So before we start I'd just like to mention two things related to RWBY that I got my hands on recently.
The Soundtrack, and the Manga by Shirow Miwa.
First, the music, as always is amazing and I think that overall this was my favourite one.
Of course All things must die was my favourite but I liked the meaning of the other songs.
lIke Smile of instance. Anyway, great music, playing that aloud consistently.
Second, the Manga. Now, I'd actually gotten the paperback last month but only got around to finishing it last week and forgot to talk about it. I'd known about the controller Grimm and what it could do beforehand from mentions online but it was better reading it myself.
I also LOVED the art style and character designs. The Grimm, the fights, Blakes ear's! It's what I mentioned a few chapters ago. Hell they made Adam intimidating again for me!
The only design I had a problem with was Port.
He's supposed to be a Huntsman... he looked like a potato
What was he going to do, roll on the Grimm?
Anyway, i'll let you get to the chapter now.
I hope you enjoy!
...
People have a number of different types of smiles.
There's the amused one, that one with a little quirk at the corner of mouth that said you enjoyed whatever it was that was happening.
There was the attentive smile. The one when you weren't exactly sure whether or not you should be smiling but hey, might as well.
There was the forced smile. The one that you wore to make everybody think you were okay when really you weren't. It didn't always work for Yang, and sometimes people could tell when she was putting on a brave face.
And then, there was the genuine smile, the one that spread across your face at something truly amazing or wonderful.
Yang wore that one, wider and more alive than it had ever been in years.
The blonde giggled. Giggled, as she stared at the tiny flame in the palm of her hands. She had to use both, as if to hold it, even as it hovered slightly above.
There was a childlike glee in her eyes that probably shouldn't have been in a girl broaching her adult years, especially one with experiences like hers.
But she was doing magic!
Was that the right term, 'Doing magic'?
No, it didn't matter. She was doing it!
Sure the fire was a tiny thing but it was there! She could feel the warmth from it. It was real!
And it was hers. She was doing something that should be impossible. It was something from a fairy tale.
Magic!
And it wasn't just this. But the build-up from everything that had happened recently.
Sure, there were some pretty bad things,; losing your limbs was bad, and the doc had warned her that things might get bad once she re-entered society and saw other people.
Was that why she was able to cope with it right now? Because the only person she could talk to was missing a limb as well? Was there a kinship?
Maybe, but probably not, it was overshadowed by everything else.
She wasn't crazy.
She wasn't ill, seeing things and jumping at noises that weren't there. She was special. Not only that, but she was going to be able to control it she wouldn't have to take those pills anymore, and when she got out of here, she could live her life more.
Hel, when she got out of here, even more was going to change
She had a lead! She had something that could help her understand what happened to Ruby. She'd be able to confront her. About her eyes and about Ozpin!
Things would change!
But right now, she could just enjoy the fact that she could use magic.
That she was a magi!
Yang shook her head. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. All she had to do was focus on using her new limbs. Everything else could come after.
Speaking of which, at that moment Merlot bustled into the room with a box of paper and bits and bobs.
When he saw her he smiled. "Right then, good to see you up. I think it's about time we make sure everything is in working order. Hold this for me will you?"
He put the box down before turning and leaving the room again. The brawler could only snicker as the old man came back in with a dumbbell. He held it in two hands, and it looked like he was about to keel over with the weight of it. he wasn't even really carrying it, it was more like he rolled it along the floor.
"This," he gasped. "Weights exactly three hundred kilograms. From what I could compare it to it's essentially the same weight as a large vending machine… don't ask me how I know that. We'll be testing how you compared to beforehand. First things first, what could you lift before without the use of your semblance?"
Yang thought back for a moment. "There was about a week back when my team and me were helping set up for a dance. I had to carry around these big speakers. It wasn't too much of a big deal, but I was using both hands and plenty of muscle. Bending the knees and all that you know?"
"I see." He muttered, a clipboard and pen had come seemingly out of nowhere as she scribbled down information. "This weight should be about that weights, or perhaps slightly more. We'll try with your more familiar had first."
He motioned to it. "Pick it up for a bit and see how it goes."
Yang did as she was told, bending over to grasp it. She wasn't entirely sure what the point of this was. How was she supposed to lift it with just one-
Her thoughts were cut off as her hand rose up again with the weight.
She blinked.
She stared.
That had been far too easy.
It was still heavy sure, but the fact she could do it one handed was… wow.
"Very good." The doctor nodded, scribbling down more words. "It says you're at least twice as strong. Give or take a little in either direction."
She gave him a confused look. "Care to share why exactly?"
"Don't you remember? Your new heart made changes to your physiology. You mentioned you felt stronger earlier."
"W-well yeah, but I thought it was just going to be a little extra boost, not double!"
"Well… it is, so there you have it. "Try it with the other hand now and let's see."
She did so, swapping the weight over. Her obsidian arm dropped slightly as she grasped the weight firmly.
Merlot hummed. "I see… try pouring a little bit more magic into it. not a lot, just enough to balance it out."
She did so.
The flowers bloomed and power trickled through.
After a moment, she held it at the same height she'd held it in the other hand.
"Good. Noe, if this practice we'll be making sure you can efficiently and easily control the flow of magic in your arm. You'll work with that weight as I go get another one, and your task is to make sure that both hands work at the exact same speed. That way we can balance your strength on both sides."
"What about my legs?"
"Hm? Oh they should be fine. Walking and running should be enough practice for things like that. If you plan on fighting with them it will be a bit different, but I'm no fighter so I won't be much help there I'm afraid.
"Nah that's fine, don't worry about it." she said. There was no point getting upset about something like that, especially when she could just train some other time. He'd already done plenty.
"I'll go get it then. I won't be long!"
Yang hummed a quiet tune as he left, enjoying the simple action on working out her arms. This was good. The faster she recovered the faster she could get out of here and back to beacon.
She paused for a second as a thought cross her mind.
What had happened to the rest of her team?
…
…
Ruby let out a laboured groan as she shifted a large piece of rubble from their path. Beside her, Weiss did the same with her summoned arm, which was a little unfair in the reapers point of few, because technically she wasn't lifting it herself.
"I think this is it." The youngest of them said after a second to catch her breath. "What do you think Blake?"
The Faunus stepped past her and peered into the cavernous hole. There were still a few more to go through but I this was it…
"It looks like it." she nodded after a moment. "It goes deeper than the rest, and I think I can feel some air coming out of it."
"An opening?" Ruby asked.
"More like another cave system. If Yang was taken anywhere, it was down there."
"Alright." the reaper said. She turned to them both. "Then we're going down. There's probably still Grimm down there so stay close and be careful. We need to be as fast as we can. It's late, and transport will be here in the morning. It'll be better if we can find Yang before that."
"Right." They both nodded.
Ruby took a breath.
"Okay. Blake, you're up front. Lead us to the deepest parts with your vision. Weiss, you take up the back and if things get violent light the Grimm up with any dust you have left."
"That might not be a lot." She mumbled. Ruby winced, the older girl was right. They were running out of dust, they had been since yesterday. Even Crescent Rose was running on empty. Still, they would have to make do with what they had.
She didn't say anything else and turned into the cave.
It was actually a lot darker than the others. Ruby couldn't even make out her hands in front of her face. She could see Blake though. Her bright yellow eyes were one of the only things she could see, but it was enough for now.
It was quiet too, as in, their heels clicked on the ground kind of quiet.
Ruby wasn't exactly sure how long they walked, or even if they were making any real progress, but a few minutes later there was a feeling in her stomach that told her they were going deeper.
That was good right? It meant they were going the right way.
Still… there was something wrong. Ruby couldn't quite place it, but it felt like they were walking into something… dangerous. A shiver crept up her spine and she held Crescent Rose higher up her chest.
Do you feel that?" Weiss whispered. It made Ruby shiver again, her breath was warm on the bag of her neck, and with her sight practically gone, she felt a lot more sensitive. She swallowed past it.
"Yeah. It feels like something watching us right?"
"I don't see anything." Blake whispered. "But yes, I feel it too. Could it be a Grimm?"
Weiss scoffed. "A Grim that hasn't attacked us yet?"
"It could be a smart Grimm." The Faunus argued back, eyes flicking back for a split second as she responded before turning back. "It doesn't matter. If it's not attacking that means we can keep moving. Heads up by the way, the breeze is getting stronger."
The reaper and heiress felt it a moment later. It wasn't cold like they expected, but it was unsettling all the same.
"What is that?!" Weiss hissed. "It feels… dead."
It wasn't the right word for it, by Ruby thought it was close enough.
The wind washed over them, but instead of some kind of temperature change or feeling it felt still stagnated. It was as if there was something on the air.
It was…
It was like the air before a thunderstorm.
Where hot and cold met and left you with a sticky feeling.
What was making that?
The question was about to be answered as Blake suddenly stopped and held out a hand.
She gave a sharp gasp and Ruby peered over her shoulder.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dark just enough to see that there was no more ground ahead of them, and all that was left was a black void.
Weiss saw it too and gave a frustrated huff. "Is it a dead end then?"
Ruby shook her head. No, it couldn't be… Weiss, do you have any fire dust crystals left?"
"A few," the heiress answered. "Their fail safes should I run out of refined dust. Why?"
The reaper motioned to the edge.
"Activate one and throw it off the side. Try to get it as far as you can. Hopefully we'll be able to see the other side… maybe the bottom too if we're lucky."
Weiss nodded, trusting her leader's idea and reaching for one of the red crystals. Her aura seeped into it and she lobbed it as far as she could.
It gave off a red light, which quickly brightened as it burst into flames, illumination the giant cavern.
Ruby kept her eyes peeled as it did so, but gasped at what she saw.
"Well that answers that," Blake hummed. "So… there other sides just a cave wall… the only way is down. Looks like Grimm came out of this place a while ago judging by those scratches."
No, it was more than that.
The hole was too big. It was as big as the sinkhole on the surface bit the cavern walls were too smooth to be natural. They'd been worn away, carved out even by giant blades.
Or scales.
The scratches on the walls we far too big, far too deep to be Grimm, and way, way too warped. It was as if someone had melted the stones gashes with molten slag.
Dragons.
This place was the home of dragons, lots of dragons if the number of scratches was any guess.
But dragons were supposed to be dead. There wasn't supposed to be any lefts.
If they still lived down there, if they were still asleep.
Then one misstep could mean death.
They'd be burned alive before they even knew what was happening.
This was bad. It wasn't even that the Dragons were a threat, even if they were, but if there were dead dragons down there left untouched for centuries then there would be hordes of Grimm. And they'd be old. They'd be strong. The smart thing to do would be to turn back, it was far too dangerous to continue.
But if Yang was down there…
"What do you guy's thing?" She asked, desperate for their thoughts. If either of them could give her a reason why going down there was stupid then-
"What are we waiting for?" Weiss said. "The only way is down, let's hurry."
"I agree," Blake nodded. "I don't like the feel of this place. Let's get in and out as fast as possible."
She sighed. "Alright. Let's-"
Ruby was cut off by a ferocious howl that echoed up from the hole. All eyes shot down, to the figure moving towards them at terrifying speed.
It was a Beowolf.
It was big.
And it was glowing with green dust spouting from its body.
…
…
"And… stop!" Merlot shouted, pressing down on his stopwatch.
Yang relaxed, standing on both feet again. "So who was it?"
The old man looked down at the watch.
"Very good. You managed to balance for ten minutes on each foot, though, surprisingly I think you balanced perfectly on your right more than your left. I suppose we can put that down to there being no muscle strain."
The blonde grinned. "I'm tellin' ya dom I'm in fightin' form and rarin to go."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, well allow me to be the villain a little more and keep you here until I'm absolutely sure you won't have any problems.
"Yeah," Yang said. "I was wondering about that actually. How am I supposed to get out of here? I mean, I kinda feel down here. It's not like I know my way around mountain Glenn."
"Oh don't worry about that." He dismissed. There's a tunnel outside that's a straight shot to the surface. You shouldn't find too much trouble walking in a straight line right?"
She missed his head by a good few feet as she punched lazily. "har, har. Well, I'm telling ya it'll be nice to see the sun again. When's the last time you were in Vale by the way, I feel like I need to buy you somethin' for all you've done for me."
He blinked.
"Hm? Oh, I won't be going with you. My place is here."
The smile slipped from her face.
"What? Come on, why not? You can't seriously be thinking about staying here!"
He shook his head. "I've been here for the last two decades Yang… and it's not like I'd be welcome back in Vale. Forgetting about Ozpin, I have a bad history with the council itself. No, I'm better off here. And besides, I have all my research to look after, and there's still so much I have to find. I doubt I've even scratched the surface of it all."
Yang stared at him for a second before sighing sadly.
"I guess you're right." She said glumly. "I guess this will be a goodbye when all this stuff his done then."
He rolled his eyes and smiled again. "Oh come now Yang. It's not like I'll disappear. You can always come visit."
She laughed. "Sure, Mountain Glenn's practically a holiday resort. Perfect place to visit a friend."
"Indeed it is," he agreed with a laugh of his own. "Just be sure to call first, I'll throw you a party and everything."
"Strawberry cake please!"
He made to say something else, but was cut off by the loud and sudden sound of an alarm blaring.
The two of them looked up and Yang winced at the noise.
"What's going on?"
Merlots face didn't reveal much other than trepidation. "I don't know. The alarms around this place have been tripped. Somethings coming. I'll go inspect it. Stay here, understand?"
"But what if it's dangerous?" she argued. "I can help!"
He shot her a smile. "I've managed the Grimm well enough during my time here. They won't even get close enough with all the traps I have in place. Don't worry."
He turned away and as Yang watched him go, she didn't see the way his face changed. It wasn't a literal thing, but all the same, it was like a completely different person.
"I'll make sure to destroy any threat to this place."
…
…
Ruby rolled under a beowolf's claws as it sailed above her, but had to bring up Crescent Rose as it spun in the air and dived at her from behind.
What were these things? Dust growing out of Grimm should be impossible. She'd never heard of it before in her entire life. These things were stronger, faster and smarter than any Grimm she'd dealt with on her way down here and the fact that they were hulking masses of muscle.
It didn't even look like a wolf! Its face was too wide and its eyes weren't red!
The only upside was that it gave off a bright green light.
She dived to the side as it swiped at her, the shockwave rippling from the dust being just as much of a threat as its claws and fangs.
She grit her teeth and pressed down on Crescent Rose' mechanism, shifting it into its war-scythe form.
She slashed at its knee and wretched back violently. It sliced through flesh and muscle and spurted a familiar black liquid. The mutant beowolf roared in pain and anger as it tried to hit her again.
She fired one, rocketing herself to the side and spinning. Semblance activated she dashed forward with momentum to back her up, stabbing into its back and seeing the curved blade burst out of its chest..
She gasped then, when the Grimm ignored it, and grabbed her hood.
She lost her grip on Crescent Rose and was slammed into the ground in front of it. Her head thumped painfully as it grabbed her again and enveloped her in a bear hug.
She choked out an agonised gasp as she felt her bones creak.
It was smart. It wasn't letting her use her speed, it was keeping her in one place. She was going to be crushed.
She felt blood pool in her mouth as she bit down on her tongue.
Her ears rang loudly as she struggled.
This was too fast, she needed to get out of this. How could she save Yang if she was dead?
It was as if something clicked. Or grew in the next moment. Her semblance still active, she wasn't thinking about speed. She was thinking about not being trapped, about moving.
Ruby burst into a flurry of rose petals and phased through the beowolf's arms. She stumbled back at the sudden realisation she was free, and the second next she grasped her chance as the Grimm stared at the space she had just occupied with confusion.
She turned back into rose petals, and felt an odd sensation as she spilt, washing over the creature and appearing behind it. Her hands grasp the shaft of her weapon and she twisted, pulling the trigger in the next instant.
The blade pointed upwards, the recoil shot it further.
Crescent rose sliced open its skull and she rolled away.
There was a beat where she watched it fall, and looked down at her own hands.
That had been… new.
She turned just in time to see Weiss and Blake together. They'd managed to dispatch the other mutant Grimm together, but both looked like it had taken a lot out of them.
They stared at her with wide eyes, and Ruby realised she could only see it because the Dust that had been connected to the Grimm hadn't dissolved along with the rest of it.
"Are you to okay?" she asked.
They nodded.
"We're fine," Weiss gasped. "What on Remnant was that? What kind of Grimm were they?"
"I don't know," she admitted honestly. "But two of them was nearly enough to kill us… we need to be careful."
"We're going deeper?"
"No point stopping now, we already jumped." They had. When those mutant Grimm had appeared they'd fallen down. It was only thanks to Weiss' glyphs that they hadn't went splat when they reached the bottom. The fight had continued from there, deeper into the wide tunnel the stood in now. "Besides, something tells me those Grimm weren't there for no reason. We're getting close to something."
"She's right," Blake agreed. "I think… I think something happened to those Grimm. Something we need to look into."
"Wasn't finding Yang the objective?"
"It is, but I have a feeling we're on the right path… and if that means she's somewhere down this way…"
Weiss bit the inside of her cheek. "No, if we find yang we have to leave, end of story. We can't-"
"Guys?" Ruby called from a good distance down the tunnel. "I think we found what we're looking for."
The monochrome pair shared a look and made their way over to her. When they saw what she was talking about the stopped.
"No way." Weiss whispered.
The stood on the edge of a drop, though it wasn't a big one. Ahead of them was a massive cavern. The last one. There were no more opening s to look for.
It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because their attention was on the massive metal facility built into the stone.
It was huge!
"What is this place?" Blake asked no one in particular, but Ruby had a fairly good idea.
Merlot.
This is where Merlot was located.
"Come on." She said. "Grab that green dust from the Grimm bodies and follow me in."
"We're going in there?" the Faunus asked
"If Yang's anywhere, it'll be in there. Come on, we don't have any time to waste."
"That you don't little girl."
They froze as a voice rag out through speakers.
"Isn't this a surprise" The voice laughed nastily. "I was enjoying a nice and peaceful day, when three intruders come bumbling into my home like fools. I was angry at first, but then I thought of the great opportunity! I can test my Grimm on you!"
"His Grimm?" Blake asked aloud, but Ruby clenched her teeth.
"We need to hurry. Now!"
The command was a simple one, but Weiss and Blake sprang into action because of it, leaping into the cave and towards the metal structure.
Weiss took aim, and a barrage of ice and fire shot towards on side of it. She blew a hole in the wall, and the three of them tumbled in. the décor left something to be desired for sure; it was grey and empty, pipes running along the ceiling and a strange hexagonal pattern on the floor. They could hear the alarm now, blaring in their ears.
"He knew we were here!" Blake hissed.
"Indeed I did," he agreed through the speaker again. "Now, the Grimm will take a while to get here, fortunately I have plenty of machines to keep you occupied until their ready, try not to die right away will you?"
There was a beep as it cut off and right as it did doors on either side of the hallway opened up and red and white human-shaped androids flooded in by the dozens. They formed a line before them and drew weaponry.
Gods be damned halberds and miniguns.
Ruby shared a look with Weiss and Blake, who looked back with a mix of uncertainty and determination.
The reaper raised Crescent Rose behind her.
They were going to fight their way through.
…
…
"Hey!" Yang yelled as she beat on the door. "What's going on out there old man?!"
There was no answer, but the blonde had an idea already. She'd hear Merlot on the speaker, sounding completely different than anything else she'd heard from him. He'd been talking to someone. Three intruders, it wasn't hard to figure out who it was.
They'd come for her! They'd really come for her!
And now they were in danger. Whatever the old man was doing was bad for them. She needed to get out there, explain to him who they were. She could straighten out this whole thing.
But she couldn't do that right now. The laboratory was in lockdown, with her inside. She was stuck in here and the metal doors weren't budging.
She growled and stomped back and forth. Her eyes fell to her clothes and then back down to the hospital gown she was wearing. Right, first things first. It took her a minute and she was still missing her right boot, but she got dressed and equipped Ember Celica onto her wrists. She raised her right arm, watching as her fingers wiggled. The gauntlet fit in its closed form, now it was just a test to see if it would work with the full thing.
But before that.
"Sorry doc." She said, before cocking back her right arm and driving her fist into the door.
It folded like wet paper and flew off its hinges.
She ran out the door, but stopped a few seconds later as she rounded a corner and came face to face with a Grimm.
A massive, hulking, green Grimm. It saw her and roared.
Yang grinned and raised her fists. It was time to test out just how much stronger she was.
…
…
Sparks flew and metal was sheered as Ruby tore through the machine men. They hit hard, but in terms of speed and durability they were a cake walk. They had no aura.
They weren't Penny, that was for sure.
There was just so many of them. They rushed through the hallways, but it felt like no matter how many of them they trashed three more took their place.
Ruby and Blake did their best to deflect any bullets that came their way, while Weiss used what was left of her dust to form barriers and control the battlefield. The heiress was relying even more on her summoned arm now, having it cleave through waved of androids as they got close.
Ruby panted heavily, rose petals swirling around her as she phased through the machines. Beside her, Blake did a better job at holding herself together, and loaded another clip.
They came to a fork. Moments later, and blasted a group of robots against the wall and shattered them. They had a moment of respite to look around.
"Which way?" Weiss gasped, head flipping left and right.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Maybe we can-"
She was cut off by the sound off Grimm from the left corridor and the three of them tensed as the sound got closer. There was more than one, maybe two or three. Ruby raised Crescent Rose and prepared to lunged fowar-
She nearly tripped when a Grimm was send rocketing into the wall. It crumpled against the metal and dropped. The three of them stared as the sound of gunshots echoed through and the pained cries of a Beowolf could be heard. One appeared around the corner, desperately trying to crawl away from its attacker.
A black fist crushed its head.
Yang grinned down as it dissolved beneath her and when she looked up it took a second for her to notice them. Her red eyes blinked back to lilac and she grinned again.
"Oh! Hey guys, I thought it was you!"
They stood there frozen in shock, and it was the heiress who managed to speak first.
"Y-Yang?" she breathed. "You're alive!"
The blonde laughed as she walked over to them. "Was there any doubt?"
"Yes!" Weiss shrieked. "We saw you lose your arm! What happened to-" she cut herself off as her eyes locked onto Yang's right side. A pitch black arm and leg resided where skin should be."
"Yang…" Blake whispered in horror.
The brawler followed their looks and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "It's a long story, don't worry about it."
She stopped and her eyes moved to Ruby. There was a beat where neither of them said anything.
Ruby couldn't say anything. Her eyes were locked onto her arm and leg with unrestrained agony written on her face. She tried to speak but she couldn't force the words out!
Yang had a complicated look on her face but she settled for a nod. "I'm fine."
"I-I-"
The reaper was cut off once again as a speaker sounded through the halls.
"Well isn't this a nice little display?" came a nasty sneering voice "it's almost enough to make me shed tears, but don't worry, I'll be full of happiness when my Grimm slaughter you."
"Come on doc," yang called out, surprising her team. "Tell me what's going on here. We can talk about this."
"Oh there will be plenty of talking when you're dead. I'll listen to your echoes when you-"
He stopped, and when his voice was heard again it was lighter and far more panicked.
"Down the hallway on the fourth left, go forward until the second right. There's a door there. It's where I'm held up. Hurry Yang, you need to sto-"
There was static and the sound of something crashing before the line went dead.
Yang was already moving.
Weiss reached out to grab her shoulder. "Wait a minute yang where are you going?"
She gave the Schnee an incredulous look "Where do you think? I need to go talk to Merlot."
Ruby flinched. "You know Merlot?"
"Yeah, how do you know him?"
"…"
Yang realised the silence was telling. She really was a part of this.
"It doesn't matter if you know him right now!" Weiss cut in. "it's not safe here, we need to leave."
"We can't just go," Blake argued. "You say those Grimm Weiss, we can't let them get out of here. We need to shut them down."
She made to say something else, but all arguing stopped when the corridor on the right –the one they'd not checked – made a loud hissing noise.
Or more specifically, something coming from the corridor made a loud hissing noise.
Multiple hissing noised.
The static came back.
"I'd like to introduce you to a little pet project of mine." "Merlot laughed. "I doubt the fools in Beacon ever taught you about them, but you're about to see what happens when a controller Grimm has a chance to meet four King Taijitus. With my own personal touch."
Just then, a Taijitus head slithered around the corner. It spotted them, froze, before seven more followed suit.
Each, and every one of them sprouted green dust.
A terrified, hysterical part of Ruby's mind recognise what was before her in an instant, the image from the Odyssium seared there many years ago:
Yamata no Orochi.
They ran.
There was no decision to run. No transition from standing there in shock to fleeing.
They were just moving.
And it tore up the hallway behind them.
"What the fuck is that thing?! Yang yelled over the top of sheared metal and hissing.
"Just run!" Ruby yelled back. She dived to the side in time to dodge a head that snapped at her. It's long fans dripped with venom and as it hit the ground where she'd just been standing the metal floor dissolved.
Before it too was crushed under the giant Grimm.
"We can't get to that man if this thing's chasing us!" Weiss cried. "Ruby, you and Yang go, Blake and I will lead it away."
"Are you crazy?" the reaper hissed. "You can't fight that thing!"
"We don't plan too. We'll lead it far enough away and circle around. Then we need to find a way out of here."
"I know the way." Yang said, keeping her back straight as she ran. "Met us where the Doc said and we'll get out of here together."
"Right. Are you ready for this Blake?"
In response the Faunus aimed Gambol Shroud back and fired off two shots towards its head. She sped up.
The Heiress shot Blake a look as she passed her.
"Well that answers that. Go!"
A moment later they broke off the path, and there was a crash as the Orochi veered after them.
Ruby didn't like it but it was too late to say anything about it. they needed to make this fast. Whatever she was going to do they needed to do it now.
The doorway was there as they rounded the next few corners, and they burst through it as brazenly as they could.
And stopped when they say the Gun pointed at them.
"Well isn't this interesting?" Merlot laughed in a none too friendly way. "Silver eyes… my this is a momentous occasion. The perfect samples. Tell me girl, do you know if your eyes are any good after their removed? No? Well we'll find out."
Ruby tensed, ready to dodge when Yang suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Yang!" she hissed.
Her sister ignored her in favour of focusing on the man.
"Hey come on Doc," She grinned feebly. "This isn't you. Why don't you just put down the gun and we can talk about this okay?"
The man laughed again, this time with far more hysterics.
"I'm sorry; the good doctor merlot isn't here right now. All that's let right now is-
"Hyde." They stooped, and the doctor and the brawler turned to Ruby, who stared at the old man with dark eyes. Her knuckles were white as she gripped Crescent Rose.
"Very good!" the newly introduced Hyde congratulated. "Someone studies I see. Oh yes, I'm what you would call hide, but as it were dear old resident Jekyll decided not to give me a name. Alas, here I am."
Yang swallowed. "I don't understand what's going on."
He scoffed. "Of course you don't you stupid girl. You were never meant to play a part. All you were supposed to be was a new test subject."
The blonde took a step back as if she'd been slapped. Hyde let out a loud sigh, as if disappointed.
"Merlot was always soft though. He wanted to help you. As if doing something like that would make up for the fall of Mountain Glenn he caused all those years ago."
He tilted his head. "Well… I suppose I cased it, but he hadn't been prepared to stop me so who's splitting hairs?"
He shrugged and aimed the gun a little higher. "Now, I'm not the best shot, but I know that from this distance I can hit and your aura won't do much against these. It's strange really, silver bullets have an odd tendency to critical damage even to those with aura… and yet they can't punch through even the weakest of steel. Let's see what it does to your head then shall we?"
It was instantaneous.
Ruby wasn't even aware of her body reacting. One minute she was standing there with Crescent Rose, the net she'd wedged her weapon onto the wall.
With Hyde impaled upon it.
Ruby pulled the trigger.
There was a bang and a shower of blood as Yang screamed.
The doctor couldn't move as the bullet carved through him.
She fired again.
And again.
And again.
And again
And again
"Stop!" Yang screamed.
Ruby blinked. What was she talking about? Stop what? She blinked again as traces of silver left her vision. What was she…?
The girl gasped and let go of the scythe, stumbling back and falling. She stared at what she'd just done, and the blood that had splattered onto her hands.
"Ah…" Merlot said, looking down at the weapon as if just realising it was there. "That's uncomfortable."
He slumped to the floor, and Crescent Rose clattered beside him.
"No!" Yang cried, skid to a stop beside him and pressed on the wound. "No, no, no you can't be serious. Not now. That was… that was too fast. It wasn't supposed to go like this."
The old man laughed as a familiar red liquid leaked from his lips. "You forget," he rasped. "I'm no trained fighter like any of you. I don't even have my aura unlocked… for all the good that would have done me. Listen to me… that… that wasn't me. I promise you that wasn't me. That thing… it says some very cruel things, I would know, I've been stuck with him my whole life."
Yang choked something out. Or tried to. She barely made a noise.
"Ah!" he whispered. "This feels… unsatisfying…" he put a hand to Yang's cheek, forcing her eyes on his.
"Yang… please, take this." He said, handing her a small blue rectangle. A flash drive.
"It has all of my research on it. Every single little thing I've ever discovered and recorded is on there… there's so much more to do. Continue my research… please Yang."
She nodded even as tears ran down her face.
She shouldn't be crying. She'd only known the man for a few days.
But…
"I promise. Now come on, we can get you out of here too."
"No," he rasped. "You can't. I set this entire base up to monitor my heartbeat. Once that stops, this place will detonate exactly a minute later. This research cannot fall into the wrong hands. Not Ozpins and not Salem's. You have the last copy. You need to leave, now."
"No I-"
"Go dear." He laughed. "My old heart won't last much longer than this. Oh, and one more thing."
He reached up behind her head and pulled her in. Yag didn't even notice how his blood stained her hair. Her brought her ear down and whispered into it.
"Don't hate your sister for this… it is how she was born… it was how she was raised. She'll need you now, I can feel it."
"I-"
He cut her off and pushed her away. The look in his eyes was clear. He was running out of time.
Yang cursed and turned away. Her eyes fell to Ruby, who was still frozen in shock. She was staring down at her bloodied hands. She looked lost.
"Ruby we have to go."
Her sister looked up at her. "Yang I… I'm so-" her voice cracked and the brawler growled to herself.
"There's no time. We can talk about it later, and you can tell me everything but we have to go now!"
The shouting seemed to kick Ruby's mind into gear. She scrambled for Crescent Rose, hands shaking as she lifted the murder weapon and followed as Yang ran out the door.
When they stumbled out of the room they could feel the facility shake.
"Shit," Yang breathed. "Where the hel are they?"
Suddenly, there was silence, a stillness as everything just stopped.
And then the walls were obliterated.
The sisters leapt back as a Taijitu's head crashed through and snapped at them. Three more followed, and beneath them Weiss and Blake scrambled away from it and away from even more heads that followed behind them in an attempt to devour them.
"Go, go, go!" Weiss cried with more ferocity she had ever shown.
They didn't need to be told twice. Yang fired off a shot at one of the Grimm's heads, the projectiles blasting against its face and blinding it for a moment.
Which might have been effective…
If it didn't have seven other heads.
"That won't work!" Blake yelled. "Our blades don't even cut its skin!"
"We just need to get out of here," Ruby said as rose petals filled the chamber. "Which way is it Yang?"
The brawler pointed ahead as she ran. "Just keep going. We're almost there and then it's a straight shot to the surfa-"
An alarm blared.
It was different from before.
"Attention. Overseer deceased. Self-detonation commencing in:
"5…"
"4…"
"3…"
"2…"
…
…
Blake was lagging behind.
It became clear to the Faunus that it was so, when her teammates started putting distance between themselves and the Grimm, while she barely managed to keep out of its range.
It was her own fault.
Weiss hadn't noticed, but when they'd led it away her arm had grazed one of the fangs. Her semblance had been the only reason she hadn't been impaled but even so there was a gash on her left arm.
And whatever was in its venom it was slowing her down.
Her ears were ringing, thought that could have been from the alarms.
Her eyes were itching, but that could have been from a lack of sleep.
Her breaths were laboured, but that could have been from how much she was pushing herself.
Or it could all be because she'd been poisoned.
She could see it up ahead though; a doorway at the end that so clearly spoke of an exit, of a way out of here.
Her teammates were almost there, she could make it too!
The ground shook, not from the Grimm this time, but the explosions that were ripping apart the base behind them.
They were getting closer.
Closer by the second.
The door opened as Ruby and Yang managed to reach it first.
"It's some kind of platform!" her leader yelled.
"Hurry up and get on!"
She was already fiddling with the buttons and the revving of some kind of machinery powering up. Weiss was next, leaping onto the platform as it moved.
Blake was just a split second behind.
It was enough for the Orochi to clip her.
Blake cried out as she was batted to the side and someone screamed her name.
Their voices disappeared as the platform shot away.
No!
She clawed away and dived as a massive snakehead lashed out at her and would have crushed her if she'd occupied that last spot for even a moment longer.
She had to get out of here.
The tunnel was still open, she could run it if she had to!
The explosion behind her proved that wrong, sending Blake to the ground again.
It all happened so fast.
The flames washed over the Grimm and it hissed in pain.
It's body shielding her from it.
The Faunus watched in a mixture of shock and awe as it writhed, but only for a second.
Before the next bomb went off.
Right in front of her.
Blake screamed agony as she tried to turn away from it.
And felt her left side obliterated from the explosion.
Her body crumpled as the ceiling fell above her.
She didn't even get to look back at freedom one more time, or raise her head towards the light.
Because at that moment.
The girl, the Faunus, and the young huntress-
Blake Belladonna
Died.
...
...
I'd like to think I have some backbone under all of my sadism, so that's where I'll leave it. Yup, on a cliffhanger like that.
Isn't it fun?
Like I promised, you guys' got another chapter the day after, though I added a little bit more on before releasing it. I wonder if anyone will notice where exactly.
So! Yang's up at at it, Ruby's killed a man and Blake's been blown to pieces!
Joyous occasions all around.
Next week will be the end of the Mountain Glenn arc, so stay tuned for that, and as always if you liked it be sure to Follow, Favourite and Review.
P a treon . com (slash) WSpectre