A/n: I'm back. Exams and Final exams week takes a lot out of a student, let me tell you.
Also, how much AC you guys got after the gifting event?
I do not own RWBY or AdventureQuest Worlds.
The professor was losing control. Bits of his mind were succumbing to chaos, and he resists. The harder he tries to take control of himself, the hotter the chaos within his veins burns. His eyes water from the pain, and when he opened them, all he could see was a veil of purple. Everything colored in chaos.
The young warrior bought the professor time, even as he struggled mightily to teach him the next lesson. He asks him, that in a time in the future, he will need to make a choice.
For now his lessons continue, as both teacher and student travel to a fiery mountain, with a near endless series of tunnels…
]|[
Because of its larger size, the Valean Serpent had difficulty trying to swallow whole the much smaller huntress it was facing off against. It rammed its head again and again down into the hole it created when it destroyed the path to the surface, hoping to make the opening bigger. Ella capitalized on this fully, being relatively safe, but even then she was unable to make a counter attack herself without her semblance. No choice then. She thought as she activated her Fujin and extended the winds down to her Murakumo.
Leveling it so she could look down the edge of the great blade of wind, she stabbed forward much like a fencer, and the vibrating blade of wind bit deep into the flesh of the snake, who reeled back in pain. It writhed its head around, forcing Ella to draw her blade back before she got launched out of the inner chamber and back out into the caverns.
The movement of the snake shook the earth, creating tremors. Ella stabbed her claymore into the stone floor to steady herself. "Brothers damn this snake-!" She hissed through her teeth, bearing the shaking. She looked behind her to check how her other companions were faring.
"Fuck." It was all she could say as a horde of the undead rushed through the entrance of the chamber, barely being held back by Johnny and Victorika.
]|[
[Vs. Gustina the Truestrike, Undead General of Shadows!]
"Raaagh!" Gustina roared, raining down stabs upon stabs on Johnny, who weaved through each sliver of empty space he could. The undead guard was strong enough to tear apart the stone floors of the chamber, and each time she wrenched it from the stone, it shattered, forming huge cracks along the room.
The undead horde backing Gustina wasn't making it easier to dodge her either. He didn't waste time to just bomb the area with Blinding Light, but even then, the light seemed less and less effective as more of the shadows poured in and rejuvenated the undead he just banished. Fortunately for him…
With a thundering boom, light shone from Victorika's eyes, shattering the veil of darkness around them, searing through the horde of the undead. Gustina flinched, but she held on, even as she felt the light of Victorika's Silver Eyes burned against her now shadowy flesh. Johnny didn't miss the opportunity to slice his katana down from the undead guard's neck to her hips, and just as fast, Gustina regenerated and spun her spear around, forcing Johnny and Victorika to back off.
"This is nuts!" Johnny groaned. "How in the heck is she shrugging off holy light?!" He was answered by a spear that nearly took his head off, which he quickly brought his katana up to block and parry away. Victorika clicked her tongue. Gustina may be undead and consumed by the shadows, but she was still General Gustina. She had talent that caught the eye of their old royals, which was impressive considering their own godlike powers. And she was fighting them without her semblance even!
"If sacred light won't work…" Johnny smirked, "Then how about some cleansing flames?" He snapped his fingers, and the area around them exploded with Combustion Blaze. The undead horde howled in pain, the flames searing into their bones and the light from the violent blaze temporarily bathed everything in a bright yellow light.
Victorika had to shield her eyes somewhat from the suddenly bright surroundings. Her old comrade wasn't so impeded by mere flames however. Gustina stormed through the conflagration, her face contorted in a mixture of pain and rage. She brought up her spear and whirled it over her head with one hand. The weapon seemed to brush through the flames easily. But it was not was she was actually doing.
"No way…" Johnny gaped. Moving the spear with such force, Gustina was actually using the spear as a rake, directing the flames to her will and moving it around like paint on a brush. Then, she moved. Gustina swept the spear, and a wave of fire raged towards them.
"Ohohoh no you don't!" Johnny shouted and raised his hand. "Gale!" He cast the spell meeting the wall of flames about to overtake them. The winds carried the flames with it back to Gustina, now more powerful than before. Undaunted, the undead general glared at them beyond the flames, raising her spear above shoulder level.
Grunting with effort, Gustina focused all her strength onto her spear, sharpening her senses to look beyond the flames to target the heart of her currently most dangerous opponent. Johnny tensed, seeing the undead focusing, but Victorika knew what her old comrade was doing.
Heartseeker Strike! The gravetender's eyes widened. "Victorika, don't!" Johnny yelled, but she was already moving. She broke into a dash, bursting through the flames, her twin swords flashing against the bright yellow background. If Gustina sensed her she didn't know and she continued on, intent on taking the head of her old comrade before she could move. She was gambling that she was close enough that Gustina having a spear would be enough of a disadvantage that she wouldn't be able to target her properly.
Johnny had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and casted Shield's Blessing and Veil on the gravetender, hoping to protect her before anything happened beyond his reach.
Gustina closed her eyes, and the shadows within her body flared outward and caught Victorika before her two swords could take her neck. Then, she stabbed forward, launching her body across the flames and the shadows; a mass of black and orange careening into Johnny.
"Oh Zeuster-!" Johnny quickly brought up an Arcane Shield, just in time to stop the spear. He saw the tip of the weapon just mere inches from his chest, piercing straight through the magical shield he conjured. Gustina snarled, forcing her spear in deeper. "Back off!" The adventurer yelled, blasting her back with the power of the Lightcaster. The beam of pure light struck true, piercing through the undead general's torso.
Gustina's torso was blown apart, but the shadows quickly pulled themselves back together, starting to regenerate their champion. "Victorika now!" Johnny shouted to the gravetender who quickly shuffled back to her feet, and let lose the power of her eyes to the still regenerating Gustina. The shadows shrieked in pain, and Gustina's entire body was blown apart by the light of Victorika's eyes.
"That's that right?" Johnny said, now slightly winded. Victorika didn't answer and instead inclined her head to the scores of undead marching through the stairs up the pyramid, ready to fill the numbers that they had slain in their battle.
"Oh, right." The adventurer said, rolling his shoulders. "Legions of the dead. Let's do this." Here's hoping that Ella's having a better time with the snake. He thought.
]|[
Ella was, in fact, not having a better time either. Now protected by her Fujin, Ella had launched herself directly onto the head of the snake, intending to pierce it through the skull with Murakumo. The serpent roared, shaking its head around, hitting the walls around them with its head to try and shake off the huntress clambering up its snout.
"Stay STILL!" Ella shouted. She reached up and flipped herself atop the nose of the serpent. Stabbing the claymore deep into the snout to steady herself, she looked across the massive head of the snake to her target: the space between the eyes. Hopefully when she skewers the beast directly into its brain, it'll stop being a pest.
As if sensing her intentions, shadowy figures flared to life from the flesh of the serpent. No mass of bones to animate, it was simply beings of darkness made manifest, one that she was intimately familiar with as a huntress.
Grimm. This thing can create Grimm! Ella gritted her teeth. It wasn't some simple Creep or Beowulf either. She could see the thing forming into the stranger shapes of the subterranean Grimm, like Centinels, some mutated Griffons that was puking black gunk from its beak, and worst of all…
The largest mass of shadows formed. A clawed hand appeared out of it, crawling out. Ella could see it was an imp, but it was not so simple to be only itself. Dragging itself across the scales of the snake, the huntress looked at the horrifying body now visible. Masses of other Grimm; Beowolves, Creeps, other Imps, and even a Manticore head. It heaved itself up unsteadily with its trunk like legs, and stood almost more than twice Ella's height. The torso of the abomination was scattered with the skull-like masks of Imps and other Grimm. Its limbs were contorted with the limbs of the other creatures making it up. As if in pain, it roared, a bone-chilling cry that echoed all around them.
If Ella was any lesser warrior, she'd be scared. But she was not. She was the Rogue Huntress. Her sword was the wind itself. Her armor was the shield of the God of the Storms. Eyes blazing silvery white, she launched herself into the Grimm.
Her blood wanted to so dearly destroy the Grimm before her with her gift, but that wasn't what she wanted. Where was the thrill in the fight she could win with that advantage? She was more comfortable up close and personal, hacking the Grimm to pieces with her sword.
She bisected two Griffons that charged her in a single swipe. Her Fujin crushed Centinels that crawled behind her in its hands, letting them dissipate into black smoke. Raising Murakumo above her, she slammed the greatsword of wind down, cutting through the snake's flesh, and blasting the other Grimm back from the pressure of the gust generated by her attack. The giant monstrosity of a Grimm stood its ground, shielding itself with both its arms. It growled at her, glaring from its guard.
She answered the challenge, and both charged at each other. Before the beast could touch her with its fist, the Fujin launched it into the air with a bone-crushing uppercut deep into its gut, and Ella skewered it with the extended wind edge of the Murakumo. "Was that it?" She spat, mocking her raging opponent who thrashed about in her blade. It started to grasp the blade of wind, even as it shredded its own hands on the vibrating edge, pulling itself closer to her. In response, Ella let the winds of the blade explode outward with a vicious, slicing gale, and it tore the gigantic Grimm pile apart.
The smoke of the Grimm she had slain recollected back into the shadowy flesh of the snake, and soon enough as Ella looked to her target, more Grimm were now spawning from the flesh. She was running out of time, and she knew it.
It was time to stop playing around. Ella dashed straight between the snake's eyes, ignoring the hordes of Grimm now spawning all around her. AS fast as she could, the huntress extended the winds around her claymore once again, and stabbed deeply down into the snake.
The serpent let out a wail of pain and more Grimm spawned around Ella. Her Fujin smashed those that came to close apart with its fists and blasts of wind, but soon enough, the huntress would be covered in a great tide of Grimm trying to kill her before she kills the snake. "Out of my way!" Ella yelled angrily, letting lose the power of her eyes, blasting the Grimm around her back to shadowy smoke. She returned to busily trying to carve out the head of the serpent, while trying to hold on for dear life as the serpent thrashed around.
]|[
The serpent tried to keep the city intact as much as she could, especially the pyramid. Its master had impressed into its mind the importance of the structure, and it had guarded the necropolis as much as it could. It had killed countless explorers and trespassers with the help of the guards that had stayed in their quiet vigil into death. It had even tolerated the pesky silver-eyed gravetender that had chased it around once or twice.
All of its care to not destroy the cavern was now gone as its body spasmed around the cavern, its massive body sweeping across the necropolis, destroying mausoleums and tombs. When it hit the walls, the tombs that hung from the sides were smashed apart, and the remains of those that dwelt in them fell into the floor of the underground cavern.
The pain was excruciating. The huntress was boring a hole into its head, with slicing winds turning the claymore stuck on its skull into a drill. If it didn't get rid of the pest on its head right now, it would be dead in minutes.
Aside from that, the light now pouring from above. The dome was now three-fourths of the way open, and now the cavern was bathed in bright light of the sun, enhanced by the great gem stuck on the ceiling. The serpent hissed in pain as years upon years of sitting in the cave made it sensitive to the light of the sun it had not felt for so long.
Deciding to get rid of two irritants at once, the serpent began to look up straight into the gem…
]|[
"We are not getting anywhere with this!" Johnny yelled in frustration. Much as he had experience in putting down the legions of the dead, they should be focusing on finding another exit right now. With that stupid serpent destroying their one path to the surface, they were essentially stuck down here with an army of shadowy undead trying to kill them.
Victorika agreed with Johnny. She was indiscriminately using her powers more now to fight, but for an entire group she had banished, more took their places. She might be a ghost, but she felt faint as she used more of her powers. Soon, she'd be forced to shut down if this continued on as it did.
The adventurer was doubling his efforts in keeping the undead from crowding them too much. His Caricatures scattered across the horde, each of them slicing apart entire groups of the dead, while Johnny himself rained down an Elemental Storm; burning, freezing, smashing apart those that were beyond the reach of his katana.
They were barely making a dent. It was ridiculous but it made sense. They were facing a kingdom sized army of the dead. Sooner or later, they were going to breathing in the undead. Something had to happen, and fast.
]|[
Atop the snake, Ella was fending off the Grimm just barely. The huntress was still busy boring a hole into the skull of the serpent. Knee deep in shadowy flesh, she was keeping herself steady as the beast shook side to side trying to throw her off it.
Suddenly, she felt the wind on her face. The serpent seemed to be looking up and speeding. "What is it doing now?" She muttered to herself and looked up where the serpent was heading. A bright light above them all, scattered by the massive gem stuck on it.
"Oh crap-!" The snake rammed its head directly on the gem! The caves around them shook, and her Fujin batted away the rocks that fell from above.
Again, the serpent heaved back and slammed its head into the gem, trying to dig its way out from below. "Stop! Stop it!" Ella screamed, frantically drilling away into the serpent's head, hoping to kill it before she gets buried in debris. The Grimm that had spawned on the head of the snake were dying to the rocks falling on them, but the serpent simply spawned more, not caring if it was effective or not. Each stab that the huntress did made it more desperate to kill her, which made it birth more Grimm from its flesh.
The entire cavern shook. Cracks from earlier movements of the snake turned into great fissures running across the walls. The tombs running across the sides of the cavern fell away down into the cave, destroying them. Slowly, in its desperation to kill Ella, the serpent was effectively burying the entirety of Darkvalley Depths.
]|[
Johnny and Victorika were thrown off their feet from the violent quaking of the ground. This time more powerful than any that had come before. A massive boom echoed all around them, and both looked up to the source of the noise. The serpent apparently trying to dig its way out of the caves via the now uncovered gem of light.
"So that's where that gem was…" Johnny smiled. He wondered how he could bring it back to his book store. Might make for a fancy centerpiece or something.
A massive boulder falling from the ceiling shook him out of his thoughts of home redecoration. He quickly backstepped away, and kicked the boulder as soon as it was at his level, letting it roll down the stairs of the pyramid, crushing the undead that still tried to get to them.
Victorika looked at the once beautiful necropolis, the only remainder of her old kingdom that had remained. She sighed. She supposed it was bound to happen any time with that snake always hanging about. It was a shame, but everything has to go sometime. It was kinda getting boring being stuck down here, really.
The gravetender (well, now ex-gravetender. With that snake destroying the necropolis, she doesn't have anything to tend to now, does she?), looked to the serpent smashing itself into their underground sun system. Probably irritated from that much light now pouring in from above. That gem served to magnify the light pouring in from above. With the shallow waters of the bay above, sun, moon, and starlight could still pass through the waters and into the special gem that intensified the light, creating a more "surface" feeling for those that stayed underneath.
But then she realized. Horrified, she glanced back at the serpent still trying its hardest to smash its head on the ceiling. The ceiling that was holding back several tons of water from the sea.
Victorika grasped Johnny's arm, pointing to the serpent. "What is it?" The adventurer asked. The gravetender had a look of great alarm on her face. She insistently pointed to the serpent again and again. "Do you mean Ella? She'd be fine. Tough cookie, that one." He answered. Johnny had a great deal of confidence that Ella was still alive. The amount of punishment she had endured through after fighting him? Plus, he had already empowered her with the blessings of both the Archpaladin and Lord of Order.
The gravetender shook her head and started to run back inside the chamber. "Hey wait!" Johnny called after her. The adventurer watched Victorika jump from the ruined doors of the old passageway and into the great length of the serpent. "What is she doing?!"
He was forced to look away from his ghostly ally, when a thundering crash echoed again. Johnny looked up…
…and saw the great amounts of water now pouring from above them, with the serpent wedging its head through the hole it had created. The adventurer looked on in horror as the movements of the snake widened the hole further, and now the fissures on the cave ceiling now began to drip water in an alarming rate.
Stuck between hordes of the dead and the threat of being put in a watery grave, Johnny dashed after Victorika. "Sepulchure's pubes." Johnny cursed. "This is going to be a mess." He said while running.
He could already hear the seawater begin to flood the caves behind him. He ran faster.