Here we are at Chapter 99 and the volume 6 finale for the story. Sorry for the late update. I've been busy with my new job, so updates won't be as frequent. I'll try to update my stories as soon as possible, but you must understand that I have other priorities aside from this. Anyway, time to see if the gang can defeat the Leviathan and make it to Atlas alive. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 99. Enjoy.
Chapter 99: Our Way
In a forest in Anima late at night, Innominat stands in a large clearing, waiting for something. A moment later, a Mistral airship flies by and lands in front of him, with Neo stepping out of the side door.
"Yes, this should take us to Atlas quite nicely. I can cast an illusion arte to mask it from prying eyes. They won't realize that we've snuck into Atlas until it's too late. Now then, are you ready Emerald?" Innominat asks as he looks into the darkness of the forest.
Emerald steps out, wearing new attire. She's replaced her top with a black and brown long-sleeved jacket over a dark green top that covers most of her midriff. The sleeves have a small pair of pouches on them, connected by a pair of brown belts. She is wearing a pair of dark green pants with two brown belts wrapped around her waist, and a pair of chains that flow around her waist like a half-skirt. She has on a pair of calf-high brown high-heeled boots. Her pistols rest on her rear waist. However, the biggest change is her face, with her eyes glowing an eerie dark purple rather than their usual red color, and a few black marks flowing down her cheeks.
"The faster we get to Atlas, the better," Emerald says as she walks ahead of Innominat.
"Remember, you are stronger now, but you still do understand the power I have bestowed upon you. More importantly, just as I can easily give you power-," Innominat begins before raising and clenching his right fist, causing Emerald to falls onto her hands and knees in pain. 'I can just as easily take it away. Remember who is in control here, Emerald," he says and releases his grip, causing Emerald to take a few deep breaths before she can stand again. "Now then, shall we be off?" he playfully asks as he boards the airship.
Neo and Emerald board after him and then the doors close on them.
"I'm coming for you, Velvet Crowe. You will pay for what you did," Emerald silently declares.
…
Back at Argus, Atlas forces fight against the Grimm in the air, taking shots at the Leviathan to drive it away from the city, but their attacks have very little effect against it. The Leviathan roars before diving into the water and swimming closer to the city.
"All units, be advised, the Leviathan has submerged but is still on approach. Preparing hard-light shields, over," a soldier calls out over the comms.
"We're having trouble against all these hostiles. We need support! Where is Cordovin?!" another rings out.
"This is all your fault! Do you hear me?! Your fault!" Cordovin yells
"Ruby!" they hear and look back to see Yang and Blake running towards them, but they are not alone as a woman wearing a red and white dress is running with them.
"Guys! Are you okay? What happened? Who's this?" Ruby asks, gesturing to the woman.
"Long story. Don't worry, she's... a friend," Yang says before her eyes widen at the sight of the large robot. "What the-," she begins, before she hears the roar of the Leviathan, gaining her attention. "Was... that a giant Grimm?" she asks.
"Yes... and we just ruined the only thing capable of stopping it," Weiss answers.
However, Jaune's attention is focused on the girl with the long white hair, who notices his stare.
"Hello," the woman waves at him.
"Who... who are you?" Jaune asks.
However, Jaune's not the only one staring as Velvet steps up, "I remember you. I saw you at the statue of Pyrrha in Argus. You knew my name. How? Just who the Hell are you" Velvet asks, getting a little defensive.
The woman just smiles, "It's alright, I'm a friend. You all must get going," the woman says.
"Look, she's okay, she helped us out back near the relay tower. But she's right, we have to move," Blake says.
Listening to her advice, the group board the airship, but notice that the woman isn't coming with them.
"Hey, aren't you coming?" Velvet asks.
The woman shakes her head, "I'm afraid I can't come with you. Just look out and protect each other. And never give up. That's all I ask," the woman says.
"But, wait, who are you?" Velvet asks.
The woman just waves them goodbye before walking away. Pressed for time, the group take off in the airship, watching Cordovin as she fails to free her robot as they fly away. Ruby and Velvet then check on Yang and Blake.
"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault because I couldn't sabotage the tower in time," Blake apologizes.
"Don't be. This isn't on you, Blake. We had no idea that Adam would show up when he did. But he's gone now. It's not your fault," Yang says, holding her hand.
"But-," Blake sniffs.
"You're both safe. That's what matter most right now," Ruby says as she kneels in front of them, and then gives Blake a hug, while her sister smiles with them.
"Who was that girl that was with you?" Jaune asks.
"I don't know. She showed up out of nowhere and helped us against Adam Taurus. Did some weird stuff with making shields out of floating cards and creating a wall of fire, but I've never seen stuff like that before. She said she was a friend, and she didn't give me a reason to doubt her. I don't know, I just felt... calmer... when she came to help, if that makes any sense," Yang explains.
"It doesn't matter. She helped you guys out and you're safe. That's all I care about," Velvet says.
"Well, if we can get back on track here, I suppose I'll have to be the one that says what's on our minds. Getting the lamp to Atlas is still our top priority. And right now, we have the perfect opportunity to head straight for it. We not get another chance like this," Maria says.
"But... the Atlas military won't be able to stop the Grimm, not with Cordovin's mech out of commission. If we leave now, we're leaving Argus to burn. I know what our mission is here, but... we can't just leave. Not like this," Velvet says.
"Velvet is right. It's just like you said. A huntress is supposed to protect the people until the very end. We can't just leave like this," Blake says.
"That's right. Not to mention, Saph, Terra, and Adrian are in Argus. If we don't stop those Grimm, then they'll be in danger. I won't let that happen," Jaune adds.
"Alright, the core of this attack is the Leviathan, so let's head for that. Jaune, think you and Ren can mask our ship so we can get close?" Ruby asks.
Ren and Jaune smirk as they glance at one another, "I think we can manage," Ren replies.
"Do you have any ideas Ruby?" Nora asks.
"Just one," Ruby replies, and looks to Velvet. "How much strength with the Maiden's power do you have left?" she asks.
"Not too much... but not too little either," Velvet replies.
"Listen up, everyone. The Leviathan's coming up. If you really got a plan, then now would be the time to get it ready for action," Qrow says.
They see the Leviathan break the surface of the water.
"Argus base, this is Manta 3-4. The Leviathan has hit the shallows and resurfaced. We need those hard-light shields up yesterday! Over," a pilot calls out over the radio.
The Grimm roars as it starts walking towards the city, with the citizens within watching in fear and worry, including Saphron, Terra, and Adrian. Towers begins sprouting up from the water and glow, creating two rings of hard-light shields to protect Argus. The Leviathan eyes them warily before trying to push its way through the first barrier. Luckily, the shields hold and keep the giant Grimm back.
"The target has stopped its advance. Engage, engage, engage!" a pilot calls out.
A few airships fly by, firing their missiles at the Grimm's massive head, but they appear to do little damage. The Grimm's mouth and gills begin to glow before it opens its mouth and releases a fiery breath attack at the shield. The shield holds, but the attack travels across it until it reaches and destroys one of the shield towers, causing the entire first shield to shut down.
"No... That shield didn't stop anything," Velvet mutters.
"All squadrons, fall back to evacuation procedures. Disengage the Leviathan. I repeat, disengage. Over," a pilot calls out.
"No, wait!" Ruby says and rushes up to grab the radio. "Don't fall back. We can stop it!" she calls out over the comms.
"Who is this?! Identify yourself immediately!' the pilot replies.
"I'm a huntress. Listen, my team and I can attack the Grimm to weaken it and draw its attention away from the city. Once that happens, you'll be able to attack it," Ruby says.
"Weaken it? How can we do that?" Jaune asks.
"We don't... but I can," Ruby says.
"Ruby, are you sure? Beacon and the farm were two things, but this is... something else entirely," Velvet voices her concern for her girlfriend.
"I know, but... I have to try. I don't have a choice," Ruby replies, and cups Velvet's cheeks in her hands. "Just trust me, okay."
"...I always have," Velvet replies.
"Manta 5-1, your ships is currently flagged as hostile. You will receive no support, over," the pilot replies.
"Oh, that's just typical. I always hated soldier types who focus only on following orders and protocol," Velvet notes with a roll of her eyes.
Ruby picks up the radio again, "Fine, we'll do it by ourselves if we have to. We can hit it when it stops at the next barrier," Ruby says, and turns it off. "Ren, you and Jaune are up. Do your thing," she says.
Jaune gives Ren's aura a boost with his own, and then Ren activates his semblance to mask the ship and everyone in it. They fly through the chaos in the skies as the Atlas airships fight against the flying Grimm. Throughout the flight, they can see that while the Atlas military are holding their own against the flying Grimm, it won't be long before they get pushed back and must retreat, especially since the Leviathan Grimm's advanced remains unchanged. However, just as they get close enough to the giant Grimm, it begins charging its breath attack.
"We're too late! Pull up!" Qrow exclaims.
Maria yanks hard on the stick, and the airship evades just in time as the Grimm fires its breath attack, breaking through the shield. However, the attack continues towards the city, but before it can hit one of the buildings within, it gets blocked by a massive barrier of cards floating in the air. The people within and without are shocked by the spectacle, and Ruby's group are just as surprised.
"What is that?" Ruby wonders.
"Wait, I've seen those cards before," Blake says.
They look off to the cliffs a distance away, seeing the woman with the long white hair at the edge of the cliffs, her hands out wide. She looks at their ship, smiles, and nods to them.
"Come on, we have to move," Velvet gets them back on track.
Just then, Jaune and Ren fall onto their knees, breathing raggedly, "That's all I've got," Ren says.
The woman with white hair moves her wall of cards, making it bigger and bringing it forth to block the Grimm's path. The Grimm fires another breath attack at the barrier, but the shield holds it prevents the attack from breaking through and hitting the city.
"She's stopping the Grimm from getting closer to the city. I think this might be our best chance. What do we have to do, Ruby?" Velvet asks.
Ruby looks between them and then stares at Weiss, who notices the stare. The airship flies around before one side door opens up, revealing Yang and Nora with their weapons ready, and Velvet with her demon claw activated.
"Look this way, big ugly!" Nora cheers and fires off her grenade launcher, while Yang fires her gauntlets, and Velvet fires off a few fire artes at the Grimm.
The attack does the trick in gaining the Leviathan's attention as they fly around it, with the Grimm turning its head and swinging its arms in their direction.
"Come on, come and get us," Velvet mutters, firing off another fire arte at the Grimm's eye.
The attack hits its mark, making the Grimm roar before trying to chase it down. Meanwhile, Ruby flies in on Weiss' Queen Lancer summon along the Grimm's flank, trying to get close enough to enact her part of the plan.
"You can do this. There's no turning back now," Ruby mutters.
The summon stops on the Grimm's side, at the same level as its head. Ruby closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to focus on using her special power to freeze the Grimm. Her thoughts dwell on her friends, thinking back to their times at Beacon, as well as when they first met Velvet and she joined their team.
"Ruby, something's wrong. The Grimm's-," Yang's voice comes in over her ear piece, and she loses focus and takes it out.
She tries to focus again, but soon her thoughts begin to dwell on the Vytal Festival, when Grimm attacked the school, Yang was hurt, Pyrrha was killed, and then when Velvet went missing for so long. Eventually she loses focus again, only to notice the Leviathan staring right at her.
"Why'd it turn around?" Nora asks.
"Ruby!" Velvet yells and jumps out of the airship, using a wind Dust crystal to propel herself towards Ruby.
Ruby looks down at her waist, seeing the Relic and remembering how the Grimm are attracted to them.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Ruby yells.
The Grimm growls at her, and reels its head back, preparing to chomp down on her. However, just before it can, Velvet land right in front of Ruby and uses her Maiden power to blow back the Grimm's skull.
"Leave her alone!" Velvet yells and freezes the Grimm's jaws shut, followed by freezing its arms and legs to the water. However, after using her power so much, and with the Grimm having such a large body, Velvet's power eventually stops and she falls back into Ruby's arms. "...R-Ruby," she mutters.
"Velvet, are you okay?" Ruby asks, worried.
"I'll... be fine. Ruby... remember, your power is about protecting life. Look back on your life... Look back on what makes you happy," Velvet says.
Ruby eventually nods and lays Velvet down and focuses back on the Grimm, seeing the ice around its body already starting to crack. Ruby closes her eyes and focuses her thoughts, thinking about all the fun times she's had with her friends. The school dance, the Vytal Festival, her first date with Velvet, the special night they had together, all the times that made her smile with the people she loves. Her thoughts stop on her mother, who smiles back at her. Ruby opens her eyes as a bright light erupts from them, engulfing the Grimm and the whole area. When the light fades, the Leviathan has been petrified. Velvet looks up and smiles.
"I knew you could do it, Ruby," Velvet says.
The people in the city and in the military cheer at the spectacle. However, the celebration doesn't last long when the Grimm begins to break free from its stone prison. Ruby gets worried, however...
"I'll take it from here," they hear and look over to see Cordovin's mech approaching from the side, having discarded its right arm to move again. "After all, I have sworn to protect our people!" Cordovin cheers as her mech's left hand becomes a drill and she charges forth, stabbing the drill through the Grimm's body until she kills it.
The Leviathan's body fades away, turning the tide of the battle. Ruby helps Velvet up as Cordovin's mech stands before them, and the cockpit opens up to show her inside.
"Thank you for your help, and... I'm sorry about before," Ruby apologizes.
"...I suggest you get on your way," Cordovin says.
"W-What?" Ruby asks.
"The Atlas military will be busy dealing with the stragglers. I don't think they'll notice if one more airship goes missing in my... extended report," Cordovin says with a knowing smile.
Ruby and Velvet smile with a nod and Cordovin's mech moves to deal with the remaining Grimm while they rejoin the others on the airship. As they fly away, they see the card barrier from earlier disappear and spot the woman with the white hair waving to them from the cliffs before disappearing into the forest.
"Who was that woman?" Yang asks.
"I wish I knew," Jaune mutters.
A while later, the airship flies high in the skies as night falls. Ruby leans up against one side of the inside of the airship, with Velvet resting between her legs; her head against Ruby's chest while she strokes her hair.
"Feel any better, Velvet?" Ruby asks.
Velvet hums, "Yeah, much better now. How are you feeling?" she asks.
"I'm fine," Ruby replies.
"Listen people. We should have just enough fuel to make it to Atlas. We're almost there," Maria says as she flies the airship.
"Thanks Miss Calavera," Ruby says.
"Hey Ruby. You and Velvet did great out there. All of you. Just try to keep the heart attack-like stunts to a minimum, would ya? I'm not as young as I used to be," Qrow says as he goes to take a sip of his flask, but thinks twice on it and puts it away.
This makes Yang and Ruby smile; happy that their uncle isn't getting drunk again.
"You okay, Weiss?" Yang asks her girlfriend.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad that you and Blake are okay... I'm sorry you two had to deal with that nightmare all over again," Weiss says as she holds Yang's hand in her own.
Blake smiles and takes Yang's other hand, "We were just protecting each other. That's what friends are for," she says.
"That's what family is for," Yang corrects her.
"Now this is more like it," Nora notes, to which Jaune and Ren nod in agreement.
Everyone turn their attention to Ruby and Velvet, who begin to get a little uncomfortable from all the attention.
"What?" Velvet asks.
"You dived into the barrel of a cannon, and nearly froze a Grimm solid. And Ruby petrified a Leviathan!" Ren says.
"Oh come on guys, it's not like we're the only ones who've done some crazy stuff. I mean... Oscar made a successful crash landing with the airship. He's never flown an airship before today!" Ruby remembers, trying to get the attention off of her and Velvet.
"Better than when I crashed a ship into the side of a cliff back in my world," Velvet notes.
"We would've been out of options if not for you," Blake notes.
"Thanks, but... I've been meaning to tell you guys something. I didn't crash the ship on my own. I had help... from Ozpin," Oscar admits.
"...Wait... Ozpin helped you. Did he... take control of you again?" Weiss asks.
"No, he guided me... and then he left again," Oscar says.
"But... does that mean that he's been secretly watching us this whole time and never bothered to come forth?" Velvet asks.
"I can say for certain but... it felt good in a way to know that he was looking out for us," Oscar says.
"Hey, guys. If you've never seen Atlas in person before, then you don't want to miss this," Qrow says.
They group stand up and move to the front of the airship. As they break through the clouds, they find themselves looking at a marvelous sight. The kingdom of Atlas. The kingdom floating in the skies. Literally. Tethered to the ground by several large cables, the floating kingdom hovers over the former kingdom of Mantle below it.
"So, that's Atlas, huh," Velvet mutters in slight awe.
"No matter how many times I come up here, I never quite get over that view," Maria says.
However, the celebration ends quickly when Weiss steps forth, having a solemn look on her face.
"Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruby asks, but Weiss only nods her head up and they all look up... to see the entire Atlas air fleet around Atlas.
"The Atlas air fleet... I knew Ironwood called back his forces, but..." Weiss trails off.
"It's like they're preparing for an attack... or for war," Velvet finishes.
Just then, the radio comes on, "...Manta 5-1... Welcome home," they hear.
Velvet rolls her eyes, "Well, this should be fun..."
And that's the chapter and the volume 6 finale. Again, sorry for the late update. Like I said before, I'm working again now, so my updates won't be as frequent. My job involves a lot of hours, but I will update my stories as soon as I can. Anyway, the gang finally make it to Atlas, but will it truly be a safe haven as they hoped? Until then, please Read and Review.
