A/N: Hello, just thought I would come back add a bit more to this first chapter. Enjoy
If RWBY Characters were Souls Bosses
So, this little series of one-shots was started partly as an homage to my guy StygianBlack's story Auraborne, but also due to another RWBY/Bloodborne story, The Last Hunter, being deleted as well as the author's account before I could read the third and fourth chapter the guy had uploaded. Which is a shame, cause I thought it was a well made story from the two chapters that I did read.
I also decided to do it because, other than a true, full-on RPG set in that universe or straight RWBY fighting game (Read: not bonus characters in a fighting game like BlazeBlue or palate swap like with Paladins), I think that a Dark Souls-esque RWBY game would do wonders for the series. I've always thought the series works perfectly as a Grim (Ha-ha!) Dark, thus, why it works so well with Warhammer 40k, of all things.
I would love hear your thoughts on any of these entries to hear what you think of them, whether or not they're in character or I missed a move set for each boss, or just how you think the character would moved and act in a Souls/Borne boss fight.
Oh, and that's another thing.
While I only put Souls in the title, what I really mean is Dark Souls, Bloodborne or even Elden Ring Bosses (No other Fromsoftware entries so far. Sorry to those of you who are into that kind of thing. MahinaFable, for instance, for say any Armored Core bosses. Also, Hello Sempai! If for some weird ass reason as to why you're reading my stuff.) (
I guess there IS the Atlesian Colossus Mech that is kind of a Armored Core boss, or, at least, a particular type unit you could pilot against. It would die a fiery death if it ever went up against an actual Armored Core or Battlemech, if we're being honest, though. Still, there's an idea in there somewhere. I just need to play AC before I decide on whether or not I make that an entry.)
Enjoy!
As part of this series I decided to lay some ground rules for myself, to make the entries better, and hopefully more in keeping with the type of universe Dark Souls is set in.
The Approach: How does the lead-up to the fight make you feel. Are you hyped for what is to come, or does it feel you with dread? Is it a simple lead-up or one fraught with perils from traps to Adds? Or, is there even a lead-up at all? Do you just fall into the Boss Arena or do you find them wandering around the area like with Elden Ring?
The Arena: What set this boss fight apart from others like it? Is the arena a small, closed in area like with the damned Goat Demon from DS1? Or is it a sprawling series of platforms like something out of Sekiro? Is it on fire, surrounded by pools of acid (or, in this case Grimm Pools)? And, how does this arena relate to the Boss's lore? Moreover, what's the boss's move set for this fight?
The Lore: What is the lore for this Boss? Are they a fallen hero? Corrupted enemy? A gigantic flipping Grimm Wyvern?!
The Boss's Aesthetic and Appearance: I'll upfront with you on this one, it's less important for RWBY characters than most Dark Souls bosses because, in this humble author's opinion, they all look awesome. But, how do these characters look now that they have fallen? And, what do they now represent.
So, with all that being said, let's get started with the first one of these entries, Ruby Rose, the pin ultimate boss of Auraborne, or at least I think that she will be, anyway.
Fallen Rose
The Lore: Ruby has fallen. Whatever corruption that has befelled her, whether it be some form of Grimmification or a curse created by Salem specifically for dealing with Huntsmen. Regardless, knowing that she was succumbing to the corruption, Ruby took off with a handful of loyal followers in an attempt to kill as many Grimm as she could before she fell while she attempted to uncover the secret to finding Salem's domain. Or, hiding away the fourth and final Relic. (I'm basing this on the classic trope of the final boss's hideout usually being hidden in some way. They've technically do that in Elden Ring for the Halig Tree among other secret areas. Speaking of, any of you as excited as I am for for the upcoming DLC?)
She failed. Or, did she?
Regardless, with the last bit of her humanity being overtaken, the "Last Silver-eyed Warrior" (In quotations for reasons), the Hero of Remnant, Ruby Rose has hidden herself away in the furthest corner of the world as a last act of saving others.
The Approach: Ruby's boss arena is located in either an abandoned temple or ruined fortress called The Rose Recluse by locals.
This structure, the Recluse, rests at the summit of a low steppe rising out of a lush, dark forest. The forest is found at the far Western edge of the Great Vacuan Desert, far removed from where anyone should be able to find it, barring a long ranged shuttle craft like a Manta or Bullhead dropship.
The abbey has only one known route up to it, a lonely path through the forest below that ends at the foot of a long, winding stairway leading up to the heights beyond. It should be noted that this abbey can't even be found should you try to look for it in the mountain range that it's found in due to the forest below constantly giving off a dense mist that obscures it from view.
The forest is locally dubbed the Dark Forest for this reason. In lore, it was originally called The Last Oasis due to being the furthest point of the Vacuan Kingdom before that was effectively shattered by the coming of the other Kingdoms. As such locals have a particular dislike for anyone from the other Kingdoms, regardless of their reasons for coming.
It should be noted that by the time you arrive to the Dark Forest you should become aware of the fact that there are no Grimm in the immediate area. Something that is beyond unnerving for the world of Remnant. There are bandits or other types of ruffians you may face in the ruined town at the outskirts of the forest.
It should also be noted that this is a high level area, what with Ruby being a near end game level Boss.
When you enter the forest immediately you become aware of how dense the mist is. By the time you make it ten yards within the confines of the forest, the mist is so thick you can't really see anything in front of you and all sound is muffled save for distant bird calls and the sloshing of the ankle-deep water you find yourself in.
The entire forest is the arena for another boss, though he typically only appears once you breach the mid-line to the Recluse's stairway, but more on that later. There are also an assortment of berserker style warriors that patrol the forest who will constantly attack you intermittently once the first one spots you. Most of the warriors announce their assault with a bloodcurdling scream while a chosen few are far more silent, attacking while invisible with only the stirring of the water giving their presence away.
These warriors may even attack you while you are fighting the boss in the area should you take too long to defeat him.
As for the approach to the abbey itself, there is a bonfire at the foot of the stairway leading up to the abbey's entrance. It's the only bonfire in the area, too. (In typical Fromsoft fashion if you die on the approach to the boss's arena, you got to start all over again from the beginning. Also, what would be the RWBY version of a bonfire? Any thoughts?)
The stairway is guarded by most of Ruby's followers; they are all garbed in cloaks or capes of once vibrant red while still resembling some of the soldiers, guards and lesser Huntsmen/Huntresses that you've seen earlier in the game. The Huntsmen/Huntresses are effectively the hostile NPCs you would fight in other Fromsoft games in place of invading PCs.
The initial pair of guards you face as you start up the stairs are armed with Fire-Lances and crossbows. They are followed by a rogue of some kind armed with dual short swords who fires off (Ha!) variants of flames, either with their blades or by hurling flaming projections from their hands.
You may face a few other followers before you come up to the next real challenge about halfway up.
At the halfway point of the stairway, far enough up that if you fell you instant die, you face off against a trio of guards/soldiers, a rogue and a "knight". The guards/soldiers are armed with mid-ranged and ranged weaponry while the rogue loves to throw makeshift grenades while you're engaged with the others. This means that he's liable to kill the others if you time it right. The knight, meanwhile, is armed with a composite spear/rifle like a discount Pyrrha and a greatshield. He is the closest member of Ruby's followers to another Huntsman you've met so far and so has a discount Huntsman weapon (It's my opinion that Only Huntsmen/Huntresses would have such weapons. Both in canon and in the game.)
About 66% of the time the knight immediately bullrushes towards your character as soon as he see you in an attempt to knock you off the side of the cliff. If you clever about it, you can kite him into killing himself, instead.
The last force of followers is at the top of the stairs. Its another group of four to six guards/soldiers who attempt to stall or stop you as you approach them. They shoot at you first unless the others before moving into melee once you roll through their fire.
The abbey is on a flat, empty plateau save for a bottomless fountain and garden to the left of the stairs and a small series of buildings to the right that have been converted to barracks/store rooms. You'll find a tougher than average huntress in the gardens armed with a knock-off scythe/sniper rifle similar to Ruby's. It fires high explosive rounds that will chew through your armor and poise in quick succession.
This Huntress, or one of the store rooms, has the key to the Abbey's main building.
The Huntress is also not alone. There are guards armed with precision rifle on the parapets of the walls enclosing the garden who will immediately attack you alongside the Huntress if you engage with her first.
The store rooms/barracks is patrolled a trio of knights similar to the one you fought on the stairs and the barracks have several sleeping guards/soldiers just waiting for you to backstab at your leisure.
If you go behind the the main building, where Ruby is waiting for you for her boss battle, you'll find a series of siege platforms, all armed and aimed at the neighboring mountains and skies. (It being Vacuo, I feel that they would be ballistae or trebuchets seeing as that Kingdom is behind everyone else in technology. Hell, the two Vacuan Huntsmen teams you see in the Vytal Tournament are all armed with very basic weapons - cool weapons - but very basic. The only one with a mechashifting weapon is Nebula, and it's a crossbow cum sword!)
The defenses arrayed here are watching over the secret back way to the Recluse. If you search for it you'll eventually find a ladder leading down to a flat, rocky expanse way, way below even the Dark Forest that eventually leads into the mountains beyond. This expanse will eventually become another boss's arena after Ruby dies and the path through terminates at the one-way exit to another boss's lair (It's a one way exit on their end. If you beat that boss first and find your way through the secret exit at the back of their arena you'll be able to reach Ruby far earlier than expected, though you won't be able to return back that way unless you Fast Travel back at the nearest Bonfire. Which, again, is at the foot of the abbey's stairs. So, good luck with that.)
When you're are ready, and have the key, open the double doors to the main building and be prepared to face the former leader of Team RWBY and the Last Hero of Remnant.
Ruby's Aesthetic/Appearance: While I like the fandom creation of the Grimmified Ruby, and Team RWBY as a whole, my personal thoughts for this iteration of Ruby is more a half-formed version of The Hound (Of course, your thoughts are welcomed for her appearance) with her right arm and shoulder an engored and Grimm goo covered mass that she use as part of her initial attack set. (Oh, yes, Ruby has a second phase. She's the leader of Team RWBY, and is Freaking Ruby Rose! She gets a second phase.)
She is still Grimmified like the fandom one you see when you look up images of her like that in addition to the arm. (The one with the single horn and red eyes in place of her silver ones. If you still don't know which one, just look up Mallobaude's My Abominable Monster Classmates Can't Be This Cute to see the artwork for the story. Side note, that's my favorite story of her's. Go read it if you haven't.)
And, she does still use Crescent Rose in addition to the arm, though, like her clothes and cape, it's a torn up and ruined version of its original version.
The Fallen Rose is a representation of what Ruby almost became at the end of Volume 9, someone who has last all hope. From her clothes to the half-formed mass of her right side she physically represents someone who's fought and fought until there's nothing left. Volume 10 Ruby is obviously not going to be this anymore, seeing as we've had that resolution at the end of Volume 9.
But, she could've. (Though, Ruby might have another concern in place of that, if RWBY x Justice League, Pt 2 has anything to say about things. Ugh, no offense to any of you who like those movies, but there are neither good RWBY or Justice League movies. They are okay movies, but, just, meh?)
The Arena: The fight starts after a cut screen panning around the room as you enter before lingering on a largely shadowed figure staring out of the pane glass window at the back of the room. The room is lit by hundreds of burning candles like DS3 and has a larger statue of the Maiden stature from the Volume 4 character short as the central figure.
Eerie music begins to play as Ruby steps into view, revealing her single red eye and the pulsating, dripping, writhing mass of her right arm and the near bestial right leg. Then the battle begins.
Ruby starts off as a lumbering beast of a boss thanks to the massive Grimm arm she now sports, rushing you as quickly as she can while also attempting to smash you with her fist in a classic double smash followed by either a wide swipe to the right or an attempt to grapple with you. It's should be reminiscent of enemies you've fought along the way here. Kind of like the DS3 Pus of Man enemies you fight in Lotheric Castle.
This is a trick, though. One designed to placate you into thinking Ruby's boss fight will be easier than you first thought. But, Ruby ain't that kind of gal.
As soon as you start to try and kite around to her left side to avoid her massive claws, she begins to engage you with her scythe in a series of aggressive swipes, usually two or three swings at once before following through with her right again. If you continued to attack her left side she begins to continually swipe with her scythe if you even start that way.
As the fight goes on the mass of Grimm goo begins to sprout manifestations of other Grimm from a series eyes along the length of the arm and oversized shoulder to Centinel legs and the trio of insectoid wings that sprout from her shoulder. She starts hurling parts of the building at you as a ranged attack even as she began to leap into the air into an impromptu series of plunging attacks that also causes parts of the ruined ceiling to fall down around you. She does this first as a double plunging slam then a triple as you wear her down.
The entire time your fighting her the Grimm arm is leeching your health with its corrupting influence but about halfway through the first phase it also starts spew out acid from Cenitaur mouths in the arm.
Finally, the first phase end in a cut scene where Ruby collapses to the ground with the Grimm arm writhing in the arm above her. She starts at the still reflective surface of Crescent Rose's chipped and broken blade, staring deeply into it. She blinks her red Grimm eyes closed only to open them revealing her Silver Eyes and, with a pulse of Silver Light, expels the Grimm mass from her right side, utterly eradicating it in the process unlike all the other former Silver-Eyed Warrior cum Grimm hybrids that you've faced so far.
Then she stands, gripping Crescent Rose in her classic stance, before the fight begins again.
She stays standing in that pose until you finally close with her only to counter you by springing in the air with an explosive shot before coming down on you to try and end you with series of violent cuts and slashes in a manner similar to Malenia, Blade of Miquella's Waterfall Dance. This opening attack will kill you instantly if it hit. But, it only hits you if you stay standing in the immediate area around her opening stance for the second phase.
After that opening gambit she begins to attack you in a a manner completely opposite of the initial phase, using her Semblance to blur around you as she spins and wheels about with Crescent Rose, making it almost impossible to land a hit without getting struck in return. She does this constantly, often suddenly vanishing before appearing behind you to strike at you in a gruesome back stab of her own, making it nearly impossible to predict her movements.
She also uses Crescent Rose's Rifle to boost herself at or away from as well. Only pausing long enough to reload, and giving you just the briefest of moments to attack her unimpeded.
Occasionally, she springs forth in the red blur of her whirlwind attack at you. This attack cannot be blocked and is nearly impossible to dodge if you don't start dodging before she begins to move towards you. She also occasionally blasts upwards into the air using this move before coming back down like she did in her opening counterattack.
About halfway through this phase she attacks with her Silver Eyes once more, instantly blinding you like in the show. The attack does not hurt you otherwise, but if you don't recover quickly enough she will instantly end you in another one-hit kill attack. Afterwards, she occasionally tries this method on you again, though the ability only works if you're in close range with her.
Finally, as Ruby falls to your attacks once more the fight ends with one more cut scene. She smiled at you as her aura shatters one last time and collapses, dropping her weapon, as the last traces of the corruption leaves her. She either says something or motions towards where she's hidden either the Relic, the map to Salem's Domain or what have you before dissipating in a vanishing cloud of rose petals.
She drops the Corrupted Rose Scythe, which deals extra damage via the Corruption element, the Tattered Cloak, which adds resistance to Corruption damage, and the Broken Promise talisman, her mother's Rose Emblem. All three of these items can eventually be reforged back into the original Crescent Rose, Rose Cloak, and Rose Emblem which deal extra damage to Grimm and Grimm corrupted creatures, high resistance Corruption itself and an increased chance of dealing critical damage to bosses respectfully.
Finally, you are rewarded with the Fallen Rose Remnant (Basically, the RWBY Souls game version of a Lord's Soul.) The Remnant details how Ruby knew that she was losing herself and made her way here as a part of her final stand against Salem while also hinting at where the rest of her Essence might be. (Details below)
As an added bonus to all this is that a pure Strength build can actually just well on this boss, especially in the second phase due to Ruby being canonically fragile. True, she's not as fragile as Weiss, or even Blake these days, but still can't stand up to such blows for long before her poise breaks. You could even stunlock her if you're using the right weapons or enhancements, too.
Cyber-Rose
(What? You thought I'd just make one Boss version of Ruby? Oh, no, no, no. I got more for Ruby; though, these latter two are less boss battles and more boss ideas)
The Lore: Much like how regular Ruby has been Corrupted by Salem through a version of a Grimm Virus. This time the virus was created by Arthur Watts and seeded throughout the world's cybernet. Meanwhile, the one that creates our corrupted heroes was one designed by Salem that affected Huntsmen and others warriors who have had their Aura unlocked.
Regular people simply died, unable to survive the transform brought on by the virus.
Much like with Fallen Rose Ruby, Cyber-Rose could tell that she was being corrupted, her fighting spirit slowly losing the fight with the virus that takes her over and turns her into a puppet for Watts to use as he wished, like how some of the other fallen heroes are used by Salem and Cinder in the more Souls-like version of this. Cyber-Rose is now an assassin, one with her humanity and morality being locked in her own body as it's forced to kill people for her enemies.
The Approach: I still don't have one. Sorry.
Cyber-Rose's Aesthetic/Appearance: So, in a more Sci-fi version of a Ruby boss fight I feel like she would very much resemble the RWBY 3.0 design by Dishwasher1910 (And, apparently a story from Wattapad? Should I read that? The artwork is awesome, by the by!) with cybernetic legs and a more Sci-fi version of Crescent Rose.
Specifically, her legs are composed of a silvery, metallic material that end halfway up her thick thighs, which are curvaceous on their own as are her rather large breasts (I think that's where all the sugar from the strawberries and cookies she eats goes). The legs themselves end in built-in heels with bladed stilettos that deal a severe amount of Physical damage should she connect with a kick as a counterattack.
Her signature red cloak and hood are made of a scintillating, scale-like material that acts as a cloaking device for when she's outside her boss arena. While it's ineffective during the boss fight itself due to Ruby not having a reason to use it, the cloak is still active during the fight and is constantly partially concealing her form.
Finally, her eyes, while as silver in color as her non-cyber form, are flat and lifeless, almost seeming robotic in nature themselves, though, they aren't. otherwise she couldn't use her Silver Eyes ability.
Cyber-Rose's aesthetic is the classic loss of humanity through the use cybernetics and other high technologies. Mostly because she's been corrupted by, of all things, a computer virus.
The Arena: This version of Ruby would be found floating in the center of her boss arena - a white Void of some kind - waiting for you to come to her. Sci-fi Crescent Rose floats at her right while a Cyberdog version of Zwei (Cause why not? Cyberdogs are cool!) floats to her left. The cyber Zwei is more of a Cyberwolf, by the by.
She shoots at you from this position while she floats in a laid back position, taking pot shot that blow through your armor and shields with surprising effectiveness and blocking your melee and ranged attacks with a bubble force field as needed. Meanwhile, she sends Zwei out to harass you as you run around the arena, attempting to dodge her almost stunlocking gunfire. While Cyber-Zwei's claws and teeth are effective Physical damage dealing weapons, his most dangerous weapon is the ability to explode at will. The blast deal tremendous fire damage as well as Poise and had a somewhat wide range.
It is thankfully dodgeable due to visual/sound cue as well as a short wind-up time.
Cyber-Rose begins to dart from place to place in an almost teleporting manner as you start to chip away at her health bar, occasionally reforming Zwei to send out at you, should you kill him as he attacks you. Not hard to do as he takes damage every time he uses his Explosion ability in addition to whatever you deal him.
At half health Cyber-Rose begins to use her Silver Eye ability to blind/flash fry you at mid range as you continue to close with her. The attack is undodgeable, however, it is blockable.
Finally, Cyber-Rose will attempt to counterattack and Parry/Riposte you with Crescent Rose should you close with her. She attacks with the scythe in a series of double or triple slashes before flash teleporting behind you to do the same again repeatedly until you leave her range. She occasionally instead chooses to flee from you afterwards in an attempt to heal while retreating to mid range for using her Silver Eyes or her sniper rifle.
At low health, starting at about 20%, Cyber-Rose only uses her melee ability on you, having lost both her shield and ability to float away, aggressively slashing at you in a series of four or five spinning slashes at a time.
Shadow Rose
The Lore: So, Shadow Rose is a double Easter Egg, secret boss. She's a literal shadow person a la Volume 1, but also takes the appearance of Ruby from Ice Queendom. Meaning, she's very lean and somewhat taller than how she looks from the original series (That's a personal observation. Ice Queendom Ruby seems both taller and leaner than original Ruby. Which works as she's suppose to look very wolf-like, being Red Riding Hood.)
She specifically designed and modeled after Sekiro DLC bosses, specifically the Inner Father boss (Though, I've never actually fought him. In fact, I'm probably never going to try and go back to beat that game. I love it, but I am terrible at it. So much so that I know if I tried, I'd end up hating it and I'm not going to do that. Already did that with GTA, Fallout.)
The Approach: After defeating Fallen Rose and returning to whatever would be the RWBY Firelink Shrine area you are informed by the one who sent you out on this mission to kill the remnant's (Ha!) of Remnant's Heroes (Who will remain unknown for the time being. I got an idea. I wonder if someone will guess who they actually are. Let's just say that this character is also a later Boss battle and loves to meddle in the background. They are not a front-line fighter.) that Ruby's Soul as well as several of the others are all broken even more than they originally thought and if you want to truly break through the barrier that Salem has put up around the Grimmlands and Evernight Castle (Wouldn't that make the Grimmlands the lands of Evernight then? Shrugs in confusion.) then you have to search for the other shards of their Remnants (Lot of Remnants there, huh?)
They advise you to perhaps return to the area where you had fought their Corrupted forms and use that as a starting point for locating these shards. Ruby's is the easiest to locate as you've killed her last and so you return to The Rose Recluse. Once there, you find that not only is there now a ferocious, optional boss in the desert plain behind the abbey, the one leading away from another boss's arena and the one where all the one with ballistae or trebuchets overlooking it, but, now a narrow path into the mountains has opened up, one previously hidden within the abbey's grounds themselves.
Taking this long, winding path eventually leads you to Shadow Rose's Arena. This path had another Bonfire at its foot, is filled with several weak, bloodied Corrupted Civilians as well as numerous other corpses from where Shadow Rose has slaughtered them on her Path of Destruction (That's the name for the path leading towards her arena.)
You will begin to notice as you continue on this path that it's not natural, having been recently hewn by some unnatural force. Shadow Rose created this path as she was birthed and departed away from the site of her original form's defeat and destruction at your hands.
She remembers you, by the by.
Shadow Rose's Aesthetic/Appearance: Shadow Rose is disturbing in that every aspect of hers is blacken in shadows from her cloths to her cape to her hair and even her scythe. The only thing that isn't a shadow or emanating shadowy smoke are her eyes. Which are equally disturbing in that they are composed entirely of silvery light that trails behind her as she moves. Basically, she's a Grimm in humanoid form; specifically Ruby as a Grimm wraith.
Shadow Rose's Aesthetic is that she a true Reaper of Souls. A manifestation, perhaps, of what Ruby originally envisioned the Grimm Reaper to be, before she met Maria. A literal Reaper as told to her by her Uncle Qrow during her training days with him. What she made herself into alongside that of the faded memory of her mother as the Corruption set in.
The Arena: Shadow Rose is waiting for you as you enter her arena, a flat semi-circular stone depression at the end of a long, narrow, high walled path in the mountains around The Rose Recluse. Shadow Rose attacks faster, dodges/blocks your attacks more often and spring attacks you more often. She is effectively what Malenia, Blade of Miquella would've been at her peak (Believe it or not, but just like with Radahn, when you fight Malenia, she's is probably at her weakest. She literal blind from the Scarlet Rot by the time you face her. Just watch one of the various lore videos on Youtube if you don't believe me.)
Shadow Rose will repeatedly fire a trio of rifle shots at you before springing forth into a series of melee combos. She's constantly darting around, dodging every which way, making it nearly impossible to land any real damage on her, especially with projectiles; though, again, a pure Strength build will still do massive damage to her. It'll just be harder to beat her with.
Shadow Rose still has a Semblance like Fallen Rose and uses it much like her counterpart to dash around you in an almost teleporting-like manner. The difference between the two is that Shadow Rose's Petal Burst (The actual name for Ruby's Semblance, by the way. Yes, I read the wiki.) emits an obscuring cloud of shadows and sickening miasma every time she dances around you with it. She also has the same whirlwind attack as Fallen Rose, only it too hits harder, is faster, and she uses it more often.
Her Silver Eyes ability, however, is nerfed. Thanks to Shadow Rose being only a piece of Ruby's Soul as well as being heavily corrupted by this point her most powerful ability has been severely weakened. It still blinds you if it connects but the area of effect is severely weakened and you are no longer stunned by the effect.
It should be noted that the Corrupted Rose scythe actually does extra damage to her as a secret method for dropping her quickly.
Shadow Rose hits harder, attacks faster, and is more of a glass cannon than Fallen Rose, meaning you can still beat her using a purely Strength-based build so long as you're not Fat Rolling. The reason for this is because Shadow Rose is suppose to be Ruby distilled into her purest form, not necessarily her best, morally, but martially and Ruby has never been good at taking a hit for stronger opponents (Still better than Blake though.)
Shadow Rose is the last remaining bit of Ruby's essence that survived being consumed by the Grimmification of her physical body. Once defeated, so long as you haven't in some way used Fallen Rose's Remnant it combines with Shadow Rose's Remnant to become The Remnant of a Simple Soul, a key element to unlocking the secret, Good Ending for the game (It's a Fromsoft game. They rarely have a true, Good Ending to any of their games.)
A/N: And, that's about it for Ruby. I got Jaune for the next chapter. Which will hopefully be coming out soon.
Take care, Essiter out!
