Ember Legacy, Volume 4

Chapter 29: Requiem

Mountains West of Vale

"The stalwart heart is a feast to dastardly dragons."

~ Rat Queens

Yang banked hard, avoiding the ball of fire that streaked past her wings, close enough to almost make the membrane shrivel up from the heat.

"Hang on!" she bellowed, her great wings flapping madly as she tried to correct her course.

Unfortunately, the Dragon on her tail had no problem keeping up with her. The Red must have been several centuries old, crafty and cunning enough to anticipate the maneuver. The next blast of fiery breath almost caught her straight-on were it not for her quick reflexes.

Unfortunately, said reflexes were not used to having a passenger clinging to her back.

She felt it when it happened, the grasp of the Elven Mage slipping from her mane as she was jerked backwards, her small form tumbling from the perch behind her neck to spiral away, plunging towards the rocky ground far below.

"No!" she screamed, her voice full of primal rage and fear. "Weiss!"

A Short While Before

The Gold flapped her wings lackadaisically, cruising along on the fortuitous wind stream they'd picked up over the water. Ahead were the mountains bordering Vale, thrusting out into the ocean like an accusing finger. The last natural barrier to reuniting with their friends.

She sighed, her lungs expelling the air like great bellows in a forge. It had been a rather long, quiet flight. The knowledge weighed heavily upon her, of her fate, her future. What was waiting for her back with the rest of her race.

Yang was overjoyed, truly, that she'd finally been reunited with her sister, even if it spelled the completion of the bargain she'd made. And it hadn't seemed all that onerous at first, the path that had been set out for her.

Until, of course, she'd had her heart stolen more surely than a shiny bauble left unattended before a certain Cat Faunus Rogue.

Pale blue orbs filled her mind's eye more often than not as she ruminated on how different it felt. Before, certainly, she'd had her fair share of fun. Didn't matter the gender or race, so long as they had a good time together, they parted amicably enough in the end. Now, though?

Now she couldn't imagine life without the strangely alluring platinum-haired Elf.

As her unfocused gaze swept across the rocky landscape ahead, her mind drifted back to that last fateful day…

"This is your duty," the Gold Dragon Matriarch intoned softly. "To your race and your family."

"I know, I just…" Yang clenched her claws in frustration. "I was hoping… to search…"

"For Ruthralynnaerias?" she finished for her knowingly.

"Yes, I know she's out there still," the younger Gold finally blurted out. "I've spoken with the Silver Matriarch, I have an idea of where she and… and Taiyenniellazherian lived in the Wilds…"

The Matriarch sighed heavily. "Sometimes, Yanzhiellewenayuros, you take after your mother far too strongly… Very well."

"Um… pardon?" Her heart leapt in her chest, almost daring to hope that she might be able to return out into the world of Remnant.

"Yes. I will allow you this as your Life Quest, to seek out your missing sister. But." Glowing green eyes the color of the deep ocean bore into her. "Before I will allow it, you must swear to return after. Either choose a mate or I will choose one for you."

She swallowed nervously. The very thought of mating with a Dragon, producing and caring for hatchlings, was so abhorrent to her it made her scales crawl.

But if this was what it took, so be it. Not like it would be the end of the world, she'd live a long enough lifespan that she would be able to return out again eventually, perhaps another century or two.

The patience of Dragonkind did not come easily to the nomadic Gold, but she could surely learn.

Yang bowed her head, snout brushing against the stone floor of the cavern.

"I so do swear it."

The Gold sighed once more in tune with the beating of her wings. Everything had changed, now. Without Weiss, the thought of those centuries ahead of her were simply more than she could bear.

Her musings were broken by a shout from the side.

"Yang!" her sister bellowed urgently. "We have company!"

She craned her head, searching for the danger until she felt a small hand hammer at the side of her neck.

"To the south!" Weiss cried out.

Sure enough, skimming low across the foothills on this side of the mountain range was a flight of Dragons. Three Browns led by a large Red that matched her in size, and they were heading to intercept them.

Yang turned her head to regard the Silver who pulled alongside. "Fight or run?" she asked, willing to let her sister decide their course of action.

The reply came immediately. "Fight. We can't have them hounding us."

"Right," she grinned in reply. With a wink of her enormous eye, she put more energy into her wings as she turned to face their opponents head-on. "You ready for this, princess?" she called back gaily, all of her earlier misgivings and despondency gone now that she was faced with action once more.

"Ready," Weiss shouted tersely. "Fire or ice?"

"Fire for the Browns, ice for the Red," she returned.

And then they were flashing by the enemy at breakneck speed.

Two Browns were down in the rapid exchange, one with both deep claw marks marring its side and a scorched stump where its right wing used to be, while the other blinded in both eyes by arrows while it trailed smoke from Ruby's flame breath.

For her part, Yang grimaced from the painful line that one of the Red's talons had left in her side. The gash wasn't particularly deep, but it did leave that flank vulnerable to more attacks.

She wheeled around, searching for the enemy.

There, I've got you now, Red, she grinned.

Her wings beat a furious staccato as she built her speed up to catch the other Dragon, who was apparently stalking her sister. The Silver was fully engaged with the other Brown who was proving to be a bit more resilient than his brethren.

With a challenging bellow, the Gold dove.

A lance of ice preceded her attack, but the Red noticed the impending assault quickly enough to pull up at the last second. Weiss' spell just barely missed, and Yang's charge was avoided as well.

And then the Red began his pursuit of the white and golden pair.

"This Dragon is very persistent!" Weiss cried out.

The Gold could tell that the Elven Mage was twisted in her seat, flinging spells behind her in an attempt to bring their pursuer down. "Yeah, he's good," she chuckled. "But I've still got some tricks left."

And though she tried them all, she got absolutely nowhere. No matter how much she juked or dodged, she simply couldn't throw off the angry Red who was intent on sending them to their crispy doom.

She received more than her few shares of close calls, avoiding the blasts of fire. Weiss had stilled behind her, panting lightly as she tried to regain her aura for more spells.

"I know I hit him a few times!" the Mage yelled weakly. "But he seemed to just shrug them off!"

The hot blood flowing through the Gold's veins seemed to freeze at that statement. Ancients preserve us, he must be pretty damn old to be able to resist her spells…

And then, as she tried for perhaps the dozenth time to reverse the situation and get behind the Red, disaster struck.

"No!" she screamed, watching the small, terrified girl plunge towards the rocky ground below. "Weiss!"

But then a flash of gleaming argent shot past, angling down. Barely visible was the spot of black against her back as Blake clung tenaciously to the speeding Silver. Yang's heart almost lurched into her throat at how low they went, but then they were ascending once more, a white-clad figure cradled in the arms of the Faunus woman.

"Right, that's it," she growled angrily. "Hatchling gloves are off."

Her wings unfurled to the sides, flattened. Her massive form swung around to face behind her until she spread them out again, halting the Dragon in midair.

The Red's eyes widened almost comically as he barreled in. Yang had the time for one more thought before they collided with a thunderous sound.

Ha, finally managed to surprise the bastard.

The screeches and roars from the combative Dragons echoed off of the distant mountains. Claws scrabbled for purchase, talons digging deep, as the two snapped at each other furiously. The embattled pair began to fall as neither one wanted their more fragile wings to be exposed.

Finally, Yang managed to use her strength to her advantage. The Red was certainly strong but not quite so much as her. And it gave her enough leverage to separate, just a bit.

The Gold's massive maw darted forward to latch onto the Red's sinuous neck. He roared in indignation, struggling, but long before they hit the ground his motions weakened and slowed.

Finally, Yang let go, flinging the other Dragon away from her as she twisted and threw her wings out to stabilize her flight. She soared just meters above the ground while, behind her, a great geyser of dust and debris billowed up from her opponent's impact.

She winced as her wings beat, the gashes and cuts along her flanks searing painfully with every use of her muscles.

Ruby drifted alongside her, shooting her a concerned glance that was mirrored by both amber and pale blue eyes.

"I'm alright," she assured them, though she was unable to keep the pain from lacing her words. "Let's just get over the mountains, yeah?"

"Alright," the Silver agreed. "We need to set down after that, tend to our wounds. And… I think we should proceed on in our human forms. Be less conspicuous."

"Sounds good," Yang gritted out.

As they gained altitude to clear the mountains, the Gold reflected that it would take them a bit longer this way, but at least they weren't too far from the border of Vale. She hoped the others were faring better than they were right now.

Yang glanced aside once more. While both Ruby and Blake were focused ahead and on the skies around them, Weiss, clinging to the Cat Faunus' back with Blake's tail wrapped around her waist, was staring at her intently.

"I love you," the Elf mouthed.

Yang was glad she was in her Draconic form as she wasn't nearly as expressive as when she looked like a human. She merely nodded, giving the other woman what she hoped to be a reassuring wink.

I love you too, princess.

Border of the Kingdom of Vale

The small party headed cautiously through the woods, pointed like an arrow towards the town of Vale proper. Pyrrha was out in front this time, her emerald gaze roaming for threats.

"You know what would be awesome?" she heard Nora pipe up from behind her.

"Do tell," the redhead's squire returned humorously.

"Flying boats."

"Um…" Jeanne seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond to that. "Pardon?"

"Y'know, like boats that float on the water, but up in the air."

"Why… Why would you even want that?"

Pyrrha chuckled to herself. The blonde was likely reminiscing upon her very brief time spent atop a certain Gold Dragon. It was enough of an experience to convince the queasy woman never to make such an attempt again.

"Because, silly!" Nora laughed. "Can you imagine, soaring up in the clouds like the Dragons do?"

"Yes," Jeanne muttered darkly in return. "I can imagine all too well."

The orange-haired warrior continued, ignoring her friend's retort. "And it'd be an awesome way to travel between kingdoms, across the water, everywhere, really!"

"How would they stay in the air, Nora?" the soft-spoken half-Elf interjected curiously.

"Duh," his girlfriend giggled. "Magic, of course!"

"I must say, I've never heard of a levitation spell powerful enough to lift an entire boat," Pyrrha spoke up over her shoulder. "Perhaps a small rowboat, at best."

"Well, then… a whole bunch of levitation spells!" Nora stated proudly, unwilling to let her dream be denied by something as mundane as logic.

They'd reached a clearing by that point, grassy and level. The mostly clear sky allowed the sunlight to warm them a bit. The trip so far had been getting colder as each hour progressed. In fact, Pyrrha wouldn't be surprised if they experienced an unseasonably early snowfall before they reached their destination.

The armored woman paused, searching the surrounding treeline for any threat, but could find none. Deciding that it was too wide to circle, she shrugged and stepped forward, grip tightening on her shield as a precaution.

It was well-warranted as, about a third of the way across, shapes began to stir in the shadows before them. They quickly resolved into the forms of leather-clad Orcs, heavily armed and encircling most of the clearing.

"Damn!" she snarled, drawing her sword. "Ambush! Ren, anyone behind us?"

"No, it's still clear, we could retreat back…"

At first, a few Orcs began to surge forward, bellowing their guttural war cries, but soon they were joined by an entire horde. More forms, heavier armored, were beginning to approach the treeline now.

"We can't take all of them," Jeanne cautioned.

"No, I agree," Pyrrha stated, taking a step back. "Let's find more favorable-"

She was interrupted by a furious scream from next to her as Nora surged forward to meet the charge. "GRAAAHHH!"

"Oum's bloody ballsack," her blonde squire groaned.

"Come on!" Pyrrha shouted, sprinting off after the pink-armored woman. Ren was close on her heels after offering an admonishment of "Language!" to Jeanne, and the latter was not far behind.

With a thunderous crash, the battle was joined. It was a chaotic, swirling mess, and the only thing the four adventurers had going for them was that they could strike out recklessly without much fear of injuring a friend.

Pyrrha herself was soon cut off from the others. Looming walls of green-skinned Orcs towered over her, seeking her death, but she was not one of the premiere swordswomen in all of Remnant for nothing.

The armored Knight lunged and dove about with abandon, dismembering and eviscerating as she went. Fortunately, these advance attackers were lightly-armored and fell to her whirling offense with ease.

It didn't take long, however, for the more powerful of the horde to show up on the field of battle.

She'd just taken care of the last of the leather-clad Orcs when the redheaded Knight turned to check on the treeline ahead. Much to her surprise, another Orc stood within striking distance, a massive iron-banded club soaring towards her midsection.

She whipped her shield around to take the impact, but the attack still lifted her up half of a foot into the air before unceremoniously depositing her onto the ground.

Pyrrha lay on her back, stunned by the blow. A stray cloud drifted across the sun, blotting out the light and swallowing her in shadow. It sent a quick shiver down the Knight's spine, as though a premonition of doom had just slipped its icy tendrils across her skin.

Is this how I die, then?

She weakly twisted her shield back around to try and block the follow-up blow… but it never came.

Instead, she was showered by a fountain of gore as the Orc's head imploded upon impact with a particularly large warhammer.

"Can't lay around, now!" Nora laughed merrily, twirling her enormous hammer with ease as she started forward. "Plenty more where that…"

The orange-haired girl trailed off in confusion, her gaze dropping down to her chest. Pyrrha looked on in horror while, as if in slow motion, the tip of a spear protruded from in between Nora's breasts.

The hammer-wielder coughed once, a bright spray of blood coating her pink-dyed armor before she was lifted off of her feet. She let out a hoarse wail of anguish, her beloved hammer Magnhild dropping from limp fingers, as she was flung backwards by a towering, snarling Orc.

Pyrrha surged to her feet with a fierce yell. "NORA!"

The redheaded Knight whirled in, neatly eviscerating the spear-wielding Orc and slamming her shield into the face of another attempting to bar her passage. Her attacker's nose gave way with a crunch, staggering him enough for her to slice through his throat and leave him gurgling out his last breaths.

It only took another pair of long strides for her to reach where Nora had fallen.

She couldn't tell if the orange-haired girl was still breathing from where she lay on her back but the amount of blood coating her torso and the ground beneath her was staggering.

"Ren!" Pyrrha screamed desperately. "Ren, where are you?"

She stood over Nora, swinging her sword and shield at any who dared approach. Pyrrha's lips were peeled back in a defiant snarl as she batted away spears and swords, deflected stray arrows, and hewed limbs from those incautious enough to face her wrath.

It was a near thing when Ren did run up, as she almost ended him right there on reflex.

The Cleric's face was pale as he crouched over Nora's body, his hands moving over her torso and murmuring prayers. Jeanne ran up next, skidding to a halt as she gazed upon the tableau.

"Oum's blood," the blonde gasped breathlessly.

It was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that Ren didn't even spare a second for a mild rebuke.

Pyrrha and Jeanne stood to either side, vigilant against more attacks, but the Orcs seemed to have pulled back a bit to regroup.

"Ren?" the redhead asked warily. "We're running out of time, how is she? Can we move her?"

She was startled by the hand that came to rest heavily upon her shoulder.

"No," Ren said simply, his voice hollow.

"Oh, sweet mother of Oum," Jeanne whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek.

"You have to go," Ren continued, turning Pyrrha so that he could look her in the eye. "Get the Orb to Vale. I will deal with these creatures."

"Ren, no… please don't, don't throw your life away…" Pyrrha implored, her eyes watering. "Come with us, please…"

The raven-haired half-Elf glanced down at the corpse at his feet before looking up once more. "My path with you ends here," he murmured with a small, sad smile. "Go now, please."

Pyrrha could only nod, seeing that further argument would fall upon deaf ears. She grabbed hold of her friend and pulled him into a tight hug, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape.

She didn't have the time to grieve, that would come later. For now, her duty as a Knight demanded that she push on.

Pyrrha was immediately replaced by her blonde companion, who was less reserved in her sobs, but she released him just as quickly.

"I'll never forget you," Jeanne whispered. "You or Nora."

"Then we shall live forever in your hearts," Ren murmured back. "Now, go with Oum's blessings and all the speed of your patron, Artemis. Be safe."

With that, the green-coated man turned to face the woodline once more. Rumblings and cries from within indicated that the attack would renew shortly. Ren held his staff firmly in one hand with it planted in the ground as if he were an immovable force.

Pyrrha only glanced back once over her shoulder as she and Jeanne raced forth. Behind them, Ren's form was now glowing an otherworldly white. Illuminated in front of him were ranks upon ranks of Orc warriors, screaming and frothing at the mouth as they charged him.

o o o

The majority of Ren's mind was focused on the incantations to Oum that he was weaving, imploring Him for His divine assistance. While the prayers fell easily from his lips as he stood facing the charging horde, a smaller part of him offered up an altogether different prayer.

Forgive me, Oum, for what I am about to do, he begged solemnly. I cannot live without her by my side. You have known this for as long as I myself have.

I do this for her. I do this for You. And I do this for my friends so that they might succeed in their quest and save many more lives.

As if in answer, he felt the surge of divine power fill him up, almost to the point of bursting. The white glow surrounding him was blinding as his spells completed, shrouding him in a holy armor.

"Come, then," he quietly greeted his foes as they raced in towards the half-Elf Cleric. "Let us finish this."

He met the first set of Orcs head-on, allowing them to get within striking range before he sprang into action. Each blow from his staff was akin to the impact from an Ogre's warclub, rending body parts asunder and sending the enemy flying from him, broken and defeated. More and more Orcs pressed in as he spun and struck out. He couldn't avoid all of the blows, and each one that his ethereal armor absorbed dimmed it slightly.

Ren felt the drain on his enhanced aura with every attack made and received, but right now he was fighting for time. Giving his beloved friends the chance to get away cleanly.

And while the holy light around him steadily dimmed, it did not ease the serene expression upon his face. He was at peace with his decision, and he would make them all pay dearly for his life and for that of the only woman he'd ever loved.

o o o

Pyrrha closed her ears to the sounds of battle, to the screams of the dying, as she ran.

She tried very hard not to listen to Ren's own death cry, just at the edge of hearing.

But both Pyrrha and Jeanne let their tears run down unchecked. It was up to them now, just the two of them to return the Orb to its rightful owner, through a land filled with enemies seeking their death.

Perhaps there was time now to grieve while they ran. Who knew when they might have the time to do so again?

A/N: Please don't hate me.

Ummm… Emergency Omake!

Ren blinked his eyes open slowly. A cool breeze ruffled his long raven hair, sending the scent of wildflowers across his prone form. The grass underneath him was warm and soft, cradling his body comfortably as he gazed up and into the blue, cloudless sky.

His view was suddenly blocked by a round face framed by bright orange hair. Turquoise eyes twinkled merrily.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Nora murmured with a fond smile. "Were you really all that anxious to follow me?"

Ren smiled back easily. "You know I'd follow you anywhere, love."

"And I you, Renny." The pinkette's grin widened as she leaned over, finger extended to lightly rest against the tip of his nose.

"Boop."

One last note, the 'premonition of doom' line was foretold back in chapter 6, right before the group met Nora and Ren.

Much love as always for my patient Beta, KellyConnely, and hugs all around for you readers and reviewers for putting up with me so far! AntonSlavik020, carpenter656, Foxinstrazt, RatedRSuperStar87, Crescent Sunrise, ZHsteven, kinigget, OverDude12, Haley Earthstone, Boombox94, Minesniper, Lavits Dragoon. Apologies for not responding to everyone's reviews this past week, and looking forward to the pitchforks and torches being tossed my way...

Stay shiny!