AN: Slowly but surely, I find myself getting better. Have another chapter.
"KICK HIS ARSE, LITTLE DUDE!" Alyss roared from her seat, the dhampir all but jumping in place as in a seat next to her, was an odd looking warhammer.
On the other side, Elrick grimaced, the half-orc ignoring the looks from the natives in favor of the battle itself, which even despite the magic was... Somewhat new, even for Remnant. On a battlefield that was half ruins, half twisted forest, two of their schoolmates were clashing with another.
Lightning surged, bolts of electricity crackling and cascading as shrill, high laughter filled the air. A short, midget clad in dark clothing, a wide brimmed hat and high collar cackled on with a staff in hand and a still smoking wand in the other, as the announcer cried out.
"AND IT LOOKS LIKE SIGNAL FIRE ACADEMY IS CONTINUING TO BRING GUNS TO A KNIFE FIGHT! WHAT EXACTLY WAS THAT?!"
"HA! THE ABILITIES OF NEFARIOUS VON COUNT-A-LOT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE PUNY MINDS OF LESSER BEINGS!" Cried back the warlock, seconds before disaster as the smoke cleared and he snarled.
Swords were embedded in the earth, connected by metal strings still crackling, grounded harmlessly as well as more blades spun in place, creating a shield as Penny smiled brightly behind them.
"How invigorating, friend Nefarious!"
Alyss snorted from her seat. "That's fucking bullshit." She immediately got a small cuff on the back of her head, the dhampir turning and snarling before her eyes narrowed at her teammate. "Do that again and I'll gut you."
"Don't give me reason to chide you and you won't fail to do so." Came the far more elegant tone of the wizard seated a seat away as her mage hand vanished. Morgana, a half elf with blonde hair tied in a bun for any who saw only the surface of her visage, the truth being something far more... Sinister, even for they who were more familiar with it. At any rate, she watched the fight, quietly considering as her fingers tapped the arm rest and her eyes kept flicking to the VIP box.
As before, there was an empty seat where their headmistress would have been, as it had been for a week now as the tournament continued. That by itself would have been rude, but not by itself the reason for her current unease. After a few seconds, she glanced up and relaxed, enough that even Alyss looked on, hiding worry beneath her loud visage as Ruby Rose took a seat and smiled.
"Hey Morgana. Seth said he'd show up soon as he can, there's a line for the bathroom." She then blinked and peered closer, silver eyes filled with emphatic worry now as she asked. "Is... Everything alright?"
Elrick and Alyss glanced at Morgana, their teammates lip pressing in that thin way it did when she was stubborn, before she sighed out. "I don't know. Ruby... I have this gift, see? Power, derived from my mother. It sometimes acts as a premonition, a warning in my blood that makes me, well bitchy."
"Er?" Elrick drawled, leaning back in his seat as he high fived with Alyss before he grunted in more concern.
"Morgana, you should had told us. I'd have brought my best vest for the occasion."
"So... Is this an elf thing?" Ruby asked and then she looked at the team, Alyss and Elrick both wearing cautious faces. "... Guys?"
Alyss who trained with Jaune and Elrick who hung out with Yang could only both look away, unable to meet her gaze as Morgana sighed. "They're just being loyal. Its fine guys, Ruby..."
She held up her hand, her smooth skin suddenly flickering into a darker red from the wrist up. Claws, like a hunting raptor jutted from her fingertips, as her expression turned wry, and she spoke.
"I'm not a real girl you see. Hells, I'm not even human." Ruby stared, recognizing the connotations. Unlike her sister, Ruby read... She had devoured all the books of history that Aunty Em kept, had taken in the new stories of heroes and the places they visited. Now that she knew what she was looking at, she could see the flickering bits between the elven features of Morgana and what laid beneath it... Golden eyes. Horns and white hair, tied back in the same bun as an expression of stone looked back.
Ruby smiled and took her hand, squeezing it.
"Doesn't mean you're not a real girl." The second time around was easier to share, Ruby speaking quietly and lost in the crowd as she addressed her sisters friends teammate. "Elrick believes it, Alyss too. So do I-just because you were born a certain way, doesn't mean you can't be what you are. Someday, I hope you can show me because it makes no difference in the world."
Morgana's eyes closed. Magic shimmered about her hand, returning it to the illusion as she said hoarsely. "Spoken in ignorance. I pray it will always be so here."
But what kind of God would even listen to a Dispatar-tainted creature?
Behind them unseen, the God of Shepards leaned on his staff, eyes glowing beneath his hood as he breathed deeply before turning to vanish.
At that point, the screen began to flicker. The image of a chess piece appeared, Ruby looking confused as did the others as murmuring occurred. Morgana gasped in pain, hand over her heart as her teammates immediately ran for her. On the field, Nefarious was suddenly looking wildly around, before his glowing eyes seemed to focus on Morgana as ignoring everything, he ran off the stage and out of bounds, going for the audience.
Penny, left behind would speak aloud. "Is this part of the tournament?"
The arena began to change... Slowly, configuring into something new. As Penny skipped back, watching the field be reformed, scant few would know it for what it was. Ozpin, in the VIP booth stood swiftly from his seat, turning to the others as he spoke rapidly.
"Evacuate the audience. Now!"
Morgana screamed, her illusion shattering as the Tiefling fell to the ground, Nefarious flying over to fuss over his sister as he cried out, his tone desperate and suddenly, very young. "Someone please! Do something!"
"People of Remnant."
The queen piece flickered, revealing the emblem of a snarling animal skull, three claw marks raked diagonally as Ironwood growled and the locals began to panic. A moment later, the sneering visage of the masked terrorist, Adam Taurus appeared as he spoke.
"You have grown fat and glutted on our people. You have subjected us to horrors, in the name of profit and power. The blood of our children cries for revenge and despite our peaceful start, you labeled us animals. Monsters. Devils." His hand reached for his mask, taking it off as new horror shocked the audience.
Ruby stared. In the audience, Weiss put her hand to her mouth, feeling sick as Eizenbern growled, her hackles raised as she tried to drag her human away. None were unaffected by the sight, as SDC branded into the flesh of the young faunus was seen, Adam's gaze steely as he spoke.
"So it seems only fitting that the manner of your execution shall come-BY a devil of your own making." In the audience, faunus took up masks they slipped under their seats or in bags, rushing down to the arena-cloaked and armed with knives as Penny looked on warily, prepared to fight.
At this point, the arena locked into place. A simple stone visage now, flat and normally unadorned... Until now. Odd sigils, formed into an arcane looking circle now rested upon it, Penny in its center as shock seemed to grab a hold of everyone at the turn of events. Penny prepared to fight, swords floating up as the faunus on stage suddenly made their move. Ruby, who had suddenly recognized what was happening, screamed out.
"STOP THEM! DON'T LET THEM BLEED-"
One by one, each of the faunus began stabbing themselves or slitting their throats on live television, broadcast far and wide as a new wave of terror and shock filled the air. Penny, hearing Ruby didn't hesitate as she attempted to sweep them all off, but too late.
Far too late. Adam's voice continued, with dark relish as he spoke.
"A devil, of all your sins come to roost." The bodies collapsed. The circle crackled with power, fed and sated as it began to activate, Ruby crying out.
"PENNY, GET OUT OF THERE! ITS A TRAP!"
It was a gate.
As it opened wide, sulfur and brimstone followed after a triumphant roar as Penny immediately attacked, blades flying out and striking only to melt as the artificial girl flew backwards to avoid the crack of a fiery whip.
Out from the pit came a fiery arm, blackened and with orange-red veins as the beast came out. Fear gripped the stadium, civilians trampling over each other in an attempt to flee as the aura struck them, a compulsion to hide, to run, to bend the knee filling the air. Nora was screaming, hands on her ears as the beast that emerged roared, Ren hugging her tightly as both suddenly began to look black and white, the sensation muted but not gone as Nora gripped his arm, looked tearfully into his eyes.
"I heard them." She choked out, knowing he knew what she meant. How could he not? In that aura was every horror, every bad day, fear concentrated into a battering ram as in its scream, was the light of a burning village consumed by the Grimm.
Blake was pale, crawling back... She had fallen, she didn't realize she did. Had to get away... Had to-
"Blake!"
Yang grabbed her, tighter perhaps than normal as she scowled. Blood dripped from her nose, from the corner of her mouth. But her eyes were glowing and her hair was burning gold as she growled.
"C'mon Kitty. You're stronger than this! Our team needs you!"
There was a cracking noise... They turned to look. From the pit, they could see its body in full. A hulking figure of shadow and flame, not the life giving, warm sort but back and consuming, oily as the creature laughed. Great wings like a bat spread out, filling the stadium and rivaling an adult nevermore, as curled horns about its skull made up the rest of its dark look. In its hands, it held a single whip of flames and in the other, a flaming sword as it laughed and spoke.
"Little insects. I am Naburus. I have come for what is mine."
He stomped the ground, and the skies grew dark with grimm, the portal behind him suddenly full of fiends, flying out as he roared. "COME MY BROTHERS! COME AND FEAST UPON A NEW WORLD!"
The screen turned back to the Black Queen piece, the fight beginning on every level as Penny swallowed and prepared to sell her life dearly, ignoring her dear friends voice from the stands to get away.
And then as Naburus approached Penny, he paused and looked intrigued. A green sphere had slammed into the ground between them, shimmering away into the form of Ozpin as he slid his glasses up his nose.
"Miss Polendia? Rendevous with the rest of the students. I suspect we'll need all hands today." He said calmly, in the face of Hell as Naburus sniffed the air, his eyes widening in shock.
"You."
"Hello Naburus. I don't know who summoned you and frankly, I'll be taking my pound of flesh from them after I'm done here."
Naburus laughed. "Weak. Pathetic. I can feel your diminished spirit, taste the loss of your power like a gutted fish still clinging to life. I shall enjoy taking my revenge on you as well."
Ozpin sighed, slipped his glasses off and put them into a case as he stashed them into his coat.
"You'll not find me such easy prey. There are people counting on me here, so till such time as they arrive?" His eyes began to glow, his cane suddenly swung through the air, as the wind was cut by the sheer force of it as the hero Ozma stood once more on the planet.
"You. Shall not. Pass."
Naburus roared, charging forward.
And around them, all Hell broke loose.