RWBY: Ebbing Darkness - Blake x MaleReader x Yang

Part 16

Word spread. The people of Menagerie knew what was coming, it bore down on them like a pair of hands. Some embraced it, and like others had predicted, some fought it.
Kuo Kuana was the first to fall to entropy. They heard voices echo down from the mountains, chants so loud it could be compared to grinding and thrashing metal.
As the sun fell, banners flew over its fiery exit. Soon, blue mixed with the emerald of the surrounding forest and the people knew it had come.
The people flocked to their Chieftain, voicing outrage, screaming pleas for help or guidance as the inevitable had begun to set in.
"Ghira!" A man cried. "What do we do?!"
Ghira scanned his surroundings with a huff and irritated growl. In some way, he felt responsible. Had he been more up front with Y/N none of this would have happened. Or had he been harsher in his younger years, Y/N wouldn't have grown to such a nuisance.
"Everyone, please! Calm, down!" Ghira gestured to them in a calming motion. The Guard pushed them back, keeping them from the fences of the estate.
It was immediately apparent who was on whose side. However, the truth of the matter was simple. Ghira didn't know who to trust.
They flocked to the manor, clawing at the Guard to get through. Their fears had boiled over, manifesting panic and creating chaos. None of them wanted to fight. None of them wanted a war.
"Ghira!" He heard Kali cry out. He turned to meet her with his stoney front nearly falling.
"Ghira!" She repeated. "They're coming! He's here!"
The Chieftain felt a mix of emotions consume him. Never in his life would he think someone like Y/N would be held responsible for all of this. Nor did he ever think the young man to be his adversary.
"Where?!" Ghira asked. His eyes scanned hers as the shouted orders of the Guard multiplied.
"The forest!" She replied. He should've expected as much.
It was strange to say, or maybe it wasn't. For almost his entire life he knew that only monsters lurked in the woods. Saying something was out there, creeping at its edge, was all too common. Now it felt right, it felt appropriate to say.
"What are we going to do?" She asked. He already knew the answer.
"I'll stay." He sighed and terror grew in her eyes. "You have to go. You—"
"No!" She immediately spat; her ears falling flat. "I won't! Not without you!"
"You know what he'll do if I don't concede!" Ghira added and took her shoulders. "The mantle will fall to you. You can't challenge him!"
"GHIRA!" A scream fell over the rest. The sense of urgency and raw adrenaline was rooted deep within them.
The Chieftain turned to the distant sea. He watched as a line formed along the horizon, forming a blue cage cutting off all avenues of escape.
The Guard reformed and pushed the crowd back. They reinforced their ranks, preparing for the coming clash of claws and steel.
"Damnit..." Ghira growled under his breath. It was too late.
"We have to leave." Kali hissed. "They'll follow you! They'll listen!"
Ghira pondered the idea for a moment, long enough for a figure to emerge beyond his blurred line of sight.
Y/N's banners flew at his back, mixing with the rapid beats of his hearts and the cool air howling through his robe.
He cut a line straight to the manor, leaving the indecisive to close their windows and lock their doors. Those that apposed him begun to rally along the manor wall's, making a bulwark of fiery civilians and the capital Guard.
"We've got the west locked down." Ricasso voxed in his helm.
"The south is good." Trifa added with nerves filling her voice.
"Same in the north." Raven said.
  Summer felt the ground beneath her quake with each step of the White Fang. She felt sick to her stomach at the moment. She wanted to help, but not like this.
  "They're here." Y/N announced and his urgent stride turned to an eager one. Summer found herself jogging to keep up.
  Her heart was at the back of her throat, threatening to jump out with her lunch. While every step of the way, doubt begun to creep in.
  The Guard readied their weapons at their approach. They held steadfast, fearless in the eyes of The Son.
  The White Fang's great march turned to a ferocious sprint, matching the growing speed between the two factions.
  Two waves of metal and fire crept closer and closer together. When the men and women burst in bloody cries, he was off. He lunged forward in a burst of speed, turning into a blur to those he passed.
  Nerves were on the rise and chaos took hold. The Guard watched his approach with adrenaline filling their veins. As blood pumped in their ears and the beat of their hearts became apparent, orders were given.
  "DON'T LET THEM THROUGH!"
  The Guard stood their ground. It was like watched a speeding train and they were helpless to stop it. Soon, the nerves got the better of someone. It was no one special, not when baser instincts finally took hold.
  A member of the guard opened their mouth in a fit of rage, defiance, and fear as they took aim with their pistol and fired.
  A slug was sent flying down range, slamming into The Son's armor. It left no more than a scratch upon his helmet, but the round whizzed off course, zipping past Summer and the others.
  Summer instinctively ducked and horror immediately set in. The others behind her had rage in their eyes and loyalty in their hearts.
  A member of the White Fang returned fire, emptying their rifle in the Guard's line as they ran. Almost immediately all hell had broken loose.
  "DAMNIT!" Summer heard in the distance. "FIRE! FIRE NOW!"
  Summer jumped to her side, rolling behind a fence and taking cover just in time to avoid a wall of bullets coming their way.
  Gunfire filled the air as both sides fire. The sky was set ablaze with constant pops as it spread, going from the north to the south.
  Y/N's armor sparked and rang out in protest. His robes were peppered with holes and any stray bullet snapped off his aura, leaving a slight sting before adrenaline took over, leaving him blind to pain.
  He opened his mouth in a roar, casting his voice across the capital as he quickly closed the distance.
  The Guard abandoned their pistols and rifles, opting to meet him halfway in a final gambit. Well over five dozen of the best Menagerie had to offer closed in, holding swords, hammers, staffs, and halberds.
The two forces collided like a hammer over an anvil. Fiery sparks blew from Y/N's armor and a heavy ring filled the air.
Y/N knuckles bent a man's chest plate inward, tossing him back. He reached back, unsheathing his sword and brought it to bear with a wide swing.
Swathes of men and women were knocked back as they withstood the force of The Son of The Lion. They were sent flying, crashing into distant fences or careening through entire homes.
Y/N swung again, sending a man downrange. His aura shattered with stone and concrete, leaving him a broken mess.
The White Fang came through like a wave, supporting their newly appointed leader from both sides.
In a combined force the Guard was pushed back, either with broken auras or broken bones. Despite it all, the scent of smoke was all to be found on the battlefield.
"GHIRA!" Y/N's voice cut through the chaos, leaving a few nearby civilians reeling.
  He charged forth, ignoring the Guard as he barreled through. Within a handful of seconds he reached top speed, turning the manor's gate into a mess of deformed metal.
  The pressure was on for Ghira. He had a split second, maybe even less, to act. He couldn't run, nor could he avoid Y/N's reach. Kali was too close and his time was up.
  With a howl, he lunged, clearing the steps to his home and the path leading up to it with a greater speed. He reeled a clenched fist back, poising it for a punch with nothing held back.
  Y/N jumped, meeting the Chieftain halfway. Over a thousand pounds of fury met with Y/N ducking low, avoiding Ghira's claws to ram an armored shoulder directly to his sternum.
  Y/N followed through with his momentum, dropping to the ground in a roll with Ghira over his shoulder.
  Recovering, he tossed the Chieftain with such force he crashed through the manor doors and turned a few walls into piles of rubble.
  "Ghira!" Kali cried out to the dusty ruin of their home.
  Y/N brushed past, intent on finding Ghira. He cleared his mind, focusing at the task at hand while bolstering his defenses with a green hue surrounding him.
Suddenly, out of the cloudy remnants of destruction, a stone pillar emerged. The burst of an aura accompanied it, covering the area in an invisible, blinding flash.
Ghira swung out with a roar, crushing the stone pillar over Y/N's helmet. The punishing blow turned a few more walls into dirt and debris, yet the Chieftain knew it wasn't enough.
He gave chase, running through clouds of dirt to meet his challenger head-on.
Y/N removed himself from a crumbling wall of stone, enraged. He turned back to feel yet another flash of Ghira's aura. He refocused, honing in on his soul to feel the desperate rage within.
The two met in yet another thunderous crash. Attempting to bring him to the ground or imbalance him, Ghira was instead met with a steel fist of conviction. He recoiled and was left reeling with a minor ring forming in his ears.
The Chieftain was flung to the side, further crumbling the wall of a stone fireplace. He pulled away with coughing fit and burst of enormous pain in his ear.
Y/N stood firm, allowing the much faster man to attack. He was met with a hammering blow to the cheek, ringing his helmet as if it were struck by a hammer.
The Son retaliated, swinging low and in Ghira's blind spot. With all his might, he struck him over his exposed belly button. The effect was almost immediate.
Ghira wretched and nearly gagged from the horrid pain. His moment of hesitation was capitalized as Y/N reached out, taking him by the throat and pivoting back as if he weighed nothing.
Ghira's head pounded against the stone wall, shaking the manor by its foundation and momentarily deafening him.
"WEAK!" Y/N roared. "HOW WERE YOU EVER MADE CHIEFTAIN?!"
His words buried a dagger deep in Ghira's heart. Y/N may not have been the most progressive, but it didn't make him the dumbest either. He was smart, and had things been different, he would've been a great politician.
Y/N reared back, ending Ghira's train of thought with another crash of his head on stone. This time the wall gave away, revealing the cold Menagerie air licking his bloodied face.
  The Son brought him back, away from bloodstained stone to lift him high. Ghira peered down, choking and wheezing as Y/N's hand began to close around his neck.
  Crimson eyes peered through the dust, unmoving and merciless. What little respect Y/N once had for him had withered away, leaving a strict doctrine and growing disgust.
  "To think I once looked up to you." The Son growled. Suddenly, a rapid pop filled the desolate room, gunfire.
  Y/N unlocked his Stormbolter and returned fire, peppering a far wall with explosive shells. A yelp was heard through the destruction. The voice was nearly overwhelmed by thunder, yet Ghira knew it was Kali.
  Reeling his fists high, he brought them down over the fold of Y/N's elbow. His aura was depleted and his strength waned, however, with ferocity and passion, he managed to stagger The Son, even if for but a second.
  Y/N turned his attention back to Ghira. With a scoff, he twisted and turned, slamming the Chieftain into the ground.
  Pain erupted over Ghira's back as splintered wood pierced flesh like a thousand needles. Left breathless and dazed, he couldn't see or perceive the punch thundering down on his nose.
  "You were chosen to lift us from the depths of despair." Y/N hissed and fired his Stormbolter once more, keeping Kali at bay. "You were to be our voice, our will."
  Y/N reached down, taking Ghira by the ankle. With indomitable strength, he swung him forward, sending him flying through the manor wall and crashing down into grass and stone.
  The world as Kali knew it had begun to fall apart. She peeked around the corner, wrought with worry for her husband. By the time she could arm herself, the battle had already been lost.
  The Guard was overwhelmed, their ranks began to waver and break under the White Fang's ferocity. And now they converged, eliminating one cell after the other until the capital had fallen.
  A bang shook her home down to its core, leaving it in ruin. She pivoted back to see the Guard on their last legs and her husband fallen.
  She made a desperate effort to move, covering ground in mere seconds only to nearly stumble at the sight of Ghira.
  "Run..." He rasped through bruised and fractured ribs. His nose was broken, blood seeped through the back of his coat, and he was on the brink of losing consciousness.
  She took his hand and pulled, ignoring him and attempting to pull him upright. Panic set in and she contemplated the thought of screaming for help, but alas, the last of the Guard was either broken or about to be.
  "Step aside." Y/N boomed as he jumped from the hole he had made. The ground shook as well as Kali's hands.
  Whipping back, she emptied her pistol in his looming form. It was no use, every bullet that landed had ricocheted or flattened against him. She reloaded with practiced movements, but by then Y/N was already on them.
  He brushed past her and took hold of Ghira's ruined coat. With ruthlessness in each movement and an unseen sneer on his lips, he dragged the broken Chieftain to the gates where the remnants of the Guard stood strong but wavering.
  The White Fang intense assault began to wane at the sight of them. They turned to defensive stances and their shared gaze turned the Guard his way.
  They watched with a mixture of emotions as Y/N propped their Chieftain up, flaunting him like a hunter would a fat game.
  "LOOK!" Y/N roared, raising Ghira high. "LOOK UPON YOUR MOST MIGHTY WITH DESPAIR!"
  The Guard expressed horror, grief, panic, and shame. They looked to their Chieftain then back at the White Fang as their command was shattered.
  Kali stood, helpless. She was poised, ready to fire, but what good would it do? She didn't know what to do, honestly. Anger told her to pull the trigger, however, the odds of her rounds ricocheting and hitting Ghira were far greater than simply hurting Y/N.
  One thing was unsaid amongst them, a harrowing question: If Ghira couldn't best him, what more could they do?
  "You did this, Ghira." Y/N spat with hatred and venom. "Now, end it. Surrender."
  Ghira, in all his defiance, remained true to his beliefs. He offered nothing more than a wheeze and pained groan.
  "So, now you're familiar with our traditions." Y/N scoffed. He turned, pointing his broken form toward Kali. "Don't you know, Ghira? My beliefs differ from your own. I could kill you here and now, rip your head from your shoulders. Then, I would make your wife my own."
  Kali leveled her aim with a sneer. Her ears folded back and she growled with a primal hiss threatening to break free. Her finger edged over the trigger with lethal intent, leaving Y/N unfazed and her husband horrified.
  "Choose now, Ghira!" Y/N shouted. "For my patience runs thin!"
Dread flooded Ghira's veins, then the awful taste of vomit mixed with blood and pain. He couldn't stomach the idea of his people being weaponized, but it was a lost cause. The least he could do now was save Kali.
"I..." He rasped, intensify the burn along his chest and ribs. With a short coughing fit, he swallowed shame through a dry throat.
"Concede..." He finished, racking Kali's aching knuckles with tremors. Her death-grip over her pistol loosened until it hung loosely in one hand.
He was lesser in Y/N's eyes now. Lesser than humans, lesser than their greed, lesser than dirt.
"As I expected." Y/N audibly sneered. "Run along now, cretin. It shouldn't be too hard for you."
Y/N tossed him aside, sending him in tumble until he was a pile of broken flesh two or so meters away.
Kali dropped her pistol and ran to her husband's side. Her breaths came in short gasps, putting unshed tears in her eyes as reality caught up.
She turned back, worried Y/N may add dishonor to his treachery. Instead, he looked at the Guard expectedly, fixing them with an instead gaze as he squared up for another fight.
Soon, they recognized the words uttered by their former leader. With pain and reverence, they dropped their weapons, leaving them as messes of abandoned metal.
The White Fang cried out in the ensuing glory. They howled, some screamed, others chanted.
"Y/N!" They screamed. "Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!"
Like thunder they echoed across Kuo Kuana, marking the time of victory as their new Chieftain rose to power.
Y/N's elbows bent, rearing back as he howled at the sky. Shame he once carried had finally dissipated, leaving a glowing, fiery resolve.
Everything leading up to this moment, the many missions he had undertaken, and many more operations to save his people, had finally begun to mean something. And therefore, he had found meaning, he was beginning to fulfill his purpose.
Kali turned away, she couldn't bear the sight any longer. She took Ghira's hand and used the other to smooth blood and his disheveled hair out of his eyes.
Her adrenaline began to fade and her hands shook. Despite it all, Ghira offered a small squeeze of his own. If not to let her know he was alive, then to comfort her in such a dreary end and terrible beginning.

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-Author's Notes-

A bit of a shorter update than usual, but I felt it needed its own space, its own moment and atmosphere.

Ghira is an absolute powerhouse in the show, measuring up to Hazel in raw strength. However, a Primarch is on a whole 'nother level of strength. Y/N isn't a Primarch, obviously, but he does carry over a more raw genetic code as apposed to a Space Marine. Combine that with his Faunus trait and aura, and you've got something inhuman. Just for reference, Guilliman, another Primarch, punches so hard, he's said to turn armored Space Marines into a red mist or pile of dismembered limbs. He's even referenced to completely punch a traitor marine's head clean off. It's hard to measure just how strong that is, but in a hypothetical situation, Guilliman would do the same to Y/N. The gap between a full Primarch and half-Primarch, perhaps a Custodian, is simply that large.

But that's enough nerdy stuff from me. I hope you guys have a good one <3