Defeat the Past Monster to Move forward
We come back to team KRNPR about to face the dangerous Grimm known as the Nuckelavee in the abandoned and destroyed village of Kuroyuri, and this is going to be battle harder than any Grimm they have faced before.
The team quickly charges at the Nuckelavee in hopes of pushing it back and getting it away from Qrow, but they are pushed back by the Grimm's stretchy arm swinging it hard sending them flying back to the dead cherry tree. They quickly got back up as the Nuckelavee moves forward and stop about a dozen feet across from them or more, it twisted its body up-right and let out a shockwave roar that made the teens flinch though still stand their ground.
"Get ready!" Kimi said.
The Nuckelavee looks at the teen for a second then look to the right seeing the unconscious Qrow leaning on the dead cherry tree.
Jaune quickly realizes that its gonna go after Qrow and ran to towards him, the Nuckelavee latch out its left extended arm to catch him, but the blonde boy was able to avoid it as he rolls forward and reached Qrow. He carry Qrow up by the arm, but his expression change to fear when he sees the Nuckelavee is heading straight towards them and Jaune knew he won't be able to dodge it without leaving Qrow which is something he is not going to go.
Nora and Ren look at each other for a second and Ren quickly use his Semblance to conceal both Jaune and Qrow, turning them gray as their emotions have been camouflage which made the Nuckelavee stop and look around in confusion of where its prays go. Jaune is starring at the Grimm in fear upon seeing it up close in personal.
"Jaune, go now!" Kimi called out.
"Just get him to safety!" Red called out as well.
Jaune hurry walks away taking Qrow somewhere safe as the Nuckelavee still tries to find them only to change its attention to the other teams when Nora fired three missile shots from her weapon in grenade launcher mode charging at the other teens.
Kimi charges at the Nuckelavee dodging one of its arms and slashes the side on the left front leg making it screech in pain and tries to stomp her, but she jumps back and Ruby steps in front of her firing some bullets at the beast horseman beast.
"Okay, you should be safer here." Jaune whispered as he sat Qrow down.
Jaune looks at the injured man with a slight serious look and turns around to join the others for the battle, but Qrow grab his hand and look at him with a more serious look to tell to "Not Die" or something like that and went unconscious again. Jaune gave Qrow a slight nod before leaving.
(Music: Monster, Skillet)
Ruby jumps over high using the fire boost from sniper gun of Crescent Rose to get a higher advantage point, but the Nuckelavee grabs her and the red Huntress down hard on the ground as Nora runs though got caught in the other arm being pushed away. Ren keeps it distracted being firing some shots from his StormFlower while moving around, but the Nuckelavee managed to catch him grabbing both hands.
"Guys, keep moving, go in a circle!" Jaune shouted.
Nora fire some more missiles to get the Grimm to let Ren as she runs around it in circle like Jaune said, Ren quickly follows firing more shots along with Ruby with her weapon in sniper mode, and Jaune and Kimi ran close to the Grimm as the young wife slashes at the side the of the belly while Jaune slash attack on the left back leg. But that made the horse head of the Grimm glares at the boy and kicks him flying several feet away.
"Maybe we should have gotten him a long-range weapon." Kimi started to think about that.
"You think?" Nora asked before shooting the Grimm again.
Jaune got back up while Ruby lands near him, the Arc-Aoi knight decided that it's time to stop playing around and take this fight seriously as he put the sword back in the sheath.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.
Jaune answered by lifting the sheathed sword as it is extending the sharpened edges of the shield. This is the upgraded mode Jaune got from the Blacksmith as he likes to call it the "Twohander" which can help Jaune's strikes be stronger than they were before, he runs to the right as Ruby smiles and shot the Nuckelavee getting its attention.
"Better do the same for me." Kimi said and press a button on the hilt of her sword, turning the single katana into five unfolding itself like a giant fan.
Jaune runs around fast and slashes right at the right butt cheek, and Kimi threw her fan-blade at the black horse beast slashes the back on the horse body and it flew back like a boomerang to slash at the chest of the humanoid part as she easily catches it back in her hand.
The Nuckelavee jumps back a few feet and looks around seeing the humans glaring at it as they ready themselves to attack it again, the horseman Grimm felt angry and roars again as it extend its arms spinning around like a spinning top knocking down most of the team down with Ren still standing. Kimi used her Semblance to use the creature's physical attack against it when one of the Grimm arm strike her body and the attack is reflected back at it, she took this chance to jump high and slashes at the neck of the horse head but it manages to knock Kimi away with the front leg.
(Music End)
"I thought your Semblance could take on attacks like that?" Ruby asked.
"Only when I notice when enemies are attacking me and do a little body movement like my dancing. I already explained that to you if I recall." Kimi mentioned.
"Guys, it's about to do something." Jaune pointed at the Nuckelavee.
The Nuckelavee gave itself a hug as the spikes on its back grew longer along with the horns twisting its body around, the mouth opened wider ripping the black things and the roar came out louder making the teen Hunters cover their ears from the noise.
Ren ran and climb up the cherry tree to shoot the Grimm on the back though that got its attention and launched its stretchy arm, Ren jump to get out of the way but he got caught instead and is pinned against to an old building. It looks like the Nuckelavee is about to attack again.
"Ruby!" Nora called out.
Ruby nods and start spinning around as Nora jumps over landing on the scythe then Ruby launches Nora high and fast to Ren.
The Nuckelavee launches its other hand to Ren's head through the building as the young ninja boy braces himself, but a few seconds later the attack never happen as he open his eyes and look to the left arm of the Grimm is above him to the left as he follows to see the arm has latched onto Nora's hammer as the girl herself is dangling from it.
Nora looks down sighing in relief that Ren is okay, but she also realizes in the position she's in that he could see her underwear under the skirt.
"Stop looking!" Nora said as she tries to cover her bottom part and Ren shielded his eyes as the two blushes a bit. But Nora secretly grin to herself.
"(Even in dangerous situation like this, the universe just loves to prove those two are meant for each other.)" Kimi thought giggled.
The Nuckelavee twist its body again and move the left hand lifting Nora up as she is still hanging onto her hammer, the Grimm lifts her a little higher and then slams her down on the ground hard letting go of the hammer and causing Nora's aura to deplete from the impact as she bounce on the ground once and fell unconscious.
Ren's eyes widen of seeing his childhood friend/crush taken down by the Grimm, just like it took down his mother and father all those years ago, and that have made him angry probably more than he had ever felt in his life. He starts slashing the hand with the blades on his gun and impale them before shooting his bullets on the arms.
Meanwhile, Jaune managed to land an attack on the back right leg and Kimi jumps over her husband doing a midair spinning slash on the humanoid top part and the horse body making the Nuckelavee to roar in pain.
Ren impale StormFlower on the Grimm hand again to push it off him though he did fell on his back hitting the ground, but he got back up and storms at the Grimm in complete rage as he slashes one arm away that was coming at him though he was too angry to see the other arm coming to punch him in the face. He got back up again and charges at the Nuckelavee screaming from the top of his lungs as he starts attacking in a reckless behavior action.
"Ren, knock it off!" Jaune yelled, but Ren just ignores him.
"He's being too blinded by his rage like this. He must've snapped when he couldn't take the sight of that Grimm anymore." Kimi stated.
Ren charges at the Grimm wanting nothing more than to kill it with his own barehand, but the Nuckelavee retract its right hand that was stuck on the ground a bit and grab Ren by the leg throwing him away and slams him down sending him close to Nora as his aura depleted as well.
Nora raise up and saw Ren in front of her as he soon wakes up only eying on the Grimm in anger, seeing one leg stomping on the ground meaning its getting ready to charge. The angry green ninja boy intended on meeting that charge and didn't care about being unarmed and his aura is low, but Nora wouldn't allow him to do that she tackles him under the broken-down house. The Nuckelavee roars before advancing fast to the house as Nora intend to shield Ren with her body, but they heard the charging stops and they saw Jaune holding the horse Grimm back but only for a few seconds before being pushed down. Ruby shoots the Grimm while Kimi dashes to swing her fanned-blade to attack, but she reacted quickly using it as a shield to block a punch pushing her back and latches at Ruby who manages to dodge it and leap on top of a building. Ruby fires at the Grimm again and use her Semblance to dodge the stretching arm, leaping to another building.
Ren was about to go out there to fight the Nuckelavee again, but Nora grab his arm stopping him leaving.
"Nora, let go!" Ren said, but the carrot-top girl refuses.
"Nora!" Ren yelled, she still wouldn't let go.
"Nora, they're going to get hurt if we don't" Ren's sentence was cut off when she backhand slaps him across the face. Nora finally let's go and lower her hands on her lap.
"No. I won't let you kill yourself like this." Nora said with her head looking down in sadness.
"After everything we've been through, I won't let it end." Nora said.
When she raises her head, Ren suddenly see a memory of Nora as the scared and little orphan girl he first met all those years ago, then he blinks seeing Nora as she is today with tears forming from her eyes.
"Not like this." Nora said.
Ren started to realize how wrong he is now about letting his anger take control over himself, that was not how he fights and certainly not what his parents would have wanted for him, he reaches to his boot and took out a dagger with a curve blade. This blade was the last gift he got from his father before he died trying to fight the Nuckelavee, and saw Nora's hand on top of his.
"We can do this." Nora believed.
Ren nods, glad to have her by his side after everything they have been through, finding hope in his heart and know what he has to do. Ren and Nora step out from under the building as Nora got her Magnhild in her hands tightly, soon Jaune, Kimi, and Ruby while the Nuckelavee is slowly walking to the right waiting for his praises to die by its hand.
Ruby and Kimi saw Ren looking down at the dagger and knew what he is thinking, also knowing that he won't get angry crazy on them agan.
"Ren." Ruby called out getting his attention.
"Ren. Jaune and I can take care of its arms." Ruby planned.
"I'll take care of the horse." Nora volunteered.
"I'll help Nora just in case." Kimi winked.
"And I'll take care of the rest." Ren smiled, really glad to have his friends here with him.
Nora made her up to the rooftop of a building by jump high with her strong legs as Kimi immediately follows her.
Ruby gets the Nuckelavee's attention shooting some bullets on the head and body, the makes it latches its arms at her which she dodges them and went high in the air before launching herself down and impale one arm to the ground.
Ren threw the dagger to pierce the horse body and the Grimm saw Jaune with his normal, strong sword ready for his part, the Grimm latches its free arm at Jaune but Ren standing on a rooftop of a small building launches himself to pin the arm down with Jaune's shield.
"Now!" Ren yelled.
Jaune quickly over the pinned arm and pierce his sword through the Grimm arm to pin it down for good.
"Nora! Kimi!" Ren called out.
Up high on the tower-like building, Kimi and Nora look at each other with smirks as they lean backward falling from the building and twirling their bodies around as Nora slams the head of horse down on the ground and Kimi stabs her sword on the neck before slicing the head off.
This left only Ren to finish it off once and for all as he took the dagger back and walk in front of the humanoid Grimm, it roars causing his hair to flow but Ren wasn't fazed by it as he is now ready to put the past behind him.
"(For my mother.)" Ren thought and sliced the left arm off.
Ren grabs the head by the horn looking at the Grimm in the eyes.
"(For my father.)" Ren thought and cuts off the right arm.
The Nuckelavee screams in pain whining and moving his body around wildly before looking back at the human boy in anger.
"(For all those that you've slain.)" Ren thought and slashes across the torso making it scream in pain more.
Ren closes his eyes, thinking back on everything that had lead him to this moment: when he lived a happy life with his parents, to all the times he and Nora trained and survived together through the hardships, getting accepted and meeting his friends in Beacon Academy, everything he had lived through.
Now, it has all come down to this moment where the nightmare of his past will no longer hunt him anymore.
"For myself." Ren said out loud, determined put an end to this.
Ren swing the blade fast and strong, beheading the Grimm, killing it for good as its body disintegrate into a pillar of black smoke.
Ren drops the knife and sigh in relief that everything is now over for him, his parents and village have been avenge as their souls can now rest in peace.
Nora cheers and tackle Ren to the ground with a strong hug, he didn't mind as he hugs her back and press his forehead against hers.
"Thank you, Nora." Ren thanked.
"That's what I'm here for." Nora smiled.
Ren lean his head up kissing Nora on the lips much to her shock, but she kisses him back as the two have their moment.
Ruby quickly made her way to Qrow telling him they did a good job, this made Ruby felt relief that he is still alive.
"Does anyone hear something?" Kimi asked.
Soon, everyone start hearing something too like engine noises and look up seeing two Mistral airships coming down. The men carry Qrow on a stretcher and everyone boarded the airships flying away from the ruined town.
"How did you find us out here?" Jaune asked.
"We were on patrol and saw the smoke. Nobody's been out here for years, thought something might be wrong." The Mistral Pilot answered.
"What if we don't make it." Ruby worried holding Qrow's hand.
"I think you should look at this, Ruby." Kimi gestured her to come over here.
Ruby comes here and she smile upon seeing the Kingdom city, Mistral right in front of them as they have finally arrived. Ren and Nora are seen sitting together on another airship hold each other's hands and her head resting on his shoulder, both knew as long as they have each other, nothing can stop them.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Yes! The Nuckelavee is down for good and Ren can finally move forward from the tragic past that has also effected Nora, both have also confessed their feelings toward each other and the team have finally arrived in Mistral.
There will be some breaks for the next few chapters before starting up Volume 5.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!