Ember Legacy, Volume 2

Chapter 18: Dance With The Devil

The Wildlands

West of Vale

"Riding a Dragon is amazing, exhilarating, and murder on the thighs."

~ Bryan Fields, Life With a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend

Ruby let out a small but satisfied huff of air as she stood on the hill, her hands on her hips. Arrayed below her was the sparse remains of the forest as it gave way to the rocky terrain surrounding the mountain that enclosed their destination. The lair of the Red Dragon Cindeshthyaleramathe.

"So what's the plan, sis?" Yang murmured at her side.

The brunette Silver Dragon glanced at the blonde bruiser, who she'd not even known existed until shortly before they'd left Vale. The Gold had proven to be a tremendous, if volatile, help on the journey, and she couldn't imagine having gotten even this far without her help. Granted, the same could be said of all their companions, adventurers who she'd either managed to collect or had somehow been drawn into the fellowship by chance or circumstance.

Her gaze briefly flickered over to a certain black-leather-clad Faunus Rogue who was crouched motionless atop a boulder, gazing levelly out across the terrain the same as she.

Sighing softly, Ruby turned back to reply to her sibling's question. "From what I've read, the lairs of Reds usually don't have a great big entrance like Golds do, right?"

"Right," Yang nodded. "They like to stay unobtrusive."

"Big word there, blondie," Nora snickered from where she lounged on the ground against Ren's leg. The half-Elf Cleric was sitting on a fallen log and checking the contents of his large belt pouch and backpack which contained some potions and the like.

In return the blonde gave the petite but powerful hammer-wielder a mock glare but let the slight go. Ruby had to snicker a little bit at how comfortable they'd all become with Ruby and Yang's true forms, seemingly indifferent to the fact that they were, in fact, Dragons.

Well, most of them.

"So," the brunette continued, sobering quickly. "We look for the lower entrance, it should only be warded against non-Dragons, right? I mean, if a Dragon were to visit with nefarious intent, they'd land at the top and work their way down to find the upper entrance, but there has to be, like, a laborer or servant's entrance of some sort for non-Dragons down at the base."

"I imagine it would be well-guarded," Blake murmured, causing Ruby to whirl around in shock. She'd rarely participated in any conversation with the fellowship since learning of her true form, especially a conversation that the Silver led.

"Um, y- yeah, it would be…"

"Perhaps a Troll or two?" the Cat Faunus continued levelly, her gaze unmoving.

Ruby nodded slowly. "Sure, yeah I could see that…"

With a small smirk, Blake indicated with a pointed finger where she'd been focused on. Almost directly ahead, at the base of the mountain, was a small clearing where neither brush nor tree grew. Moving restlessly about in front of what could have been a cave entrance were two tall, shambling, furry bipedal forms.

"Well, I'll be damned," the brunette chuckled. "Rock Trolls. Nice catch, Blakey."

The Faunus girl's smirk slowly faded as she just nodded, still not looking aside. Ruby sighed once more before turning towards the others.

"Alright, then, anybody not faced a Troll before?"

Jeanne was the only one to hesitatingly raise her hand. "Well, that figures," the blonde warrior grumbled under her breath.

"Don't worry about it," Ruby replied with a cheerful and reassuring wink. 'Walk with me as we head down, I'll fill you in."

The fellowship headed out, Blake in the lead and Ruby trailing a bit behind with Jeanne at her side. Pyrrha had the left flank as usual, but this time Nora strode in her pink-dyed leather armor on the right, with Yang guarding the middle where Ren and Weiss walked.

"Okay, so Trolls," Ruby began conversationally. "Big and tough, but kinda stupid. Their arms are longer than they seem, and fast, so stay out of range until you're ready to strike. Also, they regenerate."

"They do?" the blonde asked. "I always thought that was just a myth…"

"Nope, though Forest and Jungle Trolls regenerate faster, you still gotta take a Rock Troll down fast." Ruby screwed up her face slightly. "They taste terrible, too."

Jeanne barked out a quick laugh that she managed to muffle at the last second. "Well, I'll try to avoid that, then," she snickered quietly.

The group paused as Blake held a hand up, fist clenched. They were fairly close to the edge of the forest by now, and the late morning sunlight was at their backs, giving them decent visibility.

"What's up?" Ruby whispered, just loud enough for Blake's Faunus hearing to pick up.

The raven-haired girl turned her head so that she could whisper back. "Breeze just shifted to be at our backs. I think they caught our scent."

"Oum's bloody ballsack," she breathed, too quiet for Ren to hear and chastise her. "Can you see them?"

Blake turned her head back momentarily before fully facing the group. "No, they went inside," she reported in a normal voice, her amber eyes looking worried.

"Right, we've been made," Ruby announced, raising her voice so all could hear. "Let's head in fast, Yang and I out front, be ready for anything."

With that they were off at a fast jog, covering the clearing in a matter of seconds. The cave entrance was deceptively large, enough so that a Hill Giant might enter without ducking too far, but it was partially sheltered by an overhang. It was also wide enough for them to proceed three abreast, and Ruby waved Nora forward to join them. The orange-haired warrior complied eagerly, her hammer clutched in determined hands.

As soon as they crossed the entrance, they found themselves in a massive cavern. Yang likely could have transformed in here, though she'd be a little cramped, and Ruby herself could fit comfortably as a Dragon. There was no need for that now, though, as what they faced didn't require such drastic measures.

Eight Rock Trolls, surrounded by dozens of the squat, green-skinned, armored and ugly forms of Goblins, threw themselves at the intruders with angry war cries.

With a roar of her own, Ruby unfolded her warscythe and launched herself into their opponents' midst.

She skidded to a halt at the last second, whirling her weapon in a tight arc in front of her. The arm of one Rock Troll went flying, as did the head of a nearby incautious Goblin. The brunette tumbled forward, her massive scythe sweeping in front of her and trailing dark flames. The same Rock Troll, now bellowing in pain, was severed at the knees and toppled forward, only to meet the backswing of her scythe, bisecting its head.

The Silver leapt back adroitly to avoid the enormous club that thudded down right where she had crouched. Rock shards pelted her face, momentarily blinding her, and then the air was knocked out of her as a feeling of weightlessness overtook the brunette.

Ruby rolled to a stop, jumping back to her feet and clutching Crescent Rose determinedly. The Troll that had managed to catch her from behind unawares was now frantically backpedalling to avoid the murderous swings of Nora's giant warhammer, while the club-wielding one was stumbling about, Yang on his back and pummeling him into submission.

She absentmindedly bisected a pair of Goblins who thought her easy prey while observing the state of her companions. Pyrrha and Jeanne were ably fending off one Rock Troll, already missing an arm and a large chunk of his torso, as well as a swarm of the fierce but diminutive Goblins, armed with a variety of melee weapons. Blake, standing behind them unwaveringly, was picking off those Goblins with ranged weaponry before focusing in on the ones currently assailing her position. Ren stood by her side, staff in hand and sending the ones who tried to flank them sailing off across the cavern with a flick of his hand.

Frowning, Ruby turned her head to seek out her Elven friend. When she found her, her silver eyes widened slightly in concern.

Weiss had managed to get herself separated from the others, and it was now apparent that most of Blake's shots were in order to thin out the Goblins in that area. But there were still a pair of Trolls facing her, one with his leg encased in ice and dragging the limb behind him while the other trailed smoke from where his torso must have been set ablaze at some point.

The Silver cursed under her breath, belatedly realizing that most of Weiss' experience fighting Trolls would have been the Ice variety up north, very susceptible to fire attacks. Rock Trolls, however, had a healthy resistance to all magic, fire or no, due to their tough and practically invulnerable hides.

She set herself into motion, racing forward to rejoin the platinum-haired Mage. A flash of white tumbled to the side as Weiss avoided another strike, slashing out with Myrtenaster and causing one Troll to rear back in pain, clutching the stump of his missing hand.

Ruby's arrival quickly turned the tide as she swept out the legs of the ice-bound Troll before finally severing his head. The Elf took advantage of the distraction by leaping forward and piercing the remaining Troll's abdomen, slashing outwards to neatly eviscerate the shambling monster. Before he could recover, he suddenly reared back, gouts of flame erupting from his mouth and the wound in his belly.

The brunette grinned as she jogged over to stand next to her winded friend, collapsing her magical scythe once more. "Sooo… Guess you noticed these are a little different than what you're used to, huh?"

"Perhaps… a bit…" Weiss panted before she stood upright and sucked in a lungful of air, expelling it in a huff. "It would seem the others have things in hand."

Nodding, Ruby turned about only to freeze. The retreating back of a Goblin could be seen slipping down one of the smaller tunnels leading off from the main entrance cavern. "Shit, one's going for reinforcements, c'mon Weiss!"

Nodding resignedly, the Elf jogged alongside the brunette as they ran after the escaping Goblin.

Fortunately their prey was already wounded, so it was a bit easier to follow the trail of blood. Neither needed any illumination as they continued down the corridor, branching off at one point until they ended in another chamber. It was perhaps a quarter of the size of the cavern they'd left, with numerous passageways leading off of it.

Lying in a heap, in the middle of the stone room, was the headless corpse of the Goblin they'd been following.

"What on Remnant…?" Weiss mused, her pace slowed by the sight.

A hand clamped down on her arm suddenly, bringing her to a stop. Ruby's brow was furrowed as she tried to discern what aura it was she was picking up from close by.

"Ruby?" the platinum-haired Elf questioned in a murmur.

She could only shake her head slightly, confused by what she was sensing.

And then the form of a small humanoid, not much bigger than a Halfling or Goblin, stepped out from an alcove across the chamber. She had mismatched brown and pink hair with striking heterochromatic eyes, brown trousers and a white overcoat. An overly wide smile seemingly split the girl's face in two as she regarded the pair wickedly.

Ruby could feel herself grow pale as all the blood rushed from her face. She knew exactly what this small, unassuming little girl truly was, even though it flew in the face of all logic. But there was no denying it.

She and every single one of her companions were in very real, very mortal peril.

"Ruby?" the platinum-haired Mage at her side repeated hesitantly, noting her cautious stance. "What's-"

"No time," the brunette whispered harshly, sliding her grip down to grab her friend's hand tightly. Weiss let out a quiet squawk of protest as she was dragged backwards. "We gotta run…"

"What?"

The heterochromatic girl was still motionless and smiling at them widely, not making any hostile moves. She knew that the other was waiting for her to flee, to make what was coming even more exciting for her, but she couldn't help it. Ruby couldn't allow the other one to get ahold of her friends and companions.

They had to get out of there, now.

"Run!" Ruby screamed suddenly, racing out of the cavern with Weiss in tow. The Elf stumbled briefly, but then managed to regain her footing and keep up with her ably enough.

Which was just as well, as Ruby would have towed her behind like a kite if she'd needed to.

Halfway down the corridor she opened her mouth once more in a frantic wail.

"YAAANG!"

The pair of them burst into the cavern where they'd left the others, who were now looking about anxiously and preparing for another fight. Corpses of dismembered Trolls and Goblins littered the floor. Ruby, still dragging Weiss along by the hand, skidded to a stop in front of her sister.

"CHROMATIC!" she screeched.

"What?" Yang gaped, dumbfounded.

"There's a fucking Chromatic!" the brunette continued to yell, even though she was only a couple feet from the Gold. "We gotta run!"

"How the fuck can there be a Chromatic?" Yang retorted incredulously. "They're extinct!"

Ruby darted forward, grasping the Fanus Rogue next to Yang by the hand and ignoring her startled yelp. "Do you really wanna stay and ask her?"

With that she turned and began to race towards the entrance, dragging the two protesting girls with her.

Yang still had a stunned look on her face, but quickly turned to face the others. "Look, when a Dragon says run, you fucking run! Let's go!"

Pyrrha, Jeanne, and Nora were a little slower to follow as they all sported numerous wounds that Ren had not been able to tend to yet. But they were still able to race ahead and back out into the sunlight, trailing after the frantic Silver, with Ren close on their heels. A worried Yang herded them from behind, casting concerned glances over her shoulder as she ran.

One they'd made it to the treeline, Blake dug her heels in and wrenched her arm from Ruby's grasp.

"What is going on?" the Faunus demanded heatedly. "Why are we running? What is a Chromatic?"

Ruby chewed on her bottom lip as the others caught up, panting from exertion. Weiss was just about on her last tether, leaning forward with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath again.

Once Yang arrived, she strode up to confront her sister. "How can you be sure it was a Chromatic?"

"Look, I saw her, okay?" the brunette explained worriedly. "I couldn't tell what her aura was at first, but as soon as I saw her-"

"But a Chromatic?" Yang exclaimed. "They were all hunted down over a century ago!"

"Hey!"

The two arguing Dragons pivoted in surprise to regard an unusually vehement redheaded Knight.

"What is going on?" Pyrrha demanded, her fists on her armored hips. Blake, but this point, had drifted off to the side, intently watching the clearing they'd just emerged from for any pursuit.

"Okay, so, Chromatic Dragons…" Ruby shuffled her feet as she tried to figure out how to best explain. "So, they were supposed to be extinct, like Yang said, okay? Really big, I think the biggest Dragon around, chaotic and vicious… They fought any Dragon on a whim. They're, like, super dangerous even though they don't have a breath weapon. It's why they were all hunted down."

"What did she look like?" Yang demanded, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides while her eyes flashed crimson.

"Short, multicolored hair and multicolored eyes…"

"Well, the different colors match what I've heard…"

"Exactly!"

"Um," Jeanne interjected hoarsely, pointing a trembling finger. "Like… her?"

The group whirled to face the deep forest. Just past where Blake stood guard was the diminutive girl from before, her small hands on her hips and the same deadly smile plastered on her face. As she blinked her eyes, they switched colors.

"Blake!" the brunette screamed. "Move!"

Before the Faunus could even twitch, the small woman burst into a flurry of motion. Blake was sent flying past them to crash against a tree, her weapon tumbling from nerveless fingers. All of those assembled could hear the sickening crack of a bone snapping when she impacted, and then the raven-haired woman slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Ren took off immediately, rushing over to assist the fallen Rogue, while the others resolutely spread out for battle.

"Yang?" the brunette moaned worriedly.

"Yeah, looks like we gotta," the blonde murmured.

"Um, maybe we can discuss this with her?" Jeanne squeaked out, her sword and shield clutched in a white-knuckled grip.

Yang just shook her head, golden mane swaying as she set herself into a ready position. "You do not converse with a Chromatic."

A light giggle sounded from their opponent as she stood in front of them negligibly, giving them a nod and wagging her fingers forward invitingly. With a growl, Nora leapt into action, Pyrrha on her heels.

"Wait!" Ruby cried, unfolding her scythe, but the Chromatic had already begun to move again. With an upraised hand she caught the head of Magnhild as if it were a mere stick.

"Oh, shi-"

Nora didn't have time to react further before she was sent sailing away with a kick to her midsection, her hammer left behind on the ground. The Chromatic spun, easily avoiding Pyrrha's slash but not the shield that slammed into her. The latter attack, however, did absolutely no damage as the diminutive woman simply shrugged it off, reaching up to grasp the redheaded Knight by her face. With seemingly effortless grace, the armored woman was sent flying back towards where Nora had been sent, the two of them motionless side-by-side where they'd landed.

Jeanne remained on the defensive, shuffling over to the side to cover Weiss as Yang and Ruby waded in next. But the Chromatic deftly avoided both of the other Dragons, sliding between them to fetch up against the blonde trainee.

"Balls," Jeanne yelped before she was sent airborne as well, tumbling to a halt. Though battered and bruised by the kick she sustained to her midsection, she resolutely staggered to her feet once more.

The multi-hued Dragon regarded Weiss next, who send a series of flaming darts her way. The smile never leaving her face, she simply battered the attack away with a hand while stalking towards the rapidly backpedaling Elven Mage.

But then she was slammed into the ground as a furious blonde brawler caught up to her, Ruby right on her heels. Yang reared a fist back to strike, but she was kicked away, rolling to the side as the smaller woman regained her feet. The brunette swung her weapon furiously, twirling it about in an unpredictable but tight pattern, all for naught. Easily avoiding each pass, the pink and brown woman caught her wrist on the backswing, twisting hard. Ruby let out a yelp as she was forced to drop her scythe and stagger back from the punch sent at her face.

Gods, I never even saw that hit coming! How in the nine hells are we supposed to fight her?

She managed to right herself and get her arms up defensively just in time to intercept the next flurry of strikes, but then Yang resumed the fight, sending her own series of kicks and punches. Still, the woman managed to handle the two of them with almost nonchalant ease, ducking and blocking before she grabbed hold of both sibling's wrists. She leaned back and brought her arms forward, sending Ruby and Yang slamming into each other with a crack that reverberated throughout the clearing.

As the pair of Dragons staggered away from each other, stunned, the Chromatic stalked forward towards where Ruby ended up, sprawled in a heap. The brunette looked up fearfully, tensing up to try her best to avoid the pain that was surely coming.

But then her vision was filled with white as a crackling bolt of energy slammed into the Chromatic, pushing her backwards. Ruby glanced over to see Weiss with her rapier held in a guard stance, breathing heavily from the aura expenditure of her lightning bolt spell.

Next her gaze flickered back towards where the Chromatic had ended up, past the now-recovering Yang. The multicolored woman regained her footing, the smile gone from her face for the first time since she'd been encountered. Pink and brown eyes regarded her own smoldering frame with first incredulity, then anger, as she sustained her first damage of the fight.

"Oh, shitbiscuits," Ruby squawked, scrambling to her feet and backing up quickly. The air around the Chromatic seemed to shimmer in muted hues of every color in the rainbow.

Yang staggered to her side, joined by both Jeanne and Pyrrha, as they watched with considerable awe.

The small woman's figure slowly changed, expanding upwards and out. Trees snapped to the side as her form grew ever-increasingly gargantuan, shimmering scales of incandescence catching the daylight in a dizzying display of color. Wings that blocked out the sun stretched wide, scintillating like mother-of-pearl, as the Chromatic Dragon reared up on her hind legs, the crest of her multi-hued scaled head reaching halfway up the peak of the mountain behind her. An ear-splitting roar seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.

"Fuck me," Weiss breathed with an almost reverence. Jeanne and Pyrrha could only nod slowly in agreement.

Yang spun and strode over towards the three mortals, a determined look in her eyes. "You still willing to help out, beautiful?" she asked with a slightly manic grin.

The platinum-haired Elf didn't hesitate whatsoever in nodding firmly, her rapier gripped in her left hand with determination. "Let's do this."

As the Gold took a few steps aside, her own form shimmering and enlarging, the towering monstrosity before them leapt into the air, wings beating furiously and tossing brush and debris around the clearing. Ruby had stepped off to the side as well after collapsing her scythe and dropping it to the ground, swallowing down her fear. She was not about to let her sister and friend ride into battle without her. Stormy grey eyes flickered over towards where Ren still tended to the fallen Cat Faunus, but she couldn't let herself be distracted by her worry for Blake either.

"Ruby!"

The Silver Dragon turned her head just as she finished changing into her true form to regard the redheaded Knight approaching her rapidly.

"I can help!" Pyrrha called out insistently.

She hesitated, unwilling to allow more of her friends to place themselves into harm's way, but her companion had the right of it. They could use all the help they could get in this fight. "Climb up," she rumbled, extending a wing towards the ground.

As Pyrrha settled into place, her shield strapped to the arm which she used to steady her on Ruby's back while the other gripped Milo confidently, the Silver spied Jeanne anxiously looking on. The blonde warrior stood protectively over the still-prone form of Nora, though her sapphire blue eyes never left her Knight.

With a nod of her head, Ruby tried to convey as much reassurance as she could before leaping into the sky after her sister.

It wasn't terribly difficult to find their target, as her shadow blotted out much of the land below her. Comparatively, the Chromatic was perhaps twice as large as Yang, but the Silver could tell already that she was considerably slower.

And I can use that, she thought to herself grimly.

"Hang on!" she called back. "I'm going to make a few passes first!"

Pyrrha's answer was lost in the wind as she leaned forward, thrusting her wings back to push herself faster than she'd ever flown before.

The Chromatic had locked its pale opalescent eyes on the approaching Gold, but reared back suddenly as a flash of silver streaked by her nose. She was left with a stinging pain as razor-sharp claws scored a shallow gash along her cheek, and she let out a rumbling snarl that echoed from the mountaintops.

Yang let out a boisterous laugh as Ruby circled around her. "I think you pissed her off, sis!"

"That's the plan!" Ruby hollered back as she swung wide for another pass.

The Chromatic was waiting for the Silver to begin her run again, gigantic wings beating furiously to keep her aloft as she drove towards the smaller Gold. But her vigilance was interrupted by another bolt of lightning from the meddlesome Elven Mage clinging to her target's back. It scored a painful gash across the base of her neck, causing her to bellow in fury. Her anger was prodded into a white-hot furnace as the Silver flashed in once more, this time ripping into the base of one of her wings.

As the nimble Silver swept forward, the Chromatic's hand shot out and clasped around the other Dragon's midsection. She looked almost puny being held there, like a disobedient pet being disciplined, but the sudden pain in her hand caused her to release her grip almost immediately. The armored form on the back of the Silver, red hair streaming behind her like a banner, had almost severed one of her fingers with an unexpectedly powerful sword.

Growling, the leviathan Dragon surged forward to meet the Gold's charge. Yang's crimson eyes widened in shock at the sudden assault, and the fiery breath that she'd been building up was released in a sparse stream of smoke as she was grappled. The pair of mismatched struggling Dragons hovered in mid-air, claws slashing and scrabbling for purchase. It was a battle that could only be determined one way without intervention of some sort.

Weiss attempted to hurl more of her destructive spells, but her most effective one couldn't be used just yet, as the lightning bolt took up a tremendous amount of aura. The spears of ice seemed to bounce harmlessly off of the massive Dragon's hide, but scored deep gashes in the more vulnerable wings.

With an angry roar, the Chromatic reared her head back, jaws opened wide to clamp down onto Yang's exposed neck, but the attack was deflected at the last moment by Ruby flashing in once more. Unfortunately she hadn't had the time to build up as much speed, and while she succeeded in protecting her sister, the luminescent Dragon took advantage of the much smaller Dragon's exposure. Her rear claws kicked out to send the Gold careening away from her, a terrified Weiss clinging with all of her might, and once again a forelimb shot out to clasp the Silver around the neck.

Ruby barely managed to avoid being held in place, but the claws still managed to tear great gashes into her neck and collarbone.

And, horrifyingly, Pyrrha.

The redheaded Knight didn't even make a sound as she slipped from Ruby's back to plummet towards the ground.

"NO!" the Silver roared desperately, wheeling around and abandoning the fight. She ignored the throbbing pain in her neck and shoulders, pushing herself downwards to reach the falling armored figure.

As she caught up to her, she turned in midair to cradle the woman to her chest. A quick glance towards the ground confirmed that they were heading directly towards the clearing where their friends still lay wounded.

Biting back a curse, Ruby changed back into her Human form and wrapped her limbs around her friend, wincing.

Oh, this is gonna suck.

When they hit, it was with a resounding crash. She'd managed to arrest their fall enough so that they didn't crater the ground, but she still felt the impact in every bone in her body. Coughing, the brunette struggled to sit up while still cradling the form in her arms.

When she finally got a good look at Pyrrha's wounds, she let out a choked sob.

The redhead's left arm still had her shield attached, but was just barely dangling from the shoulder by a few sinewy threads. Obviously the impact had jarred it further to the point where it was almost severed, but it still held on, if barely.

And then there was the gash torn into her chest, exposing muscle and bone. From the faint wheezing coming from the woman's lips, it was fairly obvious a lung had been torn up as well.

Ruby clutched the redhead to her still, trying hard to ignore the copious amounts of blood that was covering the both of them. "Ren!" she screamed desperately.

But he was already there, skidding to a halt with a worried look on his face. Jeanne was there by his side as well, both hands clasped over her mouth to hold back her own sobs.

The brunette couldn't look her in the eye, not with the knowledge that Pyrrha lying here in such a state was her own fault.

The half-Elven Cleric's right hand rested lightly atop Pyrrha's chest as he knelt next to the pair, his left clutching her good arm. "It's extensive," he confirmed needlessly. "I don't know if I have enough aura…"

"You can be a conduit, right?" Ruby whispered frantically. "Have you done that before?"

"I have, yes," Ren nodded slowly, not looking up as his hands began to glow. "It's dangerous for-"

"Ren, I have an almost unlimited pool of aura," Ruby broke in impatiently. She gripped the healer's hand with one of her own. "Use me!"

With a determined sigh, he nodded and closed his eyes. The brunette felt a tug that began at her midsection and flowed down her arm as Ren began to use her aura to supplement his own, but it wasn't going to be enough. She could feel the redhead's life force slipping away in her arms.

It wasn't enough, or at least it wasn't yet.

"I'm sorry for this," Ruby whispered. She closed her eyes…

...And pushed.

Ren's head snapped back as he let out a hoarse scream. The aura flowing through him and into his healing was far more than he'd ever experienced before, more than any mortal could hope to handle. It filled him up and thrust through him, painful and exhilarating at the same time.

He was both unmade and reborn, torn to pieces and rejuvenated.

Under his hands, bone and tissue began to mend with ever-increasing speed. Pyrrha's back arched as her lung mended, filling her chest with sorely-needed air. Her arm snapped back into place, the skin wrapping around as muscles regrew at a rapid pace.

Once she felt the danger had passed, Ruby eased off until she felt the draw on her aura slow to a trickle. She glanced at Pyrrha first, and then at Ren worriedly. While the redhead looked to be pale but whole once more, the half-Elf looked to be on the verge of collapsing.

"Still with me?" she asked gently.

Ren nodded slowly. "Let's… not ever… do that… again…" he panted.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it," she grinned. With a sigh, she levered herself out from under Pyrrha's form and released her grip on the Cleric. "Okay, I gotta get back up there and- Uff!"

The brunette staggered under the fierce hug that Jeanne wrapped her up in. "Thank you," the blonde whispered tearfully.

Ruby just nodded and gave her a wan smile before turning to face the ongoing battle. Yang was still alive, as was Weiss if the infrequent flashes of spellcasting was any indicator, but both airborne Dragons were coated with bloody gashes. The Gold couldn't hold out much longer.

"Right," she growled. "This ends, now."

She took a running jump into the air, her body quickly shimmering until it was her proper form, a speedy Silver that flashed forward. Ruby swung low across the treetops, circling around until she could shoot up explosively from underneath.

The Silver slashed across the Chromatic's hind quarters before aggressively latching onto her back, right between the wings that beat furiously to keep the great Dragon aloft. Her opponent screeched in rage, flailing her head around to try and dislodge the troublesome Silver, but Ruby was having none of it. She dug her claws in tight as she bit down hard, right along the spine. Scales were rendered under her powerful jaws until she tasted the hot blood that gushed from the wound she worried at like a dog on a bone.

And then Yang collided with the enraged Chromatic, attacking from the front as well. Between the two sisters, they tore into the much larger Dragon with abandon. The gargantuan creature's efforts to dislodge her attackers became increasingly weaker until she gave one last powerful kick, sending the Gold away but with a good chunk of her own hide.

And then those humongous wings stopped beating, and she plunged towards the ground, Ruby riding her all the way down. The impact almost shook her off, but she managed to hold tight until the tremors stilled.

And then the smaller Dragon stood upright, carefully checking the larger form for any sign of life.

"I think we got her," a weary voice rumbled from overhead.

The Silver raised her head to regard her battered sister with a small smile. "Yeah, I think we did."

"Is Pyrrha alright?" Weiss called down anxiously, still clinging to the feathery-soft mane behind Yang's neck.

"She will be," Ruby replied. She froze as the form below her trembled slightly. With careful movements, the Silver crawled down to the blood-soaked ground and circled around towards the head of the Chromatic.

One enormous opalescent eye, easily the size of a cart, regarded her levelly.

Ruby gave her a respectful bow. "What was your name, Great One?" she asked.

Mouth barely moving, the Chromatic rumbled out a single word in the Draconic language.

"Neosrethylamacarionnaeris…"

"Are you the last of the Chromatic Dragons, Neosrethylamacarionnaeris?"

The eye blinked at her slowly in confirmation.

Ruby nodded towards her. "Then we shall remember you as such."

The Chromatic wheezed a shallow breath as she parted her lips once more and spoke her last, still in Draconic.

"It was… a glorious fight…"

"That it was," the Silver agreed solemnly. "And a noble death."

With a sigh, the great eye closed and the Chromatic stilled forever more.

A thud from behind signaled Yang's landing. "That was the closest I've ever come to meeting the ancestors," Yang noted idly, the rumbling overlaid by her cheery voice.

"Yeah," Ruby sighed heavily, the gust of wind sending fallen trees tumbling away from her. "Let's get back to the others, huh?"

She cast one more regretful look at the fallen Dragon before winging her way along Yang's trail.

It is never a good thing for an Ancient One to fall, no matter how evil or chaotic they may be. One more Dragon gone from the world, and another step closer to extinction and the loss of magic.

Ruby shook her head resolutely. I just wish other Dragons could see how such fighting is destroying us...

She arrived back at the clearing, changing forms to land lightly on her feet. Yang was already seated against a tree, Weiss tending to her numerous bloody wounds with a wet cloth while they shared a soft smile.

Thinking of such made her own wounds twinge, and she winced as she felt the tenderness around her neck. But there would be time for that later, right now she needed to see to the others in the fellowship.

Striding forward, the brunette came across the seated forms of Ren and Nora. Both looked to be merely asleep and resting rather than wounded, their heads leaning up against each other and fingers intertwined, so she smiled in relief before moving on. Just across the way, a peacefully slumbering Pyrrha was laid out, her shield and recovered sword laying at her side. An unarmored Jeanne was sitting next to her Knight's prone form, clasping the redhead's hand gently in her own as she watched her sleep with a wistful smile. Ruby pretended not to notice them as her gaze swept around, worriedly searching for-

"Hey."

She turned, startled, to see the Cat Faunus standing behind her uncertainly.

"Blake," the brunette breathed in relief. "Um, how are you? Did Ren manage to heal you up okay?"

The raven-haired girl nodded quickly, glancing down at the ground. "Yes, he did, I'm… I'm fine now. Er… I'm sorry I couldn't… help more…"

"No, no, don't think like that," Ruby protested softly, reaching forward but halting her hand in mid-air before returning it to her side. "I was… really worried about you," she admitted quietly.

"You were?"

"Yeah, Blakey… I was."

"Oh. Well… Ruby! You're hurt!"

The brunette shrugged, though the motion made her silver eyes almost tear up from the pain. "Just a little scratch," she gasped unconvincingly.

"Right, well, come with me. Ren is spent, but we have some healing salves in his pack…"

Ruby gave a start as Blake grabbed hold of her hand and began to pull her towards a nearby tree stump, evidently having been blasted apart with the recent fighting. She fought down a grin as she followed in the Faunus Rogue's path.

Wordlessly Blake sat her down, releasing her hand to dig into the pack that was resting there. Ruby sat motionless, watching the raven-haired girl's movements with careful eyes, trying very hard not to spook the raven-haired girl or disrupt her newfound and tentative comfort around the Silver.

And she kept her mouth shut as Blake carefully tended to her wounds, spreading the cool salve around her neckline and rubbing it ever so gently into her collarbone. Faunus ears flicked as her breath ghosted over them while she bent over her, and she felt the momentary brush of a tail along her leg, both of them causing her to simply stare in wonder.

"Better?" the Cat Faunus asked quietly after she leaned back once more, her amber eyes darting up to capture her gaze.

Ruby nodded slowly and with a hesitant smile. "Much, thanks."

"Good." Blake packed the items back away but made no attempt to get back up and move away as she had done so frequently since finding out about Ruby's true form.

"So, we should probably rest up before going back in, huh?" Ruby ventured.

"That would be wise," Blake agreed, fidgeting with her hands in her lap and her gaze focused on the ground before her.

"Blakey?"

"Mmm?"

"Are we… Are you…?"

The Cat Faunus looked up then, a small smile forming on her lips and her amber eyes glowing in the fading afternoon light. "I'm trying," she whispered.

"Okay," Ruby replied, her heart pounding in her chest. She sniffled, unable to keep a joyful tear from making its way down her cheek. "Um… thanks."

Blake blushed slightly, her gaze returning to her lap. "Thank you, Ruby… for being so… so patient with me."

As the Faunus gracefully rose to her feet, Ruby reached out to lay a gentle hand against her thigh. "I always will be."

The raven-haired girl paused, but then nodded and gave her another small smile before moving off. "I'll take first watch," she called out over her shoulder.

Ruby sighed happily as she flopped onto the ground, her red cloak spilling out under her.

She closed her eyes and drifted off into a light slumber, while her dreams were filled with a pair of amber eyes that danced before her, sparkling with unnamed emotions.

A/N: So the Dragon battles last chapter were just meant as a warmup for this one. I could have drawn this out a lot more (into more chapters that is, this one was pretty damn long in its own right), but sadly in this story Neo only played a very minor role as an obstacle. A pretty damn powerful obstacle (here's your Dragon Boss Fight, RatedRSuperStar87!), but an obstacle nonetheless. She's featured a lot more prominently in my VtMB crossover story, Blood of the Rose. Next chapter, though, the fellowship will delve into the depths of Cinder's lair towards the prize they seek. Only two chapters left in this particular volume, and this one marks the halfway point!

Sooo it might have been noticed that I skipped another week. I think for now I'm going to go to every two weeks as a posting schedule, it's odd that since I finished up Thorns I seem to still have less time to write, but that's life for you. I've always had trouble sticking to a schedule, so we'll see how quickly I can churn stuff out, who knows maybe I can throw in a bonus chapter every now and then.

I have been remiss in thanking my lovely Betas, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover. Additional hugs for my reviewers from the past chapter: RatedRSuperStar87, Sharkdude5, AntonSlavik020, ExKage, kaiju62, FourNails1341, djjohns94, FoxyFoxation, Reaper Whisper, carpenter656, AndJrew76, Trewill91, Arcredemption, Trewill91, Ninjapandas0010, TacoKing23, and Boombox94. I went back and looked through the reviews left on-site, and found that I only got emailed for half of them. Sigh. So I apologize once again for not responding to everyone, I'll try to check the site more frequently.

Stay shiny!