Chapter 17

So fast, and so strong too! Even with Nora bolstered with lightning dust, this guy, whoever he was, handled them so casually, so easily!

Ruby grimaced from where she lay. The footsteps of the scorpion faunus attacking them echoing throughout the deserted town. Her aura was almost completely spent, just from absorbing a few light jabs and a kick. If he had hit her as hard as he could, he could have probably smashed her aura in one blow. Just one full frontal hit from Nora would do the trick, yet this guy had casually held back a bolstered semblance enhanced Nora with just his tail, with ease!

Shakily, she tried to push herself to her feet and looked up from her bangs to see the man casually walking towards her, spinning his wrist blades along his wrists like a pair of toys, a demented smile tugging at his lips.

How could someone find such joy in hurting people? Was it because he was connected to Cinder in some way!? Why did he want her?

"Well little flower, time to go night night." the faunus licked his lips, yellow eyes glinting crazily.

Then his arm rose up behind him. "Eh?" he cocked his head at his arm, as if not understanding why he had raised his own arm. Then his eyes flew wide and a yelp of surprise left his throat as he was suddenly bodily pulled through the air up high by some unseen force.

A roar shook the air. And Ruby looked up, just in time to see a massive Griffin, bigger than the one that ate Roman Torchwick shoot down like a rocket and punch one massive claw clad in a familiar looking gauntlet into the airborne scorpion faunus and launch him soaring through the air, where he smashed into and through one of the few finished built buildings in the town.

The massive Griffon, and Alpha, landed right before her, its massive bulk shaking the ground from the force of its landing.

Its red and green eyes locked with hers. 'Red and green.' she wondered, a bit in shock. Grimm had red eyes, not green. And they definitely didn't have heterochromia.

She hadn't even known what such a condition was called, and only learned when Weiss told her about it because of that one guy in her class that had it. The other guy who got in early, Cobalt, the boy who Weiss liked to hang out with in the library all the time.

This Grimm. Looking it in the face, she recognised so many features from it. The dual coloured eyes, the lone blue lock of hair that somehow hung over its mask all tousled just like that boys. And the gauntlets and greaves it was wearing, that were completely identical to Grimm Claw, Cobalt's weapons. She'd been so impressed with how cool his weapons looked that she'd made sure to remember the name of them.

She shook her head in a daze. This couldn't be real could it? But...it wasn't attacking her. It was just holding her gaze. And it saved her didn't it? Her breathing began to pick up without her noticing.

The massive Alpha Griffon opened its mouth, "Calm down Ruby," it spoke, and rolled its eyes! "Stop panicking. Yes, it's me Cobalt, yes, I'm a Grimm now-

"Ruby run quickly!" Jaune's voice cut in and in the corner of her vision she saw her blonde friend alongside Nora and Ren running towards her.

"Oh shut up Arc! I'm talking here you moron!" The Grimm snapped, and that's when she knew. It was Cobalt!

...Cardin liked to bully Jaune early on. But nobody really disliked him, except one person. Cobalt himself.

"..Eh?!" Jaune sputtered sliding to a stop and staring bug eyed at the massive Grimm.

"Holy cow that Grimm just talked! Cool!" Nora's enthusiasm wasn't kept at bay even in this dire situation. While Ren just frowned and didn't say anything.

The massive Grimm sighed, its dual coloured eyes meeting hers again, "..Nice dress, the corset works for you," it-he randomly complimented her, "I guess you and Xaio Long really are sisters." his eyes were focused on her chest.

Ruby could only blink. A boy, who used to be human, and was now a Grimm, just hit on her and was staring at her boobs.

Before Ruby, or her friends. could even try to make sense of what was going on. There was a blur of motion and the faunus that was just launched away landed atop the remains of the building he had been punched through in a blur of motion she could barely follow with her eyes.

Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.

A slow, resounding clap echoed throughout the air, "My my my, you have grown oh so quickly haven't you little Cobalty boy?" the scorpion man tittered, crouching down and peering at the massive grimm standing beside her with an insane intent, "She will be happy."

'Who'll be happy!?' Ruby wondered internally. This guy kept talking about some woman. A woman Cinder apparently could only dream of being. And this guy knew Cinder as well. So did they work together under this woman?

And why did he know this grimm was Cobalt!? She was having a really hard time coming to grip with things.

"Shut the fuck up bug," Cobalt huffed angrily, cocking his massive bone plated head to the side, "Beat it, or die, those are the only options you've got."

Ruby gulped. This was beginning to sound much much deeper than she thought things were.

Suddenly, she felt a thrill of weightless and a small yelp left her throat. Then she realised something thick was wrapped around her waist and looked down to notice it was Cobalt's tail. He lifted her up and deposited her on his back.

"Now now my little friend, let's be civil why don't we?" the faunus hummed conversationally. He reached up and casually untied the blades around his wrists, letting them drop to the ground beneath the beneath with a pair of thuds, "My name is Tyrian, and I am the prophet of our great goddess, the one you can thank for your new life."

Goddess? New life? What the heck was going on? Why did someone like this want her?

Tyrian as he named himself pointed at Ruby, "Why don't you hand over the girl, from what I hear you weren't any close to her at all before dear Cinder reaped your human life from you, " Cinder killed Cobalt too? Just like Pyrrha!? That was why he was like this!? How though? "Indeed, she almost killed you and took your new life from you back at the Fall of Beacon from what I hear when she unleashed those disgusting silver eyes of hers."

Said silver eyes widened in shock and mortification. She almost killed Cobalt?! It was a whirlwind of emotions, Ruby wasn't sure what she was meant to feel here.

The massive wings around her flared up and Ruby watched in awe as massive quills just like the ones that Giant Nevermore almost killed her with back at the initiation were launched towards Tyrian.

Tyrian dodged easily, blurring to the side with a massive jump and landing atop another building, just as the six massive black feathers Cobalt launched tore the last of the building to pieces.

"I've not talked with her much, but Ruby isn't the type of person to do something like that intentionally, so why don't you eat shit?" Cobalt spat back, "This is your last warning bug man, I've gotten pretty good at killing scorpions in the past few days, if you don't take a hike and leave Ruby alone, I'm gonna smash you into paste and drain your aura dry."

It warmed her heart a bit that he thought so highly of our despite how little they interacted. Beyond the times he beat her all the time in combat class and the passing conversations she'd had him with when he was with Weiss, Ruby hadn't known Cobalt all that well.

..She was beginning to really regret that now. If only she'd paid more attention instead of goofing off, she might have been able to save him and Pyrrha from Cinder!

Tyrian giggled insanely for a few moments before letting loose a full bellied laugh, clutching at his stomach, "Oh me, oh my! Such fire! I see why she is so interested and no wonder you have grown so quickly! Ah how I'd love to contribute my measly aura to the growth of what my goddess desires! Alas, I must decline hehehehehehhee! I cannot in good conscience leave my dear goddess with such pathetic help as Cinder and those other buffoons! Why I-"

He was cut off as Cobalt swung his wings through the air again and unleashed another barragen of massive blade like feathers. Tyrian once again easily dodged and the building he was on was once again torn apart.

Ruby had to marvel at the sheer destructive power of his feathers. "Talking isn't a free action. And I'm not interested in your shit." Cobalt snarled, and Ruby found her hands gripping the fur on his back tightly, idly noting how soft and cuddly it felt, like a shag carpet.

"I see, I do suppose I cannot risk damaging the merchandise I suppose," Tyrian giggled. He lunged and blurred forward, landing beside his dropped weapons and picked them up, "Well, I'll be on my way then dear Cobalt. But do remember, you can't protect the little flower all the time. And she's another my goddess wants, though, ripped apart and killed in her case heheheheheheheheheh!"

And then he was gone, sprinting away at rapid speeds that she would need her semblance to keep up with, his insane giggling laughter echoing throughout the area and growing distant rapidly.

A sigh left the massive body beneath her, and Ruby gaped as he slumped down on his front and groaned, "That was a close one." he mumbled through his beak.

Ruby blinked. She wasn't sure what was going on, but, "Whatchoo talkin' bout?" she patted him on the back happily, "You totally scared him off. I've no idea what's going on at all, but that was so cool!"

"Not quite fire cracker," a familiar raspy voice spoke up from a few feet away. Ruby's head whirled around as relief and joy filled up her up and there she saw him, her uncle Qrow casually leaning against one of the partially destroyed buildings, his trademark flask in his hands, his red eyes staring intently at Cobalt's massive bulky form, "Your friend here, as big and intimidating as he looks was just bluffing. He might have landed a really good hit and drained a bunch of aura, but that was just luck catching that guy off guard. That Tyrian is a real monster, if he wanted to, he could have torn all five of you apart with ease."

Before Ruby could say anything, Qrow's eyes moved on and locked with the dual coloured pair of the Grimm boy she was sitting on, "I've seen a lot of crazy stuff kid, but this takes the cake, mind filling me in?" her haggard looking uncle hummed out his question. "..And why you felt the need to hit on my niece?"

Cobalt was silent. And Ruby felt her face heat up a bit as she remembered, that yes, Cobalt had hit on her! And was staring at her boobs! "..I hit on her because she's hot. she was always cute, but I didn't know what kind of body she was hiding with that bulky outfit she used to have." Cobalt replied bluntly.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Jaune screamed, clutching the side of his head and looking between her, her uncle and the giant grimm she was sat upon, "You expect me to believe this guy is that annoying kid Stone!?" he pointed his index finger at Cobalt and growled.

"Don't get your panties in a twist Arc," Cobalt huffed, his dislike for the boy apparent in his tone, "This is why Weiss could never see anything in you. You're a total flake."

"Fuck you Cobalt!" Jaune shouted back in reflex before his blue eyes widened and he realised what just happened. From what Ruby could see, he was convinced now.

"I have no idea what's going on, but this is getting awesome!" Nora laughed, zipping up and jumping on Cobalt's back behind her, "Mush Cobalt! Take us on a flight through the air!"

Cobalt sighed, "..This is going way better than I thought it would, but it's still a pain in the ass," he groaned. His massive dual coloured eyes flicked to the three males present, "...I don't give rides to dudes." he commented, standing up to his full height and Ruby felt slight butterflies in her stomach as she found herself raised nearly thirty feet in the air just from him standing on all fours, Nora whooping in excitement behind her.