Howdy, Folks, how's it going?
I hope you all had a pleasant Holiday season.
And hot damn, I haven't updated this one in a while, have I?
I apologize for that, I had a serious case of writer's block, because of what I intended to do in this chapter.
But it is here at last, the confrontation against the Ebonmaw.
As I am a little pressed for time, I'm afraid that I'll have to leave the review answering for a later occasion.
With that said, I hope that you all enjoy.
/
"SCATTER!" Someone yelled, though no one was quite sure who.
The trapped initiates split and ran in all directions, seeking what little refuge they could in the stone structures surrounding them.
Mere moments later the draconic beast was upon them.
Heavy winds buffeted the ground from the beating of its wings, and debris was sent flying everywhere as its claws stomped on the ground in ponderous strides.
Having landed, the Ebonmaw let loose another roar as it searched for its scurrying prey.
And its fiery gaze firmly locked on to the one that didn't.
Ruby hadn't taken cover like the others, instead she had merely moved further back in the ancient Plaza.
Now, the mismatched eyes of the diminutive girl stared passively into the blazing orbs of the monstrous creature, a slightly tilted head being the only outward sign of the confusion she felt, while the crow on her shoulder looked at the dragon with an expression that conveyed perplexity surprisingly well.
"Strange…" She mumbled softly.
"Caw…" Was the crow's cautious reply before taking flight.
For one long moment, the two opponents maintained this stare off.
The smaller one considered her options, and decided to try something out.
It never worked before. But then again, now she wasn't limited.
A familiar aura of dread surrounded her cloaked form as her eye began glowing…
And without warning, the beast went from quiet observer to berserk monster, jaws snapping towards her.
Uh, she supposed it was really asking too much that it would work. But alas, the beast's mind was rage incarnate, Fear held little sway over it.
Ruby swiftly sidestepped the attack, and just as swiftly lashed out with her scythe, the steely blade striking at the black scales of the lower jaw, but doing little to no damage.
The beast made to lunge again, when a large wave of frost struck the other side of its face, briefly blinding it and making it roar in annoyance.
The red-hooded girl glanced in that direction to find her partner, rapier aimed at the Grimm.
"What are you doing!?" The girl yelled. "Get away from there, it's too dangerous!"
As if to confirm that statement, the massive Grimm shook off the rhyme and made to clamp it jaws around her again.
Ruby sped out of the way of the attack, and then moved further back, seeking to gain some distance, the beast giving chase, only to be stopped by a faint stinging sensation on its hind leg. Glancing back, it saw the blade wielding boy, who had just managed a small scratch.
It growled.
"I really should have thought that through…" The blond muttered, before dashing away. He had wanted to get the Grimm off Ruby, yes, but he hadn't thought about what to do after he got its attention.
The Grimm immediately reacted by bringing its clubbed tail down upon the running human, who just barely managed to avoid being crushed but was still sent flying by the shockwave of the impact, landing sprawled on the floor in a daze.
Switching to the more stationary target, the Ebonmaw turned and began advancing towards the boy, only for another to cross his path once again, as Ren ran past the creature with guns blazing, seeking to divert its attention.
The hail of bullets might as well have been a breeze for all the harm it did to the creature's armored hide, thus it completely ignored him.
Jaune recovered just in time to find himself eye to claw his enormous foe, hence he was forced to look up to meet its merciless stare.
"My, what big teeth you have…"
The Grimm replied by lunging for the blade wielder with a roar… Only to completely miss him as Blake came swinging from above on the black ribbon of her weapon and snatched him out of the way just in time.
The 2 initiates landed in a nearby stone arc, right next to where Pyrrha knelt taking aim, seeking a vulnerable spot amongst the bones plates and scaly black hide.
"Jaune, are you alright?" She asked as soon as her partner was within reach.
"Considering the situation, pretty peachy." The blond retorted, then turned to his rescuer. "Thanks for the save, by the way."
"Don't mention it." The girl replied, eyes never leaving the approaching mass of teeth and claws. "We should probably run!"
The trio began running through the stone arches of the ancient ruins, their draconic pursuer to the side keeping up in ponderous strides. Then, with an agility belied by its size and bulk, the beast pounced on them.
"JUMP!"
The initiates barely managed to get out of the way as their pursuer crashed through the stone structure, causing that entire section of the Ruins to tumble and fall in a domino effect.
Jaune, Pyrrha and Blake all managed to use the pieces of crumbling stone as makeshift platforms to leap to safety, but that had the unfortunate effect of leading them once more into open, unprotected field.
Something that the Ebonmaw took full advantage of as it burst through the cloud of dust and debris it had just produced, ready to resume the chase.
"Hey, Ugly! Over here!"
The proclamation was followed by a series of explosions dotting the Grimm's form, stopping it in its tracks.
More annoyed than injured, the beast turned its head to identify the culprits. It found Nora and Yang standing on top of a nearby stone pillar, still aiming.
With a snarl, it turned, positioning itself so the bony plates running along its back were facing the explosions, then swung its tail smashing against the side of the pillar. Faring no better than its fellow ruins, it cracked and collapsed, forcing the duo on top of it to leap to safety.
No sooner had it taken care of that distraction, that another had come to meet it in the form of a large crescent of green energy slamming into the side of its torso. Unlike the other attacks that had been thrown against it, this one tore a gash into the Ebonmaw's dark scales, from which a single, black drop of ichor oozed out. It turned its head, to find its initial target standing a small distance away, scythe at the ready to swing again.
The beast's fiery eyes burned red.
And letting loose a bellow of pure, wrathful outrage, the black dragon once more began pursuing the little reaper.
The other huntsmen in training took advantage of this small respite to regroup.
"This isn't working." Weiss stated with frustration, it was taking all her effort not to break her proper demeanor. "We can't fight that thing, we need to get away from here."
"I agree with you 100%. Only there's 2 problems with that. First, we're trapped by that forest fire it started." Jaune replied as he watched Ruby leading the thing in a chase through more stone buildings, which collapsed just as well as the others. "Second, I don't think he's gonna let us. We need a plan."
"In case you didn't notice, nothing we've been doing has worked. Only Ruby has managed to so much as put a dent on it." Yang butted in. "I am open to suggestions."
"Hhhmmm… Weiss, how are you on Ice Dust?"
"Almost out. I used most of it against the Nevermore, so I'm unable to do anything big with what's left."
"Well, there goes that idea…" Jaune grumbled, as he took stock of the situation
They were trapped in the ruins, surrounded by fire on one side, the chasm on the other,
they were all tired and low on ammo, and the only one among them who seemed capable of keeping up with the Ebonmaw was currently leading the Grimm in a deadly game of Cat and Mouse to afford them some time.
The Blade Wielder couldn't help but notice and briefly wonder about the thing's insistence to go for Ruby, and how the way the little girl danced around it and struck in hit-and-run tactics screamed of familiarity, almost like old enemies…
Filling that away to ask her later, an idea came to Jaune as he saw where the chase was leading.
"I think I got something." He said, earning the others attention, then pointed to one of the few structures still standing, a large Ziggurat-like building, bigger than even their current problem, each of its four sides holding a tall, imposing gateway. "If we manage to make Fugly go in there, it'll collapse on top of him. It will slow him down, with any luck even cripple his wings, which should make it somewhat easier for us to try to escape."
The group took a brief moment to consider the idea.
"Sounds risky. And not very liable to work." Ren stated.
"I never said it was perfect, but nothing else comes to mind. We really shouldn't be letting Ruby deal with that thing alone for much longer."
"It's a risk." Pyrrha agreed. "But right now, it's all we have. What's the plan, Jaune?"
Looking around, Jaune noted with some surprise that everyone else was nodding their consent.
"Well…"
/
Ruby blurred out of the way of the claw that came crashing towards her, wove around the jaws that followed, retaliated with a swing of her scythe, managing little more than a glancing blow, then moved away from the beast, same as she'd been doing the last while.
Despite its best efforts, the Dragon couldn't catch her, but that meant little when all she managed so far was a few scratches.
She couldn't help but feel it had never been this hard before…
This was getting her nowhere. She needed to find a way past its defences soon. Maybe it was time she tried -
A ringing noise suddenly made itself heard, seeming quite out of place amidst crumbling ruins and bestial roars.
It took a couple of seconds to register that it was her scroll ringing.
Blinking twice, then glancing up to the circling Merle, who stared back, fully sharing her sentiments on the unusual occurrence, Ruby pulled out the device.
In hindsight, it should've been obvious it was Jaune. She had given him her contact the other night at his request, was rarely far enough from any of her family to warrant a call, and she was fairly certain that publicity companies had blacklisted her number.
Did he have questions for her right now?
"Hey, Ruby-"
The blond was interrupted by yet another attempt by the Ebonmaw to consume her.
"… Bad time, Jaune."
"Yeah, I know. Look, while you were keeping it occupied, we've come up with a plan! Keep leading it towards that building, we'll do the rest!"
Looking ahead at the spoken location, the young reaper immediately understood what they had in mind.
"…All right."
"Good, stay safe."
"I will."
Ending the call, Ruby proceeded to unleash a barrage of scything blows towards the pursuing creature, each hit of green light driving it further and further into a rage.
Satisfied she had its undivided attention, she then began running towards the objective, making sure to stay at a pace that would keep her in the monster's sights.
As she approached the ziggurat, she noted how her sister, the Faunus girl and that Boy and Girl duo she didn't know yet waited on one side of the building, while Jaune, Weiss and Pyrrha waited on the other.
Without hesitation, Ruby passed the entrance and braved her way into the darkness.
The inside of the ruin was a place of dust and cobwebs, in which several stone pillars held the entire structure aloft, of a darkness that was pierced only near the 4 entrances, and of an absolute, sepulchral silence.
All 3 of which were disturbed as the wall behind her was blasted inwards by her pursuer's arrival. The entire building shook at the beast's onslaught, each step it took causing a stone pillar to collapse, further destabilizing the structure and increasing the tremors. Focused as it was on its prey, the Ebonmaw completely missed the damage it was causing, ignoring even the few small boulders that fell upon it.
In a matter of seconds, Ruby crossed the distance and left the damaged ruin by the opposite exit, which the awaiting initiates took as their cue.
"Alright, HIT IT!"
On the left side, having created a makeshift slingshot with Blake's ribbon and 2 nearby columns, Yang and Nora launched themselves at the wall and hit it with all the strength they could muster, discharging their respective explosive ammo as they struck.
On the right side, Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster on the wall, sending the remainder of her fire and lightning dust surging through it, then cleared out of the way as the unstable elements caused it to implode.
This continued abuse proved too much for the ruin, and far too late did the Ebonmaw realize the situation, managing only one last howl of rage as several hundred tons of stone crashed on top of it.
The young trainees ran clear out of the massive column of dust and smoke their efforts had produced, and they waited with baited breath to see if said efforts had paid off.
When the dust settled, all that remained was a gigantic pile of rubble, with no signs whatsoever of what was now entombed beneath it.
"We did it…" Jaune muttered, hardly believing his half-assed plan had worked. "We actually did it!"
"Wooohoooo!" Nora yelled as she jumped in joy.
With their foe clearly vanquished, the weary youngsters finally allowed themselves to relax, congratulating each other on their success.
The day was finally won.
"We should probably leave." Blake stated, sounding every bit as exhausted as they were all feeling.
"You got that right, I'm dead on my feet here." Her partner agreed.
"Well, look on the bright side." Jaune commented. "After this, braving that forest fire's gonna be a walk in the park."
That got a few chuckles and confirmations off the others as they all turned to leave.
All except Ruby.
The red-hooded girl stood still, Merle once more upon his perch, both of them staring silently, inscrutably, at the mountain of debris before them, as if they expected something.
"Hey, Ruby!"
The girl turned her head, to see Jaune calling out to her.
"Come on, you coming or what?"
The little reaper and her crow briefly glanced at each other, and after one last look at the destroyed ruins, she began moving towards the others.
At least until she heard it.
It was faint, barely noticeable, but there had been a low rumbling sound just now.
Immediately, Ruby turned back and once again brandished her scythe in a battle stance.
A reaction that wasn't missed by the others.
"Ruby, what's wr-"
Weiss' query was interrupted by that same rumbling noise, only this time it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Slowly, they turned back to stare with increasingly widened eyes as the rumbling continued to grow louder, and the wreckage itself began trembling.
"Oh, I knew it was too good to be true…" Jaune grumbled bitterly. "RUN!"
The others didn't need to be told twice, rushing away from the spot.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Ruby followed.
And just as they cleared out of the way, the ruined building exploded outwards, the one responsible crawling out of the wreckage.
To the trainees' desperate frustration, while their last stunt did cause some injury to the Ebonmaw, if the cracks on its bony plates were any indication, it had been nowhere nearly enough, and the beast didn't seem the least bit winded. In fact, it just looked more furious than ever before.
And to express said fury, the Ancient creature rose, standing up to its hind legs and letting loose yet another world-shaking roar.
Then it once again made to strike at its exhausted prey… Only to once again be interrupted.
This time by a hail of bullets striking its massive figure. Bullets that actually managed to do some damage, easily piercing its black scaled hide.
With their own distinctive roars, a row of 8 Bullheads soared in from the distance.
It was music to the hears of the beleaguered trainees.
"Yeah, the cavalry has arrived!" Nora cheered with a grin.
As the reinforcements advanced in formation to engage the Ebonmaw, one vehicle in particular broke off to land near the prospective students. As it touched down, a trio of figures exited the Bullhead and swiftly approached them.
"Professor Goodwitch!" Weiss called out as she recognized one of them.
And indeed, it was the Deputy Headmistress before them, followed by 2 others they didn't recognize, a portly blunderbuss wielding middle-aged man sporting a thick grey moustache and a younger, glasses wearing, green haired man wielding what appeared to be some sort of flamethrower.
"Children, are you injured?" The woman asked as soon as she was in range.
"We're a bit battered, but nothing too serious." Pyrrha replied.
"Capital!" The younger man said almost too quickly to be understood. "You needn't worry, we'll be taking it from here."
"And you are?"
"Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, your teacher of the History of Remnant in Beacon Academy! And this is my colleague Peter Port, Professor of Grimm Studies."
"Hello, Students. My, I'd say you have hit the ground running worse than any other initiates we've ever had!"
"We're… Technically not students yet…" Blake pointed out, bewildered by the man's exuberance given the situation.
"Nonsense, Lass!" He replied. "Real hunters are made, not taught. And with this trial by fire you've been facing? Why, it's as if we're peers already."
"Oobleck, Port, now is not the times for pleasantries." Goodwitch interrupted sternly. "Children, to the Bullhead. We're getting you out of here."
"Great plan." Jaune stated. "Really, I like that plan, Professor. However-"
The conversation was interrupted by a loud tearing noise, and the grouped fighters all turned to see a badly damaged Bullhead careening through the air above them, crash landing in the distance with a loud explosion.
"-we do still have a problem regarding that."
A problem that quickly made itself known again by taking advantage of the other Bullheads pulling back briefly to once more lunge at its target.
Ruby quickly reacted by dashing away from the rest of the group, and the Ebonmaw followed. Unfortunately, upon making the sharp turn required to do so, the beast's swinging tail slammed into the earthbound Bullhead and sent it flying, the pilot barely jumping out of the doomed vehicle in time.
"…And it seems that we can't leave period." Jaune deadpanned.
"Oobleck, with me, we're helping Miss Rose." The Deputy Headmistress commanded. "Port, keep the students safe."
"Wait, what?" Yang asked in bewilderment.
"You children have performed admirably during the initiation, but now Ooobleck will see to your safety while we deal with this Grimm. You have done enough."
To the woman's frustration, and some surprise, her words were met with more resistance than expected.
"Like Hell we have!" Jaune exclaimed. "I'm not just gonna stand by while others are risking their lives!"
"Your willingness to assist is admirable, Mr. Arc, but this is one foe that is beyond your current capabilities. Rest assured, Professor Port and I will bring Ms. Rose to safety."
"With all due respect, Professor, I am fairly certain that's not going to work." Jaune interjected. "That thing seems really hellbent on getting Ruby, and me to a smaller extent. It's partly why we've survived so far, but I doubt that it's gonna let her go."
The woman made to reply, but then the boy continued.
"Besides which, as I said, in a situation like this, sitting on my ass doing nothing while others are risking their lives doesn't really sit well with me. You can chew me out all you want later, but no matter what you say, I'm going." The blade wielder stated with finality.
And while she would certainly be keeping this thought to herself, Glynda's opinion of the boy was vastly improved by those words. Still, it was her job to ensure their safety.
"Mr. Arc, we are wasti-"
"I am afraid that I will have to agree with him, Professor." Someone said joining the conversation, and everyone present was shocked to see that is was Weiss.
The Heiress herself seemed surprised, whether it was at her own words or at refusing to comply with a figure of authority was anyone's guess.
"Ruby is my partner, and as her partner it is my duty to assist her. I am going too."
Then another person joined in.
"Ruby's my sister." Yang said, her tone somber, with traces of guilt and shame. "I will not leave her."
Much more quietly, the blonde girl muttered to herself. "Not again…"
She completely missed the inscrutable look Jaune threw her way.
With the others giving their own statements, Glynda suddenly found herself outnumbered.
"Ahah!" Port broke the tension with a jovial laugh, before continuing in a more serious tone. "Truly the finest bunch of young huntsmen we've had in a while. Let them come, Glynda, they've earned the right."
"Peter…"
"I must concur." Oobleck interjected quickly. "Besides which, we will have better chances of keeping them safe if we allow them to stick close to us."
With her own colleagues against her, the Deputy Headmistress gave a long-suffering sigh.
"Very well…" She consented. "You can come. But you will obey any and all orders that I or Profs. Port and Oobleck give you. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Finally in agreement, the group was off.
/
Ruby knew how to fight. She wasn't sure why but she did. Even if she had never once practiced in her life, she had always been aware of what was required, what needed to be done, when faced with the possibility of physical violence. She honestly wasn't even sure how long had she known about this, but this instinct was one that had come to serve her well over the years.
The point to be made here was, she knew what she was doing.
But just because she was skilled, it did not mean she was infallible.
She had underestimated the Dragon, thought it too lost in its rage.
But wrathful did not equate to mindless.
When the beast began noticing the patterns in her hit-and-runs attacks, it had tricked her with a false swipe of one claw and struck with the other, sending her flying.
And thus did she come to find herself in her current situation, slumped against a stone wall marred with the small crater caused by her impact upon it, momentarily dazed and with the Dragon bearing down on her.
Quite the predicament.
However, Fate seemed as hellbent on stopping the creature as it was on getting to her.
A rain of debris and boulders fell upon the creature, specifically targeting the face and the wings and thus forcing it to divert its attention. Glancing to the side, Ruby saw that this was the work of the Meddling Lady, who seemed quite in her element amidst the sheer amount of ammunition around her.
And while she drew its attention, the remaining Bullheads resumed fire while maintaining some distance.
As the beast roared its anger at the intrusion, Ruby got to her feet, noticing some figures approaching her.
"Ruby, you alright?" Jaune asked.
"Fine." The younger girl replied with no inflection in her tone.
"That is some remarkable resilience, Miss Rose." The older green-haired man stated. "Not many could've endured a blow from an Ebonmaw like that."
"…Who're you?"
"Dr. Oobleck, but that's not important right now. We are going to be taking the fight to the creature and we need every able body fighter for the job. What say you?"
The little Red reaper blinked once at the speedy speech.
"…Already doing."
"Capital!" The man exclaimed. "Let us go then."
Then he dashed towards the Meddling Lady like a scrappy male version of herself.
"…Weird."
"I know, right? Probably has too much coffee." Jaune agreed, before the 2 of them followed.
By this point, more people had joined in on the assault upon the Beast.
Massive and armor plated as it was, the Ebonmaw was a difficult foe to harm. But now that their back up had arrived, harm it they did.
Joining in on Professor Goodwitch's onslaught, Oobleck used his weapon to set the projectiles on fire, while Pyrrha and Nora took the opportunity to use the last of their ammunitions, aiming for the creature's eyes or seeking to aggravate the injuries cause by the Bullheads.
Meanwhile at a ground level, Professor Port used the axe end of his weapon to tear through the creatures hide, him and the remaining students slashing at these injured spots in its claws and legs, while dashing and dancing around the creature in coordinated strikes.
The Ebonmaw could have been able to easily crush any one of them, but when it tried to lunge at Ruby, a particularly accurate boulder smashed squarely into its face. When it tried to get to the source of that barrage, the Bullheads concentrated their fire. And when it tried to take flight towards the Bullheads, the fighters on the ground struck harder.
And with its attention so divided, unable to focus in any one threat, little by little, the defenders of humanity began whittling down the Ancient Creature of Grimm.
"Ahahah, Keep at it, Students!" Professor Port bellowed. "The Beast gives ground! We have it one the ropes!"
"Indeed we do." Weiss concurred as she once again separated from the melee for a brief respite. "But… it feels wrong. We're missing something."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"That thing torched the forest to cut off our escape. Why bother going through all this, when it could just burn us to cinders?"
"Can't." Ruby replied as she approached the two girls and the teacher. "No fuel. Must recharge."
"Miss Rose is right." Port explained, mildly surprised. "An Ebonmaw's breath attack is its most dangerous weapon, but they need time to recharge it after each use."
"…Do you mean to say we're going against the clock trying to beat it before it can breathe fire again?" The Heiress asked apprehensively.
"Pretty much, ye-"
Suddenly, an intense heat began radiating through the air around them.
The glow that came from the fiery veins that criss-crossed the ancient beast's body intensified tenfold, and for a brief second, its crocodilian jaws almost seemed to sport a wicked grin.
Then, letting loose another roar, one that revealed the glowing furnace deep in its gullet, the creature turned, and rising to hind legs, unleashed a burst of flames towards the Bullheads.
The airships scrambled to evade. Most came out of it singed, but the one that took the brunt of the flames wasn't so lucky, a loud explosion sending pieces of it flying in every direction.
One annoyance dealt with, the Ebonmaw turned towards the others.
"Everyone, Scatter!" Professor Goodwitch commanded.
Everyone made to obey, getting as far away from the beast as they could. The Ebonmaw, for its part, slammed its front legs on the floor, causing the grounded to tremble.
As she made her escape, Ruby heard a faint gasp above the noise.
Glancing behind her, she noticed Blake had lost her footing.
And now the Ebonmaw was moving in their direction.
Immediately did the younger girl turn back.
There was no time for finesse.
/
Was this how she was going to die?
Step by ponderous step, the massive Grimm approached her. Even as she got back to her feet, Blake knew she couldn't get away now.
Fear gripped at the Faunus' heart. It couldn't end like this. There was still too many things she had left to accomplish. Mistakes to correct. A life to live!
But the massive monster before her could not care less.
With a bestial bellow and a deep breath, the Ebonmaw unleashed its searing blaze upon her, and Blake could do nothing but scream as the wall of fiery death came surging towards her.
For a brief moment, she could have sworn she heard the faint, distant howling of a wolf…
Only for it to be silenced when a red-cloaked figure blurred into being in front of her.
Before the dark-haired girl could understand what just occurred, the figure swung its arms forward in a fanning motion.
And what could only be described as a gale of ominous dark winds surged forward, meeting the inferno head-on and halting its advance.
Blake couldn't believe it.
She had wanted nothing to do with Ruby Rose. There was something off about her, something unnatural… and terrifying.
She honestly cursed her luck when she had ended up partnered with her sister.
But now, here the girl was… protecting her?
"…Why?" The question escaped her lips in a faint whisper.
Ruby gave no indication of having heard, fully concentrating on her current task.
But despite her best efforts, she was being pushed back.
Bit by bit, the writhing darkness gave way before the blistering flames.
What little hope Blake had felt died down as the younger girl gave more and more ground.
Suddenly, Ruby dropped her arms and turned, tackling her to the ground and covering both of them with her cape.
And before Blake could make head or tails of it, the flames engulfed them.
/
To everyone else, it was a horrifying scene.
Goodwitch, Port and Oobleck had tried to reach the 2 girls, but had been too late.
After few moments of continuous fire, the Ebonmaw finally ran out of fuel once more, the fire fading from its jaws as the glow on its veins dulled.
Before the Grimm, there was naught but a charred, smoke filled wasteland.
In the silence that followed, everyone stared at the spot where the girls had been, watching in horror and anticipation.
The teachers felt a heavy burden of shame of this failure to protect their charges.
The huntsmen in training watched on in muted shock, their inexperienced minds trying to process the loss of their comrades.
Jaune felt sorrow, lamenting the loss of the odd girl he had befriended.
And Yang… her mind all but shut down.
It couldn't be… She couldn't have lost her sister and her partner in one fell swoop…
Strangely enough, everyone realized the Grimm wasn't moving to finish the rest of them off.
No, the Ancient beast just stood there, unmoving, eyes firmly locked on the spot where its target had been, patiently watching, as if waiting for something…
The faint breeze began to blow away the smoke, and everyone began to see something odd.
From within the large greyish black cloud of ash and soot, a faint glow could be seen.
But, Jaune noted, this wasn't the eldritch green that generally came of Ruby's power.
No, this light glowed like liquid gold.
And when the smoke cleared at last, what stood before them was a dome of golden energy, unscathed by the inferno.
And inside the dome, Ruby and Blake were unarmed.
The older girl, realizing Death had not come, slowly opened her eyes, and rising to a seated position, slowly looked around in shock.
Then she sensed the gaze upon her, and turned to the younger girl.
"…Ok?"
Still trying to make sense of what just occurred, Blake could only nod dumbly.
Seemingly satisfied by this, Ruby nodded back and rose, and as the barrier around began fading away, stared passively at their foe.
The Ebonmaw looked madder than it had ever been before, eyes almost ablaze, steam pouring out from the corners of its mouth.
With a sound that was so full of rage, so utterly reverberating with fury, that it could barely even be qualified as a roar, the beast swung its claw at them.
Ruby grabbed Blake and blurred out of the way, appearing next to the approaching Professor Goodwitch and Jaune.
"Ruby, you girls ok?"
"Fine." The younger girl replying, gently pushing her dazed companion towards him, then turned towards the incoming monster.
As she stood motionless and a strange presence settled into the air, the girl's eye once more began burning with ethereal light.
Ruby quietly uttered 2 words.
"Finish this."
And the next moment, she dashed forward.
She took no more than 3 steps before countless crows sprang into existence, carrying her into the air.
The flock advanced upon the roaring Grimm, and at the very last moment, like dark water against a black stone, it broke apart and surged around the Ebonmaw, a black tornado of shrill, inhuman shrieks that almost drowned out the beast's enraged roars as it tried to swat and bite the crows away.
Then, the black cloud sprang upwards, and took off into the sky.
With a sneering growl, the creature bellow opened its own massive pinions, and before any of the remaining huntsmen could do anything to stop it, took flight in pursuit.
Higher and higher the flock went, and higher and higher the Ebonmaw followed.
Then, at the at the apex of their flight, the crows parted to reveal the form of Ruby, held aloft in the air as if seating upon the feathery mass.
The girl looked bellow at the draconic mass of rage that surged to meet her with something akin to detached curiosity…
…Then, ever so slowly, she reached her arm up to the sky.
Only she saw the creature's eyes widening in recognition.
But everyone down below watched in shock as the beast suddenly cried out in distress and tried to swerve to the side, as if desperately trying to avoid an incoming attack.
Too late.
Ruby swung her arm down in a clawing motion.
And the very next moment, a beam of pure golden light fell from the skies above, smiting the Ebonmaw and blowing a massive hole through its torso.
The creature let loose a garbled cry of shock and agony, and with erratic beats of its black wings tried to remain airborne.
But the wound was too severe, even for its unnatural resilience.
Ans so it fell, twisting and turning haphazardly, almost giving the notion that it was desperately trying to reach for something to stop the fall, screaming its rage and agony all the while.
It fell, and the flock followed.
The descent brought the Ebonmaw towards the chasm it had risen from, and as it one more plunged into straight into it, the flock stopped at its edge, allowing the cloaked figure within to land softly.
Looking down, Ruby saw the Dragon disappear into the misty depths.
Then, with a final, world-shaking roar, the impact with the ground fractured the beast's already damaged internal furnace, and a massive explosion of flames engulfed it, spreading outwards until it rocked the entire chasm.
And as these hellish flames died down, silence once more fell upon the battlefield.
A silence that was unbroken even as another figure approached Ruby, glancing down at the burning depths.
Jaune gave a low whistle.
"Gotta give it to you, rubes." The blade wielder said with a grin. "You sure know how to make a grand finale."
With that, the boy raised his hand towards her.
For a few, brief moments, the girl gazed upon the limb, head tilted inquisitively.
Then, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly upwards.
And for the first time in her life, Ruby Rose partook of a High-Five.
/
Atop the cliffs of Beacon stood a lone figure.
What Ozpin couldn't have witnessed from this distance, the tight surveillance he kept over the Emerald Forest had revealed to him.
And he had learned much indeed.
He had witnessed Power.
He had witnessed Skill.
He had witnessed Cooperation.
He had witnessed Courage.
And above all else, he had witnessed a willingness to protect.
Questions were answered, even as others had been raised.
But for now, he believed he had made the right choice.
/
"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lei Ren. You have retrieved the White Rook pieces. Henceforth, you shall be known as team JNPR."
…
"Led by… Jaune Arc."
…
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You have retrieved the White Knight pieces. Henceforth you shall be known as team RWBY."
…
"Led by… Ruby Rose."
/
And that's that.
Show of hands, how many of you were expecting the summoner spells?
Also, there will probably be a few of you who will not be too pleased with the Teams remaining as Canon. This may even turn a few of you away from the fic entirely.
But people, I must ask for a little patience. Do trust that there's a method to my madness.
And next year, I'll star by updating "Through the Eternities", followed by "Beneath a Broken Moon".
But you're free to check the little interlude I also posted for the later.
Other than that, I wish you all a Happy New Year.
And cya all on the next one.