Chapitre 734: 77
Chapter 77:
Day 5:
Jaune was beginning to fold under the number of pirates besieging his position. His shield and sword couldn't be everywhere. Despite his best efforts, he found himself being hit in the back, even as he blocked an attack from another direction. His sword struck out, but he failed to land many attacks; the hits he was taking, and his need to keep his defense up, hampering his ability to attack.
And then Ruby arrived like a whirling crimson hurricane, her swords cutting several pirates to pieces, before they even realized she was there. Once they did notice, the survivors immediately fell back, while Ruby's own movements made her seem like a red wind, wrapping around Jaune's body, before stopping with them back-to-back.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"I'll live," said Jaune, before grunting, his Aura handling the pain of the hits he'd taken. "These jerks just keep coming, though."
"I know," agreed Ruby. "Winter's fighting their captain. We'll just have to hold up as best we can, down here."
"Easier for you than me," said Jaune, looking at the blood that had been practically painted across the ship's deck in the wake of Ruby's passage.
Shadows descended from above, and a fresh wave of pirate reinforcements touched down, before throwing themselves into the fray with a gusto. From there on, things were a blur for Jaune and Ruby. Jaune fought as best he could, continuing to use his shield to deflect attacks, before striking out from behind it. For her part, Ruby was a force of nature, quickly cutting through the ranks of newly arrived pirates, cutting down several of them before they could react.
Barely a minute after the fourth wave's arrival, all their enemies had fallen, leaving Jaune and Ruby alone, panting for breath. Jaune was more winded than Ruby was by a mile, sweat streaming down his face. But Ruby wasn't in peak condition either, the holes dotting her cloak displaying the Aura she'd spent.
They turned to look down towards the bow, where Weiss and Pyrrha were fighting together. Pyrrha's arrival had given Weiss a chance to reload Myrtenaster, and now she was using her Dust attacks to support Pyrrha's efforts. They weren't cutting through the enemy with as much efficiency as Ruby had, but they were definitely making progress.
The surviving pirates fell back away from the pair, only to turn and see that their comrades on the other end of the deck had already been wiped out. Trapped between two pairs of Beacon students, they looked about nervously, their previous confidence faltering. The reason behind their sudden unease became even more apparent, when the sound of the catapults firing off a fresh wave of reinforcements failed to reach the deck.
"Looks like they're just about out of numbers," said Jaune, relief washing through him at the realization. He'd been worried that this fight would drag on until he couldn't lift his sword anymore.
Then a shadow passed over their heads, and a white mass landed in front of them. Looking down, Ruby and Jaune gasped.
"Winter!" Weiss shouted, her voice heavy with dismay.
Winter was sprawled out across the deck, the spilled blood dying the white of her clothes, mingling with the blood leaking from the lacerations across her body, including her arms and legs.
"Well well, four waves down, and you still haven't folded."
Ruby and Jaune looked up to see Morgan standing on the upper-deck, leering down at them with that sadistic grin of hers. Despite having apparently won over Winter, it was apparent that Morgan hadn't gotten things completely her own way either. Her own face was covered by small lacerations, and there were tears across the fabric of her greatcoat, particularly along the sleeve of her left arm, exposing her prosthetic limb in its entirety. Her hat and eyepatch had been knocked off completely, revealing that her right eye was actually uninjured beneath it. Despite that, there was no sign that her energy and confidence were flagging in any way.
"I've got to say, it's never taken my men more than two waves to overrun a ship's defenders. And you landlubbers have taken down four. My crew's about tapped out now. I guess that means more people on this ship are going to get the privilege of living through this."
"They won't have to worry about that," growled Ruby. "You're going down, today!"
Morgan's grin widened, and she vaulted over the railing, her jump carrying her over Ruby and Jaune's heads, landing between them and the pirates milling about in the middle of the deck. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" she asked cheerfully.
"Captain!" protested one of the pirates. "We're just about out of crew, and the military could be here any minute!"
"We've never taken this long to seize a vessel!" added another.
"Quiet, you swabs!" Morgan shouted over her shoulder at them. "The next one who speaks out gets a taste of my blade!" She turned back to Ruby and Jaune...or Ruby, rather. "Now then, Little One. Are you ready to back up your bold talk?"
Ruby stepped ahead of Jaune, flourishing both her swords, before taking her stance, left sword held out ahead of her, right-handed one held so that it was oriented to point down her back. Jaune wanted to protest, but held his tongue, figuring that Ruby probably had a good grip on the situation.
It was clear that Morgan was seriously unbalanced. Even though her previous raids had relied heavily on speed; overwhelming a ship's defenders, and bringing it under control before any help they could summon had arrived; she didn't betray an ounce of lost confidence at the realization that this particular attempt had lasted far longer than any previous ones. Her crew had taken far more casualties as well. The longer this went on, the more likely it was that the Atlesian or Valean military would arrive. The sensible thing to do was cut their losses and retreat. But that seemed to be the furthest thing from Morgan's mind.
Instead, she chuckled, grinning ecstatically at Ruby, as though she were in the midst of a drug-induced high. "And to think, you were such a wee lass, the last time you challenged me. Now you've grown enough that we can play properly."
Ruby said nothing in response, merely evening out her breathing in preparation for what was to come. If Morgan wanted to play around, fine by her. It simply gave them more time until somebody came to their aid.
"Jaune, keep an eye on Winter," Ruby instructed her partner. The last thing she wanted was for one of Morgan's crew to get the idea of threatening the disabled Specialist in an effort to influence the fight. She figured Morgan would probably object to it. But Morgan's behavior was inconsistent enough that Ruby couldn't say how she would react to it.
"You've got it," said Jaune, already settling himself over Winter, shield held at the ready.
And so, Ruby and Morgan faced each other down, a significant portion of the broad expanse of the freighter's deck between them. The deck itself was slick with blood, something Ruby took note of, as it could potentially undermine her footing. Taking another breath, Ruby let her awareness spread outward, her Extension brushing across Morgan, taking in the nature of her body and Aura.
Ruby could sense the potential energy represented by the unexpended Dust, woven into Morgan's clothes, and cunningly concealed as jewelry. There was far less of it than there had been before Morgan's fight with Winter, indicating that she'd expended a considerable amount of it. However, there was still enough remaining to make Ruby wary. Morgan's Aura was erratic and chaotic, making it hard to get a feel for the nature of her style. It was definitely more heavily concentrated in her right hand and arm, indicating her favoring it for her swordsmanship, which wasn't surprising. However, there was a strange, loose pattern around her left arm, the cybernetic one.
She must have a weapon concealed in it, thought Ruby. Given the pervasiveness of mechashift weaponry, even amongst those who weren't Huntsmen or Huntresses, Ruby wouldn't have put it past Morgan to have installed some form of weapon in her prosthetic limb, expected it of her even, considering Morgan's love of secreting unpleasant surprises on her person.
Eager to begin, Morgan triggered her sword, the blade whirring and spinning, while splitting and closing with that snipping sound. Then with a sharp bark of laughter, Morgan lunged forward, her feet sliding across the deck, propelled by Aura in a sliding attack similar to the kind Weiss often used.
Ruby didn't wait for Morgan to come to her. She stepped forward, channeling her Aura through her feet, leaving small flurries of crimson petals in her wake. The two fighters closed, their blades meeting with a sharp clang. Immediately, they set to dancing about, moving back and forth along the deck, shifting and stepping, circling and whirling. Ruby worked Bara and Ibara furiously, using both swords to the fullest extent she could. However, Morgan proved more than adept at handling an opponent with two swords, parrying Ruby's incoming attacks with seeming ease. The metal chassis of her prosthetic arm made for a serviceable shield, allowing her to use the limb to deflect some of Ruby's slashes as well.
It didn't help that Morgan immediately set about trying to divest Ruby of her weapons, opening and closing the tines of her spinning sword repeatedly, in an effort to catch one or the other of Ruby's blades, so that she could use the rotational force of her weapon to wrench the trapped sword from Ruby's hand. As such, Ruby was often forced to divert, or outright abort, her attack, to keep her weapons from getting caught. More than simply being disarmed and left weaponless, Ruby's swords were irreplaceable masterpieces, and her closest companions, whose loss she would feel as keenly as the death of any of her friends or teammates. In these conditions, it would be all too easy for one of Morgan's disarms to send one of Ruby's swords tumbling over the side, into the fathomless depths below, where it would be all but certainly lost for good.
On the surface, Morgan's style appeared erratic, playful even, but her technique was truly masterful. She continually used the threat of disarmament as a means of breaking Ruby's rhythm, keeping her from investing her full speed and power in any of her attacks. On a frustrating note, Ruby was reminded of her fight with her father, a couple weeks ago. Taiyang's style had also been focused on disarming attacks, his primary goal throughout the fight being to separate Ruby from her swords.
Ironically, fighting Morgan, even though she had the same aim, was less frustrating. Taiyang's efforts had been born of a twisted and warped love, and the belief that he was doing what was best for Ruby. It was devoid of malice, which only made it all the more irritating, as Taiyang refused to see just how much his actions were hurting her. In contrast, Morgan wore her malice and sadism openly. She was doing this specifically to leave Ruby at her mercy, with the intent of inflicting pain. But at least Morgan was open about it, not hiding behind the excuse of doing something for Ruby's "own good."
So Ruby fought carefully and cautiously, focusing on feeling her opponent out, trying to better learn the nuances of Morgan's style, and work out the best way to find and exploit an opening.
Abruptly, Morgan picked up the pace, going on the offensive, lunging in with a sudden thrust that left her stepping directly between Bara and Ibara. Ruby backpedaled, her Shukuchi allowing her to dance out of range of the thrust faster than Morgan could advance. But then a clicking noise accompanied the transformation of Morgan's left hand, her fingers and palm dividing and lengthening, the becoming a five-tailed whip, barbs extending along its length as Morgan lashed out with it, trying to catch Ruby and keep her from escaping the pirate's reach.
Shunting her Aura into her cloak, Ruby whipped it out, using the broad stretch of fabric to bat back all five tails. Even if her garment had been made of mundane fabric, the barbs of Morgan's whip still wouldn't have caught on it. But now Ruby understood how Morgan was able to get one-up on Winter. This was not the kind of weapon Ruby would have imagined Morgan having secreted away in her prosthetic limb.
Continuing to dance back away from her opponent, Ruby continued the movement of her cloak, flapping it between the two of them, before sweeping it back out, her cloak scattering red petals in a cloud, which Morgan stepped into, before she even noticed what was happening.
"Hanabi!"
With a yelp, Morgan halted her advance, jumping back with the first snap of Ruby's petals igniting. They exploded across Morgan's vision countless strings of firecrackers, dancing sparks threatening to catch her and jolt her with electric shocks. Furthermore, the sudden distraction they afforded help to screen Ruby's next move, as more petals scattered from her cloak, swiftly merging together, their color washing from red to violet.
"Hibana!" The orbs of plasma launched through the remains of Ruby's previous attack, leaping at Morgan like missiles. Morgan's eyes went wide, and she immediately went on the defensive.
Swirling, pale-green winds enveloped the spinning blade of Morgan's sword, her blade opening right as Ruby's attack reached her, expanding the whirlwind, which swept up the orbs of plasma into the whirlwind, before scattering them around her on arcing courses. A couple slammed into the deck, exploding with miniature thunderclaps, and blowing open holes. Another couple arced down over the railing, to do the same to the deck of the submersible still running alongside the freighter. The rest either shot off into the sky, or splashed and hissed harmlessly into the ocean surface.
The tines of Morgan's sword scissored back closed, while Morgan lunged forward again, the whirlwind around her still-spinning blade only increasing in size and intensity, with streams washing off behind the woman as she moved, acting as propulsion, while they also concentrated down at the tip in a tightening spiral that made Morgan's weapon seem like a massive drill. She flew towards Ruby at frightening speed, her body becoming a blur. Ruby retreated again, her cloak flapping up to envelop her body as she moved. But she wasn't able to escape Morgan's reach fast enough.
Morgan's sword pierced right through Ruby's cloak, the drill-like maelstrom of winds shredding it and ripping a rapidly widening hole through it. However, beyond the red garment was...nothing. Instead, the cloak dissolved into another cloud of red petals, with Morgan's attack sending her shooting through empty space instead.
But Morgan wasn't dissuaded so easily. Already reading ahead, she lashed out with the whip extending from her left arm, even as she brought her charge to a stop and turned. The sudden counter caught Ruby; who'd sidestepped Morgan's previous attack, and was coming in to strike; off-guard, Ruby crying out in pain as five barbed tails slashed at her Aura. What was worse, the tails bent and turned around Ruby's body, the barbs threatening to catch and sink in, where her Aura's protection might be weak. If Ruby was caught, and tried to dislodge herself, she'd only wind up opening grievous wounds across her body.
So Ruby stepped in closer instead, ignoring the sharp pain of Morgan's whips, driving in too close to use the blades of her swords effectively, instead rushing past Morgan, while slamming the pommel of Ibara into the side of Morgan's torso with all the strength her body and forward momentum could convey. Morgan let out a sharp wheeze of pain, the force of the blow actually lifting her feet up off the deck a little.
From there, Ruby turned left into a spin, pulling Ibara's pommel away from Morgan, while continuing to step around the woman, her spin accelerating with a flurry of petals spreading in a ring around her. Before Morgan could recover, Ruby's left foot came up and around in a kick that caught Morgan in the opposite side, knocking her back across the deck, before Ruby immediately reversed direction to pursue her.
Morgan's back hit the deck, and she bounced up, going into a flip that allowed her to get her feet under her. However, Morgan's boots came down on one of the many pools of blood spreading across the deck, and went back out from under her again. But this merely proved to be a ruse, as Morgan actually used the movement to kick up a splatter of blood. With a crackling sound, the crimson droplets elongated and froze into countless red needles, which immediately went flying at the face of the incoming Ruby.
Shifting her head slightly, Ruby brought her hood around, using it to deflect the needles, which struck with surprising force, considering their minuscule size. Even with her vision cut off, Ruby still tracked Morgan with her other senses. So Ruby wasn't surprised when Morgan immediately followed up by lashing out with her whip once more, the weapon spinning where the woman's prosthetic wrist had once been, prompting the whip's tails to fan out, even as they reached for Ruby.
Kicking off the deck, Ruby launched herself upwards, putting more power than she would have liked into the move. The rotation of Morgan's wrist only served to continue spreading her whips out, forcing Ruby to make quite the detour to escape their spinning reach, which also kept her from striking out at Morgan as she passed over the woman's head. It also gave Morgan plenty of time to turn back around to face her, as Ruby came down on the pirate's other side.
They turned towards each other, their slashing blades meeting once more, Morgan following up by lashing at Ruby with her whip again, this time sweeping it low to try and tangle Ruby's feet. Ruby avoided by jumping again, not as high this time. However, Morgan had already anticipated this kind of dodge, and had started rotating her wrist again, sending the tails lashing upwards in the same movement. Two of them glanced off Ruby's hood, but a third tail made its way past the edge, and lashed her across the face, sending Ruby reeling back, before she escaped the weapon's reach.
Ruby stumbled upon landing, her Aura protecting her from having lines of blood drawn across her face, but not doing much to dull the pain of the initial hit, leaving a burning sensation. Morgan didn't hesitate to capitalize, crowing with laughter as she advanced, thrusting with her sword again, launching a rapid series of thrusts. Ruby worked her own swords to deflect Morgan's attacks, continuing to stumble backwards away from the madwoman.
But then Morgan opened her sword once again, catching one of Ruby's attempted parries with Ibara between the extended tines. Ruby gasped, her eyes widening as she realized what was about to happen. A triumphant grin on her face, Morgan triggered her sword's spin again, preparing to pull Ruby's sword right out of her hand, and send it flying over the side fo the ship.
Ruby's body moved automatically. There was no time to think, no time to figure out to escape this predicament. But somehow, she knew what to do. Morgan's technique was actually banking on Ruby trying to escape, to pull back and away. Doing so would weaken Ruby's grip on her trapped sword, making it all the easier for her to tear it out of Ruby's hand.
So Ruby didn't try to back away. Instead, she shifted forward...and thrusted the blade of Bara over and across Ibara, slipping it into the opening between the tines on the other side of Morgan's weapon, the twisting torque of Morgan's sword now holding both of Ruby's swords fast. Whatever motor Morgan had for spinning her weapon, it was ridiculously powerful for its size. Even with both of Ruby's swords, with the strength of both her arms holding it back, she felt as though she was on the verge of losing both blades now. But, again, Ruby's instincts, honed through years of training and harsh experience, showed her the way forward. Ruby simply used all the strength she cold muster, putting it into her wrists, and she twisted.
Where before the tines of Morgan's sword had been pressed against the flats of Ruby's trapped swords, they were now suddenly pressing up against the edges. For a fraction of a second, the two fighters were frozen, straining against one another. Then, with a sudden shearing sound, the outside tines of Morgan's trident-sword snapped clean off, the two lengths of sharpened metal flying away to either side.
Morgan's eyes went wide, a look of genuine dismay appearing on her face for the first time throughout the entire fight. Ruby didn't waste any time basking in her sudden triumph, instead following through by stepping forward, turning her swords again so that their flats grated against one another as Ruby brought them scissoring across Morgan's chest. In the same movement, the blades rang eerily, shining with brilliant crimson light, which then condensed into crackling lightning, which launched Morgan back away from Ruby, flying on a crescent of crimson energy.
Morgan slammed down onto the deck of the ship, plowing through the ranks of her own crew in the process. The pirates she came into contact with were either knocked aside or thrown away, crimson arcs crackling across their bodies, while Morgan practically writhed amidst a web of red lightning, a pained scream tearing its way out of her lips.
Panting from exertion, Ruby stepped towards Morgan, determined to close in before she could recover, and finish the fight for good. However, when her left foot came down, Ruby screamed in pain, her leg suddenly losing strength. Looking down, she saw several ugly gashes opened up around and above her ankle, blood staining the black fabric of her leggings.
In the same instant that Ruby had knocked her back, Morgan had lashed out with the five-tailed whip extending from her left arm. Aiming low again, she managed to catch the barbs on Ruby's left leg, near the ankle. Then, when she had been knocked back, the force of Ruby's own attack had pulled the barbs free, the force allowing them to reach through Ruby's Aura and tear into the muscle and skin below, possibly even nicking a tendon.
Ruby grit her teeth, tears of pain streaming down her face. Grimacing, she tried to force herself upright, but only staggered, sinking down again. In this state, she had no footing to speak of. She might as well have been all but helpless, given that she couldn't even bring herself to stand. She had successfully inflicted critical damage on Morgan's sword, but quite possibly at the cost of her own ability to keep fighting.
"Ruby!" her friends shouted in near unison. Weiss and Pyrrha lurched towards her, but came up short when they realized that they would have to fight their way through what remained of Morgan's crew to reach her; not undoable, but also not expedient at this time. Jaune also took a step her way, but stopped, looking down and reminding himself to watch over Winter.
However, a glance Morgan's way allowed Jaune to notice that the pirates were primarily focused on helping her and their comrades up, many of them having been stunned by contact with the lightning that had been wreathing Morgan's body. At the moment, none of them seemed to have a thought to spare for him. Taking the gamble, Jaune made for Ruby.
Ruby was down on one knee, her injured leg resting behind her, blood leaking to mingle with that already spilled across the deck. Her face was pale and drawn, grimacing in pain.
"Hang on!" Jaune said quickly, crouching down next to her. "We'll get that taken care of." He looked up at Ruby. "You can heal it, can't you?"
Ruby shook her head. "The Healing Arts I learned I can't use on myself. That's just the way they work."
Jaune nodded, then frowned. The memory of his talk with Sasame, on the roof of the dorms, came back. She'd once told him that she saw him as having potential as a healer...which gave him an idea. "What if I do it?" he asked.
"Jaune...that's not something you can just...do!" Ruby protested, throwing him an incredulous look.
"Still probably our best chance," Jaune pointed out, throwing a wary glance Morgan's way, where her people were propping her up.
Seeing his point, Ruby took a breath. "All right," she said. "But you need to listen carefully. You're going to be sending your Aura into me. If you aren't careful, it's going to wind up working like an attack, and just end up hurting me worse."
Gulping, Jaune nodded. "Got it," he said.
"You're going to be using the skills you've already learned," said Ruby. "Maintain your Temper, then use Flow to channel your Aura into your hands. From there, bring your hands to my leg, and Project your Aura into me. Don't try to use a lot of force, just send it out."
"Right," said Jaune, already gathering his Aura into his hands, which began to shine white.
"Go gently," Ruby urged him. "Channel your Aura into mine, and focus on enhancing its ability to heal."
Jaune nodded, collapsing his shield, and sheathing his sword, setting them aside so that he could freely rest his hands over Ruby's wounds.
"Quite the blow you managed to land, you little minx," commented Morgan, still leaning heavily against one of her men. She examined her sword, the central blade/tine looking even thinner than a standard rapier blade. "You truly have grown so much, since the last time I've seen you."
Ruby paid Morgan no mind, instead keeping her attention on Jaune, while tracking Morgan's crew, making sure none of them went after Winter.
Jaune breathed out, then Projected his Aura out through his hands, focusing on his desire to ease Ruby's pain, to help her, the way she'd helped him. He remembered back to the impression he'd gotten from when she'd used her Aura to help him on the airship to Beacon, all those months ago, even though he'd had no idea what she'd been doing at the time. The white light of his Aura flowed out through his hands, washing and rippling across Ruby's leg, pooling in the gashes that the barbs of Morgan's whip had etched into her skin.
Morgan stared at the spectacle, frowning as she got an idea of what Jaune was doing. "Well now...we can't have that," she declared. "If you lads and lasses would be so kind as to keep blondie there out of our hair, I have things to finish with the Little One."
Several members of her crew lifted their weapons, ready to threaten Jaune, though a couple of them began to move towards Winter, who had yet to move.
"No!" shouted Weiss, taking a step forward, but balking as the remainder of Morgan's crew barred her and Pyrrha's way. They could probably fight their way through, but not in time to make a difference on Jaune and Ruby's side of things.
Then Weiss had an idea; a reckless, ill-considered idea; but probably the best one to deal with the present situation. "Pyrrha, keep me covered," she said.
Pyrrha nodded, and took up a guard position in front of Weiss. Stepping back, Weiss reversed her grip on Myrtenaser, planting the rapier's tip into the deck. Taking a deep breath, she drew her Temper in, using Suppression to clamp down on her Aura, building it up. Then she opened up her Aura again. Down the length of the deck, past the gathering of the pirates, the sword-wheel of her Summoning Glyph appeared, spinning on the deck, halfway between where Winter lay and where Jaune was at work healing Ruby's leg.
The Glyph's sudden appearance prompted Morgan's crew to balk. Seeing the flash of light, and recognizing the Glyph that Winter had used against her multiple times prompted Morgan to glare at Weiss. "Get her!" she shouted.
Several pirates started towards Weiss, only for Pyrrha to drive them back with expert use of her sword and shield.
Meanwhile, Weiss focused her mind on the image of what she wanted to Summon, following the steps Ruby had walked her through, back at the hotel in Soyuz. Opening her eyes, she Projected her Aura into the image, through the Glyph, putting all the Aura she could spare into it, leaving her with hardly any left. Across from her, the Glyph flared, its light rising to almost blinding levels.
Then, with a final, blazing flash, it appeared, the crested helm, the curved plates, the massive sword...the Arma Gigas rose up from Weiss' Glyph. Faced with the approaching enemies, it raised its sword, and struck, using a horizontal sweep to blast the attacking pirates back. Most of them had their Auras broken by the hit, while one was cleaved right in two. The remainder of Morgan's crew fell back, effectively stymied by the appearance of the Knight.
"Well well...quite the trick," noted Morgan, finally pushing herself free of her subordinate's support. "Your sister certainly didn't bring out anything this impressive."
Over where she lay, Winter groaned softly, stirring out of her unconsciousness. Her eyes slowly opening, Winter found herself looking almost straight at the glowing boot of the Knight, planted firmly on the deck in front of her. That's...a Summon. But Weiss...? Winter's gaze slid across the deck, looking past the remaining pirates at Weiss, who looked on the verge of collapse, but both happy and satisfied with the results of her effort.
Meanwhile, Jaune watched as the inflow of his Aura closed Ruby's wounds, the cuts in her flesh shrinking, then fading away entirely, not even leaving red lines to stand out against the light color of her skin. Smiling, Jaune allowed himself to relax, glad that he was able to help. Glancing over at Ruby, he noticed that she was still looking worse for wear. Her cloak was ragged and torn, a sign that her own Aura was flagging.
Then Jaune remembered something else Sasame had shown them. His smile widening, Jaune moved his hands, resting them on Ruby's shoulders from behind.
"Jaune?" asked Ruby, glancing over her shoulder in confusion, before gasping in surprise as she felt his Aura flowing into her once more. This time, it was more powerful, a warm current flowing into her own Aura...and bolstering it. This is...Sasame-nee's support technique!
Jaune's Aura washed through her like a warm current, soothing aching muscles, cooling burning lungs. The tears and holes across Ruby's cloak began to close, almost like her wound had earlier. Fresh strength rushed into her, leaving her feeling invigorated. In fact...she felt even better than she had before. Sasame-nee's technique was never this powerful...not for the amount of Aura that he's using. It's almost like his Aura doesn't just supplement mine...but amplifies it too. This is incredible!
With a sigh of relief, Jaune pulled his hands away and stood back, taking up his weapons again. Ruby rose to her feet on her own, her cloak seeming to float upwards in the wind from her freshly rejuvenated and enhanced Aura. In her hands, Bara and Ibara shined and rang, the two swords practically singing with their eagerness to resume the battle.
And Morgan saw it all, her eyes going wide at the sight of Ruby, easily looking to be at at least one-hundred and twenty percent. The normally maniacal pirate licked her lips, betraying genuine unease for the first time since the fight had begun. "Well well...that is quite the trick your friend has up his sleeve, Little One. I would very much like to have that for my own crew."
Ruby gave Morgan a teasing smile. "Sorry, but he's already taken."
"I see," said Morgan. "Well...this turn of affairs mandates a rethink."
"Not just that, Captain!" shouted one of the pirates near the railing. "Look!"
They all looked out to see what the pirate was looking at. Away to the north, far out past the freighter's stern, the blue sea stretched out to the curving horizon, and hovering over it, a pair of angular shapes.
The thud of Morgan's boots against the deck preceded her declaration. "Playtime's over it seems! Back to the ship, you swabs!"
The pirates rushed to obey her, falling back from Pyrrha and Weiss, no longer menacing Winter or Ruby. Instead, they all rushed headlong to the edge, throwing themselves over the railing, and gladly risking the drop to the deck of the submersible below.
"We can't let them get away!" Weiss shouted, taking a staggering step after them.
If the pirates escaped, particularly with their own vessel intact, then they would simply retreat, lick their wounds, and pick up where they left off later. Weiss knew all too well that such a result would not satisfy her father. Either he would disinherit her on the spot, or simply call on her team the next time the pirates started raiding his ships. Either way, letting them escape was out of the question.
Ruby rushed to the edge of the ship after the pirates. Reaching the railing, she looked down to see that the deck was already closing. The instant the massive doors that formed the dorsal section of the submersible's hull slid closed, the vehicle would begin to submerge, and escape beneath the waves, as undetectable as it had been upon approach. Boarding was out of the question, as fighting their way, possibly destructively, through the submersible while it was underwater would have disastrous consequences.
Ruby looked over at Pyrrha, who was now at the railing beside her. "Pyrrha, use your Semblance to keep the deck from closing up!"
Not questioning her, Pyrrha lifted both of her hands, holding them out. Black energy enveloped the pistons pulling the dorsal hatches closed, the mechanisms groaning as they fought back against the force of Pyrrha's Polarity. They jerked and shuddered, but continued to slide closer together, albeit at a slower rate.
In seconds, fresh sweat was streaming down Pyrrha's brow. "I...I can't keep this up for long," she announced.
"Weiss...whatever you've got!" said Ruby frantically, turning to Weiss, hoping that her Dust would have something that could finish the job.
To her relief, Weiss smiled confidently, and nodded decisively. "Leave it to me," she said.
Behind her, her Summon jumped off the deck. With a flash, one of Weiss' Propulsion Glyphs appeared beneath its feet, launching it higher up, over the side of the boat, and into the air above the submersible. Meanwhile, Weiss lifted Myrtenaster vertically, the Dust-chambers rotating, a chamber of brown-colored Dust sliding into place. A pair of Glyphs appeared midway along the length of the Knight's sword, ringing it. They slid away from one another. As they moved, the hard-light that appeared to make up the Knight's weapon was replaced by dark stone.
A final Glyph appeared above and behind the Knight, launching it downwards like a missile. It dove between the pieces of the submersible's hull, the Summon driving its stone sword straight down into the deck. Upon penetrating into the deck, the stone that made up the sword abruptly exploded in volume, the blade expanding to become a massive spike, which punched all the way down through the submarine's decks, and out through its ventral hull.
The Schneller Geist rocked violently. With a pained gasp, Pyrrha released her Semblance, allowing the dorsal hatches to slide closed uninhibited...except that they were now jammed by the presence of the massive chunk of stone that formed the top of the spike that Weiss' Knight had just driven right through it, the Knight itself having already evaporated into motes of light.
Both Weiss and Pyrrha collapsed to their knees, their Auras dispersing with a snapping sound. But their work was done. The Schneller Geist was still sliding below the waves. But this was no controlled submersion. As the four students watched, it listed, unbalanced by the sudden unexpected weight near its bow, pitching forward at a steeper angle than it should have, water flowing in through the open hatch. The submersible was done for.
Morgan staggered, her legs quaking with the effort needed to move. It didn't help that the corridor was beginning to list to one side, as the Schneller Geist's angle continued to increase. She'd already discarded the broken remnants of her sword and retracted her whip. Now she made her way to a single door, set into a recess on one side of the hall. Thankfully, it was on the side that was angled downwards, ensuring that she didn't have to climb, though she did have to work to maintain her balance, and keep from pitching into the room as the door opened.
Inside was her cabin. The captain's quarters was of two parts. On one side were the richly appointed furnishings that were appropriate for a pirate captain with Morgan's record of success. On the other side, a sluiced floor, chains, and...other implements...marked the section of the room where Morgan indulged in her personal hobby. However, she ignored both sides, instead making her way down the line that divided the room in the center. At the other end was a set of shelves. On one side was a shelf of books of all varieties, while the other side, the one that ran into Morgan's hobby-room, housed her "toys."
Reaching for one book that rested right on the edge of the divide, Morgan pulled on its spine. Rather than coming off the shelf, the book instead leaned back, revealing itself to be a switch, the shelf and wall in front of her dividing along that very same centerline that ran across her room.
Behind that door...was another door. Slipping the glove off her right hand, Morgan held it out to the panel set off to the right side of that door. After the panel scanned her biometrics, the second door slid open, and Morgan stepped into the chamber beyond, the door sliding shut behind her.
She was not alone in the room. The lights from overhead threw everything into a sinister, red cast. That light fell upon the room's occupant, which was neither human nor faunus. Those who saw it would have little difficulty recognizing it as a Creature of Grimm. But it was not a type of Grimm that most everyone, save for a select few, would be familiar with.
Its shape was reminiscent of a jellyfish, with a black, spherical mantle, about the size of a human head, with a lipped ring at the bottom. The mantle was covered across most of its surface by cracked, white bone-plates, which were so characteristic of the Grimm. Within the sphere, a dark-red light glowed malevolently. The lip at the bottom of the mantle was lined with short, curved, toothlike plates, their tips pointing downwards. From beneath the mantle trailed a set of six red tentacles, tipped with sharp, white, blade-like points, two of which were as large and broad as full-sized daggers.
Strangely, rather than lash out and attack her, the Grimm only turned in place, orienting itself so a fair-sized gap between the bone-plates that covered its mantle was facing towards Morgan.
"Hello, Milady," said Morgan in a cheerful tone.
The glassy, black surface of the strange Grimm, called a Seer, began to ripple, color appearing across its "face." The ripples gradually resolved into the, somewhat distorted and stretched, image of a humanlike face...a face with white skin, red veins, and eyes of dark-red set against black sclera.
"What do you have to report?" a feminine voice asked, issuing forth from the Seer. The voice was deep and resonant, carrying with it a sense of true power and authority.
Morgan's smile faded, and she bowed her head. "Failure, I'm afraid. I have overreached, and...as a consequence, the Schneller Geist is now done for."
For a moment, silence was her only response. After that delay, the woman's voice spoke through the Grimm. "You disappoint me, Morgan."
Letting out a soft sigh, Morgan lowered her head. "I figured as much, Milady. I have nothing to say for myself, honestly." Raising her head, she looked at the face stretched across the mantle of the Seer with a smile that looked strangely sincere on her. "Of course, I am prepared to accept responsibility for this; whether that means going down with my ship, or accepting whatever other punishment you choose to mete out." She sighed again, the sound mingling with a sob as her head dipped once more. "Honestly...I don't know how I could possibly face dear Arthur, after wrecking his masterpiece like this."
Again, the one she was conversing with was silent for a long moment. Then, "Tell me, Morgan, do you know the difference between an error and a mistake?"
"I'm afraid I have not pondered that, Milady," said Morgan.
"Anyone can make an error, Morgan. But that error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Rectifying an error requires acknowledging it. Failure recognized is a failure that can be learned from. Tell me, Morgan...do you know what your error was?"
"I indulged my proclivities too much," said Morgan simply. "I encountered...someone I desired...and allowed that impulse to blind me to my work. So I did not think to retreat until it was too late."
Again, Morgan's response was followed by a momentary silence. "Then it seems that you are capable of learning from your failure. You have the capacity to correct your error, Morgan. Because of that...I permit you to return to me. We shall see what is to be done later."
"Your mercy humbles me, Milady," said Morgan. "I shall return to you with the utmost speed. Please convey my deepest apologies and regrets to Arthur in the meantime."
"And I shall expedite your return," replied the woman's voice.
"My deepest gratitude, Milady," said Morgan.
The face rippled and faded from the Seer's mantle, leaving Morgan alone once more, with just the Grimm for company. Making her way across the listing room, Morgan settled into the cushions of a couch that was recessed into one side of the wall. Reaching over, she pressed her hand to a panel, set into the inside of the recess.
There was a hissing sound, accompanied by a jolting lurch. The sound of the alarms blaring through the Schneller Geist's corridors fell away, leaving silence in their wake.
The Schneller Geist continued to descend into the depths. While its crew floundered and drowned as water rapidly pooled within it, a single spherical pod burst out near the stern, leaving a trail of bubbles behind it. The pod shot away at an upward angle, taking it towards the surface, its two passengers, Morgan and her unlikely companion, leaving the crew of her ship to their fate.
Suddenly, the sinking submarine was not alone. An undulating, serpentine shape rose upwards from the depths, a pair of glowing, dark-red eyes focusing on the descending submersible. An elongated snout opened to reveal a tooth-lined maw. The long, serpentine form of a Sea Feilong coiled about the stricken vessel's hull, its muscles contracting. With low groaning noises, the submersible's hull crumpled like an empty can. Between the crushing power of the Feilong, and the water filling it, the submarine's Dust-reactor detonated, the resulting explosion taking the Grimm along with it, and sending a shockwave that produced a plume of water at the surface, visible to those on the deck of the freighter.
Meanwhile, a second Sea Feilong rose up from the depths, this one angling for the escape pod that had jettisoned from the Schneller Geist. Instead of attacking though, the Feilong instead took the pod in its mouth with a surprisingly delicate grip, and carried it away.
"Looks like it's over," said Ruby softly.
"Yep," agreed Jaune. "Now what?"
"Can you help Winter?" asked Ruby, looking to him.
Jaune stared down at his hands. "I've got a little left in the tank," he said. "I'll do what I can."
Staggering a little, he made his way to Winter. Ruby checked on Weiss and Pyrrha, making sure that they were all right. Their Auras were completely depleted, but they were uninjured at least. After that final exertion with her Knight, Weiss was on the verge of passing out, only managing to remain conscious through sheer force of will. Satisfied that her teammates weren't in any danger, Ruby made her way to the bridge, in order to inform the captain that he could sound the All Clear.
By the time the pair of Atlesian warships caught up with the freighter, Jaune had successfully treated the worst of Winter's injuries, though he hadn't been able to completely heal her, before running out of Aura himself. Therefore, even though the pirates were gone, Ruby found herself glad for the presence of the two military vessels that had responded to the Bulwark's distress call, which had been broadcasting from the second the pirates' vessel had appeared on the surface. Even though the signal had been jammed by the pirates shortly afterwards, it had been enough for the military to get a fix on their location.
Between the lingering negativity; brought on by the crew forced to listen to the sounds of battle, and the sight of the scattered remains of the pirates who had been killed in the fighting; it was all too likely that at least some Grimm would be drawn to the ship now. At the moment, Ruby was the only one capable of fighting, the rest being up to the freighter's own armaments.
For her part, Ruby soon found herself coming down from the momentary high produced by the excess Aura that Jaune had flooded through her. Her Aura-levels returned to normal, though not completely depleted. Mental fatigue soon rushed in, and Ruby found herself swaying as well, though she managed to maintain consciousness and knew she'd be able to fight, albeit in a reduced capacity, if she needed to.
She was lucid enough to hand off responsibility to the commander of the soldiers and androids that rappelled down from one of the warships hovering above, the Atlesian forces not only reinforcing the freighter's defenses, but also taking charge of cleaning up what remained of the pirates. Out of the uncounted number that had assaulted the ship, only a scant handful had survived. Ruby found herself wondering just how well her three friends would deal with the fact that they had ended lives this day. At the moment, exhaustion, both mental and physical, kept them from having to deal with that. However, once they recovered, the weight of their deeds would settle in again. Ruby just hoped she was able to help them deal with it.
But that was for later. In the now, they had additional support, all but ensuring that they would make it to port intact. Their mission had been successful, and Weiss' father would be satisfied...hopefully. The freighter's own security cameras had captured the battle in nearly its entirety, while the warships' sensors had picked up the signs of the Schneller Geist's destruction, confirming that the pirates would no longer be a problem for the SDC's ships.
For now, at least, they could all rest, secure in the knowledge that they had succeeded.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone