v.2 beta Andy1997
(Beacon Tower, Beacon Academy,)
(City of Vale, Kingdom of Vale)
(Eastern Sanus)
(The elevator down to the Vault…)
"…soooooo…just how far down are we going, exactly? Could've sworn we just went past ground floor?"
Yang tried to cut the near suffocating tension as she, Ruby, Weiss and Blake found themselves standing in the elevator with Ozpin, Qrow and Glynda with them. They had no idea whom Ozpin wanted to 'introduce', but whoever she was, Ozpin was keeping her underneath Beacon Tower and that didn't sit well with any of the Huntresses-in-training.
"You can't tell us anything about her right now?" Weiss asked.
"You'll see," Ozpin replied.
Ruby swallowed, "Is she nice?"
"I think you'll like her," Qrow answered, reassuringly.
"…." Blake kept silent, focusing instead on keeping her breathing steady as she tried to keep calm in such a tight, enclosed space. She was unable to, however, prevent the fingers on her right hand from flexing instinctively, ready to go for her weapon at the first sign of trouble.
Qrow noticed this and frowned, "Seriously?"
"I don't think we're ready for any more surprises," Blake reproached. "Does…anyone else know about where we're going?"
"Teams JNPR and CFVY are privy to what's down here," Ozpin stated.
Glynda frowned. She remembered that they had asked Teams JNPR and CFVY - a 1st and 2nd Year team respectively - to guard a comatose Fall Maiden, in lieu of no other experienced Huntsmen available that Ozpin trusted to keep secret. The reasoning back then was that both those teams had already experienced enough twisted events on their way to becoming hardened, so what was revealing the existence of the Fall Maiden to them in comparison?
In retrospect, Glynda realized, they should have handled that whole thing a lot better.
The elevator doors opened to reveal a large, barely lit underground chamber. The adults stepped out first, followed by Team RWBY, each of them surveying the area and feeling a mixture of awe, bewilderment, and apprehension.
Qrow looked over his shoulder at them and sighed, "Go on. Get out of your system, girls."
"…all this time, this place was underneath Beacon Academy?" Weiss forced out, shakenly. "All this time?"
"Yeah," Qrow replied.
"The demons invaded Beacon for this place, didn't they?" Blake asked.
"…yep."
Yang scowled, "Why? What're you keeping down here?"
"Is it the mystery person you won't tell us about?" Ruby asked. "I…" Ruby paused when she noticed a couple of the marble pillars were thoroughly smashed, "What happened here?"
"The Slayer and I…didn't see eye-to-eye on a few things," Ozpin replied, coolly.
Ruby's eyes widened. She turned to Yang, her sister looking back just as shocked and mouthing a silent 'what the fuck', immediately picturing William throwing down with Ozpin of all people.
"But you are correct," Ozpin paused and turned to them, gripping his cane and tapping the floor with it. "The demons invaded Beacon for the purpose of acquiring what we are keeping down here, hidden from the outside world."
Yang crossed her arms, "Are you done keeping us all in suspense?"
Ozpin guided them through a side passage that led to a jade marble door at the far end. It opened for them, to reveal a fully furnished room. Four-poster bed, vanity, desk, table and chairs, and the facially scarred woman in a brown dress sitting there with an ornate case on the table. Her eyes were closed as she held what looked like a glowing runestone in her right hand.
Ozpin cleared his throat, "Amber?"
Amber opened her eyes, leaving whatever trance she was in with a start. She put the rune down on the table.
"P-Professor," Amber cried, startled.
"Are we interrupting something?" Ozpin queried. He focused on the case, remembering what its contents were.
"No, not at all, I-" Amber stopped when she noticed Team RWBY. "Are these…the ones you told me about?"
Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were given pause. A mysterious, stricken young woman kept in a nice room underneath Beacon Tower, obviously not against her will, and she appeared to be acquainted with the adults present. The way she looked at four of them warmly as if they were familiar to her felt unsettling to them.
Almost as unsettling as when they were stranded on a literal hellscape.
"Has someone been talking about us?" Yang questioned, coyly. "Behind our backs?"
Amber looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry." She covered her mouth with her palm, "I…I never thought the Doom Slayer could bring himself to surround himself with allies ever again."
Weiss blinked, "Pardon?"
"You know William?" Blake asked.
"I do."
Ruby looked visibly skeptical, "How well?"
"…." Amber couldn't stop herself from smiling fondly from behind her hand. "Very well."
With one eyebrow raised, Blake dared ask, "For how long?"
"His whole life."
"Alright lady, drop this whole mystic spiel and just answer plainly!" Yang exclaimed. "We're rattled enough as it is."
Amber looked taken back by Yang's aggression, glancing past her at Ozpin. He simply nodded.
"Are you familiar with The Four Maidens?"
Yang rolled her eyes, "Duh, who isn't? What's that got to do with-wait…"
It all came to them hard enough they each felt their hearts stop. Hell was real. Demons were real. Mystical artifacts were a thing so…
Weiss didn't waste time asking, "Is…that fairy tale real?"
Amber nodded, "I am the current Fall Maiden. The hermit wizard in that story didn't just grant the Maidens of the past the powers of the seasons, he gifted them the memories of the Elemental Wraith that had empowered him. The Wraith in question was particularly focused on a certain young boy as he grew up."
Ruby gasped, "William."
Amber nodded and smiled, "Yes."
"W-wait, WAIT!?" Weiss exclaimed, perplexed. "This is…I-I don't even know where to begin."
"I'll try," Blake said. "You just mentioned 'Elemental Wraiths', beings from Argent D'Nur mentioned in William's codex." She looked nervous, "Y-you're saying one of those creatures came to Remnant and…The Four Maidens was based on that?" Realization dawned on her, "And you're keeping that secret from Remnant?" Her eyes darted in-between Qrow, Glynda and Ozpin, "All of you?"
Glynda sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Ruby swallowed, slowly becoming jittery with nerves, "You knew William would come here, didn't you?"
"His path would eventually bring him here," Ozpin said.
Yang felt her aggression multiply, "And you knew about Hell?!" She gritted her teeth, "And the Dark Lord knows you? Ozma? Who's 'Ozma?'"
Qrow cringed from Yang's volume, "Yang?"
"Did you know they would invade Remnant after B.J. kicked their asses on Mars!?"
Glynda stepped forward with her hand raised in placation, "Ms. Xiao Long, please."
"You kept all this from…everyone?" Weiss cried. "We…Atlas could have prepared better if the Atlas Council, if Ironwood knew they were coming!"
Qrow clicked his tongue, "Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh…he knew as well."
"What?!" Yang shouted.
"…Qrow," Glynda hissed.
Seeing that Amber looked fearful at what was unfolding in front of her, Ozpin adjusted his glasses and sighed, "Girls…"
"And what about this 'Kingdom of Immora'?" Weiss carried on. "Are we talking about a fifth kingdom of Remnant?"
"Hey guys," Ruby looked over her shoulder, pleadingly. "Can we dial it down a bit?"
Yang looked at her in disbelief, before she calmed down and nodded, "Yeah, sure. Take it away, team leader."
"Gee, thanks sis," Ruby retorted. She turned to the adults, "This is a lot to unpack here."
Ozpin nodded, affirmingly, "It is, and I apologize. Considering everything you four have been through since the beginning of your time here at Beacon, it would've been detrimental if we continued to keep things from you."
"And keep us on the road to becoming demon slayers like William?" Ruby asked. She turned to Qrow, "Does dad know?"
"He knows it's not just the Grimm that are after us now," Qrow replied.
"As does Remnant," Glynda added. "But for now, everything you've seen and heard regarding their origins, it's preferable that the public mustn't know."
"…yeah," Yang grumbled, realizing that as bad as they reacted to this news of secrecy, she could imagine how everyone on the planet would react to news that the Huntsmen Academies knew about Hell.
It would be a Grimm frenzy bigger than the ones William caused.
"But we need to know everything about what we're up against. The demons, Davoth, Immora," Ruby stated firmly, like the team leader Ozpin and Qrow hoped she would grow to become. "It could mean…well…everything."
Ozpin smiled and nodded, "I understand."
Ruby's eyes lit up and she smiled.
"Alright, so. First things first…" Ruby looked down at the table where Amber sat at and reached for the closest rune, one that had a Sentinel marking she didn't recognize, and grasped it tightly. "Tell us what-"
Everyone jumped in fright as Amber shrieked and lunged at Ruby with eyes wide with horror, "DON'T-TOUCH TH-!"
The rune lit up with jade-colored static that enveloped Ruby's hand.
And everything went black.
(RWBY)
Two Sentinels IV:
Black Star
On the eve of the Black star the Dark Ones came from a world beneath our own, not through ship nor ephemeral vessel but through the fabric of dimensions. Out of swirling, fiery gates came horned beasts from a timeless realm. First one, then many, crashing waves of evil swelled from the obsidian forest of the Argentian Overlands. The Alorum clans from the eastern mountains fell first to the black hordes of devils, and the city of Telorum was slung under the weight of their charge.
We Sentinels rose to meet the beasts with spear in hand, the might of the holy fleet striking back at the demons, but the dark gates from whence they came gave birth still to even greater hordes. A line of blood was drawn with the fallen on both sides, and the Unholy Wars began as the time of darkness came upon us.
- Translation from the 'Ligra Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)
(RWBY)
(Somewhere else in time…)
"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Ruby realized she was letting out a war cry as the blackness faded, in time as she saw herself bisect a Hell Knight with what she realized was a large ancient-looking war scythe, the blade glowing blue from a power source built into the core of the oversized weapon she was wielding effortlessly.
Gasping as she felt the demon's blood spraying all over, she stepped back to see the Hell Knight crumple into two pieces in front of her, right in what she assumed was the middle of a ruined staircase down a futuristic medieval-looking street.
"Huh!?"
And she realized she was wearing Sentinel armor. The kind looked close to the Slayer's own Praetor Suit, right up to that right spot right above the heart, but more ancient looking. She let out a cry when she felt like her head was encased in something metal, frantically reaching for it and tearing it off. She cringed when she realized it was a helmet.
She looked up at the sky, and saw what looked like a black star.
"W-what is-"
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP US!"
She jumped in panic when she heard frantic, desperate screaming. Dropping her helmet she reached for her scythe and activated her Semblance to get to the source of distress faster.
"…huh?"
Nothing. Nothing happened. She didn't feel the usual rush that came from her super speed. Instead, she felt the weight of armor and weapons that she swore felt too heavy for her frame. And somehow instead of crumpling to the ground in a paralyzed heap, she was somehow able to stand and wield such heavy arms and armor.
"No…nonononononononononono…" Ruby repeated in a panic. Never had she ever been in a situation where her Semblance wasn't a crutch to fall back on. She took off running, closing her eyes and desperately trying to will her Semblance to return. There was nothing, except nearly running into a wall…
"AH!"
…near a walkway going under an archway, and the snarling, blood-soaked demons surrounding a small group of unarmed, terrified civilians dressed in what looked like medieval peasant clothing. They backed them into the wall and acted like predators getting ready to pounce. Until Ruby saw red…
"RAAAAAAAAAARRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
…and came at them with her energized scythe, slashing away at the pack of Imps, sending bits flying and blood spraying all over.
"A SENTINEL!" one of the peasants cried out in joy. "HE'S COME TO SAVE US!"
'…he?'
Ruby ignored what obviously was a misplaced word and raised her scythe for a vertical slash on the last Imp, only for the blade to catch the roof of the archway they were under. Her eyes widened in realization…
"Oh, sh-"
…and gave the Imp an opening to lob a fireball, which hit her in the breastplate and knocked her flat on her back.
"AH!"
Another realization settled in: No Aura.
And the feeling of a sledgehammer against the chest, knocking the wind right out of her. Struggling to catch her breath, she rolled over onto her side, in time to see the Imp made a lunge for her…
"AWRRRKKKK!"
…the business end of a thin blade jutting out of its mouth amidst the sounds of battle and familiar voices ripping and tearing their way through toward her. Whomever held it twisted it and pulled back, the demon's corpse falling on top of Ruby. Panicking, Ruby finally caught her breath and shoved the corpse off herself to see three other armored maidens approach her.
"…Weiss?"
Weiss glimpsed at herself, gasping when she saw she was decked out in Sentinel foot soldier armor tailored to her frame. She had her weapon out – a long curved scimitar sword that radiated that same blue energy from the blade. She turned to Blake, to see her also in light Sentinel armor and armed with two katanas.
Out of all of them, Yang looked like an absolute powerhouse. She was fully encased in heavy armor that made her look like she was a couple more inches taller and she wore a steel mask that covered her mouth. Her own bloodstained weapons were two massive spiked gauntlets – cestus as they would be known in the Lingua Argenta
"Weird shit aside, this is badass," Yang couldn't help but grin at the sight of her gauntlets in spite of their current predicament. Then she turned to swing a left hook that split another Imp's skull in half. Weiss sliced another Imp in half masterfully, with only one hand gripping the hilt of her scimitar.
Blake exclaimed in panic, feeling like she had momentarily lost control of her body as she sliced a gargoyle to pieces with her katanas, "I…did I just do that?!"
"Wha-what's happening?!" Weiss cried. "Last thing I remembered, that woman shouting at Ruby to not touch that stone she had been holding."
"Y-yeah, I didn't mean to make her angry," Ruby rattled off. "Then, everything went green and…and…"
"And we ended up here," Blake added. She looked at herself clad in this steel armor that eerily reminded her of the Doom Slayer's. "Wherever here is."
Weiss checked her surroundings, confirming without a shadow of a doubt that they weren't on Remnant anymore. And not even in their timeline anymore either.
"How about 'when'?" Weiss pointed out.
Team RWBY each felt a chill run up their spine.
"Get outta here! Are you telling me we've gone back in time?!" Yang exclaimed. "Like, actual time travel?"
"You got a better explanation?!" Ruby cried. "Back in time. On another planet. For all we know it's billions of years ago."
"Holy Sentinels!"
In their confusion, they had forgotten about the peasant that they had just saved. They turned to see them prostrate themselves before them.
"Thank you!" one of them, an older man, spoke in gratitude, tears in his eyes. "Thank you!"
"Sentinels?!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's…we're on…"
Team RWBY froze up in shock as they realized…
"WE'RE ON ARGENT D'NUR! WILLIAM'S HOMEWORLD!"
"Yeah, I think that's been established, Rubes," Yang snarked, wincing from the volume of Ruby's shrieks.
Loud roaring caught their attention, causing the ground underneath their feet to shake and stones to fall from the buildings surrounding them.
"Guys, I don't think we should stay here," Blake implored.
"…I hear that," Yang pounded her spiked gauntlets, a resounding, satisfying CLANG the result. She turned to the peasants and asked, "What did that sound like to you?"
"The…the Titan," a woman replied, frightened. "A great beast approaches. They intend to bring down the Cathedral of Reflection and all who shelter within it!"
"You mind pointing us in the right direction?" Blake asked.
The woman blinked in confusion. She turned herself so that she could point west.
"If you're feeling brave, you can get there quicker if you cut east through the Beastkin Quarter," an Argenta man added. "All the animals will be too busy killing each other to notice you."
The girls remembered that Beastkin were Faunus that lived on Argent D'Nur eons ago. And they were treated just as poorly eons ago. Something that Blake didn't miss.
"…what?"
(Beastkin Quarter, Taras Nabad)
(Argent D'Nur)
MORI BESTIA MORI!
(Die beasts die!)
BESTIAE MORTEM NOBIS OMNES!
(Beasts brought death to us all!)
SPUMAE!
(Scum!)
STERCORE MANDUCARE NOVIK!
(Eat shit Novik!)
Team RWBY nearly felt their weapons slip out of their hands; the sight of the carnage before them almost unbearable to look at. The first three pieces of graffiti painted in black on the walls contrasted perfectly with what was presumed to be the Beastkin's response drawn in blood, right above the streets paved with Beastkin and Argenta corpses. No signs that the Beastkin were killed by demons, instead the number of cuts, slices, and bruises all but screamed they were sat upon by Argenta.
"…Blake?"
And the sole Faunus among them looked like she had gone catatonic. Yang noticed…
"BLAKE?!"
…and knowing they didn't have time; she raised her voice and grabbed her by the arm.
"W-what?" Blake cried.
"We don't have time for this!" Yang turned to Ruby, "Asshole said 'east', right?"
"Y-yeah," Ruby replied shakingly.
"East. C'mon!"
Clearly taking charge, Yang – still gripping Blake's arm – led them all ahead down the street, keeping off the road and sticking to the side paths where there were less corpses to step over.
"So many…killed so many…"
As hard as they tried not to think about it, Team RWBY could not help but wonder if there was any place in the universe where the Faunus weren't subjected to such horrific atrocities. They read about it on the stone texts back in Epsilon, but to see it in person…
"Don't look at them, Blake," Yang said, hurriedly. "We can't help them now-"
They turned a corner in time to see an Argenta bring a large mullet down on the head of a beaten and bloodied cat Beastkin, silencing his pleas for mercy as he cracked his skull apart. All the while more jeering Argenta civilians had an entire family of deer Beastkin cornered against a door with torches, clubs, knives and pitchforks bearing down on them.
Blake froze, eyes wide and pupils shrunken. Especially the way the mullet-wielding civilian turned to them, and smiled their way, obviously happy to see them and waving, as if he didn't just commit murder on a hapless innocent.
"Oh, fuck me," Yang growled.
"Sentinels!" The mullet Argenta called out to them, not noticing the way Team RWBY were gripping their weapons, the black-haired one with the dual katanas looking ready to kill. "Praise the Khan you're here! We can finally finish off-"
He didn't get another word out, on account of Blake separating his head from his neck and it went flying like a blood missile, landing right behind the mob of other Argenta and drawing their attention. They turned around to see four Sentinels approaching, the one in front with two katanas bearing down on them…
"RAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
…screaming in fury and anguish as she charged them.
"Wha-?" one of the Argenta mob started, then the katanas flashed blue. "NO WA-!"
Blake's katanas sliced through the flimsy wood, steel and the peasant mob with horrifying ease. Gripping both katanas tightly, Blake just swung away without any of her usual catlike grace, instead she was more like a berserker than anything else, turning out the screams and pleading of the humans as she sat herself upon them like an Argenta spirit of vengeance.
"BLAKE!"
By the time Ruby, Weiss and Yang caught up with her there was her, the Beastkin she just saved, and a small pile of dead Argenta in a small pool between them. Blake gritted her teeth and dropped her swords, realizing she had just killed people. Not even when she had been a part of the White Fang had she actually brought herself to take another's life.
Even if they were murderers, they were actual people. Not demons. People.
…this was the world the Slayer grew up on.
Shutting her eyes tightly she grounded out, tears welling in her eyes, "Gods dammit!"
"Hey, Blake," Yang patted her shoulder. "They were-?"
"DON'T!" Blake pulled away from Yang. "JUST…don't."
Ruby turned to the frightened Beastkin still pushing their back up against the door leading into their building. The Beastkin with stag antlers on his head quickly unlocked the door, a look of uncertain fear on his face. As Ruby approached him, that fear was quickly replaced by anger.
"Do you-?"
"You come to finish us off before the monsters do, Argenta whoresons?!" The Stag Beastkin spat as he herded his family through the heavy looking door into their home, cutting Ruby off and giving her a look of blistering hatred the likes of which were enough to cause Ruby to break out into a nervous chill.
Yang looked outraged, "Wha-? Blake just saved your asses from those Argenta."
"We came to help!" Ruby cried. "We came as soon as we could! We're sorry all this happened!"
"Sorry?! Say sorry to them!" the Faunus was full of rage and pointed to the dead outside his door, "Go take your war elsewhere!"
"N-no!" Blake exclaimed, stepping toward him. "W-we can still help!"
"You Sentinels can't help anyone!" he snarled. Tears were welling in his eyes as he sounded like he was pleading now, "Please…just leave us in the Wraith's hands!"
He slammed the door in Blake's face, leaving her speechless.
"I…I…"
"Hey," Yang patted Blake's shoulder. "The guy's right, we'd just bring more crap on them if we stay here." She turned to Ruby, "Right?"
"Y-yes," Ruby nodded. "Weiss?"
Weiss shook her head, closing her eyes and already weary, "Yes."
"Blake?"
"…."
Yang grabbed her hand when she saw that she was about to wander toward the dead Beastkin, most likely just to stare down at them for the purpose of punishing herself for something that was beyond her control. Blake rounded on Yang and was about to shout in her face.
"Blake, stop," Yang said, squeezing her hand gently. "We can't do any more here."
"…." Blake sniffed, wiped her eyes and nodded.
(Onward…)
Blake didn't hold onto her anguish for long. Not when there were more demons coming at them from all sides the further they pushed into the city center toward the cathedral. They were barely able to note the magnificence of Argenta architecture from eons ago as Team RWBY found themselves amongst hundreds of Sentinel warriors in a miasma of bloody death as they all fought against a seemingly never-ending tide of demons. From the 'common' Sentinels in their green armor hacking demons down left and right to a squad of knights in their silvered Templar-pattern power armor coordinating with one another to down a Baron of Hell with their energized lances, their squad leader delivering the coup de grace with bringing his shield down on the Baron's head.
Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang found themselves in the thick of it. Slicing, hacking, crushing, skewering, each of them lost in a sea of blood-stained iron and steel and losing themselves to their bloodlust, cogs in the Argenta war machine beating back the hordes of Hell. Sentinel airships sailed way above the city, plasma cannons picking targets out of the sky as mobile hover ballistas rolled into the city center, prompting dozens of Sentinels to duck out of the way as they opened fire on another advancing horde, blasting them to flaming blue pieces.
"YAH!" Yang caught another Imp in the throat with her elbow before wrapping her arms around it. With a loud, furious shout, Yang squeezed the Imp tightly in her arms, crushing the demon's spine in her grip and forcing one last choke out of it, before hurling the monster against the wall, narrowly avoiding hitting another Sentinel.
Above the cheers her wrath elicited from the warriors around her, she bellowed in rage, face growing purple with rage, "Any more of you?! ANY MORE OF Y-!"
Again, words Yang realized weren't hers were coming out of her mouth and giving her pause. Words, and her rage. Rage that was greater, and more frightening, then hers ever could hope to be…
"YANG!"
She felt herself in control when she heard her sister shout out to her as she ducked under the fist of a Hell Knight, swung her scythe and relieved it of its left leg. It toppled forward down onto its right knee, Ruby hooking her scythe underneath its neck and with one stroke sliced off its head.
"R-Ruby?"
"WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING!" Ruby cried, pointing in the direction of the Cathedral of Reflection. "WEISS, BLAKE?!"
Blake sliced through another two Imps and called back, "Right behind you!"
"Coming…!" Weiss exclaimed, thrusting her scimitar through the neck of a Gargoyle.
Keeping their distance from the bulk of the fighting, RWBY continued east, passing by more units of Sentinels that were holding the invaders back.
"This…this is Williams' world?!" Weiss exclaimed. "Really?!"
"What, you think he was born an asshole?" Yang snarked. "Did he ever mention how old he was when all this went down?"
"Not old enough," Blake replied. "I…LOOK OUT!"
Just when they were about to reach the cathedral, a Hell Knight leapt at them from a nearby rooftop, smashing its fist down into the ground and sending the girls flying. Beating its chest, it made a beeline straight for Ruby, the girl quickly rolling over to grab her scythe just as the Hell Knight leapt back up into the air…only to be smacked out of the sky and causing it to land unceremoniously on its side, cracking the pavement underneath it's weight.
Yang's eyes widened in awe, "Whoa…"
Their savior was a tall, strong-looking middle-aged looking man in grey armor that didn't look too dissimilar to the Praetor Suit. His small beard was white as was the color of his mohawk and eyebrows, his silver-eyes were dulled with both age and weariness, and he was armed with a Wraith-energized blue-colored warhammer.
"Legate-Commander Valen!" Ruby involuntarily blurted out.
The Sentinel Commander nodded her way, then brought his warhammer down on the Hell Knight, reducing everything above its stomach to red mist and spraying Team RWBY and himself. He glimpsed at what he saw were four battle weary Sentinels as he hefted his warhammer up and over his shoulder.
The Sentinel Commander – Valen – grabbed Ruby's hand and hoisted her back onto her feet, "Brothers, you made it."
"Barely," Weiss responded. "Those…beasts. They're everywhere."
Weiss didn't notice that her words weren't her own.
"Are there any more Sentinels heading our way?" Valen asked.
Ruby shook her head and replied, sounding unsure, "We're the only ones that made it…here…?"
Again, she felt like wasn't speaking as herself.
"The rest are still holding the bulk of the invaders in the city center," Weiss involuntarily added, eyes widened all the while.
Valen looked briefly forlorn, scowling angrily. "Well, we need every living man we can get." He indicated the stairs leading up to the cathedral, "Tend to your wounds and arms, then prepare yourselves."
Ruby felt herself clench her right fist and put it over her heart in a salute.
Valen nodded, allowing them to march past him and up the stairs toward the cathedral's front entrance.
"Anyone else feel like he didn't notice we weren't 'brothers?'" Weiss queried.
"I don't think anyone's noticed," Yang replied. She glanced down at her gauntlets, "And these look way heavier than they feel."
"…so, I'm just shooting in the dark here: we went back in time and…I'm guessing, warped into the bodies of four guys?" Blake observed.
Yang once again observed how heavy her armor should feel, "Four really beefy guys?"
Weiss crossed her arms and scowled, "And just what does that mean?"
Ruby cringed as she sensed that the conversation was going places they shouldn't be worrying about at the moment. They stepped through the massive ornate doorway leading into the cathedral, passing by Sentinels either limping past carrying their oversized weapons, sitting against the wall or lying down being tended to by the priestess-healers.
And they all had silver eyes, something that kept distracting Ruby as they made their way through the cathedral, until she bumped into someone.
"Oh…sorry, I didn't mean to-huh?"
It was an adolescent Sentinel, around fifteen or sixteen-years-old. His long blonde hair was tied in a braid that reached down just above the small of his back and he was dressed in what could be described as an armored chest plate over a monk's habit. And he was armed with a spiked morning star that was dangling from the hip on his belt.
"Wait…"
Ruby's eyes widened when she recognized him. From the photo-parchment William had on his person. And unlike William, this one's silver eyes were just as bright as her own, a clear indication that despite the terrible things around him, he had a sense of optimism and he wasn't about to lose it anytime soon.
"You come from the market square?" the blonde Sentinel asked, in awe. "You…you survived the beasts that came from the north! How?"
"…holy shit…" Yang muttered wide-eyed, not believing that she was talking to Williams' younger brother.
"Pardon?"
Yang collected herself and exclaimed, "Uhhhhh…it was shit! Yeah, real shit.!" She cracked her knuckles, "We really had to fight our way outta there." Yang grinned awkwardly. "Good times."
"…gods," Weiss groaned into her palm.
"…." the Sentinel blinked in confusion. "…ok?" He shook his head. "I'm Lahl by the way," the young man introduced himself, cheerily and with a smile, closing his eyes for extra, dazzling effect. "Lahl Ateius."
"…'Lahl'?" Ruby parroted, the name sounding awkward to say.
Wasn't Hunter the name of Williams' younger brother?
"…uh…" agape, Weiss was taken aback by how cheerful he was in spite of their current circumstances. Not to mention how far his delicate, boyish appearance was from the more rugged William. Averting her gaze with a reddened face she responded, "I…I'm-"
"Glad to see you as well," Ruby butted in, with a smile. "I…didn't think we would find anyone still alive."
"I think we can thank the Wraiths that we're all here now," Lahl stated. "I know I am." He smiled. "My brother lives and my dad survived the first wave. They're watching over us in spite of-" he paused, frowning. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just-" he looked away, embarrassed. "-happy to see our people survive." He gasped, feeling Ruby pat him on the shoulder and looked back at her.
"That's ok. I'm happy to see you as well," Ruby replied, still smiling. "I…need to go over there now…"
Still smiling, Ruby walked right past a confused Lahl, turned the corner and stood behind a pillar. She wasn't smiling now, instead her face contorting into one of sorrow as the tears she fought against began to fall, only managing to cover her mouth to stifle her sobs.
It was too much. Meeting William's younger brother and seeing how happy and positive he was despite what was happening around them. For Ruby, it was like staring into a mirror.
For William, she realized, being around her was like staring at his younger brother's reflection.
"…."
"Ruby?"
She quickly wiped her eyes as the rest of the girls joined her. Yang's face softened when she saw that she had been crying.
"S-sorry, guys," Ruby said. "I just…just meeting William's brother, it's too much I…" She noticed they were looking past her at something. "Hey, what…"
Blake blinked, stupefied.
"I don't believe it…"
They saw him. Ruby saw him.
Somebody dear to her…
William Joseph Blazkowicz III, the future Slayer. Though he stood around six foot three, he clearly looked to be a late adolescent of around eighteen or nineteen years of age. He too was clad in green armor that accentuated his rather impressive physique, particularly around the abdominals, and obviously required if he was to wield the greatsword he had sheathed on his back. He held his helmet under his right arm, allowing all to see his hair was grown down to the bottom of his neck. All in all, giving him the appearance of a young Sentinel warrior that had already seen his fair share of battle already at such an age.
Ruby noticed the other Sentinel being chummy with him – a bronze-skinned, red-haired young man with sharpened teeth and armed with a spear, bandages wrapped around his muscled right arm. Markacc turned his head to see a priestly-looking monk type approach him and say something Ruby couldn't hear. Markacc regarded him for a few seconds, turned to his companion to see him shrug and he left with the monk to somewhere unknown.
"Hey, who's that guy?" Yang asked out loud. "It's kind of weird seeing someone being chummy with BJ."
"Yes, that does look pretty unsettling," Weiss agreed.
Another Sentinel that was passing by answered, "Commander Valen's son." He frowned, "You all from a tribe that lived under a rock?"
Weiss scowled, "Excuse you?"
The Sentinel flipped her off as he went on his way, leaving the former heiress outraged.
"How uncouth," Weiss couldn't stop from pouting. "Then again, these were uncivilized brutes from a bygone era." She turned to her friends, "You agree with-Ruby?"
Ruby had disappeared.
(Astral Communications Chamber)
Ruby was being as discreet (as much as not having her Semblance with her allowed her) as possible as she trailed behind Markacc and the monk that was leading him toward another door. The monk bowed his head and Markacc stepped through. Ruby followed, sneaking into the chamber as the door closed and finding herself in a large chamber resembling an amphitheater, complete with stone seating. Quickly hiding herself behind one of the steel seats and sat down behind it, peering out to see Markacc walk toward the center of the room.
She covered her mouth when she saw a glowing ethereal figure materialize before Markacc, taking the shape of a man that was just as tall as he was and himself wearing knightly armor.
"William."
Markacc momentarily scowled at being called that, before composing himself and coolly responding, "Dad."
Ruby breathed in sharply, 'Dad?'
"You and Hunter safe?"
"Yeah. We got past through the city center before the fightin' got more intense," Markacc replied. "Valen's havin' us hold here until the king arrives with his knights."
Ruby blinked. So far, this was the most words she'd heard William string together in a single sentence.
The dad shook his head, Ruby just making out the anger on his face, "Goddammit, I thought you would have gotten Atlan support by now!"
"…nope," Markacc affirmed. He paused with confusion, "Why are you here? This ain't the time to-"
"I…" dad began, looking conflicted on what he should be saying. "I don't know. One of the Maykrs contacted me, wanted to offer me something. A 'gift' he called it." He looked hopeful, "It's going behind the Khan Maykr's back, but could turn this whole thing around if I accept."
"…will you?"
"Samur said it has to be either me…or you," dad declared. "He insisted the Ateius bloodline would guarantee a better result, but I'd rather it'd be me. I..." he paused, only to snarl with unwavering resolution. "…I'm not gonna lose you kids. Not today, not ever."
"…." Markacc knew he meant Keel and Perenna as well.
He never truly got over his mother's death. Nor accepted the circumstances surrounding it.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Sash and Perenna as well," Markacc's Dad said. "I've got…there's something I need to take care of first." He looked offscreen at something. He focused back on Markacc. "Just take care of yourself. And your brother as well."
Markacc nodded and replied, "We will."
The older man smiled. "I…I love you, pal."
"…." Markacc said nothing, instead he put his right fist over his heart in the Sentinel salute.
Dad just gave another tired smile, one of acceptance, before his projection faded.
All the while Ruby listened to this exchange. Staring straight ahead at the shadows in front of her, she closed her eyes, trying hard not to tear up. It looked like he didn't see eye to eye with his own father toward the end of his life on Argent D'Nur. Ruby could never imagine being cold to her own father, but she never grew up in a medieval society with – the treatment of the Beastkin as any indication - the values to match either.
"I know you're there."
Ruby felt her hair stand on end and she had to suppress a 'eep'. She sighed and stood up, and she couldn't help but feel sick at how Markacc looked disappointed at her. She still couldn't get over how adolescent the Slayer looked, or the fact he was scowling at her like he didn't know her.
Markacc narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion as he approached her, "Do I know you, brother?"
Ruby's mouth was agape as she struggled to make a response, "Uh…I…"
They heard distant horns going off outside the chamber. Markacc tore his gaze away from Ruby toward the door, drawing his greatsword as he ran to answer the call. Ruby followed him, her scythe already in her hands. They ran back into the main chamber in time to see the cathedral doors closed and locked, and the majority of the Sentinels were bellowing at the top of their lungs, led on by Valen who raised his warhammer. Ruby was surprised to see Weiss, Blake and Yang were also joining in the revelry.
"Guys!" Ruby cried. "What-?"
Realizing that she was smiling in the face of possible death, Yang shook her head and replied, "All those demons we passed by are all on their way here-"
"And I…think we're happy that we're able to go through a last stand!" Weiss exclaimed, panicked. "I mean…I feel happy that we're able to endure a warrior's death, but at the same time it feels wrong and-AHHH!" She cried out and smacked herself in the head. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH US?!"
"What's wrong with these people!?" Blake cried. "Is this how humans fought back then? This is madness!"
Ruby looked over to see Markacc also shouting at the top of his lungs, himself no different than his fellow Sentinels. Tears welled in her eyes. Somehow, she knew that there was no way she and her team were going to get out of this alive. This was a last stand if she ever saw one. They were eons back in the past on an alien world, neither of them were going to see their homes or loved ones ever again. This was all they had left. Each other. All other Night Sentinels with them.
Including those boys known as Markacc, Lahl and Keel.
Ruby wiped her eyes, and declared out loud toward Markacc, "We're not leaving you…William!"
Markacc paused his bellowing, his ears pricked at hearing that name.
"W-what…?" Markacc said, startled by their declaration. More so that they referred to him by his Terran name. Why did this guy act like he knew him? He turned to Lahl, who looked equally confused.
"Hey, don't spoil this for me," Keel smiled, his shaking hands forcing his helmet back on before reaching down to grip his spear. "I've always wanted…to go out like this, y'know?"
"Like what?" Lahl asked.
"Standing alongside friends in a last stand," Keel replied. "Before the forces of darkness." His eyes shined brightly, his smile becoming determined, "It's the kind of death we always read about in the chronicles." He turned to Markacc, "What about you, Markacc."
"…." Markacc winced as he minded the gash in his arm, the gauze irritating it. He grumbled, "…don't wanna see mom yet." He turned to Lahl.
Lahl shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere." He eyed Team RWBY, "Either."
The pounding on the door grew louder and they looked ready to topple over any given second.
Valen gripped his warhammer in anticipation, "Son?"
"Yeah?"
"What was the vow our tribe recited before the Wraiths at the beginning of time?"
Keel smiled. He recited in Lingua Argentum, "Vita est pulchrum. Vita est sacris. Vigiliae ad arma conclamant et nos sumus, Nocte venimus."
Ruby's eyes lit up when her mind somehow recognized the words…
Life is beautiful.
Life is sacred.
We are its sentinels.
We come from the night.
"D'Nur Aeternum!" Valen declared with finality.
D'Nur Eternal.
"D'NUR AETERNUM!" The other Sentinels in the hall bellowed out loud, Team RWBY's voices among them as they unknowingly joined in.
The great cathedral doors caved underneath the weight of hundreds of raving, berserking demons that were immediately blasted apart by bows, crossbows and ballista spewing forth Wraith energy projectiles that brought up a cloud of vaporizing blue. Their shields up, the first line of Sentinels marched, spears pointed forth as they made their advance.
Their shields absorbed a hail of fireballs flung at them from Imps, but were unable to withstand the furious ground pounds of three Barons of Hell that sent the spearmen flying, many of whom were blasted into pieces as the Barons began flinging their own green Hell plasma at the Sentinels.
"WITH ME, BROTHERS!"
Team RWBY found themselves amongst hundreds following after Valen as they charged the demonic horde within the cathedral. Blood, viscera and bodies were flying as both sides made impact against one another, hellfire and plasma being exchanged between them as steel struck claw and hide. Breathing hard, Ruby fought to not lose herself again to the violence, even as she hacked away at the demons that came at her, finding herself quickly awash in blood.
And none more so than Markacc, Ruby observed. The way he handled his massive sword as he bisected Imps and Gargoyles left and right, before moving to grip the edge of his blade with his right gauntlet as he moved to a half-sword stance, swinging the pommel into the chest of a Hell Knight, following up with another blow to the jaw that knocked it down to one knee, Markacc gripping his sword with both hands and bringing the sword down and splitting the Hell Knight's skull in half.
Ruby tried to fight her way toward him, but there were so many demons. The blade of her scythe was completely drenched in blood, she felt like it was going to slip out of her hands at any moment. She saw Weiss holding her own against two Imps, ducking underneath one's fireball before thrusting her sword through one's eyes, and with a turn of the wrist she took the top half of its head off.
Just as she was about to turn to the other Imp, that was winding up another fireball…
CRACK!
…Lahl brought his morning star down, cracking the Imp's skull in half, pulling his head back to avoid another's fireball. Gripping the morning star's handle tightly it generated an overdrive of lightning and he unleashed a blast of Wraith energy that fried a Hell Knight where it stood, stunning it long enough for him to grip his morning star with both hands and swinging it underneath his head and knocking it right off its feet and leaving a crack in the floor.
He finished it off with an axe kick to the head, spitting its skull in half.
And this time, Weiss gawked wordlessly.
'This is William's brother?' Weiss thought. "Are all the men in his family killing machines?"
Weiss slashed another Imp, then another, and instinctively tried to summon a protective glyph…
"Damn-"
…and cursed out loud when she remembered she couldn't, narrowly dodging another Hell Knight punch, catching Lahl's morning star to the back of its head, a sound of electrical cracking following, then another. Weiss could see the fury on his face, and couldn't keep her from taking a step back as the monk disintegrated the Hell Knight's head.
"Monstrum!" Lahl cursed angrily at the demon's headless corpse. "Perdidisti familiar!"
'You ruined my family!'
Concussions shook the entire temple, sending nearly everyone off their feet, followed by pieces of the building beginning to fall around them.
"TITAN!" Valen bellowed. "THE TITAN APPROACHES!"
"Titan?!" Ruby exclaimed, panicked. "What's a-WHOA!"
She grabbed a nearby candlestand to stop herself from falling over, just in time for pieces of the ceiling to begin to collapse, crushing demon and Sentinel alike. She turned herself to see Lahl dive toward her, shoving her out of the way as pieces of the ceiling collapsed inward. Others were able to avoid being crushed, but Lahl wasn't so lucky as the debris he pushed her out of the way fell on him instead, bringing up a cloud of dust and sending smaller pieces all over the place.
"Lahl!" Ruby exclaimed, before coughing as she waved the dust cloud away from her face. When it settled, she gasped.
She could hear Weiss scream, "NO!"
Lahl was completely crushed below his chest, underneath the pieces of the ceiling dome. No last words from him, only breathlessly coughing up blood before his head lulled and he became still, the light in his silver eyes gone forever. Ruby shook her head, pupils shrunken to pin pricks as she felt herself unable to reconcile the fact that he, William's brother, just gave his life for hers.
"No no no no no no no no no no no no no no…" Ruby shook her head, softly repeating denials as if that would rewind what just happened. She looked over to see Markacc staring their way…
"…"
…standing there frozen, expressionless, like he himself couldn't comprehend his brother's death either. Ruby tore her gaze away, shaking as she felt the tears fall.
Was this the moment where William broke for good?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Ruby was repeating to herself again.
"GET UP!" Blake exclaimed, sheathing her right katana and gripping her arm and lifting her back up onto her feet, before redrawing her sword in time to hack the arm off another imp. She screamed when she caught a fireball to the right shoulder, melting and warping the armor and fusing it to her skin. Gritting her teeth as she felt the adrenaline coarse through her and the rage take over, she let out a furious bellow and charged the Imp that hit her, slicing it across the chest in a cross motion and downing it.
She then felt two acidic barbs strike her in the chest and back. Eyes widened in pain as it felt like fire coarse through her veins, the paralysis causing her to sink to her knees as she could only make a strangled gasp as the Gargoyle dove for her and swung its grafted left arm blade.
"W-wai-!"
Death was instantaneous, as it should be when one is relieved of their head, the Gargoyle screeching as it tossed it over its shoulder and licked Blake's blood of its claws, her face permanently settled for an expression of horrified agony as it sailed through the air, landing on the ground and rolling across the floor, becoming lost amidst the fighting, which only seemed to intensify as the demons continued to pour in.
"NO!" Yang screamed, ripping the Imp she had in her arms in half before charging at the Gargoyle, knocking over any Sentinel in her way and bludgeoning any demon that crossed her, before grabbing the Gargoyle responsible by its head
"RAAAARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
…and tear its jaws open, and swing the body into a Hell Knight, the body splattering against his chest. It wiped the blood from its eyes in time to see Ruby charge at it, screaming out a war cry and slashing it across its chest before taking off its right leg. Ruby felt a smile tug at the edge of her lips, and immediately felt a frightened chill run through her body, but pushed it down long enough to move in on the fallen demon.
Now missing a leg, the Hell Knight shakingly reached for the closest thing it could use against the maddened human with the scythe – a Sentinel spear. Rolling over onto its back, it blindly thrusted the broken spear forward, the business end jutting out Ruby's right shoulder, just narrowly missing her heart.
"RUBY!" Again, Yang's screams were full of shock, rage and grief. Daring to turn her back in a vain attempt to reach her sister, she was dogpiled by several Imps. "GET OFF! GET OFF!"
"…." Ruby's mouth was open in a silent scream, turning her head to see it impale her. She barely registered the pain as shock seeped in, nor did she notice Keel bring his own spear through the Hell Knight's skull, finishing it off with a twist of his wrists.
"Bastard!" Keel exclaimed. He turned to Ruby, eyes widened in his helm. "HEY!"
Ruby almost reflexively grabbed the splintered iron end of the spear and tore it out, blood spraying. Feeling her knees begin to wobble, she gripped her scythe and hacked another Imp down. At first Keel looked surprised by this strange Sentinel, he nevertheless couldn't keep a grin off his face as he parried another Imp that attempted to drop kick him, redirecting it to land smack onto the ground and leave itself open for Keel to bring his spear down on its chest.
Yang gritted her teeth as she felt herself being pinned to the ground by a small group of Imps who were slashing maniacally at her, breaking their claws against her armor. She gritted her teeth when she felt one of them nick her in the cheek through the visor of her helmet. Were she herself, she would have sent them all flying through her Semblance alone.
But she didn't have her Semblance. She was going to end up crushed to death by these things…
"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
…or she would have if Markacc hadn't swung his greatsword hard enough to send several of them flying, pieces and all, off her, freeing her up for her to push herself up and swing her right fist and cave in an Imp's skull. Markacc split another Imp in half, turning in time to see…
"…shit…"
…a Baalgar barge in past the wrecked door armed with a gigantic axe, where with one swing it split several Sentinels and even more demons in half, sending blood and body parts flying all over. Valen quickly rushed to challenge it, swinging his hammer at its abdomen, which it blocked using its axe and proceeded to counter by thrusting the pommel into Valen's chest, knocking him right back before giving a mighty swing that Valen was forced to counter with his own swing, the resulting energized feedback knocking the Baalgar back a few feet while Valen was sent flying and colliding against a whole group of demon, hitting the back of his head against a Hell Knight and knocking him out cold.
"DAD!" Keel exclaimed, rushing to his father's aid, jumping up and leaping off an upturned pillar and bringing his spear down on the Hell Knight's chest.
He soon found himself surrounded by more demons. Gripping his spear, he stood over Valen's unconscious form. The silver in his eyes brightened considerably, then his closed his eyes and opened them back up when the demons leapt at him, releasing a blinding, white flash that incinerated the demons where they hovered in the ear, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
Ruby's attention most of all.
"No way…"
More demons moved in on Keel, Ruby finding herself swamped by more of them as well, erasing any attempt for her to come to Keel's aid.
The Baalgar got back up and went to retrieve its axe, only to receive a slash across its wrist thanks to Weiss' scimitar. Weiss paled when she saw the furious shadow lord and realized she had just bitten off more than she could chew. Immediately trying to make a retreat, she was set upon by a Baron of Hell, ducking out of the way of its fireballs, turning her back to the Baalgar and not being able to react in time when the Baalgar struck…
"GWARGKKKKKK!"
…and was practically wrapped around the Baalgar's fist, blood spraying from her mouth as she suffered horrendous internal injuries, followed by a broken back as she made impact with the wall.
"WEISS!" Ruby shouted, before screaming in pain as an Imp slashed her across the back. Gritting her teeth in fury, she spun around with scythe in hand and slashed it in half, just barely noticing the Shadow Lord moving toward Weiss.
"GET OFF ME!" Yang bellowed as the Imps once again continued to pile on her, preventing her from moving to Weiss' aid.
Unable to move and in terrible agony, Weiss waived any pretense of dying with any sort of grace and dignity and could only shake in fear as the Baalgar brought its axe down…
"Winter-"
…giving her enough time to whimper her sister's name…
SPLATCHHHH!
…and her armor was split and the length of her torso was cleaved open, Weiss' mouth wide open and her eyes bulging as she could only manage a pained choke as the force behind the Baalgar's blow bounced her a foot off the ground. Stillness ensued as the light in her eyes faded, her blood spread out in a puddle, then nothing.
Ruby cut another Imp down that got in her way, then laid eyes on Weiss' body.
"…."
Nothing. She felt nothing now. She was numb. She felt herself slacken as she dropped her scythe, the Baalgar now going for her as her injuries now finally caught up with her and she fell to the ground. The Baalgar saw her, its twisted face forming an evil smile as it stomped over toward her, crushing the bodies of both demon and Sentinel underneath its feet. Suddenly, it took a ballista shot to its right eye, courtesy of Keel.
Keel, his armor and his flesh was torn to absolute ribbons, and his strength gave out and he collapsed. The Baalgar roared and went for him instead, only for Markacc to charge it, driving his greatsword though the left side of its abdomen as he stood over Keel. Keel grinned painfully up at Markacc and extended a fist toward him, the blood running down from his eyes.
"Good fight…Markacc…." he croaked. "Tell dad…it was a good fight…"
With all his strength, Markacc tried to push the shadow lord back and drive his sword deeper into it. The Baalgar snarled and smacked him hard enough to send him flying into a pillar, smacking his back against it and blood spewing out of his mouth as he felt something burst within him as he hit the ground and skidded to a stop some feet in front of Ruby. Coughing more blood, Markacc tried to push himself back up as the Baalgar let out a triumphant roar…
"HIYAAAHHHHH!"
…leaving it open for a bloodied, thoroughly brutalized Yang to punch it hard in the left leg, shattering the bone past its chitlin-like armor and causing it to fall to its knees and be face level with Yang. With absolute fury on her face and exacerbated by the horrific blood red in her eyes, Yang stretched her arms out to the side and gripped the Baalgar's head in her bloodied gauntlets and bellowed with might as she began to squeeze…
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
…the Baalgar released its own last defiant roar in Yang's face…
"RAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH-!"
…before it burst apart in an explosion that bathed Yang in blood and brain.
"…fuck you too."
She staggered backward, and turned around to see Ruby looking back at her, horrified at the sight of her and the ghastly amount of wounds on her. Yang could only manage a dazed smile of triumph before collapsing into Markacc's arms, the weakened Sentinel setting her down on the ground, a puddle of blood rapidly forming where she laid.
"…no…"
Her whole team was dead. She was alone now.
"…." Ruby didn't have the strength left in her to scream her sister's name. She could only turn toward the only Sentinel still standing. None other than Markacc, now struggling to stay awake and on his feet as he staggered forward using his greatsword for support.
"W-William-"
That look of pained denial on Markacc's face made her feel colder, "T-that's not my n-name-" He collapsed on his side, hand covering his stomach wound, gritting his teeth as he groaned. "I-I…"
Ruby wasn't used to seeing William – the Doom Slayer – in such a horrible state, writhing on the ground in agony with everything seemingly torn from him. His brother, his friends, his comrades, all dead; and she was about to join them.
At the very least, she won't be alone.
Markacc collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Ruby yelped in agony as she pushed herself off the ground and started to crawl over toward Markacc…
"William…William…"
…repeating his name over and over, until…
"SHIELDS UP! FORWARD!"
…a column of Sentinel Elite Knights stormed into the hall, their lances at the ready, the visors on their sealed helms glowing brightly and reflecting off their silvered armor as they skewered every last remaining demon in sight. Afterward, they were confronted by a hall full of their dead comrades, and each one surrounded by the corpses of the hundreds of demons they slaughtered. Ordinarily this would be a glorious way for a Sentinel to die, but not everybody was sharing this sentiment. Not Ruby.
And not…
"WILLIAM! HUNTER! KEEL!"
Ruby heard a loud voice call out from behind the knights, before the source shoved right through them to reveal a young Rabbit Beastkin woman of eighteen years with blonde hair tied up in a braid that ran down to the small of her back. She was armed with a Sentinel energy bow, and she wore light bronze-colored armor, also covered in blood but thankfully none of it was hers. Her eyes were wide as she saw the large amount of Sentinel dead before her.
She saw the corpses of her friends…
"KEEL!" the Rabbit Beastkin exclaimed, rolling him over onto his back, the tears already welling in her eyes when she saw that he had already expired. She gasped when she saw William on the ground, just as bloodied and rushed over to him. "N-n-no…WILLIAM! WILLIAM!"
"Wil-" Ruby croaked, then saw Yang's remains as the Beastkin shifted herself. "Y-Yang-"
The Rabbit's eyes stared at her bloodied hands in horror, and then noticed Ruby and their eyes met for the first, and last, time as Ruby's blood ran out and she finally began to expire, surrounded by the corpses of both demons and Sentinels.
As her eyes grew heavy, she couldn't hear the Beastkin throwing herself on William and shouting over her shoulder, at the knights before frantically trying to stem William's stomach wound with her hands, frantically screaming as she did so, especially at the seven-foot tall, white-bearded man with three distinct boils on his left cheek, that wore a wolf's pelt over his armor that wore the Crown of Sentinel Prime on his head, a Wraith-blessed energy sword in his left hand.
"King Novik!" one of the elite Sentinels called out. "We have word from-"
"Markacc!" King Novik exclaimed, his voice deep and booming as he walked over toward the rabbit Beastkin and Markacc. He paused when he noticed Ruby and looked her way.
"HELP ME!" the Beastkin shouted up at the king. "SAMUR SENT ME! WE HAVE TO GET HIM BACK TO THE PALACE. THE DIVINITY EN-! "
"You dare address our king?!" another Sentinel approached her, looking intent on striking her with his hand if Novik hadn't waved him down.
"We can still save him!" the Beastkin exclaimed. "We have to get him to the-!"
Ruby's world finally became dark, King Novik still looking at her. Directly at her, right through the Sentinel she had been looking out the eyes of this whole time…
(…a nanosecond later in reality...)
"-AT!"
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGHHGHGGGHHHHHHH!"
…and she was screaming bloody murder as she tripped over and fell on her back, dropping the rune which bounced on the floor a couple of times. She groaned in pain and rubbed her now aching back. The cries of her sister and teammates drew her out of her pained, frightened bubble. She saw that Qrow…
"Hey, HEY KID! TAKE IT EASY!"
…had his arms around Yang who struggled hard, her flushed, maddened face looking like she wanted to destroy the closest thing around her.
"LEMME' GO!" Yang screamed, trying to get out of Qrow's grip. "THEY KILLED ME! THEY KILLED EVERYONE! I'LL-I'LL KILL THEM…KILL THEM ALL! EVERY SINGLE FUCKIN' DEMON IN HELL!" Her eyes turned red, looked over her shoulder and glowered straight into Qrow's eyes. "Lemme' go or I'll kill you-!"
"Y-Yang?" Ruby called out.
Yang froze when she saw Ruby, alive and unharmed. She paused, before her face scrunched up as she burst into tears, Qrow releasing her so she fell to the ground, scrambled over toward Ruby and nearly crushing her with the biggest hug she could manage, as if afraid that if she let go of her, she'd fade away into dust like everything else tens of thousands of years ago already had.
Stepping forward, Ozpin looked unconcerned as he asked, "What did you see?"
Team RWBY were shocked to hear their headmaster ask them such a question, as if he expected Ruby to grab one of Amber's runes and draw them into another world
Nevertheless, a shaken Weiss replied, "They fought…with swords and shields? Without Aura…or Semblance? It was…carnage. Carnage…everywhere…"
"T-there were Faunus," Blake stammered, clearly in shock. "They were…they were murdered like…like…"
"Animals?" Amber noted, sadly. "Where do you think Remnant picked that up from?"
"My…my head's still there, right?" Blake was suddenly feeling her skull all over, eyes wide and tearing up. "I…I didn't just…just-"
"You're fine," Amber looked over her shoulder at her.
"You mind telling us what just happened?" Qrow heatedly addressed the half-a-Maiden. "First you shouted at Ruby not to pick that rune up, and a second later the girls are acting like they just took another waltz through Hell's half-acre."
"We…we might as well have," Weiss shot back.
"You were all under the influence of the Echo Rune," Amber explained and reached over and picked it up, putting it back in the chest with the rest of them. "Memories infused by Sentinel magic into these carved stones."
Ruby swallowed, "You mean…that wasn't real?"
"It felt real!" Yang growled. "It felt like they ripped me to shreds!"
Closing the chest with an audible thud followed by the locks sealing it, she turned to look at Ruby, and asked with all sincerity, "Do you make a habit of picking up anything that looks alien that just happens to be in reach?"
Yang's eyes turned red, "You smartassed-! " she felt Qrow's hand roughly on her shoulder. "Hey-!"
"I…I…I…I never got to say goodbye~" Ruby rattled on, crying and causing Yang to not even think of struggling out of Qrow's grasp. "We…we all just died-"
"It's war, Ruby," Qrow said, releasing Yang and appearing sympathetic as he stated that fact as gently as he could. "When the fighting starts, no one has any time for any kind of 'goodbye' before their number comes up."
"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Yang yelled. Wiping her mouth, she turned to Amber, "Fine, that wasn't real, but what was that?"
Amber looked regretful as she explained, "What you just experienced were the memories of a group of youngblood Sentinels from the Desolation of Taras Nabad, in Argent D'Nur's past. When they died, their memories were extracted and preserved in these runes."
"B-but we…were ourselves," Weiss cried. "We…interacted with those Argenta. We felt everything." She shuddered, still feeling the phantom pains inflicted upon her. "It all felt real!"
"Your mind's made it real," Amber continued. She opened the chest and picked up the rune, wiping a thumb over the symbol engraved on it. "Sentinel magic is as twisted as it is brilliant."
Calming down somewhat, Ruby swallowed, "So all those people...died?"
"…." Amber lowered her eyes, sadly. "Yes."
Blake looked absolutely devastated, "There was so much…so much death…" Her eyes watered, "And William lived through all that?"
"…yes," Amber replied. "On the day that happened to be Markacc Ateius' final battle, before the return of William Joseph Blazkowicz III and his rebirth as the Great Slayer." She paused, giving everyone time to reflect. "The Night Sentinels didn't have Aura or Semblance, they relied solely on their peak physical strength, their steel, their wits and their armor for protection."
Weiss frowned, "And we descend from them?"
"From the colonists and their beastkin slaves that were left behind on this world when it rebelled against Sentinel rule," Amber explained. "They weren't just the ones blessed with silver eyes from the Wraiths, they were also peoples the Argenta found on other worlds and incorporated into their empire." She paused to give everyone present time to reflect. "Most of the remaining silver-eyed Sentinel bloodlines eventually mixed with those other peoples so that they became diluted enough that the silver just…disappeared."
"…." Ruby was thoughtful. "So, my mom was…a Sentinel? For real?"
"She wouldn't have been a trueborn Argenta, but her…your bloodline is pure enough to retain the silver eyes." Amber explained. Her tone became hopeful, "And the power behind them."
"...I…" Ruby nodded. "Y-yeah. Keel hadn't been the last one after all. But William doesn't have that power. He-'
"William was granted his divinity through other means, I would imagine," Ozpin said.
Yang stared at Ozpin, hard, "I guess you don't know how?"
Glynda didn't like Yang's tone, "Ms. Xiao Long…"
"Hey, it's a simple question," Yang shot back. "William doesn't shoot light from his eyes; he rips and tears."
"True," Ozpin acknowledged. "This would be something I should know about. But I do not, unfortunately."
"…." Qrow regarded Ozpin wearily. He noticed Ruby was sitting on the ground, sniffling. He sighed and knelt in front of her. "You're gonna be alright, kiddo."
"I…I don't know…"
Qrow smiled and patted her shoulder, "No, I said 'you're going to be alright.' I was stating a fact."
"…what?"
"Now you know what death's like, how it feels to have it come down on you," Qrow explained. "And we're gonna make sure something like that never happens. To us, to anyone." He turned to the other members of Team RWBY. "That alright with you?"
"…." Ruby looked at the floor, replaying those horrid images of Taras Nabad in her head over and over. There was no way she was ever going to truly get over watching her sister and teammates die and watching William's brother and best friend die for him. She thought the despair she had felt was too deep for her to climb back out, but Qrow's reassurance was somehow enough for her to gain some leverage.
"…yes."
And that was all she needed. She turned to her teammates, taking them back by that look of determination on her face that could possibly rival the Slayer's, "You guys?"
"…you even have to ask?" Weiss asked. "I have no intention of dying like that."
"Like an animal?" Blake added, scowling. "No way."
"How about not dying at all?!" Yang exclaimed, fiercely determined. "There's no way Remnant's going the way of BJ's planet."
"Or it's kingdoms," Weiss interjected. "We'll finish what the Sentinels started, count on it."
Ozpin felt pride for these girls well within himself. He could not remember the last time he had seen such resolution, especially in the face of their world's total annihilation. Though she felt concern for these young girls, Amber had to smile at their resolve.
"…heh," Qrow shook his head, his own mirthful smile showing.
"…." Glynda appeared indifferent, though inwardly she felt scared for Team RWBY, at how eager they were to throw themselves into the slaughter once again.
"It warms my heart to see your resolve hasn't broken after all this time," Ozpin said. "For the days to come, it may be the only thing that will help you to endure." He looked thoughtful, "For all of us."
(Soon after…)
Qrow led Team RWBY out of Amber's chamber and back toward the lift, leaving Ozpin and Glynda with Amber. Qrow looked over his shoulder at Yang, "Hey, you still got Bumblebee?"
Yang stared at her uncle, surprised, "You kidding me? I almost forgot I had it; it's been a while."
"What's 'Bumblebee?'?" Blake inquired.
"My motorcycle," Yang replied. "Shame we didn't have it when we got sucked into Hell." She grinned, "Burning rubber beside a burning lake of blood would've been metal as!"
"…shame," Weiss cynically declared.
"Well, good thing you didn't 'cause I think we're going to need it," Qrow said. "I've got a mission lined up for you girls here in Vale, so…" he gestured toward the elevator.
Ruby grinned, looking like she didn't experience a few hours' worth of horror condensed into a nanosecond in real-time, and indicated for the rest of her team to follow, "Way ahead of you."
As they headed toward the elevator doors, Yang reached into her pocket, and fished out the Blazkowicz family ring.
"…."
She enclosed her fist around it, her mouth forming a determined thin line.
For her sister. For Blake. For Weiss. For all their friends at Beacon and for their families. She swore she would not fail them.
For Hunter. For Keel. For those four Sentinels whose final moments Team RWBY lived. For all the family and friends William lost that day, she would make sure she would not fail again.
A/N: Long time coming, I know.This chapter was inspired by the Rune Challenges from DOOM 2016…and a certain Dragon Ball Z Filler episode. I reckon those runes really did send the Slayer off somewhere else once he touched them.
You may have noticed a round of recent edits to the story. They were scenes that I realized that, years after I wrote them, they made me feel uncomfortable to read them again to be honest and so I felt that they needed to be changed. What exactly are these changes? I'd rather not say, and I'd rather they'd be forgotten.
To those who keep saying that the Slayer is 'nerfed', I'll refer you to the author's notes in Chapter 27.
In summary: Fic was written before DOOM Eternal was released and we saw what the Slayer was seriously capable of. The games above Ultraviolence difficulty were not a cakewalk. I don't like writing protagonists who are not challenged, doesn't struggle and/or doesn't suffer adversity - even if it's the Doom Slayer - and DOOM and RWBY's villains are canonically superpowered and/or godlike…. even Adam and his spider robot slicing Semblance-enhanced sword nicking the Praetor Suit is, in my opinion, plausible. And the Slayer still beats them all in a fight.
Another thing to remember, the demons dropped a temple on the Slayer in the backstory leading up to DOOM 2016, remember?
And finally, cheers for over 4,000 story follows! :-)