Beacon is falling.
Salem and her pawns have succeeded. The grimm have invaded the academy together with the White Fang; Jimmy's robots have been taken over; Dozens of huntsmen and huntsmen-in-training have already died combating these threats; Ozpin hasn't reported any news of the soul transfer, meaning that Salem probably has the full power of the fall maiden under her command; Yang has lost an arm; No, there's little that can happen to make Qrow's day worse.
At least he can still make it better. A bright silver flash on top of the tower followed by the Wyvern turning to stone gives Qrow a clear indication of where to find the pipsqueak. He rushes over to the tower as quickly as he can, knowing that Ruby is probably just as unconscious as Summer was the first time she used her silver eyes.
The tower is quickly reached, and to Qrow's relief Ruby is still there. Sure, she is unconscious from using her silver eyes but of the three girls on top of the tower she's the only one in physically good shape. The other black-haired woman as well as Salem's pawn, Cinder… something, has lost more than just her consciousness: The left eye is burned out, and her left arm has been reduced to a stump. The last girl is Pyrrha Nikos, or rather her remains. No way you can survive when your body is destroyed like that.
However, most notable is the other male at the tower: A man of average height with long black hair, wearing a tight doublet with baggy pants, a flowing cape and lots of jewelry. But more important than that is that he has slung Cinder and Ruby over his shoulders, as if intending to kidnap them. And that is something Qrow cannot allow!
"Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone. Do whatever you want with the other one, but you drop that caped girl right now."
Instead of showing any form of hostile intent the man only gives Qrow a single discerning glance, getting some form of recollection as the glance turns into a thin, bemused smile. "Ah, Scarecrow. Do not worry, I have no quarrel with you. Feel free to leave and return to your servitude of Ozma."
"Yeah, how about no?" Qrow draws Harbinger, unfolding into its scythe mode. "I won't repeat myself, drop the girl. Now!"
The man isn't even remotely intimidated by Harbinger, only giving Qrow a look of disappointment. "And here you were supposed to be the wisest man of the land, but perhaps your head is filled with straw. I won't repeat myself again, Scarecrow: Leave."
Instead of responding Qrow jumps at the man, swinging his scythe to strike this man and make him drop his two kidnappees. The man jumps back, not attacking back but instead chanting something under his breath:
"Collapsed on the grass and bathed in blood, the twins are born still and dead. For failing to use your strength to defend them in their time of need, may your strength become useless to you! O warrior, know the pains of Macha, and feel the curse of her twins!"
As the words leave his mouth Qrow stops in his tracks as his senses overload with a single sensation:
Pain.
Intense pain.
Harbinger is dropped to the ground as Qrow grasps his stomach, barely able to keep himself standing as he shuffles over to the man.
Said man looks impressed by this feat. "For one like you to remain standing despite the curse, truly commendable! It doesn't please me to do this to a man like you, I wish there was a way to show my appreciation."
"How-ah, how about you return the girl?" Qrow says, fighting the pain to struggle his way towards this strange man.
"None can do." The man says without a hint of emotion. "As I said before, I have no quarrel with you people of Oz, but these two are a different story. For desecrating what is mine, I desire for them to teach the world their original lesson." With that he turns around, as if he's ready to take off.
"No!" Qrow pleads, no, begs. "Don't take her… please don't take her."
In front of the man a dark portal opens up, somewhat similar to Raven's semblance. "Now then, Scarecrow, farewell. The curse should be lifted within nine days and nights, perhaps even less. May you continue to serve your purpose."
With those words the man steps through the portal. The darkness of the portal dissipates, leaving Qrow alone on top of the tower. He stares in shock at where the portal was, before falling to his knees. Raising his head to the heavens above he lets out a scream of despair, letting the world know what was lost.
"Ruby!"
…
…
"Ugh…" A groggy Ruby awakens after what feels like eternity. She doesn't stay groggy for long, as a chill breeze quickly wakes the girl up. With a shiver she stands up, getting a good idea of her surroundings:
There's… grass. And more grass. Heck, there's grass in every direction she looks at, with not a single tree in sight. There are some mountains in the distance, and Ruby believes she can see the sea in the distance if she squints hard enough.
Okay, what the heck? Ruby has absolutely no idea where she is! Appearance wise this place could be anywhere: Southernmost Solitas, northern Anima, Vytal, or even the uninhabited island to the northwest. More importantly, how did she get here?
The last thing she can remember before falling unconscious was running to the top of Beacon's tower, where she saw Cinder killing… Pyrrha…
It all comes back to Ruby. Beacon has fallen, Penny is dead, Pyrrha is dead, the grimm won…
Damn it! Ruby falls to her knees and lets out a primal scream of anger and frustration. So much loss, all because she wasn't prepared for an attack of such magnitude. Ruby wants to cry, but no tears stream down. Her hands ball up into fists, seeking something as an outlet for her pain and sorrow. With no structures nearby Ruby slams the ground, hard enough to even affect her aura. Repeatedly she hits the grass, each hit a way to let out her grief for that which has been lost.
*Slam* For Beacon!
*Slam* For Penny!
*Slam* For… for Pyrrha…
…
No.
As much as Ruby wants to let out her emotions, she instead finds herself calming down. There's no need to be conquered by her own sorrow. If Penny or Pyrrha were here then they would tell Ruby to go forward and keep moving on. She can process all her emotions later, after she's made up for her failure.
Ruby can do nothing but accept the results of Beacon's fall: She has been defeated, yes, but it would be petty to give up just because of a single loss. No, it's better to move onward and make sure that the battle of Beacon will be her first and last defeat.
And with that said, the first thing she needs to do is to regroup. To find the rest of team RWBY or team JNPR. Heck, right now she will settle for civilization. While Ruby is not good with new people, there is nothing worse than being completely alone like this!
Now okay, that isn't entirely true. Technically there is still one friend at her side: The familiar weight of Crescent Rose can be felt hanging on her waist, which means that she at least got her beloved sweetheart with her on this journey through the unknown. However, for some reason the weight is wrong. If it was too light Ruby would be worried about having a broken weapon, but for some reason her Crescent Rose is about two pounds too heavy. Curiously she takes her beloved weapon from her back, quickly finding the origin of these extra pounds:
Stuck to her holster is one of Penny's blades, the one she picked up as an improvised weapon when Beacon fell. She must've clipped it to her holder to make sure that she didn't lose it. It's a final reminder of Penny…
No, bad Ruby, this isn't the time for moping! You're supposed to regroup and find your friends, not sulk about what is gone!
Ruby instead looks around, trying to decide which way she should go. She can see the sun in the sky, but without an idea of what time it is she can't say if that's east, west or south. Not that it would help much, as Ruby doesn't have a clue which direction would lead her to a village.
Maybe there's a landmark nearby from which she can orientate herself? Ruby looks around, but finds nothing in this sea of grass. Sure, there's a mountain in the distance and a sea on the other side, but that's still not saying much.
Perhaps a closer look can help. Ruby takes out her beloved Crescent Rose, hoping that its scope will give her a better idea of her surroundings. In the front, to the back, to the sides; Ruby looks in each direction, but finds nothing- Wait a second, is that running water there? Ruby blinks twice before peering again, but it seems that there is indeed some water in that direction.
Ruby holsters her weapon again and jogs in the direction she thought she saw water. Indeed, after a minute or two Ruby has found a babbling brook, gently flowing to the right. Ruby takes a sip, feeling the cool water refresh her body. Ah, perfect! Not only does this water quench her thirst, Ruby has had enough survival lessons to know that following a river usually leads to civilization! Ruby follows the river, one hand on Crescent Rose in case she spots a grimm. This goes on for thirty minutes, and to Ruby's surprise there has been not a single grimm in sight! That usually has one of two meanings: Either she is close enough to a city that all grimm have been eradicated… or she's so far away from humans that even the grimm would starve to death if they prolong their stay here. And considering the lack of buildings nearby, Ruby fears it is the latter.
Another ten minutes or so without any signs and Ruby is almost ready to give up… were it not for one particular blotch of white on a hill in the distance. Ruby runs up to get a closer look, and when she's close enough she recognizes it as exactly what she hoped it to be:
A sheep! And not just any sheep, but a hornless sheep. That means that this little fellow is livestock, and that there should at least be a shepherd nearby!
Ruby runs up the hill towards the sheep, quickly finding the animal accompanied by a few others of its kin. There are still no humans in sight, so Ruby continues on towards the top of the hill, from which she has a great oversight of her surroundings:
Grass, more grass, some rock-covered mountains, a cottage, more grass-wait, a cottage?
Ruby has indeed spotted a cottage in the distance, a mile or so away from here. It's not exactly civilization like she hoped, but at least there might be a shepherd or so.
Now with a goal in mind Ruby heads for her destination, and by keeping a brisk pace she quickly reaches the cottage. It's a small and simplistic old building meant as a temporary abode when out in the field, with a brightly burning campfire next to it. When she is almost there the aroma of roasted meat wafts through the air, pleasing Ruby's nose. Hunger strikes the young girl, who starts to feel like she hasn't eaten for days.
Sitting next to the fire is a massive man who appears to be in his early thirties, probably reaching seven feet tall. Unlike people Ruby knows of that size like her upperclassman Yatsuhachi this man is lanky, lacking any obvious musculature. He looks somewhat weaselly with his long and thin face, though his long red hair and beard actually makes him somewhat handsome. The only thing detracting from his beauty are the scars on his lips, like someone used to literally sew his mouth shut.
Currently this man is minding his own business roasting lamb meat on a bonfire, which makes Ruby drool from the mouth. Ooh, if only she could switch places with him, she's hungry enough to eat an entire sheep!
"Want a bite, kid?" Ruby flinches from this sudden attention bearing upon her. There's no one else around, so the shepherd must be talking to her. Ruby's hunger and fear of strangers are fighting in her mind for dominance, but the former quickly overpowers everything else. Ruby nods vigorously and takes a seat on a large stone next to the man. He offers Ruby one of his roasted lamb legs, which she eagerly accepts. Without so much as saying thanks for the meal Ruby digs in.
*Chomp*
Delicious! Even though it's a ridiculously simple meal, it's delicious! Yes, the meal is mere lamb meat seasoned with salt and pepper, before being roasted on the spit. It's a simple meal with only a few preparation steps, but all of these steps have been mastered to perfection. The taste is absolutely divine!
"This is great!" Ruby says in-between bites. "Thank you, mister!"
"Feel free to call me Lopt." The tall man says, giving a small smile to Ruby. "And this is nothing. It is only natural here to provide food and shelter for passing travelers. We are nothing if not hospitable to our guests."
It's nice to know that there are people who practice such hospitality, though that word 'here' make Ruby remember that she has no idea where she is. "Excuse me, Lopt? Where are we?"
"I believe humans named this place Iceland, somewhere to the southwest of it if I remember correctly."
Iceland? Where is that? Ruby is utterly confused, so she asks Lopt how this "Iceland" is related to more famous places. Atlas, Vale, Vacuo, Mistral; Which of these four is closest to where they are?
Lopt thinks for a few seconds, before openly admitting to not knowing the answer: "Haven't heard of any of them. Perhaps if I held better domain over wisdom, but that is simply wishful thinking. It looks like you're far from home, kid."
"I guess you're right…" If you live here and don't know about the four kingdoms, then you must be ridiculously far away from civilization-Wait a second, kid? "And my name is Ruby!"
"Whatever you say, kid." Lopt says with a chuckle, not caring a bit. "I would rather like to know why a hero like you came to this humble old hut?"
"Hero?" Ruby doesn't think she can be called that. She certainly wants to be one, but considering everything that happened at Beacon…
"Obviously," Lopt says as he points at the holstered Crescent Rose. "That scythe on your back has seen tremendous wear and tear, but is meticulously kept and mended. It doesn't smell like blood either, but is coated with a residual of darkness instead. That means you fight against monsters to keep others safe, do you not? Perhaps for your fallen comrade whose sword you carry?"
That's… all correct. "How do you know? Are you a huntsman as well?"
Lopt shakes his head, disproving Ruby's possibility. "I'm afraid that I'm no Ullr or Skadi. Compared to most others of my kin I'm absolutely rubbish at things like hunting and fighting. However, I do have some skill with the forge though."
A blacksmith, huh? Ruby can respect that. She still remembers the hardships she went through to forge all the parts of her sweetheart. If someone like him can help huntsmen who are less skilled at crafting then he performs a grand task to society.
"Well then, hero," Lopt says with a serious face, "Though it is impolite to ask of a guest, I do have a small request only you can help with. You see, some time ago my son got bound up under a nearby mountain."
"That's horrible!" Ruby shouts out, emphasizing with the man. However, there are also some things that don't make sense, or that Ruby just doesn't understand: "But you have a son? How old is he? Is he even still alive? And why don't you remove the bindings yourself?"
Ruby's barrage of questions gets an amused laugh from Lopt, who is willing to answer them one by one. "To begin with your first question: Yes, I'm known to have a son. Five of them, in fact, as well as a daughter. The one I'm speaking of is my oldest, and old enough to hunt on his own."
"Your son's an adult?" Ruby asks with wonder. But this man only looks to be, like, thirty or so? For him to have six kids, including an adult one seems to be impossible? Now Ruby has only one question on her mind: "How old are you?"
"Hmph." Lopt chuckles at that question, but only gives a cryptic answer: "Much older than you think."
"Ah…" Lopt's one of those people who age really well, just like how uncle Qrow can easily pass for someone ten years younger! Now she understands!
With that cleared Ruby goes back to another question she asked during her barrage: "But anyways, is your son still alive? I mean, if he's been bound for so long… without water and food, how could he survive?"
"No need to worry about that. In his current state he doesn't need something trivial like food or air to survive. He won't die unless he's killed, so there's no doubt that he's still down there."
Ruby doesn't understand what kind of semblance is needed for that to work, but whatever. There's no reason thus far not to trust Lopt on his word. Ruby takes another bite from the food as Lopt continues talking about the bindings:
"As for the bindings, they're special. They have been enchanted so they cannot be broken by anything from around here. Even I, with all my skills, am unable to break them."
"And why do you think I-Oh." Now it strikes Ruby why Lopt thinks that she can help. And if that is true, then how far from home is she?
"Indeed, kid. You are not from around here, so you should be able to cut his bindings." Lopt says before taking another bite of his own lamb leg, chewing on it before swallowing. "There's a cave nearby where you can clearly see one part of the chains. If you can just cut that part then my son should awaken and be able to free himself."
That sounds doable. Go into a cave, cut some bindings, and get out. If that's how Ruby can repay this man for the food, then she doesn't mind doing so. Ruby stands up, proudly proclaiming her skills: "Of course, a little bit of exploration is never too difficult for Ruby Rose, huntress extraordinaire!"
Okay, she might not be a huntress yet, but compared to some professional huntsmen she's seen enough action that she can easily pose as one skill-wise!
Ruby's declaration causes Lopt to grin, who quickly notices it and turning it into a much smaller smile.
"Well then, kid. I'll lead you there after we're done eating. Okay?"
"Sure!" Ruby says, taking another bite. She's starting to get a feel for this 'traveling huntress' style of life. Live your life with only the bare necessities, it proves to be quite entertaining. Though speaking of necessities: "Oh, can I store this sword here? I don't think I need to take it with me." Ruby takes out Penny's sword, holding it out to Lopt for him to take it.
"If you think you won't need it, then sure, not a problem." With those words Lopt grabs the sword and places it in the cottage.
Good. With Penny's sword safe it's time to go and do some questing!
When the duo finish their food Lopt leads Ruby to a large cave about ten minutes away from the cottage. The entrance is large, easily twenty feet in height and just as broad, with the terrain gently sloping downwards towards the inner regions of the mountains.
Ruby is ready to go in and fulfill this quest, but Lopt stops her in her tracks by grasping her by the hood of her cape. Felling slightly bitter about this sudden jerkish behavior Ruby turns around, asking Lopt what's his deal. A stoic Lopt calmly strokes his beard as he explains his reasoning:
"While it would be funny to see you charge in unknowingly, I would prefer for you to obtain results. Inside of this cavern are a pack of wargs you need to be careful of."
"Wargs?"
"Large, wolf-like creatures that attack anything in sight. They're about two meters tall, and three meters from head to tail. I am uncertain if you can beat them. Do you understand?"
Mostly, yes. It sounds like these Wargs are some sort of grimm Ruby doesn't know about. However, there is one thing she would like to know before venturing forth:
"What's a meter?" It sounds like some unit of distance, but Ruby has never heard of it before. Is it something like an inch, a foot, a yard, maybe even a mile? Okay, that last one is unlikely but Ruby really hopes she doesn't have to face mile-high grimm.
Ruby's honest question awakens a feeling of annoyance inside Lopt, showing anger on his face for the first time since Ruby met him. He pinches his nose with his right hand, sighing deeply. "Are-Are you serious? It's a meter! Do you genuinely have no clue what a meter is?! I-you-urgh…"
"…" Ruby doesn't dare answer, as she feels incredibly awkward right now. It seems like this 'meter' thingy is commonplace here.
"Look," Lopt says as he holds his right hand in the air, at the height of his eyes, "this is about two meters. Now you should be able to calculate what three meters is yourself, right?"
"I guess so…" Ruby says with some lingering feeling of awkwardness. She does understand now that a meter seems to be a large yard, but the way Lopt says it made Ruby feel rather ashamed.
It might be best for Ruby to get moving quickly, this awkward tension won't subside soon. With a hasty "I'll bring your son back, I promise!" Ruby dashes into the cave, not seeing the massive grin that is appearing on Lopt's face…
The first few minutes of Ruby's journey through the cave goes rather smoothly. It helps that the cave doesn't get smaller, as it's still large enough to comfortably fit an Atlesian paladin. It may need to destroy a few stalagmites and stalactites along the way, but it could still fit here. The cave keeps on gently sloping down, going deeper and deeper down the mountain.
Ruby keeps on walking through the cave, surprised with how easy this is. Heck, the tree sap gathering mission in Forever Fall her class had at the beginning of the year was harder than this! Seriously, where is the challeng-
That thought is stopped immediately as Ruby halts in her tracks. Quickly she takes cover behind a large stalagmite. It's necessary too, as up ahead is a larger room in the cavern containing what caused Ruby to hide:
Grimm.
Or, well, a grimm-like creature. There are two creatures with the shape of a wolf, with fur black enough to drink in all the light and eyes a deep dark red. Unlike normal wolves these creatures are the size of a medium-sized SUV, giving off an aura of hostility.
Such massive creatures cannot be natural, they have to be some form of grimm. These must be the creatures Lopt was talking about, the so-called "Wargs". Though it's strange that these creatures have no bone plating at all. As far as Ruby knows only young grimm have those traits, but from the wariness these creatures display Ruby would estimate that they hold significant age and strength.
Well, time to use what Ruby learned in grimm studies: Despite being soulless creatures of destruction they've got a lot in common with the animal they're based on. A wolf-like grimm should die from the same things that kill a wolf. Pierce the heart, head or neck for an instant kill, or just decapitating it will do fine. A gut shot is lethal too, though it will keep the grimm alive for a while, and if these wargs are similar to beowolves then fire should be effective too.
Ruby aims the rifle part of Crescent Rose at one of the wargs. Let's see how these monsters handle being hit with a flame dust-empowered bullet!
One shot later and Ruby can conclude that flame bullets are both more and less effective than she thought. More effective because the dark fur of the beasts spread the flame quickly; Less effective because the warg is quick enough to react to the shot and prevent it from being struck in a fatal position!
That shot alerted the two wolf-like beasts. They quickly determine Ruby's location with their keen senses and dash at the girl in red. Ruby fully unfurls Crescent Rose in response, readying herself for battle.
The warg Ruby shot at lunges forward with fangs unfurled, ready to take a bite out of Ruby. Ruby takes half a step back, ready to see the warg smash into the stalagmite. To her surprise the beast bites straight through the stone pillar, surprising Ruby with its jaw strength. Now it snaps at Ruby again, jaws coming in wide.
Ruby ducks down with the speed of her semblance, watching the spot where her head was mere fractions of a second ago being bitten by a giant wolf. Yeah, these wargs are both stronger and faster than Ruby expected… now let's see if they're tougher as well!
From this downward position Ruby has the perfect option to strike back. Launching her scythe upwards with a rising slash she manages to launch the point of Crescent Rose into the warg's forechest, planning to cut the wolf's head in two and exit from the nape. Ruby's slash connects, but there's a problem with her plan:
The monster's hide is stiff. Even with full swinging power Ruby can only cut halfway through. That means that the warg is stronger, faster and tougher than expected, Ruby has underestimated this beast in all aspects!
In that case it's time to switch tactics: A recoil shot makes Crescent Rose cut in her direction, slashing through the snout and splitting everything that is at the height of or below the wolf's eyes. Some blackish-blue liquid flow out of the head before the warg keels over, dead.
One down, one to go.
The other warg is not too happy that his partner has been killed, and lunges for Ruby. Bite attacks are interchanged with claw strikes, forcing Ruby on the defensive. Ruby parries the blows, trying to find an opening within this offensive. The blows are strong, but Ruby can still parry all of them. The beast may be strong and quick, but it's certainly not as skilled as Ruby!
The beast notices this as well, and decided to forgo any form of skill and simply apply pure power. It throws its side at Ruby, planning to bash Ruby with what is the equivalent of throwing a car at Ruby.
It's also the first attack that works, as the sheer force sends Ruby flying against the wall, taking a noticeable bite out of Ruby's aura. Yeah, she felt that one!
Ruby gets up with some struggle, only to see the warg renew its attack. It comes in with great speed, but Ruby still has time to react. In fact, she does so with a smile as she's got a plan ready:
Instead of attacking Crescent Rose shoots downwards, the recoil lifting Ruby in the air and making the pair of claw strikes whiff completely. Now with the warg's guard open Ruby swings her scythe with a powerful circular motion, striking with enough force to embed most of Crescent's Rose's blade between the beast's eyes. Blue-black blood flows out of the wound, and the monster has breathed its last. It falls down on the ground, dead.
Victory has been granted to the reaper in red, though her opponents were stronger than expected. Stronger than an ursa to be sure, though Ruby wouldn't put them on the level of a beringel. Their way of dissipating is a bit different, though: Instead of turning into ash these wolfs sink into the ground like shadows, and then they disappear. Really, the grimm of this place are rather weird. Ruby hopes there won't be any more of these creatures in this cave, she's starting to miss the good old grimm from back home!
Unfortunately for Ruby those weren't the only wargs in the cave. Two minutes after this first duo she meets another group of wargs, a bit later a quartet and a minute later Ruby finds another trio of wargs resting in the cave.
While each battle is won by the young huntress in training, it's certainly taking its toll on her. Aura has dropped to about half her maximum and she's starting to run low on bullets. Ruby doesn't know how many more battles she can comfortably deal wit-
*Growl*
That low-pitched snarl from around the corner can only mean more enemies. With a silent sigh Ruby starts to approach silently, peeking around the corner to find…
A beowolf?
It certainly appears to be one. It's a slouched wolf that stands on its hind legs, but unlike a wolf its arms and legs are longer and more humanoid. It's about ten feet in height, similar to some of the older alpha beowolves, but once again there's no bone plating anywhere. Those discrepancies seem to be the same with the wargs from before, perhaps it's similar for all local grimm?
Ruby should feel glad that the final monster is a mere beowolf. After all, even the most ancient alpha beowolves are not a match for Ruby in a one-on-one match. Yet somehow Ruby isn't feeling all that safe. This creature feels more like it's the boss of the monsters she previously faced.
However, more notable than the monster is its location. The beast is lurking in a dead end, surrounded by stone from all sides but Ruby. Furthermore, Ruby sees something like a red line going from the ceiling to the floor. And if that's the chain Lopt talked about, then Ruby needs to kill this beast first before she can free Lopt's son.
Ruby aims Crescent Rose's muzzle at the beowolf's chest, and fires a shot. It's… less than effective. Ruby hoped for something similar with the wargs, who could react quickly enough to prevent it from striking the worst spot. However, this beowolf is agile enough to dodge the bullet in its entirety. The monster ducked under the bullet before sprinting towards Ruby, claws ready to slice Ruby to pieces.
The beast slashes at Ruby from all directions, but she expertly parries each of the blows. This goes on for a while longer, with Ruby trying to counterattack wherever possible. She doesn't land a debilitating blow, but she does deliver some nicks and shallow cuts on the unarmored beast.
As far as Ruby is concerned this "boss" is not that bad. It may be mightier than any beowolf Remnant has ever seen, but that doesn't say much. Beowolves are at their most dangerous in packs, and even if this beast is strong it's completely alone. Ruby weaves through the attacks, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Evade the blow from the left claw, then parry the right claw and…
"There!" The beast's claw gets parried off upwards, leaving his entire right side open. With that flank right open Ruby has no problem cutting her scythe right into the monster's side. This should be the killing blow!
…
Well, it certainly should be. However, the beowolf's body is even tougher than the wargs. Ruby's mighty swing gets stuck a third of the way through. Even boosting the swing with a recoil shot doesn't improve the cut by much.
However, that's not the worst of it: When Ruby means that Crescent Rose got stuck, she meant literally stuck. Besides being unable to cut further she's also unable to recover her weapon from the monster's side. A good tug has no result, nor does a heavy push. Crescent Rose might as well be encased in stone.
Ruby tries to pry the weapon out of the beowolf's body, her worry for the weapon making her temporarily forget that her blade is stuck in a hostile being instead of something like stone. With Ruby distracted the beowolf's claws have no trouble raking across Ruby's aura, powerful enough to send Ruby flying.
Ruby manages to land in a crouched position, but a twinge of worry fills her thoughts as she realizes her hands are empty. Crescent Rose is still stuck within the monster, who takes a step forwards-
…and fumbles. The beowolf has problems walking around with a giant scythe sticking out of its body. It's no wonder, as Ruby's weapon weights around fifty pounds and would give the untrained wielder problems with walking.
The creature of grimm notices this as well, and tries to solve it the only way it knows:
With force.
The beast punches and slashes at Crescent Rose, causing the metal to creak and groan. The metal is denting, making Ruby start with wide eyes of horror at the beast. Ruby's weapon is made from strong wootz steel, but the beast is a large monster with great power beyond what most grimm are capable of. The beowolf strikes again, and again and…
*Snap*
With a powerful slam the beowolf breaks the shaft of Crescent Rose in two. The bottom half falls to the floor, while the top half stays stuck in creature.
Ruby looks slack jawed at what just happened. Part of it is worry, knowing that this grimm could break her weapon in two with a single punch. However, that worry is overshadowed by Ruby's unyielding rage!
"My. Baby. Girl!"
Ruby may not have a weapon on hand, nor be particularly trained in unarmed combat. She'll overcome that with sheer anger, her mind racing for ideas to make the monster pay.
Speaking logically, the only thing that can hurt the monster is Crescent Rose. Ruby knows well enough that her combat skills without the scythe are useless. The bottom end of her weapon currently lying on the floor has a pointy bit on the end, normally used to stab opponents who try to get too close. Ruby can use it as a pointy stick, though that's not the main weapon she's planning to use.
No, Ruby's way to victory is the half of Crescent Rose still stuck inside the beast. It has almost cut through the fatal parts of the wolf, and with enough of a push she might be able to cut through the beast completely!
The beowolf comes charging at Ruby with claws raised, and she responds in kind. She charges at the monster, empowered by her semblance. She reaches speeds faster than the beowolf could ever anticipate. His swing misses completely as Ruby runs through the legs of the beast, and then starts to literally run circles around the grimm. Said beast looks through the cave, but is unable to keep with Ruby at top speed.
When Ruby notices that the beowolf can't track her anymore she comes in for the attack, flying feet-first towards her target. Both feet striking the blunt back of the scythe blade, and Ruby can hear the scythe slicing apart flesh and bone.
The kick has hit the stuck half of Crescent Rose with enough force to push it deeper. It continues to cut deeper and deeper, until it comes out on the other end. The beowolf is dissected into two, cut neatly into top and bottom halves. It lets out a howl in its death throes, trying to hit Ruby one last time with its claws but misses wide enough that it doesn't even strike Ruby's shadow. It falls to the ground, dissolving into shadows and leaving a tired Ruby alone in the cave.
The battle was exhausting for the young huntress-in-training, even breaking her beloved sweetheart, but she managed to be victorious. Now the only thing left in this cavern besides Ruby is a single chain… if you can call it that. Raising upwards through the floor and into the ceiling is a thin red ribbon. It's the only thing that Ruby has seen that can serve as bindings in this cave, but can this really be what Lopt meant? Heck, Blake's bowtie looks sturdier than this!
Ruby strums the ribbon once, causing the string to vibrate with a low *twang*. The ribbon is quite taut, so maybe it is connected to something? Ruby gives the ribbon a good tug, but it's not enough to break it yet. Perhaps it is stronger than it looks?
Ruby puts the blade half of her broken scythe to the ribbon, and she barely needs to muster any force to cut that ribbon in twain. With nothing binding the ribbon anymore the bottom part disappears into the ground, while lots more fabric falls down from the top. It falls and falls, with seemingly no end to it for a long time. When there is no more ribbon falling from the top Ruby guesses she has to have at least a hundred feet of ribbon.
This is supposed to be what Lopt meant, right? Perhaps she should take it with her, just to make sure. It might make for a proper identification trophy.
Ruby picks up the ribbon, quickly noticing how unwieldy this massive collection of ribbon is. She needs to make some knots in the ribbon to turn it into a makeshift sash, the only way of carrying it around without it getting in the way.
Right as Ruby is done tying up the sash a large earthquake occurs. It's enough to make the cave rock on its foundations, several small bits of stone are already falling down from the ceiling. Ruby stays in shock for half a second before deciding that she needs to get out of the cave as soon as possible. She would rather not die squished by rocks or suffocate from a cave-in, thank you very much!
She dashes back the way she came, out of this caving cave, taking the sash and the broken parts of Crescent Rose with her. She makes her way through the shaking cavern, avoiding the build-up rubble and any rocks that are still falling down. Several parts of the cave became a lot narrower, but with only slight difficulty she manages to exit the cave and into the fresh air! Just in time too, as only a few seconds later the cavern completely caves in, making further entrances and exits impossible.
Ruby takes a few moments to catch her breath, glad to be alive. She survived this ordeal, and she even did everything Lopt asked of her. She got the bindings, and she freed his son as well! Surely Lopt will be able to reforge her weapon as compensation, right? Even if he can't Ruby will be fine if she's allowed to use his forge. After all, her classes with professor Mulberry have proven quite useful in that regard-
Ruby's thoughts are interrupted as the earthquake intensifies. Looking back at the mountain she sees it crumbling down, creating a large opening from which steps forth what looks to be a beowolf.
Just like the rest of the creatures in the cavern its fur is pitch black, and its eyes are as red as blood. Strangely enough this creature is armed like a human: Besides a linen waistcloth the beowolf wields a large bronze mace in his hand, similar in form to Cardin's Executioner. Strung over his shoulder is a wooden bow, and attached to his hip with a leather belt is a quiver with arrows.
Also, the creature is ginormous. While even the most ancient of alpha beowolves don't grow beyond ten feet in height, this one easily reaches seventy feet.
Ruby takes a look at the creature, and the awesome power it emits is enough for Ruby to fall to her knees. Whatever this creature is, simply gazing upon it is enough to install a feeling of helplessness and fear.
This…this monster, what is it? It can't be the Lopt's son-Ruby makes the connection, quickly realizing that there probably was no son to begin with. No, the thing she set free is this monster instead.
What has she done?
Thus ends the first chapter of Silver Eyes, Golden Blades. Thank you for trying out this story and reading this chapter to the end, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you wish to give your opinion on this story or just ask questions about it, feel free to leave a review.