Christmas Notice:

I am going to be taking two weeks off this year starting from Monday 20th December (Next Week) and returning to writing on Monday 3rd January. I normally only take a single week off, but I've been feeling that the quality of my writing has deteriorated somewhat in the last few months and I want to take the time to address why, read through my works, read some actual books for a change and basically rejuvenate myself before coming back stronger than ever.

Thanks for understanding. Merry Christmas to all while I'm not uploading!


Cover Art: Curbizzle

Chapter 7


The Grimm version of Jaune hopped back from Pyrrha's swing and brought his sword up into the path of Knight's. Metal struck metal, warped metal, and then four tentacles speared out of the monster's back and shot for the man in shining armour.

"Knight!" Ruby screamed.

He'd seen them already. Disengaging, he flung himself back and landed close to her, away from the Grimm version of their best friend, who gripped his right shoulder with his left hand. His sword, Crocea Mors as they expected, lay at his feet warped and useless. Knight did that, Ruby thought giddily. With one swing, he'd practically broken the other person's sword. The kind of strength required for that was incredible, and all of it wrapped up in a chivalric package.

"My sword." The Grimm bemoaned. He sounded genuinely upset. "That… That was a gift from dad. You…" He released his shoulder and rotated his arm. Whatever damage Knight had caused had apparently healed already. "I wanted to go easy on you. I tried to talk. I see how well that went now."

"You're a Grimm." Weiss pointed out.

"I was also your partner!" the Grimm returned angrily. "But I can tell the Weiss I know and respect isn't here! You want Grimm?" He dug the thumb of one hand into the palm of another and wrenched it to the side. Blackened blood spurted out. He cast his hand out, spraying more on the docks. "Here! Have them!"

The man's blood bubbled and expanded, growing far larger than the scant few drops would have suggested was possible. They began to take shape, forming into humanoid figures and then hunching over, leaning forward. Two Beowolves formed first, while larger Grimm continued to grow behind and around them.

"He summons Grimm!" Pyrrha shouted unnecessarily. "Quick, stop him!"

A Grimm that could create more Grimm. It was the kind of nightmarish scenario that would have only played in the dreams of the most hardened of huntsmen. Grimm were bad enough, monstrous, but they were at least limited in number. If one creature could spawn more infinitely, it would be the kind of thing that could destroy entire cities alone.

And this thing is loose in the middle of the city, Ruby thought.

There were so many people at risk.

In the brief moment of shock, a Deathstalker as large as the one that faced down Team JNPR in initiation had spawned, and an Ursa almost as big as it was nearly complete. Nearly. A streak of water speared through the space it was forming, interrupting the process and washing the blood away. Leviathan waved his arms and brought a tall wave up over the edge of the docks to rinse any more away.

Knight roared and shot forward like a bullet fired from Crescent Rose. He brought his sword up and down in a two-handed grip, and the single swing bisected the Deathstalker, carving it from the tip of its tail down its carapace and between its many legs. The Grimm croaked and split sideways into two.

The Beowolves were on the others before they could think. Only two, but quick and reckless and much too dangerous to ignore and let roam free. Ruby darted between them with her Semblance, rushing to the source. Crescent Rose swung back and came crashing forward. The Grimm didn't even have his sword to protect him anymore-

Something wet and slimy wrapped around her ankle.

Ruby shrieked as the world flipped, her skirt riding down as she was swung upside down in one of his tentacles. How-? She'd been so sure he was looking the other way, keeping his attention on Knight. The Grimm even looked surprised himself when she came suspended before his eyes.

"RUBY!" Yang screamed. "Knight, save her!"

"On it!"

Ruby's knight in shining armour came screeching forward. He was going to save her – save her before the Grimm could kill-

And then Ruby was flying.

She bowled into something big and heavy and hard, but also reassuring. Her body, small as it was, still knocked Knight over as he caught her. He stumbled, corrected and then threw the both of them back, drawing her to the rear of the fight as the two teams dispatched the Beowolves.

"Are you alright?" Knight asked. Ruby flushed and bobbed her head quickly. "Good. You're fortunate he didn't kill you."

"M'sorry…"

"It's fine." He petted her head and stood to look back, "But we do have a small problem."

Grimm. More Grimm. Throwing Ruby to distract Knight had bought him time to draw blood from his other hand, and he'd been nothing short of generous in throwing it around. Leviathan had done his best and probably cut the number in half, but there were now a good thirty or more Grimm stood cramped in the docks. That many Grimm for as many of them as there were wasn't a problem, but any time bought might mean more, and there was a whole city full of innocent people to think about.

"Can you get rid of them?" she asked Knight.

"Yes. The problem is whether I should. A lot of my larger abilities require open land and sources of metal. I can't feel enough near here. I could fight and slay them all, but that would mean letting him summon more. He's a dangerous one, Ruby. Very dangerous."

Not in raw strength, she imagined, but potential. Knight could rip him in half if he got close, but he knew that and would just keep putting more and more Grimm between them. This was the kind of situation they needed heavier ordinance for. Ruby glanced to Nora, but she was already busy fending off a pair of Nevermore.

"He's summoning more." Knight said.

Crud. He wasn't giving them time to think! Ruby pushed out of Knight's hold and took in the scene. Yang, Weiss and Blake were carving through the Grimm as easily as Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were. Even Jaune was handling himself okay. But for every ten they slew, another fifteen took their place. Leviathan was taking down the most at any one time, using the water all around the docks to scythe through three or four at a time. The Grimm version of Jaune didn't look interested in getting close to any of them.

"We need to get you an opening," she told Knight. "You can put him down. We'll make the distraction. If he goes, the Grimm will stop spawning." Hopefully. Ruby wasn't sure what would happen if Knight cut the man's arm off but didn't kill him. Goliaths? Even more Grimm? It wasn't something she wanted to consider, which just meant Knight would have to finish him in one go. "Go! You have to end it now!"

"Understood." He nodded and disappeared from her side in a burst of wind. So cool! Ruby was used to being the speedster, but even she had trouble tracking him. He darted past Yang, exploded through an Ursa Blake was struggling with and smashed through six more Grimm on a direct path to his target.

Grimm recoiled visibly and threw more blood in Knight's path, but the hastily and half-formed Grimm that should have shielded him were all cut down in a single swing. The power of the blow brought his sword through, but Knight stepped with it, chambering and reversing as he moved in to cut the Jaune down. The Grimm-man hybrid flinched back, bringing both his arms and tentacles up to shield him. Ruby had seen Knight's strength first hand and knew it wouldn't make a difference.

Hot, white light exploded between the two of them.

For Ruby, a good distance away, it was bright enough to leave spots dancing in her vision. For Knight, who had been mere feet away with his eyes focused on Grimm, it was blinding. Her brave knight flinched back and thrashed his sword wildly before him to ward off an attack that didn't come. Grimm staggered back as well, dizzy and disoriented. Another white flash exploded in front of Knight, but this time Ruby caught the sparking cylinder a second before it went off.

Flash. Knight roared in pain and tried to retreat. White fluttered – but this time cloth. A tall man dropped down from a cargo container, landed in a crouch between Knight and Grimm, then leapt forward.

"Knight!" Ruby screamed. "Dodge back!"

He listened. Thank goodness he listened. Knight braced his legs and blindly trusted her, throwing himself back and avoiding the sword that cut through where he'd been. The attacker, a huntsman, followed through and swung down from above, but Knight had recovered enough to bring his sword up and parry it – to drive it away with so much force it spiralled out of the white-coated huntsman's hands.

Rather than panic or retreat, however, the huntsman brought a bare hand up and down, smashing something into the floor. Smoke ballooned outward, obscuring both him and Knight for a few seconds. The smoke only dissipated because a violent explosion ripped the cloud away, launching a smoking figure out toward them.

Knight crashed down onto concrete and skidded to a stop past Ruby.

"Knight!"

"I'm fine." He dug his sword down and used it to pick himself up. To her surprise, he was unharmed. His skin wasn't even blemished. The same couldn't be said for his armour, which was covered in soot and dust, but he as up and talking normally. Except for one thing. He had his eyes scrunched shut. "My eyes are burning. I can't – hngh! That wasn't normal smoke."

The faintest whips of the smoke billowed by them, and Ruby felt her own eyes water. Was that… tear gas? It was something like that. Ruby snapped her eyes shut until it was past. Knight kept scrubbing at his own eyes with his cloak, for all the good that would do. He'd need clean water to wash it out with. When Ruby told him that, he swore.

"I could have done with being warned about that ahead of time!"

Ruby wilted shamefully. He was a stranger here, unused to the technology they took for granted. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Hngh. It's not your fault. My lack of knowledge is a weakness we'll have to fix…"

The Huntsman who had incapacitated him hadn't pressed the attack. He was knelt by Grimm, speaking quietly to him. The Grimm nodded and let the other help him up. Meanwhile, the more typical, monstrous Grimm, surrounded them, presenting a barrier to attack. The rest of them had been dispatched by her team and JNPR, who were now taking in the new huntsman.

"D-Dad…?" Jaune asked.

Ruby could see why. The new huntsman… it had to be another Jaune, but this one was old. Not old-old, but easily over thirty. Dad and Uncle Qrow old. He had worn skin, a thick blond beard and sharp lines running down his face alongside the odd scar. His clothing, what little could be seen under the Atlesian military greatcoat, was criss-crossed with bandoliers and pouches, and Ruby saw more of the grenades he'd used against Knight. There was even a handgun strapped under his left armpit.

"No." the man said gruffly. "A thousand times no. I realise giving out information isn't in the spirit of this whole thing, but in the interests of not being called that again by you of all people, call me Ashari. Jaune Ashari."

"Another iteration." Ren said. "An… older one…"

"You could say that. Hello Ren." The man smiled tightly. "It's been a long time since I saw you alive and in one piece. Have you and Nora started dating yet? No?" he guessed when Nora blushed. "Well, don't worry. The whole together-but-not-together thing only lasts so long. I'm going to be taking Grimm here and retreating. I hope you don't mind."

"No way!" Yang shouted. She, Weiss and Blake quickly formed up opposite the man. "After we have you dead to rights? Not a chance. Surrender and we'll take you to Ozpin."

"I'd really rather not, Yang. Ozpin and I… We don't get along. It'd be wiser to let us go. You can call it your victory today – a fine feather for your caps."

"You don't have a choice." Yang used the same line she had on Xiong, the same that had brought out surrender from one iteration. This one might have gotten the drop on Knight, but it was a gimmicky victory, and he couldn't stand up to a whole team of them. Surely. "Or do you think you can take us all on?"

"Yes." Ashari settled his hands into his pockets. "Yes. I think I can."

Yang hesitated, stunned.

That was when he moved. Ruby shouted out another warning, but Yang was fully aware of the fist striking her chin and knocking her back. Of course she was. Before she could even scream, Ashari positioned and kicked her into Blake, removing her from the fight for a brief instant. Time enough for him to turn on Weiss, who was thrusting in with her rapier.

His hand caught the tip and warped the flexible metal to the side, aura sparking as he stepped in, gripped Weiss by the collar and pushed her up into the air and off her feet. He carried her weight with one hand over his head, disarmed her of her weapon with the other and choke slammed the heiress down onto hard concrete.

Yang and Blake were back up just as Weiss spat spittle and air from the impact. They charged in with Yang in the lead, fist flaming and Ember Celica unleashing at point-blank range and into… Weiss' back!? Weiss, who had been ripped back up off the floor and used as a human shield, screamed in agony and bucked in Ashari's grasp. It made Yang hesitate again, earning her a kick to one knee and a five-foot girl to the face. Both tumbled back.

Sensing the danger, Blake broke off her own reckless attack and waited for Team JNPR to reinforce. Pyrrha and Nora charged in, leaving her, Ren and Jaune to flank. Pyrrha took the centre on a remarkably unconcerned huntsman, keeping her shield up and thrusting sharply with her spear. He swayed left, right and then ducked under, gripped the bottom of her shield and pushed it up over her face to obscure her vision.

At the same time, he used his hold to drag her sideways into the path of Nora, who thankfully had time enough to cancel her attack before she delivered a fresh dose of friendly fire. Gambol Shroud wrapped around the man's neck, over his scarf, and Blake came swinging in on the other end. In a brutally simplistic move, he swept his sword up and cut through the ribbon, leaving an aerodynamic Blake on the other end to spiral off into a container. Ren, meanwhile, earned himself six snap-fire rounds from a handgun, knocking him out the air.

Pyrrha recovered in time to charge in alongside her partner, the real Jaune, to try and tie their quick opponent down. Ashari took one look at both, reached under his coat and tossed another canister onto the ground.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Ruby yelled.

It was impossible to tell how many heeded her warning. Smoke billowed out in thick, noxious clouds and obscured the whole area. Regular smoke this time? Ruby heard coughing and hacking from within, but no cries of pain.

"Ruby!" Knight hissed. "What is going on? I still can't see!"

"He… The new Jaune is dismantling everyone! He's ripping them apart!"

Knight sucked in a breath. "He's killing them!?"

"N…No…" Now that Ruby looked, there were chances for him to push for a finishing blow, but the older huntsman was instead throwing people around. He wasn't even knocking them out, more… fending them off. "No one has died. Yet."

"And the Grimm?"

"They… They aren't doing anything… They're just watching…"

Why? This was his perfect chance to intervene and surround them. Unless… Was he afraid to attack and leave himself and the other vulnerable? Knight was out the fight, but for all they knew he could be joining again at any second. He must have been keeping the Grimm to act as a shield.

"Ruby, please," Knight whispered. "Get me some water so I can see. Hurry!"

"But you'll be vulnerable-"

"Go!" he shouted. It was a forceful, sudden command and Ruby found herself scrambling to obey. Water. Water. They were at the docks so there was plenty to go around, but she wasn't sure saltwater was what he needed.

It wasn't really a case of scooping some out the ocean since the docks were raised a good few metres above sea level. Instead, she looked around desperately and spotted a small lit-up cabin that was probably used as a security booth or place to stay warm by late-night workers. It looked like a CCT booth with an open door and a small desk inside. Keeping one eye on the battle, Ruby sped over to it and peeked inside. The person was gone – scared off ages ago by Grimm – but the signs were there. An open magazine, a radio lowly playing music, a cold mug of coffee and – ahah! A kettle. Ruby touched its side and found it as cold as the night. Perfect. Or as good as she was going to get. Ruby snatched it, tucked it under her side and activated her Semblance.

After years of it, she was used to taking a big stride whenever she did. Normal sized steps meant that when you suddenly sped up and crossed a big distance, you had to touch down with more momentum. By extending her foot further, she was prepared to land at her destination and not really step there. It was a safety precaution she'd learned through trial, error and tripping over furniture. As such, when Ruby took a big step, called on her Semblance and it didn't activate, she ended up almost doing the splits and quickly falling to the floor.

Which, in hindsight, probably saved her from the gunshot that shattered the window of the security booth just above her head. Glass showered down over her, propelled outward by the shot. Shrieking and ducking her head, she heard another punch through the thin material to her side and quickly realised it wasn't going to provide any cover. Ruby pushed out and darted for the nearest containers.

Or she tried.

Leaping out, she suddenly found herself moving in slow motion, or what felt like it to someone used to her speed. Her foot landed awkwardly again, and she tucked into a roll, again narrowly dodging another bullet, then scrabbled for the kettle that had fallen out her hands.

My Semblance isn't working! Why isn't it working?

Ruby heard fresh cursing and looked back to see someone in a drawn-up hoodie and track pants hastily trying to run around the booth and draw a bead on her. With Crescent Rose all the way back where she'd lost it against Grimm, she knew retreat was the right choice. At least until she could get her baby back. Abandoning the kettle, she ran for a gap between the nearby containers. The man pushed past the booth, snapped his handgun up in two hands and drew a slow bead on her. Blake would have snapped a shot off much quicker. Either way, it gave Ruby all the time in the world to push her aura up and direct it to her back.

Easy escape.

The gun fired.

Ruby was rammed forward right as she slipped between the two containers. Whatever had pushed her out the way had slammed her face-first into the metal so hard she bounced off it and hit the one behind her, slapping both hands onto it. They were shaking, as was she, as unfamiliar pain spread slowly and wetly across her body.

C-Crap. Did I bang my shoulder on the edge?

Wincing, she brought her left hand up to touch her right shoulder, hissing as it hurt so damn much. Enough that she whimpered and felt tears prick at her eyes. Those same eyes soon widened when she brought her hand back to find it slick with blood.

Her blood.

The same blood that was dripping slowly onto the concrete.

I… I… I've been… shot…?

Impossible. That was the first and only thing that came to mind. Not how much it hurt, not anger or fear or anything else. Just disbelief. Her aura was fine! She'd barely used any! She wasn't some rank amateur either, even if Weiss commented on her age. She'd been fighting Grimm for years, and her aura hadn't failed outside a sparring match since her tenth birthday. Despite all the intense training and all the bruises and bumps she'd received, she hadn't once in her life been shot by an actual gun before.

"Hurts… Oh gods, it hurts…"

Footsteps. The man was coming for her. Disbelief was quickly replaced with fear, raw and primal, and Ruby slammed her injured shoulder against the container, dragging herself along with her good hand and forcing herself to run as a normal person would. No Semblance and now no aura – it didn't take a genius to figure out the two were connected.

"Knight!" she screamed. "Yang! Anyone! Help me!"

"Ruby!?" Yang shouted back, then roared angrily.

Yang. Y…Yes. Yang would save her. Her big sister who never let her down. Ruby sobbed for the first time in years, the pain and fear leaving her feeling helpless in a way she hadn't since mom died. Huntresses relied on aura; it was a part of them, their lives and their careers. To be without it was… it was horrible. It was like waking up to find your blood was missing. Without aura, you couldn't be a huntsman. Skill alone wouldn't cut it when one errant claw from a Beowolf meant death.

All I have to do is make it to Yang. She… She'll know what to do…

"Come out, come out, Ruby." A voice behind her sang. It was familiar. Too familiar. Jaune's voice. Ruby gasped and forced her unsteady legs to move faster. "I know you're in here. In control of that bastard in armour, too. Taking you out will-" He rounded the corner ahead and saw her. Ruby froze, and the man – Jaune – smiled cruelly. His eyes… They were… They were colourful. Multi-coloured. "There you are." His eyes swirled and turned with colour, and he brought his gun up. "End of the-"

"Rarghhhhh!"

Of all things to save her, it wasn't Yang and it wasn't Knight. A Beowolf – an honest to goodness creature of the Grimm came slashing in from the man's left, roaring at the top of its lungs and hurling itself forward. The man's eyes widened and instantly flicked back to his normal blue.

"Wait-" Too late. The Grimm knocked him down and bowled over him, snarling and flailing its arms hysterically. "No!" he yelled. "I'm on your side! Fuck's sake, Grimm! Call it off, you idiot. I've got her right here!"

Ruby felt her aura return – the tell-tale sensation of it trying to help her injured shoulder. The second it did, she embraced it and activated her Semblance, blurring away from the irate man still trying to draw a bead on her from under a Grimm. Petals smashed into his face and he screamed angrily as she rounded the corner and raced back to Knight, skidding to a stop at his side.

Yang was on her a moment later, wrapping her up tight in a hug. "Ruby! Oh fuck," she hissed. "Your shoulder? How-? Who did this? Crap. Stay still – Knight, I need your cloak. Bandages."

"Take it," he grunted, struggling to keep his eyes open. The white bits were an angry pink and his eyes glistened with moisture. It was obviously painful for him to keep them open. "I'm useless here. Curses!"

Ruby babbled the story of what happened while Yang took Knight's cloak and ripped a chunk off, then wrapped it tight around Ruby's shoulder. She'd need stitches for this, that was obvious, but a bandage would at least stop the bleeding. While Yang and Knight digested the news, she looked back to the fight. Funnily enough, losing Yang hadn't really changed the dynamic any. Ashari was still an elusive shadow refusing to be caught, but neither he nor Grimm had pressed the advantage.

Even though they could.

Weiss hit the ground and struggled to get up. Ren landed, picked her up and retreated behind Jaune and Pyrrha, who both looked like they'd been through a blender and were content to hide behind their shields. It wasn't every day you saw Pyrrha Nikos gasping for breath and on the defensive, yet here they were.

Knight wasn't the only strong iteration in this war. They should have expected it to be honest, but Knight seemed so out of the ordinary and Barista, Hunter, Fate and Xiong hadn't done anything to convince them the standard of Jaunes was going to be that high. They were all mostly normal – different backgrounds, but not that much above her friend's fighting level and definitely not in the same bracket as Knight or this Ashari guy.

"I can take him." Knight hissed. "He isn't that fast, and I could cut through him in one swing. It's landing the attack that's going to be difficult. He went straight for my eyes."

"He knew you'd be a problem." Yang surmised. "Must have picked that up watching you against his pal. Hell, he figured out you were the main threat and found a way to deal with you in, what, two minutes? Three? What kind of monster is he?"

"He's a Huntsman." Ruby answered.

"I know but-"

"No. He's a huntsman, Yang. Not one in training like us. This is a proper huntsman. He's Jaune but after Beacon." Long after Beacon by the looks of him. "I… I think we should get out of here."

"Retreat? But-" Yang took in Ruby's pale face, much of it from shock and her injury. "Shit, you're right. We can come up with a plan for next time. Maybe get Knight a pair of sunglasses and-"

A spiralling column of water roared its way up and over the nearby containers, easily reaching fifteen metres high. Yang and Ruby stared, mouths agape, as it twisted its way over them and slammed itself unerringly down on Ashari. Right in the middle of the fight, no less. Blake and Nora were slammed into containers, while Jaune slipped and was swept away and Pyrrha had to stab her weapon into the ground to keep her own footing. Leviathan hadn't cared to warn them of danger close, and he obviously wasn't worried about friendly fire.

Shockingly enough, he'd knocked Ashari flat to the ground.

"Yes!" Yang hissed. "Finish him, Leviathan!"

Ashari grunted and tried to stand, but the water that was under and all around him wouldn't have it. Acting impossibly, it coiled up and around his leg and yanked him back, causing him to slip and smash face-down again. Then, without breaking, the water around his foot dragged him bodily along the docks. It was like a scene out of a horror film, with Ashari trying desperately to grab hold of something but not being able to. The water travelled with him, both around and underneath, buoying him up millimetres off the ground and preventing any friction.

A Huntsman couldn't fight water. Ashari might kick and thrash all he wanted, but he couldn't harm something that wasn't alive. His sword swings splashed the water about, but it kept reforming and dragging him to the edge of the docks, where Leviathan was waiting, stood with a vicious and downright cruel grin. With a cry, Ashari was swept over and splashed down into the water.

It should have been over there – could have been. Leviathan had other ideas.

"You can fight!" he shouted to be heard to the man in the water. "But can you hold your breath forever? I doubt it."

The flailing man tried to swim his way to the surface, but how could you fight against someone who could control water when you were submerged in it? Ashari was dragged deeper still, inexorably forced down and down away from the precious oxygen required for all life.

Leviathan's plan was as clear as it was horrible, but this was war. These people were on Salem's side. Ruby bit her lip and clung onto that, hoping it – and the pain – would help convince her she wasn't aiding and abetting murder.

"He could kill me in the water…" Knight whispered. There was genuine concern in his voice. "All the Strength in the world won't matter if I can't push my way to the surface. What a horrible way to die."

"Release him!"

Grimm evidently thought so as well. He sent a wave of Grimm forward, only to have them all driven back by a literal wave from Leviathan. It splashed down with incredible force, driving metal containers back and crushing some Grimm. Throwing others into the ocean. Grimm Jaune was also knocked away, sent skidding against some metal posts that were designed for that very reason of stopping people and vehicles being swept into the ocean.

It caught the other person too – the one in the hoodie that was just limping out in time to be clipped and thrown away. His handgun was knocked from his hand and sent into the drink with a loud plop. It was Leviathan, not Knight, who had dealt with them, and he turned back to the water, staring down at his victim.

"This is war!" Leviathan roared. It echoed impossibly deep, inside Ruby's very brain. Team RWBY and JNPR watched uncomfortably, able to see Ashari's struggles weakening in the water. "This is war – with a wish for the winner. And I intend to be that-"

A loud bang ripped through the night.

Leviathan jerked.

In the silence left behind after it, Ruby heard Ashari break the water and frantically gasp for air. She also heard Yang suck in a gasp, then release it in a desperate and painful cry. "LEVIATHAN!"

Her Jaune, Leviathan, turned to look their way, shock registering on his face as he looked down at himself. Blood seeped through his white shirt, slowly spreading from a dark hole in his clothing. In his body.

Leviathan didn't have aura. His world didn't have aura.

He was defenceless.

Another crack echoed and he jerked again, driven a step back with his arms flying up. Blood sprayed from his chest. He stepped back with the force of it, teetering for a moment, for one dreadful instant where his eyes met Yang's across a gulf, where Ruby could have sworn he whispered an apology to them both, before he toppled backwards into the water.

"LEVIATHAN!" Yang screamed shrilly. "NOOO!"

Ruby turned to stare at the people aligned against them in search of the one who took the shot. They looked just as surprised as she, however. The one who hurt her was disarmed and trying to help Ashari out the water. The white-coated huntsman was hacking and coughing, busy being supported between Grimm and the new one. Neither had a weapon to shoot Leviathan, and neither had been in a position to. The shot had come from high up and behind them, back in the direction of the city.

Dead. Just like that. Ruby could hardly believe it. He hadn't been the nicest of people, but he hadn't been mean either. He'd been friendly to her and Yang, even Weiss and Blake. He'd laughed with them, ate with them, slept in the same room and told them stories about his world. He'd been a real, breathing, living person.

And he was dead…

Gone.

Drip…

The sound echoed. No, it tolled. Tolled like a bell mixed with a leaky faucet. Except it was in her head and it made her feel sick to her stomach. Yang felt it too – that much she could tell from how her sister clapped a hand to her mouth and retched.

"What is…" Knight's eyes began to glow blue. "I sense something…"

Drip…

Blake had been closest to the water's edge, thrown there by the waves, and as she pushed herself up she looked down into the ocean and screamed. All eyes shot to her, catching the faunus as she fell on her back and frantically pedalled away from the edge of the docks.

Drip – Drip…

There was something in the water. Ruby could see it. She knew it. Something deep inside her told her it was so. That the water which should have only been about ten metres deep was suddenly fathomless. Bottomless.

There, deep inside it, a golden speck of light. Two. Coming closer.

Growing larger. Too large. What started as a pinprick had already become as large as a car, and it was now bigger than a lorry. And it kept coming. Ruby's heart pounded in her chest as some primal fear overtook her. Beside her, Yang began to shake and Knight's eyes glowed an even more intense hue.

"It's coming." Ruby babbled, without knowing why or what she even meant. "It's coming!"

Drip…

Drip…

The sounds paused. The third, if it had planned to come in a rhythm did not. And for a dreadful moment, Ruby thought it might be over. That the dripping, the lights and the mind-numbing terror might not come to anything.

Splash

The world shifted. The sky turned red. Jagged black light tore its way across it, forming a horrific crack in the sky itself. The moon turned purest white, seeming to spin on itself and – for a moment – to become whole again. The cracks in it that she'd known all their lives forming into a whole, circular shape. Ashari, Grimm and the new opponent backed away, and they weren't the only ones. Team JNPR were racing away from the water, while Weiss dragged Blake up and carried them away on a sheet of ice.

The ocean bubbled, steamed and glowed with yellowish light.


Well, that's a cliff-hanger I suppose – and probably a nasty one to end on considering the next update won't be until January. Oops. xD. And yeah, the fights here are going to be rather brutal. I know a lot of people were unsure how Knight could even lose, but the easiest answer, as shown here, is that he doesn't understand a lot of new technology. The closest he'd ever have to face to a flashbang would be a spell or maybe sunlight glinting off armour. The closest to tear gas might be fire smoke, and only if he was dumb enough to hold his face over a campfire for the luls.

Ashari, meanwhile, loves such tricks. On the other hand, Ashari can be as badass as he wants but when you're covered in and surrounded by water against someone who literally controls it, well, you're in trouble.


Also, Merry Christmas next week! No update but all my Christmas wishes!


Next Chapter: 8th January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur