Weiss noticed just in time. Just like the sparring matches; Rosenwache up, catch the blade, deflect and rotate. Weiss flicked out the main gauche, barely quick enough to catch the massive scythe.
Rosenwache didn't last a second.
The blade shattered, white and blue sparks dancing as its Dust infusions became unstable, gleaming silver metal flying through the air. Weiss' shock hindered her instincts, and she took just a moment longer to lunge out of the way of the scythe, the delayed dodge being her only saving grace. The scythe cut through the air, narrowly missing Weiss' torso.
Weiss felt strangely empty, as if she had lost some permanent presence in her mind. No, she knew this. Her Aura had shattered. What had shattered her Aura? She'd dodged, right? Ruby hadn't killed her because she'd dodged. No, she wasn't dead. Weiss found herself stumbling and falling backwards to the ground, and reached down to stabilize herself. She reached down. Kept reaching. Where's the ground? Why are things moving so slowly? Weiss looked down. Well, there's the ground, why isn't—
Weiss' forearm was nothing more than a bleeding stump. No, that's not right. Briefly, Weiss looked to her left arm. Still there, still holding Myrtenaster. Back to her right. Nothing. Blood, ligaments, muscle, bone, dripping onto the forest floor. She tried flexing her hand. Her mind could still feel it there, but there was nothing but blood and muscle and bone and blood and blood. Weiss looked up. Ruby was kneeling in front of her. Her silver eyes had fading flecks of red in them. She was covered in black blood. She wasn't holding Crescent Rose. She was reaching out to Weiss. Her mouth was moving. No words. Pain. White, hot, roaring, screaming pain. Or was it Weiss that was screaming?
Weiss wailed, a bloodcurdling screech that cut to Ruby's heart. Cerulean eyes widened as she brought her arm, severed viciously below the elbow, to her chest, the blood staining her white shirt. Ruby, her mind halted from disbelief, reached out before the heiress' gaze dulled and she fell unconscious. A surge of panic kickstarted Ruby's heart. The Grimm were still coming. She lifted her partner into her arms, unable to take her eyes off of what she'd done.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted as she burst into the treeline, her blazing fists striking Grimm left and right. "Ruby, what happened! Are you okay?"
Ruby looked down at her partner. Her arm was leaking blood all over her. Ruby looked left, where Crescent Rose had landed. Its blade was covered in blood. Weiss' blood. A rich crimson.
Blake was in front of her, asking questions, but Ruby couldn't hear them past the ringing in her ears. Blake pointed back to the could feel Weiss' blood was all over her, mingling with the Grimm ichor. She could feel it— warm, so warm, slipping between the threads of her clothes.
Ruby disappeared in a flash of roses. Blake shouted after her, but she kept running. Running. Running. She could feel Weiss' warm blood on her. Running. She barely noticed when she'd reentered the village, her mind focused on the blood, Weiss' blood, all my fault. All the doors were closed, the town alarm was wailing. Weiss had screamed louder.
There was a house nearby. The lights were on. Help. Ruby swiftly kicked the door open and shouted into its interior. "Help! Help her!"
A head peeked around the stairwell of the house. It was a Faunus, a deer faunus judging by the large horns that poked out of his grey hair, with small glasses and a long, almost-white beard. He took one look at them, paled, and rushed down the stairs. "Honey!" He called back up the stairs, his voice deep and booming. "Get the first aid kit!"
The large Faunus slowly approached Ruby. He glanced between Ruby and the woman in her arms. "Here," He reached forwards with his arms. "Give her to me."
Ruby shook her head, her eyes darting about wildly like a cornered animal. "No! I can't let her go!"
The Faunus sighed. "Okay, then. Come to the dining room, set her on the table."
Ruby followed him into the dining room, her eyes firmly glued to her partner. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "I'm sorry, Weiss, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
Weiss couldn't respond.
Ruby choked out a few sobs as she set her partner on the long, wooden table. Weiss' shirt and cape were almost completely covered in blood, and her right arm ended in a bloody, mangled stump just below the elbow. It was bleeding so much. Ruby wanted to cry. No, wait, she was crying, Ruby watched a couple tears fall and land on Weiss' cheek. Ruby reached out to wipe it away, but only succeeded in getting blood all over Weiss' cheek. She sobbed.
Ruby felt herself being pulled away from her partner by the arm. She looked over, intending to shout at the one who would separate her from Weiss, only to meet the gaze of a mother. The deer Faunus' wife, judging by the silver band on her finger. She was a human, skin a cinnamon-red tone, and crimson hair. Dark brown eyes. Ruby wanted to scream at her, but her expression was… sympathetic, and it froze Ruby's heart. All the emotions she'd felt, the rage she'd let loose, the energy she'd spent, all of it hit her at once, causing her to almost fall over as the immense fatigue hit her like a truck. The woman held her up and led her to the couch, muttering little comforts as she sat Ruby down.
Ruby felt herself pulled into a warm embrace as the woman sat next to her and gently stroked her hair. From where she sat, Ruby couldn't see her partner's unconscious body in the dining room. That was probably for the best. Ruby couldn't bear to see what she'd done to her partner, but her mind kept showing her images of Crescent Rose flying uncontrolled at Weiss, her attempt at blocking only breaking Rosenwache, and Crescent Rose taking her arm. The sound, the sound. Ruby could still hear it. The sound of her partner's Aura shattering, the sound of Crescent Rose tearing through flesh. Weiss' scream. She couldn't stop the scythe. She couldn't stop herself.
Ruby wailed, burying her face in the woman's sundress and bawling. The woman kept telling her that she would be okay, that everyone would be okay, but Ruby couldn't hear her past the memories.
"Honey!" The Faunus called from the dining room.
"Marcellus?" The woman responded. Ruby could feel the vibrations of her voice in her chest.
"Bring the girl over here, I need her." His voice was grim, sending a cold lance through Ruby. Did she kill her? She killed Weiss, didn't she? That guy, Marcellus, wanted to bring her in there just to show her what she had done. Maybe she deserved it.
The woman sighed. "She'll be okay," She cooed to Ruby. "She just needs your help. Can you help her?" Her voice was so soft, like Ruby's own mother, it compelled her to nod and agree, although she couldn't bear the thought of looking at Weiss again. The woman lifted them both off of the couch, and gently guided Ruby to the dining room once more.
Ruby recoiled at the stench of blood, Weiss' blood, as she reentered the room. Her bloodstained partner was on the table, equally bloody bandages covering her severed arm.
"Hunter." Marcellus' booming voice easily got Ruby's attention. "Her Aura is killing her; It's consuming her in order to regenerate itself. We have no Aura infusion equipment. Do you know what this means?"
Ruby absently shook her head, the words barely registering.
He laid a huge, gloved hand on Ruby's shoulder. It was covered in blood, and left a handprint the color of Weiss' blood. "You need to give her a manual Aura infusion."
Ruby paled, but found her voice. "But… that…"
"Yes, it might kill you. It might kill her. It will hurt more than anything you've ever experienced, but it's also your only chance to keep her alive." His voice was glacial.
Ruby was shaking, had she ever stopped shaking? She needed to save Weiss, no matter what, and this was the only option with even a chance, maybe it would make her worthy of forgiveness. Aura infusions were usually something handled by high-class hospitals, treatments Hunters in critical conditions would take to regenerate their Aura and save them. It had an incredibly high success rate. That was in hospitals, though, in controlled environments with professionals and incredibly expensive equipment. Field infusions were almost unheard of, and while their success rate was higher than 50%, they always had grave consequences. Unfathomable pain, intense scarring, donor fatality. Someone like Jaune could do it easily with his Semblance, but Ruby had no such gift, but maybe that's a good thing if she'd feel a fraction of what she inflicted on Weiss.
The most pain she'd ever felt. Possible death. Scarring, certainly.
Maybe she deserved it.
Ruby nodded and stepped closer to the table upon which her comatose partner lie. The Faunus gave her a grim look and reached out to remove Weiss' shirt and cape. Her skin was covered in blood. Quickly, Ruby placed her hands on Weiss' bare side, rushing before she could have any second thoughts. She probed Weiss' soul with her own Aura, expecting the friendly, familiar presence that she usually felt when performing Aura exercises with her, only to be met with something hungry, ravenous. It lashed out at Ruby's Aura, almost forcing her out, but she resisted the urge to flinch; what was left of Weiss' barrier would keep her hungry Aura back.
Ruby felt her own Aura pooling up along her cervical vertebrae, and she willed it to travel down her arms, across her palms, and into her partner. The tendrils of her own Aura, crimson and nimble, pressed into the barrier between herself and Weiss. The flow of Aura stopped there, naturally, but Ruby willed it further. Her Aura pressed into the barrier, exerting intangible force against Weiss' very soul. The barrier buckled, bending but still resisting. Ruby willed her Aura further. If Weiss were awake, she'd probably be in immense discomfort. Not Ruby, though, not yet.
Like a dam breaking, the barrier around Weiss' Aura gave way, causing Ruby's to flood in. Ruby felt her Aura invade her partner, and the moment she entered, it burned, white-hot fire flowing through her veins, inside her body, pooling like lava at the nape of her neck as their Auras mingled. Her skin began to sear in weblike patterns down her arms, across her shoulders, and around her throat. She felt like her entire body was boiling from the inside, and she could feel her Aura attempting to reject Weiss as a vessel, but she forced it in anyways. She grit her teeth and one of her incisors chipped, sending a small chunk of enamel flying. She could feel every inch of her Aura burning within Weiss, and she began to feel weak. Ruby felt uniquely empty, the sheer amount of Aura forced into Weiss leaving what felt like a hole in her soul. She grew weak, her knees shook and she was dripping with sweat.
Her hands felt like they were on fire, her soul felt like it was on fire, but she could also feel her Aura taking hold within her partner. Wisps of red rose from Weiss' body, and Marcellus undid the bindings around her arm. The bleeding had spontaneously stopped, and the edges of her damaged flesh glowed as Ruby's massive influx of Aura set to healing the wound. The scent of burning flesh filled the room, but Ruby couldn't distinguish her own from her partner's.
Ruby's knees buckled, and she would have collapsed had Marcellus not supported her. Nonetheless, she could feel herself fading, the edges of her vision darkening as the mass, sudden exodus of Aura overwhelmed her body, leaving her floating in a sea of darkness.
Strangely, there was a certain relief, as if she was falling into her mother's embrace. It was warm, comforting, but also… empty. Empty of what, she couldn't tell.
Someone was calling for her, from the darkness. As the voice grew louder, closer, the shadows surrounded her, blocking all sight. She was floating, her body tingling all over, the horrible pain having given way to a pleasant warmth.
Amidst the thick darkness, Ruby saw the face of her mother appear before her. Summer bore a wan smile.
Her face was as Ruby had never seen it before, as it had been moments before her death. A long, bloody scar vertically crossed her left eye, and the corner of her lip curled around a set of scars that crossed her right cheek and ended at her chin. Across her throat, a deep gash caused blood to run down what Ruby could see of her neck. Her voice was hoarse, and the flesh of her lips split around the scars as she spoke. "Hey, Rubes."
Ruby had forgotten the sound of her mother's voice, but it was unmistakably Summer's. Ruby just knew it, from somewhere in her soul. "M-mom?"
Summer looked upon her daughter with pride, but that pride was clearly mixed with sorrow. "You saved Weiss. You should go back to her, she'll probably be grateful."
"Why… why are you here? Where are we?" Ruby looked around, only to be met with darkness on all sides.
"Don't follow me. Not yet, Ruby." Summer's eye, the only one not left mangled and useless, regarded her daughter with fondness and longing.
"Follow… you?" Ruby said slowly, sadly. Her soul, what little was left of it, felt so compelled to do just the opposite of what her mother had ordered. She wanted to follow Summer, she wanted to embrace her mother fully. Why wouldn't she?
"You're dead, petal. You forced out too much of your Aura, and it sent you into shock. You died in that Faunus' arms, he's performing CPR on you right now." Her mother said with an uncanny calmness.
Perhaps the words should have scared her, but Ruby felt strangely comforted. Perhaps it was how at peace her soul felt, or the knowledge that she gave her life to save her partner. "I… I don't want to go back." She reached out, grasping hands searching for her mother.
Summer's broken features twisted into a look of pain. "No, Ruby, stay with Weiss. Your team needs you, but she especially needs you. Don't leave her behind, Ruby, please," Her rough voice became desperate. "Don't abandon her like I abandoned you."
Ruby felt it, ever so briefly, the spark of Weiss' Aura— blue, familiar, chilly. It felt so small, so far away— miles away— the smallest spark illuminating the darkness around her. It bathed the rest of her mother in a dull blue light. Summer Rose was leaning against a black staff, the head of which sprouted outwards in a bright red rose. Her body looked no better than her face, and her clothing had been completely rent, the few scraps of cloth left doing nothing to cover her torso, which had been completely torn open. Only her left arm remained, the other torn almost to the collar, and her legs were completely covered in deep gashes. Regardless, Ruby still yearned to be within her embrace. "M-mom, I… I can't see her, I hurt her! I ruined her!" Ruby shouted as she curled in on herself.
Summer slowly approached her daughter, dragging her right leg behind as she used her staff as a cane. She leaned down, pressing her forehead to her daughter's. Ruby could feel the slick, raised skin of Summer's scar pressing against her forehead, but it didn't faze her. "My daughter," Summer muttered, her voice cracking as she began to cry. "My little petal, Weiss could never hate you, and you certainly haven't ruined her. Please, please go back. She needs you."
Ruby sobbed. "But…"
Summer smiled wanly. "I love you so much, Ruby," Summer pressed a long, wan kiss to her daughter's forehead. "But they need you more than I do."
The light grew brighter, pulsing weakly but growing stronger with each second. Ruby could feel her soul being tugged in two directions, now.
"Go, Ruby," Summer insisted, her voice gravely sad but assured. "Go back to your partner."
Ruby's first experience upon regaining consciousness was searing, white hot pain all across her body. She screamed, thrashing about on the floor as if it would help her escape the burning she felt. Marcellus tried to hold her down, but she slipped free from his grip, rolling around on the floor and crying as if it would extinguish the fire in her skin. Before long, she found her throat too rough to keep screaming, leaving her to force out silent, breathy hisses of pain as she tried to still herself. She held her arms out, her sundered clothing revealing the newly scarred flesh. At least a dozen thin, weblike scars criss-crossed all the way up her arms, almost completely covering older scarring. Along the thin, raised ridges, small wisps of crimson Aura licked the air and arced across her skin, trying their damndest to repair that which was beyond superficial.
As the pain died down to an almost bearable degree, Ruby's short, panicked breaths grew longer and more purposeful. She slowly sat up, trying her hardest to ignore the pain that flared up her arms and across her shoulder blades.
"Woah, girl!" Marcellus called, reaching out towards Ruby. "Don't move too much, you're going to be fine."
Ruby groaned, the pain within her subsiding as her Aura slowly regenerated itself. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words faltered as they ground against her hoarse throat. Marcellus seemed to understand, though.
"She's still unconscious, but you'll both need some serious medical treatment if you ever want to fully recover. Sharla!" He shouted. "Bring us some water! Food, too!"
Ruby didn't look, but he heard shuffling from another room, and the woman who had comforted her before, Sharla, returned with a glass of water and a plate of buns. Ruby reached out to accept them, but Sharla shook her head, instead bringing the glass to Ruby's lips herself. She tipped the glass slowly, and Ruby greedily drank, the cold water marginally soothing her throat. Marcellus gave his wife a grateful smile as she fed Ruby, who eagerly wolfed down each bun given to her, regardless of how numb she felt inside.
After taking a few minutes to let the pain die down a little more, Ruby finally gathered the strength to speak. "How long?" She rasped.
Marcellus looked at the watch on his wrist. "No more than six minutes, I think."
"Just six…" Ruby trailed off. She'd spoken to Summer for six minutes. Or, at least, that's what she remembered, the memory of her mother was quickly fading. The staff, her eye, please go back, tears… it was all blending together in her mind, leaving her only with a deep wanting. "I was dead." She murmured.
Marcellus sighed and nodded. "Yes, you were—"
Ruby jolted upwards, crying out as her body flared up in pain. The alarm. It was still ringing. Yang and Blake needed her. She needed to go, both to get away from Weiss, and to help her team. Marcellus's hands darted out, grabbing her shoulders and holding her still. "No! Let me go!" Ruby cried. "There are still Grimm!"
Marcellus gave her a cold, hard glare that rooted her in her place. "No! You will stay here, Grimm or not! If you go out there, you'll only weigh them down!"
Ruby tried to challenge his glare, but she felt something strange about Marcellus, something incredibly strong when he touched her. She could feel his Aura. It was bright and golden, towering above her own in its magnitude and splendour. It was stronger than any Beacon student she'd ever met, and it was even stronger than Tai's. Ruby felt herself back down instinctually from the superior power.
"Sharla," Marcellus looked at his wife with grim intent. "Bring me Regis Irama."
Sharla sent him a shocked look. "Are you serious?"
Marcellus stood, drawing himself up to his full height. Ruby felt dwarfed by his presence, now, as if the caring husband and father had been replaced by something stronger, like a soldier or a general. "Quickly, Sharla."
She gave him one last worried look, then rushed out of the room.
Marcellus' gaze fell on Ruby again, and only then did she realize that his eyes were a bright gold. "You will stay here."
Ruby wanted to object, but found herself unable to even move her lips. Without her own intent, she found herself nodding.
"You are a student of Beacon, yes?"
Ruby nodded again.
A small, confident grin appeared on his lips. "Good. I was, too."
Before Ruby could find her voice again, Sharla reappeared in the room carrying what looked like a giant, golden ram. Although she wasn't particularly muscular, she bore the weapon without great difficulty. Sharla handed it to him slowly, and he hefted it with practiced ease.
Marcellus regarded Regis Irama with great care and longing, like seeing a long-lost friend again.
Ruby watched Marcellus transform again as he took hold of Regis Irama. Not a soldier, not a general, a Hunter. Ruby recognized him, now. She'd seen him or his likeness in comics, TV shows, movies, documentaries, and in textbooks, but none of them lived up to his majesty. Even dressed as a frontiersman with a simple shirt, vest, and slacks, he looked truly like the moniker he'd been gifted after his team's third Vytal Festival Tournament victory in a row: Imperator.
Marcellus Aurelian, leader of AURM and its last surviving member, spoke with an air of authority that Ruby had never heard before. "It has been a long time." His voice sent ripples across Ruby's Aura. "Don't worry, girl, I will not allow these beasts to trample upon my home. Sharla, I will be right back. Please keep her here."
The Imperator's thunderous yet graceful steps compelled Ruby to watch him closely as he exited the house, as though missing a moment of his presence would be a dire mistake. Even in his more advanced age, his stride still carried a dominant, intimidating presence. He pushed the door open, sent a caring glance to his wife, and left, the door drifting closed behind him.
Ruby could feel his presence lifting from her mind as he distanced himself from the house, like a haze being dispelled from her vision. Her first clear thought was of her partner, and she staggered as she attempted to tap into her Semblance, her need to check on Weiss suddenly more powerful with the knowledge that she saved her. Sharla caught her, and Ruby could feel now how she had carried Regis Irama with such ease. Her arms wrapped around Ruby like a steel vice, her muscles like corded metal as they locked the girl into place. "Lemme go!" Ruby cried. "I need to see her!"
Sharla's grip did not loosen. "I felt that. You tried to use your Semblance, didn't you?" The motherly tone was distant, now, replaced with a much more commanding voice, similar to her husband's. "Don't try it. We will move slowly and carefully to your partner."
Ruby didn't try to resist further as Sharla draped Ruby's arm across her shoulders, supporting her. The two rose slowly, and returned to the dining table upon which Weiss Schnee lie. Ruby could see, now, her own Aura flowing quickly from the nub of Weiss' arm. It didn't look fully healed, more like a burn now than a cut, but at least it wasn't bleeding.
A wave of shame washed over Ruby. This was all her fault. She should have been able to control herself. Just one lapse in control and she'd nearly killed her partner. Why hadn't Qrow ever taught her that? She forced herself to reach out with a single hand, pushing down the fear and guilt in favor of meeting Weiss' body with her hand. She pushed her Aura out again, gently probing her partner's soul. Weiss' Aura was tentative, cautious, and it met hers slowly. Ruby prepared to pull back, afraid that her partner would reject her Aura, but it didn't. It met her at the barrier to Weiss' soul and gently nudged against Ruby's. It carried regret, sorrow, pain.
Where was the anger? The disappointment? Ruby pulled back, separating herself from her partner's being. Weiss, of course, had no reaction. She just laid there and, in a way, Ruby was glad. Sure, her soul may not have harbored anger, but that didn't mean Weiss' conscious self would be so amicable. Ruby had no doubt that she'd scramble away in fear, recoil from every touch, undo all the progress they had made as partners.
Ruby tried to turn around, the sight of her partner making her sick to her stomach, and Sharla guided her back to the couch, setting her down slowly as the motherliness she'd shown earlier returned. The alarm still droned outside, but it wasn't enough to keep the exhaustion at bay. Sharla's gentle words coaxed Ruby into a fitful sleep, one plagued with images of what she'd done, memories of her mother, and worry for the future.
Yang could feel something coming. Even with all of her focus on the fight at hand, the presence approaching demanded her attention. Shining, golden, splendorous, it heralded its own approach loudly. Yang dared glance at Blake, only to find that she was staring directly towards it, regardless of the Grimm just feet away from her. "Blake!" Yang cried as she lurched towards her partner.
Yang tackled her partner, sending them both to the ground and just safe of three pairs of claws. Unfortunately, the safety was only momentary, as Yang found herself under the gaping, drooling maw of an Ursa, its teeth gnashing as it came bearing down on the two.
A perfect, glorious column of gold thunderously crashed into the beast, easily crushing its feeble skull. The column continued flying as if it had never encountered any obstacle, shattering any Grimm that would dare step in its path. Neither Yang nor Blake could see it land, but they could certainly feel it. It rocked the ground, the cries of Beowolves ringing out as it crushed them.
"Blake, are you alright?" Yang asked.
Blake shook her head, clearing her confusion. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Blake squirmed. "Could you, uh, get off?"
"Oh yeah, sorry." Yang tried to lift herself off her partner, but something deep inside her compelled her to stay down. She pushed as hard as she could, but she couldn't make herself move. She grunted then shuffled around a bit, looking at least for a more comfortable spot atop her partner. "Sorry but, uh… I kinda can't."
Blake frowned then moved to get up herself, only to find that something towering, intimidating, and bright gold was pushing against her Aura, keeping her down. No matter how much her muscles strained, her body wouldn't move. "Yang, what is that?"
Yang searched in the direction from which the column of gold had flown. Marching towards them in long, confident strides was a huge deer Faunus dressed in a standard frontiersman's outfit, rippling muscles bulging against his rolled-up sleeves. Yang could feel his Aura radiating in beautiful, golden waves. For a few moments, the sea of Grimm parted around him, only surging towards him once he took hold of the great golden column that Yang had seen earlier.
Yang had seen no weapon quite as glorious, nor any Hunter quite as graceful when wielding something so massive. His feet remained firmly on the ground, only moving in order to pivot and strike any that would dare approach him from behind. Yang watched in awe as an Ursa batted away the Beowolves in its path to attack him, only to be broken when the Faunus brought the column— no, ram, Yang could see a pair of handles, only one of which he was using— around in an uppercut, shattering the beast's jaw and sending it into the air.
The death of the Ursa caused a short lull in the fighting, one which the Faunus used to his advantage. The front of the ram opened, revealing a hollow tube no more than 3 inches in diameter. This time, he gripped both handles of the ram as 3 mortars flew from the weapon, each one blasting holes in the black sea of Grimm. As the horde stumbled from the shock, the Faunus went on the offensive, surging outwards into the horde, his golden ram clearing out several Grimm at a time as he carved swathes through the horde, sending lesser Grimm scrambling back into the forest.
"Yang, what the hell is going on!" Blake shouted as she squirmed again, trying to see past the body of her partner.
Yang just watched, transfixed by the Faunus' graceful and thunderous movements. Something about him seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it, no matter how hard she squinted.
With a roar he grabbed the face of a lunging Alpha, golden light overflowing from his hand as the beast cried out in pain, its wretched screech causing the nearby Grimm to recoil. He brought the ram around again, driving it into the Alpha's gut and sending it skyward. As their Alpha crumbled to dust, the remaining Beowolves barked out their grating cries and scattered, gradually leaving the forest bereft of Beowolves. The Ursas, however, remained.
Without the horde of Beowolves in the way, they were able to reach the Faunus much more quickly. They swarmed him, their huge bodies completely blocking Yang's sight. Still, though, she could feel the immense, golden Aura in all its majesty. At last, the weight on her Aura lifted, and she was able to push herself off her partner.
Without a second thought, she threw herself at the dogpile of Ursas, blazing fists catching them from behind and making them buckle. She fought with a renewed vigor, drawing the attention of the Ursas surrounding the Faunus with her immense heat. Blake fought close at her side, defending her partner's flanks and tripping the remaining Grimm, giving Yang a better chance at killing them.
Yang caught the Faunus' gaze, and he sent an appraising look her way, his golden eyes shining brightly. The temptation to tap into her rage subsided as she felt another surge in her Aura. She brimmed with confidence she'd never felt before, and her punches felt more sure than they had ever been.
The Ursas' numbers thinned quickly with their combined efforts, and although Yang and Blake found themselves panting and exhausted again, the Faunus before them looked as confident as ever, his only sign of effort being the few drops of sweat on his brow. He inhaled deeply, and Yang noticed an immediate change when he exhaled. The surge of power and confidence within her faded immediately, as did the incredible golden presence the Faunus had arrived with. Yang met his eyes as he propped himself up against his immaculate ram, and they no longer shone with splendour.
Blake opened her mouth to speak, but the Faunus beat them to it. "Your teammates are in my home at the village, and they are relatively okay. Follow me, I will take you to them."
