RWBY: A Thorn in My Heart

Chapter 20: Battle for Beacon Part 3

Fire Dragon's Fist

(Warning: NSFW Content below)

Cinder examined the scroll she stole from Beacon with intense concentration. She didn't want to miss a single detail of the secrets Ozpin was trying to contain. Within the scroll contained the image of a gigantic Grimm that looked like a sperm whale, but had red wings with crystals and a glow centered on its nostrils. Gigantic was also no exaggeration as its sized easily outclassed sphinxes and Nevermores. Even the dragon grimm Cinder summoned to destroy Beacon wasn't half the size this beast was. A tale from the scroll gave Cinder a foreboding warning from its history.

"So this beast, "The Monstra" was so massive and powerful, the impact of its body was strong enough to shatter the continents and divide remnant itself!" she said in shock. She kept reading to find out how such a powerful monster was ever sealed to begin with.

"But the beasts most devastating strike was it's own undoing." She said as she read aloud the scroll. Apparently the wings were clipped from the impact and the fissure generated from the Monstras body slam plummeted it into the depths of the earth, sealing it in magma. But the scroll gave one detail on how to free this demonic whale from its molten prison.

"If one can gather the bodies of 10,000 people, then the beast will absorb them and regain its life to begin it's rampage anew." She said as she closed the scroll, finally finished reading.

She could tell now why Hazel wanted to her to invade Beacon beyond mere assassination. The ancient Chuthulu-like grim they summoned a year ago merely needed 3 peoples aura to summon, but was theoretically only strong enough to destroy vale at best. With a monster like this at her command, the entire world would crumble before her. She gripped her grimm arm in pleasure at the thought of mastering this creature. Soon the world would pay for its neglect of her suffering at her original families hands, just like Salem and Hazel finally paid for their indignant treatment of her all these years.

"Now I just need to gather up some batteries." She sadistically said.

She then charged up her arm and summoned a portal to check on the progress of the battle. She needed to see how many students her grimm army had killed so she could begin preparing for the ritual. 10,000 was no easy number to obtain, so she needed to be diligent with the collection process.

To her surprise, only a dozen of students mangled and torn up bodies were shown in the courtyard. The sight of this surprisingly low kill count caused Cinder's eyes to flare with fire and rage at the reason before her.

Team RWBY was fighting the dragon grim and worse, winning.

BEACON

Yang let loose a roar as she jumped on the Dragon's hand and charged up its torso. The beast tried to claw her but she ignited her fiery hair, now supporting a fire dragon flame image that ignited the hand, causing the beast to flail its hand in pain as it screamed.

"That's right, BURN YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, her eyes red with rage as she felt her power surge even more. Her heart raced as she started punching the beast's shoulder blades with a flurry of her fists. Though ember Cecelia had been burned off her arms, her hands were wrapped in flames from her newly evolved semblance, ignoring the skins attempts to suck in her fists and continued the onslaught. She soon began penetrating the black scales with her punches, leaving gaping small holes of smoke and black dust from the impact. Ruby and Yang stared in awe at Yang's new display of power.

"Amazing! She must be totally invincible now!" Blake said as her jaw hung loose.

Ruby didn't speak, as she was fixated on supporting the injured Blake on her shoulder and watching the fight. Without looking she took her hand and pushed back up Blake's mouth closed.

"I don't know, but I sure hope so." Ruby said nervously. As much as she wanted to get back in there and support her sister, a frightening force kept her at bay. This fear wasn't from the dragon, nor the fear of Blake or her unconscious friends from getting attacked by the grimm Qrow and Penny were desperately gunning down from the ship. No, this fear was of her own sister Yang. Yang's face was beginning to turn bright red from exertion, exuding veins as the stress of her rampage was clearly getting to her. The heat of her body and new semblance was also overwhelming, as despite being in the sky, Ruby could feel her fire's heat all the way on the ground. She was clearly overheating and losing control of her rage, a problem Ruby knew was common for Yang in battle, but now was right now the most dangerous time. If she burned herself out here, Yang would either fall to her death, or the dragon would slay her first.

"Look at her, she's almost like a rabid dog now" she said to Blake, who also began to realize the danger her partner was putting herself in.

"How do we help her? If we don't do something she might really die up there!" Blake said in panic. She had already lost Adam, and almost lost Ruby several times this month, she couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone else again. She began hyperventilating from fear and stress before her face was grabbed by Ruby who saw the turmoil her lover was going through. She instantly kissed Blake on the lips, her tongue wrapping around hers as she stared intensely at the shocked faunus. Blake was perplexed, the textures of her lovers tongue felt unusual as it gripped her tongue, making it feel a little dry. She didn't feel this was comfortable or the right time being in battle and being afraid. She then tried to fight off her confusion and break off the kiss. Suddenly she felt her arms lose strength, as her body began overheating, not from the fire Yang was blazing from her body, but by a weird sensation overtaking her. Sweat was dripping down her face and arms as her legs gave out. Her body glowed her black aura a little bit before suddenly slowly entering Ruby's.

"Hmm Ru…by.. wha.." she muffled, as she tried in vain to break off the kiss to get an explanation from Ruby before collapsing. As Ruby gently put her down, drool dripped down Blake's mouth as her tongue slightly stuck out as both girls panted. Blake felt wet all over and no strength left in her entire body as her aura disappeared as she laid on the ground. Ruby wiped her mouth with her arm, her face blushing despite maintaining her stern gaze.

"Thanks for the recharge Blake, sorry I had to be forceful but theirs no time to explain." She quickly said as she got back up. Her aura charged with red and Blake's black aura melding together. Ruby had absorbed her lovers aura with that kiss, it was another benefit of her own evolved semblance. Transforming her tongue into a vine, she could absorb the aura of the person she kissed. Ruby could do this with a vine from her hands like she did to absorb poison, but that would require stabbing the person and she refused injure Blake after all her suffering.

Though Blake couldn't find the strength to life her head, she fought her drowsiness to see Ruby approach the dragon. All cuts and bruises on the red-head faded as she felt a surge of power envelope her.

"Hang on sis, your fearless leaders coming to the rescue." She said as she clasped her hands and slammed them on the ground. She imagined her son Thorn being taken by Tyrian and the pain and rage she felt as she rampaged that night in anguish. She knew she had to harness those feelings to do what needed to be done next.

"Thorn Valley!" Ruby screamed as her hands glowed red and black and summoned large amounts of Thorn vines that began surrounding the area. It enveloped a few grimm that were not being blasted by Qrow who's jaw dropped in surprise at the sight before him.

"Whoa Kiddo! When did she learn that!?" he yelled.

Penny's monitor on the bridge started beeping green rapidly.

"Hold on I'll scan this anomaly and Ruby." She said as a green scan shot from the ship towards Ruby and displayed a result.

"Oh my goodness, I have never seen this before!" Penny said in shock, despite being robotic and programmed with vast history details of Aura and huntresses, she never experienced this scenario.

"Ruby had only half her Aura when I last checked her during battle, now its fully recharged somehow. It shouldn't be possible to recharge within a few minutes after your aura drains." She said in a confused tone to a bewildered Qrow.

"So she got a boost somehow, so she doesn't need our help?" Qrow asked. He felt a bit of hope rise within him from this seemingly good news. He could just keep blasting the remaining grimm while his beloved student and niece finished the dragon. He smiled at this thought; he always thought his niece took after her "badass" Uncle in skill. "Not as good as me of course but…" he said in his head, but he was brought out of his hubris by a red alert shown on the display.

"Sorry Mr. Qrow, but my sensors show her Aura rapidly falling from her exertions and the Gun's are at 90% risk now of overheating with approximately 3 minutes." She said as the guns soon began slowing down the rapid fire and the green lasers light began to fade. As Qrow's face turned pale from the sight of the grim not ensnared by thorns approaching the school, he clasped his head in frustration.

"Damnit, why does my semblance always screw everyone else up!?" he cursed himself. Soon he was propelled out of his seat and landed face first on the ground. His nose stung a bit as he rubbed his aching face.

"Mr. Qrow, please! I will recharge the guns within 5 minutes to help Ruby, please go and stop those grimm to buy us those 5 minutes." Penny elaborated as she took back her robot form and handed Harbringer to to a mildly irritating looking Qrow.

"Okay fine, might as well do something productive." He sighed as he grasped the scythe and ran out the cockpit.

Penny grasped the terminal as she saw Ruby breathing hard trying to summon more thorns to fight with and encase grimm while her Uncle flew into battle. She began recharging the systems in earnest. Despite being robotic, Penny felt emotions like any other girl thanks to her Aura and from what Ruby told her,

"You have heart, it doesn't matter if it's made of metal and oil instead of squishy stuff" she giggled to herself remembering her first friends words. That was right, Ruby was her best friend and she needed to do what she could to support her now more than ever. Feeling this determination, Penny clasped the terminal and exerted her Aura. Though this process was draining her, making her sense a shutdown soon, she had to get the guns back on soon. She calculated the amount she would need to stay online and recharge the guns faster. It was all up to Ruby and her friends now to hold on until then.

Ruby screamed as she forced more vines and thorn trees to surround her friends to cut off the grimm from getting to them. Her aura was rapidly falling and her hands ceased glowing. Luckily the thorns didn't cease as her aura went to zero. She had seen the guns emitting smoke and knew they were overheated like Yang. She got up and advanced towards her fallen friends.

"Sorry guys, I'll apologize for this later." She said as she approached them. Ready for a recharge herself.

Infirmary

Velvet was wearing a lead apron, gloves, and goggles as she moved Ozpin behind a curtain as the glow on his leg grew brighter. She then took a cringe with pain blocking medicine and a hacksaw in one hand and advance towards the injured headmaster.

"I assure you mam it's not radioactive it's just my…" he began to explain in a panic tone. He certainly didn't want his leg cut off. But he was cut off from his protest from Velvet who gave him a stern shout.

"Yeah right! Its glowing green and burning. You are a risk to the others right now so we have to get rid of it!" she countered. Velvet was angry but with care. She had come to realize why the older nurse had admonished her for not focusing on Ozpin more than the other injured people in the clinic. While they certainly needed help, Ozpin's leg would definitely put their health at greater risk, so while she handled him the nurses could handle the rest.

"I get your afraid, but I am scared too of losing these people; your precious students!" she yelled as he looked over to see unconscious kids and staff, even his old friends Goodwitch and Ooblock getting bandaged or ice placed on their red faces hurt from battle. A sense of dread overcame Ozpin. He cursed himself for being selfish. He soon raised his head as he released his hands on Velvets arms, surprising the student by his sudden yielding.

"Okay then, just get it over with. For their sake" he said sternly, accepting his loss. He would rather lose the ability to walk the rest of his life than another friend or Beacon associate. As he reflected on this resolve, a sudden quake shook everyone in the clinic as Ozpin grasped his bed to keep from falling out.

"Everyone remain calm! It will pass soon, don't exert yourselves." He ordered as the nurses struggled to pushed down people on beds to keep hurt patients from falling or panicking. Ozpin turned to look outside the window by his bed, he assumed he would see a grimm as the cause of the earth shake.

To his astonishment, he saw instead the sight of thorns and vines enveloping the courtyard and trapping grimm. The source being Miss Rose who was at the center of the plaza sprouting them from her body. He never knew Ruby had such power, and was ever so impressed she was keeping the monsters at bay from killing any more students. His confidence in her soon shook as he heard a faint sound of her screaming as the thorns and vines suddenly stopped growing and her aura guard disappeared.

"Darn it! She ran out of power" Velvet said to Ozpin as she saw what he was looking at out the window. To their surprise, Ruby soon began recharging her aura by bending over some people in the plaza and began summoning a forest of Thorns that destroyed some grimm hounds and began sprouting and advancing towards the flying dragon. Ozpin took especial notice of the sight of a nevermore shrieking as its body glowed before mummifying and turning to dust. He realized she had absorbed Aura somehow through others including the grim as she began glowing red and black aura again. He then took a look at his leg, glowing ever more green from the magic he unleashed. A light bulb shined over his head as he smirked, getting a brilliant idea in his head.

"Ms. Velvet, please take me to Ruby. She can fix my leg and stop that swarm once and for all." He said to a bewildered Velvet, still processing the scene unfolding outside.

"Your crazy aren't you sir?" she said, dumbfounded by his request.

Fire Dragon's fist

Yang growled with rage as she continued to punch the dragon's body. With each blow the dragon cringed in pain, but so did Yang. Her body was starting to flicker in and out of her yellow flames as her aura decreased with each strike.

"Not yet, not till I kill you!" she screamed, ignoring the pain it gave her lungs that, like her hair, were on fire struggling to take in oxygen from her exertions and the heat surrounding her. Soon either she would collapse from lack of air, or her aura would drain. Either way she continued her onslaught, hoping to murder the beast before harm could befall her sister.

"I'll die before I let you kill Ruby." she thought.

Ruby gritted her teeth seeing her sister's condition, not that hers was much better. Her aura was rapidly failing as well from making so many vines and thorn branches. The grimm that weren't caught in the bushes and absorbed into her aura were steadily backing off from Beacon's entrance. They had acknowledged the threat her attack was imposing on them. Qrow swiftly flew by them, decapitating them one by one, a sight that calmed Ruby enough to feel comfortable approaching her fallen friends.

As much as she knew it would upset her friends when they woke up, she had to do what she did to Blake to get her Aura back and save Yang. She started with her partner, Weiss, whom she felt the most comfortable to do this with after Blake. She tenderly grasped her head and lifted Weiss's face to near hers. She paused only a moment to Lamaze breath as she pressed her lips softly against the white maiden's. Her tongue wrapped around Weiss's as Ruby felt her body grow hotter with each moment. Sweat drenched her everywhere as she secretly grew a little more excited and her hand caressed Weiss's breasts through her sweaty shirt. Weiss's eyes darted open in shock as her blue Aura shined and seeped into Ruby, turning her red aura purple for a moment. She could only blush and gasp for air like Blake a moment before everything she saw turned white and she faded back into sleep from weariness. Ruby felt a surge, of both aura and personal excitement from the make-out session. Ruby knew it wasn't enough. Her friend had some Aura, but she needed to collect from them all if she was to continue her attacks.

Her heart sank from guilt as she approached team JNPR next. She knew, unlike Weiss, they were all in committed relationships and would be the most displeased with her for kissing their others. She smacked herself in the face as preparation for what would surely be a worse punishment from them later as she first approached Jaune. Her heart felt a little more at ease with him as she came closer to his face.

"You know, if Pyrrah didn't have you, I might have considered you before I chose Blake." She softly admitted to the unconscious knight. He was her first friend at Beacon and the sole person she felt understood him during their first year. They were fellow leaders and lonely people who had to help others before themselves and often felt such weight suffocate them. She loved Blake, but before realizing this might have been at peace being with this "knight in shining armor" like the ones in her fairy tails. These tranquil thoughts rushed her mind as she proceeded to kiss him and absorb his Aura as well, her red aura becoming orange from melding with his. As she released him, she gave a moan of intense pleasure, her eyes narrowing as she felt tempted to continue despite his lack of aura. She slapped her cheeks as she regained her senses.

Then came Ren,

"Oh man, Nora's gonna smash me for this." She groaned as she kissed Ren and absorbed his aura. Ever second of this process made her feel intense guilt and a foreboding sense of fear. She imagine that thunder hammer of Nora's smash her head like a grape. She quickly finished and rushed over and then proceeded to Kiss Nora, whose lips and Aura gave her more of a jolt as electricity seeped down her throat-sending Ruby into pure ecstasy. She gripped Nora's waist from the excitement of the rush her power was giving her as separated their lips and she licked the sweat of Nora's neck, eliciting some moans from the unconcious valkeryie. She nearly collapsed from the surge of pleasure she felt before taking a deep breath. Her Aura shined violet as she felt like she could now run a marathon.

"So this is how Nora feels everyday." She said to herself, finally understanding the electricity of Nora's semblance naturally made her hyperactive. Ruby felt much less anxious as she approached Pyrrah and quickly grabbed her shoulders and forced her lips on her, suddenly waking the red-head up.

"What the hell is this girl doing to me? I have Jaune, I don't swing that way!" Pyrrah said in her head, for her mouth was blocked by Ruby's, who viciously and hotly encased her lips with Pyrrah's as she absorbed her red aura. Pyrrah felt unnerved from this unwanted attack, but soon felt a strange tingling sensation from her body as her arms went limp and she slowly closed her eyes, finally relenting and allowing Ruby to press her body against hers, their breasts rubbing together slowly as she finished. Ruby released her tongue as she exhaled the last of Pyrrah's aura, drool flooding from her mouth like a waterfall as she gave one last ecstatic sigh. Her Aura shined as she jumped into the air with joy from her Aura fully charged and then some. She was suddenly brought out of her stupor by a smack to the head from what felt like a stick.

"Well, that was certainly an… interesting performance miss Rose." Said the source behind the smack. Ruby turned around to see Ozpin in a wheelchair with Velvet pushing him. Both were noticeably blushing from what they just saw. Ruby grew frightful as she tried to think of how to explain the process so that she wouldn't get in trouble.

"Oh that was just… ugh… you see my semblance it…" she stuttered as she couldn't find the words, her head was hot from the thrill of her attacks and embarrassment.

Ozpin merely coughed into his hand and placed his other hand on the lead mat covering his glowing leg.

"Yes, I assumed you were absorbing aura, think you can absorb my legs power?" he asked professionally, fighting the unease he felt watching that provocative scene.

"Wait, you want me to absorb your leg, what happened to it?" she asked confused.

"It's glowing some strange radioactive power from an attack I did earlier, maybe your vines can absorb it like the grimm too." He explained. Ruby winced as she was not looking forward to telling him this in turn.

"Professor, if I do that, I'll have to stab your leg, they might even rot it. I don't know if I can hurt you like that." She fearfully explained. Her panic turned to shock as she heard Yang scream and everyone looked up to see her engulfed by another fire breath from the Dragon. As she blocked the brunt of the blast with her arms, her hair began absorbing more flames and her eyes glowed red as she began losing more reason and returned to striking the beast. The dragon began to breath heavily, it was covered in bruises and burn marks and clearly near the end of its rope. In panic, the beast opened its jaws and attempted to eat Yang, who used her fiery arms to hold its teeth in place, feeling intense pressure to avoid being crushed like Cardin and become a meal.

"Yang!" Ruby cried as she grasped Crescent Rose from her backside and flew to the beast with Petal burst. She did a somersault as with her scythe as she fired a bullet to increase her speed from the recoil. Her Scythes blade connected and cut the dragon's chest open, but each movement of slicing felt like she was using a kitchen knife to cut concrete. This monsters skin was tougher than that scorpion grimm they fought when first coming to Beacon. The damage did the trick, however, as the beast let yang go and swatted Ruby away for making it feel pain. Ruby landed to the ground fast, her aura halving from the impact. Yang flew back and punched the dragon in the face for that attack, keeping it occupied while Ruby groaned and got back up. She was approached by Ozpin again.

"Please Miss Rose, your almost there. Just a bit more power from me and your sister and everyone is safe." He sternly told her. Though he explicitly didn't order her to do it, his tone implied to if heavily. Ruby gritted her teeth as she punched herself in the face, shocking Velvet. She hated herself for hesitating when Yang and everyone needed her now.

"Fine, just promise you won't be mad if you become a mummy!" she yelled, earning her a smirk from the headmaster.

"I doubt I'd have the strength to yell." He joked before wincing in pain from a vine stabbing his leg. Velvet covered her mouth with her hands as she saw the leg cease glowing, but soon becoming withered like a sucked up caprison drink. Ruby nearly stopped the process seeing this, but Ozpin wouldn't have that. Ozpin took a knife and cut the root-like leg off, his stump bleeding profusely as Ruby and velvet looked in shock.

"It's out of your hands now, no need to feel guilty." He said while groaning in pain. Velvet instantly grabbed some bandages and applied pressure to the bloody stump. Ruby felt her spine freeze as she struggled to process this event. She didn't pay it much mind as she soon felt a surge from her vine, which continued to absorb the leg until it disappeared. Her Aura then charged green as she felt a humongous leap in power and her eyes glowed green emitting a shine.

Penny looked on her screen, it had not only displayed she had regained her canon's firepower, but Ruby's Aura had increased 10 times its normal limits.

"Whoa, Ruby I don't know what you did but your power is soaring!" she said over the intercom.

Ruby ignored her as she simply walked towards the beast. She plunged her fist into the ground, shattering the concrete and filling the dirt underneath it with her fist.

"Once more, Thorn Valley!" she yelled, this time summoning a giant Tree with thorns vines wrapped around it that pushed up against the dragon's back, before ensnaring it.

Yang landed on a branch as her eyes returned to purple and she gasped for air. She had finally regained her senses a little and then looked down to see her sister, grinning at her with her shining green eyes.

"Man baby sis, when did you learn this!?" she yelled so that Ruby could hear her.

Penny activated the intercoms,

"Girls, I have enough energy in the guns for one more blast, but the computer says it only has a 50% chance of killing the dragon. I am open to suggestions on possible courses of action." She voiced.

Yang's arm flickered some sparks as her hair returned to a simple blond hair with a few flames around it. Despite her rampage, she did remember the sensation of absorbing the fire. Her eyes widen as she got a crazy idea.

"Penny, shoot me instead!" she roared.

Penny and Ruby gasped in surprise. What could this girl be thinking, was what flooded their minds.

"See that wound Ruby made? I can absorb the canon and give it a better punch and crush its heart. Trust me!" she yelled.

Ruby stood on in shock, this was a risky plan. Already Yang had burn marks on her from fire breath, but a laser shooting her would certainly be suicidal. Before she could voice an objection, the dragon screeched drawing her attention back to it. It tried to slash the vines grabbing it off it, but Ruby yelled as she put more power into the oak tree, creating more vines and smaller trees that ensnared the remaining grimm and the dragon, keeping the latter in place. But the flames the dragon was emitting prevented her from absorbing it, unlike the rest of the grimm. She kicked the ground in frustration; so many times today she had to make impossible choices like this one.

Realizing from her expression Ruby's dilemma, Yang screamed to Penny to do it despite being told her chances of survival were less than 30%.

"No more robot talk just Fire!" she ordered Penny who finally complied. The laser shot towards Yang who held up her fist. She grasped the head of the beam as her eyes glowed red and her hair flared up. She felt like her hand was being drenched in hot oil or even lava. Yang bit her lip as she remembered her regret from earlier, the key to unlocking her true power. Her eyes shot flames as she wrapped the laser energy into her fist and engulfed it with a green fire. She grinned as she looked at the dragon, who suddenly stopped its struggling in fear at sensing the tremendous power.

"Okay little lizard, take this Fire Dragon's Fist!" she screamed as she plunged her fist into the dragon's chest. The punch going straight through the heart and firing a beam of green fire that incinerated through its back and the gate to beacon, to Ozpin's wonder and annoyance. Flames leaked out the beast as it gave one final roar and exploded in a flash of green light.

"Finally, I won, I saved… Ruby." Yang sighed as she lost consciousness and plummet to the ground. Ruby grunted as she summoned vines from the tree, without thorns to ensure her protection, as firmly grasped her sister to save her.

As the vine gently put Yang down near her, Ruby noticed a terrible sight. Yang's arm had been reduced to bone, its skin and muscle melted and her arm nearly snapped in two.

"Oh my god, her arm!" Velvet said as she struggled to breath. Despite her training, she had never seen such a horrific sight before and couldn't stay composed. She didn't know how to help yang. Ozpin did however, and placed a hand over a despondent Ruby's shoulder.

"My power, use it on her arm. If you concentrate, imagine her arm regrowing. It may just work like that." He instructed Ruby. Ruby took a deep breath as she placed her bloody and dirt covered hand over her sister's bare boney arm. She imagined just like Ozpin said as her hands glowed an azure color. Soon Yang's hand became enveloped in the color as well as both Ruby's hand and her arm regrew skin and muscle and healed. Velvet was stuttering words as she couldn't comprehend what was happening, it was unscientifically possible. She then passed out as Yang's arm fully healed and Ruby fell to the ground as well exhausted.

"That was some really crazy crud sir." She said, earning a light chuckle from the professor, who soon lost his grin as he looked up to see the end results of this battle. A once white marble walkway bristling with dignified statues and lively students was now a ash-covered charred battleground full of skeletons and bloody corpses. He fought the urge to vomit as his stomach knotted from guilt. He was the headmaster and was charged with protecting these kids… no these heroes who saved so many lives at the cost of their own. It was supposed to be his sacrifice, but all he lost was a leg compared to them. He decided he would give them a respectful memorial service and have each one's names honored forever in Beacon. While no one would certainly forget this terrible day or battle, he wanted to make sure they weren't forgotten. His skin turned pale and sweat dripped from his face as he saw portals form underneath each dead students bodies and they disappeared.

"Wha-What just happened?" Ruby asked completely dumfounded by this theft. Ozpin merely glared, too shocked to think of a reason for this theft either, it made no sense.

"What would she want with their bodies?" he thought to himself, though shuddered soon after, he had a wicked imagination for the possibilities of evil Cinder and Salem were capable of.

Cinder's Base

Cinder smashed a table in frustration at the sight of the dragon being destroyed.

"Shit! All that effort for a couple dozen bodies!" she yelled, her eyes bloodshot from the strain her anger was putting on her body. She wanted more students dead for the ritual but out of the hundreds of people in Beacon she only obtained a few. She opened a portal to snatch their bodies, not wanting the school to bury them before she could use them.

"At least it's not like you came out of this empty handed." Mercury said as he walked in with his new robotic legs. He was grinning madly as he was excited for a chance to walk in there and stomp their heads with his new feet. Cinder merely glared at him, guessing his intentions.

"No, we need to store these bodies in ice for the ritual and I have used too much power summoning those grimm and getting these bodies." She explained. She still wasn't use to controlling so much of her new powers and was beginning to grow more tired. Mercury was disappointed, but seeing the sweat drop from Cinder's face and her bloodshot eyes made him realize she wasn't in any condition for a trip back to Beacon.

"Fine, I'll do it. Make sure your "pet" wakes up from her nap soon so she can help me" he said with a smirk as he began picking up corpses and left. Cinder frowned as she looked over at the other end of the room to see a passed out Emerald wrapped in bandages and ice. Her body had faint glows from Ozpin's magic that felt hot to the touch when she grabbed her friend. The glows were getting bigger and Emerald began groaning in pain.

"Sshhh, its okay, I'll ease your pain." Cinder smiled as she grasped Emeralds chest and kissed her. Like Ruby did earlier, which got her a little worked up admittingly watching it from the portal, she absorbed the magic from Emerald. But she simply did that with her grimm arm touching all the spots glowing from Emeralds skins from her chest, to her thighs, and her hands. The kiss was for Cinder's own pleasure, which she gladly partook as she removed her and Emeralds clothes.

After finishing her "feast" and healing Emerald, Cinder put her clothes back on and looked at her scroll again, examining the monstra image. As she eyed the 10,000 marker, she thought something that annoyed her.

"Guess it may take a while, perhaps… 5 years at most" she said to herself. If her ritual was to succeed her unit had to act in the shadows to avoid detection. With so many dead from these last few battles, they didn't have enough manpower for open warfare. It might take a few years to gather the necessary pieces.

"As much as I hate it, I guess revenge will just have to wait a while, huh little red." She venomously said as shadows seeped from her body and her eyes glowed like grimm.

Next chapter is about the aftermath of the battle and mixed reactions to Ruby, her actions, and her schools ordeal. Speaking of mixed reactions, I am aware the NSFW nature of this chapter but it felt necessary to showcase Ruby's unwillingness to not hurting her friends physically with her powers. Plus this satisfies various ships to a degree. I feel, one of which I feel was cinder and emerald during my first time seeing them so I wrote cinder as a selfish lover. Next time CH 21: Aftermath