Here we are at Chapter 50. It's the Volume 3 finale for this story, and things are going to get hectic a little bit. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 50. Enjoy.
Chapter 50: End of the Beginning
Near the landing platforms at Beacon, people are rushing to get the wounded onto the airships and evacuated to the city.
"That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port instructs them.
"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel," Oobleck adds as people start to board the ships.
Meanwhile, Weiss looks at the scene in front of her in horror, a hand over her mouth. Zwei then barks, looking behind her, and she and Sun look back to see Ruby and Velvet running up to them.
"Ruby! Velvet!" Weiss says as she holds her hands with Ruby's, happy to see her leader okay.
"Oh, I found you," Ruby replies.
"It's good to see you're alright," Velvet adds.
"Ruby, where have you-," Weiss begins.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. What's going on?" Ruby asks. Weiss just looks down in sadness.
"Weiss, what is it?" Velvet asks.
Weiss steps out of the way and Ruby and Velvet are horrified by what they see in fromt of them. They see Ren and Nora kneeled on the ground, in pain, but alive. Then there's Blake, with bandages wrapped around her lower torso, but luckily alive. But what horrifies them the most is seeing Yang, unconscious and missing her right arm, with only a bloodied, bandaged stump left in its place. Blake reaches with her left hand to hold Yang's as she cries.
"I'm sorry…" Blake cries as Ruby reaches for them, a sad look on her face. "I'm so sorry," Blake cries again.
"Yang…" Ruby mutters.
"Damn it," Velvet mutters through her teeth.
"Hey…" Sun walks up to them. "They're gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale," Sun says.
"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing," Nora says as she tries to get up, but fails as she groans and holds her sides in pain.
"What?!" Ruby shouts.
"Look guys, that giant Grimm keeps circling the school. Even the White Fang are pulling out!" Sun notes as he points to the school tower behind them. "We all have to go. NOW!" he yells.
"We're not…leaving," Ren starts as he tries to get up, but fails due to his pain.
Everyone looks around, not wanting to leave their friends behind. Ruby thinks for a moment before coming to a decision.
"I'll find them…I'll find them and I'll bring them back," Ruby says.
"No…" Weiss begins as she walks up to her. "WE will find them. Watch after Blake and Yang," Weiss says as she looks to the others.
"Don't even think about leaving me out of this," Velvet adds.
"We'll be back," Weiss says and the three run back to the school.
Sun groans, "You'd better be!...Idiots," Sun mutters the last part as he shakes his head.
The three girls start running towards Beacon Tower, ripping through a few Grimm along the way, with Velvet slicing through two Beowolves with her blade, Ruby with her scythe, and Weiss skewering the rest with her rapier. As they get closer to the tower, Weiss gets a call on her scroll and pulls it out.
"It's Jaune!" she begins as she answers the call. "Where are you?!" she asks.
Jaune's locker had apparently crash landed somewhere in Vale before Jaune called her on his scroll.
"Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!" he pleads.
"What? She asks.
"PYRRHA! She's going after that woman, at the top of the tower. She doesn't stand a chance!" he yells as the three look up to the tower.
"Jaune, what are you talking about?!" Weiss asks.
"He must be talking about Cinder. Jaune, where are you?!" Velvet asks.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" he yells. "…Please, you have to save Pyrrha," he pleads.
"We will. Are you okay?" Weiss asks.
But Jaune just screams, throwing his scroll to the ground and falling on his hands and knees.
"Please," he cries.
"Jaune? Jaune!" Weiss yells, but stops as the ground rumbles around them.
They look up to see the Grimm Dragon circle around the tower, sending out more black drops of goo that hit the ground and spawn more Grimm, while it lands on one side of the tower and roars. Ruby then takes out her sniper scythe.
"I have a plan," she says.
Weiss puts her scroll away and takes out her rapier, "You always do," she says.
Velvet readies her arm blade again, "We need to hurry and help Pyrrha,"Velvet says. "Before it's too late."
Ruby fires her scythe behind her and uses the recoil to shoot her towards a group of Grimm, and then fires again to spin her body and scythe around, using the blade to slice through several Grimm. Behind her, Weiss impales one Grimm in the head and then flips back to avoid the attack of an Ursa. She readies her glyphs and dances around the Grimm while nailing several well-placed strikes that kill it. Finally, Velvet uses her foot blades to decapitate one Beowolf and then her arm blade to slice another in two. She then fires off her gauntlet at three more, taking them all out in seconds. They continue to fight through the Grimm, finally making it to the base of the tower after a few minutes of fighting.
Velvet looks up, "Weiss, you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asks.
Weiss looks at it and nods, sending a glyph to its side, creating a row of glyphs going all the way to the top.
"You two can do this," Weiss says.
Ruby and Velvet run and jump up to the side of the tower, using the glyphs to run along the side to get to the top.
"Please don't be too late," Velvet thinks.
The two run as fast as they can to get to the top, and after a few seconds finally make it to the top. They land on the top and look…only to see Cinder Fall fire an arrow into Pyrrha's chest. Their eyes widen in horror as Pyrrha takes her last breathes before Cinder uses some power to incinerate her to ashes, and she is gone completely, leaving only her headdress behind. Ruby is horrified, but Velvet is furious.
"CINDER!" Velvet yells as she activates her demon arm and attacks her.
"WHAT!" Cinder shouts, surprised, but then Velvet's demon arm clamps down on her skull and starts absorbing her power.
However, Ruby just hunches over and then…
"PYRRHA!" she screams as a white power bursts forth from her eyes.
Velvet has only enough time to glances at Ruby before everything goes white.
…
After an unknown amount of time passes, Ruby finally wakes back up, only to find herself in her pajamas, and back in her bed in her home, Patch. She sits up and looks over to see a man with short blonde hair, and wearing a shirt, an opened vest, and shorts, sitting in a hair asleep. Her father, Taiyang Xiao Long. She groans as she fully wakes up, and that's enough to stir Taiyang awake.
"Ruby!" Taiyang happily says as he moves and kneels next to her bed. "You're awake!" he says.
Ruby groans a little more, "What happened?" she asks, exhausted.
"Your Uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. He got you out of there, though. He brought you home safe," Taiyang explains.
Ruby looks down and then remembers something, "Wait, Yang! Is she alright?!" Ruby asks, concerned for her sister.
"Uh…" Taiyang looks down, hesitating. "She's uh…She's gonna be alright. I think she's just…I think it's just going to take some time…for her to get used to things," he says, making Ruby look down. "She's too strong to let this stop her," he says, trying to comfort Ruby as he wipes his eyes. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home," he says.
"What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?" Ruby asks.
"Things at Vale are under control, but the school…it's…It's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it, but it's not disappearing. It's…kind of…frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school," Taiyang explains.
"…I did what?" Ruby asks, confused.
"Hm?" Taiyang hums.
"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?" she asks.
"…I…Look, that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just…kind of a mess," Taiyang replies.
"It's always a mess," they hear and look behind Taiyang to see Qrow, taking a big swig of his flask. "Mind if we have a minute?" Qrow asks Taiyang after he finishes his drink.
"What, I can't stay here?" Taiyang responds, a little peeved at the notion.
"Tai…Please," Qrow pleads with him.
Taiyang begrudgingly allow it and gets up, giving Ruby a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm glad you're alright. I'll go make us some tea," he says and leaves while giving Qrow a slightly angry look.
Qrow pulls up a chair and sits next to Ruby's bed, "So, how you feeling?" he asks.
"Um, uh…I kind of hurt all over," she answers.
Qrow chuckles, "That makes sense, after what you did," Qrow says, crossing his arms.
"You guys keep saying that. That I did something. What are you talking about?" she asks, getting a little aggravated.
Qrow leans forward, "What's the last thing you remember?" he asks.
"I remember running up the side of the tower, and when I got to the top, I-," Ruby says, but then gasps again. "Pyrrha! Is she…" she asks.
Qrow looks down, "She's gone…" he woefully answers.
Ruby starts to cry, "We-we…We got to the top, and I saw Pyrrha…and Cinder…And then everything went white," she says, clenching her fingers around her bed sheets as her tears fall on them.
"Anything else?" Qrow inquires.
Ruby wipes her eyes, "I remember…my head hurting," she says.
Qrow looks down before looking back at her, "The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?" Qrow asks.
"U-uh I don't know. I think it was something about-," Ruby begins.
"Silver eyes," Qrow interrupts her as she looks at him. "That's an extremely rare trait," he notes.
"So?" Ruby shrugs her shoulders.
"…You're special, Ruby. And not in the 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. You're special the same way your mom was," Qrow says, but that leaves Ruby confused. "Remnant's full of legends and stories. Some of them true, some made up. But there's one Oz told me from a very long time ago. Back before huntsmen, before kingdoms, it was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the creatures of Grimm, the most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were AFRAID of those silver-eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single LOOK from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down. Heh, it's a ridiculous story," Qrow explains.
"But, you think that I might be…" Ruby begins to ask.
"Heh, well, a giant monster's currently frozen on top of Beacon tower, and you're here, safe in bed," Qrow says as he stands up, walking to a window of Ruby's room.
"Wait…Wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me? The night we met?" she asks.
Qrow hangs his head a little bit, "…All those missions I go on. All the times I'm away in some far off place. It's been for Ozpin, but he's missing now…Something's been set in motion, and with Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off," he confesses.
"Then what can I do?" Ruby asks, making Qrow look to her. "If I'm so special, then I can help. Right?" she asks.
Qrow turns to her and sighs, "You really want to help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now," he says and begins to leave the room, but stops and looks back to her. "Besides, our enemies' trail leads all the way to Haven. That be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you," he says, winking at her. "Catch you later, kiddo," he says and goes to leave.
"Wait, Uncle Qrow," Ruby says and he turns to her. "Where…Where is Velvet?" she asks about her girlfriend.
Qrow knew this would come up and sighs, "As far as I know, she's still alive…I think," he says.
Ruby gets scared, "What do you mean?" she asks.
Qrow looks straight at her, "…Velvet is missing, Ruby…"
…
After being told so much, Ruby decides to check in on Yang and finds her in another bedroom, seeing Yang looking out the window, depressed, and her missing right arm now all bandaged up, leaving only a stump behind.
"Yang?" Ruby says, hoping she'll respond.
Yang doesn't respond at first, but eventually replies.
"Ruby," she dully says, making Ruby stop and look back at her, while Yang looks at her with tears forming in her eyes.
Ruby runs to her and wraps her arms around Yang's shoulders, "I'm so glad you're okay," Ruby cries.
Yang sheds a tear and opens her eyes, "But I'm not," she bitterly replies.
Ruby releases the hug, holding her right arm as she looks at the bandaged stump that was once Yang's right arm.
"It's all gone. The school…Velvet…Pyrrha…and," Yang says as she sadly looks away.
"Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby asks.
Yang looks at Ruby, "Weiss' father…came for her," she says.
"What? What do you mean?" Ruby asks.
"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. I thought…I thought she liked me. I know that we weren't together that long, but still. I cared about her so much, and she just…left…She's gone," Yang explains, crying a little bit.
"What about-," Ruby begins.
"And Blake RAN!" Yang coldly yells. "Sun saw her go. After we got to the city, she just…RAN."
"But why?" Ruby asks.
"I don't know…And I don't care," Yang bitterly replies.
"…There has to be a reason she-," Ruby starts.
"No there DOESN'T!" Yang stops her. "Sometimes bad things just happen Ruby," Yang cries, making Ruby hang her head.
"So what do we do now?" Ruby asks.
"…You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here," Yang bitterly replies as she looks at her injury.
"Yang-," Ruby reaches for her.
"Just leave me alone," Yang coldly says, not bothering to look at Ruby.
Ruby begins to walk out, but looks back to Yang, "I love you," she sadly says, but Yang doesn't reply, so she leaves.
…
Snow covers the land as winter moves in. Ruby is seen sneaking out of her house, silently closing the door, with a backpack on her back under her cloak along with her weapon. Ruby turns and begins walking away.
"Hey…" she hears and looks to see Jaune ahead of her, a backpack on his back as well as his sheathed sword on his hip.
"Hey Jaune," Ruby greets him and walks up to him. "Haven's a long way to go," she says.
"I know…But it's the only way we have," he says.
"And you're sure you want to come along?" she asks.
"The journey will be perilous," they look to see Ren and Nora next to Jaune, carrying backpacks with him while Nora rests her hammer on her left shoulder. "And whether we'll find answers at the end is ENTIRELY uncertain," Ren says.
"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it," Nora adds.
Ruby nods to them, "Then let's get started," she says and they leave.
"And Ruby, what about Velvet?" Jaune asks.
Ruby looks sad at hearing her name, "…Uncle Qrow said she was missing, not dead, and I believe him. I don't know where Velvet is, but I know who she is. We might be able to find her during our journey to Haven. Or she might try and find me there. I believe I'll see her again…I have to…" she says, muttering the last part to herself.
…
Meanwhile, in a white void, the unconscious body of Velvet lays suspended in mid-air, with some white energy holding her up like she's floating in water. A moment later, Summer Rose walks forward to stand next to her.
"I never thought this would happen. I'm sorry for bringing you into this, Velvet," Summer says.
"…Is she okay?" a second voice asks.
"She's alive, thank goodness. The reaction of her power, the Maiden's power, and Ruby's power all being activated at the same time seemed to have put her into this sleep of sorts. She's never dealt with powers like those before. I can wake her up, though it will take a little bit of time…but she will also need to remain her for some time afterwards…so I can help her learn how to use the new power that she gained, even if it's only a spark of it," Summer explains. Summer turns around and looks up to see a bright, silver dragon standing behind her. "I'm sorry you have to see her like this…Maotelus. I know how much she means to you," she says to the dragon.
Maotelus steps closer, lowering his head to be next to Velvet to lightly nudge her cheek, "Velvet is strong. I know she'll pull through. But what will we do about your world until then?" he asks.
Summer sighs, "I need someone to help Ruby and the others until Velvet is ready to return to them. I know I can't ask you to do this, Maotelus. You have your own duties to attend to. But still…I need your help…I need THEIR help," Summer pleads.
Maotelus nods to her, "Don't worry. I know they will aid us. They owe a lot to Velvet, after all…They will come…"
And that's the chapter and the Volume 3 finale. Maybe not quite what you were expecting, for the finale, huh? I have big plans for the Volume 4 arc of this story, so stay tuned. Beacon has fallen, and Team RVWBY is divided, and Velvet is…preoccupied at the moment. What does this mean for Ruby and Remnant? Who is "they" that Summer and Maotelus are referring to (I'll give you two guesses)? Until then, please Read and Review.
