RWBY: Malefic Rising

Chapter Seven: Ruby's Struggle

What's going on? Why did I act that way? They got what they deserved, the Rose's thorns! This isn't real. How could this happen? They dared to threaten my friend! I'm nothing like them. I'm just a Huntress right?

Weiss looked to her leader. Ruby was her best friend. Sure Ruby is a bit of a dork, and yes, they don't always see eye to eye, but at least she had always been there for Weiss. She was the friend Weiss had never thought she could have.

To see her like this... Something had to be done. Weiss gazed at Ruby with uncertain eyes.
Sigh...
She closed her eyes and did something she thought she would never do.

Ruby blinked in surprise. Her friend clung to her blushing with obvious embarrassment.
"Weiss?"
"S-Shut up..."
Ruby relaxed slightly giving off a small giggle.
"I guess I went a bit overboard there..."
Weiss didn't reply. Her face was bright red and she tried her best to hide it.
"Thanks for bringing me back Weiss."
There was silence and finally Weiss let go of Ruby.
"I did it for the team, idiot"
Weiss looked away
Ruby laughed.
Yeah, this is more like me.
Ruby smiled and looked towards the silver case covered in ice. Well she would have, if the case had still been there...
Her heart sank. The ice had been shattered, covered in blood a trail led away from them.
"Weiss it's gone!" Ruby screamed.
"What! Who could've-" her eyes squinted as she looked around. One of the Fauna was missing.
"Son of a-"
"Weiss we need to go!" Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and disappeared leaving behind a whirl of crimson rose petals.

The trail of red began to thin. As Weiss raced along it's path her panic grew.
"There's a cave up ahead!" Ruby shouted from beyond the trees. Weiss activated her glyphs shooting herself forward. Dash, jump, duck, twirl, sword? A curved blade flew over Weiss as she barely had enough time to raise her own. Sparks flew as her bleeding opponent caught her off guard.
"I'll gut you for what you've done!"
He swung again not bothering to defend only attack. He was already dead and he knew it.
"I aim to maim oh fair princess." He stated. Slashing wildly and without finesse. Weiss staggered back her blade took another hit for her. Empowering her sword with violet dust she blocked his next attack with ease and forced his unbalance into hinderance. Her hand moved along Myrtenaster, it's blade glowed with green runic markings making it lighter. Casting her mark upon his heart: the faunas uttered a horrible noise as he fell to the ground. Blood splattered onto Weiss' face yet she continued. Swinging her sword around she cut through the torso again splashing the ground with a torrent of hemoglobin.

The Faunus stopped moving. His struggle was over. Ruby came back, her shaking her head while looking down. "I can't find Final Breath." Ruby said as she continued to walk forward. Her eyes drifted to Weiss and she noticed Myrtenaster was resting at an odd angle. Her gaze drifted down it's blade only to see silenced rage staring back.

Weiss said nothing as she stood over her previous opponent. Her stare bore into the fauna's ire eyes. A few moments passed. Ruby's face showed concern.
"Weiss we should go."
Weiss' gaze didn't falter. Her lips moved as she mumbled a few short words to the corpse. Finally she tore her eyes away wiping the blood off her face. Her voice was soft.
"Alright." She nodded.

They walked through the forest listening to nothing but the hum of the cicadas. Neither girl spoke as they continued to follow the trail of red. Their journey ended when the marks led to a cave. Sitting visible from the entrance, the pair spotted the clawed case that held a hard won evil, Final Breath.

Weiss steeled her lungs as crouched down next to it. Her teeth clenched in fear of the worst.  She inspected the casing for any further sign of damage.
Weiss exhaled. Her features softened as she relaxed.
This thing isn't gunna go off for now.
She looked towards Ruby letting out a small smile. Ruby looked towards her partner grinning like an idiot and showing Weiss her thumbs up of approval.
We did it, we won.

Suddenly the light from the entrance of the cave seemed to vanish. A shroud plunged the two into darkness. A mysterious sound was heard. An almost eerie clutter of noise rose towards the girls. A few parts of the darkness began to glow red. The glow moved towards them gaining speed and numbers. Then more appeared. And still even more! It was then that Weiss used her dust to create a flash of light in the dark. In the split few seconds she had he stared right into a mob of monsters. Each possessed markings of the Grimm on their giant scarab-like bodies. The walls crept for them. There were thousands! The air itself turned into a torrent of unfathomable numbers.
"Oh my-!" Weiss screamed. "Ruby we have to run!" Ruby flew into action, grabbing the case, firing bullet after bullet into the horde. Each shot killed at least twenty but in their absence it seemed like a hundred more took their place.

As the pair ran further in the cavern walls seemed to narrow. The ceiling rushed to meet the rocky ground. The girls turned the corner-DEAD END. Weiss quickly turned around throwing up a wall of ice. It was just as the wall finished forming that the Grimm collapsed upon it full force. It held but began to crack. The insect-like Grimm became more frenzied as their prey remained untouched behind the barrier. Weiss threw her hands forward as black glyphs formed on the wall reinforcing it's strength with her semblance. Hundreds of tiny feet pounded upon the ice in anger, a lust for blood unable to be quenched.

Weiss craned her neck to look back at Ruby, hoping the girl had a plan of escape. Ruby's eyes were scanning the ground beneath them. Weiss noticed that the floor was fractured. Following one of the cracks Weiss saw the same thing Ruby did. Another cave!
Ruby turned Crescent Rose to the rock and began firing into it. The slate crumbled and fell revealing a steep drop. Ruby looked back up to Weiss seeing that the wall she had erected was about to give into the Grimm.

"I can't see the bottom but it's our only way out!" Ruby had to yell over the droning sound of the creatures. Weiss turned scooping Ruby up bridal style and jumped into the claustrophobic darkness below.