A/n: Got this out. Busy last week, what with enrollments and medical checkups and exams going on. Also, can you believe the actual work that needs to be put in planning a grill for three consecutive days? Murder, let me tell you.
I do not own RWBY or AdventureQuest Worlds.
Halfway through cutting the tail, Johnny felt the serpent rush forward. Grasping at the tendrils of flesh of the snake, he steadied himself from the sudden acceleration, trying not to get thrown off.
"Are you almost finished down there?!" One of his Caricatures shouted from above. Johnny heard multiple castings of spells as his other selves laid waste to the army of undead threatening to take over. "That snake is nearly up the hole! Hurry up for Zeuster's sake!"
Johnny gritted his teeth. He was going to need more firepower than just pure swordsmanship. Raising his left hand, Johnny felt the power of the sun well up in his palms. The familiar motion of the ultimate spell of the Lightcasters, to burn up everything in the light. "Fine. Here goes nothing." The adventurer said through his teeth, grunting a bit in effort.
A massive beam of light tore through the flesh of the snake, slicing through the dark. He felt a bit of resistance as he moved through the width of the serpent, but he was slowly but surely cutting the beast in two.
The serpent certainly felt what he was doing, as the movements turned into frenzied shakes, wriggling side to side. It was hurrying the rest of its body up the hole!
Johnny swore. He hadn't had this much trouble with supergiant beings unlike from back in Lore! Where was a legendary sword to end this specific legendary creature when you needed it?!
Slowly but surely as well, more undead floated up the body of the snake as the water levels rose within the cavern, and they clambered up the black scales.
]|[
It has been a long time since she felt the sun, Victorika mused. Her efforts to drill a hole into the serpent's brain was suddenly stopped as it rushed out into freedom. Briefly she felt the coldness of the wind against her ghostly self, almost freezing after they had been forced through the icy depths of the sea. The gravetender looked up, and saw her descendant bearing aloft her claymore, with great gusts of wind surrounding her. Curiously, it seemed that Ella had something floating around her. Some armor spirit or something.
Getting her head back to the task at hand, she realized that this was a problem. The snake had gone into open waters. She doesn't know how much the surface had changed since her and her kingdom sealed themselves underground. And now, with Gustina still around…
The gravetender clicked her tongue, refocusing her efforts to slay the stupid snake. It has been a pain in the arse for far too long. Thankfully, her two swords were still sharp even though it had been digging through the tough scales and flesh.
"Need some help, old lady?" Ella smirked at her ancestor. "Your little toothpicks might not be suited for this beastie." AS if to prove her point, Ella slammed the pointy end of Murakumo down the wound, drilling into it with the fury of the wind.
Victorika narrowed her eyes. That sounded like a challenge. Her eyes blazed silvery white, and tore at the flesh of the snake with her powers. "Hey, that's cheating!" She ignored the cries of her descendant as she completely focused on the task at hand. She'll show her! She wasn't that old yet! She died when she was in her twenties (or thirties?) after all!
Their little reunion was not meant to be though. A spear hurtled through the air and struck Victorika straight in the thigh, piercing it. The gravetender was forced on her knees, and the shadows from the spear creeped out and spread through her legs. It was excruciating; the shadows was slowly eating at her soul! Victorika felt like she was being burned alive. Ella looked at where the spear was thrown and saw General Gustina, cloaked in the shadows, with a blank look on her face.
Gustina reached out her hand, and the spear was forced out of Victorika's thigh, making the wound worse. "So this is what happened to our kingdom…" She said almost wistfully, looking beyond the two silver-eyed warriors. The city looked strange from how her kingdom used to look. Tall buildings replaced the humble residences that used to dot the lands. The castle, their old bastion of strength, was gone. Instead, beyond in the horizon, stood a green and white structure with a tower. "This is what replaced our old glory."
Ella helped Victorika stand. The wound tried to close, but the shadows made her weak. Victorika looked at her leg and used the power of the silver-eyes on herself, and the shadows stopped eating at her leg. It did not ease the pain any.
The black-haired General focused on them. "I must admit, seeing this new land almost makes me want to see how it is doing now. But," She trained her spear on the two, and the shadows flared around her in response. "I must clean out the traitors that mar this beautiful land. Maybe I'll deal with the serpent after. Prepare yourselves!" Gustina shouted, and launched herself at the two with her spear seeking out their hearts.
Ella barely caught the spear with her claymore. Gustina was fast. Inhumanly so. The Fujin tried to track her movements, but the undead General was much too fast. For the second time in recent memory, the huntress was forced to fight defensively. It was only the protection of her aura and the armor of wind that kept her alive, with the spear being deflected by the pressure of the winds, making it almost slide off her.
Usually, people would be placed out of balance after being deflected by the Fujin, but Gustina realized it quickly. She readjusted the path that her spear took after being deflected, and moved with it, dancing away from the savage blows of the Murakumo.
"Victorika! Deal with the snake! This one's mine!" Ella yelled out, glaring at Gustina. Victorika teleported away back to the wound.
The huntress slammed her claymore down on the General, and Gustina caught it with the tip of her spear.
"How inelegant." Gustina sneered, and threw the claymore to the side with a flick of her wrist. Ella was forced to back off before the General closed in on her again and rained down a flurry of stabs that targeted her vital organs. Brain, throat, lungs, heart, liver. Even knowing where the spear would strike didn't mean that Ella had an easier time trying to defend herself. The speed of the General meant that even trying for a counter in between the flurry meant leaving herself open.
"You strike like a barbarian, cur." The General taunted, and Ella clenched her jaw, trying not to fall for the bait. "Your winds mean nothing if it blows without direction. It could not even catch me."
Ella needed space. The Fujin slammed both of its fists down, releasing a gust that forced Gustina to back off with her spear raised defensively. Ella raised her claymore, and the winds picked up, coalescing into the blade, and the huntress launched herself towards Gustina with a lunging strike.
Gustina didn't even move. The shadows around the General formed into tendrils and wrapped around the claymore before it reached her. It tried to yank the weapon out of Ella's hands, but settled on simply throwing it off course. Her opponent left wide open, Gustina raised her spear above her head with one hand, and heaved her body back. It was the same move that alarmed Victorika down in the depths; the General's signature Heartseeker Strike.
Ella felt the hairs on the back of her head raise in alarm, and shivers ran down her spine when she saw what the undead General was doing. She was in mortal danger is she doesn't raise a defense in the next few moments. Grunting in effort, she yanked her weapon back from the shadows. The spear struck, and Ella's arms hurt. Terrifyingly, she felt the spear pierce through the veil of wind that surrounded the claymore. The huntress dearly held on to her weapon, even as Gustina's strike seemed to nearly snap her forearms.
Gustina smirked. "A fine weapon. Your control over your powers is praiseworthy. However!" Gustina pulled the spear back and struck again! Unable to react, Ella was thrown back with the spear nicking her in the forehead. Gustina pierced through the Fujin and her aura! "This much is not enough to defeat me!" The General shouted her challenge. Ella was a fine warrior. Her strength was well renowned in Anima after her dealings with dangerous criminals and other combatants in the fabled honor duels. But Gustina was a warrior from another time. Personally chosen by her king and queen. She was the General of her old kingdom because she was the best, earned through years of combat.
The only edge Victorika and Ella had over her was the weakness of the shadows that now adorn her, their silver-eyes. If Ella could not best her in skill here, she will die.
Ella felt her eyes blaze a little, feeling the power behind her eyes. Gustina's eyes narrowed. It seemed that the huntress finally let go of her pride to finally use her powers.
"Fine. I did not want to use this, but your strength warrants the use of this." Ella closed her eyes and let the power of the silver-eyes fade away. Gustina looked at her confused. If not the silver-eyes, then what?
Ella raised the Murakumo up in the air. The General, feeling something wrong, stepped forward to stop the huntress. But before she could dare to raise her spear against Ella, the Fujin was there to cover the huntress in defense, actively batting away at Gustina. It was slow; it wasn't even fast enough to move to attack Gustina, but it's doing just enough to protect Ella that Gustina can't get close.
They were in a stalemate, and now Ella was doing something to break that stalemate.
I can't take another one of those murderous strikes. Ella reasoned to herself. I won't last long anyway of I stick to just defense. I have to blow her away in this decisive strike! Thankfully, The huntress looked up to the sky and smirked. The conditions are perfect.
It was a sunny day, but the sky was full of clouds. The sun was barely peeking out of the clouds that kept the day nice and comfortable. But something stirred from between the clouds that disturbed the peaceful sky. They moved, faster than the wind normally moved them. They were descending and coalescing onto each other, into a single fixed point; the point where the force were compelling them to gather towards.
"The name Murakumo, do you know what it is?" Ella asked Gustina, who gaped at Ella's display of power. What this girl was doing, it was something on the level that the only the old royalty was capable of!
It was as if the clouds were dancing around the claymore, circling it, like how a storm forms walls of clouds centered on its eye. It was forming a funnel-like shape as the clouds above Vale were slowly condensing down into the blade Ella was holding up to the sky. All the while the winds blew slowly, stronger and stronger, far from the gentle breeze of the sea that was surrounding them earlier. The prelude of a storm.
And it was a storm Ella was creating. The clouds were being pressured within such a confined space. Some sparks danced along the surface of the clouds, flashing their slowly darkening surroundings with superheated plasma. It was still day out, but the massive column of clouds blotted out the sun. The thunder from that same column seemed to roar their anger at the skies.
Gustina watched horrified. The Fujin before her seemed now to truly be alive, eyes flashing with the same light as the lightning. She couldn't even get close now; the lightning danced across Ella and struck through the scales of the serpent they were standing on.
"The Murakumo means 'gathering clouds', like the legends from Anima." Ella smiled, marveling at her own weapon, now cloaked in clouds and storms. Ella continued her tale. "It was a weapon taken from the body of a monstrous snake, and presented to the great goddess of the sun." The huntress walked forward with the Murakumo. "They said it was then wielded by the warrior who carried the winds with him. Some tales tell the tale of how it was used to cut grass that occluded the view of an enemy army, and redirected firestorms. What a wondrous weapon, is it not?"
Gustina scoffed. "Your legends remain only legends. It won't land you your victory here." Even as she said that, the general did feel some fear creep into her heart. Never mind the legends, her enemy here and now could apparently perform miracles on the same level as her king and queen, and that makes her insanely dangerous. She let the darkness around her extend, flaring, daring to oppose the storm before them.
Ella smiled, as if sensing blood in the water, and launched herself at the gathering shadows.
]|[
Ozpin stepped onto the air, letting his magic harden the air beneath his feet. He raced up towards the serpent thrashing its head out of the water. He narrowed his eyes. Something must be up there that might be irritating the serpent. He sincerely hoped it was Johnny, trying to fell the beast.
The storm gathering above them all was worrying. It might be their strange ally going overboard with his own magic again, or…
They did mention Ella Cerulean being involved in the White Fang Bombings, but her body was never found. The headmaster reasoned with himself, looking at the strange funnel shape the clouds around them were taking. It was the telltale sign of one of his old students from Beacon, one with a curious set of silver-eyes, bearing the name of a time long gone.
The clouds were gathering at a single spot. Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle. Ella was always big on old stories, and had a massive flair for dramatics.
The head swerved sharply to his direction, forcing Ozpin to focus. The headmaster jumped high, and onto the head of the snake, using his cane to hold himself still. He looked up, and saw-
"General Gustina?!" Ozpin shouted in surprise. One of his own soldiers, alive, facing against the apparent traitor to Vale. She was defending herself from Ella, who was gleefully whaling on Gustina with her cloud and lightning covered claymore.
He would step to intervene, but killing the serpent was the more important thing here. It reeked of Salem's doing. Miasma of shadows like ones from dead Grimm emanated from the scales. And, it seemed that there was a great amount pouring out, from between the eyes of the beast.
Curiously there already was a wound on the head of the snake, and looks to be the source of the larger amount of shadows pouring out. A familiar person was standing on the wound, drilling two swords deep into the hole, desperately carving out the insides of the snake.
White hair, that reached at her shoulders, which was covered by ratty, old robes that bore the colors of an old familiar kingdom.
His kingdom.
The twin swords that marked the rank of the warrior before him. And most importantly, sharp and furious silver-eyes that never seemed to lose focus.
"Scout Victorika." Ozpin said quietly from behind the woman who was busily cutting apart the shadowy flesh of the snake. She looked back at him curiously, not recognizing who he was. "Let me assist in slaying the serpent." The headmaster said, feeling his old magic well from within The Long Memory.
The clockwork machinery from within the cane clicked and whirred together, preparing for battle. Green and orange lights flickered at the tip, slowly forming together. Victorika looked at Ozpin curiously, briefly stopping from her assault on the serpent. Ozpin didn't acknowledge her, and simply focused on his own brand of magic.
Victorika's eyes widened when the magic formed a green hued shield around them. "Just a little bit…" She heard the man beside her mutter. "Just enough to destroy this beast… Oh brothers, grant me this power."
The man was praying to the old gods, and was using the powers of her old king! The gravetender peered at the white haired man closely. He did seem to look much the same…
Whatever suspicions she had were buried away by the great blinding light that the man unleashed from his cane. Victorika felt like the world was ending.
]|[
A great explosion rocked Johnny from his position, and almost tore his concentration directing the beam of light across the body of the snake. He swore, trying to pour as much as he could at the spell of the Lightcaster. He was almost there-!
"Hurry up!" He heard one of his other Caricatures yell from somewhere. "You're about to swim with the boneheads if you don't hurry up!"
"Well, why don't you help out here if you've time to complain then?!" Johnny screamed back.
"We're too busy covering your ass! Now, hurry the heck up, for Sepulchure's sake!"
Sure enough, the legions of the undead were slowly converging on their position, and they threatened to break through even the great destructive spells Johnny's Caricatures were weaving. Their sheer numbers meant that even though some of them would bite the dust before they could even touch Johnny's clones, more would take their place that would actually be able to fight back.
"Nearly there! Hold on to your butts!" Johnny screamed, directing the beam of light, trying to saw of what little flesh was left in the thrashing tail of the snake, trying to shake off the legions of the dead trying to reach him.
There! The tail thrashed around, before sinking deep into the waters of the cave, along with the undead hitching a ride on it. The Caricatures jumped off the sinking limb and up to the rest of the snake's long body.
The cut end was not cauterized by the hot white light he was using to cut the beast, and it began leaking black blood from the end.
"Now!" He yelled. "Let's get the heck out of here!" Johnny raced up from his position and up the snake, but it seemed that the beast heard his thoughts.
The serpent began pulling its other end up in an alarmingly fast pace, forcing Johnny and his Caricatures to hold on to the scales of the snake.
"What the heck is it doing?!" Johnny screamed, just before he was plunged to the deep, cold waters of the sea.
]|[
The explosion from Ozpin's magic tore a great chunk of flesh from the serpent, and it wailed from deep within its throat. Its jaw was left unhinged to one side, and the head of the beast seemed like something took a great bite on it.
The combatants atop the snake were forced to brace themselves, as the body of the snake toppled over to the side, slowly falling back down to the ocean.
The serpent, downed it may be, and bleeding from both ends, was not dead yet. Its eyes stared hatefully at the darkening sky, angry at the world for putting it in the position it was in. It dared to strike back at that same cruel world the only way it knew how. The only thing it can do right now.
Blood spurted from its scales with the shadows, staining the sea with deep, jet-black ichor. From within that blood, shapes seemed to form, coagulating deep beneath the sea water.
Red-eyes stared up from the abyss of the sea hatefully.
A/n: Oz's magic – see Oscar vs Salem fight in the whale.
Ella's semblance? Just more wind things. I was playing a lot of Okami when I was making her character. She's from an old work of mine.