Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine!
Ch. 81 is up and, as always, I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks a lot again for following/ favoring/ reading the story. You all are awesome.
See you next week with Ch. 82. Until then, have fun!
The violent explosion shook the entire hall, sound resonating inside the half-empty walls as the smoke from Yang and Ruby's artillery fire slowly subsided, revealing their enemy completely unscathed.
"Checkmate!" Blake and Weiss went on the offensive at once. Nightfall, Myrtenaster and Crown danced as their owners skated over the white girl's glyphs, sending a cascade of precise slices at the hooded figure.
All of their attacks, however, didn't land; a sudden gust of wind erupted around the figure, repelling them. At once, the human skull at the top of its staff shone with a wicked green light. "Vanish."
"Fall back!" a flick of her wrist was enough for the Schnee girl to jump away with the help of gravity dust, performing a tall somersault as she landed next to Blake who had used her semblance to blink away.
The light stopped and the green hue vanished from their enemy's tall weapon without any attack being sent at them. That was their fourth attempt already and the pattern seemed to change each time.
"Wind, green explosions and earth" Ruby, weapon at hand, said as she supported them and observed the battle from the back row. "It has used three different abilities in such different ways. It is a creative one."
"Yeah" Blake, legs slightly bent in anticipation of an attack, replied. "It also utilizes energy from the staff instead of- INCOMING!" all four of them jumped backwards, as they saw a wave of green energy pulsing.
A consecutive series of blasts raked the ground, three times destroying the floor, tearing the walls and making huge dents on the columns. Due to Blake's warning, RWBY managed to avoid getting caught in the blast.
"Reposition! Artemis Formation!" Ruby shouted as all of them ran away from the hissing green vapors that rose from the destroyed floor.
They quickly moved to their right and took their indicated positions. As Yang and Blake ran forward, the crimson reaper unfurled her scythe and stood ready behind them, waiting for her partner to do her part.
Weiss skated behind her and swirled her blades, creating a six-layered array of gravity glyphs at once. As soon as the sound of her semblance was heard, the other pair split up, continuing their charge but leaving a straight opening between them that linked Ruby to the Grimm.
This would truly put its defenses to the test. Even if it could somehow react to Ruby with the earth or the wind wall, there was no time for it to also dodge Yang and Blake's follow-up assault.
"Fools" and all of a sudden, Weiss' roaring glyph array, broke. A sound like shattering glass filled their ears, as Ruby rushed forward without the help from her partner's powerful semblance.
"RUBY!" her sharp and trained instincts were the only thing that saved her, allowing the reaper to burst away as soon as she realized the lack of speed behind the attack- and a second before a green beam hit her.
As she landed back, next to a flabbergasted Weiss, she noticed her two teammates had stopped advancing as well. "What on earth- did I just see that?" Blake sounded extremely shocked- wait, was she?
"Blake! You are trembling!" Yang jumped next to the faunus and shot at the ground, leaving a small crater a few moments before another beam hit the shocked faunus. "It- it… impossible!" she screamed.
"It cancelled my semblance" equally shocked, but calmer, the alabaster woman walked next to Ruby. "Those Eldergrimm have the tendency to find new ways to catch us off-guard" she completed her thoughts.
A few meters away, the black-haired huntress had managed to pull herself together. "Are you ok, Blakey?" the blonde asked in concern.
"Yes, I am sorry. It just… as soon as it cancelled Weiss' glyphs I thought of me getting melted because I failed to teleport" she shook her head "I can't rely on my ability for now, it would seem."
"It would be better for none of us to" Ruby whirled Crescent Rose and eyed the hooded monstrosity. It responded quite aggressively when an attack was launched, but now it simply… stood there.
"Is it toying with us?" Weiss, having thought the exact same things, asked. "Feeble… weak… pitiful… worthless… offer your flesh- offer your hearts"
"Sorry not happening; heart's given already to someone else" Yang's voice cut the Grimm off. "Now's not the time for stupid jokes, Yang" Blake walked besides her until, team RWBY had circled the monster.
A large sound filled the room and everyone tensed. It sounded like a massive being took a breath, despite clearly being made by the small figure. A series of hissing sounds followed, like something was melting.
Green vapors started ascending from where all beams had landed. The mists started filling the hall, creating a large cloud of poisonous vapor that pulsed with wicked energy.
Ruby barely managed to scream to her team. One moment the green mists hissed around them and the next one, huge black-green tentacles emerged from the ground, flailing and squirming like mad puppets.
Yang rocket punched one away and Blake sliced at it with Nightfall. Two quick cuts from her blades were enough for Weiss to repel the closest one to her and Crescent rose made quick work of another two.
And then, a dozen more sprung from the ground, shaking the museum with a rumbling noise and a thrashing motion. The Grand Mother had her hand turned to the monolith and took another deep breath.
"My holy ground… sacrilege… worthless… pitiful mortals…."
Team RWBY jumped around the endless mass of tentacles. Weiss and Ruby switched to fire ammunition, burning down all thick appendages that moved too close for comfort, constantly moving to their friends.
Meanwhile, Blake and Yang slowly and carefully withdrew from the hall towards the exit. This thing had the advantage inside the museum and not even landing a hit so far unnerved them even more at this point.
Their leader hadn't said her last word yet, however. "Yang! Blake! Cut a tentacle and toss it here!" she asked as she sliced through a sea of flesh and muscle. "Weiss! Shoot ice dust above her on my mark!"
Having moved away from the epicenter of the destruction, Yang was a little more comfortable in moving around and grabbing the nearest piece of squirming flesh, suppressing a sound of very intense disgust.
The faunus girl whirled with her sword and cut through the pulsing flesh, severing it with her magma-colored blade. At once, the blonde tossed the tentacle towards Ruby who whirled her scythe and jumped.
If my predictions are correct this thing reacts only to immediate threats. When we attacked it only negated Weiss' glyphs and not my burst, since I used it to move away. If that's the case, then-
The silver-eyed girl burst in the air and landed on top of the appendage. She immediately crushed one small air dust shard and created a small gust, small enough to not draw the Grimm's attention while it raised it even higher.
Whirling around, Ruby activated her semblance once more. The gust followed her movement and ascended up to the ceiling. As soon as her boots touched the roof, Ruby turned to her partner. "NOW, WEISSS!"
An elegant flick of her wrist was enough for the huntress to cover the massive tentacle in ice. The energy pulsing over it made the hooded figure finally raise its head and look upwards.
The only thing it managed to see was a small brunette huntress dancing on air, her shining silver eyes reflecting the pale moonlight that came in from the broken roof windows-and a huge shard of frozen flesh hover below her. "Deal with this, asshole" she gave it a huge, honest grin.
Ruby rolled and kicked the tentacle with as much force as she could muster, using a gravity dust shard to send it to the aggravating monster like a descending missile.
The Grimm didn't even manage to breathe before the massive spike of frozen flesh crashed on its body, raising a huge cloud of cold dust and scattering numerous ice shards around the hall.
"That was a good one" Weiss and Ruby ran through the hall to their team as tentacles around them evaporated in the same fading green miasma. "Did we get her?" Yang asked them when they reached them.
"I don't think it's going to be that easy" Ruby replied. "I second that" Blake's eyes focused in the cold mist, stepped forward. "It is moving, or rather, squirming. It looks like we made it angry."
"Well, at least now it regards us as enemies and not nuisances. I think I can get behind that" Yang slammed her fists together and took place in front of them. "It's time to fight seriously, you- what?"
The figure stepped out of the mist. The explosion had blown its hood away, making its head visible to the huntresses- and justifying the tall girl's reaction.
Its neck was short and thick, like a thick tree trunk, sharing the same pitch-black flesh its entire kin did. The face was human-shaped, covered by a large bone mask that had messy blood prints smeared all over it.
Its mouth was thin and wide, filled in needle-like shard teeth without any visible lips to adorn it. The most notable features though, were a series of long, filthy strands resembling hair and the huge, bulging red eye that pulsed through a socket, occupying almost half its forehead.
Its body was pierced in frozen shards all over its surface, but it didn't seem to matter at all. They slowly vaporized as it moved on two thick fleshy legs, like a horrifying breed between a Cyclops and a huge toad.
"So that's the grandmother" Weiss exclaimed. "Who in their right mind worship that?" Yang bent her knees, ready to strike. "You did…" its low, cackling vice suddenly cut them off "and you will once more…"
Before having a chance to respond, the museum shook. The monolith pulsed, a loud hum reverberating through the empty hall as a series of shockwaves resonated, making RWBY bend in pain.
"My ears! AAAAAAHHHHH!" Blake's scream could barely be heard in the cacophonous screech that shattered the remains of the windows, bent metal bars and cracked marble walls.
In the middle of the hall, the ancient Grimm cackled, reveling in the absolute power- "FUCK OFF!" Yang's glowing fist flew at the monster, forcing it to create a wall of air by pure instinct.
The huntress got repelled but the Grimm stared in confusion as equally dizzy and angry, team RWBY stood up to face it once more. "Good job with those headphones; I barely managed to put them on" Ruby said.
They all wore a pair of specialized headphones around her ears. They were a part of a special communications set created by the Institute, specifically designed to function on batteries and within short range.
"You…" Yang jumped at it once more, again being blocked. This time, however, a gust of wind interfered with the protective shield, courtesy of Weiss. An opening was created and Blake wasn't one to waste it.
Envelop shot twice, grazing the monster's flesh. Immediately, the cat faunus blinked on its back. Shards of earth got animated to intercept the attack- three shots from Crescent Rose blew them away.
An unearthly, hideous roar joined the pulsing sound as Nightfall cut a large wound on Grand Mother's left arm. The girl clicked her tongue as she hoped this could severe the limb, but her skin was too tough.
A mighty blast coming from her staff filled the area around her, blowing up craters everywhere. Blake and Yang jumped back next to their team, seemingly satisfied with the results of their attacks.
"Of all the Grimm we have met, this one is the most humanlike- it even shows human arrogance and anger" Weiss announced through the communications.
"It fights like Salem; it is so sure of its own power; it didn't even think we could land a hit" Blake replied. "That suits me just fine" Yang tapped her headphones to adjust them "but I think she is getting serious now."
As if responding to the woman's observation, a strong surge of energy swirled around the Eldergrimm. The suffocating aura of malice that had vanished returned and got maximized to the point it was almost visible.
All four girls stood ready. "We intercept the attacks, make an opening and go for the throat. Get ready!" Ruby commanded through the inter comm. The monster's mouth opened, its eye bulged around in frenzy-
And then, all of a sudden, three scarecrow-shaped Gargoyles burst out of the floor, materializing before the Grand Mother. "What is she-?"
Yang didn't manage to finish her question. The Gargoyles rushed forth and, instead of RWBY, attacked the Eldergrimm. Visibly unexpected, the attack hit the monster, sharp claws skidding on its rock-hard skin.
The counterattack came at once. A burst of green energy hit the first one, but failed to vaporize it as the Grimm meld quickly away and the explosion left an empty crater. It then materialized a few meters away.
"Yang!" Ruby screamed. "Grab Vivian and we jump from the back! Be as careful as possible!" They nodded and started moving in the hall's perimeter, trying to avoid the battle taking place in front of them.
They reached the back, expertly moving around the hissing beams, the gusts of wind and the crackling sounds. Vivian's body should have been lying on the floor, next to one of the windows, according to the plan.
But it wasn't there. The woman's body was missing. And the window from above was broken. "The bitch left!" "And we will do so as well!" Ruby replied to her sister. "NO!"
The voice was not close, but it caught them by surprise. "Yang!" a sizzling beam hit the blonde, melting a huge chunk of her aura away. A gasp of pain left the girl's lips. How did this happen? Blake thought.
Grand Mother was still preoccupied fighting the scarecrows; she hadn't lost eye contact with her since the beginning- the huge bulging red eye was focused on them, even with her body turned away!
As if sharing the same thought, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all turned and at once pushed Yang off the window. Filled in pain and shock, the blonde didn't even manage to put up any resistance as green filled her vision.
-o-
She was sure there must have been a loud noise, even her headphones shook. She felt dizzy and her back and head were hurting; she was a little bit disoriented. Did I hit my head?
And then, she remembered what had happened. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she stood up- only to see a massive explosion had torn down the stone wall in front of her and made it collapse.
Collapse on top of her family. "NOOOO! WEISS! RUBY! BLAKE!" she ran ahead; or at least she tried to. Because, as soon as she took one step forward, she heard a mechanical sound and felt a gun press her nape.
"What do you think you are doing?" Vivian's voice sounded, harsh and angry. "Do you think you can just waltz in there that easily and dig their bodies up with that monster still in?" Yang gritted her teeth furiously.
"If you want to shoot me, shoot. I am taking them out and I don't give a shit about you!" The sound of a gun getting cocked filled her ears "what a surprise, so do I. And with your aura that torn down, even the mighty Yang Xiao Long can't resist a headshot." Her voice was really irritating!
"Let me take them out!" "Oh shut up! They will die in a while! Fog is now returning and the Grand Mother will leave as soon as she disposes the Gargoyles! Then, they will either die of blood loss, or be eaten by scavengers! Are you satisfied now?" she asked in a harsh voice.
Yang took a heavy breath. And then, hang her head. She knew they were fine- a crash like this wouldn't take them down, but they would definitely need help. The sounds of combat being nearby didn't ease her as well. She had to do something… pride be damned!
"Please…" she whimpered "I am begging you; help me get them out. I have to help them… I will do anything you wish. ANYTHING!" she knew that was too much, but she had no more cards to play.
"Oh come on. Is this what your last moments will be like?" she snorted. Not even selling my pride works on her, huh? "Whimpering like a little scared girl? You bring shame to your fame, Ms. Xiao-"
Her voice was cut off all of a sudden. The barrel left Yang's nape and a loud thud was heard, along with the sound of something splattering on the ground. Yang turned around- and stifled a shocked gasp.
Vivian was lying on the ground, on top of a massive bloodstain. Her head had been severed from her neck and rolled next to her lifeless corpse, along with the rifle that had fallen down.
And, on top of her, holding a bloodied Naginata in her arms, Cherry was standing. She wore no mask and her face had a disgusted expression as she looked down on the now dead woman in contempt.
A few minutes earlier…
"I confirm the destruction of the second Gargoyle, Sir" one of the men said to Fowler as they stood in a small opening in a pretty safe distance from the museum. The tall man stared at the monitor and smiled.
"They put up a decent fight, however. And they followed the subjects' orders exactly as we ordered them to. Prof. Azure is going to be very pleased" he stood up and stared at the three test subjects' state.
Two of them had fallen down, their eyes were completely and utterly empty, their faces distorted in agony. Black liquid had oozed from the eye sockets, mouth, nose and ears and their flesh had been shriveled.
The third one, in an about similar state, was barely holding but Fowler knew as soon as the gargoyle he controlled fell, he would pass away as well. "Remove the devices and get blood samples at once" he ordered.
As soon as his men got down to business, he stared at the lake; fog had started to return, so the experiment was over. Their synchronicity was astounding, if he could say so himself. He picked up his radio.
"Cherry, do you copy?" "Yes; is the farce done?" the clearly annoyed and ready to explode voice of the priestess replied. "Grand Mother is going to fall back now that the fog is returning. Time for us to leave."
The fox girl was standing on the old docks and staring at the museum, trying her best to feel her Goddess' presence. She was fighting and, if she could make a lucky guess, RWBY was her enemy.
Somehow, the feeling of her favorite huntresses facing her Goddess in battle made her feel less pathetic for assisting in that accursed, unholy experiment. "How are the prisoners?" "It's none of your business."
Her emerald eyes narrowed. Those people really didn't like her. Well, feelings were mutual in that aspect at least. She tried to reply, when the museum's northern wall exploded a few meters away from her.
"Cherry? Do you copy? I said we have to leave! Grand Mother may not bother with us, but as soon as she leaves, the place will get filled with Spectators!" Fowler's voice echoed via the radio, but she ignored him.
The reason was simple; she had just seen Yang Xiao Long being tossed outside the museum window just before the explosion. The woman had performed a mighty roll on the ground and fell down, groaning.
"Go on your own" she replied "something came up; I will find you back in the lab." "What came up?" Fowler's demanding voice asked her. She stared at Yang, who was half-unconscious on the ground, visibly in pain.
And then, she stared at the small-sized form of Vivian Crem creeping up to the huntress, readying her rifle as the blonde woman was doing her best to get up from the shock and pain.
Xiao Long was literally helpless; her team was most likely inside, if they had survived the fight, and it was obvious Crem wouldn't miss a chance like that to put a bullet in the proud woman's skull. But, is that worth it? she asked herself.
And like this, standing next to the destroyed docks, Cherry Itazura took a very important decision that, unknowing to her, would would change the fate of everyone included into Azure's 'experiments'. She decided to stay true to her own sense of justice.
"Cherry! I asked you; what came up?" Thin, elegant pink fingers pushed the radio button to reply. "It's none of your business."