Chapter-31
Sigurd, Cú Chulainn, Tristan
Tristan stood with a frown in the outskirts of Mount Glenn. He could sense the vast number of phantasmal beasts approaching their position. They had to hold them off until Ozpin and reinforcements arrived.
He could see many of the huntsmen were nervous. After all, Phantasmal beasts were a different breed of trouble compared to the grimm. Not that the grimm also didn't pose a threat. From whatever knowledge he had of the modern age on Earth, he could conclude that modern weapons would struggle to pierce the hide of grimm and even a single grimm would take a lot to bring down.
In that sense, Remnant's humans were much stronger than Earth's humans. But that strength wouldn't close the gap between them and a servant or even heroes of old. Magecraft was also almost unheard of in Remnant, although aura and semblances were mysteries approaching the Third True Magic, so they were also unused to the abilities of phantasmal beasts, which had clearly been modified.
Tristan could not recall any time Knockers were this bloodthirsty back in Cornwall or being capable of performing magecraft as potent as that of Goblins. He also questioned the abilities of the trolls, since Sigurd said they exhibited the abilities of the frost giants of his homeland.
Even then, he and Shirou were perhaps the huntsmens' only hope to survive the assault, since they could survive the onslaught of the most dangerous enemies among the herd – the Stymphalian birds.
"They're coming!" One huntsman spoke in the communications channel as Tristan noticed the mass of Nevermore grimm and Stymphalian birds coming from the horizon as well as a mass of monsters.
Tristan exhaled before raising Failnaught. "Let's begin." He spoke before beginning his onslaught as soon as the monsters got close.
Tristan's arrows shot nevermores and Stymphalian birds from the sky, while the other monsters fell prey to dust bombs hidden by the huntsmen.
However, despite this successful initial attack, it was clear that the beasts were getting closer and soon they would be forced into close-quarters combat.
"Shirou! Watch out for Knockers!" Tristan yelled as Shirou nodded, impaling any Knockers that managed to sneak up on their defensive positions with Black Keys.
Tristan kept shooting down the aerial enemies, focusing specifically on the Stymphalian birds. He could not let them get through, otherwise they'll wiped out their forces.
Tristan was not going to let what happened at Cysgod happened again.
Tristan's mind slipped into a momentary sadness. If I hadn't been incapacitated by the Hydra's poison, I would have been able to put an end to Perseus and Assassin then and there. He thought bitterly before shaking his head and continuing to shoot.
By now, the monsters on the ground had reached their positions, and huntsmen engaged them. Tristan continuously changed buildings as Stymphalian birds obliterated them with their explosive feathers and continued to keep them off areas densely packed with combatants. After a brief moment of respite, the city had devolved into a battleground again, with huntsman engaging in a brutal bloodbath with shadow servants and phantasmal beasts in the streets.
Tristan was used to such violence, yet whenever he heard the dying screams of huntsmen as they are torn apart, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Keep fighting!" Ozpin spoke. "We're almost there!" He spoke as Tristan nodded.
Come on…a bit more. Then we can rest. He thought as he jumped from one building to another, the previous building collapsing as a group of Stymphalian birds bombed it into oblivion and shot down the group quickly.
Yet as he fought, one thought crossed Tristan's mind.
Why haven't I seen the enemy servants… He thought before hearing clinking of chains and quickly jumping back to avoid getting impaled.
He turned around to see a familiar Assassin grinning at him.
"Hello again, 'saviour' of Cysgod." She spoke as a spark of irritation rose within Tristan.
"Hello to you too, witch." He spoke. Semiramis was a woman that always managed to get him angry by just being there. Perhaps its because she is so much like Morgan. That same mask of false innocence which hid a monster, proficient in magecraft and of course one who loved looking down on weaklings.
Even if she's not here, Morgan's shadow was always cast over him.
Semiramis gasped in mock surprise. "Now, a witch? Don't compare me to…what's her name again…ah, yes. Don't compare me to Morgan Le Fay. She may have been power-hungry like myself, but my hunger for power was necessary to hold my kingdom together. After all, those who rule must also be prepared to be tyrants, for a ruler must set an example. That includes setting an example for desires. Those kings who give up their personal desires for people are not rulers. They are mere puppets of their titles." Semiramis spoke as Tristan clenched his jaw.
He did not miss the subtle jab at his king. He had stained his honor by forsaking his duty to his king, and simply fled as his king fell into a spiral of doubt and sorrow that culminated in the fall of Camelot. He may not have agreed with his King's aloofness from personal desires, but he respected his rule. And he was not going to let someone insult his sacrifices as foolish actions.
"That's enough." Tristan spoke raising failnaught as Semiramis smiled. "No more talk? Very well."
Chains shot forward at Tristan who sidestepped them before firing arrows at Semiramis, who used her chains to encase herself in a cocoon and deflect the arrows. Tristan continued firing before hissing as another chain grazed his arm.
"Don't think I can't use my chains as shields as well as weapons." Semiramis' muffled voice spoke from the cocoon of chains as Tristan continued to dodge her chains, trying in vain to break past Semiramis' cocoon.
One chain wrapped around Tristan's ankle before a glyph appeared charging up a beam of mana at him. Tristan went into spirit form to break free of his imprisonment as the beam shot past him.
I need some way to get past her shield. Tristan thought before noticing the Stymphalian birds hovering over them.
Tristan shot an arrow at one of them, which squawked in rage before sending down more of its feathers down. This time, Tristan could heard Semiramis gasp as the rooftop exploded before Semiramis sent a chain flying up at the offending bird, impaling it.
Tristan seized this opportunity to fire at Semiramis, before another portal opened up and a massive green serpentine beast came out with jaws wide open.
Tristan plucked Failnaught's strings in haste and a number of arrows impaled the beast. Tristan breathed a sigh of relief before a strange feeling washed over him.
Why does this feel familiar… Tristan thought before remembering who Semiramis was.
"Oh…" Tristan spoke before the beast blasted a cloud of poison at him with its dying breath. Tristan's body froze up.
Not again… He thought falling back, gasping for air.
"Poison is your weakness, Tristan. That's why I was the one sent after you." Semiramis spoke smiling as she stood over him. "I've entertained your resistance for long enough." She spoke as Tristan tried to get up, but this time, he could not even move.
"There's no point in moving. This poison is made for paralysis." She spoke sweetly.
"I would love to make your death slow, but we do not have much time, so…" A chain materialized poised over his heart.
Dying from a fatal blow to my heart. That is ironic… Tristan thought. But then, Semiramis' eyes widened as she frantically summoned a bunch of chains to block a shot before Qrow slammed into her wall, sending her back.
"Phew, Oz would not have been happy if one of you guys died." Qrow spoke. "Anyways, this one of those 'enemies' Saber keeps rattling about?"
"Yes…I'm…Poisoned…" Tristan rasped out.
"Shit. I need to get you out of here." Qrow spoke.
"You dare, human?" Semiramis snarled getting up.
"Uh…look, lady. Aren't you a human too? I mean, you've got pointy ears but you don't have any faunus appendages?" Qrow asked tilting his head.
Semiramis scowled. "Of course, the humans here don't even have gods. They would never understand the concept of divinity."
Qrow scowled. "…Oh, I know what that is. But still…you're harming someone really important and I can't let that happen."
"Oh? And you think you can stop me?"
"From what Oz says…no." Qrow spoke before smirking. "But what I think is that you should watch where you step." He spoke before his eyes turned crimson for a moment and the floor beneath Semiramis collapsed, the Assyrian queen screaming in surprise as she fell down.
"Whoops, looks like you woke up with some bad luck today, lady." Qrow spoke with a wink before kneeling next to Tristan. "Can you move?"
Tristan shook his head.
"Well…that's bad. Hold on, I'll carry you."
"Did we do it?" Tristan asked as Qrow nodded. "Yep. Oz is here and talking to Ruler at the moment. Most of those monsters and grimm are nowhere to be seen. Now, we just need to…"
The sound of a massive explosion came as the ground rumbled beneath them.
In his delirious state, Tristan looked over towards the railway station in concern.
Sigurd… He thought.
Cú inscribed an Algiz and an Uruz rune to place a shield around Weiss.
There, she's safe. Now to deal with them. He thought looking at the others. From what Sigurd told him, the main problems facing him head-on were the girl Pollux, since she was a well-trained demigod, and the knight, who clearly looked like a brute and like someone from the berserker class. Castor was also no joke, but not as problematic as Pollux since he is a human.
Then there is that rat Perseus, who was going to sneak up on him and try to cut him down while he's distracted.
Cú scoffed in annoyance before deciding who to go for first.
He twirled his spear to bat aside Castor's discus before heading for the knight, feinting a thrust before slamming his spear against the knight's side.
"Guh!" The knight exclaimed stumbling before Cú thrust his spear at the gap of her helmet to impale her throat. The knight moved her head just in time for his spear to graze her helmet before Cú twisted to avoid a slash by Perseus.
He grabbed Perseus' arm and quickly inscribed a rune.
"Isa." He spoke as Perseus froze up.
That's him down. Cú thought in relief before noticing Castor come up in the corner of his eye and quickly stab at him at blinding speeds. Pollux jumped in and blocked his stabs, allowing Castor to step in.
Cú ducked under his swing, blocked Pollux's attack and kicked at Castor's calf, making the boy grunt and fall to one knee. Cú shifted his body to avoid getting impaled as the knight threw her sword at him before dashing forward and kicking the knight back.
Cú noticed Perseus coming out of thawing ice, sensing the telltale signs of magecraft.
Oh, so he learnt some tricks too. Cú thought before grinning. That just means I'll have to trap him with a stronger spell.
Cú ran away from Pollux and Castor as Perseus flew towards him. Cú ran towards him and twisted his body to dodge Perseus' charge before grabbing his leg.
"Isa. Uruz." He spoke as Perseus was encased in even stronger ice.
"Stop moving, bastard!" He heard the knight yell as he jumped away from her sword slamming down on the floor where he was just standing. Cú countered with some stabs that the knight blocked with the flat of her blade before pushing the spear tip away and charging towards him.
Cú smirked and sidestepped her charge, batting away Castor's discus by twirling his spear.
"Raidho." He spoke inscribing another rune as Pollux, who was moving towards him very quickly, slowed down a lot.
Cú focused back on the knight, and sensed mana before she jumped at her at even faster speeds than before.
Mana burst. She's clearly got a magical core. Cú thought
If he was at his usual speed, Cú would have been able to easily dodge her charge. But, he was much weaker, so Cú was forced to take the charge head on.
He was able to block her sword, but the force of the impact lifted his feet of the ground and sending him flying into a pillar.
Yet despite the pain, Cú felt even more excited and began laughing.
"What's so funny?" The knight spoke placing her sword on her shoulder.
"Nothing. I'm just loving this fight." Cú spoke with a wide grin. "You have no idea how pissed I was getting missing all of this action."
"Of course, it shocks me how a barbarian like you was even accepted to be a teacher."
Cú's smile fell.
That…was a bit much. He thought. Truth be told, he did feel uncomfortable as a teacher. Many of the students were wary of him because they were snowflakes who couldn't handle some hardcore training. Heck, Cú himself felt uncomfortable. Teaching required patience that he did not have, and even he was surprised how he still was good with students.
Cú shook his head before smiling. "Its just my charm." He spoke winking at Pollux who gagged while Castor glared daggers at him.
The knight charged at him again and Cú grinned.
"Wait!" Pollux spoke before Cú froze the knight too.
"Should have learned from Perseus." He spoke. Speaking of Perseus, he was thawing out too. So now, he needed at least take down one of the twins.
Cú smiled and planted his feet before suddenly throwing his spear at Pollux. Pollux's eyes widened as she hastily raised her sword to block Gáe Bolg, which knocked her sword off her grip.
Cú rolled his shoulders as Castor charged at him, before grabbing his face and slamming him against the ground and freezing him as well. Pollux charged at him with her fists and sent a number of punches and kicks at him which Cú blocked with his arm, although Pollux's left leg caught him in a spinning kick and sending him skidding back.
Pollux smiled. "Pankration is certainly useful when you're disarmed." She spoke moving in a zigzag pattern.
Cú's eyes darted from side to side before he stepped in, blocking Pollux's punch with his elbow and wrapping his other arm around her belt before moving back to position himself behind her, wrapping his arm that blocked around Pollux's neck and pushing her down in a chokehold.
"Pankration? Is that what you call your martial arts? Cool, then let me introduce you to our martial arts, pretty girl. Its called Coiléar agus Uille. I could teach you some day." Cú spoke grinning before noticing the others coming out. Weiss had also woken up.
"Wha…"
"FREEZE THEM, LASS!" Cú yelled as Weiss noticed the other three and promptly froze them.
"Do you…flirt with your…opponents?" Pollux spoke in a strained voice as she tried to free herself from the chokehold.
"Hey, don't blame me for having a cultured taste." Cú spoke smiling as Pollux's thrashing started to slow down.
Almost there. He thought as Weiss continued to freeze the others.
But then, Cú noticed a massive fireball head towards him and his eyes widened.
"Shit!" He spoke quickly getting off Pollux to dodge the fireball before his eyes widened and his pupils slit even further.
There's a god over here…He thought as his smiled disappeared and he quickly picked up his spear to take a tense stance.
"Lass, behind me." He spoke as Weiss looked at him in confusion.
"Kennaz." He spoke scanning his surroundings for the god's presence.
Where are you? He thought as the servants came out of their frozen prison.
"Sister!" Castor exclaimed running towards Pollux. "Are you alright?"
Pollux coughed. "Yes."
Castor stared at Cú in anger. "You-!" He went to step forward before stopping.
"…What?" He spoke looking around.
"Are you sure?" Perseus spoke as Cú raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"But we can't just-!" Castor tried to protest before he sighed. "…Fine." He spoke before looking at Cú.
"You have a lot more tricks up your sleeve." He stated.
Cú tilted his head and smiled innocently. "That I do~" He replied.
"We need to leave." Perseus spoke. "Farewell, Child of Light. You win this round. But next time…you won't be so lucky." He spoke leaving.
Cú sighed. "Honestly, I'm surprised my bad luck didn't strike right now." He muttered under his breath.
"Wow…that was…very aggressive." Weiss spoke.
"What? Am I a bit too rough for you, lass?" He asked.
"…Yes."
"Thought so. Now let's go and rescue…"
They heard the sound of a massive explosion as the ground rumbled.
"What's…" Weiss spoke before Cú grabbed her arm.
"Out of the station, lass!" He spoke picking her up before running out as the floor collapse behind them, jumping out of the station just as the building collapse into a cavern behind them.
Cú's eyes widened as Weiss sprang out of his arms.
"RUBY!" She screamed running towards the hole in the ground. Cú blinked before running after.
What was that? What in the Otherworld's name did you do down there, Saber?!
Sigurd stared in surprise at the servant in front of him. Even without Cinder foolishly revealing the name of his new opponent, Sigurd would have figured out his identity by just looking at him. After all, they were practically the same person, yet also different. Siegfried did not have Odin's divinity in his blood like him, nor did he have any proficiency in using the Primordial runes. Balmung was not as strong as Gram. Yet Sigurd himself could not match Siegfried's resolve and he was more perceptible to emotions. Siegfried's Fafnir was a black dragon with a core glowing the same color as his, while Sigurd's Fafnir was white. Siegfried's armor gained from bathing in Fafnir's blood was stronger than his.
In the end, it all came down to his offensive capabilities against Siegfried's defensive capabilities.
Sigurd put away Gram. He knew trying to brute force his way through Siegfried wouldn't work. He had to play on his superior speed.
Sigurd raised Ridill and Hrotti and took his stance. Siegfried took his stance as well. Sigurd risked a glance at Ruby and Blake, who didn't seem to be in danger.
"Uruz." He spoke reinforcing his daggers and inscribed the rune again.
Sigurd then charged at Siegfried, who stayed where he was. They both knew each other's weakness. The one spot where their blessing of bathing in Fafnir's blood did not work. And both knew Sigurd had a better chance of hitting that spot because of his superior speed and agility.
The only problem was that he had sacrificed range by putting Gram away and was forced to jump back as Balmung cut through the air.
Sigurd put back Ridill and Hrotti and punched his other two daggers, forcing Siegfried to put Balmung back and deflect the daggers.
Sigurd fired up his draconic core and lunged towards Siegfried. Siegfried turned to keep his back away from Sigurd and stabbed at him. Sigurd crossed Ridill and Hrotti to catch Balmung's blade and pushed it aside, before stepping in and landing a number of hits on Siegfried's chest. However, they bounced off and Sigurd shoulder-checked Siegfried to push him back.
"Uruz." He spoke reinforcing Ridill and Hrotti even further. Now, the daggers were each powered by four Uruz runes, which should be enough to get past the armor. Although to deliver a severe blow, he needed to get to that spot.
Siegfried kept his guard up as Sigurd feinted left and right before stabbing at his stomach. However, Siegfried let the daggers hit him and swung Balmung. Sigurd stepped back quickly to avoid taking the brunt of the blow, but the hit still struck his abdomen.
Good thing that hit wasn't strong enough to pierce my armor. Sigurd thought. But now I think I should use Gram. He's a lot better at protecting his body than I thought.
Sigurd put away Ridill and Hrotti and pulled out Gram. Siegfried's stomach was bleeding from the attacks of the reinforced daggers, and Sigurd could tell he was going to be more cautious with him.
He reinforced Gram and fired up his core again.
"Uruz." He whispered before blasting towards Siegfried, cracking the ground behind him as he flew at Siegfried at breakneck speeds. Siegfried raised Balmung and was almost lifted off the ground when Sigurd crashed into him, sparks flying off as Balmung and Gram pressed against each other.
Both pushed against each other as Siegfried stared into the emotionless blue lights on Sigurd's mask.
"Uruz." Sigurd spoke as he began to overpower Siegfried. For the first time in the fight, Siegfried showed emotion as he grit his teeth and put in even more force.
The ground began splitting into two under them as they started tearing the railway platform in half with their deadlock.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Sigurd felt a sense of satisfaction. This was the first time coming to Remnant that he was fighting a warrior equalling or even surpassing him in strength, even if that warrior is another variant of himself.
Siegfried's strength was very impressive, holding on even after Sigurd had reinforced himself with multiple Uruz runes.
But, this deadlock had to end.
They stared at each other one more time before making their move. Siegfried twisted his blade and slid out of the deadlock, putting himself beside Sigurd as the two crossed each other, Siegfried swinging Balmung at Sigurd's weak spot while Sigurd brought out Ridill in reverse grip and brought it down towards Siegfried's weak spot.
Time seem to slow down as both of their attacks headed for their weak spots, before Sigurd brought Gram behind his back to block Balmung while Siegfried twisted to take Ridill on his pauldron.
Sigurd stepped forward and turned around, swinging Gram in an upward slash that cut a gash on Siegfried's back and barely missed his weak spot as Siegfried quickly turned around in alarm.
Both stared at each other in silence. It was clear they were equally matched. Sigurd nodded in respect at his opponent before noticing something.
Siegfried was showing signs of strain on his face, which was odd, because he hadn't shown that even when Sigurd was putting him under a gruelling test of strength in that deadlock. No, Siegfried's strain was something…
"Help…" He spoke in a strained voice as Sigurd's eyes widened. Now that he could think of it, there shouldn't be a reason for Siegfried to willing join the white fang and the rogue servants in their activites. That meant he was being forced to do this.
A sense of pity washed over Sigurd.
"You are under a binding spell." He spoke.
"Correct." Someone else spoke as flames converged behind Siegfried to reveal a man with brown hair and fiery orange eyes wearing a black business suit.
"The Carrier…!" He heard Ruby exclaim and immediately he was alarmed.
This is the one… He thought. The Carrier looked normal, but Sigurd could tell from the power he radiated that he was a god, or at least, a divine spirit.
"Your students have already met me, Sigurd. But I'll introduce myself once again. I am the Carrier, the leader of this little faction of phantasmal beasts, grimm and servants. A pleasure to meet you."
Sigurd stayed silent. Despite the pleasant tone of his voice, the Carrier put him on edge. It was as if Loki himself were whispering in his ears.
"It honestly would have been so beneficial if you were with us. Your mastery of the Primordial runes, your speed, your strength. No wonder you are called the 'King of Warriors'."
"And be forced to engage in this? Absolutely not." Sigurd spoke coldly.
"Why? Its not like your side is any better?" The Carrier replied.
"…What do you mean?"
The Carrier smiled before looking at Ruby and Blake. "Humans do have their savage moments, often committing unspeakable crimes for their own survival. Why, this very mountain is proof of what I said. Those people you protect…they'll climb over your corpses so that they can live. That's how so many heroes ended up. That's how your mother ended up."
Ruby's eyes widened as her grip on Crescent Rose tightened.
"Yes, Ms. Rose. Your mother, like so many other brave huntsmen and huntresses, is only a toy for the common folk. They say that to be a hero is to break past your limits. Well, they didn't mention one more thing. And that is…"
"…To be a hero is to be a slave to everyone." The Carrier spoke as Sigurd took a deep breath. For a terrifying reason, he found himself agreeing with The Carrier, especially the last part. His entire life had been controlled by the Nornir. He had been a slave to people's expectations.
But yet, Sigurd did not fall for it. Although he could not say the same for Ruby. It was clear her mother was her weak spot, and the Carrier put her in an unstable mental state with that single statement.
"And even ignoring the savage nature of normal humans, You three should realize that you are fighting for a manipulative liar who doesn't lift a finger while his allies sacrifice themselves. One of the differences between us is that my ally has told us all that she knows. On the other had, I believe Ozpin hasn't even breathed a single word about all of this to you."
Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. "Ozpin is hiding things?"
The Carrier nodded. "Of course he is. That has been his motto for a long, long time. Along with using living beings as chess pieces. How do you think Ozpin succeeded so well in kicking the White fang out of vale? He used you and your friends to find the location of the warehouses."
Ruby and Blake were silent. Even Sigurd couldn't find any deception in The Carrier's words.
"Tell me, all of you. How many times has Ozpin actually worked with you and not used you as his pawns?"
"…"
"The silence says it all."
"…I-I…" Ruby spoke looking at Sigurd with pleading eyes. Sigurd sighed. He and Blake could see it, but Ruby still held a lot of respect for Ozpin. It wouldn't sit well wit her if such words were spoken.
"Your teacher can't deny it, Ms. Rose. Because deep down…He's knows I am right." The Carrier spoke as more shadow servants appear. "As good as it would be to let you go, I'll decide against it." He spoke clenching his fist as Sigurd couldn't find himself able to move.
What… He thought trying to break free but wasn't able to.
A bunch of lancer shadow servants moved behind him.
"You know his weak spot! Make it quick." The Carrier spoke as Ruby's eyes widened. Sigurd noticed her glancing at the large number of dust crates.
"Ruby…" Sigurd spoke shaking his head as his mask collapsed back to show his face.
Don't do it, Ruby. Don't fall prey to your fears… He thought, knowing very well the catastrophe that could occur if Ruby went through with her intentions. She was less informed about the Mt. Glenn massacre.
"Ruby…if you do this, then you'll see the horrific truth of this mountain." Sigurd spoke. "You're still a child. Please…listen to me and do it."
Ruby's scared silver eyes stared into his blue ones as Sigurd silently pleaded to her. The Shadow servant behind him pointed their spear at his weak spot.
"I'm sorry…" Ruby spoke closing her eyes and pointing Crescent Rose towards the crates.
"No!" Both Sigurd and Blake yelled as Blake tackled Ruby to the ground, but not before she pulled the trigger.
The Carrier's eyes widened as his grip lessened and Sigurd dashed towards his students, wrapping them with his arms and covering them with his body as flames engulfed them.
Ruby opened her eyes to see nothing but darkness and debris around her. She groaned as she struggled to her feet.
Her blinked as her vision cleared. Whatever had happened, she was clearly in a cavern created by the explosion.
Ruby's mind then clicked as she remembered the events leading up to the explosion.
Professor Saber fighting Siegfried…
Him meeting the carrier…
The Shadow servant preparing to stab him…
"PROFESSOR!" She called out. "BLAKE!" She spoke before hearing another groan and noticing Blake getting up beside her. Her arms and face were covered in soot along with a number of cuts across her body. Ruby also noticed that she was covered in soot and bleeding from several cuts as well. She ignored the pain and helped Blake up.
"Are you alright?" She asked as Blake nodded before looking at her. "Ruby…what did you do…?" She asked in a voice laced with shock and hurt.
Ruby winced. "I…I had to get rid of the dust so that they couldn't use it. And Professor Saber…" She spoke before realizing something terrible.
The grunts… She thought in horror.
"Oh gods…" Ruby spoke in horror. They couldn't have survived the explosion.
"What about the faunuses?" Blake asked as Ruby swallowed nervously.
"I-I…"
Blake stared at Ruby in silence and Ruby clenched her eyes shut. "I-I'm sorry…" She spoke choking up. All those faunuses were dead.
And its all my fault. She thought. She should have thought about them before shooting at the crates. She'd messed up really bad. She'd killed Blake's own kind.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked down in shame. Sorry couldn't even come close to making up for the crime she'd committed against Blake.
"Ruby." Blake spoke gently. "I know you didn't mean it, but…why didn't you think of them?"
"I-I don't know! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ruby spoke choking up.
I'm such a terrible friend. She thought in grief.
"Ruby…" Blake spoke before Ruby turned away. Yet when she opened her eyes, she saw a skull staring at her.
"AAAH!" Ruby screamed jumping back as Blake came up beside her. "Ruby…?" She asked in concern as Ruby pointed at the skull.
It was then she noticed a number of skeletons lying around. As soon as her eyes fell on them, Ruby felt a headache again before she saw a strange sight.
There were people standing near them, their faces filled with fear as they screamed and shouted.
"HEY! DON'T LEAVE US HERE!" One man in a green shirt screamed.
"PLEASE, TAKE US WITH YOU!" A woman in a purple dress screamed.
"MOMMY! WHERE'S MOMMY?!" A boy in a blue shirt screamed.
"WE CAN'T TAKE YOU! WE DON'T HAVE TIME LEFT!" Another man yelled from above. "I'M SORRY BUT WE HAVE NO CHOICE!"
"WAIT! NO!" The same man screamed before Ruby noticed a boulder slip into place. All the people there then began screaming.
Ruby heard the screams of so many echo in her mind and she felt like her ears were bleeding.
"Stop…" She spoke covering her ears.
The screams continued.
"STOP!" She screamed.
But the screams did not stop.
"Ṡ̵͎̬̱͕̼͇͕̺͒́͌T̸̝͎̺̻̤̉͒̊̌͜Ò̶͇̟̩̈́̈́͗͑̄̕P̷̱̝̹͖̈̊͒͝!̸̖̪̻̌̏̑̅̑͠" She screamed one last time and all the screams fell silent. Ruby's heart was pounding as the silence felt suffocating instead of reassuring. She noticed three skeletons, one wearing a green shirt, one wearing a purple dress and a smaller one wearing a blue shirt.
At that moment, everything clicked.
"Humans do have their savage moments, often committing unspeakable crimes to ensure their own survival."
"This very mountain is proof of what I said."
"If you do this, then you'll see the horrific truth of this mountain."
The people of Mount Glenn hadn't been just slaughtered by the grimm. Most of them had been abandoned by their own comrades, and the mountain's underground caverns had become their tomb.
Ruby stared at the skeletons, her eyes wide and unblinking.
…And then she let out a bloodcurdling scream of terror.
Sigurd opened his eyes to see rocks above him. He blinked as he took deep breaths.
"That was…risky." He spoke.
Despite his silent pleas, Ruby had gone and done it, blowing up the dust crates and completely destroying the underground railroad, sending them into a cavern.
Sigurd then heard Ruby's horrified scream as his eyes widened. Sigurd punched the rocks away from him and quickly emerged from the debris.
He emerged out to see Ruby on her knees, staring with wide eyes at some skeletons as tears streamed down her face. Blake was kneeling next to her, looking at her in panic.
"Professor! I-I don't know! Ruby was just staring at them and then she…!"
"Calm down." Sigurd spoke before looking at Ruby. "Ruby?"
"They abandoned them…They abandoned them…They abandoned them…" Ruby spoke repeating the same thing over and over.
"Ruby?"
Ruby gave no response, continuing to repeat her words. Sigurd could only tell that Ruby had figured out the true fate of the people of Mount Glenn.
The survivors had been placed under isolation by Vale's council, because if the public got to know what the survivors did to their comrades, then Vale would have been thrown into chaos and radiated enough negativity to bring in an army of grimm.
So, the story of Mount Glenn's residents being slaughtered by grimm was created.
Sigurd thought of the Nornir, sitting by their well and continuing to perform their duties.
Why? Why have you three put so much suffering in this poor girl's life? He thought bitterly before casting a sleeping spell on Ruby. He needed to get her out of here.
Sigurd then heard growls as several red eyes lit up within the darkness.
"Blake! Go!" He spoke as he slung Ruby on his back and began climbing the stone wall towards the top, where he could see the light of the cavern.
Sigurd and Blake began climbing quickly up the slope of debris as grimm pursued them. The hill of debris began rumbling as some chunks fell off, which Sigurd and Blake narrowly dodged while smaller chunks bounced off a shield created by an Algiz rune placed by Sigurd.
They could hear the sounds of grimm snapping at them but did not look back. They were getting close to the top. A bit more and they would be out.
Sigurd was the first one to climb out. However, when Blake came up, the boulder she was standing on began to shift. Blake's eyes widened as she found herself still far from the top.
Blake ran towards the edge of the boulder and jumped as high as she could, throwing Gambol Shroud to hook onto the top. It flew towards the edge before losing speed and preparing to fall.
Blake's eyes widened in fear…
…Before someone caught Gambol Shroud.
Sigurd noticed Weiss gritting her teeth as she grabbed onto Gambol Shroud.
"Weiss?" Blake spoke in surprise as Weiss got up to her feet and pulled. "Help!" She spoke as Sigurd placed Ruby down and quickly came over, grabbing Gambol Shroud's cord and yanking Blake up with one pull.
Blake came out and landed on the ground, staring at Weiss with wide eyes.
"You…saved me?" She spoke.
Weiss wiped her forehead. "Why is it that you weigh so much, Blake? But to answer your question…you're my teammate. Of course I'm going to save you." She spoke with a smile and offered her hand.
Blake blinked before smiling and accepting her hand as Weiss pulled her up.
"RUBY!" Yang screamed as she rushed up to Ruby's sleeping body. "What happened to her?!"
"I put her to sleep, Yang. Rest assured, she's fine." Sigurd spoke.
Physically, although not mentally… He thought. He noticed the other servants, Qrow, Ozpin and Glynda walk up. All of them had a downtrodden look on their faces.
"Were we successful?" He asked as Ozpin nodded.
"Partially. We have taken Mount Glenn, but most of the enemy's forces escape and are headed to the east."
"I see. Then we are pursuing them?"
"…No. We can't?"
Sigurd furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?"
Qrow sighed. "Because we've got some really bad news."
Jaune yawned as his alarm clock rang.
"Fine, fine, I'm up…" He grumbled switching off the clock.
Another day to wake up to, Jaune. He thought looking at his rabbit onesie. He noticed his teammates were still sleeping. Ren with his black shirt and black trousers, Nora in her pink shirt with a white heart and white shorts and Pyrrha in her red tank top and black shorts.
"Guys…" He spoke softly as his teammates got up in their regular ways – Nora jumping from her bed, Ren getting up stiffly and Pyrrha getting up in a looser manner.
"Good morning, Jaune." She spoke with a smile.
"Good morning, Pyrrha." Jaune replied.
"Hey! What about us?!" Nora exclaimed as Jaune chuckled.
"Good morning to you too."
"Oh, I get it…you use names for your partner, but not for me and Rennie!" She spoke pointing an accusing finger as Jaune nervously raised his arms. "Sorry, sorry!" He spoke hastily as Pyrrha looked away with a blush on her cheeks.
"Nora." Ren spoke as Nora looked at him before smiling. "Alright. Sorry 'bout that."
"Its ok." Jaune spoke. "So, ready to start our new day. I bet the outside view's going to be…" Jaune spoke opening the curtains before his voice died out.
Their dorm had a view of the city of Vale in the distance, and Jaune could make out plumes of smoke rising.
Sirens sounded as JNPR looked around in alarm.
"Attention to all huntsmen stationed in Vale. The city is under attack by grimm. The city is under attack by grimm. Immediate assistance is required."
"So, you remember that Mount Glenn's railroad is connected to Vale?" Qrow spoke. "Well, whatever that explosion was opened a path for all the grimm stuck inside." He spoke as a cold pit grew in Sigurd's stomach.
People screamed as Grimm burst into shops and buildings, killing any people living inside. No human was spared as Grimm tore the defenceless civilians apart. More grimm poured into Vale from the nearby hill connected to Mount Glenn.
Nearby, JNPR stood in their combat gear alongside all the other students from Beacon. Port, Oobleck, Peach and the reserve huntsmen who didn't go with the main force to Mount Glenn assembled into the remaining bullheads, headed for Vale.
"Then that means…" Sigurd spoke as Ozpin closed his eyes.
"Vale is being attacked by grimm as we speak."
A/N: While writing this chapter, I realized that with the way I've written this chapter, adding another chapter covering the breach would be pointless because it would go just like in canon minus Team RWBY. So, consider this the end of the Mount Glenn Arc. There's going to be an aftermath chapter that will wrap up Volume-2 and set the stage for Volume-3.
In the chapter, I had Tristan's and Sigurd's fight written a bit less crazy because these were in truth setups. Cu, however, could get a badass fight scene because it wouldn't be having a negative impact on his story.
Also, I just can't get the excitement of Sigurd Vs Siegfried out of my head, especially after I saw this really sick artwork showing them facing each other. Its link is below:
r/grandorder/comments/akd40t/winter_clash_siegfried_vs_sigurd/
This is what came to my head while I was thinking of introducing Siegfried.
As for the Ruby portion, well, something major has just happened, although its impact will only be felt much later in the story.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Content Analysis:
Cu's unarmed combat: Coiléar agus Uille is a form of wrestling that was developed in Ancient Ireland. It involves grappling and grabbing your opponent by the collar as well as tripping them up.
According to sources, it dates to as far back as 1400 BCE, making it even older than the greek Pankration.
Pankration, unlike Coiléar agus Uille, uses more punches and kicks and is more of an MMA-style martial art.
Cu chulainn was said to be a master of this wrestling style, and a version of the Ulster cycle says he utilized this style to choke Culann's hound to death, thus earning himself the name 'Cu Chulainn.
Cu's comment of 'scrawny greeks': When the celts invaded greece in 280 BCE, they were said to have captured frail Greek men and women and paraded them in front of numerous tribes in the Celtic homeland to boost morale and portray the Greeks as 'weaklings' who cannot resist the might of Celtic warriors. This led to the perception among Celts that the greek people were frail and weak.
Response to Reviews:
longbowchris50: Well, Cinder has been shown to make stupid mistakes and get overconfident whenever things go her way. This is a trend that has not changed even after Volume-3. The only time her overconfidence hasn't come back to bite her in the ass is the end of Volume-8, although that's probably because Team RWBY has become really incompetent by that point.
Along with that factor, Nasuverse concepts are something Remnant's characters aren't really used to. Cinder doesn't grasp how important it is for a servant to keep their identity a secret, and hence blurts out Siegfried's name.
Stickmanreader: Yeah, I've been planning this one chapter since I started Volume-2. I was forced to limit myself in some areas, however, because I'm reserving that for Volume-3, which is going to be one heck of a rollercoaster.