Poll information: I've taken a look at the pace I've set and how much I need to do between where the story is now and the end of the events surrounding Volume 4. Even if I release a chapter each day and remove planned noncanon fluff chapters, there's no real way I can get to the end of Volume 4's events before Volume 5 starts, so I'm stuck with the interesting choice of either waiting for each episode of Volume 5 and then making a chapter based around its events if possible, continue on and completely ignore the Volume 5 events after the first 1-2 episodes, or continue along with what I have planned and them come back later to write a branching story that follows the events of Volume 5. I'm going to be leaving a poll on my profile, please vote on which you'd prefer. Regardless of what happens, I'm probably going to be taking a bit more time to work on the chapters after this one.
Starburst2879: Honestly part of the reason for my pace is because I really enjoy writing it as much as many people enjoy reading it. The other part is that I've been trying to set a pace to reach the end of Volume 4 before the 14th when Volume 5 starts so I could avoid my current dilemma. Considering I plan to have up to three chapters between this one and the start of the Volume 4 events, as well as potentially a few extra ones during Volume 4, I don't expect to reach the end of 4 until perhaps a few days after the second episode of Volume 5 is released at my current pace and I don't watch them on Rooster Teeth's website, so I'm not sure if I could see them as soon as they get put up.
Chapter 36: Battle of Beacon: Final Stand
Vale Streets, with Ruby, Torchwick, and Neo
Torchwick let out a groan as he fell to the ground in a daze, blinking in confusion. "That's… probably the worst ride I've ever had…" He quickly glanced up at Ruby. "N-no offense, Red. I have to ask though, why'd you do that?"
Ruby looked at the man before shrugging. "It's like you said, you didn't want anything to do with this, so there's no reason for me to leave you to die. All I've done is give you a choice. You can go back to your bosses and become complicit in everything they do after this. You could use this opportunity to disappear and I'll tell everyone that you died in the explosion…" Ruby smiled, holding a hand out. "Or, you could work with us instead. Cinder and everyone else that works with Salem might not be too thrilled, but you've seen what we can do now. We're the best chance for Remnant's survival and prosperity and it'd give the two of you a second chance."
Torchwick winced. "Oh, that's a tough one. Lot of chances to get killed no matter what." Neo quickly tugged on his sleeve.
"It would be nice to have a clear conscience if something happens," she quickly signed.
"A clear consci- it won't matter if we're dead, Neo!" Roman said, exasperated.
Neo pouted slightly. "Please? You helped me, why not help others?" she signed before looking at him sadly. "How many children are going to be like me after this?"
Roman sighed. "That's… I can't help everyone, Neo…"
The girl frowned. "Then try to help the people we can. Please."
Torchwick let his shoulders sag. "Alright, fine… I'll give it a try, okay?" Neo smiled before wrapping the man in a hug, causing him to smile slightly. Ruby grinned as she watched.
"I'd suggest the two of you either try to find someone that's willing to accept your help or stay out of sight until the entire thing blows over," Ruby started. "I need to get to Beacon and help out, okay?"
Roman let out a sigh and tapped his cane on the ground. "Alright, I'll see what we can do." Ruby nodded before bursting into a cloud of petals and flying towards Beacon. Torchwick turned to Neo before starting to walk away. "C'mon, let's get moving." Neo nodded, following behind, umbrella on her shoulder.
Beacon Tower, Ozpin's Ruined Office, with Aurelius and Cinder
Aurelius gazed across the ruined debris at Cinder, adjusting his grip as the woman's eyes started to glow. She swung her arm, sending an arc of fire at him before he held up his hand, a barrier of Frost forming to absorb the blast. He thrust his blade forward, a bolt of lightning leaving the tip as Cinder dodged, sending two jets of flames at the Blue Rose before a gust of wind redirected them. She let out a frustrated growl before she created a bow, notching a pair of arrows before firing, causing Aurelius to dodge to the side, moving towards her.
Aurelius jumped into the air, bringing his sword down on Cinder before she rolled out of the way, shattering the floor. Cinder smiled as she used the shards to create spears, flinging them at him from all directions. Aurelius let out a frustrated growl as everything slowed down. He moved forward, knocking a few of the deadly projectiles aside as he slipped out, ignoring the agony the speed caused. "Is that all you can think of doing with my powers?" he said, scoffing as he stood up.
"I think I could use them far better and more creatively than you ever could, old man," Cinder said, causing the Blue Rose to laugh.
"Your claim is amusing. Come, let me show you how to really use my power!" he said as a series of Dust crystals formed around him. He made a quick gesture before each one hummed, firing a burst of Frost energy at Cinder. Cinder took a hit to the chest before she created a shockwave to absorb the attacks and knock the crystals away. Aurelius quickly sent an arc of Burn energy at her, followed by one of Wind, creating a blazing inferno. She let out a growl as she jumped over it before charging forward, putting him on the defense and forcing him to speed away.
After a brief moment Aurelius sent a burst of Frost at her, forcing her to launch two jets of flame at him to defend herself. The struggle between the two continued briefly before an explosion ripped through the area.
Beacon Courtyard, with Ruby
Ruby landed in the middle of the courtyard, causing Artemis to glance at her. The wolf faunus took a deep breath before looking around. She saw Jaune quickly tending to Pyrrha while the members of Team CFVY stood guard. She noticed Ren and Nora looking at a white-clad figure. A horrified look crossed Ruby's face when she realized it was Weiss as the girl lay curled up, trembling violently as Winter held her in concern. "Oh gods, Weiss! What happened?" Ruby said, running over.
Winter looked at the wolf faunus sadly. "She had to use her secondary semblance to destroy a Paladin. I've never seen her this bad…"
Ruby opened her mouth to say something, only to see Blake holding onto Yang with the blonde's head in her lap, tears pouring from her eyes as she stared at the stump where the blonde's right arm used to be. "Yang… I'm so sorry…" Blake muttered quietly.
The wolf faunus went wide-eyed. "No…" She glanced down at her partner. "If I don't do something, Weiss might die…" Ruby took a deep breath and nodded to herself before removing her cloak, kneeling down next to the heiress. "Here, this should help," Ruby said before she wrapped the cloak around her partner's shoulders and pulling the hood up, causing her to let out a relieved sigh.
"So warm…" Weiss thought before she looked up at her partner, giving her the same soft smile from the dance. "T-thank you, Ruby." The wolf faunus smiled briefly, tail wagging slightly before speaking up.
"Where's Aurelius?" she asked, glancing around before an explosion from up above caught her attention. Ruby glanced up, face pale before she ran a hand through her hair. She glanced at Weiss and Winter nervously. "I need one of you to help me get up there."
Winter looked at the wolf in dismay. "What do you mean? You just flew all the way over here, surely you could do the same to reach the top of the Tower!"
Ruby glanced at Weiss briefly. "Not right now…" Weiss looked at her for a moment before moving to stand up, still trembling a bit.
"I'll help you…" Weiss said. Ruby smiled and started walking towards the tower when a voice called out behind her.
"Do you really think we'd let you stop this, girlie?" Ruby turned around to see a group of thirty White Fang members gathering around them, causing her to growl. "Vale's going to burn whether you like it or not. But before that, we're going to kill each and every one of you," the bear faunus leading the group said.
"And why, might I ask, do you expect us to allow that?" a voice asked as a rift opened up. Janus stepped out, hands behind him as he was flanked by four other Prefects. The rift closed before they quickly took up positions around the students and Winter. "Ruby, Weiss, we'll take care of this. Go."
The bear laughed. "Do you really think it'd only take five of you tin cans to beat all of us?"
Janus hummed, glancing around. "No… I doubt you would be much of a challenge for me alone." He made a gesture before two of the Prefects nodded, moving to stand by Weiss, Winter, and Ruby. "To make it fair, you will only have to fight three of us. Considering your lack of discipline, short tempers, and inability to reason beyond spouting your "humanity must die" nonsense, I expect you'll be able to perhaps scratch one of us." Ruby and Weiss blinked at the sudden shift in Janus' behavior before the White Fang responded.
The White Fang member let out a growl as he charged at Janus, the Prefect standing impassively before lifting a hand when the bear jumped into the air. A pair of rifts opened up in front of him, causing the bear faunus to blink in confusion as he passed through one. As soon as he was halfway through, Janus made a gesture, causing them to suddenly close and cut the faunus in half. The rest of his comrades watched in horror as the bear faunus cried out. "Let this be a lesson to you all," Janus said, stepping over the man's lower body as he walked towards the White Fang. "Next time you intend to cross my threshold, be certain nobody will close the door in your face." He quickly created a small, disc-shaped rift in his hand before casually throwing it into the White Fang's group, removing someone's arm before the deadly vortex continued through their ranks.
Ruby, Weiss, and Winter started moving toward the tower, watching briefly as the White Fang opened fire while Janus created a pair of rifts, sending the bullets back into their own ranks. Ruby shuddered before turning toward the Tower, moving faster as she went.
Eventually they found themselves at the base of the Tower. Ruby quickly turned around and put a hand on Weiss' shoulder, suddenly more serious than the heiress had ever seen her. "Weiss, listen to me for a minute, okay?" Weiss nodded meekly before Ruby continued. "I need you to make sure nothing happens to my cloak, okay? I'm trusting you with a lot right now. You need to promise me that you'll do everything you can to keep it in perfect shape until I get it back, alright?"
Weiss nodded, a look of confusion on her face. "I-I don't understand why it's so important, but alright…"
Ruby looked down meekly. "Don't worry, I'll tell you when I get back down from the fight, okay? Actually, there's a few things I want to talk to you about…"
Weiss nodded and went to create a series of Glyphs before looking at her partner. "Ruby…" Weiss took a deep breath before remembering her sister was there as well. She let out a sigh before smiling weakly. "Be careful, okay?"
Ruby smiled, tail swaying slightly. "I will, I promise!" Weiss glanced up at the wall before creating a line of Glyphs, watching as Ruby ran up the Tower.
The heiress let out a sigh as she wrapped the cloak more tightly around herself. "I love you…" Weiss muttered quietly as she held her hands to her chest under the cloak. The cloak warmed up briefly before returning to its normal temperature, causing the heiress to blink in surprise, never noticing the look Winter gave her.
With Cinder and Aurelius
The Blue Rose let out a groan as he was forced to rely on his semblance to once again evade an attack. His body screamed out in protest at every breath. "I see now. You might be reborn but your new body hasn't adjusted yet. As long as I don't give you a chance to do any Dust magic and force you to stay mobile, I have the advantage," Cinder said as she fired another few arrows at Aurelius. He weakly lifted his arm, creating a Dust barrier before a shrieking started under him. He let out a shuddering sigh as he closed his eyes, diverting his remaining strength to fortify his Aura before the blast sent him flying into a pillar, just at the edge of the platform.
Ruby landed behind them silently, watching in shock as Cinder walked up to him. "Well, isn't this disappointing. Salem always told stories about the Blue Rose being almost untouchable, but it seems that either she was exaggerating or you simply can't keep up any more."
Aurelius opened his eyes, glancing at Ruby before answering. "You might have beaten me this time, but the next time we fight I won't be forced to fight without my full strength." He coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Cinder scoffed. "And what makes you think you'll survive for there to be a next time?" The sound of a weapon unfolding behind her made her frown as she turned to look at Ruby. "Oh dear, it seems Roman was right about you. Stubborn and persistent, with no concern for your wellbeing."
Ruby nodded subtly to Aurelius before he rolled off the edge, cloak reappearing before he burst into rose petals. The wolf's eyes shone brightly as she held her scythe in front of her. "My Vigil begins. I will not falter, lest I disgrace those who came before. I will not yield, nor will I abandon those who rely upon me. I will not hesitate, lest I be found wanting…" Ruby took a deep breath before moving into a combat stance, eyes hard. "There aren't any weaknesses for you to exploit this time, Cinder. No help, no distractions. As long as I'm standing, I won't let you leave here after everything you've done."
Cinder blinked before a smile crossed her face. "Well, I guess I'll just have to tear your legs off then." Cinder made a quick gesture, sending a line of fire at Ruby like a whip before the girl spun her scythe, creating a barrier to deflect it. Once the fire dissipated, Ruby swung Crescent Rose in an arc, sending a wave of Frost at Cinder before the other girl jumped into the air. Ruby smiled and with to take another swing when she heard the familiar shriek below her, causing her to roll to the side to escape the blast. Cinder took the time to create a sword and charge forward.
Ruby brought her scythe up and blocked the attack, pushing Cinder away slightly before delivering a slash to her head, piercing through her Aura and cutting into her left eye. Cinder let out a scream as Ruby sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm a much better fighter at close range than Aurelius is right now. Did you really think you'd be able to do anything?" Ruby glanced up at the bullhead circling above, frowning slightly.
Cinder growled before taking a step back, sending another arc of flames at Ruby before the girl jumped over it, sending a surge of lightning towards her and striking her neck, causing the woman to drop to the ground spasming. Ruby twirled her scythe as she stepped forward. "I offer this soul to Thanatos and beg for his mercy on her behalf. May she be judged fairly for her crimes and be given a chance at redemption in the next life." Ruby raised her scythe for a final swing when something fell to the ground nearby, causing her to glance at it. She let out a scream as the flash bang went off, overloading her senses before her Analysis shorted out, causing a sudden, massive headache. Ruby blacked out as the bullhead moved in near Cinder before Mercury and Emerald stepped out.
Mercury started walking over to Ruby before Emerald grabbed him. "Mercury, we don't have time for this! We need to grab Cinder and leave before they decide to bring the entire Tower down to keep us from getting away!" Mercury let out a growl before the two pulled Cinder onto the ship, leaving Ruby there.
Qrow climbed up on top of the tower to find Ruby curled up in a ball. He let out a sigh before he picked her up. "Ruby, I'm so sorry I couldn't be here to help you…" He carefully made his way down the Tower, heading for the evac point.
Bastion, Rose Quarter's Hospital
Weiss let out a frustrated sigh as she sat next to Ruby, Adrienne in the corner. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, a few tears running down her cheeks.
Adrienne stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Qrow said that he found a flash bang up there. Most likely, whoever rescued Cinder looted one from an Atlesian soldier and decided to use it against Ruby. If she had her Analysis semblance active at the time and wasn't prepared… It's possible the backlash was bad enough to put her in a coma. If that's the case, she should be fine within a week."
Weiss nodded quietly, running her hands along the red fabric in her lap. Adrienne smiled slightly at this. "So, any reason you have Ruby's cloak?"
Weiss blinked in confusion before looking down at it. "She lent it to me before I helped her get up the Tower. She made it sound like a big deal, so I'm making sure there isn't a tear, hole, or wrinkle in it for when she wakes up." Adrienne blinked at her in surprise, eyes wide. "She said she'd explain why after the fight… I guess I'll just have to wait until she wakes up."
"If you want, I can see if my grandpa will tell you some time," Adrienne said slowly. Weiss nodded quietly. "That reminds me, I'm going to go check on him. Do you mind watching Ruby?"
"Y-yeah… I'll keep an eye on her," Weiss said quietly. Adrienne gave her a pat on the shoulder before walking out, a small smile on her face.
Adrienne looked around before she saw a man and a girl walking down the hallway, causing her to frown. "Hey… Aren't you Roman Torchwick?" The man flinched and looked at the Orange Rose meekly.
"Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm here because Red said old Blue would give me a chance to make up for what I've done and I don't want Neo to have to suffer for my greed."
Adrienne hummed. "So are you doing it because Aurelius can fix her voice or-"
"Wait, Blue can do that?! Red never said anything about that!"
Adrienne tapped her chin. "She probably wanted you to come to the decision on your own. Either way, you'll have to talk to Aurelius about it when he's cleared to leave." Roman nodded, tapping his cane against the ground and muttering to himself as Adrienne kept walking, coming to Aurelius' hospital room. She was about to walk in when she heard a voice in the room.
"That was the stupidest, most bull-headed thing I've ever seen anyone do! What on Remnant were you thinking?!" Winter snapped, causing Aurelius to sigh.
"I'm sure you'd say I wasn't, but at the same time I couldn't risk her doing whatever she had planned. With that kind of power, she could have brought the entire cliff face down and buried Vale." Winter ran a hand down her face, letting out a frustrated sigh. "The more important question is, why are you so concerned?"
Winter paused for a moment before she responded. "You've shown yourself to be a wise leader, an interesting conversation companion, and, should you somehow live long enough to recover your strength, a worthy sparring partner," Winter said, getting an amused look from Aurelius. She glared at him briefly. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Aurelius hummed before speaking up. "You certainly are an interesting one, aren't you?" Winter took a step back before glaring at him. Adrienne coughed slightly to draw attention to herself before things escalated. "Ah, Adrienne. How's Ruby doing?"
"She's still unconscious. Weiss isn't taking it very well… Ruby… gave Weiss her cloak," Adrienne said hesitantly, causing Aurelius to quickly become serious.
"Does she know the significance of that?" Aurelius asked, causing the Orange Rose to shake her head.
"She said Ruby promised to tell her after the fight, but she's still almost obsessed with keeping it in good shape… Considering Ruby's condition…" Aurelius nodded.
"I'll make sure to tell her the first chance I get. From what I've heard, Ruby and Yang are going to be sent home tomorrow since there's not much they can do to help Yang and Ruby's condition doesn't prevent her from eating liquids." Adrienne nodded. Winter let out a frustrated sigh.
"What could possibly be so important about your cloaks that you get so concerned about this?" she said, causing Aurelius to glance at her.
"I'm too tired to explain it and it's not something we tell outsiders. Most people are lucky enough to know we take them this seriously," he said, closing his eyes. Winter growled quietly before getting up, marching out of the room.
"Get some rest, Auri. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Adrienne said, getting a nod from the Blue Rose. Adrienne was heading back to Ruby's room when she saw a head of black hair sneak out of a nearby hospital room, causing her to frown before she blinked in front of the cat faunus. "And where do you think you're going, Blake?"
Blake staggered back in surprise before looking down. "I'm leaving…"
"Why? Because you can't handle the fight? Or is it because you're scared?" Blake let out a pained growl.
"I'm leaving because Adam's going to hunt down everyone I care about! He was going to kill Yang because I got too close to her!" Blake cried out, tears running down her cheeks. "I don't want to see her or anyone else get hurt because of me!"
Adrienne hummed. "You care about Yang, right?" Blake nodded. "Then why would you abandon her? Whether you like it or not, Adam was going to kill her regardless. If you weren't there, he would have overpowered her sooner. If you didn't speak up, he would have killed her without a second thought and not even Artemis would have been able to save her. Adam didn't try to kill her because you loved her… He wanted to kill her because she was human." Blake looked on in horror as the reality set in.
"B-but… He said…" Adrienne quickly placed a hand on Blake's shoulder.
"Blake… Leaving won't help anyone. Yang's going to be dealing with a lot of things over the next few days and weeks. She's going to need someone to help her adjust. She's going to need a shoulder to cry on, to help keep her head above water… But most importantly, she's going to need to know that you care about her and that you'll continue to stand by her no matter what. Can you honestly say you'd be able to live with yourself for hurting her that badly when she needs you the most?"
Blake trembled as a sob shook her. "N-no…"
Adrienne smiled sadly, gently leading the girl back into the blonde's hospital room. "Then stay with her. I'm sure the best you could do for her is to be there when she wakes up to help her through it. I'll get you a blanket so you can sleep here, okay?" Blake nodded before she grabbed Yang's remaining hand, laying her head on the bed and crying silently. Adrienne wiped a few tears from her eyes before she grabbed a blanket from the closet, draping it over the girl and walking out of the room.
The next two or three chapters are going to be… interesting to say the least. To give an idea, Adrienne and Aurelius are now both aware that Ruby and Weiss have feelings for each other, even if the reason why isn't obvious at this point. On top of that, we get to see Adrienne take a break from cleaving through people to try and help mend hearts here. The next few chapters are going to obviously be light on fighting and more related to the aftermath of the battle. Some parts are already set in stone, while others are currently up in the air.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review if you liked it or have input.
