The Knights of Grimm - Act 4 - Whispers of Arkhonex

Chapter 76 - Donovan Gele

Ruby

They were coming...

The Howl of the Grimm echoed across Old Town, crashing through the ruined buildings and shattering everything in their path. The herd of Goliaths roared, trumpets raised and flicked back over their heads, eyes piercing with red burning coals for eyes. They charged and smashed through the buildings, crumbling them down their armoured shoulders. And they were not the only monsters coming, hordes of Lesser Grimm and many Higher Grimm were here too.

Including Nuckelavees, quite a few of them as well. Except these Nuckelavees were far younger versions than the Kuroyurian Nuckelavee. They charged like a Cavalry towards the blown open gates of Arcturus Base, and the first Nuckelavee jumped over the barriers they set up to try and stop them. The huge beast slammed its hooves down to the ground and it dragged its elongated arms down into the tarmac to steady the landing. The Imp riding the Equine Beast reared up and shrieked at the soldiers who aimed their rifles at the monster. The Nuckelavee launched its arm towards the soldier and stabbed the claws straight through the chest piece the combatant wore, impaling him against the wall. The Nuckelavee dragged its arm back to its side, coated in the soldier's blood, and the Horse reared back and roared to the sky.

Airborne Grimm flew overhead and the horde from Old Town poured through the opened defences, like a flood of darkness. "Fall Back! The Grimm are inside! Activate the defences!" One of the soldiers yelled, not even noticing that Ruby, Oscar, Pyrrha and Jaune were sprinting round their defences, using the attacking Grimm as a distraction. Ruby slid down into cover and she peered round the building, staring at the monsters as they attacked the Mercenaries.

"By the gods... that was close." Jaune gasped, but Ruby looked at Pyrrha and she saw the dread on her face.

"Pyrrha? What's wrong?" Ruby asked her, and Pyrrha looked at her Silver Eyed Friend.

"This is wrong, Ruby..." She said, staring at the slaughter as the Grimm poured through and over the defenceless walls. Ruby watched as soldiers dropped their weapons in total fear, not all of them were savages like the ones that they had to fight when they arrived here in the first place. Some of them were simply too scared to see any other path to take, or only did it for the money because they had no other way. "... we can't just let this happen."

"They're our enemies, Pyrrha. Let them die." Ruby coldly said, standing up and walking away from them. All three of them looked at each other and then at Ruby. Jaune sighed as he stood up, before Oscar and Pyrrha could even say the same thing that he was going to say.

"This isn't you. Ruby." Jaune told her, and Ruby stared at him. Her silver eye stared at Jaune and she looked back at the soldiers. Oscar could see it, there was still the girl inside her that welcomed him into their friendship group in seconds, the one that believed that the path to helping everyone was one worth taking. But her past, everything that has happened to her? It kept on bringing that dark side back into her thoughts.

"It is now, Jaune. They chose their path, and we chose ours. Let them die with it." Ruby said.

"No." Oscar disagreed, and Pyrrha stood with him. "Jaune is right, Ruby... this isn't you."

Ruby stared at them with confusion. "Are you three serious right now? Help them? They have been trying to kill us for the past six years! They are helping Umbra!" She argued.

"No they're not, they're just soldiers who are paid to follow the orders of their superiors. Kelham, Donovan and Jacques Schnee. They are the enemy." Jaune said to her.

"Oh yeah?" Ruby scoffed. "Think about that the next time one of those soldiers tries to kill you. I'm done being weak for people who couldn't use their heads properly."