Author's Note:
I do not own Library of Ruina or RWBY. These series belong to Project Moon and RoosterTeeth respectively. Everything I say is to not be taken as canon, they are merely add-ons to the story to flesh it out.
Okay, I have a few things to say first. Sorry for taking so long to make this chapter. I started working on this when Winter Break first started and created the plan for it, however, I started to drift away from writing for a while. I was spending a lot of time with my friends and family, using my break from school. Playing new games and reading new stories that caught my interest. That's the main reason why I didn't upload at all; the second would be that this chapter was hard to write.
Since the last chapter, I asked for you guys to choose whatever floor you wanted Cinder to go into. It didn't matter which floor it was, but I knew which floor y'all were going to choose. That's right. Almost everyone chose Binah, our beloved Arbiter. With Binah chosen, that meant that I needed to meet your guys' expectations. It's clearly evident when I see the reviews of some people wanting Cinder to either suffer or die (Jesus Christ, you guys are bloodthirsty). I don't know if I'll be able to meet your guys' expectations, but all I'm saying is that it is hard to do so.
Moving on, now that I got all that out of the way, let's just get into it. For the Reviews Section, I'll be only commenting on those that had more than just voting for a floor. Thank you, and enjoy the chapter.
Reviews:
Argorok - Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate it :D
HarmonyDST05 - Although Roland wasn't at the Dance, I'd still say that he would be balling on everyone else.
VGBlackwing - My mind immediately went into those scenes in JJK where they just jump some characters lol
Loli4Lyfe - Cinder "sneaking in" is super freaking obvious in the original series, like why was she jumping around the Dance Hall in full moonlight on the white rooftops wearing all black. Did she want to get caught? Is she stupid? The answer is yes.
Guest(1) - Holy shit, you wrote all that? Applause to you, my dear reader. I really like the way you worded your sentences, and the structure is pretty good. I never could dream of doing something like what you wrote, my feeble brain is too small for that.
Guest(2) - Philip did get shafted in the story a bunch. Honestly, he was just a quiet guy that was kinda paranoid about his whole 'loving Yuna, but thinks she's banging Salvador' stuff. Also, that's not a strange ship at all, I actually support it. And also, thanks for pointing out that Tiphereth mistake :D
–THE LOBBY, THE LIBRARY–
"How gaudy…" Cinder commented, looking at the interior of the Library. The pristine aura the Library's interior radiated reminded her of the Glass Unicorn.
The cool night air flowed behind Cinder as she entered the Library. With a stronger draft of wind, the sound of a door closing made her turn around hastily. Upon looking, the entrance door had shut by itself. She pondered for a moment to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did.
Cinder was certain that almost everyone was at the dance hall, indicated by the lack of personnel or students here, so she was almost free to do whatever she wanted. The key word there is 'almost.' She still needed to exercise caution; Mercury pointed out that three of the Librarians were not at the dance. Out of all the librarians, it had to be the ones who knew how to fight. But, if their intel wasn't wrong, only two of them were proficient in combat.
If she fought them, would she win?
"As if a bunch of gloried book readers would be able to," she shook her head as she spoke out loud.
She was a fighter. A maiden. A person born with great power. A person destined to become powerful. A person who already held the future in the palm of her hand. That's who Cinder Fall was. A few mere librarians wouldn't even put a scratch on her.
Walking around the Library like she owned the place, Cinder inspected the front desk. On it, there was a sign with an arrow pointing to the right. According to the sign, there should be a set of stairs and an elevator in the hall to the right. As she approached the hall, what piqued Cinder's interest were the ends of each of the other halls.
Bright lights shone in each of them. Nothing but light was visible. However, Cinder moved past them as she stood in front of the correct hallway. She moved closer to see the elevator and stairwell doors. One quick look to the side of the elevator showed all ten floors available—from the bottom, the Floor of History, to the top, the Floor of General Works.
There were many options to dismiss: the Floor of Technological Science proved invaluable as Watts was their best scientist; Literature, Language, Religion, Art, Social Science, Philosophy, and Natural Science weren't the best choices if she wanted information. The only other options were History and General Works.
Perhaps the Floor of History would contain hidden secrets that talked about the Librarians? Or, General Works would be the best option since it would have generalized information about everything. Believing that she was wasting time choosing, she opted for the closest option: the Floor of History. After that, she decided to visit both floors. Why not, after all? It wasn't like anyone could stop her.
Upon pressing the button to call the elevator, the doors immediately opened. It seemed like no one else had used the elevator, another positive for Cinder. Inside, the elevator compartment looked rather plain for a place of the Library's standards. The dull gray colors of the elevator contrasted with the bright and warm feeling of the Library's main entrance.
Pressing the symbol representing the Floor of History, the doors closed. Cinder stood in the middle of the elevator, waiting. Making use of the brief time she had in the elevator, she pulled out her burner Scroll. Going through her contacts, she initiated a call. After a few seconds, it connected.
["Yes, yes. I'm busy here. Don't you see the Scroll in my hand?" Roman exasperatedly spoke to someone off-screen. "Damn mutts, always bothering me."]
"I see that you're doing well, Roman."
["Of course! I've been doing well hauling Dust back and forth for the past two weeks," he sarcastically said. "A good workout helps keep the mind active."]
"...Nevertheless," Cinder spoke. "Your pet made quite the mess."
["Which one? I got like 50 of them wearing masks, so you're gonna have to be more specific than that."]
"..." Cinder didn't respond to that.
[After a few seconds, Roman scoffed, "Fine. Whatever, she's still doing her job, no? It's not like you of all people care. The ends justify the means and all that crap."]
"How astute of you, Roman. Either way, the Dust is in position I presume?"
["Yeah, and you mind telling me what we're doing with it? Mt. Glenn isn't exactly the nicest of places."]
"Once again, Roman. You will be on a need-to-know basis."
["Come on, Cindy," Roman jokingly pleaded. "I've been a loyal business partner for a long time. You can trust me with these things. If I don't know what's going on, then how am I supposed to tell you what's going on?"]
"You will know your plac—"
An audible snap cut her off, making her stop altogether to look around herself.
'What was that?' She pondered. Nothing about the elevator changed, nor did anything else happen. 'Did I… imagine it?'
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Cinder looked back at her Scroll to see that Roman's face was distorted, and his voice was glitchy. She surmised that she was losing connection in the Library, but the thought of it seemed impossible. The CCT and the Library are close enough that Cinder should still be getting good reception, and the hack shouldn't have worked immediately. Unless… it had something to do with that snap. Either way, Cinder put away her Scroll, realizing it would be useless now.
Abruptly, the elevator stopped moving.
–FLOOR OF PHILOSOPHY, THE LIBRARY–
Once the doors opened, Cinder was met with a scene of black and yellow. Unlike the brown and orange colors of the Floor of History, this floor displayed yellow stars casting their light on a black forest. A river ran through the middle of the floor, stretching out and disappearing behind the tree line of the black forest. A singular table sat with a chair off to the side of the river, holding a steaming teacup and its plate. Cinder stood still in the elevator, processing what was happening. From the snapping noise to the disconnected Scroll, Cinder concluded that the mission was a failure. She could always try again later.
As she pushed the button to go down, it seemed like the button was jammed or something; it didn't allow her to push it. It was as if something was preventing her from leaving. Confused yet cautious, Cinder remembered that there were stairs. She moved to leave the elevator compartment. Upon turning to where the doors to the stairs should be, she found no such thing, only to discover that the elevator was in the middle of a giant tree.
Cinder grumbled under her breath. There were only two exits—the elevator and the stairs—and neither of them was working or just not there. Plus, she had no way of communicating her problem to the rest of her team, so she was stuck here. If she was stuck here, she might as well see if there was anything worth noting.
All of a sudden, another noise entered Cinder's ears: the sound of flapping. She turned around to face the main area of the floor; everything looked the same as before, with nothing present that could've made the sound. Then, she spotted something. Moving closer to the table, she picked it up and inspected it.
"A white feather…"
Suddenly, a loud chirp was heard, and then rapid fluttering guided her gaze to one of the trees. Cinder's eyes landed on a white bird with red markings on its stomach. The bird stared directly at Cinder, its empty black eyes watching her. It looked as if she was literal garbage, like it couldn't stand her presence being there.
"An animal, loose inside a library?" Even Cinder had standards. Her master didn't allow Grimm to wander around places of knowledge. "How much more could this place continue to bother me?"
However, before Cinder could notice, the white bird had disappeared. She looked around to see if it was still present but found nothing. As soon as that happened, she heard more fluttering toward the middle of the forest. Dismissing it as the bird leaving, she suddenly had a thought.
'Perhaps it would lead me to something important,' Cinder pondered as she decided to follow the bird. Hastily, she followed the noises.
–THE LOBBY, THE LIBRARY–
"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget."
Ruby recalled the Headmaster's words of wisdom. She slowly pushed open the doors of the Library, carefully entering the otherworldly place. The girl looked around the room, scanning to see if anyone else was here. Once she saw no one, she calmed herself down and moved forward without hesitation.
"Geez, I hope she wouldn't mind," Ruby mumbled to herself. She had forgotten one of her very friends who came from a different world and hadn't talked to them at all since they met. However, she began to think: were they even allowed to talk to them in the first place? Ruby shook her head, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Ruby zipped past the other hallways and jumped into the one with the elevator. When she entered the elevator, Ruby noticed that the Floor of Philosophy's button was blackened out, like it was turned off. Ignoring it, Ruby pressed the Floor of History's symbol. Once the elevator doors closed, Ruby waited to arrive.
–FLOOR OF HISTORY, THE LIBRARY–
When the doors opened, Ruby was greeted by the sight of the floor's wooden interior. She had only been to the floor three times before: the first time she ever came to the Library, saying hello to Malkuth, and now. Ruby quickly noticed a single person resting their head on one of the tables. She walked closer to the person, recognizing them by their distinct purple hair.
"Is she sleeping?" Ruby whispered. Not wanting to bother Dakota, Ruby walked around her and continued to search for her other friend. Although it would probably take forever just to find her. Disregarding all the other floors, just one floor of the Library was pretty big. The red huntress-in-training wondered where this floor put their Abnormalities at.
"Scorched Girl…?" Ruby whispered quietly. "Where are you?"
"What the fuck are you doing?"
"EEP!" Ruby jerked up, turning around to see Dakota's face looking right at her whilst still lying on the table.
"Oh? It's the crazy girl," Dakota realized who Ruby was.
"'Crazy girl?'" Ruby curiously repeated. That's another name she'd earned here at Beacon: Crater Face and now Crazy Girl. If so, things were not looking up for Ruby.
"Yeah? You kinda walked up to a walking bomb and hugged it. Then, I overheard from other students that you rode a giant fucking bird and decapitated it, intervened in some terrorist organization plot twice, and came into the Library during my break," Dakota deadpanned. "Of course, I'm going to call you crazy. It's like you have a death wish or something."
"Uh…" Ruby's anxiety got the best of her. She hadn't personally talked to the librarian, but from what she had seen before, Dakota was more of the direct-confrontational type of person who says what's on their mind—the worst type of person Ruby could handle. "...Yup, that's me."
"Well…" Ruby saw Dakota go silent, then started to internally panic. Remembering how vulgar Dakota could be, the girl feared whatever the librarian was going to say next.
"You're pretty fucking crazy, but by my standards, that's pretty fucking badass."
"Say what?" Ruby immediately responded, shocked by Dakota's words.
"'Badass.'"
"Oh."
"Yeah, yeah," Dakota shrugged. "Maybe next time you'll have to fight the Abnos for us. I'm tired of fighting."
"Uh, is that why you're sleeping? Because you're tired of fighting?"
"Used to be, but now I have to deal with students and other facility people and whatnot everyday. Honestly, you guys are some of the stupidest people I know. I mean, how in the hell do you forget your own history? You've lived here your entire life, and I come from a different world," Dakota groaned in annoyance.
"That does sound tough," Ruby forced herself to chuckle. She knew that she was probably one of those people. History was one of her worst subjects, regardless of who her professor was. Suddenly, she had a thought. "Wait, why doesn't Miss Angela bring back other Librarians?"
"That would take up too much Light. Plus, Angela's doing something with it right now so it'll take even longer. Maybe we'll be back to full power in a few years, give or take." Turning to look around the Floor, Dakota looked remorseful. "Now that I'm alone though, I realized some shit… the other librarians would drive me crazy sometimes, they would do the stupidest of shit, and I would have to clean up after them. I hated them all, but… I do miss them sometimes…"
The drastic change in mood from Dakota surprised Ruby. From their first introduction, the vulgar-mouthed librarian seemed too rude to have any friends, much like Weiss, but it seemed like she had a softer side after all. Ruby would have to see Dakota in a better light than before. However, Dakota's talk about friends made Ruby realize what she was here for again.
"Yeah?"
"Do you, uh…" Ruby took in a deep breath, "happentoknowwherethelittlescorchedgirlis?"
It was as if Dakota had been flashbanged by words. After not hearing it for the first time, Ruby hesitantly repeated it back to her in a slower manner. Once she was done talking, Dakota put a hand up to her face.
"First of all: why?" Dakota questioned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Uh, I want to talk to her…?"
"Is that a question or…"
"No. Wait, yes! No?" Ruby blabbered before stopping herself. "I want to talk to Scorched Girl."
"I don't know if 'crazy' is the right fucking word anymore," Dakota flabbergastedly sighed. In response, all Ruby could do was chuckle. Although, Dakota wasn't trying to be comedic. In a serious tone, the purple-haired librarian continued speaking, "I don't think you understand what that 'thing' is."
Offended, Ruby countered, "She's my friend. That's what she is."
"Your 'friend' killed some of my friends." That silenced Ruby. "I've seen what that thing is capable of. I promised myself that I would never fully trust a single Abnormality in my life, and I never will."
"I…" Ruby tried to get the words out. "I believe everything should be allowed a second chance. No matter who or what they are. "
"Even the monsters of your world?"
"Well, that's a bit different… The Grimm are mindless, soulless monsters, so I don't think they'll count," Ruby let out a chuckle.
"What if a Grimm was intelligent? Like it could understand you—like an Abnormality."
"Then, I would talk to it if it was willing to listen."
After hearing Ruby's argument, Dakota sighed and stood up. "You are so goddamn naive it's not even funny… Whatever, come on. I'll tell you fully what you need to know before meeting her."
"Uh, what?" Ruby questioned.
Ignoring Ruby, Dakota smirked, reminiscing about the past. In the early days, a bunch of new Agents would be recruited and trained by her until they transferred to other departments. "Don't worry, you just need to know which buttons not to push," Dakota reassured.
"She has buttons?" Ruby questioned, causing Dakota to look at her with a 'really' face.
"Good god, you're even worse than naive."
–THE BLACK FOREST, THE LIBRARY–
Further and further, Cinder made her way past the treeline and continued down the river into the forest. The bright golden light emitted from the lobby of the floor became dimmer and dimmer as she continued, replaced instead by the golden light shining from the stars above. How there were stars inside a building puzzled Cinder; she wouldn't understand, she just kept walking.
The wooden floors turned to dirt and grass, the number and size of trees grew, and the river itself became deeper.
'How big is this place?' Cinder pondered. It made no sense unless this was the work of a Semblance, but it was too vast and immense to be one. It broke all the laws and rules of Remnant; this place shouldn't exist.
After a while of walking, Cinder came across a light in the distance. She approached it cautiously, taking cover behind a tree and then another as she moved. As she got closer, she noticed someone in the center of a clearing in the forest.
Illuminated by a lamp on the ground, a long, blue-haired woman was seen sitting on the ground with her legs outward. She wore a black suit with golden lines embroidered on it. The outfit suggested that this was most likely a librarian for this floor. Judging from how her chest went up and down, it seemed like she was sleeping. Internally, Cinder thanked the white bird for showing her something.
It was a perfect opportunity.
Cinder moved closer, not making a sound until she got close to the woman. She planned to interrogate the librarian and extract whatever information she could, then silence her. As Cinder got closer, she began to realize something was off. The way that the librarian was sitting looked as if she was leaning on something while she slept. However, Cinder saw nothing.
Suddenly, a branch snapped.
Cinder looked down at her feet to see that she was the one that caused the noise. Instantly, Cinder jumped to the tree nearest to her. She took a peek to see if the blue-haired librarian heard it; she was relieved to see that the woman was still asleep. Although she was asleep, the librarian started to move slightly. Cinder waited to see if she would wake up.
Unexpectedly, instead of waking up, the woman slumped backward and hit her head on the ground. Cinder watched as the librarian got up and started speaking.
"Bongbong Bong Bong!"
Cinder stared at BongBong speaking… something. Perhaps this was a language only the librarians knew; she would have Emerald or Mercury decipher it later. Either way, Cinder decided to wait, considering her chance to sneak up on the blue-haired librarian became harder to do.
At the same time, the lamp next to the librarian started to float. Did BongBong have a telekinesis Semblance? Although, from Roman's reports, the Librarians shouldn't have any Aura, so Semblances were out of the question. Cinder studied BongBong as she got up and patted the dirt and dust off herself.
Instantly, a giant yellow eye glowed next to BongBong. Then, one after another, multiple eyes started to light up. Each of its eyes was of different sizes, with the largest being in the center. The lamp's brightness next to the librarian increased as well, revealing a… claw? The light continued to grow brighter, showing a beak, then some feathers; more of what was attached began to show itself under the lamp's light. It made itself very clear on what kind of monster it was.
A giant black bird with multiple yellow eyes stood there, shaking off any dirt or debris like what BongBong did earlier. It was like a Grimm, it was pitch black and giant, it was what could be deemed a monster. The only difference: it had yellow eyes instead of red. It turned to stare at BongBong, its multiple eyes shining as they pointed directly at the librarian.
"Bong, Bong," BongBong spoke.
In response, the bird croaked out a noise. Then, the bird let out a low woo sound as it bent its head forward, closing its eyes in the process.
As if it was an invitation, BongBong reached out her hand and started to pet Abnormality. The monster closed its eyes as her hand rubbed the top of its head. More cooing noises came out from the bird, and the librarian kept making happy noises as well. While it was a happy sight to anyone else, Cinder shuddered in disgust.
Now it became much harder to sneak up on the librarian, now that their pet was awake. As she thought of a way to get more information from the blue-haired librarian, she conceived a more sinister idea. She could cause some internal strife among the Librarians and Beacon. They shouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, so it would be easy to explain if a bunch of Beacon students killed them. If she could dispatch them quickly enough, then she shouldn't have to spend more time in this place and thus less time at the dance.
Using her Semblance, Cinder heated the Dust on her clothes, and orange lights lit up around her thighs and lower legs. Flames came out and started to harden, creating a glass bow and an arrow. She hastily nocked an arrow and pointed it toward the two, then aimed at the librarian's leg.
"Don't move a muscle, or I'm afraid I won't miss," Cinder whispered as she smirked.
The arrow was let loose, and a whistle sang through the air all the while BongBong and Big Bird heard the sound. All of the Abnormality's eyes jumped to stare at the arrow, causing BongBong to follow where it was looking. Before BongBong could recognize what was happening, she could only see a shiny glint.
"BONG!" She panicked.
Then, a flash of black and gold emerged in front of her; a distinct scratching sound followed it afterward. Once the thorns faded away, all that was left was the broken remains of an arrow on the ground. BongBong saw that the thorns trailed off to the side and saw a familiar face.
"Bong!" BongBong cheered.
"Child," Binah spoke. "my apologies for using you as a pawn. But there's an undesirable guest lurking around the library. We will make sure they do not return here."
"Bong BongBong, Bong…"
"Quench your uneasiness. It is merely like our original duties to the Library: tend to the Guests. Steel your heart and mind. Angela has given us our blessings for this impromptu Reception." Binah stared at a specific tree in the distance. "Come out, reveal yourself, unwanted guest."
"It seems like hiding is unnecessary." It seemed like they wouldn't play hide and seek. Cinder came out from behind the tree to truly see that her attack failed. She gritted her teeth upon the sight of a smug librarian.
"Ho? Truly, if you wished to remain anonymous, it would've been wiser not to reveal yourself before an Arbiter." Although she got no response, Binah's eyes narrowed as they stared at the intruder. "However, before we engage in combat, I must ask you to leave this forest and this library forever. As a person not of this place, this realm is not for the likes of you."
In turn, Cinder looked at the new librarian with a mix of confusion and wariness. There was no information on her; they had a majority of the Librarians, including the old white one, but they hadn't seen this one before. Judging based on her appearance, it seemed like she held a higher rank in the Library than the librarian next to her.
"Tempting, but I shall decline," Cinder smugly claimed, lighting a fire in her hands. "Before I make you all beg for your inevitable death, you will tell me everything I want to know about this place."
With one look, Binah stared at Cinder. Then, her gaze lowered to the fire in her hands. It radiated a familiar source of energy to the Arbiter. In a few moments, Binah started to smile gleefully, yet the devil's smile was hidden behind it. She found an amusing soul hidden in those amber eyes of Cinder.
Cinder also stared back, wondering what the woman clad in black and gold was smiling about. However, her thoughts stopped once Binah started to speak.
"Child, leave us be." At BongBong's confused and shocked face, Binah continued. "I alone will remedy this."
However, it seemed like their other companion didn't hear the Patron Librarian.
"SQUUAAAA!" Big Bird roared. It was angry. Very angry. Angry that the intruder would dare attack its friend, and that Cinder was able to enter the forest without Big Bird knowing.
The stars in the sky started to dim, the dark overtaking the light. The surrounding area was completely shrouded in darkness. The only things visible were a bright golden lamp, and the hundreds of glowing eyes pointed at Cinder. It started to wave its lamp in a trance.
Immediately, Cinder clutched her head. She felt what it was trying to accomplish. She proudly smugged and mentally noted down what happened. "Only a coward would resort to petty mind-control tricks," Cinder insulted the Abnormality.
"How amusing…"
While Binah took notice of how Cinder didn't fall under the control of Big Bird's lamp, the Abnormality started to furiously march toward the intruder. Its eyes glowed red at the thought of someone resisting it.
"Chain."
Instantly, it stopped, black chains outlined with gold chaining it. Binah stood behind the Abnormality, stopping its movement. BongBong took notice of the seriousness of the situation and complied with Binah's orders. She began to walk back toward the main area of the floor, knowing that whatever happened, Binah would walk back out.
"I said I alone would handle this. This Guest will require some… special attention. Understand?" Binah sent a gaze toward the bird, making it retreat as well. However, instead of fully exiting the scene, Big Bird stayed in the background, watching. Cinder, on the other hand, was fuming at the thought that Binah would fight her by herself, as if she alone would quell Cinder. "Now then, shall we do introductions?"
"Don't apologize when you're dead," Cinder growled, ignoring Binah and pulling back three arrows, letting them loose. Immediately, Binah's hand glowed a similar color to her thorns and chain, then she put the hand out in front of her.
Cinder smirked as she watched the three arrows hit directly on the librarian–no Aura, no protection. Three simultaneous explosions rang out, creating a big dust cloud and making Cinder's smirk grow bigger.
One down, one more to go.
Soon after, Cinder began to search for where the blue-haired librarian disappeared to. Perhaps she should kill that monster bird as well for trying to control her. However, once the dust cloud settled, Cinder's gaze flicked over to watch as a crude barrier of black and gold faded away with Binah gracefully lowering her hand behind it.
"What?!" Cinder had specifically infused those arrows with Burn Dust; they would've melted or destroyed anything in their explosion radius.
"How impudent, not even willing to trade names? Here I believed we arrived at a more civil era." Binah spoke softly, her blank, empty black eyes staring at the unwanted Guest's amber ones. "No matter. I look forward to 'talking' with you, my dear guest." Then, suddenly, a flash of black and gold lit the area between them.
The flash of light had somewhat blinded Cinder, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Once it fully faded, she could only see Binah's raised arm. The Arbiter's face slowly darkened and grinned as she lowered her arm. It looked like she was internally laughing at Cinder.
Confused at first, Cinder immediately transformed her bow into her dual swords. However, she felt something trickle down her left arm. It felt weird. She looked to see some red liquid flowing on her arm. She brought it closer to see what it was.
Blood.
"What…?" Cinder questioned, paling at the sight of her blood.
Her forearm was covered in gashes and scratches. She stepped back momentarily in shock. As soon as she did that, blood would flow out of the deeper wounds.
Immediately, Cinder flared up her Aura. The first thing she realized was that it wasn't broken at all. It was basically full; however, Binah's attack had pierced through her Aura without breaking it. To Cinder, it was an impossible feat.
For one, Cinder possessed half of the Fall Maiden's power, implying that her Aura should surpass that of most of Remnant's professional Huntsmen. No human should be stronger than one of the Maidens, especially not someone with only half of their powers. Perhaps it was some undiscovered Dust variant, but that seemed highly improbable.
Regarding how Binah's attack penetrated her Aura, Cinder knew that Tyrian had a Semblance capable of doing so. However, the librarian in front of her possessed neither a Semblance nor an Aura. This was confirmed through Roman's reports and other investigations, making it impossible for a Semblance to be the cause. Cinder pondered all the possibilities but couldn't dwell on them for long as she heard the air crack.
Another flash of black and gold sent Cinder reeling back in pain. This time, it struck her in the right shoulder, causing discomfort and pain. She got a good look at what was striking her: slashes of light.
Ripping her body away from the impending strike, holes in her shoulder started to fill up with blood. Slashes of black and gold, sharp enough to puncture her Aura and skin, moved faster than she could perceive. A very dangerous attack.
It wasn't just that; there was something else layered in the attack. Like the blood flowing from her body, every movement she made felt as if every secret she held could come out at any moment. Nothing in Remnant resembled it, no Semblance or Aura could ever achieve something similar. The only thing capable of such an attack was magic, but it couldn't be magic.
Her master, Ozpin, and the Maidens were the only ones capable of utilizing magic. No one else. It was impossible for others to use magic without someone to teach them.
However, from what Cinder had witnessed since arriving at the Library, it seemed magical in nature. The interior was larger on the inside, the hallways were wormholes, monsters unlike the Grimm roamed, and the attacks Binah used couldn't be attributed to Aura, Semblances, or Dust. It was as if they originated from another... world.
Suddenly, a flash brought her attention to the real world.
Bringing her swords up in front of her, a sharp sound vibrated against them, echoing throughout the empty forest. Her swords had successfully blocked the slashes of golden light. Without hesitation, she struck downward to deflect them, causing the light to instantly shatter. Upon looking back at the librarian, she saw a condescending expression on her face.
"It is unwise to ignore the person you're conversing with," Binah taunted. Her hand started to glow with the same gold and black coloring once more. "It is not a conversation if not without two individuals talking."
"What are you?" Cinder demanded loudly.
"I do not see the need to respond to your question as you are just a nameless guest, so I shall remain a nameless librarian."
Angry, Cinder used some of the Dust on her clothing to create glass shards. Dozens of razor-sharp glass pieces surrounded her as they floated. With a thrust of her hands, the shards were sent in Binah's direction. In seconds, the shards seemed to hit Binah. However, the black-and-gold barrier appeared again, blocking every single shard of glass. Once again, Binah effortlessly destroyed all of them without even moving, causing Cinder to grow more frustrated.
"Is that all you can do, defend?" Cinder mocked.
"Understanding an individual requires time. Time that you could use better."
Back and forth, Cinder threw every bit of Dust into trying to kill Binah. Simultaneously, Cinder used her Aura to propel herself closer to Binah. If ranged attacks alone weren't effective, then a combination of a barrage of glass shards and close combat might break the Arbiter's guard. Binah watched as Cinder exploded toward her; Binah gracefully raised her hand, glowing with the same black and gold.
"Wasteful attacks that rely heavily on brute strength, no thought put into them," Binah remarked.
Cinder's swords and glass shards descended upon Binah, only to be met with the crude barrier. The intruder jumped back, reassessing the situation. Binah dropped the shield, studying Cinder.
"You tend to let your anger get a hold of your mind. Simple provocations are enough to rile you up."
Not letting her opponent get a chance to attack, Cinder charged in again. Dropping one of her swords, Cinder lessened her weight, aiming to strike quickly. She needed all the speed to reach Binah for any chance of inflicting damage. It was a risky move, but Cinder was willing to bet that Binah wasn't well-versed in close combat due to her preference for ranged attacks.
"A tainted mind becomes too narrow. Unfocused. Reckless."
An Aura-infused blade glided toward Binah. The librarian immediately grabbed Cinder's arm without hesitation and pulled her closer. Binah placed her other arm underneath Cinder's, turning around and executing a judo throw that sent Cinder sprawling to the ground. The sudden move caught Cinder off guard, causing her to drop her weapon.
When Cinder slammed into the ground, her mask fell off. Her entire face was brimming with anger.
"You have a habit of looking down on everyone, I see." Binah looked at Cinder's exposed face, a smirk forming on her own. She took joy in seeing Cinder's annoyed expression. "I have seen many eyes like that before."
Cinder swiftly jumped back up only to meet Binah's hand instantly gripping her by the neck. Binah lifted her while barely choking the breath out of Cinder. All Cinder could do was struggle to free herself, reaching a hand to grasp at Binah's hand. However, when Cinder tried to pry Binah's hand off, the librarian's grip remained firm. Attempting to use her Semblance to burn Binah also proved ineffective; the librarian didn't seem fazed by it.
It was clear that Cinder needed to reevaluate the situation and understand what she was dealing with.
"I can see it. The very soul hidden deep within you. Filled with anger, caused by those that hurt you. A desire to grow stronger, to seek revenge against the world. A fire that consumes everything in its path. You too, however, will be consumed as well," Binah rambled on, indifferent to Cinder's condition.
"Re...ease me," Cinder's voice was weak as she struggled to speak. She stared down at Binah who had an excited look on her face.
"Since you are ill-educated about manners, I will present you the City's hospitality," Binah offered, but got no reply.
At that moment, the hand that held onto Cinder's neck started to glow golden. Cinder could feel a massive amount of energy gathering in her hands, a sort of mystical energy, unlike anything she had ever felt or seen before. Once the light converged into Binah's hand, the golden glow collapsed.
A wave disoriented Cinder, causing her brain to rattle inside. The second made her vision blur, and the third knocked her out.
Once the shockwaves faded away, Binah released Cinder's neck. The half-Maiden collapsed as soon as she hit the ground. The shock of hitting the ground awakened Cinder, her eyes scattered everywhere, trying to figure out where she was. Nauseated and dizzy, Cinder tried to stand up, only to clutch her head and fall. Seeing how weak Cinder looked, Binah opted to put her out of her misery. She raised her arm for another attack.
Suddenly, a blackened portal outlined in gold appeared, a pillar emerging from within. With a dark smile and raised arm, she launched the pillar with a black and gold flash. The speed at which it launched created a cracking sound as it ripped through the air.
However, Cinder managed to snap back into reality and realize what was happening. She rolled out of the way, only for a giant explosion to ring beside her. Cinder turned to see the giant pillar planted into the ground. It quickly faded away into black and gold mist, leaving only a crater in the ground. Stunned, Cinder quickly stood up and retreated, breaking off sightlines with the Arbiter. Finding a tree that was big enough to hide herself, she stopped.
"Back to hiding," Binah felt disappointed. She was having some fun, but they always ran. "No matter, it always remains the same." Then, the librarian started to walk in Cinder's direction.
As for Cinder, she had to come up with a plan. There was no way that Cinder would be able to defeat her at her current level; the difference in power was too great. If she had the rest of the Fall Maiden's power, she believed she could probably make this a fair fight. Currently, Cinder was trying to patch up her wounds by focusing her Aura, but they wouldn't close at all. Ultimately, Cinder just placed her hand against the wounds, using her Semblance.
"Argh…" She gritted her teeth in pain. Cinder hadn't expected to use her own Semblance to cauterize her own wounds, but the situation called for it. "You'll pay for this."
Out of breath, Cinder poked her head behind the tree she was hiding behind. Over in the distance, she could see the gold outlines of the outfit Binah was wearing shrouded in the dark forest.
Another pillar emerged from a portal, demolishing a tree around where Cinder was hiding. The only thing left of the tree was a trunk and splinters of wood scattered all over the forest floor. She needed to move, quickly.
When she escaped, she would probably have Roman's pet or Emerald infiltrate the Library afterward so this doesn't happen again. It wouldn't bode well if Cinder perished before she could obtain her full potential.
Speaking of Emerald, she was going to chastise both her and Mercury for failing to account for the Patron Librarian of Philosophy.
Biding her time, Cinder cautiously maneuvered around the trees, hoping for an opportunity. Tree by tree, she got closer to Binah. Then, she stopped when she heard footsteps close to her. Waiting for the moment to strike, she created another sword and tightly gripped it. Once the footsteps were directly next to her, and she could see the foot of the Arbiter, she swung forward. A surprise attack may not have pleased Cinder, she'd rather have the person see who killed them, but she'll take what she could get now.
Once the sword was about to connect, Binah quickly, yet calmly spoke.
"Fairy."
Instantly, Cinder's blade exploded into thousands of glass shards. The loss of the blade caused Cinder to miss the Arbiter entirely, and the weight had dramatically decreased, making Cinder overshoot her swing. Before Cinder could do anything else, something stopped her momentum. A hand was reaching out and grabbing her arm.
"Are you alright? Need a hand?"
Cinder looked up to see Binah's smile.
"A tumble during a fight is highly misfortunate, it can put you in a predicament," Binah smugly spoke. Immediately, Cinder raised her free arm in an attempt to free herself; when she found that the Arbiter wouldn't budge, she pulled back an Aura-infused fist and punched Binah in the face.
Cinder's fist landed directly on Binah's left cheek. Internally, Cinder was ecstatic. She managed to hit Binah. Cinder was too busy focused on the fact that she managed to get a hit rather than what damage it caused. She turned her gaze to see Binah's face, only for Binah to stand there unaffected. Unfazed, Binah continued speaking, "Even when you are using borrowed power, it seems like you are not enough to cause harm to me. Such is a shame."
"Unhand me you disgusting piece of trash!" Cinder scowled.
"Hmm… No," Binah concluded, seeing how easily she triumphed over her, Binah had finished toying with Cinder. In retaliation, Cinder tried to go for another punch. As soon as Cinder's fist was about to connect once again, Binah grabbed it and then twisted it, dislocating her hand.
"ARRGH!"
"A simple disarming technique. I do enjoy its 'effects' it does to people."
Binah dropped Cinder to the ground. The half-Maiden could feel that her Aura was working to fix her hand, but there wasn't any time for recovery as Cinder looked up to see Binah's amused expression.
"I'll kill you!" Cinder screamed in pain.
"Do not make empty promises you can't do," Binah remarked. "Regretfully, only a red-headed barbarian was capable of such feats, and you are not even close to her."
"I'll make you be—"
"'Beg for my inevitable death?'" Binah calmly repeated the words Cinder used earlier. "Look at yourself, you would perish in the City in a few minutes." Binah let those words sink in, even if the girl had no idea what she was talking about. "Now, since you know where you stand, if you indulge me in your intentions at this library, I'll make it quick."
"You will know nothing, librarian. You're nothing. You're not even the dirt stain on my boots."
"Then, do not blame yourself for this," Binah said, ignoring the half-Maiden's threat. "I was expecting something else, but I am somewhat disappointed. All bark, and no bite." Binah shook her head. Then, she looked off into the distance, looking at something. After a while, Binah let out a slight sigh. "Lock."
"Wha—" Before Cinder could finish speaking, she felt her entire body freeze up. She couldn't move a muscle, the only thing she could manage to move was her eyes and her mouth. All Binah could give the poor girl was a smile, before calmly walking up to her.
Binah suddenly kicked Cinder in the stomach, causing the intruder to cough. Although Binah's kick hit Cinder's Aura, causing minimal damage. The Arbiter's sadistic smile grew even bigger at the sight. She had always wanted to see how Aura shattered.
"I do wonder how Aura heals a person's wounds. How much can it heal? Why does it have to do with the soul? Does it return the body to how the soul remembers it? K. Corp's Singularity used the idea of concepts as a basis point. If someone is forced to believe that they are missing a leg, what would their Aura do? Repair the body to how it was, or repair it to how the person remembers it?"
Whatever Binah was saying, Cinder wanted to move, run, block, and do anything to retaliate against Binah, but whatever was keeping Cinder locked in place wouldn't budge. When she opened her eyes to see Binah, instead of the librarian being there, there was a monster.
"I want to hear more of how you received your borrowed power," Binah kicked Cinder again, causing her Aura to crack a little bit. "Do tell, enlighten me."
After a few more kicks, Binah saw that Cinder's Aura was fully about to shatter. She stopped her attacks as Cinder managed to say something. "...rald," Cinder muttered. "…ury." Binah stood there for some time, unaware of what the girl was trying to say. Then, Binah went for the final kick.
As the sound of glass being broken vibrated throughout the Black Forest, Binah stayed silent. The sound of glass breaking was sort of… disappointing. It was weak. It sounded like a barrier turning off. Binah felt saddened by this fact.
Flaps and thuds on the ground approached the black-and-gold librarian, causing her to disregard her previous thoughts. Binah turned to see the avian Abnormalities along with BongBong riding on top of Big Bird.
While Big Bird and Long Bird were happy to see the intruder gone, Small Bird was a little peeved about what happened earlier. They had been robbed of punishing Cinder; before it could strike, the head librarian had snapped it away. Judgment Bird, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed that it didn't have a chance to deliver justice.
BongBong, on the other hand, just looked at Cinder's body. She seemed to contemplate how death would always follow the Librarians, and that they could never escape it. However, the blue-haired librarian just shrugged, already moving past it.
"Bong, BongBong?" BongBong questioned as she rubbed Big Bird's head.
"Worry not, Child," Binah assured. "This is one of many affairs we will experience in the time to come. In that manner, if you would be so kind as to brew some tea for my return, I will take care of this." Binah gestured to the body on the ground.
With a nod from BongBong and the departing birds, Binah focused her attention on Cinder's prone form. It had been a while since she faced another human, and the encounter had left her unsatisfied. Abnormalities were too predictable for Binah's tastes; she found the diverse techniques and styles of humans more intriguing. Binah took pleasure in deconstructing and crushing any new strategies someone dared to employ. Though the fight with Cinder had lacked challenge, it was a welcomed warm-up for Binah, but the desire for something more left her unsatisfied.
"Angela," Binah called out to the air, addressing someone unseen. "The Guest is broken, just as you wished."
A snap echoed, and Angela inspected Cinder's motionless body. Frowning, Angela turned her attention back to Binah.
"Binah, I specifically asked you to incapacitate her, not put her into a coma."
"Pardon me, it's been quite a while since I had the pleasure of punishing someone. They were targeting my librarian. I believe it was justified," Binah innocently smiled. "Besides, I'd rather not be compelled to fight during my times of recess."
Angela responded with a blank stare. "I see why Roland and the others thought it wasn't a good idea for you to leave the Library," the pale-haired librarian sighed. Binah, undeterred, maintained her smile.
"She has the missing piece of your puzzle, Angela," Binah pointed out. "Consider it a gift of mine."
The Head Librarian's eyes widened, prompting her to bend over and grab Cinder's hand. Closing her eyes, she waited, sensing the magic at play. In a few seconds, she released her hand and stood up.
"Thank you, Binah. This will please Ozpin and General Ironwood."
"No need. It is always necessary to exterminate a rat whenever they show up unexpectedly."
"Still," Angela pondered out loud, thinking back to the fight she was watching. "How did you attack her through her Aura?"
"If you remember what F. Corp specialized in, then you'll have your answer."
"..." Angela sifted through her memories before nodding slowly. "You may now go relax. I need to go talk with Ozpin about this. Please keep this to yourself."
With a snap, Angela disappeared with Cinder. Left alone, Binah turned away and walked, disappointed that Remnant had offered her so little of a challenge.
—SOMETIME LATER—
—DANCE HALL, BEACON ACADEMY—
As darkness settled outside, the dancehall party dwindled, and the atmosphere grew less vibrant. Mercury and Emerald remained on the second floor, observing the remaining partygoers from their vantage point. Emerald clutched her Scroll tightly, while Mercury leaned on the railing. Both of them felt a growing impatience, wishing they could be anywhere else, but they had to maintain their presence for the sake of their alibi. All that was left was to wait for their leader.
"She hasn't responded in a while."
"..."
"Mercury."
"Ugh… You've been saying that constantly ever since she disconnected the call."
"I'm worried."
"Yes, I know that," Mercury groaned, drooping his head. "It's not like anything can beat her. It's Cinder, for Brothers' sake. She wanted to investigate it by herself, let her. We told her that we couldn't find anything, but 'oh, you two are useless, I'll do it myself.' She doesn't want to listen. We don't even know why she wants to know more about them."
"Hey, she helped us, so we gotta help her too."
"She deviated from the original plan, risking our cover."
"I— Uh…"
"Hey Mercury, Emerald, right?" A voice called out next to them, causing both of them to turn their heads. They saw that it was the blonde and black-haired members of Team RWBY, Yang and Blake. It was the former who was talking, "Hey, I was checking over the guest list and your leader and other teammate hadn't shown up. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I think so," Mercury responded. "Probably still putting on makeup."
"Uh, they take over an hour to put on makeup?" Yang questioned in disbelief.
Her partner, on the other hand, looked at her in bewilderment. "Yang, don't act like you don't take an hour to do your hair," Blake remarked. "It also doesn't help that you and Weiss have dozens of hair products that take up half of the bathroom."
"Hey! My hair deserves to be seen at its best! It's not like I don't see you taking a long time making sure your bow is on correctly."
"That's different."
"Whatever," Yang shrugged as she turned to face Mercury and Emerald. "You guys should probably check on your teammates, and make sure they're doing alright."
"Uh, sure!" Emerald put on a flustered expression. "I'll go call her. Merc, you can stay here."
"Aight."
The green-haired girl quickly left the scene, leaving the three. Disregarding the noise from below, there was an awkward silence. It wasn't broken until the blonde member remembered what happened yesterday.
"So," Yang spoke, causing Mercury to turn his attention to her. "Saw your fight with Pyrrha."
"Yeah?"
"Any reason why you dropped out like that?"
"Can't say any more than I had already. She's the best fighter, nothing wrong with me forfeiting," Mercury shrugged as he explained.
"Not many people can hold their own against Pyrrha like that. Especially after disarming her like that. You probably could've won, but chose to quit, why?" Blake questioned.
"Ehh, it was a bad match-up. She's got her shield and faster reflexes than me," Mercury casually deflected as he waved his hand in disaffirmation. "I barely hit her sword outta the way, mostly luck helped me."
Even though the gray-haired boy in front of her was overly humble, Yang and Blake didn't push it. Yang usually had to let Ruby win some sparring matches to boost her confidence, but this was different. On the other hand, Blake just thought of it as a quirk of his. Maybe Mercury liked losing? Maybe that was his kink. She wouldn't tell a soul.
"Either way, at some point, you, me, a match," Yang declared. "Your kicks versus my fists, we'll see who's better."
"Is that a date?" Mercury smirked.
Yang rolled her eyes, clarifying, "Save the flirting for someone who can't knock you into next weekend."
"What? Can't a guy make witty jokes now and then?"
"Sorry, but you're not my type of guy," Yang said with a grin on her face.
"Eh, whatever, you kinda seem like a high-maintenance girl anyways," Mercury nagged.
"What was that?" Yang growled.
On the side, Blake loudly coughed, grabbing both of their attention. She said, "Stop arguing, you two. You're attracting attention." Much like what the raven-haired girl pointed out, some people were staring at them. "Mercury, you should probably go with your teammate, before Yang here gets more angry."
"Blake, why are you making it sound like my fault?"
"Cuz it is."
"Mercury, you're not helping," Blake deadpanned. After somewhat of a semblance of an apology, the gray-haired boy casually followed in the same direction Emerald went. Once the commotion died down, everyone else went back to partying.
"Blake, remind me to aim for the lower body when I fight him."
"Get over it Yang, he's just doing it to make you mad," the raven-haired girl groaned. When she turned away to look back at the dance, she spotted something interesting. "Looks like Weiss is getting some attention."
"Where?!" Yang immediately snapped her attention to where Blake was looking. A whistle came out of Yang's mouth upon seeing the situation. "Oh damn, I still don't know why Weiss likes a guy like him."
"What's wrong with Neptune?"
"Duh." Yang gave Blake a dumbfounded look. "The boy's got like no game whatsoever other than his looks. I saw him trying to show off by backflipping and doing a split at the same time. Let's just say that every guy around him felt it."
In retrospect, maybe Blake should've seen that one coming.
—OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY, BEACON ACADEMY—
Instead of running to their dormitory, both of Cinder's allies had gone straight to swapping to their usual outfits and grabbing their weapons. It had been a few hours since they had contact with Cinder, and nothing had changed. Everything was going to shit, whether Emerald or Mercury liked it, and only Brothers know what the hell is happening in the Library.
"Still no contact?"
"It'll be the same freaking answer as last time, Emerald," Mercury sighed. "You need to chill out."
"I 'need to chill out?'" Emerald angrily questioned. "How can you say that?! Cinder is in there and we have no idea what's happening; the mission is over."
"As I said before, Cinder is plenty capable of doing shit on her own. Let's just get back to the party and make up some excuse, we still need to play our part."
"No!"
"What are you going to do then?"
"I'm going in," Emerald declared.
"...Really? Are you crazy?"
"Yes. And if being crazy means that Cinder is safe, then so be it."
Mercury gave her an incredulous stare. "What kind of fucking comic did you read for that line? Give me a copy."
"What are you going to do?"
"Shit, I guess I'll follow," Mercury shrugged. If you can't beat them, join them. "Might be interesting."
As both of them moved to the side of the Library, covered by some plants, they made sure they had everything ready. If something was able to take out Cinder, then they needed to be on their A-Game. Perhaps even better. Once they finished, they gave each other a look of solidarity.
Suddenly, before they could take action, the front doors of the Library slowly opened. Out came the leader of Team RWBY, looking a bit worse for wear. Her hair was a bit singed, and her clothes looked like a bomb had gone off next to her.
"Oh, Yang and Weiss are going to be so mad…" Ruby sadly muttered to herself, sitting herself down next to the Library's doors.
She learned most of what Dakota taught her. However, one of those rules was not to directly touch Scorched Girl, but Ruby couldn't follow that. How could Ruby, the girl who gives affection via hugs, not hug the poor girl? The end result was that it seemed like Scorched Girl wasn't expecting to be hugged and blew up. Although, it wasn't as big or deadly of an explosion as what Dakota remembered, only managing to put a somewhat big dent in Ruby's Aura.
Meanwhile, Emerald and Mercury were seething, mainly Emerald. They couldn't just pass by Ruby since they told her teammates that they were heading back to their dorms. With the way that the girl was sulking, they couldn't tell how long she would stay there.
Sighing with an annoyed tone, Emerald decided to come out of hiding and focused her Semblance on the red and black girl. It wouldn't take long. However, Mercury pulled her back into the bushes.
"Merc! What the hell are you doing?!" Emerald whisperly yelled.
In response, Mercury put a finger to his mouth—telling her to quiet down. Then, he pointed to the person approaching the Library. Confused, Emerald looked over to where he was pointing. Instantly, the green-haired girl started to grind her teeth.
Gebura, the Patron Librarian of Language.
The librarian was wearing her dark trench coat while smoking. The disgusting multi-eyed blade hung from her back. Although they hadn't seen her, both Emerald and Mercury knew who she was. They only heard information second-hand from those who overtalked about the red-haired woman. From what they heard, she was probably the strongest huntsman on Remnant.
"What are we going to do now?" Mercury casually asked.
"We fight."
"Sure, if you want to blow our cover, and lose at the same time."
"We will get Cinder back."
"Hey. All I'm saying is that you should know when to pick a fight, and when not to," Mercury shrugged. "Let's just wait and see if they spill some beans."
Although Emerald heavily disagreed with Mercury, she had no choice but to back down. Once she decided to do so, it seemed like Ruby finally noticed Gebura walking towards her.
"Miss Gebura!" Ruby nervously greeted. "What brings you here?"
Huffing a smoke, Gebura raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Uh, I work here? Also, don't call me miss."
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Nice dress." Gebura noticed the burnt parts of Ruby's outfit.
"Uh, thanks! I got it uh… custom-made," Ruby nervously laughed.
While Ruby was laughing Gebura glanced toward the bushes, waiting for something. Mercury and Emerald thought that their cover was blown, but it seemed like she turned back to face Ruby. The girl was shuffling in place, not knowing what to talk about. Gebura looked into Ruby's eyes, trying to see if those legends were true.
Sighing, Gebura dropped her cigarette, snuffing it out under her foot. Gebura bent down and picked up the snuffed-out cigarette before placing it in a pocket.
"Hey kid," Gebura spoke, grabbing Ruby's attention as well as the two hiding. "Just went to go talk with the Headmaster, I can finally start teaching you brats whenever Roland's not doing it."
"Really?!" Ruby yelled as she jumped up. Gebura nodded in response. "Oh my brothers! To be taught by a hero!"
"I ain't no hero," Gebura corrected. "Just letting you know that I've never taught anybody. So don't expect to learn much."
"I think you'll do a great job!" Ruby reassured her.
"Yeah, I'll try," Gebura sighed, then took notice of the bushes rustling. "I'll be going now. Make sure you get back to your dorms before it gets too late. I heard some rats are running around late at night. They'll jump on you if you're not careful."
"Rats? I don't like rats." Ruby crossed her arms, putting on a mean face. "They ate my cookies once."
"Well, get out of here then."
"Roger that!"
Gebura watched as a red blur bolted past her. Then, she shook her head, sighing in the process. The fixer moved over toward the side of the Library, near Emerald and Mercury, who were hiding in the bushes. Pulling out another cigarette and a lighter, Gebura started to smoke again. She was facing toward the night sky, taking in the beautiful, bright stars accompanied by the shattered moon.
"There are two types of rats: those that scavenge, and those that bring the plague," Gebura randomly said to no one in particular. "Both are terrible, but one is tolerable. Which one are you two?"
After getting no response, Gebura huffed a puff of smoke. She waited for anything, but nothing happened. The Red Mist turned to face the bushes, and looked over, seeing nothing. It seemed like they went somewhere else… like the rats they are.
Author's Note:
That is Chapter 20 done! Right before my first anniversary of starting this fanfiction… Geez, it's already been a year… Anyways, let's get right into explaining some shit.
First of all, I feel like you guys are mainly going to question the Binah vs Cinder fight. One thing to note is that I am not very good at writing fighting scenes. A shocker, considering that I am writing about RWBY and Library of Ruina, both series that are literally mainly about fighting. The reason why I didn't include Abnormalities into the mix is that, it would either get too complicated or make the Librarians win instantly. So, I dumbed it down to just Binah vs Cinder only. I'm taking one insanely broken character, and matching them up against a person who doesn't even hold a speck of strength compared to them; I'm most likely not going to use Apocalypse Bird to smite Cinder just for a fight everyone wants to see happen.
After the fight, you'll just have to guess what's going to happen next.
Moving on, Ruby's part where she meets Scorched Girl again was more of a filler of sorts. I originally wanted Ruby to go to the Library, only to see Cinder trying to infiltrate it just like how it happened in the original series, but chose to send her on a sub-plot. Instead of mainly focusing on Ruby, I used her to make Gebura meet up with Emerald and Mercury, warning them, and also tying up Gebura's new training session with the students.
Hmm, I think that's all I have to say. I'm sure there's more to say, but I'll just leave it here for now. Regarding future chapters, all I can say is… I don't know. The new semester started and I've been trying to get back into the workflow, so I don't know when the next chapter will even be made. I'll try to fit in some time but don't count on it. Either way, if you see a mistake or something wrong, just tell me and I'll be sure to correct them when I can.
See you guys later!