Hello again! How are you all doing? Chapter 37 is here. I really hope you enjoy what you have been reading and what I intend to do as the finale of the Arc.
Thank you all once more (yes I never get tired of thanking you) for following, favoring or even simply reading the story. See you next week!
Among all her peers and excluding Nora, Blake knew Yang was the one with the tendency to exaggerate the most.
Her partner would always try to impress them, mostly Ruby to be fair, with tell-tale stories of heroism and the defeat of immensely powerful opponents.
That was the reason the more sensible members of RWBY rarely gave her any credit. Instead, they were meeting her tales with skepticism and some low-key dark humor.
As Blake went airborne, falling down the bridge for the fourth time in a few minutes, she immediately decided this was not one of these times. Yang was definitely not exaggerating when she described how powerful their enemy had been.
Using a shadow clone as a stepping stone, the faunus jumped back on the stony path above the chasm. Right next to her landed her partner who had used a few shots to propel her body back to safety again.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, another graviton blast raked them, sending both huntresses backwards. They tumbled and resisted, but finally gave up and were hurled away, crashing on the rocky terrace.
Blake grabbed the edge of the bridge and managed to escape another fall, while Yang merely pirouetted mid-air and sent another artillery shot to regain her position.
"…" the faunus jumped up and stared at their enemy. Cherry hadn't moved at all, focusing only on sending them these all-powerful blasts. She was sure she could see her smile beneath the Nuckelavee mask.
"I told you; she is really powerful" the blonde girl finally exclaimed. "We haven't even managed to threaten her yet, or even get closer!"
"The terrain helps her too; she can freely use her powers to throw us back or repel any ranged attacks we make. Plus, if we get too careless and charge with all our might, she may pull in and skewer us with her polearm."
Seems she has a few tactical bones in that pretty body of hers. Yang growled. The only useful thing they had managed to find out so far was that her gravity control had quite the small range.
That again, was useless since they were the ones in a hurry and she was guarding the passage. "Time passes fast; what do we do, Blakey?"
The faunus looked at their enemy again; she was waiting, probably regaining a few ounces of her spent power, while they were standing there.
Back at the beach, Weiss used her glyphs to counter all the pull and push tricks Cherry had used, Blake thought. But Weiss is not here and we only have fire dust with us. A pretty straightforward fight it will be.
That, on itself, gave them a disadvantage. Those kinds of fights favored the ones who had advantageous positions or immense power and truth be told, the Bumblebee duo was more effective in close-range combat.
We need a diversion to get closer. We… need a diversion! "Blakey? Are you-" "Yang" she cut her partner off. "Can you please jump at her and use some fire dust to attack? I will handle the rest."
"Oh" Yang whispered. "I thought you hated Cougar and Dragon!" "It's Cat and Dragon" Blake rolled her eyes. "Will you do it?" Yang grinned and started moving forward.
Cherry saw her enemies discussing and tensed every single muscle on her body. Usually making plans in the middle of combat was reckless, but there was no point abandoning her favorable ground to disrupt them.
Besides, she smiled, if they manage to overcome the bridge and reach me, things will get even more interesting.
Xiao Long broke away from Belladonna and started running towards her. Cherry dropped her smile and narrowed her eyes. A few more meters and the tall woman would be within striking range.
Then, all of a sudden, she jumped high. Immediately after that, her partner ran forward across the bridge, sword in hand for a quick thrust.
An air-ground attack combo? Are they that desperate? She opened her palm and focused her power, creating a huge dome-shaped gravity pulse, to simultaneously repel both of them.
Blake jumped as well, right behind her partner who was using her gauntlets shots to prolong her flight. Just before the wave hit them, a clone appeared right below Yang.
Stepping on Blake-clone's head, the brawler jumped even higher. The dome struck them both, crushing the faunus' image and sending her real body falling in the chasm-
Cherry's eyes shot upwards. Yang was falling, as expected, but her consecutive jumps and shots had brought her right above the masked woman.
Her first reaction would have been to blast her again, but Cherry was no amateur. Her senses tingled, her body screamed. She could feel it- someone coming for her.
The kimono-clad woman jumped backwards, a few seconds before Nightfall's blade sliced at her previous spot, followed by Yang creating a crater in the place with her landing.
Jumping up from the chasm, Blake stepped next to her partner, her stoic face focused on the cherry-haired faunus.
"She saw through us" was the only thing that came out of Belladonna's mouth. "At least now we are next to her" Yang cracked her fingers. "You have given us a tough time, lady."
There was no response. No talk, nothing. Not even a laugh to reply to the blonde's comment.
She looked at the enemy faunus slowly standing up, grabbing her weapon tighter. She then realized the woman was smiling under her mask.
Her vision blurred, images of a blonde boy with a monkey tail getting sliced over his chest, his blood falling over her face. His gasp of pain echoed in the cavern-
Blake immediately kicked Yang out of the way, earning a huge slash at her abdomen. Her powerful reflexes kicked in and she teleported away, avoiding the hit. Cherry spun on her left leg and kicked Yang.
"What the-" the blonde skidded back, trying to avoid falling over the edge "stay alert!" the yellow-eyed woman shouted at her partner, while her gaze never left their enemy.
She seemed ecstatic; her entire body was tense with anticipation. Her aura was so focused; Blake could swear it was visible.
There were no sounds coming from her; she could barely hear the warrior breathing under her mask. Her level of concentration is inhuman!
"The true battle begins now!" panting, she unclasped Nightfall and moved to the left, effectively having the duo flanking Cherry.
That didn't ease Blake's concerns even in the slightest.
-o—
"Surrender"
Ignoring the voice in her head, three frozen shards materialized under Weiss' left arm, in response to the blue glyphs she called forth. Spinning her right one, she sent them forward to the advancing horde.
They crashed on the floor, taking down quite a few of them. But not as many as she wanted to. And of course, not It.
She breathed heavily. The ominous presence whispering inside her mind didn't help her unfavorable position.
"There is nothing here for you, only death"
The fish-Grimm rushed forward, jaws open wide to engulf her, as silent as the deep depths of the sea. Weiss ignored the pain in her left eye and conjured a pillar of ice to trap them.
Her aim was again off; arms, legs and a few bodies were trapped in the protruding pillar, but the entangled things were not dead; if anything, their attempts to move towards her, despite being half-encased in ice were adding to the whole creepy atmosphere.
"This is futile. We are numerous; we can't be stopped"
"Will you kindly shut up?" she groaned, as It moved towards her. Her breathing got heavier; the feeling of dread had returned. So much for my previous bold statement!
White glyphs spread beneath the fake visage, and Winter's lithe body fell upon her, forcing her back.
A slice towards her left side was dodged. She ducked to avoid the follow-up thrust to her head. Spinning her fingers, Weiss created a thin layer of ice between them to avoid the upcoming kick.
Its knee shot was much more powerful than what her sister's should be, cracking the ice with one strike. The voice, of course didn't let the opportunity go to waste.
"You can't even defend- not talking about attack"
It gave her, however, a few precious seconds to roll forward and start running towards the pool and the continuously spawning mass of enemies.
Utilizing a few high-speed glyphs, she created an array of cold spears that she hurled towards them. Again, however, her aim was off.
The continuous assault impaled many monsters, but quite a few escaped.
"You are merely a walking corpse now. Surrender to us."
Not only the voice was driving her crazy; the area around her was so thick with energy from that sickly green light. She felt like trapped underwater with someone flashing a torch at her.
Not to mention her left eye still hurt like hell. Its vision hadn't been restored yet, greatly affecting her aim. In other words, she was getting exhausted.
But… "Surrender to you? Don't make me laugh!" her nostrils flared and her heavy breathing intensified. The monsters ran to her. So did It.
"If I can't aim properly…" mimicking her girlfriend, Weiss slammed her knuckles together "…then I will just have to take you all down!" she stretched her arms out, unleashing the full brunt of her semblance.
A humongous white rune spread from the petite girl's body, covering the entire cave's floor. A pulse of blue light rose from it and then materialized.
"A futile, hopeless struggle. Nothing but a trifle"
It-Winter was the only sensible enough to stop and defend. The colossal burst of cold dust engulfed everything, freezing dry all the lesser Grimm.
It covered the pool, totally sealing its surface. Not even the leak of the Eldergrimm's crystal was spared, getting closed by the immense power of Weiss' frost glyph.
The power then settled down, leaving only the huntress and the insulting miasma copying her sister standing on top of a frozen terrace.
"There is only one way to be saved. Offer yourself to us"
"Oh, shut up" her head burned. Despite the atmosphere having only so slightly improved, the situation was far less than favorable. She turned around and stared at her enemy.
Red locked on cyan as the SDC ex-heiress exhaled deeply. "So, what will it be? Will you surrender? Or do I have to give you a matching scar?"
Weiss wiped the trail of blood that had formed on her cheek down to her lips. She felt surprisingly calm, even excited? Yes, I am finally losing it; and for the first time it's not Yang's fault.
"For eons we have received the offerings of those too weak to fight us. Those seeking for our blessing; our mercy and protection."
"Offerings of gold, blood and soul"
"Human sacrifices and religious idol offerings" she didn't know if the newfound burning sensation was from her wound getting worse or from her growing anger.
"What need would you -a Grimm- have of gold?" It laughed as it licked its pink-reddish lips. "Fear. Fear nourishes us. It makes us stronger, more livid. It's our existence's sole purpose."
"Human emotions are powerful. The most powerful ones are fear and despair that follow after hope is taken away"
It took her a few seconds to realize. After connecting the dots, she wished she hadn't even understood what this meant.
"You… cultivated humans. You asked them for religious offerings to keep them in fear of you and then crushed their hopes by demanding blood sacrifices!"
"Once every few years, on a particularly beautiful moon" the masked enemy raised her hand as if talking to the twisted being above her in an ecstatic fashion.
"Hoping to alleviate the Gods with gold, only to realize the blood and soul must be forfeited once more…the despair at the end of hope when one's flesh is crushed by our fangs… a true delicacy…."
"It has been so long since we last feasted. So long we haven't tasted the exquisite blessing of human flesh."
Weiss trembled. What am I hearing? If this is not a dream, then this world is far more twisted than Salem ever imagined!
She curled her fists into balls. This thing, this monster that is Grimm only in name, it can never leave this place!
"This is not for you to decide"
"Your time is up" the masked warrior born of her fears and regrets raised her swords. "Nothing can save you now, sacrifice."
-o—
The harrowing scream that burst from the well could only belong to Weiss; Ruby could never mistake her for everyone else.
"Ah, did you hear that? I know you did; no reason to deny it." Alizar stepped closer to her. "How does it feel? I can only imagine what piece of Schnee was torn apart to make her scream like that.
Ruby didn't reply. She believed in Weiss. The sound of her best friend in pain had frozen her blood, but she still believed in her- she was Weiss; she had to pull through.
And, of course, there was no way she would ever give that monster the satisfaction of watching her suffering. "It's combat; people get hurt."
"I know you can't even convince yourself about that, Little Red" Alizar walked away and stepped closer to Jaune. "What are you-" he picked up something from next to the boy and turned around to face her.
Ruby's eyes opened wide. Alizar was holding a sword; a long, one-handed sword with a green handle and pommel resembling vines. The blade was silver and had green vines carved all over it, with four small red rubies resembling roses along them.
"That doesn't belong to you" she added grimly. "Neither to you- it was that foolish girl's weapon." He walked back and stood in front of her again.
So, he did have ties with Yugure after all, she thought. I wonder how many allies he has. "The stupid girl that foolishly died in Yugure for no reason at all" he added laughing.
"Shut up. Melia Pale was her name and she didn't die without reason. She saved many- AH!" without any remorse, the redhead boy pierced the tip of the blade into Ruby's shoulder.
"You were saying?" he pressed even more, making the huntress clench her teeth to stifle the cry of pain rising from her throat.
"T-torture me all you want; it doesn't change what happened. And it doesn't change what you are." Alizar grabbed her bloodied chin and raised her head in front of his.
"She was a fool; clinging to something as useless and pathetic as hope. There is no hope in the real world Rose, only a temporary glimpse of fake happiness. And those fools like you who believe it!"
"How sad… and how wrong you are…AGHHH!" she nearly cried, as the man stirred the sword while still in her shoulder. "You have such a big mouth- why don't you shut up?"
"Make me…" she gasped "but even if you kill me, I refuse to give up." The fury in his amber eyes as she rose her own to meet him was astonishing.
"You are seriously not realizing you are marching to your death, right?" he pointed towards the pillar and the circle of runes that was slowly pulsing, the thick goo absorbing the light and sending it inside the opening.
"The ritual has already started. The only thing it requires is an offering of blood. As soon as Schnee dies, the pulse will gleam red and the ancient God of the deep will rise once more in Remnant."
"Weiss will not- AAAH!" he twisted again, this time pressing inside her flesh. "DIDN'T I SAY TO SHUT UP? NO MORE BULLSHIT POSITIVE PREACHING! YOU ARE MAKING ME WANT TO PUKE!"
"Ahh…it hurts…aaahhhh…" he pushed forward and spat at Ruby's face. "This is for her, Ruby Rose. You took my sister, my hero, away. I will savor every moment of this."
He plucked the sword out and the same moment Ruby's left hand grabbed Alizar's sword-wielding fingers. "Please… you can still stop…"
"So, now you are begging, huh?" he grinned. "Let me tell you something; not only I won't stop, I will cut you as carefully as possible to keep you alive."
"Please…" "After Schnee is killed and Cherry brings the other two here, I will carve them and offer them to the awakening Avyssos. It will devour them in front of your very eyes."
"I don't believe it…" she tightened her fingers on top of his, but she was too weak to even challenge him for the sword. After all, even if she took it, he could simply use his semblance and crush her arm with it.
"Finally, I will let it devour Arc and you together. You will be reunited with him in the afterlife and I really hope it will let you live enough so that you will beg for the good that doesn't exist to-"
"Thank Dust you are stupid" a clicking sound disrupted his monologue. Before he could even process Ruby's words, a fiery blast engulfed them both, destroying the stone prison she was being held on.
-o-
Alizar got up; a cloud of dust obscured his vision. His ears were dizzy and his body was bleeding, but thankfully he still had some reserves.
He flared his aura- a rose petal was the only thing he managed to see before a huge slash destroyed his aura again and sent him on his knees.
"AAAGH!" he groaned in pain. The only response was another slash through the dust cloud. He rolled away and raised a stone wall that absorbed the brunt of the hit before shattering.
"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, as he used his semblance to shoot the dust away, revealing his opponent.
Ruby Rose was standing in front of the chasm. Her clothes were torn and her cloak was tattered and burnt. Pieces of her chains were still hanging from her arms and legs.
Her face was half swollen by the blast and the beating she had received earlier today, but her eyes were shining with determination. And anger. She held the sword in her left hand, the small gem roses shining with fire dust.
"You just can't GIVE UP, can you!?" he spat blood on the ground as he flared his aura again. "How much of a foolish idealist can you be?!"
"After your sister and Watts killed my uncle and Winter and framed us for Ironwood's murder in Atlas three years ago, we got imprisoned by the kingdom" Ruby replied flatly.
"It was the only time in my life I gave up; the worst four days of my life. I felt like I could never be happy again. It took all of us quite some time to get over it and start moving on once more."
Ruby clutched her heart "people like the huntsmen who attacked you for money and people like you, who use their suffering to justify hurting others, don't have any right to speak ill of our determination!"
Alizar stiffened, ready to attack her. Her eyes opened wide in a rare display of pride. "So, I will say it only once; spare me the self-righteous talk."
Eyebrows furred as the girl's expression changed to fury and she grabbed her weapon with both hands. "Come on; I will show you first-hand what a true huntress is like."
And, hopefully, this way I can prevent one more pointless death in the name of vengeance.
P.S Many thanks to my two proofreaders and fellow RWBY enthusiasts Elia and Fenia. You are the best. Really.