I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.

Daughter of the Gods

Chapter Twenty-One: Twister

Staring down the end of Ironwoods revolver just frustrated me.

"If I wanted a gun pointed at me, I'd have done it myself." I said calmly.

"Put the gun down James. There's no need for that here." Ozpin said. there was an undertone to his voice, but I didn't care.

"You failed to mention that the immortal maiden was a wanted war criminal, suspected in several dozen murders against the Vytal convention accords, as well as the Demon of Atlas." Ironwood said tightly.

I had enough of this. Speeding right in front of him, I grabbed his cybernetic arm and pushed the barrel of his revolver to my forehead.

"Do it then. Try and kill me. You won't be the first or the last." I whispered as I stared into his eyes. His brow furrowed in anger before he quickly holstered his sidearm.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get back to work." I said as I leaned on Ozpins desk.

"First off, thanks for getting Terra and Saphron here safe." I said. "Second…pass me that flask." I said with a small smile. He looked at me in confusion before handing it too me.

"Careful. That's strong stuff." He warned.

"My livers older than you boy, show it some respect." I said with a smirk before I took a sip.

Good whiskey.

"Now," I began once I was done. "Cinder and her little crew are already here, have been for a while. It's good that I taught Terra how to mask her Maiden powers or we'd all be in trouble. I know where she is all the time, but we can't do anything right now. She's constantly looking over her shoulder, paranoid but confident as hell that her plan is gonna work. We don't know what that plan is but I suspect it has something to do with the Vytal festival." I explained my theory.

"What makes you think this is their focus?" Glynda asked.

"I've had one of my best agents on them and their movements here. They've been poking around the arena, stealing schematics. The code they implanted in the CCT? I think it has something to do with gaining access to the internal computer hardware. For what though, I have no idea." I admitted as my shoulders slumped.

"From what my agent told me, they were pretty on edge right around the time Qrow got here. Probably afraid you might recognize them after saving Terra." I explained. Qrow nodded.

"Regardless, we should move in and take them out before they can enact any plan." Ironwood suggested.

"No. We might tip Salem off, and if we do, she might send all her little creations here instead." I reminded. I've heard whispers from my agents further east of some new Grimm. Not the Apathy, but something similar in body shape. No idea what it does." I said.

"Ruby's right. They don't know we're keeping an eye on them, watching their every move." Winter said, inputting into the conversation after listening. Smart woman.

"Right now, I believe that's our best course of action. If we keep them on edge, they might slip up, so it seems like your little intimidation tactic might pay off James." Ozpin said. James nodded and went to leave, Winter following after him.

Once everybody else left, Qrow wanting to catch up with Glynda, it was just Ozpin and I.

"Do you find it hard sometimes, trying not to think of them as children?" I asked. Ozpin looked at me.

"I try not to, but you're right. Sometimes its easier to see them as children. I try and remind myself however to not continue if I catch myself. If we begin to think of them as children to be punished or guided more often, then we start demeaning them, grinding them under our boot…like I once did." He said slowly. I nodded and hummed.

"Get some rest old man. I feel like the days will only get longer." I said as I walked onto the elevator.

"You as well." I heard as the doors slid closed.

I didn't want to see another fight, because I knew how most of them would go. Instead, I took a walk around the courtyard until I found myself in front of the statue.

"I miss you guys." I mumbled as I put a hand on the stone foot of Indigo. "I wish you were here. You could tell me what I need to do…look at me…I'm immortal and I still don't…know…everything…" I trailed off. Groaning, I smacked myself in the forehead.

"Of course, I do know someone who does know everything. Too bad she's stuck in Haven. Man…She's gonna kill me when I wake her up." I grumbled.

"Who's gonna kill you?" I heard Weiss say behind me. I chuckled.

"Nobody. An old friend honestly." I said.

"Old is subjective for you." Weiss said with a smirk.

"Ha. Right. I was just thinking about some things." I said. Weiss looked at me, then to the statue.

"Anything in particular?" She asked carefully.

Damnit.

"I just…wish I could see them again. Ask for advice…tell them I miss them." I whispered as I looked at them. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind.

"I'm sure wherever they are, that they're proud of you, they love you, and I'm sure they miss you too." She said. I nodded, sniffling a little bit.

"How was seeing your sister? I assume, since I didn't see the airship, that she left?" I asked. Weiss looked down.

"It was nice. We talked. She gave some good advice and tried to teach me how to summon…again." She admitted. I looked at her.

"Is that why you've never summoned? I always assumed you could, but it took a lot out of you to hold a summon for long periods of time or that you just weren't skilled enough to hold it during a fight." I said carefully. Weiss looked at me sharply.

"You knew my family could summon?" She asked.

"Of course. I helped your five times great grandfather learn how. Frost's mother was the first Schnee to properly summon. But she died before she could pass on the important information. The Schnee family didn't live in Mantle, before it became Atlas, and I knew them through a friend." I explained. "It took me years to figure out a way to get Frost too summon anything properly, but once he had the hang of it, he was fierce against the Grimm." I reminisced.

"Do you think you can help me?" Weiss asked quietly. "I've never been able to get it right, no matter how much I try."

I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course. You're my partner. If I can do anything to help you, I will." I said with a smile. "Lets go and see if we can't get something going. Hopefully you're better than you were at attempting to sense aura." I joked.

"Hey. I did my best." She defended. I laughed and poked her in the shoulder.

"I know. Besides, summoning is in your genes. Literally."

We walked to the sparring ring, joking back and forth about the Atlas elite. When we stopped in the center I told her to pull out her rapier.

"Show me what you got so far." I said. She pointed the rapier at the ground and a large summoning glyph came into existence, but almost as soon as it was there, it was gone.

"I think I know where your biggest problem is. You start to big. Think small. Like a bird." I suggested. She was able to sustain the new smaller glyph longer, and make it more stable, but it still faded.

"Weiss…I think your perfectionism is getting in the way. The summon doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to get the job done. Once you've gotten better at it, then work on the details." I suggested. She nodded, sweat on her brow which she wiped away, and began again.

We tried again and again, and each time we tweaked something. Eventually though…

"I did It!" She shouted as a small bird hopped around. It was only the basic shape, but it was still a summon.

"Great job!" I shouted as I hugged her tight. "Keep practicing and you'll be summoning anything." I said in a calmer tone

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said.

"I'll leave you too it, I gotta be headed to the coliseum." I said. Weiss perked up.

"Then wait. I'll come with you." She said as she put her rapier on her belt. I nodded and waited for her to wipe the sweat off her brow again.

"The fight between Flynt Coal and Neon Katt versus Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna will begin in Three! Two! One!" Port said into the megaphone. My heart started pumping faster immediately, the thrill of combat rushing through my veins.

I deployed my scythe as Blake went to take care of Flynt. Neon was fast, but I was faster. I didn't want the fight to end too quickly, so I held back on my speed.

She tried to rile me up, but since all of her information was wrong, nothing she said affected me.

It was at that point I was glad Yang wasn't in the fight. I had taught her how to win without her semblance, but annoying opponents could rile her up with enough jabs to her ego.

By the middle of the fight, I was thanking my ability to think ahead when I decided to lower my aura significantly. The amount of times Neon was able to get a hit on me was annoying, but someone would've noticed if my aura barely budged during the fight.

Picking up my speed just a bit, I was able to hook my scythe right under her roller blades, tripping her up and sending her flying. She managed to recover nicely, but it had cost her in aura. She growled and got back up, which I allowed, and we were off again. I heard the buzzer go of, and Oobleck announcing a double elimination. I whipped towards where Blake last was and saw her lying on the ground near a thermal vent.

Then I saw Flynt.

Shit. He blasted me off balance for a second, but I rolled and landed on my feet. Neon skated up to his left and they gave each other a look. I looked at Blake and she began scurrying off the stage, not wanting to be caught up in what I was about to do.

I stood up straight, and put crescent rose behind my back. Flynt and Neon looked confused but shook it off in favoring of beginning their attack.

I began mine the moment Neon moved.

They began moving in slow motion, my semblance flooding every part of my body. I poured my magic into my legs, allowing me to go faster than I normally would ever dare too, for good reason. I heard the bricks in the middle of the arena give way as I pushed off. My arms began pumping and in less than half a second, I was running in a circle around both Neon and Flynt. The dust and wind began picking up around us as I ran faster and faster. More was being pulled in from the arena and I had to dodge rocks and pieces of buildings, but what I was really hoping for, was already happening. The debris began pelting the duo team from Atlas, but the best was still yet to come.

I saw the moment on their faces when they realized what was happening. They both grabbed at their throats, clawing as they tried to breathe. The air was literally being pulled from their lungs as debris and dust pelted them. Their auras began plummeting like a rock.

Only a matter of time now.

Weiss' POV

Sitting in the stands, watching Ruby's semblance being used to its fullest, was awe inspiring to say the least. Eventually, the dust at the base of the tornado she had formed obscured the red blur.

"Is she still in there?" I heard someone ask from behind me. It was Mercury, Emeralds teammate.

"Yeah. She's told me she very rarely ever does this, only when she has too. It hurts too much afterwards to keep going." I explained. Mercury watched with rapt attention, a little bit of fear on his face.

"Is she hitting them in the tornado?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No. She's letting the debris and lack of oxygen do the work for her." I said as I looked at Flynt and Neon's decreasing aura level.

The buzzer sounded and the tornado stopped eventually, but a red blur came out before it officially died, carrying the unconscious forms of Neon and Flynt. Yang was already running down to the arena, myself right behind her as Ruby collapsed onto her hands and knees.

Yang held Ruby's hair back as she began throwing up a mixture of vomit and blood. She had pushed her body hard.

"I'll be fine in an hour." She said as she tried to stand up.

"Stop. Relax for a minute. You earned the rest." I told her. She slumped over as Yang supported her.

"You two did a great job." She congratulated.

"Thanks." Blake said softly as she went to hug Ruby. I joined in, getting my skirt covered in soot in the process.

Yang's POV

I felt it before I saw it. Ruby collapsed in my lap as I tried to push her to her feet. I caught her and swung her into my arms. Standing up, I carried her off the field. Blake and Weiss both looked pretty concerned, so I tried to put them at ease.

"Don't worry, once she wakes up she can bring her aura back up to normal and she'll be good as new." I said with a cheerful tone as I laid Ruby down on the coliseum infirmary bed. Flynt and Neon were there as well, almost out the door though since the doctor must've cleared them.

"Will she be okay?" Neon asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. You two did really well out there by the way." I mentioned as I pulled a thin blanket over Ruby.

"We were no match. It's okay. You can say it because that fight was totally worth it." She smiled excitedly. "I was surprised when she just brushed off my verbal jabs at her." She admitted.

"Yeah. Ruby just lets stuff slide off her back. Nothing really fazes her." I said with a soft smile as I stroked my hand through her hair.

"Well you tell her I want a rematch if you're ever in Atlas." Neon said as she held the door open and Flynt walked out.

"Will do." I said. Then she left.

Ruby was asleep for the next few hours, cutting it really close to the start of the singles tournament. She woke up gasping for breath.

Ruby's POV

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. It took me a moment, but once I saw Weiss, Blake, and Yang, I knew I was safe at the very least.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"A few hours. The singles tournament will begin in another hour. How are you feeling?" Weiss asked. I nodded.

"Good. I feel fine." I answered as I got out of bed. I walked to the door no problem. "No dizziness and no headache so I think I can still fight." I explained. Yang and Weiss looked at each other while Blake just stared at me.

I knew what they were thinking.

"Its not up for debate. I'm competing in the singles." I said with a bit more force than I intended. Yang held her hands up.

"Okay. We're not saying you can't. Just…we don't think you should." She admitted hesitantly. I looked at her.

"I have to fight." I said. Weiss looked at me.

"Why do you have to be the one to fight. You, the immortal with a stupid amount of aura, just drained most of it in a fight. Why can't Blake fight?"Weiss asked with a disapproving stare.

"I have to be the one to fight. There's something going on that I can't explain and I'm the only one who can fight what's coming." I explained, pleading with them to understand. Yang had a warning look in her eye, knowing where I was going with this.

"Please just trust me okay." I pleaded again. Thankfully Blake and Weiss nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Thank you." I sighed. The intercom blared, asking for me to appear on the stage for the final showing of the teams chosen fighters.

"Guess that's my cue." I said. Yang pulled me into a hug suddenly, and then Weiss joined in, and then Blake.

"I love you all so much. I know I haven't said that before, but I do." I whispered. Yang laughed and I heard Weiss sniffle, laughing, I broke the group hug.

"Wish me luck?" I asked jokingly. They laughed and wished me luck before I jogged to the lift that would take up the chosen champions.

Penny, Pyrrha, Mercury, Sun, and several others I didn't know off the top of my head.

Once the rules were explained, the randomizer got to work.

It was me versus Mercury. I smirked when I looked at him. At least he had the decency to look afraid.

Or was it real fear?

The match began immediately once the other champions left.

Mercury was off like a shot, using his grieves to boost his speed.

Since I had fought him before, I was able to nail down his attacking patterns. Low sweep, high jump, mid kick, mid kick, sweep, high kick, punch, uppercut, haymaker. I blocked all of them without even using my semblance.

He started firing at me, trying to overpower me like Yang with his explosive ordnance. It didn't work as I dodged his shots. He could control them, which took me by surprise at first. I used Crescent rose to deflect the guided shots. He jumped up and came in low to try and sweep me off my feet while I was deflecting. I dodged that, but his knee came up and hit me in the jaw. I stumbled back holding my chin and I could just feel his smirk as he backed off for a moment.

I whipped my head towards him, glaring darkly as I took off much faster than he was expecting. I took his legs out from under him, hearing a metallic clank of his legs. Oh right. I forgot about that. Smirking, I saw him jump up off the ground before zipped back and forth, without any hope of him dodging, slashing every place I could until his aura was down to nothing.

"that's the fight! Ruby Rose has won the match!" port declared over the speakers.

"Good match." I said as I began walking away. "but you're not your father. He would've been a better challenge." I taunted just loud enough for him to hear. The risk was great, but I had faith my plan would work. The shock on his face was evident, and then the anger came. It looked like he was running at me, but I felt a semblance flare up behind me. Nobody was allowed to be using their semblance while in the coliseum except competitors in the arena. Looking at the source of the flare, I found Emerald concentrating hard on me. I walked away, hearing 'Mercury' charge at me and jump into the air.

I smirked, looking Emerald dead in the eye's the entire time. Her eyes widened in shock, in the same way as Mercury, and I heard the noise of 'Mercury' behind me stop suddenly. Looking back, he was sitting on the ground with the same expression as Emerald.

"You'll have to try harder than that, children." I called out as I waked off the stage.