So… it's been a year already. Happy Oum appreciation day… except it was two weeks ago.
I'll cut the crap until the end: it's a music chapter (arguably the best song in Vol I). I've provided links (I know you can't click links in FF, so I've shortened them to make typing easier. If they're expired, the main one is full instrumental, nightcore starts with vocals). Hopefully the music matches the pace you're reading with. It's not great, but... shouldn't be hot garbage. Song lyrics are in bold/italics... they had their own font on my doc, but apparently that doesn't transfer over, so this'll have to do.
All rights to RT/Oum, the music videos aren't mine.
Keep Moving Forward
Published 19 Feb 2018
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bit . do / RLR2
"Look, we've got bigger issues." Jaune half screams as the bridge beneath them begins collapsing.
"We'll go back for your friend once we're done here." Nora adds as she morphs her gun into its hammer form and begins cackling, swinging her weapon into the already crumbling stone.
Skyla, barely able to react, looks down at the chasm's depths and begins trembling, almost turning back to bolt for the forest again until she realized that Nora had already sent them across. The bluenette crashes down on the other side and tumbles forward, Jaune's force quickly added to her own, forcing Blake off the edge and into the Nevermore's line of fire.
Skyla gets picked up by an unknown hand and manages to stand on her feet, getting a look at her help before focusing her attention back onto the giant scorpion in front of them. "Good, you guys are here. Now, how much experience do you have fighting real Grimm?" Pyrrha asks apprehensively as the Deathstalker begins forcing them closer and closer to the edge.
With a loud war cry followed by a sickening screech, Nora's hammer slams down onto the beast, temporarily pinning it to the bridge.
"I can… do stuff." Skyla whispers, trying to swallow her fear. Her heart pounds in her head as her parent's voices begin to ring in her ears. "Come on, get back here and help…"
Without pause, a roar erupts from the forest, something knocking her into the valley below at comet speeds. After a moment, her stomach jerks upwards, realizing that she's stopped moving. She opens her eyes and sees Jade holding onto a sword's hilt, its bright green blade plunged into a column.
"Erm… Jade?"
"Yeah, easy there… hold on, I gotcha." Jade pulls them up and throws her onto the platform, Skyla only now realizing that her partner had held onto her with her legs alone. The Faunus climbs up, collapses, and takes a few deep breaths, grumbling "You gotta be shitting me…", before looking up and grinning at the short girl.
"So, still think it's not time to learn some new tricks?"
"You're talking about this now?! Aren't you hurt, or worn out, or something?!"
"Shut up, I'm fine."
"You're sure?"
"'Course I'm sure." Rolling her shoulders back, the older girl grins even wider, looking directly at the marble ceiling above them. "'S a matter of fact, I haven't felt this alive in a while."
"Well, that's good news, I guess."
"Yeah, sure… on the other hand, though… well…"
…
Weiss looks on in awe at the Grimm racing out of the forest behind them. It was absolutely massive, but unrecognisable from her memory. The closest comparison that she could make was a Taijitu, with its uniformly half-black-half-white color scheme, but this had too many heads to count, frills made out of Grimm armor, and legs. If anything, this was some kind of rare lizard species.
"How didn't we see that before?" she asks herself as it dives into the canyon beneath them.
"Weiss! Look out!"
She turns back, only to see the Nevermore about to crash into the pillars they're standing on.
…
"Wait, that thing's a Hydra?"
"Yeah."
"And you kept attacking it?!"
"Mhhm."
"Well, that's it. We're dead. By this point it's got too many heads to count, so we might as well -"
"Hey, I was in the zone back when that thing was still a glorified snakeskin belt! If I knew what it was before, I wouldn't have wasted time julienning it. Now, you have the relic?"
"Julienning… but it… never mind. It's sticky, but I have it."
"Good." Standing out against the somehow blackness of her eyes, Jade's irises burn red with fire. "Hell, this'll be fun."
"So, how do we contact the teachers?"
Jade flicks her wrist, transforming her sword into her bow. "Who said that's the plan?"
"You're gonna try to kill it?!"
"Mmn, down the hearts, not the heads. Now, you wanted to help? Here's your chance." she mutters as she nocks a bright green arrow and aims it at the falling Grimm, biting her lip in anticipation. "Don't try hitting it. Don't try distracting it. Don't even stay to watch. Get as far away from here as you can go. I'll meet up with you back at the starting area. Don't lose the relic."
bit . do / RLR2nc
I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute
"You want me to run? Again?! I'm not leaving you this time! HEY, are you even listening to me?!"
Couldn't bear another day without you in it
Jade fires the arrow, somehow extending it to include a rope still connected to the bowstring.
All of the joy that I had known for my life
The arrow lodges itself in a crack in the Grimm's armor, and the Faunus jumps off of the platform, Skyla barely reacting in time to grab onto her partner.
Was stripped away from me the minute that you died
"YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!" she screams into the wind as Jade swings down, getting closer to the hydra.
To have you in my life was all I ever wanted
"WE'LL TALK ONCE I'M DONE KILLING THIS THING!"
But now without you I'm a soul forever haunted
"YOU'RE MAKING SOUND LIKE IT'S EASY!"
Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted
"TRUST ME! JUST REMEMBER WHAT I SAID EARLIER!"
No way in hell that I can ever comprehend this
She lands on a ledge on the cliff, and she immediately sees Jade fall onto one of the Grimm's heads, morphing her bow to a sword while dashing off to the base of the neck.
…
I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone
"None of this is working!"
I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong
Ruby could only watch as the others scattered across the ruins, trying to position themselves so they had a better shot at downing the Nevermore.
How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay?
With a few glances between Blake and the Grimm, an idea suddenly pops into her head.
Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day
"I have a plan. Cover me!" she says to Weiss as she jumps ahead, onto a different column.
…
It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending
The Deathstalker pulls its stinger out of the bridge, roaring at the terrified group.
Every scene fades black, and there's no pretending
Jaune looks around at the others, unable to come up with a solution.
This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well
The bridge begins to crumble as the Deathstalker comes closer.
There's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell
He looks up at the beast and trembles a bit more, holding out his sword merely to calm his nerves. "Guys, we gotta move!"
I know you didn't plan this
The others nod in unison, readying their weapons. With a battle cry, he rushes forward, Ren immediately at his side as the others follow behind.
…
You tried to do what's right.
Jade laughs gleefully as she continues hacking away at the Grimm's neck. Twirling her sword around to block the venom being sprayed, she barely notices the green and black light flowing from her body.
But in the middle of this madness
Her sword continues to slice through the hydra's flesh in various places, only to be quickly replaced by regenerating tissue.
I'm the one
Her eyes shine through the splatter of the its black blood, unable to hide the joy she felt at letting loose.
I'm the one
"More…"
I'm the one…
"LET ME HAVE IT!" The hydra hisses, and two of its heads turn to dive at her. She leaps back and throws her sword like a javelin at the nearest head, temporarily stunning it as the blade is plunged under its skull, before she rushes in to pull it out.
You left to win this fight
Slicing through its bone and puncturing its heart, another head roars at her, causing her to turn around and lick her lips in anticipation. The beast's heart quickly begins to shrivel, what was once alive now crumbling to ashes. "Oh, yeah… come and get some!" she yells back at it, focusing solely on the light shining in its remaining eyes.
Red like roses
The various heads rasp hesitantly, continuing to spray acid venom as she expertly dodges and keeps switching between her weapon's various forms.
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Blood continues to drip from its wounds, only serving to strengthen her resolve.
Always closer
The nearest head lunges as she morphs the shield into her bow, fires a rapid barrage of arrows into its maw, and jumps on top of it.
To the emptiness and sadness
Transforming the bow back into a hilt, she runs down another neck and jumps as the blade erupts from her hands.
That has come to take the place of you
In one swift motion, she plunges the sword deep into the base of the beast's neck.
I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness
She slices into the neck cleanly, and throws her sword into the pulsating mass of flesh inside, downing the head before it regrew.
You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness
The remaining heads roar, and all lunge at her.
Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute
Still grinning madly, she pulls the sword out of the Grimm's body and falls into an offensive stance.
Make you understand the reasons why I did it
With a loud CRACK, a large boulder falls from the cliffs beside her and hits one of the heads, doing little aside from distracting the hydra.
I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered
She looks up and sees Skyla repeatedly kicking the side of the cliff, chipping away at the stone until pieces begin to fall off on their own.
Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered
Jade's sclera switch from black to white, her face falling as multiple of the Grimm's heads hiss and shoot up towards the girl above them.
I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to
Apparently unaware of the impending danger, Skyla's focus remains on the cliff, continuing to chip away at her surroundings
And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you
"SKYLA! LOOK DOWN!"
I never planned that I would leave you there alone
With a flash of green aura, Jade leaps up from head to head, trying to block them from reaching any higher.
I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home
Only now hearing her screams, Skyla turns around, and barely manages to jump aside as one of the heads rams into the cliffside before continuing to chase her.
And all the times I swore that it would be okay
"Get out… get out… GET OUT!"
Now I'm nothing but a liar, and you're thrown into the fray
As the blade once again shatters in her hand, she only then notices the green light emerging from her body, and looks back upwards. To her horror, she also spots flecks of green light around Skyla as well.
This bedtime story ends with misery ever after
"Shit… SHIT SHIT SHIT… SKYLA! GET AWAY!"
The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter
Her eyes widen once more as the Grimm makes its mark, an obscenely long fang piercing the younger girl's body through to the other side.
…
I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do
"TAKE OUT ITS STINGER!" Ren shouts over the Deathstalker's cry, forcing himself upright despite the bruises the Grimm just gave him.
I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you
"Pyrrha!" "Done." she cries out, throwing her shield at the dangling stinger. It tears through the appendage and flies back to her hand, the stinger falling onto the scorpion and piercing its armor.
I know you've lived a nightmare
"Nora, NAIL IT!" "Heads up!" She jumps onto Pyrrha's shield, and pulls the trigger on her hammer. The sound echoes throughout the canyon, creating an air burst so powerful that everyone except her flinches as she flies up several hundred feet.
I caused you so much pain
Laughing maniacally, she reaches her peak and pulls the trigger again, slamming down onto the scorpion with enough impact to shatter both its exoskeleton, and the teetering tower beneath it.
But, baby, please don't do what I did
Jaune screams as he launches through the air, landing flat on his back alongside the others as they slowly watch the Grimm tumble into the abyss. "That could've gotten a lot worse…" he mumbles to himself.
I don't want…
Shown nods of agreement by the others, he lets out a loud sigh, and jumps momentarily, frightened by the sound Ren made as he hit the floor from blood loss.
You to waste your life in vain
"Well… didn't we jinx it."
…
Red like roses
"Of course, you would be the one to come up with this plan." Weiss grumbles, pulling Ruby into position for launch.
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Ruby chuckles at the thought, turning to Weiss and asking, "Think you can make the shot?"
Always closer
"Hmph. Can I."
"Wait, ca-"
"OF COURSE I CAN."
To the emptiness and sadness
Taking one more deep breath, Ruby steels her nerves and nods, relaxing her grip on Crescent Rose. "Ready."
That has come to take the place of you.
Despite the loud boom blasting her ears, Ruby continues to look straight ahead at the Nevermore, preparing to finish the job.
…
You're not the only one who needed me; I thought you understood
"Skyla, comeonecomeoncomeone, you can get through this… your aura can recover this."
You were the one I needed, and you left me as I always feared you would
However, there was no light emanating from her body. It was almost as if...
Would I change it if I could?
"I'm so sorry, Jade… I…"
It doesn't matter how
"SHIT." Quivering, Jade bites her lip to the point of bleeding, and begins to chant, eyes closed, hand over Skyla's chest.
The petals scatter now
"For it is in our actions that we achieve immortality. A desire to protect, and save those beneath us.
Every nightmare just discloses
"To right the wrongs the world has presented,
It's your blood that's red like roses
"To repent the sins of the past,
And no matter what I do
"To become a paragon of selflessness.
Nothing ever takes the place of you
"Bound by hope for the future, I release your soul, and by my blood, prevent thine from taint."
With a deep, inward breath, she lifts her hand and stands. She turns to face the monstrosity behind them, not even opening her eyes: her ears had already told her that Skyla's heart had already given out.
With a deep exhale, her eyes open once again, gold irises standing out against pitch black. Wings suddenly sprout from her back as she leaps out of the cavern into the Grimm's open mouth, both roaring animalistically.
…
Red like roses
"Well, good job to everyone." Yang adds casually to the group of eight. "We've done our job, you've done yours. And everyone came out alive."
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
A blast of radiant green light bursts from the depths below them, a giant reptilian Grimm emerging from the depths.
Always closer
"Oh, oh, WHAT NOW."
To the emptiness and sadness
It twitches wildly, the green light emanating from its stomach.
That has come to take the place
The Grimm explodes, a singular form erupting from its carcass onto one of the platforms nearby.
Of
The figure, a white haired Faunus covered in black blood, spits down and smiles eerily at at the Grimm's corpse.
You
Looking back to them, she lifts her sword triumphantly, her eyes rolling back into her head as she collapses on the spot.
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So… yeah. It's not that great. As for why? I just needed to get the plot moving. I know I was hyping it up (all that time ago), but it's been bogging me down for a while, so it's out. And in all honesty, I'm ok with that. When I started putting this out, I had a really good idea for a fic, but that eventually got bogged down by the clickbait-nature of new content creators. IE, "Hm. This got some views. How do I make it more interesting", while sacrificing the integrity of the original idea. And that's not even considering how hard student life is: I know there are some of you out there who thrive under massive amounts of stress, but this past year, I've cracked in a couple places, and gone through a couple depressive patches. Hopefully that's gonna change, but until I can say for certain, here's some music. So, yeah. I'll keep putting stuff out, but I'll just do what I feel like writing, at my own pace, as all writing should be. After all, isn't that the point of Monty's work? Do what you love, and don't take shit from anyone. And before anyone asks, regarding the "Oh, she has, like, seven semblances, you can't do that" that I'm bound to eventually get, it'll all be explained. Trust me, a good portion of writing this fic is maintaining continuity for all the bullshit that goes on. Oh yeah, I also changed the fic's description. The old one was pretty bad.
Anyways, we miss you, Monty.
Keep Moving Forward