathing improved along with her pale completion gaining some more color.
"Why the hell did you try to shield me?"
"Because you could get hurt." Ruby coughed out as her lungs began to clear. "I was worried you might not survive something like that."
"Your concern is noted, but in the future try to look after yourself instead of others. I've taken blows far worse than that. Even the pain can be something you grow accustomed to after experiencing so much."
"that's so sad!"
"No, it's adaptation. Now if Blake would be so kind to join the rest of us and drop that body then we can find Yang." A thump originated behind them as a body fell limply to the ground a black ribbon loosening around it's neck.
"You going to leave him alive?" Dunstan asked seeing the man's chest continue to rise and fall.
"I want to go help Yang now come on."
"We'll deal with the morals of letting a killer live later. Now come on." Weiss yelled chasing after Blake with her weapon drawn and ready.
Ruby and Dunstan followed Weiss into the trees. The sound of combat getting louder as they approached. Blake and Yang were fighting off the same man with the silver sword. He would parry Yang then use the oversized sheath on his back to intercept Blake's attack from behind. A fury followed behind each attack with the sword swatting each punch away as a manic grin grew on his face. Each blow that got through was mitigated with a twisting motion of the body. Weiss stood frozen in place several feet away from the fight. Her eyes looked to the two people sitting atop a few branches observing the fight take place.
"Weiss, why aren't you helping?" Ruby asked with the only response being a raised hand pointing at the perched cultists.
"Looks like a dueling circle. Quite civil for a bunch of murdering psychos. Then again death matches were never the most 'civil' sport. Looks like they know what they're doing to keeping us far enough away so that if we try to interfere they'll intercept us," Dunstan remarked at the standard procedures being used even to this day to make sure observers stay observers until their turn in the ring.
"What do we do then?"
"We take them on or have one of us breakthrough to help turn the tides more drastically in our favor."
"Think they can hear us," Ruby said as the three cultists waved them over to sit down and join in the entertainment.
"I don't think they care. Now who's interested in breaking up this event." Dunstan threw a knife at the two people causing them to leap down from their perch. "Come on, let's see how two imitators deal with the real deal."
Dunstan's sword split in two leaving a shower of sparks as the blades ran across one another. As he moved on one of the cultists Ruby appeared before the other in a burst of rose petals. A cascade of strikes from Dunstan kept the man occupied while the unpredictable and rabid spinning of Crescent Rose forced the other to focus on not being shredded. Weiss took the chance and sued a glyph to speed towards Yang.
With the added pressure from a third opponent the cultist began to make more mistakes in his form. Failing to block attacks and leaving himself exposed after dodging out of the way. The attacks starting chipping away at the man until Weiss' rapier pierced his chest. Going through him until clanging against the sheath on his back. Weiss knew the confrontation would be bloody and resigned herself to ending the fight if it came to it. The next thing she knew something smashed against her chest throwing her away from the cultist. Ripping the rapier out of his chest he leveled the pistol at Yang only for a katana blade to sever his hand from the rest of his body. Stumbling back in from the sudden shift in balance he took a lay swing at Blake who easily deflected the now pathetic blow.
"Surrender," Blake had the end of the blade nearly touching his throat while making the threat.
"How about you help me centralize myself." Before Blake could respond he pushed forward causing the blade to slip through his throat. Using one hand he pushed off of Blake forcing the katana out of the wound allowing the blood to flow freely from it. They watched as the body went limp and fell to the ground. The blood glistening even with how dark the forest floor was. They were pulled back to the present when a body was thrown past them and smashed into a tree.
Ruby shot past them with Crescent Rose in her hand. The trees she ran by falling thanks to the blade that trailed behind her leaving a path of destruction. The way she darted around the forest resembled a wasp flying around its prey. A fluid curving motion that seemed to brush past any obstacle in its path. The cultist was doing everything in his power keep some distance between the reaper and himself and failing miserably. Each time he fired off a shot it would hit the empty space the target used to occupy. In an instant his left leg was severed causing him to trip as he tried to take his next step. Looking up he could see eyes that should have held a childlike spark within gone had flickered out.
"It's all your fault." Ruby raised her scythe and stabbing it into his other leg. "You caused tonight to happen, didn't You! Everyone has lost so much tonight all because you want something," anger vehemently filling each word. "For some selfish reason you've killed thousands, possibly dooming Vale."
"Now you I like," he coughed out as the blood lose started to get to him. "I'd love it if you would come to the grand reveal taking place at Signal later tonight. Try not to die since even if I'm distracted most of my bodies will hopefully prove to be a fair challenge to you. Who knows, maybe a few of your friends will die along the way too. I can't wait to see you once this over," he cackled with laughter as blood began filling his lungs.
Ruby pointed the barrel of her gun at the man's head. "I am going to stop you and everything you have planned. I will burn it down around you and watch as Vale rises above this night into tomorrow."
"Then come get-" a bullet pierced his head cutting him off.
Ruby stood over the body wondering what she was feeling swell in her chest. It was too cold to be the fires of anger yet to calming to be regret for her actions. Like the calm sea she could see clearly for a moment in the storm of emotions that had gathered tonight. She could now place someone as the beginning and end of the Hunt. A goal to see the end of the night and for those she loved to still be alive when dawn breaks. The lives of the masses turning into a blur of numbers as she picked out the bright lights of those she knew.
Weiss, Blake and Yang were the first to arrive seeing Ruby standing in front of a tree. Her signature red cape picking up a slight breeze causing them to catch a glimpse of what lied at the base of the trunk. Weiss wasn't phased by the sight after everything she had experienced and Yang refused to show revulsion in fear of how it would affect her sister. Blake seemed to be the only person present who had a look of disappointment in her eyes not from the act, but from who had committed the action.
"Ruby." Yang reached out with her hand causing Ruby to turn around. Her face was splattered with the blood from the last shot she took. Her eyes contained the same sheen of determination, but they could now see something else beginning to take shape within them.
"Sorry Yang. I can't let these monsters roam free after everything they've done," Ruby's said with some disappointment in herself.
"Did he say anything before," Weiss raised her arm trying to find less harsh word, "passing?"
"He mentioned his 'bodies' once I incapacitated him. I'm not sure if he was mentioning a semblance or if it's something to do with the cult."
"When we fought the group they mentioned how Dustan killed that one guard so they must be connected somehow. It could be a powerful psychic esc semblance allowing them to communicate or see what others see," Weiss speculated.
"Then why don't they have an aura?" Yang began poking away at Weiss' theory. "The ability to feel other's pain and death seems like too big of a disadvantage to use in real combat with auraless people."
"What if it's just one person?" Blake added as the others thought over the possibility. "Having multiple bodies would allow the instant transmission of information and perfect coordination. It's the ultimate advantage in combat. A team who can work in perfect unison without fear of dying."
"How could one person manipulate so many people at once?"
"Semblances give the user a way to compensate for the ability. Ruby can function normally and maneuver even at high speeds. She makes calculations and decisions without hindrance because her mind is effected by her semblance. What if his allocates the work to each mind he controls?"
"Like a bunch of computers working on the same problem," Ruby yelled in excitement over her comprehension of the matter.
"If you want to look at it that way."
"Has anyone seen Dunstan around?" Ruby asked as the others eyes narrowed to pinpricks at the realization of leaving the man behind to fight alone so they could go after Ruby.
"I'm right here." Dunstan walked out into the freshly cleared landscape his weapon dripping with blood.
"So we think we're fighting someone with the ability to possess multiple people at once," Ruby said catching Dunstan up instantly.
"Any chance the people are still somewhere in here." The others felt a sudden flash of worry and regret over the thought of those that had died being trapped in the body as it expired while the real threat continued to live.
"If the semblance works how we think it does then the host's mind is likely wiped during the process to make room." Weiss looked around seeing the Blake and Yang relax at the mention of the possessed not being around the moment control is lost.
"We ready to start trekking inland then?" Yang was ready to get the gang moving again.
"We better hurry or else more of these people might converge on our location." Weiss looked around with some worry about the darkens that surrounded them.
"If we head north a bit we'll be on the outskirts of town. WE can catch our breath in the old factory," Yang knew most of Patch like the back of her hand after spending so many years growing up there.
"I just hope most of the people around town are okay," Ruby added.
The constant pitter pater of rain came to stop as they rested inside the building. The skirmishes never lasted more than a few minutes, but they started happening more and more. The enemy seemed to always be alert once a single person was spotted and ruin any chance of an ambush happening. Even when they did successfully ambush someone the cultists seemed to be alerted to their presence and begin converging on their location.
"Well at least the sky will clear up finally." Yang tended to see the bright side of situations even in the middle of combat.
"Don't see that very often," Blake added, walking up next to her partner as they stared out the window and into the sky.
"I've never seen anything like it back in Atlas." Weiss couldn't help, but admire the oddity.
Dunstan sat up from his spot noticing the red glow that was now pouring through the window over everyone. "That is not good."
"What do you mean?" Yang asked as everyone turned away from the window.
"A Blood Moon has risen over Vale. Beast's will begin to rapidly evolve and catch their second winds causing a resurgence in their numbers. They'll start forming roaming packs in an attempt to claim areas of Vale they couldn't breach alone in search of prey." Dunstan hooked the cane to his belt and drew the short sword in its place. "We better get going."
"Come on, we can be the youngest team in history to stop the apocalypse." Ruby said, encouraging them to continue forward.
"I wouldn't call this the apocalypse." Weiss looked over at Ruby then to the burning city in the distance.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is definitely worthy of the word apocalypse." Blake stood up next to Yang getting ready for the next attack that the cultists were likely to launch.
"What makes you so sure this isn't just terrible war with an outbreak?"
"Because of what is coming and what is being unleased upon the world." Dunstan transformed his weapon holding one of the blades in each hand. "These cultists just shot up a flare to get something's attention and I can promise you that others saw it. They struck a match in the darkness telling everything that resides in the depths that something of interest is here. Trust me when I say that you do not want a god's attention."
"I find it hard to believe that you take faith in the concept of a higher power."
"The fact that they're tangible and can interact with others gave their worship more credence in some communities. Tough to argue that a god exists when it can create items out of nothingness and kill those who attack it with a stare. Wouldn't be surprised if some of the other kingdoms decide to form churches around these beings once they become more prominent. Let me ask you this then. What does it mean to be a god?"
"It would be something that can't be comprehended with the power to do the impossible. A being that can't be killed or stopped."
"In which case the Old Ones wouldn't qualify for you. For all their power and knowledge they are still living beings that bleed and die. They can cross the veil and come to this world, manipulate reality to a certain degree, but fall to a blade like any other with enough effort."
"Then why worship them? If they are little more than oversized monsters of the nightmare why cater to them?"
"Because of the power they hold. All it takes is a single Great One to bring a city to its knees. Even a lone Amygdala could destroy most of Vale's walls before finally being killed. They aren't brainless and worship along with sacrifices can appease them in certain cases, so why not?"
"But I killed one earlier. If I can do it I'm sure other Hunters can." Ruby interrupted thinking back on her encounter with the horrific being that clung to Beacon's tower.
"You killed one of the smaller Amygdala's from what I had seen. Think of Remnant like a box. The lid was just starting to crack letting in the smaller insects that could sneak through. Now with a Blood Moon above us the lid has been thrown off opening us up to anything that wants in. Soon horrors of all shape and form will begin to take root around Remnant."
"And you're positive that killing these cultists will stop this from happening." Weiss asked beginning to wonder what it would take to end the night.
"It will at least put the lid back on stopping more form getting in. After that it's either face extinction or clean up the world. If worst come to worst just pick up the nomadic life for a few hundred years, then have your decedents come back once the plague has receded and the Great Ones have left." The idea seemed sound to Dunstan. Abandon the destroyed city to focus on survival of the race was a no brainer for the Hunter.
"You want us to give up?"
"First we're going to try to save the world and if that doesn't work you get the choice of dying or running."
"We'll end this Hunt tonight no matter the cost." Blake drew her blade seeing more cultists coming down the road.
"I've never killed a god before. Wonder how well it would respond to me punching it." The stake drivers on her arms pulled back in preparation.
"Someone is going to have to be there to pull you out of the fire." A small rotating glyph appeared above Weiss open hand.
"Well then, let's go save the world." Ruby unfurled her scythe and stepped out into the street with her team and mentor following behind.
Can't really believe I've never brought up Dunstan's lack of aura with the others until now. Looking back I can see two or three chapters where it would have fit, but I guess I never actually did it. Just thought about it and talked to a few people about it, go figure. Some of you might have caught on earlier in a few chapter's when Ruby's aura starts out really low or fluctuates when checked, but now we get confirmation that Hunters are the antithesis of Huntsman and Huntresses. The trade off of Aura and your soul for the power, skill and abilities of a Hunter. Ruby's in this sweet middle spot right now where in D&D terms she's multi classed earlier for certain benefits which gives her a strong boost now at the cost of eating into the development and even causing set backs in her starting class.
For anyone interested in getting into writing I want to give some advice to help you get it off the ground. Now I am definitely no professional and I'm not getting a degree in Writing or English so these are just the things I do that I think could be of use to others. One of the most important things is to have a beginning, middle, and end for your story planned out as soon as possible or the direction you know you want the story to go in if the end game is to far out right now. You don't need every detail, but knowing where you'll go through the series and the arcs you plan to make will help keep everything on track and flowing. Writing out a brief summary of what you want the chapter to encompass then expanding on that can help get things rolling if you're stuck. If you can't find a way to make a specific scene work skip ahead a bit then comeback later. Working on other parts of the chapter can help you think of a solution and will keep you productive since staying on one scene for hours literally kills time that could be spent elsewhere. Try to set goals for each chapter that you want to accomplish based on the plan you've set up. Either plot progression, character introduction/development, or possibly large changes in the world. If you know where a character will be physically and emotionally by the end of your story you can build around that to help bring it to fruition in a fulfilling way. You know how they start so make slow shifts and actions to craft them into what they are by the end if possible. Sudden shifts tend to be jarring and pull people away so make them minute at most times unless confronting a character with the change is integral to the story or character. Don't be afraid to cut and change certain things from your story if they no longer fit. Plans can change and sometime what you initially thought was a good idea might no longer fit in the world you created. Look at his as a opportunity to make something even better that will help build your story. There will be times when you can't muster the energy or imagination to write and that's okay. This is a story you are writing out of your own free time that others can read it if they want. You set your own schedule and are allowed to break or change it if you want. If you want to stop just stop. There is nothing wrong with becoming disinterested in something you made or a fandom. Sometimes life calls and sometimes you're just tired of everything. So just enjoy yourself and do what you want.