AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This chapter is a battle, simple as that. One that I really liked to write more and more as it went on. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 26 – Rules of Nature
Weiss.
The Princess of El-Melloi opened the last cell door, allowing the female White Fang prisoner to escape. Reines watched the woman run into the arms of another White Fang prisoner. The two faunus cried as Weiss turned to Reines, "That's everyone." The white heiress informed, "At least, those on this ship."
"Sigurd's group should already be attacking their ship. Brynhildr's as well." Reines replied, "We just need to wait until Adam kills the rest of the crew, including Columbus."
In the distance a White Fang member overheard the girl's conversation, "Adam will win!" He called out.
Reines nodded, "It won't be an easy fight." She confirmed, "However, I am confident he can get the job-" Suddenly, Princess of El-Melloi's eyes pulsated red, "AAA!" She grimaced in pain as her stance faulted, holding her head with her right hand.
"Reines, what's wrong!?" Weiss said as she prevented Reines from falling over.
"Oh no, this is not good." Reines said under her breath, her eyes twitching, "Why are they coming here."
"What's coming here?" One of the White Fang members asked.
"And why did her eyes turn red?" Another member commented. "They almost look like the eyes of a-"
"Grimm." Weiss finished the sentence as Reines reached in her back pocket, pulling out a vile of eye drops.
"You asked before about my mystic eyes." Reines said as she leaned her head back, using the eye drops, "Well, when Grimm are nearby, my eyes start to turn red." She said with Weiss seeing the eyes clam down in coloring, "The more it hurts, the closer and stronger the Grimm are." She then tilted her head forward as she spoke the white heiress, "Quickly, you need to back up Adam and kill Columbus."
"What?" Weiss responded, "I-"
"Listen, it has to be you! I can't fight without Trimmau, but I can at least keep the faunus here safe until the evacuation." Reines responded, her eyes glowing redder again, "Whatever's coming, it's big! We need to get off this ship as soon as possible." She said with placing her right hand on her forehead, "This is an order, go!"
After a second, Weiss nodded, "Understood." She said before Reines smiled, then turned to the door. As the white heiress ran through the halls, she came across the served limbs of once alive crewmembers. However, her speed did not falter as made her way through the ship.
Adam.
Back on the deck, blades clashed as Adam and Columbus battled. The Rider of Resistance sneered as he held his sword with only his right hand, thrusting the blade for an abdominal stab. Adam parried with Blush, allowing to slash with Wilt. However, Columbus dodged every cut, "Swinging wildly will never hit me." Columbus boasted before Adam aimed Blush, firing a shot at close range.
Suddenly, Columbus spawned a medium-sized anchor attach to a chain in his left hand. Adam's blast broke against the black steel as Columbus had a toothy grin. He swung the anchor like a hammer, forcing Adam to jump back to dodge. The White Fang swordsman readied Blush again to fire, but then noticed Columbus sheath his sword. The Rider of Resistance grabbed the chain with both hands, now swinging the anchor overhead counterclockwise, gaining speed with each rotation. Columbus laughed as he unleashed the anchor, losing the chain to get into Adam's range. The White Fang swordsman saw the chain approaching his left, causing him to instinctively block with Blush.
However, the chain stopped in midair. Adam had a look of shock until he realized his position on the ship. He looked to his back left, seeing the mast of the ship had caught the chain, allowing it to coil around the cylindrical wood first. Adam realized what this meant, the anchor was coming for his right side. He turned to see the attack coming but could not dodge. The anchor slammed into his right elbow with a loud crack. Adam gritted his teeth as his arm bent ninety degrees in a direction it should not.
As the White Fang swordsman dropped Wilt, Columbus smirked, "Now, I don't have to worry about the Noble Phantasm." The Rider of Resistance though as he despawned his chain and anchor. Now, he spawned a switch, cracking the wipe before rushing Adam. Before he could repose with Blush, Adam had to block the oncoming attack with the sheath. However, the ends of the switch stuck his left fingers, causing a momentary flinch of pain. At that moment, Columbus kicked Adam in the stomach, knocking the White Fang swordsman to the floor of the deck. The Rider of Resistance then unleashed a flurry of lashes onto Adam. For each one that Adam blocked with Blush, another made direct contact with his body; his arms, his abdomen, even one hit his right cheek. The switch started to turn from brown to red. The frame of Blush was started to crack under the abuse, "Hahahahaha," Columbus laughed as he remained unrelenting.
Suddenly, Adam pulled the trigger on Blush. The frame of the sheath glowed red around the cracks. Columbus had a look of shock until the sheath exploded, creating a smoke cloud. The Rider of Resistance jumped back, avoiding any shrapnel. He attempted to cut the smoke with the crack of his switch. However, something caught the end of his lash.
As the smoke cleared, Adam held the end of the wipe in his left hand. In one tug, he pulled Columbus off his balance. The White Fang swordsman then charged at the Rider of Resistance, headbutting him in the chest. At that moment, Columbus' eyes widened as he felt two points stab in his flesh. Adam readjusted his footing, then tiled his back, and lifted the Rider of Resistance over his body. Columbus slammed on his back, letting go of the switch from the flash of pain. Adam tossed the switch overboard, opting to grab Columbus by the face. The Rider of Resistance screamed as he could feel Adam's left fingers trying to gouge out his eyes.
Suddenly, the ship shook with a heavy thud. At that moment, Adam's grip loosened. Columbus' eyes opened with a blood-red rage. With his right arm, he punched Adam's left elbow, bending it in the opposite direction. Adam's gritted his teeth, trying not to scream in agony. He jumped back to repose as Columbus got up, a toothy grin on his face, "Oh, how I love how much luck I have." The Rider of Resistance boasted as he looked at his opponent, whose arms hung limp at his side. He then saw Adam glance at Wilt on the floor, "What are you going to do now? Hold that sword with your teeth? Hahaha!" Columbus taunted, "Come on, I'll let you pick it." He said with a toothy grin, "Think of it as a chew toy."
"Drop dead!" Adam shouted back, "I am not an animal!"
Columbus' laughed slowly stop, his expression going sterner, "No, you're not an animal." Columbus responded before his scowl grew more resentful, "You're a freak of nature." He said before dusting off his coat, "You faunus are a mistake by God. An imperfection in this world that ruins humanity." The Rider of Resistance said before pointing to himself, "We are supposed to be at the top of the food chain, the Kings of this World." He then pointed to Adam, "But your kind has existed to ruin that balance and mess with the natural order." Columbus then spit blood onto the deck, "You faunus disgust me, always have and always will."
"That's it!?" Adam responded, "You hate faunus just because they were born faunus?"
"Exactly!" Columbus responded in overjoy, "The moment you were born, I wanted to kill you!" He said before having a toothy grin, "It is only humans who should get stories of their heroic actions." The Rider of Resistance said before extending his arms, "And I intend to be remembered for a long time after my death. Remember as the man who would make faunus extinct! AHAHAHAHA!"
Adam watched as Columbus laughed. However, the White Fang swordsman remained silent, lowing his head. Slowly, he spoke the phrase he remembered, "We don't get to choose what we're born into this life as," Adam said to himself before focusing on Columbus, "But we do get to choose what we do with this life." The White Fang swordsman then gritted his teeth, violently whipping his right arm. Columbus' laughter stopped as he heard the elbow pop back into place. Despite the shakiness from the pain, Adam reached down to pick up Wilt, "Those are the only rules of nature in this world." Adam declared as he pointed his sword at Columbus, "And I will carve that phase into your skull."
Columbus sneered as he drew his sword, responding to Adam in kind, "Come on," The Rider of Resistance dared, "Show me what you got, Freak." A silence fell between the two, only the crashing waves against the boat were heard. Suddenly, Adam rushed forward, his Wilt lined for a horizontal swing. Columbus rushed in as well but went for a frontal stab for the heart.
However, as the two were a few feet away from each other, a white glyph appeared on the floor. Adam jumped back as a pillar of ice erupted from the deck. Columbus narrowly avoided himself getting encased, but half the blade of his sword was caught. Adam turned to see the white heiress at the doorway, out of breath as she raised her Myrtenaster.
"What are you doing here?" Adam called out in resentment, "I was about to kill him!"
"And yourself in the process, Idiot!" Weiss responded as she walked over, "The mission still requires you alive."
Adam gritted his teeth before noticing Columbus still struggling to pull out the sword. The Rider of Resistance then saw the White Fang swordsman spin kick the ice pillar, causing the mass to crash into Columbus before smashing him against a wall of the ship. Adam then turned to see Weiss walking up, "I do not need your help."
"Regardless, I'm here now." Weiss said as saw the mass of blood and body parts, as well as the discarded weapons of fallen crewmembers, "You…you followed her orders." She said before seeing Columbus pull himself out of the chunks of ice.
The Rider of Resistance looked at his sword, seeing it had snapped in the force of the impact. He tossed it aside before looking at white heiress, causing a sneer to from, "Well, hello Sweetheart." Columbus said with a giggle at the end.
Weiss had a look of disgust at Columbus' toothy grin, causing her to repose her weapon, "Listen, we need to end this now, before the-" Suddenly, the ship shook again. This, much more violently than before. The three went silent until hearing something screech from under the sea, "Oh no, I was too late." She thought before they turned to the starboard side. Erupting out the water was four sets of black tentacles, followed by the massive head of an octopus-type Grimm, "What in the world-"
"WWWWRRRRYYYYYYYY!" The monster roared as its beaklike mouth opened, showing a razor-bladed set of shredding teeth on the inside.
Columbus had a look of shock, his eyes widening, "A Grimm Kraken!? Why is one of them in this part of the sea!?" He said before laughing, "It must have been attracted by all the fun we were having. Oh well," Columbus said before respawning his chain and anchor, "I'll just kill everyone at once with this." The Rider of Resistance said before pulling to the other end of the chain, reveal the steering wheel of the ship. Suddenly, a podium emerged from a yellow vortex in the floor in front of him. Columbus then slammed the wheel into the podium.
"What is he doing now!" Adam said as he dodged the tentacles of the Grimm Kraken.
Weiss dodged as well. However, she saw the hull of the ship was starting to get entangled by the tentacles, "Adam, you kill the Grimm while I keep Columbus busy!"
"What!?" Adam shouted back, "I do not take orders from you-"
Suddenly, a yellow glyph appeared beneath his feet. Adam's body was then encompassed in an aura, his body slowly regaining some strength, "That buff will not last long, but you should be able to move your arms easier." Weiss said before spawning multiple black glyph platforms.
Adam looked to his left arm, now able to move his hand with only barrable pain, "Tsk," He scoffed before facing the Grimm Kraken, "He is still my kill. Do not forget that, Schnee." The White Fang swordsman said as he griped Wilt with both hands.
Weiss stood to his right, but faced the opposite direction, "Don't worry," She responded as her cold eyes focused on Columbus, who's body now glowed in a blue aura, "I'll deal with whatever his Noble Phantasm is."
Simultaneous, Adam and Weiss rushed to their respective targets. The White Fang swordsman jumped from glyph platform to glyph platform, avoiding the Grimm tentacles. As he made his way to the head of the creature, but the Grimm Kraken unleashed a fifth tentacle from the ocean. Adam blocked with Wilt, the Grimm bones grinding against the red steel as he was flung back to another platform, "WWWWWRRRRRRYYYY!" the monster roared as Adam smirked, gaining the monster's full attention.
Weiss dashed towards Columbus with her Myrtenaster poised. However, she heard the Rider of Resistance chanting, "A new world at the edge of faith and dreams," He said with the aura glowing more violently, as is it was also radiating from the ship itself "A place full of treasure!" He grinned with a toothy smile, "Santa Maria, Drop Anchor!" Columbus declared before his aura manifested into enormous chains, erupting from the ship with Anchors at each end. He points at the white heiress, causing all the chains to focus on her. Weiss jumped out of the way of the chains, using her white glyphs to create a barrier of ice around her perimeter.
Columbus grinned as the anchors broke through the ice like paper. However, his grin faded as Weiss was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he heard more of the platform glyphs being created from above. The Rider of Resistance looked up to see Weiss ascending with her platforms, causing him to grit his teeth in annoyance.
Weiss looked down to see the chain heading for her, all started to converge at one point. At the same time, Adam was blocking the tentacles of the Grimm Kraken. Suddenly, his hair and sword turning a lighter red as he grinned. The White Fang swordsman then jumped high into the air, causing all the tentacles to follow. As the two blade-wielders hooved dozens of meters over the ship, each had their plan.
At the last second, Weiss jumped to her right to evade the anchor. At the same time, the white heiress used another white glyph. This one at the convergence of all chains, freezing them together in a maissive block of ice. As the Grimm tentacles were about to strike Adam, he pulled back his sword. The red lines in the air started to manifest as the tentacles soon got into range. In one slashed, the area in front of Adam flashed red. A second afterward, the tentacles exploded into chunks of cut-up Grimm flesh. "WWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYY!" The Grimm Kraken roar as Adam hung overhead from the creature.
Columbus gasped at all his chines were linked to the ice block, which was now landing into the ocean. With the new massive anchor, the ship stopped. Weiss looked down at Columbus, her cold eyes staring at his hateful glare. She stood on one glyph platform as she spawned another at Adam's feet, causing him to stand upside. She dispelled the glyph just as he lunged downward, diving towards the Grimm Kraken. With Wilt aimed at its target, the White Fang swordsman stabbed the creature in the center of its skull. The blade's force rang through the whole body of the creature now, shredding it from the inside out. The Grimm Kraken's eyes widened in agony as it slowly sunk halfway back in the water, its grip on the ship loosening.
Weiss let out a sigh of relief. However, she soon felt something coil around her right ankle. She looked down to see it was the original chain and anchor. "Hahaha, you may have dodged my noble phantasm." Columbus taunted, "But I always get a lucky shot in." He said before pulling on the chain. Weiss' body was then dragged off her glyph. Before she could ready her weapon, her body slammed into the deck. Her body bounce as she flinched from shock.
"Schnee!" Adam yelled before he ripped out his sword out of the Grimm Kraken. He is jumping off the dying monster, landing back on the deck.
"Schnee?" Columbus responded as Weiss tried to push herself up. However, the Rider of Resistance pulled back on the chain, launching her body towards his. As the back of her head bounced off his chest, he coiled the chain around her neck. Columbus held the chain like fiber wire with his right hand, his grip unbreaking. Weiss' eyes widen in agony as her windpipe was being crushed, "You being helped by a human was one thing," Columbus said, using his left hand to take Weiss' rapier out of her left, "But a Schnee? Those are people how have mistreated faunus for years."
"You're one to talk-" Weiss was saying until Columbus tighten the chains. She felt her head start to twist as her neck started cracking. Her mouth showed she was screaming but, no noise or air was coming out.
Adam took a step towards Columbus, but the Rider of Residence had a toothy grin, "Come on, take another step." He dared as he pulled on the chains, Weiss eyes now turning red and running with tears, "Her neck is about to give way." He said with Adam gritting his teeth, "Now, toss your sword overboard. Or, do you value that blade over this girl's life?"
Weiss looked to see Adam standing still, his grip on the Wilt loosening. He looked to Weiss while tossing his sword backward. "…Idiot..." Weiss spoke in a weak voice as Columbus sneered. The blade went over the deck and towards the ocean.
"Now, let her go." Adam demanded.
"Hahaha!" Columbus laughed, "Look at you, what a sucker." He said as Adam remained unfazed, "I'll just kill her now, then take my time carving you apart with her sword." The Rider of Resistance said with a toothy grin, "The two of you lost, I won! I-"
Suddenly, Columbus heard the faintest sound of a trigger being pulled. He instinctively ducked his head, nearly avoiding a shot. The bullet had taken off his hat, ripped through his hair, and even skimmed his scalp. In turning his right eye, he saw the assailant.
With both hands on the pistol, Reines gritted her teeth, "Damnit," She muttered to herself as a line of sweat ran down from her forehead, "I missed."
"You!" Columbus said as he let go of Weiss, tossing her aside to hold Myrtenaster in his dominate hand, "I didn't even hear you approach!" Columbus said before he realized something. someone else was approaching him. He turned to see Adam charging at the Rider of Resistance at fun speed. Columbus had a toothy grin as he responded in kind, "He's letting his bull nature take over, a real idiot now." Columbus thought as his grit on Myrtenaster tightened, "Without his sword, he can't-" Suddenly, Columbus' eyes widened in fear. Wilt was not sinking in the water. Rather, the blade was only just outside Columbus' view before, resting on a black glyph platform. Columbus glanced back to see Weiss' eyes focused on the glyph, "That girl made that while being chocked!?" Columbus realized as Weiss coiled her left index and middle finger, causing the glyph to launch Wilt towards Adam's position, "Did the three of them plan this?" Columbus though as Adam caught the sword, "What is with these freaks!?"
"AAAAAAA!" Adam screamed as he went for a horizontal slash.
"AAAAAAA!" Columbus screamed as well as he went for a straight stab for the heart. However, he failed to realize something until this moment, Myrtenaster was shorter than his other sword. The White Fang swordsman's blade slicing open the Rider of Resistance stomach. Columbus coughed blood as Adam jumped out of the way of the stab.
Adam landed back on the deck as Columbus dropped Myrtenaster. The Rider of Resistance walked forward, holding his insides in with both arms. However, he coughed more blood as it spilled from his body. Adam walked over to pick up Myrtenaster, "Now, it's over." Adam said as he turned back to Columbus.
The Rider of Resistance turned around, seeing Reines helping Weiss walk, "You lose." The white heiress said, her voice slowly returning.
"Me? Lose?" Columbus said as he reached the edge of the deck, "I still have two more ships."
This time, Adam laughed, "Hahaha, by now they should be taken over." He said with Columbus gasping, "The woman I mentioned earlier, she is on one of those ships right."
"And my sister is taking down the other one." Weiss added on.
"Your mission failed, White Fang Killer." Reines said to Columbus, a smirk on her face, "Now, with what little life and dignity you have left, tell us who your allies are."
Columbus' breathing was heavy but he still managed one last toothy grin, "You have no idea what is about to happen to Remnant?" the Rider of Resistance said as he forced himself to stand up straight, "I will not tell you the name of allies, especially the Woman in Black."
"Woman in Black?" Weiss asked, "Who is that?"
"Hahaha, she gave me It." Columbus' said as his guts started to spill out of his body, "And It is on one of those ships."
"Stop with this pronoun game bullshit!" Adam said as he aimed Myrtenaster at Columbus, "What are you talking about!?"
However, Columbus ignored the threat, "Whichever is the unlucky lady to be on that ship." Columbus said as his vision was burry, "They most certainly will die." Columbus said before starting to laugh through his teeth, blood spilling through the gums, "Bahahaha HAHAHA HAHA-"
Suddenly, Adam tossed Myrtenaster like a dagger. The rapier crashed straight into Columbus' mouth, shattering his teeth in the process. The Rider of Resistance's eyes widened as half the blade popped out the back of his neck. Soon, the light left his eyes as he fell backwards over the deck. In the water, the dying Grimm Kraken saw Columbus fall into his mouth. As the monster closed its jaw on the last meal, now sinking fully into the water, the White Fang Killer had died.
After a few seconds of silence, Adam let out a sigh of relief. However, Weiss punched him in the right elbow, causing him to flinch in pain, "Hey!" He turned to her with a scowl, "What was that for?"
"I use that last of my focus to save your sword," Weiss said with a cold glare, "And you just throw mine away without a second thought!?"
"She does have a point," Reines said with a smirk, "I think it's only fair that I toss your crimson blade overboard."
"How is that fair," Weiss responded with a raised, "It should be me who-" She was saying until she started coughing in pain.
Reines helped support the white heiress as Adam sighed again, "Our mission is over, call an evacuation airship to pick us up." He said before walking away.
"Fine," Reines responded, "Gather the faunus onto the deck, I'll make the call." She then looked back to Weiss, "You okay?"
"I'll be fine." Weiss said before looking around the ocean, noticing something was amiss, "W-where are the other ships." Suddenly, she remembered the massive anchor of ice, "We stopped, the other ships went ahead."
"And? They should be fine with whoever is on those ships." Reines asked as Weiss had a look of horror on her face.
"Reines," Weiss said before hearing something in the distance of the calm ocean. "What did Columbus mean by…It?"
"…▂▂▃▃▅▅▂▂▃▃▅▅!"
AN: There you go, One White Fang Killer down. Weiss, Adam, and Reines pull out the win against the Rider of Resistance. For me, that last moment with all three teaming up in their own way against Columbus was one of the most satisfying things I have written in while. Weiss lost Myrtenaster and Adam lost Blush. Also, we finally have one of Team RWBY learn about the Woman in Black. With Columbus' death, It is about to show up to wreck everything. And many of you know who It is, but you'll have to wait and see. Now, I do hate to do this after a cliff hanger, but I will be taking two weeks off for the holiday break. Don't worry, the story will continue in 2020. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
