Here we are for the second chapter. This was originally supposed to be part of Chapter 90 but I realized the chapter was just too long and could be split in half, so here we are.
Chapter 91: Family Matters Are Never Simple
-Pandora, Luxalia-
The carriage arrived at the gates of the grand courtyard, a pair of guards watched the entrances as a lengthy stream of guests were being ushered inside. Faunus of all kinds were dressed up in their fanciest clothing, jewelry, and accessories abound, as if the more they donned trinkets, the more chance that the king would glance their way.
Weiss was in the carriage with the other four while the disguised friends went on ahead. "You know they're only wearing this much to impress the King and show off to each other." The ex-heiress rolled her eyes. "I guess it really doesn't matter where you go, high society is always the same."
Nova smiled airily as he and Ruby spoke simultaneously, "Everyone wants to use each other as a stepping stone up the ladder. Niceties and favors are never done without ulterior motives," the two recited like a nursery rhyme.
"I see those lessons Uncle Randolf and granny taught you guys are actually paying off," Luna giggled at her brother and Ruby's deadpan expressions.
Meanwhile, outside the gothic ride, the nobles and guests lined up outside began gawking at the fancy carriage.
"Who's carriage is that?" a dapperly dressed wolf Faunus with a grey suit murmured to the people standing around him.
The other guests turned around to ogle at the new arrivals. "Not sure. Perhaps it's one of the dukes?" a lady beside him mentioned as she quickly began fixing her floral pink dress, feathers in her hair fluttering.
"Maybe it's an ambassador from one of the other kingdoms?"
"Well... it is the princess's birthday... wouldn't doubt it if there were any suitors vying for her hand!" another spoke up.
The lady snorted, "Well, good luck to them. The princess is a warrior, she won't settle for any old prince."
Suddenly the carriage doors swung open gracefully as the first to exit was Nova in his royal attire. Seeing the sudden gazes of astonishment he donned his polite smile, gracefully stepping down and offering his hand to the girls inside. Ruby took the hand and stepped off the platform with him, followed by Weiss. Oscar took the initiative from Nova's actions and helped Luna down, all five standing side by side. Their graceful and deliberate movements, body language and confidence gave off an air of pure nobility. Unconsciously the crowd gathered in a line split down the middle to reveal a corridor for them.
"W-Who are they?" the same man asked again, feeling overwhelmed.
The lady toyed with her dress nervously, "I don't know... I feel like I've seen that crest somewhere but..."
"They're all beautiful..." the third mouthed.
"What Kingdom are they from?! They don't look like Mermaids or Hawks..."
Oscar did his best to quell his anxiety, "Why are they all staring at us?" he asked quietly.
Luna just smirked, "Just hold my hand, it'll be fine."
Nova nodded briefly, "Let Ruby and I do the initial talking, I won't stop you from engaging with them but be mindful of who we are and where we come from. We have a mission so don't get lost in the atmosphere."
Oscar gulped, "R-Right..."
Weiss chuckled, out of the corner of her eye she saw the others slip in through the staff entrance, "Don't worry Oscar, let the pros guide you."
Nova presented their invites at the gate to the pair of armored guards, "Our invitations gentlemen."
The guard on his right took a brief look through the five invites then nodded, "Proceed."
As the party guests began to filter in, Aurelios found himself in the most uncomfortable position. The stag Faunus was accustomed to these parties, but his discomfort came from lack of purpose, for he was simply here as the representative caretaker of the Flareheart House. The King of Luxalia only ever invited him to these events out of courtesy, and they were childhood friends. Today he was dressed in a silver suit and black tie, the Flareheart symbol pinned to his collar. At the moment he stood with the king, just before the party began as they had a few moments to converse.
"Aurelios! Glad to see you were able to make it old friend," the king said as he reached out and pat the man on his shoulder. They stood almost the same height but as the King was far more muscular and built, he seemed to dwarf the slender stag.
The caretaker flinched, "Hadar, it's been a while... or should I address you as King Lightmane, give then er... setting...?"
The King, Hadar let out a hearty laugh, "My friend, you will never address me by my title. We've known each other for far too long for that. Come, we haven't seen each other in almost three years! We have to catch up!"
"UNCLE!" the powerful but high voice of a girl came from above the stairs, causing the two to look toward it. The princess in full armour came bounding down the stairs to hug Aurelios firmly.
"Leandra! My look how you've grown!" Aurelios smiled as he held her at arm's length, "Happy Birthday my dear!"
Leandra smiled, "Thanks uncle, you haven't changed at all! Wait... actually... do you seem... happier?"
Aurelios chuckled, "Perhaps..."
"Daughter! I told you not to wear your ceremonial armor at the ball!" Hadar chided his daughter.
She huffed, "Father, the day you put me in a dress is the day I lose a fight, and that hasn't happened yet nor will it ever!" she proudly pounded her armored torso with a clank.
The king just sighed, "Ugh... you're impossible."
"Oh leave her dear, it's just who she is." A motherly voice reverberated as the queen came striding down the stairs in her bright red gown.
"Sharlene, you're the one who allowed this... it's her coming-of-age ceremony... at least wear the proper attire!"
Sharlene, the queen, smirked, "But I see nothing wrong with it."
"You two are impossible..."
Aurelios chuckled again, "Nice to see you to Sharlene, how's the garden?"
"OH! Aurelios! It's been too long! Yes, the garden is blooming wonderfully thanks to your help. Honestly, what would we do without you?"
He just fiddled with his cuffs, "It's the least I can do since you all have been so generous in the upkeep of our dead house."
"Please, Aurelios, our family has been connected to the Flarehearts for generations. They may be gone, but my father and his father before him believed in their return. Besides... wasn't it part of the treaty that all Kingdoms would contribute to your upkeep?" Hadar's eyes narrowed, "Or have the others been skimping?"
Aurelios flinched, "I... cannot lie to you old friend. The other kingdoms have become... disillusioned. Their contributions have been rather... small as of late."
Hadar's fists clenched in rage, "Those rotten..."
"I can understand their thoughts... the Flareheart castle is nothing more than a glorified historical landmark at this point..." Leandra said apologetically, "No offence Uncle."
"LEANDRA!" Hadar chided again but Aurelios held out his hand.
"No, your daughter is right. It has been generations since the dragons have been back... well... actually..." Aurelios began but the doors swung open and guests began to filter in by the masses.
Hadar had to stop him, "Hold that thought old friend, we'll discuss more later, for now, I will need to start this ball."
Nodding Aurelios took to the floor and left the balcony to the King and his family.
The interior of the ballroom was a grand space, decorated in gold and red carpets. The walls were painted with red banners of the Luxalia lion symbol etched in gold. A massive crystal chandelier hung above the space casting a warm glow over the hall. To the far end was a pair of curved staircases that led up to a balcony where a trio of thrones sat. On the left and right were two smaller thrones painted in gold and red, and lion heads adorned the armchair and top. The first thing the team noticed were the occupants of the throne, on the left was a light blonde lioness Faunus, about their age. She wore a full plate of golden armour, her family's crest on the left breastplate above her heart, a small jeweled tiara on her head with green gems to match her eyes. She was quite pretty, though the scar on her cheek and muscular frame suggested she had seen her fair share of battles.
To the right was an older woman, about the age of Nova's mother or possibly older. Her blonde hair was streaked with grey and she was much more slender than her daughter, sporting a red ballgown. The center was an aged man with the same eyes as his daughter, hair about shoulder length, and a greying beard that connected to his mustache. His crown was much larger with a giant emerald at the center of its jagged design.
"That must be the royal family," Weiss mentioned as she scanned the room, trying to spot their enemies, spreading her Aura sensory field as far as possible. "No sign of Tyrian..."
Oscar took a quick glance, "What do we do?"
Ruby and Nova looked back at them, "Split up, see if you can meet the others. Get to know the guests, we'll see if we can talk to the king, or find someone who can get us an audience," they spoke simultaneously.
"I'm still not used to that..." Oscar groaned.
"Luna, you're in charge of him," Nova nodded to his sister.
The younger dragon giggled and tugged on Oscar's hand, "Come on, I think I spotted a waiter carrying champagne over there!"
"NO DRINKING ON THE JOB!" Nova yelled in a hushed tone but they were already gone.
Weiss just gave a light smile, "I'll keep an eye on them, you do what you have to."
Once all the guests were inside and the doors were shut to the outside world, the King took to the balcony stage and cleared his throat.
"Citizens and guests of Luxalia, I bid you all welcome to this momentous occasion!" Hadar announced loudly, his voice booming powerfully amidst the atmosphere. The band stopped playing and all the attendees gathered in the central floor.
"Hail King Lightmane! We honor you!" the attendees replied in unison and gave a light bow, the team followed suit assuming the customary action. Aurelios himself was standing at the forefront of the party without a view of those behind him.
Hadar opened his arms wide, his left arm gesturing to his daughter and his right toward the people, "Tonight we celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday, her coming of age ceremony. Honored guests, friends, and family, tonight we pay homage to our princess, for it is her night!"
"Hail to Princess Lightmane! We honor you!" the crowd responded again.
The princess joined her father on the balcony and gave a polite wave as her eyes scanned the audience, they had a faint glow to them, Ruby noticed, almost as if they held a certain power...
Those very eyes scanned the audience, seemingly glossing over the vast majority as if they weren't to be spared a second glance. Then... her eyes landed on the team in the back, locking in place and flashing widely.
"Is she looking at us?" Ruby asked Nova through their bond.
"I think so... but why?"
Hadar cleared his throat after a moment, "Yes, well... I won't bore you all any further with long speeches. Tonight is a night of celebration!" He snapped his fingers, "Bring our guests refreshments!" The doors on the sides of the grand staircase opened as lines of butlers and maids strode out in uniform, and easily enough, Yang, Neo, and Hex were spotted among their ranks.
"Let the festivities commence!" with that last declaration, the King took his seat and the band picked up once more, playing a symphony of what sounded like jazz and folk music, the crowd dispersed into their various groups to mingle and interact with one another.
This left Ruby and Nova alone, the couple glanced at each other, "Remember our training," Nova spoke through the bond.
"Find the most social or easiest-looking group of people and strike a conversation," Ruby answered immediately. Their trained eyes scanned the room to find their target, landing on a small group in the corner of the room near the staircase, the very people they saw waiting in line.
Arms interlinked they strode over, keeping their chins up and eyes forward, moving with intent and purpose until they arrived at the gathering.
The woman in the floral pink dress noticed them first, "Oh! Look! It's the lovely people we saw in that fancy carriage," she elbowed the wolf man in the grey suit. "They're coming over here!"
He quickly straightened his jacket and pretended not to notice, talking to a badger Faunus wearing a brown suit in front of him.
Once Nova and Ruby arrived, Nova was the one to speak first, "Good evening my lady and gentlemen," he gave a polite smile. This prompted the trio to turn around and finally face them, no more sideways glances.
"Ah good day young sir," the lady bowed, "You are the ones we met outside are you not?" this was her way of giving them an angle for the introduction. It was customary that the intruding party would introduce themselves first after all.
Nova kept his smile, "Yes, my name is Nova, and this is my fiance Ruby. We saw you and wanted to introduce ourselves," he attempted to broker a conversation using small talk, albeit a boring way to start a conversation but he had little else to try.
Ruby at her introduction gave a small curtsey, "Ruby Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you." She wore the nobility act stunningly, even Nova was impressed at how smooth and even her voice came out. First impressions are the most important, and nobles would scrutinize everything from tone to body language at a mere glance, but Ruby's delivery of a mere few lines left nothing but an impression.
"Oh! What a coincidence, my name is Rosalia Lightfeather, and this is my cousin Lupin Greyson," she introduced the grey-suited man.
"A pleasure," he smiled stiffly, sticking out his hand for a shake which Nova firmly grasped.
"Robert Badgerson," the man in the back of the three introduced, "Unfortunate friend of these two," he smiled.
Judging by their features, Nova and Ruby guessed they were all averaging about forty years of age.
Looking to extend it, Nova began again, "If you don't mind me asking, what are your relations to the princess?"
"I was the Queen's nurse during childbirth," Rosalia answered with pride. Lupin followed, "I was her history teacher." Badgerson followed last with, "Dancing lessons teacher, though I can't dance anymore," he chortled.
Ruby hummed, "The princess has kept her connections close I see,"
Rosalia giggled, "Oh dear, I don't mean to brag but the princess has a particular pair of eyes you see. She has an eye for good people, as such she's kept in contact with those she deems important to her throughout her life!"
"Then is everyone here connected to the family the way you are?"
"Oh no! Well, some are sure, but not all of them. Most of the guests are either nobles invited by the King, ambassadors from other Kingdoms, or simply lucky enough to get an invitation. For example..." she filtered through the crowd, "See that man in the black suit chatting with the waitress?"
The couple's eyes followed to a spot where a rather rotund man was laughing merrily, taking a glass of champagne from... Yang of all people. The brawler in question looked mildly uncomfortable but kept her wits about her. Nova silently praised her tenacity.
"He's the King's finance advisor. Mason is a good man, loves to tell jokes, but he is terrible at poker." Rosalia continued to scan the audience, "Oh! That man over there in the white suit, the stag Faunus?"
Nova's eyes landed on Aurelios who was quietly drinking from a glance, awkwardly hugging the post of the staircase, attempting to look entertained... and failing.
"That's the god-father of the princess and caretaker of our longest-standing historical site. His name is Aurelios Starseer, he is the King's childhood friend."
There was something about that man that Nova couldn't quite tear his eyes away from, a nagging sensation in his brain like an itch he couldn't scratch. Was it something about his face? No... he'd never seen the man before. Was it his clothing? Something on his clothes...
It was then Nova spotted it, small and almost indiscernible to the average person in the light of the room, but clear as day to the sharp eyes of a dragon. The crest was pinned to the man's collar.
"And over there is..."
Nova quickly held up a hand, "My apologies lady Lightfeather, but what historical site did you say he oversees?"
Rosalia gasped in surprise, "You don't know? Why it's the oldest castle in the land! Castle Firestone, was once owned by the ancient Flareheart family. It was the home of the original King and Queen of Pandora before, well you know... the civil war and all that."
Ruby and Nova glanced at each other wide-eyed, "No fucking way..."
Aurelios seemed to notice them staring as his eyes locked with Nova's, and there was a brief moment of discomfort before his brows furrowed, and his skin turned as pale as a ghost.
Before anything could happen further, Ruby felt a tap on her shoulders, turning around she was face to face with none other than the princess of Luxalia herself. "Princess!" Ruby gasped, quickly giving a light bow, the others followed.
Leandra held a firm grin, "Princess Leandra Lightmane of Luxalia, I've never seen you two before, rather there were few more faces here that I've never seen. Where are you from?" she was quick to strike up a conversation but neither of them knew why.
"A-Ah that's because... we're from Rivenglade. Recently joined as Adventurers," Ruby said flashing her badge.
Leandra whistled, "Wow, Fire Rank. You guys must be pretty strong, right?" she glanced at Nova and Ruby.
"Well, we're not one to boast of our talents, we prefer to let actions speak for us, but I can say that we are capable at the very least," Nova responded.
Leandra's eyes flashed again with something unknown, "I like you two already!"
Rosalia nudged Ruby, "I told you, the princess has an eye for good people," she giggled and winked.
The music began to slow down and then pick up into a steady waltz, causing Leandra to smirk, "Well, you two, would you do me the honor of a dance?"
Nova and Ruby glanced at each other and then back at her, "Uh, both of us?"
Leandra nodded firmly, "Yup!" the music picked up again and the floor began to clear as pairs entered, joining in the waltz, "You first pretty boy!" she grabbed Nova by the hand and yanked him onto the dancefloor. The dragon shot his fiance a rather confused look.
"Just go with it! We might be able to get an audience with the King if we play our cards right!" Ruby answered back.
Sighing and resigning himself, he gave in to Leandra's demands.
Hands linked, Leandra's right hand on Nova's shoulder and his on her hip, they began a steady-paced waltz.
"So... princess, what made you uh..." Nova didn't know how to phrase his words.
"Pick you to talk to? Or to dance with?" she responded as if reading his discomfort.
"Yeah..."
"I have an eye for people you see, and you and a handful of others in this ballroom stick out. You're interesting!" Leandra spoke as if her logic was normal.
Nova's sweat dropped, "I see... do you make a habit out of finding interesting people?"
She hummed for a moment, "Think of it like a hobby of mine," they entered their third circle, "So, what're your names? What brings you to Luxalia?"
"I'm Nova Alexandrite and the beauty in the red dress with me is my beloved fiance, Ruby Rose. We're just here on a travelling trip, like a vacation but to do adventuring work," he answered smoothly.
Leandra's eyes flashed, "Alexandrite doesn't sound like your real last name, plausible, but you're hiding something. Someone as strong as you aren't just ordinary, I'll ask again, why are you here... really..."
Nova decided honesty was the best policy, "You've caught me. I dare not lie to the princess," choosing his words carefully, he spoke, "We're actually here to see the King, but he's been awfully busy. It is a matter of grave importance that we get an audience with his majesty."
Leandra's brow furrowed, "That's it? You want to talk to my father?"
"I assure you, it's not just a simple discussion," Nova answered seriously.
Leandra stepped into their fourth circle as they made the round back toward where Ruby was standing on the sidelines, "If it's that important then I can get you in to see Father."
Nova's eyes widened, "Really? That would be..."
"On one condition," she smirked slyly.
"Oh? What's your condition?" he asked cautiously.
"Tell me your real name, and why your crest matches Uncle Aurelios'," she grinned.
"That's..."
"I guess no audience with the king..." she faked disappointment, closing her eyes and peeking one out at him.
Nova sighed, making his choice he relayed the information to Ruby before proceeding, "My name, is Nova Alexandrite, that much is true," he began seeing her face contort slightly, "but Alexandrite is my middle name. My surname is Flareheart."
Leandra's brows furrowed in confusion, "Flareheart... but that would make you a..."
As they spun around once more Nova dexterously detached from Leandra's grip in her moment of confusion and tagged in with Ruby, not giving her an inch to question him further. Now with Ruby in her arms and Nova off to the side, the dragon smirked, "Do keep your promises princess!"
Leandra did a double take as now the handsome prince was replaced by the gorgeous black and red-haired girl, before shrugging, "Well not a bad trade, maybe I can dig some answers out of your betrothed!" she called back as she and Ruby took to the dance floor.
With an exasperated sigh, Nova snagged a glass of champagne from a nearby maid only to realize it was Neo who gave him a wink and flashed her scroll that said 'No signs of the enemy yet, Elain is in the back taking care of a kid that hurt his knee, Yang is scouting the left wing and Hex is watching the staircase. Spotted Sun and Blake through the window, nothing from them either.'
Once he read through the card he nodded and Neo left to serve more drinks.
Taking a long sip of the glass, he found a comfortable marble pillar to lean on, a moment to reassess while Ruby distracted the perceptive princess. Then someone stood before him, interrupting his thought process.
"Excuse me sir do you need something?" Nova asked, glancing up to see the six-foot-tall Aurelios gazing at him with trembling eyes.
"Y-You..." Aurelios began, trying to find the words.
"Me...?" Nova tried to play coy.
"Y-Your majesty!" Aurelios instantly bowed so fast that his knees audibly hit the floor and Nova winced. "M-My Prince! I-It's really you!"
Nova glanced around in a panic to see if he was drawing attention but thankfully no one was paying them any heed. "Sir, please! Rise!" he spoke in a hushed tone.
Aurelios rose and still bowed his head once more, Nova could see the awe in his eyes and it made him uncomfortable.
"Uh... Mister..."
"Aurelios, your highness, Aurelios Starseer, and you... you are a dragon! That crest, those horns, the eyes, you are just as the descriptions said you would be!" Aurelios spoke in wonderment, gazing up at the sky, "The gods have blessed me... no, all of Pandora this day!"
Nova shifted uncomfortably, "Mister Aurelios, please... try to restrain yourself. How do you even know I'm a dragon?"
"You fit every description, and there is only one family of dragons in the entire world, the Flarehearts. You are unmistakably the prince of legends!"
Sighing heavily Nova relented, so much for keeping a low profile, again... he was terrible at this undercover stuff. "My name is Nova Flareheart, and I'm not the only one here, my sister Luna Flareheart and our mother is here... though mother is not a dragon."
Aurelios seemed to gawk in wonder, "Not one, but two! Two dragons! This... this day is glorious, come, quickly! You must tell me where you've been all this time! You must restore our house to its former glory! The Flarehearts must return!"
Nova was about to answer when suddenly a loud pop was heard followed by the sound of shattering glass. People audibly gasped around as the chandelier above their head began to break, the lights popping and shattering one by one until almost all the light in the room was gone, bathing the room in a shrowd of dim light.
"Hold that thought Aurelios, they're here." his eyes glowed in the dark and met Ruby's who was still with the princess, nodding to each other, Nova sent out a message through their scrolls. Everyone got into position, the enemy had arrived.
The moment the lights cut out, the partygoers gasped, several standing still unsure of how to proceed. The King attempted to address everyone, "Keep calm my people, I'm sure it's just a minor problem with the lighting, no need to panic. Staff get the emergency lighting on."
The Faunus on the other hand who had night vision were looking at the broken chandelier, "Hey... I see something..." Greyson pointed out as he squinted. Nova, Ruby, and Luna darted their heads towards where he was pointing. Atop the chandelier, more than thirty feet in the air, something cloaked in shadows sat at its base. As they tried to discern the object, staring intently at it, a pair of bright purple eyes opened staring directly at them.
"TYRIAN!" Nova snarled as he reached for his sword only to find it missing. "Fuck, no weapons! YANG! HEX!"
The two girls standing on the north end of the room reached into their pockets and tossed several storage cubes into the air, deploying their armaments. At the same time, Tyrian shot down from his perch, landing on a clearing in the middle of the room.
"Hello children, long time no see~" he slunk up to a bipedal position and drew his hand blades.
Instantly Ruby, Nova, Luna, Hex, Oscar, Neo, and Weiss surrounded him, weapons trained on the scorpion man.
"Tyrian we have you surrounded," Nova started, the tip of Helios' sword was angled between his eyes.
The man chuckled, "Oh no! Whatever will I do~?"
"Your plan failed, you weren't expecting us, were you?" Yang was ready to strike at any moment.
"Besides, Faunus have night vision, you couldn't replicate what happened at Atlas when everyone can see in the room," Weiss said dryly, "Kind of a missed hindsight."
All the team members saw they had him surrounded... but why did the hairs on their necks tingle?
The emergency lights flashed on as a yellow glow lit up the room. Everyone gasped as the sight of the team with weapons trained on a single man was shocking.
"What's happening here?!" Hadar demanded from the balcony, Leandra was by his side with her mother, four guards flanked on either side. "What is the meaning of this?! Weapons in my castle?!"
Nova's eyes didn't move an inch from Tyrian, "Your majesty, this man is a wanted terrorist from where we come from. We're Fire Rank adventurers from the Guild sent by Strider. There was a suspicion of an attack." they all flashed their badges simultaneously.
Hadar's eyes narrowed, "Attack? Why weren't we informed?!"
"Would you have believed us if we tried?"
He faltered, "I... suppose not. You said Strider sent you? Well alright but I still don't fully understand what's going on."
Tyrian clicked his tongue, "This is getting rather boring, how long are you going to point these things at me?"
"Until you are in custody," Nova answered then spoke to the king, "Your majesty, please arrest this man."
Ruby felt something wrong, Nova felt it too. A deep, unsettling feeling, not just the scenario... no... their blood was boiling, gnawing at their minds. The Grimm inside them was beginning to stir awake again...
"We got the drop on you Tyrian, give up and lay down your weapons," Hex demanded. The king's guards marched into the room as the guests gave way.
At that moment, Nova's scroll lit up, it was Blake, "Guys! Something's wrong, I can see..." there was immense static through their network.
"Blake? What's going on? Blake?!" Nova called back but there was no answer.
"Guards! Arrest him!" The king ordered as the armoured guards marched in to take Tyrian, he snickered.
"Got the drop on me? Oh, my dear... I haven't even started..."
"What...?"
As a guard was about to grab him Tyrian flipped into the air with insane speed, the team's trained weapons struck immediately but instead of hitting Tyrian, all they heard was the sound of metal clanking as he landed back on the chandelier. Behind him, three tails each sporting a dripping mechanical stinger appeared.
"LET THE SHOW BEGIN!" he opened his arms wide and a blanket of shadow erupted over the ceiling like a veil of cloth. It didn't block out the light but seemingly created a void above their heads.
Everyone was now staring at the darkness, "What in the world...?" Hadar mouthed. As he did, objects began emerging from the shadows, one by one, and then suddenly dozens as globs of black viscous liquid dropped to the floor.
"Fuck..." Luna cursed, "Everyone... get ready for a battle..."
The pools of liquid morphed as Grimm of all shapes and sizes began emerging from them. Mostly Beowolves but several Berengel and Ursai also poured out. It took mere moments for chaos to ensue as Grimm immediately launched on all the guests.
"TEAM PROTECT THE GUESTS, RUBY AND I WILL HANDLE TYRIAN!" Nova yelled as they sprung into action. Wordlessly responding to their leader and moving in sync.
"Oh... two on one? How about we even the odds..." Tyrian cackled madly, "You two are going to love this~! OH SUMMERRR~!"
Ruby's face paled as she froze, eyes wide as out of the darkness, the Grimm form of Summer Rose descended, axe in hand and her eyes as black as Salem's. "No..." she mouthed in horror as her mother slowly floated to the floor. The elder Rose's face was a stoic frown.
"M-Mom...?" Yang faltered as she punched a Beowolf into the wall.
Summer said nothing as she held her axe to the side.
"Summer no!" Nova saw the muscle movements before Ruby, but neither could react in time as she shot forward, grabbing Ruby by the throat and crashing her into the doors behind her, sending them sprawling outside.
This left Nova to stare down Tyrian, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Tyrian's tails clicked together, "Just, doing what should have been done a long time ago~" then his tails turned to striking position, "Why don't we let family matters settle themselves? After all... I have a bone to pick with you... or rather... I would pick all of them from your corpse for what you did to my brother!" with that the scorpion man lunged into a dive attack with his blades and tails aimed at Nova's head.
The dragon rolled to the side narrowly as Tyrian's tails whipped out forcing him to block the first one, but the second struck from behind and the third at his feet. His scales blocked the second strike but he had to dodge the third by jumping. Once in the air Tyrian threw one of his blades and melee struck with the other. Nova was barely able to keep up. Tyrian had gotten much faster since the last time he saw him.
(A/N: For this part, there is a song for Summer that I had in mind: Linkin Park- Fighting Myself. Play it while reading or listening to it, it fits really well. Red Like Roses Part 2 is being saved for a future fight)
Meanwhile, outside in the castle garden, Ruby was being pinned to the floor by the throat, Summer Rose with an iron grip around her, trying to squeeze the very life from her. Ruby barely registered the chaos around her, the sounds of screaming and gunshots. She was much too busy fighting for her life.
"M-M-om... w-wh-y...?" Ruby choked out, struggling under her mother's inhuman strength. The expressionless face of Summer Rose, the dead eyes that stared directly into Ruby's... the daughter saw nothing but emptiness in them. No emotion, no reasoning, it was like staring into a void that sucked in her hope.
Summer said nothing as she continued to strangle her daughter. Realizing nothing was getting through, Ruby's eyes flashed with silver light, burning Summer, and causing her to recoil in pain. With distance now between them, Ruby readied Crescent Rose and stared down her mother.
"Mom. you don't need to do this! Fight her control! Please!" Ruby pleaded, "I don't want to hurt you!"
Summer removed her hands from covering her face, the pale skin was burnt away to reveal a black fleshy material beneath. Ruby gaped in horror as she saw exactly what her mother had become, the skin on Summer's face regenerating rapidly. Without sparing a breath, Summer once again rushed her daughter, the Axe blade snapping upward to form a scythe aimed at Ruby's neck.
The red reaper brought up her own to block it but Summer was relentless, her attacks heavy and fast. "Goddamnit Mom! Get it together!" she screamed, pushing Summer back harshly and striking with her scythe. The two blades clashed in a flurry of rapid strikes before Summer tried to sweep under Ruby's legs. The red leader petal burst upward and shot Crescent Rose at point blank but Summer just turned her face and dodged the bullets before attempting to grapple her again. Summer was so fast, much faster than Ruby and her Aura sense to keep track of... or was it that Ruby was trying to miss on purpose?
Ruby retaliated by kicking back and throwing her scythe so it spun like a wheel, grinding against Summer's weapon before recoiling back to her hand. Once caught, Ruby unleashed the chain mechanism and tried to ensnare Summer, the chains wrapped around and constricted her movements.
"Mom, please! You can fight it!" Ruby once again begged, keeping tension on the chain while Summer struggled. The elder Rose growled fiercely, baring her fangs to her daughter.
She didn't want to hurt her mother, she couldn't do it. The woman she idolized her whole life, the woman who she loved so dearly... she couldn't do it...
"What are you doing? Use your power, burn her with the light!" a sinister voice echoed in Ruby's head, it had been quiet for a long time. The intrusive thoughts that the Grimm blood whispered in her mind. It only came out when things got stressful.
"SHUT UP!" Ruby yelled back, "I don't want to hurt her!"
"But she wants to hurt you~" it cackled sickeningly. This outburst made Ruby lose focus and the tension on the chain loosened, Summer, broke free and closed the gap in an instant. In Ruby's moment of disarray, Summer got a clear strike at her torso, cleaving upward and sending Ruby flying into the air. Summer chose that moment to capitalize, following up with an aerial strike combo of scythe swings before sending her daughter cratering into the ground and smashing into the water fountain that sat in the center of the garden, her Aura fizzling out from just that one move. Summer wasn't one of the best Huntresses of her time for nothing.
As Ruby lay there on the ground, struggling to get up, the voice came back. "What are you holding back for? You will die here if you do not fight back properly." it taunted.
"She's my mother! I can't hurt her!" Ruby argued back, pulling herself to her feet, Summer Rose landing just a few meters away.
"She abandoned you. She left you all alone, she's the reason you grew up without a mother. Don't you resent her for it?"
"NO!"
Ignoring Ruby's internal struggle, Summer charged in with her fist pounding into Ruby's gut, knocking the wind out of her and slamming her against the broken fountain. Pinning her to the rubble, Summer barraged her daughter with a series of heavy blows, the sounds of ribs crunching under her weighted strikes echoed amidst the courtyard.
"Kill her!"
"NO!" she resisted, but resisting the burning desire being forced upon her was like fighting against the current. Combined with the barrage from Summer... Ruby was suffocating.
"KILL. HER."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ruby screamed, trying to grapple Summer's fists but as she desperately grabbed at them, Summer just bat her away, keeping her pinned against the concrete. Ruby was losing her strength.
Seeing her weakened, Summer moved to strangle her again, clasping both hands tightly around her neck, she began to squeeze. Without the protection of Aura, and Summer's iron grip, Ruby began to lose consciousness. The reaper's eyes began to grow blurry. "Mom... please... stop..."
"Fine. If you won't do something," the voice growled, "Then I will."
As Ruby's eyes closed, her tattoo began to glow a bright red light.
Back in the ballroom, Nova was locked in a deadly tango with Tyrian Callows, with the dragon on the defensive. Tyrian's rapid strikes and combination of attacks made it difficult for Nova's semblance to work effectively and the prince's Aura sense was the only thing keeping him from getting hit too badly. Despite their seemingly deadlocked back-and-forth fight, Nova was actually on the losing end as ever so often Tyrian would land a sneaky blow. It was like fighting 9 people at once and they were all very skilled.
He wanted to let loose, he wanted to explode in a blaze of fire and force distance between him and Tyrian but with all the civilians still in the room, there was far too much risk of collateral damage.
"How the hell are you so fast?!" Nova argued as he dodged Tyrian's strike, using the momentum to sheath Helios, then redrew the blade at lightning speed using the trigger mechanism, an arc of fire shooting out forcing Tyrian to take a step back. When the scorpion man was pushed back he saw clearly that Tyrian had purple veins running all over his body as if he was affected by some sort of stimulant.
The madman cackled, "A little steroid of sorts. Turns out my poison can be used for much more than killing other people..."
Having secured a moment to breathe, he scanned the room, identifying the situation. The civilians and the royal family, as well as Elain, were gathered on the staircase while the team and guards dispatched the seemingly endless supply of Grimm that kept falling from the ceiling.
"THERE'S NO END TO THEM!" Yang yelled back as she pummelled an Ursa into the ground. Hex was busy spinning her blades and carving down groups. Weiss used her glyphs to summon her knights while Neo was using her maiden powers to rain ice shards on the enemy. Elain was doing her best to tend to the wounded.
As they fought suddenly one of the large glass windows shattered as a giant Grimm spider the size of a car crashed through with none other than Sun Wukong stabbing through its underbelly and landing right beside Oscar and Luna who were doing their best to cover the right wing.
"SUN?!" Oscar yelled as his semblance avatar was reduced in size and punched an Alpha Beowolf into a pancake.
Sun blinked, "Oh, 'sup guys. I see you got your hands full in here too," he whistled and narrowly dodged a flying Berengel no doubt tossed aside by Yang.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Weiss yelled in alarm as more of them began to pour in from the broken window.
"Yeah... outside is a bit of a problem... not sure where these spider things came from but they're tons of them out there."
"SUN I NEED BACKUP OUT HERE!" Blake yelled as she swung by the window on her ribbon before Roundhouse kicked another spider and disappeared on the other side.
"Oh shit, gotta go, hey, you guys got anybody to spare? Strider mobilized the guild but we need more hands..." Sun asked, scratching his head.
"You'll never kill them all! AHAHA MORE GIFTS FROM THE QUEEN!" Tyrian cackled as he charged at Nova again, beginning the dance of violence once more.
"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Nova roared and erupted fire from his sword. The close quarters and speed of the fight were too much for scythe mode. He was forced to fight using swordsmanship and hand strikes, he couldn't even switch to his gun.
Neo and Weiss looked at each other briefly, as if understanding dawned on them, "Neo will head out to help Sun and Blake deal with the spiders, her powers are more suited for open air." Weiss said to the team, taking over Neo's side while the mute girl followed Sun through the broken window.
They were locked in a stalemate, the team handling the infinite supply of Grimm and Nova restricted to Tyrian, Ruby was handling Summer... but something was wrong, worse than before. A sickening feeling crept into Nova's stomach.
While Nova was fighting Tyrian he felt something tug on his soul bond with Ruby. His sword clashes began to dull as the soul bond began to rattle and shake with pain, emotions of grief and anger, frustration... and then it began to fade rapidly.
An ungodly feeling began to overwhelm Nova's soul, a sickening tearing sensation like a piece of cloth being ripped in half very slowly. Instinctively he knew... Ruby was dying. His eyes widened, unfocused, and in that lapse of concentration, Tyrian's stinger pierced through Nova's Aura and just fast enough for his scales to not keep up, piercing right through his skin.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Nova screamed in pain as he recoiled in pain, dashing back and falling to his knees, his skin beginning to rapidly cover in blotches of purple. His vision began to blur and his breathing became shallow, searing pain erupting all over his body but all he could think about right now was the horrifying tearing sound like a cacophony in his ears. The dragon tried to get up but the mere act caused his knees to wobble and he coughed up blood violently.
Tyrian stopped his assault, confused, "Hey now... you shouldn't be getting distracted. I can't have my fun with you if you just let me hit you like that..." he snarled, unamused. "I want you to suffer, slowly for what you did to my little brother. Come on... get up..."
Nova couldn't hear him, he was far too focused on his bond, "RUBY?! ANSWER ME! RUBY PLEASE!" he begged but all he heard was grief and pain. "AGNI!" Nova called out in desperation, he didn't know why he did it, but something happened.
Neo ran outside with Sun and was greeted with a crazy sight. The streets were teeming with giant Grimm spiders, these arachnids were crawling everywhere from the ground to the rooftops. In the streets, Neo spotted adventurers from the guild fending them off, Strider was in the middle of it all with Blake using her shadow powers to take out as many as she could.
Sun ran his hands through his hair, "Oh boy... this is bad... got any ideas?" he looked at Neo.
The mute girl tapped out on her scroll, 'Just one. But it's going to be rough, so protect the adventurers'
Sun blinked rapidly, "Huh...?"
Neo flew into the air as her eyes glowed with the power of the Winter Maiden and Sun immediately understood. "BLAKE!" he yelled getting her attention.
The cat Faunus briefly stopped her assault and looked his way.
"USE YOUR SHADOW POWER THINGY TO COVER THE ADVENTURERS AND CIVILIANS, NEO'S GONNA DO HER THING!"
Blake blanched, "ALL OF THEM? LIKE INDIVIDUALLY?!"
"JUST THE ONES WITHOUT COVER!"
"OH MY GOD YOU FUCKING...!" she didn't have time to finish that sentence as grey storm clouds began to swirl overhead, encompassing the sky. Harsh and cold winds began to rip through the air with the bitter cold of winter.
"I'm going to need a serious vacation or something after this..." Blake groaned, spreading her shadow powers as far as she could, people suddenly found themselves blanketed in shadow unable to see what was happening.
Neo on the other hand had raised her arms high and then commanded them downward, icicles as large as swords rained from the sky in a hailstorm for death, piercing the spider Grimm that flooded the streets below. It was a massacre.
The prince was standing in the soul space again, except it wasn't his. Around him was a dying entanglement of rose vines, the flowers on the thorny tendrils were wilting, and the blinding silver light was becoming dim. Immediately he recognized where he was. Ruby's soul space.
It was so cold... the warmth of her kindness and life was nowhere to be found, it was almost foreign.
Agni was floating in the space next to Nova, "Things aren't looking good kid," the child-like avatar of the Agniseki spoke.
"What's...happening to her?" Nova asked shakily.
"Isn't it obvious? She's... dying..." Agni spoke melancholically.
"No," Nova's voice cracked, "She can't... I can't lose her!"
Agni shook his head and placed his hand on Nova's shoulder, "I'm sorry kid I..." As Agni was in the middle of his sentence suddenly the tearing sound stopped.
The vines stopped dying, the flowers stopped wilting.
"What's... happening...?" Agni was shocked.
Almost out of nowhere, the vines hardened into a blackened, petrified stone, the flowers grew in size and their red colouration turned pitch black with red outlines. The thorns expanded in size and the silver light that was fading suddenly roared back to life... except it was turned into an inky black and tinged in red.
"Is Ruby going to be alright?" Nova also astounded by the change asked with hope.
Agni's expression turned even darker, "I... no this is...!"
Six red eyes opened inside the black light.
As Ruby's consciousness faded, a surge of power began to flow through her like a second wind. Her veins began to pump blood again, feeling returning to her limbs, but she could barely register any thought. No... as Ruby Rose opened her eyes to see her mother still strangling her, there was only one thing on her mind.
She wanted to kill.
The young Rose's eyes were not bathed in silver light... no they were pitch black, just like her mother's. Her hand shot forward and grabbed Summer's hands from around her throat and gripped so hard the arms snapped at the wrist forcing Summer to drop her grip and dash back.
Ruby stood there now staring down her mother once more, this time with murderous intent.
Silently, Ruby picked up Crescent Rose and rushed her mother, gritting her teeth in a vicious snarl, Crescent Rose arcing dangerously toward Summer's head. The latter brought up her weapon to block but Ruby's strikes had almost tripled in strength, her attack didn't stop with one swing. When the first connected a resounding clank was heard as the scythe bounced off the other, then in an instant, Ruby brought it back down. Like a berserker on a rampage, Ruby's strikes became furious and without form or fashion, mindlessly swinging at her mother like a crazed beast.
Summer was being beaten back, unable to push forward, and unable to make another defensive move otherwise she'd be cut down in an instant. There was a small gap in her attacks that Summer took advantage of to create distance.
When Ruby saw her run, the crazed reaper smiled viciously, baring her teeth and petal burst at supersonic speeds, scythe colliding with Summer's torso and carving a sizeable gash in her chest. Smiling madly Ruby began to hack and slash like a serial killer, carving up pieces of her mother, severing fingers, to arms then aiming for the head.
Summer saw the blade coming for her, demise imminent, but instead of fighting back, as if she'd regained some semblance of control, she willed her body to stand still. She would welcome death at her daughter's hands with open arms... but before the scythe could connect, an inch before the blade pierced her throat, Ruby's attack stopped.
The reaper seemed to regain control of herself, eyes returning to normal for a brief moment before rolling into the back of her head as she collapsed on the floor.
Disarmed and beaten, Summer's body took control of itself again, against the wishes of its owner, Summer ran off into the night, the severed limbs dissipating into black mist.
During the entire fight, Nova was panicking in Ruby's soul space. Once he saw the eyes of the Grimm awaken, he knew that she was no longer herself. The blood had taken control.
"Fuck... this is bad..." Agni mouthed as he observed Ruby's soul.
Nova felt himself begin to sweat, "The Grimm saved her..."
Agni bit his lip, "No... it's merely trying to preserve its host. The parasite has no feelings... but if it keeps up like this we might lose Ruby forever."
At those words, Nova's eyes widened, "WHAT?!"
"Look at the soul," Agni pointed toward the black light, "If it stays like that for too long then Ruby's soul won't be able to regain itself and become completely replaced by the Grimm."
"What do we do?!" Nova didn't want to waste any more time.
"I'm not sure... I've never seen anything like this before!" Agni said exasperated.
Nova cursed, "Aren't you like ten billion years old or something?! Don't you know anything?!"
Agni smacked him over the head, "I've only had consciousness for as long as I've been tied to you, dumbass. There are things that I know and don't know... I'm still dredging up memories from when I wasn't a soul!"
"Well dredge faster! We're running out of time!"
Agni scrunched up his face in pondering while Nova paced up and down. "Soul... soul... WAIT AGNI!"
"What?"
"Ruby's soul is connected to mine right?" Nova started and Agni nodded in confirmation, "And a piece of my soul resides in hers right?!"
Agni suddenly paled, "Wait... you're not suggesting..."
"Take the darkness on her soul and put it in me. Leave only the energy behind and I'll shoulder the Grimm."
"I can't do that! What do I look like? The old lady Raisa? I can only maybe help you transfer emotions..." Agni replied with a sigh.
Nova clenched his fists, "Then just transfer all of her dark emotions, the ones the Grimm is feeding to her."
"ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT COULD MAKE YOU BERSERK JUST LIKE HER!" Agni exclaimed in horror, "With the previous soul merged between me and Fall, you will go absolutely nuts!"
The dragon's expression was dark, "Do you have a better idea?"
Agni cursed, "It won't get rid of the Grimm you know, it'll just alleviate her dark thoughts... she'll just lose consciousness, not only is it super risky on both of you but it mightn't even work." then he thought more and his face morphed into a dark expression, "And... it will stop the decomposition of her soul... fuck I hate when you're right." he looked Nova in the eyes, "Are you absolutely sure you can handle it?"
Nova gave him a smirk, "I haven't steered us wrong this far right?"
"Just wait til Fall hears about this... alright partner, I'm trusting you."
Nova nodded, "Just do it."
The dragon awoke to find himself lying flat on the floor, his body no longer ached in pain from the poison as his Aura had recharged and his semblance and the poison's effectiveness had been nullified before it could kill him. The nanomachines in his blood had repaired his damage at the very least. The room was in chaos, with Nova out for the count, Luna had taken to fighting Tyrian, the little dragon was tanking his attacks with her semblance and brute-forcing him back, but she was too slow to hit him.
Leandra seemed to have joined the fight, wielding a halberd and slicing down Grimm alongside his team.
"OH! The prince is awake! GOODY!" Tyrian clapped as he easily dodged Luna's attack from Galaxia, the young dragon using her powers to levitate debris and strike him but Tyrian didn't need to look to deflect it with his tails.
As Nova got to his feet, he felt it, something horrible was once again boiling inside of him. He had maybe a few seconds before it broke free.
"Hello dear friend, we meet again~" the voice of the Grimm spoke in his ears, "Taking the fall for your betrothed, how sweet."
Nova grits his teeth and tried to swallow the building bloodlust with every ounce of his willpower.
"NOVA!" Yang yelled when she saw him get up.
"BROTHER!" Luna called out.
Nova shook his head and cut them off, "G-Get, everyone on the balcony, you guys too. I c-can't hold... this in for m-much longer..." he choked out, the veins on his forehead beginning to swell as dark lines began appearing over his body.
"Nova?! What's wrong?!" Hex called in alarm while fending off the monsters, "There's still Grimm!"
"NEVER MIND THAT JUST GO!" He roared, his voice coming out in a layered tone, "WEISS PLEASE PROTECT THEM! USE AS MUCH ICE AS YOU CAN!"
Weiss didn't dare question it, his tone was far too urgent. The team regrouped at the balcony with the king and the civilians, Luna pulling Leandra by the arm after disengaging Tyrian.
"HEY, I CAN STILL FIGHT!" Leandra complained, but Luna cut her off with a glare.
"Now's not the time. Just... trust my brother..." Luna said quietly and Leandra registered the resemblance between them.
Once everyone was safely on the balcony and staircase, The Grimm that tried to follow them suddenly turned on Nova as more kept pouring from the ceiling. Their numbers were building rapidly.
(A/N: Play Skillet- Psycho in My Head)
Tyrian slowly clapped, "Wow, taking me on all by your lonesome, and with all these Grimm to boot?" he cackled, "You must have a death wish..."
Nova couldn't hold it back anymore, simply relaxing the tension in his mind, and like a dam that had been burst open, all the dark emotions and bloodlust burst forth like a tsunami. Nova's fangs grew out, and his horns lengthened, "Tyrian," he spoke, voice layered with his and something else. The dragon felt control of his body all but leave him entirely, now like a spectator of himself he could no longer alter the outcome.
"Huh...?" the scorpion tilted his head in confusion.
"Want to know what I did to your brother?" the Grimm in Nova smiled madly, the sickening smile was unlike anything the team had seen on his face, it sent chills down their spine. "You know what? You can ask him yourself!"
Fire erupted around Nova like a blazing inferno aura, a pair of fiery wings sprouting from his back... but unlike previous times, it was not tinged in silver light. The fire was bathed in black. The heat was so intense the Grimm couldn't come near it, the ones daring closer were incinerated in an instant, the tapestries on the walls were evaporated near instantly, and the floor around him began to melt. The most altering thing was the dragon tattoo on his arm began to light up a sickening red and black as well.
"YOU CURSED LIZARD!" Tyrian screamed and lunged at Nova.
The dragon just smirked again, "Burn."
Weiss caught wind and reacted almost immediately, bringing up a fortified ice wall around all of them with as much power as she could conjure with the Cryoseki and her Glyphs as a burst of flames encompassed the room in a swirling storm of fire. If she had reacted any later they would've been burnt to a crisp, the heat was so intense that they felt it even behind the ice wall which was rapidly melting.
"What the hell is going on?!" Hadar exclaimed as he recoiled from the heat.
Luna just gripped Oscar's hand, "Brother is... letting loose."
Tyrian was forced to shield himself as the fire literally tore through his Aura and knocked him to the floor.
"H-HOW...?!" Tyrian didn't have time to speak as Nova was on him, grabbing him by the collar. Tyrian looked around for Grimm assistance but they were all burnt... the shadow portal above their heads had disappeared meaning Summer had been defeated.
"What happened to your speed from earlier?" the dragon snarled, "Has fear gripped your soul yet?" he punched Tyrian in the jaw so hard he flew into the air. The dragon leaped up after him, flying up and grabbing him by the tail and dragging him back to the ground, slamming him on his head and shattering the concrete.
"You brought monsters here to hinder us, and cause panic, on the whim of your so-called goddess?!" the Grimm forcing Nova was speaking, the bottled-up frustrations in the dragon's mind amplified a hundredfold by the hatred and anger, "I AM SICK AND FUCKING TIRED OF YOU PEOPLE!" It was like the lines between Dragon and Grimm were becoming more blurry by the second. If this didn't end quickly there may be no distinction between the two anymore.
Tyrian tried to kick away from Nova but the dragon reared his scythe and wreathed it in black flames, slamming it into Tyrian's torso with a large gash and flinging him against the wall. The entire castle shook with the force of the impact.
"You can't hope to understand our goddess' will!" Tyrian spat as he got up, drawing his blades and rearing his stingers, "YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!" his voice was like he was crying and angry at the same time.
The dragon saw through his sloppy movements and grabbed him by the tail again, using his foot to kick Tyrian so hard he rubberbanded against the tail and landed on the floor, the dragon pinning him with his foot.
"Salem is a vile monster, but you know what?" Nova leaned down to Tyrian's face while still holding him by the tail, "That's one thing she and I might have in common these days..." he said darkly. It seemed his self-depreciation was beginning to bleed through as well. "You wanted to make a monster out of me, right?"
He dug his heels into Tyrian's back, "Do you like the outcome?"
Nova right now no longer looked even remotely like himself. His scales had turned pitch black, just like the raging fire that bathed him. What Tyrian saw was not a dragon... no... he saw a demon.
"Salem needs to stop sending her lackeys to do her job for her..." he growled viciously. "Pathetic, a single-minded fool who blindly follows a lunatic..."
This wasn't him, Nova knew this now. This wasn't his words. The Grimm was talking. He felt so hazy... so tired...
"O-Our Queen... will win... in the end. The way you are now... you will NEVER defeat her!" Tyrian struggled under Nova's foot.
"Hmph, we'll see..." Nova reared his flaming scythe and with one swift motion cut off all Tyrian's tails at the base. The scorpion Faunus screamed in pain the entire time, blood dripping from the severed appendage.
The prince reached down and grabbed the beaten Tyrian, "Fucking dragons," Tyrian spat blood in his face. Nova just snarled again.
"You really like to run your mouth... let's fix that..." he grabbed Tyrian by the jaw with his draconic hand, latching his fingers inside his mouth and gripping onto the lower jaw... and began yanking... hard...
Nova hadn't registered consciously in the last few moments. What was he doing again? What did he need to do?
He was forgetting something important. He felt something was missing. The entire ordeal felt like watching himself through a camera, he wasn't in control anymore... did he need to be? He still felt things, heard things... like the feeling of Tyrian's jaw cracking and snapping under his force, and the sound of his screams like a dull echo.
What was he missing?
Then it caught his eye. Up on the balcony, the ice had melted, dozens of civilians watching in shock, the look of complete horror on his little sister's face as he was about to tear Tyrian in half from the jaw down. Luna's eyes were filled with horror, disgust... fear. The one thing he never wanted to see his sister look at him with... fear.
That seemed to shock his mind back into place, "No... no... NO!" he screamed at himself, willing control over his body and taking over just before irreparable damage could be done. He managed to slacken his grip and settle for only breaking Tyrian's jaw.
"This is where it ends. No more bloodshed!" Nova yelled to the Grimm but it refused to go out like that.
"I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED!" It screeched back.
"NO STOP!"
As the Grimm began to recede its control, with one last burst of energy the Grimm blood forced Nova's hand to shoot forward and pierce Tyrian through his chest.
Tyrian had a smirk on his face, "Fucking coward...I'll see you in hell..." As the words left his lips, his body went limp. Tyrian Callows was dead.
Nova grimaced as he laid the corpse on the floor and looked around at the chaos. The civilians were scared, justifiably so. The King was doing his best to calm them down.
"How did it come to this?" Nova asked himself, looking around at the mess. The ballroom was in shambles, with melted floors, scorch marks, and broken castle pillars, there were even a few dead civilians who were caught up in the initial Grimm attack. They were supposed to be here on a peace mission to unite the tribes against Salem. How did it get so bad?
He didn't have time to dwell on it however, the civilians and the King could be dealt with later. He needed to find Ruby.
Nova wordlessly sprinted out the door of the ballroom, rushing to the castle grounds.
"Where is he going? NOVA!" Yang called out.
"WE NEED TO FIND RUBY!" his voice was frantic, panicked, and in pain. His running was wobbly, he stumbled and fell on every piece of debris, his limbs ached, and his consciousness was fading, but he needed to find her.
Stepping outside he found the city district in shambles, broken buildings, and destroyed stalls. The signs of fighting are everywhere. Sun and Blake were standing with Neo near a group of adventurers and Strider, they were gathered around something... or someone.
"NOVA! GUYS! THERE YOU ARE!" Blake yelled as she saw them come out of the castle, "What happened in there?!"
"Nevermind that, where's Ruby?!" Nova asked in a panic.
Blake wordlessly stepped aside to reveal an unmoving Ruby Rose lying on the floor. The dragon felt his heart stop, he didn't even notice her disguise had come undone, he didn't care. She was all that mattered at the moment.
"RUBY!" Nova instantly dropped to her side, not caring for the resounding crack of his knees against the cobblestone. He picked her up in his arms, holding her on his lap, "RUBY PLEASE! TALK TO ME!" he willed through their bond, but there was no response.
Tears slowly began to fall from his eyes as he feared the worst, "R-Ruby...?" he mouthed. He searched their bond for something... anything...
"It's no use kid, she's out cold," Strider said solemnly.
Nova looked up weakly, "She's alive...?"
Strider nodded, "Aye... barely... she's almost a corpse with how shallow her breathing is. Her pulse is also really low..."
Nova wasted no time, picking her up in his arms as carefully as he could, he brushed past everyone, "MOM! MOM WHERE ARE YOU?!" he called out, he sounded so desperate.
Elain who was just exiting the ballroom found him, "OVER HERE!" she noticed Ruby in his arms and feared the worst.
"Mom... she's not moving... something's wrong. In the fight I sensed it, she was dying but... oh gods..." he was on the verge of tears again.
Elain took her and inspected the girl, "I... I can heal her..." she started but Nova began to wobble on his feet.
"T-That's good... p-please... t-take...care... of... her..." he spoke, now that he knew Ruby wasn't in immediate danger, his body which had been held together by pure adrenaline was failing.
"Hey, Nova? Nova!" Elain shouted as the dragon collapsed on the floor, unconscious next to Ruby.
And that's a wrap. No update on Cinder and Onyx but I'll be getting to them rather soon. Anyway, this was honestly exhausting to write but I will be getting to 92 ASAP.
As always, be sure to let me know if there are any inconsistencies, I will be sure to fix them.