13

*zap* Her eyebrow twitched, but she continued to pack her bag.

*zap* She suppressed a tired huff and doublechecked the food and water.

*zap* "Can you stop it already?! You will ruin my hair!" Yang finally exploded and glared at her sister. Ruby had figured out that she could generate a small amount of static electricity from the friction between her petals and now just couldn't stop zapping everyone. Tai had locked himself inside his room after spending five minutes with her and Zwei had run off into the woods to catch a break. Regrettably, Yang didn't have that option. She had to make sure to pack everything properly or Ruby would start whining about her scratching something.

Early in the morning they went to retrieve Yang's secondary bike. She liked Bumblebee more but her precious, bright yellow bike was way too easily identified and they were trying to keep their anonymity. Ruby flew them over to the mainland like usual and they were off. The target location was roughly in the middle between the city of Vale and Mt. Glenn. While Yang was preparing their little camp for the night Ruby unpacked a small scouting drone and let it free.

-BBW-

A week passed after Ozpin put out a hit on the facility and so far the progress was almost nonexistent. The small team of Atlesian scouts positioned some distance away from it counted six groups and in total fifteen attempts to storm the place. Out of the six groups only two were able to retreat. The intelligence provided by them was also rather lacking. They didn't need to waste so much time to confirm that there was indeed a lot of grimm. Still, the general ordered the place to be under constant watch and either collect data from the retreating groups or provide assistance. On the afternoon of the eight day one of the soldiers spotted a drone circling around the hill. Understanding that things would get ugly soon they prepared their gear. Even if the attack failed, the data could still be valuable.

-BBW-

Yang was slowly heating up their dinner when Ruby came abc from her scouting.

"I found twelve entry points, three large ones and the rest are just small grimm holes. I think the big ones are man made."

"Hmm, and that means?"

"There is something weird going on. I saw a group of people sitting nearby. They had camo but their weapons were standart recon gear from the Atlesian military.

"What of it? You have some of their stuff too."

"Yeah, but every single one of them had a full set, not just randomly bought pieces."

"So the toy soldiers are here… does it really matter?"

Ruby shrugged. "Not really, they are not equipped to attack the place so they are probably just keeping an eye on things." She scanned her surroundings before adding. "Although it's strange that they are operating in Vale near a big grimm nest."

Yang chuckled. "Please sis, Vale's army is a joke, we barely have any to begin with." She removed the food from the fire and gave one of the cans to Ruby. "So… Do you have a plan or do we just go in guns blazing?"

Ruby took a spoonful of the heated up… substance and slightly cringed at the taste before answering. "We set up charges at eleven exits and you will take points at the last one. We leave the grimm only one place to get out and then poke the hornet's nest. I brought the FLG rockets and they should do the tri- oh drat!"

"Don't tell me you forgot them."

"Of course not! But… FLG rockets are kinda illegal to use…" She finished awkwardly and poked her fingers together. "And I'm not sure about using them in front of the Atlesian army…"

"I don't even know what those things are, but if they intend to just sit and watch, their opinion doesn't matter."

-BBW-

Being a mercenary in Vale meant that a person lived in a gray zone. While some of the missions were definitely illegal, being a merc wasn't. Because it was somewhat legal it gave the government some oversight over it and most importantly ability to tax them. In exchange their little community was granted rights that would usually be reserved to the military or huntsman. Possession of weaponry, easier time on the borders and right to declare intent. It wasn't used often. Who would want to advertise their shady work?

At 3:30 AM the reclamation zone was declared in the southern territories of Vale.

A no man's land that was overrun with grimm and an army of hunters ready to take it back.

No restriction on weaponry. No rules of engagement.

Only one law to be upheld.

To slay grimm

At 3:40 the recon team received frantic orders to get out.

At 4:00 the tunnels all over the hill were blown up.

At 4:02 the first rocket collided with its target.

At 6:12 a village thirty miles away was awoken by a sound likened to a volcanic eruption.

At 7:49 Vale's response team confirmed that the hill ceased to exist.

-BBW-

4:03

Yang stood in front of the only tunnel Ruby left available. The first rocket already found its mark and the next one would soon follow. She could hear the roars coming out of the cave. Both pained and angry. She got the minigun ready. She would prefer to get up close and just smash their heads in but the first ones would be the small fries anyway. Behind her laid two boxes, one with additional bullets, the second with grenades. The second rocked hit and the first grimm finally crawled out. And the second. Soon a black stream was moving towards Yang. From the sides of the hill a nevermore blasted its way out and tried to take flight. A sniper round destroyed its head before it could even stretch out its wings.

Yang couldn't see what she was firing at. She simply kept the gun pointed at at the exit point and never moved her finger away from the trigger. The barrel was steaming from the ice dust keeping the temperature within operational norm. But the light steaming couldn't compare to the absolutely black cloud that was slowly forming above them. Enormous black pillar was rising from the exit Yang was blocking and smaller trails were bursting out of the hill itself.

After half an hour Yang became bored. "Hey Rubes!" she screamed over the continuing gunfire into the earpiece. "Try shooting one into the tunnel, maybe if you widen it up it would go faster!"

"Move out!"

Yang took two leisure steps to the side and seconds later a missile streaked past her into the darkness. On second thought, maybe it wasn't a good idea to shoot explosives into a horde of grimm. Thankfully all the body parts that she was now covered in, would evaporate soon enough. Now with a larger opening she could finally make out individual grimm. Creeps, beowolves, ursas, deathstalkers. It was strange. Usually grimm would be more spread out but here there were probably hundreds in the same place. Meanwhile Ruby switched to normal fire dust rockets and was dropping a fireball on the entrance every minute. The ground was shaking, the hill was slowly being covered in cracks. Heh, leave it to Rubes to go overboard with explosives.

Suddenly a giant black tentacle burst out from the side and tried to flatten Yang.

I, who shall awaken

So… the final boss decided to show up?

"Come here sis, I'll take care of the big one and you can clear out the trash." She spoke to her sister while still raining down gunfire.

"On it!" A quick reply from the earpiece.

Knowing that there won't be any suppressing fire until Ruby got here, she kicked the box with grenades into the approaching hoard and then shot it.

Three more tentacles burst out of the ground.

Golden dragon who devoured the flames of the sun

She felt a familiar pressure settle on her shoulders. Soon after a wave of rose petals clashed into the grimm and started tearing the lesser ones apart.

A towering bloated black arm came out of the side of the hill and swung wildly. Many grimm died as almost a third of the hill started to collapse.

Ruby landed by her side and nodded in silent greeting.

Both were confident, both were determined.

"Let's do it sis!"

Two smaller arms and a hoofed leg were now flailing in the air as the abomination was slowly breaking free.

Soar to the edge of the world / To save the man, to slay the beast

From the depths a malformed head with half a dozen jaws roared.

-BBW-

Why! Don't! You! Die! Ruby raged in her mind as her petal tore apart another set of deformed limbs. Second later what she could asume was the main body bloated once more and two new sets of twitching appendages were now trying to catch her. This went on for quite some time already. First they were confident that between her swarm of razor sharp petals and Yang's fire the large body would be simply a speed bump before they would hit something vital. But then they realized that the abomination was regenerating after every hit it took and while they were attacking the front it bloated and filled out the cave system inside its lair. What the hell are you?! Grimm doesn't work like that… magical grimm? She had no proof but nothing would be lost if she tried. Besides, she didn't know any other way to counter magic than with other magic.

Be virtuous

Be righteous

The monster slowed down and its regeneration became very sluggish when near her. So she started cutting. Like a giant red drill she aimed at the middle(?) of the thing and then- There!

Her petals ran into something they couldn't cut. Instead Ruby willed them to mince everything around it. It was a giant egg. Or maybe a seed? Even now completely surrounded by her swarm it was producing black body mass at an incredible rate.

"Yang!"

Her sister saw the gleaming white target and didn't need any more prompting. With a great leap her fist collided with the object. There was barely a crack on its surface.

"Oh no, you don't!" Yang put more of the accumulated energy into her next punch and with a great shockwave the egg gave in and was blown to pieces.

ROOOAAAGH

"Shit! Shouldn't it be dead now?" Yang called out, seeing that instead of dissolving their enemy only seemed more angry.

"I don't know, maybe there are more of these?"

"Fuckin' great." Yang hissed out.

Normally Ruby would call her out on swearing but now really wasn't the time. "I'll try to find the other one. Stay back and break it when I do!" Yang only nodded and jumped directly in front of the monstrosity, which earned her a heavy punch from an enormous fist and sent her hundreds of feet away..

"Yang!"

"I'm fine." Yang drawled into her earpiece. "Just needed some juice for my semblance."

Now Ruby had to find the other seeds for Yang to break. It took quite an effort to find one and the thing was massive. Who knows how many there were in total. With its regeneration, even if they left one it would still be a major threat to everyone. Come on! This is what I trained my entire life for!

Bloomed to shine in the darkest night

White light covered almost half of the grimm's body. A swarm of petals became a hurricane that encompassed the entire hill and even some of the grassy plains around it. Earth was torn asunder, stones and rocks reduced to dust. And in the middle Ruby hovered in the air staring down at her prey.

-BBW-

It took Yang only a moment to regain her footing after being launched away. Even with her aura active and plenty, the helmet she was wearing was barely holding itself together. She removed it and took a look around her with her own eyes. The thing was huge. The part she could see was hundreds of feet tall. With some of it still hidden inside the hill or underground, its full size might be approaching a thousand. Her sister was tiny in comparison.

And yet.

Her petals slowly chipped away at the ground and at its body, revealing its true size and shape, if it could be called any. Around her the storm raged on, she stood in its eye. She would call it serene if it wasn't for the screech of metal and angry roars. In the middle of it all her little sister floated in the air. The tiny wisp of wite light she saw a few times were now akin to searchlights. Bloody magic… Okay, Rubes said that this thing should be good enough.

Banish the darkness

She threw away her cloak, leaving her only in her new dust suit. The small dust containers started to lightly hum.

Usher the inferno

Red lines covering the suit lit up and she felt like she was once again on fire.

Come on Rubes, I can't see any white eggs to hit!

Slowly she started channeling more aura into her semblance.

There! One, two, three… shit.

There were just too many for her to hit, not only she doubted she could hit them all without the beast hiding them away but her semblance's reserves wouldn't be able to provide.

I won't allow it! I promised I'd keep up! She found them and I must break them!

Silver star to show the path

The hum of the containers turned into high pitched wheeze. The lines on her suit went from deep red into angry orange. The blue lines filled with ice dust lit up as well, trying to regulate the heat.

All or nothing.

Her scroll started ringing, signaling that she was in the red with her aura, but that didn't matter to her anymore. Her hair shone with fire, the ground underneath melted.

Ten

Twenty

Thirty

Thirty six!

She had her targets, now only to destroy it. She got ready for her charge. Bright red slitted pupils locking on the first one to go. Her aura shone bright yellow as a spider web over her skin. She took a step forward. It was like trying to track through the mud but she had plenty of energy to spare. The beast seemed almost frozen, her sister's petals sluggishly floating through the air.

-BBW-

Ruby could only stare as Yang blitzed past her and punched the first seed into nothing. She used a small swarm of her petals as a platform to launch herself further up, the petals bursting into flames as soon as she took off, and continued to the next one. And then next. And so on.

For them it felt like minutes had passed until Yang destroyed the last one. Each hit was comparable to a small meteor. When her energy ran out and time finally resumed the abomination was torn apart by the combined might of thirty six punches and subsequent shockwaves. The hill was no more. In its place a scorched patch of land littered with craters.

She landed in front of Ruby, face red and sweat dripping down from her. When she saw Ruby's expression full of wonder, she gave her a warm smile and ruffled her hair. Her aura broke down and she passed out into her sister's arms.

/

/

/

Infodump

FLG stands for Fire-Lightning-Gravity. The principle is that upon impact the gravity dust pushes fire and lighting dust into whatever it hits where it later explodes. For real world comparison think about HEAT missile that injects termite. FLG were outlawed during the Vytal treaty because of the extreme incendiary damage they caused to any structure they happened to hit and should it hit the ground it would glass the surface to a considerable depth. FLW (Fire-Lightning-Wind) is still used because the temperature is much lower and has a larger area of the effect. It's mainly used to deal with swarms of flying grimm when the intensity of fire is not that important compared to blast radius. While forbidden for military use, hunters are allowed to wield any and all weapons against grimm.

Replies

To merendinoemiliano

You are reading too much into it, sdc officials and slavers were added only so the world would feel a bit more alive. We can't have the girls only dealing with grimm can we? That would become boring… I might use the sdc guys in some subplot with Weiss later on or maybe not. I have it somewhat planned out but not to the absolute details. Don't bother to remember the slavers though, they were a one off thing.

To Dan1142000

Perry the platypus faunes is fanon, but yeah, i couldn't help myself either. Although as far as I'm concerned Merlot the man is dead. There may be some of his 'legacy' involved but otherwise not much. As to Yang becoming Raven 2.0… you do realize that she is one of the main characters and seeing what will happen is one of the main selling points of this story? Why are you asking me about it in reviews? :D