The sound of screaming earned Rubys' attention as she began to run through the darkened forest, reaching a clearing she looked out over the sea of trees before her, centered deep in the forest was a town completely ablaze, the screams she heard were few and far between but they needed help regardless, leaping into the air she landed on the wing of a large nevermore, reaching over her shoulder she grabbed the hilt of harbinger and quickly cut the beast head from it's shoulders and kicked off landing in the town square, quickly rising to her feet she tested the weight of the blade in her hand as a pair of Beowolves rushed her, in one fluent motion she cut the both of them down, the rest of the creatures seemed to be keeping their distance after such a show. Making her way towards the screams, she noted that all the bodies she passed weren't killed by Grimm, no they were by a blade, one she was all too familiar with. Walking towards the town center she looked around, with a frown she rested the blade on her shoulder, she had grown more accustom to using it over the past few weeks, upon reaching the town square she looked around there were plenty of corpses some were lying on the cobble road, others were impaled on broken wood or stakes. Sephiroth didn't care about humans, she understood that now, over the past few weeks it had been cutting swaths of villages down all because they were near by them. Others it would spare... probably to give them false hope.
(\_/)
Four weeks ago Ruby and the rest of JNPR had just made their way across the sea to the port town of KuresutofÅru... it had been burnt to the ground with the exception of a singular wooden dock, even the more permanent Concrete dock was shattered and cut to ribbons, it was its way of making sure she knew that it knew where she was at all times, it probably wanted her to think any resistance was futile... but she would be damned before giving up on its death.
After trudging from the devastated town they began the long trek towards Mistral, the conversations between Nora and Ren still filled her thoughts... maybe... maybe she was cursed, Pyrrha was quick to quiet them down reminding them that they were there to help, and that if left unchecked Sephiroth would do far worse then just destroy the homes of the weak or kill several thousand people. It comforted her that Pyrrha was at least on her side. Jaune on the other hand kept to himself for most of the trip and walk, seeming more focused on catching up to the monster than anything else, and she couldn't blame him, it had been responsible for so much pain and suffering, she didn't know why Sephiroth and Cinder had teamed up but it was rather obvious, it turned on them and she murdered Penny, they lined up too perfectly, and that made her furious, she saw neither betrayal before it was too late
(o)
Quickly snapping her attention towards a large Beowolf that seemed to think itself a leader of sorts she let out a growl as she raised Harbinger and deflected a hunk of wood
"RUBY!" Jaune called as one of the Beowolves came running up from behind his long sword smacking it upside the head and clattering to the ground earning the beast attention, planting her heel she spun and swung the blade upward cutting the beast head off as Jaune slid under the strike grabbing the blade from the ground and stabbing another that rushed them. Climbing to his feet Ruby pushed him forward causing him to stumble out of the way of a large stone that shattered on the ground as two more Beowolves began to rush them only to be cut to ribbons by a dozen metal sheets that flew behind them.
Pyrrha twirled her blade into a reverse grip and focused on centering the objects around her, as the sheets became her defense she could focus more on them, a group of four Beowolves rushed her down as the sheets began to orbit and push outward catching them off guard cutting three of them down and relieving the fourth of one of its arms as it continued to rush howling it pain. Dropping her concentration the sheets flew away haphazardly breaking widows, doors, and other such things as she flipped the blade in her hand forward again and rushed forward stabbing the beast in the mouth killing it quickly turning she watched as Nora smashed an Ursas' head into the ground and Ren cut down two Beowolves before they could interfere with both of their battles. Turning again she watched as Ruby and Jaune danced around the Alpha and four of its pack, running towards them she joined the stand off between them along side Nora and Ren. Five verses five, it was going to be quick so long as the Alpha doesn't have any tricks and considering how young it is that's probably the case.
"Hey guys, find anyone?"
"A couple of civilians, they are heading to our camp." Ren answered as Ruby rushed forward and cut down two of the Beowolves only for the alpha to catch the blade, sliding back the creature let out a low growl its arms began to shake under the weight of her strength. Pyrrha leapt into the air using the sheath of her blade to smack one of the other Beowolves causing it to stumble into Noras' strike killing it as Jaune and Ren finished up on theirs, Ruby then pushed as hard as she could cleaving the creatures arms off while splitting the creature in half
With a sigh she twirled Harbinger and rested it back into it's sheath "Alright, lets go meet up with those civvies."
"Cool... are we gonna bury these ones?" Jaune asked as they began to make their way towards their camp
"No we cant, last time we did we missed the last town it ransacked." she denied as she began to march off towards their camp, the others shared looks before following after her, all of them needed some time to rest but Ruby just kept pushing herself and them... with a sigh Jaune began to follow soon joined by Nora and Ren, Pyrrha had already left to catch up to her, the two seemed to be in the same mind set, he had yet to ask either one about their feelings on this but he had a pretty good guess.
(o)
Cinder let out a low growl, her head was pounding it felt like her head was splitting open and nothing could stop it, she tried sleeping it off, using some experimental drug that Watts made, and even magic but nothing stopped the unending splitting headache, finally Salem elected to intervene, and thus she found herself here Salem holding a rather large beaker with a greenish-blue liquid floating around in it raising an eyebrow at the substance the woman held it out to her
"Do you know what this is?" she questioned as the glowing liquid began to swirl at the movement mixing the two colors
"No. I've never seen that before in my life."
"Depending on who you ask there is a different name for it, but we just call it Mako, but the greater whole of this substance isn't a liquid but can be refined into a liquid or even solid, it is known as the life stream. It is where all souls return to once they die. This Sephiroth is powerful if he was able to injure you so easily, thus why I'm giving you the last of the Mako I have, there are other smaller pockets around the world but they are few and far between."
"If... it's the 'life stream' shouldn't it be more... plentiful?" Cinder questioned taking the beaker and smelled the substance
"It once was... but the relics that we seek have it chained away from us. So when a human dies they can not return to the planet. Remember our goal is a noble one regardless of what methods we must use." She reassured placing a hand on Cinders' shoulder allowing her a slight comfort before speaking once more "Now this is the hard part, the next room has a shallow bath in it that is full of Mako, you need to drink that, equip the re-breather, and submerge yourself in the Mako, once you do that I will seal the bath until the infusion is complete." Salem explained causing Cinder to look at the liquid for a few moments
"Will... it hurt a lot?"
"You will be drinking and bathing in the last moments of those who lived and died... yes, it will feel like your whole person is being ripped to shreds and put back together all at the same time." she answered guiding the woman to the door and placing her hands on Cinders' shoulders comforting her a bit "But it will make you stronger." she added causing the girls resolve to harden as she pushed the door open and entered
(o)
Ruby waited as the others checked on the few survivors they had retrieved, from what she could tell they had saved less than a third of the villagers. Turning away from the group she began to walk away to check the perimeter her eyes never once turning to the civilians, it was her fault they were in such a state so it was better to keep her distance, looking down at Harbinger she popped the ammo cylinder out and it launched a few wasted shells reaching down to her belt she took a few fire shells and loaded them before clicking it shut again, luckily for her the armor she retrieved from the Vale safe zone was still holding up, it consisted of a black metallic chest plate and a black tank top underneath as well as an ammo belt and bandolier both loaded with rounds for Crescent Rose and Harbinger, she had a pair of black denim jeans that were tucked into a pair of black combat boots, the coat she wore over top her armor and clothes was outwardly black but the interior, buttons, and piping were all red, the armor she wore over top her coat was all obvious in shades of silver the pauldrons on her shoulders and the gauntlets on her hands, both of which made attacking unarmed a little easier considering her lack of proficiency in such a task she wanted to make sure her hands were safe when she needed to attack bare handed.
Turning towards Pyrrha as she waved next to her head she spoke
"I've told them about KuresutofÅru, they'll start making their way there." Pyrrha said earning a nod from Ruby who again turned away and pulled the map from her coat and quickly began to read over it, as she drew another x over the town, that made five.
"Alright, lets get moving there's a large stretch of land between us and the next town, if we wanna save anyone we have to move fast." she said folding the map and slipping it into her coat again
"Cant we slow down for a bit?" Jaune asked causing Ruby to frown and turn to face him "I mean we've been keeping this pace for almost the whole time we've been traveling, I'm getting warn out, as I'm sure all of you are too." he asked turning to face Ren and Nora both of whom were leaning on each other for support
"Would you wanna slow down if it was your family that were murdered by that thing? It has to be put down, and if you're actually here to help then keep quiet and get moving." she ordered causing his eyes to narrow
"I'm not someone you can just push around! We're all stressed, and were all suffering from this, when was the last time you slept? Every morning I wake up and your still up, every night I go to bed your still up. You need this too."
"No I dont, and neither do you. Now lets go."
"Ruby perhaps resting for a while will be a bit more beneficial than you think, we can take stalk of our supplies, and try and plot a route that doesn't cross the paths of any villages." Pyrrha offered causing Rubys' steely gaze to fall on her for a few moments before softening when she looked down at the girls hands
"Fine... fine! We'll... take a brief rest. But don't get used to it." She folded storming away from the group to search the abandoned town for supplies leaving the four alone
(o)
Yang had quite a bit to learn about functioning without an arm, unfortunately she didn't have much in the way combat training with that, and with her father... gone she needed to learn on her own. Blake on the other hand had begun to worry, if Sephiroth was in league with Cinder and the White Fang then her family could be next on his list of visits, hence why they were at the docks right now, she was currently talking with one of the ticket clerks to book passage for them.
"Yang, I'm so glad I found you." Ports' voice came as he rushed towards her a slender box under one arm Oobleck keeping pace with him both had smiles on their faces
"Well you found me. What's up?" she asked moving to cross her arms but stopped when she found one missing
"Well as you know Atlas is the foremost leader in cybernetics and human augmentation." Oobleck began before getting cut off by Port
"Miss Schnee sent a letter along with this, both addressed to your team." Port quickly summarized earning a slight frown from Oobleck which was quickly replaced with a smile as he held out said note the SDC logo prominently located on it, taking the note she stared at the envelope then back to the two then back at the still sealed envelope... clearing her throat she held it out to them and Oobleck quickly caught on and opened the envelope and held the actual note out to her which she quickly unfolded and began to read
'I'm so sorry that I abandoned you all. My father is quite overbearing and it was never my intention to leave at such a critical time. But now that I am in Atlas I was able to interact with General Ironwood more closely and have sent something I hope would help with your recovery. Each of you are far stronger than myself and I wish I had more to offer than this but it is all I can offer. When we see each other next I hope it's so we can enjoy the company of friends that are more like a family than my own, but for now we must endure being separated. Your sister Weiss Schnee'
Well that didn't tell her what it was. Turning to port he held the box open and within she saw a sleek gray and white arm resting with a second note, this one from the Atlas R&D
'Yang Xaio-Long- this message is a direct instruction of how to equip and use-' blah blah blah instructions, pulling the limb from the box she held it up to her stump and guessed that she just... plugged it in... why do they never send instructions with these things? She then plugged it into the wound causing her eyes to widen as she quickly covered her mouth suppressing a scream as she felt the limb quickly begin to shake as if her hand was numb which is how it felt quickly she attempted to clench her hand into a fist and the machine obeyed... it was weird to say the least like she was moving her arm without actually moving anything.
"Hey, I got the tickets, professors?" Blake questioned walking up, Yang quickly concealed the limb
"Oh, miss Belladonna, we were just delivering a gift from miss Schnee that arrived a few hours ago." Oobleck answered as Yang quickly moved her new arm and tapped Blake on the shoulder causing the girl to turn and see no one, looking back to yang who waved with her new arm she smiled at it
"I guess even now we can rely on Weiss..." she muttered pulling the blond into a hug as Oobleck and Port silently began to walk away
"Thanks guys!" Yang called after they made it quite a few feet away, they waved back before hurrying off leaving the two to their business
"So... I've never been to Menagerie before, what's it like?" Yang asked as they began to walk again, Yang happily using both hands to hold her ticket
"Really hot." Blake answered earning a nod from Yang
"So... bikini weather?"
"We aren't going for fun we're going to make sure the people are safe... and no, the beaches in the village are used for amphibious faunus housing only, would you really like it if fish started flopping down the street?" Blake answered earning a raised eyebrow from Yang
"Was that racist?"
"No, it's just a fact, those who aren't born to swim aren't as good as someone who was." Blake denied again as they reached the dock they were searching for which had a rather large ferry moored at it's end, many people already beginning to board.
(o)
Having little to go on Sephiroth had resorted to torturing and interrogating those who might know the location of the Branwen clan, from what he had learned they have been running from one side of this continent to the other in an effort to flee him and thanks to the information he acquired from Ozpins' terminal currently they were close to the city to resupply. With a smile he came to a stop and looked back towards Ruby and her allies, with his cells within her she was basically a walking beacon for him as were Winter and Cinder. His attention turned back towards the large city built into the mountains, Mistral seemed to be a center for humans to congregate and share their culture, a truly disgusting place. Dropping from the skies he landed and began to walk, while he could easily fly there he wanted to check and see if what he felt was correct.
Walking deeper and deeper into the woods the trees began to cluster closer and closer together until finding a path was nearly impossible, slipping through a gap between two branches he landed lightly and looked up at the canopy above, it wasn't too thick, looking down into the pool before him he recognized it, placing his hand into the pool he felt that it was extremely shallow but deep enough for someone to bathe in... making a mental note of it he floated up through the canopy and returned to his search for Ravens' camp.
(o)
Ruby muttered to herself as she rubbed her eyes a bit, she just really wanted a bed to sleep in tonight but given the distance to the next village it was unlikely.
"Hey the suns starting to set, we should start making camp." Jaune said as he dropped from the tree tops, as he stood Pyrrha pat him on the shoulder
"Good landing." she praised causing him to blush and turn away, Pyrrha on the other hand turned smiled inwardly
"Alright you two, stop flirting." Ruby immediately cut in earning a laugh from Nora as she began to walk away to gather firewood
"I'm going to check the perimeter." Ren informed as he turned and walked after Nora, Pyrrha and Jaune quickly removed their bags and began to unroll their sleeping bags along with Nora and Rens', Ruby began to build a fire pit.
After the others returned they all sat around the fire and talked, Nora told them a story of when she and Ren first made their way to Vale, but Ruby wasn't interested she just stared into the flames her mind flooded with memories of her own home she found it hard to even try and drawl her gaze away from it, as if her mind was screaming for her to look deeper, it had to be Sephiroths' influence.
"Ruby?" Jaunes voice came from across from her all she did was answer with a hum "Are you feeling alright? Do you wanna head to bed now?"
"No... no, you all go ahead. I'll join you soon." she waved off clearly not paying much attention as she slid down the log and hugged her legs to her chest looking closer at the flames, after about fifteen minutes or so she finally decided to speak to the dying flames, her mutterings were more so a prayer the a conversation, she was asking for forgiveness from those she failed, Qrow, her father, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and all those who died in the battle for Beacon. She couldn't forget... she would never allow herself to forget.
A/N Alright, so there are going to be some changes that will occure during volume 4-6 due to Qrows' 'absence' obviously Salem isn't looking into Ruby due to Sephiroth killing the Wyvern, Ozpin, and mostly destroying the CCT, Ruby is still a high value target for her but less important when it comes to the relics, that and Cinder still has her arm and eye, so those are two major pluses(for her) I will be going more in depth with Ruby and Pyrrhas' PTSD those will be more prominent in later chapters, I don't wanna spend too much time on Volume 4 due to it mainly being a bunch of disconnected story's from each of the newly disconnected characters, so maybe 3 or 4 chapters, don't quote me on that though I'm not completely sure if I can get it done in that amount of time or if I'll need to make it shorter.