Ending 2: Calamity Janes
Hope choked as the monstrous Jabberwock's vile breath hit his nose. Its eyes glowed a malevolent hue, almost as if it was smiling evilly at him. The beast's boa-like tongue wrapped around his neck, lifting him off his feet and into the air. Hope hacked and gasped, his constricted throat unable to draw breath. The Jabberwock slowly hovered its teeth over Hope's head, savouring the moment as it prepared to bite the seer's head off.
The Red Sun shone, forming a glint on the nearby horizon.
The deafening crack of sniper fire drew the beast's eyes, the memory of Hope's assassination attempt filled its brain with panic as a hole appeared in its tongue. The beast let out a pained growl as it backed away. Hope dropped to the floor, gasping for air as the tongue that strangled him let go. Both man and beast looked to the shooter, her red cape flowing in the wind. Hope chuckled dryly.
"Cavalry's here..." he exhaled, his limp body almost unresponsive.
Ruby's eyes were wide open, her glare as sharp as her unfolded scythe. Ruby racked the bolt of her sniper angrily as her glare brightened with silvered light.
"Get. Away. From. Him," she demanded, her tone low and full of menace.
Deja-vue.
The Jabberwock growled lowly, the hated light inhabiting her eyes making the ancient evil think its next move very carefully. It looked over the Silver-Eyed Warrior's shoulder, as the rest of her Team arrived, winded but focused. As soon as their eyes landed on Hope's immobile body, they unsheathed their weapons with deathly intent.
The dark beast stood tall, towering over everyone as it stared off with the quatro. Hope squirmed, his stump still leaking precious ichor, as he laid underneath the monster's gait. The beast quickly stepped over Hope, holding him between its clawed feet. Ruby took aim but the monster squeezed the squishy meat bag between its toes, silently threatening her to not try anything lest her friend finds himself pasted. Hope breathed heavily, his pallor growing and his consciousness slipping.
A nudge at the back of his mind kept him awake as if a motherly hand beckoned him to stay awake.
Hope groaned as he punched himself with his lone hand, desperately trying to not slip into Gehenna just yet. Hope slammed his hand against the claws that held him down, a futile effort rewarded by further pressure being applied. He felt his ribs crack with a quiet creak and a snap. He let out a pained roar as the beast almost smiled at his pain.
RWBY's glare collectively darkened, snapping the tread of reason that held them back from attacking the overpowered monster before them.
Yang was the first to rush, throwing her arms behind her and propelling her forward with the force of her gauntlets. Using her momentum, she shifted as much of her weight as possible into a rocket-powered punch, intent on punching through the bastard who hurt her family. Just before the hit struck, the Dragonoid brought up its wing, holding it towards Yang as if about to bat her away but a strange glyph of light locked its position with its wing held around it. The blond brawler's fist landed on the joint of the wing, its articulation creaking uncomfortably and cartilage bent painfully. The monster was forced to jump back but stumbled backward as a ribbon wrapped around its hind legs, pulled by the strength of a furious maiden in love. Burning lead rained unto the leather wings of the monster as Ruby rapid-fired her sniper, dumping mag after mag of high explosive munition into the beast. Soon enough, all she had left were her specialized traversal round. The Jabberwock, flesh covered in dark gashes and its bones cracked tried its best to make the insolent wormlings suffer, but a strange providence seemed to safeguard them. He could feel their outrage, their anger and hatred towards it. The yellow one in particular, her rage was almost shielding her from its hits through sheer fury-born strength. Her hits hurt the most, as if a warhammer dropped on its ancient bones with every hit. The black one kept breaking its concentration by summoning harassing shadows and that damned white one kept stopping it from taking flight by bringing it down with glyphs. The red one, however, truly frightened it. the silver light that came from her eyes hurt to merely behold. it must flee, for even if it were to vanquish the others, the Silver-Eyed Warrior would be the end of its ancient reign.
But not before making the one-armed assassin pay. He dared to try and kill it, one of the oldest Grimms. He almost succeded, though through the help of its mistresse's damnable protege tart. No, he must die at all costs, a just price to pay for the humiliation he sent it through.
The Jabberwock waited patiently for an opening to show and as soon as he saw Yang and Blake reload their weapons, the Jabberwock knew that its time to act was now. It threw its wings back, sending the nearby Yang flying. its vocal cords expanded and glew, until a deafening roar ripped through the air. RWBY fell to their knees, their ears ringing and their vision losing focus.
Hope tried to stand up only to kneel, his ears protected by the strange presence.
The Beast threw itself forward toward Weiss, forcing her to relocate as to not get trampled. She tried to use her glyph but her ears ringed still and her vision remained cloudy. Ruby saw where the beast was headed and ran to intercept. She turned into a cloud of rose petals and dashed to her love.
The beast arrived first.
It lifted its talon high, its hateful eye set on Hope. and in one swift, spiteful motion, his spark was extinguished just as Ruby caught him to fly away. The claw dug into his chest and with one downward motion, the long talon ripped his chest open. His organs fled his torso in a torrent of gore as Ruby sped away, leaving a horrific trail of carrion and roses. *WBY froze in place at the sight, utterly in shock. Once Ruby reformed, she took a moment to look down, not yet aware that her beloved was now but a corpse. She looked down, unresponsive, as her breath hitched.
"A-Anon?"
Hope didn't react, his eyes glazed over and his chest cavity empty.
Ruby fell to her knees, her hands shaking as she clutched his body. Tears flooded her eyes as light poured from them.
"No...no...no..." she repeated, her worst fears having come to pass.
The Jabberwock took initiative and once they all froze from shock, the ancient beast fled into the air, fully intent on fleeing the growing silver light.
Suddenly, a silvered lash wrapped around its neck.
Panicked, the Jabberwock looked back. Beneath it, the Silver-Eyed warrior still held Hope in one hand and in the other, holding a lasso of pure light. Her face was veiled in shadows, until she lifted it to face the monster that murdered her love.
The monster was faced with a monstrous, wrathful scowl.
"Get down from there..." She demanded with venom dripping from her lips. "GET DOWN FROM THERE!"
The Jabberwock struggled to set itself free until Ruby leaned into the lasso, sending the beast crashing down. The Jabberwock stood up, shaking its head until a flurry of blows directly into its head sent it to the floor. The black one's ribbons wrapped around it, locking its movements. Its lone eyes darted around as a glyph crushed it into the floor. Four forms stood around it, their expression all mirroring their leader. Ruby's eyes glowed violently as tears of light poured from her eyes. Her weapon suddenly began glowing silver, turning her already huge scythe into a towering blade of light. The Jabberwock screamed in distress, begging for its life. With a mournful scream of vengeance, Ruby's scythe descended on the monster that took away her friend, bisecting the beast's chest and freezing its corpse into a silvery statue.
Ruby fell to her knees, her heart thumping in her ears. Her whole body felt sluggish and her head felt like it was going to split in half. She fell forward, her stomach nearly falling out of her lips. Her head craned up, her eyes meeting her dead friend one last time before her consciousness fell away. Her heart sank, as she drifted from a nightmare to nothingness.
Torturous dreams animated the Silver-Eyed Warrior's slumber, her eyes burning and her heart breaking. She tossed and turned as sweat poured from her skin. Next to her sat the man who raised her instead of her deceased mother, Taiyang Xiao-Long, as he sponged her forehead. As soon as she was back home, she had been stripped down, now wearing nothing but light pyjamas. Tai had noticed a ring on her pinky but no sooner had he tried taking it off, than she grabbed his wrist with bloodshot eyes before returning to unconsciousness.
Tai had not dared touch the strange jewelry since.
Yang didn't even explain what that was all about, but if the similar ring that was on her pinky was any indication, she knew the reason why Ruby had acted the way she had. And speaking of Yang, she's been... Quiet. Worryingly so. Her lilac eyes were now blood red, like her birth mother Raven. She would sometimes break her quiet to snap at him before apologizing and leaving for the forest of Patch.
She would always come back calmer but often covered in scratches and with bleeding, skinned knuckles.
Tai's poor heart screamed at him to hold her back, but the memories of how he and his now ex-wife separated, and the resultant fight, still haunted him. There was nothing he could do, save give them the space they really, really needed.
Tai sighed in the kitchen, having just finished giving the still-unconscious Ruby a sponge bath.
"Discouraged?" A voice asked him from behind.
Tai looked to the window that led to his front porch, where his old friend and teammate Qrow sat. The combat instructor sighed.
"No, just..."
"Lost?"
"Yeah." Tai scratched his nascent beard. "Yang's always been a chill girl, never really made a fuss or acted out of line but..."
"She reminds you of Rae?"
Tai nodded sadly.
"A bit too much like Rae."
Qrow sighed.
"Yeah..."
The two older men became quiet after. Only time will tell when they'll get better.
But by the gods did they hope that that day comes quickly.
The atmosphere in the bullhead was absolutely unbearable, as noted by a Schnee company butler. He and his sister stood by awkwardly by the heiress as she sat in her seat, a terrible scowl on her face. He thought that, frankly, it looked out of place on her beautiful face. She didn't talk but it was clear that she was in a foul mood, so neither he nor his sister initiated for fear of being told off. Not that he blamed her, seeing as she just escaped a veritable warzone. The lady's scowl worsened as an Atlan guard entered the passenger cabin.
"Miss Schnee, we'll soon leave Vale air space," he announced.
Weiss just clicked her tongue, not bothering to give the man who tore her away from her friends a proper answer.
"Your father wanted you to know that he expects you to call him once we've entered a net receiving zone."
For the first time since she entered the craft, the Heiress spoke.
"You can tell that 'man' that I have nothing to say to him," she spat glacially.
"Even if you don't, I'm sure you can-"
Weiss held her hand up, waving it disdainfully as she looked away.
"Fuck off, I've nothing to say."
The guard sighed deeply.
"Understood, miss."
The guard returned to the cockpit, obviously not enthused about the report he'll have to give to his boss's employer. The butler approached the lady fearfully but dutifully.
"I-is there anything you need, my lady?"
The girl looked him up and down, her angry eyes softening ever so slightly.
"I need to go back," she said. "But clearly that's not an option."
The sister approached, looking worried and confused.
"With all due respect, my lady, why would you want to go back to that dump?"
Weiss's scowl turned into a furious frown, her mouth curled down into a raging grimace. She shot to her feet a marched to the woman who offended her, grabbing her by the collar. in her haste, something metallic clunked to the floor limply.
"Watch your fucking mouth, you bitch!" she blithered.
The maid recoiled, holding her arms in front of her in surrender.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"That place has been my home since the start of the year and I just lost it!"
Weiss's hands began trembling, her expression faltering. Her rage melted into sorrow as she looked down, her eyes veiled with shadows to hide her tears.
"I lost... my brother..."
The butler looked confused.
"Brother, miss? But sir Whitley hasn't left Atlas all year!"
Weiss let go of the maid and glared at him before wiping away the nascent tears in the corner of her eyes.
"Not him! That shit-stain could barely even be considered blood, let alone family!"
She looked at her seat and once she did, panic struck her heart.
"Where is it?!"
"Where is what, miss?" the butler asked.
Weiss immediately turned the entire cabin upside down.
"WHERE IS IT?!" she decried.
The maid and the butler stepped back, afraid and concerned by their lady's sudden bout of mania. The maid took a step further backward until a metallic clink resonated against her shoe. She looked down at her feet, and her eyes met with a large dagger, almost comparable to a machete in size. She picked it up, not remembering taking it aboard. She looked to Weiss, now holding her head and looking like she was about to tear her beautiful silky hair out. Weiss began tearing up, her breathing ragged and her eyes bloodshot. The maid took her courage with both hands and walked forward.
"Uhm, miss?" she asked. "Are you looking for this?"
Weiss turned around, her bulging eye slowly returning to normal. Her breathing evened out as she slowly approached the maid, her shaking hands extending. She gingerly took the blade from the maid, her lips trembling as a deluge of tears left her eyes. She collapsed to her knees, sniffling pathetically.
"Thank you..." she told the maid. "Thank you..."
She hugged the weapon, its once vibrant, signing blade now dormant, save for a dull drone when unsheathed. The ring on her pinky clinked against the edge dully. The Song of Truth, now a mere Whisper.
"They're... All I have left of him..." she bawled.
The maid looked at her brother, sharing the same sad look. The maid knelt down next to Weiss and hugged her.
The heiress cried and cried, and cried. She had lost her older brother and she all could do now was cry until she couldn't cry anymore.
Heartbreaks were something that Blake Belladonna had come to be familiar with. She saw the organization that her family had been a part of for generations devolve into a terrorist mob, she saw her first love turn into a monster. and now, her second love was dead. There was cruel rhyme and reason for her heartache, a continual tragedy.
One that she was completely fed up with.
A White Fang grunt fell to the floor, his face caved in brutally, his nose so distorted and broken, he'd probably need to have it amputated. Another crawled backward against a wall, tear streaming from under his mask.
"Y-you won't get away with this, you race traitor!"
Blake shot him twice in the chest, his Aura cratering and a nasty bruise formed on his chest. The grunt doubled over with a gasp before vomiting. The grunt looked up as the Ex-Fang grabbed him by the throat before slamming his head into the wall. The grunt choked and gasped as his mask slipped off, revealing his young face and his rat ears.
"Shut up," Blake commanded darkly. "The only race traitors are the Fang. And every one of you bastards are going to pay."
The rodent looked up, struck with fear at the sight of Blake's obsessive glare.
"Why are you doing this?! You should be on our side!"
Blake's face contorted in contempt.
"I was, once."
She shot him again, breaking his Aura. The Grunt collapsed unto his side, whimpering pathetically. Blake walked closer, before kicking him in the side. The grunt screamed in pain.
"Please!" he begged. "I-I surrender!"
Blake glared, her eyes veiled in shadow. She kicked his again.
And again, and again, and again.
The grunt curled into the fetal position, crying.
"Please! Stop! Aren't you supposed to be a Huntswoman!?"
Blake stopped kicking, her face twisting into an ugly scowl of hatred. She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"FUCK YOU!" she screamed. "I WILL NOT BE TOLD THIS BY YOU, YOU ANIMAL!"
The rat trembled, sure that he was about to die but Blake simply continued ranting.
"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO WRECKED HALF OF THE CITY. I'M NOT THE ONE WHO KILLED THOUSANDS AND DESTROYED THEIR HOMES!"
She threw a punch, bruising the grunt's cheek.
"YOU WERE MEANT TO BE A BEACON OF HOPE FOR OUR KIND!"
She punched him in the face again, loosening his molars and turning his bruise black.
"But all I see..."
She punched him once more, breaking his molars and knocking them out of his mouth.
"Are a bunch of animals."
She let go of the grunt, who whimpered pathetically on the floor. Blake spat on the whimpering mess before pulling out a strange pistol from a back holster. The grunt looked up, looking down the barrel of the large pistol. He shook like a leaf in the cold wind, holding his hands up in front of him and clenching his eyes shut.
"Please... No..." he begged. "Don't kill me..."
Blake shoved the gun against his head, her eyes trembling with rage.
"This gun used to belong to someone I loved," she said, grinding the barrel against the temple of the grunt. "He got hurt during an incident involving you bastards at the docks, then he nearly died during the Breach and now..."
She rubbed her thumb on the safety, making the grunt flinch.
"Now..." she muttered quietly. "He's gone..."
She jabbed him one last time with the gun before limply dropping her aim. The grunt looked up to see his aggressor tear up.
"You couldn't just be content by hurting him and crippling him. You just had to take his life..."
The grunt looked away.
"I... I had no choice..."
Blake scoffed, taking out a pair of cuffs.
"Fuck you, you always have the choice to refuse."
She cuffed the grunt, attaching his unconscious comrade to him with her ribbon. She held him at gunpoint.
"Walk. Animals like you deserve to be caged," she commanded. "Be very grateful that I'm not putting you down."
The grunt nodded fearfully and did as ordered. Blake walked behind the grunt, aiming from the hip. She looked down at the gun that once belonged to her love. She never got why he chose it, but now she did. She looked into her reflection in the gun's polished frame.
The reflection stared back, tear-stricken with black trails going down her cheeks.
They nodded to each other wordlessly. The silence continued as she proceeded to escort the grunts to the police stations. Blake looked down at the Fang mask still on the floor. She stomped on the mask, cracking it in two. The cracked mask made her pause. There once was a man she loved, a man that she had met again.
A man stuck in the dark, whom he shined a light on.
Originally, Blake didn't understand why he chose that gun, but now she did. Before, it was a Shard of his arsenal. Now... Now, It would be the Cry that will Free others from the Fang. The Cry that will Free Adam Taurus from the darkness of the White Fang.
She handed the grunts over to the authorities before leaving to get some rest. She had plans to go back home, she just had to find a boat. She also reminded herself to go see her partner and leader before leaving but judging by her own ire, she didn't want to know how utterly furious Yang was. But, that was a problem for later. Right now, Blake was tired.
Vengeance can fuel some only for so long, after all.
Somewhere in Patch's forest, a tree fell down with a thunderous sound. The base of the trunk was splintered apart with blunt force. Amid the tortured roots of the broken tree was a golden-haired young woman, whose eyes were as red as blood. Ichor dripped from her skinned knuckles. Her fist couldn't stop shaking, even after felling a tree with her bare hands. she held her bleeding hands in front of her, glaring at them with twitching eyes and heavy breath. Her hands balled into quaking fists, her seemingly endless frustration and anger not having left even after unleashing it on mother nature's children. She threw her fist to the side with a roar, felling another, smaller tree.
"FUCK!" she screamed.
It hurt. It hurt so much. Her hands hurt, her knuckles were shredded and the bones in her wrists and hands were probably bruised. But nothing hurt more than her heart. Yang wasn't an unintelligent person, not completely, but it was the only thing that she knew that dulled the pain in her tempestuous heart. The rage she felt was like a fire contained within a greenhouse, the flames licking the glass and threatening to melt it and spread. The only thing that held her back from hurting a lot of people was her dad and her uncle. She knew that she'd hurt them more by going on a punching spree.
Still didn't make the pain go away.
Yang heard a growl behind her. Her lips receded into an ugly grimace as she turned to face a pack of Beowolves. She cracked her neck before slowly turning around. The beasts flinched at her expression, almost instinctively aware of how dangerous she was. She widened her stance, prepared to leap as she stared daggers at her dark foe.
"C'mon, bitches." She spat. "I'll fucking tear each of your heads off!"
The Beowolves flinched, their instincts begging them to run but as soon as they took one step back, Yang leaped into the middle of them. A single punch pasted one of the poor aberrations and in a whirlwind of gold, the rest followed. Yang growled flaccidly at how quickly the fight ended, even if it was expected.
She did bring the roaming Grimm population of the forest down by almost ninety percent.
She raised her hands in front of her, they still bled, they still hurt, and they still shook. She grimaced angrily before shaking her head and checking the time. It was getting late, her dad was probably worried. she sighed frustratedly before taking out a small pack from her waist. She pulled out a spray bottle of disinfectant with practiced ease and In less than a minute, her skinned knuckles were cleaned and wrapped up in gauze. As she went to close the bag, a pair of leather gloves fell out. Suddenly, her rage cooled as she held the worn gloves up and felt her eyes water. Her eyes changed hue back to their original lilac. She held the gloves against her heart as tears fell from her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry..." she mumbled. "I should have been there. I should have been there to back you up... Maybe... Maybe if we were there sooner..."
Her shaking hands fell forward, holding out the gloves. An intrusive thought wormed its way into her mind. She looked at her fallen family's handwear and put them on. They were slightly too big for her but the size and softness of the worn doubling eased her weary soul. Her hands stopped shaking and the pain in her hands dulled. She took a deep breath and for the first time since she lost him, she felt at ease.
It still hurt, and her rage was still white hot but at least, it was contained.
Yang sniffled as she lumbered back home, a drag in her stride. She felt her hands itch from the unfamiliar interior of his gloves so she took them off to scratch her palms. As soon as she took them off, the tempest in her heart whirled and her eyes turned the colour of blood.
She'd make them pay for what they did to her family.
She'd make them bleed like they did him. And with his gloves, she'll deliver that Justice.
A groan left Ruby's mouth as her consciousness dragged itself back into the waking world. Her mouth was dry and her throat felt phlegmy. She racked her throat to get rid of the disgusting sensation before spitting it in a tissue from the box on her nightstand. She grimaced at the yellow gel staring back at her before throwing it away contemptuously. She sat up in her bed, Her churning stomach disagreeing with her action. A wave of nausea washed over her but with a few deep breaths, she managed to push the bile back down. She wanted to stretch, to wake herself up, but her whole body felt so sore that she thought she had been ganged up on by goons with baseball bats.
The door creaked open, revealing the two older men of her family. Tai's eyes widened as he jumped into the room and dashed to the side of the bed. He locked Ruby in a tight hug.
"Ruby!" he exclaimed. "You're awake!"
Ruby groaned, her sore torso getting compressed by Tai's affection.
"Please get off me, Dad," she begged. "I'm gonna hurl..."
Tai did as asked, now worried by Ruby's complexion.
"You look like a ghost," Qrow commented as he rested a steaming mug on the nightstand.
Ruby took one whiff of the beverage and felt ill. Strange, considering her uncle Qrow's hot chocolate was the best treat in the world to her.
"Feel like one too," Ruby commented, her head battering.
She looked around, recognizing her childhood home's guest room. on the other side of the bed, opposite the nightstand, was a medical drip stand feeding a clear solution directly into her arm. She remained lying in her bed, her expression dour. She looked at the corner of her room and felt her heart stop.
There laid Morrigan, Hope's sniper that she made for him.
She bit back tears as the image of Hope's gouged-out corpse appeared in her mind. She inhaled deeply before exhaling.
"Has Anon been..."
Tai lost his smile, replaced by a sad frown.
"He's Summer's neighbour now." He said quietly. "I figured she'd like some company."
Ruby nodded, quiet as a mouse. She took hold of the medical stand and tried to get up, only for her uncle to softly push her down.
"I get how you're feeling, I really do," Qrow admitted. "But you're in no shape to move."
She grabbed his wrist, a fire burning in her eyes.
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way."
Qrow smacked her upside the head to the mortification of his old teammate.
"QROW!"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head, squinting at the stinging pain. Qrow crossed his arms scoldingly.
"Do not take that tone with me, Ruby." he scorned. "I'm not your enemy."
Ruby looked down angling her face away from her family.
"I have to see him..."
The old crow sighed sadly.
"I know. But you're just gonna collapse if you try and bolt out of bed."
He patted her head, much to her aggravation. It felt patronizing, like she was being treated like a child.
Even though he was just as guilty of it, Anon never treated her like a kid.
Ruby groaned as she laid back down on the bed, looking away angrily.
"Fine. But as soon as I'm feeling better..."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll wheel you out to visit him."
The room became quiet, with Ruby still refusing to face either men. Tai looked between his old friend and Summer's child awkwardly. Ruby finally spoke up after a moment of silence.
"Where's Yang and the rest of my team?"
Tai scratched his beard.
"The other two went back home. They didn't seem like they wanted to but they made it sound like either time was against them or they couldn't because of circumstance." he paused gravely. "Yang's..."
He sighed, the memory of her last return, and the awful rage still in her eyes, still haunting him.
"She's in a bad place."
Ruby closed her eyes, a sour frown on her face.
"I don't blame her."
Her hands began to shake.
"Did I kill that son of a bitch?"
Tai winced at the foul language but knew enough about Ruby's current state of mind to not push back.
"Well... You did tear its chest in half and froze the rest."
Ruby finally turned to face her sister's spitting image, looking confused.
"Frozen?"
"Yeah," Taiyang confirmed, glad to change the subject. "It's like its flesh turned into some kind of silvery substance that's as hard as diamonds. At least, that's what I got from Qrow's explanation."
Ruby rubbed her head, trying to remember what she did. She held her hands out, flexing her hands.
"How did I..." She struggled to articulate for a moment. "The big... Light show... Thing?"
Qrow frowned dourly, followed closely by Tai.
"You have... Your mother's eyes." Tasi tried to explain. "Magic light show included."
Ruby blinked, waiting for him to continue.
"You're what's called a Silver-Eyed Warrior."
Ruby paused, remembering a crucial detail.
"Silver-Eyed... Wait, isn't that some old fairy tale?"
"Yeah, it's an old one too. But, like all old stories, there's truth among the weird stuff. Same with Sum, she was one, as were many of the members of her family."
"So it's hereditary? Like some semblances?" Ruby questioned.
"Yes, but it isn't like a semblance since it doesn't use Aura," Qrow added. "It happened more than once where Sum's Aura broke and she used her eyes to get herself, and us, out of the pinch we were in at the time."
Ruby glared, her eyes growing dark.
"Give me one good reason why I was never told, nor given training, on this... power, I have."
Qrow rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Good grief, Ruby."
Tai felt the mood in the room go from sour to bitter and immediately looked for the nearest excuse to leave. Luckily, a crashing sound followed by loud cursing gave him the excuse needed to leave. Yes, Yang was hard to deal with, but at least she was easier to handle than Ruby was.
"I'll go see what that was," Tai said as he left his seat. "Hopefully, Yang hasn't hurt herself too badly."
As he walked to the door, Ruby's stare lightened.
"Dad?" Ruby called.
Taiyang froze in the door frame.
"Yes?"
Ruby paused, thinking about what she wanted to say.
"Tell Yang..." her voice broke. "Tell Yang I'm sorry."
Tai felt tears rise up and took a deep breath as to to not start crying.
"I will."
he gently closed the door, the hinges squeaking as he did. Ruby took another deep breath before glaring at her uncle, who sat where her father figure once sat.
"Explain. Now." Ruby demanded. "Why was I never trained? Why was I never told?"
Qrow shook his head.
"well, Summer died, for one," he said bluntly.
Ruby flinched, making Qrow sigh in aggravation.
"Summer was terrible at explaining stuff," he explained bluntly. "She couldn't explain ABCs to a toddler, let alone the mechanics of how ancient supernatural powers work."
He paused.
"But she wanted to be the one to explain everything to you. Silver-Eyed to Silver-Eyed, as her father did with her."
Ruby looked down, her sudden aggression leaving as quickly as it came. All that was left was the sense of loss she desperately wanted to avoid. She shook her head.
"Then... What am I supposed to do? You don't think that there are others?"
Qrow shrugged.
"Most Silver-Eyed warriors I've heard of are either dead or missing, like Maria Calavera."
"The Grimm Reaper?" Ruby asked, having recognized the name.
"It's a rumour since no one has ever seen her face, let alone her eyes." Ruby's uncle explained. "But it's said that she was a Silver-Eyed Warrior. Point is, I don't think we can easily find you a tutor or teacher in how the whole thing works."
Qrow took out his scroll, flicking his finger across the screen multiple times. Ruby's scroll vibrated multiple times on the nightstand shortly after. Ruby took a look at the screen and a bunch of new collections recommendations appeared in her library.
"I checked a few old tomes and storybooks for what I could find on Silver-Eyed Warriors," Qrow explained. "Hope you'll find the answers you're looking for in them."
Qrow gave Ruby a supportive pat on the head, one that she was quick to slap away. Qrow flinched as Ruby's expression became sullen.
"Please, leave."
Qrow hummed sadly before leaving his seat but before he departed, he took out a small bag from his pocket and left it on the nightstand.
"He had those on him when we found his body," he said. "I thought you might want to hold on to them."
Qrow left quietly soon after, leaving Ruby alone. She eyed the bag and felt a wave of dread hit her.
She knew she was going to break down if she opened it.
Her hand reached for the bag and took hold, she felt her gifted ring clink against the metallic objects inside the bag. She quickly emptied the content on her lap and felt her heart squeeze painfully.
First was his necklace, a small corded chain holding a strange gem that looked like it held a galaxy. Strangely, the swirling pink, blue and purple were replaced by mostly different shades of blue. It was pretty and felt warm to the touch. She never was one for jewelry, it always got in the way. but Hope liked it, so she felt obligated to hold on to it. She would probably give it to Weiss the next time she saw her, it would fit her a lot more than her.
Second was the ring that Hope wanted to give to his girlfriend before he caught her cheating. The gold, once slightly worn and tarnished, looked ruined and desecrated, somehow looking like it had rusted despite being made of gold. it was still smooth to the touch, it just looked ruined. The ruby was completely cracked now, held together by forces beyond comprehension. Ruby now knew how much Blake loved Anon... She would probably like to have it, even though Ruby loved him as well. It's the least she could do...
Third was Anon's mother's ring. A wrought-iron ring, much like the ones Anon had given them, holding a bloodstone that pictured a proud lioness laying down with her beloved cubs. It looked slightly patinaed but otherwise intact from last she saw it. The lioness fit Yang to a T, she'd have to give it to her next time they get to be alone.
Last was Anon's personal signet. Ruby sighed as she held up Hoipe's own ring. She froze once she saw that it wasn't the one she remembered. Instead of the bird of prey laying wounded on the ground, the raptor instead rested peacefully, looking toward the horizon. Ruby's hands began shaking and tears flowed from her eyes. What once was the representation of Anon's misery, became his hopes for the future.
A future they had shown him.
Ruby's heart finally broke and a wail of anguish and grief tore the silence apart.
"Anon!" she blubbered. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
She cried, and cried, and cried, begging for forgiveness.
Forgiveness that she will never know. Forgiveness that will never come.
A soul knelt in the endless turmoil of the warping cosmos as two entities stood over him. Neither were set against him, but they certainly were against one another. One was a miserable man, whose face had deep trenches in his cheek where tears normally flowed through, his blackened wings framed his body glumly, as a monochrome crown-like halo hung above his head sadly. The other was an apparition out of the most deranged, BDSM-obsessed metal head's nightmares. Her figure was jaw-dropping, framed by the same blackened wings of her opponent, save instead of a halo, a crown of horns sprouted from her head and a tail swung angrily from her hips.
"When will you keep your fucking nose where it belongs!?" The black-haired she-devil screeched, her voice like nails on a chalkboard.
The grey-haired seraph scowled, an unusual expression for him, so used to frowning in sadness.
"When will you just give up and let that poor soul rest in peace, you cruel hag?!" he retorted indignantly.
The soul felt his ethereal eyelid twitch. This was not the first time they have had this argument, and it clearly got on his nerves. The soul raised his head, looking at the Seraph of Passings, Azrael, with utter contempt.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" he asked angrily. "I'm the one who made the covenant! not her!"
"A covenant made under duress!" The seraph countered. "Your own misery and sorrow blinded you to the horrors you've signed in on! It cannot be honoured, it SHOULD NOT be honoured!"
The Devil of Demised rolled her eyes.
"It's not up to you to decide, dear brother." the epithet was drolled almost mockingly. "For you to interfere is an abhorrent misuse of your powers."
The soul knew all too well how this argument would end, with the two bickering and fighting until they both left in a huff. This time, however, would be different. Instead of sulking, crying and leaving with a scream, the Seraph of Passings stood firm.
"Your very existence is abhorrent!" Azrael raged. "Mankind, our holy Father's creation, whom all love despite their errors! And you, YOU! You DARE to make them suffer! to take their souls, their poor souls who have gone through so much in their lives and torture them until they reincarnate! They should be rewarded! They should find rest and bliss!"
She groaned apathetically as her brother huffed and puffed.
"Yes, yes. I heard you the last ten thousand times. But such is what all seraphs and devils agreed on when Eden was shattered, and Death was introduced. The righteous and the good rested peacefully in the Blissful Limbo while the wicked and the evil suffered in Tormentful Gehenna."
Azrael glared tearfully.
"Yes! But is he?!" he yelled as he pointed to the soul.
The soul sighed once more.
"He has done NOTHING wrong!" Azrael declared. "He does NOT deserve Gehenna, your covenant be damned!"
The Devil of Demise, Samael, sneered furiously.
"A covenant cannot be gone against! To do so would spell even worse torment on his soul!"
"As is why I have looked for a solution to this conundrum, my most vile twin."
The soul felt a shilling, ominous cold penetrate him as bright lights appeared. Samael glared, her simmering rage now a boiling fury.
"You would break every rule and protocol of the Afterlife, just to spite and deny me?!" She questioned. "Have you gone utterly mad?!"
"NO!" He screamed. "YOU HAVE!"
The soul stepped back, shaking his head fearfully as the delirious Seraph continued.
"I will not stand as you toy with his soul! I will not stand as you torture an innocent life! I WILL NOT STAND FOR YOUR STUPID PROMISE ANY LONGER."
Azrael reached for the soul, ready to abduct him, only for Samael to tackle him.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM, YOU MORALIZING PRICK!"
"GET OFF, YOU WITCH! I WILL SAVE HIM FROM YOU!"
The soul backed away in horror as the two took on their true forms, whose appearances was too terrible and eldritch to describe properly. The soul took a running start, one cut short, as the battle between the two guardians of the Dead Realms of Eden engulfed him as well. He reached towards the realm that housed him for a short half-year, only for chains of white and black clasped around him. Binding him, the chains wrapped around him painfully. Fear and terror strangled him as his soul creaked and winced under the strain of the battle between the two Immortals. A sickening crack was covered by the screams of hatred and wrath coming from the Seraph and Devil. The soul whimpered as his existence was strangled. the chains became thought...
And his soul broke.
The roar of pain and anguish shook the two Masters of Death out of their fight and both stared in horror at what they had inadvertently wrought.
"By God!" Samael shrieked in grief.
"What have you done?!" Azrael yelled in horror.
The chains fell, letting the soul fall free unto the incorporeal floor. He breathed heavily, his essence leaking from his shattered chest. The twins rushed to his side, only to push and pulled each other off of the rapidly breaking soul.
"GET OFF, YOU FUCKING CUNT!" Samael begged as she pulled her brother's hair.
"NO! YOU GET OFF, YOU IDIOT!" Azrael screamed desperately as he pushed her away.
the soul gasped as he reached to the world he had wanted to save, the home of his beloved friends.
No... No... No...
"NO!" the soul struggled to scream.
He pushed the two immortals off of him with desperate strength. He struggled to his feet, his soul breaking off in chunks and falling through the Veil Between Worlds.
"NOT... YET!"
His soul shattered further, the essence that once bled now coagulated in the shards of the soul.
"I can't..."
His arm turned to dust that fell down to Remnant. Samael reached out to him.
"No!"
"Leave them..." he continued.
Half of his torso followed his arm. Samael tried to grab him, only for her brother to scramble over her.
"NO!" He cried out.
"Yet..." The soul tried to finish.
The rest of his soul fell apart, filtering through the veil like a sieve. most parts fell into the Supernal realms of Remnant, also known as the Everafter. But four larger chunks fell through the veil like shooting stars towards the material realm of Remnant.
And thus, Hope was no more.
Samael scrambled, trying desperately to gather the dust that Hope left behind.
"No... No... No..." she repeated.
Azrael grabbed the sides of his head, just this side of having a mental breakdown.
"This can't be real! This can't be happening!"
Samael panted, blinded by her tears.
"Esau... Don't..." she sobbed. "Don't leave me... Esau..."
A cold late Autumn morning came and Ruby was already up, dim and early. She slowly pushed her covers off of her before sitting up. she rubbed her eyes as she stretched, satisfying pops accompanying the motion. She let out a deep sigh of contentment before doing her morning routine. Ruby spat the aftermath of her teeth cleaning in the sink before washing it away. As she looked up, her reflection looked back. She rolled a lock of her bangs between her fingers.
"I really ought to get a haircut."
As she adjusted her bangs, the two rings on her fingers clinked together. One had a ruby with her emblem engraved on it, the other a strange blue stone depicting a bird of prey. She finally let go of her hair once she was happy with her look and proceeded to change out of her pyjamas.
She stepped out of her room wearing a different outfit than the one she was used to. her combat skirt and boots remained, although she now rocked a cream-coloured blouse with a black corset that reached over her breasts. She blushed slightly as she adjusted the corset to make her now ample cleavage less prevalent.
"Stupid growth spurt," she complained. "If this keeps up, I'll be bigger than Yang in a year's time..."
She tugged on her new thigh highs, it felt so breezy without her usual leggings, but they were too small now. She cursed her growth spurt once more before looking back into her room one last time, the gutted remains of her old Cresent Rose laying on her workbench still. She closed the door behind her, unknowingly locking the room in time for a long while. She slowly walked down the stairs of her childhood home, a forlorn feeling in her chest.
She exited the stairwell and walked to the kitchen. The usually quiet kitchen was instead lively with the sound of banter and socializing. Two voices she recognized immediately, four she hadn't heard in a while. As soon as she entered, she was greeted by the second friend she made in Beacon.
"Ruby!" Jaune greeted joyfully as he approached.
She smiled to her friend, whom she hadn't seen in person since the Fall of Beacon and the Siege of Vale.
"Hey, Jaune." she greeted back as she hugged him.
"It feels like it's been so long!"
"Yeah."
As soon as she let go, another pair of arms gave her a squeeze.
Maybe too hard a squeeze.
The ever-bubbly Nora nearly choked the life out of Ruby with her signature crushing embrace.
"HOW'D IT DO, BOO!" She welcomed exuberantly.
Ruby let out a croaking, choking sound in response. Nora only let go once Ruby's spine had sufficiently bent in half. Ruby gasped as soon as Nora let go, her lungs desperate for air. Nora's calmer other half offered her a chair to sit on.
"Good to see you in good health again, Ruby." Ren smiled.
Ruby struggled out a smile, still weak from Nora's affection.
"Yeah, good to see she hasn't changed."
"Well, I wouldn't say that she hasn't changed, per se."
Ruby heard the sound of fresh coffee entering a tall mug. She turned her head and saw the still-powerful figure of the red-headed Gladiatrix of JNPR. Pyrrha smiled as she gave Ruby a cup.
"Hello again." she greeted.
"Hi, P." Ruby greeted back as she reached for the cream and the sugar.
The redhead's smile dimmed as she sat down by the leader of RWBY.
"How have you been?"
She took a sip of her incredibly sweet coffee, much to Pyrrha's discomfort. So much sugar...
"It's been... difficult." She admitted.
"You don't say..."
JNPR turned to the counter, where Yang sat. She wore a biker outfit reminiscent of her old fit, save for her switching the hotpants for tight-fitting pants and reinforced leather gloves. Ruby took one of her sister's hands with distant, glassy eyes.
"So you finally modified his gloves, huh..." she commented.
Yang nodded glumly.
"Yeah. I couldn't bear the thought of them breaking if I were to punch something too hard."
Ruby nodded.
"Good."
"Yeah..."
The room became silent, save for Tai frying up some pancakes for JNPR. Ruby looked at her sister almost pleadingly.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"
Yang shook her head.
"Sorry, Rubes. I've got some answers of my own I need to go get."
She cracked her knuckles.
"And I don't doubt that I'll have to hurt a lot of retards who might get in my way."
Tai flinched at the use of a word as filthy as "retard" leaving his own daughter's mouth but said nothing. Ruby didn't.
"Can you at least come with me to see them before I go?"
Yang looked down and nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. Sounds good."
JNPR looked sadly at the sisters, their hearts hurting at seeing their friends so dejected despite months passing since Hope's death. Tai frowned.
"Can you at least take a moment to eat?"
Nora's stomach left no room for any argument as it rumbled violently. Ruby let herself force out a laugh.
"I don't think we have much of a choice, now do we?"
Ren shook his head.
"No, you don't."
The atmosphere lightened as a small laugh left everyone's mouth. A small reprieve from the glumness that still haunted them.
...
The roar of an engine died mere meters from the main gate to the Patch cemetery. The two sisters let their hair flow out of their helmets before completely removing them. Ruby immediately hopped off of Yang's bike, Bumblebee, while the owner leaned against the bike. The blond brawler looked at the cemetery uneasily. Ruby looked back only for her sister to shake her head and join her. She may hate the place, but it wouldn't be right for Ruby to be the only one who got to pay her respects.
A short walk led them from the entrance to the main area, where larger family pillars accompanied lonely tombstones. Some pillars were large enough to hold four entire grave plots worth of family members, but the ones they were looking for were certainly not as extreme. A small, almost empty pillar faced a headstone, neighbours by any other name. The girls knelt down between the two, holding their hands together in prayer. The two prayed silently for a moment before lifting their heads. Ruby looked at her sister, silently asking her to go first. Yang nodded solemnly before racking her throat. She turned to face the small pillar, her mother's name and emblem adorning the smooth stone surface.
"Hey, mom." Yang started. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I came. It's just... I've been a bit busy with some personal stuff. And... well... I kind of lost track of time."
She chuckled awkwardly.
"I know it's no excuse but... You know how much I hate this place. The stillness is really unnerving..." She sighed. "As for what I've been up to... I've been busy looking for Raven. I think it's about time I get some answers from her. About me, about her, about why she left... Dad finally told me where she was, so i'll be leaving soon to go and find her. I probably won't be able to see you again anytime soon."
She sniffed sadly.
"All of this to say that... I still miss you, Mom. I... I hope that you're doing well in That Land Over Yonder."
Yang leaned back, sitting down on the cold cobblestone. Ruby stood up, holding her hands behind her back.
"Hey, Mom. I know I've visited you recently but... I'm also leaving for a while and I kind of wanted to tell you goodbye before I left."
Her neutral expression became sour.
"I'm leaving to find out what happened at Beacon. Trail leads to Haven and I doubt it'll stop there."
Her sour frown turned bittersweet.
"I won't be alone, since a Team I became friends with back at Beacon agreed to accompany me. But still, I don't doubt that the journey ahead's going to be hard."
She rocked on her heels.
"I'll try my best to stay out of trouble but..." She chuckled softly. "I have the feeling that that's also going to be hard. But, I'll try my best."
She closed her eyes and turned around.
"See you later, Mom. I love you."
She opened her eyes and was met by a modest, inconspicuous gravestone. A single name adorned the smooth stone.
HOPE.
The epitaph read 'Here lies a man whose true name is now lost. To friends and family, he was Anon but to the people of Vale, he was a Hero. May the fire you started never go out.'
Ruby knelt in front of the plaque, kissing the space next to his name.
"I love you. I just wished I got to say it to you properly..."
Her dewy gaze darkened.
"I'll find Cinder and her cronies..." She swore. "And I'll finish what you started..."
Yang's eyes became red.
"I'll be there too, you can fucking count on it!"
Ruby faced her sister and held her tightly.
"I'll be waiting for you in Mistral."
"Wait for me, I want to be there when you get your hands on that bitch."
The pair walked away from the graves, looking back one last time.
"Goodbye, Anon," they said in unison with a sad wave.
As they left to finish the preparation for their journey ahead, a soft wind blew from above. They looked back to the graves they departed from, only to be greeted by silence. but despite the empty feeling in their chests, they slowly felt warmer despite the dropping temperature. they marched out of the graveyard, their rings twinkling a soft blue before melding back into their respective colour.
Even after his body was buried and his soul freed, he'll watch over them.
Always.
BEACON DAYS - COMPLETED!
ENDING 2 Achieved, conditions met:
Apocrypha: Iron Wrought Promise - COMPLETED
Apocrypha: Dark Dogs Days - UNCOMPLETED
END RANK: Mat Silver
TIMELINE TITLE: SPIRIT GUARDIAN
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