Chapter 40

Love Conquers All

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

"Scroll Communications / Tv"

Location / Date / Time Change

Argus Sea

The mech swung its sword at the Grimm, chipping the bone plate on the back. The Colossus spun and slapped the sword out of the hand, sending the large blade into the city. The Grimm opened its jaw and energy began charging as the mech pointed the cannon forward and they fired a shot at the same time, creating a massive explosion.

The water rippled and crashed against the break wall as the dust settled. The Grimm had vanished from sight, angering the woman inside. Caroline looked around with her eyes as her radar was still down. From behind, the Colossus jumped out of the water, bit down on the cannon arm, and started to turn. With brute strength, the Grimm ripped it off with the death roll, throwing the arm into the sea.

Sparks flew out of the stump as the mech collapsed to the knees, the beast walking past her and heading straight for the city. The second hard light wall was still standing, but one roar from the beast easily destroyed the generator. The people still trapped in the city began panicking even more, making the flying Grimm dive the city.

The airship dived next to the mech and the door opened up. "Please tell me you still have something that stop that thing." Ryuko asked, banging on the glass.

The Special Operative looked up, her hands frantically working the controls. "It won't respond to me!" She shouted. "I can't stop the Colossus like this. Get back to the city and load up the civilians. Get as many as you can out of here now!" The door closed and the ship flew away as Caroline pulled up the status of the weapons systems.

Ruby's scroll started ringing and she answered it before walking to the cockpit. "Head to the edge of the cliff. Yang and the others are there." Maria nodded and steered the ship towards the cliffs until the four came through the forest.

"What's happening?" Vergil asked, looking at the damaged mech.

"That thing is headed for the city! And we need something to stop it." Ryuko said, pointing at the Colossus. "Is the radar working again?"

"Yeah..." Yang mumbled as she sat down. "After we showed Adam beaten, we showed him to the White Fang members. They dropped their weapons and fled into the woods. I... I don't think they'll ever bother us again."

The others were stunned by her words as Blake sat down next to her. "I'm... sorry..." Weiss said. "That must have been hard for you both."

"It would have been... If we were alone." Blake said, patting Yang's hand. "But we all had each others backs. We were a team."

Natsu smiled as he took his girlfriend's hand, making her smile as well. "Look, I don't want to be that person, but that thing gave Cordovin all she can handle." Maria said, catching everyones attention. "Not to mention that we still need to get the Lamp to Atlas and we are in an airship. We may not get another chance like this."

"...You want us to cut and run?" Vergil asked, shocking everyone. "Leave these people here to die?"

"That's not going to happen." Yang said. "Like you said, Huntsmen and Huntresses are supposed to protect people. Not leave them to the Grimm."

Ruby turned to the older woman and shrugged her shoulders with a smug smile on her face. "We need to get close to the Colossus. Yang, think you can take that thing out with your magic?"

"Won't know until I try, right?" She chuckled before standing up. "Natsu, mind clearing a way for us?"

"My pleasure." He replied before jumping off the edge, flying on the wind. Punching Manticore's in the face, he soared through the sky before ripping wings off a Griffon. "Go!"

Yang blasted into the sky with her gauntlets and shot her way towards the massive Grimm. Fire erupted from her palms and she tried to burn her way through the leg. The Colossus ignored her efforts as it walked forward towards the city. Yang flew up and fired a blast of ice at the Grimm, but that only annoyed the giant.

It spun and swatted the blonde with it's tail ,knocking Yang to the side. Natsu flew at her with blinding speed and caught her just before she hit the water. The Grimm unleashed another roar and destroyed another portion of the city. The couple flew back to the ship and the Faunus threw his girlfriend inside. "Sorry, Ruby. I tried."

"All squads, fall back to evacuation positions." The radio reported. "Disengage the Colossus. We are abandoning Argus. I repeat, we are abandoning Argus."

"Wait, Wait!" Ruby rushed forward and grabbed the walkie talkie. "We can stop it!"

"Who is this!? How'd you get on this frequency?" A military member asked.

"I'm a Huntress." She replied. "Me and my team are heading to the Colossus. We can weaken it so you can attack."

Her words shocked everyone as Vergil rushed over, grabbing her shoulder. "Can we actually do that?" He asked.

She turned around and stared into his eyes. "We can't, but I can." She replied, finally clueing everyone in on her plan.

"Ruby, when I said 'a trial by fire', this is not what I meant." Maria explained.

"I did it at Beacon, and at Haven, and at Brunswick." The caped girl replied.

"But... can you do it now?" Weiss asked.

"I don't have a choice." Ruby solemnly answered.

The radio cut through the static as Ruby picked up the walkie. "Manta 51, the rest of our ships are being overrun. And those that aren't are being prepared to evacuate the civilians. You will receive no support from us."

Ruby let out a sigh as she pressed the button on the side. "Fine, I'll do it myself if I have too." She declared before walking towards the side-door as it opened. "Natsu!" The hybrid appeared in front of the door, his wings beating in the wind. "I need you to get me in front of that thing."

"You got it." Natsu grabbed the girl by her arms and pulled her out before sharing a glance with Yang. "I'll keep her safe." He flapped his wings and flew through the battlefield, dodging the Grimm that tried to attack them. An explosion of light hit a Manticore, making the flock focus on the airship. "Don't worry, they'll be fine."

She nodded in response before the finally flew in front of the Grimm. "Okay... you can do this, Ruby..." She mumbled as the creature sniffed them. It could sense it's Grimm brethren nearby, but at the same time it also smelled humanity. They couldn't exist in the same place, but that contradiction seemed to confused the beast.

"Ruby... anytime now..." Natsu mumbled, holding the girl in his arms.

The redhead closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drowning out all noise around them. Her mind flashed with memories of her family, her friends, the people she loved most. But then it all went wrong. She started thinking of The Fall of Beacon, of Penny's death, of Pyrrha...

She opened her eyes and stared at the massive gaping jaw as it breathed on the two. The pair glanced down at Ruby's hip and stared at the Lamp before the Grimm roared and brought its razor-like teeth down on them. "JINN!"

The entire world froze around the two as the water came to a stop. With a sigh of relief, Ruby lowered her arms. "I-I'm sorry." She told the spirit. "I don't have a question for you. I just- I jut needed a little bit of time."

The spirit floated behind the two and glared at the human. "I know." She said. "And while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I'll give it free." She leaned in and glared at the two. "I will now allow you to summon me without a question again... even if this was clever."

Ruby nodded and the spirit floated back. Ruby closed her eyes again and the good memories once again flooded her mind. The sea started waving back and forth again as the air ships resumed flying around them. The gaping jaw started lurching forward as one person suddenly came to mind: Oscar. Her heart fluttered a bit and she opened her eyes just as they started glowing and the magical energy shot forward.

The Colossus pulled its head back and roared to the sky as stone slowly encased the Grimm. The energy ballooned out and covered the entire sea, coating every Grimm in stone. The entire city started cheering as Maria let out a sigh of relief and the light died. The flying Grimm dropped to the ocean and shattered into pieces as Ruby glanced over back at the city.

Stone started cracking and she turned back to watch the giant Grimm break it's head free of the stone. "Natsu, move!"

"Uh... Ruby.. We have a slight problem..." Natsu mumbled, making the scythe user turn her head. His wings were also coated in a layer of stone, and while they could flap, they were too heavy to fly. The pair started falling towards the sea, into the open jaws of the Grimm underneath them.

Weiss took a deep breath and ran her fingers along the blade. She stabbed into the ship and a summoning Glyph appeared beneath the ex-heiress. "Do it, Weiss." Ryuko said with a smirk.

The white haired girl turned the blade and seconds later, a massive white Lancer flew out from under the ship. It dived at the two and scooped them onto it's back before flying them back to the ship. Natsu was laid out on his stomach as Ruby sat on the bug. "What would have happened if I didn't catch you two?" Weiss asked, her hands on her hips.

"I knew you would." Ruby chuckled.

Th Colossus roared as it's arm snapped free. "What do we do now?" Natsu asked.

"I'll take it from here." The group turned to see the mech marching past them, its hand starting to spin like a drill. With jumping thrust, the hand spun into the beasts mouth and out through the skull. The creature's jaw went slack and the hand dropped to the side before it turned to dust.

Atlas Military Base

The face plate of the mech opened up and Cordovin walked out. Maria landed the badly damaged ship in front of her before the door opened, letting the others hop out. "I hope you don't think this has earned you and your little crew a trip to Atlas." The Special Operative told them.

"We were just trying to help the people." Ruby replied. "It had nothing to do with getting to Atlas."

"I'm sure." She replied. "So is the White Fang dealt with?"

"For good this time." Blake nodded as the back of the ship opened up before Natsu and Vergil walked to the open hull.

"A little present from us to you." Yang chuckled as Natsu and Vergil threw Adam to the ground, his arms bound in stone. The extremist quickly stood up and turned to ran, only to get hit with the flat side of Rebellion, knocking him out again.

"Well, I know General Ironwood would be very happy about this." A new voice caught everyone's as they turned back to the base to see Ragyo Kiriyuin walking from an airship, much to Ryuko's surprise.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Ryuko asked after a quick hug.

"Ironwood got this Qrow's letter three days ago." She explained, walking to the group as she flashed Cordovin a letter. "After finally clearing his ridiculous standards, I gained permission to come here and bring you all to Atlas." She stopped in front of Vergil and leaned in.

"So, you're the infamous Vergil that my has fascinated my daughter..." She looked up and down then man before pulling back. "I certainly hope you can live up to my expectations. Now, where is this Qrow Branwen fellow?"

"Oh, right..." Ruby mumbled. "He received some... disturbing news on the way. He hasn't gotten over it."

"We should really go get him." Yang added.

"YEET!"

A splash caught everyone by surprise before they turned to see Qrow desperately swimming in the cold sea. The male scythe user pulled himself out to see JNR and Aerith standing at the ledge. "What, a guy can't sleep for a bit?"

"Not during a Grimm assault." Vergil declared. "But don't worry, we saved the city while you slept away."

"What?" Qrow shook his hair dry as he turned to see Ragyo. "Why are you here?"

"The general sent me to pick you and merry crew up and bring you all to Atlas." She replied. "Though, from the stories he told me, I was expecting someone a bit more... refined."

"Yeah, whatever..." Qrow replied walking forward. "Let's just go."

Ragyo glared at the man before turning to Maria. "And who are you?"

"She's a friend." Ruby spoke up. "And she's coming with us to Atlas."

"Absolutely-"

"Very well." Ragyo cut off Cordovin and stunned her. "Well, let's get going. It'll be dark soon and the Grimm will be coming back."

She turned and walked back into the ship, Qrow and Maria behind her. Team RWBY and NVAR climbed back into the ship before Ruby turned back to the other three. "You guys gonna get your own ship?"

"We'd love to, but..." Jaune said, glancing back to the city as his sister and her son stepped forward. "...the people here need help rebuilding. And when they're back open, we're thinking about going to Haven to get our licenses."

"What are you saying?" Ruby asked.

"That... we aren't coming to Atlas with you." The swordsman replied. His swords shocked the teens in the ship as they looked out the door.

"Well, if that's what you guys want..." Ruby mumbled before walking forward and hugging the three at once. "Then we can't stop you." The other walked out and did the same as Ruby before quickly leaving the hold. "Just stay safe you guys."

"You too." Ren declared, his hand intwined with Nora's. The two teams reentered the ship and it took off, heading towards the kingdom north.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Saffron asked.

"They'll be fine." Her brother replied. "Now, we should start looking for a way to help these people."

Night

Agus Seas

"Hey, Ruby?" Qrow called his niece forward to the front of the ship. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't help you today. But, from what I heard, you did good. You helped save people today, just like your mom. You did it your way." He put his flask away, much to Ruby's happiness as she hugged him.

Walking back into the airship, she found Ryuko holding onto Vergil's hand, Yang comforting a motion sick Natsu, Aerith healing an injured Blake and Oscar and Weiss talking. The entire hold turned back to Ruby, save for Natsu who was laying in pain on Yang's lap. "...What?"

"You petrified a COLOSSUS!" Yang told her sister. "I couldn't even scratch that, and you took it out like it was nothing. Come on, what did you do to get it work?"

The younger sister instantly gained a blush on her face and turned away, mumbling something to herself. "I think I know what it is." Blake chuckled, elbowing Oscar who also suddenly gained a blush. "So, any word from Ozpin yet?"

"...nothing." The farmhand replied. "He's still... locked away in my head."

"Well, good riddance I say." Yang chuckled.

"Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person, you don't wanna miss this." Qrow declared, making the both teams walk to the front, Yang carrying Natsu.

"Is it weird that I'm kinda nervous?" Ruby asked.

"Not really." Yang chuckled. "I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it."

"Well, get ready to believe it." Ryuko teased as clouds parted, showing the massive kingdom of Atlas and Mantle underneath it.

"You can make the trip to Atlas a thousand times, and you'll never get used to the view." Maria chuckled before her eyes malfunctioned. "Oh, for crying out loud!"

Weiss pushed against the chairs and leaned forward in shock. "Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruby asked.

The heiress looked up and the others followed her eyes, staring up at the sheer number of airship floating above the kingdom. "The Atlas air fleet... I knew all of our airships were called back but..."

"They're set up up like they're expecting an attack..." Qrow mumbled.

"I knew James would do this, but I was expecting it to happen when we got back." Ragyo added.

The radio came online and everyone turned to the walkie talkie. "Manta 51, welcome home."

Well, how's this for a finale? Pretty good if you ask me.

Obvious changes are that it's not Summer who triggered the Silver eyes, but honestly, I don't think it should have been her to begin with. Honestly, bringing her up at this point of the story felt forced to me. Now, if she was mentioned more than this point and actually was a touchy subject for Ruby, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But she wasn't and it isn't.

So I'm swapping it out for a crush on Oscar. And for the record, Yang didn't one-shot the Colossus for one reason: She's still mastering her powers. Had she had some years of practicing her powers, it might be different.

I also decided to leave JNR behind in Argus because 13 bodies going to Atlas seemed a bit crowded to me. So now, we can focus solely on RWBY and NVAR. Plus, it'll be much easier for me to write and get chapters out. Next chapter is going to be a bit different, but you guys are gonna see some familiar faces in it. See ya then.

Beta read by TheExcadrillComics