RWBYA: Volume 1: Vale. A RWBY AU/Fanfiction.

Chapter 42: Fall's End; Friends Lost.

In the top of the Beacon tower, Aoihi and Cinder charged at one another, punching each other in the face at the exact some moment, as they blocked and struck with basic martial arts. They were fast and very brutal to one another as they punched and kicked one another.

Sliding backwards, Aoihi saw Cinder activating her magic and immediately began to block and knock her arm away as the corrupt fall maiden tried to blast him with a fireball. She then did the same to Aoihi too, before their flames blasted at each other, causing both Aoihi and Cinder to fly backwards as their flames caused a small explosion that broke the windows of the Beacon Tower's floor, leaving out sparks of azure and orange all visible as flames of both colors sparked and clung to the other walls.

As Matthew and Ruby continued to soar through the skies in his truck, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire and missiles, taking down numerous flying grim. Ruby couldn't help but be amazed by Matthew's exhilaration as he fearlessly battled the Grimm from the driver's seat.

However, amidst the chaotic battle, Ruby caught sight of a sudden flash of blue light, a stark contrast to the usual red hues. Her heart skipped a beat as she spotted Aoihi locked in combat with Cinder at the pinnacle of the tower.

With a sense of urgency, Ruby exclaimed, "Matthew, Cinder and Aoihi are clashing! We have to assist him!"

Matthew glanced over at Ruby and spotted the unfolding situation. The flames were clearly visible in the darkness, casting an eerie glow. He attempted to approach but narrowly avoided being struck by a burst of fire, forcing him to retreat with his truck.

Turning to Ruby, Matthew expressed his concern, "Ruby, I can't risk getting any closer. Those flames are too intense, and I can't put my truck in harm's way."

Ruby, clearly worried, responded, "But what do we do? We can't just leave him there all alone!"

As Matthew looked down, he saw some of her classmates, alongside Huntsmen and Huntresses, uniting to fight off some Grimm and robots.

Matthew said, "I'll drop you off to your friends! And I also need to find someone. So, we are going to have to go our separate ways. Leo, whatever you do, don't stop blasting everything out of the sky! If it tries to fight the truck, you have permission to go full power with the truck's weaponry! Just make sure you're safe too!"

Leo nodded as the two of them began making their descent towards Ruby's friends.

Back in the Beacon tower, Cinder and Aoihi got up from their earlier fire clash and glared at one another. Pulling out her glass copy of Midnight, Cinder fired an arrow at Aoihi, who only dodged it and drew out his own twin Choktos, Azurestorm, and Musashi. He clashed blades with her as he grunted and glared at her.

"Hmm! Ozpin trained you will, Aoihi! Too bad my mentor trained me even better!"

"Don't believe all the rubbish you hear."

The two pressed on their brutal fight to the death.

As the scene unfolded on the grounds of Beacon Academy, Sun's sharp eyes caught something approaching Neptune from behind.

Sun urgently shouted, "Dude, look out!"

Confused, Neptune turned around just in time to be run over by Matthew's truck, yet again. Emerging from the truck, Matthew and Ruby wasted no time. Matthew activated his semblance, determined to track down a certain general he wanted to beat up, for had something to show him.

Meanwhile, as Neptune slowly regained consciousness, he muttered in a delirious and nasally voice, "Why does the universe hate Neptune?"

But as soon as he said that, he got run over again as Leo was backing up the truck to get a better tactical position for taking out the grim. He remained on the ground since the gravity dust tank was almost empty, but fortunately, Leo was able to take remote control of the truck. Climbing on top, he let out a fierce roar to the approaching grimm. To everybody's shock, Leo began sparking with lightning as he charged, causing a bunch of grimm to explode in a brilliant flash of electricity! Even more surprising, he was completely fine.