RWBY: Meta-Static

Chapter 14 By Any Other Name

Ruby's POV:

I...I didn't die? I opened my eyes to see Roman's tentacles above me. A hand was emerging from my shadow, holding them back. Then, slowly, a head began to rise from the shadows...it was him. The mutant. His head was sticking out of my shadow. As he rose, he pushed Roman back with seemingly no effort.

"This fool thought he could escape me," the mutant said. "I mean, seriously, what did he think would happen?" Then he saw me.

3rd Person POV:

Alias looked down at Ruby to see her heavily injured. He looked down the street and saw Ruby's friends and Yang on the street, hurt and exhausted. Then he saw the destruction on the street.

"What happened?" Alias asked angrily, ""Who did this?" he demanded, his booming voice shaking the street. He turned to the bystanders. "HEY! Who did this to her!?"

Everyone pointed to Neo and Roman. Ruby, her friends, and her teammates mustered the last of their strength to point at them, too. Alias' head began to shake and vibrate as he slowly turned and looked at the two criminals.

"Stay here," Alias told Ruby.

She nodded nervously, her eyes wide with fear and pain.

"Look," Roman scoffed, "You should get out of here before I-"

Alias crushed Roman's tentacle with a squeeze, dark purple fluid gushing out. Roman screamed, his arm flailing. Alias growled, his body radiating a malic aura as he approached Roman.

Neo rushed at Alias with her umbrella. Alias morphed his fist into a sledgehammer and swung at her. Neo shattered like glass – a decoy. She appeared behind him, ready to stab, but Alias grabbed her wrist and flung her forward. In a flash, he was behind her, punching her head, sending her skidding across the ground.

In a flash, he was behind her, punching her head, sending her skidding across the ground.

Ruby winced, watching the brutal display. "He's... he's unstoppable," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Yang, barely able to move, watched in horror. "What is he?"

As Alias continued his relentless assault on Neo and Roman, Ruby's heart pounded. He's saving us, but... at what cost?

As Neo got up, Alias punched her face, making her aura shimmer. He opened his mouth, stretched his tongue like a whip, and began to choke her. Suddenly, his tongue crackled with energy, and he laced Neo with enough volts to power a building. When he stopped, he slammed her into the ground repeatedly.

"Stop it," Blake muttered weakly. "Just... stop."

"I'm gonna be sick," gagged Weiss.

Team JNPR was too stunned to comment.

He pulled her towards himself, preparing to bite her neck when she shattered again. Neo was behind him again. She rushed him, and like before, Alias prepared to grab her, but she wasn't falling for that twice. She flipped over his head and was about to kick his face, but he grabbed her ankle and crushed it.

Neo's face contorted in pain. Alias flung her to the ground. Somehow, Neo managed to stagger to her feet. Using her semblance, she made a cast to support her injured leg. Neo's sword poked out of her weapon's tip, and she charged at him again. Alias slapped her, and she shattered. She appeared next to him, still on the offensive. Whenever Alias struck her, Neo shattered and attacked from a different angle. Amid the fight, Alias' ears tensed, and he heard a weird squelching noise. He turned to see Roman's arm had almost finished regenerating.