The four determined women glared at the Nevermore hovering above of them, with people scattering to safety as desperately as they could, with Velvet holding off the horde that was trying to take advantage of the chaos. Things were looking rough, Ruby is a bit winded from her battle with Melanthia, and Blake herself isn't in the best if shape due to her long time in captivity. Of them all, Yang and Weiss were in the best of shapes.
Regardless, they were all unwilling to back down from this challenge, as it meant more will die if they failed.
"Alright, what's the game plan?" Yang clicked Ember Celica and began shooting towards the Nevermore to keep it's attention on them and not the civilians trying to scurry to safety. The creature screeched again as it fired multiple feathers upon the quartet. Blake was quick to jump in front to deflect and parry a majority of the feathers off to the sides, despite how big they were.
"An ideal first step would be to get it out of Aurora." Weiss suggested as she formed a Glyph above them. Most of the other feathers were stopped, before being pushed back towards the creature above them. "We can't have it doing more of those powerful wing flaps within it's vicinity. The town will be annihilated in a matter of minutes if that happens!"
"Right. We either need to keep it's attention drawn completely on us and lead it away, or force it to move." Blake agreed as she slashed Gambol Shroud upwards, a wave of Aura flying towards the Nevermore. It flew to the side to avoid the slash, and dove down to attack again, this time going for a full charge. "I don't think it'll just let us figure it out, though."
"Scatter!"
The quartet jumped away right as the Nevermore crashed into the ground talons first, huge chunks of earth being thrust into the air from the sheer force of it. It then spreads it's wings with a demonic shriek, the debris being shot out from the sudden gust it caused. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake did their best to dodge several of the debris shooting at them from the burst of wind. Yang, on the other hand, smashed the debris heading her away with well times punches, taking a brief breath with each one.
Ruby skidded back after another large chunk of debris nearly hit her, and she checked her surroundings, then had her eyes back on the Nevermore. Soon enough, it will go airborne again, where they would have a much harder time attacking it, and it will have a much easier time raining down carnage from above, which will only cause more devastation. They couldn't allow the fight to take place here, Aurora was wrecked enough as it is after one attack.
Ruby blinked. Maybe the moment it goes airborne can also be an opportunity of theirs? It's certainly risky and not something she'd rather not do too readily, but options were low and people would be hurt if she didn't at least try.
"Weiss. Your Glyphs can also be used as platforms, right?" Ruby asked Weiss, who turned towards her blinking, but also nodding. "Okay, I have a plan. A relatively simple one, I'd like to think."
"Hold on, who put you-" Weiss nearly began, but immediately stopped herself from continuing as she took a breath. Now wasn't the time for that. Definitely not. "What do you have in mind?"
Ruby huffed as she and Weiss quickly dodged out of the way as the Nevermore tried to charge them, wrecking the ground around them in the process. "We're going to take to the skies along with it, then kick it out of Aurora!"
Weiss looked baffled at Ruby's indeed simple sounding yet simultaneously baffling idea. But after taking a moment to think about it, she was beginning to see where she was coming from. "Okay, I'll cooperate with you on this."
"Alright." Ruby turned towards Blake and Yang. "Did you hear that, guys?"
"I heard ya loud and clear, sis! Looking forward to it!"
"Nn!"
Ruby was happy to have their cooperation as well, as they all stared down the Nevermore. "Alright, let's get that thing airborne!"
"Go on, fly!" Yang charged towards the Nevermore as she fired several blasts of Ember Celica towards it's head, not managing to damage it yet getting it's attention. "Are you a Nevermore or a chicken?! Take to the skies already!" She taunted while sliding a bit before she leapt upwards, uppercutting the Nevermore in the chin, making it stumble backwards.
Blake took her chance as it was stumbling, running towards hit and smashing upwards with Gambol Shroud, an Aura Wave smashing up its back. Screeching, it turned around and shot feathers towards her. She easily evaded them all through her use if shadowy afterimages, dodging then with ease while placing distance in-between them.
Weiss held herself in place with a black Glyph, pointing Myrtenaster towards the Nevermore as several more Glyphs manifested. Soon, each if them began to shoot projectiles towards the Nevermore via Ice Dust, with each ice shot impacting it and making it stumble back a bit. She then propelled herself forward with several Glyphs placed before her, and used her newfound momentum to leap forth and kick the beast in the chest with both feet, sending it careening back even further.
Meanwhile, she could see Ruby perched on our of the buildings, taking shots at the beast with Crescent Rose's smiled function. A shot of Fire Dust resulted in a fire bullet piercing the beast's shoulder, wing, and chest. Though all this did was annoy the beast, yet that was partially the intention, as they wanted it to take flight. Only then would their opportunity come.
That being said, Ruby's eyes widened as the Nevermore cawed at her angrily, flapping it's wings to get airborne before deciding to size right towards her.
Ruby quickly jumped over the Nevermore, and managed to briefly bitch a right via stabbing Crescent Rose into it's shoulder, and was now taking to the skies with it. Her eyes widened in panic as the wind blew past her hair and cape.
"Woahwoahwoahwoah!"
I DIDN'T PLAN THIS PART!
"Now's our chance!" Weiss shouted as several Glyphs manifested around her. Yang and Blake each hopped on one before they were propelled forward, high into the skies. Weiss made sure to follow suit. Each of them kept hopping platform upon platform to launch themselves closer to the Nevermore taking off with Ruby.
Ruby tried her best to regain her focus despite being airborne and riding a Nevermore, needing to regain control. She tugged on Crescent Rose, though wasn't able to pull it completely free, instead intending to drive the beast away from Aurora to a safe enough distance. Though it wasn't easily convinced, doing it's best to shake her off with numerous angered caws. Ruby grunted as it's frantic movements threatened to throw her off, which involved spinning in midair during flight. She gritted her teeth while holding tightly onto Crescent Rose.
"Ngggh! Hey, cut that out and listen to me!" She shouted at it, with it obviously not heeding her request and continuing to spin rapidly. The whole world was spinning around, with the blowing wind roaring in her ears. She'd find the experience a bit exhilarating if she wasn't holding onto a deadly creature for dear life. "Knock it off, darn it!"
"I've got your back, Ruby!" Yang shouted as she was propelled towards the Nevermore with Weiss's Glyphs, launching into the Grimm and landing a blazing punch to it's chest the moment it spun again. It briefly faltered from this, allowing Ruby to regain her footing and jump back into another platform by Weiss. Yang was soon propelled above the Grimm, with another Glyph behind her and powered up by her. It soon slingshots her into the Nevermore's back, where she landed another heavy blow, sending it hurtling towards the ground. Weiss was quick to catch her with another Glyph as they watched it's descent.
The crash was a messy one.
It crashed headfirst into the ground, with the impact making the ground around it tremble to such a degree that dozens of nearby trees were blown away in different directions. A crater was briefly formed where it harshly landed, as it was lying on its side.
The quartet soon landed a few feet away from it, with Yang grinning and rolling her arm. "Hah! We managed to get it outta Aurora!"
"Now we don't have to worry about escalating casualties." Blake hummed in agreement.
"Let us be sure it doesn't try to head back there." Weiss warned as she held up Myrtenaster.
Ruby looked as the Nevermore shook it's head, let our it's most enraged shriek yet, and flapped it's wings angrily as it's glowing red eyes glared towards the quarter. Ruby narrowed her own towards it as she held Crescent Rose around her shoulder. "I don't think we'll need to worry about that. We have it's full, very angry attention now."
The Nevermore flapped his wings as several large feathers shot towards them. The quartet split up in different directions as the feathers devasted the trees around it, clearing up the area for it to see the four nuisances scurrying about.
Ruby kept avoiding it's feathers via swerving over and around them in a stream of petals, stopping in place to take several shots at it with Crescent Rose. She found herself briefly fumbling as she skidded across the ground, clicking her tongue.
She needed a quick reload, but the Nevermore clearly wasn't going to give her the time or opportunity. She dashed away as more feathers the trees she stood next to.
Blake appeared before her and parried most of the feathers, sending them flying away from the both of them. She held out the blade of Gambol Shroud with a focused glare. Ruby blinked in astonishment.
"Wait a minute. You slash using the blade AND the sheathe? What even is that?"
"Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe."
"Wait, so it's a-
"Sickle, Cleaver, Katana, Sheathe, and Pistol." Blake calmly slashed more feathers apart while answering. "Unfortunately I have no bullets at the moment, so the pistol function is kind of useless right now. And even if I did, I doubt they would do much to it."
"So...five weapons in one?" Ruby blinked, then her eyes began to sparkle. "That's. So. COOL! Can I hol-"
"Ruby! Focus!" Weiss seethed at her as several Glyphs manifested over her head.
"Right right, sorry!" Ruby shook her head as she planted Crescent Rose into the ground after having loaded with Fire Dust bullets. She took aim towards the creature while Blake dashed forward to distract it from her. Appearing and jumping from one free to another, Blake swings upwards to slash the Nevermore from above, irritating this back slightly.
Ruby takes her first shot and watched as the bullet pierced the Nevermore in his chest, sending a brief billow of fire right through it. It shrieked from the suddenness of it, but otherwise regained it's footing and cawed in aggravation. She takes another shot for it's head, only for the beast to flap it's wings and completely render it useless from the brief gust of wind. Ruby sighed while picking up Crescent Rose.
"Obviously it's not going to be that easy..."
Blake hummed as the Nevermore flapped it's wings and soared her way. Landing on a tree branch, she jumped upwards as it crashed through it with no effort at all. It allowed her a moment to slash several times across it's back in rapid succession, each one leaving behind a trail of purple light that was her Aura. It briefly faltered during it's flight, but readjusted itself and swiftly turned around while powerfully flapping a single wing.
Her eyes widened as the sudden gust managed to obscure her vision with several leaves getting in her way, as well as tree trunks. The next flap sent another gust that tossed those tree trunks towards her, bashing her several times as she was sent crashing in the forest behind her.
"Blake!" Ruby called, but was unable to immediately pursue her with the Nevermore sending more feathers her way.
Weiss was dashing along the ground with her Glyphs, with several of them levitating above her and shooting beams of Ice Dust towards the creature, with the bolts of ice. Several shards of ice pierced through the points of impact, throwing it back greatly with a pained cry. That being said, the creature didn't falter still, managed to upright itself with a curious caw.
"Blasted Avian, you're a lot more trouble than expected, and I expected a lot of it!" Weiss growled while raising Myrtenaster to summon shards of ice from numerous more Glyphs around her, the bolts aiming to blast the bird. Some of the bolts impacted the wings, attempting to freeze them and keep it from moving any more.
All it did is caw in rage and immediately smashing right through it, setting itself free in a matter of seconds. Weiss's eyes widened in surprise as it turned towards her in rage, and flapped it's wings for her another strong take her way. She was blown away from the force of the winds, with the chunks of ice she summoned also smashed into her, falling on top of her.
"Bastard!" Yang roared as she bashed her fists together while shooting several blasts of Ember Celica as she made her way towards it. It swung it's wing towards her in a bid to swipe her away, but she humbly jumped over the swipe, pulled her fist back, and smashed her fist against the side of it's head, sending it crashing across the field, landing on its face.
She landed on her feet, before going for another charge. The Nevermore angrily gets back up in the meantime, and flapped it's wings to send another flurry of sharpened feathers her way. She managed to force her way through some of them, with the intense flames gathering around her succeeding in incinerating a few of them that tried to hit her dead on.
But as she jumped over a dozen of them that nearly struck her at once, the large bird took flight again, this time flying right into her with her wing smashing right into her middle. She was sent crashing deep into the ground below, tearing several trees down in an instant.
"Yang?!" Ruby blinked in astonishment, though she wasn't given too much time to ponder it.
For the Nevermore cawed as it hovered above the ground, quite highly, yet hasn't flown away. Ruby's eyes widened as she immediately understood what it was to do. She tried to move out of the way, only to be surprised once she winced, stumbling and falling to her side, wondering where the sudden pain came from.
She recalled being barraged from all sides by Melanthia's black petals, which hit a lot harder than they looked when they were continuous until she recalled them.
I haven't fully recovered from that fight yet...!
The Nevermore did another great flap. And the gale was even more powerful. Ruby couldn't escape it in time, only able to brace for the oncoming gale.
The powerful winds swept through the area and blew a whole chunk of trees away, cometelt uprooting a lot of them and sending them flying across the forest, knocking several other trees down and upending even more of them.
Once the dust cleared, a whole chunk of forest has been completely devastated by the gale force generated by the Nevermore's powerful flapping. The creature cawed aloud, as it began turning it's attention back towards Aurora, intending on finishing what it initially started before it was interrupted.
It nearly began it's flight back there, until a fiery shot blasted it in the back. That regained it's attention, for it turned back towards the one responsible fo it.
"Hey...where the hell do ya think you're going...?" Yang muttered as she hand her fist outstretched, Ember Celica clicking into place. Her eyes were blazing red and her hair was similarly ablaze, feeling a fire ignited in her soul, even with blood running down her face. "I didn't hear a damn bell."
Blake soon pulled herself up from being tangled in branches, cutting herself free and landing on her feet with a huff. Her hair was completely messy and she was covered in scratches, but stayed strong while glaring at the bird. "Nn."
Weiss sprung free with several slashes of Myrtenaster. She breathed heavily in irritation as she pushed her hair, which had become completely undone, away from her face so when could see the beast better. Her clothes were similarly in tatters, and she felt her scar bleed slightly. "Now you've done it. You do this to me and expect to just leave without being taken to task? You're going to pay."
Ruby was the last to struggle to her feet, using Crescent Rose to prop herself up as she was still shaking a bit from the intensity of the gusts. Blood dripped slightly from several scratches around her body, with her right sleeve completely torn apart. She took a moment to breathe as she processed the battle so far.
It's seriously strong. So, this is what a real Demon Level threat is like. If it gets past us, it's gonna destroy the town if Velvet can't defeat it quickly enough while trying to manage everything else.
It was terrifyingly powerful despite technically being a normal Nevermore. It definitely proved it's worth as a creature of destruction as all Grimm are. Ruby wasn't so proud as to not admit to herself that the prospect of trying to fight this thing didn't scare her a little bit.
And yet, a gradual smile graced her lips.
"Heh. You're definitely very scary, as many Grimm are. I'm definitely kinda scared at the moment." Ruby stood up fully as she lifted Crescent Rose. "But, not so scared that I'm not gonna fight back!"
To prove it, she immediately began dashing towards the creature, leaving petals in her wake. The Nevermore screeched again in anger, as it flapped it's wings with more bladed feathers sent her way. She dodged around them easier than last time, this time not a single one managing to so much as graze her.
My first true hunt is happening right now, without anyone supervising in case anything goes wrong. If I can't face the dangers of this world on my own, I'll never be able to see all it has to offer with my own two eyes. If I can't get past something like this, more people are going to get hurt or killed because of it. Nevermore, my life as a Huntress begins in earnest, starting with you!
Ruby propelled herself forward and jumped overhead, firing a shot of Crescent Rose against it's head, briefly knocking it back and stunning it.
Weiss took the opening to summon a Glyph and pierce her sword into it, causing a pillar of ice to shoot upwards and pierce the Nevermore's wings,.making it caw in even more rage then before. It contrasted with Weiss's cool yet fierce gaze.
Freezing up back there was unacceptable. No matter how insurmountable the obstacle may be, I cannot hesitate. People won't listen to weak excuses like that when lives are on the line, they require results in order to judge one's reliability. And a Schnee always provide admirable results, it's not going to stop now!
Blake tooo the opportunity to strike while it was briefly immobilized by the ice. It would break out in a matter of moments, so she had to be fast, which was no problem at all for her.
She narrowed her feline eyes as she lashed out, briefly glowing under the shade for several moments before she proceeded onwards.
It's coming back to me a little bit, I'm moving a bit more like I used to. I'm not at full capacity right now, but can endure for a little bit longer. I can't rest until this Grimm is no longer a threat to a town that's been through enough suffering. I've been let out of my cage, this is a perfect opportunity to sharpen my claws again.
She channeled Aura through her blade and sheathe, attacking with a cross slash. The resulting beams slammed into the Nevermore's chest, actually being able to push it back a great deal. Right as it stumbled, Yang went and grabbed it by it's wing.
"Gotcha, Birdie!" Yang grinned madly as she turned with the wing in arms and swing downwards, lifting the Grimm off of this talons and slamming it shoulder first into the unforgiving ground. She grit her teeth as her eyes remained burning red.
Me and Ruby can't count on our old men to keep us safe forever, we know this at the back of our heads. One day, we won't be able to rely on them to back us up or save us anymore like back then. That's why we gotta start proving our strength as soon as possible; in mind, body, heart, and soul! And getting past this hurdle, and all others that come after, will make us even stronger!
The Nevermore screeched as it stumbled a bit, before recovering and hovering above the ground again, flapping it's wings. Yang clicked her tongue before spitting into the ground.
"Tough bastard, isn't it?"
"I have to agree. What is it going to take?!" Weiss glared in irritation, while taking several breaths. Ruby could see that she was steadily losing steam, stamina must not be her strong suit. Blake was as well, but even worse, trying not to fall to her knees from both exhaustion and a lack of nourishment for who knows how long. It's a miracle she was even able to fight at all.
Despite all this, neither of them were giving up.
"I'm up for ideas if anyone's offering." Blake muttered, still remaining aloof despite everything that happened.
Ruby ran through her options quickly, as the Nevermore was preparing to attack soon. It's wings were flapping, seemingly gearing for another gale.
It clicked. It was so simple, but better now than never.
Ruby turned to everyone. They've seen each other move and attack enough in order to get a basic idea of their strong suits. For now, that's all they needed.
"If it wants to keep flying, then let's make this flight it's last." Ruby declared firmly. "Are you guys with me?"
"Always." Yang agreed without a second thought.
"Nn." Blake nodded quietly.
Weiss still wasn't sure how to feel about taking orders from someone younger than her, but this still wasn't the time for that. She put that away for the greater importance of their objective. "It's your call."
Ruby took a deep breath, then focused on the beast before her. "Alright. We send it flying one more time, but it's not going to flap it's wings a single time more. Weiss, direct it upwards. Blake, keep forcing it upwards. Yang, knock it back down to the ground as hard as you can. I'll cut it down before it even gets there."
"Simple and to the point." Weiss sighed. "Not very detailed, is it?"
"I'm trusting you guys to get creative, and work that creativity in unison in order to bring it down."
"A daring conclusion. But then again, this is a fly or die scenario, getting it wrong is not an option."
"That condition is acceptable." Blake agreed. "Roses, shadows, glyphs, and flames. I'm sure we can make it work."
"Then let's do it!" Yang framed her neck and rolled her shoulders, before the quartet made their way towards the Nevermore for what they hope is the last time. The Nevermore raised it's wings once more.
Not this time, they all thought in unison.
"Weiss, you first!"
Weiss sent a Glyph below the Nevermore, and a pillar of ice shot up and slammed into it's chest, interrupting it's flapping attempt and sending it into the air. "Blake!"
"Nn!"
Multiple Glyphs surrounded it while being sent upwards, and Blake jumped towards the first. Soon she was bouncing off the Glyphs one after another, slashing at the Nevermore every time she crossed one, all the way up to it's highest point, never giving it a moment to use it's wings effectively. She appeared a a zig-zagging black/purple stream bouncing off multiple white boards.
"Yang!"
Yang, in the meantime, had been sent up the highest when launched by another Glyph she powered, and clenched her fist as the Nevermore was sent flying towards her.
"Down you go!" She roared as she slammed her fist into it's chest, a blast of fire exploding from the punch as it was sent hurtling back down to the ground at an incredible rate. Yang breathed a bit before calling out: "RUBY!"
Ruby took a breath, as she was assisted by another one of Weiss Glyphs to help her launch herself upwards. The Nevermore was hurtling out of control, desperately trying to regain control of itself mid-fall.
But it was far too late for that, she was never going to allow that.
With the assistance of Weiss's Glyph, Ruby was sent flying upwards towards the calling Nevermore, rose petals surrounding her being and sending her further upwards, with Crescent Rose in hand. The Grimm, while still on fire from Yang's attack, had enough time to very briefly stabilize itself before seeing Ruby soaring towards it faster than it could react.
The blade made its way around it's throat, and Ruby fired, giving it the boost to slice clean through and finally decapitate the beast.
Ruby landed on the ground first, on her feet. She then stood up as the headless body of the Nevermore crashed into the ground in a fiery blast, burning of the area around it. And for good measure, she sliced the falling head itself clean in half before it fell into two pieces onto the ground.
Weiss blinked as Ruby finished off the Grimm that gave them so much trouble, sighing while barely standing up. "Well, that takes care of that...goodness that was an ordeal."
"No kidding. Heh, my sister is pretty badass, isn't she?" Yang huffed, her flames dying down before falling on her rear, taking a breath.
"I will admit, you both did quite well." Weiss looked towards both sister's with a huff. "Perhaps I should rescind my underestimation of you from before. You've very clearly proven yourselves capable."
"Ah, Weiss Cream Princess is praising a lowly dragon like me? I'm honored!"
"Don't start."
Ruby took several breaths, smiling as she had a thumbs up. "Heh...hah...Hunt is Successful. Mission com...plete..." Ruby quietly loses a bit of focus as she fell forward from the fatigue finally catching up to her and crashing full force.
Blake manages to catch her just in time. She kept her standing, albeit with her head resting against her bosom. She sighed with relief.
"With the state I was in, I should be more exhausted than you. Yet you've pushed yourself much harder than I have today, haven't you?" Blake calmly questioned as she supported her stance. "Oh. Now things have quieted down a bit, I can do this properly." Blake soon embraces Ruby in a gentle hug, closing her eyes. "I'd just like to say thank you, Ruby. For freeing me."
Ruby, currently a bit out of breath, turned towards Blake with a small, tired smile.
"Hehe...don't worry about it..."
Velvet ran towards the charging Alpha Beowolf, the beast letting out a gutteral roar as it slashed at her with it's claws, utterly rending the ground in-between them.
She nimbly jumped over the deadly blow and landed one of her own with Fox's copied weapon, smashing right into the beast's temple. The attack send the creature skidding back, disoriented and irritated. Alas, it didn't do much for it, as she came down for a powerful stomp right atop it's skull, crushing it into the ground with both feet and upending a bit of ground around them.
Velvet took a deep breath, sighing with relief. "Okay. That should be all of them." She looked around after stepping off of the recently killed Alpha, where dozens of Grimm have been slowly dissipating away after she had killed them all. All without having a single one cross the boundary she had placed in order to keep track of them.
She promised that not a single one would get past her, and she meant it fully.
Her ears briefly twitched.
That was all she needed before she jumped back to dodge an oncoming assault of what appeared to be black rose petals, smashing into the ground hard enough to crater it. She slid back while trying to get a sense of what was going on. Though after seeing the perpetrator step out of the shroud of black petals, she wasn't surprised anymore. Only disgusted.
"You came out so soon. I was told by Ruby that she defeated you." Velvet narrowed her eyes. "I should have figured this would be a possible result."
Melanthia was standing within the cloud, black rose petals swirling around her, as she held the child she once dismembered within her grasp. Most of the other black rose petals she summoned began swarming the town, and Velvet could hear the townsfolk letting out pained cries as every petal was sharpened to cut them. The child within her grasp whimpered as she felt the barrel of a pistol against her temple.
Melanthia's wrists were bleeding profusely.
"There you are..." Melanthia muttered as she forced the girl to stay still. Velvet glared at the woman right back. "You've certainly brought a capable group of troublemakers with you, huh? This is completely humiliating. How are you going to make all of this up to me?"
"Melanthia, don't make this worse for yourself." Velvet warned keeping her eyes on the enemy in front of her.
"Don't talk back to me, filth. What business does a Faunus have, mouthing off to me like that?!"
"Being defeated by Ruby must have really riled you up. You've completely lost the composure you had when we first met."
"Shut up! You're not in control here!"
"You're certainly not in control of yourself, that's true."
"Wretched animal." Melanthia glared heatedly as the girl whimpered from the weapon being pressed hard against her temple. Velvet's own eyes grew more incensed by the second. "Nevermind all of that. There's no room for negotiation here. Once that rose bitch comes back, I'm not going to play around, I'll kill her outright. Then I'll be taking you and Blake back as pets. And you'll be punished harshly for messing with me as much as the both of you did!" She sighed tiredly. "It's unfortunate, but I also can't have people blabbing further about this than they might have already. So I'll have to kill everyone in Aurora to reduce the noise."
"You're saying this as if it's no big deal, nevermind being able to pull it off in your current state."
"It'll be easy. As I've said to the girl before, Grimm attacks tend to destroy entire towns. It's a tragic yet common occurrence. Nothing worth too much mentioning past a bit of boo-hooing for those that died. Then we move on without another care." Melanthia casually voiced, which only made Velvet further incensed with her. "As it is, this town is no longer of use to me, so it's alright for me to leave it behind in ruins, to move onto the next one and start over. Maybe it will be more compliant than the last." Melanthia glared. "First thing's first. Give up, or I'm killing this runt."
Like Velvet was going to believe her on that. Making herself vulnerable would just likely get both herself and the girl killed. The woman is not going to go through with it, or else she loses the only leverage she has keeping her away. And that would lead to nothing standing in-between herself and a pissed off Velvet, who would then have one more reason to not show any mercy. She didn't have the energy for another fight, both of them knew it.
This was her last chance to escape this situation, and she chose the option with the lowest chance of success. Because Velvet knew better than to take her weapon off a hostage taker. That being said, Melanthia still had enough in her to use her Semblance to further harm the townsfolk around her, human and Faunus alike.
Velvet narrowed her eyes before taking notice of the girl again, blinking as she noticed her Aura seemed to begin to flare, then focused back on Melanthia. "You've made a big mistake."
"What mistake?"
"This is the girl who's mother you killed, who's Faunus features you mutilated, and who's arm you dismembered. That's three strikes. And now you're taking her hostage and further harming her town? There comes a point where one simply refuses to submissively take any more. Where when you've pushed someone just one more time past already breaking them, they retaliate in fury. Especially when they have the strength and resolve to follow through on it." Velvet narrowed her eyes. "She's reached that point."
Melanthia was about to question what she's on about, until she felt something digging deeply and painfully into her arm. "ARGH!" She immediately let go, clutching her arm as blood was drawn from the somewhat deep wound. She glared as the girl fell down, her nails and fingers currently coated with her blood. "Why you little, you clawed me! Do you want me to remove your other a-"
"Pay attention."
She didn't have time to curse the rebelling child, for Velvet immediately took advantage of the newfound opening. She closed the distance and her heel found it's way to Melanthia's jaw. There was a unsettling crack sounding from the impact.
The kick sent her careening across the ground, before crashing right into a house that was already evacuated, and it quickly collapsed on top of her due to the force of the crash and impact. The black roses all around them slowly dissipated, indicating that she has lost consciousness and/or completely run out of stamina to hold it. Velvet landed gracefully on her feet, as the black petals fully dispersed.
Velvet soon turned to the girl, only to see her rush into her arms and begin crying her eyes out. Velvet softly smiled as she gently embraced the girl, caressing her head. "There there. It's over now. You're going to be okay."
With all threats having been dealt with, the people soon came out of hiding, relieved that the danger seems to have passed. Obviously, they made sure to double their attempts on imprisoning Melanthia, in case she wills herself to damage her body further just to escape. Velvet would be keeping an eye on other than that, Aurora seemed to finally be safe.
And given how she could see Team RWBY entering the town entrance forty minutes later, she could believe things sent well for them as well. Yang was currently stretching as Weiss attempted to tie her hair back up. Ruby and Blake, the most exhausted of the bunch due to both fighting and lack of proper nourishment. They spotted Velvet amongst the crowd, gently waving to them with a bright smile.
"I take it that you won your battle?"
"And we did so together!" Yang grinned while flexing a bicep, making Weiss roll her eyes. "Anyway, look at you, Velvet! We were struggling with a Nevermore, and you were cleanin' house all by yourself! Badass!"
"She killed several Alpha Beowolves on her own, and she's barely winded." Ruby observed the dissipating Grimm in question with slight awe. "Just one of those are usually serious trouble for me and Yang at our current level, yet you handled several of them so easily, Velvet?"
"As expected, given her rank. Remember, she only needs one more step before becoming a Senior Huntress." Weiss reminded them.
"Still." Yang grumbled while seeing the tattered state of the town after all was said and done. "Aurora was so beautiful. Now look at it. It's seriously gotten wrecked."
"I know..." Ruby mumbled. She then turned to everyone with pumped fists. "Guys, we should help with the recovery efforts!"
Well ss blinked at the idea, lightly rubbing her chin. "Recovery efforts? As in, you want us to help them get started on rebuilding?"
"Yeah, that!" Ruby looked towards Aurora's damaged state again, the wind blowing her hair across her face. "I know our mission is complete and all...but we can't just leave. Not when we didn't even try to help them get back on their feet. We should do that much, at least."
Yang whistled a bit as she took one last look around, before she turned to Ruby with a smile. "Yeah, I'm with you on that. Leaving Aurora like this will leave an awful feeling. Let's do it."
"I suppose I shall take part as well." Weiss sighed with quiet agreement.
"You shall? That's quite a surprise." Blake blinked at the Schnee, who lightly looked back.
"I know what you mean by that. And I can't really lie to you or Velvet about it. On top of that, I have a feeling the latter has known about it the whole time." Weiss shook her head. "Be that as it may, I can't very well stare suffering people in the eye and do nothing, be they human or Faunus. Especially when they've done nothing to deserve it. That is not what Grandfather taught me." Weiss looked forward. "Alright, let's get started. Ruby can start gathering any supplies that might still be stable and usable, Yang can lift any heavy wreckage out of the way, Blake can keep lookout for any enemies and help others from their spots, and I'll oversee everything while Velvet calls for support as reports the mission a difficult but certain success."
Ruby turned towards Velvet. "Sound like a plan?"
"Sure, let's do it, girls." Velvet nodded as they all began splitting up to take on their respective tasks. With that in progress, Velvet made a quick call for Goodwitch.
"So anyway, Ruby. Now that things have quieted down a bit, mind actually telling us what the heck dragged you and Velvet away before all that chaos started, and how you and Blake met?" Yang was finally able to ask after some moments of silence. Ruby, Velvet, and Blake all looked at one another, then nodded.
"It's quite a story..."
Proceeding to help with the town as Velvet called in to confirm the mission was successful, Ruby and Blake filled Weiss and Yang in on what happened and what's been going on in this town beyond most people's notice. The further they went along with the story, the more disgusted Weiss looked, and the more furious Yang became. They didn't leave out a single detail, even though it brought Ruby no small amount of discomfort.
Once they finished, Yang slammed her fist into the ground, cracking it.
"That lying, twisted, two-faced bitch!" Yang snarled as her eyes flared red in anger. "Where is she right now?!"
"No need to worry about her anymore. I managed to beat her, barely. Though from what I heard from Velvet, she still managed to escape, so Velvet had to knock her out again for good." Ruby calmed her down, while Velvet nodded.
"What barbarity..." Weiss muttered with a hand over her mouth. It was especially distressing for her since they have video proof of these horrid acts happening to the Faunus of this town, which was definitely going to help in making sure Melanthia and all her supporters were appropriately punished for their crimes. She just couldn't believe that a former Huntress would do such things, retired or not. But she can't ignore what was clearly in the captured images.
All of it was real. It's been going down for a long time, and would have spread to other towns if she had been left on her lonesome any longer. On top of that, any town she resided in that destroyed in a Grimm attack would allow her to sneak away with little to no suspicious trace, and start the whole thing over elsewhere. Was she really intending to spend her life tormenting and torturing Faunus wherever she goes, all for pleasure and a feeling of human superiority?
Weiss can't begin to imagine how a person can get to be like that.
In any case, Yang was fuming about the woman in question and her hidden cruelty beneath the veil of kindness she presented when they first saw her. And now that the truth was out, they were going to make sure that others would know of what happened here. This was not something that was allowed to stay silent.
Though, as Yang and Weiss was trying to process what's been happening, Blake and Velvet looked towards the young girl as she was recovering from everything. Ruby blinked as she was sitting nearby, as the two of them seemed to be highly interested in what was happening with her.
The girl's Aura was flaring again, though at a much more steady, gentle pace. And from what they could tell, it was briefly taking form as an image of the type of Faunus that she was, a ferret, before said image dissipated, and her soul felt ever stronger. Most of the other Faunus in the area gazed at her in awe, before clapping and giving her supportive words of encouragement.
"Oh my gosh, she did it! I haven't seen this in quite a while!" Velvet beamed as she joined the applause.
"Neither have I." Blake agreed with a small smile of her own.
"Um, excuse me?" Ruby lightly raised her hand. "I don't want to feel like I'm interrupting, but I'm kind of lost."
"Oh, sorry. We were just excited, is all." Velvet's ears twitched as she turned to Ruby. "She's going through what Faunus call an Awakening."
"Awakening?"
"It's an important part of a Faunus' growth." Blake nodded. "It's when a Faunus finds the resolve to break out of the self-imposed cage that surrounds their souls. Destroying that cage 'Awakens' the animal within them." Blake turns back to the girl. "Giving Velvet the opening she needed by rebelling against her tormentor was her finding her resolve, and thus her condition was completed. Now she is more connected with her inner animal, free of her 'cage'."
"It's met with much praise and support with Faunus communities, as it's a major connection with your true self." Velvet raised a finger. "We mustn't restrain our inner animal just to fit in with humans. That makes us weaker in nearly all aspects. Embracing our animal side and accepting it will make us stronger, and allows us to access a surprising amount of potential, along with adding to what we already have."
"Oohhh. That sounds incredible!"
"It is." Blake lowered her eyes. "Yet, there still hasn't been many Faunus who have progressed further past that."
"Further?"
"Once we connect with our inner animal, we can take that newfound potential and continue to develop it, amplify it. In strength and experience, we make considerable progress, until we meet all necessary conditions and hit the point of reaching a new stage. It's a high honor for Faunus and it brings glory for all of us."
Ruby was still feeling a bit lost, but she didn't want to interrupt too much. It seemed like the two of them were really into the subject, and they needed the opportunity to wind down from all of the chaos.
"What does it mean to progress to a new stage? For Faunus, I mean?"
Velvet points towards her ears. "A physically visible sign is when we develop more than one feature on our bodies. Say, I develop a cotton tail along with my rabbit ears, or Blake developing a feline tail. It would definitely take some time to adjust to, but that is something." Velvet rubbed her chin. "The exact name for it might have been forgotten, and this term isn't seen as universally correct. But for simplicity until further notice, it's known as evolution. Evolving, so to speak."
Ruby's eyes widened. "That's actually possible?!"
Blake furrowed her brows. "Maybe it was, long ago. Faunus Folklore hinted that this was something we could do once, but after a certain point, it never happened again. Now no one knows if it was ever possible at all." Blake slowly clenched her fists. "And after that, not many have actually tried confirming it. They've even been discouraged from it due to multiple factors. But the biggest one is a lack of faith in themselves to do it." She spread her arm across town. "And things like this tend to be reasons why."
"Oh..." Ruby could see Blake's brief frustration at the ordeal. "So...a Faunus only having one feature...is just their beginning stage? Or their weakest?" She added, trying her best not to sound offensive about it. Luckily Velvet understood, nodding.
"That's one way to look at it."
Blake sighed, gazing at her hand. "I swore to myself that if I ever managed to escape captivity for good, I would pursue that power. The inner strength that lurks deep within many Faunus, but have lost their faith in, and thus can't build the resolve to seek. I want to restore and reignite that resolve within Faunus everywhere, to redeem our pride. Five years of being tormented by many a human, this conviction of mine allowed me to endure it all, until my opportunity came." She turned towards Ruby. "And you managed to provide me with just that, Ruby. Thanks to you, I can pursue it again."
Ruby blinked softly before she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I'm glad I managed to help you out. If this is something you really want to do, then you should do it. That being said..." Ruby looked around again with a sigh, seeing how some folks are currently mourning the loss of some of their loved ones,.as not everyone managed to survive the attack given the ferocity of it's entrance. "Not everyone in Aurora made it through this..."
"True enough, Ruby. But it's thanks to you and the others that there are survivors who can mourn for the rest." Velvet moved up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not wrong to lament the lives you couldn't save, but please don't equate that to our efforts being useless overall. It's because of those efforts, that Aurora will eventually be able to recover from all of this. That's something not every town besieged by Grimm can say, so it's definitely something worthwhile."
Ruby took a breath, then sighed. She turned to Velvet with a smile. "It's okay, Velvet. I already knew going into this. That trying to save everybody, simply isn't within my ability. It probably won't ever be. And yet, still." Ruby lightly pulled her hood over her head, turning towards the young girl from before, as the crowd began to disperse. She moved towards her, before getting on one knee. "Hey there."
"H-Hi."
"I never really got your name. What is it?"
"A...Ava."
"Hehe, good to met you, Ava. I'm happy you seem to be alright for the most part, despite everything."
The young Faunus towards Ruby, pondering something. "You were really angry at how Melanthia seemed to treat us all. Why is that? You're not a Faunus like us, so why?"
Leave it to innocent kids to casually say loaded things like that. Ruby didn't blame her for wondering in such a manner. In fact, she felt like she could answer her easily.
"Ava, nobody deserves to be treated the way she treated you all. Humans and Faunus are both people who are living and breathing. Both are people who live on Remnant, both are people who fight against and protect themselves from the Grimm that tries to destroy them, and both are doing the best that they can to live their best lives." Ruby smiles calmly. "That should be more than enough for both to be considered equals. No matter how many actual differences there are between us, humans and Faunus are both ultimately still people with lives and hearts and souls. That should be plenty reason to help whenever they can't help themselves at the moment. That's why Huntresses like me are here. We help people stand up again."
Ava continued to gaze curiously towards Ruby, not really knowing what to say to that. But she felt her sincerity throughout every word. And Blake was looking towards Ruby with a curious look of her own, her ear twitching slightly.
"Your Mom was very brave, trying to keep you safe despite heavy harm to herself." Ruby continued quietly. "It's important for you to stand up and recover from this, and do your best to live your life. It's not going to bring hers back, and I'm really sorry about that. But it will prove that her efforts to protect you wasn't useless." Ruby pulled her hood over her head. "Don't force yourself, though. You have an entire town to help look after you and support you, so take as much time as you need, until you feel that you're ready to stand up again."
As Ruby finished, the sounds of a Bullhead could be heard over the distance. The sounds of at least three, to be precise. Weiss turned towards them as they slowly landed in the more spacious parts of town, and people began stepping out. Yang blinked as she was casually lifting heavy wreckage over her head, placing it in a pile with some of the rest.
"Ah, they're here already? Man these guys are fast." Yang whistled as she witnessed them getting to work quickly, analyzing the situation and the current state Aurora was in.
"Well, we gotta go. They'll take it from here. We did our best, but reparations aren't exactly our strong suit." Ruby chuckled while scratching her cheek. Ava looked up towards her.
"Miss, what was your name again?"
"It's Ruby. Ruby Rose." Ruby answered with a smile. The was surprised when Ava ran up to her and hugged her.
"Miss Ruby, whenever you can, please come back someday." Ava murmured as she looked up into the young woman's bright silver eyes. "I wanna see you again."
Ruby was briefly surprised by the request, but she soon smiled again once seeing light returning to the girl's eyes. She knelt down and returned the hug with closed eyes, caressing her hair. "If that's what you want, and you believe it'll help, then I'll definitely be back someday. It'll be a fun and happy visit next time. I promise."
Soon enough, the young Huntresses, lead by Velvet, made their way into the Bullheads, with one set to take them back to Beacon, with the rest staying behind to help deal with repairs to Aurora, and whatever else support they'd need. Others have sent themselves to arrest Melanthia and we're sure to properly restrict her movements for security purposes.
Weiss for one, sighed as Ruby and Yang allowed themselves to relax. The mission, despite everything, was a rough but certain success. They'd be returning to Beacon soon, and their merit would grow. And get, Weiss couldn't help but wonder about one thing.
What will become of her?
She wondered as she was sitting in front of the woman in question.
Blake Belladonna.
After a safe journey back to Beacon, the group was requested to meet with Glynda Good witch and give the full report in person. Velvet, of course, would be the one giving it. And after hearing the full story, Glynda nodded, and decided up several things after some careful consideration and input from Amber.
The first part was unexpected, on Velvet's behalf.
"What?!" She gasped aloud, and Amber smirked at the reaction.
"That's right, Velvet. Say goodbye to Intermediate, cause you've just been promoted. You're a Senior Huntress now." Amber confirmed while standing against the wall.
"Indeed. This is a situation that could have devolved into something significantly worse. And yet, you were able to endure and surpass expectations. For that, your persistence and diligence shall be rewarded." Glynda admitted with a nod. "Velvet, take heed. You've very much earned this after working as hard as you have."
Velvet honestly didn't know what to say, other than to nod and humbly nod her head. "Thank you."
"As for Ruby, Yang, and Weiss." Glynda turned to wards the trio in question. "You three are hereby promoted to B-Class Juniors."
"Woah! Already?!" Yang whistled with a hand over her head.
"It's so soon!" Ruby gasped with similar amounts of surprise."
"I'll have to concur, Grand Huntress. Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked uncertainly, rubbing her arm uneasily. She definitely felt proud of the achievement to a degree, but this was much sooner than she thought it would be. It felt undeserved.
"I do not grant these promotions lightly. As you already know, rank is not decided solely through strength, but skill, effort, and achievement. And what you achieved is worthy of acknowledgement." Glynda declared resolutely. "Not only did you stop a dangerous ex-Huntress, you helped fend off a Grimm attack, and diverted the strongest one there, a Nevermore, away from the town to prevent even worse damage to it and further civilian casualties. None of these are small feats, especially for Junior Huntsmen, so please do not treat them as such."
"I..."
"Hey hey." Amber waved a hand. "If you feel like you don't deserve it, then you just gotta work and do your best until you feel like you're living up to it." She then pointed. "You've made it quite clear that you want to build yourself up with genuine merit as a Huntress. You did genuinely good Huntress work. You're allowed to be proud of that."
Weiss thought it over a bit more, until she eventually nodded affirmatively. "Alright. Thank you."
"The same goes for you two." Glynda acknowledged Ruby and Yang. "Aurora will be in a state of recovery for some time, but they have that chance to do so thanks to all of you."
"Heh." Ruby smiled while lightly rubbing her cheeks.
"Glad to hear it!" Yang flashed a thumbs up.
"Now then, down to the next, and arguably most important part of this report." Glynda turned to the side, where everyone could see Blake hiding to herself in the corner, yet listening to the conversation. "Blake Belladonna."
"Nh."
"I must say, I was as surprised as Velvet was when she recognized you. To think would be all the way out in Aurora." Glynda began as Blake stepped out of her corner and stood with everyone else. "Now that Aurora is freed from Melanthia's malicious grasp, and you're free from her clutches, what will you do now?"
Blake took a moment to answer, gathering many of her thoughts first on the question. After going through her options, she nodded to herself, and looked Glynda in the eye.
"I'd like to become a Huntress for Beacon. If you will allow me."
"Woah, for real? Right off the bat?" Amber called out in surprise. Ruby and Yang were just as surprised, looking at her unmoved face in shock, while Weiss stood in attention with her eyes widened from the sudden declaration. Looks like everyone was surprised in some way, aside from Goodwitch herself.
"Yes. There is something I would like to accomplish. As I am now, becoming a Huntress might be my best path to reach that dream of mine."
Weiss, on the other hand, was feeling confused and frustrated at the choice. "Grand Huntress, you're not seriously going to consider this, are you?"
"What might be the problem, Miss Schnee?" Glynda turned to the girl, already knowing exactly what has her so flustered about this turn of events. "You and Blake were able to right side by side to save Aurora, weren't you?"
"Well, yes. That is true. She did help us save the town. But, that doesn't mean I'm simply going to blindly trust her." Weiss turned to glare at the still coolheaded Blake, who looked back at her.
"Weiss. You have plenty of reasons, good reasons, to not trust me completely. But rest assured, I'm not your enemy, nor do I want to be." Blake's ears folded against her head. "I choose this, and I choose Beacon. Not only because I have something I want to accomplish, but also because as it stands, I have nowhere else to belong and no one to go to. As far as I currently know, I'm completely alone in this world."
Blake... Ruby thought quietly, a saddened look in her eyes.
Weiss narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the Faunus in front of her. "Are you serious? About being a Huntress?" Weiss questioned quietly. Blake nods quietly. She then turned to Glynda. "And you're going to let her become one?"
"If that is what she wishes. I shall oversee her official evaluation personally." Glynda assured with a nod. No matter who comes, everyone is to be given a fair evaluation, and she wasn't one to judge very lightly when it comes to gauging one's capabilities. If she allowed Blake to stay, then she'd come to a proper conclusion that she deemed her capable enough. Weiss sighed at this. If that was what she wanted, then she wouldn't argue against it too strongly.
"Alright." Weiss nodded, then turned back towards Blake. "We've fought together to save Aurora. That's a very good thing to accomplish, it counts for something. However, that doesn't make us friends or allies. I'm not about to trust you right off the bat. But I don't wish to blindly condemn you either, since your suffering was very real." She walked a bit closer and gazed into her amber eyes. "So prove your words with actions. Provide results that support them. Then and only then, will I consider trusting you more sincerely."
Blake nodded quietly. "If that's what it takes, I'll accept that challenge."
"Hmph." Weiss nodded an stepped back into attention, returning her gaze to Glynda, who took a moment to make another decision.
"Velvet, your temporary placement as the fourth member of the team has ended." Glynda turned to the other four girls. "As for the rest of you, you may consider Blake to be the official fourth member of you team once she completes her evaluation." She nodded firmly. "Ruby, Weiss Blake, Yang. This will be your new team composition from now on."
"Any objections?" Amber piped up.
"None." Weiss declared, much to the surprise of Ruby and Yang. Though they caught up, and they too showed no objections. Blake calmly agreed as well. Maybe beforehand, Weiss might have made a slightly bigger fuss about it. But Ruby and Yang clearly proved themselves capable and strong, and Blake wasn't too bad either. So this setup, she didn't have too much strong feelings against, if she was being honest with herself.
That being said she was going to make sure they all continue to perform up to the standard expected of them. She wouldn't dare allow this team to perform worse than they did in their first mission instead of better. That simply wouldn't be acceptable.
"Very well. You're all dismissed." Glynda assured them and the young Huntresses proceeded to leave the large room behind.
"You sure about this, GG?" Amber asked quietly once they left. "We have Ruby and Yang with their connections to their mothers. Weiss and the SDC. And Blake with the White Fang. That's a entire team with massive targets on their backs. Life is only gonna get harder for them."
Glynda thought over that indeed, clasping her hands as she stands up and looks out the window.
"That is precisely why they are in our care Amber. We guide them and nurture them so that they'll be prepared to face those threats. So that they can return from every battle back into the embrace of their loved ones. This world is cruel. And in their own ways, they've each witnessed this cold fact firsthand. And yet, all it's done is sharpen their resolve to stand against this world's cruelty and turn it into something that it could be, rather than simply protecting it's current state. To destroy the apathetic complacency that keeps many from moving forward."
"Oh. Right."
"That goes for many other Huntsmen that come to Beacon, as well. If we can nurture that potential and help them further realize it, then we can pass the torch to them and allow them to inherit this world, content knowing its in good hands. If we fail in that endeavor, then it was all for not, and our world falls further into ruin. And if that happens... "
Glynda briefly takes off her glasses then turns to look Amber in the eye, her expression calm yet somber.
"Then there was no point in me becoming Vale's Grand Huntress."
"Glynda..." Amber muttered. She then shook her head and nodded strongly. "Right. You're right. We can't just up and let our hard work be for nothing. We ain't sending Huntsmen out just to die against the Grimm just to hold them off a bit longer. We fully intend to prepare them and strengthen them enough so that they'll keep coming back alive. And being able to do that will lift people spirits. That's why we gotta help nurture as many Huntmasters and Grand Huntsmen as we can."
Amber walked up to Glynda and lightly punched her shoulder.
"Just keep counting on me to support ya through this, Glynda. I ain't letting ya face this burden alone."
Glynda hummed softly, putting her glasses back on with a smile. "Much appreciated, Amber."
After having left her office, the new team departed from the area, with Weiss strutting ahead of the group, Bake slightly falling behind, with Ruby and Yang in the center. Velvet said her goodbye as she departed on her own, with Blake overhearing her lament at having to deal with someone troublesome when she returns to her quarters. Yang whistled while placing her hands behind her neck.
"Sheesh, and here I thought we'd be a bit more buddy buddy after an intense fight side by side. Guess it ain't gonna be that easy huh?" Yang muttered with a yawn. "No prob. We just gotta do our best. It'll work out somehow, if we put in the effort."
"Yeah. We just have to stay determined, and help them get along a bit better." Ruby rubbed her chin. "Although, it probably won't do any good to make them friendlier with each other. We should leave them to their own spaces, at least for a little while. They need rime to get used to each other."
"And we need to get used to them." Yang nodded. "Alrighty, here's the plan. You spend some time with Blake, I spend some time with Weiss Cream Princess. We get em' to warm up a bit more to us, and then we switch things up and repeat with the other. We keep at it good enough and they'll be comfortable enough with us to hear us out, then we can see if they can talk to each other on a less tense level. A more even level."
"Is that really gonna work?"
"Dunno. But we gotta try. Just leaving things as is will only make it fester into something worse." Yang slid an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Slow and steady is gonna have to win this race, little sister."
"I guess you're right." Ruby nodded. As things stand, it would definitely take a lot of work for Blake and Weiss to get along with each other as friends. But she's sure that they can manage it if they just try. Especially since they were a team now. She was certain Blake would pass her evaluation, especially when she's well rested.
As for her first mission...
I wanna see you again.
Ruby smiled. A young girl who's been treated far more cruelly than she deserved, managed to regain a bit of hope in the world again. That definitely counts for something, and it mattered. Because that small bit of hope can build into something that will help her smile again.
Yang was right. In circumstances like these, slow and steady is best. And with this particular instance with enough effort and cooperation, this could be the beginning of something amazing.
"Yo, I just messaged Dad about clearing our first mission." Yang beamed while pointing to her own Scroll. "He's pretty excited."
"Oh boy..." Ruby sighed while running a hand through her hair.
Or maybe something embarrassing.
Whichever comes first.
"Hmmm...intriguing."
One woman. One woman said this to herself as she was sitting upon her throne.
The land around her was dark and nearly completely devoid of light, where Grimm were riding out of dark puddles and roaring into the darkened skies above them. Flying Grimm were soaring overhead, including incredibly large ones. One roared loudly enough that it could be heard throughout the entire land.
Yet the woman remained nonplussed, as she stood up from her throne.
"The young Rose has returned from her first Hunt, and had been further exposed to the cruel realities of the world. Now gone from her mind is the naïve idea that there is no such thing as 'true evil' in this world. It very much exists. I wonder how she will cope with that reality going forward? Realizing the sheer heinousness that people are capable of?"
She began walking towards the opening her her palace, her feet not making a single sound from any of her steps. Her flowing white hair ran down her shoulders, her pale white complexion made her seem cold, her piercing red and black eyes staring curiously into the horizon, and her figure hugging dress nevertheless being rather cozy. No one would have guessed that the face of death and destruction could look so beautiful.
"How will you handle the immense negativity that fells this world? Will you too, fall to it's corruptive influence and become something unrecognizable? Will you turn away from all the conflicts and protect yourself? Or will you become a Reaper of Negativity, harvesting wherever you go?" The woman asked as she stopped before the clearing, to the very end of her domain, folding her arms under her generous bosom, as a murder of Nevermore soon flew by with uproarious caws. "To surpass the various cruel challenges of this world, you will have to steel your resolve, to act upon your ideals and convictions, and ascend into the halls of legend."
Curious, she briefly reached out her hand, only for it to stop and touch what appears to be a wall. It glowed brightly, dazzling with multiple colors, before fading away and returning to normal as if it were never there.
Still not going anywhere, it seems.
"Though I wonder what kind of legend you'll be? After all, becoming a legend doesn't require being a hero as well. How will you be interpreted in the perspective of the outside world? What everlasting story will you carve out with your blade?"
The wind began to blow, causing her hair to wave around her, her dress and cape rippling slightly. Her smile remained calm and relaxed.
"Ride the winds of change, Ruby Rose. Let your own two feet carry you forward, your heart and soul be your guide, and your own two eyes reveal the truths to this world that have been long forgotten. But beware that potential, for there are some that would rather keep that history buried. It could turn the entire world against you if you're not careful. Or perhaps, you'll be prepared to take that stand if you believe strongly enough in something?" She turned around with closed eyes. "In any case, I have high expectations of you. Continue your steady growth, as I'm eager to see what you'll bloom into."
She soon turned around and began walking back into the darkness of her palace, as her eyes slightly glowed bright within the shadow. Her eyes lowered, her mind in genuinely deep thought.
How much more will Remnant continue changing, four hundred years after such a great and tragic calamity...?
Vale was bright and cheery the next day. Cars were driving at a steady pace, birds were flying overhead without a care in the world, and people were going about their business for the most part. Things would be energetic for a little while, with the latest buzz of new Huntresses of Beacon already being quite impressive, and having a good showing. And they were bound to do more amazing things.
As everyone was moving about, someone was stepping off of a train, calmly walking away from the station. After getting dar enough away from people, she stopped by to take a look at the view of. Vale from where she stood, which was a decent height all things considering. She was up high enough to see hundreds of people going about their business, vehicles driving all around, and she could even see Beacon in the distance.
She currently wore a red coat with black outlines around her pockets and cuffs. She wore black gloves around on her hands, a red necklace with a slight orange glow, and red heels. Her skirt was red as well, though short and only reaching barely past her thighs, in which her long and slender legs were covered with black leggings. The young woman adjusted her scarf, which was black with golden intricate patterns decorating it all over, as she pulled out her Scroll so she could get a brief refresher on her side task while she's here.
Vale is a bit more tame when it comes to organized crime, but you'll find it if you look carefully enough. There should be a club somewhere, Junior's. While you're there doing what ya need to do, check on my daughter's who work there, wouldja? If Junior's workin' them too hard, he'd better hope I don't get heated enough to head over there personally. Can ya do that for me? Thank ya kindly, Cindy-Darlin!'
Cinder nodded calmly as she lifted her head again, briefly tugging on her scarf as her amber eyes based upon the city once more.
"I'd better get going..."
And that's it for this chapter!
Thus ends what I'll call the 'Team RWBY Formation' Arc.
But, just because the formation is set in stone, doesn't mean everything's smooth sailing. The biggest obstacles in the way of a more cohesive unit at the moment is of course, Blake and Weiss, for their own reasons.
Through this, I'm slightly eager to explore Ruby and Blake dynamics. They're kind of the 'Friends who never hang' for a good chunk of the series. They don't have a dynamic that's uniquely theirs within the team, compared to Ruby and Yang, Yang and Weiss, Weiss and Blake, ya know?
Unless it's RWBY Chibi. Those two are gold over there.
Anyway, that should be all for now. Until next time!