Disclaimer: RWBY and Ultraman Tiga do not belong to me. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and Ultraman Tiga belongs to Tsuburaya Production.
Hello, everyone. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving last month. Christmas and New Year are coming up and I know I'm excited for them.
Thanks to numerous RWBY crossover, especially ones with Kamen Rider, I've become interested in the franchise.
This turned out to be way bigger than I expected it to be. I got carried away with all the content I wanted to add in. Also, I decided not to send it to Pyromania101 or Vandenbz. This was a huge workload they didn't need to have dumped onto them.
I'll explain more at the end of the story.
The Sunbright Daycare may not have been the most creative of names in Vale but it was still a warm friendly place for the children that played there.
"Children!" called Miss Lucille Cyan, a tall woman with light blue hair. "Today we have a very special guest for storytime!" She moved to the side and all the children gasped. In came a man with silver hair, a black suit with a green vest and shirt, black trouser shoes and dark green pants. He wore shaded spectacles and carried an intricate cane.
"That's right," Miss Cyan beamed. "Professor Ozpin himself. Thank you so much for this, professor."
"My pleasure, Miss Cyan," Ozpin said warmly, smiling as he looked over at the children, who returned his look with awe. "Hello, children."
"Hello, professor!" The kids said excitedly.
"Are you really here to tells us a story?" A little girl with red hair tied in pigtails asked, tilting her head.
"Indeed I am," Ozpin said, crouching down so they could be at eye level. "Now, which story would you like for me to tell?"
The kids raised their hands like students, which made Ozpin chuckled. After all, some of them might in fact become Huntsmen or Huntresses in the future. As he expected, they began listing off their favorite fairy tales. He heard requests for The Grimm Child, the Winter Witch in the Woods, the Indecisive King, the Four Seasons, the Tale of the Two Brothers…
"The Giant of Light!"
Ozpin blinked three times as those words rang in his head. Slowly he turned to the source. A little girl was standing in the far back of the crowd, starting to feel nervous as the other kids began looking at her in confusion. She held up a little plush doll that resembled a silver knight and hugged it tightly. The other kids began to part as Ozpin slowly walked through them. He crouched once again so that he was eye level with the little girl. She had short black hair and bright hazel eyes. She looked ready to bury her face into her doll so Ozpin smiled at her.
"The Giant of Light, huh? It's been some time since I heard anyone talk about that story."
"What's the Giant of Light?" asked a little boy with spiky black hair.
"A story that has sadly not been quite as remembered as others," Ozpin said before giving the little girl another encouraging smile. "But one I remember quite well. Perhaps you would all like to hear it?"
The other kids looked at each other, still uncertain about this new story. Still, it was a new story. One by one they started nodding and the shy little girl looked up eagerly. Nodding at her, Ozpin said crosslegged on the floor, setting his cane on his lap. The kids gathered around, curious and with some excitement.
"Once upon a time," Ozpin began with the old reliable opening for fairy tales. "The people of Remnant were living in greater fear of the Grimm than ever before. They had grown to such sheer numbers that they were becoming too much for even the greatest of warriors to overcome. Every day, it seemed more and more Grimm were emerging and the people were on the brink of being overrun.
But then, when all hope seemed lost, a colossal warrior came out of the sky and protected the people from the Grimm. Despite this, the people were scared of the mighty giant but he showed them he meant no harm. In time, they came to see the giant as a friend and he told them his name: Tiga.
And then, something even more incredible happened: the God of Light himself appeared. He knew that Tiga was not one of his creations and asked where he came from. Tiga claimed that he was from beyond the stars, from a world entirely of light. This, along with protecting his creations, caused the God of Light to happily welcome him, much to the delight of the people. Tiga was their friend and protector and the bane of the Grimm. They, the Grimm, hated him as much as they hated the God of Light's own creations. Many tried to kill Tiga and while some came close, in the end the Grimm fell to Tiga's might."
The kids awed and even in the back, Miss Cyan seemed enraptured by the story. Ozpin's smile grew for a moment until his face turned grim, no pun intended.
"The God of Light's Brother, the God of Darkness, did not like that. He wanted Tiga gone by any means necessary. If the Grimm could not destroy him then something else would. Long the God of Darkness toiled to create creatures capable of battling Tiga. It wasn't easy for him to make something unaffiliated with the Grimm but his hatred for this newcomer kept him going. Soon, the God of Darkness succeeded in creating monsters bigger, stronger, and nastier than all the Grimm combined!
Pleased with his new creations, the God of Darkness unleashed them upon humanity. Once they realized that these monsters were not Grimm, they didn't know what to call them. Forgive me for interrupting the story but one particular word I feel would be perfect for these monstrosities is one I heard in Mistral: Kaiju which means Strange Beasts.
These Kaiju were unlike anything Tiga had faced before but he stood firm in face of these new enemies. But he soon realized something just as dangerous as the monsters themselves: the kaiju were happy to cause destruction for the sake of it and their sheer size meant that innocent people were at risk. Even when he defeated a kaiju, the sheer destruction of their battles devastated the lands. To prevent further destruction, Tiga led the monsters to the moon itself. It said that the reason for the moon's broken state was because of the fierce battle between Tiga and the Kaiju."
Many eyes widened and soon tried to look out the window and spot the moon.
"What happened next?" asked the little boy with spiky hair.
"It was a long, hard battle but in the end, Tiga triumphed once more."
The kids all cheered and some clapped their hands. Ozpin kindly waited until they were finished before he resumed the story.
"But the battle was not without cost. Tiga was badly injured and he feared that more monsters would come. The God of Light found out what his brother was doing and confronted him. Realizing that the Kaiju existed because of him, Tiga said goodbye to his friends and returned back to the Land of Light from whence he came."
"Aww," the kids all moaned, crestfallen.
"The God of Light was so angry at what his brother had done, he ordered the God of Darkness to destroy his Kaiju or he would do it personally. Some say the Brother destroyed them, but others say that he simply put them into a deep sleep and hid them far, far below the ground, waiting to unleash them once more. Before he left, Tiga was afraid that the Kaiju would return. So he promised that one day, when Remnant needed him most, he would return. The End."
The kids all smiled at that, with the little girl holding her plush knight a little tighter.
"Will Tiga really come back, professor?" Another boy with red hair asked.
Behind him, Miss Cyan smiled sheepishly at him. Ozpin simply smiled back at her then at the boy. "I would like to think so."
"Okay, kids!" Miss Cyan clapped her hands. "Time for snacks!"
Cheering, the kids all started running out the back door, where Ozpin could spot several tables already lined with plates. The last one to go was the little girl with the plush knight. She smiled up at Ozpin. "Thank you for telling us the story, Professor."
"It was my pleasure, little one."
Giggling, the little girl went to join her friends. Ozpin felt his heart lift at the carefree innocence of the children. As Miss Cyan went to cater to them, Ozpin slowly walked towards the window and looked up at the sky, just able to make out the moon even on this bright sunny day. As he stared up at the fragments, his smile slowly slipped. He let out a tired sigh.
"If only things had played out that way, old friend."
RWBY x Ultraman Tiga
How had it all gone so wrong?
Maybe it's red like roses?
Maybe it's the pool of blood
The Innocents will lay in, when in the end you failed to save them?
The Vytal Festival, a time of unity amongst the kingdoms, had devolved into chaos and panic. It all started when Penny Poledina from Atlas was matched against the Invincible Girl of Beacon, Pyrrha Nikos. When Pyrrha appeared to viciously slice Penny apart, it turned out that the latter was a robot posing as a human by Atlas. A voice on the intercom pointed out that Atlas might have countless more walking amongst the public and they would never know. This multitude of potential horrors attracted the Grimm like never before. Now Beacon was being overrun by Grimm, the White Fang, and to make matters worse, Atlas' other robots were suddenly attacking the populace. And if that wasn't enough, a colossal Grimm dragon had broken out of Mount Glenn and was now flying around the city, spawning more Grimm from its body.
Their dying eyes are wide and white like snow
And now they know, the cost of trusting you's obliteration
Every available Hunter was doing their best to hold off the Grimm, including the students that came to fight in the tournament. Beacon teachers Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck were organizing evacuations to Vale. Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch was fighting alongside James Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and general of their military, as well as Qrow Branwen, former teacher of Signal Academy. Ironwood had been hoping to regain control of his flagship only to watch it crash. To say things were bleak was understatement.
Mirrors will shatter
Crushed by the weight of the world, the pillars collapse in shame
Two Huntresses in training were making their way to the docks. One was a short girl, with neck length black hair and silver eyes. She wore a long sleeved, black blouse with a matching skirt and a long red cape. This was Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY. Accompanying her was her teammate, Weiss Schnee, a white haired girl with pale blue eyes wearing a strapless, thigh length white dress.
Ruby's eyes lit up as they neared the docks, relief filling her as she saw her friends, especially her other teammates. The first girl member had a black, button up vest over a white undershirt, white shorts, black boots, and long stockings. On top of her long black hair was a large bow. This was Blake Belladonna. The final member was a taller girl with long, blonde hair; wearing a tan jacket that bore her midriff, black shorts, and brown boots that reached her knees. This was Ruby's half-sister, Yang Xiao Long.
"Ruby!" Yang cried joyfully, running forward and tackling her sister in a bear hug. Ruby winced as her sister was crushing her spine. Fortunately Yang released her, checking her over. "You okay?"
"We're fine, what about you?" Ruby noticed Blake looked shaken, hugging herself tightly as she gazed off into space.
Yang tightened her fists, sparing Blake a worried look before her eyes lightly flashed. "Remember that Adam guy Blake told us about? He's here and he's leading the White Fang members."
"What?!" Ruby and Weiss exclaimed simultaneously.
"I was ready to take him but…"
"Yang, don't!" Blake suddenly snapped, startling the others. Beside her, a tall boy with blonde hair shot her a worried look. He had a white jacket, opened to reveal his muscular chest, blue jeans, and black fingerless gloves. In his hands was a long staff but his most iconic feature was the yellow monkey tail that lightly swished back and forth anxiously. This was Sun Wukong of Team SSSN.
Yang sighed. "I know, Blake, I know."
"How did you two get away?" Weiss asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, noticing how shaken Blake was.
"He let us go," Yang said bitterly. "After he told us that someone else was behind this."
"The person we heard on the intercom?" spoke up a boy with long black hair, sporting a magenta streak on the left side of his head. He wore a green, long sleeved tailcoat and white pants. This was Lie Rien of Team JNPR.
"Apparently the White Fang were convinced to join her," Blake spoke up, fingers digging into her arms.
"Wait, what?" Ruby looked to her sister, then to Blake, then back to her sister.
"Yeah," Yang muttered, putting her hands on her hips.
Blake and Yang were standing side by side, facing a tall, horned boy with red hair. He wore a black suit with a red undershirt, the upper half of his face covered by a white mask with red lines.
"What did you say?" Blake whispered, her mind still reeling from what Adam had told her.
"Are you telling us someone else is behind all of this?" Yang snapped. "After what you guys pulled back at Mount Glenn?!"
"We may have been responsible for that but someone else gave the orders," Adam said coldly.
"When do the White Fang take orders from someone else?" Blake questioned, taking a step forward.
This made Adam tighten his fists, Yang responded in kind, raising hers for good measure. The Faunus shook his head, loosening his grip.
"Believe me, joining her was not my first choice. Unfortunately, she made it clear that there was never a choice."
"She's forcing you," Blake realized.
"Some members are thrilled that we're striking back against the humans but in the end, all of this is just for her benefit, not the White Fang's."
A small glimmer of hope began to rise in Blake's chest. She took a step forward only for Adam to raise his hand.
"Don't. Make no mistake, the humans will pay for the suffering of our kind. But we won't do it on a leash!" Then much to the teammates' shock, Adam turned on his heels and began walking away.
"Hey!" Yang yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Making sure nothing happens to the rest of my men. If you wish to pursue me," Adam gripped the hilt of his sheathed katana, Wilt. "But I thought you would be more interested in going after the true mastermind."
"Why you," Yang started to crouch but Blake grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't. If Adam's right, we need to regroup with the others and find whoever's really behind this. We-we can go after him later."
Yang looked at Adam's retreating form, her body shaking in anger but then she saw Blake's face. Frantic, pleading, desperate. The fire inside slowly extinguished and her body actually slumped from her energy ebbing away.
"Alright, Blake. Let's get the others."
Blake's smile lifted Yang's own mood as they dashed off to reach others. Adam looked over his shoulder as they disappeared from view.
"So…does he want us to stop her for him?" Ruby asked.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Sun spoke up.
"He is," Blake said, her bow twitching. "I've known him long enough."
"So how do we find the real mastermind?" Weiss questioned.
"And what about Jaune and Pyrrha?" spoke a short girl with orange hair and aqua eyes. She wore black vest, a white, sleeveless t-shirt, fingerless gloves, a pink skirt, and white ankle boots. This was Nora Valkyrie, also of Team JNPR.
Fear gripped Ruby's heart when she finally realized the other two members of Team JNPR, Pyrrha and Jaune Arc, weren't present. "Where could they–"
Everyone nearly jumped when Weiss' scroll rang.
"It's Jaune!" Weiss said once she saw the caller. Everyone gathered around her as she answered. "Jaune, where are you?"
Dread filled all when Jaune's frantic voice answered back. "Weiss, please! You have to help her!"
"What?"
"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"
There was a collective intake of breath around Weiss. "Jaune, what are you talking about? Where are you?"
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" Weiss nearly dropped her phone as Jaune's voice sounded on the brink of crying. "Please…you have to save Pyrrha."
"We will," Weiss said as soothingly as possible. "Are you okay?" Instead of a response, the line went dead. "Jaune? Jaune!"
"He said at the tower," Ruby said, raising her scythe, Crescent Rose. "We have to get there!"
Weiss nodded as Yang turned to Blake. "Are you going to be okay?"
Blake nodded, drawing forth her weapon Gamboul Shroud, currently in its katana form. "I'm fine, let's go help Pyrrha."
Yang placed a hand on her teammate's shoulder and smiled. "We'll be back with Jaune and Pyrrha in tow." She faced Sun now. "Stay safe, you guys.
"Just be careful, okay?"
Yang slammed her knuckles together. "Whoever's behind this is getting a beatdown!"
"Let's do this!" Ruby cheered as she, Weiss, Blake, and Yang ran off towards the tower.
-T-
They dashed through the city despite the direnss of their situation, Yang couldn't resist smashing a few of the Grimm as they passed. When Ruby's scroll went off, she quickly pulled it out and saw it was her Uncle Qrow's number.
"Uncle Qrow!" She answered, Weiss narrowly pulling her away from a frozen Grimm that had been standing around the corner.
"Kiddo! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Ruby reassured him. "So's Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Are you alright?"
"Fine as I can be."
"Uncle Qrow, the person behind all this is at the tower! And Pyrrha's after her!"
"What?!" came Ironwood's voice in the background. "Then she might have already…"
"I think it would be best to assume the worst case scenario," Glynda's voice responded grimly.
"She must not be allowed to escape or destroy the tower!" Ironwood urged. "Especially if we are to assume she has the full power of the Fall Maiden at her disposal."
"Fall Maiden?" Ruby looked at her teammates, who all shrugged in turn.
"Ruby, listen. Stay where you are. We'll go and help your friend."
"What?! No!" Ruby cried. "We can't just abandon Pyrrha!"
"I admire your dedication to your friend, Miss Rose," Ironwood spoke up. "But this woman is far more powerful than your team."
"Uncle Qrow, please,"
"Ruby! Stay safe!"
"Uncle Qrow?" No response. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby checked her scroll and saw that her uncle had hung up on them. "Faster!"
"Ruby, I understand wanting to help Pyrrha but if what the General said is true, how can we hope to stop her?"
"And what did that Fall Maiden stuff have to do with anything?" Yang asked.
"I don't know but I'm not gonna just leave Pyrrha. Besides, if she really is that powerful, Uncle Qrow is going to need all the help he can get."
"So what's the plan?" Weiss questioned.
"I…will let you know as soon as I think of one."
Weiss rolled her eyes but continued running, smiling. "You always do."
Yang pumped her fists. "Yeah! Let's kick some butt!"
With a burst of energy, the girls ran even faster towards the Cross Continental Transit System.
-T-
At the same exact time, Qrow, Ironwood, andGlynda were making their own way to the tower. Qrow was a lean man with spiky black hair, red eyes, and a chin full of stubble. He wore a grey dress shirt and long, black dress pants. A tattered red cloak hung from his shoulders, looking more like a cape. In his hand was a long grey scythe, Harbinger. Ironwood was a more muscular man, his shirt having long since been torn off, revealing his left arm and most of the left side of his chest was cybernetic. His hair was mainly black with a bit of grey near his neck. In his hand was his trusted, white revolver Due Process. Glyndaa was a slender, spectacled woman with blonde hair tied in a bun with a curl hanging from the right side of her face. She wore a long sleeved, white blouse, a black pencil shirt, and black stockings alongside a black and purple cape. In her hand was her riding crop, the Disciplinarian.
"So, does anyone have a plan when we get there?" Qrow half joked, his comrades picking up he was trying to lighten the mood however possible. "We're going up against someone with the full power of the Fall Maiden here."
"Be that as it may, we can't allow her to destroy the CCT," Ironwood said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "If worst comes to worst, we have to lure her away from the tower and take full advantage of your Semblance, Qrow."
Qrow snapped his head towards Ironwood but his retort was cut off as a Beowolf lunged at them. One quick slash of Harbinger and the Grimm burst into smoke. "Are you out of your mind, Jimmy? You know I can't control my Semblance."
"That's what I'm counting on. Let's see how well the powers of the Fall Maiden handle misfortune itself."
"In case you forgot, my Semblance doesn't just work on my enemies. It works on everyone! Allies, myself. Chances are that you might get hit with it too."
"If that's what it takes to stop her then so be it," Ironwood said without hesitation before facing Glynda. "Glynda if it looks like we won't make it, I would like for you to fall back. At least one of us can still be around to carry out Ozpin's will. This may not have been my doing but they still committed these atrocities under my nose. I will see this through to the end."
"Nice to know that I'm so valuable, Jimmy," Qrow snarked.
"That's not what I meant, Qrow," Ironwood said, his tone become softer. "You and I may not always see eye to eye, but your loyalty to Ozpin is unshakable. For what it's worth, it is an honor fighting alongside you."
Qrow's jaw dropped and he stumbled over a piece of debris. If not for Glynda catching him with her Semblance, he would be eating dirt right now.
"If there was another way to stop her, I would gladly take it but we have no other option. So Qrow, please?"
Qrow looked at him, staring into the general's blue eyes. Finally he let out a chuckle.
"You know, Jimmy, James, it's an honor fighting alongside you too. If we're going down, we'll make sure to take that bitch down with us."
Ironwood nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Qrow."
Unfortunately their good mood was shattered by a thunderous roar. The three adults looked up, mouths dry at the sound of the colossal Grimm dragon that had appeared shortly after the Atlas robots went haywire.
"Is it-is it at the tower?" Glynda realized.
"Hurry!" Ironwood shouted.
There'll be no rest
There'll be no love
There'll be no hero in the end who will rise above
-T-
As for the mastermind behind all this chaos and destruction? Her name was Cinder Fall, a fair skinned woman with ashen black hair that covered her left eye. She wore a dark red dress sporting yellow lines and long sleeves, high heeled shoes made from dark glass with a jeweled anklet wrapped around her right leg. On her back, through the keyhole of her dress, was a tattoo of two high heeled shoes standing sole to sole.
She was currently locked in battle with the aforementioned Pyrrha Nikos, a tall girl with long red hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a brown corset, a black mini skirt, brown gloves that covered her arms underneath bronze armor.
They were fighting at the top of the CCT. Pyrrha was a worthy opponent, befitting her title as the Invincible Girl, but in the end she was nothing compared to a Maiden. The two grappled in the air before slamming down to the floor of the tower. Pyrrha grabbed Cinder in a headlock while Cinder had both hands on the Invincible Girl's javelin, Milo, keeping the weapon at bay.
The Grimm Dragon, which had curled itself around the tower and seemingly spectating the battle, took off from its perch and started to fly away. Cinder tried not to let her smugness show as she channeled her powers through her hands. She could feel the tip heat up yet Pyrrha seemed unaware of this development. Oh poor, poor girl.
Another roar drew their attention. Pyrrha took her eyes off Cinder, only for them to widen when she saw the dragon heading right towards them.
And when it ends
The good will crawl
"Hurry!" Ruby urged, pouring all her energy in her legs.
"I hope Pyrrha is going to be okay," Yang muttered.
"Don't be ridiculous, Yang! It's Pyrrha, she'll be fine!" Weiss snapped, though her tone couldn't hide her own worry.
"That dragon's gonna hit the tower!" Blake yelled, pointing overhead.
The shining light will sink in darkness
Victory for hate incarnate
"No!" Ironwood cried. "The tower must not fall!"
Qrow grit his teeth. "We're not gonna make it!"
-T-
"Pyrrha!" Ruby screamed.
-T-
As the dragon drew closer, CInder could feel the metal of Pyrrha's javelin start to weaken and gave a small smirk. Checkmate.
Misery and pain for all
When it falls
And then the world lit up.
"What?!" Cinder cried, all thoughts of escape vanishing from her mind.
-T-
Team RWBY screeched to a halt as a colossal pillar of light shot into the sky.
"W-what is that?" Weiss said, shielding her eyes with one arm.
"How should we know, Weiss?" Yang snapped, pulling out her sunglasses and peering at the pillar. Shaking her head, she quickly pocketed them.
"Well, whatever it is, look!"
Ruby was pointing at the dragon who was hovering in midair and gazing at the pillar. It tilted its head in confusion before it let out a snarl through its clenched jaws. The beast growled and started shifting back and forth, swiping a clawed wing at the air before hovering again.
"So what's his problem?" Yang asked.
"Something about that pillar is really upsetting it," Weiss observed.
"He's not the only one, look!"
Everyone turned to where Blake was pointing, spotting some Grimm that gathered near the foot of the tower. They too were gazing at the pillar. Some were snarling, some were gnashing their teeth and others swiped at the air like the dragon had. Some crouched down, ready to pounce, but didn't react. Blake could see many of their bodies trembling.
"It's like-it's like the pillar is making them angry but at the same time, they're scared of it," Blake noted. "I've never seen Grimm act like this."
"Neither have I," Weiss looked back towards the pillar. "Just what is it about that thing that upsets them so much?"
-T-
"Don't suppose anyone knows what that is," Qrow said as he, Glynda, and Ironwood stared at the pillar. "Some special backup of yours, Jimmy?"
"I don't know anything about this, Qrow," Ironwood said before looking around at the scattered Grimm. "I've never seen the Grimm act like this. Whatever that pillar is, they hate it."
"And yet," Glynda looked up into the sky, filled with countless Gryphons and Nevermores. They were all just hovering, wings flapping furiously as they roared and squawked at the pillar. "They're scared of it. It's as if their fight or flight responses are, to put it crudely, going haywire."
"Think Ozpin did something?" Ironwood suggested.
"As much as I'd like to believe that, I've never seen Oz do something like this before," Qrow said, glancing around in case the Grimm started losing interest in the strange phenomenon and focused on closer subjects. "This–this is a little out of my expertise."
Just then the pillar started to fade. The three veteran hunters prepared to resume the battle…only to nearly drop their weapons at what, or rather who, was standing in the pillar's place.
Qrow blinked once, then twice, then three more times. Despite the direness of their situation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his trusty flask. Immediately he started juggling the contents within.
"Qrow, I usually frown upon the consumption of alcohol but," Ironwood held out his mechanical arm. "I might ask you for some in a moment."
Qrow felt the liquid threaten to shoot out of his nose at hearing James Ironwood ask for a drink. Glynda opened her mouth to speak but found her mouth had inexplicably become dry and caught herself about to ask Qrow for a drink as well. Given the circumstances, she felt she could be forgiven.
-T-
Up on a rooftop, two figures nearly slid and fell. The first was a young man, with grey hair, wearing a grey jacket over black pants. He was Mercury Black and he nearly dropped the scroll he had been using to record the chaos.
"What the hell is that?!" He cried, even as he aimed his scroll at the marvel before him.
"How should I know?" snapped his cohort, Emerald Sustrai, her eyes locked ahead. She was a shorter, brown skinned girl with green hair. She wore a white top and white pants with brown chaps. "Did-did Cinder know about this?"
"If she did, telling us would have been appreciated! So, do I just keep recording?"
Emerald gave a weak shrug, unsure of what to do anymore.
-T-
There was a clatter as Crescent Rose fell to the ground as it was accompanied by Gamboul Shroud and Weiss' rapier, Myrtenaster. If Yang's gauntlets, Ember Cecila, weren't attached to her wrists, they would've probably joined.
"Oookaaaay," Yang mumbled. "I did not see that coming."
"Yang, I'm pretty sure none of us did," Blake muttered back.
-T-
Down at the docks, people had been pointing and murmuring amongst themselves when the pillar of light first appeared. That murmuring turned to screams and more panicked talk when they saw what was standing after the pillar faded.
"Well," The usual hyper Doctor Oobleck, a spectacled man with spiky green hair, found himself lost for words. "This is certainly a first for me."
"Me as well, old friend," Professor Port replied, brushing a hand across his mustache. Fittingly, he was a portly man in a burgundy suit with gold buttons and calvary boots."Judging from their behavior, he's certainly no friend of the Grimm. If that is a he; rather hard to tell."
"The question is, will he at least be a friend of ours?"
A small gasp drew their attention. A little girl was staring, a doll that resembled a knight in her arms as her face began to light up in a smile.
"He's here! He came back!"
-T-
Quietly, the morning light envelopes the earth,
As always, the sun rises…
A man, or something that resembled a man, stood for all to see. He, if it was indeed a He, was at least 50 meters with a body blended of silver, red, and purple. A gold, chestplate like ornament ran from shoulder to shoulder with a blue crystal in the center. Unlike the rest of his body, his head, which sported a small fin, was completely silver with bulbous eyes that shone in the darkness. On his forehead was a smaller, transparent crystal.
It has been repeating itself since the ancient past,
We are living in this moment
The giant looked to the left, then to the right. As his glowing eyes swept over the assortment of Grimm, said monsters tensed, as if they were afraid of being in his line of sight.
"What is that?" Sun's teammate Neptune Vasilias, a blue haired boy with a red jacket and blue jeans, murmured. Just as their little group thought they could catch a breath, one of the civilians had pointed out the freaking giant now standing in the middle of the city.
"I'm gonna guess that's what the Grimm are getting upset about," Coco Adel, leader of TEAM CVFY muttered. She was a girl with short dark brown hair and clothes consisting of a cocoa-colored shirt with a frill collar with a black waist cincher. She also wore black trousers with golden lining and ribbons attached to the back of a zipper seam around her knees. She also wore a pair of dark black, high-heeled leather calf-high boots with golden buckles.
"I really, really hope he's friendly."
Everyone jumped as the Grimm screamed out in unison, their cries a cacophony that made nails on a chalkboard seem like a lullaby. Then as if as one, the Grimm all started charging at the giant. Griffons and Nevermores dive bombed at him, Beowolves, Ursai, Deathstalkers, King Taijitu. They advanced towards the giant like great black mists ready to engulf him.
"Look out!" Nora cried instinctively.
"I don't think he can hear you, Nora," Ren gently chided his friend, hoping to distract himself from the anxiety gnawing at him.
Standing against today's invisible wind,
I want to protect that smile forever…
The giant turned his head one way then the other as all the gathered Grimm seemed to converge on him. Much to everyone's surprise, the giant stood his ground.
"Even with his size, he can't hope to fight all those Grimm at once!" Ironwood exclaimed. "They'll overwhelm him!"
Qrow raised his scythe. "I don't know where this big guy came from but if the Grimm don't like him, he can't be all bad. Maybe we can at least help…"
This time Qrow did drop his scythe as the giant crossed his arms above his head. The forehead crystal shined purple for a moment and when the giant lowered his arms, the red parts of his body had been changed to more purple.
"So he can change his colors," Qrow said. "What good will that…"
The giant brought his hands to his chest before pointing his right arm into the sky. A narrow beam of light shot from his fingertips before exploding, releasing a white mist into the air. The veteran hunters dropped their jaws as they watched all the Grimm that came in contact with the mist literally freeze in their tracks, ice encasing their entire bodies. The giant turned in a circle, firing more of those mist-creating beams over the city. The Grimm were too caught up in their frenzy to even think of the danger, soon reduced to nothing more than grotesque ice sculptures.
Wanna take you baby, take me higher!
Embrace love now!
"On second thought," Qrow said mumbled. "I think he's got this."
"Incredible," Ironwood whispered.
Gonna TIGA! Take me, take me higher!
Embrace courage strongly!
Many of the airborne Grimm managed to wise up, flying about the lingering particles of the mist and scattering around. Perhaps they thought spreading out away from each other would allow at least some of them to get a shot. What happened next would have made everyone's jaws fall off entirely if possible. The giant began rising up off the ground.
"He can fly too?!" Emerald shrieked as the giant rose higher and faster into sky.
"Seriously?! That's what shocks you?"
Emerald's retort was cut short due to the screeching of all the aerial Grimm as the giant rose higher and higher to face them. If that wasn't enough, the giant threw his arms out…and shot towards the swarm of Grimm, their bodies bursting into smoke as he tore through them with ease.
Mercury blanched at the sight. "Just what is he?!"
Emerald paled as the giant flew to and fro all across the sky like a multicolored streak, demolishing the Grimm. Her mind was blank and her knees were weak. This had to be some crazy dream.
Wanna take you, baby, take me higher!
We'll surely be able to make it!
"Is this seriously real?" Mercury murmured as he blinked the spots out of his eyes. Impressively, he managed to maintain his grip on the camera. He and Emerald watched gobsmacked as the giant slowly descended back to the ground, the moonlit sky completely void of Grimm. "All those Grimm…he obliterated them."
"We have to tell Cinder!" Emerald urged, pulling out her own scroll. "She needs to know about this. And turn that thing off! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"
Just as she was about to bring up Cinder's number, a roar drew everyone's attention. The giant was starting to turn when the Grimm Dragon tackled his back, fangs digging into his shoulder. The giant grunted as the dragon dug all of its claws in for good measure.
What is it doing?!" Emerald shouted. "That thing took out all those other Grimm like they were nothing!"
"Probably got riled up like the other Grimm did," Mercury rationed. "Course seeing what he can do, I don't blame the Grimm for freaking out."
"We weren't informed about this," Emerald said, running a hand through her hair. "Why weren't we informed about this?"
"As crazy as it might be," Mercury said. "I don't think she knew about this either."
"How could she not-and will you quit filming already?!" Emerald reached to snatch the scroll from Mercury's hands only to be distracted when the giant let out another grunt. He crossed his arms and his forehead crystal flashed once again. This time the stripes from his body changed from purple to all red as he lowered his arms. "He changed color again?"
The giant reached back and grabbed the dragon by his head and started to squeeze. The Grimm grunted, its teeth and claws digging further against the giant's body. The giant then grabbed the dragon by its jaws and pulled. The Grimm thrashed its tail and struggled as much as it could but the giant pried its mouth open with ease. With another grunt, the giant flung the dragon over his shoulder and sent it spinning through the air.
The giant then jumped, raising his right hand. As it started to glow blue with energy, he brought his hand down in a karate chop. The moment his hand hit the dragon, the beast exploded in a burst of light and smoke. The giant's feet hit the ground, making the area shake so much that the two plotters almost fell off the rooftop. However, their minds were far too numb to have even noticed as the giant reached up to his full height. He crossed his arms once more, his body reverting back to its blend of silver, red, and purple.
Gonna TIGA! Take me, take me higher!
Believe in the passionate beat!
There was only silence. He scanned around the city and then his eyes landed on the docks. The gathered crowd were staring in awe but there was nervousness and uncertainty among them. Who could blame them? Everyone stepped back as the giant began to lift his right arm, some on the evacuation boats nearly falling overboard. Now that the Grimm were gone he was going after them in the end?
But as the giant brought his hand to eye level, he gave the onlookers an honest-to-the-gods thumbs up. The crowd stared at his gesture then at each other, murmuring amongst themselves as they stared back at his hand. Just then someone started clapping. It started slow but with each clap it picked up speed. The clapper was Nora, who was now smacking her palms so hard against each other and she didn't care. Ren joined her, then Neptune, and then Sun. Soon the air was filled with cheers and applause from the relieved populace.
"We have to get to Cinder. Now!"
-T-
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening!"
Fire flashed from Cinder's hands and the corners of her eyes. She wanted this all to be a bad dream. It had to be a bad dream. Complete and utter victory was within her grasp and then a giant of all things appeared out of nowhere and utterly decimated her forces! The tower was still standing, the Grimm were wiped out, the White Fang had probably fallen back by now. Yes, Cinder had the full power of the Fall Maiden now but…
She would not be pleased.
"I can't believe it,"
Cinder glared at Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl's eyes were transfixed on the giant as he looked around the city. There was recognition on her face and Cinder's temper flared een more.
"It must be…"
"What?!" Cinder snapped, the fires in her palms burning brighter. "You know who he is?"
Pyrrha turned to her now, her eyes still full of wonder. "Have you ever heard the story of the Giant of Light?"
Cinder blinked, dumbfounded. "T-The Giant of Light?"
Pyrrha smiled. "A warrior who came from the heavens to protect humanity. He left after a great battle but promised to return when Remnant needed him the most. It seems today is that day."
"Do I look like I care about some story?!" Cinder snarled.
"Considering the Maidens inspired the tale of the Four Seasons, you should care." Pyrrha retorted. "Especially when that story ruined your plan."
Cinder fought down her rage, sneering at Pyrrha. "Nothing's changed. This tower will fall if I have to do it myself!"
Pyrrha raised her hands, Milo and her shield Akouo both flying into her waiting palms. "I won't let you."
With a yell, their battle resumed once more.
-T-
Ruby had been understandably transfixed by the giant's incredible display of power but her amazement was soon shattered when she noticed flashing lights out of the corner of her eye. Realizing that it was coming from the top of the CCT, her situation came crashing back to her. "Pyrrha!"
"Ruby!"
Ruby snapped her head to the side, seeing her uncle, the general, and the deputy headmistress running towards her team, occasionally shooting glances at the giant, who seemed to watch them all with curiosity.
"I told you girls to-"
Yang cut him off. "Sorry, Uncle Qrow but we're not leaving Pyrrha behind. Besides, thanks to the big guy right there, we don't have to worry about any more Grimm."
"Yes, and if he is here to help us, perhaps he can help stop the one who took the Fall Maiden's powers," Ironwood rationed.
"One problem with that, James," Qrow said. "She's in the tower. He'll probably break it."
Yang grinned as she raised a fist. "Then we've got to get her to come outside!"
"But how do we get up there?" Weiss pointed to the tower entrance, revealing the doorway had collapsed.
Just then the giant touched his forehead crystal, a golden light emitting from it now. He then thrust his arm out, pointing at the tower. The golden light flowed from his head and through his arm, shooting as a beam towards the tower. Before anyone could cry out, the most the beam did was destroy the glass window facing the giant. Both Cinder and Pyrrha halted their battle as the gold light poured in. The Fall Maiden cried as the light engulfed her, only to take the form of a large golden sphere. Quickly regaining her barings, Cinder pounded her fists against the sphere to no avail. Just as her hands ignited once more, the sphere flew out of the tower and towards the ground, where the others watched in amazement. They all looked up at the giant and Ruby managed to let out a stunned "Thank you."
The giant gave them a nod when suddenly the crystal on his chest began flashing red and emitting a high pitched sound, almost like an alarm. The giant looked down at his crystal then back at the group.
"Team RWBY!"
Everyone looked back to the tower, where they saw Pyrrha waving at them.
"Are you alright, Pyrrha?" Ruby shouted up to her.
"I'm fine," Pyrra looked at the giant and smiled. "Thanks to the Giant of Light."
"The Giant of Light?" Weiss repeated as Blake's eyes widened.
"From the fairy tale?" The Cat Faunus repeated.
"Fairy tales," Yang rubbed her head. "What is going on?"
"You girls deserve an explanation," Ironwood stepped forward before glaring at Cinder. "But first we need to deal with her."
Cinder glared spitefully at him but the General then turned his attention towards the giant.
"I don't know who you are but Vale is safe because of you and for that, you have my gratitude," He studied the flashing crystal for a moment before looking back into the giant's eyes. "Something tells me you need to take care of that. We can take it from here, you've already done enough for us."
The giant nodded once again and thrust his arms out towards the sky.
"Wait!" Ruby shouted, causing him to look down at her. "Will-will you ever come back?"
As he had done before, the giant gave her a thumb's up. Ruby smiled as the giant rose off the ground, unleashing a burst of speed that sent him disappearing into the night sky. As he left, the golden sphere around Cinder slowly faded away..only for her to be greeted by the sight of everyone aiming their respective weapons at her. Her eyes darted back and forth across her enemies, a snarl rising to her lips.
"Good ahead and try it," Qrow taunted, pointing Harbinger in its sword form at her.
"You have a lot to answer for," Ironwood said coldly.
"Why did you do all this?" Ruby asked holding up Crescent Rose in sniper rifle form.
"What's all this Fall Maiden stuff about?" Yang added.
Despite her situation, Cinder couldn't help smirking. Even though she was outnumbered, she was confident she easily take on all of her adversaries. "Why don't you ask your precious teachers? Or perhaps your dear friend, Pyrrha? She was obviously let in on Ozpin's little secret."
"We'll tell them in time after we've dealt with you," Glynda said, narrowing her eyes at the younger woman.
"Oh? And what do you intend to do?" Cinder taunted. "Do you honestly think any prison on Remnant can hold me? Or do you intend to kill me now and risk losing the Maiden's power to some random girl?"
"Considering all the death and destruction you've caused," Qrow said acidly. "Maybe we should take that chance."
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen."
Team RWBY all turned their heads around at the sound of the new voice. Ironwood constantly glanced between Cinder and this newcomer but even Cinder seemed baffled at this sudden development.
"Who are you, another one of her lackeys?" Yang demanded.
Stepping out of the shadows stepped a woman with shoulder length, black hair and wearing a simply black dress. Aroundher neck was a necklace with a large black gem in the middle. She wore a tiara like ornament on her forehead that gave the impression of silver horns.
"Me?" The woman sneered. "A lackey to a human? How insolent."
"Then, are you a Faunus?" Blake asked, trying to spot any distinguishing characteristics of a Faunus on this stranger.
"Oh I am something far greater than Human or Faunus," Her smile grew when her eyes landed on the inquisitive Cinder. "I am not affiliated with Cinder Fall here but I am familiar with her mistress."
The eyes of Cinder, Qrow, Ironwood, and Glynda all grew wide and the grip on the latter three's weapons slackened. Qrow's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth.
"Salem," He growled under his breath.
"How do you know her?" Cinder blurted out. "She's never mentioned you."
"I'm not surprised," There was something in the woman's smile now. Something that made everyone feel a cold sweat run down their spine. "The last time I saw her, your moon was still intact. I've certainly been gone for a long time."
"What?!" Ironwood finally looked away from Cinder, but the Fall Maiden was too stunned by this declaration to seize her opportunity. "Are you saying that you are…"
"I came to your planet before it was a mere Remnant of its former self. I was there when Gods walked among you and your kind wielded magic that would make Semblances look like parlor tricks. Of course your powers were still nothing to ours."
"Ours? There was more of you?" Weiss pieced together.
"Wasn't witnessing my former love proof enough for you?" The woman taunted, looking up at the sky. "My beloved Tiga."
"Tiga? You know the giant's name?" Glynda questioned.
"Beloved?" Yang raised a brow. "Uh…"
"The story of Tiga, or as you humans call him, the Giant of Light is rather obscure but even that doesn't tell the truth. He wasn't the only giant to come to your world and not all of them were giants of light."
Ruby blinked. "What?"
Suddenly shadows emerged like flames from the woman's body. "There were also Giants of Darkness!"
She threw her arms out and a burst of electricity shot from her hands, striking the ground at the Hunters and Huntress' feet. The explosion shot them all backwards, sending them sprawling across the ground. Cinder started shaking the cobwebs from her mind when she felt someone grab her hand. The woman was already beside her.
"Come. We mustn't keep Salem waiting."
They both ducked as a shot rang out. The two glanced up at the tower, seeing Pyrrha aiming at them with her javelin now in rifle form. The woman just smirked before glancing at Cinder again. "Let's go get your companions, shall we?"
Pyrrha fired another shot but just as her finger had pulled the trigger, the two had vanished from sight. She looked to the left, then to the right but the two were utterly gone. They had disappeared into thin air.
"Ruby! Are you okay?"
Ruby pushed herself up. "We're fine."
"But they got away," Ironwood got to his feet, frantically searching the area. "And the situation may be worse than we thought."
"Giants of Darkness?" Qrow said as he dusted his pants off. "So there's others besides that Tiga guy?"
"Nonetheless, the CCT is still standing and the Grimm have been wiped out," Glynda said. "It was not a complete victory for them."
"Besides," Yang added. "That Tiga guy said he was going to come back. Well not really said in words but you know what I mean. Pretty sure he can handle these bad guy giants if they do show up."
"Which reminds me," Ironwood spoke up grimly. "The whole world saw what happened, including this Tiga. The Council is going to want answers and all I can tell them is that a fairy tale came to life. They're not going to be satisfied with that answer and I can imagine the other kingdoms will be worried."
"Why would they be worried?" Weiss inquired. "He obviously saved Vale from the Grimm."
"People fear the unknown, kid," Qrow said, hands on his hips. "And everything about that guy is a complete mystery. That's not even getting started on his powers. I bet some of the more panicky types will be scared that he'll come after them next."
"Why would they think that? He's a hero!" Ruby argued.
"I think I understand," everyone turned to see Pyrrha, having managed to leave the tower, approach them. "A being unlike anything we've ever seen, wielding such incredible power. It's understandable that the possibility he could be a threat may cause some to think he is one."
"That's not even getting started on the fact that apparently evil giants are coming, too" Ironwood rubbed his forehead. "This situation is bigger than we could have possibly imagined."
Glynda put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll take this one step at a time, James."
Ironwood sighed, allowing himself to relax, if just slightly. "You're right, Glynda. First thing's first, we need to check on the wounded and then the extent of the damage to Beacon and Vale."
"Which reminds me," Qrow grinned sheepishly at his nieces. "Better call Tai. He probably what's been going on and worried sick."
"Are Jaune and the others okay?" Pyrrha asked anxiously.
"Ren and Nora were fine last time we saw them," Ruby replied. "Jaune called and told us about how you were after Cinder by yourself. He was so worried."
Pyrrha slumped, hugging herself in worry. "Jaune…"
"Did something happen between you?" Weiss wondered.
"It's…a long story." Pyrrha said.
"Well come on," Yang said with an encouraging smile. "Let's go find him. Then maybe we can get some answers about what's going on." She shot a glance at her uncle and his comrades.
"Don't worry," Qrow said, rubbing the back of his head. "You will. Now let's go find your friend."
-T-
In another part of Remnant, there is a place known, fittingly, as the Land of Darkness. It is a barren wasteland full of rocky terrain and enormous crystals composed of the valuable substance known as Dust. The sky was dark red and pools of what appeared to be black tar littered the place.
The only sign of civilization was a great castle that looked to be made of colossal, purple crystals connected together. Outside this castle was a large landing deck, leading to an archway and flight of stairs that led to the interior. Standing on the landing deck, contemplative in thought, was a woman. Her skin and hair were bleached pale white, her eyes had sclera as black as night with crimson irises, Her hair was tied into a pun with six offshoots that suspended several ornaments made of obsidian. Her skin also sported purple veins and a diamond shaped marking lay in the center of ether forehead. She wore a long, sleeveless black robe that covered her feet. The dress also had a high collar and an ellipsis resembling a vertical eye that exposed part of her chest. She also wore a long shawl covered in emblems that resembled maroon diamonds and sigils that bore the appearance of overseeing eyes. On her right hand was a ring resembling a small, black insect with a white carapace.
This was Salem and her mind was abuzz with recent developments.
She had witnessed everything that happened at Vale. She had enjoyed watching the fear, the paranoia, and of course the chaos and destruction brought by the Grimm. Yes, it had been simply delightful to watch Ozpin's hard work crumble to pieces around him. Cinder had done remarkably well, of course Watts had been an invaluable help as well, turning the Atlas General's little automatons against the public like that. Atlas, the great defender of the people, would now be seen as their greatest enemy.
Then everything changed when that pillar brought a relic from the past. In all her long life, nothing, not even Ozpin, had struck her as much as he had. When Salem saw him, her mouth had gone dry and she could barely rasp his name:
Tiga.
"Why?" Salem said, her eyes flashing a deeper shade of red. "Why has he returned? I thought his kind abandoned Remnant. He's going to ruin everything!"
Salem's fingers dug into her palms as she forced herself to calm down. It was just the shock of seeing something from her past that was setting her off. Her agony slowly ebbed away and her confidence returned.
"I'm worrying too much. Tiga's presence changes nothing. Sure he will protect humanity from the Grimm but humans are stupid, fearful creatures, especially when faced with the unknown. The more he protects them, the more they will fear him. I suspect some of the kingdoms will even try to find a way to kill him due to their sheer paranoia." Salem chuckled. "You were a fool to come back, Tiga."
Suddenly Salem's eyes widened as a feeling coursed through her body. Her arms fell to her side as she sensed a darkness greater than any she had felt before. This concoction of negative emotions felt like a lake, no, an ocean! But where was it coming from?
"My, my. The Land of Darkness hasn't changed much."
Salem turned around to see Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and someone else with them. The first three appeared dazed and confused but the mystery woman was smiling at the current mistress of the land.
"Hello, Salem."
"Who are you?" Salem said coldly before looking at the current Fall Maiden. "Cinder? What is this?"
Shaking her head, Cinder quickly bowed respectful, her two cohorts immediately following her example. "I-I'm still trying to figure that out myself."
"Your little protege's plan would have worked flawlessly if Tiga hadn't shown up," The woman eyed Salem up and down and her smile grew. "I don't care much for humans but you haven't been a mere human in a long time have you, Salem?"
Frowning at the strange woman, Salem started walking towards her. Each step made Cinder and her followers step back but the woman stood her ground, looking more amused than anything.
"You seem quite familiar with me," Salem noted. "Has Cinder been talking?"
Cinder flinced when her mistress turned her head in her direction. Just as she was about to object, the woman spoke again.
"Oh Cinder didn't have to tell me anything. It's understandable that you don't recognize me when I look like this. Perhaps this will jog your memory."
The woman suddenly produced a black and gold trinket that vaguely resembled a torch. She pressed a button on the torch and her body was struck by bolts of lightning, causing Cinder's group to jump back and even Salem had to shield her eyes as the woman's body was engulfed in light.
"Recognize me, now?" Came the woman's voice, only much louder and somewhat further away.
Slowly Salem lowered her arms. As her vision returned, her eyes widened once more.
"What?!" Cinder shrieked as both Mercury and Emerald stared slack jawed.
Standing before the castle was a female giant with mainly grey skin though yellow lines ran down her arms, legs and leading up to her torso. Like Tiga, she had a crystal on her head and a gem on her chest.
"She's a giant too?!" Emerald cried.
"So that's what she meant," Cinder murmured. "A Giant of Darkness."
"C-Camearra?!" The other three gaped as they saw Salem stare up at the giantess in shock and a hint of awe. "You're alive? But I thought you died in the War in the others."
The now named Camearra chuckled as she put her hands on her hips. "No, my comrades and I were merely sealed away when Tiga defeated us. Trapped in stone all this time, aware of what was happening in the world like a vague dream. But now I'm free!"
"You are free and Tiga returns," Salem frowned. "What could all this mean?"
"Um," Cinder looked back and forth between Salem and Camearra, her mind felt trapped in a haze.
"We Giants came to your world a long time ago," Camearra said, her voice smug. "The God of Light welcomed us, eager to hear about our own world of light. In fact, he was curious to hear about all worlds and life that he had no part in creating. His brother was less than thrilled by our presence until some of us chose the path of Darkness."
"Yes, I remember," Salem mused. "The civil war that broke out amongst the giants. Light and Darkness clashed in ways the Brothers never thought possible. It was eventually called the Titan War."
"We would have won," Camearra's hands clenched into fists. "But Tiga chose to betray us!"
"Wait, that giant was one of yours?" Mercury blurted out, his mouth clamping shut when Camearra turned to him next.
"He was our leader," Camearra said, then let out a wistful sigh. "And my lover."
"Ooh, a messy breakup?" Mercury quipped, earning him an elbow to the gut courtesy of Emerald.
"Betrayed by the one you love," Salem actually looked at Camearra with something close to sympathy. "I share your pain, Camearra."
Camearra knelt down, gazing at Salem. "You do, don't you, Salem? You and Ozma could have ruled like gods but he chose to obey a foolish task set by the God of Light. Why? After everything they had done, what favors did Ozma owe the Brothers?"
Salem smiled in a way that made the hairs on other three stand on end. "Exactly. Despite these strange circumstances, it's nice to have someone who I can talk to about such matters."
Camearra chuckled. "Then let us join forces, Salem."
The other four stared up at the giantess. Cinder licked her lips before she tried speaking. "You...want to help us?"
"I see Salem as a kindred spirit, she's already far more than a mere human. Besides, all you wanted was your lover back, Salem. The gods went too far in how they punished you. They need to pay just as much as Ozpin did for choosing them over you."
"Okay, I really have no clue what's going on here anymore," Mercury stated. Emerald wanted to snap at him but she was just as lost.
"Oh if only I could make them pay," Salem said, glaring at the ground.
"Oh? And what I was to tell you that there could be a way?"
Salem's head snapped up. "What?"
"Life exists beyond Remant, Salem, even more than my own kind. Aliens, I believe, is the term humans use. They exist on countless worlds and many possess incredible powers in their own right. Powers that could even rival the Kaiju of old." Camearra's eyes flashed. "With our powers and your endless supply of Grimm, we can go beyond the stars, conquering worlds by worlds."
"And you believe those worlds may hold the means of defeating the gods?"
"I do. Salem, we have both been betrayed by the ones we love, we both want to make them, and these insignificant humans they chose, to suffer. I can make your curse of immortality turn into a blessing. Together, we will be eternal queens of the entire universe!"
Salem fell silent, her eyes becoming glazed and distant. Emerald and Mercury shared a glance, still having no clue what was happening and whether it was a good thing. Cinder, on the hand, imagined what would happen if this alliance worked. While she had no idea what kaiju were but if these other aliens were as powerful as Camearra claimed they were, Cinder found a way to claim their power alongside that of the Four Maidens. She smirked as her body began to glow.
"Camearra," Salem said finally, smirking as well. "It would be an honor to work alongside you."
Camearra's body flashed once more and when everyone could see again, they noticed that she had reverted back to her human form.
"Thank you, Salem. We have much planning to do, especially if Tiga should form an alliance with the humans."
"I shall inform Hazel, Watts, and Tyrian about our predicament," Salem said. "They are the other members of my inner circle."
"Good. Perhaps they can be of help locating my own comrades Darramb and Hudra."
"Yes, I remember them. Darramb was a bit of a brute but he was certainly loyal. Hudra had quite a tactical mind and I'm certain he would get along quite well with Tyrian. So those two survived as well?"
"I'm most certain of it. Their assistance will make things far easier, especially since they too have a score to settle with Tiga."
"T-two more giants?!" Emerald stammered.
"At least they'll be on our side," Mercury pointed out feebly.
Camearra chuckled as she looked off across the horizon. "Tiga, we will have our revenge."
-T-
Unaware of the dark days ahead, life went on in the rest of Remnant.
Despite Ironwood's best efforts, Atlas' credibility still took a dive. He made it clear that the Atlesian Robots were hacked but the fact that Atlas' great technology could be hacked at all worried many.
The White Fang were of course facing great backlash for their actions and a bigger hunt for its members was underway.
Team RWBY was facing their own problems. Weiss' father wanted to bring her back to Atlas and Blake seemed torn over the White Fang. When Jacques arrived, Ironwood stepped in, claiming that Weiss had important information regarding the attack and therefore needed to be under his protection. Quietly he reassured her he would try to reuinte the young heiress with her team as soon as possible. Blake had decided to return to her home in Menagerie. The Faunus needed to know what was to come but, there was something in her tone when she explained herself. Had something happened on the island that Blake was afraid to face?
Team JNPR was also facing problems. Penny being a robot not withstanding, some were still scared of how Pyrrha had appeared to viciously tear her apart and refused to listen to her explanations. The Invincible Girl's reputation had taken almost a big a hit as Atlas'. Luckily her teammates were there to support her, especially Jaune.
Beacon was heavily damaged but restoration was already in effect. It helped that the Grimm had all been cleared out. Professor Ozpin, however, was reported missing and Glynda offered no comment on what his current whereabouts could be.
Of course the biggest question on everyone's mind was the mysterious giant: Who was he? Where did he come from? Why was he here? Where did he go? And would he come back?
Some were, in fact, thinking that he had only destroyed the Grimm was a means of getting humanity's trust before attacking them. Others insisted that he was a hero, a champion sent by the God of Light himself to watch over them. When Ironwood mentioned the Giant of Light story, many took to using his rightful name, Tiga. Some news stations, however, wanted to run with the hero angle and build him up to be some kind of superhero. They even picked out a superhero type name for the giant: Ultraman. Eventually a compromise was made and the press referred to the giant by the name of Ultraman Tiga. It actually had a nice ring to it.
While Beacon was being repaired, Ruby and Yang had returned home in Patch to rest and plan their next move. Well, no sooner had they gotten to the front door did their dad, Taiyang, burst out and scoop them up tightly. As glad as they were to see their dad and reassure him they were safe, they wanted answers. Uncle Qrow had told them their next destination was Haven, where Cinder's team had claimed to transfer from. The day they were ready, Team JNPR was waiting right outside their door. As they started on their quest, Ruby couldn't help thinking about Tiga. After reading up on the Giant of Light, she wondered if the Kaiju were real too. If Tiga had appeared, would they? She quickly shook those thoughts from her head. Even if the Kaiju were real, she was certain that Tiga would send them packing just as easily as he did the Grimm. Instead she wished Weiss and Blake luck in their own endeavors. Hopefully Team RWBY would reunite soon and face what lied ahead together.
The End
-So yeah, I've gotten into RWBY thanks to several Kamen Rider x RWBY crossovers I stumbled upon. I highly recommend Remnant of Desire, Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time, and Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant.
-I enjoyed them so much that originally I wanted to write my own Kamen Rider x RWBY crossover. At first I tinkered with Kamen Rider Kiva or Kamen Rider Double. But then, since all the other crossovers involved protagonists with powers from the Heisei era, I was going to give my main character powers from the Showa Era. I toyed with Kamen Rider Black/RX, Super-1, Amazon, Stronger or even Skyrider.
-Eventually I started writing notes for The Riderman of Remnant. A Kamen Rider fanboy gets his dream of having an adventure in Remnant and gained the powers of Riderman. For context, Riderman is one of the physically weakest Riders in the franchise but mainly relies on his Cassette Arms, weapons that he slides onto his bionic right arm. The reason I chose Riderman was due to wanting to use a character who has to fight smarter, not harder, against his physically superior enemies.
-Course Riderman's costume does look ridiculous. Some online reviewers even called him the Goodwill Kamen Rider. I was going to base my character's design off this toyline called S.I.C. (Super Imaginative Chogokin) where some versions of Riderman actually do look cool.
-Well as the days went by, I started getting more and more into Ultraman. The first series that introduced me to the franchise was in fact Ultraman Tiga when it aired on the FoxBox/4Kids back in 2002. Sadly, at the time I was going through a phase where any show even remotely similar to Power Rangers was considered lame. It wasn't until I got older that I learned to appreciate the franchise. Not only do I own the Ultraman Tiga DVD collection, I also own the original Ultraman and Ultraseven DVDs.
-So the premise of this crossover is that the events of Ultraman Tiga took place on Remnant, with the God of Darkness being responsible for the creation of all the non-alien Kaiju. I don't want to give away too many spoilers but if anyone wants to watch the episodes, the entire series is available on Youtube. The channel is called AvaNaf. The movie where Camearra appears, Ultraman Tiga: Final Odyssey, is also available to watch on Youtube.
-Of course, I also did some minor changes within the context of RWBY's season 3 finale. For example, Yang didn't lose her arm. Personally I liked it better when Adam, while still ruthless, was also calculating and pragmatic instead of the obsessive ex boyfriend angle. Considering what Cinder did to get the White Fang to join, I can imagine Adam hating the fact that his men are acting subservient to her. With all the chaos the Fall was causing, he probably wouldn't mind if something happened to Cinder in the process. Also, Pyrrha was spared her canon fate. While it was planned in advance, I do honestly feel her death was little more than shock value. She deserved better.
-But I was so absorbed in this new crossover idea, I was neglecting my current projects. Plus, since I don't know how RWBY is going to end, I kinda felt trying to make a multi chapter story probably wasn't a good idea. So I settled on this being a One-Shot. If anyone is interested in taking over the story or even making their own version of RWBY x Ultraman, I say go for it!
-Course, it wasn't just my new project that distracted me. My job has gotten even more hectic. We gained so many workers these past months but slowly lost them one by one. Two moved away at the last minute, two more were let go due being unreliable, and two more people quit after barely working a week. Aside from how exhausting work becaome, I've also been focusing more on my original stories. For all my talk about becoming a non-fanfiction writer, I have nothing to show for it. It was time to start making something of myself.
-I'm not gonna lie, being the Kamen Rider fan that I am, I wanted to take the fanfiction premise about a guy having an Isekai adventure as a Tokusatsu hero and turn it into an original story. But then I was so focused on just my character's powers and abilities that I was ignoring my actual plot. Not to mention it looked too much like I was just copying the real deals. I wanted my character to be a tribute, not a plagiarizing knock-off.
-I am making headway on my original story now but it's not likely going to be published any time soon. But, with this crossover out of my system, I can get back to also working on Bleach: Ultimate Alien. For any of my B: UA readers, I'm sorry it's taking so long. While I hope to have the next chapter posted by Christmas, it will probably be more around New Year. We'll have to wait and see.
-Take care everyone!