Chapter 14 – Judgement Day
Pyrrha
Rain continued to pour from the sky, summoned by the very conflicted Eryka Vasillias. Her hairs were standing on end.
Of all the people she was expecting to come after them one day, from the Followers of Salem, Feral Ones, even Ex-Stockholm Troopers? It was none of those things, but it was the very person who helped build this utopia they lived in today. The Deacon… the man that nobody knew the identity of. She stood her ground at the entrance of her home, gripping Milo and Akoúo tightly. The armour that Cardin was clad in was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The closest she could think of was an Ebony Sabre's armour, but even then that was nothing compared to how advanced this was.
But of all of them, it was Neo that scared her the most.
She heard the stories of what Neo had been doing. The bodies she left behind massacring anyone who ever wronged Roman Torchwick, and of course, she hated Ruby. Blaming her for a death whose blood was never on her hands.
To be frankly honest, this was way worse of a scenario than she ever imagined. At least extremists were easy foes, but everyone here was extremely deadly in their own right. "You make quite the dramatic visit… to what do I owe the pleasure?" Pyrrha asked, hoping to keep things calm.
The Deacon glanced up at the rain which drenched his cloak, water trickling down the cold metal that forged his helmet. "How about we get out of this dreadful weather? Talk about this inside?" He suggested.
Pyrrha narrowed her eyes fearfully. "I'm afraid we have company." Pyrrha refused.
"Ah, no matter. We won't take up too much of your time." He promised, staring at her. His lack of a face gave her no gauge of his real intentions, which made him all the more intimidating. Looking at who she was up against, she knew there was no point in trying to keep them all out. So instead, she stepped aside and let them enter. The Deacon walked inside first, his heavy boots treading upon the wooden planks that made the porch.
He walked in and pulled his hood back, drying his boots out of respect. Cardin did the same, looking around with a smirk on his face, then looking down at Pyrrha. "Nice place." He said, with a hint of what could only be described as disdain in his voice as he glared at her. She glared back, never really forgetting his past with Jaune, even if he tried to make things right. Part of her never really forgave him for his cruel treatment of Jaune and Velvet and so many others back when they were kids.
Eryka came inside next. Out of everyone, she was the kindest, clearly not wanting to have any part in all this, which just confused Pyrrha even more. She dried herself but kept back, holding her forearm nervously as the exchange began. Finally, Neo walked inside. She did not even bother wiping her boots on the mat, just walking in and leaving wet footprints in her wake, smirking up at Pyrrha as she walked past. She really looked even more unhinged now more than ever.
She turned and saw the Deacon staring at a photograph of herself, Oriana… and Jaune. He chuckled softly as he stared at that picture. "Look at that… such joy… such blissful ignorance." He scoffed, shaking his head, hand slowly clenching into a fist.
"I don't overly like the tone of this surprise meeting, Deacon." Pyrrha stated, staring at him. Then he turned to the Huntress, then walked towards the dining room table, moving past the closed door to the next room, where Jaune was hiding with Oriana and Misty. His daughter had her ear pressed against the crack in the door, then she peered through, spotting the Deacon walking towards one of the chairs and pulling it out.
"It's the Deacon!" Oriana whispered, quickly being hushed by Misty. Jaune listened carefully, already holding Ira Red in his hand. He quickly grabbed it before getting the girls in here with him.
Outside of the room, Pyrrha sighed, and sat down at the other end of the table, staring at the Deacon. Then he finally spoke of the reason they were here. "You know who I am? Not my title… have you any inkling of who is behind this mask?" He asked her.
"You're a Huntsman. That's all I've been able to gather. Why?" Pyrrha inquired.
He leant back in the chair, his metal hands pressed against the table. "I'm the Survivor of Evernight." He revealed.
Pyrrha's eyes widened, and so did Jaune's.
"Yeah. I thought I was the sole survivor of Tyrian's little rampage, but it seems I was wrong on that too." Cardin said, his arms crossed. She looked up at him, then back at the Deacon, who was looking directly at her.
"I… we all looked for you… when we found those tracks in the Amphitheatre… we…" Pyrrha stammered.
"I know." The Deacon reassured. "I know of everyone's efforts to find me, and truly I appreciate it, and I don't blame you all for giving up on the search, eventually. I went to great lengths to disappear from the world… to hide from… him…" The Deacon explained, his metal arms trembling as he pictured his face, hearing that laugh all over again.
"Tyrian Callows is dead." Pyrrha reassured.
"Yes. But he was not the only party guilty of what happened to my friends. My team." The Deacon explained, glaring directly at her. Pyrrha's green eyes widened with fear. She started to put the pieces together. "Where is he, Pyrrha?"
She was quiet, her lip trembling. "That's why you're here…" She sighed.
"You knew this day was coming, Pyrrha. You couldn't keep that monster hidden from the world forever. Sooner or later, this little happy lie you've been living would come crashing down." Cardin explained with anger in his voice.
"I take it he told you? About all the things he did to us?" The Deacon asked.
Cardin scoffed. "And she still married the bastard."
"It wasn't Jaune. It was Thaddeus Rex, okay?" Pyrrha calmly said to the Deacon.
He suddenly slammed his hand against the table, so hard that cracks split across it. He remained motionless afterwards, staring right at her. "Do you have any idea… how many times I've heard people tell me that? It's belittling… when people are telling me who tortured me, and who enabled the worst of it. Like I wouldn't know?" He growled, his anger growing more and more.
His fists were shaking, then he exhaled, calming himself down. Pyrrha's fist was radiating with black energy, ready to pull Milo and Akoúo off the table and back into her hands if this was about to go badly.
Inside the closet, Oriana looked at her father with confusion. "Dad? What is he talking about?" Oriana whispered.
"Not now." Jaune whispered back.
"What is it you want with him? You want to kill him? Because if you think bringing everyone here to stop me, you're gonna need more than this." She promised. Eryka stepped forward like she wanted to speak, but Neo stopped her. The Deacon clasped his hands together, leaning across the table as he stared at her.
"What do I want? I want justice." He answered, getting up from the chair and walking around it into the kitchen beside her. "I did not come here to murder a man, even if he deserves it for what he did. I came here to do this correctly, and bring him to the Court of Remnant and have him tried for what he did. Then I will let the world decide his fate based upon those crimes." The Deacon explained.
"It's better than he deserves." Cardin growled, but Pyrrha glared up at the Gladiator.
I just wanted to have a nice day with my family…
"With Adam Taurus locked up, Tyrian dead and all the other Children of Salem dead and gone? Jaune is the last one, Thaddeus or not. I know part of him was conscious during that whole time we were being tortured. So. Where is he? Or am I gonna have to give him some incentive to come out?" He asked, suddenly forming Hallshott in his hand, staring at her.
The door opened, and the Deacon turned, and despite his appearance, the second he saw Jaune walk out from the walk-in cupboard, it was like he was back in Evernight. His heart-rate skyrocketed, and he even felt the old scars flare up again. Jaune stared at him, setting Ira Red down on the floor, then holding out his hands as he approached.
"Well, hell… time hasn't been kind to you, Jauney Boy." Cardin mocked with a scowl on his face.
"It catches up to all of us…" Jaune assured as he walked towards them. "Look… I know what Tyrian did to you was traumatic, but I'm begging you to understand. Things weren't as black and white as you thought they were."
"Dad? What's going on?" Oriana asked with concern as she walked out behind him.
"Ori… please go upstairs." Pyrrha begged.
"Ah… so this is the Oriana Nikos I've heard so many stories about." The Deacon said, walking towards her, but Jaune stood in front of her.
"You're here for me, right? Leave her out of this." He demanded.
The Deacon crouched down as he looked at her, tilting his head. "Yeah… I can see the family resemblance. You definitely have your mother's fire." He said with what sounded like a pride in his voice. The Deacon stood tall and stared at Jaune. "I didn't come here to hurt your family, Jaune. I have no quarrel with Pyrrha and especially not with your daughter. I only want you to face trial." The Deacon explained.
"Everything that happened… it was so long ago… I'm not that man anymore. I'm free." Jaune stated.
"Really?" The Deacon asked, staring into his eyes. "I still see your white hair… and your… not so blue eyes… I can tell that it's still in there. No matter how hard you hide it, the monster is still there, isn't it?" The Deacon asked him. Jaune fell silent with fear, his hands shaking.
"Make this easy, Jaune… please… I don't want any of this to get any worse." Eryka stammered.
"Why the hell are you with them, Eryka? I thought you were our friend?" Pyrrha questioned.
"You think I wanted this? I just wanted answers… now I don't even know if I want them…" Eryka trembled. Oriana turned, and he gasped with fear as she saw Neo glaring at her with a chilling smirk on her face.
Jaune stood in front of Oriana, then gestured her to get back into the cupboard. Oriana did as she was told, backing up to stay there with Misty, holding her hand.
"I'm not leaving my family." Jaune stood his ground, staring at the Deacon. "So please. Leave. My. Home." He commanded with a growl in his voice, a tone that Oriana had never heard before.
The Deacon stepped closer as he stared at Jaune. "Do you really want this to get any worse than it already is, Jaune?" The Deacon questioned.
"Do you?" He replied.
The Deacon stared at him, his fists clenched tightly, then he turned away from Jaune, hanging his head, sighing. "Like I told you… the person you've come here for is long dead. Pyrrha killed him… so please… just open your eyes and—"
OPEN YOUR EYES
OPEN YOUR EYES
OPEN YOUR EYES
He could feel Jaune's icy grip around his face, pressed against his back and forcing his eyes open as he cried, watching as his friend was horrifically tortured in front of him. Seeing how much blood was splattered everywhere, and the echoes of Tyrian's maniacal laughter. It was like he was sent back to that exact moment in seconds, and his defensive instincts took hold of him.
His head suddenly lifted, and he spun around, punching Jaune up the jaw so hard that it sent him crashing through the ceiling. "JAUNE!" Pyrrha screamed, only for Cardin to suddenly extend the Executioner and swing it against her chest with immense force, sending her smashing through the wall behind her, tumbling outside into the rain which poured around her.
"NO! STOP IT!" Eryka begged, but Neo just smirked and ran after them. Roman sat on the counter, kicking his legs, laughing.
"'Bout time!" Roman laughed, jumping off and following Neo.
Eryka stood alone in the dining room, her hands shaking and eyes widening.
It wasn't supposed to be like this…
… no…
… what have I done?
Meanwhile, in the storage room, Oriana and Misty held each other in fear, hearing the massive battle erupt around her home.
Jaune
He crashed against the ground, his aura protecting him from any major injuries, but he still coughed in pain, grasping at his chest as he tried to get back up. He turned and saw the Deacon blasting up through the hole in the roof that Jaune had just been sent through. He dove towards him and grabbed Jaune by the throat, slamming him against the grass and dragging him along the lawn, tossing him towards a tree with significant force. Jaune grunted as he stopped suddenly against the tree, wood splintering around his body.
Jaune rolled aside as the Deacon fired Hallshott at him. The bullets tore through the tree, and he kept aiming the blade of the sword at Jaune. "Enough games, Jaune. You're going to pay for what you did to us. What you let him do to us!" The Deacon yelled with fury in his distorted voice.
"Shit…" Jaune panted, knowing there was no convincing him to stop now.
He raised his fists, keeping his eyes on the Deacon, who paced back and forth, keeping Hallshott aimed at him, then he fired. Jaune ducked, then rolled out of the way, only for Ira Red to suddenly come flying out from the window, wrapped with black energy. Inside, he could see Pyrrha was back inside, fighting against Cardin and Neo in their home. He saw the blade fly between himself and the Deacon, lodging itself into the tree the Deacon tossed him against.
Jaune grabbed onto it with no hesitation, tearing it free from the bark of the tree, then swinging around and slamming his blade against the blades of Hallshott and Darling, the Deacon crossing them over. Sparks danced from the steel, both glaring at each other, Jaune holding him back as best as he could, but the Deacon's strength easily outmatched his, using the power of his cybernetic arms to his advantage.
Jaune grunted as he dropped to one knee, and the Deacon laughed sinisterly. "Look at you… barely even a shadow of what you used to be. But I know the Salem Knight is still in there." He hissed, only for Jaune to smash his knee upwards against the Deacon's gut, making him hunch forward. Jaune swung around and slashed across the side of the Deacon's helmet, sparks flying off the hardlight shields which protected him. He grunted and tumbled backwards, but Jaune held his ground, holding Ira Red with both hands as he stared the Deacon down.
Suddenly his adversary erupted off the ground and flew into the air above him, throwing Hallshott at him. Jaune rolled aside, transforming Ira Red into a one-handed shotgun. After losing Crocea Mortem, Pyrrha modified Ira Red further and allow it to transform into a gun all on its own. The shotgun shell fragments soared across the sky towards the Deacon, but he came crashing down with Pilgrim, slamming it at Jaune's feet with immense force.
The impact caused the ground to explode. Then the Deacon launched forward and swung the sword repeatedly. "Is this the man who betrayed the people who loved him for Salem's promises of power?" The Deacon laughed, swinging that heavy sword as if it was made of plastic, never stopping in his flurries, mixing it in with the faster and smaller blade that was Darling.
"I didn't betray anyone!" Jaune yelled, but the Deacon launched Pilgrim towards Jaune, and it exploded into a cloud of Grave Dust against his chest, tossing him through the tree behind him. The tree collapsed around him, creaking forward with a heavy and loud crash against the soil.
"Enough with the lies! Face the truth, Jaune!" The Deacon yelled back, blasting forward and using the thrusters in his armour and in the elbows of his cybernetic arms to dart back and forth. He swiftly punched Jaune repeatedly as he shot past him, knocking Jaune backwards with every single punch thrown. But as the Deacon dashed towards him, Jaune caught him by the throat and lifted him off the floor with a defiant roar, slamming him against the grass with all his might.
The Deacon rolled backwards, suddenly forming Ruyi Jingu Bang and firing its Gunchuck at Jaune, forcing him backwards. "Tell me! Do you remember how he tortured us? The things he did to us? DO YOU REMEMBER OUR SCREAMS WHEN WE BEGGED YOU TO SAVE US?" He roared with fury, wrapping Scarlet's grappling hook around his throat and tightening him, then yanking himself towards Jaune as he transformed Ruyi Jingu Bang into its Bo-Staff form, and slammed it downwards against the top of Jaune's skull, dropping him to the floor.
"… I remember all of it." Jaune whimpered, trying to get back up, only for the Deacon to kick him in the face, and grabbing him by the throat with a tight cold metal grip, staring down with those permanently furious green visors.
"And that's why I know… that part of all that… was you." He snarled. "You were always obsessed with being better, being stronger! And that was exactly what Salem gave you! You chose power, over all of us!" He roared, only for Jaune to punch him up the chin extremely hard, forcing the Deacon to release him.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" He roared, firing the shotgun once again at the Deacon. "I didn't have a choice! Salem broke me repeatedly!"
"Oh, don't you dare!" The Deacon snarled. He erupted off the grass, leaving a burning scorch mark behind, and tackling Jaune. The two flew off the ground and soared towards the roof of the Nikos Estate, and crashed against it with substantial force. The tiles shattered around them, and the Deacon pinned Jaune down, pressing his head against the roof and pummelling his face against the roof repeatedly, until eventually the roof around his head collapsed, sending chunks of debris falling into Oriana's bedroom.
The Deacon pulled Jaune close, staring right into his eyes. "You think you can run away from it all? Hide in this fancy house with your pretty wife, have a kid, and think all of it would just go away? I wanted to let it go, but the truth is… you're a monster." He snarled, then he looked past Jaune and laughed. "And a father? What kind of father lies to his own daughter? You haven't changed a bit." He mocked.
Jaune's passiveness suddenly disappeared when the Deacon mentioned Oriana, and his eyes flushed with purple flames and he roared with fury. He smashed his fist against the side of the Deacon's head so hard they both tumbled across the sloping roof, and as they rolled, Jaune punched him repeatedly. Then he held the Deacon down once they stopped at the edge, and he began slamming his fists down against the Deacon's helmeted face relentlessly.
Every punch made the house shake, and the Deacon grunt as each impact made the view from his visors crackle with static. The power of the Salem Knight flowed through his veins and muscles once more, causing his veins to press against his flesh. Every punch fragmented more roof tiles around them, weakening the roof more and more.
"LEAVE! MY! HOME!" Jaune bellowed, taking both fists and hammering them into the Deacon's armoured chest. The roof collapsed, and the pair fell inside of their garage, crashing against the parked car. The alarms started blaring, the roof caved inwards and glass bursting into tiny pieces. Jaune tumbled off the roof, only for the Deacon to propel himself forward and punch Jaune with immense force, throwing him a few yards away, and smacking his back against the felled tree in his garden.
The Deacon chuckled as he approached, printing Sky Lark's Feather's Edge, spinning it through his fingers and holding it against the back of his arm and shoulder. "Well, that struck a nerve." He chuckled.
Jaune's eyes still burned a piercing purple as he panted, feeling the Salem Knight still flowing in him. Swiftly he grappled onto the destroyed tree and swung it around like it didn't weigh a thing and smacked it against the Deacon's chest, launching him backwards and against the wall of the house. The tree was broken into hundreds of large chunks of splintered wood, and Jaune dropped what little remained, turning to sprint towards the Deacon and tackled him inside of the house, crashing through the wall, just as Pyrrha was tossed outside by Cardin who pursued her.
The Deacon tumbled backwards and spun Feather's Edge across his shoulders, slicing the blade across Jaune's cheek, then thrusting it towards his chest, but Jaune caught the handle and snapped the replica in two, breaking it apart into a cloud of dust, then took Ira Red and slashed multiple times across the Deacon's body, only for his enemy to form Tri-Hard and caught the blade between the fork and yanked it from Jaune's hand.
The Deacon promptly kicked Jaune in the gut, then punched him in the side of the head, knocking Jaune to one knee, staring up at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… you wanted to get away from it all, and living your peaceful life has made you slow and old, Jaune." The Deacon mocked, shaking his head. "But even in your prime… you still wouldn't be able to have beaten the man I've become." The Deacon warned.
"You never should have come after me…" Jaune warned right back, suddenly jumping towards the Deacon, and slamming his elbow down the roof of his helmet, then uppercutting him. The Deacon suddenly caught Jaune's next punch and thrusted forward, smashing his shoulder pauldron against him, which launched Jaune backwards and crashing through the lovely marble counter in their kitchen, causing the faucet to spray profusely.
The main advantage the Deacon had over Jaune was his speed and versatility with weaponry, mastering the weapons of all of Team S.S.S.N, Russel, Dove and Sky Lark, yet even then… Jaune hadn't forgotten the years upon years of elite training that Pyrrha gave him. The Deacon suddenly smashed the long trident of Neptune's against Jaune's chest, sending him crashing through the storage room that Oriana and Misty were hiding in, making them both scream in terror, then the roof of the next room collapsed on top of him, pinning the Old Huntsman down.
"How long do you think you can keep hiding it from her, Jaune? Or more likely… how will she react when she inevitably learns the truth?" He questioned, leaving Oriana even more confused and afraid of who her father really was. Jaune's eyes suddenly lit up purple once more, and a pulse of purple energy erupted from his aura, breaking the ceiling apart, then jumping towards the Deacon.
He tackled him through the front door, tumbling across the ground, and tossing him against the rocky walls nearby their home, sending cracks climbing up. The Deacon looked ahead, suddenly being kicked directly in the face by Jaune, after he picked up Ira Red on his way towards the Deacon and slashed it repeatedly across his Hardlight Shields, mixing it in with skilled punches, nailing Jaune in all the perfect places.
The Deacon suddenly caught his fist and blocked the incoming blade with Shortwings, scraping it across his red and gold blade, then smashing his helmeted head against Jaune's face. As he stumbled backwards, the Deacon formed Pilgrim once more, swinging it relentlessly at Jaune, but he blocked and deflected the incoming attacks with Ira Red.
And then the Deacon swung downwards with immense force, impacting against Ira Red, the two staring at each other with gritted teeth.
Pyrrha
Whilst Jaune and the Deacon continued to clash, Pyrrha had an intense battle of her own to contend with.
She stood at the ready, shield raised and spinning Milo through her fingers, glaring ahead as Cardin and Neo walked out of the broken wall towards her. Cardin rolled his mechanical shoulder, smirking as his metal helmet activated. Plates clambering over his head and coming together, his dual golden visors shining brightly, dragging his mace across the floor as he walked. Neo walked as well, resting Hush on her shoulder, smirking sadistically at Pyrrha.
Cardin was the first one to attack, rocketing off the ground towards her, holding his mace above his head with both hands and burying it into the soil where she was standing. With the storm clearing up now that Eryka was no longer a part of this needless violence, Pyrrha was finally back to having the advantage. She rolled backwards, and immediately tossed Akoúo at his head, bouncing it off his helmet, then rushing towards him. She slid across the grass and sliced the blade of her sword across the back of his leg, then kicking him in the back of the head, causing him to fall face first into the grass.
Pyrrha turned and gasped as Neo suddenly launched towards her, blade extended from Neo, but she leant all the way back, eyes wide as the pointed blade reflected the sunlight, only narrowly missing her eye. Pyrrha rolled across the floor, blocking three swift jabbing stabs from Neo, then flipping backwards and kicking at her. Against Neo, her athletic skill was evenly matched, for her foot never even connected with Neo, and she cartwheeled backwards, drawing her knife and throwing it at Pyrrha.
She batted the blade aside, and without even looking shocked, she raised her shield to the left, blocking the Executioner from hitting her in the side of the face. Whilst holding Cardin back, she transformed Milo into rifle form, firing three bullets at Neo when she was about to attack the Invincible Girl. Neo dodged the first two, but the third hit her, only for her to explode into shards of pink and brown glass. Neo unexpectedly appeared to Pyrrha's left, so she dropped to one knee and ducked, causing Neo to accidentally dropkick Cardin in the face, then as she fell, Pyrrha caught her by the leg and threw her over her shoulder, smashing Neo against the floor.
Neo suddenly wrapped her legs around Pyrrha's head, and spun around, throwing Pyrrha ahead of her. As Pyrrha bounced across the front lawn, she twisted around and threw Akoúo towards Neo, only for her to smirk and vanish into thin air once again. Cardin channelled fire dust into the head of his mace and smashed it into the ground beside Pyrrha. Then his missile launcher aimed at her, firing multiple explosive projectiles towards her.
Pyrrha scowled and held out her hand, stopping the missiles in their tracks, rotating them to aim directly at Cardin, firing them at him. He dodged one, but the others exploded against his chest, sending him rolling back with flames billowing off his armour. Pyrrha gasped in horror as a missile flew directly into her home, exploding and destroying their living room.
Oriana screamed inside, causing things to set on fire. "ORI! MISTY! GET OUT OF THERE!" Pyrrha yelled, trying to reach them, but Neo suddenly smashed Hush across Pyrrha's face, throwing her away from the house. Neo suddenly pounced on top of her back and the blade of her dagger kissed her throat, trying to slit her throat. The red glow of her aura protected her throat, and then she gritted her teeth in anger, reaching a hand out and tearing a shard of metal from her destroyed home, sending it slicing across Neo's back, releasing her from her spine.
Whilst she battled, Oriana and Misty struggled, coughing as they searched for a way out. The fire was spreading terrifyingly fast. "Ori! I can't breathe!" Misty cried out, but Oriana wasn't letting go.
Suddenly, rainwater sprayed on top of the flames, extinguishing them, and they saw Eryka rushing over to them. "Come on!" Eryka called out, taking Oriana's hand and pulling her out of there. "This has gone too fucking far." Eryka growled, saving them from the flames.
As Pyrrha got up, relief filled her body as she saw Ori and Misty running to the nearby trees, Eryka guiding them to cover. Cardin swung towards her, using Akoúo. She blocked the heavy attack, but she could not block the next, as he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the floor against her will. She tried using her polarity on his arm or his armour itself, but it wouldn't communicate with the metal at all.
"You really thought we hadn't thought of that, Invincible Girl?" He laughed, pummelling her against the floor repeatedly, tearing the lawn apart with every strike. "You really aren't as smart as I thought you were." He mocked, throwing her swiftly into her and Jaune's bedroom. The window exploded, and she rolled across the bed. Cardin was up there in seconds, landing inside and stomping across the room towards her, grabbing onto the bed and flinging it against the wall.
"Living like a princess." He mocked.
"Shut up!" She yelled. As he walked, he stopped and looked at the name on the counter.
Athena.
"There a dog here we don't know about?" He asked with a chuckle, fury filled Pyrrha's heart. His eyes widened, not expecting to see so much rage in her. He screamed in agony as he felt the iron in his blood be gripped by Pyrrha's Polarity, lifting him off the floor.
"Don't you EVER! SAY HER NAME!" Pyrrha bellowed, launching him back through the window, but as he flipped back, he activated his thrusters, hovering and panting from the sudden pain. Pyrrha sprinted and jumped towards him, only for Cardin to accelerate and tackle her back on the ground. The floor exploded, throwing chunks of soil up into the surrounding air. He grappled Pyrrha by her hair and tossed her into the air and slammed the Executioner against her chest, sending her flying backwards.
Pyrrha coughed, grabbing at her chest as she got back up, shaking her head. "I'm getting too old for this." She groaned, looking up to see Neo walking towards her. Only for Neo to shimmer away.
"Well, well… I always wanted to see you in action." Roman's voice appeared behind her. Pyrrha's eyes widened, and she spun around to see him aiming Melodic Cudgel at her, firing the explosive projectile against her chest.
"What the hell?" She gasped, but Neo reappeared beside her, smacking Hush against her face, then stabbing at her aura a couple times, before roundhouse kicking her in the face.
Pyrrha tumbled backwards, but she called Akoúo back into her hand, raising it at the last second as Neo launched forward and smashed her fist against the bronze shield. "We're gonna kill you… and then… we're gonna kill Ruby." The voices of Roman and the Pink Haired Neo snarled as they approached. Just as Pyrrha feared, Neo was here for Ruby. The Deacon must have made some kind of deal with her.
Neo rushes towards Pyrrha, but as the Spartan slashes across her throat, she broke apart, and suddenly Roman appeared behind her and smashed his cane against the back of her head, knocking her to the floor. Neo stamped on the back of her head, and pointed the blade of Hush against the back of her skull, until an electrified hand grabbed onto her wrist, nearly lifting her off the floor.
"Enough." Eryka hissed, charging her other hand up and launching a powerful bolt of lightning against Neo's back, the sudden explosion of molten light sending her flying away and crashing through a couple of nearby trees. Eryka stood her ground and drew Constantine Damascus, aiming it at Cardin. "Stop."
"The hell are you doing, Eryka?" Cardin growled.
"The hell am I doing? What the hell are you doing? Or the Deacon? Neo's a rabid dog. I get her being eager for this… but Yang? Now this? Was this ever about justice? Or was it just you looking for someone to fight?" Eryka questioned.
Yang?
Gods… no… they didn't hurt Yang, did they? Blake sounded terrified before we got cut off.
"So after twenty-five years… you're gonna squander this chance?" Cardin questioned.
"I wanted answers. But not like this." Eryka hissed as she kept her bow aimed at Cardin. Pyrrha stood beside her, calling Milo and Akoúo back into her hand. Cardin suddenly fired a missile into Pyrrha, knocking her backwards and then he launched towards Eryka and slammed his mace at her feet, but Eryka jumped back and fired her bow, electrifying it with a bolt of lightning.
The bolt exploded against his chest, forcing him backwards, but Eryka landed and walked towards him, wind swirling around her, alongside bright blue embers trailing from her eyes. Cardin backed away from the Last Maiden, knowing he could never beat someone with such a nuclear power.
Pyrrha stayed close to Eryka, standing back to back with her as Neo and Cardin approached them. Neo prowled like a savage animal, pacing back and forth as they waited for an attack. Then she leapt towards Pyrrha… then Pyrrha vanished… in a flurry of red roses. The sight of those roses made Neo's eyes widen with instant recognition. Eryka vanished too. As a streak of green passed in front of Cardin, the two adversaries turned and saw Ruby holding onto Pyrrha and Penny with Eryka.
"Ruby!" Pyrrha gasped.
"Of all the things I came here to warn you about, I wasn't expecting this." Ruby admitted.
"Wait what? What else is bad?" Pyrrha questioned.
"Later, let's sort this out…" Ruby froze with fear when she looked ahead and saw Neo staring her down, teeth gritted with hatred. Then Roman stepped out from behind Neo, chuckling as he twirled his cane around his finger.
"Little Red, Little Red. Long time no see, huh?" Roman greeted, resting his arm on Neo's shoulder.
"Damn it…" Cardin grumbled, wishing she hadn't shown up.
"You all have to leave right now. We're not alone… and something very dangerous is coming, if not already here." Ruby warned.
"You should really think about your own situation right now, instead of ours, Little Red." Roman reminded. "Have you forgotten what you did to me?"
"I never killed Roman, Neo…" Ruby stated.
"Convenient answer." The Pink Haired Neo giggled as she appeared around Neo's other shoulder.
Her power's changed a lot…
They heard more footsteps behind them. Cardin, turned by Neo, didn't never breaking her glare on Ruby. "Ah shit…"
Winter and Oscar had finally caught up to them, and Winter's eyes widened when she saw Eryka. "Hon?" She gasped. Eryka closed her eyes with guilt, looking away from her, feeling her hand trembling even more.
"This doesn't have to go any further. Lay down your weapons." Oscar said, holding out his arms, turning to see the Deacon still battling against Jaune in the distance, and he was winning. Pyrrha desperately wanted to help, but she knew Cardin and Neo wouldn't let her pass.
Cardin sighed, then extended the chain of his flail and swung it over his head, smacking everyone onto the ground bar Neo, then retracted it back onto the handle. "We have a job to do." Cardin stated, preparing for another fight, and Neo smirked, closing her eyes as she sent her semblance into overdrive. They all looked around as clones of herself started appearing everywhere, all grinning wildly at them.
All the while, they were completely unaware of the looming danger that Ruby knew was close.
Jaune
Oriana watched as her mother and her friends continued to battle against Cardin, Neo and her Illusions, battling together as a skilled unit. But her eyes turned to Jaune as he fought the Deacon, feeling nothing but dread as the Deacon continued to beat the hell out of him. His metal fists brutally pounded against his face, then being dragged and thrown against a wall. Jaune pressed his hand against the wall, then Oriana sneaked closer and closer to try to help somehow.
Jaune smashed his head against the Deacon's, then kicked him in the chest, taking Ira Red and slashing the blade at him repeatedly. He drove the blade into the grill of his helmet, twisting it and holding him there. The Deacon growled in anger as the blade yanked him down to the floor. Jaune bellowed, smashing both fists against his spine, then grabbing onto the Deacon's shoulders and throwing him headfirst against the wall.
He rolled backwards and fired the shotgun into the trunk of a tree above the two of them, causing it to become unstable and tip over. But the Deacon formed Pilgrim and cut the tree in half before it could even land on him. "Clever! You always were the smart one." He mocked, walking towards Jaune, dragging the blade across the grass as he approached, swinging again and again. The two locked blades once more, pushing against each other. Then the Deacon swung his head directly into Jaune's, knocking him down to the ground.
Jaune grunted as he fell, and the Deacon pointed Pilgrim's enormous sword directly at Jaune's face, staring down at him with hatred, his grip extremely tight on the sword. "This is for my brothers!" The Deacon tearfully yelled, about to bring the sword down onto Jaune's head.
"DAD!" Oriana screamed, but neither heard her.
Not over the horrifying howl of a savage beast coming from above them on the ridge of rock. To everyone's horror, they saw the Hound stood upon the rocks, its black and red wings splayed outwards as it bellowed to the sky. Covered in white spines and armour, it was standing on its hand legs with long humanoid arms. Jaune stared in total disbelief, and so did the Deacon, lowering Pilgrim as he beheld the monster.
"What the fuck?" He gasped.
Suddenly the Hound attacked, launching itself off the ridge between Jaune and the Deacon, extending a long Deathstalker Tail from its abdomen and spinning around, slamming the tail against the Deacon's chest and sending him flying backwards, disappearing into the woods. The Hound turned its attention directly to Jaune, savagely swinging its claws at him, dragging them across what little aura remained on his body as it pummelled him repeatedly. The claws effortlessly tore through the soil as it pursued him, pushing him closer and closer to the edge of the rampaging river caused by the storm a couple of nights ago.
The Hound lunged after him, biting onto Jaune's leg, then pressing its clawed hand against his chest, pinning him to the spot. It slowly leaned towards Jaune's face, saliva pouring onto his face, its hot breath cast upon his cheek. Its long, slimy black tongue emerged as it licked his cheek with a constant grin on its toothy face. "Make… Us… Whole…" The Hound spoke, sending a shiver up Jaune's spine as it stared at him.
Until it sniffed, and it recoiled, almost repulsed by something in Jaune. It glared at him, then sniffed the air, and it sensed it… it was unmistakable, and a delicious, addictive taste.
Fear.
It turned and glared at Oriana with a savage growl, still holding Jaune down. She stared at her first ever Grimm, and all she felt was terror, and that merely fed into that addictive lust for negative emotions that all Grimm craved.
Jaune realised who it was staring at, and his eyes flushed with purple once more, and in rage he reached up and grabbed onto the side of the Hound's face, tearing a layer of black undulating flesh from the side of its head. The Hound barked in anger, turning and biting onto Jaune's shoulder, breaking his aura as it shook him around, then tossed him over the edge of the rushing river.
"DAD!" Oriana screamed, Jaune crashing off the rocks and falling into the river, carried away from the current despite his efforts to catch onto rocks to slow himself down, bleeding out into the clear water.
The Hound stared over the edge, blood dripping from its mouth, licking the blood off with immense satisfaction.
Then… it slowly turned, laughing sinisterly as it stared directly at Oriana once more.
Ruby
Ruby slashed across one of Neo's clones, shattering it like glass, then raised Crescent Rose to stop Neo from stabbing at her, then spinning her weapon around and firing, riding the recoil backwards. Meanwhile, everyone else was fending off the enemies, but as Ruby landed, her hairs stood on end with fear.
Hearing the shriek of her niece, and she turned with horror in her silver eyes.
The Hound was now on all fours, sprinting towards Oriana, who had just collapsed, crawling away in fear, holding up her hand as it got closer.
"NOOOOOO!" Without hesitation, as Ruby screamed, her eyes lit up with blinding white light, the light absorbing everything around them. The light burned across the Hound's body as it roared, knocking it over and making it bark in pain. As it tumbled, chunks of petrified flesh broke away from the Hound's tar covered body. It slashed at the stone to tear it away, including chunks of a mysterious icy substance.
Ruby launched away from Neo and landed in front of Oriana, staring the Hound down as it stood on its hind legs, snarling at her. But the Hound's eyes were not staring at Ruby, but at Oriana.
But clearly this beast understood the threat of Ruby's eyes, so it sprouted its wings from its back in pain and flew up into the sky. Ruby fired Crescent Rose up at it, but it vanished into the trees. "Shit…" she panted, turning to Oriana. "Sweetie? Are you okay? It didn't bite you?"
"Dad? Dad? Where's Dad?" she whimpered. Ruby turned and looked around, but she couldn't see him. But she could see the Deacon, who looked just as shocked as everyone else was.
"Everyone retreat now!" The Deacon commanded.
"What?" Cardin questioned.
"WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!" The Deacon yelled, clearly shaken by seeing that Grimm. Cardin did not hesitate, and he erupted into the air. Like a rocket, he abandoned the others with an immense column of smoke left behind. Pyrrha ran straight past everyone else and slid across the floor, wrapping her arms around Oriana extremely tightly.
Ruby stood tall and saw Neo staring her down.
She gestured her fingers to her eyes, then pointed at Ruby with a scowl… then she crumbled into shards of glass, vanishing as swiftly as she arrived. The Airship that Team D.E.C.N arrived in roared off into the sky, and Pyrrha watched with anger as they escaped, then turning to the river where her husband fell.
Across the front lawn, Eryka was stood, holding her arm with guilt, staring at the destroyed house, knowing she played a part in all this, tears streaming from her eyes. "Eryka…" Winter softly said, approaching her wife and holding her hands.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I should've come home… I…"
"Please… talk to me…"
"He… he promised me he would tell me what happened to Neptune. If he's not actually Neptune himself, of course… but… he needed Jaune, and I stupidly believed he wanted to put him on trial instead of… THIS!" Eryka yelled, holding her hand out to the destruction.
"It's okay…" Winter softly assured as she held her hands, but Eryka pulled away.
"No… it's not. I'm sorry, but I… I have to make this right. I have to stop this from getting any worse." Eryka stated, looking up at the Airship that was disappearing into the clouds above. "I have to." She said, looking at Winter.
Winter already was giving her support, but Eryka turned and looked at Pyrrha, who was cradling Oriana in her arms, then brought Misty into the hug. Her guilt was throbbing in her heart, seeing the pain she unintentionally brought upon this family. She turned back to Winter, as if looking for one last bit of approval to do this. All Winter did was smile and nod, but first she pulled Eryka close and kissed her, hugging her tight.
Forever promising to be there for her.
Eryka almost melted into the hug and kiss, but she knew she had to make this right, so she backed away afterwards, and took off into the sky, to face the Deacon.
Ruby crouched down beside Pyrrha, Oriana and Misty. "Hey… it's okay, it's over now. They're all gone."
"Ruby… was that?"
"The Hound… the one we were tracking. It was making a beeline straight for your home… I don't know why…" Ruby explained, not noticing behind her that Oscar was crouched down by something that the Hound left behind, holding it in his hands. "Hey Misty, you didn't get hurt, did you?"
"No… it was close, though." Misty answered, shaking erratically, but she calmed down when Ruby gave her a warm hug.
"Ruby?" Oscar spoke up. She turned and saw what he was holding. "The hound slashed this off after you used your eyes on it… I think we both know what this means." He said, and she held the crystal bound in rock in her hands.
It was icy cold because it was a shard of Permafrost.
There was only one place on Remnant where Permafrost could be so cold that it wouldn't melt even here in Vale during the summer.
And Ruby knew it.
"Shit…"
… the Hound came from the Atlesian Wildlands.
Author Note - This chapter man, is legit the one that started the whole series XD
Crazy to think it's actually been written now, and I'm happy with how it turned out, hopefully you all enjoyed it! Loved writing Jaune going berserk against the Deacon, but the poor dude was at a significant disadvantage against the Deacon. Plus Pyrrha fighting will always be my favourite thing to write in a RWBY fanfic, she's so fun to write.
And the Hound's reveal is one of my favourite moments so far in this story, the way it comes out of nowhere and completely demolishes Jaune. Poor bugger's been bitten pretty badly too by the monster. And of course, Ruby using her silver eyes for the first time in years is pretty awesome too, all to protect her precious niece.
At least Eryka is helping them now, let's hope she can get through to the Deacon.
I hope you all enjoyed this epic chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt