30

The Blood of Patriots and Tyrants

Ruby slipped into Jaune's room, still thinking on what Raven had just said to her, thoughts in turmoil. Her heart soared, however, when she saw him up and awake, his sapphire focused on her. When their eyes met, his almost immediately diverting downward.

"Hey Ruby." He said and she could feel the awkwardness. Ruby knew why, how could she not? Even now her eyes were drawn to his lips, the memory of kissing him still fresh with her.

"Hey Jaune. How are you feeling?"

"Worse than I look, probably." He chuckled bitterly. There were dark bags under his eyes and he looked at her with a strained tiredness to him.

"You look fine."

He raised an eyebrow, "Never play poker Ruby."

Ruby sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, "I'm not that bad….. Am I?"

Juane put his left hand, his good one, on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Ruby. It's a lost cause."

Ruby's hand flew to her mouth in mock shock, "How could you!" She was able to hold it for all of a half second before descending into chuckles, even getting a few out of Jaune before he winced.

"Ah man, it hurts to laugh." Before he added on when she grew concerned, "But thanks Ruby."

He threw a tired but honest smile her way and she felt her heart flutter, that strange feeling in her stomach returning, foreign but not unpleasant. She really like Jaune and the more she thought about it the more she realized that she couldn't go back to the days at Beacon where they'd been just friends. Even if she decided to give up, as long as they were around each other her feelings would keep resurfacing, and causing her pain as she realized that they couldn't be together.

"Eh. What are friends for." She could feel her nerves at the contact point of this hand on her shoulder, she could even feel his touch linger for a moment before he took his hand back. She took a moment to take a deep breath, steadying herself. Ruby wasn't sure what, exactly, was going to happen next, "I'm sorry Jaune."

Jaune's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, "For what?"

"For before." She hands played with the hem of her cape, she could feel her heart rate rising, "In the village…."

"The village?"

Ruby grew exasperated, "When I kissed you!" She nearly shouted and immediately looked around to make sure no one had heard her.

"Ah." Was all he said and looked down at his lap, "You don't have to apologize."

"Yang's your girlfriend. And I shouldn't have done that, no matter how much I.." She stopped but it was too late, Jaune would have to have been the most dense person on Remnant not to put two and two together. Ruby could have played it off as a spur of the moment thing, a good luck charm or something like she'd claimed at the time. But that wasn't what it was.

Ruby had seen the tidal wave of Grimm in that village. She'd known what their chances should have been of getting out of there alive. She'd kissed him fully expecting one or both of them to die that night. She'd kissed him because she was sixteen years old and didn't want to die with that kind of regret. She liked Jaune, no she loved him. He may not have known it but he was dear to here in so many ways. Her first friend at Beacon, a person who stood beside her even in his grief.

"No matter how much I like you." She finished eventually, head hung low with her cloak in her hands. Ruby braced for his response.

"Oh." He let out dumbly and she felt like she could have collapsed from the sudden lack of tension. When she peaked at him from the corner of her eye it was to find him looking at her with concern tempered with shock. Jaune's mouth opened and closed but no sound was forthcoming until he took a deep breath, "I see, I guess. You, uh, like me?"

She rolled her eyes at the emphasis on the word like, "Yes, Jaune, I love you."

Ruby caught the way he stiffened, his cheeks going red from embarrassment, "Not even Yang has said that."

"Oh." Was all Ruby could replay with. Suddenly she could only think of how much this would hurt her sister, if she found out. She had to make things clear, "Look I don't wanna get in the way. I know I just confessed and all but do you think you could forget all about it?"

His warm hand rested over hers, making her nearly jump at the contact, "Ruby, I don't think-"

His voice was drowned out by a klaxon resounding throughout the sighty. The long keening sound echoing off the walls and drowning everything out before cutting off abruptly, a click sounding before a voice boomed over the city.

"Citizens of Argus, this is Special Operative Cordovan, commander of the Argus Garrison For your safety, please remain in your homes, there is currently a Grimm threat within the city. Do not worry. Do not panic. Atlas will protect you."

With a clack the transmission cut off and the klaxons resumed their wail. Jaune's room was on the second story of the four story mansion located within Argus. Ruby leapt over to the window just as Yang barged through the door. Outside she could see people running off the streets but no Grimm until she looked into the sky. It was hard to make out during low light of dusk but she could see Griffons and Manticores soaring through the sky, diving down at the people below.

The guns on the wall remained silent, the giant anti-air cannons motionless, "No one on the wall is firing?"

Yang came up and looked out beside her sister, "Maybe they've been overrun already?"

"Then why is the alarm only sounding now?"

"The only way that happened is if the soldiers on the wall were overrun before they could sound the alarm." Jaune was the one who spoke up. Both the girls looked at him.

"But how? No Grimm is capable of strategy like that."

"No, there is one." Ruby said, slamming her fist into her upturned palm, "The Tyrant. Maria said it was smarter than most Grimm."

"But don't most smart Grimm stay away from cities? That's what Oobleck said."

"That's because they have a reason to be here." A new voice spoke up from the doorway and the old lady's small form shambled into Jaune's room, "They might be trying to finish what they started." She glanced over at Jaune who self consciously put a hand over his wound, and the black parasite.

"It's coming for me?" Jaune asked, his voice cracking.

Maria shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. We never did find out much about the Tyrant's as we hunted them though we do know that they can sense through the parasite. The hoste and the Tyrant that bit them are connected somehow."

"The Grimm can sense through Jaune?" Maria nodded and Yang's hand went to her hip where a gold and blue lantern hung, "Then do you think it senses the Relic?"

"It's as good a theory as any." Maria shambled over to Jaune, "Boy, how are you feeling?"

He looked are her, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Your bite. How's it feel. Like I said the parasite connects you to the Tyrant and gives it influence over the parasite. Have you noticed any changes?"

"Uh yeah." Ruby's eyes widened, why hadn't he said something to her? "I started to feel a bit more pain, like a throbbing pain."

Maria's hand came up to her chin, "Tch. Damn, if I hadn't lost my eyes I'd have been able to fix you up."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Hm? I had silver eyes. I could've erased this parasite in a flash. Not that you believe me."

"Silver….eyes?" The brunette could hardly believe what she was hearing, "Like mine?"

Maria stopped, her head jerking around to stare at the young huntress, her mechanical eyes going wide, "Curse these eyes of mine, I wish I'd have known sooner!" The elderly woman hobbled up to Ruby and peered into her face, "You want to save your friend?" Ruby nodded frantically, "Good. Listen the key to activating the power within you is life. Life is precious, it must be protected, understand?"

"Think of your friends, your loved ones. Don't think about the Grimm. Concentrate on who you must protect." Ruby closed her eyes and focused on what she was told. Her friends, Weiss, Blake, Oscar. She could feel a pressure building up within her, hammering away behind her eyes, almost like a headache. She thought of her family, her father and sister. Ruby felt like she could do it. Save them. A strange thought interfered. Pyrrha, whom she had failed. The pressure lessened. Her mother appeared before her and shattered her concentration.

Ruby hadn't had such powerful thought about her mother in years. Of course she missed her, but she had to move one. Her mother was her hero, a kind woman who helped others. She knew Summer wasn't around anymore, and she knew why. That's why she was determined to do better. To save everyone and live to have a family whom she loved and loved her.

Hands touched either of her cheeks, it was Maria, "Shh child. Push all other thoughts from your mind. Focus on the ones who love you, the way they make you feel."

The pressure began to build again as she thought of her partner. Weiss, a girl who seemed cold at first but was incredibly warm and loyal once she thawed. Now they were close, sisters almost, a far cry from when they'd first met. Blake, the most distant of her teammates at first, had struggled with opening up to them. She had her issues but had chosen to trust her tea, chosen to come back to them. The friends she'd found in Ren and Nora.

Lastly she thought of Jaune. A friend who had extended his hand to a stranger in need and they'd formed a fast friendship. Two awkward people being awkward together. Ruby had found comfort in knowing she wasn't the only one who didn't have everything together. If it wasn't for him she'd have never been friends with the rest of team JNPR either. And since then he'd grown in her heart without her noticing. She'd watched him struggle and watched him start to overcome his grief. She watched how every time he got knocked down he rose once more and before she knew it she found she was attracted to him. She wanted to help him.

The pounding in her eyes crashed against her eyes, begging to be let out.

She wanted to protect him.

"Argh!"

Her concentration shattered again with the loud sound of pain coming from Jaune. He started screaming, gripping his shoulder as her eyes snapped open, naked concern on her face.

"Jaune!" The two sisters called out in unison as they rushed to his side. He continued thrashing about, not even reacting to either of them. Jaune collapsed, still, a moment later. Maria opened one of his closed eyes.

"Looks like he passed out."

"What the hell is happening?!" Yang sounded a little hysterical, probably remembering that Jaune was on borrowed time.

"Relax, kid. The pain was just too much." She paused as they heard a horrendous crash upstairs, "Looks like time's up. The Tyrants are here."

Yang's eyes went from lilac to crims and Ember Celica slid into place on her wrists, "Good." She flinched when Maria rapped her cane on her shin.

"Cool off, you hothead. A single Tyrant's like nothing you've faced before. They're smarter than you think. A cabal of them is beyond you. Maybe your maiden mother might be able to but with all these other Grimm around? Not a chance."

"What about my eyes?"

Maria hesitated before shaking her head, "Your eyes only react in the presence of Grimm and you're too new to them. I won't put you in that kind of situation."

"But I could help. The Grimm are here because of us! We have to do something."

"And what happens when one cuts you down because you couldn't activate your power, hmm?"

Just as Ruby opened her mouth to say more their door opened once again, admitting a serious faced Qrow with everyone else in tow.

"Gather your gear. We've gotta fight."

"Are you all planning on facing down an army of Grimm?"

He looked over at Maria, "The Grimm are here regardless. So unless you have a better plan I'm not gonna sit here doing nothing."

"The Grimm are here for that." She pointed at the relic on Yang's hip, "If we leave so will the Grim. I believe they are under the command of the Tyrants. If we leave, they will follow us."

"What makes you think the Grimm will follow, there's plenty of negativity here in Argus now."

"Maybe so but the Tyrant's can feel the Relic. And there's a reason we call them Tyrants. They tend to control or take command other Grimm. If they come after us, so will most if not all of their minions."

"What makes you so sure, Grandma?"

Exasperated, Maria shook her cane at him, "Because I'm the Grimm Reaper and have more experience fighting Grimm than you've been alive!"

"Wait, you're the Grimm Reaper?!" Even Raven looked shocked.

"You can ask me questions later. Pick your jaw up off the floor and get moving. We need to leave now!"

"Okay, okay fine. We need transportation. Maybe we can get a boat."

"Stealing?" Weiss didn't sound impressed.

"Spare me, mini-Ice Queen."

"That base has plenty of airships." Raven finally contributed to the conversation, "I could go and acquire one and portal you to me. Though I need someone to fly it."

"I can fly an airship." Maria answered though one other person did raise their hand. Neo stepped forward and pointed to herself proudly.

"I'll take the colorful one." Raven answered. Neo bowed and extended her hand towards Raven who tentatively took and and a second later they both shattered into glass, gone.

Another crashing sound came from above them, closer this time.

"The hell?" Qrow looked up, one hand on his weapon.

"Grimm in the house. Trying to find their way down here." Maria answered, "What about the house owner?"

"As soon as the alarm sounded she went to the panic room. She'll be fine." Qrow answered. All that left was Jaune and Maria as those who couldn't defend themselves. Everyone fell silent, the sounds of battle drifting in past the closed window. Explosions rattled the glass in the sill while the screams of those unlucky enough to be caught outside pierced the quickly descending night. The crashing and thumping grew louder until it was coming from the stairwell. Ren crouched in the hallways, Stormflower held out in front and aimed down the hall while Nora took up behind him, Magnhild in grenade launcher form. As soon as the black and white form of the Tyrant stuck it's head around the corner, it exploded into a pink dust explosion.

A sudden sound behind them had Ruby turning around as a red and black portal oozed into life. Qrow ushered everyone into and they were hit by the fierce bite of the cold outside air. The hum of engines thrumming loudly into their ears. Neo was standing at the top of the short embarkation ramp onto the airship dressed in an Atlesian uniform. As she bowed the uniform changed back into her usual attire.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Get on and quit gawking."

Nora and Ren brough Jaune up the ramp together, first. Ruby looked at the sky, the city of Argus sitting in close. Her instincts screamed at her to go back but she knew that would only bring more Grimm from the surroundings. Silhouetted against the shattered moon rose a group of flapping figures, above the rest of them. When she ascended the ramp she found Maria in the pilot seat and Neo next to her.

The engines rose in pitch as the vehicle lifted off into the air, "Alright everyone, buckle up! This might get rough! Next stop Atlas!"

Ruby was nearly thrown from her feet as the ship rocketed off towards the sea. And then nearly thrown again as the ship jerked around again.

"Are you sure you know how to fly, Grandma?"

"I know how to fly, but I'm not stupid enough to fly through that." She pointed outside the front viewport. There they could see the rapidly approaching cloud of Grimm surround the massive form of some Grimm rising up out of the ocean. The Leviathan Grimm opened it's maw, a glow forming in the back of it's through and Maria threw the ship into a dive as a massive beam of energy ripped through the air where they had been mere moments ago.

"Seriously? How unlucky can we get?" Nora shouted from the back

"Very." Both Raven and Qrow answered in unison.

An answering beam of energy lanced out from behind them and struck the Grimm in it's shoulder, causing it to rear back.

"How dare you threaten the citizens under our protection! Feel the might of Atlas!"

Behind them waded a massive robot, the water only coming halfway up it's enormous shins. The chamber on it's arm cycled and something popped out, rockets firing out in a mighty salvo, destroying dozens of the flying Grimm. As the two titans clashed with one another, dozens of Manticores dove down at them making Maria do a series of complex maneuvers. Yang flung herself over Jaune to keep him steady in the harness they had strapped him into.

The airship shook as something impacted the fuselage, a loud scraping sound resonating throughout the hull. Then a thumping sound could be heard heading towards the back of the ship. Ruby's blood froze as she realized what it was. So did the others because everyone had a pale face.

There was a Grimm attached to the ship.

Ruby felt her body move almost on it's own, her fear died down as she chose a course of action and decided to act. She pulled the hand of the door and the intense wind filled the interior of the airship. It tugged at her cape as the others started shouting at her.

"Ruby what are you doing?!" Her partner asked. She turned around and gave Weiss a grin that was more confident than she felt.

"I'm gonna need you to cover me Weiss."

Ruby stepped out of the airship, spreading herself wide to slow down her descent, her grip tightened on Crescent Rose. A blur of white hurtled into her vision, Weiss' Queen Lancer swooped in and caught her mid-air. Using a hand to stabilize herself on it's back they flew back up to the ship and she saw the fierce scowl on her partner's face. Wincing a little she pointed up and got a nod in return. That was her partner alright, they were really understanding each other now.

As she flew level with the top of the airship she finally got a full glimpse of the Grimm clinging to the roof of their vehicle. It was a Tyrant, it's powerful claws dug deep into the fuselage slowly dragging it's claws out and making it's way towards the engines. Ruby summoned her semblance and burst forth onto the top of the airship with the Grimm where she immediately started slipping backwards. The airship's speed slowed down dramatically and a black glyph appeared beneath her feet.

The Tyrant faced her, recognizing the threat she posed, and used it's hind claws to stabilize itself as it tore it's forearms free to deal with her. Trusting Weiss' glyph to keep her glued to the airship, Ruby ran at the Grimm. She feinted a high slash into a low sweep. The claws met her blade and stopped it as it's other arm block her slash. It had seen through her. She felt she could almost see the intellect in it's eyes.

The thing was fast, that much she was reminded of as it blocked her repeated slashed. It wasn't fast enough to catch her off guard but it's swipes her getting closer. Anyone slower might have been overwhelmed but Ruby used her semblance to gain distance when she could. A fireball whizzed past her head and she spied a few Manticores keeping distance as they started taking potshots at her. A blast of fire dust sped out their ship and exterminated on of the manticores followed by a barrage from her friends. With those threats gone, they annihilated any Grimm attempting to get close to them.

The Tyrant was on her in her moment of distraction, it massive hand coming down on top of her. Crescent Rose blocked the strike but her aura dipped a little anyways as her knee slammed into the metal roof. The creature drew it's other arm back to impale her and she realized she had to do something. It all happened in a slow instant, she took her right hand off of Crescent Rose and gripped Rose Thorn on her thigh. With a flick of a switch it started unfolding as she drew it. In a swift slice she bisected both of the creature's hind legs.

The Grimm must not have expected it because in a gust of wind it was gone, falling to the water below. As she stood she saw something that nearly stopped her heart. Three more Tyrants were gaining on them, close enough she could make out the face of the closest one. On the boneplate mounted on it's face was a long, diagonal scratch. With that one look she knew, that was the one that had bit Jaune, and now it was back, here to finish what it had started.

No, she wouldn't let it. No more. Not a single one of her friends would die from here on out. Ruby felt a pounding in her heads. The same feeling from before that begged to be loosed. She remembered Maria's words and thought of Jaune, not the Grimm closing in on them. Ruby closed her eyes and focused on the way he made her feel. Warm, safe. Like butterflies were living in her stomach. His gentle smile he showed rarely and the sardonic one he made in good humor. She wanted to protect his smile. She wanted to protect him, and the people she loved. The power she could feel thundered behind her eyes and she finally opened them.

When she did she saw her vision filled with white, black, and red. The murderous gaze of the Tyrant was almost upon her, the three of them having landed and cautiously approached her. Ruby was within reach of the beast and it lunged at her as the sky around her erupted into blinding light, the power finally pushing through and out of her. The light drug her strength with it, leaving her breath ragged but the immediate sky around them clear of Grimm, the only remnants being the disappearing dust around them.

A/N: Her ya go, little bit later than usual but it's still the weekend! A long chapter entirely from Ruby's PoV. I really hope you liked the chapter.