A/N: All of the thanks to actualbampot for turning my rambling paragraphs into coherent sentences XD
Despite her fatigue, sleep did not come easy. Cinder's senses were stuck on high alert, attention darting to and zoning in on each and every sound. Howling winds, Beowolves, the crackling tinder of the fire. It was perhaps that same strain that eventually wore Cinder out.
The hours passed in the blink of an eye. She woke up, tired, at the sound of Ruby's footsteps and they switched posts with nothing said between them. By the time Ruby had crawled into her sleeping bag, she was already asleep. Cinder hesitated only for a moment before throwing her own sleeping bag over her. What use would it be to her anyway?
Taking her position atop the rock formation Cinder wasn't sure whether she'd prefer the silence of her surroundings or not. Less Grimm meant that she wouldn't have to burn what little energy she had, but the inactivity was just as tiring, and a losing battle either way. But she directed her senses to her surroundings, expanding her aura a tad. Cinder tried to pick out the slightest sounds in the distance, not out of paranoia, but as a tool to focus her mind and stay vigilant. The woman wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there but relief struck her as soon as an orange tinge rose over the horizon, for it meant she could start making breakfast. A can of meat and eggs, And that was something the woman never thought she'd be grateful for.
A fire was easy enough but cooking with it proved to be harder than she thought. Cinder hadn't had much use for it in the past years. Well, not until Ruby's sweet tooth decided to change that. After what Cinder guessed to be numerous attempts, the young woman had brought her a jar of chocolate chip cookies. Only for Ruby's heart to shatter, when Cinder jokingly told her, that she preferred raisins.
The memory threatened to tug the corner of Cinder's lips. On cue, Ruby came shuffling out of the cave, bleary-eyed, shivering and no doubt awoken by hunger and the smell of smoke.
"Morning." The woman mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Cinder responded with a disgruntled hum as Ruby sat next to her. Her shoulder, nudging it's way under Cinder's half-cape, as if she didn't wake up under two sleeping bags in the first place. But the woman either underestimated how cold it truly was, or how annoyingly presumptive Ruby could be. In her moment of discomfort, Cinder moved her arm, awkwardly draping it over the young woman's shoulder. Ruby took it without a second thought. Before Cinder knew it, Ruby was sitting on the ground between her legs, back pressed against the woman's chest that should not have made her feel as she did.
Warm, more so than she should have been. Nervous? Uncomfortable?
In the end, once Ruby had settled down with her eyes closed, smiling from ear to ear, slowly thawing out of her stupor.
Cinder settled on less than impressed. "First thing in the morning and you decide to treat me like a heater." But she couldn't find it in herself to move away either. Even while wrapped in Cinder's semblance, the heat didn't quite reach Ruby's hands, and the Huntress was forced to rub them together for warmth. But the frigid weather did nothing to dull the teasing edge to Ruby's chuckle.
"A heater that can cook breakfast..."
But neither was Cinder's. The woman breathed out a short blast of fire over Ruby's shoulder, smiling ever so slightly when she yanked her hands away with a panicked yelp. Cinder's chuckle rumbled in the back of her throat, undeterred by Ruby's less-than-intimidating glare. "And burn off hands." she mumbled with that scolding tone Cinder always found amusing.
"I barely singed you." The woman defended with a sly smile, but held Ruby's hands nonetheless. A small gesture, but intimate in a way that was still taking the woman some time to get used to.
Surely reaching out to another suggested a weakness of oneself. It was a notion that left Cinder still hesitant to initiate unless it was under the guise of warming Ruby's hands. Not that Ruby ever made an effort to wear anything besides those fingerless gloves. If anything, she'd gotten sly in how she was able to slip her hand into Cinder's grasp now and again.
"You're gonna melt our breakfast if you don't take it out soon" Ruby jested, pulling Cinder from her thoughts to hastily snuff out of the fire, leaving the heat of embers to keep them warm as they silently ate their breakfast.
After a fleeting moment of peace they gathered up what little belongings they had. Before either woman could blink they found themselves back at the dried up Grimmpool. Though this time both of them were much more tentative and cautious, surprised to see that the network of vines had disappeared, leaving behind a number of holes in the ground.
Ruby gaped, still not able to believe it.
"It's gone?"
"A tactical retreat." Cinder said, automatically suspicious. Upon first glance it was clear that the thought unsettled them both. Not only did it imply a greater consciousness and development, but that their arrival at their next target, would be met with instant opposition.
"Then we're already at a disadvantage. We need a new plan."
Cinder surveyed the area. After yesterday she would have expected there to be many more Grimm prowling about. Instead she came to the unsettling realisation that the area had all but been abandoned.
"Our target has become clear to the Grimm, but they might not have had enough time to significantly bolster their numbers. If we assume that they have been lured by your eyes and unkempt emotions."
Ruby bent down to get a closer look at the holes in the ground. If Ruby squinted she could see the small tunnels criss-crossing deeper into the earth. The woman sighed in a moment of clarity and decisive thought.
"We don't know enough about it. We can't rely on what we thought we knew. This… this isn't like the other times we fought Grimm." Getting up, Ruby took a few steps back, looking to Cinder with nervous conviction. "Do you think you can blast a hole in the ground?"
"What?"
"I want to see if I can figure out which direction the roots were growing. If we can figure out where it's all coming from."
Cinder scoffed. "If you think I'll allow you to run head first into whatever abomination awaits us at the end of the world, then you are more foolish than I thought."
Ruby recoiled at the painfully reminiscent sting in Cinder's tone. She approached the woman carefully, trying to soothe Cinder's agitation, in the way that had made her more irritated than not.
"We need to know what we're up against."
Against Cinder's better judgement, the woman let her temper flare. A moment of weakness that spilled the pent up, and previously ignored frustration, sending a pleasurable shiver down her arm.
"We are not up against anything. Whatever it is has been lying dormant for ages, right up until you jumped at the chance to play 'hero' again."
Ruby faltered in her stride, biting her lip, not quite able to meet Cinder's gaze.
She hit a nerve. Good. At least that way, something will get through to her. If only it was that easy. If only Ruby was not so stubborn.
"I know I'm asking a lot."
Cinder gritted her teeth. Fighting against a venomous retort that had her clenching her gloved fist as if it wanted her to be angry. And yet, the moment Ruby came close her warm presence instantly soothed Cinder's aggravation, clearing her mind just enough to allow herself to listen. "We need to know where- what they lead to." Cinder looked at Ruby cooly, still not convinced.
Ruby timidly glanced up at Cinder, swaying her weight from one side to the other as she fumbled with her hands. The young woman's sudden nervousness caught Cinder's attention.
"If… if you knew about something that had the potential to hurt me… what would you do?" Ruby must've noticed how Cinder's eye widened in surprise, and the woman suddenly seemed unsure of herself. Cinder knew exactly what Ruby was getting at, but she felt like she owed Ruby an answer, even if it was an easy one. When she spoke, her words were soft, almost breathless.
"I'd kill them."
It was perhaps not the specific answer Ruby was looking for, who at first looked shocked before an odd sense of calm settled in her eyes. It was an emotion Cinder couldn't quite place. Regardless, it got the sentiment across. Ruby's voice, picked up its pleading tone once more, taking hold of her hands in the process.
"The people of Vale, of Remnant, they need us. Even if we can't kill it. Even if it's just to know what we need to keep them from."
Cinder didn't share the sentiment. No one needed her and no one ever wanted her to begin with, but she tightened her grasp anyway. Regardless of Cinder's feelings, around the issue, the woman knew that she was here because of Ruby.
Whether Ruby truly wanted her at her side was still not something Cinder let herself answer. Even so, right now, Ruby needed her.
The woman let out a sigh, shoulders sagging ever so slightly.
"Very well."
With one tap into her powers, shifting the earth apart, Cinder found herself peering down at a network of holes, clustered in the left side of the newly formed hole in the ground.
Ruby jumped down. She frowned upon closer inspection, opening the map on her scroll. "There's not supposed to be anything that- oh."
Noticing Ruby's surprise, Cinder pulled out her scroll, seeing exactly what had the younger woman scratching her head. The direction that was supposed to lead to nothing but a barren landscape now showed the biggest Grimmpool yet, displayed as an elongated black shape which had an eerie similarity to the remnants of a dried up lake. It was only a few kilometers from their intended target, but if followed, would eventually lead them far away from the rendezvous point.
Cinder didn't beat around the bush. "What makes you think this trip won't get us stranded?" The woman did not count on the airship waiting for them a second longer than it had to.
Ruby, already two steps ahead, tapped a few times on the screen, closing it with a satisfied nod. "I'm saving a copy of the map each time it detects an update." On cue, Cinder's scroll beeped with a notification: An automatic copy sent to her.
The woman turned her attention back to the map, scrolling out and zooming in on various locations. Ruby, trying her best to assure her. "If we're a hundred kilometers off target before the third day, we'll turn back."
Cinder held Ruby's stare for a moment before begrudgingly giving in. She turned to ascend out the hole, glancing over her shoulder, returning the ounce of encouragement Cinder felt Ruby was owed.
"Well then, let's not waste any more time."
While Cinder had a good handle on most of her emotions, the woman was hesitant to let her mind wander as they walked deeper into the Grimmlands.
The malfunction could be chalked up to a faulty connection to the CCT satellite, but Cinder would not accept that answer so easily. Everything should be questioned. Was it due to being out of reach? Or was there something actively disrupting the connection? The reason behind their coordinate malfunction, the roots themselves, they were a slew of unexpected unknowns that wouldn't do them any good to dwell on, especially here.
The silence didn't last long enough for Cinder to mull over the thought any longer.
"Do you think those roots are just normal plants, or a type of Grimm?"
Not that the woman minded as much when Ruby turned out to be the disruption. While Ruby would usually pull Cinder out of her silence, because of a hyperactive need to be sociable, the woman could instantly tell when she didn't want to be left stewing in her own thoughts. Lest they risk drawing unwanted attention.
Unlike Cinder, Ruby preferred to talk about these kinds of things. Although that would sometimes mean Cinder had to confront the very things she would rather avoid. But before her mind could slip further into these musings, the woman turned to the question at hand.
"Grimm have always been weak to your eyes."
"Yeah but Grimm can evolve too."
"Over many centuries of conflict, not while remaining in dormancy, much less evolve immunity to an attack it might have never been in contact with." Cinder's tone picked up a slight edge in the attempt of convincing her.
"What about magic?"
Cinder's gaze widened ever so slightly. It took her a moment to reply.
"Considering they seem to be behind the creation of the Grimmpools, it wouldn't be impossible for them to be imbued with the gods' magic."
Magic.
Cinder clenched her fists at the thought. An ugly feeling of regret reared its head, lasting only for a moment before Cinder shoved it back down, with the help of a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ruby looked apologetically back at her, voice dropping to a gentle murmur.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up."
Cinder shook her head. "No. We need to consider every possibility. Frankly I'd prefer this newfound cynicism of yours over baseless optimism."
"Liar." And just like that the atmosphere changed for the better, as Cinder found it tends to do in Ruby's company. The latter turned around as they walked, staying in front of Cinder just so that she could cheekily grin back at her. "Admit it, you like me. Hanging out with me."
Whether the tacked-on comment was a correction or elaboration Cinder didn't know. Regardless she was happy to play along.
"So we've progressed past 'rehabilitation' to 'hanging out', that sounds rather bold of you Miss Rose."
Ruby rolled her eyes, the formal title synonymous with Cinder's often merciless teasing. Luckily, it was something Ruby had learnt how to deal with over the years. The young woman scoffed in turn.
"Sounds like you're avoiding the question."
A small smile played at Cinder's lips. "I would be lying if I said I didn't find you amusing."
"Just amusing?" Ruby pressed on, convinced that she had Cinder on the defensive.
"I'd rather not go into further detail," Cinder casually waved her off, almost scolding when she spoke. "Best not to indulge you. Huntresses are supposed to act professional, are they not?"
"I'm plenty professional." Ruby defended, cheeks reddening at a loss of composure.
Cinder smiled to herself. While Ruby had learned to return jests as quick as Cinder dished them out, not much else had changed. She was still a joy to tease.
"Perhaps you should keep your distance. What would your teammates say if they saw you here with me like this?"
Ruby's eyes widened, spluttering and animatedly gesturing around herself. "I- it isn't- I mean I'm not-"
Cinder chuckled, her tone over-dramatic, playing coy. "If you continue on like this, who knows how long it will be until you've been swept off your feet." Cinder finished off with a wink just as Ruby's heel caught on a raised cluster of rocks behind her.
They reached out for each other automatically, holding onto each others' forearms. For a moment Cinder looked as surprised as Ruby; The woman knew that in that second, her arm reacted with a will of it's own, but she was quick to cover it up, slipping on a sly smile, her voice a sweet murmur.
"I warned you."
Ruby stared wide eyed back at Cinder in surprise, blushing beet red. When she finally managed to find her words, Ruby's eyes shifted to something behind Cinder and symbiotically the woman reacted without thought, pulling Ruby up to assess the situation, ready to engage if need be.
Luckily, that wasn't the case.
Flying in circles overhead, was a single Griffon.
"It's weird to say, but I was starting to worry why we haven't seen any Grimm so far." Ruby sounded oddly relieved.
Cinder squinted at the black dot, following it as far as she could before it disappeared behind the clouds.
"They're keeping an eye on us. The moment we make ourselves clear as a threat we will be swarmed in seconds."
Without another word Cinder blasted into the air, hoping to gain a better vantage point and perhaps spot any gathering Grimm. But it was as Ruby had said, and all to be seen were the rocky plains, ground darkening ever so slightly near the horizon.
Cinder took out her scroll, confirming that it was the Grimmpool. She checked the time. It was just past midday and they hadn't stopped walking since early this morning. Despite their target being in sight, it would take another hour or two to get there.
As the woman touched down on the ground, she quickly explained the situation to Ruby and the two decided to take a well-deserved break before the final stretch. Cinder hadn't realised how tired her legs were until she sat down on a nearby boulder. Burning hunger finally creeped into the forefront of Cinder's consciousness. She would have to make due with a protein bar and some water.
The moments spent doing nothing were supposed to give Cinder a moment to recharge, but they only reminded her how tired she was. Even Ruby, as annoyingly chipper as she tended to be was splayed out on the ground, eyes closed, goggles resting atop her stomach. It was a moment of ignorant bliss where it wouldn't take anything at all for a Grimm to burst out of the ground and swallow her up.
A rather unsettling thought, and yet, Cinder smiled as she looked at the younger woman- only for Ruby to crack open an eye, their gazes locked and trading a silent conversation about how neither of them wanted to move despite needing to leave soon. Of course Ruby's sense of duty won out in the end and she reluctantly got up.
Not making much conversation they continued their trek, keeping their attention and weapons at the ready as the distant sightings of Grimm became more frequent. The only thing to draw their attention away was when Ruby realised that they couldn't hear the crunch of gravel underneath their feet.
Frowning, Ruby bent down upon closer inspection, pressing a hand against the ground.
"It's… damp."
A warning sounded in the back of Cinder's mind. If it never rained in the Grimmlands, there could only be one other cause.
"We must be getting close."
Ruby immediately stepped back, hastily wiping the liquid-laced ground off on her combat skirt. They cautiously continued onward with the solid ground becoming muddy and showing signs of leading them into a Grimm 'marshland'.
Cinder was uncomfortable upon realising what she was walking on, but the moment one of her boots sank ankle-deep into the pitch black mixture the woman decided she had enough. She held out her hand to Ruby, beckoning her half irritably.
"Unless you want to make this more difficult than necessary I suggest you let me fly us there."
Ruby knew when not to argue. A few strides ahead the woman turned around. Only to stumble. The moment Ruby's right leg sunk into the ground past her shin, a shiver ran up Cinder's arm and back down her spine. The look in her eye must have alerted Ruby, the woman freeing herself with a flurry of her semblance and barely dodging the assault of dozens of leech-like Grimm, gaping mouths lined with teeth and spewing acidic liquid at the disturbance.
After the initial shock had set in, the two made quick work of the creatures, Ruby trying to curiously catch a proper look at their dissipating corpses.
"They kind of look like small Blind Worms. Grimm Blind Worms." Ruby looked to Cinder with shock, wondering out loud. "Do you think they'll get that big too?"
"Do you intend to stay here and find out?" Cinder deadpanned.
Ruby got the message, smiling sheepishly before the two of them took off.
It was an odd feeling, having the woman's arms wrapped around her neck, chest pressed against her back with her chin resting atop her shoulder. Or should she say ironic? Considering the simple act was proof alone that despite everything, Ruby was the only person who Cinder trusted to such an extent.
In the beginning, any act of trust from Ruby was met with skepticism and frustration. It was an anger born from her inability to understand why anyone would be foolish enough to do so in the first place. But Ruby was right at the time: If Cinder wanted to get better, then she would have to trust the Silver Eyed Warrior. At least enough to let her get within arm's reach.
And at arm's length Cinder thought she would stay.
But no. Months passed her by. Ruby kept visiting. The checkups were expected but then the woman started turning up out of nowhere. Brandishing either a new book, some take out or another blasted board game, which Cinder always ended up enjoying more than she pretended not to. Nor would the woman admit that she had started to look forward to these bi-weekly visits.
Of course the guards took Ruby's company as a sign of Cinder's level of compliance and slowly lessened the restrictions with regards to her cell. Even if that only meant an additional desk and bookcase. Nevertheless it, along with the small appliances and trinkets snuck in here and there, made the place seem more…
Cinder didn't want to say 'like home'. For surely the term suggested a kind of resignation. And for just a moment, Cinder had considered escape, but those thoughts were quickly drowned out by Ruby's non-stop babble. Conversation from Cinder's side was understandably minimal, but the woman was content listening to Ruby's daily life. A little less so when it had to do with Ruby's teammates, not that Cinder ever brought it up.
From what Cinder could recall, Ruby led a fairly simple routine in the months after saving Remnant from destruction.
Missions on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Cinder only needed a monthly check up for her arm, but the Schnee had business meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And Xiao Long's schedule tended to change around her partner's. Thus, Ruby had taken to trying making a new dish every Thursday where Cinder was usually the one it was tested on.
That left Tuesdays for grocery shopping and Sundays for chores.
Ruby seemed fairly content with this life, going day by day without any surprises. At least that's what Cinder thought until Ruby approached her, asking if she'd go with her on a recon mission to Mountain Glenn. Cinder knew that Ruby had been looking into getting her some kind of parole or community service, but the woman didn't allow herself to entertain the thought. It had only been a little more than three years after all; She'd be lucky if she got out in ten, and that was after milking her deciding part in Remant's victory, for all it was worth.
And yet Cinder still found herself breathing in the crisp air when she strolled down the streets of Vale with Ruby at her side, feeling comforted though oddly separated from her surroundings.
With how quiet Ruby had been at the time Cinder knew there had to be more to the mission than she had let on. The results would likely decide Cinder's future, and even after it's uneventful success Cinder couldn't help but to gaze back at the view over the mountain tops, knowing very well that if she took off now she might have a chance to escape. The thought had been an automatic one, born from the primal desire for freedom, even if Cinder knew what would follow would be a relentless chase across Remnant.
Cinder remembered feeling Ruby's nervous stare boring into her back, hearing the slight tremor of her hands against her folded scythe. Even after everything that happened in the past, the woman knew that if she dropped off the edge Ruby's trust in her would be shattered forever. In the end, Cinder didn't ignore the ice cold grip of dread that clutched at her heart, and once her mind had been silenced by the trek back to Vale the woman convinced herself that the reason she didn't escape was because she didn't have any place to run to.
It had nothing to do with Ruby's soft smile and even softer voice telling her how proud she was.
"There it is!" Ruby snapped Cinder out of her thoughts, pointing to the Grimmpool fast approaching.
Cinder had to admit, even with the updated map it looked a lot bigger than she had thought: From her current view the pool was just barely visible in its entirety, stretching all the way to the horizon. Cinder quickly noticed the possible landing complications. The ground surrounding the Grimmpool had gradually turned into a blackened marshland. Dark crimson roots and coiled in and out of the mud and liquid alike, steadily growing thicker before disappearing underneath.
Ruby scroll went off in a flurry of notifications. The woman frowned at the screen.
"I'm picking up a signal. Can you take us higher up? Maybe then we'll have the complete layout of the place."
Cinder tentatively glanced up at the blanket of clouds, frowning when the dark shape of the Griffon faded in and out of sight. Its screech evoked a familiar shiver, a warning for what's to come. Cinder instantly shoved it to the side, there was no time to dwell on uncertainties. The woman blasted past the clouds to where a small pack of Griffons were circling from a cautious distance. Ruby got to work, furiously tapping on her screen with one hand, while the other held onto Cinder's shoulder.
Their panic was mirrored in the Grimm's growing aggravation, one in particular zipping around them, waiting for an opening. Cinder's hands twitched with anticipation.
"You'll have to make it quick."
Her warning, drowned out by a vicious shriek as the Griffon dove for the two.
Ruby's scroll beeped in confirmation. Tapping into her semblance the woman flashed out of harm's way as Cinder hurtled blazing arcs of fire at the Grimm, burnt to ashes in a second. Cinder, understandably irked as Ruby materialized holding onto her shoulders once more asked:
"Satisfied?"
"I-I don't know. The map clearly shows we're in the centre, but shouldn't we have found a Grimm-plant or something? We still don't know where-"
Only for the woman to trail off once they saw the purple tendrils shift and rise out of the liquid. The levels of liquid suddenly started draining, revealing much larger roots covered in spikes. And as the roots stirred alive, so did the Grimm, hundreds born in a matter of seconds. And if that hadn't outnumbered enough, Grimm were diving out of the clouds one by one until they were properly surrounded.
Cinder gritted her teeth, she knew this would be a trap, they both knew, and yet here they were.
"You will be the death of me." The woman hissed as she hastily observed her surroundings, burying negative emotions for the need to be calm and collected.
It was simple really, their only way out of this mess was to go through it.
"Can you get us across?"
Ruby's semblance would be best suited in this case when moverability is what would keep them away from any surprise attacks. Splitting was another option and while each of them should be able to get through without a hitch, there was always the possibility of something going wrong. The possibility of leaving the other to fend for themselves was not something either of them wanted to entertain, especially not with the odds stacked against them. The situation made Cinder aware of her limb's blackened flesh crawling closer to her neck.
It was going to be a close call.
Sensing her trepidation, Ruby gave Cinder's hand a reassuring squeeze. The world froze in that moment of comfort, then Cinder's surroundings dissolved into a blur. The sensation of being caught in Ruby's semblance was never pleasant. But the moment she saw spiked roots and more Grimm shoot from the liquid, Cinder couldn't have been more grateful, but even with their advantage the Grimpool's spawn wasn't giving up, Leeches and Sentinels hurtled at them and a cluster of roots gave chase. Ruby's semblance was pushed to the limit.
Just as an opening presented itself in the Grimm's formation, a wall of roots the size of tree trunks, sprang from the surface at an inhuman speed. Cut off and surrounded, the women had mere seconds to think. A burst of petals zipped around Cinder. Ruby materialized still holding Cinder's hand. Her eyes, wide with determination and distress.
"Throw me!"
Even if there had been time to object, Cinder knew when Ruby was sure of what she was doing. With a nod and one Maiden-powered swing, Cinder hurtled Ruby at the Grimm amassing like a dark cloud in the sky, and as Cinder gazed upon that small black and red dot, now a flurry of rose petals being swallowed up by that amassing darkness, the woman couldn't help but to feel a sense of dread welling up in her throat.
The feeling was momentarily replaced by an odd sense of admiration as she gazed upon the flash of silver light that evaporated all it touched, but it was not meant to last. One wave of Grimm replaced the other and in the corner of her eye, Cinder caught sight of some roots shooting straight at the silver-eyed warrior.
Cinder was faster, merciless in how she used arcs of flame and blades of ice to slice through the ravenous weeds, all while gliding through the air out of their jagged reach in a fiery dance of equally terrifying grace. If the glint of those spikes hadn't been indication enough that the roots had been laced with Dust, Cinder felt her Maiden powers automatically reaching out for some kind of connection to the monstrosity. What kind of connection exactly, the woman did not know.
Covering each other's backs, Cinder had little time to glance at Ruby. Instead, she relied on her scroll of updates with regards to Ruby's depleting aura and the timed flashes of decaying light permeated Cinder's glove, feeling radioactive against her skin.
Her scroll crackled to life, ringing with Ruby's worried tone.
"-der! I need backu-"
The woman's chest filled with nauseating worry. Her eyes darted about the battlefield. She found Ruby in bursts of her semblance, trying to outmaneuver a swarm of Sphinxes.
The fact that Ruby was relying on the recoil of her rifle to get around the Grimm and kill them mid-air with her scythe meant that she might not be able to simply vaporize the Grimm without the effects of over-using her powers started to set in.
"Come to me. I'll cover you."
This was it. If they didn't take the opportunity then they might not be able to escape at all.
Reaching for a gravity dust vial on her hip, Cinder heated it up with her semblance, throwing the dust into the air and crystallizing it into floating panels of glass. As if on cue Ruby hurtled towards her, skidding to a stop on the momentary foothold. The weeds sprang to life, immediately going after Ruby, but by then Cinder's patience had run out. With no thought at all she set the blasted vines on fire, melting them while mentally reaching for the spikes that remained untouched.
Once in the grasp of the False Maiden's power Cinder pulled, raining a sea of glistening spikes upon the Grimm, disarming the vines and cutting down any creature that dared to venture into her line of fire. Without waiting for the chaos to settle Cinder took Ruby in her arms and shot into the sky.
Almost there. Almost out.
"Cinder watch-"
But it was too late. Cinder veered to the side as a Sphinx slammed into her blind side. Ruby slipped from Cinder's grasp, plummeting to the inky depths with the Sphinx's claws scraping against Ruby's flickering aura.
"RUBY!"
As the panic shattered her collected facade Cinder's hand shot out to the depths below. The move had been anticipated and the roots gave chase to seize the silver eyed warrior.
Fired up with adrenaline, Cinder impaled the Sphynx through it's armoured back, breaking through bone as if it were nothing. She caught Ruby inches from the Grimmpool, expanding her Maiden prowess to shield Ruby from harm. But the detriment only turned the foliage's attention to Cinder. It coiled up her arm, constricting like a python. Cinder hissed in pain as the spikes dug into her flesh.
An odd sensation flared up into an excruciating pain that wrenched a guttural cry from Cinder's throat. Injecting, what must've been poison, into the unprotected limb. The pain spread like a wildfire in the second that it took Ruby to cut her loose. And by the time Ruby reached her, balancing precariously on the remnants of one of Cinder's platforms, the effects had already made its way to her head, leaving Cinder with a pain-induced ringing in her ears.
"-ll get us through."
Cinder nodded as attempt to hold onto her senses before she slipped into delusion. The next few moments passed in a blur. Faced with the remaining Grimm, Ruby bolted ahead. Just out of harm's way she flashed them out of existence. Her aura, near depleted.
Ruby's back was pressed against Cinder's torso, held securely in her grip. The Grimpool gradually faded into the distance. And with each passing second the confusion gave way to a throbbing pain. Cinder could feel the poison pulse underneath her flesh, making her hand twitch and move on it's own accord. The woman gritted her teeth, trying to regain control.
But that had always been easier said than done. Cinder tightened her grip ever so slightly, trying to feel for and connect to even the smallest of tendons. But each attempt had been met with defiance as the poison reared its head. The odd disconnect to the limb echoed memories of first being chained to its fate. The woman had spent months trying to overcome her fear of losing control, of becoming a mere puppet for Sale-
Stop it!
"Cinder?"
She would not allow herself to wander down that path. Instead, the woman focused her attention on getting them to shelter. As the bare plains shifted to outcroppings of plateaus so did the pain creep up the entirety of her arm. When Ruby shifted uncomfortably in her hold and nearly slipped from her grasp, realisation drained all colour from Cinder's expression.
The pain. It wasn't fading. Her shoulder. Her side. She couldn't feel anything!
"Cinder you're..."
Ruby's concern, drowned out by the woman's inner turmoil. Think. Think! She couldn't feel. Couldn't control.
Cinder gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her consciousness into the limb that just. Wouldn't. Yield!
"Ah!"
Ruby's sudden jerk tore Cinder from her stupor. She let go on instinct and haphazardly reached out for her as they crashed atop one of the plateaus, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process.
Cinder staggered to her feet. The dust cleared, revealing a gash in Ruby's corset where Cinder's claw had dug its way through leather and fabric. The woman's only short-lived comfort was that she didn't see any sign of injury. When Ruby found her bearings and turned her attention to Cinder, the woman's guilt must have been apparent. For Ruby was instantly at her side, reaching out in an attempt to comfort. "I'm fine. It's okay. It just surprised me. What happened?"
Cinder pulled away out of instinct, hissing in pain. With the sudden shift the woman nearly buckled under her own weight, held up by Ruby's strength alone. With the younger woman's grip on both upper arms, it was only then they noticed how Cinder's left appendage was ridden with sudden tremors.
Another wave of guilt threatened to suffocate Cinder as she opened her mouth, feeling parched. Her throat, thick.
"It had… poison."
Ruby sucked in a breath, failing to keep her composure as the blood drained from her face. Her voice, trembling, trying to keep it together said:
"…O-okay. Don't worry. I- sit down. I'll check the emergency kit."
She did, and while Cinder was relieved to take the weight off of her legs, her increasing paranoia only made her wonder whether her lack of movement made it easier for the poison to spread. Putting those emotions to the side, Cinder focused her attention on Ruby: She was rummaging through her backpack, occasionally looking up to survey their surroundings. She opened the small emergency kit.
"Can you describe pain?" The woman sounded oddly calm and Cinder had no doubt that Ruby was desperately reigning in her emotions to focus on the task at hand.
Cinder furrowed her brows, wincing ever so slightly as she dipped her consciousness into the pain, trying to pick up on even the slightest detail. "Burning. Acidic..." The woman closed her eyes, trying to reach further, but with no avail. "I don't feel anything else… past my arm. My left. It's numb. Pa- paralytic."
Ruby nodded but whether it was out of understanding or confirmation Cinder didn't know.
"The effects must work differently, but we should be able to deal with that ourselves." Ruby was thinking out loud, but the action alone offered Cinder a sliver of comfort. Right now she wanted nothing more than to have Ruby cut her free from this torture. As if on cue Ruby took out two small black vials showing a sliver of reddish liquid inside. Antivenom. Experimental. Specifically target towards Grimm attacks. Cinder was convinced that if they were sent on any other mission, they wouldn't have been this well supplied.
"Luckily we still have these. It should just take a few minutes-"
But even that might not be enough as they only had four vials to begin with and none of them were specific to the Grimm in question, leaving Ruby to pick a combination of two and hope for the best.
Even as the woman crouched down to her eye to eye level with a reassuring smile, Cinder had her misgivings. Brandishing one of the vials, Ruby gingerly took Cinder's forearm, sliding the glove down a mere inch, but Cinder reached to stop her, unable to quite meet Ruby's eye when she looked at her in question.
While Cinder's control over the limb's growth could only go so far, she knew just how neglectful she'd been in telling Ruby the truth since they set foot on the Grimmlands: Just how much the growth had expanded.
This wouldn't have been the first time Cinder had been irresponsibly lax about these details and if Ruby chose to castigate her like some child it would have been completely deserved. Of course Ruby rarely let her temper get the better of her, and never when it was dealing with a past that Cinder was so ashamed of.
"It's… bad."
That was it, right? Why Cinder was barely able to look Ruby in the eye. Because no matter how many times Ruby told her otherwise, no matter how much Cinder had gotten used to the Grimm, she would always carry the shame attached to it.
"I know." Ruby murmured, gently breaking the silence with a smile that was as reassuring as it was concerned. "But that's why I'm here."
So with a heavy sigh and shame burning in her chest, Cinder relented. Even if they had to deal with the bigger picture sooner rather than later, Ruby was gracious enough to only slip the glove down enough for her to find an exposed patch of skin wherein she could inject the antivenom.
Cinder looked away out of habit and the only indication that the antidote had been administered was the intensity of the pain lessening by the smallest of margins. A welcomed relief, but not as much as Ruby's smile. It must've been telling the way Cinder returned it, strained and not meeting her tired eyes.
Ruby, seamlessly taking control of the situation said: "We need to get to shelter." Packing up the medical equipment, Ruby thoughtfully gazed across the plateau. "There's a bunch of caves and rock formations along the sides of these things. We should take shelter there for the night."
They would be losing valuable hours of daylight, or rather, the perpetual remnants of twilight that plagued the Grimmlands. Cinder knew that in this state she would be a liability. Not only would she be a target, Cinder would be making Ruby one as well.
"Are you okay to walk?"
That didn't mean Cinder would let herself fall into incompetency that easily, the woman already halfway to her feet. "Fine." Only for her to stumble and fall forward…
…into Ruby's steady grasp.
Before Cinder could think to fire a retort, she found her arm already slung over Ruby's shoulder and the latter's arm wrapped around her waist. Ruby's words, soft and gentle, spoke in between a reassuring smile.
"I'm gonna be annoying and hold onto you anyway, okay?"
-One that Cinder couldn't bring herself to say no to.