Sorry for how late this is, I've been super busy IRL with school and work. But here it is! The end of V4. I hope that you enjoy it, and that I made the Nucklevee fight enjoyable (there wasn't much actual fighting in the canon version so it's a little short, ^_^;) 'Moon Presence' from Bloodborne, and 'Kainé Salvation' from NieR's OST really helped with this chapter.
And if you noticed, the fic has a new cover image! I commissioned it from my friend, LycanHeiress, they're super awesome!
He heard the Demon's horse snort, its hooves clopping against the stone road as its body turned around, its head remaining in place as it stared at him, smiling. The bone armor around its chest sunk into its skin, a long bone spear sliding from its wrist.
Ren's scar burned, his vision blurring; his father was in the Demon's hand, arrows filling its chest.
"Ren! Move!"
Ren yelped as he was shoved to the ground, rain and clouds filling his vision. The Demon's horse whinnied as it laughed, the sound a guttural clicking. A bone spear was embedded in the stones where he had been standing, the Demon's head twisting as it looked over at him. It pulled its spear free, the horse turning.
Nora got off him, aiming her grenade launcher at it. Ren scrambled to his feet, backing up, raising Storm Flower.
There was a clap of thunder, the Demon shrieking as black blood spurted from its shoulder. Its twisted around; Ruby stood behind it, lowering her rifle. The Demon hurled its spear, Ruby disappearing in a flurry of petals. Several more claps of thunder ringing out, more blood spurting into the rain.
Pyrrha ran between its legs, her blades in hand. She swung at its legs with a yell, gasping in shock bone armor formed over the legs, her blades clinking against them. Pyrrha yelled as the Demon grabbed her hefting her into the air, her swords falling to the ground. The armor around its legs sinking back into its skin. Pyrrha struggled against its grip as it raised her to its face.
The Demon roared, its mandibles splitting apart as a dagger slid from its wrist. It stabbed at her face, Pyrrha parrying, and decking it in the throat.
Ren opened fire, pink grenades whistling past him, the Demon screaming as explosions rocked its side. Pyrrha fell from its grip, her swords zipping into her hands as she landed. Pyrrha ran underneath it, slashing at its legs, the horse screeching.
The Demon backed away, the dagger sinking back in, armor sliding out, encasing its body.
"Guys!" Ruby shouted. Ren glanced over at her. She was crouching on a tree branch, her rifle raised. "It can only use one type of bone thingy at a time! Attack it from every direction!"
Ren nodded, dashing forward, strafing around it as he fired, his bullets indenting on its armor. The Demon growled, its head snapping in various directions, as Nora and Ruby fired at it, Pyrrha slashing at its legs with her swords, struggling to find a chink in its armor.
The Demon screamed, Ren gasped as spikes began to grow from the armor. The scream turned to a laugh.
The spiked armor flew off the Demon, launching in several directions. Ren's eyes widened as a spike came flying at him.
"REN!"
He felt something shove him to the ground and heard Nora scream. He looked up, his blood turning cold.
Nora was pinned to a wall, a spike jutting through her stomach. Her hand twitched, blood dripping down.
No. No. NO!
Ren sprinted to her side, his breathing uneven as he looked at the spear pinning her to the building. He dropped his guns, his hands patting his body over. Aura booster, something, anything! If he moves that without something she…she…!
"Ren…"
He looked at her; her voice so quiet. She lifted her head, blood dribbling down her chin. She scowled.
"Kill that thing," she said.
He heard Ruby yelp and looked back at the fight.
Ruby dodged one of its scythes, flanking it, petals and rain left in her wake. She swapped out the magazine in her rifle and fired. The Demon swung, slicing through the bullet, flames dancing around it. Ruby snarled, dodging another slash, and fired again.
Flames erupted in the building behind the Demon, the damaged roof caving in, embers and sparks flying up, the rain hissing against it.
Ren swallowed, drawing the knife from his boot, and charged back into the fight.
The Demon glanced at him, screeching, and launching its scythe from its wrist. He dodged it, dashing forward, stabbing into its leg. The Demon screamed as he twisted the blade, blood spurting onto his face. He heard Ruby fire, and saw a shield form over the Demon's arm, flames washing over the shield. Pyrrha ran past him, stabbing into its stomach, screaming as she ripped its stomach open, its entrails spilling out.
He jumped back as the Demon collapsed, the horse whining going quiet as Pyrrha reformed her spear, stabbing it through the horse's throat. The Demon shrieked, its body spinning around. Pyrrha's eyes widened as its shield shot from its arm, slamming into her, hurling back. He heard a sickening crunch as Pyrrha slammed into a building, and slid down the side of it, slumping onto the ground.
Ren yelled, charging at the Demon, leaping onto its body. Its body spun around, its head splitting open as it roared at him, blood and spittle flying out. He screamed, pain shooting through him as a spear shot from its shoulder, stabbing into his chest. Dark spots filled his vision, the sounds around him growing distant.
He grit his teeth, tears welling as the Demon screamed at him. He grabbed the spear, pulling himself further down it, and screamed as he stabbed his father's knife into its head.
The Demon's screams were cut short, its body going limp around his blade.
He felt his hand slide from the handle, finding it harder and harder to breathe as the world went dark.
Ruby dropped her scythe, dread coursing through her as she ran up to Ren and the Demon. Smoke drifted from the Demon's corpse, black blood and entrails pooling around it.
Ruby leapt onto its body, looking at Ren. The spear was jutting through his chest, and out his back, his blood coating it. His breathing was ragged. She grabbed his arm, his skin cold, and strained, trying to pry him free. He wouldn't budge.
"No, no,"
She stepped off of its body, looking at Nora. At her still body pinned to the wall. Her vision grew fuzzier, tears sliding down her tears as she looked over at Pyrrha slumped against the wall. She could hear her Uncle Qrow hacking, and coughing.
She fell to her knees, her body trembling.
"Ren…Nora…Pyrrha," she choked. She felt a tremor run through her, a sob ripping from her lips. She felt the tears run down, mixing with the rain as she sobbed.
The rain kept falling, thunder booming around her, the fires crackling as the building burned. She hiccupped, her ears perking up. That…didn't sound like thunder. She ran over to her scythe at what sounded like giant Nevermore wings beating at the air. She gripped her weapon, staring up at the sky.
Her eyes widened in surprise as an airship appeared, its ships wings moving like a birds. The ship landed, several uniformed men rushing out. She turned, watching them run past her, rushing to Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. She looked back, seeing one attending to Qrow.
"Ma'am? Are you alright?" She looked in front of her. A man stood before her. "We're a part of Mistral Cities defense force. We saw the fire, and came to investigate. Your friends are in rough condition. We will be taking them back with us to Mistral City to receive medical attention. Are you injured."
Mistral City.
Ruby laughed, shaking her head.
Mistral City.
She saw her friends and Uncle being carried on stretchers onto the ship, the men talking over each other as they injected vial after vial into each of them.
Mistral City.
They were going to Mistral City.
Weiss stood before the ship, gripping her suitcase. The moon illuminated its dented and rusted features, its pilot leaning against it, his lips pursed as he sorted through the stacks of lien. He finished counting, nodding as he looked at the stack.
"Alright. I can take you to Mistral City, but if we get caught, I never knew you were on my ship. Clear?" he asked.
Weiss nodded. He pocketed the stack of money, heading into the ship. Weiss looked back at the open hanger, at the night sky. She smiled sadly, watching the aurora's dance in the skies, the moon shifting colors with it. She exhaled, it would be such a long time before she would get to see a sight like that again.
She heard the engine's roar to life, and turned back to the ship. She straightened her back, lifting her head, and went to the ship's open door.
Blake opened her eyes, unclasping her hands. She smiled at the small murti of Mother Devi, at the banana left at her feet. Bittersweet incense filled her father's office, light streaming through its windows. Blake stood up, looking at one of her father's shelves. Books, cloths, and photos filled them. Her eyes lingered at the top shelf, at where a long curved sword sat on a stand, the blue and white banner of the White Fang wrapped around the handle.
She heard the door slide open, looking over at, and smiling as her father walked into the room.
Yang leaned against the railing of the ship, the waves lapping at it's sides, salty mist spraying around her. She ran a finger over the lens of her aviators, the sun's light flickering over the ocean. She heard a couple walking behind her, and looked behind her.
A man with blonde hair, and a woman with platinum hair were talking and laughing, their arms interlocked. Yang turned away, looking back out over the ocean. She rubbed the end of her stump, looking down at the ribbon tied around her jacket sleeve; the pale white sash Weiss had wrapped around her stump that night. She moved her hand from her stump, covering the puss and blood stains in the white cloth, only allowing the white to look back at her. She sighed, squeezing her arm before looking out at the ocean. At the yellow sun, and the white clouds.
Twilight filtered through the living room windows. Tai sighed, turning off the television. He shifted in his seat, looking at the coffee table. At the multitude of pictures of his daughters when they were children. He felt a stab in his heart at the pain hiding in Yang's eyes, the missing teeth in her smile.
He turned away from the photos, closing his eyes.
Pyrrha groaned as she opened her eyes, feeling someone's arms wrapped around her. Ice shot down her spine, her breath hitching.
The Corpse was hugging her, it's face buried in her chest. It looked up at her, sadness and relief in its blue eyes. Pyrrha grimaced, pain jolting through her body as she shifted in the bed, swallowing as she stared at those blue eyes.
Her head snapped over to the door as it opened, Ren and Nora standing in the doorway. Nora was leaning against Ren, their clothes replaced with hospital gowns. Nora frowned as they entered the room, cocking her head aside as she looked past Pyrrha.
"Huh. What's a moth doing in here?" Nora asked.
Pyrrha craned her head; a soft yellow moth sat on the wall. The moth flew from the wall, landing on Pyrrha's arm. The moth looked up at her, its antenna's twitching.
Pyrrha smiled at the moth, looking back over at Ren and Nora as she felt it climb up her arm. Nora cocked an eyebrow at the moth before going to Pyrrha's side, Ren joining her. They leaned against the bed, resting their heads on her shoulder. Pyrrha closed her eyes, raising her arm, and running it through Ren and Nora's hair.
Weiss absent mindedly kicked her legs, turning to look out the ships window. Golden morning light danced over the snow-covered mountain peaks, the snow turning to amber and gold. Weiss smiled, running a hand through her cut hair as she looked out over the mountains of Atlas.
The night had ended, and a new dawn had come.
"That was your great grandmother's sword," her father said. Blake looked back at the curved blade. She heard her father walking over to her. "She wielded it during the Faunus Revolution, and when she began the White Fang, she retired it, opting a path of nonviolence."
"She passed it down to her daughter, and she to her daughter, and her to me." She saw her father stop next to her from the corner of her eye. He rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him. He looked at her. "I couldn't help but notice that you don't have that sword you were using in the Vytal Tournament anymore." He smiled. "I think it's time for you to get a new one," he said.
He lifted his hand from her shoulder, going to the bookcase and pulling the sword from its stand. He turned to her, holding out the sword. She saw sadness in his golden eyes.
"To see what has become of our family's organization… to see what a monster like Adam has planned, and what it will mean for our people." His face hardened. "I do not wish to see our people fight each other, for Faunus to spill other Faunus blood, but…. If something like that were to happen, I want you to be able to defend yourself."
Blake's ears flattened, and she nodded at her father. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the swords handle, the cold wood biting into her palm. She lifted the sword from her father's hands, resting the sheathed blade on her hand.
The scabbard was a deep purple, a belladonna running down the length of it. The handle was black, with white samegawa, the blue and white banner of the White Fang tied around the guard. Blake took a deep breath, popping the sword from its scabbard. Its midnight black blade looked back at her. She sheathed the sword, lowering it to her side, and looked at her father.
"What did she name it?" she asked.
"Peace Bringer," her father said.
Yang grunted, tying her last bag onto the back of her bike. The sun was beating down, sweat stinging her eyes as she finished her work. She straightened her back, inhaling, savoring the scent of salt, grateful as a coastal breeze blew.
She exhaled, taking her aviators and flicking them open, and putting them on. She sat down on her bike, the leather seat warm. Fire sprang from her stump, her aura arm forming. Yang smirked as the engine roared to life, leaning forward and gripping the handles of her bike.
Her bike shot forward, dust and dirt flying behind her, her hair billowing in the wind.
Ilia landed with a grunt, looking up at the two robed figures before her as she stood up.
"Were you followed?" The Left Figure asked.
"No," she said. She crossed her arms. "Does Khan suspect you two? Does she know what's going to happen?"
The Right Figure chuckled.
"She has had no reason to doubt her loyal servants. We Albain Twins know how to keep up an illusion." The Figures turned to look at her, confident smirks on their identical faces. Corsac's fox tail swished behind him, Fennec's fox ears standing up straight. Corsac rested his hands together.
"Now then, I do believe you have information that our dear Adam would very much like to learn."
Ilia hesitated before nodding her head.
Ember's fell from her hand, sizzling against the blood-stained stones. Beowolf corpses surrounded her, the scent of metal filling the room. Cinder snapped her fingers, sparks flying.
Nothing.
Cinder scowled, looking over her shoulder. Emerald bit her lip, playing with her hands. She lowered her head, and closed her eyes, holding out a hand. Cinder smirked, looking back.
A girl with short black and red hair appeared before Cinder, her red cloak obscuring her body. Cinder's lip twitched, a phantom pain shooting through her missing eye and arm. Flames kindled, spreading up Cinder's arm. That brat cocked her head to the side, confusion in her silver eyes. Cinder lunged forward with a yell, hearing Ruby's blood sizzle as her fist ripped into her chest. Cinder grabbed her heart, feeling it pulse in her hand, staring into Ruby's pain filled eyes as she yanked it free of Ruby's body.
Ruby's eyes rolled back, her body slumping to the ground, blood pooling as Cinder looked at the heart in her hand, watching as the flames consumed it.
Ruby sat against the wall, her hands in her lap, her heart hammering. She sprang to her feet as the door opened, the doctor stepping into the hallway.
"Is he okay?" Ruby asked. The Doctor nodded, relief washing through Ruby.
"Your uncle is going to be okay. We had the proper antivenom on hand and managed to flush his system. It'll be a few days before he is ready to leave, but his aura should be able to heal the various minor injuries we found." The Doctor said. Ruby exhaled.
"Can I see him?" she asked. The Doctor nodded, stepping out of the way.
Ruby entered the room, rushing to her uncle's bedside. Needles and wires were taped to his arm, leading to an IV drip next to the bed. He groaned, opening his eyes, blinking a few times. He smirked at her.
"Hey there, kido," he said. Ruby smiled back, feeling tears welling.
"Hey, Uncle Qrow." He looked at the IV stand, and at the needles in his arm.
"I thought I was the one supposed to do the saving," he said.
Ruby laughed, throwing her arms around her uncle, her tears dampening the bedsheets.
The wind whipped around her, the engine roaring in her ears. Sunlight filtered through the trees, lighting up small patches of the dirt road she drove down. Yang eased up, her bike slowing down and coming to a stop, the engine rumbling.
There were two paths in front of her, a signpost pointing in either direction, and back the way she came.
The path to the right pointed to Mistral City, the path to the left was scrawled out in red paint, Branwen written over what had been written before.
Yang looked at each of the signs, before looking behind her, down the path she had taken from the coastal village her ship had dropped her off at. Yang took a breath and exhaled. She revved the bike's engine and darted down her chosen path.
I know that V4 is generally disliked by the FNDM, so I hope that you all enjoyed this take on it. I will begin work on V5 soon.
Outside of being busy with school and work, I have also been working on ironing out the details of my own original series. The working title for it is Chronicles of Lunais, and I plan on it being a dark fantasy anthology series. I have the outline for the first book, The Magi Tanist, done, and I shall be working on it at the same time as Scars.