An Arc for Every Season - Chapter 41

Next chapter for Seasons. Been a while, huh? Literally about two years. Hopefully people remember what this was about. The original plan before was to do another comedy chapter with apartment shenanigans, but given the time gap, I figured we needed some actual fucking plot. So yeah, enjoy. 

Patreon note - I've started taking my anxiety medication again. I'm hoping it'll improve my output. I remember a few years back when I updated every few days. I'm hoping to go back to that.

[line break]

Jaune always enjoyed camping ever since he was a kid. Domremy was a relatively big town - bigger than most settlements outside the walls - but it didn't have the modern luxuries of the kingdoms or kingdom-adjacent places like Patch or Argus. The CCT could be spotty, movies and games were weeks or months late, and comic books were pretty much a luxury you had to import from the kingdoms. He'd lost count of how much of his allowance he spent importing comics and games ahead of the usual supply caravans.

Which was why the thought of camping out in Mt. Glenn didn't really bother him. Ruby and Yang claimed they were outdoorsy types because they lived at a cabin in Patch, but their actual camping experience was staying out at a tent in their backyard. And Weiss? Forget about it. The only camping she ever did was going to one of her villa's climate controlled gardens and sleeping in the bungalows. Marble bungalows, because the Schnees never did anything halfway.

The only one who had any sort of camping experience was Blake. Say what you will about her - and he had a lot to say - but she knew rough living. Kuo Kuana wasn't exactly a luxury resort and the White Fang weren't welcome in any of the kingdoms; even Vacuo. They both knew how to set up proper camping sites, hunt, and field strip animals for cooking. Dad made sure all of his kids could survive out in the wilds and Jaune took to hunting the best compared to all his sisters. It reminded him of the fairy tale heroes he loved growing up.

Those same skills were about to be tested again.

Mt. Glenn's reclamation would take days, even with Maiden powers, and flying back and forth to the city (even with Ruby's Semblance) was impractical. So, camping it was. They got all the necessities ready. Tents, water, clothes, and...food. Alright, so they didn't get that part. He and Blake were so busy (while Ruby and Yang were talking with their dad and Uncle) that they figured it was harmless. Worse case scenario, Weiss would buy some stupidly expensive preserved stuff that they could still eat just fine.

They underestimated Weiss Schnee.

Now, they were huddled around a campfire digging into boxes of vegetable omelette MREs.

The mood over the group was dim and heavy. They were so assured by Weiss' confidence about how they'd love what she picked out that they didn't even double check what she bought. It was only after a day of hard Grimm killing (with Jaune boosting their magic) that they finally made camp at the outskirts and Weiss pulled out the packets that the situation became clear. His and Blake's face fell in mutual resignation while Ruby and Yang winced at the word Veggies. Cause apparently these two just relied on Aura for all their nutrional needs.

"It's not my fault!" Weiss said again, picking at her chunk of vomlette, "I assumed vegetable omelettes would be nutricious and healthy! It's an omelette and it was made by Atlas! How could anyone mess that up?!"

"Because Atlas sucks and hates their soldiers almost as much as they hate Faunus," Blake said. She didn't even attempt to touch her pile of green sludge, glaring at it like it personally offended her, "We had this back in the White Fang days. Even ADAM refused to eat it, and he's sustained by spite. Sienna actually used this to recruit people, saying that it shows Atlas' cruelty. We got two dozen more recruits just by making them smell it.

"Oh come on, now you're exagerrating!"

"I never lie, Weiss."

Jaune coughed and said something that sounded suspiciously like "bullshit" between his breath. Blake glared at him, "Blake's honesty aside, she's completely right about this." He held up the packet with a grimace, "This isn't edible, Weiss. My whole family ate this during our camping trip last year. Even dad gave up, and he's one of those salt of the earth types. He got halfway through before he gave up and took me hunting. Took us four hours while starving."

Ruby and Yang didn't say anything, but Yang was looking at a bottle of booze longingly while Ruby nibbled on a cookie like a chipmunk. Weiss looked at each them, trying to find an ally, before she eventually gave up and let her shoulders sag, "It's not my fault..." she said again.

Blake raised a brow, "Really? Fine then. Eat it. Just one bite and me and Jaune will take it all back." Jaune raised a brow. There she was speaking for him again, but he was too curious to call her out on it. Ruby and Yang looked at her expectantly too, four out of five members looking at the (former) heiress expectantly. Weiss took a deep, shuddering breath, she stabbled her spork (another cruelty) into the vomit and took out a tiny chunk of "omelette". She slowly raised it up to her mouth.

Then tossed the entire thing, spork and all, into the campfire.

"...Shut up," she said, glaring at them all, "We can just order food."

"Yeah, how? You think Yuber Eats delivers to abandoned cities full of Grimm?" Yang snorted.

"I can go hunting, but it's way too late now" Jaune said.

"Not a problem for me, but I'd rather not go out there alone," Blake said, "Besides, it's too late now. It'll take hours to skin and gut the thing, and it'll rot over the night unless we build a smoke rack. Me and Jaune can build a smoke rack tonight then hunt tomorrow." She paused, "Actually, you three should gather the materials. Don't have an axe, but Ruby's scythe should be good enough to cut some wood." Ruby looked offended at the idea of her precious baby being used like that, but her grumbling stomach kept her from arguing, "Weiss and Yang, you two can dig a pit. Should be about half a foot or a foot deep."

"And what will you two be doing while we do all this?" Weiss sniffed.

"Getting some rest so we can hunt tomorrow," Jaune said. For once, he and Blake were in full agreement, "We can hunt at first light tomorrow. With any luck, we can find something to eat before we all starve." Okay, that was an exagerration, but with their grumbling stomachs, no one was willing to argue. They all took one last look at the pile of garbage Weiss bought before they all collectively shivered and stuffed them out of sight. Yeah, that wasn't happening.

Weiss, Ruby, and Yang grumbled but went off anyway; Ruby to go chop up some wood and Weiss and Yang to go dig a pit. They didn't have a shovel, so Weiss summoned a giant spectral hand to carve up a piece of the earth. She still couldn't summon a full Arma Gigas, much to her frustration, but apparently the power of sheer spite and refusal to get her hands dirty was enough to let her get partway there. Meanwhile, Yang kept an eye out for Grimm, but she was gonna be disappointed if she was expecting a fight.

Jaune looked out to the ruins of Mt. Glenn. He'd read about Mt. Glenn in the history books back home. Vale's first attempt at expansion almost 20 years back that ended in catastrophic failure. Grimm suddenly surged en masse like like they were called in by a siren and the defenses weren't enough to hold back the tide. Eventually, even the evacuation was deemed a lost cause and the tunnels were collapsed...while people were still in them.

It was the most catastrophic loss for Vale since the Great War. Mt. Glenn, which was supposed to be a sign of Vale's independence and grit, ended up being a colossal failure. Vale left all the buildings and infastructure to rot, letting it fall back to nature...and the Grimm. It was the very picture of kingdom hubris. The council decided to just forget about it and leave it all to rot. Too much of a reminder of what they lost.

And whoever saved it would be the triumphant hero.

Not for the first time, Jaune found himself musing on how he got here. Just a year ago, he'd been nothing more than some dumb kid with dreams of heroism. He'd go to Beacon, get a badass Semblance, then go on and have adventures all across Remnant. Maybe he'd even get a girlfriend along the way. Or, as much as he hated to admit once wanting it, a harem of Huntresses. ...What? He was 17, sue him. Huntresses were the fantasy of every guy back in Domremy, more than even models and celebrities.

Then again, he'd gotten partway there.

His eyes shifted from the retaken clumps of remnant to Ruby. His amazing girlfriend. Some days, a part of him still couldn't believe he'd gotten this far, "You're staring," Blake said, a ghost of a smile on her lips, "Would it be too much to hope that you two keep it in your pants this week?"

"Says the one who's been going at it with Yang?"

The slight blush on Blake's cheeks stuck out against her pale skin, "Sh-Shut up." She looked to the distance, supposedly to keep an eye on Grimm, "...You know, you're not the only one who lied to get here. When I first got into Beacon, I was shocked. I kept looking over my shoulder, sure they were going to find me. Especially when I got put into a team with Weiss." She gestured to the former heiress who was bickering with Yang since they (somehow) made the hole six feet deep, "This is the last thing I expected..."

"Any plans for Mt. Glenn when you guys clear out all the Grimm?" Blanche told them that team RWBY-J would have a lot of say once the reconstruction began. It was practical, he said. Getting them invested into the city's welfare ensured they'd stay to protect it and made sure it didn't just collapse all over again. And it'd entice more people to come if they figured that Mt. Glenn was under the direct protection of the Protectors of Vale.

"I...I don't." She shook her head, "When I left the White Fang, I didn't really have a real plan. Just...broad strokes, I guess." She waved a hand through the air idly, "Go to Beacon, become a Huntress, become a bridge between Human and Faunus. I realized pretty quick that was a pretty stupid plan." She laughed under her breath, "There's been Faunus Huntresses for decades now and it hasn't stopped people from being racist bastards. I was being so egotistical thinking I could be some kind of savior."

"I mean...you kinda are now. You're probably the most famous Faunus on Remnant."

"Because of power I didn't earn." She didn't sound bitter about it, more resigned.

"I dunno. Stopping your crazy ex from blowing up Vale's walls probably has more to do with it." Jaune smirked, "Come on, Blake. You have a LOT of flaws. I mean, there's so much that I'm surprised you can walk with how many they are. Seriously, how do you-"

"Jaune." Her eyes flared with purple fire.

"-but that only means you need to own the good things you've done," he finished smoothly.

"...You're racking up a debt, Arc. One I'm gonna pay back eventually. Ruby can't protect you forever."

"I think she'd disagree with you on that." He gestured to Ruby, who was cutting up the bark into thinner pieces.

"We're going hunting tomorrow. Alone. Be a real shame if you had an accident."

Jaune rolled his eyes and laughed before heading to his tent. They had three tents - one for him and Ruby, one for Blake and Yang, and the last one for Weiss. You could tell which one was her's since it was twice as big and colored an eye-searing white and blue. Could afford a fancy tent but not a good meal. As if hearing his thoughts, Weiss looked up from the 10 foot hole her summoned hand dug up and glared at him. He decided to go into his tent before all of team RWBY-J decided to bury him in that hole.

It didn't take him long after changing before his eyes got heavy. While RWBY were the ones doing the heavy lifting, he was still boosting them with his Semblance; which drained the hell out of him. But hey, it was worth it to see all of them coming down on hordes like goddesses of war. For even experienced Huntsmen, a pack of Goliaths would've been a big ask. For team RWBY, it took about as much time as them deciding which flavor of elemental exhaustion they wanted to use.

Minutes before before the zipper opened and Ruby hopped inside already in her pajamas. She scooted into his sleeping bag - completely ignoring her own - and squirmed between his arms until he was spooning her. Jaune smiled and nuzzled the back of her neck. Even after a whole day of Grimm smiting, the smell of her cherry perfume was still fresh. Ruby hummed and settled down to sleep, the two of them lulled by Yang and Weiss' argument outside.

[line break]

Hunting at first light ended up being the first time he didn't feel like a glorified buffbot since they showed up here. Jauune lay prone on the ground holding a rifle while Blake knelt next to him. A fair distance away, they saw a handful of deer grazing.

The sight of them eating grass, utterly ignored by the Grimm, while a crumbling building loomed in the background made for a stark image. How long would it take to rebuild this place, he wondered. Blanche said he planned to start off slow. All sorts of people would come here, he said. People from outside the walls, the poor, those looking for a second chance. Kingdoms guaranteed safety but space was limited and expensive. If Mt. Glenn could guarantee the same then people would fight to be here first.

Jaune tightened his grip on the hunting rifle. Even now, he wasn't exactly Huntsmen-tier, but just about every person back home knew how to use a rifle. Dad let him use his old one for both hunting and to take potshots at wandering Grimm over the walls. Honestly, he knew more about using this than a sword by the time he got into Beacon, but he couldn't afford a rifle. He couldn't even afford his own sword, let alone a gun.

He took a deep breath and looked through the scope. The deer was far enough away that it didn't notice them, "You sure you got this?" Blake murmured.

"Yeah. Don't worry." For once, he felt completely confident. He with the crosshairs over where the deer's heart was. Head or the heart, dad always told him. Make it quick and clean. Once he did the shot, the rest of the deer would scatter. Only one chance at this. He waited till the deer bent its head to feed again, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

The crack of the rifle almost seemed to echo across the empty landscape. The deer he targeted crumpled to the ground, blood pooling in the grass while the rest of the group scattered in a panic, "Good job." Blake smiled, looking completely sincere.

"Thanks." He stood up and slung the rifle across his back to join the shotgun he brought. He didn't have magic powers or the skills to fight a whole horde, so he improvised by being a walking armory. Right now he was packing his usual sword and shield plus a hunting rifle, assault rifle, shotgun, and some grenades and Dust vials. Might've seemed like overkill, but he wasn't taking any chances. Besides, it was good practice for learning to infuse Aura in a variety of weapons.

He and Blake grabbed two legs each and hauled the thing back to the camp's edge. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss looked up eagerly at the sight of them and the deer. Normally, Weiss would've found it distasteful - she was definitely a "don't see how the sausage is made" kind of gal - but hunger had a way of changing even the ice queen's mind.

"How long's this gonna take?" Yang asked as they set the dead animal down.

"About a couple of hours," Jaune said, "It'll go faster if we split the work. Blake, go prep the fire and skewers. I'll skin the deer and drain the blood. Maybe we can shave off half an hour." He knelt down and took out his combat knife. Weiss finally had the sense to look away, saying she was going to plan their Grimm extermination route. Yang went to help Blake with the fire while Ruby knelt down next to him, looking down at the clean shoot with obvious approval.

"Remind me again why you're not using a rifle?" Ruby asked with a smirk.

"I am."

"No, I mean as a main weapon." She leaned in closer till their shoulders were touching, lips curled in a smile. Which wasn't a good thing considering he was skinning a deer, but he wasn't gonna tell her to make space.

"Well...whoever heard of a knight who used their dad's hunting rifle?" He smiled back at her, his hands still skinning on autpilot, "Not exactly the knight of people's dreams, right?"

"You'd be the knight of my dreams." She fluttered her eyelashes at him and Jaune's face burned pink. Even now, seeing Ruby flirt still somehow managed to make him weak in his (normal) knees.

Weiss scoffed and made a sound like she was gagging, "Could you two please not flirt until after we've gotten something to eat?"

"Hey, it's not my fault all we have is trash!" Ruby shot back.

"For the last time, how was I supposed to know it'd taste so foul?!"

"It had veggies on the name!"

"We need to talk about your diet, Ruby! Cheeseburgers and cookies are not healthy, Aura or not!"

"I burn it off! My Semblance means I'm never gonna get fat!"

The two bickered about food while Jaune rolled his eyes and kept working. He wasn't gonna say it out loud, but he was almost glad for Weiss' horrible taste in rations. He actually felt useful, even if it was just to make sure that the rest of the team didn't starve to death or have to fly back to Vale for snacks with their tails between their legs. Better than just staying back and picking off the occasional beowolf or creep they missed.

A couple of hours later and they were eating fried deer. They were so hungry that even Weiss didn't seem to care that she was eating meat skewers; and this was the woman who used a fork and knife to eat pizza while Ruby looked at her like she was an alien, "Oh my god, this is so good~" Yang groaned, digging into a particularly large cut and holding it with her bare hands. Fat and juices dribbled down her chin, but she didn't care. Jaune thought about how the paparazzi would've loved this candid shot.

"...You know, I'm really happy," Ruby said suddenly. The four of them looked at her, "Back when I first got that offer from the headmaster to go to Beacon, I was excited, but also super nervous. I thought people would look at me like I was some kind of weirdo. Plus Yang ditched me." She glared at her older sister.

"Hey, I was trying to help you make friends!"

"It led to our rather explosive first meeting." Weiss rolled her eyes, biting into a skewer of thin meat, "Still, I wouldn't change anything for the world."

"While you guys were having adventures, I was getting called to the headmaster's office." Jaune stabbed another piece of meat and held it over the fire, "Honestly, I wonder how you four would've ended up if Ozpin didn't offer me that deal." Probably would've been fine. He was surplus to requirement.

"We probably would've blown up. Literally." Yang snorted, "Remember how bad Weiss cream was back then?"

"Excuse me?" Weiss looked offended, "Are we forgetting how Blake barely talked and kept giving me the side-eye like I was personally oppressing her race?"

"You called that Sun guy a slur."

"And we're fighting again. This is why we needed Jaune." Ruby sighed, "Byt the way, what are your plans for vacation once we clean this place up? Councilman Blanche said it'd be nice if we stuck around and helped people settle in, plus use our magic for the construction, but...I dunno. It feels like doing that is too much, right? We're supposed to be Huntsmen. Helping rule a city feels like we're going past what we're supposed to be."

"We've been entrusted to assist in a fight against an immortal Grimm Queen that seeks to end all life on Remnant, Ruby. We've long since passed regular Huntsmen duties," Weiss said, "And I agree with the councilor. Reclaiming Mt. Glenn only to abandon it would be very irresponsible."

"He said Faunus were likely to come here," Blake added, "Faunus councilor and one of the reclaimers is a Faunus. Vale's better for my people than Atlas and Mistral, but we still have to deal with prejudice. Faunus who come here will be looking for a second chance. If staying to help them transition gives even one more Faunus a home, then I'll do it. This is the reason I left the White Fang. To find a way to fight for my people that doesn't have to end in a pile of innocent bodies."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. Jaune made one last check to make sure the deer was being properly preserved before he began to amplify the four of them again. According to the estimations, it would've taken teams of Huntsmen weeks to exterminate all the Grimm, mostly because of the them converging in the tunnels. That was what led to the Breach in the first place. Hundreds - maybe even thousands - of Grimm all just waiting to pour out.

Which was why they had to lure them out.

Jaune watched through his scope from the top of a building as Ruby rushed inside one of the entrances. She can back out a minute later being chased by an absolute horde of Grimm. He put his finger on the trigger and got to sniping, trying to pick off at least a few Grimm before the elemental barrage got them all. Pull the trigger, pull back the bolt, repeat. He wasn't a trained sniper like Ruby - Grimm weren't like deer or boar - so he treated the whole thing as target practice. Maybe someday he could score consistent headshots.

It was only by sundown that they finally stopped. Ruby picked him up from the roof and zipped back to camp while the rest of the team groaned and sat around the campfire, "Man, I'm beat." Yang stretched her arms above her head and lay down on the grass, looking up at the shattered moon, "How many was that?"

"Hundreds, at least." Weiss sighed.

"And thousands more to go." Blake cut some meat from the deer and stacked it on a paper plate, "You know, when I imagined fighting hordes of Grimm, I didn't think it'd be like clocking in at the office."

"That's because you four have magic. Not exactly fair," Jaune pointed out.

"Killing Grimm's not supposed to be boring! It's supposed to be exciting! Get your blood pumping!" Yang sat up, "Remember the Breach? We were pushing ourselves to our limits! Now it's just Ruby luring hordes out and we blast them."

"People died back then, Yang..." Ruby murmured.

The other blonde's expression dimmed and she scratched the back of her head, "Yeah, okay, but I'm not talking about sending Grimm into town or anything. I mean actually pushing ourselves. We're supposed to be training our powers here, but it feels like we're just fighting combat dummies back at school. If we're gonna beat this Salem bitch, we need to push ourselves. Go past our limits!

"Yang, you, Blake, and Weiss learned to fly last week," Jaune pointed out again.

"Well, yeah, but most Grimm are on the ground! The only Grimm that fly are Nevermores and Griffons."

"What exactly are you suggesting, Yang? That we go into the tunnels and put ourselves at needless risk?"

"No! But, like, there has to be some way to train without just blasting everything to pieces. That chunk of ground outside the tunnel's been glassed so many times I'm starting to feel sorry for it."

"Next time, we'll make sure to go after a horde blindfolded." Blake handed each of them a skewer, "Now stop whining. We have another week of this."

[line break]

Seven days.

Ruby took a deep breath as she forced herself to stand up straight. Seven days of constantly luring out Grimm for the killing field. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang kind of had a point about how...mundane it all was. With her Semblance (plus a speed boost from her magic), the Grimm couldn't even touch her. All she had to do was go in, shoot a few rounds into the horde, then run outside while they might as well have been chasing her in slow-mo.

And now...it was clean.

Ruby did one more quick sweep to make sure every tunnel was free of Grimm. She even shouted and shot a few blanks in the air just to draw attention. Nothing. Now it was time for the second part of their job: a clean patrol.

"Are you guys ready?" Ruby asked, strapping the bodycam to her chest. Now that they'd cleared of most, if not all, the Grimm, the next part was to announce it to Vale. They could've just called for an announcement, but people would doubt or the rest of the council - which was looking for a win after the Winchester scandal and Sienna slipping into Vale right under their nose - would delay it and try to find a way to take credit for this. And Blake made it clear that she wasn't going to let them knock the Faunus councilor to the side just for political brownie points.

So this was the alternative. Announce on all their (scarily popular) social media pages that they had an announcement to make and posting a link to a livestream. Ruby wasn't exactly keen on it, but Weiss did say she saw the practical application for it. The council couldn't interrupt unless they were willing to fly to Mt. Glenn and trying to sabotage them by banning the videos would only end up making them look worse.

Ruby hated all these politics and scheming. She became a Huntress to help people. Kill Grimm, stop criminals, save innocents. It was supposed to be simple. No one but those weirdo conspiracy theorists argued about how they should see the Grimm's point of view. But now they were reclaiming something that could help thousands of people and they still had to be careful to do it the "right" way so some corrupt jerk couldn't just use it to push some political agenda.

She looked at the rest of the team too. All of them, Jaune included, had the same cameras and they were all boosted by Jaune's Semblance. Just in case, Weiss said. It was overkill for any stray Grimm they'd find, but better safe than sorry.

She took another deep breath and activated the stream, "Hey guys!" Ruby said, trying to sound like her normal cheerful self. Just focus on the people this could help, she told herself, "I know this is sudden, but team RWBY-J wants to make an announcement!" She gestured to the tunnel they stood in front of, "For decades, people had to abandon Mt. Glenn because of the Grimm. Any older people in the audience will remember hearing about it or maybe even experienced it firsthand."

She kept quit for a moment out of respect.

"Well, we're here to try and fix that." She stepped inside, the rest of the team following after her, "We've been working super hard to clear out all the Grimm! Not just in the ruins, but the tunnels too. But we don't expect you to take our word for it, so we're going to show you." They all turned on the camera's flashlights, bathing the tunnels in a bright light. The recording equipment was Huntsmen grade, the kind professionals used to confirm mission success (since Grimm didn't leave bodies behind). CCT connection, durable, emergency lights, and trackers in case the Huntsman was in danger.

Walking through the inside of Mt. Glenn felt eerie even after the dozens of times she'd sped through it. How many people died here, she wondered. The city fell before she was even born, so she didn't feel a sense of loss or responsibility for it like the Breach or the Great War. It was just some historical event to her.

But they made sure to still be respectful.

She led the team through the tunnel that ended up in a giant cavern that led to bunch of tunnels. While the majority of the settlement was located outside, the inside was meant to act as a final defense due to the lack of natural barriers most other places had (something Weiss said they could fix with their powers). Even then, someone or something sabotaged the tunnels and Grimm poured inside. Vale sealing the connecting tunnel turned the place Saunus' biggest tomb.

She'd spotted some scattered bones during her patrols, most of them buried under dirt or rubble. She knew that whether Grimm ate the bodies or not was random. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. Most of the ones in Mt. Glenn seemed to be the former. She knew from the history books that thousands of people died here, but she'd ran into maybe a couple dozen assorted bones across her runs that were noticeable out in the open. They all agreed they deserved proper burials.

Ruby led them across the various tunnels to show just how clear they were. It was actually eerie how calm the place was. Over the past week, she'd gotten used to the sight of red eyes in the darkness and the growls of Grimm. Now, it was just quiet. She could feel the amplified magic humming across her skin, ready to be unleashed, but there wasn't even a single beowolf straggler to hit. Which was good. The last thing they needed was someone who moved in here getting hurt.

They went through all the tunnels before eventually ending up back at the cavern. She could see on her scroll that hundreds of thousands of people were watching. She silently thanked the gods that she couldn't see them or else she might've gotten stage fright.

"As you can see, Mt. Glenn has been purged of Grimm," Weiss said, "We're not claiming that everything has been fixed. Any who wish to come here will find their work cut out for them, but it's a chance. A chance for any who-"

The ground shook. Ruby stumbled slightly and looked around. She didn't even get the chance to draw Crescent Rose before the shaking got worse and she fell on her side, "What the fuck?!" Yang shouted, but it was quickly drowned out by the sounds of tons of rocks cracking over their heads. Ruby's eyes widened and she immediately activated her Semblance, grabbing up the rest of her team and surging to the tunnel leading to the exit.

They were almost outside when a large piece of rock fell down and nearly crushed them all. Her Semblance deactivated from the force of the impact and they all fell into heap on the ground. Weiss, Yang, and Blake rolled enough to land outside while she and Jaune were still inside. Ruby struggled to stand. They had to get out of here. Had to...

"IS EVERYONE ALR-" Jaune's cry was consumed by a deafening roar and another piece of rock fell over her.

Without warning, Jaune surged forward and pushed her out of the way with enough force to send her flying outside, "Jaune!" She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the tunnel entrance. It was buried under tons of rock, and she barely saw Jaune through little gaps in the pile, "Jaune, hold on! I can-"

The roar came again, louder this time.

Ruby looked up and gasped. Hundreds of feet above them, at the peak of Mt. Glenn, they saw the ceiling crack and...and something was coming out of it. Her eyes teared up as the monster - the Grimm - finally emerged. A dragon. She wasn't seeing things. A giant Grimm that looked like a monstrous dragon with bat like wings, a malformed mouth full of sharp teeth, and glowing eyes that seemed to stare straight into their souls.

Her head was ringing so much that she almost missed the really weird part: rather than the normal red parts, the fabric of its wings, its eyes, and the corrosive fluid dripping from its body was all green. It was hard to see too, but she could swear there were bits of machinery attacked the bones on its head and jaw. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open. It felt like something was clawing at the back of her eyeballs and she didn't know what to do.

The dragon unfurled its wings and flew away. For a second, she thought that they were safe, before they saw a flock of Nevermores and Griffons suddenly following after it, seemingly coming out of nowhere, "Where is it..." She stopped, suddenly remembering the direction.

Oh no...

"It's heading for Vale!" Blake shouted, "We have to stop it!"

"But Jaune-"

"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" Jaune shouted, his voice muffled by the rocks, "Stop it! You have- damn it, ceiling's crumbling! I'm heading back inside! Go!"

"But-"

"GO!"

What little she could see of his figure through the space suddenly turned and retreated before another wave of stone blocked the gap. Her first instinct was to summon her power to pull out the rubble before she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, "Ruby, we have to save the city! Millions of people are at risk!" Weiss shouted.

"But Jaune-"

"He'll be fine! We have to trust him!" Weiss' eyes burned with white fire, "Come on! We have to stop them now!"

Ruby took one last look at the pile of rubble before she screamed in anguish and turned away, her eyes blazing with crimson flames, "You better be alive when I get back, Jaune!" she shouted before taking to the skies. Yang, Weiss, and Blake followed her as they surged towards the dragon heading for Vale in the distance.

Ruby's heart pounded as she streaked through the sky, her Semblance carrying her forward in a crimson blur. The massive dragon grew larger in her vision as they closed the distance, but it was still too far ahead. Behind it, the swarm of Nevermores and Griffons darkened the sky like a plague of locusts, "We need to get through them first!" she shouted over the rushing wind, drawing Crescent Rose. The familiar weight of her scythe in her hands steadied her nerves even as her mind kept flashing back to the pile of rubble where Jaune was trapped.

Focus, she told herself. She had to save the city first. Jaune would be okay. He had to be.

The first wave of Griffons dove toward them with piercing shrieks. Ruby spun Crescent Rose and channeled her power, feeling the magic surge through her weapon. She slashed horizontally, sending a massive gust of razor-sharp air cutting through the formation. Three Griffons were sliced clean in half, their bodies dissolving into black smoke before they could even hit the ground. The Aura slash kept going, cutting through another six Griffons before finally dissipating.

A Nevermore swooped down from above, its talons reaching for Yang. Ruby twisted in midair and fired off another wind-infused Aura slash, taking off the giant bird's wing right wing. It spiraled out of control with a bone-chilling cry.

"Nice shot!" Yang called out, her burning hair whipping behind her as she rocketed toward a cluster of Griffons. Her gauntlets blazed with orange fire as she cocked back her fist. When she punched, a massive fireball erupted from her knuckles, engulfing two Griffons in an instant. She didn't slow down, spinning to drive a flaming uppercut into a Nevermore's chest, the impact sending it flying like a comet towards another Nevemore and knocking them both out of the sky.

To Ruby's left, Weiss was a blur of white and ice. Icicles the size of cars materialized around her, launching forward to impale a diving Nevermore through the chest. She gestured gracefully with Myrtenaster, and the air around three more Griffons suddenly crystallized, trapping them in ice before they shattered like glass sculptures.

Blake moved towards another cluster, her katana crackling with purple electricity. She appeared above a Griffon in a flash of lightning, bringing her blade down in a devastating downward slash. Thunder boomed as electricity coursed through the Grimm's body, frying it from the inside out. Without missing a beat, she pointed Gambol Shroud skyward and called down a bolt of lightning that forked through the air, striking four Nevermores simultaneously.

Ruby pulled the at the power inside her, gathering the air around them into a massive tornado. The cyclone of wind caught a dozen smaller Grimm, shredding them to pieces as they were pulled into the vortex. She released the tornado with a fierce cry, sending it spiraling toward the largest group of Nevermores. They tried to scatter, but the wind was too strong, too fast. She watched with grim satisfaction as more and more of the horde was consumed.

But even as they carved through the aerial horde, more Grimm kept coming. And ahead of them, the massive dragon was still heading straight for Vale. Ruby's eyes locked onto the massive dragon's wing joint - the same weak point she targeted back at the Nevermore in Initiation. If she could cut off one wing, the monster would crash before it reached Vale, "I'm going in!" she shouted to her teammates before she activated combined her Semblance and magic.

The world blurred into streaks of red as Ruby shot forward like a bullet, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. The wind whipped against her face and Aura as she closed the distance in seconds, Crescent Rose held high above her head. The dragon's wing beat with thunderous force, creating gusts that threatened to knock her off course, but she pushed through.

With a fierce cry, Ruby drove Crescent Rose's blade deep into the joint where the wing connected to the dragon's massive body. The scythe's edge bit into the Grimm's hide with a sickening crunch, black ichor spraying across her red cloak. Ruby bit back a shriek as the same corrosive fluid ate away at her Aura. The dragon let out an ear-shattering roar, its entire body convulsing from the wound.

Ruby gripped her weapon's handle tighter as she changed from fire to gravity rounds. She could feel the dragon's muscles straining beneath her feet as it tried to shake her off. Her finger inched towards the trigger. Just had to-

A bone-jarring impact slammed into her from the side. Then another. And another.

A group of Griffons broke off from the main swarm and dive-bombed her position, their claws and beaks tearing at her. Ruby's Aura flared as she was battered from multiple directions, each hit driving the breath from her lungs. The combined momentum of their assault was too much. Her grip on Crescent Rose's handle slipped and she fell.

"No!" Ruby screamed as she was torn away from the dragon's back, tumbling through the air helplessly. She watched in horror as her beloved scythe remained embedded in the beast's wing, "Ruby!" Yang tackled her mid-air and threw her back to the Dragon's retreating form. She activated her Semblance again, reaching out for her baby, when another Nevermore almost knocked her out of the sky again. She was forced to stop and tear it apart with another wave of razor wind.

The chase continued like that for the next few minutes. Every time they gained on the dragon, Grimm would sacrifice themselves to block their path and buy just a little more time.

Ruby blasted through another wave of Griffons with a tornado, only to find three more Nevermores diving straight at her face like suicidal missiles. She sliced them apart with razor-sharp wind, but precious seconds ticked away as she dealt with each attack. Behind her, she could hear Weiss cursing as she froze a cluster of Griffons solid, Yang's explosive shouts as she punched her way through another cluster, and the crack of Blake's lightning splitting the air as she made sure each and every bolt bounced across different Grimm.

But it wasn't enough. For every Grimm they destroyed, two more seemed to take its place, throwing themselves at the four of them with suicidal determination.

Ruby could see Vale getting closer and closer. The city's walls rose up from the horizon, and beyond them, the familiar towers and buildings of Beacon. There were air defenses placed across the top of the walls, anti-aircraft guns and missile batteries that could take down normal flying Grimm. She could even make out tiny figures of Huntsmen taking defensive positions on the walls and rooftops.

But would it be enough to stop a horde like this? Would it be enough to stop that monster?

Her heart sank as she looked down below the dragon's flight path. The ground was crawling with more Grimm. Beowolves surging forward like starving animals, massive Ursa lumbering across the landscape, and Deathstalkers scuttling forward with their stingers raised. It was like the dragon was calling every Grimm in Saunus to its location

The walls would stop the ground forces, but the sheer number of them was terrifying. And that dragon... Ruby's eyes fixed on Crescent Rose, still embedded in the beast's wing like a red flag of defiance. That monster was heading straight for the heart of the city, and they were running out of time to stop it. Her eyes teared up again with pain she felt something almost overwhelming. Not fear. Anger. Anger at the thought of Jaune being hurt, at the thought of even one innocent person dying to this...this fucking monster!

The dragon surged down and divebombed towards the walls along with dozens of other Grimm. Ruby watched in horror as the anti-aircraft guns swiveled to track the incoming threat, their barrels blazing with gunfire. Huntsmen on the battlements launched themselves into the air, weapons drawn, ready to meet the assault head-on, while other Huntsmen and regular defenders shot at both the dragon and the rest of the horde bearing down on them.

But it was too much.

The dragon swept its massive claws across the battlements like a scythe cutting wheat. Stone and metal exploded under the impact, anti-aircraft guns crumpling like tin cans. Huntsmen were sent flying through the air, their Aura shields flaring as they crashed into walls or tumbled from the ramparts, "No!" Ruby shriekd, pouring more power into her flight as she desperately tried to close the distance, aiming for Crescent Rose like bullet.

Yang got there first. She flew overhead before spinning in a sharp 180-degree turn, her golden hair streaming behind her like a banner. With a roar of fury, she cocked back her fist and drove it into the dragon's skull with explosive force. The flaming punch connected with a sound like thunder, and Ruby felt the shockwave ripple through the air even from her position. The dragon's head snapped back from the impact, its roar echoing across the whole city and drowning out the screams of the people below.

Weiss was next. She raised both arms, her eyes blazing with white fire as she channeled her power. Two massive spectral arms materialized in the air, each one the size of a small building, translucent and glowing with ethereal energy with a chill that made her shiver. They wrapped around the monster's neck like giant hands, spectral fingers digging into its hide as Weiss strained to pull it away from the walls.

Blake was the last to strike. She flew close to the dragon's exposed chest, amber eyes crackling with purple electricity. Without a single pause, she created a shadow clone and infused it with her magic. The clone launched itself directly at the beast's torso and detonated in a massive explosion of purple lightning that lit up the sky like a second sun.

The combined assault finally knocked the dragon free from the walls. It tumbled through the air, crashing down into the horde of Grimm below with earth-shaking force.

Ruby shot down towards the dragon, uncaring of the surrounding Grimm, and beelined for Crescent Rose. She gripped the scythe's handle and roared, pulling the trigger and bolt over and over while the dragon shrieked. She grit her teeth and pushed herself forward with bursts of wind. The magazine was almost empty before the scythe blade finally cut through the wing joint, severing the wing. The fallen limb crashed into the ground and crushed a couple group of beowolves before dissipating into nothing.

But it wasn't enough. The dragon roared and readied itself to jump over the wall, or even just batter through it. The pain behind her eyes was too much now. She heard the rest of her team was screaming at her to get away, Yang was diving down to grab her again, but she barely even noticed. All she could think about was how angry she was. The people screaming in fear, the Huntsmen who were swatted away like flies, and Jaune...

Her next shriek pierced the air and a bright light shined from her eyes, engulfing everything around her. She wasn't going to let a single one of these monsters hurt anyone else!

Ruby didn't know how much time passed, but by the end of it, she was on her knees panting and barely conscious. Yang and Weiss hovered around her protectively with Yang's gentle but firm grip on her shoulder, "Wh-What...?"

"Easy there, Rubes. Easy."

"What happened? The dragon..." She looked past Yang and gasped. The dragon was still there, along with the rest of the Grimm...but all of them had turned to stone. They were surrounded by a field of Grimm statues with the dragon at the center frozen mid-roar, its remining wing unfurled.

She...She'd done that, hadn't she? She remembered her lessons with Ms. Calavera. She said the Silver Eyes had power that could turn Grimm to dust and ash. A part of her always figured she was being metaphorical in a way, but this was...

"Is...Is everyone alright...?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Yang grinned.

"The Huntsmen in the walls were injured severely, but they should be fine. The worst damage was to the defenses," Weiss added.

"That's...That's good." She stood up shakily, her relief quickly being replaced by worry, "Jaune...we need to go get him."

"Blake already went back for him. Rubes, you need to-"

"NO!" Ruby shook Yang's hand off. Her eyes burned with fire. Not red; silver. Both Yang and Weiss looked surprised, but she didn't care right now, "We gotta go save Jaune!"

Weiss and Yang looked at one another before they nodded, "I understand, we're worried about him too, but don't push yourself. Let's go."

[line break]

Ruby's now officially a Silver-Eyed Maiden. Don't worry, Jaune's gonna have his share of action in the next chapter. Less high octane anime and more desperate survivor, which is more my preferred fighting scenes.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this one.